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London –  Nepal Foods has taken home four Great Taste 2024 awards for its Hot Momo Sauce, Chilli Oil with Shrimp,  Chicken Momo, and Flaming Akbare Sticks.

 Judged by the Guild of Fine Food’s expert panel, Hot Momo Sauce and Chilli Oil with Shrimp are awarded a Great Taste 2 star in the world’s most trusted food and drink accreditation scheme. Likewise, Chicken Momo and Flaming Akbare Sticks are Awarded a Great Taste 1 Star.

13,672 products were put through the competition’s rigorous blind judging process; and Nepal Foods products received amazing feedback. Hot momo Sauce was described as “beer hug of a chilli sensation”, Chilli oil with shrimp was described as “well balanced in the mix and the heat is a flavoursome”, Nepali Chicken Momo was described as “juicy, textural delight and enjoyed the tenderness.” Similarly Flaming Akbare Sticks was described as “unique and interesting snacks perfect ratio of salty, spicy, fruity and sour” at the world’s most coveted food and drink awards. 

A total of 3,938 products were awarded a Great Taste 1-star – ‘food and drink that delivers fantastic flavour’, 1,386 were awarded a Great Taste 2-star – ‘above and beyond delicious’, and 266 were awarded a Great Taste 3-star – ‘extraordinarily tasty food and drink’. Described as  a distinctive aroma of timmur pepper on the nose, a sweet- and sour vibe, more strong floral notes, and a tongue tingling and numbing heat”, this Nepal Foods Hot Momo Sauce was a big hit with the Great Taste judges. 

These above four listed products were one of 5,590 products to receive a Great Taste award in 2024.  “We are thrilled to have won a Great Taste award for our 4 products. It is a matter of pride for us to win on those products which we imported from Nepal. We have won Great Taste Awards for the last three years but never for 4 products. It is a huge success for Nepal Foods,” said Bikash Nepal from Nepal Foods, a London-based company, adding  “Our aim is to make Nepal known for our food globally. We have dreamt of this moment and are so proud to be adding the prestigious black and gold Great Taste badge of honour to our products. Winning these 4 awards is truly a dream come true.”

What is Great Taste? 

Recognised as a stamp of excellence and actively sought out by food lovers and retailers alike, Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, values taste above all else. All products in the line-up for judging are blind-tasted: every product is removed from its packaging so it cannot be identified, before entering a robust, layered judging process. This year, judging took place over 92 days in Dorset and London, with a panel of more than 500 judges putting the products to the test. 

The line-up saw food and drink products submitted from 115 different countries across the world.  The full list of this year’s winners and where to buy them can be found at www.gff.co.uk/directory and a wide range of the award-winning products are available to buy in delis, farm shops and independent retailers across the country.

KATHMANDU, July 27, 2024 — Since the onset of the monsoon season on June 10, a total of 134 people have lost their lives due to floods, landslides, and other disaster-related incidents across Nepal, according to the latest reports from the Nepal Police.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Nepal Police and spokesperson, Dan Bahadur Karki, provided a breakdown of the casualties: two people died in the Kathmandu Valley, 22 in Koshi Province, six in Madhes Province, 25 in Bagmati Province, and 38 in Gandaki Province. Additionally, Lumbini Province reported 23 deaths, Karnali Province eight, and Sudurpaschim Province ten.

In addition to the fatalities, 148 people have been injured. The injuries are distributed as follows: nine in the Kathmandu Valley, 34 in Koshi Province, nine each in Madhes, Lumbini, and Bagmati provinces, 29 in Gandaki Province, 35 in Karnali Province, and 14 in Sudurpaschim Province.

DIG Karki also reported that seven individuals are currently missing due to floods and landslides, with search and rescue operations still ongoing.

The monsoon-related disasters have had a severe impact on communities, displacing a total of 4,030 families. Efforts are underway to provide relief and support to those affected.

This year’s monsoon season has been particularly devastating, with heavy rainfall causing widespread flooding and triggering numerous landslides. The situation is reminiscent of the recent Typhoon Gaemi, which caused significant destruction in Taiwan and led to 22 deaths in the Philippines.

As authorities continue to respond to the immediate needs of disaster-affected communities, there is also a growing emphasis on improving preparedness and resilience to better handle such natural calamities in the future. ( RSS, Agencies)

July 27, 2024 — OpenAI has announced its latest venture into the search engine market with SearchGPT, a cutting-edge tool that integrates artificial intelligence from the ground up. This new search engine aims to revolutionize how users find information online by combining OpenAI’s advanced AI technology with real-time web data.

SearchGPT, currently in an early testing phase for a select group of users, allows people to search for information conversationally, akin to interacting with ChatGPT. OpenAI plans to incorporate SearchGPT into ChatGPT in the future, further enhancing its capabilities.

The launch of SearchGPT signifies a direct challenge to Google, which has long dominated the online search market. Google has been striving to keep up with the AI boom that began when OpenAI introduced ChatGPT in November 2022. The new search engine also presents a competitive threat to Microsoft’s Bing, which integrated OpenAI’s technology last year to better compete with Google.

SearchGPT enables users to pose questions in natural language, receiving detailed answers along with links to up-to-date information from reputable sources. Unlike ChatGPT, which relies on older data, SearchGPT ensures the provision of current information, offering users a richer, more accurate search experience.

In a demo shared by OpenAI, a query about the “best tomatoes to grow in Minnesota” was answered with detailed information on tomato varieties and included links to resources such as “The Garden Magazine” and “The Gardening Dad.” Additionally, SearchGPT displays a sidebar with extra links to relevant content, similar to the traditional search results page on Google.

“Getting answers on the web can take a lot of effort, often requiring multiple attempts to get relevant results,” OpenAI stated in a blog post. “We believe that by enhancing the conversational capabilities of our models with real-time information from the web, finding what you’re looking for can be faster and easier.”

The introduction of SearchGPT could solidify generative AI as the future of online search. Generative AI, which can create original text and other media, has been experimented with by Google and others in early attempts to incorporate AI-generated answers into search. However, challenges remain, particularly concerning the tendency of AI tools to present false information confidently without indicating potential inaccuracies.

OpenAI’s announcement comes after Google’s rollout in May of AI-generated summaries atop some search results pages. Google’s feature faced backlash for providing inaccurate and nonsensical information, leading to a quick rollback.

Concerns have also been raised among news publishers about the potential impact of AI summaries on web traffic, as users might not visit their sites for information. OpenAI addressed these concerns by partnering with publishers to develop SearchGPT, offering them control over how they appear in search results. Sites can be included in SearchGPT even if they have opted out of contributing content for training OpenAI’s AI models.

As OpenAI continues to test and refine SearchGPT, the competitive dynamics of the search engine market are poised for significant change, promising a new era of AI-enhanced search capabilities for users worldwide.

KUNMING, China – The eighth edition of the China-South Asia Expo (CSAE) began on July 23rd in Kunming, Yunnan Province. This six-day event has brought together over 2,000 exhibitors from 82 countries and regions, with nearly half of the participants coming from outside China, particularly from South and Southeast Asia.

Themed “Unity and Cooperation for Development,” this year’s CSAE showcases a wide array of sectors, with a particular focus on green energy, modern agriculture, healthcare, leisure, entertainment, culture, and tourism. The expo features 15 exhibition halls, with nearly 60% of the space dedicated to industries such as building science and technology, manufacturing, green energy, and modern agriculture. Notably, the expo introduced a Coffee Industry Pavilion for the first time, hosting over 160 exhibitors. The expanded South Asia Pavilion now includes two halls with more than 800 booths, and a special exhibition area for Pakistan, the theme country for this year.

Since its inception, the CSAE has been instrumental in enhancing trade ties between China and South Asian countries. Over its seven previous editions, the expo has hosted over 18,000 domestic and international companies, attracted more than 4 million visitors, and generated over US$100 billion in foreign trade turnover, facilitating the signing of over 3,000 projects. In 2023, trade between China and South Asian countries approached US$200 billion, doubling since the expo’s launch in 2013, according to China’s Ministry of Commerce.

The CSAE continues to be a crucial platform for policy exchanges, commodity trading, and investment collaboration, reflecting the growing economic and trade potential between China and South Asian nations.

Kathmandu, Nepal – At the recent Regional Dialogue on Adolescent Pregnancy in South Asia, 18-year-old Geetu posed a poignant question to an assembly of government officials, UN agencies, and partners: “How can you – how will you – help us get back to school and support us to build skills so that we can work?” Geetu’s story, a heartbreaking account of early marriage, health complications, and financial struggles, resonated deeply with attendees and underscored the urgent need for systemic support for adolescent girls in the region.

Geetu’s ordeal began at 16 when she was married and soon became pregnant. A difficult labor necessitated a caesarean section, and her daughter, born weighing just 1.5 kg, required costly neonatal intensive care. The financial burden left Geetu and her husband in debt, exacerbated by their ineligibility for government allowances due to their underage marriage. Two years later, Geetu continues to suffer from health issues, struggling with basic tasks and child care.

Her story is not unique. During travels in Pakistan, similar narratives were heard. Maina, married at 13, has endured multiple miscarriages over four years due to limited medical care. Her sister, Laali, expressed a desire to return to school but was hindered by health issues. These accounts highlight the pervasive challenges faced by adolescent girls in South Asia.

The dialogue, convened by the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), emphasized the need for education on the harms of child marriage and the importance of keeping girls in school. UNICEF and its partners are actively working to address these issues through various programs aimed at preventing child marriage and supporting adolescent girls.

One successful initiative is Nepal’s Rupantaran program, which provides employability skills training and soft skills development to girls from disadvantaged communities. This program has shown significant impact, offering girls pathways to well-paid jobs or business start-ups, and fostering confidence, courage, and independence.

In the past decade, significant progress has been made in reducing child marriage rates in South Asia, dropping from 46% to 26%. This progress is attributed to advocacy for girls’ education, cash transfer programs coupled with education and livelihood services, micronutrient supplements for pregnant girls, social behavioral change programs, and increased vocational opportunities.

UNICEF’s involvement in global programs, such as Beti Bachao, Beti Padao (Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter) in India and Rupantaran in Nepal, illustrates the potential for transformative change. These programs not only provide critical support but also challenge societal norms and offer hope for a better future.

The dialogue concluded with a commitment to scale up and replicate successful programs like Rupantaran, aiming to provide second chances for young mothers. With less than six years until the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) deadline, the emphasis is on investing in married, pregnant, and parenting adolescent girls for their well-being and for national economic growth.

The recommendations from the dialogue will be presented to the SAARC Steering Committee for endorsement and implementation. This step is seen as crucial to effectively address the challenges posed by adolescent pregnancy and early marriage, and to empower girls like Geetu, Maina, and Laali to fulfill their potential and contribute to their communities.

UNICEF’s continued dedication to improving the lives of adolescent girls is clear. The question posed by Geetu – “How can you – how will you – help us get back to school and support us to build skills so that we can work?” – remains at the heart of these efforts, driving the commitment to create a better future for millions of girls in South Asia.