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Posts published in “Nepal”

A parlous path ahead for Rabi Lamichhane

by Nishan Khatiwada in The Kathmandu Post, Dec 27, 2022Rastriya Swatantra Party president Rabi Lamichhane took the oath of office and secrecy as Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister at the Sheetal Niwas on Monday—a remarkable turn of events for a person who was running a TV show until six months ago. The Rastriya Swatantra Party—which Lamichhane formed after resigning from his TV job in June just five months prior to the November 20 elections—emerged…

Congress leaders seek answers after party’s abrupt exit from power

by Anil Giri in The Kathmandu Post,Dec 27, 2022A day after Maoist Centre Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal became prime minister with the backing of the CPN-UML and several other parties, Nepali Congress leaders blamed their party president and immediate past prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba of making a strategic blunder by failing to save the ruling alliance and pushing the party to an uncertain future. Dahal broke ties with the Congress-led alliance and joined the…

Two Chinese charged with trafficking Nepali girls to Laos sent to judicial custody

report in The Himalayan Time, Dec 23, 2022Two Chinese nationals who had been living in Nepal in the guise of tourists have been sent to judicial custody on the charge of trafficking Nepali girls aged between 19 and 22 in Laos and forcing them to indulge in illegal cyber businesses. Kathmandu District Court issuing an order sent Chen Yang, 30, a permanent resident of Sichuan, China and Ruan Chaohong, 33, of Fujian China to prison…

Still unresolved: Who leads the coalition government first?

by Purushottam Poudel in The Kathmandu PostThe five-party coalition failed to hammer out a power-sharing deal by Saturday night, with less than a day remaining of the deadline given by President Bidya Devi Bhandari to claim government leadership. Several bilateral and multilateral meetings between ruling party leaders and between the leaders of the governing alliance and the CPN-UML, which is likely to be the main opposition, failed to yield any decisive outcome, leaders privy to…

Gagan Thapa bats for apolitical President

by Purushottam Poudel in The Kathmandu Post,Dec 23, 2022 .Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Thapa has said a non-political person would be an acceptable candidate for President for all sides. In an interview with the Post on Thursday, General Secretary Thapa said that as major political parties in the ruling coalition are eying the post of President, a non-political person can be appointed as a compromise candidate. “Our party should not demand both the presidency…

Two-way trade via Kerung could resume by January first week

But Tatopani border is unlikely to open anytime soon.by Anil Giri in The Kathmandu Post,Dec 23, 2022China has decided to resume two-way cargo movement from Rasuwagadhi-Kerung-Jilong port, which was almost shut since the start of the Covid pandemic in early 2020, possibly before the end of the first week of 2023. But the decision is yet to be communicated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies. Speaking at an…

Dahal firm on not giving up PM post

by Tika R Pradhan in The Kathmandu Post, Dec 23, 2022After being elected as parliamentary party leader of the CPN (Maoist Centre) on Thursday, the party’s chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal reiterated his claim to prime ministership. Dahal, who has been leading the Maoist party’s parliamentary caucus ever since the party joined mainstream politics in 2006, was yet again unanimously elected to the post. According to Maoist lawmakers, Dahal told them that he would speak to…

Supreme Court bars Army from awarding expressway contract to Chinese company

report in The Kathmandu Post, Dec 22, 2022The Supreme Court has issued a short-term interim order against the Nepal Army’s invitation to award the contract of the sixth package of the Kathmandu-Nijgadh Fast Track project to a Chinese company—China First Highway Engineering Company Limited. After hearing the writ petition registered by advocate Rojan Khadka on behalf of an Indian company—Afcons Infrastructure Limited, a single bench of justice Tanka Bahadur Moktan issued the interim order valid…

Can two regional parties stay true to their agenda?

by Nishan Khatiwada in The Kathmandu Post, Dec 22, 2022.Two new regional forces have emerged in parliamentary politics from the recently concluded polls. The Janamat Party established itself in the Madhesh region while the Nagarik Unmukti Party made it to the federal parliament and provincial assembly from the western and far-western Tarai. Both the parties are keen on joining the government, but they have some preconditions. The Janamat Party has asked for several ministries in…

Deuba challengers to stay out of Cabinet, keep him honest

by Purushottam Poudel in The Kathmandu Post, Dec 22, 2022Following the defeat of Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Thapa to party chief Sher Bahadur Deuba in the race for parliamentary party leadership on Wednesday, the party’s dissident faction led by Shekhar Koirala and Thapa has decided to assert itself against the establishment faction in the days ahead. After losing the contest to Deuba with a margin of 39 votes, Thapa told reporters that he wouldn’t…

Nepali Congress lawmakers vote to elect parliamentary party leader

report in The Kathmandu Post, Dec 21, 2022Voting is underway at the parliamentary party office of the Nepali Congress in Singha Durbar to elect its parliamentary party leader. Gagan Thapa, the 46-year-old general secretary of the Nepali Congress, is running against the 76-year-old party president Sher Bahadur Deuba, who is also the incumbent prime minister, for the position of parliamentary party leader in the election today. The winner of the parliamentary party election will be…