by Kunal Purohit in SCMP, Nov 19, 2022The landlocked Himalayan nation of Nepal heads to the polls on Sunday in a closely watched general election that analysts say will determine how Kathmandu handles ties with the United States, China and India. More than 17.9 million voters in the geopolitically sensitive South Asian country – sandwiched between China and India – will elect a new government and prime minister through the 165 seats in Nepal’s parliament…
Posts published in “Nepal”
by Sangam Prasain in The Kathmandu Post, Nov 19, 2022Nepal Airlines has finally decided to sell its troublesome Chinese planes and spare parts after nobody came forward to lease them despite a deadline extension. Plagued by breakdowns and lack of pilots, the three 17-seater and two 56-seater aircraft had turned into “the most expensive white elephants in the carrier’s history” right after they arrived, officials said. State-owned Nepal Airlines has been eager to get rid…
by Balaram Ghimire in The Kathmandu Post, Nov 18, 2022The Rasuwagadhi-Kerung border point, one of the key trade routes between Nepal and China, is yet to reopen after being closed for the past thirty-four months, throwing scores of local traders out of jobs. Despite several pledges from Beijing to smoothen the trade between the two neighbours, the border has remained closed for months. Local traders in the Rasuwa district, whose livelihood depends on cross-border trade,…
by Nishan Khatiwada in The Kathmandu Post, Nov 17, 2022As the country is set to vote in federal and provincial elections next week, many are watching the Madhesh province with keen interest because of its recent history of political movements that shook the entire nation. Following the Madhesh uprising in the run-up to the promulgation of the Constitution of Nepal 2015, the Madhesh-based parties came into national spotlight. They fared well in the 2017 elections…
by Tika R Pradhan/Purushottam Poudel in The Kathmandu Post, Nov 17, 2022.Shobha Kayastha of Ranibari, Kathmandu, a resident of Kathmandu constituency-5, has decided not to vote in the elections next week. Kayastha, along with her spouse, voiced her frustration with the leaders for their repeated failures to deliver on development promises and their “utter shamelessness”. Rising public frustration due to non-performance and failure of politicians is dangerous for democracy, observers worry. “Barring some party cadres,…
by Anil Giri in The Kathmandu Post, Nov 16th, 2022.Nepal and China on Tuesday signed an agreement for the utilisation of Rs15 billion (800 million RMB) in Chinese grants for various projects selected by the Nepali side. Bishnu Pukar Shrestha, Nepali ambassador to China, and Luo Zhaohui, chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), signed the agreement on the behalf of their respective governments, in Beijing. CIDCA is China’s external aid and development…
by DB Budha in The Kathmandu Post, Nov 16, 2022A week has passed since Tirtharaj Neupane, a 23-year-old man from Jodu in Sinja Rural Municipality-6, left home for Uttarakhand in India. Neupane is one of the six youths who have reached Nepalgunj to cross over to India. While the election fever grips the country, migrant workers from the mountain district of Jumla remain untouched by the frenzy. “People like us can’t afford to get caught…
by Nishan Khatiwada in The Kathmandu Post, Nov 15, 2022The huts made with mud, wood, and hay have been raised a little from the ground to ensure safety from the floods that inundate the Musahari tole every monsoon. The tole is a settlement of 22 poor Musahar families with a total of 131 members, and falls in ward 3 of Mukhiyapatti Musaharniya Rural Municipality, which is around 15 kilometres from the Janakpur Sub Metropolitan City.…
by Kashiram Dangi in The Kathmandu Post, Nov 15, 2022Barsha Man Pun, the deputy general secretary of CPN (Maoist Centre), is contesting for the federal parliament seat from Rolpa, an epicentre of Maoist insurgency. He is the common candidate of the ruling alliance in the district, which has a single electoral constituency in the House of Representatives. Pun is up against Purna Bahadur Budha Magar, his one-time party comrade and former Maoist combatant who is…
Report in The Kathmandu Post, Nov 15, 2022Visiting Chinese Vice Minister for Culture and Tourism Li Qun is leaving for Hong Kong on Tuesday after completing his five-day Nepal visit. He arrived in Kathmandu on Friday night. Li, who is also the head of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, visited Nepal on a “personal” visit and according to the government officials. Earlier, Nepal had asked Chinese officials to postpone the visit until after the November…
By Purushottam Poudel in The Kathmandu Post,29 Oct 2022 People who often criticise the political parties and their leaders for being dishonest and hungry for power often end up casting their vote for the same leader. In the last local level elections, the voting percentage was around 64, according to the Election Commission, despite the people expressing their grievances towards their leaders. So, what drives common Nepalis to vote in the elections? Tirtha Niraula, a…