Serious concerns for the security of human rights defenders remain
1. The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) wishes to highlight the continuing need for closer monitoring by the Human Rights Council and the international community of the renewed threats and attacks that human rights defenders working in Nepal have had to face since the beginning of the year. Worries about potential reprisals from the former belligerents have arisen following progress in the investigation and prosecution of cases of human rights violations committed during the conflict. ... Read More

Nepal Airlines signs deal for two Airbus A320s
PARIS: Nepal Airlines has signed a preliminary deal to buy two Airbus A320 aircraft as it looks to capitalise on growth in tourism to the landlocked country, the European planemaker said on Monday.

The planes would be worth around $180 million at list prices.
... Read More

Nepal Maoist leader Prachanda in India from April 27
Indo-Asian News Service | Updated: April 26, 2013 21:19 IST

Nepal Maoist leader Prachanda to visit India tomorrow
New Delhi: Nepal's former prime minister and Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', will arrive in the Indian capital on Saturday. He is expected to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during which bilateral issues as well as elections to the Constituent Assembly are likely to figure, sources said.

Mr Prachanda's visit to India comes days ... Read More

India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal plan Brahmaputra, Ganga talks, SAMN, April 6, 2013
http://southasianmedia.net/index.html#StoryId_78043

Arunachal Pradesh Water Resources Development Minister Newlai Tingkhatra during a meeting in Itanagar on Friday with the visiting Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Tariq A Khan discussed ways to tackle the problem of siltation through river dredging and building embankments so that proper water depth was developed for inland water transportation.

Mr. Khan advocated an integrated and holistic management of the flood problem in Arunachal Pradesh as well as the Brahmaputra basin, the sources ... Read More

Top Nepal judge becomes head of interim government
By AP - KATMANDU

Nepal's chief judge was named head of an interim government Thursday in an attempt by the Himalayan country's main political parties to cure the paralysis and infighting that have blocked elections for months.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Khilraj Regmi was sworn in by President Ram Baran Yadav, and his choices of former bureaucrats Madhav Ghimire as home minister and Hari Prasad Neupane as law minister took the oath of office with him.

An agreement ... Read More

Nepalese woman scales Mount Everest twice within days
Kathmandu: A Nepalese climber was confirmed on Monday as the first woman to scale Mount Everest twice in a single season, Guinness World Records said, after she made the second summit within days of the first.

Chhurim Sherpa, 29, reached the 8,848-metre (29,028-feet) peak on May 12 last year before returning to base camp for a well-earned rest and then repeating the stunning feat a mere week later.

"I am very happy for this recognition. I was ... Read More

Raising voice against impunity puts human rights defenders at risk
1. The Asian Legal Resource Center (ALRC) urges the Human Rights Council to pay special attention to the situation of human rights defenders in Nepal, who have found themselves exposed to threats, attacks and retaliation in the context of an intensified struggle against impunity. We urge the Council to remind the government of Nepal of its obligations to ensure that human rights defenders are protected and able to play their role as denouncers of human ... Read More

Tibetan monk sets himself on fire in Nepal
KATHMANDU: The self immolation by Tibetans in Tibet spread to Nepal on Wednesday when a 21 year old Tibetan monk set himself on fire in front of Boudhanath Stupa, the holiest Tibetan shrine in Kathmandu.

This is the first instance of self immolation by an ethnic Tibetan in Nepal against Chinese rule in Tibet.

According to police spokesman Keshav Adhikari, the man went inside a toilet of restaurant in front of the stupa, doused himself in petrol, ... Read More

The slow erosion of democratic institutions hampers accountability
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is releasing its annual report on the state of human rights protection in Nepal through 2012 on the occasion of the 64th Human Rights Day. This year the world human rights community is celebrating with the theme of "Your voice, your right. Your voice counts", stressing the importance of participation and inclusion in democratic institutions to ensure a better protection f the rights of all. The full report is ... Read More

In Nepal – Christians up by 1 per cent?
In 10 years, Catholics and Protestants went from 0.4 to 1.4 per cent of the population, less than estimated in 2011. Hindu rise is attributed to wrong designation. Converts to Christianity are also afraid of declaring their new religion. Two million Nepalis live abroad.

Christians praying in a church in NepalNepal, November 27, 2012: Nepal’s Christians are growing. In ten years, they went from 0.4 per cent to 1.4 per cent in the country of 26 ... Read More

Nepalese media impacted by party split, working conditions
Radio Paschimanchal in Palpa, a district in the western region of Nepal, was disrupted for 10 days due to a dispute among its owners. The station, which is run by the UCPN-Maoist, stopped airing because of the split in the party.
(Freedom Forum/IFEX) - In this analysis of recent trends, Freedom Forum notes that the Nepalese media environment has been negatively affected by a split in the largest political party and by poor working conditions.

Following the ... Read More

Nepalese media impacted by party split, working conditions
Radio Paschimanchal in Palpa, a district in the western region of Nepal, was disrupted for 10 days due to a dispute among its owners. The station, which is run by the UCPN-Maoist, stopped airing because of the split in the party.
(Freedom Forum/IFEX) - In this analysis of recent trends, Freedom Forum notes that the Nepalese media environment has been negatively affected by a split in the largest political party and by poor working conditions.

Following the ... Read More

Anti-India posturing has lost appeal in Nepal: Daily
IANS

Kathmandu, Oct 10 (IANS) Anti-India posturing is no longer an appealing issue in Nepal today but some Maoists still believe they could find support among the masses, a leading Nepali daily has said in an editorial.

The Kantipur Daily's op-ed "Daily doublespeak on India" Tuesday comes after a breakaway Maoist group announced an indefinite ban on Indian vehicles entering the country.

The issue of "Swadhinatako Abhiyan" is no longer appealing to people as they faced so much ... Read More

Nepal’s Army integration process concludes
Prashant Jha

Six years after the formal end of the civil war, Nepal’s “peace process” has concluded with the integration of a little over 1,450 former Maoist fighters into the Nepal Army (NA). The cantonments where the former combatants of the Maoist People’s Liberation Army (PLA) resided have closed down, Maoist weapons are under state control, and the PLA has ceased to exist ending the state of “one country, two Armies”.

In the past few weeks, the ... Read More

Nepali Christians have been ordered by Hindu extremists to leave Nepal
Nepal, August 22, 2012: The minister of a church in Nepal that was bombed by an extremist Hindu group in 2009 has been threatened with another attack amid demands for Christians to leave the country.

Three people were killed and more than a dozen injured in the attack by the Nepal Defence Army (NDA) on Robin Rai’s church in Lalitpur, south of Kathmandu. On 8 August, he received a sinister phone call by a man claiming ... Read More

Only two options to resolve present Nepal impasse: Bhattarai
Utpal Parashar

Nepal Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai feels revival of the Constituent Assembly or fresh polls for a new one are the only options to resolve the country’s ongoing political crisis.

“Any other option to draft the constitution would be very regressive in the context of present Nepal and no progressive force would or should accept it,” he wrote in ‘Kantipur’, Nepal’s highest circulated daily, on Monday.

The present impasse in Nepal is result of dissolution of the ... Read More

UP to develop districts adjoining Nepal border
ucknow, July 20 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav Friday assured a visiting Nepalese delegation that his government would develop infrastructure in bordering districts on a priority basis.

The chief minister was interacting with the visiting delegation of the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) led by FNCCI vice-president Bhawani Rana. He assured them that for issues like the laying of a railway line, power and customs, he would soon write ... Read More

India-Nepal trade could reach $10 bn by 2017
Bilateral trade between India and Nepal could touch $10 billion over the next five years, its envoy to India said Thursday.

"Our trade with India has shown good growth. Nepal has great investment potential in sectors such as hydropower, tourism and exotic agricultural products" acting Ambassador K.N. Adhikari said at a seminar organised by Confederation of Indian Industry here.

The bilateral trade stood at around $3 billion in fiscal 2011-12 that ended March 31.

Adhikari said Nepal was ... Read More

Nepal: Govt bows to Christians over church wall
A missing retaining wall raises suspicions of religous bias.

Government officials promised to build a retaining wall for a church in remote Nuwakot, after Christian rights’ advocates brought the matter to the attention of the media yesterday.

A road expansion project has left the church in danger of collapse, while the embankment on either side has been fortified, the advocates said.

“Any suspicions that we did not build a retention wall there because a church was above it ... Read More

Former king's comeback desire creates fresh storm in Nepal
Four years after leaving Narayanhiti Palace to become a commoner, Nepal's former king Gyanendra Shah has kicked up a storm by expressing his desire to stage a comeback. In an interview with a Nepali television channel aired on Sunday night, the 66-year-old expressed desire to play a "guardian's role" to resolve the present political and constitutional crisis.

The former monarch also 'disclosed' that during his written communications with political parties prior to dissolution ... Read More

Turmoil in Nepal
SARA SHNEIDERMAN & MARK TURIN

“Nepal, on the Brink of Collapse,” by Seyom Brown and Vanda Felbab-Brown (Op-Ed, June 6), oversimplifies and underestimates the democratic process in Nepal. The current political turmoil is troubling and, indeed, a constitution must be delivered. Still, Nepal has made substantial progress in its democratic transition, which began only in 1990 and is unlikely to end now.

Accomplishments include the creation of a genuinely open public sphere, in which all citizens ... Read More

Nepali Christians hope rights promised by government are not mere propaganda
Nepal’s Maoist government signs a six-point deal with the Christian minority. The authorities agree to defend the rights of Catholics and Protestants and ensure their representation in parliament. With the failure of the constituent assembly, the country could implode economically and socially.

The Nepali government will guarantee the rights of the country’s Christian community as well as their representation in the institutions of the state. This pledge is contained in a six-point agreement signed by the ... Read More

Book Launch: Architecture of the Newars
The architecture of the Kathmandu Valley

by Niels Gutschow

What: A talk on the architecture of the Kathmandu Valley by Niels Gutschow whose three volume Architecture of the Newars encompasses the entire history of ... Read More

Nepal Supreme Court justice shot dead
KATHMANDU: Nepal's Supreme Court justice Rana Bahadur Bam was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Kathmandu on Thursday.

According to police, two men on motorcycle stopped the car he was travelling in while returning from a local temple and shot him several times through the window. He was immediately rushed to a hospital.

He had been shot in the head and when he was brought to Norvic Hospital, his condition was not very good, said a hospital ... Read More

Nepal Runs Out Constitution Clock, Slips into Crisis
By KRISHNA

Nepal dissolved its four-year-old Constituent Assembly at midnight Sunday and set new elections after political parties failed to agree on the model of federalism the country should adopt in a new constitution.

In a televised midnight address to the nation, Baburam Bhattarai, prime minister of Nepal's Maoist-led national government, said the government has set Nov. 22 as the date for fresh elections to a new Constituent Assembly.

Read more at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303807404577430741243205950.html

... Read More

Two young Indian girls lucky to survive Nepal crash
PTI

Two young Indian girls were lucky to survive the Nepalese airliner crash on Monday near high-altitude Jomsom airport in northern Nepal, being among the six who were rescued alive from the debris of the ill-fated plane.
The girls aged 6 and 9 were among three Indian survivors of the crash in which the Dronier aircraft got buried after hitting a mountain peak straddling the airport.

"The girls are conscious and out of danger," Indian Embassy spokesperson Apoorva ... Read More

Nepal: No agreement on full constitution yet
Nepal, May 02, 2012: The Constituent Assembly of Nepal has yet to reach agreement on a number of core issues concerning the new constitution, with the deadline looming at the end of this month. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is again urging that due attention is paid to protecting the fundamental human rights of Nepali citizens, including the right to freedom of religion or belief.

It is possible that a skeletal draft will be produced as ... Read More

Four people killed in Nepal blast
(PTI)

Four people, including a woman, were killed and 20 others wounded today when a powerful bomb stuck to a motorbike went off in a crowded market in southern Nepal near Indian border of Sitamadhi. The blast at Ramananda Chowk of Janakpur Municipality in Dhanusha district occurred while a group of Madhesi activists were staging a sit-in demanding a separate Mithila state in the new Constitution. Three people including a woman were killed on the ... Read More

India welcomes Nepal's Maoist integration pact
"We welcome the agreement reached on April 10 in the constitutionally mandated Army Integration Special Committee (AISC) on taking forward the process of integration and rehabilitation of the former Maoist combatants in consonance with the past agreements," external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said here.

"We congratulate the Nepalese leadership for the wisdom, and spirit of consensus displayed by them to complete the remaining tasks," he said.

"We hope the Nepali-led and Nepali-driven political processes ... Read More

Nepal lawmakers meet Indian MPs for constitution drafting
PTI

As Nepal is drafting its new constitution after its shift from monarchy to democracy, its lawmakers on Saturday discussed India’s model in an interaction with parliamentarians here seeking to have a better understanding of India “robust” federal structure.

“They raised the issue of federalism. They evinced interest in our “robust” model and asked us to share our experience and how it should be for Nepal... how they can remove the shortcomings which India has faced,” ... Read More

Nepali widow burned alive, accused of witchcraft
Nepal, February 20, 2012: Thegani Devi Yadav, 40, supported two children and in-laws with her work. The government provides compensation and punishes the culprits. A famous healer and magician, tied her and set her on fire with the help of some villagers. Human rights activists explain that “it is a very common practice” and the legacy of a society “dominated by Hinduism.”

A Nepalese woman was burned to death on charges of witchcraft. A terrible story, ... Read More

Bihar court acquits 11 Nepali Maoist leaders
Patna, Feb 3 (IANS) A Bihar court Friday acquitted 11 Nepali Maoist leaders, including a former minister and six MPs, on a state government petition seeking to withdraw criminal cases against them.

The government Wednesday filed a petition in the court of additional district judge in Patna for the withdrawal of cases against the arrested Nepali Maoists, government lawyer Jai Prakash Singh said.

The state government initiated the move to withdraw the criminal cases following a ... Read More

City college announces new journalism award
MAHANAND TIMALSINA

KATHMANDU: Kantipur City College has established the ‘KCC Journalism Award’ which will be given annually to two working Nepali journalists.

The award will carry a purse of Rs 25,000 along with a certificate for each.

Principal of the college, Prahlad Karki announced the award at a one-day seminar on ‘Information for Nation-Building: Quality Media Education for Quality Information,’ organised by the college in Kathmandu on Saturday.

According to Karki, the college has allocated a revolving ... Read More

Ordination for ethnic Nepalese priest
Nepal, January 03, 2011: An ethnic Nepalese Jesuit priest from India has been ordained in the country’s poorest parish.

Father Samuel Simick, 32, was ordained on December 31, in Maheshpur parish, around 600 kilometers east of Kathmandu, by Nepal’s apostolic vicar Jesuit Bishop Anthony Sharma.

He joins three other priests, a diocesan and two Jesuits, who were ordained there by Bishop Sharma last year.

The ceremony, concelebrated by about two dozen priests, was held at the Moran Memorial ... Read More

Newspaper evangelism makes inroads for hope in Nepal
Nepal, December 13, 2011: Christians are approximately four percent of the population.

Recent upheaval in the country has been disruptive for ministries, especially in light of changed penal codes, and failed efforts to draft a new Constitution.

However, AMG International has found one way to present the hope of truth to people, in spite of what chaos might be wreaking havoc in Nepal: Newspaper evangelism.

This method is particularly effective in predominantly Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist countries. ... Read More

Nepal: Religious Liberty Under Attack
Nepal, November 30, 2011: A crude bomb exploded in Thapathali, Kathmandu, on 22 November, outside the offices of United Mission in Nepal (UMN), a Christian non-governmental organisation (NGO) that has been working to relieve poverty in Nepal since 1954. A second bomb was disarmed. No one was injured. Police found leaflets at the site from the Nepal Defense Army (NDA), a militant Hindu nationalist group that has targeted Christians previously. The leaflets accused the UMN ... Read More