Page 19 - Nepal

Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav elected as the third Vice President of Nepal

Ramsahaya Prasad Yadav, a senior leader from the Madhes region, was elected as Nepal's Vice President on Friday, in a further boost to the coalition government headed by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'. Ramsahaya Prasad Yadav, a candidate from the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP), comfortably defeated his nearest rival Ashta Laxmi Shakya of CPN-UML to become the Himalayan nation's third Vice President and the first from the Madhes region, bordering India. Yadav, 52, secured 30,328 votes against 16,328 secured by Shakya, according to the Election Commission. Yadav had the support of the Nepali Congress, CPN-Maoist Centre, CPN-Unified Socialist, and other fringe parties. Rastriya Prajatantra Party did not take part during the vice presidential voting held on Friday. Likewise, Mamata Jha from Janamat Party has secured 2,537 votes. Parmila Yadav, from the JSP Nepal itself, though she announced her withdrawal in the middle-way, got 48 votes. There are 333 federal parliament .

Gaps in commitment, actual investment by China, says Nepal PM Dahal

Nepal's imports from China fell to $1.84 billion in 2022 from $2.38 billion a year ago, while exports totalled $5.39 million, down from $8.37 million in the same period, official data showed

Senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel sworn in as Nepal's third President

Senior Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Paudel on Monday took the oath of office and secrecy as Nepal's third President. At a special ceremony at Sheetal Niwas, the President's Office, Acting Chief Justice Hari Krishna Karki administered the oath to 78-year-old Paudel. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire, National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timilsina and other high-ranking government officials were also present on the occasion. Nepali Congress senior leader Paudel was elected the third President of the country on Thursday, defeating Subas Chandra Nembang of the CPN-UML. Out of 52,628 weightage-based votes, Paudel secured 33,802 while Nembang got 15,518 votes. Former Speaker and multiple-time minister, President Paudel has traversed a long political journey to make it to the country's highest state position.

Nepal elects Ram Chandra Poudel of Nepali Congress as new President

This is the third presidential election in Nepal since the country became a republic in 2008 Kathmandu

Nepalese lawmakers vote to elect new President; results by 7 pm

Nepalese lawmakers on Thursday voted to elect a new President, the outcome of which could impact the stability of the government headed by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda"

Writ petition against Nepal PM for 5,000 killings in Maoist insurgency

A writ petition was on Tuesday registered against Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda at the Supreme Court of Nepal, seeking an order to investigate and arrest him for admitting to being responsible for the killing of 5,000 people during the decade-long Maoist insurgency. The petition brought by advocate Gyanendra Aran and other victims of Maoist insurgency was registered on Tuesday, Supreme Court sources said, adding that another writ by Kalyan Budhathoki was in the registration process. Advocates Gyanendra Aaran and Kalyan Budhathoki, who are also conflict victims, filed separate writ petitions at the Supreme Court demanding that Prachanda be investigated and prosecuted for admitting to being responsible for the killing of at least 5,000 people during the decade-long Maoist insurgency. A bench of justices Ishwar Khatiwada and Hari Krishna Phuyal on Friday ordered the court administration to register the writ petitions brought by the two. "I am accused of killing 17,000 ..

Game of thrones in Nepal: The great game in the Himalayas

Nepal has become a playground for international geopolitics, and its politics of musical chairs has become murkier

Nepal welcomes over 120,000 tourists in 2023, Indians top the list in Feb

Nepal has welcomed more than 1,20,000 tourists in the first two months of this year, the Himalayan nation's tourism department said on Wednesday, with Indians accounting for the highest numbers of arrivals in February. Nepal has witnessed a dramatic surge in tourist arrivals with many countries easing their travel restrictions since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out more than three years ago. It has welcomed 128,329 tourists by air during the first two months of 2023, according to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB). In February alone, the country welcomed 73,255 foreign tourists, a whopping 270.6 per cent rise compared to the same month last year, the NTB said. The highest number of tourists last month were from India, with 18,401 arrivals, according to the NTB. The US is the second highest tourist-generating market for Nepal as 7,887 tourists visited the country in February 2023, the NTB said. With China allowing its citizens to travel abroad, its effect has been seen in Nepal's touris

Oli's party withdraws support to Prachanda; no immediate threat to govt

Nepal PM's first foreign visit to Qatar cancelled after fresh jolt to the fragile two-month-old ruling coalition

Nepal preparing MoU with NHPC, state-run VUCL to develop hydropower project

Nepal is preparing an MoU in which India's hydroelectric major NHPC will collaborate with state-run VUCL to develop a 480 MW semi-reservoir hydropower project in the western part of the country at an estimated cost of Rs 92 billion, an official said on Friday. The move comes days after Nepal and India inked an agreement to increase the power import and export capacity through the Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur transmission line from 600 MW to 800 MW. "Our government has asked NHPC (National Hydroelectric Power Corporation), a government of India company, to collaborate with Nepal's Vidyut Utpadan Company Ltd (VUCL), to develop a hydropower project," Baburaj Adhikari, information officer at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation told PTI. According to the draft MoU, the Nepal government is planning for a 51:49 NHPC-VUCL joint venture. If this MoU gets inked, the Phukot Karnali Hydropower Project, which is a semi-reservoir project with a capacity of 480 MW, will be constructed

Earthquake of 5.2 magnitude struck western Nepal, no casualty reported

A 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck western Nepal Wednesday afternoon. The Nepal Earthquake Monitoring Centre said the quake struck at 1.45 pm and it was recorded in the Bajura district, 450 km west of Kathmandu. However, there were no reports of any damage from the Earthquake yet, said officials. Earlier, on January 24, one person was killed when Bajura was hit by a 5.9 magnitude earthquake.

India, Nepal agree to add 200 MW to Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur transmission line

Nepal and India have inked an agreement to increase the power import and export capacity through the Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur transmission line from 600 megawatts to 800 megawatts, authorities here said on Sunday. The agreement was reached at the Energy Secretary-level Joint Steering Committee (JSC) meeting in Mount Abu, Rajasthan, on Saturday, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Energy on Sunday. During the 10th meeting of Nepal India Energy Secretary-level JSC, discussions were held on various important issues such as expanding the power of existing, under-construction and proposed transmission lines, Arun Third hydroelectric power, and related transmission line projects and international power export and import," the press release said. The meeting was co-chaired by Nepal's Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Madhu Prasad Bhetwal and Alok Kumar, Secretary at the Ministry of Electricity, India. According to the press release,

Nepal, India agree to export power on long-term basis in bilateral meet

Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra and his Nepali counterpart Bharat Raj Paudyal during a bilateral meeting here on Monday reviewed various aspects of Nepal-India relations and expressed commitment to allow the export of power from Nepal to India on a long-term basis. Kwatra arrived here on a two-day official visit to hold talks with the country's top leaders on the entire range of multifaceted cooperation between the two neighbouring countries, including connectivity, trade and transit, power sector cooperation, agriculture, education, culture, health sector, and people to people relations, among others. Soon after his arrival here, Kwatra met his Nepalese counterpart Paudyal and "the two sides reviewed with satisfaction the progress made in the connectivity projects such as railways, transmissions lines, bridges, and the ICPs, said a statement issued by the Nepalese Foreign Ministry. The two sides also expressed commitment to allow the export of power from Nepal to India on a ..

India, Nepal agree to boost economic and development ties between nations

India and Nepal agreed on Monday to further bolster their economic and development cooperation as Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra met his Nepalese counterpart Bharat Raj Paudyal and reviewed the wide-ranging bilateral partnership. Foreign Secretary Kwatra arrived here on a two-day official visit to hold talks with the country's top political leadership on the entire range of multifaceted cooperation between the two countries. "Foreign Secretary Shri Vinay Kwatra met his counterpart Mr Bharat Raj Paudyal and reviewed the wide-ranging India-Nepal partnership," the Indian embassy here tweeted. "Both sides agreed to further strengthen their economic and development cooperation for benefit of the two countries and region as a whole," it said. During his visit, Kwatra, who was earlier India's ambassador here, will pay courtesy calls to Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpakamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and Foreign Minister Paudyal. It is expected that Kwatra will also discuss with his Nepalese ..

60 mn-years-old rare rocks for Lord Ram idol reach Ayodhya from Nepal

Special rocks from which the idol of Lord Ram will be carved out and placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Temple has arrived from Nepal, a senior functionary of the temple trust here said. The rocks or 'shilas' arrived here late on Wednesday night. Special prayers were held on Thursday afternoon following which the rocks were presented to the Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Fifty-one vedic teachers also worshipped the rocks, officials said. Mahant Tapeshwar Das of the Janaki Mandir in Nepal presented these rocks to Champat Rai, general secretary of Ram Temple Trust, they said. The idol of Lord Ram's 'baalroop' (child form) carved out of these stones will be placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple which is expected to be ready by January next year. Vishwa Hindu Parishad's national secretary Rajendra Singh Pankaj had started from Mustang district of Nepal on January 25 with the consignment of the two sacred rocks. These rocks, that are 60 million-years-old, .

Nepal plane crash: Black boxes of Yeti Airlines to be analysed in Singapore

Singapore's Transport Ministry will analyse the black boxes of a Yeti Airlines flight that crashed in Nepal on January 15, killing all 72 people on board, including five Indians, in the country's worst air crash in 30 years. The Yeti Airlines flight 691, after taking off from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport, crashed on the bank of the Seti River between the old airport and the new airport in the resort city of Pokhara, minutes before landing. Fifty-three Nepalese passengers and 15 foreign nationals, including five Indians, and four crew members were on board the plane when it crashed. The Transport Ministry's (MOT) Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) will help retrieve and read the data from the twin-engine ATR-72 plane's flight recorder, said an MOT spokesperson in a statement on Thursday. The analysis will be carried out at TSIB's flight recorder readout facility, which was set up in 2007. All investigation-related information, including the progress of ...

Nepal plane crash: Singapore's Transport Ministry to analyse black boxes

Singapore's Transport Ministry will analyse black boxes recovered from the crash site of Yeti Airlines flight 691 at the request of the investigation authorities in Nepal, officials said. The flight smashed into a gorge on its final approach to the newly opened Pokhara International Airport on January 15, killing all 72 people on board. It was the country's worst air crash in 30 years. The Transport Ministry's (MOT) Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) will help retrieve and read the data from the plane's flight recorders, said an MOT spokesperson in a statement on Thursday. The analysis will be carried out at TSIB's flight recorder readout facility, which was set up in 2007. All investigation-related information, including the progress of investigations and the findings, will be handled by the Nepalese investigation authority, The Straits Times reported, quoting the spokesperson. Flight recorders, or black boxes, capture information about a flight such as instrument warni

Black box of crashed Nepal aircraft to be sent to Singapore for examination

Nepal will send to Singapore for examination the black box of Yeti Airlines that crashed in Pokhara, killing all 72 people, including five Indians, on board, a senior official said on Wednesday. Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane, who is a joint secretary at Nepal's Tourism Ministry and also a member of the probe committee of the air crash, said that three members of the investigation panel would be flying soon to hand over the black box to Singapore's Transport Safety Investigation Bureau. "Our team is heading towards Singapore in a couple of days carrying the black box," Lamichhane said, amid reports that the team would leave on Friday. Nepal decided to take the black box to Singapore as the two countries have a memorandum of understanding to assist in the field of aviation. The examination of the black box in Singapore is free of cost, Lamichhane was quoted as saying by The Kathmandu Post newspaper. The black box contains two types of recording devices - a flight data recorder (FDR) and a

5.8-magnitude quake hits Nepal; tremors felt in Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal Tuesday afternoon with tremors also being felt in parts of Delhi, national capital region and Jaipur. The quake struck at 2:28 pm with the epicentre in Nepal at a place 148 km east of Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand, the National Centre for Seismology said. "It was scary as the tremors hit," said Shantanu, who resides in a high-rise tower in Noida. Amit Pandey, a Delhi resident, said, "I was on the fifth floor of one of the blocks at the Civic Centre. I felt a growling noise beneath my feet and a mild shake, when the tremor passed through perhaps." Many others in the towering Civic Centre, the headqauters of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, also felt the tremors which hit when the House proceedings were underway. Tremors were felt in parts of Rajasthan's capital city of Jaipur as well. There was no immediate report of loss of life or property from there.

Failure to deploy full flaps may have caused air crash in Nepal: Report

The exact reason behind the crash will be known only after an examination of the flight data recorder, or the black box, the report added