Page 9 - Nepal

India lays foundation stone for community development projects in Nepal

While addressing the event, Narayan Khadka appreciated the continued developmental support of the Government of India in upliftment of the people of Nepal in its priority sectors

Nepali soldiers employed in both Russian and Ukraine armies: PM Prachanda

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Monday said that Nepali citizens are not only serving in the Russian Army but reportedly also serving in the Ukrainian Army. The Nepal government recently confirmed that six Nepalese nationals who fought for the Russian Army died in the war between Russia and Ukraine. There are reports about over 200 Nepalese serving in the Russian Army, the Prime Minister said while interacting with pro-Maoist journalists here. We have also learnt that Nepalese soldiers are serving in the Ukrainian Army too, he said. We are finding out the truth in this matter, Prachanda said while inaugurating a Press Centre Nepal central office bearers' meeting. The Press Centre Nepal is affiliated with the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist). "I have got reports that over 200 Nepalis are in Russian Amy and there are also reports about Nepalis working for the Ukraine army," Prachanda said. The Nepal government has, however, clarified that it has no pol

Centre permits export of 20 MT of non-basmati rice to earthquake-hit Nepal

The government has provided a one-time exemption from the export ban to Indian Rice Exporters Federation for shipping 20 metric tonnes (MT) of non-basmati white rice as a donation to Nepal for earthquake-affected people. Last month, the government provided a similar exemption to Patanjali Ayurved. Though exports of non-basmati white rice were banned on July 20 to boost domestic supply, exports are allowed on the basis of permission granted by the government to certain countries to meet their food security needs and on request. "One time exemption from prohibition is granted to Indian Rice Exporters Federation for exports of 20 MT of non-basmati white rice (semi-milled or wholly milled rice, whether or not polished or glazed)...as donation to Nepal earthquake victims," the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said in a notification. In a separate DGFT notification, the government permitted exports of 2.40 lakh tonnes of non-basmati white rice to five countries, including ...

12 people arrested for sending Nepalese nationals to join Russian army

A gang of 12 people, allegedly involved in illegally sending Nepalese nationals to Russia for recruitment in the Russian Army, has been arrested, police said here on Wednesday. The gang used to charge Rs 700,000 to Rs 1,100,000 per person for arranging visit visas and other documents to get them recruited in the Russian Army, the District Police Circle, Kathmandu said. After six Nepalese lost their lives in the Russia-Ukraine war, Nepal Police have taken precautionary measures against possible incidents of human trafficking, sources said. The youths have either been sent to Russia via Dubai or through land route via India, to their destination. It is illegal to send labourers on a visit visa to a foreign country. It is also illegal to send Nepalese nationals for recruitment in foreign army except in case of those joining British Gorkha and Indian Gorkha regiments under special agreement. After six Nepalese were killed in the Russia-Ukraine war, the Nepal government has requested ..

Nepal court convicts 2 for involvement in planting bomb on Indian train

A Nepal court on Tuesday convicted two persons, including a suspected ISI agent, for their involvement in plotting a terror attack by planting a bomb in a train in India some seven years ago. The two are identified as Samsul Hoda and Brij Kishor Giri, according to Special Court's spokesperson Dhan Bahadur Karki. The court gave the verdict in a case filed by the Money Laundering Department against the two Nepali nationals. Neither the details of the incident, nor the verdict have yet been made public. The court will pronounce the sentence against the duo in the next hearing, the court official said. However, according to local news portal Ukeraa.com, Hoda, while residing in Dubai, hatched a terror plot against India with the help of a Pakistani national and mobilised some Pakistani and Nepalese youths to plant a bomb in India's Bihar state. The bomb was planted but did not explode due to a technical fault, the report said. Hoda, according to the report, used to receive money from .

Nepal urges Russia not to recruit its citizens into army; says six killed

The small Himalayan nation, wedged between China and India, has no such agreement with Russia, which invaded neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022 and has been engaged in a war since

6 citizens killed fighting for Russian Army against Ukraine: Nepal govt

Six Nepalese nationals serving in the Russian Army have been killed in the war with Ukraine, the government announced on Monday, urging Moscow not to recruit Nepali citizens into its forces. Nepal's Foreign Ministry in a statement identified the deceased as Pritam Karki of Syangja, Ganga Raj Moktan of Ilam, Raj Kumar Karki of Dolakha, Rupak Karki of Kapilvastu, Dewan Rai of Kaski and Sandeep Thapaliya of Gorkha. The ministry has requested Russia to send the bodies of the Nepalis killed in the Russia-Ukraine war and provide compensation to the victims' families, the statement said. Nepal has also requested Russia not to recruit its citizens into the Russian army and if any Nepali nationals have been recruited, to immediately return them to Nepal. The ministry also said that diplomatic efforts are on to release one Nepalese who has been made hostage by the Ukraine while serving in the Russian Army. It has also appealed to the general public to travel to Russia only with a No Objecti

Nepal partners with USAID to boost capacity to prevent infectious diseases

The Nepal government and the US Agency for International Development on Sunday jointly launched a strategic partnership to strengthen the Himalayan nation's capacity to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to emerging infectious diseases. The USAID Global Health Security programme will be implemented through 'One Health' -- a collaborative, trans-disciplinary approach that recognises the interdependence among the health of ecosystems, wildlife and domestic animals, and humans, according to a press release issued by the US Embassy here. "USAID's Global Health Security work is helping to fill the gap created by the recent Covid 19 pandemic, by strengthening countries' capacities to prevent, detect, and respond to disease threats before they can become a pandemic, while advancing WHO International Health Regulations targets so that countries can address gaps and priorities at the national level," it said. Through the health security programme in Nepal, the US Agency for International .

India and Nepal hold Projects Portfolio Performance Review meeting

During the meeting, discussions were held on ongoing projects in various sectors under the India-Nepal development cooperation framework both under grant assistance and under various lines of credit

Nepal 1st South Asian nation to officially register same-sex marriage

Five months after the Supreme Court legalised it, Nepal on Wednesday formally registered the first case of same-sex marriage, making it the first South Asian country to do so. Trans-woman Maya Gurung, 35 and Surendra Pandey, 27, a gay, got legally married and their marriage was registered at Dordi Rural Municipality of Lamjung district in Western Nepal, according to Sanjib Gurung (Pinky), president of Blue Diamond Society, an organization working for the rights and welfare of the sexual minorities in Nepal. Way back in 2007, Nepal's Supreme Court had allowed same-sex marriage. Even the Constitution of Nepal, adopted in 2015, explicitly states that there can be no discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. On June 27, 2023, the Supreme Court issued an interim order to legalise same-sex marriage in Nepal in a writ petition filed by multiple people, including Gurung. But despite the historic order to temporarily register same-sex marriage, Kathmandu District Court four months a

AI plane returned to Kathmandu after pilots heard noise during take-off

An Air India aircraft that was to fly to Delhi returned to Kathmandu airport on Saturday evening after pilots heard a noise while taking off, according to an airline official. Also, prior to taking off, it was noticed after boarding passengers that a door in the aircraft was unserviceable. The plane was cleared for take-off after following necessary airworthiness protocols. An airline spokesperson on Sunday said the two issues were not related and at no point was safety compromised. While a tail strike was suspected as the plane returned, it was later confirmed that there was no tail strike, the spokesperson said. The official said the pilots had decided to return as they heard a noise during take-off and had suspected a possible tail strike. Further, the official said that after checks, the A321 aircraft operated the flight to Delhi on Sunday morning. "AI 216 from Kathmandu to Delhi on Nov 26 experienced an unserviceable door after boarding was completed. All necessary airworthi

The enduring spirit of Nepal

Amidst growing discontent and a challenging socio-economic landscape, public nostalgia for royalty has surfaced again

Police clash with anti-govt demonstrators in Kathmandu, 30 injured

Nearly 30 people, including five policemen, were injured on Thursday as Nepalese riot police used batons and tear gas to halt thousands of protesters from two political groups who clashed with each other while marching on the outskirts of Kathmandu. The two political groups, the Youth Organisation Nepal (YON) affiliated to the main Opposition Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) [CPN UML] and supporters of the pro-monarchy Durga Prasai Group clashed with each other while staging anti-government demonstrations. At least 24 protesters and five policemen were injured during the clashes. The YON and the pro-monarchist Durga Prasai Group announced separate demonstrations against the government in Kathmandu on Thursday. The Durga Prasai Group -- whose first target was the government and second the CPN-UML affiliated YON -- chanted slogans and called for the restoration of a Hindu state in Nepal. According to the YON, their main slogans were toppling the Prachanda-led pres

Nepal's SC sets hearing on petitions against TikTok ban on Nov 20

Nepal's Supreme Court on Friday said it will hold the preliminary hearing of the writ petitions filed against the government's decision to ban the Chinese-owned social network platform Tiktok on Monday. The Nepal government on Monday decided to ban the popular social media platform, citing its negative effects on social harmony. Legal practitioners filed 10 writ petitions at the apex court against the government's decision to ban TikTok in the Himalayan nation on Friday, the first day of the opening of the courts after the Tihar holidays. After registering the 10 writ petitions, the Supreme Court scheduled the preliminary hearing for November 20, according to a court official. About 10 writ petitions have been registered, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 20, said Spokesperson for the Supreme Court, Bhadrakali Pokharel. He said that all registered writ petitions will be heard on Monday. Senior advocate Dinesh Tripathi, advocate Swagat Nepal, and others have file

EU provides EUR 2 mn to Nepal in humanitarian aid to support quake victims

The European Union has provided a EUR 2 million aid package to Nepal to support the victims of the earthquake which rattled the remote mountain areas in the Himalayan nation earlier this month. On November 3, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake jolted western Nepal's Jajarkot and Rukum districts, killing 153 people and injuring over 260 others. Days later, on November 7, three tremors of over magnitude 4 hit Jajarkot, injuring at least 16 people. The quakes damaged around 8,000 buildings, both public and private. The grant assistance provided by the EU is equivalent to around Nepalese Rs 290 million. It will help provide shelter, access to clean water and sanitation, and health care, among other services, to support the earthquake-affected people in the Jajarkot and Rukum districts of Nepal, a press release issued by the EU Representative Office in Nepal said. In addition, EUR 200,000 has been allocated to the Nepal Red Cross Society via the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the ...

Nepal investigating new international airport in Pokhara made by China

Nepal, one of the poorest countries in Asia, had sought to build an international airport in Pokhara since the 1970s in the hopes of turning the city into a tourist destination

Nepal bans Chinese app TikTok, cites negative effects on social harmony

The Nepal government on Monday decided to ban the Chinese-owned social network platform Tiktok, citing its negative effects on social harmony. According to government spokesperson and Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Rekha Sharma, Monday's Cabinet meeting decided to prohibit TikTok's use. The decision to ban Tiktok will be implemented through the Ministry of Communication and IT, she said. The Nepal government decided to ban Tiktok due to its negative effects on social harmony, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported. A Cabinet meeting on Thursday made it mandatory for social media sites such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and YouTube, among others, to open their liaison offices in Nepal. Although freedom of expression is a basic right, a large section of society has criticised TikTok for encouraging a tendency of hate speech, the government said. In the past four years, 1,647 cases of cybercrime have been reported on the video-sharing app, the repor

Nepal earthquake: At least 16 more people injured in aftershocks

At least 16 people were injured after three tremors of over 4 magnitude hit western Nepal's Jajarkot on Monday, days after the country witnessed its worst quake in eight years that claimed the lives of 153 people and left a total of 266 others injured, security agencies said on Tuesday. With those injured in the aftershocks on Monday, the total number of people injured in a series of earthquakes in Nepal has touched 266. "Sixteen people were injured when three aftershocks with more than 4 magnitude hit Jajarkot in Western Nepal on Monday afternoon. Ten people were injured in Rukum West and six others were injured in Jajarkot," said officials from the security agencies. Nepal was jolted by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake just before midnight last Friday. Since then the nation has felt several aftershocks. The earthquake, which hit Jajarkot and Rukum West districts in western Nepal, also damaged around 8,000 houses, both public and private, according to officials. Meanwhile, President ..

16 more people injured after 3 tremors of earthquake aftershocks in Nepal

At least 16 people were injured after three tremors of over 4 magnitude hit western Nepal's Jajarkot on Monday, days after the country witnessed its worst quake in eight years that claimed the lives of 153 people and left a total of 266 others injured, security agencies said on Tuesday. With those injured in the aftershocks on Monday, the total number of people injured in a series of earthquakes in Nepal has touched 266. "Sixteen people were injured when three aftershocks with more than 4 magnitude hit Jajarkot in Western Nepal on Monday afternoon. Ten people were injured in Rukum West and six others were injured in Jajarkot," said officials from the security agencies. Nepal was jolted by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake just before midnight last Friday. Since then the nation has felt several aftershocks. The earthquake, which hit Jajarkot and Rukum West districts in western Nepal, also damaged around 8,000 houses, both public and private, according to officials. Meanwhile, Prime Minist

India sends over 9 tonnes of relief material to Nepal after earthquake

On Sunday, India sent an emergency aid package, comprising medical equipment, relief materials and more, for people affected by the magnitude 6.4 earthquake in Nepal