Page 8 - Nepal

Nepalese Foreign Minister calls for 'green energy cooperation' with India

Green energy cooperation will foster mutual interdependence between New Delhi and Kathmandu, Nepal's Foreign Minister Arzoo Rana Deuba said on Thursday, adding that it can be done by promoting clean and sustainable energy sources. India's commitment to import 10,000 MW electricity over the next decade reflects the growing momentum in Nepal-India energy cooperation, Deuba said while speaking at the NepalIndia Strategic Dialogue organised by think tanks Ananta Aspen Centre and Centre for Innovative Foreign Policy in Kathmandu. Nepal and India had signed a long-term agreement in January 2024 to facilitate the export of 10,000 MW of electricity to India in the next 10 years. The foremost priority in Nepal- India relations is the need to advance our economic partnership by intensifying cooperation in trade, transit and investment, Deuba asserted. Nepal's enormous hydro-potential offers a clean climate resilient and renewable energy source that can be harnessed for generations to come, s

US ends Temporary Protected Status for Nepal, grants 60-day transition

The US has terminated the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) provided to Nepal in the wake of the 2015 earthquake, a media report said. A US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) notice on Saturday said TPS would not be extended for Nepal after its expiration on June 24 this year. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the beneficiaries would be granted a 60-day transition period through August 5, The Himalayan Times reported. TPS allows immigrants from designated countries without another legal status to stay in the US for up to 18 months and get legal work authorisation when social circumstances prevent a safe return. Nepal was initially designated for TPS on June 24, 2015, for a period of 18 months, in the wake of the devastating earthquake that resulted in a substantial, but temporary, disruption of living conditions. The DHS had extended the designation on October 26, 2016, for an additional 18-month period and multiple occasions thereafter. "After reviewing country conditions and ...

China asks Nepal to join its new international mediation organisation

China has asked Nepal to join the newly formed International Organisation for Mediation as Beijing wants more countries, besides Pakistan, from the South Asian region to join the initiative formed to further its global influence. The International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) was launched on Friday in Hong Kong. State-run Xinhua news agency reported that 33 countries signed the convention on-site, making them the founding members of the IOMed. However, the full member list is not yet released. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi who launched the initiative met his Nepali counterpart Arzu Rana Deuba on the sidelines of the ceremony in Hong Kong on Friday and expressed hope that Nepal will join IOMed at an early date, an official press release said here. Deuba attended the IOMed inaugural event but apparently Nepal has not signed up to join it. We discussed various aspects of Nepal-China bilateral ties, including high-level exchanges and development cooperation, Deuba said in a p

Nepal govt announces budget of nearly Rs 2,000 billion for 2025-26

Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel on Thursday unveiled a budget of approximately NPR 1,964 billion for the upcoming fiscal year 2025-26. Paudel allocated NPR 730 million in subsidised loans to support startups in the budget, which was presented during the joint session of the Parliament. The loan scheme will be offered at a concessional interest rate of just 3 per cent and is aimed at encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly among the Gen-Z people (those born between 1997 and 2012). For the social security allowance, the government has allocated NPR 109 billion in the budget, which will take effect from mid-July. Similarly, NPR 10 billion has been set aside for health insurance. Additionally, to attract international students, free visas will be offered as part of a scheme outlined in the budget to foreign students wishing to pursue higher studies in Nepal.

Earthquake of 4.3 magnitude jolts western Nepal, no casualty reported

A 4.3 magnitude earthquake struck western Nepal's Jajarkot district on Monday afternoon. With an epicentre in the Ramidanda area of the district, the earthquake was recorded at 2:25 pm, according to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center. There were no immediate reports of any damage caused by the earthquake. On May 23, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Baitadi district.

Leftist unity without clear ideological clarity can backfire: Nepal PM Oli

Nepal's Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Saturday cautioned that uniting leftist forces without a shared ideological foundation could be detrimental to the communist movement. "It will be meaningless to bring those who have turned to many directions into leftist unity without proper ideological understanding," Oli said while addressing a programme organised here to mark the 32nd death anniversary of former CPN-UML general secretary Madan Bhandari. He highlighted a persistent tendency within the communist movement to oppose even just initiatives and to create discord, noting that divisions often arise from personal interests rather than genuine ideological differences. The tendency to oppose even the right thing and create discord has been evident in the communist movement since history. Even though there was no real ideological difference, divisive lines were drawn based on personal interests, Oli said. The Prime Minister emphasised that the concept of 'people's multi-party ...

Refused to descend: Indian mountaineer dies at Mt Everest near 'death zone'

Subrata Ghosh, 45, dies descending Mount Everest near the Hillary Step in the death zone marking the first Indian fatality of the 2025 spring climbing season

Over 350 illegal religious structures removed along Nepal border

The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday said that more than 350 unauthorised religious sites, including madrasas, mosques, mazars and Eidgahs, have been identified and subjected to sealing or demolition in recent days, an official statement issued here said. Acting on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's clear directive that no religious encroachment will be tolerated, the administration in districts such as Pilibhit, Shravasti, Balrampur, Bahraich, Siddharthnagar and Maharajganj has launched a sweeping campaign, it said. The authorities have systematically identified illegal structures and taken strict action, continuing operations even on Sunday. The chief minister has made it clear that encroachment in the name of any religion will not be allowed and all violators, especially those running unrecognised religious institutions, will face legal consequences, the statement said. On May 10 and 11, 104 madrasas, one mosque, five mazars and two Eidgahs built illegally on public and private

Deeply saddened: New Delhi on death of Nepalese student at Odisha's KIIT

The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said it is "deeply saddened" over the death of a Nepalese student of the KIIT University in Bhubaneswar. The ministry said it has been in constant touch with the Odisha government since it knew about the "tragic incident". The body of the 18-year-old B. Tech computer science student from Nepal was recovered from her hostel room at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) on Thursday evening, police said. The state government has extended full support to the family of the deceased, and a thorough enquiry is currently being conducted by the Odisha police, it said. "We are deeply saddened by the tragic demise of a Nepali student of KIIT University, Bhubaneswar," the MEA said. "We extend our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family during this difficult time," it added in a statement. This is the second such case at the institute this year. Prakriti Lamsal, another Nepalese student, died by suicide on February 16.

Nepal launches diplomatic efforts to probe death of another student at KIIT

Nepal has launched diplomatic initiatives to probe the death of an 18-year-old student from the Himalayan nation at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha's Bhubaneswar, hours after she was found hanging from the ceiling fan of her hostel room. The incident comes barely two-and-a-half months after Prakriti Lamsal, another Nepalese student of the same institute, died by suicide on February 16. The incident of Prisa Sah, a Nepali student studying at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University in Odisha, India, being found dead in her hostel room has left us deeply saddened. I pray for the eternal peace of Prisa's soul and express my deepest condolences to her family at this sad hour, Nepal's Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba said in a post on X. Immediately after the incident, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs initiated diplomatic initiatives to investigate the truth of the incident through high-ranking officials of the Government of India, the .

UP govt takes action against illegal encroachments along India-Nepal border

Action was taken against 89 illegal encroachers in Bahraich and 119 illegal constructions in Shravasti

China-built airport in Nepal littered with corruption, finds inquiry

In 2023, The New York Times reported that CAMC had inflated the project's cost and undermined Nepal's efforts to maintain quality control

Nepal parliamentary panel finds graft worth billions in China-built airport

A Nepal parliamentary committee has uncovered a large-scale corruption worth around Nepalese Rs 14 billion in the construction of the Pokhara International Airport, built by a Chinese company with a soft loan from China. A report by the sub-committee under the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives (HoR) led by Member of Parliament Rajendra Lingden found irregularities in the airport's construction. The report highlighted an embezzlement of approximately Rs 14 billion and called for investigations and action against several senior officials involved in the project. The Pokhara Regional International Airport was built from a loan of around Rs 22 billion from the Exim Bank of China and was completed by the Chinese company on December 29, 2022. As per the agreement, Nepal is required to repay the loan at a 2 per cent interest rate for seven years after the completion of the airport construction and then clear the principal in the next 13 years. The sub-committee te

At least 25 Indian tourists injured in Nepal bus accident, 3 critical

At least 25 Indian tourists were injured when the bus ferrying them to Nepal's Pokhara met with an accident in the neighbouring country's Dang district, police said on Saturday. The police said 19 tourists were admitted to the community health centre in Tulsipur in this Uttar Pradesh's district, which shares a border with Nepal. Three of the injured are in critical condition and are undergoing treatment in a Nepal hospital. The accident on Friday is suspected to have been caused by a brake failure. Most of the injured are from Lucknow, Sitapur, Hardoi and Barabanki districts of Uttar Pradesh, the police said. Receiving information about the accident, police from Nepal's Gadhawa reached the spot and admitted the injured to a local health centre from where 19 people were brought to Tulsipur. Circle Officer (Tulsipur) Brijnandan Rai confirmed that 19 Indians were undergoing treatment at the local community health centre. He added some of the injured were discharged after first aid w

No amnesty for heinous crimes committed during Maoist conflict: Nepal PM

Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Thursday asserted that individuals responsible for heinous and inhuman crimes committed during Nepal's decade-long Maoist insurgency will not be granted amnesty, as he emphasised the need to uphold justice and expedite the transitional justice process. Inaugurating the Sixth National Convention of the National Ex-Army and Police Organisation of Nepal (NEAPON) here, Oli, who also chairs the ruling Communist Party of Nepal-Unified MarxistLeninist (CPN-UML), said transitional justice mechanisms must ensure justice for victims of the conflict that lasted from 1996 to 2006. Oli emphasised the importance of two transitional justice bodies the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) in investigating conflict-era crimes and delivering justice. He acknowledged the delay in their effective functioning but asserted that further postponement would not be tolerated. He said these two

Earthquake of magnitude 4.0 jolts Nepal, no damage reported so far

As per the NCS, the earthquake occurred at a depth of 25km, making it susceptible to aftershocks

India, Nepal to boost border infra, data sharing to curb smuggling

Recognising that effective border management is important in fight against smuggling, discussions also included upgrade of border infrastructure and automation and digitisation of transit processes

Judiciaries thrive through collaboration and mutual respect: CJI Khanna

Judiciaries thrive through collaboration and mutual respect and the signing of a MoU with the Supreme Court of Nepal will build institutional comity for the future, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna said on Monday. The signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) is not a mere formal exchange but the reaffirmation of a centuries-old bond, renewed with a spirit of collaboration, mutual respect and shared purpose, he said at the event. "India and Nepal are more than just neighbouring countries. Our connection is etched in history and civilisational values. From the sacred Himalayas to the spiritual heritage of Gautam Buddha, our ties transcend borders and have withstood the test of time. These ties are not only visible in our traditions but also in the institutions that underpin our democracies," Chief Justice of India (CJI) Khanna said. "Among these institutions, the judiciary holds a sacred place. It guards the Constitution, upholds the rule of law, and ensures justice for al

Two earthquakes, occurring within span of 3 minutes, jolt western Nepal

Both quakes had their epicentre in the Panik area of Jajarkot district, approximately 525 km west of Kathmandu

What’s behind the fresh wave of protests in Nepal? | Nepal king Gyanendra Shah | KP Sharma Oli

Nepal has been facing intense political turmoil lately. On March 28, protests turned violent, leading to multiple casualties, with at least 112 people injured and over 100 arrested.