Page 9 - Nepal

Indian FMCG firms, including Dabur, ITC, monitoring developments in Nepal

Indian FMCG companies, which have substantial investments and presence in Nepal, are closely watching the political development in the Himalayan country. Leading Indian FMCG companies, including Dabur, Britannia, Marico, Patanjali, ITC, and Reliance Consumer have a significant presence in Nepal. Most of them operate through their local distributors or partnerships. Some of the FMCG companies as Dabur, ITC (through Surya Nepal), Britannia, etc, have their manufacturing operations in Nepal. Companies as Reliance Consumer have a partnership with Chaudhary Group for local manufacturing and distribution. Chaudhary Group (CG), Nepal's largest multinational conglomerate, has recently also entered into a formal joint venture agreement with the Indian food company Bikaji Foods also. An industry executive, without disclosing his identity, said the Indian FMCG companies are closely watching the developments in Nepal. They have advised their employees to remain cautious and safe amid the ...

India advises citizens to defer Nepal travel, airlines suspend operations

As anti-corruption protests take over the streets of Nepal, many Indian airlines, including IndiGo and Air India, have suspended their flights to and from Kathmandu

Who is Sudan Gurung, the man behind massive Gen Z protest in Nepal?

Sudan Gurung, president of Hami Nepal, founded the organisation in 2015 after the deadly earthquake highlighted a lack of an effective emergency response programme

Nepal internet curbs part of global trend to suppress online freedom

Nepal's crackdown on social media companies, which led to protests and police killing at least 19 people, is part of a yearslong decline of internet freedoms around the world as even democracies seek to curtail online speech. The Himalayan country's government said last week it was blocking several social media platforms including Facebook, X and YouTube because the companies failed to comply with a requirement that they register with the government. The ban was lifted Tuesday a day after the deadly protests. What's happening in Nepal mirrors this broader pattern of controlling the narrative and controlling of stories emerging from the ground, said Aditya Vashistha, an assistant professor of information science at Cornell University. This has happened several times in the neighbouring countries Pakistan and Bangladesh, he said. "So this is nothing new - in fact, I would say this is taken from the playbook, which is now very established, of trying to control social media narratives,

Nepal social media ban: Protestors defy curfew, vandalise govt offices

Amid growing calls for taking responsibility for the chaos, Oli called an all-party meeting at 6 pm at an undisclosed venue

India expresses grief over deaths, says monitoring developments in Nepal

India on Tuesday said it is deeply saddened by the loss of many young lives during protests in Nepal and hoped that the issues will be resolved through peaceful means. Violent protests by youths in Kathmandu and a few other places against a government ban on social media sites on Monday left at least 19 people dead and over 300 others injured. "We are closely monitoring the developments in Nepal since yesterday and are deeply saddened by the loss of many young lives," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with families of deceased. We also wish speedy recovery for those who were injured," it said. "As a close friend and neighbour, we hope that all concerned will exercise restraint and address any issues through peaceful means and dialogue," the MEA said in a statement. It also asked Indian nationals to exercise caution in view of the prevailing situation in that country. "We have also taken note that authorities have imposed curfew in Kathmand

Nepal's social media ban protest brings to light 'Nepo babies' debate

While a social media gag order triggered the 'Gen Z' protests, corruption and a 'nepo-kid' debate added fuel to the fire

Security tightened along Indo-Nepal border amid protests in Kathmandu

Additional checks and patrolling are being carried out to prevent any untoward incidents as tensions continue to rise across Nepal

Nepal forms committee to investigate Sept 8 violence that claimed 19 lives

Thousands joined the protests, criticizing rampant corruption and the government's ban on 26 unregistered social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, and Snapchat

After violent protests, Nepal government lifts ban on social media

The Nepal government on Monday announced that it has withdrawn its earlier decision to ban social media sites amid violent protests by youths that left at least 19 people dead and over 300 others injured. Nepal Minister for Communication, Information and Broadcasting Prithvi Subba Gurung announced that the government has withdrawn its earlier decision to ban social media sites following an emergency meeting of the Cabinet. Gurung said the Ministry of Information has ordered the concerned agencies to start the process of resuming the social media sites as per the demands of the Gen Z', which spearheaded a massive protest in front of the Parliament in the heart of Kathmandu. Three days ago, the Nepal government had ordered to ban 26 social media sites, including Facebook and X' over their failure to register with the Nepal government. The minister also requested the protesting 'Gen Z' group to withdraw their protest programme. The demonstration on Monday turned violent when some ...

19 killed in Nepal clashes over social media ban; home minister quits

At least 19 people were killed and more than 300 others injured on Monday after police used force during protests by youths that rocked the Nepalese capital and other parts of the country over the government's ban on social media sites, officials said. Thousands of youths, including school students, under the banner of Gen Z, converged in front of the Parliament in the heart of Kathmandu and shouted anti-government slogans demanding immediate revocation of the ban. The protests spread to Pokhara, Butwal, Bhairahawa, Bharatpur, Itahari and Damak. Nepal Police spokesperson Binod Ghimire said 17 people were killed in clashes in various parts of Kathmandu during the rally, and two protesters died in Sunsari district of eastern Nepal in police firing. Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, who represents the Nepali Congress party in the coalition government led by Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, has resigned on moral grounds, the Nepali Congress sources said. The Nepali Army was deployed in the ..

Nepal social media ban: 14 killed as police fire on Gen-Z protests

Demonstrations against the September 4 social media ban escalated into violent clashes in Kathmandu and PM Oli's hometown

GenZs lead protest in Nepal against govt's ban on all social media apps

Army deployed in Kathmandu after Gen-Z demonstrators stormed Parliament, leaving over 80 injured in clashes with police

Oli says 'nation first' amid social media ban protests in Nepal

Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Sunday, speaking about the government's decision to ban unregistered social media platforms, said the nation being undermined can never be tolerated, even as various groups opposed the move. Nepal on Thursday banned social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube among others for failing to register with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology within the given deadline. According to the notice issued by the ministry, the social media companies were given seven days from August 28 to register. Even when the deadline expired on Wednesday night, none of the large social media platforms including Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), Alphabet (YouTube), X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, and LinkedIn submitted applications. Oli, addressing party representatives on the final day of a convention by the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (Unified MarxistLeninist), said that the party would always oppose anomalies and arrogance, a

Facebook, Instagram goes dark in Nepal as govt ban comes into effect

Many of the social media users have been complaining about an outage in the service, with the prompt reading hmm... something went wrong

Nepal, Bhutan citizens do not require passport, visa to enter India: MHA

The citizens of Nepal and Bhutan as well as Indians entering India by land or air from the two neighbouring countries will not be required to furnish a passport or visa, as earlier. The members of the naval, military or air forces of India entering or exiting India on duty and the family members of any such person, when accompanying such a person on a government transport, will also not be required to carry a passport or visa, according to an order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) following the enforcement of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. The requirement of a valid passport or other valid travel documents and a valid visa for entry into, stay in and exit from India shall not apply if "a citizen of India entering into India by land or by air over the Nepalese or Bhutanese frontier, a citizen of Nepal or Bhutan entering into India by land or air over the Nepal or Bhutan border or if he possesses a valid passport while entering or exiting India from or to a place

Nepal reports 82 deaths and 22 missing in monsoon-related incidents

Nepal recorded 82 deaths in monsoon-related incidents this year, less than half compared to last year's figure, an official report said on Sunday. According to a report released by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), 22 people are missing owing to the monsoon-related disasters such as floods, landslides, heavy rain, lightning and windstorms. However, the country witnessed on average 22 per cent less rainfall this year compared to last year, the report added. The report said that 284 people were injured in 1,417 incidents related to the monsoon across the country. Altogether 3,899 families were affected in various incidents between mid-April (Nepalese New Year) and August end. There were a total of 243 flood-related incidents, leading to 27 deaths, 22 people missing, and 10 injuries. During the same period, 368 landslides occurred, resulting in 18 deaths and 28 injuries. The landslides displaced 481 families. Similarly, 266 cases of heavy rainf

China, Nepal to conduct joint anti-terror military drills in September

The Chinese and Nepalese militaries will conduct a joint counter-terrorism training exercise in Nepal next month, the defence ministry here announced on Thursday, days ahead of Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli's visit to China. The exercises to be held from early to mid-September will feature comprehensive counter-terrorism drills, as well as training in disaster relief and peacekeeping operations, Ministry of National Defence spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang told a press conference here. This will be the fifth such joint training between the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Nepalese armed forces, and it will further enhance their joint counter-terrorism capabilities and deepen the traditional friendship and practical cooperation between the two militaries, Zhang said. Prime Minister Oli will arrive in China on Saturday for a five-day visit during which he will attend the SCO plus Summit in Tianjin and a military parade in Beijing to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Chine

FS Vikram Misri concludes two-day visit to Nepal, meets top leaders

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Monday wrapped up his two-day visit to Nepal during which he met the country's top leadership and discussed progress in different areas of bilateral cooperation. Misri, who arrived here at the invitation of his Nepalese counterpart Amrit Bahadur Rai, called on President Ramchandra Paudel, Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba during his visit. "He conveyed to them greetings from the leadership in India and briefed them on the progress being made in various aspects of the mutually-beneficial bilateral cooperation between the two countries," the Indian Embassy said in a press release on Monday. Misri also handed over a formal invitation to Prime Minister Oli from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit India on mutually convenient dates, it said. He also held wide-ranging discussions with Rai on Sunday and reviewed the progress made in various bilateral initiatives and discussed opportunities for further collaboration, ...

Vikram Misri holds talks with Nepal's top leadership on boosting ties

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Sunday called on Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and President Ramchandra Paudel and discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral ties across various sectors. Misri arrived here earlier in the day for a two-day visit to the Himalayan nation on the invitation of his Nepalese counterpart Amrit Bahadur Rai. During his meeting with Oli, which took place at the Prime Minister's Office at Singhdurbar, matters of mutual interest were discussed to further deepen bilateral relations. Misri reaffirmed the deep civilizational ties and strong IndiaNepal partnership, and discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation across various sectors, the Indian embassy here said in an X post. Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava was also present at the meeting. The foreign secretary separately called on President Paudel and conveyed greetings of the Indian leadership, apart from briefing Hon'ble President on the progress in bilateral ties, the embassy sa