Police on Wednesday arrested a man on the charge of attacking Prem KC, a Tri-Chandra College Campus Committee member of the All Nepal National Free Student Union (ANNFSU), with khukuri.

A police team arrested Prabin Kaini alias Ram Bahadur Dorje from Tanahun. Another prime suspect Kamal Budha of the Nepal Student Union is still at large. Following the attack on July 20, unidentified vandals had set the BP Library at the college on fire. The library with around 2,000 books was reduced to ashes even though three fire engines with support from security personnel and students doused the fire within an hour.

Full Story

Israel agrees to 12-hour Gaza ceasefire

 Israel has agreed to a 12-hour humanitarianceasefire in fighting with militants in the Gaza Strip to start at 8 a.m. (1 a.m. EDT) on Saturday, a military spokeswoman said.

The spokeswoman said that during the brief truce, troops would keep searching for tunnels used by militants and that the military will "respond if terrorists choose to exploit this time to attack Israel Defense Forces personnel 

or fire at Israeli civilians."

"Gaza civilians who have been requested to vacate from their residents are to refrain from returning," the spokeswoman said.

Full Story

Calls to memorialise war victims

 Constituent Assembly members on Friday suggested the government to take the initiative to commemorate the victims of decade-long insurgency in order to start the healing process in the post-conflict societies.

Speaking at a programme in the Capital, Minister for Law, Justice and Peace Narahari Acharya said the victims of the decade-long insurgency should be remembered through various articles, songs, memorials, parks and monuments that celebrate them and the sacrifice they made as a part of the post-conflict memorialisation initiative." Shankar Pokhrel, who is the Central Committee member of CPN-UML, emphasised the need to establish a peace museum in the memory of victims and declaring them as "peace representatives", initiatives which could help repair the Nepali society just emerging from conflict.

UCPN-M leader Biswanath Shah said that the contribution of people who sacrificed their lives supporting certain ideologies during the insurgency should be recognised.

He said the post memorialisation process can help victims recall their past, forget their pains and heal psychologically. The country has already passed the bill on transitional justice mechanism, paving the way to form the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Commission on Enforced Disappearance.  The formation of the two commissions is expected to address the concerns of family members of the war victims who are demanding justice for the crimes committed against their loved ones.

Full Story

CA completes six months: Parties must settle disputed issues to get job done on time

The Constituent Assembly which convened on January 22 with the promise of delivering a new constitution within a year has completed its first six months. The prospect of the new constitution still hangs in the balance, though.  

Leaders and political observers say the CA has made a ‘satisfactory progress’ so far,  while they are also quick to advise the political parties and the leaders to pick up the pace, if they want to get the job done on time.  

Thus far, the CA has carried out all its tasks on due date, as specified by the parliamentary calendar. Tasks related to taking ownership of the progress made by the previous CA; deliberations on agreed and disputed constitutional issues; and identifying the contentious issues and holding first round of talks with all parties, both inside and outside the CA, have all completed. The CA has also taken the ownership of the progress made by Constitutional Committee (CC) of the previous CA, and the parties are on the path of subscribing to the agreements forged by Dispute Resolution Sub-committee of the previous CA.

It would have been difficult for the CA to make such progress, if it had to begin right from the scratch, discarding the works accomplished by the previous assembly.  

Nilambar Acharya, the former CC head, said taking ownership of the achievements made by the previous CA was indeed a praiseworthy move, but it is not sufficient to deliver a new constitution within a year.

He added that the parties are yet to start discussions on contentious issues, and the mistrust among the parties is widening. He suggested the parties to start engaging on intensive discussion on contentious issues for the new constitution. The parties should focus their attention towards finding consensus on forms of governance, federalism, and electoral system.

Until now, there have not been any discussions among the parties on these key contentious issues that had led to the dissolution of the previous CA. In the recent months, the relations among the parties have also soured. The ruling Nepali Congress and CPN-UML do not share the same camaraderie they used to, and the relations between the ruling and the opposition parties are already on the rocks.

The main opposition, UCPN (Maoist), has forged a working alliance with four Maoist parties outside the CA, and opposing the ongoing co

nstitution drafting process. This has raised the questions about the UCPN (Maoist)’s commitment to the ongoing peace and constitution drafting process. A top NC leader, however, said that they are preparing to appoint UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal as a coordinator of the High Level Political Mechanism. “If Dahal is to helm the HLPC, he could bring the CPN-Maoist and other parties on board the constitution drafting process,” said the NC leader.  CPN-UML, which was not ready to provide the HLPC leadership to Dahal earlier, has also concluded that offering Dahal the the job would help create a conducive environment for the promulgation of the new constitution. CA Chairman Subas Nembang said the six months performance was satisfactory, and the parties should continue with the same pace in the coming days to issue the new statute on time. As the largest party, the ruling NC should take the leading role in the constitution drafting process, he added. “Now, the parties do not have any pretext to avoid the constitution drafting process, regular meetings can help forge consensus on contentious issues.”

Ruling party as well as opposition party leaders expresses the optimism that they would find a compromise on the contentious issues for the new constitution. “There is no alternative to finding a point of understanding, even if that entails  abandoning the official party position,” said NC leader Purna Bahadur Khadka. “If the constitution is not drafted this time around, there will not be another chance.”

Only six months remain, and the parties are yet to prepare a solid foundation to translate their commitment into action. Although the CA was elected for four years term, the parties are bound by the oath to deliver the new constitution by February next year. They should make each day count. 

Full Story

Experts start geological study

A team of geologists has started a geological and biological study at Maipokhari, a religious and tourist destination in the district, to find out the causes of its decreasing water level. Maipokhari is a wetland site enlisted as a Ramsar site in October 2008.

“The study focuses o

n geographical situation of the area and causes of decreasing water level. It will help find out situation of rock and soil in the area,” said Subesh Ghimire, who is part of the two-week study.

The study covers the area from Panchthar to Fikkal in Ilam with special focus on three kilometre area around Maipokhari. Local people are hopeful that the study will help resolve the problem. The wetland area is located around 13 kilometres from the district headquarters. The Namsaling Community Development Centre arranged the study in cooperation with other stakeholders. Dinesh Bhattarai of the Centre said they initiated the study to resolve the problem of decreasing water level in the pond. Local people attributed construction of infrastructures and increasing movements of people around Maipokhari to the problem. Located at an altitude of 2,121 metres above the sea level, the Maipokhari area spreads over 90 hectares of land.

Full Story

The Kathmandu Post Career Edufair kicks off

The third edition of  ‘The Kathmandu Post Career Edufair 2014’, organised by the Kantipur Publications, kicked off in Kathmandu on Friday.

More than 25,000 visitors showed up on the first day of the event being held at the Exhibition Hall in Bhrikutimandap.  

This year’s fair features representation by over 100 national and international academic institutions, offering education counselling and one-on-one interaction. Students can also meet the representatives from several education consultancies that offer education counselling for colleges and universities in Australia, the USA, the UK, Japan, China, Germany, Malaysia, and Singapore. These countries are the most sought after academic destinations

for Nepali students. More than 28,000 students applied for admission in these countries in the last fiscal year.

Along with the renowned academic institutions from the country, over two dozen colleges and universities from India, Bangladesh and Switzerland are participating. Addressing the event’s inauguration, Education Minister Yadav said, “We should provide students the freedom of choice, so that they can research the colleges and universities independently, and apply for admission wherever they see fit for them.”  

Responding to a media query on how the government views the rise in the number of students going abroad for higher studies, Yadav said it is purely a matter of choice of an individual, and the government cannot control one from studying in a university of their choice. “We cannot stop anyone from going aboard for studies. Though it can be

minimised by ensuring quality education within the country,” she said.

 The Kathmandu Post Career Edufair has been the most preferred career and education  exposition among students since its advent in 2012. The event of last year, had received an estimated 100,000 footfall. The number of visitors this year is expected to surpass the previous figure.

“From the very first event, we have received excellent feedback from the exhibitors and the participants,” said Akhilesh Upadhyay, the editor-in-chief of The Kathmandu Post. “This exposition on higher education is a long term commitment from the Kantipur Publications

which has incorporated the annual education event to its annual calendar.”

According to the organisers of the fair

, rather than just offering information on academic institutions, the event is also focused on finding career opportunities for students. The students interested to go to the US for higher studies can also get to know about the US visa system from the representatives of the Visa Section of

the US Embassy between 12 pm and 1 pm.

This year, the event organisers have partnered with the British Council to conduct a special seminar on the UK education which will be held on Saturday. A session on career building will also be held on Sunday. Shanta Dixit, the director of Rato Bangla School, and Swornim Wagle, the member of National Planning Commission, among others, are expected to address the seminar.

Besides education and career counselling for students, visitors can also enjoy their favourite singers perform live on stage. Visitors are welcome between

Full Story

PM Koirala expresses gratitude to Nepali diaspora in US

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala , who is returning home tomorrow after a month-long medical treatment in the United States, has expressed gratitude to all the Nepali living in the US and also the diaspora across the world for showing concerns in his health condition.

PM Koirala underwent radiotherapy at the New York-based Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center after being diagnosed with lung cancer. He had reached US on June 17 along with his physician Dr Karbair Nath Yogi.

In a press statement issued on Monday before leaving from the US, the prime minister acknowledged the efforts of media persons, both inside and outside the country, in disseminating news related to his health.

He further expressed his thankfulness to all the doctors and the medical professionals who took care of him during his treatment at the 

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Full Story

Modi’s trans-Himalayan link to bring Nepal, India, China together

KATHMANDU, JUL 26 - Amidst all the recent controversies surrounding the Nepal-India power trade agreement, Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj arrived in Kathmanduon Friday in a bid to give Nepal-India ties a new economic footing.

Swaraj’s Nepal visit, her second foreign trip after visiting Bangladesh in June, continues to underscore the Narendra Modi government’s emphasis on ‘neighbour-first’ diplomacy. Modi’s own visit to Nepal, scheduled for August 3-4, will be his third trip since he took office—after Bhutan and Brazil, where he attended the BRICS gathering.

Swaraj is expected to set the tone for Modi’s ‘pragmatic diplomacy’, whose core focus will be economic prosperity with an eye on greater regional integration. Modi’s Nepal outing will mark a step toward his broader ambition for high growth for India, where Nepal’s development fits neatly into trans-Himalayan regionalism fuelled by stronger connectivity.

It is likely that commercial interests will be paramount, trumping the age-old diplomatic rhetoric of South Asian bhai-bhai and ‘special relationships’. Modi’s arrival will also mark the assertion of ‘political ties’, a departure from Nepal-India relations that, of late, have been dominated by bureaucracy and security agencies.

“At the heart of Modi’s Nepal policy will be economic prosperity,” says Amresh Kumar Singh, a Nepali Congress lawmaker, who had a 20-minute meeting with Modi in Delhi in June. “His emphasis on greater connectivity with Nepal and China is strong.”

A potential game-changer

The last Indian prime minister who advocated greater engagement with the region was Inder Kumar Gujral. Gujral warmed Nepali hearts during his 1997 visit when he emphasised that New Delhi should not look for reciprocity from its smaller neighbours. However, Gujral was seen as a well-meaning political weakling and his efforts did not go very far. His mandate was narrow and his legacy short-lived. Since then, Nepal-India relations have been marked with the inevitability of asymmetry, mutual suspicions and unease.

Nonetheless, it is clear that there are major differences between Gujral and Modi. For one, Modi is seen as a potential game-changer, who is perhaps the first Indian prime minister in recent memory with the capacity to take on the Indian security and business establishments. Modi’s foreign policy approach is so ambitious that some believe it has the potential to transform the Nepal-India relationship. There is a chance that Nepal will finally be able to leverage its strategic location between the world’s two fastest growing big economies to its benefit.

“Modi was elected as prime minister on the economic plank of investment and prosperity,” says Bhekh Bahadur Thapa, former ambassador to India. “Since his election as prime minister, Modi has pursued a broader foreign policy agenda, which makes him the undisputed leader of the region. The time has now come for us to pursue joint venture investments and trade liberalisation in the region with new openness.”

But Thapa also mentions how New Delhi, in 1998, rolled back provisions in the bilateral trade treaty and opted for ‘regimented trade’ in face of opposition from business lobbies in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. A similar challenge to Modi’s plans by vested interest groups could still occur.

“Modi, just like Gujral 17 years ago, talks about trade, commerce and investment and openness, but it remains to be seen how Modi’s vision for a prosperous neighbourhood and mutual benefits will play out in the days ahead,” cautions Thapa.

Beyond rhetoric

By all indications, Modi’s regionalism seems more enduring for the simple reason that it is based on mutual economic benefits and not merely on vague rhetoric about South Asian brotherhood. In addition, Modi also sees China as an integral partner in the game.

China’s Ambassador in New Delhi, Wei Wei, recently proposed trans-border cooperation with India under the Trans-Himalayan Economic Growth Region. This path-breaking regional initiative will be led by China and India.

“Instead of being defensive, Delhi must seek more details on this very interesting idea and offer a vision of its own for productive engagement with Beijing all across the Tibetan frontier,” writes C Raja Mohan in his column for the Indian Express (‘Chinese takeaway: Panchasheel blues,’ June 25, 2014, ).

Raja Mohan was in Kathmandu early this week addressing two public forums, one of them organised by the Centre for South Asian Studies headed by Nischal Nath Pandey.

“He [Raja Mohan] spoke about the need for better connectivity in the region,” says Pandey. “China is building so many roads and rail networks around the region that India is forced to make this policy change.”

Under Modi, expansion of rail and road networks will remain India’s top infrastructure priority, as much as already evident from the new budget.

Modi is the first Indian prime minister to invite South Asian neighbours in the swearing-in; he has firmly placed Bhutan, Bangladesh and now Nepal on his foreign policy road map. China’s foreign minister Wang Yi visited Delhi soon after Modi was sworn in. “I do see Modi as a game changer,” says Pandey.

Towards regionalism

Delhi and Beijing are likely to 

expedite modernising the infrastructure at the Nathu La, a pass connecting Tibet and Sikkim, and initiate full-fledged trade. They could also find ways to expand the current limited opportunities for Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims who want to visit places of worship on both sides of the border and Indian access to the holy sites of Kailash Manasarovar, suggests Raja Mohan.

Under the trans-Himalayan regionalism, both India and China are keen to have stronger North-South connectivity through Nepal, something the Indian security establishment has been resistant to for years. This will vastly enhance access to and from China to the Hindi speaking heartland of India in UP and Bihar.

UP and Bihar is Modi’s core constituency, where he swept the 2014 elections, and Modi sees Nepal as an important player in that China-Nepal-UP/Bihar connectivity.

For Modi, the crown jewel in regional connectivity would be a railway link between Pashupatinath and Banaras. “Granted, this is a long way off,” says Singh. “But Modi is a dreamer and this could be his dream project.”

Full Story

Delhi places Nepal ties in high priority: Swaraj

KATHMANDU, JUL 26 - External Affairs Minister of India Sushma Swaraj has said the new Indian government puts its relations with Nepal in high priority. Swaraj, who arrived here on a three-day official visit on Friday evening, told media persons at the Tribhuvan International Airport that the new Indian government values its ties with Nepal.

“I am here two months after the formation of a new government in India,” said Swaraj. “The Narendra Modi government has placed its relations with Saarc and India’s neighbours in high priority.”

“I am here to attend a joint commission meeting that is taking place after 23 years. I am hopeful from this meeting,” Swaraj said in Hindi. 

She is the first high-level foreign official to visit Nepal after the second Constituent Assembly elections held in November last year.

Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey will inaugurate the third meeting of Nepal-India Joint Commission jointly with his Indian counterpart Swaraj. Ahead of Indian Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Nepal on August 3 and 4, the forum will see discussions on a wide range of issues and agendas.

The meeting will review bilateral relations in their entirety. The joint commission is mandated to review, assess and evaluate past agreements, project performance and the jobs carried out by the 32 mechanisms established at various levels between the two countries. The meeting is expected to seek a way to streamline the channels and provide an impetus to bilateral ties. Though the joint commission meeting is inaugurated at Yak and Yeti Hotel on Saturday, the two sides sat together in five groups on Friday to hammer out agreements and understanding as part of the preparations. Officials of various ministries from Nepal and India formed five groups for the discussion.

All five cluster-wise meetings went smooth and were expected to announce some agreements and pacts, said a senior official.

Full Story