Finance Minister hints at fresh relief to businesses

Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel has indicated that the government could announce fresh relief programmes to support private sector enterprises hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. He expressed readiness to launch new programmes and instruments to cure the bruises made by the crisis on business and industry. "If currently implemented programmes are not sufficient, I welcome suggestions from and discussion with the private sector," he said while speaking at the fifth general meeting of the Nepal...

NCP debate is for journey towards socialism: Prachanda

Executive Chairman of Nepal Communist Party (NCP) and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' said on Saturday that the debates and discussions within NCP were for the journey towards socialism. Welcoming new leaders and carders joining NCP amidst a function organised at the party’s central office in Dhumbarahi today, Prachanda said that it was the responsibility and obligation of the communist party to build a socialist-oriented state.

1,359 COVID-19 recoveries, 899 new infections, 15 fatalities in last 24 hours

The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) on Saturday confirmed 899 new cases of COVID-19, taking the national tally to 247,593.

US executes Louisiana truck driver who killed daughter, 2

The Trump administration continued its unprecedented series of post-election federal executions Friday by putting to death a Louisiana truck driver who severely abused his 2-year-old daughter for weeks in 2002, then killed her by slamming her head against a truck’s windows and dashboard.

Nepal’s Sah makes it to BBC Master Chef Professionals final

Although Nepali cuisine hasn’t made a significant leap internationally, it’s common knowledge that local Nepali food can leave diners drooling over its traditional spices and tempting delicacies. Authentic Nepali dishes are undoubtedly popular among the locals, but it does pale in comparison to the famous Pan Asian, Italian and Chinese cuisines. However, Nepali chef Santosh Sah aims to change that as he gears up to represent his home country in the finals of the internationally renowned ‘BBC...

The Downsides Of A Mass Society

Nepal society is, of late, witnessing rise of a new social order that is defined as a mass society. Its traits are individualism, family atomisation, rising divorce rate, one parent, egalitarian pretention that avers genus, lures to uniformity of tastes, styles, behaviour and one-sided caricature of external fads, fashion and faith. This mass society marks the decline of the classical “public” with an affinity to traditional mores and institutions and rise of a virtual elite web alienated from...

Saga Of Leadership Transition In Nepal

Nepal’s politics is abuzz with the issue of leadership transition once again. Widening rift between the top leadership of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has further provided an impetus to this. With the sitting Prime Minister publicly floating the agenda o

The Questions Raised By Teacher’s Murder

There aren’t words in English language sufficiently harsh enough to condemn the recent murder of headmaster Rajendra Shrestha at Miklajung of Morang district. Barbaric, evil, heinous – these terms do no justice to the crime that has been committed. Eerily similar to the killings seen during the decade-long insurgency, Shrestha’s murder by the cadres of the outlawed Biplav faction has left the whole nation disturbed. Yet, for all that the murder was, it may not have been entirely unforeseen...

Lack of budget casts shadow over Manjushree Park

Proposed master plan of Manjushree Park at Chobhar has not moved ahead at the desired pace in lack of sufficient budget. A huge statue of Manjushree now stands erect at the park. It was built by artist Chandra Shyam Dangol in coordination with Jalbinayak Jungle Consumer Committee. However, a dispute has sparked between the local consumer committee and Kirtipur Municipality over the authority to run the park, leaving the entire project in limbo. The consumer committee erected the 33-feet-tall statue...

NAST signs IT deal with South Korean Agency

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and National Information Society Agency (NIA) of South Korea. Vice chancellor of NAST Dr. Sunil Babu Shrestha and Vice President of NIA digitally signed the MoU on Friday. NAST is collaborating with NIA for the establishment of Nepal-Korea Information Access Centre and cooperation in the field of Information Communication Technology (ICT). The centre will be established at the under-construction...