No more private school, Nepal's Maoist government declares Nov 15, 2008
Kathmandu, Nepal - The massive election win last April by Nepal's former rebel Maoists put them in the position to set the government agenda, and bring about drastic changes they promised during their campaign ... "Recent statements by Maoist leaders are indicative of their political immaturity," says Krishna Khanal, a political scientist at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu ... "The plan is extremely ambitious and highly unlikely to succeed," says Mani Wagle, principal and proprietor of... (Christian Science Monitor)
Devotees flock to Buddha reincarnation in Nepal Nov 13, 2008
"Being Buddha means the last birth and the highest level that can be achieved. There can be no reincarnation of Buddha, even though Buddhists believe in life after death," said Rakesh, a Buddhist scholar in Kathmandu who goes by only one name. "Meditating without food does not prove that he is the reincarnation of Buddha," said Min Bahadur Shakya of the Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods, a Buddhist research centre in Kathmandu. (The Age, Australia)
Teen hailed as the Enlightened One Nov 13, 2008
KATHMANDU A teenager who many believe is the reincarnation of Buddha has re-emerged from the jungle in southern Nepal, attracting thousands of devotees, officials said yesterday. After retreating into the jungle for more than a year, Ram Bahadur Bamjon, 18, re-emerged on Monday near the town of Nijgadh, about 160 kilometres south of the capital, Kathmandu ... Min Bahadur Shakya of the Buddhist learning centre Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods in Kathmandu said Buddhist priests have not... (Globe and Mail -- International)
Bhutan's new king raises Asian eyebrows Nov 12, 2008
KATHMANDU - In South Asia - a vast geographic region and the world's most populous - it has been the area's two smallest nations which have attracted the majority of recent media attention ... Needless to say, there were some extremely interested onlookers among the eight members of the Kathmandu-based South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) ... Dhruba Adhikary, a former head of Nepal Press Institute, is a Kathmandu-based journalist. (Asia Times Online)
* Nepal tourism recovers after travel warning dropped Nov 12, 2008
AFP, KATHMANDU Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008, Page 11. With Nepal no longer in the grip of civil war and removed from travel warning lists, officials believe the impoverished Himalayan nation is set to benefit from a much-needed surge in tourists. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Prachanda begins second trip to India Nov 12, 2008
Kathmandu (IANS): Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda Wednesday began his three-day visit to India, the second formal trip to the southern neighbour since September. Heading a 12-member delegation, the former guerrilla chief left for New Delhi on a Nepal Airlines flight to attend the second summit of regional grouping BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation). (Hindu)
Thousands flock to see teenage 'Buddha boy' in Nepal Nov 12, 2008
Ram Bomjan, 18, appeared on Monday near the town of Nijgadh, about 160km (100 miles) south of the capital, Kathmandu. His followers claim that he is an incarnation of Lord Buddha, who was born in the Nepalese town of Lumbini more than 2,500 years ago. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Devotees rush to see Nepal's 'Buddha' boy Nov 11, 2008
KATHMANDU: Thousands of people flocked to a remote jungle in southeast Nepal to see a boy, some believe is a reincarnation of Lord Buddha, who reappeared after missing for more than a year, police said on Tuesday. Seventeen-year-old Ram Bahadur Bamjon spoke to devotees from nearby villages on Monday in the remote forest in Ratanpuri, 150 km southeast of Kathmandu, Prakash Sen, a police constable said ... Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born a prince in Lumbini, a sleepy town in Nepal's... (India Times)
Officer recalled over security lapse Nov 10, 2008
Police photographs of the charred bodies of Andrew Frick McLeod, 31, his girlfriend Charlene Kate Zamudio, 24, and 16 other crash victims were left on a computer and could be seen by guests at the Radisson Hotel in Kathmandu for three weeks, The Age revealed yesterday. In a statement, the AFP said: "While the full circumstances surrounding the security breach are yet to be established, the AFP has spoken to the families of the Australian victims and unreservedly apologised for any additional... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Technology)
* No happiness for refugees Nov 9, 2008
DPA, KATHMANDU Sunday, Nov 09, 2008, Page 4 ... As Bhutan celebrated Thursdays coronation of 28-year-old Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk, thousands of refugees said there was little reason to cheer, the Kathmandu Post newspaper reported. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Barely 16, yet master peddlers of sex! Nov 9, 2008
Kathmandu: They are barely 16 years old, but it is not difficult to spot Nepali boys expertly luring customers for equally young sex workers on the capital's streets ... Dressed in simple clothes, these boys look out for foreign tourists visiting Kathmandu's Thamel market - famous for its dance bars, pubs, restaurants, shops and nightlife - especially after dusk. (Sify.com, India)
China dominates Asian mountain bike cross-country Nov 9, 2008
KATHMANDU, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese clean swept the Elite Women's Cross Country at the 14th Asian Mountain Bike Championship held at the race course in Nepali capital Kathmandu. In Men's Elite Cross Country category, Chinese Jiang Xueli emerged victorious on Saturday's competition, leading the race from the very first lap and completing the 35. (Xinhuanet, China)
Nepal 'to scrap' royal allowance Nov 9, 2008
by Mark Dummett BBC News, Kathmandu. King Gyanendra has lost many of his powers. (Yahoo News -- Nepal)
AFP apologises for security breach after Nepal crash documnents found Nov 8, 2008
AUSTRALIAN Federal Police (AFP) have apologised to families of Australian victims killed in a plane crash in Nepal last month, following sensitive documents related to the crash being found by guests on a hotel computer in Kathmandu. Australian diplomatic cables and police documents were left in open files on a computer available for public use at the hotel, Fairfax said. (The Australian)
Int'l Folk Music Festival kicks off in Kathmandu Nov 8, 2008
To mark 100 years of music recording in Nepal and 25 years of commercialization of Nepali music through the establishment of Music Nepal, the Nepal Music Center (NMC) is hosting a four-day international folk music festival in Kathmandu from Nov. 5. Some 150 artists from Norway, India, Malawi, Nepal, Palestine and South Africa took part in the festival. (Xinhuanet, China)
Nepali former royal palace to open as museum Nov 8, 2008
KATHMANDU, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Nepali government hopes to open the Narayanhiti Palace Museum to the public within six months, local news website eKantipur reported on Friday. The Narayanhiti Palace was the residence of Nepali Shah kings for more than a century. (Xinhuanet, China)
UN rules Nepal monuments now safe Nov 8, 2008
By Surendra Phuyal BBC News, Kathmandu ... The UN's Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) listed seven monuments in the Kathmandu valley as endangered in July 1993 ... The Kathmandu valley contains many ancient monuments. (Yahoo News -- Nepal)
High-altitude rescue drama in the Himalayas Nov 8, 2008
KATHMANDU (AFP) - An American expedition leader has described the dramatic 24-hour rescue of a French climber who suffered multiple fractures after being hit by a massive block of ice during a Himalayan climb in Nepal ... "It was very hard physically having 60 kilograms hanging from your harness and having to haul a person across traverses that go uphill and then put them on your back," said Zangrilli, who arrived back in Kathmandu Thursday ... Once they got to a village at the foot of the... (Yahoo! Asia News)
Ban pledges UN support for Nepalese Nov 2, 2008
Ban pledges U.N. support for Nepalese - UPI.com. Ban pledges U.N. support for Nepalese. (United Press International)
Minister: UN chief's visit to Nepal to be fruitful Oct 31, 2008
KATHMANDU, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Janardan Sharma on Friday said that United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon's visit to Nepal will assist to bring the peace process to the logical end. Speaking at an interaction program organized in Kathmandu, Sharma expressed his belief that the United Nations will provide assistance for the long lasting peace in the country. (Xinhuanet, China)
Czech collector skips India bail Oct 30, 2008
Police say that Mr Kuchera might have used India's open border with Nepal to go to Kathmandu and then fly to the to Czech Republic. Mr Kuchera had three passports with three different names - two of which were seized by the court. (BBC News -- Europe)
* Japanese team finds Yeti footprints in Nepal Ibyo{uH}Lv Oct 28, 2008
Japanese adventurer Yoshiteru Takahashi in Kathmandu, Nepal on Oct. 20, 2008. WGQGQAIany[wC. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Nepal storm traps fungus hunters Oct 28, 2008
By Mark Dummett BBC News, Kathmandu. The Nepalese army has sent a rescue team to a remote mountain region where several hundred people are believed to have been trapped by a heavy snowstorm. (Yahoo News -- Nepal)
Witnessing history in Nepal Oct 26, 2008
Kathmandu Guest House. 011-977-1-470-0800. (Boston Globe)
Pay bills or face having electricity cut, Nepal ex-king told Oct 24, 2008
The former royals still own many palaces and bungalows in the capital, Kathmandu, and elsewhere in Nepal ... The BBC's Surendra Phuyal in Kathmandu says the public demand may be a way of putting pressure on the former royal family ... Gyanendra left the main palace, Narayanhiti, in Kathmandu in June. (BBC News)
Prachanda's multiparty pickle Oct 23, 2008
KATHMANDU - United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon's visit to Nepal, scheduled for the end of the month, might give Prime Minister Prachanda an enhanced sense of the international acceptability of the interim coalition government he has been heading since mid-August ... Narayanman Bijukchhe, president of a party of workers and peasants, has described a Maoist plan to create a province for the Newar ethnic and linguist group within the Kathmandu valley as "fatal" ... Dhruba Adhikary, a... (Asia Times Online)
Hikers find 'abominable snowman' footprints Oct 22, 2008
KATHMANDU - Japanese climbers returning from a mountain in western Nepal said on Tuesday they had found footprints they think belonged to the abominable snowman or Yeti. "We saw three footprints which looked like that of human beings," Kuniaki Yagihara, a member of the Yeti Project Japan, said in Kathmandu, after returning from the mountain with photographs of the footprints. (MSNBC -- International)
* World News Quick Take Oct 22, 2008
We saw three footprints which looked like that of human beings, Kuniaki Yagihara, a member of the Yeti Project Japan, said in Kathmandu, after returning from the mountain with photographs of the footprints. The climbers, equipped with long-lens cameras, video cameras and telescopes, said, however that they did not see or take any photographs of the creature. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Somali refugees protest in Nepal Oct 22, 2008
By Charles Haviland BBC News, Kathmandu ... Somali refugees living in Nepal have been demonstrating in the capital Kathmandu to gain official recognition by the government. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Yeti Footprint Reportedly Found in Himalayas Oct 21, 2008
"The footprints were about 20 centimeters eight inches long and looked like a human's," Yoshiteru Takahashi, head of something called Yeti Project Japan, told Agence France-Presse in Kathmandu, Nepal. However, an eight-inch foot would amount to about a size zero shoe size for an adult American male, meaning that this particular yeti may be rather short of stature. (Fox News)
Nepal president's no to monarchy Oct 21, 2008
By Charles Haviland BBC News, Kathmandu. Please turn on JavaScript. (BBC News -- South Asia)
2008's best travel discoveries Oct 21, 2008
Ancient Bhaktapur is the yin to Kathmandu's yang. On the cobbled, vehicle-free streets of this city, about 30minutes by taxi from the frenetic heart of the capital, Kathmandu, soak up the ceramic and wooden wares, squares, stupas and smiles. (The Age, Australia -- Breaking News)
Yeti footprints found in Nepal Oct 21, 2008
KATHMANDU: A team of Japanese adventurers say they have discovered footprints they believe were made by the legendary yeti said to roam the Himalayan regions of Nepal and Tibet. The footprints were about 20cm long and looked like a humans, Yoshiteru Takahashi, the leader of the Yeti Project Nepal, said in Kathmandu on Monday. (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
Jug Suraiya: Devonair hero Oct 19, 2008
Strolling through the convoluted lanes of Kathmandu a couple of weeks ago, I chanced upon the Kashtamandap - the ancient shrine, said to have been built from the timber of a single tree, after which the city is named - and thought of Dev Anand who turned 85 last month, which makes him the youngest octogenarian of my acquaintance. It was in the Kashtamandap that I first met Dev Sahib - as his myriad fans and admirers call him - in 1971 when he was shooting his Hare Rama, Hare Krishna on location... (India Times, India)
Handicraft Promotion Week to be conducted in Nepal Oct 18, 2008
KATHMANDU, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- To promote a niche market and spread awareness about the potential of Nepali handicrafts, Federation of Handicraft Association of Nepal (FHAN) will conduct Handicraft Promotion Week here on Oct. 19-25, The Himalayan Times reported on Saturday. "The motto is to help develop the niche market. Here, under a single roof one can get information regarding the potential of handicrafts. Products from the micro to top level can get exposure at a small cost," FHAN president... (Xinhuanet, China)
UN chief to visit Nepal Oct 18, 2008
KATHMANDU, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) has confirmed that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will visit Nepal at the end of this month, during his travel to four Asian nations, nepalnews. com reported on Saturday. (Xinhuanet, China)
Nepalese army begins arms storage Oct 18, 2008
Officials say that the army's weapons are being locked up in an army camp on the outskirts of Kathmandu. "We have begun storing equal numbers of arms to those of the Maoist army under the monitoring conditions," army spokesman Ramindra Chhetri told the AFP news agency. (Yahoo News -- Nepal)
NEPAL FLOODS Oct 17, 2008
KATHMANDU, 17 October 2008 () - The floodwaters in west Nepal have receded but the poorest communities who were the hardest hit are still suffering, according to local NGOs. The heavy rainfall between 19 and 21 September caused flash floods and landslides in several districts of the far west and mid-west regions, displacing about 180,000 people. (AlertNet)
Three are killed by bomb in Nepal Oct 15, 2008
By Charles Haviland BBC News, Kathmandu ... They include a party now in the Kathmandu government but also over a dozen militant factions, including some usually described as criminal. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Bomb blast kills three in southeast Nepal Oct 14, 2008
"We have information that three people were killed in Chandranigahapur but I have no details," police official Ramesh Thapa said from Gaur, 75 km (46 miles) southeast of Kathmandu. The Madhesh region has been the focus of protests over the last year from ethnic groups demanding more autonomy from Nepal's highland cultures. (International Herald Tribune -- Technology)
Fixer-uppers abound in Kathmandu Oct 13, 2008
What's new around Kathmandu - or not. Article:What's new around Kathmandu - or not:/c/a/2008/10/10/TRCR13B24P.DTL Article:What's new around Kathmandu - or not:/c/a/2008/10/10/TRCR13B24P.DTL ... What's new around Kathmandu - or not. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Travel)
Swiss pilots take skydivers to new heights Oct 12, 2008
However, once the airstrip is covered in cloud I either have to go down to the airport in Lukla or go all the way back to Kathmandu ... We flew from Heraklion all the way to Sharm el Sheikh over the Saudi Arabian desert to Bahrain, Muscat and then via India directly to Kathmandu ... However, what was much more challenging was the introductory course my colleague Henri and I had to do in Kathmandu. (SwissInfo.org, Switzerland)
400 affected by dysentery in central Nepali district Oct 12, 2008
KATHMANDU, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Around 400 people in central Nepal are affected by dysentery, which has killed three, The Himalayan Times reported on Sunday. Dysentery has killed three Nepalis, leaving 40 critically ill at Lapa Village Development Committee (VDC) in Dhading district ofthe Central Development Region, some 50 km northwest of Nepali capital Kathmandu. (Xinhuanet, China)
Jug Suraiya: Shower power Oct 12, 2008
I hadn't seen the snows of the Himalayas, that hang like the frozen breath of time over Kathmandu valley, for over five years ... The time before when I'd been in Kathmandu, the capital was a city under siege ... In the city, rumours buzzed like flies: a police garrison overrun by extremists in western Nepal, the armoury looted; an army patrol ambushed elsewhere; a bomb blast on the periphery of Kathmandu itself. (India Times, India)
German experts probe Nepal plane crash Oct 11, 2008
KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- A team of German forensic experts has arrived in Nepal to identify the badly charred bodies of tourists who were among the dead in a plane crash near Mount Everest. The pilot of the Yeti Airlines plane is brought by medical staff into a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal ... The plane was headed from the capital city, Kathmandu, to Lukla airport, about 155 miles (250 km) to the east. (CNN)
'Himalaya -- Changing Landscapes' photo exhibition draws attention to the impacts of climate change Oct 11, 2008
After Barcelona the exhibition will travel to Kathmandu for ICIMOD's 25th Anniversary celebrations. For future exhibition dates and locations please see. (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
4 die of diarrhea in central Nepal Oct 11, 2008
KATHMANDU, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- At least four people have died of diarrhea in some villages of Dhading district in central Nepal, where about 60 people are suffering from the ailment in the past days, the national news agency RSS reported on Saturday. According to the news agency RSS Saturday's report, District Health Office, Dhading has sent a medical team to the villages, some 50 km south of Kathmandu, that could be reached after two-day's walk from the office. (Xinhuanet, China)
'Sobhraj's wedding a gimmick' Oct 10, 2008
Kathmandu: A day after Charles Sobhraj's Nepali fiance Nihita Biswas announced that she had tied the knot with the murder convict, Nepal's Central Jail authorities rejected the claim, calling it a gimmick to generate media hype. "It was simply a traditional ceremony Nepalis perform during Dashain (Nepal's biggest Hindu festival)," a Nepal Police inspector who was in charge of the prison said. (Sify.com, India)
Festival time, so even the most ideological give way Oct 10, 2008
During the festival's high point on Thursday - called Dashami - it was difficult to find a person in Kathmandu without a red "Tika" on their forehead ... Last week the Maoist Government endorsed the centuries-old religious ritual of selecting a female child as the "Living Goddess" or Kumari for two cities in the Kathmandu Valley. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
'Tourists die' in Nepal air crash Oct 8, 2008
In fine weather, there are daily flights between Lukla and the Nepalese capital Kathmandu ... Kathmandu's new 'living goddess. (BBC News)
Nepalese Plane Crashes, Killing 18; 12 Germans on Passenger List, AFP Says Oct 8, 2008
One airline crew member survived and has been brought to a hospital in Kathmandu for treatment,'' spokesman Modraj Dottel said in a telephone interview from the capital. Details of passengers on the aircraft are not yet available and we are trying to confirm if there were foreigners. (Bloomberg -- Germany)
* Plane crash near Mount Everest kills 18 Oct 8, 2008
AFP, KATHMANDU Thursday, Oct 09, 2008, Page 5 ... The Yeti Airlines aircraft, flying from the capital Kathmandu to Lukla in eastern Nepal, burst into flames after crash-landing near the sloping runway, eyewitnesses reported ... Security staff and volunteers took two hours to extinguish the fire in the wreckage of the plane, said Suraj Kunwar, a local journalist at the airport, 140km northeast of Kathmandu. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
18 killed in Nepal plane crash Oct 8, 2008
Kathmandu: Eighteen people, mostly foreign trekkers to the world's tallest mountain Mount Everest, were killed when a small Nepalese private airliner crashed at Lukla in Northeastern Nepal on Wednesday morning ... The Kathmandu-Lukla flight is more popularly known as Everest flight as it ferries tourists who want to see Mount Everest from close or to take part in treks around its base camp. (Sify.com, India)
Nepal crash kills 18 Oct 8, 2008
The aircraft, flying from Kathmandu to Lukla in eastern Nepal, caught fire after it crashlanded on the sloping airstrip, said Suraj Kunwar, a local journalist at the scene. "It took locals and security forces about two hours to put out the fire," said Kunwar. (iAfrica.com)
Toddler is 'living goddess' Oct 8, 2008
Dozens of people in Kathmandu's medieval quarter joined in the procession as the young girl was carried by family members from her home to the ornate palace where she will be confined for several years ... Earlier this year, Nepal's Supreme Court ruled that Kumaris had the right to attend school but her family accepts that she will stay in the ancient palace in central Kathmandu ... Three towns in the Kathmandu valley follow the custom, but the Royal Kumari in the capital is considered the most... (iAfrica.com)
18 feared dead as Nepali plane catches fire Oct 8, 2008
KATHMANDU, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Nepali aviation authority confirmed 18 died in an air crash in Lukla airport on Wednesday morning. A Nepal Yeti Airlines domestic plane on Wednesday morning caught fire while landing at Lukla airport, east of Nepali capital Kathmandu ... Mohan Adhikari, general manager of Nepali Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport on behalf of the related Nepali aviation authority, said at a press conference that 18 people died in the accident. (Xinhuanet, China)
Nepal picks new Living Goddess Oct 8, 2008
The new Living Goddess Kumari arrives at Kumari Gahar in Kathmandu, Nepal, Oct. 7, 2008 ... The new Living Goddess Kumari arrives at Kumari Gahar in Kathmandu, Nepal, Oct. 7, 2008. (Xinhuanet, China)
Nepal 'to scrap' royal allowance Oct 7, 2008
by Mark Dummett BBC News, Kathmandu. King Gyanendra has lost many of his powers. (Yahoo News -- Nepal)
Terai groups expect "meaningful" talks with Nepali gov't Oct 5, 2008
KATHMANDU, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Over a dozen underground Terai outfits active in southern Nepal's Terai plains said there was possibility of dialogue with the government if the latter pledges to make it "meaningful", local news website eKantipur reported on Sunday. After reportedly holding discussions among themselves at an undisclosed location in the Indian state of Bihar recently, the Terai groups made the remark on Saturday in Sunsari district, some220 km south of Nepali capital Kathmandu. (Xinhuanet, China)
Nepal calls armed rebel groups in south for peace talks Oct 4, 2008
KATHMANDU, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Nepal's Maoist-led coalition government invited armed rebel groups in the country's southern plains for talks and named three government negotiators, a senior cabinet minister said on Saturday. More than a dozen armed groups are fighting a low-intensity insurgency in the Himalayan nation's southern plains bordering India called Madhesh, demanding greater regional autonomy. (AlertNet)
'+weather_current+'°\;F/'+weather_current_celsius+'°\;C Oct 3, 2008
Melbourne, FL 32935 Last Updated: 10/03/08 08:46:36 EDT. C) Relative Humidity: 75% Barometer: 29. (Florida Today)
Nepal's ousted king visits temple Oct 3, 2008
Gyanendra Shah visited a shrine of a religious sect in Bhaktapur, near the country's capital, Kathmandu ... Since then he has lived a quiet life as a commoner in a former hunting palace near Kathmandu. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Mount Everest gets set for its first sky divers Oct 3, 2008
By Charles Haviland BBC News, Kathmandu. A British adventurer paraglided around Everest last year. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Tobacco kills 15,000 Nepalis every year: report Oct 3, 2008
KATHMANDU, May 31 (Xinhua) -- As many as 15,000 people are estimated to die due to tobacco consumption in Nepal every year, according to a report issued here by Nepal Cancer Relief Society (NCRS) on Wednesday ... The Kathmandu Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has agreed to provide space for putting hoardings against smoking and tobacco consumption in 10 major places of the valley. (Xinhuanet, China -- World)
New JICA is Born. The Challenges Ahead for Japan's Development Assistance Oct 3, 2008
Tokyo, Oct 1, 2008 - (JCN Newswire) - In the tiny Himalayan state of Nepal a newly built highway linking the capital of Kathmandu with the country's agricultural breadbasket on the Terai Plain is transforming the lives of farmers, small businessmen and school children living along the route. The Sindhuli Road has been rebuilt with Japanese grant aid. (JCN Network, Japan)
