Thousands of Maoist activists have taken to the streets of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, to protest against the governing coalition.Thousands of Maoist activists have taken to the streets of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu,... more
"Plans to sacrifice more than 500,000 animals during a two-day religious festival in Nepal this month have met with the wrath of animal rights activists, who have called for the 300-year-old ritual to be banned.
Every five years the tiny village of Bariyapur near Nepal’s southern border with India is swamped with blood as hundreds of thousands of Hindu devotees flock to the local temple to take part in what is thought to be the world’s biggest ritual slaughter.
This year it is expected that about 500,000 animals, including about 25,000 buffaloes, will be offered to Gadhimai, a Hindu goddess, by devotees who hope she will answer their prayers in return. Proceedings begin with the sacrifice of two wild rats, a cockerel, a pig, a goat and a lamb.
Supporters of the Gadhimai Fair say there is no question of them departing from a centuries-old tradition. Devotees can then bring their animals into the temple for ritual purification before taking them into the grounds where the beasts’ throats are slit.
“The festival will lose its charm and become meaningless if we break with tradition,” Mangal Chaudhary Tharu, the temple’s head priest, said.""Plans to sacrifice more than 500,000 animals during a two-day religious festival in... more
TMANDU, Nepal - Now that he's all grown up, 18-year-old Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal wants the world to know just how tiny he is.
Magar, who stands 22 inches tall, has been waiting four years for his chance to take the title of the world's shortest person.
On Thursday, a day after his birthday and becoming an adult, supporters mailed an application package to Guinness World Record in London seeking to stake his place in the record book.
Magar's family initially filed a claim when he was just 14 years old but it was rejected since he was not an adult and there was a chance he might grow, said Min Bahadur Ranamagar of the Khagendra Thapa Magar Foundation.
Ranamagar said it was not clear how long the certification process would take. When Magar applied four years ago, Guinness officials said he would need to be examined by a doctor to confirm he had stopped growing.
The current record is held by 21-year-old He Pingping of China, who is 29 inches tall.TMANDU, Nepal - Now that he's all grown up, 18-year-old Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal... more
Something is changing… that’s for sure. But is it time that is changing us or we changing the time? And, as Dylan goes, should we start swimming or left our generations to sink?Something is changing… that’s for sure. But is it time that is changing us or we... more
A teenager from a small village in Nepal has invented a new kind of solar panel that uses human hair to conduct electricity and, at £23, costs much less to manufacture.
By using the natural fibre instead of silicon, which is usually found in solar panels and much more expensive, Milan Karki thinks he's found a way to provide affordable electricity to the developing world.A teenager from a small village in Nepal has invented a new kind of solar panel that... more
So the 23-year-old did what all the cool kids in this rugged Himalayan capital do: She bought a pile of face masks and tricked them out with hearts, rock band logos and hipster symbols to match her outfits.
"For Nepalis, it's just like wearing sunglasses. It's a must in our really polluted city," Amatya said. "You literally can't make it in this city without one."
Nepal is a fairy-tale land of stunning natural beauty, with hundreds of miles of forested hiking trails and hillside villages filled with rural women who sing folk songs as they tend rice paddies. The snowy peaks of Mount Everest draw climbers from around the world. But a decade of civil war, rampant corruption and lack of consistent environmental policies has turned the serenely beautiful Kathmandu Valley into a harshly polluted one, too. The bowl-shaped valley traps the air, which turns thick from standstill traffic belching thick, black smoke.
Global warming threatens the Himalayas, with scientists predicting the glaciers, which provide water to 1.3 billion people from Burma to Pakistan, could disappear within 50 years. Even all those nature-loving travelers and climbers are a problem: Everest's summit is littered with soda cans, tent poles, food containers and other trash the trekkers have left behind.Isha Amatya couldn't breathe anymore.
So the 23-year-old did what all the cool kids... more
A short interview with Marko Nichols-Marey whom I discovered living in the jungles of the lowlands of Nepal. He works at Tiger Top, an elephant refuge and national park. Marko, 22, is from New York. Marko came to Nepal after deciding that working for his father was not going to work out. His story is compelling for anyone interested in setting out for new territory, anyone interested in travel, in seeking.A short interview with Marko Nichols-Marey whom I discovered living in the jungles of... more
A Sherpa from Nepal who holds the world's record for scaling Mount Everest said Monday the planet's highest peak was littered with trash and warned that its glaciers were melting because of global warming.
Appa, who like most Sherpas goes by only one name, scaled the peak last week not to draw attention to his own amazing feat — he has now climbed Everest a record 19 times — but to the impact that global warming is having on the majestic site.
Glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, creating lakes whose walls could burst and flood villages below. Melting ice and snow also make the routes for mountaineers less stable and more difficult to follow.
"We have only one Everest, we need to clean it, protect it," said Appa, who flew back to Katmandu on Monday after reached the 29,035-foot (8,850-meter) summit last Thursday for the 19th time. "The warming temperature is increasing the volume of glacial lakes."
One aim of Appa's expedition was to help clean up the mountain. The climbers brought about 11,000 pounds (5,000 kilograms) of garbage from the higher slopes to base camp. The trash will eventually be carried down by porters and yaks.
Mountaineers in the past habitually left behind their climbing gear, tents, empty oxygen bottles and food wraps — leading to Everest being dubbed the "world's highest garbage dump."
Now, however, climbers are required to bring down what they take up the slopes. The Nepalese government withholds the security deposit of climbers who violate the rule.
Appa, 48, placed a banner at the summitt last week that read, "Stop Climate Change — Let the Himalayas live," to urge the world to take action against global warming.A Sherpa from Nepal who holds the world's record for scaling Mount Everest said Monday... more
Incidents of rhinoceros poaching are on the rise in Nepal, an official said.
Poaching of the one-horned rhino in Chitwan National Park has increased even amid security measures. As recently as Wednesday, park officials found the carcass of a pregnant rhino shot with its horn missing.
"We have resources to mobilize rhino conservation efforts inside the park," said park conservation officer Narendra Babu Pradhan. "But we have not been able to identify the poachers."
Since March 2008, 10 rhinos have been killed, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation said.
Mangal Man Shakya, a wildlife expert, said a lack of punishment is to blame for the rise in poaching.
"Poachers are not afraid of punishment because they get bail soon after arrest," he said.
its already bad enough when we inadvertently destroy our ecosystem; but, this poaching culture... you know what? it's not the poaching, it's the horn-mongering industry that perpetuates the barbaric mutilations and murders of these endangered animals.
it's just cold.Incidents of rhinoceros poaching are on the rise in Nepal, an official said.... more
Nepal's prime minister has resigned after an attempt by his Maoist government to sack the army chief was blocked by the president.
Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda, made the announcement in a televised address on Monday.
"I have resigned from the post of prime minister from today for the protection of democracy and peace," he said.
The move came after Nepal's government fired General Rookmangud Katawal, the army chief, for refusing to integrate former Maoist rebel fighters into the regular army under the terms of a 2006 peace deal that ended a decade of civil war.Nepal's prime minister has resigned after an attempt by his Maoist government to sack... more
Nepal's prime minister fired the army chief Sunday after a struggle over admitting former Maoist rebel fighters to the military, sparking mass protests and jeopardizing the survival of the country's first elected government.
President Ram Baran Yadav, meanwhile, rejected the ouster of army chief, Rookmangud Katawal, in a letter, calling it unconstitutional. The letter was delivered to Katawal's office late Sunday night and copies were also sent to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal's residence.
Yadav was the first person elected as president in this Himalayan country, where a centuries-old monarchy was abolished last year. The army is officially under the president's command, not the prime minister.Nepal's prime minister fired the army chief Sunday after a struggle over admitting... more
A woman was burnt alive by a mob in southern Nepal after she was accused of trying to kidnap a toddler, Nepalese media reports said today.
The violence took place in Bharatpur village in Dhanusa district, about 250 kilometres south-east of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, on Sunday.
Last year, a female journalist, who wrote on violence against women, was stabbed to death in the same district.
The incident was seen as an attempt by organised groups and individuals to silence critics voicing their opposition to violence against women.A woman was burnt alive by a mob in southern Nepal after she was accused of trying to... more
Peace Rehabilitation Center (PRC) founder Shanta Sapkota gives a personal tour of the home for formerly trafficked and at-risk girls. For more of the story visit www.needmagazine.comPeace Rehabilitation Center (PRC) founder Shanta Sapkota gives a personal tour of the... more
Peace Rehabilitation Center (PRC) founder Shanta Sapkota explains some of the challenges and success of caring for formerly trafficked and at-risk girls. For more of the story visit www.needmagazine.comPeace Rehabilitation Center (PRC) founder Shanta Sapkota explains some of the... more
Peace Rehabilitation Center (PRC) founder Shanta Sapkota discusses rescuing girls before they are trafficked into India. For more of the story visit www.needmagazine.comPeace Rehabilitation Center (PRC) founder Shanta Sapkota discusses rescuing girls... more
Peace Rehabilitation Center (PRC) founder Shanta Sapkota shares personal accounts of residents. For more of the story visit www.needmagazine.comPeace Rehabilitation Center (PRC) founder Shanta Sapkota shares personal accounts of... more
Three Friends set out on a backpacking journey to find adventure in South Asia. What they encounter along the way will build character and strengthen friendships through the rest of their lives.Travel Documentary filmed in India & Nepal.
Three Friends set out on a backpacking... more
Kamal Prasad Sharma, a pupil at a school in a small village near Kathmandu has said he was afraid when he saw a computer for the first time.Kamal Prasad Sharma, a pupil at a school in a small village near Kathmandu has said he... more
A ferry carrying 50 capsized in a river in eastern Nepal. 35 passengers, mostly women and children, are still missing.A ferry carrying 50 capsized in a river in eastern Nepal. 35 passengers, mostly women... more
