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Physician chosen as Nepal's first president
Decision comes just months after centuries-old monarchy was abolished
Nepal's governing assembly on Monday elected the new republic's first president since it abolished the centuries-old monarchy in May, state-run television said.
Nepal Television said Constituent Assembly members elected Ram Baran Yadav, a physician from the Madheshi ethnic community in southern Nepal, which has been campaigning for greater rights and more say in the administration.
State-run television said an official announcement was expected later in the evening by assembly chairman Kul Bahadur Gurung. Yadav, of the Nepali Congress party, received more than half the votes in the 594-seat assembly that was required to win.
Yadav had the backing of his party, the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) and Madhesi People's Rights Forum — the second, third and fourth largest parties.
Yadav has served twice as the health ministry and elected twice in parliament elections. He has held senior positions in his Nepali Congress party.
Yadav had secured the most votes in initial voting for president on Saturday, but voting went to a second round because none of the three candidates were able to secure the required majority.
His closest opponent, Ramraja Singh, was backed by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), former communist rebels who have emerged as the largest political party in Nepal.
The Maoists won the most seats in the Constituent Assembly in April elections. Since the dissolution of the monarchy, the assembly has been unable to form a new government because the main parties have bickered over forming a ruling coalition.
The president will swear in the new prime minister, who will run the executive branch. Decision comes just months after centuries-old monarchy was abolished ... more -
"Communalism is superior to nationalism"
Communalism is superior to nationalism. The higher degree or intensive influences of communalism are danger in order to achieve the sustainable peace and security. It can directly affect social harmony in pluralistic society. The communalism can be managed through proper handling. Government can also take some advantages from the positive aspect of communalism during the course of community development program, institution building, infrastructure development, preservation of heritage, culture and social phenomena etc. The broader influence of communalism is defeating to the contentedness of nationalisms. Therefore, the superiority of nationalism is no more valid in contemporary social world. Hence, my final assumption is to point out "the communalism is superior to Nationalism". Communalism is superior to nationalism. The higher degree or intensive influences of communalism are danger in order to achieve the su... more
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World Record to Mimic 151 Different Types of Birds Sound
For the last three years, Gautam Sapkota has been after birds and only birds. He follows birds in national parks, forests, nearby gardens and the central zoo in Kathmandu and spends his time imitating their sounds -- the way the birds communicate with each other in different situations. And it is hard to believe that within a span of three years, he has been able to mimic 151 different types of birds.
For Full Story
http://www.worldamazingrecords.com For the last three years, Gautam Sapkota has been after birds and only birds. He follows birds in national parks, forests, nearby gard... more -
Elderly Woman Frees Child Slaves In Nepal
Olga Murray laughs when she's called a modern-day abolitionist. It is, however, a fair description.
This 82-year-old retired lawyer from California now spends half of her time living in Katmandu, Nepal, where she works to free child slaves.
"It's very difficult to think that in the 21st century, this is a practice," said Murray. But, she argued, "it's happening all over the world, and a lot of people don't know about it."
She is no tourist. She and her organization, Friends of Needy Children, have come up with a remarkably simple and successful method of liberating hundreds of young, female slaves.
For generations in Nepal impoverished families from the countryside have been selling their daughters to wealthy families where the girls, known as "kamlaris," are forced to do housework.
When asked why parents would sell their children, Murray explained, "It's not because they don't love them. It's like they have no choice. Sometimes it's a choice between selling their girl & and feeding the rest of their family."
The practice has become so widespread and socially acceptable that we were able to meet and interview slave girls and their owners.
According to the non-profit group Free The Slaves there are an estimated 27 million slaves in the world right now -- more than at any time in recorded history.
Olga Murray laughs when she's called a modern-day abolitionist. It is, however, a fair description. ... more -
Serial killer 'the Serpent' Sobhraj, 64, engaged to marry 20-year-old
Confessed French serial killer Charles Sobhraj, 64, is planning to marry his 20-year-old Nepalese fiance, Nihita Biswas if he is freed by Nepal's Supreme Court. Sobhraj recently filed an appeal to the Supreme Court based on an alleged lack of evidence against him and is currently awaiting a decision.
Sobhraj was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in Nepal in 2004 on charges of killing a Canadian tourist in Kathmandu in 1975. He has admitted to killing several Western tourists and is believed to have murdered at least 20 people in the 1970s. He has often been referred to as 'the Serpent', a nickname which points to his reputation for being a talented disguise and escape artist.
Biswas, who met the murderer 2 1/2 months ago when she applied for a job as interpreter for his French lawyer, said: "We are planning a future after his release. We know he is going to be released soon. We are going to be married under French law in France," Biswas told reporters in Kathmandu on Saturday. Confessed French serial killer Charles Sobhraj, 64, is planning to marry his 20-year-old Nepalese fiance, Nihita Biswas if he is freed... more -
700 Tibetans detained by Chinese police in Nepal protest
Anti-Chinese activists in Nepal have been arrested on the grounds of disturbing the law and order of the 'Chinese Province of Nepal'. Activists continue to dispute China's right to lay dominion over their country. These protests are part of a rising Anti-Chinese sentiment growing in Nepal because of China's Imperialistic attitudes, and anti-Dalai laws. In other news, The Dalai Lama contiues his exile in India, and denounces both the Chinese government, as well as the brash actions of these protesters. Anti-Chinese activists in Nepal have been arrested on the grounds of disturbing the law and order of the 'Chinese Province of Nepal'. ... more
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Nepal: the world's newest republic
In his last act before leaving his palace last week, Nepal's former king, Gyanendra, tried something he never attempted during his disastrous experiment with autocratic rule.
He decided to call a press conference - and for dismayed royalists the ensuing scene encapsulated the fall of an ancient institution that had collapsed from within.
Excited journalists climbed on the palace furniture. They posed for pictures in the chair where Gyanendra would sit, flanked by two stuffed tigers. When the ex-king arrived they heckled him with the rudest words in the Nepali language.
Yet he gave his speech with dignity. Five years after sacking his first prime minister, three years after he used the army to seize absolute power, he was going quietly.
The king had seized power to defeat a powerful Maoist insurgency that was fuelled by the poverty and injustice of village life. But while the royal army floundered against the rebels in the hills, republican protests swelled on the streets of the capital. A peace process led to elections earlier this year.
The next government will be led by the Maoists, who have already abolished the monarchy. The king - seen as a living god, and worshipped as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu - became just another commoner.
And yet, in the manner of his departure, Gyanendra won sympathy from some unexpected quarters. On the day he left the palace a well-known commentator, not noted for his royalist sympathies, sent me an email. "It was a day full of thrill and tears," he wrote. "Some people are really sad today. His exit was a tragic day for an institution."
"Leaving the palace was the best thing he has done in two years," says Sirish Shumsher Rana, the king's former information minister. "What the king did [when he seized power] was necessary, but he failed."
Monarchists still cling to the hope that if Gyanendra's reputation is repaired, and if the next government fails as most Nepali governments do, some kind of royal revival might one day be possible. After all, abolishing an institution with such deep roots - Nepal was forged in war by the king's ancestors 239 years ago - is no small matter. In his last act before leaving his palace last week, Nepal's former king, Gyanendra, tried something he never attempted during his dis... more -
Nepal king's palace becomes museum
ng's opulent palace into a museum and unfurled the national flag on Sunday as a symbolic move to signify the end of monarchy.
The national flag is fluttering in the hands of the people in the royal palace now," said Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala at a ceremony at the former palace Sunday.
Ex-King Gyanendra, 60, left Narayanhiti Royal Palace on Wednesday. He will live as a civilian in a summer palace on a forested hilltop outside the capital.
Gyanendra's departure came following the declaration of the former Himalayan kingdom as a republic last month.
The monarchy's end after 239 years of rule was the culmination of a two-year peace process in which Maoist insurgents in Nepal gave up their armed struggle, joined mainstream politics and won the most seats in April's election for the Constituent Assembly.
ng's opulent palace into a museum and unfurled the national flag on Sunday as a symbolic move to signify the end of monarchy. ... more -
The Democratic Republic of Nepal is born
Nepal's newly elected Constituent Assembly late Wednesday declared the nation a democratic republic and ended the monarchy that has ruled for the past 240 years.
Lawmakers voted 560 to 4 in favor of making Nepal an "independent, indivisible, sovereign, secular and inclusive democratic republic". Eleven were absent or abstained.
People celebrated and danced in the streets throughout the day.
King Gyanendra and his family will now become ordinary Nepali citizens.
Executive powers will be held by the prime miniser. This office will go to the leader of the CPN-Maoists, Pushpa Kamal Dahai, 53. Nepal's newly elected Constituent Assembly late Wednesday declared the nation a democratic republic and ended the monarchy that has ru... more -
Electric Car Capital
Kathmandu, Nepal, has one of the highest per-capita rates of electric vehicles in the world.
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Nepalese king recieves eviction notice
Nepal's government has formally told the deposed monarch to vacate the royal palace within the next two weeks. The order was officially relayed to him on Friday - a national holiday.
Nepalese television stations have broadcast video of trucks being driven from the palace to Gyanendra's private home, filmed overnight.
Meanwhile, the government has denied rumours that the deposed king left the palace late on Thursday.
The government has set up a committee to audit palace property prior to nationalization.
Ministers say that Gyanendra will move house in co-ordination with the authorities. He has been sent a copy of the assembly resolution which almost unanimously abolished the crown, and a letter asking that he move out.
It is believed the former king and his wife will move to a private family residence in northern Kathmandu called Jeevan Kunj. Nepal's government has formally told the deposed monarch to vacate the royal palace within the next two weeks. The order was officiall... more -
Nepalese Clash With Police
Nepalese demonstrators demanding King Gyanendra immediately quits the royal palace clashed with police in the capital, Kathmandu, a day after lawmakers declared the country a republic and abolished the 240-year-old Shah dynasty.
At least 10 people were injured when police wielding bamboo sticks beat stone-throwing protesters trying to break a security cordon around Narayanhiti palace yesterday. The government said it will notify the king that he has 15 days to move out.
Nepal's newly elected parliament voted May 28 to scrap the monarchy, the key demand of the former rebel CPN (Maoist) group which staged a 10-year insurgency that ended with a peace accord in 2006. The Maoists won most seats in last month's general elections.
The king, who hasn't publicly commented on his plans, will receive a letter from Cabinet's political committee today notifying him of the Constituent Assembly's decision to declare Nepal a federal democratic republic and the deadline for his departure. Nepalese demonstrators demanding King Gyanendra immediately quits the royal palace clashed with police in the capital, Kathmandu, a da... more -
Sir Edmund Hillary’s ascent of Mt Everest Celebration at Google.com
Google has put up a special logo on its homepage to celebrate the 55th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary’s ascent of Mt Everest.
New Zealand-born Sir Ed, who died in January, was with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay the first to reach the peak of the world’s highest mountain.
The logo is only visible on the Google homepages today
Google periodically changes its logo to celebrate special events and anniversaries, such as the invention of the first laser, Earth Day, or February 29th.
Read Complete Story about Sir Edmund Hillary’s ascent of Mt Everest
http://www.worldamazingrecords.com/2008/01/sir-edmund-h...
Google has put up a special logo on its homepage to celebrate the 55th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary’s ascent of Mt Everest. ... more -
Maoists Put An End To Monarchy And The Shah Dynasty In Nepal
Having won a majority in parliament in the recent democratic elections in Nepal, the Maoist communists have put an end to monarchy in Nepal, thus cutting short the Shah dynasty. Having won a majority in parliament in the recent democratic elections in Nepal, the Maoist communists have put an end to monarchy in ... more
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Nepal abolishes monarchy
CNN reports that Nepal's newly elected leadership changed the country from a monarchy to a republic just before midnight Wednesday in a historic move that ended nearly 240 years of autocratic rule in the country.
After approving the move by an overwhelming vote, the body said it would send a letter to 60-year-old King Gyanendra and his family, informing them that they have 15 days to vacate the royal palace.
Of the 564 members of the assembly present for the vote, only four voted to keep the monarchy.
The group met all day in a convention center to reach the agreement and even continued to work after the facility was bombed. Two apparent bombs damaged the building about 8:20 p.m. local time, said a CNN journalist covering the meetings.
There were no reports of injuries, and the group was back working within 10 minutes of the blasts.
There was no immediate reaction from the palace, which has rarely commented on political developments in Nepal since King Gyanendra was forced to end his royal dictatorship and restore democracy after widespread protests two years ago.
CNN reports that Nepal's newly elected leadership changed the country from a monarchy to a republic just before midnight Wednesday in ... more -
Lawmakers in Nepal abolish the monarchy
KATMANDU, Nepal - The world's last Hindu kingdom became its newest secular republic Wednesday as Nepal's lawmakers, led by former communist insurgents, abolished the monarchy that had reigned over this Himalayan land for 239 years.
Throughout the day, thousands of people marched, danced and sang in the streets of Katmandu in anticipation of the vote, waving red hammer-and-sickle flags as dour King Gyanendra awaited his fate in the pink concrete palace that dominates the city's center.
He finally found out the fate of his throne late in the day when, as expected, the newly elected Constituent Assembly declared the country a republic and abolished the monarchy by a vote of 560-4. The assembly's 37 other members were not present.
"We have entered a new era today," said Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, calling Nepal's rebirth as a republic "the dream of the whole nation."
There was no immediate reaction from the 61-year-old king, who has remained silent in recent months as it became apparent that his days on the throne were numbered.
He now has 15 days to quit the 1970s-era palace and move to his large private residence in the city — or face the possibility of being removed by force.
As word of the republic's declaration spread through Katmandu, groups of celebrating young men yelled in the streets and set off firecrackers.
"The people in Nepal have defeated the autocrat Gyanendra," said Gopal Thapa, a 23-year-old supporter of the Maoists, the former rebels. "Nepal is now the people's republic."
All around him, a crowd celebrating outside the convention center, where the vote was held, chanted "Long live the republic!" and denounced Gyanendra as a thief.
Not since the Shah of Iran was deposed in the bloody 1979 Islamic revolution has one of the world's monarchs been forced from his throne.
But while the end of Nepal's royal dynasty may have come in a peaceful vote, the stage for the monarchy's demise was set by a communist insurgency that bled Nepal for a decade, and a 2001 palace massacre in which a gunman, allegedly the crown prince, assassinated King Birendra and much of the royal family before killing himself.
Gyanendra then assumed the throne. But the killings helped pierce the mystique surrounding a line of kings who had once been revered as reincarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu, and Gyanendra was dogged by rumors that he was somehow involved in the massacre.
His 2005 seizure of power from a civilian government only made matters worse. He said he needed total authority to crush the Maoists, but he quickly began locking up peaceful opponents and found himself beset by an intensifying insurgency and a faltering economy.
A year later, weeks of massive protests forced Gyanendra to restore democracy, after which the Maoists came out of the bush and began peace talks.
An interim government, meanwhile, slowly stripped away the trappings of a kingdom. Gyanendra lost command of the army, his portrait was replace by Mount Everest on the currency, the word "royal" removed from the name of the national airline, and references to the king were dropped from the national anthem.
Gyanendra, who is believed to be personally wealthy with interests in tourism, tea and tobacco, also endured other indignities. His $3.1 million annual allowance was taken away, as were the queen's beauticians and about half his ceremonial guard.
Then came April's vote for the assembly in which the fiercely republican Maoists won the most seats, all but sealing the fate of the dynasty, which dates to 1769 when a regional ruler conquered Katmandu and united Nepal.
With the king now gone, Nepalis are settling in for a three-day public holiday. But what comes next remains uncertain.
KATMANDU, Nepal - The world's last Hindu kingdom became its newest secular republic Wednesday as Nepal's lawmakers, led by former comm... more -
AP: Nepali King given 15 days to leave palace
By MATTHEW ROSENBERG
KATMANDU (AP) — Nepal stood on the brink of becoming the world's newest republic Wednesday as an assembly charged with ending 239 years of royal rule prepared to meet amid tight security.
But with the world's last Hindu king still in the pink-hued, 1970s-era concrete palace that dominates central Katmandu, political leaders said he would be given 15 days to leave, stepping back from earlier threats to remove him by force, if necessary.
Getting rid of the king, however, is in many ways the least of the new government's problems, as evidenced by a string of bombings that hit Katmandu this week — all apparently aimed at pro-republic politicians and activists...
...A "republic will be declared tomorrow," said Baburam Bhattarai, the deputy leader of the Maoists, Nepal's former rebels, told The Associated Press after Tuesday's swearing in ceremony. "Once republic is declared, the king will automatically lose his position and place in the palace."
..."We are Nepal now. It is no longer the king's country," said Ram Shrestha, a 26-year-old store clerk. "Tomorrow we will celebrate and he will leave the palace."
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Full story at link By MATTHEW ROSENBERG ... more -
Nepal set to become republic
Nepal is due to become a republic and end 240 years of royal rule.
A newly-elected assembly is to meet in the capital, Kathmandu, to abolish the monarchy but its key vote has been postponed for a few hours.
As the assembly was being sworn in on Tuesday a bomb explosion in the capital injured two people.
Meanwhile thousands of people have gathered on the streets of the capital and near the assembly in support of "republic day".
The assembly is huge and Tuesday's ceremony, performed by an older member of the newly-elected body, saw 575 men and women being sworn in. Nepal is due to become a republic and end 240 years of royal rule. ... more -
76 year old man sets Everest record
A 76 year old Nepalese man has become the oldest person to climb Mount Everest, according to officials.
A tourism ministry spokesman said Bahadur Sherchan reached the summit on Sunday morning in good health and was set to return to base camp on Monday.
Climbers have been flocking to the mountain since ascents were temporarily halted because of security concerns over the Olympic torch relay.
On Thursday, a record 86 mountaineers reached the 8,850m (29,035ft) summit.
Good weather has also meant favourable climbing conditions.
Also on Thursday, another Nepalese man, 47-year-old Appa Sherpa, broke his own record for the most ascents after climbing the mountain for the 18th time. A 76 year old Nepalese man has become the oldest person to climb Mount Everest, according to officials. ... more -
Indian Culture For Sale
Indian culture is so popular in the West these days. Being South Asian myself, I find it interesting to see people embrace eastern symbolism with very little knowledge about its origins.
I’ve explored the themes of Indian-inspired clothing (saris, salwar kamis...), beauty, and symbolism ('om,' buddhas...) and their prominence in the western community. I also interviewed a few Indians and a few White people to get their take on this phenomenon.
What do you think?
Do you think ancient traditions are being commodified? Indian culture is so popular in the West these days. Being South Asian myself, I find it interesting to see people embrace eastern sym... more
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Nepal
