When the big three parties and the Madhesi Morcha struck a seven-point deal early this month to push the stalled peace process forward, what could have been an eighth point was dropped at the last minute.
As the month neared its end the “eighth point” is in danger. There is an air of uncertainty over the informal understanding of the four signatories. It had to do with yet another extension of the constituent assembly.
The informal understanding was to give another six months to the constitution-making body. Accordingly, the government registered a constitution-amendment bill in the parliament last Friday to extend the CA’s term by six months.
Prime minister Baburam Bhattarai appears confident of pushing through the bill. He says, all major parties will come on board to ensure the two-thirds vote required to pass the bill.
While the ruling coalition partner Madhesi Morcha’s leader and the deputy prime minister Bijay Kumar Gachchhdar has gone public to throw his weight behind Bhattarai, the major opposition parties have spoken out against the bill -- after remaining silent for two days.
The UML Chairman, Jhalanath Khanal, ruled out the extension of the CA unless the prime minister resigned.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Politics
Others
Urmila (name changed), 28, a resident of Oli Gaun of Accham district, lost her husband four years ago. Rawal, a mother of two children, is infected by HIV. A dalit, Urmila has to face all kinds of discriminations in the village. Out of 3,504 people, there are 1,514 (43%) males, and 1990 (57%) females.
Urmila of Oli Gaun is not the only woman suffering that plight. A large number of women, particularly poor dailts, are the worst affected by HIV infections.
Despite several efforts of the government and non-governmental organizations, migrant workers continue to bring HIV infection and transmit it to their spouses. According to a recent report, 120 people have already died in Accham due to AIDS.
Little progress has been made in the isolated communalities in the remote areas as most of the uneducated people migrate to urban areas and Indian cities for greater economic and employment prospects leaving married women home. When these migrants return, most of them bring HIV to their wives. Women living with HIV of dalit community begin to face double discriminations.
As husband dies, the Women Living with HIV have to bear all kinds of economic burdens in the household. They have to go from house to house to seek support from all to save their children.
With the Human Development Index of Achham District at 0.325 and ranking of 69 among 75 districts of Nepal, Gender Development Index (GDI)) of Achham is 0.275, which one of the lowest of Nepal.
Others
Minister for Population and Health RAJENDRA MAHATO is one of the known politicians with capacity to work. After taking the charge of the Ministry of Population and Health, minister Mahato, a leader of Madhesh based party- Nepal Sadbhavana Party- has already started to clean up the health sector institutions, including the country’s old Bir Hospital. As Nepal is celebrating the world HIV/ AIDS day, minister Mahato spoke to KESHAB POUDEL on government policies on HIV/AIDS. Excerpts:
What is the strategy of the government on HIV/AIDS in the context of celebrating the World AIDS day?
As this year’s World AIDS Day slogan ‘Getting to Zero - Zero New HIV Infections. Zero Discrimination and Zero AIDS Related Deaths,’ the government is directing all its programs towards these goals. Our national policy and program is guided by National Policy on AIDS and STD 2011. We will activate the National AIDS Council, National HIV/AIDS and STI Control Board and National Center for AIDS and STD Control (NCASC).
What are your special efforts?
Our effort is to ensure universal access to quality treatment, diagnostics, care and support services for infected, affected and vulnerable groups in Nepal within a context of a comprehensive response to HIV and AIDS.
Others
As India’s largest and politically most crucial state Uttar Pradesh (UP) gears up for its 2012 assembly elections, a new leader in the making is buckling up to take the centre-stage in Indian politics.
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi kick started his party’s election campaign earlier this month from Phulpur town. Amid posters and banners depicting his large pictures, the Amethi MP slammed the ruling Mayawati government for ‘misgovernance, corruption and moving the state backwards’. He said, “a hope will arise for the UP only if they vote for a change”.
Apparently, the 41-year-old’s decision to launch the campaign from Phulpur is quite interesting and holds vital significance: it was from this very constituency that his great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru was elected to the parliament in the first Lok Sabha elections.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Chinese General Heads to India After Dalai Lama Spat Underlines Tensions
India and China, which have fought a war over their disputed border and compete for resources to feed Asia’s two fastest growing economies, will hold their highest level military talks in almost two years.
General Ma Xiaotian, the deputy chief of the People’s Liberation Army General Staff, will lead a delegation to New Delhi for meetings Dec. 9 with Indian Defense Secretary Shashikant Sharma and ministry officials. The previous round of defense dialogue was held in Beijing in January 2010.
The nuclear-armed neighbors, home to more than a third of the world’s people, claim territory held by the other and clashed during a brief border conflict in 1962. India has replaced China as the world’s top weapons importer, according to a study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, as it aims to modernize its armed forces and defend against security threats from Pakistan and China.
Ma’s visit indicates that China and India have for now “resolved a degree of their tit-for-tat diplomacy,” said Lora Saalman, a Beijing-based analyst at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy. “It does not signal that the overall tensions underpinning such disputes have been resolved.”
Military relations between the world’s two most populous nations were suspended in August 2010 after China issued a visa to an Indian army officer in charge of forces in Kashmir without stamping his passport, an act seen as questioning India’s rule over the disputed Himalayan territory. China has a close alliance with Pakistan, which has waged two wars with India over Kashmir.
http://www.spotlightnepal.com/News.aspx?ArticleID=2340
COP-17: Green Climate Fund ‘not enough’
THE proposed $100bn-a-year Green Climate Fund is not enough to address climate change mitigation and most of it should rather be spent on adaptation measures where more value can be obtained from the funds, Dennis Welch, executive vice-president and chief administrative officer of American Electric Power, said on Monday.
The structure and operating mechanisms of the proposed $100bn-a-year fund are being negotiated at the COP-17 climate change conference in Durban.
The aim of the fund is to provide finance for developing countries for climate change adaptation and mitigation projects, although much uncertainty surrounds the outcome of the negotiations at this stage.
American Electric Power is one of the US’s biggest power utilities and the largest operator of coal-fired power plants in that country. The $100bn was "woefully short" from the perspective of businesses having to invest in new power technologies, Mr Welch said at a business sector event being held alongside the COP-17 conference.
Dick Jones, of the International Energy Agency, said "no matter what we get out of the Green Climate Fund ... it is not going to be enough. We need to be able to mobilise domestic investors in developing countries."
Siemens sustainability director Kersten-Karl Bath said the fund should be viewed as a catalyst for private sector investment.
Mr Welch said there needed to be a mechanism that guaranteed a return for business when investing in climate change projects, and he cited projects undertaken by American Electric Power that required millions of dollars to establish, where the government authorities involved had walked away from commitments.
NewsDrops in HIV prevalence rate in Nepal
The prevalence of HIV among adults (age group of 15 to 49) decreased to 0.33 percent (47,645 adults of the total population of Nepal) in 2010 from 0.39 (59,984 adults of the total population) in 2009, according to a forthcoming report of the National Centre for AIDS and STD Control (NCASC).
To meet Millennium Development Goals (MDG), Nepal has to bring down the prevalence rate to 0.30 by 2015.
In India, the HIV prevalence among the adult population in 2007 was 0.34 percent and in 2008 it was 0.29 percent, according to UNAIDS reports Kantipur.
The drop in the prevalence rate in Nepal also implies that the estimated number of HIV infections in the country has decreased significantly. In 2009, the NCASC had estimated there were 63,528 HIV infections in Nepal. The number has gone down to 55,626 now.
The estimation is done using a computer software called Estimation and Projection Package (EPP). It is carried out through the collection and subsequent entry of surveillance data and estimates of the size and high and low risk population groups into the EPP software.
According to Kantipur, the drop also means that awareness among adults has increased significantly over the years, a major achievement of the HIV/Aids intervention programme in the country.
The NCASC says the decline in Nepal is part of the worldwide fall in Aids-related deaths.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Nepal's Maoist PM received warm welcome:Indian Maoists killed six policemen in Chhattisgarh
When Nepal’s Maoist prime minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai was accorded warm red carpet welcome in India, Indian Maoist rebels killed six policemen in an ambush in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh.
Although Nepal’s Maoist and seven parties signed peace agreements five years ago paving the way for Maoist to led the government, Nepal’s peace process is now in limbo and it is uncertain whether it will conclude or not.
"Your life has been one of struggle and sacrifice. You have fought against the status quo, and today you have joined the mainstream of Nepal's political life," said Indian prime minsier Dr. Manmohan Singh in his banquet speech haling Nepal's Maoist rebel leader Baburam Bhattarai. " Excellency, your association with India goes back to your student days at the College of Architecture in Chandigarh, the School of Planning and Architecture and then the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi."
Nepal’s Maoist leaders repeatedly assured Indian that their brand of Maoism has nothing to do with Indian Maoism but Indian security officers are very much concerned ideological alliance between them.
BIPPA ‘anti-national’ agreement : Khanal
CPN-UML has objected to the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) signed Friday between Nepal and India.
The agreement will harm Nepali nationalism, sovereignty, national integrity and economy; the party said, and warned to launch stern agitation against the agreement.
The agreement was signed at the presence of Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai and his Indian counterpart Dr. Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on Friday during the four-day official visit of the PM.
CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal objected to it while addressing a program organized by the Naya Naikap Village Party Committee on the occasion of the festivals of Bijaya Dashami, Deepawali and Chhath and Nepal Sambat new year.
He asked what nationalism was this of Dr. Bhattarai who said he will not sign any agreements in the country and signed it after reaching India. Khanal said the PM, who was never tired of speaking on nationalism, had his nationalism over and done with, after he reached India.
http://www.spotlightnepal.com/News.aspx?ArticleID=2021
BIPPA agreement protects Nepal's interest: PM
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has said that the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA), signed between India and Nepal on Friday, was a milestone for the development of Nepal.
Stating that the agreement had opened the path for Indian investment in Nepal, Bhattarai clarified that the agreement was inked for the prosperity of the country.
Speaking to the selected CEO’s of Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in an interaction at Hotel Leela in New Delhi, Saturday morning, Bhattarai said he had taken a calculated political gamble by signing the deal for the welfare of the country, despite knowing the deal would spark criticism in the country.
PM Bhattarai stated he took a risky step for the development of the country saying that a successful leadership was impossible without inviting risks.
Nepal and India signed three agreements, including the BIPPA, yesterday.
Urging the Indian entrepreneurs to invest in Nepal, PM Bhattarai said, “I assure you to create an investment-friendly environment once you identify the project.”
http://www.spotlightnepal.com/News.aspx?ArticleID=2022
Foreign interference in Nepal is unacceptable to Indian
Your life has been one of struggle and sacrifice. You have fought against the status quo, and today you have joined the mainstream of Nepal's political life.
We are very happy to see you guide the destiny of Nepal, a close friend and neighbour, at this important juncture.
India and Nepal share bonds of kinship and cooperation that are defined by geography and enriched by history. Our peoples have travelled across open borders for decades. Generations of Indians and Nepalese have grown up taking this freedom of movement for granted.
We owe it to our people to build upon this foundation for the development, progress and prosperity of both our countries. The peoples of our countries are extremely talented, enterprising and have a remarkable ability to cope with adversity. Our region therefore has great potential and the time has come for us to realise this potential through cooperative effort.
India has long considered it a privilege to join Nepal in its plans for economic and social development. We both face the same challenge of development. It is in our enlightened self interest that we work in harmony and conduct our affairs with complete transparency. We must understand that by helping each other we only help ourselves. Our prosperity, security and welfare are interlinked.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Men talk and think a lot about sex while women desire it more often.
We spoke to women from different backgrounds to figure out what is making them addicted to sex.
It's physically pleasurable
Amongst all the other reasons to remain glued to sex, this is the most prominent one. Good sex satisfies your physical urge, which is very normal for anyone to experience. Psychologist Seema Naina opines, "Sex is the most basic need of any person. And I am increasingly getting cases where women are complaining that men are unable to satisfy their physical needs."
Creates positive feelings about oneself
Ideally, great sex means you are enjoying the sexual act and participating equally. It makes you feel good about yourself, thus adding to your self esteem. Shares housewife Neelam Nehra, "When my husband comes back from a whole day at work and we have our sack session, it increases my self esteem. The very feeling that I am able to satisfy him is a great pleasure. And since I never want to go out of shape to look unappealing to my husband (and other men), it even acts as a motivation to work out and feel desirable." Wondering why?
"Sex has healing powers. It generates positive emotions and makes one feel more confident. When a woman sees her man passionate in the act, admiring her body and moves, it infuses a lot of good feelings within her," opines psychologist Sunaina Bajaj.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
China and India will set up mechanism
“Of late, we have taken a step to constitute a mechanism to tackle these issues in the border. I am hopeful that with this mechanism, which will come up in a few months, things will improve,” the Minister told newspersons after inaugurating the Coast Guard annual conference.
The proposed mechanism will comprise all stakeholders, including the military and paramilitary forces, and will be coordinating with the External Affairs Ministry. The Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police would be part of this mechanism.
http://spotlightnepal.com/sln/News.aspx?ArticleID=1868
Baidaya faction asks govt to sack Minister Bhandari
Bhandari had earlier stated that the 22 Tarai districts could disintegrate themselves if they were not taken into consideration.
Not only Nepali Congress and CPN-UML but the government's hardliner Mohan Baidya faction of the UCPN (Maoist) has also condemned Bhandari's statement.
Baidya faction has pressurised Bhandari to clarify his statement.
Issuing a press release, Maoist Vice Chairman Baidya and General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa demanded the government to make public its opinion on the issue and to boot out Bhandari.http://spotlightnepal.com/sln/News.aspx?ArticleID=1862
Can India really surpass China?
India’s democratic political culture and favourable demographics, both of which are viewed as being more conducive to sustaining rapid economic growth over the long-term, are often cited as reasons for this. But amid such speculation, several key factors — including market conditions, economic policies and supply-side factors — suggest that China will continue to outperform India over the next decade.
From the beginning of its economic modernisaton, China benefited from favourable conditions including a large domestic market, low-cost productive labour and the geographical advantage of its proximity to Japan, the previous engine of Asian growth. Even more importantly, China pursued a swift and coordinated economic liberalisation program beginning in 1978 that served as a catalyst for subsequent decades of economic growth. This reform program included an open-door policy toward foreign direct investment (FDI), promotion of technology transfer through FDI, steady liberalisation of a controlled import regime, competitive exchange rate management, and a strategic approach to free trade agreements (FTAs) with neighbouring Asian economies. Firms operating in China now enjoy a more competitive business environment than their counterparts in India, with more market-friendly rules for business start-up, property registration, contract enforcement and bankruptcy.
http://spotlightnepal.com/sln/News.aspx?ArticleID=1866
New Bomb blast in Nepal
Within hours of the first explosion, a second bomb has been discovered in Dhangadi on Wednesday.
The bomb was found in DK Oil store, located 200 meters down from the site, where the first bomb had exploded in the morning.
Nepal Army´s bomb disposal team which reached the site has disposed the bomb.
Earlier, a bomb had exploded in front of Bhim Bahadur Saut´s Siddanath Kastha Udhyog in Chatakpur of Dhangadi.
http://spotlightnepal.com/sln/News.aspx?ArticleID=1813
Sunday, September 25, 2011
NewsNepal's PM will visit India and China
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has said that he would be visiting southern neighbour India and then China after returning from the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Talking to the media persons on his way back after the 6-day visit to New York, PM Bhattarai said that he had had a talk with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh earlier this month and he would be visiting India next month.
Bhattarai had also received an invitation to visit China the very next day from Indian envoy to Nepal Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Jayanta Prasad invited him to visit Nepal. The invitation was made official when the Chinese envoy and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi formally invited Bhattarai for the visit.http://spotlightnepal.com/sln/News.aspx?ArticleID=1851
NewsI need to be left alone: Manisha Koirala
A few months ago, the grapevine was abuzz with rumours of Manisha Koirala's marriage being on the rocks.
That she was heading back to Mumbai, as she could not adjust to the life of domesticity with her businessman husband Samrat Dahal.
She, however, confirms, "I am very much in Nepal. But I will not talk about my personal life. At the moment, all my friends know I need to be left alone.
I don't need to give explanations about what's going on in my life."
Interestingly, a close pal reveals, "Manisha has had to struggle against all odds to make the marriage work.
She has had to adjust not only to a life of domesticity, but also to her husband's entire family and their traditional way of life.
http://spotlightnepal.com/sln/News.aspx?ArticleID=1850
Nepal’s Air Crashed 19 passengers including 10 Indians Killed
t is yet to known the reason behind Buddha Air’s plane crashed. It seems that the Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) seems to be reason behind the accident as the plane hit the mountain as it is in the process of landing.
Budha Air’s beeach craft, which was returning after completing mountain flights, crashed in a hill south of Kathmandu Airport early on Sunday killing all 19 on board including three crew members. Some locals said the plane caught flew lower than its usual course before it crashed and it was fuggy.
The cause of the crash is believed to be adverse weather conditions. The aircraft, which lost its communication at 7:30 this morning with the control room at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, crashed while returning from a mountain flight.
Meteorological Forecasting Division on Sunday said that bad weather could have been a major cause of the Buddha Air plane crash. Also Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said that they had not registered the weather forecast for today.
“We always notify about the weather forecast, but today the forecast was not recorded at all,” said senior official of CAA, Rajendra Shrestha. According to Shrestha the visibility at the crash site was minimum because of heavy fog and rain. He said that the crash could have been averted if a proper reading was taken on time.
http://spotlightnepal.com/News.aspx?ArticleID=1847