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Wednesday, November 07, 2007



   

Kingdom of Nepal, or Nepal Adhirajya, is a landlocked country in the Himalayan mountain range.  It is bounded on the north by Tibet (China) and India on all other sides.  

Kathmandu is the capital city and the Head of State is King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev.  The country has constitutional monarchy system of government, where the Parliament has 205-member House of Representatives (Pratinidhi Sabha).  The State religion is Hinduism (followed by 89% of the population).  The other major religions are Buddhism (5%) and Islam (3%). 

Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries of the world with nearly half of its population living below the poverty line.  Agriculture is mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for over 80% of the population and accounting for 41% of GDP.  Industry contributes about 22% of Nepal's GDP.  The major  trading  partner is India.  Tourism is the

 

second largest industry and is being promoted by the construction of new tourist centres in the Kathmandu valley.  Major tourist attractions include Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, and the Himalayan mountain range including Mount Everest.  About 30% of the tourists are from India.

In February 1996, India and Nepal signed two agreements including an initiative for sharing of water and electricity from Mahakali river.

 

Journalists went on the war path for the second time in Nepal on Tuesday over a peer missing for over a month now with the Maoist rebels finally admitting that three of their men had killed him and buried the body in a forest. (Maoists Under Fire After Owning Up Killing Scribe, Times of India, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 07, 2007)

The Indian government, relieved that for the first time it is not being perceived or blamed as a part of the problem during an internal crisis in Pakistan, is hoping for the process of ‘democratisation’ to begin as it closely monitors the evolving . . . . (India Seeks Peace, Stability In Pakistan, Hindustan Times, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 07, 2007)

If China thought it had effectively marginalised the Dalai Lama in recent years, it is being forced to think again. In the last few months, the Dalai Lama has once again shot back to international prominence. (Dalai Diplomacy, Indian Express, C. Raja Mohan, Nov 07, 2007)

A journalist abducted by Nepal's former rebels last month was shot dead by three of the group's members, and a report detailing the group's investigation into the incident has been turned over to police, a local rebel leader said on Tuesday. (Maoists Kill Abducted Scribe In Nepal, Pioneer, BINAJ GURUBACHARYA, Nov 07, 2007)

American war colleges delight in playing computer war games, sometimes to the consternation of countries that are posted as enemies. (The Arc Of Instability, Tribune, S. Nihal Singh, Nov 06, 2007)

P.G. Rajendran; Mathrubhumi Books, MM Press, Cherooty Road, Kozhikode-673001. Rs. 60. (Tribal Folk Tales, Hindu, K. Kunhikrishnan, Nov 06, 2007)

While the visitors' galleries on the Indian side were jam-packed with hundreds of slogan-raising visitors cheering the BSF jawans sprightly marching during the retreat ceremony, the response at the galleries on the Pakistani side was comparatively lukewar (Wagah: Pak Galleries Empty , Deccan Herald, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 06, 2007)

Samuel Bowles is co-author of the best textbook on economics (Understanding Capitalism) I have read in nearly 40 years as a student of the subject. (Environment And The Poor, Hindu, Mihir Shah, Nov 06, 2007)

The Maoists in Nepal have threatened to launch a massive agitation if the government fails to implement parliamentary resolutions to move towards a republican form of government and adopting a proportional electoral system by amending the Constitution. (Maoists Plan Stir If Govt Fails To Implement Resolution, Statesman, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 06, 2007)

Soaring crop prices and demand for biofuels raise fears of political instability. (Climate Change And Fuel Shortages Begin To Bite, Hindu, John Vidal, Nov 05, 2007)

The Communist Party of Nepal (UML) and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists) struck a deal at the eleventh hour and got each of their proposals on declaring the country a republic and the proportional electoral system passed through the . . . . . . (Nepal Passes Proposals, Hindu, Ameet Dhakal, Nov 05, 2007)

Unfamiliarity with the many ways of speaking English can create diplomatic hiccups. (Macho Vs Mature, Times of India, Swapan Dasgupta, Nov 05, 2007)

There are four main aspects to the China-Tibet-India problem over the last century, some of which are only now becoming apparent. (China’S India Aggression, Statesman, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 05, 2007)

MANY years ago, when on assignment with the International Control Commission in Vietnam, one of the first sights that one witnessed in down town Saigon was that of a Buddhist monk protesting the State’s religious discrimination practiced . . . . . . (When Buddhists Are A Minority, Tribune, Maj Gen (retd) Himmat Singh Gill, Nov 05, 2007)

At the risk of sounding facile, I would hazard the suggestion that while the political class has discounted the India-US nuclear non-agreement, the middle classes have become bored silly by the prevarication and brinkmanship surrounding it. (Wages Of Zombie Rule, Pioneer, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 05, 2007)

The light that emanates fromSuu Kyi shines all over Myanmar and the freedom loving people of the world. (Aung San Suu Kyi And India , Deccan Herald, Khushwant Singh, Nov 03, 2007)

The political stalemate in Nepal arising out of the Maoists's demand that the monarchy, which now exists only in name after King Gyanendra was illegitimately stripped of all power, prestige and property by an unelected Parliament and . . . . . (Stalemate In Nepal, Pioneer, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 03, 2007)

Nepal's lawmakers are preparing to vote on a Maoists' motion for a new political and electoral system after efforts to find a consensus on the issue failed to materialise on Friday. (Nepal Parties Fail To Resolve Political Impasse, Pioneer, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 03, 2007)

Nepal's beleaguered Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on Friday said that the ongoing special session of the parliament should immediately finalise the new date of Constituent Assembly election. (Koirala Wants Election At The Earliest, Hindustan Times, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 03, 2007)

The fact that there were barely 16 working days in October ~ with a state employees’ strike coinciding with the 12+12 mode of disruption ~ may have turned out to be a mite too embarrassing for the West Bengal government. (Edits, Statesman, Editorial, Statesman, Nov 03, 2007)

 

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