Nepal's former royal palace to be opened for public viewing soon    

 TThe palace where Nepal's former king once lived will be converted into a museum that will offer the public a glimpse of royal life, including the ex-monarch's throne and a vintage car given as a gift by Adolf Hitler, the government said Monday.

Items on display at the museum will include valuable artifacts accumulated by the Shah dynasty in its 239-year rule of the Himalayan nation, according to Home Secretary Umesh Mainali. Officials hope the museum will be finished in six weeks, although an opening date has not been set.

The palace in Katmandu was formally renamed the Narayanhiti Palace Museum at a government ceremony Sunday, days after deposed King Gyanendra moved out.

Nepal outlawed the monarchy and declared itself a republic last month after elections in which former communist rebels won the most seats in a special assembly charged with rewriting the constitution.

Police and soldiers escorted Gyanendra and his wife, Komal, from the palace last week. The couple moved to Nagarjung, a summer retreat on top of a forested hill just west of Katmandu ...More

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Nepal declared republic, monarchy abolished    

 The first meeting of Constituent Assembly that sat late at Wednesday night, at the International Conference Center (ICC) of capital Kathmandu has declared Nepal a federal democratic republic.

The much awaited first CA meeting, although was scheduled for Wednesday morning, was delayed by more than 10 hours as top political party leaders at Baluwatar, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's official residence in Nepali capital Kathmandu, failed to reach consensus over the issues of power sharing, nomination of 26 CA members and power segregation of the president and the prime minister.

While the intense talks was going on, hundreds of CA members gathered for the first meeting had to desperately wait in the ICC premises. Although there were supposed to be 601 CA members for the meeting, 26 of them are yet to be finalized from the recommendation procedure and interestingly, most of them were seen busy on their mobile phones, trying to reach their fellow party leaders to learn about the latest development in Baluwatar.

Thousands of Nepali people gathered in front of ICC, to pressurize the parties to end the talks conclusively at the earliest and sit for the first CA meeting. Chanting slogans of victory and demanding an immediate declaration of Nepal a republication, many party cadres with their respective flags desperately waited in front of ICC for hours ...More

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Human waste plagues Mt. Qomolangma on Nepali side   

 Increasing number of mountaineering expeditions is good news for the tourism industry. However, due to inefficient human waste management, such expeditions invariably end up contributing to a "waste dumping yard" at the highest peak of the world, Mt. Qomolangma.
Ang Tshering Sherpa, president of Nepal Mountaineering Association told a local media on Friday that the mountain environment is threatened by the problem of human waste due to lack of proper management.
"When the snow melts at higher altitudes, the smell of human waste including that of urine becomes intolerable," he was quoted by a leading website, eKantipur.com as saying.
At base camps above the Khumbu region, there are portable plastic drums or barrels for human waste collection, but they are not hygienic and are used carelessly, Sherpa said. Besides, expedition teams fail to make proper toilet pits, displaying inadequate consideration for sanitation and the environment. ...More

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Expeditions for climbing Himalayas increase in Nepal   

 The number of mountaineering expeditions is on the rise as the climbing season gets underway in the Himalayas on the Nepali side, The Kathmandu Post reported on Tuesday.

According to the daily, some 31 expeditions are already headed towards Mt. Qomolangma, the central attraction, this spring season. This is more than the number of teams that arrived during the whole of last year when 24 climbing parties took a shot at the tallest peak on earth.

The mood is high at other Himalayan peaks too. Dinesh Hari Adhikari, joint secretary of the Tourism Industry Division of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, said they have granted climbing permits to 85 teams in total this season, up from around six dozen last year.

Mid-March to May is considered the most favorable time for mountaineering in Nepal. Adhikari said some expeditions are expected to arrive in the next week or two.

Lovers of mountaineering said the end of the conflict in Nepal had encouraged them to head for the Himalayas and climb the great peaks.

Mountaineers are considered to be high-spending visitors as they pay huge sums for climbing permits. And it is estimated that an expedition normally employs around 600 porters and 400 others as guides, cooks and kitchen boys during the time it stays in Nepal.

According to the report, climbing permit for Qomolangma costs 70,000 U.S dollars for an expedition consisting of seven members, with an additional charge of 10,000 dollars for each extra member.
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Nepali gov't clarifies security policy related to Olympic torch lighting  

 The Ministry of Home Affairs of Nepal on Tuesday said appropriate security measures have been taken to prevent any kind of protest activities from taking place on the Nepalese territory in connection with China's lighting of the Olympic torch on Mount Himalaya.

The Ministry stated in a press release that its attention has been drawn towards some of the media dissemination of fabricated and exaggerated news reports that the security personnel have been issued the shoot-at-sight order, in the context of the Nepali government's making of appropriate arrangements to prevent unauthorized anti-China activities from taking place on the Nepalese soil.

The Home Ministry said strong security has been tightened to stringently control anti-China activities and that it has urged the media to disseminate news reports about this without distortion.
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First all-Nepali women expedition set to climb Mt. Qomolangma 

 The first all-women Nepali expedition is set to climb Mt. Qomolangma (Sagarmatha) to draw the world's attention to gender equality, women empowerment and the effects of climate change in the Himalayas.

They are setting out to the Sagarmatha Base Camp for this purpose on Monday, Nepal's National News Agency RSS reported Sunday.

RSS said that the expedition consists of 10 women, representing a range of castes and ethnic groups in Nepal. The climbers said they will climb the world highest peak to show that they are "equally skilled, courageous and strong" as male climbers.

Through their noble endeavor, the expedition members will also try to raise awareness about the million of children who go to school hungry in Asia.

The expedition will carry a MDG 3 (United Nations Millennium Development Goal 3) banner, handed over Sunday by Ambassador of Denmark to Nepal Finn Thilsted.

The Embassy of Denmark announced at a press conference that it will give 25,000 U.S. dollars to the expedition. The United Nations Development Program and the United Nations World Food Program have also extended their support to the expedition.

"We hope that the expedition will be successful in unfurling the banner at the summit of Sagarmatha. We very much look forward to getting pictures of the banner at the top of the world which will be a strong symbol of the empowerment of all women throughout the world," Danish ambassador Thilsted said.
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US congratulates people of Nepal for successful polls 

Congratulating the people of Nepal for successful Constituent Assembly polls, the US has said that Washington is looking forward to the formation of the Assembly reflecting the will of the people.

"We congratulate the people of Nepal on their historic Constituent Assembly election on April 10. Although there was considerable violence and intimidation during the pre-election period, and some instances of voting irregularities on election day, Nepali voters were able to cast their ballots peacefully in most districts," State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said in a Statement.

"Over the next days and weeks, as complete results of these polls become known, the United States urges patience and nonviolent observance of the democratic process. We look forward to the formation of an assembly that reflects the will of the Nepali people, ready to begin the important work of framing a constitution that addresses their needs," he added. .....More
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Bush must recognise Maoist's victory in Nepal: Carter 

 Criticising the Bush Administration's policy not to engage in parleys with the Maoists in Nepal, former US President Jimmy Carter on Saturday said that if Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) does well in the Constituent Assembly, the US must recognise it.

He also said that the outcome of the elections would "truly represent the aspirations of the people".

"The Carter Centre found that the majority of Nepali voters participated in a remarkable and relatively peaceful constituent assembly election on April 10, 2008. Preliminary reports indicate that the administration of this election was well executed, bearing testimony to the hard work of election officials and the determination of Nepal's people to ensure that their country continues on the path to sustainable peace and democracy," the former US President said reading out from a statement issued by the centre.

Carter further said that for Nepal it is essential "to remain calm, to await final results, and where there are disputes, to follow appropriate legal procedures."

He added that his centre would continue to observe the district counting and national tabulation until they are complete.

"We encourage all Nepalis to remain actively involved in the drafting of the constitution to ensure that the process is transparent, accountable and inclusive,"  quoted Carter, as saying .....More
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Nepalis Await Election Results and Brace for Major Changes. Stay Tuned

“I don’t know what will happen tomorrow or the day after,” said Rupa Mahajan, 40, wrapped in a red sari, the color of good fortune in Nepalese tradition. “But today was really good.” She spoke at twilight on Thursday, election day, lingering on the edges of a temple to Ganesh here as the polls closed and her neighbors gathered to watch election officials cart away the ballot boxes for counting.

As the tally began Friday, it was already evident that the uncertainty of which she spoke would be quite unlike even post-conflict elections elsewhere. The fruits of this vote, no matter the winners and losers, will bring exceptionally big changes to Nepal, as the special 601-member Constituent Assembly that it chooses goes about forming a new government, rewriting the Constitution and, in all likelihood, bringing an end to a 240-year-old monarchy .....More
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Nepal endorses peace, but tough challenges seen ahead

Crucial polls in Nepal that had been plagued by pre-election violence have passed off smoothly, but analysts warn it is too early to declare peace has truly broken out in the Himalayan nation.

The election Thursday saw a strong turnout, a sign that voters wanted to give their resounding backing to efforts to turn the page on a decade-long Maoist revolt.

It was also a major achievement for the Maoists: in the run-up to the polls they were under fire for bullying voters, but polling day passed off surprisingly peacefully with only sporadic violence reported.

"I congratulate the people of Nepal, who have demonstrated their commitment to democracy by turning out in large numbers to vote," said Ian Martin, the head of the United Nations' peace mission in Nepal.

"Election day was conducted by and large in a peaceful and orderly manner," he said. In all three people died in isolated incidents on polling day, far lower than feared.

When the full results emerge over the coming weeks, Nepal will have a new 601-seat assembly that will tear up the country's past status as a Hindu monarchy and rewrite a new constitution from scratch. .....More
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Nepal Votes in Historic Election

Nepalis embraced the country's return to democracy Thursday with millions voting in an election meant to secure lasting peace in a land riven by communist insurgents and an autocratic king.

Undeterred by shootings and clashes that killed two people, many voters lined up before sunrise outside polling stations across this Himalayan land. Some even broke into applause when voting began.

With the rebels out of the bush and contesting the vote and the monarch — the world's last Hindu king — likely to soon lose his throne, millions saw the country's first election in nine years as a moment too historic to miss.

"This is our chance to stop the bleeding," said Arpana Shrestha, a 47-year-old woman waiting to vote in Katmandu. "Always there was blood in Nepal. Not anymore."

An estimated 60 percent of the 17.6 million voters cast ballots at 20,000 polling stations .....More
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FACTBOX: Key Nepal parties in constituent assembly polls

Nepalis vote in historic elections on Thursday, their first in nine years, for an assembly meant to write a new constitution and serve as a parliament.

Here are some key political parties among 54 groups contesting the April 10 elections:

* Nepali Congress party -- Nepal's oldest and biggest political party, formed nearly 60 years ago, it has fought for democracy for decades. Has been in power for most of the past 17 years.

In 2006, led mass anti-king protests and forced King Gyanendra to hand power back to political parties. Party headed by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, 83. Led the peace process with the Maoists ending their decade-long civil war, and has adopted their demand for a republic.

* Communist UML party -- Formed after 1990 by uniting different communist factions in Nepal. A left-of-centre party, wants to turn Nepal into a republic after this week's vote.

* Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) -- Founded in 1994 by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, widely known as Prachanda. The Maoists began a revolt in 1996 to topple the monarchy.

Signed a peace deal with the government in 2006. Wants Nepal to be a republic and Prachanda to be president.

* Madheshi groups -- Many political groups demand autonomy for the southern plains known as the Madhesh or Terai, bordering India. Biggest among them is the Madheshi People's Rights Forum which organized protests that led to at least 50 deaths in 2007.

* Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal (RPP-Nepal) -- Formed by royalists after King Gyanendra lost almost all his powers following the political changes in 2006. The royalists want a referendum to decide the future of the monarchy.
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Key facts about Nepal, facing historic vote

Nepalis vote in historic elections on Thursday, their first in nine years, for an assembly meant to write a new constitution and serve as a parliament.

Here are some key facts about Nepal:

* Mountainous Nepal, tucked in the Himalayas between China and India, occupies an area of 147,000 sq km and has a population of 26.4 million. It is home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains, including Mount Everest.

* Nepal was the world's last Hindu kingdom, before declaring itself officially secular in 2006. The king was traditionally considered an incarnation of the god Vishnu, one of the trinity of Hindu gods.

* But that reverence has been lost since King Gyanendra grabbed power in early 2005. He was forced from power after street protests the following year.

* Eighty percent of Nepalis are Hindus, with the rest Buddhists, Muslims and Christians.

* Nepal is one of the world's poorest countries and its economy depends on aid and tourism. Western aid comprises more than 30 percent of the annual budget. Nearly one third of its people still live on a daily income of less than a dollar.

* More than 80 percent of the population earn their livelihood from agriculture. Emerging from a decade-long civil war, the economy grew by just 2.3 percent in the fiscal year ending mid-July 2007, down from 3.1 percent the year before.
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Backgrounder: Nepali Constituent Assembly and CA elections

The Constituent Assembly (CA) of Nepal is the assembly of people's representatives to make a new constitution. CA elections are expected to consolidate the peace process and pave the way for the institutionalization of democracy in Nepal.

Drafting the new constitution is the main purpose of the CA. Drafting of the new constitution will be followed by a general election and the formation of a new cabinet.

The most important issue to be addressed through the CA elections is the establishment of permanent peace and stability in the country as well as the end of all kinds of armed struggles.

International community hopes that Nepal will recover its peace and stability through this election and move towards sustainable development and prosperity through the collective endeavors of to-be-elected members of the CA.

The April 10 CA election which was initially slated for June 20,2007 was postponed and rescheduled for Nov. 22 after the Election Commission asked for more time to prepare the polls.

As per the agreement reached among Nepali political parties, 240 CA members will be elected through the first-past-the-post and335 CA members from the proportional representational electoral system while other 26 CA members would be nominated in the 601-member Constituent Assembly.

The interim parliament of Nepal on Dec. 28, 2007 approved a bill for the third amendment to the interim constitution to declare the country a federal democratic republic.

It will be implemented by the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly. The CA polls will be historic polls in Nepal.
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Former U.S. president to lead election observation delegation to Nepal

Former President of the United States Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, the founders of the Carter Center, are scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu, leading an international election observation delegation to Nepal next week.

According to the Carter Center, the Carter couple is expected to arrive in Kathmandu on April 7.

Surakiart Sathirathai, former deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, will co-lead the delegation of 60 observers representing more than 20 different nationalities deployed by the Center throughout Nepal.

While in Nepal, the delegation will meet the leaders of the political parties, Election Commission officials and representatives of domestic and international election observation missions, and will monitor the Constituent Assembly elections on April 10
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United Nations set to ensure fair polls in Nepal 

The United Nations would play its part to ensure that Maoists, army personnel and weapons are contained to the agreed cantonments during the election campaign for the Constituent Assembly polls slated for April 10 in Nepal, a top UN official has said.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative and the head of the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), Ian Martin met with the country's election commissioners to discuss the effective monitoring of the cantonments through the Joint Monitoring and Coordination Committee.

Martin reportedly told the commissioners that it was a breach of the agreement on the monitoring of the management of arms and armies for personnel or weapons from Maoist to be present at meetings outside the cantonments.

Special security arrangements for the Maoist leadership were agreed upon in a signed understanding between the Government and the Maoists, according to the UN.  More......

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Tourist arrival in Nepal records seven year high in 2007

With signing of the peace agreement between the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and the government, tourist arrival to the country in 2007 was recorded all time high since 2000.

According to a press release issued by Nepal Tourism Board NTB) on Wednesday, the arrival figure of international tourists entering the country using air route recorded a 27.1-percent growth over 2006. The total number of tourist arrival in 2007 reached 360,350 compared to 283,516 in previous year.

One of the main reasons for the inspiring growth is the ongoing peace process and political stability in the county. Another reason is the good air connection with many destinations ushered in by the operation of nine new international airlines to Nepal in 2007, the NTB said.

"2008 seems to be very promising year for Nepalese travel trade as more new airlines are coming and existing airlines are also extending their flight frequency to Nepal," the NTB press release added.

Meanwhile, December 2007 registered a growth of 13 percent in international tourist arrival to Nepal by air route as compared to the same month last year.....

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One year into a shaky peace accord, Nepal keeps on trekking

Travelers, trekkers, climbers and Nepal lovers the world over breathed a sigh of relief that the violence and instability were finally over....
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Yeti footprints found in Everest region: US explorers

The crew said the footprints were found away from the usual trekking trail and half-an-hour away from the nearest village at an altitude of approximately....
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Nepal 'not just for backpackers'
  
Nepal, in south Asia, is not simply a destination for backpackers, as luxury accommodation and amenities start to spring up across the country

An article in the Express suggests that, although Nepal has been the preserve of backpackers for decades, it is now courting the more lucrative end of the tourist market, with plush hotels offering striking views of the Himalayan mountains.

After ten years of political unrest and civil war between Maoist insurgents and the state, Nepal's parliament is now examining the possibility of becoming a republic and has witnessed a period of co-operation between factions since a peace process was enacted last year.

Nepal is hoping that peace will draw travellers back to the nation and is promoting the hospitality of the Nepalese people, the seven Unesco World Heritage sites in the Kathmandu valley, its spectacular temples, bustling towns and cities, and colourful festivals.

The state of Nepal is a landlocked nation between China and India that has a particularly diverse range of terrain, from eight of the ten highest mountains in the world to the humid Terrai in the south. Home to Mount Everest, Nepal attracts thousands of adventurers each year.

As always, travel insurance is a must for any budding backpacker or luxury holidaymaker.
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Student, 20, says she plans to conquer Mount Everest with parents, brothers.   

A 20-year-old Ontario woman says she and her family will attempt to scale Mount Everest together, which could make her the youngest Canadian to reach the fabled summit.

Laura Mallory says her mother Barbara, 56, father Dan, 56, and older brothers Adam, 25, and Alan, 23, will join her on the expedition, currently planned for April.

Members of her family have climbed five of the so-called Seven Summits - the highest mountains on each continent.

Mallory, a student at London's Fanshawe College and the University of Western Ontario's nursing program, says Everest and Antarctica's Mount Vinson remain on the list.

She successfully climbed Russia's Mount Elbrus and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in 2006. More.....

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Everest expedition in Hillary's memory

The first expedition to the world's highest peak in memory of the man who conquered it first will kick off from Nepal in April led by a 24-year-old Sherpa whose father and grandfather were close associates of Edmund Hillary.

Twenty-four-year-old Dawa Steven Sherpa, whose grandfather Konchok Chumbi Sherpa accompanied the New Zealander around the world in the 50's when the Everest hero was trying to prove the yeti existed, and whose father was in the first batch of students who passed out of the school Hillary founded in Khumjung in the Everest region, planned the Eco Everest Expedition 2008 that kicks off from Kathmandu on April 6. The first Hillary memorial expedition comes close on the heels of Nepal's government on Sunday renaming the Lukla Airport in the north as the Tenzing-Hillary Airport.

"If I say Everest, everybody listens," Dawa said, announcing the attempt to summit the peak to draw attention to the danger of "mountain tsunami" in the Himalayan ranges. Global warming has endangered about 200 glacial lakes in the mountains. They could burst any time, unleashing avalanches with the power to wipe out buildings, power stations and entire villages. 


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Nepal renames key airport  

Nepal has renamed the airport that serves as the gateway to Mount Everest after late pioneer climbers Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary, the country’s tourism minister said on Monday.



“The Lukla airport will now be known as the Tenzing-Hillary Airport. The cabinet approved the renaming of the airport on Sunday,” Tourism Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung told AFP.


Set up with help from Hillary’s Himalayan Trust in 1964, Lukla airport, 140 kilometres northeast of Kathmandu, is one of the busiest in the country during the spring and autumn trekking and mountaineering seasons.


“A part of the trail to reach the Everest Base Camp will also be named as Tenzing-Hillary route,” the minister said.


Hillary, the modest New Zealand beekeeper who shot to global fame as the first person to climb Mount Everest, died last month, aged 88.


Hillary and Norgay made history in May 1953 when they reached the summit of the 8,848-metre (29,028-foot) peak. More......

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Nepal's Buddhist Circuit promoted in Bangkok

The Nepal promotion programme concluded successfully in Thailand after China by organising Press and Tour Operators Meet in Bangkok on 7th July 2006. The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation/Government of Nepal in cooperation with Nepal Tourism Board organized the event in Bangkok where over 90 tour operators, top media and friends of Nepal attended the function.