Category Archives: Nepal

‘A critical situation’: Bangladesh in crisis as monsoon floods follow super-cyclone

Posted on by

Despite flood planning efforts hundreds have been killed and millions hit as third of land is submerged by non-stop rain

Bangladesh could be plunged into a humanitarian crisis as it undergoes the most prolonged monsoon flooding in decades while it is still recovering from the effects of super-cyclone Amphan.

Despite the UN has lauding its new initiatives for early intervention aimed at preparing communities for crisis, 550 people have been killed and 9.6 million affected by the disaster in Bangladesh, Nepal and north-eastern India, according to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.

Continue reading...

Flooding in Assam and Nepal kills hundreds and displaces millions

Posted on by

Hurried evacuation of millions of residents will increase coronavirus cases, officials say

Severe flooding in India’s tea-growing state of Assam and neighbouring Nepal has killed at least 200 people and displaced millions, severely hampering efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus.

In Assam, heavy monsoon rains burst the banks of the Brahmaputra River, causing more than 2,000 villages to be enveloped in floods and mudslides and displacing 2.75 million people in the past two weeks. There have been 85 deaths reported in the state.

Continue reading...

Covid-19 intensifies elder abuse globally as hospitals prioritise young

Posted on by

Older patients turned away or left untreated, while domestic abuse is also rising, leading charity reports

When Souzi Bondeko’s grandfather started showing symptoms of Covid-19 and was struggling to breathe, she took him to a hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, where he was put on a ventilator.

She dashed home to get some food and returned to be told by a member of staff that he had been taken off the machine as it it was needed elsewhere.

Continue reading...

Global report: New Beijing cases spark second wave fear as India and Brazil struggle with first

Posted on by

São Paulo to dig up cemeteries to clear spaces for coronavirus deaths; new rise of infections in Darfur, Sudan; New Zealand goes 22 days with a new case

A cluster of dozens of new coronavirus cases in Beijing has prompted authorities to lock down parts of the city again after nearly two months without any new local infections.

The outbreak has affected dozens of people, most of whom are asymptomatic, and raises concerns about how the virus might re-emerge, even in places where it appeared to be under control.

Continue reading...

Nepal to investigate Dalit killings following arranged marriage dispute

Posted on by

Committee set up to investigate deaths of young men allegedly chased into river as a result of ‘caste-based discrimination’

The Nepalese government has established an independent high-level committee to investigate the killings of six young men, including four Dalits, whose deaths drew condemnation from the UN human rights chief.

Friends Nabaraj BK, 20, Sanju BK, 21, Lokendra Sunar, 18, Tikaram Sunar, 20, Govinda Shahi, 17, and Ganesh Budha, 17, died on 23 May, after a dispute with a family.

Continue reading...

Quake-hit Kathmandu rises from the wreckage – in pictures

Posted on by

Five years after the Nepal earthquake many buildings still lie in ruins. But homeowners and conservationists are working to overcome bureaucratic hurdles to rebuild and preserve the area’s unique heritage, says resident photographer and journalist Pete Pattisson

Continue reading...

‘Shoot them dead’: extreme Covid-19 lockdown policing around the world – video report

Posted on by

As coronavirus lockdowns have been expanded globally, billions of people have found that they are now faced with unprecedented restrictions. We look at some of the extreme strategies governments are using to police their citizens – from teargas and death threats to beatings and chemicals

Continue reading...

Nepal tourism hit hard as global coronavirus fears close Everest

Posted on by

The mountain’s closure is devastating for many in a Himalayan nation that relies heavily on trekkers and climbers

The tiny airport at Lukla, perched on the edge of a mountain high in Nepal’s Himalayas, usually echoes with the roar of propeller planes flying a constant stream of adventure-seekers into the small town, known as the gateway to Mount Everest.

During the peak spring tourist season, tens of thousands of trekkers and mountaineers arrive to test themselves on the popular trek to Everest base camp, and perhaps go on to climb the world’s highest peak.

Continue reading...

How Nepal’s migration ban traps female ‘modern day slaves’ in the Gulf

Posted on by

Rules intended to protect domestic workers have only made them more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, say activists

Amita* knew she had to escape. After five months of being assaulted, starved and being forced to work for 20 hours a day as a domestic maid in a suburban house in Kuwait, the 45-year old from Nepal seized her chance. While the household slept, she climbed out of a downstairs bathroom window and fled.

Amita managed to find the Nepali embassy, hoping that staff there would assure her safety and help send her home to Kathmandu.

Continue reading...

Nepal avalanche: South Koreans among seven missing

Posted on by

Four South Koreans and three Nepalis are out of contact after an avalanche close to Annapurna base camp

An avalanche in Nepal’s Annapurna region has left at least seven people missing, including four South Koreans and three Nepalis, officials said Saturday.

The incident occurred at an altitude of around 3,230 metres close to the base camp for Annapurna, one of the highest peaks in the Himalayas, following heavy snowfall on Friday.

Continue reading...

‘No debate, no democracy’: journalists in Nepal fight new threat to press freedom

Posted on by

Bills introduced by ruling Communist party will bring in heavy fines and the threat of jail to stifle debate, say critics

Jail terms of up to five years could be imposed on people in Nepal who post “offensive” comment on social media sites, including Facebook and Instagram in the latest move by the government to crack down on dissent.

The information technology bill, introduced at the end of December, imposes fines of up to 1.5m rupees (about $13,000) for anyone posting content deemed to promote hate crime or ridicule. It would apply to all social networking sites.

Continue reading...

Coke, crisps, convenience: how ads created a global junk food generation

Posted on by

From Bangladesh to Britain, blanket exposure to promotional material for unhealthy foods is encouraging children to eat badly, new research claims

Nepalese schoolgirl Prasiddhika Shrestha is holding up a video camera at her aunt’s house, filming her cousins as they devour crisps, corn puffs, soda and dalmoth, a traditional lentil-based snack.

“What is it that you like eating most?” she asks them. “Lay’s chips and Coke,” says Diwani, who drinks between one and two litres of soft drink every day. Rihana includes a pack of Kurkure corn puffs in her daily diet.

Continue reading...

Nepal makes first ‘period hut’ arrest after woman dies during banned custom

Posted on by

Police apprehend brother-in-law of Parwati Budha Rawat after 21-year-old is found dead in windowless hut in Accham district

A 21-year-old woman has died after spending three nights in an outdoor “period hut”, prompting police in Nepal to make their first ever arrest in connection with the illegal practice.

The tradition of chhaupadi, where menstruating women in Nepal are banished from their homes, is still widespread in remote and poorer parts of the country.

Continue reading...

Mosquitoes bring ‘mystery illness’ to the mountain villages of Nepal

Posted on by

Rising temperatures linked to outbreaks of dengue fever high in the Kathmandu Valley, experts say

•Global heating behind record number of cases of the disease

Lilawati Awasthi is used to the risks that come from living in a remote mountainous district in the far west of Nepal. Floods, landslides and treacherous roads are a part of daily life. But this year she faced a new hazard: mosquitoes carrying a mystery illness.

When she began to feel sick in September she was not overly concerned at first. “I thought it was a simple fever, but it wouldn’t go away,” says the 50-year-old. “We went to the hospital and it turned out I was suffering from dengue.”

Continue reading...

World’s largest ritual animal slaughter goes ahead despite ban

Posted on by

Thousands of Hindus head to southern Nepal for festival honouring goddess of power

Thousands of Hindus have gathered in southern Nepal before a festival believed to be the world’s largest ritual animal slaughter, despite court orders and calls by animal activists to end the event.

The sacrifices, set to begin on Tuesday, take place every five years in the village of Bariyarpur close to the Indian border, in honour of the Hindu goddess of power.

Continue reading...

Nirmal Purja climbs world’s 14 highest peaks in record-breaking 189 days – video report

Posted on by

Nirmal 'Nims' Purja has climbed all 14 of the world's 8,000-metre-high mountains in a record-breaking 189 days. The Nepalese former British army soldier completed the last of his 14 climbs, to the summit of Shishapangma in China, at 8.58am local time on Tuesday. The previous record was held by Kim Chang-ho, of South Korea, who took seven years, 11 months and 14 days

Continue reading...

Hong Kong protests are at ‘life-threatening level’, say police

Posted on by

Warning follows another night of violent skirmishes between police and protesters in city

Violent pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong have escalated to a “life-threatening level”, police have said, after a small bomb exploded and a police officer was stabbed in clashes overnight.

Peaceful rallies descended into chaos in the Chinese-ruled city on Sunday with running skirmishes between protesters and police in shopping malls and on streets. Black-clad activists threw 20 petrol bombs at one police station, while others trashed shops and metro stations.

Continue reading...

Dead at 24: did heat kill Doha World Cup worker Rupchandra Rumba? | Pete Pattisson

Posted on by

The Nepali’s sudden death was attributed to ‘natural causes’ – but like hundreds of other young migrants who die in Qatar each year he worked in extreme temperatures

Revealed: hundreds of migrant workers dying of heat stress in Qatar each year

It is a grim place to die: a bunk bed in a filthy, crowded room, deep within Qatar’s largest labour camp, thousands of miles from home.

As Rupchandra Rumba lay there in the early hours of 23 June, his friends heard him struggle for breath.

Continue reading...

Nepal’s family planning clinics feel the force of Trump’s global gag rule

Posted on by

Brutal cuts to US-funded reproductive health services threaten to throw progress in the south Asian country into sharp reverse

Devendra Amgai lost his job in November. The 42-year-old public health professional was working in one of Nepal’s more remote districts, distributing contraceptives to women.

The project was proving successful. With little alternative access to medicines or healthcare, local women were seeking out the clinic in ever-increasing numbers.

Continue reading...