The nation is marking the 2566th Buddha Jayanti by organising various programmes in Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha on Monday. On the occasion of the 2566th Buddha Jayanti, President Bidya Devi Bhandari has expressed best wishes for happiness, peace and prosperity to all Nepalis at home and abroad. She has urged one and all to take the lead in building greater national unity by enhancing the spirit of mutual harmony, tolerance and brotherhood among religious, social and cultural diversity by embracing the timeless teachings and guidance of Gautama Buddha. Since the birth of Gautama Buddha on the Baisakh Shukla Poornima (full moon day of Baisakh) is a triple coincidence of birth of Buddha, attainment of knowledge and Mahaparinirvana, this day is celebrated by the Buddhists around the world as a holy day of reverence and devotion to Gautama Buddha.
On the occasion of Buddha Jayanti, the Embassy of Nepal in Yangon organised an alms-offering programme on Sunday. The monks preached a 'dharma deshana', teachings of dharma and prayed for peace and prosperity of people, the embassy said in a statement. Charge D' affaires of the embassy Khuman Singh Tamang and other staff offered robes, umbrella, sandals and alms bowls to the monks. Nepali food was also served to the monks. Nine monks from Baranasi Bihar, a Nepali Monastery in Yangon were invited for the offerings.
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that life should be made happy and peaceful by putting into practice the teachings and messages given by Gautam Buddha. In a message issued on the occasion of the 2566th Buddha Jayanti on Monday, PM Deuba has urged one and all to work towards making the society prosperous by following the teachings of the Buddha.
The local election, which was successfully conducted nationwide in a single phase on Friday, marked another democratic feat for the country that embraced the federal system through the promulgation of new constitution in 2015. Now all eyes are focused on the results of elections that are pouring in. The vote counting in metropolises, sub-metropolises, and urban municipalities are still in initial phase. The ruling Nepali Congress (NC) has led in most of the places followed by the CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre. If we analyse the preliminary outcomes of vote counting, it provides changing voting pattern. The UML that emerged as the biggest winner in the local polls held in 2017 is now trailing behind the NC in the vote counting while the Maoist Centre is making steady rise. Other parties are trailing behind these three forces.
Thirty-six years after his father Ferdinand Marcos was compelled to step down and live in exile in Hawaii, his son triumphed in the presidential election last week. Popularly nicknamed Bongbong, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, 64, will become the 17th president at Manila’s Malacanang Palace next month, reviving to millions the memories of the Marcos decades at the sprawling mansion, when power was exercised and exhibited with ostentatious abundance.
On 2 May 2022, Americans learned that the US Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that has safeguarded an American woman’s right to an abortion for more than forty years. The magazine Politico published a leaked draft of a majority opinion written by conservative Justice Sam Alito, which would unequivocally strike down Roe v. Wade.
My mother is eighty-two now and is living a ‘new’ life in Kathmandu. Just about six months’ back, she had fallen seriously ill. Nobody believed she would survive. So, all the family members were called in Pokhara. She had a desire to go to her village. If she died, it was very important for her to do so in the home where she had spent most of her life. Further, she would like her final rites to be carried out at the place where her ancestors, neighbours and relatives were cremated. She was completely bedridden and she couldn’t walk even to go to bathroom. Some relatives who could manage their time came to the hospital with their eyes welled up with tears to say ‘final goodbyes’. There were exchanges of tears as we left the hospital.
For Gulabi Mukhiya, a 50-year-old of Ward No. 3 of Koshi Rural Municipality of Sunsari district, fishing has been a major facet of his life. He says that fishing has been his source of livelihood for as long as he remembers. While fishing had been enough to earn the livelihood for him and his family for years, Gulabi says that it has not been easy nowadays.
Voters across the country are anxiously awaiting the results of the local level election held on May 13. The public are updating themselves through media, social media, media personnel and election experts to find out whether the candidates they voted for have been elected or not. They have been predicting about the winners in the district. They have been waiting to welcome their elected representatives.
Suman Thapa a.k.a. Swoopna Suman is one of the leading faces of the contemporary Nep-pop scene, with over a dozen singles released under his belt. The singer has a loyal fan-base, as like prominent international artists: Army for BTS or Blink for Blackpink; Swoopna’s fans are labeled as “Swoopners”. They are collectively dedicated to promoting and genuinely supporting all his artistic endeavors.
The results of Local Election 2022 held on Friday have started arriving from rural municipalities with fewer populations on Saturday. According to the result made public by Election Commission, Nepal, Konjo Tenzing Lama has been elected as the chairman of Narpa Bhumi Rural Municipality of Manang district. Konjo, who represented Nepali Congress (NC), received 158 votes and won against Krishna Bahadur Lama, an independent candidate who received 111 votes. Mengmar Phuncho Lama of CPN-UML has been elected as the vice-chairman of Narpa Bhumi unopposed.
Results of the local level elections held on Friday have started pouring in. However, as the vote counting is time consuming, final results of only 15 rural municipalities having small number of voters were made public as of Saturday night. As of 9:30 pm, Nepali Congress, the biggest party of the ruling alliance, won the post of chairpersons in six rural municipalities. Likewise, the CPN-UML also won six posts of chairperson and the CPN (Maoist Centre) one. Similarly, the CPN (Unified Socialist) has secured victory in two local bodies.
The Group of Seven leading economies warned Saturday that the war in Ukraine is stoking a global food and energy crisis that threatens poor countries, and urgent measures are needed to unblock stores of grain that Russia is preventing from leaving Ukraine. In a statement released at the end of a three-day meeting on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast, the G-7 nations also called on China not to help Russia, including by undermining international sanctions or justifying Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.
It has become a tradition for the people of Butwal to drink dirty water during the monsoon. Even though the leaders of big and small parties have been making water supply their main election slogans in all the elections since 2052 BS, the problem of clean water supply in Butwal has remained the same over the years. With the onset of summer, there is very little running water in Dipnagar, Sukhkhanagar, Batauli, Belbas and other areas of Butwal. When it rains, turbid water comes in the same pipelines.
With the successful conclusion of the May 13 local elections throughout the nation, all eyes are now trained on poll results. Voters, psephologists, media, poll watchers, political parties, leaders, party workers and common people at large are awaiting the result in all 753 local bodies with a bated breath. The importance of the just concluded poll lies in the fact that it has not only encouraged voters to utilise their constitutionally guaranteed right for electing local representatives but has also assisted in strengthening democracy at the grassroots. Because of voters' enthusiastic participation in voting as a celebration, the government spokesperson and Minister for Information and Communication Technology Gyanendra Bahadur Karki thanked them.