Major Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published in Kathmandu on Monday have given priority to a host of issues from political, sociocultural and economic spheres.
Nepal winning their first T20I series has been reported by all national dailies. Reports related to the NCP’s secretariat meeting on Monday have also received considerable attention.
Here is a summary of important, ignored and interesting stories from the front pages of national broadsheets:
Important
Nepal complete historic double
Nagarik, Republica, The Kathmandu Post, The Himalayan Times, Annapurna Post and Kantipur, report that Nepal’s national cricket team followed up its first-ever One Day International series win with its maiden Twenty20 International series victory over the United Arab Emirates at the ICC Academy in Dubai.
Nepal, who defeated the home side 2-1 in the ODI series, beat the UAE by the same margin to win the T20I series, coming from behind on both occasions. In the three-match T20I series, Nepal lost the first game by 21 runs and levelled the rubber with a four-wicket victory in the second. Nepal then edged the UAE by 14 runs in the rain-curtailed third and final match on Sunday to seal the series.
NCP Secretariat meeting to discuss unification process
Nepal Samacharpatra and Naya Patrika report that the secretariat meeting of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has been scheduled for Monday. The meeting at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar will hold discussions on contemporary issues and the pending party merger process.
Nepal to resume talks with Bhutan
The Kathmandu Post reports that Nepal has decided to resume talks with Bhutan to repatriate the remaining 6,500 Bhutanese refugees who are living in two camps in Jhapa. The initiative will be first in the last one and a half decades after the 15th round of ministerial-level talks with Thimphu failed in 2003.
A Cabinet meeting on December 3 had decided to resume talks with Thimphu and mandated three ministers and as many secretaries to prepare policy, strategy and work plan for the repatriation of refugees. However, no formal or informal initiatives have been taken so far.
Ignored
Family receives Yadav’s body five months after his death
The Kathmandu Post reports that the family of Ram Manohar Yadav, a an activist who died in police custody five months ago, have finally received his body. Yadav’s body was lying at the Teaching Hospital morgue. Yadav was part of the Free Madhes movement and was detained by police. Yadav’s family had refused to receive his body because they feel that he died due to torture inside the police cell. The family is demanding that the government investigate this case. The family has also also accused police of conducting its autopsy without their consent.
Delay in reconstruction work of cultural heritage
Rajdhani reports that reconstruction of cultural heritage destroyed during the 2015 earthquake is going at a slow pace. Even though four years have passed since the quake, only 28 per cent reconstruction work has been completed. Lack of coordination among stakeholders and government agencies is believed to be a prime reason for the delay. Even though the Department of Archaeology states that work is being done at a good pace, a report states that 72 per cent work is yet to be completed.
Interesting
President to visit China and the United States
Annapurna Post reports that President Bidya Devi Bhandari is to visit China to take part in Belt and Road Initiative’s second conference in Beijing in April. Bhandari will address the conference and will also hold a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping. She will also travel to the United States to take part in the 63 rd session of the Commission on the status of women, which begins on March 10. The Head of State will speak on women-related issues at the general assembly. Nepal’s government also wants to host bilateral talks and is in touch with the US government.
Mount Everest to be re-measured within a year
Rajdhani reports that Mount Everest will be re-measured within a year. The New Zealand government is working with the Nepal government to find out if Mt Everest shrank after the 2015 earthquake and if so by how much. Geologists say the April 2015 quake may have shrunk the mountain by about 3 centimetres.
The project involves the use of both conventional surveying techniques similar to those used by George Everest (who surveyed Mount Everest in the 19th century) and a modern global positioning system receiver that will be taken to the top of the mountain to measure its height. The final result on the height will come in by the end of 2019.
Nepal part of India says Trump
The Himalayan Times reports that United States President Donald Trump thought Nepal and Bhutan were a part of India. The alleged incident took place when Trump’s advisors brought out a map of the region during a briefing on South Asia. The officials claimed that Trump pointed at the map and said he knew that Nepal was a part of India. When told that it was an independent country, he said Bhutan was in India. In August, Politico had reported that Trump mispronounced Nepal as “Nipple”, and Bhutan as “Button” during a briefing prior to his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017.
