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As political analyst Krishna Khanal points out, after a long time, the head of government in Nepal will have an unquestionable man­date to govern (see: Many hurdles ahead for Oli government, Page 2). Since the 2006 political changes, until the promulgation of the new constitu­tion on September 20, 2015, successive governments were occupied with completing the peace and consti­tution process that started with the signing of the Com­prehensive Peace Accord in 2006. After constitution promulgation, the focus shifted to holding the consti­tutionally-mandated three tiers of elections. Only after these elections was an environment created for the new constitution’s implementation.

KP Sharma Oli becomes the first prime minister to see to the institutionalization of the nascent federal set-up, as provided in the new constitution. With the merger between CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center) now all but assured, Oli will get to lead a strong gov­ernment with a commanding majority in the national parliament. Not just that. His left alliance will also form governments in six of the seven federal provinces, bar­ring Province 2. It is hard to think of a more favorable political climate for the new prime minister.

On the campaign trail, Oli had promised a new era of prosperity and stability. That will be a tall order. Most of the next few years will, perforce, be spent devising the right formula for division of spoils among the cen­tral government, the seven provinces and the 753 local bodies—in what is sure to be an acrimonious and ardu­ous process. In this climate, it will be difficult for Oli to chart out a clear path for collective, national prosperity.

He could have better luck on stability, primarily because of the solid mandate he enjoys at all three levels of government. If there is one strong communist party following the left merger, handing over power to Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, as agreed, need not be very disruptive either.

Oli’s difficult relations with Madhesi parties could be more problematic. He will not find it easy to accommo­date them in the new central government, much less accommodating their demands in the new constitu­tion. Separately, nor will it be easy for him to deal with India and China, with their growing (and often compet­ing) influences and expectations.

Oli’s mettle as a national leader was put to a serious test during his stint as the blockade-time prime minis­ter. With challenges aplenty on both national and inter­national fronts, it will not be any easier this time.

What a wonderful coincidence! Just as Nepal is formally entering the federal era with the election of the seven provincial governments, the Annapurna Media Network is launching its flagship English news and entertainment outlet: The Annapurna Express.

This weekly news and entertainment newspaper serves the Nepali reading public quality English content that is both substantive and fun to read.

With the promulgation of the new constitution, followed by the three tiers of elections, we believe Nepal has turned a corner. Now is the perfect time to start the process of economic transformation of the country: boost our industries, create new jobs and eradicate poverty. The AMN is committed to playing our little part in this transformation—and this is our goal with The Express, too.

We give space to reportage and analysis from all seven provinces to give our readers a complete picture of how the new federation is shaping up, even as the country now strives to bring about the much-needed balance in the handing of its two neighbors. Besides this, we run thought-provoking opinion pieces on contemporary national and international issues. We also cover business, technology, fashion, movies, books and expats—it’s a complete package.  

We would like to thank Yubaraj Ghimire, the former editor of the Annapurna Post, for his inputs in The Express, which he shepherded in its early stages.  

We have worked hard to come up with this newspaper over the past few months. The final product is now in your hands and you, the readers, are the ultimate judge. Any feedback is most welcome.

When KP Sharma Oli first became the prime minis­ter at the end of 2015, he inherited a country that was in a state of virtual lockdown from the border blockade. It is to his credit that he was able to pass a constitu­tional amendment to end it. He must also be lauded for bringing a semblance of balance in the country’s relations with its two neighbors. But his nine months in office also were marked by the same degree of crony­ism, corruption and impunity as the reigns of any of his immediate predecessors. He, as prime minister, could also have shown more sensitivity in his messaging to the marginalized communities, Madhesis especially.

As he is set to be prime minister again, in as early as a couple of weeks, a different set of challenges await Oli. He will be the first prime minister after the implemen­tation of the federal setup. It will be up to him to guide Nepal through this tricky transition to a full-fledged federal set-up. With the left alliance forming government at the cen­ter, as well as six of the seven provinces, Oli will have the mandate to lay a strong foundation for a peaceful and prosperous federal Nepal.

This is why it is vital that the merger between UML and Maoist party happens early, preferably before the formation of the new government. If the two parties unite now, it will all but guarantee that the country will have a stable government for the next five years.

If not, people will not be assured that the kind of tasteless politicking that has been in display since the 1990 political changes—whereby, on average, govern­ments came and went every nine months—won’t again bedevil Nepal. And if that happens, Nepal’s develop­ment prospects and its quest to graduate from the group of LDCs in the foreseeable future will remain unfulfilled. This is why, the Maoists, as the junior part­ner in the ongoing merger talks, need to be reasonable in their demand for portfolios in the new party. But as the senior leader in the left alliance, and for the sake of the country he professes to love, Oli should not hesi­tate to make significant concessions as well.

After bringing about a revolution and getting people talking about menstrual hygiene on social media, R Balki's Pad Man is ready to achieve another milestone.

Apart from releasing in 50 countries, the film, starring Akshay Kumar, Radhika Apte and Sonam Kapoor will become Bollywood's first film that will release in Russia, Ivory Coast and Iraq.

The elated producer Twinkle Khanna took to Twitter to announce this. "I once told my Pad Man that I will take him places... Well, not only will Pad Man release in 50 countries all over the world but It is Bollywood's first film that will be releasing day and date in Russia, Ivory Coast and even Iraq," Twinkle tweeted.

Pad Man is releasing on February 9. It is based on the story of real life hero Arunachalam Muruganantham and addresses the issue of menstrual hygiene. Arunachalam had invented a machine to produce low-cost sanitary napkins, after seeing the plight of his wife. Radhika Apte plays the role of the protagonist's wife in the film.

The release date of Padman was earlier scheduled to release on January 25. It's release was postponed after Sanjay Leela Bhansali requested Akshay Kumar to do so in order to allow a smooth release for his film Padmaavat, which had seen trouble since its days of shooting.

In a recent interview, the usually tight-lipped actor Priyanka Chopra opened up about her relationship status. And not just that, she even accepted being in a very committed relationship in the past year.

There is no stopping our very own global sensation Priyanka Chopra. She became a household name abroad with her stellar act as Alex Parrish in Quantico and wowed fans even more in the hit franchise Baywatch. With two more Hollywood films in her kitty currently, her transition from Bollywood to Hollywood has been nothing but smooth.

In a recent interview with Filmfare, the usually tight-lipped actor opened up about her relationship status. And not just that, she even accepted being in a very committed relationship in the past year. Here’s what she said, ” Right now, I’m single. Of course, I’ve been double ya! What do you think I’m a saint? But recently, I’ve been single. Let’s just say that! I’ve been single after a really really long time. I get a lot of attention. But I don’t know what to do with it. Of course, I like it. I’m a girl and I’m vain.”

Also, when the Baywatch actor was asked if she dated anyone in America, the actor responded in the affirmative. She also specified that it wasn’t any of her Quantico co-stars because all of them are married. And on being further probed if she found anyone interesting in the past year, Priyanka said, “No, I haven’t. I’m a serial monogamist. I was in a very committed relationship. But since almost a year, I’ve been single. I’ve met a bunch of people. I’ve gone out with people. I let someone woo me but no… My mind hasn’t exploded, not yet!” (IndianExpress)

As a result of the hacking, the verification tick on Abhishek's Twitter account vanished, and his cover photograph featured a missile that read "Ayyildiz Tim" in chalk.

Abhishek's profile also had several tweets in Turkish.

Twitter said in an official post: "Our teams are working to resolve an issue affecting a small number of Indian users. We will notify affected account holders directly. Reminder: do not click on links in DMs coming from unknown accounts."

On Tuesday, it emerged that the Twitter accounts of Anupam, RSS leader and BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav and senior Indian journalist and Member of Parliament Swapan Dasgupta were hacked.

After his account was restored, Anupam sent out an advisory to his followers.

"To everyone on Twitter: Please don't open any link sent on your direct messages, however genuine they appear. That is the tool hackers are using to hack into your account. Please share this message with as many people as you can. Thanks." (IANS)

Quincy Jones, the legendary music producer behind Michael Jackson, says that the late King of Pop plagiarized some of his hits.

"I hate to get into this publicly, but Michael stole a lot of stuff. He stole a lot of songs," Jones said in an interview full of eyebrow-raising comments published Tuesday by Vulture, the culture site of New York magazine.

"The notes don't lie, man. He was as Machiavellian as they come," the 84-year-old music veteran said.

He specifically cited "Billie Jean" -- a signature song off the Jones-produced "Thriller," the top-selling album of all times.

Jones suggested similarities between the song and disco queen Donna Summer's "State of Independence," which was also produced by Jones and released several months earlier in 1982.

Few listeners would immediately associate the two songs, although both open and are built on unusually lengthy synthesized bass lines.

Jones also said Jackson was "greedy" and should have given partial writing credit to keyboardist Greg Phillinganes for his song "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough."

Jones' allegations run against prevailing public perceptions of Jackson, who died in 2009 and is often viewed as a tortured soul with little financial acumen as he amassed wealth.

The producer voiced sympathy over Jackson's personal issues, saying he had raised concern to the singer over his plastic surgery and blamed abuse by the singer's father for the King of Pop's poor self-image.

Jones has remained active as an octogenarian, recently launching the Qwest TV video streaming service for jazz, but has also made a stream of headline-grabbing comments with a generous sprinkling of profanity.

In a recent interview with GQ magazine, he said he had 22 girlfriends around the world, spoke 26 languages and had undergone a cutting-edge treatment in Sweden to help him live to 110.

"I think he was secretly in love with the sitter. She is a very pretty lady.

"It's pretty audacious, with the light under the chin, which focuses you on the head. As a bit of painting it stands on its own anyway, without any of the other stories," he added.

The painting is expected to sell for around £250,000 ($347,000, 282,000 euros) when it goes on sale jointly in London and Lagos on February 28, but Okri argued that its worth was more than financial.

"It gives us a glimpse of an important African reconfiguration of the art of portraiture," he said.

"It's going to start a fire, start a debate. Never have they given proper due to African painters. This is the perfect work to start" to ask why, he added. (   AFP)

Fcube

Now Showing on 9th Feb 2018 are:

1. Kri

2. Padman

3. Padmaavat

Next Changes on 16th Feb 2018 are:

1. Black Panther in 3D

2. Kanchhi

Big Cinemas

KRI : 8:30 am, 9:30 am, 11:15 am, 12:15 pm, 2:30 pm, 5:00 pm, 6:15 pm, 7:45 pm ,9 :00 pm 

Padmaavat : 3:00 pm

Pad Man : 9:00 am, 11:45 am, 2:00 pm, 5:25 pm, 8:25 pm