Submit your Article

The Judicial Council has recommended the names of Chief Returning Officers and Returning Officers to conduct the by-election scheduled to take place on December 1.

The Council has recommended the names to the Election Commission to appoint them as Chief Returning Officers in 31 districts.

Likewise, the Council has recommended Kathmandu District Court Judge Ram Prasad Sharma as the Justice of newly-constituted Consumer Court and Gyanendra Raj Regmi as its member.

The district court judges have been recommended as Chief Returning Officers for by-election.

The Council has recommended Returning Officers for by-election to be held in six local government units.

Nepal's swashbuckling performance in the ongoing SAFF Women Championship secured their entry to the final.

Nepal defeated India in the semifinal, securing the berth to the final on Sunday.

Nepal won 4-2 in the tiebreaker.

In the match played at Dasharath Stadium, Tripureshwor, none of the team made a goal in the first half, while they had 1-1 in the second half.

Sabitra Bhandari 'Samba' scored a goal for Nepal as soon as the second half began.

Nepal will lock their horns with Bangladesh in the final.

Bangladesh had entered the final by defeating Bhutan on Sunday itself. Bangladesh defeated Bhutan 7-1 in the semifinal.

The continuous conflict between Israel and Iran has serious geopolitical, military, and humanitarian consequences and has emerged as one of the Middle East’s instability and critical conflicts. In recent years, this conflict which has its roots in decades of hatred and ideological conflicts has become worse to a disastrous level. The cycle of bloodshed has been increased by Iran’s Oct 2024 launch of more than 180 ballistic missiles toward Israel, which has carried both countries and their allies into a destructive cycle. 

Questions concerning the direction of this conflict and the world at large shade big as everyone watches with eagerness. We need to examine the historical background of Israel and Iran’s relationship in order to understand the present conflict between them. It may surprise you to learn that Israel and Iran were not always enemies. Both countries had friendly connections before the Iranian Revolution in 1979. Iran recognized Israel and supplied it with oil throughout the Arab-Israeli wars during Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s secular reign. However, the dynamics of their relationship had been drastically changed by the 1979 Iranian revolution. 

After the revolution, Iran became an Islamic Republic and Ayatollah Khomeini came to power. As a result of this change, Iran adopted an anti-Israel and anti-Western foreign policy. Iran started backing anti-Israel militant organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas that called for the annihilation of Israel after Khomeini declared Israel to be an illegitimate state. This was the start of a long-running hostility that has had a significant impact on the region’s geopolitics. Since then, both nations have been fighting a proxy war through middlemen like Hamas and Hezbollah. 

However, Israel has been focusing on stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons, frequently using illicit methods such as the murder of Iranian nuclear scientists. Iran perceives Israel as a tool of Western hegemony in the Middle East, while Israel considers a nuclear-armed Iran as a mortal danger. These conflicts continue to grow worse over time. When Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel in Oct 2024, the conflict escalated to another level. Israel’s killings of important Hamas and Hezbollah leaders prompted this retribution. Although various of the missiles were stopped by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, the attacks, which targeted Israeli communities and military infrastructure, caused extensive damage and casualties. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israel reacted quickly and harshly, directing airstrikes against Iranian forces. The war quickly spread throughout the region, attracting Hezbollah, which attacked Israeli targets in southern Lebanon. In response, Israeli troops increased their strikes in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, and Iraq while executing ground operations along the Israel-Lebanon border. Air and naval forces are engaged in a regional struggle for supremacy along several fronts in the conflict. Despite its longstanding involvement, the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) attempts to mediate and settle the tensions between Israel and Iran have frequently been failed by the geopolitical interests of its permanent members.  

In order to resolve tied issues, the UNSC has approved a number of resolutions. For example, Resolution 1701 in 2006 tried to end the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, while Resolution 2231 in 2015 supported the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also referred to as the Iran nuclear agreement. However, the Israel-Iran dispute has caused significant division inside the UNSC. As a strong supporter of Israel, the United States has backed resolutions that seek to limit Iran’s regional influence. 

On the other hand, resolutions that are detrimental to Tehran have frequently been rejected by China and Russia, both of whom have strong relations to Iran. No real progress has been made in the Security Council’s attempts to resolve the crisis because of this split. The UNSC has demanded a cease-fire in the most recent escalation, but neither Israel nor Iran seem prepared to back down. Nepal is the only nation that has been conspicuously silent during this international confrontation. Nepal, which has been a member of the UN since 1955, has historically avoided taking sides in international disputes by pursuing a non-alignment foreign policy. 

Nepal’s long standing adherence to neutrality and peace serves as the foundation for this position. Nepal’s foreign policy has always been careful to strike a balance given its strategic location between two regional giants, India and China. Nepal also has close commercial relations with the Middle East. Gulf countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, with which Nepal maintains diplomatic ties, employ hundreds of thousands of Nepali workers. 

Nepal’s commercial ties with the area could be difficult and the livelihoods of these workers put at risk if it takes an aggressive position on the Israel-Iran conflict. Nepal is afraid to get involved in international wars in part because of its own internal problems, such as governance and economic recovery. The region’s civilian populations have suffered greatly as a result of the Israel-Iran conflict. The most recent wave of violence has murdered almost 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza alone. Hezbollah has been attacking the area around the northern border with Lebanon, which has resulted in the displacement of thousands of Israelis. 

Many people lack access to basic essentials including food, water, and medical care, making the humanitarian crisis dire. The conflict’s effects on the economy are also world. Due to the conflict’s threat to interrupt the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial chokepoint for the world’s oil trade, the price of oil has increased by five percent. Rising energy prices are worsening the effects of inflation, which are already an issue for many economies healing from the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Major world powers including the US, Russia, and China have become involved in the conflict, which has raised concerns about a wider regional or possibly global conflict. The war between Iran-supported Hezbollah and Israel grew worse dramatically yesterday. Hezbollah commanders in Beirut were the target of major attacks by Israeli troops, which caused significant damage and casualties. 

Israel said Iran launched a missile attack on its military bases, which prompted this escalation. Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, threatened dire consequences if Israel’s military actions continued in a rare public declaration. Four soldiers were killed in a drone attack on an Israeli army camp by Hezbollah in retaliation. The continuous violence has resulted in nearly 2,000 casualties in the last two weeks, according to the Lebanese authorities. Both sides are getting ready for more conflicts, and the situation is still extremely unstable. 

Notwithstanding continuous international efforts to negotiate and de-escalate the conflict, a peaceful resolution is difficult due to the parties' continuing disagreements and strategic objectives. The Israel-Iran conflict acts as a harsh reminder of the world’s uncertain state of peace and security. The Middle East and the entire world are at risk as the conflict escalates. Major nations like China, Russia, and the United States are involved, which makes a peaceful outcome less probable. The situation does not appear to be de-escalating, and the United Nations is still divided despite its attempts. 

Nepal has a historical foreign policy perspective on which is shown in its neutrality and non-alignment in the conflict. But the entire globe is at a turning point. There is an urgent need for diplomatic involvement and a long-term peace process to stop more deaths and heal an area that has already suffered too much. The future of global order will be shaped by how the entire world handles the current situation, and the risks are extremely high. In these unpredictable and dangerous illustrations, one thing is clear: the globe is on edge, and where it goes from here depends on leaders’ decisions and diplomacy’s ability to map a road toward peace.

Prabin Kumar Yadav

BA LLB 

Kathmandu School of Law

The Bagmati provincial government has collected only 10 percent of its estimated annual revenue in the first quarter. Revenue collection has been impacted by weak internal sources, limited cash collection, and shortfalls in grants received from the federal government.

Shri Krishna Acharya, spokesperson for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Planning, stated that the government collected Rs 6.86bn in revenue in the first three months of the current fiscal year (July to October). The provincial government has set a revenue target of Rs 64.5bn for this fiscal year, of which only 12.95 percent has been collected.

From internal revenue sources, the provincial government collected Rs 898.4m, achieving 19.8 percent of its Rs 4.53bn target.

Major opposition parties criticize the government, alleging that it is overly focused on revenue collection while falling short of its development goals. Prem Bahadur Pulami, a provincial assembly member from the CPN (Maoist Center), remarked, “This is the path to failure for this government. No part of the government seems to be functioning effectively.”

The provincial government expects a subsidy of Rs 15.5bn from the federal government, of which it received Rs 2.06bn (13.23 percent) in the first quarter. However, no additional federal funds have been received so far. Revenue data indicates a lack of focus on enhancing internal revenue growth. 

“There is a recurring issue with provincial governments failing to utilize allocated budgets and mobilize resources. Bagmati, being the province with the central capital, should set an example,” stated Pralhad Lamichhane, former member of the Provincial Policy and Planning Commission of Bagmati Province. He emphasized the need for the provincial government to prioritize resource identification, mobilization, and expenditure, as there are adequate financial resources within the province.

For the current fiscal year, the provincial government expects to generate Rs 27.38bn from taxes and Rs 6.51bn from other revenue sources.

Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has said the non-resident Nepalis (NRNs) have contributed to the strengthening of Nepal's unity.

In his address to a program organized here today, marking the NRNA Day and AGM, the minister referred to NRNs as honorary ambassadors of Nepal.

On the occasion, he said the government is preparing for legal amendments to promote the economic, social, and cultural rights of the NRN community. He urged them to always stand for a prosperous Nepal with the establishment of democracy and a rule of law.

NRNA President Dr Badri KC said the NRNs are interested in investing in Nepal and urged the government to create an investment-friendly atmosphere.

NRNA former President Dr Upendra Mahato stressed the need to resolve disputes seen within the Association.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that there will be no compromise on the issues of nation and national interests for the cause of power bickering.

Addressing a seminar on the national 'Role of Ex-Security Personnel on National Security and Development', the Prime Minister recalled the signing of the Trade and Transit Agreement with China by considering the national interest when India imposed an economic blockade on Nepal.

"Now, attempts are made to attack the forms of national security under different pretexts. We have moved ahead with the firm determination not to harm others but to grasp our genuine interests," the PM added.

PM Oli said that the current government of two major political parties, Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML, was working to safeguard the aspirations of national unity and national interests.

On a separate context, PM Oli, also the CPN-UML Chairman, said the weapons that are kept under the ground and are rusted won't make any sense now and urged the concerned side not to issue threats to the Nepali society by false publicity.

Likewise, the PM urged his critics-- who term him being unpopular -- to wait until the upcoming elections.

Similarly, he said that democracy was not anarchy and added that any sort of threats was unacceptable in a democracy.

On the occasion, PM Oli said that the government implemented the report of the parliamentary committee on investigations on cooperative funds' embezzlement and stated that showing unruly acts in the court defending the investigated persons was against the democratic norms and values.

The Civil Aviation Authority Nepal (CAAN) has taken action against Thai AirAsia, suspending all flights to Nepal.

However, the flight of the airline flown to Kathmandu from Thailand was finally allowed to land at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) after keeping it 'on hold' for around an hour in the sky, according to the aviation regulatory body.

Authority's Information Officer Gyanendra Bhul confirmed that the CAAN had suspended all flights of Thai AirAsia for the time being. The Airlines' GSA (General Sales Agent) has been scrapped.

Bhul further shared that the flight permit for Thai AirAsia was effective up to October 26 only.

In this light, today's flight has been permitted to operate as a 'special chartered' flight.

According to him, holding the plane for an extended period of time in the sky raises security concerns. "We allowed today's flight to land considering the safety of the passengers and on humanitarian ground," he explained.

However, he clarified that all other flights of the same airlines have been suspended with immediate effect.

The flight will fly to Bangkok today itself with passengers, the TIA said. This action came in the wake of the TIA implementing winter schedules for flights from today.

The new flight schedule is valid from October 27, 2024 to March 31, 2025.

In a display of unity and cultural heritage, over 1,000 dancers and musicians gathered at Kathmandu Durbar Square on World Tourism Day 2024 to perform a vibrant Mass Dhime dance and a unique fusion orchestra. The event, organized by the Kathmandu Durbar Square Tourism Promotion Association in collaboration with the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, showcased Nepal’s rich traditions and attracted a captivated audience.

Dancers, dressed in colorful traditional attire, delivered a lively and spirited performance, highlighting the country’s diverse cultural landscape. The celebration aimed to promote tourism and appreciation of Nepal’s cultural heritage, bringing together locals and visitors alike.

The event was directed by Sudan Man Munikar, with video coverage by Siddhartha Maharjan and his team, capturing the essence of this joyous occasion. World Tourism Day 2024 served as a reminder of the importance of preserving cultural traditions while embracing tourism as a vital component of Nepal’s economy.