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Oftentimes, it appears that Nepal’s prolonged peace process is getting nowhere, that it has forgotten the victims of a decade-long war that left behind a trail of deaths, destruction and disappearances. After the cessation of hostilities between the then Maoist rebels and the government and signing of a comprehensive peace accord on 21 Nov 2006, much water has flown down the perennial rivers of Nepal. The period since then has witnessed developments like the entry of the Maoists into the mainstream politics, the declaration of the country as a federal secular democratic republic (28 May 2008), completion of the disarmament process of the Maoist army (2012) and the promulgation of a constitution through a Constituent Assembly (2015) in its second term.

These developments notwithstanding, transitional justice remains as a sticking point.

Why would it not? After all, according to estimates, more than 17,000 Nepalis died in the decade-long war, many sustained injuries, hundreds became victims of enforced disappearances and infrastructure worth billions of rupees vaporized, literally, pushing Nepal decades back in terms of development.

In the hearts of the victims and their relatives sits a fear. The victims fear that the leaders of the three major political parties—the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and the CPN(Maoist Center)—won’t bother to address their concerns, that the top brass will make a compromise to serve their petty interests and save their heads instead.

It is a given that no amount of ‘justice’ can bring a life back, no amount of ‘justice’ can heal the wounds of a war.

That fact aside, the victims have been demanding that there should be no amnesty in cases of heinous crimes like murder, rape and indiscriminate killings.

Against this backdrop, CPN (Maoist Center) Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, addressing an interaction on transitional justice in Kathmandu on Thursday, said there never was and will never be a disagreement among the three major parties on taking the remaining tasks of the peace process to a logical conclusion.

He stressed the need to give topmost priority when it comes to delivering justice to the victims, pointing out at the passage of the Truth and Reconciliation Bill and the formation of a recommendation committee for giving shape to a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

 Past assurances of justice for the victims have proved hollow, stressing a crying need to walk the talk, which may be easier said than done. The top political leadership would do well to not ignore the victims’ concerns. 

Four Nepalis died when a Scorpio Jeep heading towards India from Tulsipur of Dang for a pilgrimage met with an accident in India on Thursday.

The ill-fated four wheeler (UP 31 AC 7200) was en route to India from Tulsipur for pilgrimage when the tragedy occurred at Bahraich.

According to Ram Bahadur GC, Chairman of Tulsipur Sub-Metropolitan City-7, it has been reported that four persons including the driver Yuvaraj Chapagain (37) of Parseni, Tulsipur-7 died in the road accident in India.

The identities of three others are yet to be ascertained, he said.

There were nine people on the jeep.

King Charles III was briefly hospitalised for observation and check up on Thursday after experiencing "temporary side effects" related to a cancer treatment.

After being discharged later Thursday, the King, 76, returned to Clarence House and continued his duties, but cancelled Friday engagements due to medical advice, according to the BBC.

Buckingham Palace confirmed the King's cancer diagnosis last year, although he has tried to keep his sickness from interfering with his official duties.

In recent weeks, he has visited Northern Ireland, welcomed US President Donald Trump for a diplomatic summit in London, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to show support for Kyiv's battle against Russia, and attended a Commonwealth Day service, BBC reported.

Despite his brief stay on Thursday, Buckingham Palace said the King will resume his full schedule of duties next week.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met Bangladesh’s interim government chief, Muhammad Yunus, in Beijing on Friday, AFP reported.

The visit comes as Bangladesh seeks new allies in the wake of strained relations with India.

Yunus is on a four-day visit to China to strengthen ties and attract investment. He previously went to the Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan, according to AFP.

This is his first bilateral visit after taking office in August 2024, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh-China diplomatic relations.

 Yunus is joined by Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, Energy Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, High Representative Khalilur Rahman, SDG Coordinator Lamiya Morshed, and Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam.

Prime Minister KP Sharma said that the opposition parties were obstructing Parliament over unnecessary issues.

He was addressing the inaugural session of the Eighth International Women's Trade Fair in Lalitpur today.

A non-issue-removal of a government employee- surfaced in the Parliament, he said, adding that the government was preparing to pass the ordinances with replacement bills. But such obstruction would hamper the Parliament schedule, the PM expressed worry.

"When a competent person was given a leadership role in the same institution, it was not praised. But those who do not deserve it were given unnecessary praise," he said, viewing that attempts were being made to create terror in the name of protest.

PM Oli further said there will be rallies at two places in the Kathmandu Valley. "There is no point in making the mountain out of molehill in connection with the opposition's demonstration," he reminded.

Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has said autocracy cannot be an alternative to democracy at all. Nepali society has been accustomed to democratic values, so sliding back to autocracy is unacceptable, he added.

Minister Lekhak, who is also a Nepali Congress leader, was speaking at an interaction organized by his party's constituency-3 working committee in Rupandehi. Nepal cannot backtrack, he reiterated.

"Nepali people believe in democracy, Nepal is moving forward with democratic system,” he said.

He, however, admitted weaknesses in present delivery. The people's plight cannot be taken advantage of for disrupting the system, Lekhak asserted.

United States President Donald Trump says he would be willing to reduce tariff rates on China to secure a deal with TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell the social media app used by 170 million Americans, Reuters reported.

Trump's proposal came as he proposed a 25% tariff on imported autos and auto parts, the latest salvo in a deepening trade war that has strained relations with allies and partners.Earlier this month, Trump boosted additional duties on all Chinese imports to 20%, up from 10% in February, according to Reuters.

Under US law, ByteDance was obligated to withdraw from TikTok by January 19 or face a ban.  However, Trump allowed a 75-day grace period, which will end on April 5.

Trump has stated that he is open to extend the deadline if an agreement on the social media app is not achieved.