Latest posts by Bhumika Ghimire

Copenhagen summit: Nepalese Ministers Miss The Point

The Nepalese cabinet held a meeting near Everest base camp days before Copenhagen summit to emphasize that effects of global warming on Nepal. However, bloggers are criticizing the bulky Nepalese ministers delegation to Copenhagen and questioning their effectiveness.

22 December 2009

Corruption Impeding Development In Nepal

This year Nepal has slipped further down on the Transparency International's (TI) anti-corruption scale. The culture of corruption has spread beyond the government and politicians as the social life in Nepal has also fallen victim to this disease.

9 December 2009

Nepal's Peace Process Faltering

Nepal's fragile peace process is faltering amidst increasing clashes between the Maoists and the government. The Maoists are threatening to go on indefinite strike if their demands are not fulfilled.

24 November 2009

Nepal's Dalit Women: Fighting For Dignity

The constitution of Nepal guarantees equality for the dalits or the 'untouchables'. But in the real world, outside long winding provisions of the constitution and legalese, the dalits are still openly treated as less than human.

27 October 2009

Nepal: Bio-gas Revolution

In Nepal almost 87% of households depend on firewood as the primary energy source. However Biogas plants are emerging in Nepal in great numbers starting a green revolution.

15 October 2009

Nepal: Towards A More Humane Dashain Festival

Nepal's biggest religious festival Dashain is celebrated all around the world by the Nepalese diaspora. This year's Dashain in Nepal was a bit controversial, with animal rights activists calling for an end to the tradition of animal sacrifice during the festival.

30 September 2009

Nepal: Maternal Health Care Challenges

Last week, two high profile visits brought maternal health care challenges in Nepal into media spotlight. But it will take more than high profile celebrity visits to bring relief to Nepalese mothers who suffer because of deep seated prejudice and lack of awareness.

17 September 2009

Nepal's Dolphins in Danger

“Just 30 years ago, the Karnali River was home to approximately 100 Ganges River Dolphins. But according to conservationists, there are only six of them left.'” Rhishja Larson at Ecoworldly...

28 July 2009

Afghanistan, Nepal: Similarities

Anup Kaphle wrote about his experience in Afghanistan in a post titled Helmand: A Nepalese View at The Atlantic. He compared the war torn nation with his homeland Nepal and...

6 July 2009

North Korea: Two American Journalists Sentenced to Hard Labor

News coming out of Pyongyang is not encouraging. After being accused of illegally crossing the border to North Korea, American Current TV journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee have been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor. The bleak outcome is eliciting strong reaction online from those who support freedom of press and want North Korea to release the two journalists.

9 June 2009

Nepal: A fresh start?

After weeks of wrangling among political parties in Nepal, veteran Communist leader and former general secretary of Nepal communist party (United Marxist and Leninist) (CPN UML) Madhav Kumar Nepal was "selected" as Nepal's prime minister. Mr. Nepal's job, especially at this point, brings a heavy baggage of problems-some of which could potentially torpedo his government.

1 June 2009

The Gurkhas: Long History Of Discrimination

The Gurkhas, young men from Nepal who serve in the British military, have served the Queen and the United Kingdom for almost two centuries. Unfortunately, the British government has been less than fair when it comes to honoring their service and sacrifice. The British press and blogopshere are buzzing about the new government proposal that is very unfair to the Gurkhas.

11 May 2009

Nepal: Prime Minister Prachanda resigns

Today (Monday, May 4, 2009) afternoon at 3 PM local time, Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) announced his resignation through a press conference, pushing the already troubled country further into crises. His resignation comes after President Ram Baran Yadav reinstated the sacked army chief Rookmangud Katwal.

4 May 2009

Indian Elections 2009: God and Country

The ongoing elections in India have exposed deep fractures in the country's religious landscape. Blogs are buzzing with allegations and counter allegations of religious persecutions in the land where you can...

28 April 2009

Indian Elections 2009: Villains And Votes

If elections are to be described as a process to elect better leaders for the country, the ongoing elections in India are of a very different variety. A number of convicted felons, gang members with long criminal history and leaders accused of violent crime (murder, attempted murder, armed robbery) - villains in every sense are going to the people asking for their vote.

20 April 2009

Elections in India and Women

World’s largest democracy, India, will hold general elections starting in a few weeks. Indian women, who have long been denied their rightful position at home, at work and at the helm of power also have a huge stake in upcoming elections. Although more and more women are becoming aware of their voting rights and participating at local level politics, a recent report suggests that this year less women are likely to be elected to the country’s parliament.

7 April 2009