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It is almost a year since fresh elections to the Constituent Assembly in Nepal took place for the formation of a new government and the writing of a new constitution that would, as was expected then, be a breath of fresh air for a country long engulfed in political and social unrest -- and political and constitutional instability afterward.

In Nepal, another fierce battle for the top executive post has begun, putting the much important issue of Constitution-drafting in the back burner. As usual, the federalism debate has evaporated from the mainstream,

In Nepal, with the dissolution of Constituent Assembly and legislature parliament, the Baburam Bhattarai government will continue under caretaker status. But a political confrontation is unavoidable in days ahead given the deep divisions among and within the political parties of Nepal.

With all political options shrinking before the nation's leaders, Nepal has landed in a political mess like never before in its recent history.

Nepal's Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai will make an important visit to New Delhi starting October 20. Given the strain in relationship between his own party, the UCPN (Maoist), and India on multiple issues during the tenure of his party President Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda as the premier.

Nepal and China celebrated 1 August as the anniversary day of 60 years of establishment of their diplomatic relations. President Ram Baran Yadav and Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages on the occasion of the 60th anniversary.

Nepal is no stranger to Constitution drafting, having gone through six such rounds since 1948, with the seventh culminating in September 2015. is recent exercise, however, was unique as it was conducted, for the rst time, without the oversight of the monarchy. Certain populations of Nepali society had specic stakes in a new Constitution. For many of Nepal's marginalised communities such as the Madhes is, for example, the new Constitution oe

The United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), which heads the present coalition government, is currently faced with the most severe intra-party differences over key issues of national concern.

The Nepalese revolution is only the latest manifestation of the power of the people in compelling dictatorial forces to yield. In February 1986, the Philippine people had brought down a dictatorship and restored democracy in their dramatic four-day People Power Revolution.

Nepal and China have agreed in principle to take up a joint project on infrastructure development of the Nepal-China Economic Belt. The decision was taken at the Foreign Ministers' level meeting held in Beijing recently to commemorate the 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the two neighbours.

Nepal will hold elections to the second constituent assembly (CA) on November 19, 2013. The first CA polls were held in 2008. The major political parties, currently represented in the High Level Political Committee (HLPC),

The United Communist Party of Nepal (UCPN-M or the Maoists), the single largest party in Nepal's Constituent Assembly, held its much-awaited sixth plenum at Palungtar in Gorkha district on November 21.

Ever since Sir Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa-colleague, Tensing Norgay, set their foot on the summit of Mt. Everest 60 years ago, the desire of the alpinists the world over to scale the world's highest peak has grown vigorously.

As China exerts greater pressure on the Communists-led Government in Nepal to curb all anti-Chinese activities emanating from its soil, those Tibetan refugees wanting to transit Nepal or seeking refugee status are having rough days ahead.

As Nepal sees rising tensions on the political front, New Delhi cannot design temporary solutions which can hardly bring lasting peace in the country.

The road ahead in Nepal's fragile political landscape is becoming much bleaker with increasing power tussle. While Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai is insisting that he will hand over power only to an elected government.

Amid all political and economic impasses Nepal¿s incumbent Government under Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, announced ¿amnesty¿ to the Maoist insurgents on December 18, 2003 and called them to surrender along with their weapons, relatives and friends before February 12, 2004.

After a long spell of mistrust among political actors, the peace process in Nepal has returned to a constructive and progressive stage. This week the Maoist-led government of Dr Baburam Bhattarai ordered the Nepal Army and the Armed Police Force to take total charge of Maoist cantonments, the former fighters and their weapons.

Among the many areas of cooperation and assistance between India and Nepal, a very important one is that of power. Nepal has a huge potential for generating hydropower but is constrained due to the lack of supporting infrastructure as well as its geography.

As Nepal is set to go to polls on 19 November, the political scenario in the country is turning increasingly foggy. Technically, the people of Nepal should be looking forward to the polls and the prospect of a new Constitution.

Mr. Prachanda has been provided with a new found cushion with the restoration of Indo-Neap ties and laid ground for much-needed political room for manoeuvre.

It is almost certain now that the proposed Constituent Assembly (CA) election in Nepal, slated for June 21, is a remote possibility, given the lack of cooperation from the opposition forces to the Interim Election Council headed by Chief Justice Khil Raj Rehmi and the delay caused in finalising election-related processes.

The recent arrests of some of India's top terrorists along the Indo-Nepal border indicate the vulnerability of the porous border between the two neighbours. More importantly, it reflects on the bilateral cooperation in intelligence-sharing and joint-operations,

The tussle for supremacy and one-showmanship between Maoist Chairman Prachanda and Prime Minister Babauram Bhattarai is indicative of the internal weakness of the United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).

The year 2013 ended on a note of strengthened confidence between Nepal and India. On 21-22 December 2013, the Inter-governmental Committee Meeting on Trade, Transit and Cooperation to Control Authorised Trade, between the two countries was held in Kathmandu.

The south Asian region has been a region of disjointed congruity for decades. Efforts at integrating the countries that make up the region have been in place through a variety of mechanisms such as diplomatic efforts, regional and sub-regional organisations.

Baburam Bhattarai's resignation from the post of vice-chairman of the Maoist party has brought intra-party rivalry to the fore once again, adding to the worries of the party chairman, Pushpa Kumar Dahal alias Prachanda.

Has paralysis struck Nepal? Or, would the country be paralysed next month? What awaits the 29-million people of the Himalayan kingdom? These are some of the questions which are being debated among knowledgeable circles and friends of the country.

Political parties in Nepal should preserve at any cost the newly-found consensus. All other contentious issues must be handed over to an independent body to deal with. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Disappearances Commission should be formed without delay to address the issues of grievances.

Despite former king Gyanendra's attempts to revive the golden days of monarchy in Nepal, it will not be an easy return given the monarchy's past role in muzzling the voice of democracy.

A well-known political scientist from Nepal, Prof. Lok Raj Baral, says that there is no convergence of ideology in Nepal now. He says that every political group has its own interpretation of liberal values and norms and the central leadership is unable to take its own decision.

This paper analyses the debate surrounding federal restructuring in Nepal and the position taken by various political stakeholders. It argues that an early political consensus on federalism is imperative; otherwise, the country may slip into greater ethnic conflict. Nepal is currently experiencing perhaps one of the most turbulent phases in its contemporary political history. In 2008, Nthe 240-year-old institution of monarchy—for long seen a

Like the Arab Spring, the netizen revolt was against a "perceived" threat to their empowerment. In this case, cheap access to the internet, which ironically is also one of PM Modi's promises to the entire nation.

The rail connectivity schemes in the Northeast, if implemented in a timely manner, would possibly achieve what decades of politico-administrative soft power and military hard power struggled to - bring about peace and economic development in a region embroiled in protracted ethnic conflicts.

Bangladesh needs full closure of the war crimes aspect of her history and a move away from fundamentalism that threatens it today. Bangladesh has to see the fulfillment of its Shahbag moment. The recent hanging of Mollah, is a process in that closure.

It may not mean much in terms of substance. Symbolic as it may seem, the more recent Spanish re-identification with the Franco-German European combine in the post-Iraq War era still has a message for the world. It has sent out fresh signals that multi-polarity is still alive and kicking, and a 'New World Order' may be yet to emerge years after the 'Cold War' ended - and is still going through the inevitable processes.

With increasing internet usage and acceptability, the threat perception from the medium will also increase. However, unless there is a paradigm shift in approaching the vexed subject of web regulation as different from traditional media, regulatory attempts will remain ineffective.

Lieutenant General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan's appointment as the new Chief of Bangladesh Army on June 25 has evoked a keen interest in India and elsewhere. There are two reasons for this interest in an other-wise routine succession--General Bhuiyan succeeded General Abdul Mobeen on his retirement.

The Iran nuclear deal could mark a strategic realignment between the US and its traditional Sunni allies in the region. The Arab countries have been vocal in criticising Washington's policies in Egypt, Syria and Iraq, which they say have given an upper hand to "Iranian allies".

The visit has been mutually beneficial, especially with the signing/renewal of MoUs, adapting the Comprehensive Economic and Maritime Security Partnership vision, and India’s offer of financial assistance.

The Indian Army is more than a match for its Pakistani counterpart, but tardy modernisation means it has little punching power. Plus, there dangles the threat of a nuclear response.

The onus of striking a balance between price affordability and environmental sustainability with regard to the fashion industry lies on the shoulder of the global community.

India and Australia could align strategic efforts to foil China’s attempts at throwing its weight around the eastern hemisphere

Like Moscow and New Delhi, Riyadh and Islamabad are old allies. There are numerous issues which will ensure that closeness between New Delhi and Riyadh will not cause bilateral ties to spiral downward. If Riyadh gives up on Islamabad, the latter will move closer to Tehran, something the Saudis want to avoid.

The Vietnamese are carefully balancing their ties. At one level they maintain healthy party-to-party ties with China and seek to boost trade and investment from China. On the other, they want to build better ties with the US, Japan and India to offset the Chinese.

The threat to India and Indian interests will still come from Pakistan-based terrorist forces. The name of the terrorist regiment or the colour of its uniform is not important. Conceivably, the first test for the Modi government will be in Afghanistan.