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A sherpa guide who went missing four days ago on Everest is presumed dead, Nepali officials said on Thursday, the first feared fatality of the climbing season on the world's highest mountain. Lama Babu Sherpa reached the summit with a team of climbers and other guides on Monday, but became separated from the group as they descended and has not been seen since. A government official at Everest base camp confirmed that Lama was presumed dead. "Climbers found his clothes and other belongings but not the body," Gyanendra Shrestha, a government liaison officer, told AFP. "He has been missing for such a long time now, it would be near-impossible for him to survive." Mingma Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks, Lama's employers, said the team had been hit by strong winds as they reached the summit. "The other sherpas were taking care of the members and they thought that he would come (down) but he didn't," he said. Another team of climbers from the same mountaineering outfit reached the summit on Wednesday and looked for the missing guide on their descent. "They searched in the summit area but they couldn't find his body," Mingma said, adding there was no way Lama could survive three nights exposed on the mountain. Around 100 people have reached the summit of Everest this week as the busy spring climbing season -- which runs from April to May -- got into full swing. Nearly 350 climbers have paid for permits to climb Everest from the Nepal side this season. Another 180 are attempting from the northern side in Tibet. Most ascend with at least one guide, doubling the overall number of climbers heading for the top. Foreigners must pay $11,000 for a permit but cut-price climbing outfits skimping on safety requirements have flourished in recent years, luring amateurs to the 8,848-metre peak. The rapid growth in the climbing industry has accompanied complaints of overcrowding and fears that inexperienced mountaineers are putting themselves and their guides at risk. Last year seven people lost their lives on Everest while nearly 570 made the summit, most ascending from Nepal.

Two Nepali Sherpas broke their own world records for the most Everest summits by a man and a woman yesterday, reaching the world’s highest peak for a 22nd and ninth time respectively. Kami Rita Sherpa, a professional guide, and Lhakpa Sherpa, who works in a supermarket in Connecticut, reached the summit from opposite sides of the 8,848m (29,030ft) mountain.  Kami Rita, 48, was one of six Sherpas who took seven clients to the summit from the Nepali side, Mingma Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks, who organised the expedition, said. A guide for more than two decades, he broke the previous record of 21 summits that he shared with two other Sherpas. Kami Rita first reached the top of Everest in 1994 when working for a commercial expedition. “I did not start climbing to set a world record,” he told AFP last month before setting out for the mountain. “It wasn’t for any competition.” Lhakpa Sherpa, 44, reached the peak for a ninth time via the northern, Tibetan route, her brother Mingma Gelu Sherpa said.  The US-based Lhakpa has repeatedly broken her own record for the most Everest summits by a woman. The next most accomplished female Everest climber is American Melissa Sue Arnot, who has reached the top six times.  The daughter of a yak herder, Lhakpa worked as a porter and kitchen hand on trekking and mountaineering expeditions, before becoming a climber herself. She moved to the United States 16 years ago and says she plans to continue climbing, while keeping her job in the supermarket. “I keep going to encourage other Nepali women to climb,” the 44-year-old told AFP last month. The twin records come on the heels of Australian Steve Plain becoming the fastest person to summit the highest mountains on all seven continents. He completed the seven climbs in 177 days - nine days quicker than the previous record - after reaching the top of Everest on Monday. Hundreds of climbers are on Everest attempting to reach the summit during the narrow window of good weather in May. But the mountain is also highlighting its risks. A Sherpa guide has been missing on Everest’s southern side in Nepal since Monday, said Mingma of Seven Summits.  “They are searching for him on the way down,” he said of the team that has just summited. On the Tibet side a team was forced to retreat from just below the summit when at least 11 of their bottled oxygen systems failed. “Multiple teams using the same device have experienced similar oxygen system failures. There are no reported injuries,” Alpenglow Expeditions said in a statement. Climbers use supplementary oxygen to combat altitude sickness. Air at the top of Everest contains less than a third of the oxygen at sea level.

Two Nepali Sherpas broke their own world records for the most Everest summits by a man and a woman yesterday, reaching the world’s highest peak for a 22nd and ninth time respectively. Kami Rita Sherpa, a professional guide, and Lhakpa Sherpa, who works in a supermarket in Connecticut, reached the summit from opposite sides of the 8,848m (29,030ft) mountain.  Kami Rita, 48, was one of six Sherpas who took seven clients to the summit from the Nepali side, Mingma Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks, who organised the expedition, said. A guide for more than two decades, he broke the previous record of 21 summits that he shared with two other Sherpas. Kami Rita first reached the top of Everest in 1994 when working for a commercial expedition. “I did not start climbing to set a world record,” he told AFP last month before setting out for the mountain. “It wasn’t for any competition.” Lhakpa Sherpa, 44, reached the peak for a ninth time via the northern, Tibetan route, her brother Mingma Gelu Sherpa said.  The US-based Lhakpa has repeatedly broken her own record for the most Everest summits by a woman. The next most accomplished female Everest climber is American Melissa Sue Arnot, who has reached the top six times.  The daughter of a yak herder, Lhakpa worked as a porter and kitchen hand on trekking and mountaineering expeditions, before becoming a climber herself. She moved to the United States 16 years ago and says she plans to continue climbing, while keeping her job in the supermarket. “I keep going to encourage other Nepali women to climb,” the 44-year-old told AFP last month. The twin records come on the heels of Australian Steve Plain becoming the fastest person to summit the highest mountains on all seven continents. He completed the seven climbs in 177 days - nine days quicker than the previous record - after reaching the top of Everest on Monday. Hundreds of climbers are on Everest attempting to reach the summit during the narrow window of good weather in May. But the mountain is also highlighting its risks. A Sherpa guide has been missing on Everest’s southern side in Nepal since Monday, said Mingma of Seven Summits.  “They are searching for him on the way down,” he said of the team that has just summited. On the Tibet side a team was forced to retreat from just below the summit when at least 11 of their bottled oxygen systems failed. “Multiple teams using the same device have experienced similar oxygen system failures. There are no reported injuries,” Alpenglow Expeditions said in a statement. Climbers use supplementary oxygen to combat altitude sickness. Air at the top of Everest contains less than a third of the oxygen at sea level.

A 48-year-old Nepali mountaineer climbed Mount Everest for a 22nd time on Wednesday, creating a new record for the most summits of the world’s highest mountain, hiking officials said. Kami Rita Sherpa reached the 8,850-metre summit via the Southeast Ridge route, accompanied by 13 other climbers including his clients, Tourism Department official Gyanendra Shrestha said from the base camp. His latest ascent took him one summit clear of two fellow sherpas with whom he had shared the earlier record. "He has set the world record,” said Mingma Sherpa, chairman of the Seven Summit Treks company that employs Kami. Kami had begun his descent and is expected to reach base camp by the weekend, Shrestha told Reuters. The route taken on the ascent was pioneered by New Zealand’s Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay when they became the first climbers to reach the summit in 1953. The climbing season for runs from March through May and hundreds of climbers are currently on Everest, trying to reach the top from both the Nepali and Tibetan sides of the mountain. Ethnic sherpas, renowned for their endurance and experience at high altitudes, serve as guides for many foreign mountaineers attempting to climb the highest Himalayan peaks. 

Two people died after a cargo plane crashed in Nepal during bad weather on Wednesday, the latest aviation accident in the impoverished Himalayan nation. The Makalu Air flight lost contact moments after takeoff and crashed into a hillside not far from its destination in the remote northwestern district of Humla. The wreckage was found scattered across a mountain at an altitude of 3,900 metres (12,800 feet). "Bodies of both the pilot and co-pilot have been recovered from the crash site," district chief Madhav Prasad Dhungana told AFP. "We believe it missed the route and crashed into a hillside, probably because of bad weather."  Nepal has a poor road network and many remote mountain communities rely on planes and helicopters to bring in basic goods. But the country has a dismal safety record, which is largely blamed on inadequate maintenance and poor management. Nepal-based airlines are banned from flying in European Union airspace because of safety concerns. In March, 51 people were killed when a passenger plane from Bangladesh crashed at Kathmandu airport, the country's deadliest accident in more than two decades. Last month a Malaysian jet carrying 139 people aborted a takeoff and skidded into a muddy verge at the same airport, causing chaos and long delays. No one was hurt.

Medical students in the Nepal capital staged protest in front of the Institute of Medicine (IoM) against exorbitant fees charged by medical colleges under the Tribhuvan University (TU) for a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree.  Scores of students from six private medical colleges from different parts of Nepal demanded that the IoM take necessary steps against those colleges that are charging fees above the university’s ceiling. The TU executive council on March 26 reduced the total fee for the degree to Rs2.2mn from Rs3.1mn. It included the tuition, along with admission, library, practical and examination charges.  However, the medical colleges have charged an additional fee up to Rs1.7mn under the headings of library, practical and examination fees. The medical colleges’ failure to comply with the fee structure set by the university prompted students to resort to the protest.  The Doctors Society of Nepal (DSON), an association of medical doctors, has been pressing the IoM to take necessary steps for the effective implementation of the fee structure set by the TU.  According to DSON general secretary Dr Toshima Karki, the medical colleges have asked students to deposit an additional amount ranging from Rs1mn to Rs1.7mn.  “We want the IoM and the education ministry to take necessary steps to end the syndicate of the medical colleges. The onus lies with the two government entities to ensure the colleges under them follow the decision to the letter,”  Dr Karki said.  As per the TU executive council decision, the MD students have to pay 50% of the total fee in the first year and 25% in the second and third year  respectively. Students protest against  Indian lawmaker’s remark: Nepal Students Union (NSU) yesterday protested against the remark made by Kirti Azad, a lawmaker from India’s ruling BJP.  The lawmaker had made the statement when the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a state visit to Nepal.  A team led by NSU general secretary Kundanraj Kafle yesterday demonstrated in front of Tri Chandra Campus.  The NSU protested against the remark made by the Indian lawmaker saying Janakpur should be brought back to India, insult of National flag of Nepal and insult of Nepali army by bringing Indian army during Indian Prime Minister Modi’s Nepal visit.  NSU leader Deepak Bhattarai said that the NSU organised protest after the government turned deaf ear towards the statement of Chief Minister of province-2, prohibition of entry of Nepali media at Muktinath, and border encroachment.  Similarly, NSU vice-president Ram Prasad Adhikari said that the government should be serious towards the issue as the intention of the remark made by the Indian lawmaker was to ruin the age-old relation between Nepal and India, saying the remark was direct attack on Nepal’s sovereignty.  NSU said that it would continue the agitation until the Indian lawmaker apologises over the remark.

Australian Steve Plain became the fastest climber to scale the highest peaks in seven continents, taking 117 days for a feat popularly called the “Seven Summits”, after he scaled Mount Everest early yesterday, his expedition company in Nepal said. Plain, 36, from Albury, Australia, reached the 8,848m (29,035ft) peak of the world’s tallest mountain after climbing more than seven hours from the final camp, at the 8,000m (26,246ft) South Col, to claim the record. “He has set the record of climbing Seven Summits in the shortest time of 117 days,” said Ishwari Paudel, an official of the Himalayan Guides hiking company that handled logistics for the climber. Few details of the climb were available. A Polish climber held the previous record of 126 days to complete the Seven Summits. Apart from Everest, the six highest peaks are Denali (North America), Elbrus (Europe), Vinson (Antarctica), Aconcagua (South America), Kilimanjaro (Africa) and Papua New Guinea’s Carstensz Pyramid (Australasia/Oceania). A Chinese climber also set a new record yesterday, becoming the first double amputee to summit Everest from the Nepali side of the peak. Xia Boyu, 70, first tried to reach the top in 1975 but lost both his legs in the process due to frostbite. Subsequent attempts in 2014, 2015 and 2016 failed, according to China’s official Xinhua news agency. “Climbing Mount Everest is my dream. I have to realise it. It also represents a personal challenge, a challenge of fate,” Xia said last month before heading to the mountain.  The only other double amputee to have summited Everest was Mark Inglis from New Zealand in 2006 from the peak’s  Tibet side. Meanwhile, a team which deployed to fix ropes from Everest’s north in Tibet reached the summit yesterday, said the Himalayan Database which monitors climbers. This year hundreds are expected to make it to Everest’s summit, 65 years after New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first to reach the top of the world. Nepal has issued 346 permits to mountaineers for this year’s spring climbing season, which runs from mid-April to the  end of May. Most Everest hopefuls are escorted by a Nepali guide, meaning about 700 climbers will tread the same path to the top of the 8,848m (29,030ft) peak in the coming weeks. Another 180 climbers are preparing to summit Everest from its north side in Tibet, according to the China Tibet Mountaineering Association. Everest has become a lucrative business, with foreigners paying $11,000 for a permit to summit. But cut-price climbing outfits skimping on basic safety requirements have flourished in recent years, luring amateurs to the challenge. The rapid growth in the climbing industry has sparked complaints of overcrowding on the mountain and fears that inexperienced mountaineers could run into trouble. Climbers try to minimise the time they spend in the aptly named “Death Zone” - an area above 8,000m on Everest where there is less than a third of the oxygen found at sea level. At that altitude traffic jams can be deadly as the low oxygen environment leads to hypoxia - acute oxygen deprivation that leaves climbers vulnerable to frostbite, deadly swelling of the brain and fluid build-up in the lungs. Plain, the Australian climber, complained of long queues on the way to the summit. “When people realise they are causing a traffic jam, you’d like they’d have the courtesy to find a staff spot to step aside and let others pass. But no... (I’m looking at you Mr Blue Helmet),” the new world record holder wrote in a blog post on Sunday.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Nepal was highly successful and has taken bilateral ties to new heights, Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli said yesterday. Oli made the remarks in parliament while informing members about Modi’s visit. An environment was created to take forward Nepal-India relations based on mutual benefit, Oli said, while claiming that national interests were kept in mind while dealing with India and no compromise will be made.  “Once we had stressful relations with India, but that stage is now over,” the prime minister said. “We have mended fences ... There will be no more blockade from the Indian side in future.” On Saturday, Modi had tweeted: “My Nepal visit was historic. It gave me a great opportunity to connect with the wonderful people of Nepal.” Modi’s latest visit was the third to Kathmandu in four years, coming in the backdrop of a six-month blockade on Nepal-India border as well as a Left victory in Nepal’s  elections. The “stressed situation” that led to the blockade three years ago and hurt bilateral relations have now turned harmonious, Oli said. Echoing Modi’s statement that India respected the sovereignty and integrity of Nepal, Oli said that bilateral relations should be based on equality and India’s support will be received as per Nepal’s needs. Oli told lawmakers that discussions and agreements inked will benefit both countries.  Oli said that projects on which both countries will co-operate were related to road and railways, waterways, integrated security check-posts, transmission lines and petroleum pipelines. “The prime minister of India and I have agreed ... to address in a time-bound manner the outstanding issues between our two countries. This will further strengthen Nepal-India relations,” Oli tweeted. Oli and Modi have agreed to resolve all outstanding issues by September 19, the day marking the promulgation of the new constitution in Nepal. On Saturday, Prime Minister Oli told Modi that Nepal’s territory will not be used against New Delhi’s interests, Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said. “Oli reiterated that they will be sensitive to our concerns and their territory will not be allowed to be used by anybody against India. Prime Minister Modi reciprocated the sentiments,” Gokhale told the media. Gokhale called Oli’s view “very significant”. He said that Modi’s two-day visit to Nepal was aimed to strengthen bilateral relations “whether it be cross-border electricity or cross-border connectivity”. “We are looking into cross-border electricity and cross-border connectivity not only with Nepal but other neighbouring countries as well,” he said. After assuming office in February, Oli made his first foreign visit to India in April. According to Gokhale, Oli confirmed to Modi that Nepal will host the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) summit this year.  Bimstec comprises seven countries lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Gokhale also said that Modi’s visits to cultural sites in Nepal “suggested that there should be strong people-to-people ties”.

Everest is the ultimate mountaineering “trophy”, but the rising number of inexperienced climbers attempting to tackle the summit are running huge risks to reach the top of the world. An Indian airline pilot, a builder from Ohio and a former online media sales executive are all waiting at base camp for a chance to scale the 8,848m (29,030ft) mountain this climbing season. They haul themselves up the same ropes to the top and face the same dangers of frostbite, avalanche and exhaustion – and yet they pay vastly different amounts for the privilege. Cheaper fees mean far more people can attempt a lifelong dream of conquering the world’s highest peak, but there are grim predictions that an increasing number will never make it home. Critics warn bargain operators – who have slashed the price of an Everest ticket to as low as $20,000 – accept even the most inexperienced climbers. Meanwhile, more expensive rivals, who charge around $70,000, have smaller teams and require proven climbing ability from clients.  “It’s a huge goal and a dream of mine to stand on top of the world,” said Matt Brennan, who runs a construction company in the United States, and paid US-based Alpine Ascents $65,000 to try his first 8,000m climb. “I always wanted to climb the big ones and I felt that if I’m going to do it now is the time,” said the 57-year-old, who set his sights on Everest two years ago after tackling North America’s highest mountain, Denali, at 6,194m. In the 1980s the Nepal government only allowed one team per route on Everest, which meant only a handful of experienced climbers with national teams or those with major sponsorship deals could get a foothold. Since the limit was scrapped in the 1990s operators have crowded the slopes for a slice of the lucrative industry.  This year there are 346 paying climbers on the south side in Nepal - just shy of the record 373 permits granted in 2017 - and another 180 climbing from Tibet, foreshadowing a bumper year. Last year six people died. Guy Cotter, who has been guiding on Everest for 27 years, warned that many new climbers lack experience. “Nowadays people can go on the internet and buy the cheapest expedition onto the mountain. But there is no criteria for experience with some of these operators,” said the owner of New Zealand-based Adventure Consultants. “They are not mountaineers. They are just people who want to claim the prize of climbing Mount Everest. They are hunting for that trophy.” Tenzing Norgay, the first man to summit Everest together with New Zealander Edmund Hillary in 1953, only reached the top on his seventh attempt.  Today amateur climbers expect to do it on their first try, prompting many to take higher risks blinded by “summit fever” and lulled into a false sense of security by the thousands who have succeeded before. “Someone else has done this before me, so why can’t I do it?” said 33-year-old Briton Daniel Horne, who used to work in online media. Horne paid $70,000 to climb Everest – his second 8,000m mountain – and said it would take years to find the money and time to make another attempt if he fails. “Unless they tell me to turn around, I’m going to keep going,” said Horne. Concerns about paying clients have haunted Everest since the dawn of commercial expeditions. Many predicted a turning point after 1996 when eight people died descending from Everest’s summit, among them those with limited experience at extreme altitude. “With enough determination, any bloody idiot can get up this hill. The trick is to get back down alive,” Rob Hall – a guide that year – reportedly said. But critics say Hall and rival guide Scott Fischer, who both died that season, were too focused on their clients’ investment in getting to the summit. “There are more incidents because people get into trouble because they have not learned how not to get into trouble. This is things such as dealing with altitude, even just technical climbing skills,” said Cotter. Many long-time Everest operators warn that inexperience – among climbers and operators – will lead to more deaths. “I predict that we’ll have more fatalities on the mountain until the operators mature,” said Russell Brice, owner of Himalayan Experience, who has been taking people up Everest since 1994.  He also blamed the attitude of some climbers. “Summit fever is a real disease. People just go on. It’s the blaseness of ‘It’s just a toe’,” he said, referring to the risk of losing digits to frostbite. Indian pilot Sandeep Mansukhani hopes to bag his first major peak with Nepal-based company Asian Trekking, which charges around $30,000. He said: “For people who are just starting, trying it for the first time, why not? Somebody has to try it, there has to be a chance given to everyone.” But Everest guide Ang Tshering Lama, who last year rescued a climber and his guide who refused to turn around and give up his $20,000 fee, pointed the finger at climbers’ egos. “People say, ‘I climbed’. But they can’t say ‘I am a climber’,” said Lama. “You need to be a climber to be on this mountain.”

People climb Everest for different reasons. Some, having accomplished similar feats of endurance, like running a marathon, want to push their limits to the extreme. Others just want to add Everest to their resumes. Then there’s Kami Rita Sherpa, a 47-year-old mountain guide, who is set to break his own record on Everest sometime later this month by summiting it for a 22nd time. Three people, all of them members of the Sherpa community indigenous to the Nepalese Himalayas, currently share the record for the most summits on Everest. Apa Sherpa, Phurba Tashi Sherpa and Kami Rita Sherpa have each climbed it a record 21 times. Sherpas, ethnic Tibetans who migrated to Nepal about 600 years ago, live in the shadow of some of the world’s tallest mountains in eastern Nepal. The famed mountain people, who work as porters, guides and managers and can earn between $5,000 and 10,000 in one season, form the backbone of Nepal’s climbing  industry. In 2013, when Phurba Tashi scaled Everest, he tied the record of legendary climber Apa Sherpa, who quit climbing Everest after his 21st ascent in 2011. Phurba Tashi, who recently climbed the 8,156m peak of Manaslu in Nepal, has said he has no plans to summit Everest again. Kami Rita, the veteran guide, left for Everest last month. Before flying to Lukla, the tiny airstrip that serves as a gateway to Everest, he made a crucial move in his two-decade career as a guide. He quit his long-time employer Alpine Ascents International, a Seattle-based commercial guiding company, and joined Seven Summits Treks, one of a dozen Nepalese-run companies that regularly operate on the world’s highest peak.  Tashi Sherpa, managing director of the company, said he wanted Kami Rita because he was one of the most experienced guides on Everest. “We cannot calculate his experience in terms of money. Perhaps it’s worth millions of dollars,” he said. Tashi said Kami Rita would be responsible for helping the company’s 15 foreign clients reach the summit of the 8,848m peak. “He oversees a group of 20 Sherpas. He will lead the team in setting up camps above base camp and manage logistics,” he said. Kami Rita is considered one of the strongest and most reliable guides on Everest, said Ang Tshering Sherpa, former president of the Nepal  Mountaineering Association. But Kami Rita, who grew up in Thame, a village in the shadow of Everest, and started his career as a trekking porter in 1992, is not resting on his laurels. “I still want to climb Everest two or three [more] times. Then I will set up my own guiding company,” he said. The intrepid climber, who spends his spare time at base camp playing cards or training younger Sherpas, said that every spring climbing season he worries about whether his clients will reach the summit. “I am the happiest person after all of my team members return from a  successful summit,” he said. The father of two teenagers said he doesn’t want his children to follow his path. “I don’t want them to work on the mountain. They will be better off pursuing their career in other areas after their study,” he said. It’s a sentiment shared by many Sherpa climbers and guides, particularly after tragedies on Everest in recent years. Sixteen Sherpas were killed in 2014 when an avalanche hit Khumbu Icefall, the most dangerous part of the route on Everest. Over half of the 18 people killed in the earthquake-triggered avalanche in 2015 on Everest base camp were local guides and porters, including Sherpas. The disasters highlighted the risks Sherpas face on the mountain and prompted the government, which charges a foreign climber $11,000 for a climbing permit on Everest, to reform the sector by increasing insurance from $5,500 to $11,000 and making it mandatory for climbers to hire guides. But for Kami Rita, these changes are still not enough. “Our government hasn’t done much for us. We are famous around the world. Many foreigners know us, but our government doesn’t care about us,” he said. He recalled how the government failed to provide support to Ang Rita Sherpa, nicknamed “Snow Leopard,” who climbed Everest a record 10 times without supplemental oxygen, when he was hospitalised in Kathmandu after a brain haemorrhage a year ago. Before leaving for Everest this season, Kami Rita signed a contract to serve as a brand ambassador for a cement company. Photos of him and local personalities including an ultra-runner named Mira Rai were featured in the company’s advert in Nepalese newspapers last month. He has also been rewarded with trips abroad from his clients.

Officials in Nepal have put a two-day prohibition on trekking along the Thorong La Pass Trekking (Annapurna circuit) route ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to the country, commencing on May 11. The district administration office of Manang and Mustang has proscribed trekking on the Manang-Thorong La and Mustang-Thorong La-Manang trekking route on May 11 and 12. During the two-day phase, helicopters are barred from flying in the area, reported the Kathmandu Post. Hundreds of tourists have paid fees to Annapurna conservation area project (ACAP) to embark on trekking along the circuit. With this decision being implemented, it is highly likely that trekkers will find themselves in a tight spot as a few of them have already begun it and a few of them are preparing to commence for the same. “Trekkers who have already embarked on the trek will face problems. It the government’s decision and we have to abide by it,” the report quoted ACAP chief Binod Basnet, as saying. Nepal’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Gyawali and Indian ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri have visited Janakpur to study security and other issues ahead of Modi’s visit. Modi will be given a civic reception at the Bahrabigaha’s Rangabhoomi ground.  Gywali said Modi’s visit will prove to be a milestone for  Nepal’s development.  Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and Modi will jointly initiate two projects - the Ayodhya bus service and the Ramayana circuit project - from the temple premises. The Indian PM will be felicitated on behalf of the Janakpur sub-metropolis authorities, Gyawali said. The provincial government has announced a public holiday to coincide with Modi’s visit.  Chief Minister Lal Babu Raut of province number 2 said it was a matter of pride to welcome the Indian prime minister to Janakpur and hence they were working on a war footing to make the visit a grand success. Modi will also call on Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and Vice President Nanda Kishor Pun and meet leaders of political parties. The Indian prime minister will lay the foundation stone of Arun III hydroelectricity project in Sankhuwasabha district of eastern Nepal, undertaken by India’s Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam, through videoconferencing.  The 900MW project is expected to be completed in five years. India will spend $1.5bn on it.  Kathmandu Metropolitan City will hold a civic reception for Modi, with Mayor Bidhya Sundar Sakya presenting an “artistic key” to Modi. As many as 11,000 security personnel will be deployed during Modi’s Nepal visit.

In a bid to promote Nepali signature heritage cuisine in global market, Nepal launched cook book and videos under the campaign “Globalising Nepal Heritage Cuisine” yesterday. Amid a special programme including cuisine display and tasting in Kathmandu, Nepali Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari launched the book and videos that feature Nepali recipe including information on all ingredients and cooking methods. The move is a joint initiation of Nepal Tourism Board, Hotel Association Nepal, Chefs Association of Nepal and Restaurant and Bar Association of Nepal. With the help of the booklet and videos, Nepal also aims to position itself in the international market as a global food and gastronomy destination. “We need to promote Nepali food within the country first so that the foreign tourists visiting Nepal will taste it and later promote in their respective countries. It’s all about mixing food and tourism together,” Rabindra Adhikari said in the event. Adhikari noted that the campaign will be helpful to attract more foreign tourists to the Himalayan country considering the “Visit Nepal Year 2020.” In the first phase, the campaign has highlighted 30 heritage dishes representing region, culture, festivals and ethnic  diversity of the country. These dishes were selected out of around 200 dishes found in the local households and restaurants across the country. The cuisines were selected on the basis of suggestions by food experts considering used raw materials like spices or seasonings, ethnic flavours, colours and ingredients, among others. The signature dishes also went through calorie and nutrition mapping as per  international food practices. The heritage cuisines being promoted are categorised into different sections like soup, appetiser, main dish, dessert, sauce and spices. The foods have been given typical local names while the recipe includes authenticity and richness of heritage. According to tourism experts, it is the high time that the world knows about how important Nepali food is, which is never boring and tasteless. Deepak Joshi, head of Nepal Tourism Board, said, “There are many aspects through which the world knows us like braveness, friendliness and happiness of Nepali people. But they need to know that this all is because of our healthy and  hygienic food.” Stating that food is all about emotions and sentiments, convener of the campaign Karna Shakya said that since Nepal is rich in food varieties, “We need to tap this opportunity to introduce our food and link it with tourism.”  Meanwhile, Nepal started promoting the recipes online via official websites and social media to popularise the taste worldwide yesterday.

A special Left alliance task force formed by the ruling CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre parties has recommended barring Nepali youths from joining foreign armies, a media report said yesterday. The task force also suggested that the previous treaties and agreements governing Nepali nationals’ service in foreign armies should be scrapped through diplomatic channel, the  Himalayan Times reported. Around 44,000 Nepali nationals are currently serving in the Indian and British armies as well as Singapore Police. The work plan for achieving economic development and prosperity states that Nepali citizens “will be barred from joining any foreign army,” the  paper said. UML vice-chair and coordinator of the task force Bamdev Gautam has submitted the report to Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and CPN-MC chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal. “The (Left) alliance proposed banning Nepalis from joining foreign armies mainly because Nepal as a member of the non-alignment movement should not send its youths to join foreign armies,” the paper quoted a left alliance leader as saying. In the past too, parliamentary panels had urged the government to bar Nepalis from joining foreign armies. Nepal’s Supreme Court had passed an order eight years ago, saying recruitment of Nepalis in Singapore Police Force was illegal, but that order was not implemented, the paper said. There are seven Gurkha regiments, 40 battalions in the Indian Army with around 40,000 Gurkha soldiers, including in the Assam Rifles, the paper said. Citing Indian security experts, it said that 70 per cent of Indian Gurkhas are Nepali citizens. In 1947, when India gained independence, a tripartite agreement among Nepal, India and Britain transferred four Gurkha regiments from the British army to the Indian army. There are 80,000 ex-Gurkhas, 17,000 Nepalis in Assam Rifles and 11,000 widows receiving welfare fund. They receive Rs12bn from the Indian  government annually. There are around 3,600 Nepalis in British army and around 400 Nepalis serve in Singapore Police Force. Eligible Nepalis for Singapore Police Force are selected by ex-British Gurkhas.

Transport operators in Nepal halted the operation of their vehicles across the country from yesterday, affecting the movement of commuters. The protest has been led by Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs Association, an umbrella organisation of transport operators, a month after the government put a ban on the monopoly in transportation sector, known as syndicate system. The Nepal government recently amended the transport management directive of 2004 to break organised syndicate of transport operators and to encourage the private companies for open and fair competition. It is adopting “zero tolerance” policy against public transport syndicate. Thus, transport operators are in phase-wise protest in all 77 districts from yesterday to pressurise the government to step back with its latest decision. Bharat Nepal, a protesting transport operator, said, “We are not against open competition. But the government should consult the transport associations and committees before making any such decision. Our protest will continue until the government  steps back.” The shut down in the vehicular movement has affected the lives of general people, compelling many to walk on streets to reach their destinations.  However, vehicles belonging to transport companies, which are not under the federation, have continued their service in regular routes. According to department of transport management, it will scrap the registration of those transportation associations and committees that promote the  organised syndicate system. Around 400,000 public vehicles across the country are associated with Federation of Nepalese National Transport  Entrepreneurs Association.

The Nepal government is set to revise the minimum wage of workers. The revision is in line with the labour law which says that minimum wages of workers should be revised every two years. The new pay scale is said to come into effect from the first month of the new fiscal year.  Hinting at the preparations for increasing the wages, Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, in his congratulatory message on the occasion of International Workers’ Day, reiterated the government’s commitment to fully  implementing the labour law.  “A large number of youths are compelled to head out of the country and subjected to exploitation due to the lack of appropriate working environment in the country. The government remains sensitive towards the plight of Nepali youths forced to risk their lives in an unknown foreign land and engage in hard labour,” the message reads.  If stakeholders — the government, the private sector and trade union officials — fail to fix the minimum wage unanimously, says the labour law, the ministry of labour, employment and social security can unilaterally fix new wages. The law further states that the revised wages are implemented from the first month of the fiscal year unless there is another agreement between the employer and the employee.  Since the law requires wage revision every two years, the government should abide by it, said Bishnu Rimal, former president of General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (Gefont). “Apart from increasing the minimum wage, the government should also play a proactive role in effectively implementing other provisions mentioned in the law for the betterment of workers,” said the chief adviser to  the PM.  The government last revised the minimum wage for workers in February 2016 to Rs9,700 per month and Rs395 per day. Trade union members have demanded that the amount be increased by at least Rs5,000 to ensure  security of workers.  Rimal said the government should ensure that the monthly minimum wage hovers around Rs15,000. “If this happens we can bring down the rate of mass exodus of youths to foreign soil seeking employment  opportunities.  Chandra Dhakal, chairman, Employers’ Council of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said the private sector was positive about increasing the minimum wage based on relative valuation. “There should be no hesitation in revising the wages based on the current time and situation,” said Dhakal.

The Election Commission of Bangladesh has reset the boundaries of 25 of the 300 parliamentary constituencies to be contested in the upcoming general  elections. The decision was made at a meeting chaired by chief election commissioner KM Nurul Huda on Monday, said election commissioner Md Rafiqul Islam. The boundaries of the 300 constituencies have been finalised. The boundaries of 275 constituencies will remain unchanged from those used in the 10th national parliamentary elections, while the remaining 25 have been revised. On March 14, a draft of the reset boundaries showed alterations to 40 constituencies while the remaining 260 remained the same. But 60 of the boundaries outlined in the draft were contested or  petitioned. The EC scrutinised the appeals from April 21 to April 25 before accepting 35 of the  appeals.  As a result, those constituencies will maintain the boundaries from the 10th national parliamentary elections. The remaining 25 will be changed.

Nepal will deploy over 7,000 security personnel during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit on May 11 that will begin from Janakpur where he will spend 45 minutes in prayers. Modi will fly directly to Janakpur from Patna and will be welcomed by his Nepali counterpart K P Sharma Oli at the Ram Janaki Temple. The Indian leader will perform a prayer at the temple and then take part in a civil felicitation programme at Bahra Bigaha area. The Indian leader will later inaugurate the Ramayan Circuit, which is one among the 13 tourist circuits under the “Swadesh Darshan Scheme” of India.  According to officials, over 7,000 security personals will be deployed in five layers for the security of the Indian Prime Minister.  From Janakpur, Modi will fly to Mustang where he will pray at the Muktinath temple. He will then reach Kathmandu, according to the travel itinerary made public by the government.  Nepali Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa said the Indian leader’s visit will be religious and cultural. There will be no political agreements. Thapa and Home Secretary Dev Kumar Rai and chiefs of all three security agencies reached Janakpur yesterday to take stock of the security measures for Modi’s welcome. In 2014, Modi’s plan to enter Nepal through Janakpur was foiled over “security threats”. “His (Modi’s) visit this time is for religious purpose, not a political one. This visit will take the centuries-old social and religious relationship between Nepal and India to a new height,” Thapa told the media. He said there will be no programmes for political agreements this time during Modi’s visit. “The visit will help strengthen the religious and cultural relations between the two countries.” Modi will also lay a foundation stone of hydroelectricity Arun III project in Nepal on May 11.

When Nepali labourer Om Bahadur Purja sprained his leg in his remote village he would have faced a four-hour trek to the nearest medical centre – but for a pioneering scheme to bring healthcare to the Himalayas. Instead, the 60-year-old father of three received the treatment he needed in his home village thanks to the recent arrival of a drone carrying basic medicines and equipment. “This saved me a lot of trouble, time and money,” Purja told the Thomson Reuters Foundation from Ramche, a Himalayan village 250km (150 miles) northwest of the Nepali capital Kathmandu. Thousands of people living in remote areas of Nepal have no access to proper healthcare facilities, which means they have to walk or be carried long distances if they fall ill. The poor Himalayan country has just over 2,600 doctors – less than one for every 10,000 people – and many of the 2,000 village health posts meant to provide urgent treatment lack basic medicines as supplies often take months to reach them. That means many Nepalis resort to traditional healers or even go without any  medical care. Enter Mahabir Pun, a 63-year-old former teacher who won national fame more than a decade ago with an ambitious scheme to connect Himalayan villages like Ramche to the Internet. Pun’s non-profit National Innovation Centre (NIC) has developed the country’s first “medical drone”, aiming to bring care to the remote mountain communities that  need it most. The machine, designed and assembled by young Nepali graduates, is the most effective way of bringing health services to people in difficult-to-reach areas, said Pun. He also hopes the scheme can provide employment for talented young Nepalis who might otherwise move abroad for work. “It was designed, fabricated and assembled by the innovative young college graduates in our lab to keep costs low,” he said. “This way I am trying to promote innovation among the young engineers and contribute to slow the trend of people leaving Nepal for jobs abroad.” The drone can carry samples of blood and other fluids to the nearest laboratory for tests, and deliver supplies, he added. Pun won the Ramon Magsaysay prize – seen as Asia’s Nobel – for his work connecting Himalayan villages in Nepal to the web. At present it can only carry a 1kg (2 pound) load about 2km (1.2 miles), but the team is working on improving the range so it can carry a heavier load over a longer distance. The internet connection proved a lifeline for villages with no road access or mobile phone reception – an achievement all the more impressive as it was achieved during a 10-year Maoist insurgency that brought large swathes of Nepal to a standstill. The country of 28.6mn people restricts drone use, so Pun is working with officials to ensure his scheme is a success. “We must identify remote villages where drones are effective to carry medicines,” said public health worker  Roshan Neupane. “Bigger drones should be designed and developed so heavier loads could be sent.”

An explosion took place yesterday at the office of a hydroelectricity project in Nepal being developed by the Indian government. The compound wall of the 900MW Arun III Hydroelectric Power Plant’s office in Tumlingtar area, nearly 500km from the capital Kathmandu, was damaged in the explosion, said Siva Raj Joshi, chief district officer of Sankhuwasabha. The project is slated to come into operation by 2020. The blast comes at a time when preparations are going on for laying the foundation stone of the project by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his official visit to Nepal on May 11. No one was injured in the blast and an investigation has been launched, Joshi said, adding that no one had claimed responsibility for the blast. A project development agreement for Arun III was signed with India’s state-owned Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) on November 25, 2014 in the presence of the then prime minister Sushil Koirala and visiting Indian Prime Minister Modi. This is the second blast within a month in Indian properties in Nepal. On April 17, a pressure cooker bomb went off near the Indian embassy field office in Biratnagar damaging the walls of the premises. Nepal is currently facing shortage of power and the production of hydropower from the project will mainly serve its domestic demands. The project is expected to bring in $1.5bn foreign direct investment into Nepal and create jobs for thousands of people.

In a fresh effort to utilise solar power, Nepal has decided to construct a solar plant at Devighat in Nuwakot, 75km from the capital Kathmandu. Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Barsha Man Pun laid the foundation stone for the construction of 25MW solar plant on Friday. The government aims to complete the project within a year. Once complete, it will become Nepal’s largest solar power plant at a single location.  The power produced by the solar plant will be fed directly into the national grid to supply it to the Kathmandu Valley during the day time. “The solar energy will help to balance the power distribution during peak hours,” the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) said in a statement. Minister Pun said the government has targeted to build solar plants with a total installed capacity of 500MW within the next five years.  In February 2015, the World Bank agreed to provide $130mn to the government to build solar stations to supply electricity in the Kathmandu Valley and reduce electricity leakage. Out of that amount, $37mn was earmarked for the installation of solar plants at Devighat and Trishuli in Nuwakot district.  Although construction should have begun within a year of signing the aid accord, the NEA took two years to award the contract as the contractor selection process became engulfed in controversy.   NEA started implementing the solar plant project since last year following a court order allowing it to move ahead.