Security force personnel search for the victims at the site of a helicopter crash on the outskirts of Kathmandu on August 7, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Four Chinese tourists were among five people killed in Nepal on Wednesday (August 7, 2024) when a helicopter crashed in the mountains northwest region of Kathmandu.

The police have recovered five dead bodies from the crash site in Ward No. 7 of Shivapuri Rural Municipality, Nuwakot, My Republica newspaper reported.

Nepal-based Air Dynasty helicopter, 9N-AJD, was en route to Rasuwa from Kathmandu when it crashed. The helicopter departed from Kathmandu at 1:54 p.m. and was en route to Syaphrubensi when it crashed.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), “a Prabhu helicopter (9N-ANL) was dispatched to the crash site immediately after the incident.”

“There were five individuals on board, including four Chinese tourists,” the paper said. “The helicopter lost contact with the tower just three minutes after takeoff from Tribhuvan International Airport,” according to the CAAN.

Citing a police official, the paper said that the bodies of two men, one woman and the pilot, identified as Arun Malla, were recovered from the crash site.

One body has not been identified yet as it is charred beyond recognition, My republica reported.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Shantiraj Koirala at the Nuwakot District Police Office — who reached the crash site —confirmed that five bodies had been recovered.

This crash comes just weeks after the Saurya Airlines plane crash at the Tribhuvan International Airport on July 24. The crash claimed the lives of 18 people on board, with the captain being the sole survivor.

This latest incident raises serious concerns about air safety over the skies of the Himalayan nation, which has witnessed numerous air crashes in recent years.

Stand-in India skipper Smriti Mandhana was pleased to see the middle-order batters getting some much-needed runs under their belt against Nepal in Dambulla on Tuesday ahead of the women’s Asia Cup semifinals. With regular skipper Harmanpreet Kaur skipping the match and India sitting pretty at the top of the group, Mandhana decided to shuffle the batting order to give time to the other batters in the middle during their last group match against minnows Nepal. Mandhana, a regular opener, didn’t bat at the top as Shafali Verma (81) and Dayalan Hemalatha (47) opened the innings and smashed their way to 122 in 14 overs to lay the foundation.

S Sajana (10) and Jemmimah Rodrigues (28) then took them to a solid 178 for 3, which proved enough as Nepal could manage 96 for nine in 20 overs to suffer a 82-run loss.

“As an opener you don’t get a lot of games where you don’t bat. Much needed game time for all the other batters. The middle order hasn’t batted in the previous games,” Mandhana said during the post-match presentation.

“The conditions were different and it is always good to have game time under your belt. The middle order didn’t get time in the South Africa series as well, so good they could spend some time in the middle.” Mandhana said each tournament since the last few months has been a step towards preparation for the World T20 scheduled to be held in Bangladesh later this year.

“Not only this tournament, but also in the last five or six months, the preparations started post WPL, there are a lot of fine tuning to be done and we have to keep improving, cannot go into a World Cup under prepared,” she said.

India might play Bangladesh in the semifinals, an opponent they had comprehensively defeated in a recent away series but Mandhana said they are not going to lower their guard.

“You don’t take any team (semifinal opponents) lightly, we have two days to rest and practice before we go out and apply ourselves.” Adjudged player-of-the-match for her blistering 48-ball knock 81, Shafali Verma said she backed her strength and the execution was good.

“The consistency is improving but I could have finished the innings today,” said the opener, who slammed 12 fours and a six during her match-winning innings.

Shafali had scored the fastest double century in women’s Tests during a match against South Africa in Chennai last month and she said it gave her a lot of confidence.

“Double hundred is big for any batter and I got plenty of confidence from that innings, I wasn’t in good form before that but the innings helped me get back my confidence.” Nepal skipper Indu Barma said they will look to come back stronger after taking a lot of lessons from their matches against India and Pakistan.

“I am proud of my team. The effort we put in, we realised our weakness and will come back stronger.

“It was a great exposure to play against India. I am happy with my team, after 10 overs the bowlers got good momentum and restricted them to below 200. We got good experience from this tournament by playing against India and Pakistan. We made some good memories,” she said.

Explosive opener Shafali Verma slammed a career-best 48-ball 81 as defending champions India thrashed minnows Nepal by 82 runs in their final group match to confirm their semifinal spot at the Women’s Asia Cup T20 tournament in Dambulla on Tuesday. With India shuffling the batting order, Shafali and Dayalan Hemalatha (47) opened the innings and gave India a flying start after stand-in skipper Smriti Mandhana won the toss and opted to bat. The opening duo smashed its way to 122 in 14 overs to lay the foundation.

Jemimah Rodrigues then hit unbeaten 28 off 15 balls, including three fours in the final over, to take India to a solid 178 for three.

Nepal needed to achieve the target in or under 10 overs to surpass Pakistan on net run rate and qualify for the semifinals but they could only manage 96 for nine in their 20 overs, thanks to some superb bowling from the in-form Indian attack.

Deepti Sharma (3/13) was the most successful bowler for India as she snapped three wickets, while her spin colleague Radha Yadav (2/12) and seamer Arundhati Reddy (2/18), playing in place of a rested Pooja Vastrakar, snapped two each.

Pakistan, thus, became the second team to qualify for the semifinals from group A.

It proved to be a tough chase for Nepal as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals to slip to 52 for 4 in 10.2 overs with seamer Arundhati cleaning up both the openers — Samjhana Khadka (7) and Sita Rana Magar (18).

Renuka Singh (1/15) then dismissed Kabita Kunwar (6), while Radha removed Indu Barma (14).

Deepti then got into the act, getting rid of Rubina Chhetry (15) and Kabita Joshi (0) and then removed Puja Mahato (2) with a direct throw.

Dolly Bhatta (5) became the second victim of Radha, while a caught and bowl effort helped Deepti dismiss Kajal Shrestha (3) to claim her third wicket.

Earlier, Shafali literally toyed with the bowlers, using her flicks to good use as 12 fours and a maximum flew from her blade.

Hemalatha struggled a bit but chugged along with her experienced partner as the Nepalese bowlers toiled in vain.

The openers racked up 50 in the powerplay and continued to make the bowlers pay.

Shafali was particularly harsh on medium pacer Kabita Joshi (1/36), smashing her for five boundaries, while off-spinner Sabnam Rai (0/41) too was sent across the line a couple of times.

The dashing opener smacked spinner Rubina Chhetry (0/14) over deep mid-wicket for her first six in the seventh over before picking up another four with a slog-sweep. She completed her fifty in 26 balls in the eighth over.

Hemalatha, who was finding it difficult to get the middle of the bat, then clobbered Joshi for a straight six as India reached 91 for no loss at the halfway stage.

Nepal had an opportunity to break the stand in the 12th over by left-arm spinner Sita Rana Magar (2/25) but seamer Indu Barma (0/29) spilled a regulation catch off Hemalatha at the boundary line.

The batter, however, was caught by Rubina after a bit of a juggle off the same bowler as India lost their first wicket with the team at 122 in 14 overs.

Hemalatha struck five fours and a six in her 42-ball innings.

Shafali continued to punish the bowlers, slamming two more fours off Barma but Sita Rana finally got rid of the opener with a tossed up delivery as the keeper did the rest.

Joshi then trapped S Sajana (10) but Rodrigues swelled the innings with a little cameo.

India vs Nepal, Women’s Asia Cup T20 LIVE Updates© X (Twitter)

India vs Nepal LIVE Telecast, Women’s Asia Cup T20, 2024© X (Twitter)

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
| Photo Credit: ANI

India-funded projects in the neighbourhood received the bulk of the allocation for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) under the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday.

Nepal secured an allocation of ₹700 crore, which is a jump of ₹150 crore from previous year’s allocation of ₹550 crore. Sri Lanka, which has a number of India-funded projects, has received ₹245 crore, an improvement of ₹95 crore over last year’s funding of ₹150 crore. Seychelles, which had an allocation of ₹10 crore, has also received a boost in funding with the infusion of ₹30 crore.

Dip in funding

Bhutan, the largest recipient of the annual allocation under the MEA, has seen a dip in funding by ₹332.02 crore. Total funding for Bhutan this year stands at ₹2,068.56 crore. Bhutan and India are close economic partners and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Thimphu last week, when the two sides cleared 61 projects amounting to ₹4,958 crore. The slight reduction in the annual allocation therefore does not indicate a reduction in funding for projects in Bhutan.

Dips in funding were seen for Myanmar, Mauritius, Bangladesh, and Mongolia.

Conflict-torn Myanmar, which had an allocation of ₹400 crore last year, received ₹250 crore this year. Mauritius, with an allocation of ₹370 crore, has received ₹90.79 crore less than the previous year. The allocation for Mongolia, which earlier received ₹7 crore, has been scaled down to ₹5 crore.

Allocation for Bangladesh has dropped by ₹80 crore to ₹120 crore. Both Afghanistan and the Maldives, with ₹200 crore and ₹400 crore, respectively, have secured the same allocation as last year.

The Budget also allocated an additional ₹5 crore for MEA’s ‘Aid for Cultural and Heritage Projects’, bringing the total allocation to ₹15 crore.

Nepal en route to victory over UAE.© X (Twitter)

Newly elected Prime Minister K.P. Oli is being sworn in by President Ram Prasad Poudel, unseen, at the Presidential residence in Kathmandu, Nepal on July 15, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Newly-appointed Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli on July 18 said that Nepal’s future is “bright”, but its current scenario needs to be changed, amidst frequent political turmoil in the Himalayan nation.

Mr. Oli, who was sworn in on Monday as the Himalayan nation’s Prime Minister for the fourth time, said the country’s current scenario is not good, The Rising Nepal newspaper reported.

Addressing the Engineer Day event, the 72-year-old veteran Communist leader said that though the country is praiseworthy, its situation does not match it.

Nepal has faced frequent political turmoil as the country has seen 14 governments in the past 16 years after the Republican system was introduced.

“There is an issue in the country. If a body is unwell, then it cannot be said that hands are fine. Just like when the fever comes, the whole body suffers; the situation of the country is not good overall, at least not praiseworthy,” Mr. Oli was quoted as saying.

OPINION | ​Unprincipled alliances: On politics in Nepal

“The history of our country is glorious and worth praising, just like the country is. There is no doubt that the future of our country is good, but it is, at present, not in a place of satisfaction. Therefore, it needs to be changed,” he said.

He underscored that the need of the hour was to take the country towards betterment from the present deteriorated condition, Nepal’s state-run RSS news agency reported.

Asserting that the government was involved in resolving the country’s existing problems, Mr. Oli said, “There is no condition of being satisfied. We have to change this condition. There is no doubt that the future of the country is bright.” He expressed commitment that the government would advance, resolving problems surfacing in every sector.

Mr. Oli, who needs to secure a vote of confidence from Parliament within 30 days of appointment, will take a vote of confidence on Sunday.

Kathmandu:

K P Sharma Oli on Monday was sworn in as Nepal’s Prime Minister for the fourth time to lead a new coalition government that faces the daunting challenge of providing political stability in the Himalayan nation.

The leader of Nepal’s largest communist party was appointed as prime minister on Sunday by President Ram Chandra Paudel to lead the coalition government with Nepali Congress (NC), the largest party in Parliament, apart from other smaller parties.

Oli, 72, succeeds Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda,’ who lost the vote of confidence in the House of Representatives (HoR) on Friday, leading to the formation of the new government.

Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), Oli was sworn in by President Paudel at Shital Niwas, the main building of Rashtrapati Bhawan at a ceremony that was delayed by more than half an hour.

According to the news portal MyRepublica, the swearing-in ceremony was delayed due to the failure of the Nepali Congress to finalise the names of its ministers to join the government amid disputes within the party.

The President also administered oaths to the two Deputy PMs – Prakash Man Singh and Bishnu Paudel – and 19 other ministers. Singh would also look after the Urban Development Ministry while Vishnu Prakash Paudel would look after the Finance Ministry.

Arzoo Rana Deuba, wife of Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba is the Foreign Minister in the cabinet.

There are 10 cabinet ministers from Nepali Congress; eight, excluding PM, from CPN-UML, two from Janata Samajwadi Party and one from Lokatantrik Samajwadi Party in the government.

Outgoing Prime Minister Prachanda was also present at the ceremony, which was attended by foreign diplomats and other dignitaries.

Earlier on Sunday, President Paudel had appointed Oli as the new Prime Minister under Article 76-2 of the Constitution of Nepal, according to a notice issued by the President’s Office.

On Friday night, Oli had staked his claim to become the next Prime Minister with the backing of NC President Deuba and submitted the signatures of 165 House of Representatives (HoR) members — 77 from his Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) party and 88 from the Nepali Congress. (NC).

Oli will now need to secure a vote of confidence from Parliament within 30 days of appointment, which he is likely to secure easily as the minimum number to form a government in the 275-strong HoR is just 138.

Prachanda faced the vote of confidence as earlier last week, Oli’s party withdrew its support to that coalition and inked a new seven-point deal with Deuba to form a new coalition government.

According to the July 1 deal between NC and CPN-UML, the two parties will lead the government on a rotational basis until the next general elections scheduled for 2027.

Oli served as Nepal’s prime minister from October 11, 2015, to August 3, 2016 and then, from February 5, 2018, to July 13, 2021. He continued to serve from May 13, 2021, to July 13, 2021 — because of an appointment by the then President Bidya Devi Bhandari, described by local media as a success of Oli’s Machiavellian tricks. Later, the Supreme Court ruled that Oli’s claim to the post of prime minister was unconstitutional.

Nepal has faced frequent political turmoil as the country has seen 14 governments in the past 16 years after the Republican system was introduced.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Rescue operation underway after two buses were swept away by a landslide and pushed into a swollen river at Simaltal area along the Narayanghat-Mugling road in Chitwan district, Nepal. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Rescuers have recovered a total of seven bodies from the river that two buses full of people were swept into by a landslide, officials said on July 15.

Rescuers were able to find the bodies in different locations on the riverbanks as the search continues for the missing buses and people on board.

Government administrator Khima Nanda Bhusal said the bodies were identified and relatives contacted. Three of the dead are Indians and the remaining four are Nepali nationals.

The buses were on the key highway connecting Nepal’s capital to southern parts of the country when they were swept away Friday morning near Simaltal, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of Kathmandu.

The first body was recovered Sunday some 50 kilometers (31 miles) from where the buses fell.

Weather conditions improved Saturday and search teams were able to cover more ground in the hunt for the missing buses and passengers. Heavy equipment had cleared much of the landslides from the highway, making it easier to reach the area as rescuers expanded their scope toward the southern region from where the first body was found, Bhusal said.

The government has imposed a ban on passenger buses traveling at night in the areas where weather warnings are posted, according to the Home Ministry.