The recent order by the Supreme Court (SC) to register two petitions that seek to hold Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal in his capacity as head of the former rebel party, CPN (Maoist), responsible for the loss of life, damage, and destruction during the Maoist insurgency has sent ripples across Nepali politics.

Nepal has taken a giant leap towards women empowerment. In a groundbreaking event, two female pilots, Captain Bhawana Pant and Co-pilot Srijana Raut, took the helm of an Airbus 320 for an international flight, a first not only for Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) but also for the entire country's aviation industry.

The recent dismissal of Major General Prem Shahi from the Nepalese Army (NA) following his 59-day detention raises serious concerns about the army's commitment to upholding constitutional supremacy and the rule of law. This all began after the NA Headquarters issued Shahi a letter of "premature" retirement leave on the grounds of an error in his academic certificate.

The economic outlook for the country appears grim, with a forecast that is anything but optimistic. However, despite political instability and a sluggish economy, the government reports that Nepali citizens are experiencing an increase in annual income!

The recent increase in foreign tourist arrivals to Nepal is a promising sign for the country's tourism industry, which has been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The arrival of over 73,000 tourists in February 2023, compared to just over 9,000 in the same month the previous year, shows that the country’s ailing tourism industry is gradually on the path of recovery.

According to the Nepali tradition, a newborn is ‘baptized’ on the ninth day of its birth. But Province 1 could not find a name for itself for a long, long time. But on March 1, a week ahead of the presidential election, and after much difficulty and years of wait, Province 1 was finally able to shed its embarrassing numerical identity and adopt the name ‘Koshi’, after the largest river in the country. The proposal to name the province as ‘Kirant-Limbuwan-Sagarmatha’ was rejected after discussions in the provincial assembly. This decision is particularly significant as it avoided a name based on ethnic identity, which could have divided the province along ethnic lines.

It is highly concerning to learn that Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has stopped Foreign Minister Bimala Rai Paudyal from attending the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) meeting in Geneva, and has instead sent his advisor Gobinda Bandi, whose appointment was not publicized before, to represent Nepal in the international forum. This move raises serious questions about the government's commitment to human rights and the rule of law. This also shows how our diplomacy is heavily politicized in Nepal.

The full text of the Special Court’s verdict on the case filed by the CIAA claiming corruption and financial irregularities leading to substandard work in the Sikta Irrigation Project is bizarre, incredibly disappointing, and appears to be a gross miscarriage of justice. In what can only be described as a shocking turn of events, the court has deemed the dissoluble soil in the project area responsible for the failure of the project!

Only by moving away from the glorification of violence can Nepal build a peaceful and prosperous future for all its citizens. The prime minister's current actions suggest that his priorities are misplaced.

Despite the political parties coming to a consensus on their respective presidential candidates and registering their candidacies, there is a palpable lack of enthusiasm and interest surrounding these candidates. They have failed to inspire a sense of hope or excitement in the people, and their names are not associated with any particular sense of love or respect beyond their immediate party factions.