Living in turbulent times

Published On: December 4, 2019 11:39 AM NPT By: Pranab Kharel & Gaurab KC

We often hear people say that Nepal has been passing through transition. In fact, the country has witnessed multiple of them. In the last seven decades the country has gone through major changes owing to both endogenous and exogenous factors.This has led to a situation which can be described as troubled times where people are caught between multiple hopes and despair. The multiplicity of the change and its pace forces people to adapt to new forms of coping strategies.

Lessons from Sri Lanka

Published On: December 4, 2019 11:33 AM NPT By: Krishna M Pradhan

As a part of an international observation mission, this scribe had the opportunity to observe the election process of recently concluded presidential election of Sri Lanka. Brief observation of the election is compiled here in order to share their experiences and learn lessons from them.

Russia and Middle East

Published On: December 4, 2019 11:29 AM NPT By: Shlomo Ben-Ami

TEL AVIV – The collapse of the Soviet Union three decades ago meant that its once-formidable presence in the Middle East collapsed as well. Today, however, as the United States has withdrawn from the region, Russia has rushed to recapture the Soviet Union’s position there, through a combination of military force, arms deals, strategic partnerships, and the deployment of soft power. But its success is being significantly overestimated.

Relevance of WTO reform

Published On: December 3, 2019 10:45 AM NPT By: Purushottam Ojha

Global merchandize trade has experienced slowdown after 2011 which is mainly attributed to the economic recession of 2009-10 and the drop in the prices of fuels and minerals in the ensuing years. The situation got aggravated as the US government made a big shift in its trade policy after 2016, introducing the element of protectionism under the banner of ‘make America great again.’

All is not well with global economy

Published On: December 3, 2019 10:39 AM NPT By: Nouriel Roubini

​NEW YORK – This past May and August, escalations in the trade and technology conflict between the United States and China rattled stock markets and pushed bond yields to historic lows. But that was then: since then, financial markets have once again become giddy. US and other equities are trending toward new highs, and there is even talk of a potential “melt-up” in equity values.

Reclaiming our land

Published On: December 3, 2019 10:33 AM NPT By: Umesh K Bhattarai

The Indo-Nepal border dispute at Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani is getting intense. Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has accused Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli of giving consent to include these areas in political map of India. It is a serious allegation to the government head at a time when the government has sent a ‘note verbale’ for immediate round table meeting to solve the dispute.

Crime and Punishment in Tunisian

Published On: December 2, 2019 10:45 AM NPT By: Rim Dhaouadi

Tunisia’s repressive laws and vertical approach are clearly inefficient and not suited to the new democratic and free climate in the country

Curbing corruption

Published On: December 2, 2019 10:15 AM NPT By: Kul Ratna Bhurtel

Faulty election system of First Past the Post is one of the main reasons responsible for motivating political corruption

Simplifying tax regime

Published On: December 2, 2019 09:49 AM NPT By: Biswo Poudel

The goal of an ideal tax regime is not to create an extractive system but to increase the yield from economic activities while running the state efficiently

Mainstream vs Digital

Published On: December 1, 2019 12:07 PM NPT By: Bhasha Sharma

Broadly, media can be classified into two types: new and traditional. New media refers to mass communication distributed through digital technologies, and traditional media or the old media particularly refers to print media, television and radio broadcasting and billboards.