In the WHO South-East Asia Region, neglected tropical diseases are being tackled with firm resolve. Accelerated action will rout them altogether

If Nepal ignores its next-door neighbors, the consequences may be stark. Ignoring the West may also be costly for Nepal’s development endeavors

Capital market is an integral part of a country’s economy and financial system. It is the major source of long-term finance needed for operating corporate bodies in sustainable way.

PHILADELPHIA – “No one will be worse off than before, but it will be much better for many,” German Chancellor Helmut Kohl assured East Germans after the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. His words helped fuel rapid political and economic changes throughout post-communist Europe. Thirty years later, it’s worth asking how well Kohl and other Western leaders kept this promise.

Nepali people have been expressing anger against the so-called VIP culture because people are often made to wait for hours during the motorcade of the president and other VIPs. This VIP culture has made people question if there is any difference between republican democracy and monarchical rule.

Media deserve talk. In modern democratic dialogue, it has been customary to frequently debate over media quality, performance and related issues. Media freedom, media diversity and media equality are closely related terms in vogue. These three elements, when enhanced, add to the strength and quality of one another; they become the cornerstones not only of advanced media performance but also of a full-fledged democracy. As integral elements, they identify a democratic society in its true form. However, misunderstanding these elements will result in their misuse, with dire consequences beyond measurement.

Types of economic activities, degree of infrastructure development, inter-connection with the outer regions and way of living of people determine whether a place is rural or urban. Human civilization has developed through the rural mode in every part of the world. From the hunter-gatherers to discovery of fire and shift toward agriculture and technology, the basis of way of life of people has always been the activities they are involved in. Today, there has been a paradigm shift of way of life of people, from the rural to the urban. Urbanization has continued to ascend in a rapid way.

BEIRUT – A new wave of revolts is shaking the Arab world, with Lebanon and Iraq now joining Sudan and Algeria. Recent mass protests in each country have mobilized millions of people from all walks of life, all of whom are angry over the deterioration of economic conditions, which is seen as being exacerbated by mismanagement and poor governance.

Nepal’s ranking in World Bank’s Doing Business (DB) improved from last year’s 110th to 94th, mainly due to the improved scores in getting credit, trading across borders, and dealing with construction permit sub indicators. This news brought much needed joy to the finance ministry beset with the increasing criticism of how it has hitherto handled economy. The finance minister was said to be “giddy”, according to an expatriate living in Kathmandu who met him after the ranking came out, and a news conference was organized in the ministry the next day. The ranking, which had remained more or less constant for more than 10 years (see the graph), suddenly seemed to be moving in the right direction. The ministry officials rightly promised to create a momentum and improve the ranking in the years to come.

A global event on nutrition—Sun Global Gathering—is going to be held in Kathmandu from November 4 to 7. SUN, or Scaling Up Nutrition, is a global movement launched in 2010 with an aim of ending all forms of malnutrition. SUN brings together governments, civil society, private sector, academia, activists, and others in a common platform and provide framework for working together to improve the nutritional outcomes worldwide.  SUN Global Gathering (SUNGG) is the flagship event of the SUN movement which aims to develop a common understanding on the issue of malnutrition and reinforce commitment from governments and other sectors to improve nutrition.   The Government of Nepal is co-hosting the event with SUN movement Secretariat. It is an important opportunity for Nepal to showcase and reflect on its progress and learn from the experiences of other SUN countries in bringing down malnutrition.