West Lafayette, IN, United States — Last month media entrepreneur Jamim Shah was shot dead in broad daylight in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital. The gunmen escaped and are still at large. India suspected Shah, a Muslim of Indian Kashmiri origin, of being a Pakistani agent, and speculations are rife as to who was behind his murder.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — A Maoist-affiliated labor union forced 24 restaurants in Nepal to close last week, demanding a 40 percent pay raise, amid other things. Such unions are mushrooming in businesses across the country as the Maoists seek to use labor rights as a tool to gain greater control over the economy.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Considerable improvements have been made in reducing maternal mortality in Nepal, thanks to international efforts that have been picked up and advanced domestically. While Nepal’s leaders acknowledge the need for legislation to protect women and children, they do not see this as a national priority.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Unable to find gainful employment in their own country, many Nepalese workers are being lured to Afghanistan by the chance to make big bucks working for international agencies that need security guards and laborers. But when they get there it’s a different story.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Nepal’s Department of Health Services has released a report showing that Nepalese women are committing suicide at an alarming rate. Nepalese women face economic and social hardships, gender bias, limited opportunities and a lack of control over their lives, but cannot ask for help or discuss their problems.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — India's political right wing has long called for a tougher policy against Nepal's Maoists and has overplayed China's role in Nepal. If this voice grows in India, it could bring hawkish policies on national security and relations with neighbors. For Nepal and other neighbors this could be cause for concern.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — More than a month after Nepalese student Neetu Singh was deported by police from Pune, India, both the Nepalese and Indian sides are looking into why police took the young woman from her home late at night and deported her. Suspicions fall on her politician husband, who had accused her of infidelity.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — In the two years since the Maoists won Nepal's legislative elections, experts have blamed Indian communists, declared that Indo-Nepal relations are doomed, and said China is capitalizing on the Maoist victory to undermine India. They ignore the poverty and casteism that led Nepalese to support the Maoists.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Nepal’s 60-member delegation to the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen included not only politicians but their family members and supporters, who tagged along to visit Denmark at taxpayers' expense. It is no secret that in Nepal, like empathy and responsibility, money is scarce.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Nepal’s online media reported in late November that police found a dead baby's head near a river in Kathmandu. This has sparked a debate on the right to life; but the fact that baby girls are still killed in the name of culture shows that Nepal’s barometer remains very low when it comes to measuring this right.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Last week 16 people were arrested in Kathmandu, Nepal for protesting outside the Indian Embassy against an 1816 treaty between British India and Nepal. The politically motivated Maoists have led calls to renegotiate this treaty, but many Nepalese agree that relations with India need to be updated.

West Lafayett, IN, United States — The U.S. restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken opened in Nepal last Wednesday, along with Pizza Hut. This is a milestone for Nepal. But the grand openings came as Nepal was caught up in a controversy over religious sacrifices and animal rights – which also draws attention to the plight of KFC chickens.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — According to the United Nations, more than 1 billion people around the world are facing starvation. In Nepal, which suffered one of the worst droughts in its history last growing season, the level of hunger this year is expected to be one of the highest in 40 years.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Nepal’s freshwater dolphins face extinction if urgent action to conserve them is not taken. But dolphins are not the only ones under attack. According to media reports, Nepal’s tigers, rhinos, exotic birds and elephants are also at risk. The country is turning into a "poacher's paradise.”

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Last Thursday, a quiet evening at home was shaken by the news that a gunman had killed 13 people and wounded 31 at a military base in Texas. As soon as the man’s name was known, the media launched a vicious cycle of coverage, with the criminal’s Muslim background given more importance than the crime.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — It is no secret that Nepal is a dangerous place for journalists; there were 342 violations of press freedom in 2008. Now the government wants to launch a program to use journalists as informants. They will be paid to share information on their news sources, and possibly to keep an eye on the opposition.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Nepali media routinely present a biased and lopsided picture of women, as hardworking but uneducated and the butt of frequent jokes. There is a place for reality on television; dramas that show the suffering of women are important, but when women’s struggles are portrayed as a joke it is a huge disservice.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Last week my local PBS aired a touching documentary called “Including Samuel,” about a family’s exceptional love and care for their child with cerebral palsy. Most special needs children in Nepal are treated in exactly the opposite way – shunned and hidden from the community.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Floods and landslides caused by torrential rain killed some 45 people in mid and western Nepal, last week. This is a recurring feature in a landscape where dense forests, which once formed a natural layer against raging rivers and landslides have been destroyed for the sake of urban development.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Since the success of the Maoists in Nepal's elections last year, they have made an effort to improve Nepal-China relations, to India’s discomfort. Historically and culturally, Nepal is closer to India. Now India is accusing China of spying on India through study centers it has set up in Nepal.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Last week the competition for Miss Nepal was held in Kathmandu, while Maoists protested outside against "capitalist exploitation." In a country where 80 percent of women face domestic violence, the Maoists need to revamp their opposition if they are serious about protecting Nepalese women from exploitation.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Two reports released last week show that Nepal's economy and social system are in serious trouble. The Global Competitiveness Report ranked Nepal 125th out of 133 countries, and a UNDP report said that 48 percent of Nepalese children are malnourished.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Nepal’s Cabinet decided on Sept. 2 to give the country’s prime minister, president, vice president, ministers, assistant ministers, constituent assembly members and opposition leader a 4 percent pay raise – even though the country’s economy is on a downward slide.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — A report released late last month by British charity Oxfam says that more than 3.4 million people in Nepal could soon require food assistance – because of climate change. Global warming and climate change have wreaked havoc on rainfall and river water levels in the country, severely affecting agriculture.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — There is nothing honorable about honor killings. Killing women who defy customs and dare to marry outside their caste or religion is a cowardly act, a sin and a slap in the face of humanity. We have to stop using the word “honor” to describe these crimes against women and against humanity.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — The Ganges River dolphins in Nepal’s Karnali River are at risk of extinction. According to the environmental blog site EcoWorldly, only six dolphins remain in the Karnali River, and if urgent conservation efforts are not made they may be lost forever.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Over 165 people in Nepal’s poor midwestern districts have died from diarrhea in recent weeks. In the 21st century, people are still dying of this minor ailment. However, the prime minister had better things to do than address the problem – he had to visit Egypt to participate in the non-aligned movement summit.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Nepal’s budget last year was a “pie in the sky” document, full of expensive and ambitious programs for an impoverished and mismanaged country. This year the government has slapped widows and low-caste “dalit” women, with a ridiculous budgetary scheme that offers cash incentives to men for marrying them.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — North Korea is on its bad behavior once again. The reclusive regime is back to threatening its neighbors and the United States, most recently accused of cyber attacks on U.S. and South Korean websites. Judging by its history, North Korea’s cycle of belligerence may just be starting.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Nepal’s anti-corruption body has ordered staff at Kathmandu’s international airport to be issued uniforms without pockets to prevent them from taking bribes. If the officials had spent more than five minutes observing the very corrupt airport staff they would have come up with a better idea.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Free speech activists are rallying support for Laura Ling and Euna Lee, the U.S. journalists sentenced in North Korea to 12 years of hard labor. We have to engage North Korea – talk to them, provide aid, offer energy solutions – to force the Dear Leader to be part of the world.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Nepal's new prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has appointed former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's daughter, Sujata Koirala, the country’s new foreign minister. This new appointment reflects the moral decay that has long gripped Koirala's Nepali Congress party and now threatens the entire nation.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Madhav Kumar Nepal, leader of the Communist Party of Nepal-UML, is the new prime minister of Nepal, after former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the Maoist leader, stepped down over disputes with the army. Both parties have put power and political gain above all.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — The results of India’s elections show that the “saffron brigade” lead by the Bharatiya Janta Party has lost 18 seats in Parliament, while the Congress party has a clear win. This will give Nepal time to work on its own internal matters quietly; a BJP win would have meant serious trouble for Nepal.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Last week Nepal's prime minister resigned over the integration of former Maoist guerillas into the national army, after the president reinstated the army chief he had fired. This is just part of the drama and backroom dealing that goes on in name of "preserving democracy" and "keeping peace alive."

West Lafayette, IN, United States — The sacking of Nepal’s Chief of the Army Staff General Rookmangud Katawal by the Maoist-led coalition government on Sunday has plunged the country into political chaos as a key coalition partner withdrew its support in protest. However, pride in Nepal’s army, a feudal organization, has been exaggerated.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Last Saturday was Mothers Day in Nepal. In Hinduism mothers have a special place; those that love and serve their mothers with a pure heart will go to heaven. Unfortunately this reverence is limited to special days. On "normal" days Nepalese mothers face hardship and extreme prejudice.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Last year the Maoists came to power in Nepal, their entry to the country’s power structure made possible by people who were desperate for a change. Although there have been some improvements since the former guerillas came to power, the women of the country, sadly, have yet to feel any difference.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — On Sunday, Christians around the world celebrated Easter. As a Hindu, the festival for me is like any other Christian or Islamic holiday – it comes and goes. But this year I took my daughter to an Easter celebration, to embrace multiculturalism. Sharing others’ cultures does not kill one’s own.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Last week’s episode of the U.S. reality show, “The Amazing Race,” featured contestants participating in challenges across the Indian city of Jaipur. One contestant became very distressed when she saw children begging on the streets. In South Asia begging is very common, but can it simply be banned?

West Lafayette, IN, United States — For the past week, Nepalese media have been dominated by a shouting match over the publication of unflattering pictures of the prime minister’s apparently drunk son. The week before they were focused on rowdy student elections. Amid the chaos, the Nepalese media have no time to cover important issues.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — The fears raised in Nepal by the demands of ethnic minorities for preference in public-sector jobs, more cultural rights, and even a separate autonomous region, are like the anxiety a mother feels when first separated from her child. If the ethnic groups are ready for autonomy, why not give it to them?

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Nepal’s holiest Hindu temple was dragged into an unholy row last week when two Nepalese priests were appointed to the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, breaking a 300-year old tradition of South Indian priests performing rituals at the temple. The temple is also facing public criticism over corruption.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — If you observe young women on Kathmandu’s fashionable streets, dressed in western clothes and talking on their mobile phones, it is hard to believe that they live in a country where rural girls as young as eight are married off to live as unpaid servants in their husbands’ households.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Maoist activists last week entered the premises of Himal Media, publisher of several local magazines and newspapers, and violently attacked journalists and staff. The attack is proof that the Maoists are undermining rights they had promised to defend when elected to power.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Serving in the military is unlike any other job in the world. No other job or career requires one to promise to give up life and limb if one’s country requires it. Therefore, it is especially painful to see the way the British have treated the Gurkha soldiers, who served them for nearly 200 years.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — The pain caused by the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, is still raw. But as the days go by and raw emotions settle down, it is time to sit down and take a hard look at the factors that contributed to the massacre. These include widespread poverty and also the arms trade.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Last week India’s financial capital Mumbai was attacked by terrorists who killed nearly 200 people. When the crises ended, India accused Pakistan of harboring terrorists and the United States tried to ensure the nuclear armed neighbors didn’t go to war. India’s other neighbor, Nepal, stood suspiciously quiet.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — The idea of paying tax is unpleasant to anyone who works hard to earn an honest living, especially as one generally has no control over how that money is spent by the government. In Nepal, the government has proposed an “education tax” to raise needed revenues, an idea that is meeting strong resistance.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Nepal’s Maoist- led government has decided to curb the unrestricted sale of alcohol in the country. Starting last Tuesday, businesses can sell alcohol only until 10 p.m. and only to customers 18 or older. In a society that has been very liberal about drinking, this move is sure to raise eyebrows.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — On Nov. 6, Bhutan, a small country largely untouched by the hazards of the modern world, celebrated the coronation ceremony of its new king. Unfortunately for the new king, integrating Bhutan with the modern world while keeping its natural and cultural heritage is not the only challenge on hand.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Nepali websites show happy faces celebrating the festival of “Chaat,” when it is customary to visit rivers, ponds and lakes to offer prayers, flowers and food to the sun and the festival’s goddess. But people fail to clean up afterward, and rivers and water bodies are being damaged beyond repair.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Every year Hindus observe the festivals of Durga Puja and Deepawali in September/October, celebrating the goddess of strength, Durga, and goddess of wealth and prosperity, Laxmi. But as a culture that worships women, Hindus in India and Nepal are terribly hypocritical in the way they treat women and girls.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — An Afghan journalism student, Sayed Pervez Kambaksh, was sentenced Tuesday in Kabul to 20 years in jail, accused of blasphemy for downloading materials on women’s rights from the Internet. This injustice sends a clear signal to the United States that its goal of “spreading democracy and freedom” has bombed.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — A friend was complaining that a woman, less qualified than he was, got the promotion he had been eyeing for years. He sees affirmative action as legally sanctioned or reverse discrimination. But he has chosen to forget the years of discriminatory policies faced by women and minorities.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — In a country wrecked by a decade of civil war, a decaying infrastructure, a roller coaster of a business environment and limited internal revenue sources, the mammoth budget unveiled by Nepal’s new Maoist-led government during its Constituent Assembly meeting last month seems like an unaffordable extravagance.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — A masked robber walked into a convenience store last Sunday and shot and killed 21-year-old Ashok Bhattarai, a Nepali student who was working in the store in Missouri City, Texas. Bhattarai has become another statistic in the growing list of innocent lives lost to senseless gun violence in the United States.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — When Nepal’s Maoist-led coalition government decided to cut funding for religious worship, they had no idea that within days, it would be forced to retract the decision after Kathmandu erupted into massive protests and the country expressed anger at the way people’s beliefs were being undercut.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Hundreds of employees from nightclubs, discos and dance bars – the majority of them women – took to the streets of Kathmandu to protest the Nepali government’s crackdown on “nude” dancing. In reality, this disco backlash is a symptom of a Nepali society that is decaying and backsliding.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — The recently concluded Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota presents a troubling picture of press freedoms in America. The country, which promotes and supports press freedoms across the world has some big issues to deal at home before preaching to others.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — This week, Nepali Hindu women celebrated Teej, honoring Lord Shiva, and Rishi Panchami, which honors sages of the past. Ancient Hindu texts say that a mother is greater than all pleasures of life in heaven. Yet, in supreme irony, the same Hindu tradition forces women to fast and pray for their husbands' sake.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Prime Minister Prachanda, during his visit to Beijing to attend the Olympics closing ceremony, said that Nepal wants to maintain a balanced relationship with both of its neighbors, India and China. This comes after speculations that Kathmandu is moving diplomatically closer to its communist neighbor.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Maoist chairman Prachanda was sworn in as republican Nepal’s first prime minister on Monday. Comrade Prachanda, who led his party from the deep jungles to the corridors of power in Kathmandu, unfortunately has no time to celebrate. The “to-do” list for the new Nepal is miles long and growing.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Nepal has gone through momentous changes in the last couple of months. The country’s pragmatism is refreshing, but on its way to achieving the perfect federal republic, the internally displaced population is being ignored and treated as second-class citizens, shaming the entire nation.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — As the Chinese and millions around the world celebrate the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, many in Nepal will be left to wonder why the country’s president declined the invitation to join the festivities and why a former minister is leading the country’s contingent.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Nepal’s newly elected Vice President Paramananda Jha took his oath of office in Hindi – a language spoken in northern parts of neighboring India. Now the country has erupted in protests against him. The vice president is being accused of humiliating Nepal and of being unpatriotic.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Nepal elected its first president on Monday, with Dr. Ram Baran Yadav of the Nepali Congress Party clinching the country’s highest office with a comfortable majority. The significance of Yadav’s victory is further highlighted by the fact that he is from Nepal’s troubled Terai region.