Kalpit Parajuli

For the past two years, the Christian festivity has been on the national calendar. This year, a number of initiatives in favour of the poor were organised. In the capital, the UN puts on a crafts fair to help marginalised women.

In 10 years, Catholics and Protestants went from 0.4 to 1.4 per cent of the population, less than estimated in 2011. Hindu rise is attributed to wrong designation. Converts to Christianity are also afraid of declaring their new religion. Two million Nepalis live abroad.

A farmer's son, Padam Kunwar was a Maoist supporter for many years. His action against the veteran guerrilla fighter is a response to corruption scandals involving the Maoist party. On Facebook and other social networks, hundreds of groups call for his release; however, the young man could be tried and convicted on terrorism charges.

The leaders denounce the dramatic situation of children and women minors in the country. More than 200 cases of abortions recorded per day by the clinics. Surveys reveal more than 3 million child brides in recent years. The appeal was launched on the occasion of the International Day for Children, held yesterday in Syambhunath stupa in Kathmandu.

Unilever, Ncell and other foreign companies complain that local staff is too expensive and of poor quality. The visa ban also applies to foreign managers. For the Ministry of Industry multinationals are oursuing their own economic interests and are not helping the country's economic recovery.

The borders will be closed until 9 November, at the end of Communist rally. Industrialists from both countries protest that it will have halt activities with serious damage to the economy.

Nepali Buddhist leaders want fellow Buddhists in Asia to recognise the religious significance of Lumbini to avoid encroachment. They want the site to become a pilgrimage site like Bethlehem and Makkah.

Hundreds of people take part in the opening ceremony, including many non-Christians. Benedict XVI's prayer is translated in Nepalese for the occasion and handed out in churches and elsewhere.

For the Shri Krishna Pranami Youth Council, the government is profiting from the Hindu festival. Some 70,000 goats are sacrificed during Dashain. Nepal imported 29,000 live sheep, 370,400 live goats and 59,810 live buffaloes last fiscal year. For one expert, such inhumane practices push people away from Hinduism.

After a decade of civil war, the Himalayan nation is still without a constitution. Political parties remain far apart, each defending its narrow interests. As the pope said in opening the Year of Faith, spirituality is an essential and necessary factor in politics. Some hope the Hindu festival of Dashain might lead to an agreement among the factions.

For years, colleges were offering programmes and charging fees without government authorisation. Hundreds of students now could see their degrees deemed invalid.

The government has recently established a rule governing the maximum retail price for 15 staples. These include rice, sugar and food grains. The aim is to combat speculation. For businesses it is a rule that restricts freedoms, choking the market. For the Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a "poison" that kills the economy.