Nepal's new government moved ahead yesterday with dismantling remnants of King Gyanendra's unpopular authoritarian rule, amid growing calls that his senior officials be held accountable for their role in suppressing dissent.
"We strongly urge the government to keep the suspected [officials] in suspension," wrote the Kathmandu Post in an editorial yesterday that echoed calls from other newspapers.
Responding to the growing sentiment, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's new Cabinet decided on Sunday to cancel all political appointments made during the king's 14-month direct rule.
The king yielded power on April 24 and restored democracy in the face of a violent, countrywide campaign against him.
A judicial commission is investigating human-rights abuses allegedly carried out by the military and senior officials during the king's crackdown on a movement to oust him from power that resulted in the deaths of at least 19 people.
But more action was being sought.
"The government has to do much more to reverse the regressive decisions of the past and remove existing obstructions," the Himalayan Times newspaper said in an editorial yesterday, adding that there should also be a review of how judges responded to the political crisis.
Home Minister Krishna Sitaula also announced on Sunday that Nepal's ambassadors to the US, India, Japan, Britain, France and other countries were being recalled.
The government has said it will dismantle legislation, appointments, decrees and other actions taken after the king grabbed power in February last year. It earlier scrapped municipal elections that were held three months ago.
Even state-run the Rising Nepal, which had earlier slammed anti-king protesters, joined the chorus.
An editorial in the paper cited "numerous atrocities" and said those responsible should "not be allowed to go unpunished."
Nepal's parliament also has committed to elections for a constituent assembly that will rewrite the Constitution, a key demand of Maoist rebels who joined forces with a seven-party alliance to play a key role in the three weeks of often-bloody demonstrations.
But while the rebels appear to be headed for a role in the political mainstream and have agreed to hold peace talks with the government, their impatience for quick action is mirroring the general public's sentiments.
A news report on Sunday quoted the rebels' leader, Prachanda, as saying an interim constitution should be enacted immediately, even before the special assembly is elected.
"There should be an interim constitution and an interim government," Prachanda was quoted as saying by Nepal magazine.
"We have not made any official decision on the issue but we are in agreement that it would be fine just to remove some clauses from the existing constitution," said Gopal Man Singh, minister for physical planning and works.
The rebels have made it clear they have differences with the new government despite their partnership in bringing down the royal regime.
Australians were downloading virtual private networks (VPNs) in droves, while one of the world’s largest porn distributors said it was blocking users from its platforms as the country yesterday rolled out sweeping online age restriction. Australia in December became the first country to impose a nationwide ban on teenagers using social media. A separate law now requires artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot services to keep certain content — including pornography, extreme violence and self-harm and eating disorder material — from minors or face fines of up to A$49.5 million (US$34.6 million). The country also joined Britain, France and dozens of US states requiring
Hungarian authorities temporarily detained seven Ukrainian citizens and seized two armored cars carrying tens of millions of euros in cash across Hungary on suspicion of money laundering, officials said on Friday. The Ukrainians were released on Friday, following their detention on Thursday, but Hungarian officials held onto the cash, prompting Ukraine to accuse Hungary’s Russia-friendly government of illegally seizing the money. “We will not tolerate this state banditism,” Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said. The seven detained Ukrainians were employees of the Ukrainian state-owned Oschadbank, who were traveling in the two armored cars that were carrying the money between Austria and
ACTIONABLE ADVICE: The majority of chatbots tested provided guidance on weapons, tactics and target selections, with Perplexity and Meta AI deemed to be the least safe From school shootings to synagogue bombings, leading artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots helped researchers plot violent attacks, according to a study published on Wednesday that highlighted the technology’s potential for real-world harm. Researchers from the nonprofit watchdog Center for Countering Digital Hate and CNN posed as 13-year-old boys in the US and Ireland to test 10 chatbots, including ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Perplexity, Deepseek and Meta AI. Eight of the chatbots assisted the make-believe attackers in more than half the responses, providing advice on “locations to target” and “weapons to use” in an attack, the study said. The chatbots had become a “powerful accelerant for
Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani on Friday after dissolving the Kosovar parliament said a snap election should be held as soon as possible to avoid another prolonged political crisis in the Balkan country at a time of global turmoil. Osmani said it is important for Kosovo to wrap up the upcoming election process and form functional institutions for political stability as the war rages in the Middle East. “Precisely because the geopolitical situation is that complex, it is important to finish this electoral process which is coming up,” she said. “It is very hard now to imagine what will happen next.” Kosovo, which declared
RSS