Monday, August 15, 2011
18 February 2011 Last updated at 17:57 GMT 
With its ancient culture and the Himalayas as a backdrop, landlocked Nepal has a romantic image.
It is nonetheless one of the world's poorest countries, and is struggling to overcome the legacy of a 10-year Maoist insurrection.
Until Nepal became a republic in May 2008, it had been ruled by monarchs or a ruling family for most of its modern history in relative isolation.
A brief experiment with multi-party politics in 1959 ended with King Mahendra suspending parliament and taking sole charge in 1962.
Democracy's returnDemocratic politics was introduced in 1991 after popular protests, but was marked by frequent changes of government. The last king of Nepal, Gyanendra, twice assumed executive powers - in 2002 and 2005.
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Politics: Historic elections in April 2008 led to abolition of centuries-old monarchy Economy: Civil strife wrecked the economy and Nepal is dependent on aid; tourism is a key foreign exchange earnerMaoist rebels waged a decade-long campaign against the monarchy, leaving more than 12,000 people dead and 100,000 people displaced according to UN figures. When King Gyanendra's direct rule ended under public pressure in April 2006, the rebels entered talks with the parliamentary government on how to end the civil war.
A peace deal was agreed in November, although the Maoists continued to press for abolition of the monarchy.
Parliament agreed to the condition in December 2007, and the Maoists emerged as the largest parliamentary party after elections in April 2008.
The monarchy was abolished a month later, and a Maoist-dominated government took office in August.
The Maoist-led coalition government disintegrated in May 2009, and was succeeded by another coalition excluding the Maoists.
Nepal has been at odds with neighbouring Bhutan over the repatriation of thousands of Bhutanese refugees of Nepalese descent who fled violence in Bhutan in the early 1990s.
Nepal has a flourishing tourism industry, but faces problems of deforestation and encroachment on animal habitats.
Most of the population depend on agriculture, and the UN estimates that about 40% of Nepalis live in poverty.
Foreign aid is vital to the economy, and Nepal is also heavily dependent on trade with neighbouring India.
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8 April 2011 Last updated at 11:56 GMT 
The Maldives is made up of a chain of nearly 1,200 islands, most of them uninhabited, which lie off the Indian sub-continent.
None of the coral islands measures more than 1.8 metres (six feet) above sea level, making the country vulnerable to a rise in sea levels associated with global warming.
With its abundant sealife and sandy beaches, The Maldives is portrayed by travel companies as a tropical paradise.
The economy revolves around tourism, and scores of islands have been developed for the top end of the tourist market.
The Maldives' economy is reliant on tourism and fisheries Aside from the island capital Male, outsiders are only permitted onto inhabited islands for brief visits, thereby limiting their impact on traditional Muslim communities.
Many Maldivians live in poverty. However, the country has developed its infrastructure and industries, including the fisheries sector, and has boosted health care, education and literacy.
The Maldives was hit by the December 2004 Asian tsunami. Homes and resorts were devastated by the waves, precipitating a major rebuilding programme.
There is a fear that as sea levels rise, island countries such as the Maldives, and some Pacific territories, will simply be swamped and disappear.
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8 April 2011 Last updated at 11:56 GMT The Maldives is made up of a chain of nearly 1,200 islands, most of them uninhabited, which lie off the Indian sub-continent.
None of the coral islands measures more than 1.8 metres (six feet) above sea level, making the country vulnerable to a rise in sea levels associated with global warming.
With its abundant sealife and sandy beaches, The Maldives is portrayed by travel companies as a tropical paradise.
The economy revolves around tourism, and scores of islands have been developed for the top end of the tourist market.
The Maldives' economy is reliant on tourism and fisheries Aside from the island capital Male, outsiders are only permitted onto inhabited islands for brief visits, thereby limiting their impact on traditional Muslim communities.
Many Maldivians live in poverty. However, the country has developed its infrastructure and industries, including the fisheries sector, and has boosted health care, education and literacy.
The Maldives was hit by the December 2004 Asian tsunami. Homes and resorts were devastated by the waves, precipitating a major rebuilding programme.
There is a fear that as sea levels rise, island countries such as the Maldives, and some Pacific territories, will simply be swamped and disappear.
View the original article here
8 April 2011 Last updated at 11:56 GMT The Maldives is made up of a chain of nearly 1,200 islands, most of them uninhabited, which lie off the Indian sub-continent.
None of the coral islands measures more than 1.8 metres (six feet) above sea level, making the country vulnerable to a rise in sea levels associated with global warming.
With its abundant sealife and sandy beaches, The Maldives is portrayed by travel companies as a tropical paradise.
The economy revolves around tourism, and scores of islands have been developed for the top end of the tourist market.
The Maldives' economy is reliant on tourism and fisheries Aside from the island capital Male, outsiders are only permitted onto inhabited islands for brief visits, thereby limiting their impact on traditional Muslim communities.
Many Maldivians live in poverty. However, the country has developed its infrastructure and industries, including the fisheries sector, and has boosted health care, education and literacy.
The Maldives was hit by the December 2004 Asian tsunami. Homes and resorts were devastated by the waves, precipitating a major rebuilding programme.
There is a fear that as sea levels rise, island countries such as the Maldives, and some Pacific territories, will simply be swamped and disappear.
View the original article here
Sunday, August 14, 2011
11 August 2011 Last updated at 13:50 GMT By Sanjaya Dhakal BBC Nepali, Kathmandu 
The authorities say that too many teenaged bikers are having accidents The authorities in western Nepalese city of Pokhara have launched a tough campaign to improve student discipline.
In a "three Ms" campaign to make students more presentable, they have banned them from using mobiles, wearing miniskirts and riding motorbikes.
They say that the initiative is designed to bring "order and rectitude" to classrooms and the streets.
Most students - apart from motorcyclists and the more fashion conscious - seemed pleased.
Many told the BBC there had been a decline in standards.
From now, teenage high school students aged between 16 and 18 will no longer be allowed to have mobile phones in classrooms or ride motorbikes.
The decision was made following a meeting in Pokhara between teachers, parents and the local administration.
'Will of the community'The move follows an earlier government order requesting all students and teachers to refrain from using mobile phones while in the classroom "to preserve the teaching-learning environment".
Guardians Association of Nepal member Hemraj Baral said the aim behind the motorcycle ban was to prevent more students from being killed or injured in an increasing number of traffic accidents.
Pokhara has a reputation as being one of the most beautiful towns in Nepal The Pokhara authorities say they also want to raise "moral standards" in this picturesque tourist city by disallowing fashion-conscious girls from wearing miniskirts that are too revealing.
They say that from now on, teenagers must either wear trousers or skirts that are at least knee-length.
Pokhara Chief District Officer Shambhu Koirala has vowed to implement the "three Ms" directive, arguing that it represents the "will of the local community".
And most students welcomed the decision.
"There should be a limit to the length of the skirt," said class 12 student Crispy Timilsina.
"And students were also engaged in using mobile phones by going to the back benches of classrooms. I am happy with these decisions."
There are 20,000 high school students in the Pokhara area.
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11 August 2011 Last updated at 15:48 GMT 
There are some 140,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan Five troops have been killed by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan, the US-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) says.
The Pentagon later confirmed that those who died in Thursday's attack were all US troops.
Another foreign soldier was also killed by a roadside bomb in the south in a separate incident on Wednesday.
More than 50 foreign service personnel have been killed in Afghanistan so far this month.
"We regret this very much, in particular as this came in the holy month of Ramadan and it is another sign of regardless killing and terrorism," Isaf spokesman Brigadier General Carsten Jacobsen was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying.
On Saturday, 30 US soldiers died when their helicopter was apparently shot down by Taliban insurgents.
Six Afghan troops and an Afghan civilian interpreter were also killed.
Many of the US soldiers were members of Seal Team Six, the elite special forces unit whose members undertook the May raid into Pakistan in which al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was killed.
It was the deadliest incident for the coalition in the decade-old US-led Nato war in Afghanistan.
The recent spike in casualties comes as foreign troops begin the first phase of a gradual process to hand over security responsibility to Afghan forces.
There are some 140,000 foreign troops - about 100,000 of them American - in Afghanistan, targeting the Taliban and training local troops to take over security.
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Saturday, August 13, 2011
13 August 2011 Last updated at 13:18 GMT 
The militants seized hostages and held off commandos for several hours A military court in Pakistan has convicted seven people over an attack on army headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi in 2009.
A former soldier was sentenced to death and six other people, five of them civilians, received prison sentences.
Eleven soldiers were killed when a group of militants wearing suicide vests stormed the headquarters.
The incident made international headlines and was hugely embarrassing for Pakistan's security forces.
The military court sentenced a retired army sepoy named as Aqeel, alias Dr Usman, to death, while another former soldier, Imran Siddiq, was given life imprisonment, Pakistani media reported.
Three civilians also received life sentences and two others were jailed for 10 and seven years respectively.
The civilians were convicted for helping the attackers, the Pakistani Express Tribune reported.
In the 2009 attack, militants seized hostages and held off army commandos for several hours.
Troops eventually freed 39 hostages, but 23 people were killed, including 11 troops, three hostages and nine attackers.
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