National
ICYMI: Here are our top stories from Monday, August 19
Here are some of the top stories from The Kathmandu Post (August 19, 2019).Eight companies from seven countries are vying for the bid to build Nijgadh International Airport
Eight companies from seven countries, including Nepal, are bidding for the construction of the $3.45 billion Nijgadh International Airport in Bara.
At least two officials at the Investment Board told the Post that they had received proposals from investors from China, India, Qatar, Finland, Switzerland, Malaysia and Nepal to build the airport, 175km from Kathmandu in the plains. The airport is expected to serve as an alternative to congestion and winter fog at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport, the country’s sole aerial gateway. Read more on the story by Sangam Prasain.
Prime Minister Oli’s parliamentary address leaves his party wondering
KP Sharma Oli’s statement in Parliament on Sunday has led many Nepal Communist Party leaders to speculate if the prime minister is attempting to put to rest a gentleman’s agreement that he and Pushpa Kamal Dahal had reached in May last year.
“I will remain in office until the next elections,” said Oli, co-chair of the ruling Nepal Communist Party, while addressing the House of Representatives.
According to the agreement, which is already public knowledge, Oli and Dahal would lead the government by turns—two-and-a-half-years each. Read more by Anil Giri.
Meet the women who are building bodies on their own dime
In 2005, Nirmala Maharjan was asked to give a demo performance at the Dharmashree Nationwide Bodybuilding Championship in Kathmandu. This was the first time a Nepali woman had been asked to showcase to the audience what a Nepali female bodybuilder looks like. Since then, Maharjan has given several demo performances at many male bodybuilding competitions. It took over 10 years for a women’s category to be included in a major bodybuilding championship.
The 2016 Mr Kathmandu was the first competition to have a women’s section. Soon, all national competitions began having a women’s section. There is still no women’s tournament. The 2019 Women’s Bodybuilding Championship, organised by Gurkhas Classic, will be the first women’s-only competition that is going to be held in Pokhara this September. Read more here by Sneha Dahal.