ICYMI: Here are our top stories from Tuesday, December 31
Here are some of the top stories from The Kathmandu Post (December 31, 2019). Clause 10 of the Nepal Special Service Bill states that audio or audiovisual conversation at the individual or institutional level that are suspicious can be kept under surveillance, monitored or intercepted. Post Photo
Here are some of the top stories from The Kathmandu Post (December 31, 2019).
Government tables bill that will allow intelligence agencies to listen in to private conversations
Amid reservations from the primary opposition, the government on Monday tabled a bill in the National Assembly that authorises intelligence agencies to access and collect all information relating to "suspects", including conversations through the electronic medium.
The Nepal Special Service Bill was introduced by the government to strengthen its intelligence capabilities to counter "threats to national security, sovereignty and integrity", according to the government. The bill, which was registered in the federal parliament on December 15, was tabled for extensive discussions a day after a House panel endorsed the controversial Information Technology Bill, which experts fear could curtail freedom of expression and increase surveillance over the personal data.
This school in Lalitpur is fusing education with environment
The students of Vajra Academy in Jharuwarasi, near Bajrabarahi Temple, eight kms from Lalitpur, wander around their school garden for two days a week before their classes start. They tend to their “friends in nature”—the plants they have planted themselves, some even have names. The children chatter away in joy as they give each other suggestions on how they can take care of their green friends.
Since its establishment more than a decade ago, Vajra Academy’s vision has been clear: equip students with the tools of critical thinking, not just churn out high-scoring SEE students.
Without proper sanitation facilities, girls keep missing school during menstruation
A 2018 report by the Patan Academy of Health Science found that about 83.3 percent of 168 girls from grade nine and grade ten surveyed in Bhaktapur missed some classes, while 13.7 percent of girls missed at least an entire school day during menstruation. Among the reasons for being absent were a lack of privacy for cleaning/washing, followed by lack of availability of disposal systems and a lack of pads and proper water supply.
House panel tells government to make sugar mills pay farmers their money
Legislators acted to get sugar mills to pay sugarcane farmers for their crops after growers from Sarlahi arrived in Kathmandu to protest that they had not received their money for five years.
The parliamentary Industry, Commerce, Labour and Consumer Interest Protection Committee on Monday directed the government to make the non-paying factories clear their debts which amount to millions of rupees.
A weak opposition is only emboldening the ruling party
Never in its history has the Nepali Congress been in such a shambles as it is today.
With the ruling Nepal Communist Party government readying to push through a number of controversial laws that could have far-reaching implications on democratic space, the Congress party, as the primary opposition, has been unable to mount a proper challenge. It is a struggle within, fighting factional feuds.
9.89°C Kathmandu
.jpg&w=900&height=601)
