Nepal PM Dahal wins parliamentary vote of confidence, third in 14 months

Nepal`s Premier Pushpa Kamal Dahal won a parliamentary vote of confidence on Wednesday, a week after he formed his third coalition in just over a year to head a government which is dominated by the liberal communists.

Nepal and Bangladesh are making significant progress towards finalizing the tariff for the export of 40 megawatts (MW) of electricity from Nepal. The ongoing negotiations are expected to lead to the signing of a tripartite agreement involving Nepal, Bangladesh, and India, marking the first-ever power export from Nepal to Bangladesh.

An overnight earthquake in a remote area of Nepal has left at least 160 people dead, with security forces rushing to aid in the rescue efforts, according to officials.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has expressed China`s commitment to strengthening its development strategy synergy with Nepal during a meeting with Nepalese Premier Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda in Hangzhou, China. 

In a bid to facilitate the export of electricity to Bangladesh under a tripartite agreement involving India, Nepal is making preparations to modify its power projects. 

At least five people have been killed after a helicopter carrying foreign tourists crashed near Mount Everest in Nepal on Tuesday. Another person on the aircraft was still missing.

Officials from Nepal and Bangladesh have agreed to sign a long-term agreement for the export of 40MW electricity from Nepal to Bangladesh, a Nepal Electricity Authority office bearer said.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has suspended two employees of the air traffic controller department for `carelessness`, the aviation body`s spokesman Jagannath Niroula has told the media.

Nepal`s Premier Pushpa Kamal Dahal was set to face a vote of confidence in parliament on Monday after his old coalition allies pulled out of the government over the choice of a new president, one of his aides said.

India and Nepal Power ministry officials likely to meet next month in New Delhi, where they may discuss the issue of a formal agreement for transporting Power from the Nepal to Bangladesh using the Indian transmission infrastructure.

One of the two pilots in Sunday`s deadly Yeti Airlines plane crash in Nepal was Anju Khatiwada, who lost her husband, co-pilot Deepak Pokharel, in a similar plane crash at the country`s domestic Jumla airport 16 years ago. 

At least 40 people were killed when an aircraft crashed in Nepal on Sunday, a Nepal army spokesman said, as hundreds of rescue workers scoured the hillside crash site. 

Nepal`s new government, led by the former Maoist rebel chief, will try to balance relations with its immediate neighbours India and China as it seeks economic growth in one of the world`s poorest countries. 

A former Maoist guerrilla who led a decade-long insurgency against Nepal`s Hindu monarchy was on Sunday appointed premier for a third time, in alliance with the main opposition after previous month`s election returned a hung parliament.

Nepal`s president Bidhya Devi Bhandari on Sunday called on the country`s political parties to try to form the new government within a week after previous month`s inconclusive national election. 

An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 struck Nepal early Wednesday_ killing at least six people_ destroying multiple houses in the western district of Doti and shaking the Indian capital New Delhi_ officials said. Five other people were seriously injured as eight houses collapsed_ said Bhola Bhatta_ Doti`s deputy superintendent of police_ confirming an earlier figure shared by home ministry official Tulsi Rijal.