KATHMANDU, March 11: The Biden administration is pursuing emerging partnerships with South Asian countries including Nepal and India to ensure the Indio-Pacific region free and open, a senior defense official of the United States has said.

DHAKA, March 4: Bangladesh has said that it won't consider joining any kind of security initiative under the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy.

KATHMANDU, Nov 1: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said that his government will never sign the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) agreement proposed by the United States, Sri Lankan media reports said.

The American strategy of isolating China and thus making it weaker cannot ensure greater good.

KATHMANDU, July 4: At a time when the fate of the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is hanging in balance, Finance Minister Dr Yuba Raj Khatiwada on Saturday said that the government has received positive response from the MCC headquarters in terms of extending the deadline for MCC ratification.

KATHMANDU, June 30: Citing delays in parliamentary ratification of the MCC Nepal Compact, the Millennium Challenge Account Nepal (MCA-Nepal) has said that the entry into force (EiF) date for the agreement is getting reassessed.

KATHMANDU, June 29: As the parliamentary endorsement of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact is delayed further, the United States government has clarified that it cannot indefinitely wait for Nepal to take final decision on the 500 million grants.

KATHMANDU, June 24: The Standing Committee meeting of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) began at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Baluwatar on Wednesday afternoon.

KATHMANDU, May 30: A Secretariat meeting of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has decided to halt all activities being carried out as part of Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Nepal as the Millennium Challenge Compact is yet to be endorsed through the federal parliament.

KATHMANDU, May 30: A Secretariat meeting of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) is currently underway at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Baluwatar.

KATHMANDU, May 26: Sajha Party has demanded revisions of some of the clauses of the much-talked-about Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) agreement signed with the United States before it is endorsed by the House of Representatives.

KATHMANDU, May 2: The intra-party dispute which is at its peak in the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has made the prospect of implementing the projects under the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) further uncertain.

Listen to your comrades

February 3, 2020 09:48 am

While much of the focus of the central committee meeting of Nepal Communist Party (NCP) was centered on MCC grants of the US government and Indo Pacific Strategy, some of the leaders have voiced the concerns of the general public. They have raised the issue of corruption and accountability. They have concluded that many NCP leaders have amassed property illegally and demanded that all their leaders disclose their property details and party should form a powerful commission to probe their property.

KATHMANDU, Jan 31: Arguing that the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant has no link with America’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, Prime Minister KP Oli has pointed out the need to endorse the MCC agreement through parliament at the earliest possible.

KATHMANDU, Jan 29: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Wednesday said the Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact Program and United States Indo-Pacific Strategy were two different things, and that there was no need to link them together.

Debunking the nonsense on MCC

January 7, 2020 08:45 am

Having served on the Board of Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in Nepal as a civil society representative in its formative days, the author of this piece had an opportunity to look at the Project in greater detail much before it came into wider public discourse. For the last couple of months or so, it’s been nerve-wracking to hear all kind of nonsense being blurted out about MCC by media-hungry individuals who seem neither to have any knowledge of the world of development-aid nor appreciation of the modus operandi of the global geo-political ambitions.

KATHMANDU, Dec 23: Failing to forge consensus in the party's standing committee on whether to endorse the $500 million US grant, the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has entrusted its secretariat to seek clarity from the US about the terms and conditions of the grant and decide the issue accordingly.

KATHMANDU, Dec 22: The Millennium Challenge Account-Nepal (MCA- Nepal) has clarified that the US government has been providing a compact grant for infrastructure developments in Nepal through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and has appealed for timely ratification of the MCC Compact.

Dahal hints at delaying MCC endorsement

December 21, 2019 08:17 am

KATHMANDU, Dec 21: Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has hinted at prolonging the parliamentary endorsement process for the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant provided by the United States if the grant is  part of America’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.

KATHMANDU, Dec 16: The ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has indicated that a regional confrontation has started in South Asia including in Nepal due to conflicting strategies adopted by the world superpower, the USA, and China, which challenges the US dominance, to advance their strategic interests in the Asia-Pacific region.

Unsettling times

December 15, 2019 11:46 am

Since the time of George Bush Jr, the concept of ‘Global Policeman’ for mending international order has received more negative than positive response for its vested interest in others’ affairs. Iraq, Syria, Iran, North Korea, Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ukraine and Palestine are the examples.  Barak Obama’s  ‘Pivot to Asia’ has been rephrased as “Indo Pacific Strategy” (IPS), essentially to forge military  “collaboration”  through which they intend to penetrate through East Asia, South East Asia and South Asia and beyond  to contain China.

KATHMANDU, Dec 5: Visiting US Assistant Secretary for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, Randall G. Schriver, today called on Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Ishwor Pokhrel, urging later to be positive towards the 'Indo Pacific Strategy'.

KATHMANDU, Oct 4: US ambassador to Nepal Randy Berry has called on NCP senior leader Jhalanath Khanal at the latter’s residence in Dallu, Kathmandu on Friday.