https://www.scmp.com/rss/318891/feed On April 25, 2015, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal, killing thousands of people. Dozens were also reported to have been killed in neighbouring China and India. The quake triggered a deadly avalanche on Mount Everest. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com China will help landlocked Nepal boost connectivity via road and rail, Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said, in a move that experts say will raise strategic concerns for regional rival India. Addressing the International Conference on Nepal’s Reconstruction, Wang also pledged continued Chinese support for rebuilding the country after the devastating earthquake of 2015 and urged closer cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. “China will make solid progress in the feasibility study of a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3159111/tibet-railway-focus-china-vows-change-landlocked-nepal-move?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3159111/tibet-railway-focus-china-vows-change-landlocked-nepal-move?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Dec 2021 04:00:11 +0000 At the forefront of the small army of planners, architects, carpenters and other tradesmen engaged in rebuilding Kathmandu – the Nepalese capital laid waste by a mammoth earthquake five years ago – is someone whose prime concern is what’s taking place in the heavens rather than on Earth: astrologer Keshav Mangal Joshi. The 7.8-magnitude quake that struck the city at noon on April 25, 2015 was followed by a second one the following month, which was almost as powerful. The effects were felt across... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3100960/kathmandus-earthly-monuments-damaged-earthquakes-rise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3100960/kathmandus-earthly-monuments-damaged-earthquakes-rise?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Sep 2020 04:45:18 +0000 “What is going on with Nepal? Have the Chinese completely taken over?” On July 9, an Indian television anchor launched into a tirade with those words, at the opening of a 15-minute prime-time debate, tagged “China Bullies Nepal”. Debates like these are common in the Indian television news industry, as are incendiary hashtags, lengthy tirades and screaming matches. The target of many of them over the past month-and-a-half has been Nepal. The role of Indian television news channels has grown... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3093262/new-delhi-using-indian-media-attack-nepal-it-grows-closer-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3093262/new-delhi-using-indian-media-attack-nepal-it-grows-closer-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Jul 2020 07:30:15 +0000 Almost five years after a 7.8 earthquake laid waste to swathes of Kathmandu, the Nepalese capital is still struggling to get back on its feet. Restoration work has been handicapped by lacklustre organisation and a lack of finance, and while some landmarks have been renovated, other examples of prized architecture are still so much rubble. It wasn’t just Kathmandu that took the hit, either. The quake on April 25, 2015 killed more than 9,000 people across the country, injured thousands and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3074056/why-nepal-still-rebuilding-half-decade-after-earthquake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3074056/why-nepal-still-rebuilding-half-decade-after-earthquake?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2020 02:30:13 +0000 Breathtaking images of snow-capped mountains taken in Nepal’s Nubri Valley, an isolated area 4,000 metres (13,000 feet) above sea level in the Himalayas bordering Tibet, cover the windows of Cathryn Donohue’s room at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). “Mount Manaslu is the world’s eighth tallest peak and it’s so beautiful, especially when the sun lights it up like a volcano,” says Donohue, assistant professor of the university’s linguistics department, pointing to a picture of the mountain that... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3036531/dying-languages-linguist-creating-written-language-nepal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3036531/dying-languages-linguist-creating-written-language-nepal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Nov 2019 02:07:18 +0000 When Roy Francis was called into his officer’s office in the 1970s and told he would be travelling to Everest as part of the British Army’s 1976 expedition, he never imagined the connection he would form with the Himalayas. Now, over forty years later, he is dedicating his time to building schools in areas flattened by the 2015 earthquake. “I’ve got so much from Nepal. I was part of expeditions and I led expeditions. It led me to starting my own company in the 1990s. This is my chance to give... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/3015468/everest-mountaineer-returns-himalayas-build-post?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/3015468/everest-mountaineer-returns-himalayas-build-post?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Jun 2019 03:22:32 +0000 The Trump administration will end special protections for an estimated 9,000 Nepalese immigrants living in the United States, giving them until June 24, 2019, to leave or find another way to stay in the country, the Department of Homeland Security said Thursday. They were granted that status during the Obama administration after an April 2015 earthquake killed more than 8,000 people in Nepal, and it was extended for 18 months in October 2016. But DHS said that after a review of conditions in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2143627/us-end-special-protection-9000-nepalese-immigrants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2143627/us-end-special-protection-9000-nepalese-immigrants?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Apr 2018 02:22:38 +0000 Billions of dollars poured into Nepal after a powerful earthquake devastated the country three years ago is being misdirected towards building unnecessary new homes where old ones could have been salvaged, experts warn. Survivors of the 7.8-magnitude quake that killed nearly 9,000 people in April 2015 are being pushed to construct new buildings they do not need, casting doubt on the effectiveness of the government’s US$9 billion reconstruction effort. “It is proposing the wrong solution for a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/2142893/how-billions-dollars-are-being-misspent-earthquake-ravaged?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/2142893/how-billions-dollars-are-being-misspent-earthquake-ravaged?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Apr 2018 05:29:45 +0000 A dream came true for Hongkonger Chang Chuen-man when he completed the challenge of a lifetime trekking in the Himalayas back in 2015. But a week before he had expected to fly home from Nepal, disaster struck and an earthquake killed nearly 9,000 people in the country. Chang, like most others, could have looked for the next available flight out and escaped the natural disaster. But he decided to stay for a few more months to help the local community rebuild their homes. On top of that, the dog... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2127033/how-hong-kong-trekker-became-one-dogs-best-friends-quake-hit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2127033/how-hong-kong-trekker-became-one-dogs-best-friends-quake-hit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jan 2018 06:34:06 +0000 BORN TO PLAY I grew up in the hut where I was born, beside the Royal Nepal Golf Club (RNGC) course, which is just next to Tribhuvan International Airport, in Kathmandu. I guess golf has always been in my life. My parents met on the golf course, where they are employed as labourers. We share our home with lawnmowers and other equipment they use for their work. One of the first sounds my ears must have heard was golf balls being hit by clubs. GAME OF STONES I took up golf properly eight years ago,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/2124323/nepal-teen-golf-sensation-talks-about-her?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/2124323/nepal-teen-golf-sensation-talks-about-her?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Dec 2017 03:01:02 +0000 Mountaineers have confirmed that a famous rocky outcrop near the peak of Mount Everest has collapsed, potentially making the climb more dangerous. The Hillary Step, named after Sir Edmund Hillary who, along with the sherpa Tenzing Norgay , was the first person to climb the mountain in 1953, may have been destroyed during the 2015 Nepal earthquake. The 12-metre-high rocky outcrop was a nearly vertical climb on the south-east ridge of the mountain. There had been rumours from climbers on earlier... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/2095171/hillary-step-final-obstacle-reaching-mount-everest-summit-has?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/2095171/hillary-step-final-obstacle-reaching-mount-everest-summit-has?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 May 2017 03:40:21 +0000 Sluggish reconstruction and the slow pace of economic recovery since deadly twin quakes two years ago have left millions in Nepal still roofless and jobless, making many of them easy targets for traffickers, anti-trafficking groups in Nepal say. Maiti Nepal, the largest such group with a country-wide network and presence in India, the main destination of those trafficked from Nepal, intercepted 5,726 people while they were being trafficked via various Nepal-India border crossings in 2016, up 156... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/2090435/twin-earthquakes-nepal-made-it-easier-traffickers-sell-women?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/2090435/twin-earthquakes-nepal-made-it-easier-traffickers-sell-women?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Apr 2017 07:38:26 +0000 According to India’s surveyor-general, a school of thought has grown that Earth’s highest peak, Mount Everest, has shrunk. “We are sending an expedition to Mount Everest,” said the official, Swarna Subba Rao, on the sidelines of the Geospatial World Forum in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. He told the BBC that his surveyors would work with the government of Nepal, which shares the mountain with China, to “remeasure” the hulking rock. The culprit of the possible shrinking is thought to be... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/2065308/did-earthquake-shrink-mount-everest-india-going-check?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/2065308/did-earthquake-shrink-mount-everest-india-going-check?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Jan 2017 05:29:50 +0000 With gold, cash and labour contributed by locals and Buddhist organisations, Kathmandu’s famed Boudhanath stupa has been fully restored, making it the first of the country’s more than 700 quake-damaged heritage structures to have been returned to its pre-quake glory. Over 600 monks and nuns will perform purification prayers at the stupa from Friday to Sunday, after which Prime Minister Prachanda will formally open the Buddhist monument, the country’s largest stupa and a Unesco World Heritage... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/2046655/kathmandu-believers-restore-quake-damaged-boudhanath-stupa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/2046655/kathmandu-believers-restore-quake-damaged-boudhanath-stupa?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Nov 2016 19:00:46 +0000 Photos of the mighty Himalayas and mythical temples and monasteries that dot the once forbidden kingdom have long encouraged thousands of thrill-seeking and soul-searching tourists to make a pilgrimage to Nepal. When the country opened to tourists in the 1950s, early photographers documented everything from mountains and mountaineers to Hindu monks and Western hippies mingling euphorically during the height of Kathmandu’s hippie days in the 1960s. In later decades, photos of the armed conflict... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2007912/photo-kathmandu-adopts-artistic-approach-nepals-post?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2007912/photo-kathmandu-adopts-artistic-approach-nepals-post?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Aug 2016 11:00:49 +0000 In the three months after a devastating earthquake struck Nepal in April 2015 and claimed about 8,700 lives, injured at least 22,200 and made hundreds of thousands of people homeless, Thaneswar Guragai did what he knew best: show off his quirky talents at spinning basketballs and balancing objects on various body parts. It may sound trivial but his skills, which have earned him 13 fun Guinness World Records to date, was able to bring cheer to the Nepalis during a dark time. Many villages were... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/1996481/meet-talented-nepalis-who-are-bringing-cheer-their-people?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/1996481/meet-talented-nepalis-who-are-bringing-cheer-their-people?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Jul 2016 21:33:13 +0000 Almost 230 people completed a charity hike in sweltering heat yesterday to raise funds for rebuilding efforts in Nepal after it was hit by a devastating earthquake last year. Nepalese people living in Hong Kong, along with members of the local and international community, raised at least HK$46,000 on the 13km trek. With temperatures reaching 32 degrees Celsius, the hike went through Wan Chai Gap and along the Wong Nai Chung Reservoir ending at Repulse Bay. “Our focus is not on raising money this... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1994162/hikers-brave-heat-trek-13km-along-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1994162/hikers-brave-heat-trek-13km-along-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Jul 2016 12:15:00 +0000 Phurba Tenzing Sherpa has led expeditions to the summit of Mount Everest 10 times since 2007, but on July 24 he will find himself in unknown territory: on a Hong Kong peak. The 27-year-old Nepali mountaineer is visiting the city for the first time as guest of honour for Hike for Nepal, a 13km charity hike to raise funds for rebuilding in Nepal, parts of which were hit by devastating earthquakes in April and May 2015 which left some 8,700 dead and at least 22,200 injured. Since then the country’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/1993336/sherpa-whos-reached-everest-summit-10-times-leads-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/1993336/sherpa-whos-reached-everest-summit-10-times-leads-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Jul 2016 09:53:44 +0000 Stephen Venables etched his name into mountaineering folklore when he became the first Englishman to conquer Everest without the aid of supplementary oxygen. The sense that enveloped him when he reached the roof of the world – at about 3.40pm on May 12, 1988 – was one of complete isolation, Venables recalls, as he took in the scene at 8,848 metres. After a short while, he focused his attention on his descent – and survival. Four recent films about Everest, from Hollywood affair to gritty... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/1986635/how-rush-hongkongers-and-others-climb-everest-changing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/1986635/how-rush-hongkongers-and-others-climb-everest-changing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Jul 2016 23:00:30 +0000 A year after the Nepal earthquake, Hong Kong has finally lowered its red travel alert. Sadly this does not flag a landmark in national reconstruction supported by pledges of support from the world community of US$4 billion. The work has barely begun. It is as if the country remains frozen in the immediate aftermath of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake on April 25 last year. A year after deadly earthquake, impatient Nepalis take rebuilding into their own hands As a result, the travel warning has only... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1940390/one-year-after-earthquake-nepalis-still-left-limbo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1940390/one-year-after-earthquake-nepalis-still-left-limbo?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 May 2016 15:01:14 +0000 If you see Bina’s iron hut, it is hard to imagine the two-storey brick house where she and her family of six used to live in Nepal. The windowless space of the hut is now home. Even the goats’ pen looks big by comparison. One year on from the devastating earthquake and Bina is still worried, but also thankful for the three months of temporary shelter and the ongoing medical care and sanitation supplies that have kept her children healthy. “Now life is back to normal,” she says. And though her... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1937757/year-after-earthquake-nepals-most-needy-are-still-rebuilding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1937757/year-after-earthquake-nepals-most-needy-are-still-rebuilding?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Apr 2016 09:00:38 +0000 The third largest city of Nepal after Kathmandu and Pokhara, Patan is located in the south-central part of Kathmandu Valley, just half an hour from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport. And while Thamel is the most popular base for backpackers and tourists, Patan is an underrated gem for its rich cultural heritage, beautiful architecture and tradition of arts and crafts. “I believe Patan reflects the true nature of what Nepal and Nepalis are all about,” says Patan-based sustainable... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/1937760/pictures-why-patan-perfect-starting-point-your-next-nepal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/1937760/pictures-why-patan-perfect-starting-point-your-next-nepal?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Apr 2016 04:30:40 +0000 When an earthquake struck Nepal a year ago, emergency relief poured in from around the world, but a recent visit has confirmed that the daunting long-term task of rebuilding Nepal is just beginning . People who have actively been helping Nepal recover since last April share their advice with those who want to help. 1. Visit Nepal “Many places in Nepal are still safe to travel, so please visit and help us to build back our tourism,” says award-winning mountaineer and relief worker Pasang Lhamu... https://www.scmp.com/culture/article/1937569/five-ways-you-can-help-nepal-recover-devastating-2015-earthquake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/article/1937569/five-ways-you-can-help-nepal-recover-devastating-2015-earthquake?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Apr 2016 22:15:45 +0000 Sitting outside her corrugated iron shack in Nuwakot, Nepal, a 94-year-old woman reveals the secret to her longevity. “The problem with today’s youth is that they don’t drink and smoke enough,” she says, as her daughter tops up our cups of millet wine. The old woman is a rarity in Nepal. Not only did she survive the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the country on April 25, 2015, killing nearly 9,000 people, and the 7.3 magnitude aftershock that followed a month later, but is one of the few... https://www.scmp.com/culture/article/1937537/year-after-deadly-earthquake-impatient-nepalis-take-rebuilding-their-own?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/article/1937537/year-after-deadly-earthquake-impatient-nepalis-take-rebuilding-their-own?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Apr 2016 22:15:45 +0000 Nepal’s experienced “ice doctors” are preparing to return to Everest to ready the mountain for the upcoming climbing season, almost one year after a huge earthquake triggered a deadly avalanche. Eight of the mountaineers and their support teams pray before leaving for base camp to fix routes through a treacherous icefall for climbers, says a top official. “Starting from March 7, the expert team will continue opening expedition routes and fixing ladders and ropes for the upcoming season,” says... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/1918596/nepals-ice-doctors-prepare-everest-climbing-season?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/1918596/nepals-ice-doctors-prepare-everest-climbing-season?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Feb 2016 11:01:21 +0000 Born in Khumjung in Nepal’s Everest region, Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita recalls watching tourists coming from afar to climb the mountains near her home when she was a little girl. By the time she’d finished high school, she had decided to find out what all the fuss was about, and began trekking, rock climbing and training for mountaineering. Since then, she’s become Nepal’s first woman mountaineering instructor, and not only conquered Everest but is one of the few women to have reached the summit... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/1902878/pushing-boundaries-nepali-woman-climber-national-geographic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/1902878/pushing-boundaries-nepali-woman-climber-national-geographic?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Jan 2016 10:45:30 +0000 New Delhi or Beijing? As Nepal’s new prime minister weighs his maiden foreign destination on assuming office, China finds itself in the middle of a high-stakes stand-off in South Asia, where its growing reach is prising open India’s hold over the region. “Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli has been invited by both India and China. He can visit either first. No decision has been made yet,” the Nepalese premier’s media adviser Pramod Dahal told the South China Morning Post. Dahal’s statement comes... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1898210/china-scores-nepal-plays-hardball-india-over-border?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1898210/china-scores-nepal-plays-hardball-india-over-border?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Jan 2016 13:45:30 +0000 Nepal’s parliament on Wednesday passed a long-delayed law to pave the way for rebuilding after April’s massive earthquake, ending months of bickering that paralysed reconstruction despite donor pledges of billions in aid. The 7.8-magnitude quake killed almost 8,900 people and destroyed more than half a million homes. Thousands of victims still live in tents eight months later due to the government's failure to spend a $4.1 billion reconstruction fund. “I announce that the bill related to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/1892193/nepal-finally-passes-quake-reconstruction-bill-signalling-hope?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/1892193/nepal-finally-passes-quake-reconstruction-bill-signalling-hope?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Dec 2015 13:42:22 +0000 Lok Bahadur Shakya’s earliest memories of Patan Durbar Square haven’t  faded. The 74-year-old played in this centuries-old palatial courtyard as a child; he woke to the morning bells of the temples and would follow his mother as she went to pray to the deities whose shrines are scattered across the square.    He has walked past the Unesco World Heritage site, in the Lalitpur district of Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley, every day for seven decades and has a story  for each season. But on a sunny... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1880561/restoring-nepals-earthquake-hit-monuments-race-against-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1880561/restoring-nepals-earthquake-hit-monuments-race-against-time?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Nov 2015 10:30:15 +0000 The earthquake that hit Nepal in April 2015 devastated the country, leaving in its wake more than 500,000 homes destroyed or damaged, over 8,500 people dead and tens of thousands injured. More than 65 per cent of the people injured during the earthquake suffered fractures and 12 per cent suffered spinal injuries. With statistics from before the earthquake indicating that somewhere between 7 and 10 per cent of the population in Nepal was already living with a disability of some form, an even... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/1880430/gallery-photographers-tribute-nepali-quake-survivors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/1880430/gallery-photographers-tribute-nepali-quake-survivors?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Nov 2015 04:00:00 +0000 If you donated cash to survivors of the Nepal earthquakes this year, you may want to consider exactly how - or if - your money has been used. Sixteen of the world's largest disaster relief charities have revealed they are spending up to a sixth of funds designated for Nepal on their overheads rather than in disaster-hit areas, when they are using local charities to do much of the work. Affected communities have denounced the response to the twin quakes in April and May as too slow, with some... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1860204/global-charities-accused-misleading-public-nepal-quake-aid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1860204/global-charities-accused-misleading-public-nepal-quake-aid?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2015 14:30:00 +0000 Emergency helicopter services in quake-hit Nepal may be forced to stop within weeks due to a lack of funding, leaving almost 150,000 people without food and shelter to survive the monsoon season, the United Nations warned. Annual monsoon rains and resulting landslides could cut off access to remote communities devastated by the two quakes which struck in April and May, making helicopters crucial for reaching them, according to the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS). The quakes killed around... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/1848379/thousands-risk-emergency-helicopters-quake-hit-nepal-could-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/1848379/thousands-risk-emergency-helicopters-quake-hit-nepal-could-be?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Aug 2015 23:00:40 +0000 Barely 24 hours after the April 25 earthquake devastated Nepal, the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) rescue team slipped quietly across the border into Nepal. It was the first time this Beijing-based not-for-profit aid organisation, which claims to be funded by Chinese business and private donations, had worked in Nepal - although it's been involved in humanitarian aid in many of the world's disaster zones, including Haiti, Chile, Indonesia, Africa and Myanmar. One month later, in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1842283/political-allegiance-underlying-nepal-earthquake-aid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1842283/political-allegiance-underlying-nepal-earthquake-aid?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jul 2015 22:15:00 +0000 In the aftermath of the catastrophic Haiti earthquake in 2010, former US president Bill Clinton urged the world to “build back better”. If and when future tremors struck, he asserted, there would be far less devastation and far fewer casualties if the decimated structures were rebuilt with earthquake safety and sustainability in mind. The jury is still out on how well the global community performed on this goal. While billions of dollars (close to US$13 billion was pledged and almost US$6... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/1840749/hong-kong-helps-nepal-five-ways-build-back-better-after-quakes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/1840749/hong-kong-helps-nepal-five-ways-build-back-better-after-quakes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Jul 2015 03:01:44 +0000 The 62-year-old headmaster of the Shree Mandehunga Primary School was not the only one with tears in his eyes as he told our Room to Read delegation about the day the earthquake struck his village. Charhare is a small farming settlement in the rural district of Nuwakot. On a normal day, it would be quite picturesque, with verdant hills above it and a cooling breeze blowing off the swift-flowing river below. But since Charghare is only 80 kilometres from the epicentre of the first of the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/1839288/hong-kong-helps-nepal-quake-damaged-school-waits-rebuild?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/1839288/hong-kong-helps-nepal-quake-damaged-school-waits-rebuild?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Jul 2015 03:00:30 +0000 My first full day in Nepal began with a briefing from the Room to Read Nepal team. Over an early breakfast I listened to our plans for the day: “We’re going to visit students in our girls' education programme.  At the school we are visiting, we have 39 girls enrolled in our programme and support them to complete secondary school. Thirty-six of these young women had their houses destroyed in the recent earthquakes.” This did not sound like a harbinger of a happy day. I debated what a visiting... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/1838583/hong-kong-helps-nepal-quake-wrecked-homes-not-dreams-education?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/1838583/hong-kong-helps-nepal-quake-wrecked-homes-not-dreams-education?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Jul 2015 03:00:00 +0000 There is no doubt that the 7.8 magnitude earthquake Nepal suffered on April 25 and its severe aftershocks delivered a crushing blow to the country's tourism industry. Yet in about 2½ months, Nepal is gearing up to tell the world it's back in the travel business. Nepal's government is desperate to change the narrative after April's disaster, which killed almost 9,000 people, in time for the peak tourist season in October and November. Visitors bring in US$1.6 billion to a poor country whose... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/1838372/open-business-nepal-woos-adventure-tourists-after-quake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/1838372/open-business-nepal-woos-adventure-tourists-after-quake?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Jul 2015 22:15:45 +0000 I arrive at Hong Kong International Airport on Sunday night not looking forward to this trip, but instead kind of dreading it.   Most trips to Chek Lap Kok involve eager anticipation – of a quick holiday or a productive business trip ahead. But tonight, I am heading to my favourite country in the world (and that of many Hongkongers), Nepal, and I’m bracing myself for what I was going to see of the land hit by a massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake in April. Three days in the quake zone lie in front... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/1838098/hong-kong-helps-nepal-ngo-boss-fears-what-quake-impact-hell-find?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/1838098/hong-kong-helps-nepal-ngo-boss-fears-what-quake-impact-hell-find?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Jul 2015 15:15:15 +0000 Foreign donors and agencies announced billions of dollars in aid for Nepal yesterday, but it fell short by half of what the Himalayan nation wants to rebuild from the devastating earthquakes earlier this year that killed more than 8,800 people and made millions homeless. The biggest donation came from the giant southern neighbour India, which pledged assistance of US$1 billion during a one-day donors' conference in Kathmandu. "Nepal and India are joined in both their joys and sorrows," Indian... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1826618/international-donors-dig-deep-raise-billions-dollars-aid-nepal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1826618/international-donors-dig-deep-raise-billions-dollars-aid-nepal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Jun 2015 19:21:03 +0000 As representatives of more than 50 countries and agencies gathered in Kathmandu yesterday to discuss Nepal's recovery from the devastating earthquakes in April and May, hundreds of thousands of people rendered homeless by the nation's deadliest disaster on record face a new menace - the monsoon. In Sindhupalchowk district, 86km northeast of Kathmandu, schools are still being run under tarps, and people continue to live under plastic covers and in tents two months after the first quake, even as... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1826617/nepalese-brace-monsoon-after-twin-earthquakes-leave-thousands-without-proper?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1826617/nepalese-brace-monsoon-after-twin-earthquakes-leave-thousands-without-proper?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Jun 2015 19:15:45 +0000 Snappers take action for Nepal: Fear overtook Elaine Li in Hong Kong on the afternoon of April 25, when the advertising art director learned of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal. She had visited the country twice and fallen in love with its culture and people, but there was something very personal at stake: her boyfriend is Nepali, and he was in Kathmandu when the quake hit. He was unharmed, but had a major story to tell. "Hearing his first-hand experience of the quake made me really want to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48-hours/article/1819274/hong-kong-instagram-photo-show-aid-nepal-quake-victims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48-hours/article/1819274/hong-kong-instagram-photo-show-aid-nepal-quake-victims?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jun 2015 03:00:00 +0000 Police in Nepal have started self-defence lessons for women and girls in camps for people displaced by massive earthquakes earlier this year after concerns about a number of sexual assaults and an increase in reports of sexual harassment. More than 8,700 people died in the two major quakes that hit Nepal on April 25 and May 12, destroying nearly half a million houses and leaving thousands camping out in the open. “While visiting different camps in Kathmandu, we realised the need for such... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/1818369/self-defence-classes-women-displaced-nepal-earthquake-launched?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/1818369/self-defence-classes-women-displaced-nepal-earthquake-launched?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jun 2015 08:57:23 +0000 Thousands of schools across districts worst hit by two major earthquakes in Nepal reopened yesterday. The students, many nervous and wary, came to class on Sunday, a working day in the Himalayan nation, five weeks after the disaster. Dressed informally, children clutched their parents’ hands before filing past ruins of collapsed buildings to enter tarpaulin tents and makeshift cottages that will serve as their schools until their old one is rebuilt. "I am nervous. It is painful to see my... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1814199/schools-reopen-nepals-worst-quake-hit-districts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1814199/schools-reopen-nepals-worst-quake-hit-districts?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2015 13:45:30 +0000 Two weeks ago I took part in a Hong Kong fundraiser for the victims of the earthquake that has devastated Nepal. It was held at a well-known bar in Lan Kwai Fong, offering all-you-can-eat Nepalese food and cocktails for an entrance fee which would serve as a donation. It was a colourful and successful event, organised by young Nepalese workers from the local food and beverage industry, and supported with much enthusiasm by many Hongkongers and expatriates. For my little part, I spent the day... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1797480/nepal-needs-hong-kongs-help-we-need-know-where-our-money?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1797480/nepal-needs-hong-kongs-help-we-need-know-where-our-money?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 May 2015 22:00:00 +0000 Nepalese troops today found the bodies of all eight people from the wreckage of a US helicopter which crashed while delivering aid in the quake-devastated country. The UH-1Y Huey was carrying six US Marines and two soldiers from the Nepalese army when it went missing during a relief flight in the mountainous northeastern region on the same day that a second quake hit the country. “Nepalese and US troops recovered all eight bodies from the crash site this  morning,” major general Binoj Basnyat... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1799085/rescuers-find-three-bodies-near-us-helicopter-wreckage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1799085/rescuers-find-three-bodies-near-us-helicopter-wreckage?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 May 2015 20:45:30 +0000 For the second year running, teacher Ada Tsang Yin-hung has failed to conquer the world's highest peak because of a deadly avalanche. She escaped unscathed last year, but this year, the fierce burst of snow triggered by a 7.9-magnitude earthquake left a permanent crack in the right side of her skull. Tsang, in her late 30s, is now resting at home waiting for a blood clot in her left brain to fade away, though her head still aches if she speaks too much. She is thankful to have survived. Five... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1797420/mt-everest-enthusiast-scarred-still-raring-go?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1797420/mt-everest-enthusiast-scarred-still-raring-go?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 May 2015 18:14:20 +0000 Nepal has been overwhelmed by its second massive earthquake in less than three weeks, its prime minister said on Thursday as he visited this normally placid foothills town, now a centre for frightened villagers desperate for government help. Thousands of people now crowd the streets of Charikot, the administrative centre of the isolated district hit hardest by Tuesday’s magnitude-7.3 quake, which killed at least 96 people and injured more than 2,300. The magnitude-7.8 earthquake that hit April... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/1796552/we-were-not-prepared-second-quake-admits-nepals-prime-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/1796552/we-were-not-prepared-second-quake-admits-nepals-prime-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 May 2015 10:06:45 +0000 Hundreds of Nepali troops were searching for a missing US Marines helicopter with eight people on board today, after the second powerful earthquake in less than three weeks killed scores and sent panicked residents into the street. The Himalayan nation is still reeling from a devastating quake measuring magnitude 7.8 last month that killed more than 8,000 people and injured close to 20,000. The US helicopter was delivering aid in Dolakha, one of the hardest-hit areas from the April 25 quake, on... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/1795178/latest-nepal-quake-kills-67-people-massive-search-launched?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/1795178/latest-nepal-quake-kills-67-people-massive-search-launched?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 May 2015 09:45:15 +0000 The 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal yesterday, 17 days after a lethal 7.8 quake, is part of a chain reaction in a notorious seismic hotspot, say scientists. Like buttons popping off one by one from a shirt that is ripped open, a large quake displaces stress to another part of a fault, causing it to rupture, they said. "Large earthquakes are often followed by other quakes, sometimes as large as the initial one," said Carmen Solana, a volcanologist at Britain's University of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1794747/second-nepali-earthquake-part-chain-reaction-seismic-hotspot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1794747/second-nepali-earthquake-part-chain-reaction-seismic-hotspot?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 May 2015 20:19:32 +0000 Nepal's foreign minister has thanked China for helping the recovery efforts in the earthquake-battered nation, which was left reeling after a second disaster hit yesterday. Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey said China has done a "very good job" after it deployed an unprecedented number of military and police personnel to Nepal following the first earthquake, on April 25. "We would like to extend our thanks to the Chinese people and the Chinese government," he said. "We appreciate the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1794748/nepal-thanks-china-helpingin-earthquake-recovery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1794748/nepal-thanks-china-helpingin-earthquake-recovery?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 May 2015 20:15:30 +0000