"Formality"

#13001449

18 November 2025

Netra Bikram Chand, General Secretary of the Nepal Communist Party, gestures as he receives the certificate of registration from the Election Commission in Kathmandu, Nepal, on November 18, 2025. Chand leads the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), a communist rebel group that enters politics in 2021 after signing a 3-point peace deal with the then government. The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) stages a nationwide spree of violence over a period of time and now formally registers for the election. The CPN (Maoist) splits from the Maoist Communist Party, which now merges into the Nepali Communist Party, which fights government troops between 1996 and 2006 when it gives up its armed revolt and enters mainstream politics.

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#12929559

31 October 2025

Nepali nurses working at a government hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 31, 2025, take part in a protest expressing solidarity with those demanding fair pay and benefits. In a phased manner, nurses from hospitals across the Himalayan nation stage protests demanding assurance of minimum salary, allowances, and benefits. Nurses working in government hospitals now come forward expressing solidarity with those demanding pay, allowances, and benefits equal to government standards. A 15-point demand is put forward by the Nursing Association. Their demands include implementing the Ministry of Health and Population's directive dated October 10, 2025, ensuring that the minimum remuneration of health workers is not lower than that of government employees, providing allowances for additional work, ending daily-wage employment, and paying salaries and allowances through the banking system. The protesting nurses also demand recognition of skilled nursing professionals, who have long been treated as laborers, to be formally recognized and managed under the Health Act.

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#12929560

31 October 2025

Nepali nurses working at a government hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 31, 2025, take part in a protest expressing solidarity with those demanding fair pay and benefits. In a phased manner, nurses from hospitals across the Himalayan nation stage protests demanding assurance of minimum salary, allowances, and benefits. Nurses working in government hospitals now come forward expressing solidarity with those demanding pay, allowances, and benefits equal to government standards. A 15-point demand is put forward by the Nursing Association. Their demands include implementing the Ministry of Health and Population's directive dated October 10, 2025, ensuring that the minimum remuneration of health workers is not lower than that of government employees, providing allowances for additional work, ending daily-wage employment, and paying salaries and allowances through the banking system. The protesting nurses also demand recognition of skilled nursing professionals, who have long been treated as laborers, to be formally recognized and managed under the Health Act.

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#12929561

31 October 2025

Nepali nurses working at a government hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 31, 2025, take part in a protest expressing solidarity with those demanding fair pay and benefits. In a phased manner, nurses from hospitals across the Himalayan nation stage protests demanding assurance of minimum salary, allowances, and benefits. Nurses working in government hospitals now come forward expressing solidarity with those demanding pay, allowances, and benefits equal to government standards. A 15-point demand is put forward by the Nursing Association. Their demands include implementing the Ministry of Health and Population's directive dated October 10, 2025, ensuring that the minimum remuneration of health workers is not lower than that of government employees, providing allowances for additional work, ending daily-wage employment, and paying salaries and allowances through the banking system. The protesting nurses also demand recognition of skilled nursing professionals, who have long been treated as laborers, to be formally recognized and managed under the Health Act.

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#12929562

31 October 2025

Nepali nurses working at a government hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 31, 2025, take part in a protest expressing solidarity with those demanding fair pay and benefits. In a phased manner, nurses from hospitals across the Himalayan nation stage protests demanding assurance of minimum salary, allowances, and benefits. Nurses working in government hospitals now come forward expressing solidarity with those demanding pay, allowances, and benefits equal to government standards. A 15-point demand is put forward by the Nursing Association. Their demands include implementing the Ministry of Health and Population's directive dated October 10, 2025, ensuring that the minimum remuneration of health workers is not lower than that of government employees, providing allowances for additional work, ending daily-wage employment, and paying salaries and allowances through the banking system. The protesting nurses also demand recognition of skilled nursing professionals, who have long been treated as laborers, to be formally recognized and managed under the Health Act.

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#12929563

31 October 2025

Nepali nurses working at a government hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 31, 2025, take part in a protest expressing solidarity with those demanding fair pay and benefits. In a phased manner, nurses from hospitals across the Himalayan nation stage protests demanding assurance of minimum salary, allowances, and benefits. Nurses working in government hospitals now come forward expressing solidarity with those demanding pay, allowances, and benefits equal to government standards. A 15-point demand is put forward by the Nursing Association. Their demands include implementing the Ministry of Health and Population's directive dated October 10, 2025, ensuring that the minimum remuneration of health workers is not lower than that of government employees, providing allowances for additional work, ending daily-wage employment, and paying salaries and allowances through the banking system. The protesting nurses also demand recognition of skilled nursing professionals, who have long been treated as laborers, to be formally recognized and managed under the Health Act.

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#12929564

31 October 2025

Nepali nurses working at a government hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 31, 2025, take part in a protest expressing solidarity with those demanding fair pay and benefits. In a phased manner, nurses from hospitals across the Himalayan nation stage protests demanding assurance of minimum salary, allowances, and benefits. Nurses working in government hospitals now come forward expressing solidarity with those demanding pay, allowances, and benefits equal to government standards. A 15-point demand is put forward by the Nursing Association. Their demands include implementing the Ministry of Health and Population's directive dated October 10, 2025, ensuring that the minimum remuneration of health workers is not lower than that of government employees, providing allowances for additional work, ending daily-wage employment, and paying salaries and allowances through the banking system. The protesting nurses also demand recognition of skilled nursing professionals, who have long been treated as laborers, to be formally recognized and managed under the Health Act.

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#12929565

31 October 2025

Nepali nurses working at a government hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 31, 2025, take part in a protest expressing solidarity with those demanding fair pay and benefits. In a phased manner, nurses from hospitals across the Himalayan nation stage protests demanding assurance of minimum salary, allowances, and benefits. Nurses working in government hospitals now come forward expressing solidarity with those demanding pay, allowances, and benefits equal to government standards. A 15-point demand is put forward by the Nursing Association. Their demands include implementing the Ministry of Health and Population's directive dated October 10, 2025, ensuring that the minimum remuneration of health workers is not lower than that of government employees, providing allowances for additional work, ending daily-wage employment, and paying salaries and allowances through the banking system. The protesting nurses also demand recognition of skilled nursing professionals, who have long been treated as laborers, to be formally recognized and managed under the Health Act.

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#12929566

31 October 2025

Nepali nurses working at a government hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 31, 2025, take part in a protest expressing solidarity with those demanding fair pay and benefits. In a phased manner, nurses from hospitals across the Himalayan nation stage protests demanding assurance of minimum salary, allowances, and benefits. Nurses working in government hospitals now come forward expressing solidarity with those demanding pay, allowances, and benefits equal to government standards. A 15-point demand is put forward by the Nursing Association. Their demands include implementing the Ministry of Health and Population's directive dated October 10, 2025, ensuring that the minimum remuneration of health workers is not lower than that of government employees, providing allowances for additional work, ending daily-wage employment, and paying salaries and allowances through the banking system. The protesting nurses also demand recognition of skilled nursing professionals, who have long been treated as laborers, to be formally recognized and managed under the Health Act.

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#12814323

30 September 2025

Former Royal Living Goddess Trishna Shakya is seen inside her palanquin as she is carried from the historic Kumari Ghar to her family home in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 30, 2025. The ceremonial farewell features traditional music, rituals, and processions marking the conclusion of her tenure upon reaching puberty. Revered as the living incarnation of Goddess Taleju, she remains an important figure in centuries-old Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Her successor, Aryatara Shakya, 2 1/2 years old, is formally enthroned at Kumari Ghar on the auspicious day of Asthami.

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#12814329

30 September 2025

Former Royal Living Goddess Trishna Shakya is seen inside her palanquin as she is carried from the historic Kumari Ghar to her family home in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 30, 2025. The ceremonial farewell features traditional music, rituals, and processions marking the conclusion of her tenure upon reaching puberty. Revered as the living incarnation of Goddess Taleju, she remains an important figure in centuries-old Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Her successor, Aryatara Shakya, 2 1/2 years old, is formally enthroned at Kumari Ghar on the auspicious day of Asthami.

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#12812391

30 September 2025

Aryatara Shakya, two and a half years old, in red regalia, is carried by her father as she is brought to the Taleju Bhawani Temple in Kathmandu Durbar Square, Nepal, on September 30, 2025, to formally anoint her as the new Royal Kumari, the living goddess of Nepal. Nepal has a unique tradition of worshipping the ''Kumari,'' the living goddess, who is appointed at certain intervals following a strict selection process. A young Newar girl with no blemishes is chosen to represent the Goddess Kumari as an incarnation of Goddess Taleju, the tutelary deity of the Malla dynasty and the Shah dynasty, which inherited the tradition. The young candidates from the Shakya caste among the Newars, many as young as four years old, must go through an extremely strict selection process before one of them is chosen to represent the Goddess. She must remain calm and show no signs of fear even when put through scary tests. Once chosen, she has to live within the Kumari Ghar (Kumari's House), her feet must never touch the ground, and she will leave her residence only during certain festivals. She remains a Living Goddess until any form of bleeding occurs, which is usually when she reaches puberty. The Living Goddess is worshipped with great reverence, and even the Shah Kings follow the tradition of receiving tika and blessings from her. Dating back to the 17th century, the practice is institutionalized by a Malla king. Legend has it that King Jaya Prakash Malla, under the influence of alcohol while playing a game with the visiting Goddess Taleju in the form of a human, starts lusting after her. This offends the goddess, and she orders the king to make an oath that he will select a virgin girl within whom she will always reside. The tradition continues to this day. The Malla dynasty is ousted by King Prithvi Narayan Shah, but the tradition of revering the Goddess Kumari is continued by the conquerors. Until 2008, the Shah King goes to the Kumari to receive tika on his forehead.

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#12812392

30 September 2025

Aryatara Shakya, two and a half years old, in red regalia, is carried by her father as she is brought to the Taleju Bhawani Temple in Kathmandu Durbar Square, Nepal, on September 30, 2025, to formally anoint her as the new Royal Kumari, the living goddess of Nepal. Nepal has a unique tradition of worshipping the ''Kumari,'' the living goddess, who is appointed at certain intervals following a strict selection process. A young Newar girl with no blemishes is chosen to represent the Goddess Kumari as an incarnation of Goddess Taleju, the tutelary deity of the Malla dynasty and the Shah dynasty, which inherited the tradition. The young candidates from the Shakya caste among the Newars, many as young as four years old, must go through an extremely strict selection process before one of them is chosen to represent the Goddess. She must remain calm and show no signs of fear even when put through scary tests. Once chosen, she has to live within the Kumari Ghar (Kumari's House), her feet must never touch the ground, and she will leave her residence only during certain festivals. She remains a Living Goddess until any form of bleeding occurs, which is usually when she reaches puberty. The Living Goddess is worshipped with great reverence, and even the Shah Kings follow the tradition of receiving tika and blessings from her. Dating back to the 17th century, the practice is institutionalized by a Malla king. Legend has it that King Jaya Prakash Malla, under the influence of alcohol while playing a game with the visiting Goddess Taleju in the form of a human, starts lusting after her. This offends the goddess, and she orders the king to make an oath that he will select a virgin girl within whom she will always reside. The tradition continues to this day. The Malla dynasty is ousted by King Prithvi Narayan Shah, but the tradition of revering the Goddess Kumari is continued by the conquerors. Until 2008, the Shah King goes to the Kumari to receive tika on his forehead.

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#12812393

30 September 2025

Aryatara Shakya, two and a half years old, in red regalia, is carried by her father as she is brought to the Taleju Bhawani Temple in Kathmandu Durbar Square, Nepal, on September 30, 2025, to formally anoint her as the new Royal Kumari, the living goddess of Nepal. Nepal has a unique tradition of worshipping the ''Kumari,'' the living goddess, who is appointed at certain intervals following a strict selection process. A young Newar girl with no blemishes is chosen to represent the Goddess Kumari as an incarnation of Goddess Taleju, the tutelary deity of the Malla dynasty and the Shah dynasty, which inherited the tradition. The young candidates from the Shakya caste among the Newars, many as young as four years old, must go through an extremely strict selection process before one of them is chosen to represent the Goddess. She must remain calm and show no signs of fear even when put through scary tests. Once chosen, she has to live within the Kumari Ghar (Kumari's House), her feet must never touch the ground, and she will leave her residence only during certain festivals. She remains a Living Goddess until any form of bleeding occurs, which is usually when she reaches puberty. The Living Goddess is worshipped with great reverence, and even the Shah Kings follow the tradition of receiving tika and blessings from her. Dating back to the 17th century, the practice is institutionalized by a Malla king. Legend has it that King Jaya Prakash Malla, under the influence of alcohol while playing a game with the visiting Goddess Taleju in the form of a human, starts lusting after her. This offends the goddess, and she orders the king to make an oath that he will select a virgin girl within whom she will always reside. The tradition continues to this day. The Malla dynasty is ousted by King Prithvi Narayan Shah, but the tradition of revering the Goddess Kumari is continued by the conquerors. Until 2008, the Shah King goes to the Kumari to receive tika on his forehead.

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#12812394

30 September 2025

Aryatara Shakya, two and a half years old, in red regalia, is carried by her father as she is brought to the Taleju Bhawani Temple in Kathmandu Durbar Square, Nepal, on September 30, 2025, to formally anoint her as the new Royal Kumari, the living goddess of Nepal. Nepal has a unique tradition of worshipping the ''Kumari,'' the living goddess, who is appointed at certain intervals following a strict selection process. A young Newar girl with no blemishes is chosen to represent the Goddess Kumari as an incarnation of Goddess Taleju, the tutelary deity of the Malla dynasty and the Shah dynasty, which inherited the tradition. The young candidates from the Shakya caste among the Newars, many as young as four years old, must go through an extremely strict selection process before one of them is chosen to represent the Goddess. She must remain calm and show no signs of fear even when put through scary tests. Once chosen, she has to live within the Kumari Ghar (Kumari's House), her feet must never touch the ground, and she will leave her residence only during certain festivals. She remains a Living Goddess until any form of bleeding occurs, which is usually when she reaches puberty. The Living Goddess is worshipped with great reverence, and even the Shah Kings follow the tradition of receiving tika and blessings from her. Dating back to the 17th century, the practice is institutionalized by a Malla king. Legend has it that King Jaya Prakash Malla, under the influence of alcohol while playing a game with the visiting Goddess Taleju in the form of a human, starts lusting after her. This offends the goddess, and she orders the king to make an oath that he will select a virgin girl within whom she will always reside. The tradition continues to this day. The Malla dynasty is ousted by King Prithvi Narayan Shah, but the tradition of revering the Goddess Kumari is continued by the conquerors. Until 2008, the Shah King goes to the Kumari to receive tika on his forehead.

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#12812395

30 September 2025

Aryatara Shakya, two and a half years old, in red regalia, is carried by her father as she is brought to the Taleju Bhawani Temple in Kathmandu Durbar Square, Nepal, on September 30, 2025, to formally anoint her as the new Royal Kumari, the living goddess of Nepal. Nepal has a unique tradition of worshipping the ''Kumari,'' the living goddess, who is appointed at certain intervals following a strict selection process. A young Newar girl with no blemishes is chosen to represent the Goddess Kumari as an incarnation of Goddess Taleju, the tutelary deity of the Malla dynasty and the Shah dynasty, which inherited the tradition. The young candidates from the Shakya caste among the Newars, many as young as four years old, must go through an extremely strict selection process before one of them is chosen to represent the Goddess. She must remain calm and show no signs of fear even when put through scary tests. Once chosen, she has to live within the Kumari Ghar (Kumari's House), her feet must never touch the ground, and she will leave her residence only during certain festivals. She remains a Living Goddess until any form of bleeding occurs, which is usually when she reaches puberty. The Living Goddess is worshipped with great reverence, and even the Shah Kings follow the tradition of receiving tika and blessings from her. Dating back to the 17th century, the practice is institutionalized by a Malla king. Legend has it that King Jaya Prakash Malla, under the influence of alcohol while playing a game with the visiting Goddess Taleju in the form of a human, starts lusting after her. This offends the goddess, and she orders the king to make an oath that he will select a virgin girl within whom she will always reside. The tradition continues to this day. The Malla dynasty is ousted by King Prithvi Narayan Shah, but the tradition of revering the Goddess Kumari is continued by the conquerors. Until 2008, the Shah King goes to the Kumari to receive tika on his forehead.

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