"PROTECTED DESIGNATION"

#13381045

28 February 2026

Balen (Balendra) Shah, former Kathmandu Mayor and rapper, is projected as the next Nepali Prime Minister. He takes part in a road show in Kathmandu, Nepal, on February 28, 2026, as he starts campaigning in the capital. The rapper turned mayor resigned from his post on January 18 to contest the March 5 election. The former rapper, who won the local election of 2022 from the Nepali capital, also assumes the role of senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) on the same day. Projected as the next Nepal Prime Minister, Balendra Shah (Balen) launches a Kathmandu-centric campaign as the election draws close, with polling set for March 5. Balen, standing in the fray from Jhapa against former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, launches the campaign in Kathmandu with a road show. Hundreds of supporters and voters stand on the side of the road as the projected Prime Minister, alongside the party president Rabi Lamichhane, greets voters from a moving vehicle. The silence period for the election of the House of Representatives, dissolved after September's Gen-Z protest, is set to start from March 2, past midnight. Balen campaigns all across the nation as his party, Rastriya Swatantra Party, is poised to win the election with a landslide victory. On December 28, Balen strikes a deal with the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) where it is agreed that he will be the next Prime Ministerial candidate from the party. As per the 7-point agreement, RSP chair Rabi Lamichhane continues as the party's central chairman, while Shah will be presented as the party's parliamentary leader after the elections and its prime ministerial candidate. The RSP emerges as the fourth largest political force, winning 21 seats in the dissolved House of Representatives within a year of its establishment. Balen promises to institutionalize the agenda raised by September's Gen-Z movement. The electoral battle in Jhapa-5 shapes up to be an intriguing contest this time.

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#13381047

28 February 2026

Balen (Balendra) Shah, former Kathmandu Mayor and rapper, is projected as the next Nepali Prime Minister. He takes part in a road show in Kathmandu, Nepal, on February 28, 2026, as he starts campaigning in the capital. The rapper turned mayor resigned from his post on January 18 to contest the March 5 election. The former rapper, who won the local election of 2022 from the Nepali capital, also assumes the role of senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) on the same day. Projected as the next Nepal Prime Minister, Balendra Shah (Balen) launches a Kathmandu-centric campaign as the election draws close, with polling set for March 5. Balen, standing in the fray from Jhapa against former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, launches the campaign in Kathmandu with a road show. Hundreds of supporters and voters stand on the side of the road as the projected Prime Minister, alongside the party president Rabi Lamichhane, greets voters from a moving vehicle. The silence period for the election of the House of Representatives, dissolved after September's Gen-Z protest, is set to start from March 2, past midnight. Balen campaigns all across the nation as his party, Rastriya Swatantra Party, is poised to win the election with a landslide victory. On December 28, Balen strikes a deal with the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) where it is agreed that he will be the next Prime Ministerial candidate from the party. As per the 7-point agreement, RSP chair Rabi Lamichhane continues as the party's central chairman, while Shah will be presented as the party's parliamentary leader after the elections and its prime ministerial candidate. The RSP emerges as the fourth largest political force, winning 21 seats in the dissolved House of Representatives within a year of its establishment. Balen promises to institutionalize the agenda raised by September's Gen-Z movement. The electoral battle in Jhapa-5 shapes up to be an intriguing contest this time.

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#13381048

28 February 2026

Balen (Balendra) Shah, former Kathmandu Mayor and rapper, is projected as the next Nepali Prime Minister. He takes part in a road show in Kathmandu, Nepal, on February 28, 2026, as he starts campaigning in the capital. The rapper turned mayor resigned from his post on January 18 to contest the March 5 election. The former rapper, who won the local election of 2022 from the Nepali capital, also assumes the role of senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) on the same day. Projected as the next Nepal Prime Minister, Balendra Shah (Balen) launches a Kathmandu-centric campaign as the election draws close, with polling set for March 5. Balen, standing in the fray from Jhapa against former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, launches the campaign in Kathmandu with a road show. Hundreds of supporters and voters stand on the side of the road as the projected Prime Minister, alongside the party president Rabi Lamichhane, greets voters from a moving vehicle. The silence period for the election of the House of Representatives, dissolved after September's Gen-Z protest, is set to start from March 2, past midnight. Balen campaigns all across the nation as his party, Rastriya Swatantra Party, is poised to win the election with a landslide victory. On December 28, Balen strikes a deal with the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) where it is agreed that he will be the next Prime Ministerial candidate from the party. As per the 7-point agreement, RSP chair Rabi Lamichhane continues as the party's central chairman, while Shah will be presented as the party's parliamentary leader after the elections and its prime ministerial candidate. The RSP emerges as the fourth largest political force, winning 21 seats in the dissolved House of Representatives within a year of its establishment. Balen promises to institutionalize the agenda raised by September's Gen-Z movement. The electoral battle in Jhapa-5 shapes up to be an intriguing contest this time.

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#13381049

28 February 2026

Balen (Balendra) Shah, former Kathmandu Mayor and rapper, is projected as the next Nepali Prime Minister. He takes part in a road show in Kathmandu, Nepal, on February 28, 2026, as he starts campaigning in the capital. The rapper turned mayor resigned from his post on January 18 to contest the March 5 election. The former rapper, who won the local election of 2022 from the Nepali capital, also assumes the role of senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) on the same day. Projected as the next Nepal Prime Minister, Balendra Shah (Balen) launches a Kathmandu-centric campaign as the election draws close, with polling set for March 5. Balen, standing in the fray from Jhapa against former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, launches the campaign in Kathmandu with a road show. Hundreds of supporters and voters stand on the side of the road as the projected Prime Minister, alongside the party president Rabi Lamichhane, greets voters from a moving vehicle. The silence period for the election of the House of Representatives, dissolved after September's Gen-Z protest, is set to start from March 2, past midnight. Balen campaigns all across the nation as his party, Rastriya Swatantra Party, is poised to win the election with a landslide victory. On December 28, Balen strikes a deal with the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) where it is agreed that he will be the next Prime Ministerial candidate from the party. As per the 7-point agreement, RSP chair Rabi Lamichhane continues as the party's central chairman, while Shah will be presented as the party's parliamentary leader after the elections and its prime ministerial candidate. The RSP emerges as the fourth largest political force, winning 21 seats in the dissolved House of Representatives within a year of its establishment. Balen promises to institutionalize the agenda raised by September's Gen-Z movement. The electoral battle in Jhapa-5 shapes up to be an intriguing contest this time.

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#13381051

28 February 2026

Balen (Balendra) Shah, former Kathmandu Mayor and rapper, is projected as the next Nepali Prime Minister. He takes part in a road show in Kathmandu, Nepal, on February 28, 2026, as he starts campaigning in the capital. The rapper turned mayor resigned from his post on January 18 to contest the March 5 election. The former rapper, who won the local election of 2022 from the Nepali capital, also assumes the role of senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) on the same day. Projected as the next Nepal Prime Minister, Balendra Shah (Balen) launches a Kathmandu-centric campaign as the election draws close, with polling set for March 5. Balen, standing in the fray from Jhapa against former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, launches the campaign in Kathmandu with a road show. Hundreds of supporters and voters stand on the side of the road as the projected Prime Minister, alongside the party president Rabi Lamichhane, greets voters from a moving vehicle. The silence period for the election of the House of Representatives, dissolved after September's Gen-Z protest, is set to start from March 2, past midnight. Balen campaigns all across the nation as his party, Rastriya Swatantra Party, is poised to win the election with a landslide victory. On December 28, Balen strikes a deal with the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) where it is agreed that he will be the next Prime Ministerial candidate from the party. As per the 7-point agreement, RSP chair Rabi Lamichhane continues as the party's central chairman, while Shah will be presented as the party's parliamentary leader after the elections and its prime ministerial candidate. The RSP emerges as the fourth largest political force, winning 21 seats in the dissolved House of Representatives within a year of its establishment. Balen promises to institutionalize the agenda raised by September's Gen-Z movement. The electoral battle in Jhapa-5 shapes up to be an intriguing contest this time.

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#13381052

28 February 2026

Balen (Balendra) Shah, former Kathmandu Mayor and rapper, is projected as the next Nepali Prime Minister. He takes part in a road show in Kathmandu, Nepal, on February 28, 2026, as he starts campaigning in the capital. The rapper turned mayor resigned from his post on January 18 to contest the March 5 election. The former rapper, who won the local election of 2022 from the Nepali capital, also assumes the role of senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) on the same day. Projected as the next Nepal Prime Minister, Balendra Shah (Balen) launches a Kathmandu-centric campaign as the election draws close, with polling set for March 5. Balen, standing in the fray from Jhapa against former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, launches the campaign in Kathmandu with a road show. Hundreds of supporters and voters stand on the side of the road as the projected Prime Minister, alongside the party president Rabi Lamichhane, greets voters from a moving vehicle. The silence period for the election of the House of Representatives, dissolved after September's Gen-Z protest, is set to start from March 2, past midnight. Balen campaigns all across the nation as his party, Rastriya Swatantra Party, is poised to win the election with a landslide victory. On December 28, Balen strikes a deal with the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) where it is agreed that he will be the next Prime Ministerial candidate from the party. As per the 7-point agreement, RSP chair Rabi Lamichhane continues as the party's central chairman, while Shah will be presented as the party's parliamentary leader after the elections and its prime ministerial candidate. The RSP emerges as the fourth largest political force, winning 21 seats in the dissolved House of Representatives within a year of its establishment. Balen promises to institutionalize the agenda raised by September's Gen-Z movement. The electoral battle in Jhapa-5 shapes up to be an intriguing contest this time.

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#13381053

28 February 2026

Balen (Balendra) Shah, former Kathmandu Mayor and rapper, is projected as the next Nepali Prime Minister. He takes part in a road show in Kathmandu, Nepal, on February 28, 2026, as he starts campaigning in the capital. The rapper turned mayor resigned from his post on January 18 to contest the March 5 election. The former rapper, who won the local election of 2022 from the Nepali capital, also assumes the role of senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) on the same day. Projected as the next Nepal Prime Minister, Balendra Shah (Balen) launches a Kathmandu-centric campaign as the election draws close, with polling set for March 5. Balen, standing in the fray from Jhapa against former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, launches the campaign in Kathmandu with a road show. Hundreds of supporters and voters stand on the side of the road as the projected Prime Minister, alongside the party president Rabi Lamichhane, greets voters from a moving vehicle. The silence period for the election of the House of Representatives, dissolved after September's Gen-Z protest, is set to start from March 2, past midnight. Balen campaigns all across the nation as his party, Rastriya Swatantra Party, is poised to win the election with a landslide victory. On December 28, Balen strikes a deal with the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) where it is agreed that he will be the next Prime Ministerial candidate from the party. As per the 7-point agreement, RSP chair Rabi Lamichhane continues as the party's central chairman, while Shah will be presented as the party's parliamentary leader after the elections and its prime ministerial candidate. The RSP emerges as the fourth largest political force, winning 21 seats in the dissolved House of Representatives within a year of its establishment. Balen promises to institutionalize the agenda raised by September's Gen-Z movement. The electoral battle in Jhapa-5 shapes up to be an intriguing contest this time.

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#13255008

30 January 2026

A child looks at a poster during a solidarity action for primates on Indonesian Primate Day in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The action serves as an expression of concern over the ongoing oppression, abuse, hunting, trade, and exploitation of primates, including long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques. According to data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) is listed as Endangered since 2022. Through the action, participants urge the government to designate long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques as protected species in Indonesia amid escalating threats from habitat destruction, forest conversion, and continued exploitation.

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#13254986

30 January 2026

Artist and activist Wanggi Hoed takes part in a solidarity action for primates during the commemoration of Indonesia's Primate Day in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The action serves as an expression of concern over the ongoing oppression, abuse, hunting, trade, and exploitation of primates, including long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques. According to data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) is listed as Endangered since 2022. Through the action, participants urge the government to designate long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques as protected species in Indonesia amid escalating threats from habitat destruction, forest conversion, and continued exploitation.

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#13254990

30 January 2026

Artist and activist Wanggi Hoed takes part in a solidarity action for primates during the commemoration of Indonesia's Primate Day in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The action serves as an expression of concern over the ongoing oppression, abuse, hunting, trade, and exploitation of primates, including long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques. According to data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) is listed as Endangered since 2022. Through the action, participants urge the government to designate long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques as protected species in Indonesia amid escalating threats from habitat destruction, forest conversion, and continued exploitation.

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#13254992

30 January 2026

Artist and activist Wanggi Hoed takes part in a solidarity action for primates during the commemoration of Indonesia's Primate Day in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The action serves as an expression of concern over the ongoing oppression, abuse, hunting, trade, and exploitation of primates, including long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques. According to data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) is listed as Endangered since 2022. Through the action, participants urge the government to designate long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques as protected species in Indonesia amid escalating threats from habitat destruction, forest conversion, and continued exploitation.

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#13254993

30 January 2026

Artist and activist Wanggi Hoed takes part in a solidarity action for primates during the commemoration of Indonesia's Primate Day in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The action serves as an expression of concern over the ongoing oppression, abuse, hunting, trade, and exploitation of primates, including long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques. According to data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) is listed as Endangered since 2022. Through the action, participants urge the government to designate long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques as protected species in Indonesia amid escalating threats from habitat destruction, forest conversion, and continued exploitation.

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#13254994

30 January 2026

Artist and activist Wanggi Hoed takes part in a solidarity action for primates during the commemoration of Indonesia's Primate Day in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The action serves as an expression of concern over the ongoing oppression, abuse, hunting, trade, and exploitation of primates, including long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques. According to data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) is listed as Endangered since 2022. Through the action, participants urge the government to designate long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques as protected species in Indonesia amid escalating threats from habitat destruction, forest conversion, and continued exploitation.

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#13254995

30 January 2026

Artist and activist Wanggi Hoed takes part in a solidarity action for primates during the commemoration of Indonesia's Primate Day in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The action serves as an expression of concern over the ongoing oppression, abuse, hunting, trade, and exploitation of primates, including long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques. According to data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) is listed as Endangered since 2022. Through the action, participants urge the government to designate long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques as protected species in Indonesia amid escalating threats from habitat destruction, forest conversion, and continued exploitation.

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#13254996

30 January 2026

Artist and activist Wanggi Hoed takes part in a solidarity action for primates during the commemoration of Indonesia's Primate Day in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The action serves as an expression of concern over the ongoing oppression, abuse, hunting, trade, and exploitation of primates, including long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques. According to data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) is listed as Endangered since 2022. Through the action, participants urge the government to designate long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques as protected species in Indonesia amid escalating threats from habitat destruction, forest conversion, and continued exploitation.

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#13254997

30 January 2026

Artist and activist Wanggi Hoed takes part in a solidarity action for primates during the commemoration of Indonesia's Primate Day in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The action serves as an expression of concern over the ongoing oppression, abuse, hunting, trade, and exploitation of primates, including long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques. According to data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) is listed as Endangered since 2022. Through the action, participants urge the government to designate long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques as protected species in Indonesia amid escalating threats from habitat destruction, forest conversion, and continued exploitation.

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