Sharma Oli called for the dissolution of the lower house of parliament over the weekend in a move to stop the infighting within his Nepal Communist Party. The vote is now set to start in April, more than a year and a half earlier than originally planned. “The party has already split into two in effect," said Pampha Bhusal, a leader of the Nepal Communist Party faction opposing Mr. Oli. China’s investment and involvement in Nepal has grown dramatically, including Chinese leader Xi Jinping last year making his country’s first presidential visit to Nepal in nearly a quarter-century. Like most other South Asia nations, with the notable exception of India, Nepal has also signed up for China’s help with multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects under the Belt and Road program.

Source: Mint December 25, 2020 19:07 UTC