Here are some of the top stories from The Kathmandu Post (May 23, 2019).

In a new record, over 200 climbers summit Everest in a single day

More than 200 mountaineers ascended Mount Everest on Wednesday, setting a new record for the highest number of climbers to stand on top of the world in a single day.

Conditions were exceedingly favourable on Tuesday night and Wednesday, leading to a 24-hour window—the longest ever single-day weather window in history—and what has been called a ‘marathon climb’.

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Brief Candle is as burlesque as it is tragic

A cast of eight, deftly directed by Rose Schwietz, delivers a production that sometimes sags under the weight of sentimental clichés but more often it rises to moments of sheer delight, all the while succeeding through the juxtaposition of two distinct genres. It is only after about twenty minutes into the play that we realise we are dealing with the dramatic device of a play within a play.

The characters are fluidly brought to life by the cast, with a particularly good performance by Sandeep Shrestha, who shines through noteworthy physical agility and intensely delivered emotions. Parikshit Bikram Rana and Bikash Joshi live up to the audience’s expectations, and are well supported by Bimba Adhikari and Madan Parajuli. Binita Thapa Magar switches between hilarity and personal tragedy with great skill. All the actors navigate the tragic world of the dying and the vaudeville chaos of a risqué farce with surprising efficiency. Umesh Tamang’s light design and Hemanta Chalise’s sound design are worthy of mention too.

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Oli is weakening key institutions and it’s not good for democracy, observers say

Oli brought three institutions under the ambit of the Prime Minister’s Office so that the heads of the three institutions would directly report to the prime minister.

 But these institutions have turned into a lame duck and have been reporting to his advisers sometimes and mostly to the secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, multiple officials have told the Post on more than one occasion.

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Arbitration request filed against Nepal over Ncell tax row: World body

The International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Dispute, a body under the World Bank Group, has confirmed that it has registered an application by Axiata Investment (UK) and Ncell Private Limited against the government of Nepal.

Last month, these two companies had filed a request for arbitration with the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Dispute (ICSID), challenging the imposition of capital gains tax on Axiata and Ncell on the basis of a bilateral investment treaty between Nepal and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The treaty talks about taking the investment-related dispute to the ICSID, based on a multilateral treaty.

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‘We may have been a weak opposition last year; we need to learn from our mistakes’

Dr Shekhar Koirala, a central leader of the Nepali Congress, is currently touring the country, travelling from East to West. After facing a drubbing in the last elections, the country’s grand old party is in a bid to regain its lost charm. And the Congress has not been able to hold its 14th General Convention due to the widening rift in the party. While the party has been struggling to fight factional feud, it has largely failed to play the role of the main opposition in Parliament, for which it has often faced criticism from a section of leaders from within the party. The Post’s Avasna Pandey spoke with Koirala to talk about contemporary national issues, his party’s current activities, its role as an opposition and his vision for the party.

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