In efforts to help a smidgen of news to trickle through from Nepal I will be starting a bi-monthly post highlighting some of what is making news in Nepal.  I am guessing guess that your media coverage over the past month has mostly Obamania, the economic crisis, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict…am I correct?  Making headlines in Nepal right now is:

• Avian flu has now crossed over the Indian border and into Nepal.  The cases at this point have been limited to the Eastern region of the country…but officials have been warning all people to avoid eating chicken and sales of chicken have gone down up to 25% this month.
• The murder of another prominent journalist in early January, Uma Singh, has caused major media protest and concern about protection for other journalists.  This murder has followed other targeted attacks on media personnel and newspapers and is suspected to be tied to stories and reporting by media outlets that criticizes government policies and actions. 
• A garbage strike in Kathmandu has led to more than the usual amount of debris creating large and unruly piles around the capital.  The strike is being carried out by citizens of the small village that live next to the place where Kathmandu dumps its garbage and citizens are calling for a longer term solution to the problem, rather than dumping Kathmandu waste into someone else’s backyard.
• Various Nepal student organizations are increasing and amplifying their protest efforts against the government.  While intended to be peaceful yet disruptive blockades, in Kathmandu and Pokhara, they have turned into more violent clashes between rival groups, police, protesters, and media.  The student groups are politically affiliated and have strong ties to the major rival parties in government.

And that is what is making headlines today in Nepal.