Arun Budhathoki

A Canadian man who spent decades working with children’s organizations and received the Order of Canada for his global contributions is now locked in a crowded detention cell in Kathmandu accused of having sex with minors. Peter Dalglish, 60, has been a leading international advocate for combatting child poverty. But early on the morning of April 7, police descended on his home in Nepal and took him away at gunpoint.

Rauniyar spoke to Kathmandu-based journalist Arun Budhathoki from New York, where he is busy with his movie. In the interview, he discussed his journey in cinema so far, the struggles of being a Nepali director, the future of Nepali films, and his upcoming ventures.

The arrest of noted journalist, writer, defender of human rights and the chairman of the state-run transportation company Sajha Yatayat, Kanak Mani Dixit, on April 22 took everyone by surprise. The press fraternity and international media were quick to defy such a move by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). There were others who believed that Dixit had accumulated a huge amount of wealth illegally and should be punished for what he had done.

The road expansion drive initiated by the Nepal government is slow and lethargic and the dusty roads are affecting people’s health.

There's been plenty of commentary in Nepal over the citizenship law that demands that a child can only be considered a citizen of the country if both the parents are Nepali. In addition, while a foreign woman married to a Nepali citizen can get naturalized citizenship, the provisions are far tougher for Nepali women with foreign husbands or for those who do not know the paternity of their children. There's no doubt that the Constitution of Nepal is imperfect in terms of granting equal rights to men and women and the law needs to be amended.

A former child soldier for the Maoists, 29-year-old Mira Rai was convinced she had no future when the Nepal army rejected her during the post-war integration of rebel troops. That's when she discovered trail running. Now she's a household name in her homeland, and world famous among running aficionados. "I joined the Maoist army at 14," says Rai, who won National Geographic's 2017 Adventurer of the Year People's Choice award. "To make it to the top without proper coaching and support is amazing!"