Time: 1,000 Europeans Still Missing After Nepal Earthquake
CBS News: As chaos subsides in Nepal's capital, death toll climbs
New York Times: 3 Ways Nepalis Are Using Crowdsourcing to Aid in Quake Relief
CNN: Nepal earthquake: Mountain villages are cut off from almost everything
The Guardian: Nepal earthquake: two rescued after five days in Kathmandu building wreckage
The Telegraph: Nepal aid donors 'may halt fundraising' amid fears government will seize donations
The announcement was seen as an attempt by the ruling Nepal Congress Party to seize control of millions of pounds of aid donations being sent from around the world and raised fears that it could be allocated for political considerations rather than humanitarian need. .... Some groups have privately said they will halt their earthquake relief fundraising until the threat of their donations being seized by the government is removed. ........ More than 6,000 were killed, several thousand remain missing, and more than 10,000 were injured. An estimated 70,000 homes were destroyed and more than half a million were badly damaged. The campaign to raise relief funds was dampened by the statement, which caused concern among donor governments...... Foreign aid officials said while it would not stop them deciding how their aid would be spent, it may intimidate smaller NGOs, including many from Britain, who operate social work projects in the country and have raised considerable sums for earthquake relief. ..... The statement was dismissed by foreign governments which said the Nepal government was beset by political wrangling between the Nepali Congress and its Communist coalition partners and had a poor record of aid distribution. ...... "There is no way they're going to co-opt anyone's funds. They might think that but donors will never allow it to happen. The government does not have the capability to run this, that's the reality."Thousands still missing after Nepal quake
Nepal Aid Workers Helped by Drones, Crowdsourcing
Quartz: Why women are more at risk than men in earthquake-ravaged Nepal
India and China’s geopolitics at play amidst Nepal’s ruins
The Star: How India’s help post-earthquake ended up annoying Nepali leaders
But less than a week later, the efficiency of Modi’s response — part of a wider effort to improve ties with the region since he took office — is having an unintended consequence: It’s made clear just how underequipped and dysfunctional Nepal’s own government has been in the aftermath of the earthquake. ..... Nepal brought up media coverage of India’s response in a meeting with high-ranking officials, triggering a diplomatic flare-up that’s gone all the way to Modi’s office, said a senior Indian official in Kathmandu who asked not to be identified because the subject is politically sensitive. India has had to spend time doing damage control that has distracted from relief efforts, the official said. ....... “What kind of government do we have here? I have not seen a drop of water or food in four days,” the shopkeeper said. “Maybe if we had a leader like Modi who took charge and was decisive in his actions, things would not be this bad.” ...... A front-page headline on The Himalayan Times on Thursday encapsulated the impatience: “Govt slow in distributing relief.” The day before, another front page story said “relief has been pouring in from all corners of the world but the government has no clue about how to get it distributed among the needy, nor is it willing to hold anyone accountable ...” ....... the problem in Nepal is compounded by national politics that were already fragile before parts of the country were torn apart on Saturday. ...... Faced with damages that the country’s finance minister says will exceed $10 billion (U.S.), about half the size of the nation’s economy, Nepal’s 28 million citizens look increasingly vulnerable. ........ “We, of course, all want to leave Nepal in charge,” Wendy Sherman, U.S. under secretary for political affairs, told reporters in New Delhi on Wednesday. “It is their country — how they want to proceed. But I know that they could not proceed forward in this overwhelming disaster. When you have a disaster like this, you’re in trauma.” ..... “All this talk of a new constitution and a new government is an embarrassment — this government is failing its people,” said Magar, a 33-year-old taxi driver in Kathmandu. “What we should do is beat them up and kick them out.”
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