HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has instructed tainted Nepali ambassador to Saudi Arabia Hamid Ansari not to perform any ambassadorial duties. Ansari, who flew back to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia where the Nepali Embassy is located, had tried to enter office. According to a MoFA source, Ansari could have returned to Riyadh to destroy evidence that could be used to indict him in a graft case currently being probed by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority. Ansari faces the charge of having transferred the insurance amount due to the family of a deceased migrant worker to his own bank account. Upon learning that Ansari, who had been recalled two weeks ago to record his statement with CIAA had returned to the Nepali embassy in Riyadh, MoFA wrote to Ansari yesterday informing he had been barred from working as the government had recalled him. Being a Musl...

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE BIRATNAGAR: The three big parties UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress and CPN-UML have drawn fire for pressing for appointment of their supporters as teachers under relief quota meant for Dalit candidates. At stake are the 25 seats that the Morang District Education Office has made available for the government schools in Morang. Though CPN-ML, Sadbhavana Party and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum are also represented in the Samyukta Dalit Struggle Committee, which has a role in the appointment of Dalit teachers, the Maoist party, NC and the UML have staked claim on eight, seven and six seats, respectively, a panel member said. He said this unfair practice has evoked widespread criticism. Condemning the big parties for trying to reserve most of the vacant seats for their near and dear ones, Dalit Mukti Samaj (Morang) said their scheme is unacceptable. Jitan Narayan Sah, chairman of the UML-aligned Mukti Sama...

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE KATHMANDU:Lawmakers and lawyers today demanded that the proposed constitutional provision, which is meant to bar naturalised citizens from holding constitutional posts, including President, Prime Minister and Chief Justice, should not figure in the new constitution. Not a single discriminatory provision will be accepted, said Brinda Pandey, chair of the Fundamental Rights Committee, at a programme organised by various womens rights groups. She claimed that discriminating people on any grounds is against the spirit of the CA elections as the political parties had, while pleading for votes, pledged to do away with all discriminatory legal provisions. The proposal, if included in the constitution, will ultimately render the children of naturalised citizens stateless, according to advocate Meera Dhungana. On her part, Maoist CA member Dharmashila Chapagain demanded a serious dialogue to do away with ...

MIN KUMAR DAHAL Min Kumar Dahal Sindhulimadhi, February 4 Hearing-impaired children across Sindhuli and neighbouring districts are likely to be deprived of education as the Nawajyoti Primary School in Kamalamai municipality-6 has stopped taking in more students. The school administration maintains it is in no position to admit more children in the regions only residential school meant for the hearing impaired at least for now as it has been operating way beyond its capacity. Though supposed to provide for 40 students, it has been accommodating 26 students, all for free, according to the school authorities. Understandably, the guardians like Purna Bahadur Majhi of Bhimeswor VDC, who failed to have his son enrolled despite repeated requests, wont buy the schools argument, nor would they listen to the school principal Narayan Barals reasoning that the institution lacks enough teachers to cater to the students. They accuse...

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI; Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram and other high-ranking officials called on the visiting Nepali President in the Indian capital today. Minister Chidambaram, who called on President Dr Ram Baran Yadav at the ITC Maurya hotel, informed about the President of Indias desire to sign an extradition treaty agreed at the bureaucratic level in 2005 along with a mutual legal assistance treaty with Nepal, according to Nepali Foreign Secretary Dr Madan Kumar Bhattarai. The minister spoke of the need of the treaty, but there was no pressure from him, Dr Bhattarai said. He said the Indian government wanted Nepal to sign the treaty only when there was enough comfort level on the issue. Retired army general Ashok Mehta, who follows Indo-Nepal issues closely, told this daily the extradition treaty with Nepal has become crucial for India as Nepal has the potential of becoming a sanctuary for anti-In...

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE ITAHARI: The employees of Itahari municipality have threatened to launch a decisive agitation if the 13 political parties, including the UCPN-Maoist and the Nepali Congress, try to violate the rule of law in the name of investigating irregularities in the municipality. The employees affiliated to the Nepal Municipality Employees Association (NMEA) issued such a warning after the 13 parties formed a committee to probe the alleged irregularities and issued a February 6 deadline to the employees to provide necessary information to the committee. Speaking at a press meet today, NMEA unit committee chairman Mahesh Subedi argued that the committee does not have the legal authority to conduct a probe. He said, Only constitutional bodies are authorised to probe the activities of government agencies. He also requested the parties not to harass the employees, who have been working on behalf of local-level ...

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE KATHMANDU: World Wetlands Day was marked in the capital today with emphasis on conservation, although the wetlands remain deprived of both donor funds and government attention. Marking the fortieth World Wetlands Day, Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation (MoFSC) said biodiversity rich semi-water bodies were in peril. We know that wetlands are not getting the importance they deserve and increased human pressure and issues of climate change are pushing them towards further risk, said Krishna Prasad Acharya, Director General, Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. The World Wetlands Day is celebrated on February 2 every year in memory of Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilisation of wetlands signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971. Nepal signed the Convention in 1987 and Koshi Tappu was designated a...

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE LAHORE: The families of three Pakistanis, who were killed after a US government employee opened fire in broad daylight, today demanded for terror charges to be brought against the American. Dozens of relatives and students gathered close to the shooting site in the eastern city of Lahore last week, shouting hang Davis, and death to American dogs. The US consular employee, whom Pakistani police identified as Raymond Davis, is under investigation for the double murder of two Pakistani motorcyclists. A third Pakistani was run over by a vehicle from US consulate in Lahore that came to Davis assistance. Davis said he shot the two men in self-defence, fearing they were about to rob him, but was taken into Pakistani custody. We demand Raymond Davis trial be held under the anti-terrorism act, said Sajjad, brother of Ibad-ur-Rehman, who was killed by the US vehicle, speaking at a joint news conference conv...

RSS KIRTIPUR: The Kirtipur festival kicked off on Wednesday with the objective of promoting the historical and cultural features of the ancient Newar town Kirtipur which lies on the outskirts of Kathmandu. Various materials highlighting the historical sites and the local culture are on display at the festival. The festival will run until February 6. Also today, an exhibition of statues of colourful stones and copper by artist Ram Krishna Bhandari began in Kirtipur. A total of 140 statues highlighting the local ethnic communities and their culture, birds and plants are on display at the exhibition that began on Monday.

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE KATHMANDU: The governments negligence of schools in remote areas was further revealed when officials showed they were ignorant that 12 school buildings had been constructed by Italy-based organisation Hanuman Onlus in remote districts in the last decade. At the tenth anniversary of assistance to Nepal, chief guest Director of Department of Education Balaram Timilsina today said the government did not have any record of Hanuman Onlus. A group of Italians with the motto of serving needy children had come to Nepal in 2001 and started to support schools by providing assistance to make school infrastructure and provide scholastic materials and full scholarships in remote districts. The group has already completed 12 school buildings in Sindhupalchowk, Dhading, Chitwan, Ramechhap and provided 55 scholarships, each funded by 55 interested Italians. Chairman of Nepal National Teachers Association Babura...

DIWAKAR BHANDARI PATHLAIYA: Goalkeeper Ashok Baral saved Jitendra Karkis spot kick as Swoyambhu Club defeated New Road Team (NRT) 5-4 in sudden death to enter the quarter-finals of the second Simara Gold Cup here today. Bibek Limbu converted the deciding spot kick after goalkeeper Barals heroics. The match was decided on penalties after both the teams failed to score in the regular 80 minutes and the 20-minute added-on period. Baral was adjudged the man-of-the-match. Both teams were tied at 4-4 in tie breaker before the match was decided in the seventh sudden death penalty. Swoyambhu custodian Baral saved Jitendras attempt and Bibek converted his spot kick to ignite a wild celebration at the newly promoted A Division outfit dugout. Sunil Basnet, Raju Thapa Magar, Prabin Shrestha and Arun KC also converted their spot kicks for Swoyambhu, while Milan Gurung and Pappu Chhetry failed to score. For NRT, Chandra Rana, Raju...

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE JANAKPURDHAM: A driver died when a tractor bound for Dhabauli from Laliya met with an accident in Belahi VDC of Dhanusha on Monday. Police identified the dead as Bijaya Kumar Haluwai (23). Hurt in the accident, two others are receiving treatment at a local health facility. 12-year-old missing MAHENDRANAGAR: Gobinda Bista (12) of Bhimdutta municipality-16, Basantapur, has been missing since Monday evening. Gobinda had returned home from school at 4 pm on Saturday after attending a Martyrs Day programme, his father Ganesh Singh Bista said, adding that the boy had left home immediately. Ganesh said family members could not find the boy even after searching for him throughout the day today. The family has reported the incident to the police. MoU with Chinese Kathmandu: The Lumbini Bauddha University (LBU) and Buddhist Wanshou Temple (BWT) based in Yangming Mountain, China, today signed a memorandum o...

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE BANDUNG: An Indonesian court today jailed one of Southeast Asias biggest rock stars for more than three years after sex tapes of him with two television celebrities appeared online. The sentence drew howls of outrage from singer Nazril Ariels fans in the court and across the Malay-speaking world, while the freeariel hashtag shot to the top list of trending topics on microblogging site Twitter. The 29-year-old frontman of rock band Peterpan was sentenced to three and a half years in jail for giving an opportunity for others to spread, produce and prepare a pornographic video, the judges said in their verdict. Islamist hardliners pelted the police van with rotten eggs and tomatoes as he was escorted to the court, while fans sang his song Sahabat (Friend) and chanted Free Ariel.

ASSOCIATED PRESS SYDNEY: A strong tropical cyclone roared toward Australia's flood-ravaged northeast on Monday, prompting evacuations and warnings from officials that the storm could be the worst the already-swamped region has ever seen. Cyclone Yasi strengthened to a Category 3 on Monday with winds up to 115 mph (185 kph). It was expected to hit the Queensland state coast on Wednesday or Thursday as a fierce Category 4 storm with wind gusts up to 162 mph (260 kph). The storm could dump up to three feet (one meter) of rain on some communities already saturated from months of flooding, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said. But Yasi is expected to strike somewhere along the state's north coast, largely avoiding areas to the south including Brisbane that have suffered the worst of the recent flooding. Still, Bligh said the storm's path could change and residents up and down the coast needed to be prepared. ...

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI; President Dr Ram Baran Yadav today offered prayers at the Venkateswara temple in the hilltown of Tirumala in Andhra Prades. The President also offered prayers at the Padmavati temple in Tirupati, according to Nepals Ambassador to India Rukma Shamsher Rana, who is also a member of the Presidents entourage. Temple priests invoked blessings upon the President and other members of the delegation. According to Ambassador Rana, President Yadav was received by senior officials of the Protocol Division at the airport. Everything was beautifully arranged right from the airport to the temples. The President was warmly welcomed everywhere, Rana said over phone from Hyderabad. He is scheduled to return to New Delhi tomorrow afternoon.

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE KATHMANDU: Nepalis Direct Investment (NDI) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) can resurrect the domestic real estate business, according to a real estate entrepreneur. For those Non-resident Nepalis (NRNs), who want to create asset back home, the government can help them by making the policy favourable, said Om Rajbhandari, managing director of Comfort Housing. In the first phase, we need to attract investments from the Nepalis living abroad, he said, terming the NRNs Direct Investment as NDI, a new phrase coined by him for investments. From their hard-earned money, the NRNs can create asset back home, he said, adding that Nepal Land and Housing Development Association (NLHDA) can organise Housing Exhibition for those NRNs, who want to buy home back in Nepal. He said that Nepal can also attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by giving expats ownership of apartments. In each apartment project, ...

RSS KATHMANDU: Minister for Culture and leader of the Nepali Congress (NC), Dr Minendra Rijal said the peace process will be concluded and constitution written only if the new government is led by the Nepali Congress. Speaking at an interaction at the Reporters' Club in the capital on Sunday, Minister Dr Rijal expressed his confidence that the UCPN-Maoist and the CPN-UML will help make the government under the leadership of the Nepali Congress keeping intact the democratic alliance. The NC has formally decided that it will not help Maoist-led government, he said, reasoning that the Maoist-led government can not carry out the tasks of concluding peace process and writing constitution. He further said the Maoist leadership is not acceptable until it changes itself as a civilian party with the integration and rehabilitation of PLA fighters and the management of arms. However, Maoist leader Hishila Yami argued that as ...

ASSOCIATED PRESS TOKYO: Police say they are investigating the death of a man who fell from a roller coaster at a Tokyo amusement park. They say the man fell Sunday as he was riding with a friend on the Spinning Coaster Maihime at the Tokyo Dome park. He was rushed to a hospital but was declared dead two hours later. The small roller coaster has single cars which spin like a tea cup as they travel along a track. Police say they are investigating whether the accident was caused by professional negligence or if the man failed to follow safety instructions. Tokyo Dome had no immediate comment but suspended all rides at the complex.

Lama2b has added a photo to the pool: Taken with my 550d

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE KATHMANDU: President Dr Ram Baran Yadav is likely to invoke Article 38 (2) of the interim constitution following political parties failure to form a consensus government under Article 38 (1) by Wednesday. Its but obvious that the President will invoke Article 38 (2), a close aide of President Dr Yadav told THT. Following the parties failure to strike a deal on unity government within the first seven days set by the President, the parties had requested him to extend the deadline by five days on Friday. The aide ruled out the possibility of deadline extension. President s Press Adviser Rajendra Dahal said the President would call the House to form a majority government before leaving for India on Thursday.

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE KATHMANDU: Police have now gone hi-tech. Metropolitan Police Crime Division has provided Global Positioning System (GPS) tracker to some persons who have returned to society after serving time in jail. GPS tracker helps police monitor their movement. SSP Rana Bahadur Chand said the device was used on six persons, including Kumar Ghainte of Maharajgunj and Bagh Bahadur Lama. They were recently released after serving their sentence for abduction and extortion. It is mandatory for them to take the tracker wherever they go round-the-clock. Their movement can be monitored via the tracker connected to the internet. We adopted the technology to ensure that a convict who returns to society will improve, said SSP Chand, adding It has proved effective in monitoring their activities in society. We are making preparations to monitor more people with this technology.

RSS LALITPUR: The Metropolis Police Range, Lalitpur, has decided to provide RS 50,000 to any person providing information about the gang which looted the Standard Chartered Bank at Jawalakhel. Organising a press meet at the office, the police made public the photo of one of the armed looters caught on the CCTV. The police announced the prize for the informant. The police showed a photograph of a looter of 25 years of age at the programme. The Bank was robbed of Rs 1.3 million from its counters by the looters by keeping the bank staff under control, setting off a minor explosion and creating panic on 14 January.

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE PATHALAIYA: The Armed Police Force Office in Parsa district has started destroying 72 quintals of hashish seized recently from Lalparsa and Baniyar of the district. On Monday, The police force burnt about 17 quintals of contraband near a forest in Pathalaiya in the presence of Parsa CDO, police personnel and local people. Rishabdev Bhattarai, DIGP, said that they would destroy the seized hashish gradually as the seizure is huge. Acting on a tip-off, APF personnel had seized 54 quintals of hashish from a truck in Baniyar and 18 quintals from a pickup van in Lalparsa.

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE KATHMANDU: Nepal Bangladesh Bank Ltd (NBBL) is gearing up for the third merger this time with Nepal Credit and Commerce Bank (NCC Bank). Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has granted theoretical approval to the merger of the banks, informed Basudev Adhikari, director at the NRBs supervision department. Even after obtaining the permission from the regulatory bodies, to realise the merger, the banks have to call a joint Annual General Meeting (AGM) to get approval from their respective shareholders. Likewise, before the merger is accomplished the banks also have to finalise the share structure of the merging entities like how many shares of NBBL will be equal to how many shares of NCC Bank or vice versa. And there will also be the issue of employee management that has to be resolved by the banks prior to the merger coming into effect. Both the commercial banks are promoted by NB Group, thus if these banks ...

RSS KATHMANDU: Dharan Municipality is going to organise 'Dharan Golden Jubilee Festival- 2011' from January 28 to 31 to mark its golden jubilee ceremony. Speaking at a press conference organised by Dharan Service Society on Sunday, chairman of the Society Prabhu Kumar Shrestha said they are going to organise various programme like cultural, religious, educational and industrial exhibition, initiation of paragliding, laying the foundation stone for golden jubilee pillar, inauguration of road plan and honouring different people for their contribution to the development of Dharan. Constituent Assembly Chairman Subhas Chandra Nembang is schedule to inaugurate the Festival. It is estimated that around Rs 3.5 million will be spent for the Festival and around 600,000 people will observe it.

AFP KATHMANDU: An injured wild tiger that strayed into a tourist resort in Nepal has been moved to a new home in the jungle and fitted with a satellite collar so its progress can be tracked, the government said. The tiger, an adult male, was captured after it wandered into the resort on the outskirts of the Chitwan national park in southern Nepal, a major tourist attraction, and nursed back to health by park authorities. A scientist taking measurements of a wild tiger after it was collared in Nepal's Chitwan National Park on January 21, 2011. It was then driven about 600 kilometres (400 miles) with a team of vets and conservationists in a specially constructed trailer to the remote jungles of Bardia in western Nepal, where it was released on Saturday. The tiger, named Namobuddha by park authorities, has been fitted with a special collar carrying a GPS tracking system that will allow scientists to monitor how well i...

sahadevbenz has added a photo to the pool: August / September .. we are having heavy rainfall in Kathmandu this year.

Mai 2001 (no 25)

Boudhanath Stupa (or Bodnath Stupa), particolare.

Gli occhi di Buddha. Boudhanath Stupa (or Bodnath Stupa), particolare.

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE RAJBIRAJ: A Nepali Congress leader has warned that political leaders will have to face more serious insults at the hand of the people if they fail to learn a lesson from Thursdays slapping of CPN-UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal in Itahari. Speaking at a programme here today, NC leader Dr Shekhar Koirala argued that the slapping reflected general publics despair towards political parties. Having said all this, the NC leader condemned the act and demanded that the culprit be punished after a free and fair investigation. Further on, Dr Koirala remarked that a unity government can take shape within the extended deadline only if the political leaders take a leaf from the slapping incident. On the handover of the PLAs chain of command to the Special Committee, the NC leader said he had doubts whether UCPN-Maoist Chairman Prachanda will continue to hold the PLA reins. He clarified that NC was ready to ac...

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE KHOTANG: Transport Entrepreneurs Association in Khotang and Khotang Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI) have threatened to enforce an indefinite transport strike from January 24 if authorities concerned fail to address their demands. Among other things, they want the authorities to end the syndicate system in the transport sector along the Katari-Ghurmi and Harkapur-Jayaramghat routes of Udayapur and Okhaldhunga districts. In this connection, the transporters have already handed over a memorandum informing the District Administration Offices of Udaypur and Okhaldhunga through the Khotang DAO about the upcoming strike. In response, Khotang CDO Keshavraj Acharya has said the onus is on DAOs concerned to resolve the issue. TEA Khotang Chairman Upin Rai said the syndicate system has been affecting the people of Khotang, Okhaldhunga and Solukhumbu. Especially, the businesspeople and local people...

SOMNATH BASTOLA ITAHARI: It was a slap in the face, literally, for CPN-UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal. No sooner had Khanal said in Biratnagar that the government would be formed in 10 days than he confronted the insulting incident in Itahari. A former UML supporter Devi Prasad Regmi of Bharaul-5, Sunsari, ran bang into Khanal and slapped the latter on his left cheek in Itahari. The 52-year-old attacker justified his action, saying Khanal and political leaders like him were to blame for promising the moon to people and keeping the country hostage for long. When I saw Khanal and other leaders, I could not help but slap him, for these are the people who are responsible for ruining the country, said Regmi, holding his head high. He was later taken to Area Police office, Itahari. Before arriving in Itahari to inaugurate a programme organised by CPN-UML Itahari Municipality Committee, Khanal had said at Biratngar airport th...

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE KATHMANDU: Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) has plans to amend PADT Act 2043 BS, making all offerings transparent and increasing the salary of staff. The Act that was formulated at a time when Nepal was a Hindu state will now be amended in accordance with the tenets of republicanism and secularism. A 10-member committee under former Supreme Court justice Kedar Nath Acharya was formed through a cabinet decision. However, with the Ministry f Culture ordering inclusion of the main priest, manager and accountant of Pashupatinath Temple in the committee the committee has yet to take full shape, said Narottam Baidya, treasurer at PADT, adding that the committee would be getting full shape soon. The existing act was slightly changed following the historic movement of 2006. The government has replaced the monarchs role as patron of Pashupati Area Development Trust with the prime minister and the q...

REUTERS KABUL: A court set up to investigate widespread fraud complaints from Afghanistans September election has asked President Hamid Karzai to delay forming a new parliament for at least a month while it sifts through evidence. Sadiqullah Haqiq, head of the tribunal, said his team had not ruled out calling regional recounts and might also travel to see some of the most contested areas. The court has asked President Karzai to postpone the inauguration of Parliament for at least another month, to ensure justice, Haqiq told journalists in Kabul. Critics say the new courts authority under Afghan law is unclear, and Haqiq did not spell out what would happen if Karzai declined to put off the inauguration. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Karzais office declined immediate comment on whether he would support a delay. Parliament was due to be inaugurated on January 23. The poll was marred by widespread fraud, with p...

RSS DHANGADHI: Entrepreneurs running businesses in Kailali district taking loan have been forced to sit idle with deepening power crisis hitting them hard. Be it big, middle-scale or small, all factories are bearing the brunt of load shedding amid bandhs, strikes and syndicate system. It is an unfortunate that factories, which can be said as backbone of Nepal's economy, are incurring losses due to load shedding, which is a loss to the state too, said Gopal Hamal, central member of Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who is also the owner of Dinesh Agro. Load shedding is snatching away jobs of many workers, reducing production and affecting the country's economy and consumers, said Hamal. Factories running with the help of bank loan are the main victims of power outage. Like other parts in the country, factories in Kailali too face 12-hour daily load shedding. Godawari Flour Mill supplies da...

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE KATHMANDU: Only scientific land reforms can bring the people out of the vicious circle of poverty, said Finance Minister Surendra Pandey today during the launch of a report, Poverty and vulnerability cycles in South Asia: Narratives of survival and struggles, in the Valley. The report has been prepared by South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE). The ownership of the land should remain with the government unlike the present personal ownership status, he said, adding that the government then could lease the land for commercial purposes to increase productivity. Our ideology of land for the tillers has been proved wrong, he said. Though the report blames all the social evils on the neo-liberal policies. The South Asian countries economies are structurally adjusted by neo-liberal orthodoxy, directing towards a closer integration with the world markets and economy, the report said, adding ...

LEKHANATH PANDEY KATHMANDU: The Nepali Army today refused to remain under the umbrella of the Special Committee (for Supervision, Integration and Rehabilitation of Maoist PLA combatants), which has taken up the job of monitoring role of the United Nations Mission in Nepal. Chief of the Army Staff Gen Chhatra Man Singh Gurung today conveyed the national armys stand to Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, who also heads SC, during his meeting with the prime minister. The national army wont be able to act under the monitoring committee, as we had already been contemplating relieving NA from the ambit of UNMIN monitoring, a highly placed source quoted Gurung as telling Prime Minister Nepal. Gen Gurung also dismissed the possibility of monitoring of the NAs arms containers in its Chhauni barracks by SC. The three-point agreement, signed by PM Nepal and Maoist Chairman Puspa Kamal Dahal on Friday, clearly mentions that SC woul...

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE KATHMANDU: The standing committee meeting of the Unified CPN-Maoist today decided to hold parleys with the parties for a Maoist-led consensus government. President Dr Ram Baran Yadav yesterday asked the parties to decide on a consensus government within a week. The party will stick to its previous decision to present Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal as the new PM, said UCPN-M Spokesperson Dinanath Sharma after the meeting. Standing Committee member close to Vice-Chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai, Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, proposed Dr Bhattarai as the leader of the parliamentary party and new PM. However, the party decided to first ensure that the UCPN-M heads the government without identifying the PMs candidate. The meeting entrusted the central office bearers to take necessary decision on handing over the PLA cantonments to the Special Committee for Supervision, Integration and Rehabilitation of Maoist comb...

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE ISLAMABAD: Pakistans Taliban-fighting soldiers are set for celebrity status with the launch of a multi-million-dollar glossy television drama hailing army victories over militants. Emotive tales of 11 brave Pakistanis battling an Islamist insurgency that is plaguing Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan, will air on the small screen in an army-funded drama that casts the anti-terror fight in a positive light. Focused on the heroism of soldiers fighting a key air and ground offensive in the northwestern Swat valley in 2009, one tale looks at the deeds of soldier Hawaldar Naeem Asghar who died fighting an insurgent checkpoint. Asghar, portrayed as a hardworking soldier from peasant roots, sacrifices his life to overcome Taliban dug into a hilltop, during operations in the town of Mingora to flush militants from the picturesque valley. Hawaldar Asghars story is a common mans story. Its a message to th...

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE KATHMANDU: The countdown is over. The nation officially welcomed Nepal Tourism Year 2011 (NTY 2011) with a huge celebration yesterday. While preparations have been on for a long time, the question that lingers is how prepared are we o welcome the targeted million visitors? One need not go far for an answer. Just visit Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), the entry point for 70 per cent tourists visiting Nepal. The nations only international airport is struggling with inadequate infrastructure, lack of proper service and vigilance plus congestion in both the parking bay as well as the terminal. Stretched beyond capacity The terminal is designed to handle 1,350 people at peak hours, but we have to adjust 2,500 to 3,000 people, said Dinesh Prasad Shrestha, General Manager, TIA Civil Aviation Office. Shrestha says efforts are on to address such problems, like allocation of parking bay and opening ...

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE KATHMANDU: President Dr Ram Baran Yadav today urged political parties to elect a new prime minister and form the council of ministers within one week under Article 38 (1) of the Interim Constitution, a press statement issued by the Presidents Office said. The president set January 21 as the last date for parliament to elect a new prime minister on consensus basis. The presidents call follows Speaker Subas Nembangs briefing of January 13 in which he informed that all three prime ministerial candidates Jhala Nath Khanal of UML, Pushpa Kamal Dahal of UCPN-M and Ram Chandra Paudel of NC had pulled out of the race. Parliament began the PMs election process on July 21 after political parties failed to form a consensus government following Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepals resignation on June 30. The president then invited the parties to elect a PM on majority basis on July 13. Khanal first withdrew ...

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE KATHMANDU: President Ram Baran Yadav today formally inaugurated Nepal Tourism Year 2011 amid a gala ceremony at Dasharath Stadium here. This campaign will re-establish the image of Nepal as the Himalayan Shangri-La, as it used to be depicted in 1970s and that it is no more a conflict-ridden country, said Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal while addressing the ceremony. We should not be satisfied with achieving the target of one million tourists but work towards increasing the average stay of tourists from 12 to 16 days and doubling their average daily expenditure, he added. Tourism is a way of bringing economic revolution in Nepal, as it an industry with high returns, said Sharat Singh Bhandari, Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, adding that tourism is an effective tool for achieving a prosperous, peaceful and stable Nepal. The inaugural ceremony of the much-hyped national campaign was attend...

REUTERS TERESPOLIS: Rescue workers in Brazil braced for more rain today as they struggled to reach areas cut off by massive floods and landslides that look certain to have killed more than 500 people. In one of the countrys worst natural disasters, rivers of mud tore through towns in the mountainous Serrana region outside Rio de Janeiro, leveling houses, throwing cars atop buildings and stranding thousands of residents. What happened here is absurd. It looks like the war in Vietnam, said Albertino Lazaro, 54, who took shelter in a gymnasium set up to house displaced families in the town of Teresopolis, where at least 223 people were killed. Its a lot better than being out there in the mud, he said of the shelter as children played soccer among families sleeping on mattresses. The death toll was 495 people, according to official tallies late on Thursday, but rescuers had yet to reach some of the worst-hit parts of Teres...

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE KATHMANDU: As parties were expected to find a consensus-based mechanism to replace UNMIN, the UCPN-Maoist today unexpectedly floated a proposal for a technical rollover of the UN mission for a shorter period, an idea flatly rejected by the government. Maoist representative Barshaman Pun proposed this during a meeting of the Special Committee, sidestepping Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepals earlier proposal of organising a formal handover and takeover ceremony of UNMINs monitoring responsibility to the Special Committee Secretariat before January 15, when UNMIN leaves. The prime minister floated a proposal of organising a handing over taking over ceremony of UNMIN monitoring related responsibilities to the Special Committee Secretariat and thanking UNMIN for its role in Nepals peace process so far, Maoist leader Pun told The Himalayan Times. We, however, put forward a proposal to extend UNMINs ten...

ASSOCIATED PRESS RAWALPINDI: The police guard who confessed to gunning down a Pakistani governor had been assigned to the president and prime minister 18 times over the last three years and to two foreign delegations, according to police reports that also cast suspicion on four other elite bodyguards who could take terrorist action anytime. The documents, obtained by The Associated Press, highlight the danger of extremist infiltration into the security forces of the unstable, nuclear-armed country. The police force, which helps form the front line in the war against Taliban and al-Qaida militants, is seen as being especially at risk. There is no psychological or personality test, or any other method to check on the background of personnel, a former police chief of Punjab province, Khwaja Khalid Farooq, told the AP. It is dangerous to give someone a gun and power without putting them through a good system of recruitment...

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE KATHMANDU: Though the government has licensed four companies to provide Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service for incoming calls, telecom operators are still losing Rs 160 million every month because of illegal VoIP channels that have been mushrooming in the country, of late, said Bhesh Raj Kanel, chairperson of regulatory body Nepal Telecom Authority (NTA). The calls may have been diverted into illegal VoIP channels because of expensive termination rate, an official said, adding that the absence of legal VoIP for incoming calls has is affecting clarity and competitiveness in the business environment. If formal VoIP channel for incoming call is established, the incoming call rates from abroad will drop significantly and illegal VoIP business can end, he added. Due to the governments decision to open VoIP and Internet telephony, the rate of outbound international telecommunication service fr...

RSS KATHMANDU: Senior leaders of the three major parties have expressed the commitment move ahead through a fresh process in order to take the peace process to a logical end and draft a democratic constitution. This commitment was expressed by senior leaders of UCPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML after the lone candidate for the prime ministerial elections withdrew from the race at the meeting of the Legislature-Parliament today. Talking to media persons after emerging out of the meeting, the senior leaders reiterated that there was no alternative to agreement, collaboration and unity among the parties in order to conclude the peace process and draft the new constitution. Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' said his party would take the initiative to form a national government. Talks and dialogue in this regard shall begin from tomorrow, he said. CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal said doors ...

ARUN GNAWALI BHAIRAHAWA: Better late than never. It took a report in The Himalayan Times to spur Tourist Information Office into action. The annoying signboard on Belahiya border, which receives the largest number of tourists by land, has been removed after THT highlighted its sorry state last week. According to an employee at the office, the signboard was removed and a new one is being prepared after a directive from the authorities in Kathmandu. Though it costs just Rs 3,000 to repaint the board, the office did not do so citing budget crunch, the employee said, adding, A new board will be installed soon. Ironically, the Tourist Information Office, Office of Nepal Tourism Board and Immigration Department are located in Belahiya. And in 2010, 1,02,120 foreign tourists had entered Nepal via Belahiya border. The number does not include Indian tourists. If preparations to woo tourists at the most popular entry point are s...