PM returns Thursday

Kathmandu, 31 Dec.: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar returns home Thursday after concluding a six-day official China visit.
He held discussions with President Hu Jintao in Beijing Wednesday before leaving for Shanghai.
Nepal briefed Wu on the peace process and drafting of the constitution.
A joint statement issued after meeting said China offered to reduce trade tariffs to encourage Nepali exports and to train agriculture experts.
China will gradually provide zero tariff treatment to 95 percent Nepali exports.
Both countries agreed to improve political and economic ties.
Nepal and China also agreed to develop trade centers along Nepal-Tibet border.
China will help Nepal develop infrastructure, health, education and human resources sectors.
The prime minister returns home Thursday night from Shanghai via Hong Kong.
Nepal visited a trade fair in Shanghai where Nepal is participating.
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Congress, UML tandem against Maoists

Kathmandu, 31 Dec.: Ruling Nepali Congress and UML, charges by Maoists as Indian puppets, have agreed to jointly mobilize people against the main opposition UCPN (Maoist) at a meeting Wednesday.
The two parties will announced detailed anti-Maoist programmes later.
The second and fourth largest parties in parliament will hold joint public meetings, seminars and awareness campaigns.
They agreed to mobilize people to ‘conclude the peace process and facilitate th drafting of the constitution’.
They also decided to hold talks with Maoists to rehabilitate and integrate Maoist combatants and draft a federal democratic republican constitution.
Congress leader Dr Ram Sharan Mahat said after the meeting a constitution won’t be promulgated until 19,000 Maoist combatants and rehabilitated and integrated.
“The constitution won’t be promulgated until combatants are rehabilitated,” he said.
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Bidya Bhandari defends the defender

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 31 Dec.: Defence Minister Bidya Bhandari Wednesday again defended Nepal Army under attack from several western countries, UN and human rights groups at home and abroad.
She said government won’t take action against Major Niranjan Basnet or any other officer for alleged human rights abuses during the maaoist people’s war.
‘Nepal Army’s contribution to UN peacekeeping missions has been outstanding.
‘But the UN decision [to send back Major Basnet from Chad] has put the government in a helpless situation,” adding army personnel are risking their lives for a mere $700 a month, she said.
“Both the state and the rebel party must be treated in the same way in rights violations cases,
“Most ex-rebels who were involved in heinous crimes received clean chit. Security personnel had not committed mistakes but they were just following orders from the high command during the war which was legal too.
“Maoist leaders have violated human rights more than Nepal Army and some of them have already assumed the post of ministers and lawmakers.
“It will be unfair only to blame the NA for violating human rights since Maoists killed more people in that period,” she said.
She even charged her own government.
“The government remained silent even s the UN returned its army officials from Chad mission instead of clarifying the reality on behalf of the government,” Bhandari said.
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MJF to register amendment

Kathmandu, 31 Dec.: MJF Nepal Wednesday decided to register an amendment proposal to the 7th amendment in the interim constitution.
The amendment says the president, vice-president and ministers can take their oaths of office in the mother tongue.
Hindi is not the mother tongue of Nepalis.
Inactive Vice-President Parmananda Jha demanded he should be allowed to take his oath in Hindi.
The amendment is being registered in parliament Thursday.
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Mahesh Basnet elected

Kathmandu, 31 Dec.: Mahesh Basnet, supported by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and KP Sharma Oli factions in ruling UML, was Wednesday elected chairman of the party’s youth wing—Youth federation Nepal (YFN).
He defeated his nearest rival Indra Lal Sapkota, supported by the Chairman Jhalanath Khanal.
Basnet collected 699 votes while Sapkota garnered 597 votes in elections in Lahan.
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Nepali gods again held up in

Kathmandu, 31 Dec.: Forty containers with goods worth more than Rs 200 million were held up for the second time in Khasa Wednesday.
Chinese businessmen are demanding the return of $300,000 looted in the capital from Syambhu earlier this month.
Several policemen are suspected for the theft.
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TRADE, COMMERCE, ECONOMY

Gas prices being upped

Kathmandu, 31 Dec.: Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) is increasing price of gas.
Officials said NOC is incurring heavy selling LPG at current prices—losing Rs 200 million every month.
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CHATTER

“The decision of government to recommend Girija Prasad Koirala’s name for the Nobel peace prize for his contribution to peace by signing a comprehensive peace accord with Maoists is the biggest joke of the century. He is a hijacker of an aircraft—a serious crime and has admitted he was involved in counterfeiting Indian currency while in exile in India. He asked Maoists to kill people standing up for local elections in the royal regime,> He did nothing to institutionalize democracy for nearly 14 years after 1990. he was involved in toppling his own party government more than three times destabilizing the country and democracy. He is a corrupt politician who defied the court which was looking at corruption cases against him. Where is the peace after signing the peace accord? Nepal is currently in a mess.”

(Sagar Thapa)

‘To get a job in the communication sector in the UN you must weither be a Brahmin or a Dalit.)

(Biju Shrestha)


MEDIA GOOGLE

“They [UNMIN] are going further than what is necessary because government given them easy access.”

(UML leader KP Sharma Oli, The Rising Nepal, 31 Dec.)

“Foreigners are stopping change by dramatically propping up players.”

(Chairman Prachanda, Annapurna Post, 31 Dec.)
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