Khagendra Thapa Magar world’s shortest man

Kathmandu, 27 Feb.: Khagendra Thapa Magar, 17, is the world’s shortest man; he is 56 cm tall and weighs 5kg.
Thapa Magar was awarded a certificate in Rome Friday after verification in the Italian capital by a Guinness team.
Guinness Book of World Records will enter his name after six months replacing China’s Pingping who is 74.93 cm tall.
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Birgunj trader shot, injured

Kathmandu, 27 Feb.: Sudip Sharma was shot and injured by an unidentified group in Birgunj overnight.
He owned an oil store in the border town.
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17 Tibetans held

Kathmandu, 27 Feb.: Seventeen Tibetans, including seven women, were held by police in Lamabagar, Dolakha, Thursday for entering Nepal illegally from Tibet without travel documents.
They were transiting to India.
Nepal has deployed Armed Police Force along the border at China’s request.
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TRADE, COMMERCE, ECONOMY

India reduces additional duty on garments

Kathmandu, 27 Feb.: Nepal’s garment industry welcomed
India’s decision to exempt four percent coutervailing duty on Nepali garment exports.
This was announced by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee while presenting the country’s annual budget in parliament Friday.
Nepal’s garment history was hit by the additional duty.
“With the removal of the additional duty our export to India will increase,” said Prashanta Pokhrel, President of Garment Association of Nepal.
India increased import duty on gold—a move likely to encourage smuggling of the yellow metal to India from Nepal.
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SPORTS

Nepal qualifies for Division 4

Kathmandu, 27 Feb.: Nepal Friday qualified for the with a better run rate than Singapore even after losing to the United States of America by five wickets in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division V match.
USA has also qualified for Division 4 of the league.
Saturday’s match between USA which has also qualified for Division 4 is only of academic interest.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“Either UNMIN chief hasn’t read the peace agreement or doesn’t understand the meaning of the agreement.”

(Communications Minister and government Spokesman Shanker
Pokhrel’s remark after UNMIN chief refused a government request to provide it with exact number of combatants in camps, Nagarik, 27 Feb.)
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“Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said those in government
are kansha [devil] calling his party ‘Krishna [god].”

(Report in Kantipur, 27 Feb.)