Govt. convening winter session of parliament

Kathmandu, 17 March: Government is preparing to convene a winter session of parliament 4 April.
Chairman Subash Nemwang recommended the date to Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal after holding discussions with whips of three major parties.
Government is calling a winter session even as the main opposition Maoists are preparing to call a special parliament session to register a no-confidence motion against the government and topple it.
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Girija returns home

Kathmandu, 17March: Ailing Girija Prasad Koirala, 86, returned home to his daughter’s residence Wednesday after emergency treatment at Saheed Gangalal National Heart Center where he was treated for obstructive pulmonary edema.
The Nepali Congress president’s hemoglobin count increased after blood transfusion.
Koirala is being discharged even after request of doctors to continue treatment at the hospital.
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Defence minister, Army chief summoned

Kathmandu, 17 March: Defence Minister Bidya Bhandari and Army Chief Gen Chhatraman Singh Gurung have again been summoned by the parliamentary women and children committee to testify
They didn’t appear before the committee Tuesday.
The army shot dead three women suspected for poaching at Bardiya National Park.
The army claim the women were poachers has been challenged
and an independent inquiry has been demanded.
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Emergency service begins on hospital grounds and hostel at

Kathmandu, 17 March: Doctors at the TU Teaching Hospital in Maharajgung Wednesday started emergency services for nearly 1,200 visitors at the student hospital and hospital grounds.
Doctors closed down all services at the premier hospital this week following charges questions were leaked by administrators.
More than 2,000 doctors were appearing for limited 200 seats in the university.
Students and doctors have demanded an investigation into the alleged leak.
Patients has been inconvenienced after the hospital shutdown.
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Army officers’ meet begins

Kathmandu, 17 March: A regular meeting of Principle Staff Officers (PSOs) of Nepal Army began at army headquarters Tuesday, Public Relations Directorate said.
Army Chief Chhatraman Singh Gurung, six division commanders and directors of departments attended.
The meeting discussed establishing and maintaining better coordination between department heads and division commanders and problem resolution.
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1,500 Maoist combatants in camps appearing for SLC

Kathmandu, 17 March: Altogether 1,500 Maoist combatants in camps and cantonments are appearing in this year’s annual SLC examinations beginning nation-wide 25 March.
The Office of the Controller of Examinations said preparations for tests have been completed.
For the first time a mechanism headed by a joint secretary of the education has been formed to investigate irregularities.
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CA meeting adjourned in five minutes

Kathmandu 17 March: A meeting of the constituent assembly (CA) was adjourned in five minutes Tuesday.
The only business conducted Tuesday was the announcement Deb Gurung of UCPN (Maoist) had replaced CP Gajurel in the business management advisory committee.
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Nepal’s Khagendra will be the world’s shortest man

Kathmandu, 17 March: Nepal’s Khagendra Thapa Magar should now be listed as the world’s shortest man in the Guinness Book of Records after China’s He Pingping –only two feet five inches tall- died in Rome during the weekend following a heart attack.
“I offer my heartfelt condolences to the family of Mr Ping. I met him a month ago for the first time and our first meeting was to be our last. Magar said, according to AFP.
Magar met Ping in Rome to claim the title of the world’s shortest man.
Magar is two feet 20inches tall.
Craig Glenday editor-in-chief of Guinness Book Of records said Pingping’s will be announced in due course.
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ICAO may extend date

Kathmandu, 17 March: International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) is likely to extend the April 1 deadline to stop issuing handwritten passports on the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Himalayan Times reports.
According to a senior official at MoFA, government has urged the ICAO to accept the handwritten passports for some period, as it is impossible to introduce the Machine Readable Passport by the deadline.
The Nepali embassy in Canada is communicating with ICAO headquarters and the latter has reacted positively, the source added.
MoFA official said since Nepal was not the only country to miss the deadline to introduce the MRP, ICAO would give some alternative to those countries.
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Correction

Kathmandu, 17 March: Nepal’s new chief justice will be Ram Prasad Shrestha and not what was reported 16 March.
The error is regretted.
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Dr Bhek Bahadur Thapa hits out at B. Lynn Pascoe

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 17 March: Former minister, ambassador and UN diplomat Dr Bhek Bahadur Thapa said the sky won’t fall if UNMIN withdraws from Nepal and lashed out at the undiplomatic remarks of UN Under-secretary for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe.
“The sky won’t fall if it returns [UNMIN]. There should be minimum understanding and agreement between our parties at that time.
“Responsibility for mediation should be given to Parties, civil society or National Human Rights Commission.
“The threat the country will be pushed into conflict will be there if there’s no minimum agreement between political powers,” Thapa told Dhristi.
‘The words used by him didn’t fit diplomatic norms. I didn’t expect a guest diplomat visiting a county use such words against a country’s leader. He belittled Nepal. Why were out leaders and government [government has already reacted] silent?” Thapa said. “I’m surprised.”
“H can’t speak this way,” the retiree with long experience in national and international affairs said.
“It’s clear from this even an ordinary person belittles us. To what level has our international image fallen? I’ve never seen such behaviour by an international civil servant against a government of an independent country,” Thapa added.
Nepal’s former finance minister said UNMIN hasn’t completed six months’ work even in three years.
“The main cause of there was no clear division of responsibilities between government, Maoists and UNMIN.UNMIN was brought in without a clear concept
“I don’t blame anybody. UNMUN came in hastily. Nepalis also acted hurriedly. There are few cases where UN has resolved conflicts in countries.
“The hope was that instead of inviting a country and by bringing in UN it would play a neutral role.”
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India supports govt.: DPM Bijaya Kumar Gachedhar

Kathmandu, 17 March: Deputy Prime Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachedhar who returned home after consultations with Indian leaders and officials said India supports the government.
“There’s India’s goodwill, help and support for this government,” he told Ghatana ra Bichar.
Gachedhar described his India visit the first after the establishment of MJFL which split from MJFN led by Upendra Yadav.
‘I have to say this. Will Maoists accept democratic norms and procedures. Top Indian leadership was interested if Maoists were sincere to the peace process and drafting of the constitution,” Gachedhar said in reply to a question on Indian perception of Maoists.
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Shooter of Shinghaniya identified

Kathmandu, 17 March: Police said the shooter of media baron Arun Shinghaniya has been identified, Kantipur reports.
Mukesh Chadhary alias Arjun Singh is the shooter.
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TRADE, COMMERCE, ECONOMY


Nepal-Bhutan trade talks

Kathmandu, 17 March: Nepal and Bhutan are beginning the first joint one-day secretary level trade talks in the Nepalese capital Wednesday to sign a trade agreement.
Surya Silwal, joint secretary at the commerce ministry and Sonam P.Wangdi are heading the two teams.
Bhutan exported Rs 300 million worth goods to Nepal in 2008/09 while Nepal’s exports to Bhutan totaled Rs 200 million that year.
Nepal exported transformer pillars, soap and noodles.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“If UNMIN cannot give details of the Maoist combatants then let them also say that the government is responsible to take care of combatants outside the cantonments.”

(Government Spokesman Shanker Pokhrel, The Rising Nepal, 17 March)
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