Pemba Tamang wins Everest marathon for second consecutive year

Kathmandu, 29 May: Pemba Tamang won this year’s Mount Everest for the second time in two consecutive years.
He completed the race in 3 hours 41 minutes 20 seconds without bettering last year’s performance.
Top three runners were Nepalis who have dominated the long distance run,
The Guinness Book of World records recognizes the 42.195 km race from Mount Everest base camp at 5365m to Namche Bazzar at 3446m as an event conducted at the world’s highest altitude.
Altogether 104 runners participated in the eighth edition to mark the first conquest of Everest on 29 May 1953 by Tenzing Sherpa Norgay and New Zealand’s Edmund Hillary.
Only 31 foreigners compared to 44 last year competed this year because of Maoist strike.
Third Everest Day was also marked Saturday to commemorate the ascent of Everest by Tenzing and Hillary.
Appa Sherpa, the only climber to scale the world’s tallest peak 20 times, is being honoured as goodwill ambassador for Nepal Tourism Year 2011.
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TRADE, COMMERCE, ECONOMY

Govt. spending, surplus up

Kathmandu, 29 May: Government expenditure went up 30.9 percent in the first nine months of the current fiscal year ending mid-April, Nepal Rashtra Bank (NRB) said in a macroeconomic report.
The budgetary surplus on cash basis was Rs 10.3 billion compared to Rs 12.2 billion in the same period the previous year.
Government spent Rs 140.09 billion -a 30.9 percent increase- mainly the result of higher recurrent expenditure and 18.5 percent increased capital expenditure.
Recurrent expenditure of Rs 90.94 billion increased 28.5 percent with salary hike and allowances of officials, rising cost for security operations to tackle increased insurgency, increased subsidies to public schools and increased economic assistance.
Capital expenditure jumped 47.5 percent to Rs 28.35 billion but only 26.7 percent of the money earmarked for sector was spent, reason being delay in budget approval, extended contract processes, absence of representatives at local bodies and poor law and order situation.
In the first eight months of the current fiscal year, Rs 79.9 billion and Rs. 22.43 billion of the recurrent and capital budget were spent respectively.
Tax revenue mobilization increased 28.2 percent to Rs 126.53 billion if the first eight months of the fiscal year.
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SPORTS

Cricket players boycott national league

Kathmandu, 29 May: National players boycotted the national cricket Twenty20 league beginning Saturday.
But the players, including Captain Paras Khadka, said Friday they will continue their stay at a closed camp for the ICC World Cricket League Division IV being hosted by Italy.
“The status of cricket is declining. The Association doesn’t have any plans. We came here to raise our voice in unison,” Khadka told reporters on behalf of the players. ”Cricket is dying. Players are sweating it out with their own effort.”
Former captain Binod Das and Sharad Vesawkar weren’t present.
The rebels accused Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) for indifference to cricket development.
“One tournament is held every with only four matches,” he charged.
The players asked for officials who man the office from the morning.
“There should be officials who come to the office from the morning and
Push the development of the game,” Khadka said.
CAN in a statement accused the players for going public without first approaching and urged discipline.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“Age doesn’t really matter. Nothing is impossible is you put your mind and body to it.”

(Jordan Romero, 13, youngest person to climb Everest, The Kathmandu Post, 29 May)
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