Nepali Congress lends support of beleaguered PM Nepal

Kathmandu, 20 June: A delegation of top Nepali Congress leaders Sunday held a 90-minute discussion with beleaguered Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and asked him to present a delayed the government’s policy and programmes for parliamentary approval.
Leaders of the biggest party in the ruling coalition told PM Nepal the Congress will support the government to push the government’s policies and programme for parliamentary approval.
The support comes at a time when the party itself was claiming leadership of a proposed government of national unity as the government chief was considering quitting after one year.
Nepal and Congress leaders Sunday discussed the implementation of the controversial 28 May tripartite three-point agreement, the budget and Maoist threat to launch anti-government street protests.
Maoists have been calling Nepal’s resignation; he can come under criticism from his own party as UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal called the government ‘caretaker’.
Sher Bahadur Deuba and Ram Chandra Paudel have staked claims to head the government should Nepali Congress lead it.
Thee party is divided on who in the successor government of Nepal.
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Bus service to east disrupted


Kathmandu, 20 June: Bus service to the five eastern districts from the capital was disrupted since Saturday.
More than 85 buses of Arniko Yatayat were seized by locals of Dolalhgat Saturday alleging compensation hadn’t been paid.
The buses are held at a riverside near Dolalghat in Kavre.
Ashok Majhi, 18, died when he fell off a bus on the Arniko Highway 9 June.
A Rs 200,000 along with Rs 30,000 has been demanded.
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Former King Gyanendra returns to capital Sunday; holds dinner reception in Birgunj

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 20 June: Former King Gyanendra returns to the capital Sunday after completing a visit of the central terai districts of Bara, Parsa and Rautahat.
He’s flying back home from Simara by a regular commercial flight of Buddha Air.
The last Shah king inaugurated a multi-million temple in Parwanipur and offered prayers and puja at temples in before in the three districts.
He was greeted and garlanded by thousands of cheering people.
Former King Gyanendra Shah held a dinner reception Saturday evening at Hotel Makalu in Birgunj at the end of four-day ‘religious tour’, Nagarik reports from Birgunj.
Journalists at the reception asked Shah to speck on the country’s condition; he declined saying he’ll be drawn into controversy.
‘If I say something it’ll be construed as throwing a stone. That’s whylet’s not lsay anything now,” he said.
The then king and his wife Komal have been invited Sunday evening by Manisha Koirala to her wedding reception at Soaltee Hotel.
Manisha wed Samrat Dahal Saturday.
She is the first Nepali actress to hit the big screen in Mumbai and has starred in hits like 1942, A Love Story and Bombay Dil Se.
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Nepal receives US support for health services

Kathmandu, 20 June: Nepal and seven other countries Friday received $63 million from the USA under a Global Health Initiative (GHI) to strengthen health systems and build on results.
“These countries will receive additional technical and management resources to quickly implement GHI’s approach, including integrated programmes and investments across the spectrum of infectious diseases, maternal and child health, family planning and health systems activities,” a joint statement of the Health and Human Services Department and UAID said.
Nepal, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kenya, Malawi, Mali and Ruwanda are in the GHI first list.
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Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala returns without meeting Manmohan Singh

Kathmandu, 20June: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala returned home Saturday after a five-day New Delhi visit without meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and ruling Congress I Chief Sonia Gandhi.
She had sought appointments with them during her first India visit after the death of her father Girika Prasad Koilara.
She held discussions and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is the point man for Nepal in the Indian government.
Sujata flew to New Delhi for consultations in the midst of a government crisis.
Sujata met top main opposition BJP leaders Raj Nath Singh and LK Advani.
The foreign minister didn’t meet her counterpart SM Krishna who wan’t in town.
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Resettlement of Bhutanese refugees from Nepal UNHCR’s biggest project

Kathmandu, 20 June: United National High Commission for refugees (UNHCR) said resettlement of Bhutanese refugees to third countries is its largest in the world.
“We are very proud to be the largest resettlement programme and I am very to announce this is on the occasion of World Refugee Day,” said Stephane Jaquemet, Nepal Representative of .Nepal.
More than 32,000 Bhutanese refugees have been have been resettled in nine western countries since 2007.
‘This would not have been possible without the strong support and cooperation from the government of Nepal, the countries that are accepting the refugees, the International Organization for Migration and our NGO partners,” said UNHCR.
USA has accepted 27, 926 thousand of the refugees and United Kingdom is the latest country to lift them from camps in east Nepal.
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TRADE, COMMERCE, ECONOMY

NESPE index loses 5.99 points

Kathmandu, 20 June: Nepse index lost 5.99 points at the end of five-day trading last week.
The market opened at 480.62 points Sunday and closed at 474.63 points Thursday.
The index gained 6.18 points the previous week.
Only 309,700 shares were traded in 4,581 transactions for Rs 127.17 million
Altogether 966,600 shares exchanged hands for Rs 250 million the previous week.
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ADB approves funds for Nepal

Kathmandu, 20 June: Asian Development Bank (ADB) board of directors Friday approved a loan of $ 60.4 million and a $12.1 million grant from its Asian Development Fund (ADF) for the second phase of the rural finance sector development cluster programme and a related sector project, the Bank said.
The programme is targeting an increase in credit access to the rural poor from one million accounts in 2008 to 1.17 million by 2012.
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President rejects invitation to inaugurate Shiva idol

Kathmandu, 20 June: President Dr Ram Baran Yadav has rejected to inaugurate the 108 feet high Shiva idol constructed at CHittapol-5 saying its construction was an individual effort, Kantipur reports from Bhaktapur.
“He’ll not go, The president received an invitation to inaugurate it 21 June. The achievement of personal property can’t be inaugurated,’ the presidents press advisor Rajendra Dahal told Kantipur.
The idol was crafted with the individual investment of Indian citizen Kamal Jain who lives in Bhatbhateni.
Dahal said the president rejected the invitation as the area where the idol was erected was not public or placed in a trust.
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DPR of Upper Marsyangdhi-II presented to govt.

Kathmandu, 20 June: The detailed project report (DPR) of the 600-MW Upper Marsyangdhi-II hydropower project has been submitted to the Ministry of Energy and the Department of Electricity, The Rising Nepal reports.
The Indian company GMR and Nepalese company Himal Hydropower prepared the DPR.
Ram Hari Sharma, manager of the project, said that the DPR does not include economic and environmental assessment of the project.
The Maoist-affiliated Tamu National Liberation Front had closed down the project for four months.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“At least RPP-Nepal’s Kamal Thapa, considering the way his party voted [in extending the CA tenure by one year] can assert with credibility that the elected members have turned themselves into self-appointed custodians of the nation.”

(Maila Baje, Nepali Netbook, 20 June)
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