Black box of crashed Agni Air found

Kathmandu, 1 Sept. Black box of the crashed Agni Air Dronier in which 14 passengers and crew died in Makwanpur 24 August was found Tuesday, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal confirmed.
But the aircrafts voice data recorder in yet to be located.
The two devises will give clues for the reasons of the crash.
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Govt, bill registered in parliament

Kathmandu, 1 Sept.: Government Tuesday registered in parliament secretariat to amend the Finance Act 2066 to regulate gold import.
The bill was registered as an ordinance for such import expires 3 September.
The parliament is not in session.
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Sujata Koirala going to China

Kathmandu, 1 Sept.: Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala is going to China and will be chief guest at the Shanghai Expo of Nepal Day 3 September.
Nearly four million people have visited the Nepal pavilion so far.
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Miss Nepal contest

Kathmandu, 1 Sept.: Miss Nepal contest is being held Wednesday amid protests of some women organizations.
Maoists oppose the contest.
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PM Nepal going to UN

Kathmandu, 1 Sept.: Caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal is leaving for New York to attend the annual general assembly session 17 September, Nagarik reports.
‘The meetings of mountain countries climate change and least developed countries are important for Nepal,” the prime minister told Nagarik.
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New passports for old

Kathmandu, 1 Sept.: If you have a conventional handwritten passport and are worried about possible hassles while traveling abroad, here is a piece of good news, Republica reports.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is allowing holders of valid conventional passports to get machine readable passports (MRP) as replacement if they wish, according to Foreign Secretary Dr Madan Kumar Bhattarai.
But such passport holders should be ready to pay the MRP charge of Rs 5,000 besides surrendering the old passports to the ministry.
What happens if your old passport contains a valid visa and you want to go for an MRP?
In that case, the ministry is allowing possession of both the conventional passport and the MRP. But it will put in a notice about the status of the old passport.
Alternatively, old passport holders can also get their valid visas transferred to the MRP at the embassies concerned.
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American arrested

Kathmandu, 1 Sept: American national Harish Calboon of California was arrested Tuesday night at TIA with 8.7 kg hashish while boarding a Etihad Airlines flight for Copenhagen via Dubai.
The drug valued at $150,000 in the international market was concealed in a false bottom of his handbag.
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Embassy’s ‘media meddling’ draws widespread flak
Kathmandu, 1 Sept.: -
Political party leaders, Parliamentary committees and advocacy groups have taken serious exception to statements issued by the Indian Embassy that questioned the integrity of the Nepali media, which have questioned the quality of an Indian joint venture, The Kathmandu Post reports product.

In defence of the Nepali media, they have said it is the responsibility of the free press to remain vigilant.

They have demanded the government summon Indian Ambassador Rakesh Sood to inquire about the statement, saying that it is in breach of established diplomatic norms. Though no one would go on record

fearing reprisals from the Embassy, even some senior officials in the joint venture companies say the Embassy’s recent policy could make them a “needless victim”.

In its recent statements, the Indian embassy tried to portray the Nepali media in poor light, claiming that the joint venture has received negative media publicity because it failed to provide advertisements. The embassy statements, however, remain silent on the fact that some half a dozen Indian joint ventures had voiced strong reservations against the embassy policy, asking them to impose an ‘Ad blackout’ on those media houses that the embassy regards as “unfriendly.”

“We have in fact told the embassy that it would not be in our long-term commercial interest to ignore the media that have wide reach,” said a senior official of one of the joint ventures. “We are a commercial enterprise and our decisions should be solely based on commercial interests. Politically motivated decisions will unnecessary hurt us. If the embassy wants to take all the decisions for us, it might as well run our companies.”

Reacting to the issue, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament, Ram Krishna Yadav, on Tuesday said his committee would take up the issue. “The questions raised by the media regarding substandard products of an Indian joint venture have drawn our attention,” Yadav said at the Reporter’s Club.

“We will convene a meeting to hold discussions on the issue at the earliest.” The PAC is the second House committee to express concern over the issue.

On Monday, the House committee on International Relations and Human Rights unanimously condemned the Indian embassy’s statements, directing the government to seek a clarification from Indian Ambassador Sood.

Expressing solidarity with the Nepali media fraternity, the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) took strong exception to the statement. “FNJ believes that the embassy’s statement targeting the Nepali media is improper and uncalled-for. FNJ completely disagrees with the statement,” the umbrella body of Nepali journalists said in a statement. It also said it is preparing a detailed report on the recent developments vis-a-vis the embassy’s reactions on Nepali media and vice versa.

CPN-UML leader K.P. Oli said no one should interfere in the freedom of the press in the nation. “No one has the authority to question the people’s right to information,” Oli said in an interview with a radio station. “Consumers have the right to consume quality products.”

Nepali Congress central working committee leader Deep Kumar Upadhyaya and UML leader Pradip Gyawali said it was unfortunate to see that there was needless diplomatic response to what is clearly a commercial issue. “There could have been other ways to clarify the media reports, if they were erroneous,” said Gyawali.

Sadbhawana Party leader Laxman Lal Karna urged the government to investigate the issue. “It is the media’s responsibility to point out the wrongs in the society,” said Karna. “The Indian embassy’s statement is an attack on the free media.”

Similarly, Minister for Peace and Reconstruction, Rakam Chemjong, urged the government to seek an explanation from the Indian envoy. Talking to reporters in Dhankuta, Chemjong said the freedom of the press must be respected and everybody should keep it free from intervention.

Contrary to the Indian Embassy’s claims that the media reports were fabricated, the news reports, among others, are based on lab reports from the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC), a government agency. The DFTQC report released earlier this month said the Dabur juice contained inedible substances, including worms. This was widely covered by the electronic and print media.

Concluding that the Indian statement was a direct attack on the country’s sovereignty and press freedom, the Nepali media fraternity has sought an apology from the embassy.
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NC's new policy floated at CWC before GC

Sher Bahadur Deuba presented the policy and programme for the upcoming GC and the CWC members expressed their views on it.
Kathmandu, 1 Sept: The tenure of Nepali Congress Central Working Committee (CWC) expired on Tuesday. The CWC, however, will be functional as an ad hoc body, The Himalayan Times reports..

The party's 12th General Convention slated for September 17-21 in the Capital will elect the new committee.

Meanwhile, the CWC held its last meeting at the party central office in Sanepa in Lalitpur.

In the meeting, senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba presented the policy and programme for the upcoming GC and the CWC members expressed their views on it.

The policy and programme will be forwarded to the GC for the final approval after the CWC's commendation.

Meanwhile, activists of the NC’s sister organisations--Nepal Magar Sangh, Nepal Muslim Sangh, Nepal Tamang Sangh and Nepal Sherpa Sangh--chanted slogans at the NC central office this afternoon, demanding their representation in the GC. Other sister organistions have their representation in the jamboree.

According to president of Nepal Magar Sangh Ganesh Thapa, the party leadership assured to consider their demands seriously and would take decision on the matternnnn soon.
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Himani unfazed by obstruction of Maoist cadres
Kathmandu, 1 Sept.: -
Former princess Himani Shah faced obstruction from Maoist cadres during her visit to Dolakha district on Tuesday. The Kathmandu Post reports from Dolakha..

Amid the Maoist hurdle on her way to Namdu VDC, which is some 24 kilometres far away from district headquarters Charikot, she took part at a programme as scheduled. Some Maoist activists, acting on the order of district leader Bishal Khadka, obstructed the road in two places at Tamakoshi Bazaar. They parked a truck, blocking the way and piling some logs to prevent Shah from attending the programme organised by Rastriya Sarokar Mancha.

Maoist activists, however, were not present when Shah and her supporters reached the venue. “We cleared the road thinking that we should not force to return a person visiting our district," said a local, preferring anonymity.

Talking to the Post, Khadka said the obstruction was "a symbolic protest against the remnants of feudal monarchy". "We obstructed the road to warn the remnants of the deposed monarchy not to increase their movements in the country," he said.

Speaking at a programme later, Shah said that she visited the district just for a social purpose. On the occasion, she handed over two water tanks and 32,000 metre-long water pipe to a local water project

Earlier, Shah performed pooja at Tripura Sundari Temple in Charikot and handed over cash and sport materials to Bal Mandir School. She is scheduled to return to the Capital on Wednesday.
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