MAOIST PLA TEAM RETURNS FROM CHINA

Kathmandu, 22 Oct.: A 10-member team of the Maoist PLA led by Barsha Man Pun, who is In-charge of the military wing of the UCPN (Maoist), returned Thursday after a eight-day China visit.
The team departed for China via Lhasa 14 October.
The group held discussions with officials of the Communist Party of China and military leaders while they were in Shanghai and Beijing.
Other details of the team’s activities in China weren’t known.
Meanwhile, Maoist Chairman Prachanda leaves for Shanghai Friday to participate in the closing ceremony of the Shanghai Expo.
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POLICE CHIEFS IN USA

Kathmandu, 22 Oct. IGP Nepal Police Ramesh Chand Thakuri and IGP Armed Police Force Sanat Kumar Basnet flew for USA Thursday to participate in an annual conference of police chiefs at Orlando, Florida.
The meeting organized by International Association of Chief of Police concludes 28 November.
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KOJAGARATH FRIDAY

Kathmandu, 22 Oct.: Kojagrath Purnima will be observed Friday evening marking the end of Dasain which started on Ghatastaphana 8 October.
Goddess Maha Laxmi is worshipped on Kojagratha.
The Tihar mood has set in with the end of Dasain.
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UML TEA PARTY

Kathmandu, 22 Oct.: UML is holding a tea reception from noon to four in the afternoon Friday at its party headquarters in Balkhu to mark Dasain and Tihar.
The tradition was started by late Manmohan Adhikari.
NC didn’t hold its traditional tea reception this year because of the death of Girija Prasad Koirala.
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SMART CARDS IN OFFING

Kathmandu, 22 Oct.: The home ministry is going to establish a national identity card management center for the distribution of bio-metric smart card along with photograph, RSS reports,
Home ministry joint spokesman Praladh Pokhrel said legal and technical preparations were all in place to set up a identity card management center.
The government has decided to set up a separate central body for the implementation of bio-metric smart card to Nepali people as national identity card that can also be used in polls.
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PRESIDENT CONSULTS PARTY LEADERS

Kathmandu, 22 Oct.: President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav Thursday held separate discussions with Madesh and small left parties Thursday.
He has been expressing concern with the prolonged deadlock in meetings with political party leaders.
The president also held discussions with MJF Chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachedhar and MJFN Chairman Upendra Yadav.
The president discussed the peace process, constitution drafting, delayed budget and formation of a new government, according to Yadav.
Dr Yadav held discussions with CPN (United) Chairman Chandra Deb Joshi and CPN (ML) Chairman CP Mainali.
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TRADE, COMMERCE, ECONOMY

NEPSE INDEX DROPS SLIGHTLY

Kathmandu, 22 Oct.: Nepse index slipped marginally by 0.95 points and closed at 420.45 points Thursday on the second and last day of weekly trading after a long Dasain holiday.
Altogether 36,833 shares were traded in 862 transactions for Rs.10.4 million.
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NEW MALAYSIAN POLICY TO RETURN STRANDED WORKERS

Kathmandu, 22 Oct. Malaysia has unveiled a new policy to send back home stranded workers who aren’t picked from the airport on 72 hours, Nagarik reports.
Malaysia unveiled the plan Monday to return illegal workers, including Nepalis.
Earlier policy was to repatriate workers after a week if thy weren’t picked up.
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SPORTS

NEPAL IN GROUP—B IN ACC U-19 ELITE CUP

Kathmandu, 22 Oct.: Nepal, along with Thailand and Afghanistan, are in Group-B of the ACC-U-19 Elite Cup Championship being hosted by Thailand 1 to 10 February 2011.
UAE, Oman and Thailand are also in the same group.
Defending champion Hong Kong, Qatar, Malaysia and Bahrain are in Group-A.
Nepal will meet UAE 1 February in its opening match and will play Oman, Afghanistan and Thailand 2, 4 and 5 February respectively.
Finalists will qualify for the ICC World Cup 2012 global qualifying round.
Nepal failed to qualify for the tournament in 2009.
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SIX BOXERS TO UNDERGO TRAINING IN THAILAND

Kathmandu, 22 Oct.: Six boxers, participating in the 16th ASIAD in China from 12 to 27 November, are leaving for Thailand for training Friday.
Deepak Maharjan, Anuradha Lama, Puran Rai, Dinesh Shrestha, Ratana Tamang and Sanju Lama will undergo 24-day training at a camp in Ayodhaya city.
The team will fly directly to China from Thailand for the ASIAD.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“I want to return to Koteshwor soonest leaving Baluwatar. I’ve sent my bags and baggage to Koteshwor. I’ve tried to meet Prachanda for the last five days for an understanding with parties without success.”

“PM Madhav Kumar Nepal, Kantipur, 22 Oct.”
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NC SEEKS FOREIGN POLICY CHANGE
Kathmandu, 22 Oct.:: Worried over the party´s failure to bring both immediate neighbors -- India and China -- and the United Nations into its confidence, Nepali Congress (NC) leaders have called for a timely review of the party´s foreign policy and to make it public at the earliest. Kosh Rak Koirala reports in Republica..

A majority of NC leaders present at an informal meeting held at party´s president Sushil Koirala´s residence in Maharajgunj on Thursday morning complained that the party had been unable to bring both India and China into its confidence.

They demanded that the newly elected Central Working Committee (CWC) review the party´s foreign policy and make it public to assure both India and China that the party is committed to protecting their interests.

According to NC CWC member Gopal Man Shrestha, leaders present at the meeting argued that the foreign policy of the party is outdated. “There were complaints that the party does not have a clear policy towards India and China,” he said.

Referring to a recent UN report which chiefly blamed NC for the delay in the peace process, the leaders also expressed dissatisfaction over the failure of the party to bring the global body currently facilitating peace process into its confidence. “Nepali Congress does have a lot of respect towards the UN,” said Shrestha. “Our only complaint is that UNMIN has not been impartial.”

According to another NC leader Binaya Dhwoj Chand, the meeting stressed on the need to set up a separate foreign relations department within the party. “The party should make clear what our policy toward India and China is,” he said.

The northern neighbor has considerably increased its engagements in Nepal after the fall of monarchy and frequent ´anti-China´ demonstrations staged by Tibetans in Kathmandu streets lately. The southern neighbor has also been increasing its engagements in Nepal apparently to keep its influence intact here.

The meeting also held detailed discussions on the peace process, constitution drafting and political deadlock surrounding the election of a new prime minister, said Dr Prakash Saran Mahat. While expressing concern over the delay in the peace process, the party also urged the Maoists to be honest toward the management of their combatants and peace process.

The NC meeting decided not to withdraw its prime ministerial candidacy as long as there is no concrete agreement to conclude peace process and promulgate the new constitution.

Among other things, the informal meeting also made a decision to hold the first meeting of the newly-elected Central Working Committee (CWC) of the party on October 29.
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NEPALI PEACEKEEPERS PREPARING TO RETURN FROM CHAD

Kathmandu, 21 Oct.: Nepali peacekeepers serving at the United Nations Mission in Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) are all set to return home by early December following the UN Security Council’s decision to close the mission.

Currently 525 peacekeepers, 50 military police and 9 mission staff are working at MINURCAT. “One of our team will leave the mission country on Oct. 25 and the last group will leave in the beginning of December,” a Nepal Army officer from Chad told the Post on condition of anonymity.

He said the Nepal Army has planned to call back the personnel of the contingent in three phases and also intends to bring back the mission’s logistics at home. The last team of Nepali peacekeepers is scheduled to leave Chad on Dec. 2.

Earlier, the army had contributed 850 peacekeepers, 50 military police personnel and 19 mission staff after the UN Security Council endorsed the deployment of the military component to MINURCAT in 2009.

The Security Council in May this year unanimously decided to withdraw the mission by Dec. 31 following an agreement on border security between Chad and Sudan governments.

The mission was set up over two years ago amid increasing unrest in eastern Chad, which hosts at least 250,000 refugees from neighbouring Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region and 180,000 internally displaced persons driven from their home by communal unrest, according to UN News Centre.
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NEW GANESH FOR LIVING GODDESS
Kathmandu, 22 Oct.: Kathmandu’s new living Goddess, Kumari, has a new protector alongside whose chariot hers will be drawn during the annual Indra Jatra festival, The Kathmandu Post reports.

Sambek Shakya, 4, replaced Kapil Ratna Shakya as Ganesh on Mahaashthami, the eighth day of Bada Dashain, last Friday. Shakya, 15, left due to his impending SLC examinations.

His replacement was chosen after an intensive Tantric initiation process. “As per the Tantric method, the one who has 32 traits required to be Ganesh is chosen from among the interested candidates,” said Rajan Manandhar, Chairperson of the Kumari Puja Organization Committee, World Youth Hindu Federation.

On Panchami, the fifth day of Bada Dashain, the outgoing Ganesh presented his replacement with a taaya (snake-shaped garland) and both boys were worshipped together. In a puja ceremony at the Taleju temple, Basantapur, on Mahaasthami, the new Ganesh was formally instated into his role.
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RISE IN CRIME NATIONWIDE DURING DASAIN





Kathmandu, 22 Oct.: - During the Dashain festival, the country witnessed increasing number of road accidents and looting and burglary cases despite several measures police enforced to check them, The Rising Nepal reports..
Nepal Police spokesperson and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Bigyan Raj Sharma said that despite the security personnel’s round the clock patrolling across the country, there occurred tragic road mishaps and crimes such as lootings and burglaries.
Nearly 4,000 security personnel in uniform and plain clothe, were mobilised to maintain law and order during Dashain, said Sharma.
He said that road accidents took place due to negligence of drivers and passengers while the cases of thefts increased as the public did not maintain cautions.
"We had issued strict rules to forbid people from traveling on the roof of the buses but the passengers and drivers turned their deaf ear to our request," he added.
On Thursday two persons were arrested for trying to loot passengers in at Dulaigainda-2 in Tanahu district. Police confiscated Rs. 25,500 and some ornaments from the looters.
Similarly, police have detained Bhawani Dulal with cash Rs. 642,000, 9,900 (US$ 330) Dulal looted the amount from the Shikhar Guest House owned by Tika Poudel in Pokhara and he was arrested from Hotel Comfort, Jyatha in Kathmandu on Tuesday.
An unidentified man robbed Nikesh Maharjan, 16, of Dharmasthali Kathmandu on Tuesday night while he was on his way to his home. Maharjan lost his motorcycle (Ba 9 Pa 8950), a mobile set and a wrist watch.
Similarly, a group of looters took away property worth Rs. 500 thousand from the house of Laxmi Krishna Amatya at Swyambhu KMC-19. There was nobody inside the house during the incident. Likewise, property worth Rs. 900 thousand was also looted from the house of Shankar Man Pokharel on KMC-35 at Narephant on Tuesday.
Similarly, property worth Rs. 300 thousand was stolen from the house of Sulachana Shrestha near Baphal of KMC-13 Monday.
Likewise, 14 people lost their lives in separate road accidents that took place within three days. The deceased have been identified as --- Yadav Bahadur Ghale in Illam, Sanju Bilashi, of Udaypur-5, Mohammad Sanjayad Miya, of Gauradaha, Thag Bahadur Basnet, Shiva Poudel, 45, of Nuwakot district, Sagar Rai, of Kusunti of Lalitpur district, Laxmi Thapa, of Chapali of Kathmandu, Hisshu Chaudhary, 26, of Rampur of Kailali district, Santosh Shrestha, of Lekhnath Municipality, Sabin Kumar Shrestha of Putali Bazaar of Syangja, Prem Bahadur Shrestha, 31, of Chunikhel of Kathmandu, Abdul Miya, 18, of Banajhula-2, and one 70-year old man was also died in different road accident
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67 NEPALI HELD HOSTAGE IN LIBYA
Kathmandu, 22 Oct.: A construction company in Libya since Thursday held 67 Nepali labourers held hostage; they were without work for 18 days, Kantipur reports.
The camp has been padlocked since noon Thursday with the labourers inside the camp, Buddhi Limbu said over telephone.
‘I’ve cone in contact with you after three of manage to flee,” he said.
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GULF COUNTRIES UNSAFE FOR FEMALE WORKERS
Kathmandu, 22 Oct.:Gulf countries have become a ‘risky zone’ for women migrant workers as the countries, of late, are being developed as a new destination for women trafficking, The Himalayan Times reports. .

Achyut Kumar Nepal of Maiti Nepal, a rights-based NGO working for women, said women who arrive at the Tribhuvan International Airport from Gulf countries are often penniless and traumatised because they are subjected to physical and mental exploitation. Recently, Maiti Nepal has rescued 12 women, who were forced to return from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia after being unable to work, from Indian Airport, stated a Maiti Nepal statement. According to UNIFEM and Nepal Institute of Development Studies, 90 per cent of around 147,000 women migrant workers are in Gulf countries. According to Maiti Nepal report ‘Migration of Nepalese Women to Gulf Countries: Exploitation and Implication on Health’, only 33 per cent of women migrant workers return healthy from the Gulf countries. Around 67 per cent of the women, who returned from Gulf countries, had medical problems. Of them 57 per cent were diagnosed with psychiatric illness, two per cent were pregnant, four per cent had pulmonary tuberculosis and four per cent had other minor problems.

Of the psychiatric illness cases, 50 per cent were cases of schizophrenia, 10 per cent maniac, 20 per cent depression and 13 per cent had depression along with psychosis, while seven per cent were cases of anxiety.
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