2nd ROUND BIG THREE TALKS ALSO INCONCLUSIVE

Kathmandu, 11 Nov.: Second round of talks between the Big Three was also inconclusive at Gokarna Wednesday.
Top leaders of UCPN (Maoist), NC and UML are meeting again Monday to effort a breakthrough to end a prolonged political deadlock.
The leaders issued a four-point agreement following nine-hour talks discussing the presentation of a complete budget, the peace process, constitution drafting, power sharing and integration and resettlement of 19,0000 Moist combatants under UNMIN watch in 28 cantonments and satellite camps.
‘Formal and informal talks were held between the parties on the peace process. Positive discussions were held on the on the proposal for integration,” Home Minister Bhim Rawal said after the meet.” There’s an understanding the three parties will again hold intra-party discussions for agreement Monday.”
Maoist leader Dev Gurung said,” Specific proposals have been presented to take the peace process to a logical conclusion. All parties have taken them positively.”
Nnnn
The first round tripartite talks held Frday/Saturday at Hattiban, Chovar, were inconclusive as well.
Nnnn

SUJATA TO TAKE UP INDIAN COMPLAINT OF MAOISTS TRAINING NAXALS

Kathmandu, 11 Nov.: Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala told reporters Wednesday she’ll take up formal Indian complaints of Nepal’s Maoists imparting military training and ideological indoctrination to Indian counterparts or Naxals at camps under UNMIN watch in Nepal.
“This is a very serious issue. I’ll raise the issue seriously in the cabinet,” she told reporters at her office.” Serious investigation will be conducted whether Indian Maoists have been imparted training inside camps.”
She said Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has been notified and will raise the matter Thursday with Home Minister Bhim Rawal and Home Secretary Gobinda Kusum,
India last month formally notified the government through a note to the foreign ministry.
After first denial by Vice-Chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai, Maoist military leader Barsha Man Pun and Spokesman Dinanath Sharma also dismissed Indian charges Wednesday.
‘We’re ready to face any action if the allegations are proven true. Nepal government should also immediately conduct an investigation and make its position clear about it at the earliest,” Pun, who is deputy Commander of the Maoist PLA told journalists at an interaction at Reporters Club.
Maoists are attempting to drag Nepal Army (NA) into a controversy.
Sharma charged NA prepared a report on instructions of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal for dispatch to India.
nnnn

UK TO PROCESS, ISSUE PASSPORTS IN HONG KONG

Kathmandu, 11 Nov.: Applications for British passports in Nepal will be processed and printed in Hong Kong, the British embassy said.
Clients have to pay Rs.1,320 for such passports.
“The customers renewing their passports may expect their new passports within four weeks from receipt of the correct documentation and fee,” an embassy statement said.
First-time applicants will receive the passports after at least six weeks.
Emergency travel documents will continue to be issued in Kathmandu.
nnnn

SUJATA KOIRALA INAUGURATES REGIONAL MEET

Kathmandu, 11 Nov.: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sujata
Koirala Wednesday inaugurated a 15-nation theee-day regional seminar of supporting an arms trade treaty negotiations in Lalitpur.
The seminar is jointly sponsored by UN Institute for Disarmament Research, European Union and UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament Asia.
The meet is lobbying a legally binding instrument for to tackle illegal import, transfer and exchange of arms.
Nnnn

ONE OF QUADRUPLETS DEAD

Kathmandu, 11 Nov.: The youngest of quadruplets born to a Rolpa couple died Tuesday while being rushed to Bheri Zonal Hospital for treatment from the far-West hill district.
Tika BK, 40, who hails from Tewang-8, first gave
birth to a male child and eight hours later delivered three girls.
The mother and remaining babies are in good health.
nnnn


TWO ETHNIC NEPALIS SHOT DEAD IN ASSAM

Kathmandu, 11 Nov.: Rebels of National Democratic Front for Bodoland- (BDFB), conducting an insurgency in Assam, shot dead two Nepali-speaking youth NOnday, Tuesday, Parbat Portel reports from Silgudhi, West Bengal, in Kantipur.
They were residents of Tejpur and Odhalgudi.
Another Nepali-speaking youth has been injured in a rebel attack.
nnnn


BAIDYA, DR. BHATTARAI CHARGES AGAINST PRACHANDA

Kathmandu, 11 Nov.: Maoist Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya and Baburam
Bhattarai have accused own Party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
for secretly dealing in millions of rupees, Bhojraj Bhatt reports in Nagarik.

They complain of a ‘new rich class’ indulging in illegal trade, smuggling and corruption being protected by headquarters in a document prepared for theparty plenum meeting in Gorkha beginning 21 November.
They conclude Chairman Dahalis manly responsible for the lack of transparency.
Nnnn


CASINO OWNERS, MANAGERS ISSUED ARREST WARRENTS


Kathmandu, 11 Nov. : Police for the first time Tuesday issued arrest warrants against proprietors and general managers of casinos in a bid to curb the illegal entry of Nepalis in gambling dens in the capital and Pokhara.

Warrants were against TR Bhatta, promoter of Everest Casino, Bharat Kumar Shakya, general manager of Casino Nepal, Ramkrishna Chakradhar, general manager of Casino Anna, Manoj Subedi, general manager of Tara Casino and Shailendra Kumar Rana, general manager of Casino Royal for violating gambling act 1963.



During tihar, police arrested 28 Nepalis during raids on casinos.
objectionable activities of the casinos,” Thapa said.



Ten casinos operate legally in Nepal —eight in the capital and two in the resort town of Pokhara.

Nnnn

THREE KILLED, SEVEN INJURED IN BUS TRUCK SCOLLISSION
Kathmandu, 11 Nov.: Three persons were killed instantly and seven were injured in a bus and truck collision at Lalbandi of Sarlahi Thursday morning.

The bus was heading for the capital from Kakadbhitta.
The injured are undergoing treatment at the Namuna Hospital and the Bharatpur Medical College.
nnnn



GOVT. TO UP RELIEF FOR FALIMLY OF DECEASED WORKERS

Kathmandu, 11 Nov. The government is mulling over increasing the relief amount to next of kin of workers dying in foreign land by 50 percent from the existing Rs 100,000, Republica reports.

In the new amendment to the Foreign Employment Regulations, which is almost finalized, the government is also incorporating new provisions that will make manpower agencies more accountable, aiming to address anomalies in the foreign employment sector that makes some 23 percent contribution to the nation´s gross domestic product (GDP).

"Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and Ministry of Finance (MoF) has already given their nods to the draft. We will forward it to the cabinet as soon as the Ministry of Law and Justice gives its consent," Surya Adhikari, under secretary at MoLTM told Republica.

If the amendment to the regulations is endorsed, the family of deceased workers will receive Rs 150,000 as compensation from the Foreign Employment Welfare Fund wherein each outbound Nepali worker contributes Rs 1,000.

The new regulations will also make it mandatory for manpower agencies to send workers for overseas jobs within a year of issuance of final demand approval by the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE).

“If the agencies do not comply, they will need to refund the service charge along with interest," said Adhikari.

The regulations also envisage ending the existing practice of indiscriminate issuance of final and prior-approvals. For this, it has incorporated a provision whereby the government can take action against the responsible officials. It is also making approval of experience certificates by concerned Nepali missions mandatory in a bid to check the growing number of workers leaving for greener pastures abroad through individual channels. MoLTM believes this provision will check unofficial and unwarranted outflow of workers.

"We are also making the trainings and orientations for jobseekers more effective so that the workers do not face problems in their workplaces,” said Adhikari.

The regulations also envisage formation of a Periodical Planning Formulation Committee under the chairmanship of Labor Secretary to make policy recommendations and streamline the operations of Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB). The committee will have representations from MoF, DoFE, FEPB and foreign employment agencies. It will also allow FEBP, which has been reeling under human resources crunch, to hire staff on a contract basis. It also includes a provision for the appointment of labor attachés in the countries, hosting more than 20,000 Nepali workers to resolve problems faced by Nepali workers there.

The regulations also envisage forming a ´committee of experts´ to investigate cases of workers that are returned from job destinations due to health problems.

Realizing problems in recovering amount by foreign employment victims due to centralized administrative process, the new provision authorizes chief district officers of concerned districts to investigate into cases related to foreign employment.
Nnnn
SC ASKS SPEAKER TO INTERVENE

Kathmandu, 11 Nov. Ruling that the continuation of the futile prime ministerial polls is directly affecting the statute writing process and the state’s ability to maintain law and order, the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday directed Legislature- Parliament Speaker and Chairman of the Constituent Assembly (CA) Subas Nembang to take appropriate alternative steps to end the current political deadlock over electing the country’s new prime minister, The Kathmandu Post reports.

The apex court order primarily stresses that the Speaker himself has all the authority needed to provide a way out of the current deadlock and he should use his power. The court suggested that the speaker should make positive use of Rule 7 of the CA (Legislative-Parliament Business) Rules, 2008, which states that the Speaker should repeat the election until one of the candidates gets the required majority. The Speaker, however, so far has been reluctant to use his power stating that he could not do anyting without full political consensus. “I also cannot make any comment without reading the whole text of the court ruling,” he said.

Unlike a mandamus, the directive order issued by the joint bench of Justices Kalyan Shrestha and Girish Chandra Lal, would not be obligatory on the Parliament. The order was in response to a writ petition filed by Advocates Prabhu Krishna Koirala and Chundamani Paudel on Oct. 5. The writ petition had demanded an order of mandamus to declare Nepali Congress candidate Ram Chandra Poudel the prime minister. The lone candidate in the prime ministerial race, Poudel has already lost for the 16th time and is going to face another round of futile polls on Nov. 15.

The court order states that it would be meaningless to continuously repeat the futile rounds of elections in the name of following the Rule 7(8). “It is neither the norms of elections nor the objective of the Constitution to continue the election that does not elect anyone,” read the court order stressing that the parties should be able to interpret the provisions in the laws and constitution in such a way that could consider the need of the moment and provide the solution to the problem.
Nnnn

TIME FOR DISBANDMENTON SECURITYWORKERS IN AFGHANISTAN EXTENDED
Kathmandu, 11 Nov.: Afghanistan has extended the disband period for private security companies by two months but threat of job loss is not over for 40,000 to 50,000 hired gunmen, The Himalayan Times reports..

“The disband period has been extended, but the next steps are not clear,” said Durga Bhandari, Deputy Chief of Mission at Islamabad-based Nepali embassy. “We can’t say how it will affect Nepali workers there,” he said.

Around 15,000 to 20,000 Nepalis are working in the war-ravaged country and half of them are hired gunmen. Hired Nepali gunmen earn around $700.

The government should stop giving work permit for Afghanistan.“It is better to stop sending Nepali workers to Afghanistan for now,” he said. “Afghan police is randomly arresting migrant workers.” Afghan police had arrested 78 Nepali workers in October-end and locked them in the Kandahar jail. Around 200 Nepalis are in Afghan jails.

According to Department of Foreign Employment, 3,855 Nepalis have reached Afghanistan since 2003-04. Around 215 Nepalis have reached there this year.
Nnnn



KHETAN GROUP SELLS MAJORITY STAKE IN GURKHA BREWERY


KATHMANDU, 11 Nov.: In the largest sale of stakes by a Nepali company to a foreign partner, Khetan Group — a leading business house of the country — sold its majority stake in Gorkha Brewery to Carlsberg Singapore for US$ 40 million. The Kaathmandu Post reports.

It is now Carlsberg that has the majority stake. It is a 100 percent subsidiary of Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Berhad.

The deal which is definitely one of the biggest ever acquisitions in Nepal’s corporate history. Another instance of a Nepali company’s majority stake being acquired by a foreign company is Nordic telecom operator TeliaSonera buying from Spice Nepal Pvt. Ltd.
nnnn



FACTS ON MAOISTS TRAINING NAXALS SOUGHT





Kathmandu, 11 Nov.: - Leaders of different political parties have said that the government should bring out the truth over the issue of the training provided to the cadres of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) by the cadres of the UCPN (Maoist), RSS reports.
They said if this was true it would jeopardize the bilateral relations between Nepal and India.
At a programme organized here today, they stressed on the need for bringing out such serious issues into public.
Central leader of the Nepali Congress Gopal Man Shrestha said that the issue was too serious if the Nepali Maoists provided training to the cadres of the Indian Maoist Party. He said the government should probe into this case instantly and should bring out the facts, adding that such issues would have long-term impact in bilateral relations.
Shrestha asked the UNMIN also to make its stance public as the PLA combatants were under the UNMIN-monitored cantonments.
UML leader Pradip Gyawali said such disputes have been coming out due to the double standards adopted by the UCPN (Maoist) in regard to the Indian Maoists. He suggested that the UCPN (Maoist) should make its stance clear over the Indian Maoist movement and the Maoist party.
Calling on the government to make its position clear by investigating into the alleged training, leader of the UCPN (Maoist) Barsha Man Pun made it clear that he himself and the UCPN (Maoist) party was ready to face any sort of penalty if the issue was proved true.
On the occasion, chairman of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Pashupati Shumsher Rana said Nepali land should not be used against any other neighboring countries.
nnnn