CHAIRMAN PRACHANDA ADDRESSES 6TH PLENUM; OTHER DETAILS

Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: Chairman Prachanda Tuesday addressed the closed door session of the 6th plenum of the UCPN(Maoist) in Gorkha Tuesday to sell his concepts to cadres to resolve the prolonged national political crisis and how to take the country ahead.
Vice-chairmen Dr Baburam Bhattarai and Mohan Baidya addressed the jamboree Monday to sell their ideas.
On the third day of the plenum, Prachanda Tuesday replied to points raised by Bhattarai and Baidya.
The second day closed session began at eight in the morning.
An attempt will be made to send one proposal for approval at the plenum as suggested by the standing committee, leader Barsha Man Pun said Tuesday.
Failing that, all three proposals will be presented at the plenum, he added.
Both opposed Prachanda’s effort to present a one proposal by incorporating ideas pushed by the three top leaders at the party’s central committee meet in the capital.
Meanwhile, nearly 1,000 of 4,000 delegates have become sick.
Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of MJFL Bijaya Kumar
Gachedhar Monday objected to the presence of l,200 former fighters
in Gorkha.
The participation is a serious of the 12-point peace agreement and the international community has been informed, he said.
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ONE DEAD, 28 INJURED IN BARA

Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: One person died and 28 passengers were injured, five seriously, in a passenger, truck collision at Amlekhjung on the Mahendra Highway in Bara Tuesday.
The bus laws heading for the capital from Biratnagar and the truck was proceeding towards Hetauda.
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UNSECUITY COUNCIL TEAM MEETS PRACHANDA

Kathmandu, 28 Nov.: Chairman Prachanda held discussions in Gorkha Tuesday with a team of the UN security council in the country to monitor the resettled child soldiers.
The underage fighters didn’t qualify for 28 camps and cantonments earlier this year.
More than 19,000 former fighters are in the camps awaiting integration and resettlement.
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GOPAL BHUTANI DEAD

Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: Senior director Gopal Bhutani died Tuesday.
He was 78.
He was suffering cancer.
He died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Balaju.
He had been admitted to hospital for treatment Sunday.
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RPP-NEPAL ONLY ALTERNATIVE TO MAOISTS; KAMAL THAPA

Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: RPP-Nepal Chairman Kamal Thapa said Tuesday the leading monarchist party which is also advocating a Hindu state is the only alternative to Maoists.
He charged in Bhaktapur all other parties for adopting a Maoist agenda.
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SOUTH ASIAN ZOO MEET

Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: Speaker Subash Nemwang Monday inaugurated the annual six-day conference of South Asian Zoo Regional Conference (SACRC).
The conference is probing ways to respond to emergencies, outbreak of diseases, natural calamites, terrorism and climate change.-
Participants are preparing emergency protocols to upgrade zoos in the region for betterment of wildlife.
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PRO-MONARCHY PARTY REGISTERED

Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: A party advocating monarchy was launched Monday in the capital.
Rashtriya Ekata Party (REP) was launched for ’national’ unity’.
Sharad Chandra Dahal is its chairman.
The king should be the nation’s ‘guardian’, the party believes.
Such a king is ‘a center of ultimate faith and hope’, the party believes.
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TRADE, COMMERCE, ECONOMY


PAF, FNCCI JOIN HANDS

Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) and
FNCCI signed a memorandum of understanding (MoF) Monday to build a strategic alliance for sustainable development and economic empowerment
of poor farmers and local entrepreneurs in 40 of 75 districts.
They will conduct training to develop skills to produce high quality crops and develop infrastructure to support agriculture production.
Agriculture Entrepreneurs Center will train farmers and FNCCI ‘s local units will business development and market produce.
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NEPSE INDEX SLIPS

Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: For the second successive day, Nepse index Monday lost 3.54 points and closed at 419.19 points on the second day of five-day weekly trading.
Nepse lost 2.07 points Sunday after the government announced the d4layed budget for the remaining eight months of the current fiscal year through a presidential ordinance.
Maoists withdrew their support in the final hour Friday; an agreement had been reached between Maoists and government to announce the document by amending the interim constitution for the ninth time.
Government and Maoists have been trading charges blaming each other for failure to enforce a budget through constitution amendment.
Political statement continues leading to uncertainty in the share market.
Share prices of all sub-groups fell.
Altogether 81,482 shares worth Rs 23.8 million were traded in 1.638 transactions Monday.
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SPORTS

NEPAL IN QUARTER-FINALS OF MEN’S CRICKET IN ASIAD

Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: Nepal Monday entered the quarter-finals of the men’s cricket tournament in the 16th ASIAD at Guangzhou, China,
defeating Maldives by 75 runs.
Nepal qualified because of the big victory even after losing to
Hong Kong by 30 runs.
Nepal scored 129 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 20 overs and
bowled out Maldives for 54 runs by taking eight wickets.
Meanwhile, Hari Rimal Monday qualified for the final Tuesday of men’s 1,500 meter race with a timing of three minutes and
50.15 seconds in a qualifying round.
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OLYMPIC SWIMMER CHITRA BAHADUR GURUNG DEAD

Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: Chitra Bahadur Gurung, 40, was found dead
Sunday at Columbia Park in Virginia, USA,
The swimmer participated in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and was the flag-bearer in the march-past in the 13h and 14th ASIAD on Bangkok
and Busan in 1998 and 2002 respectively.
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SUNIL RAJKARNIKAR ELECTED

Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: Sunil Rajkarnikar was elected Monday
Vice-president of Asian Kabaddi Federation (AKF) in Guanghou,
China, with the highest number of votes.
He got the votes of all 36 representatives of 18 member states.
Rajkarnikar is president of Nepal Kabaddi Association.
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CANDIDACY CAN’T BE WITHDRAWN PAUDEL





Kathmandu, Nov. 22 - Parliamentary leader of Nepali Congress Ram Chandra Poudel Monday claimed that his candidacy to the prime ministerial post would not be cancelled because the parliamentary session was prorogued as rumours have it, The Rising Nepal reports..
"A subject which is yet to be concluded could not be quashed in the middle. My candidacy will not be cancelled as the new Prime Minister is yet to be elected," Poudel said speaking at an interaction organised by Universal Peace Federation on ‘Peace Process of Nepal’.
He claimed that the election process to the prime ministerial post would be revived once the session of the Legislature Parliament resumed.
He accused that the Maoists were not being honest to implement the Comprehensive Peace Accord.
The ongoing peace process could reach a logical end in the near future if the Maoists implemented the previous agreements.
NC leader Ramesh Lekhak said that the peace process was pushed into a crisis due to the lack of honesty on behalf of UCPN-Maoist.
Former president of Nepal Bar Association Bishwokanta Mainali said that the peace process should be forwarded by bringing the Maoists to the table of agreement as it could not be completed in the absence of them.
President of Nepal Family Party Ek Nath Dhakal said that the nation could get a lasting peace if the political parties acted responsibly.

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MAOIST OBSTRUCT POLICE POST CONSTRUCTION

Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: The construction of police post in Danabari-3 of Ilam has been stalled following UCPN (Maoist) obstruction. Republica reports from Ilam.

The Maoist Biplab Sirjan Smriti Brigade obstructed works saying the construction was against the agreement reached between the government and Maoist.

The Maoist combatants claimed the construction was against the spirit of Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA).

The Brigade had sent a letter to the contractor asking him not build any police post within the periphery of 5 kilometers from their cantonment.

However, Peace and Reconstruction Minister Rakam Chemjong said that there is no such provision in CPA. Chemjong had inspected the site last Friday.

Contractor Dilli Ram Khanal had bagged the tender for the construction worth Rs 6.1 million. He had hired five locals on a petty contract worth Rs 4.6 million to complete the construction.

According to a source, those who were awarded the petty contract were Maoist cadres. "The dispute on the construction is a result of misunderstanding over sharing commission," the source added.

Dhruba Shrestha, a local, said that the Maoist obstructed the construction even after a consensus among political parties for building the police post in Danabari.

"Though the cantonment was silent on the issue, there was an agreement on the construction a year ago. The cantonment asked not to construct the building only after the contract," Shrestha said.

Main contractor Khanal, however, refused to comment on the issue. The petty contractor Bhakta Lungeli defended that monetary issue was not involved in the dispute.

Chief of District Police Office Bikram Chand said that the issue can be settled only through a central level negotiation.

The Maoist had demolished the police post in Danabari during the armed conflict.
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FOREIGN POLICY FOR NATIONAL WELFARE

Kathmandu, 23 Nov. Former foreign ministers have stressed that the foreign policy of Nepal should be formulated keeping the national welfare at the centre and considering the position of the neighbouring countries as well, RSS reports.

The former foreign ministers furnished such suggestions at a conference on ´Nepal´s Foreign Policy and Future Course´ organized by the Centre for South Asian Study in the capital Monday.

Presenting a working paper on Nepal-India relations, former foreign minister Upendra Yadav said the relations between Nepal and India was facing problems due to India´s strategic interest in the Himalayan region.

Both countries should address each other´s concerns in order to strengthen the relations between the two countries, he stressed.

Similarly, former foreign minister Ramesh Nath Pandey presented a working paper on Nepal´s relations with China and Japan and said China and Japan have no interest at all in Nepal whatever changes occur here. However, China always wants to see one China policy in Nepal, he added.

Nepal is strategically located in the regional level, he said, adding that it was not unusual if neighbouring countries both emerged in the global competition wanted to see their influence strengthened in Nepal.

Moreover, another former foreign minister Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani presented a working paper on the relations between Nepal and the US. He said Nepal is one of the oldest friendly countries of the US. So, she has continuous interest in Nepal´s sovereignty, unity and independence, he claimed.

All of the speakers admitted that though Nepal was nestled between the two giant economic powers and getting continuous help from world´s super power, it failed to reap the benefit.
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GOVT.ASKED TO REGISTER TRADEMARK

Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: A high-level taskforce has decided to recommend the government to register international trademark of Nepali hand-knotted woolen carpet to protect originality and assure global buyers on quality of Nepali exports, Republica reports.

The taskforce headed by Chandra Kumar Ghimire, joint secretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies (MoCS), which has finalized its recommendations for enhancing competitiveness and reclaiming the market of downturn carpet export, has cited registration of collective trademark for Nepali products as one of the key steps in giving new boost to its trade.
“We are submitting the report to Nepal Business Forum soon,” Ghimire told Republica on Monday.

The recommendation of the taskforce goes in line with the recent steps taken by pashmina and coffee producers. While pashmina manufacturers have already registered their international trademark -- Chyangra Pashmina -- in more than two dozen countries, the trademark of Nepali coffee was registered with the government about a week ago.

The taskforce, which has representatives from carpet manufacturers and exporters association, pashmina manufacturers, wool producers and Trade and Export Promotion Center, is also recommending the producers and exporters to work out identification, features and definitions of Nepali carpet´s collective trademark.

“We will recommend the government to allow the carpet entrepreneurs take the leadership role. We will suggest the government to play a catalytic role,” Ghimire added.

The panel is also suggesting the government to put in place a separate mechanism to issue trademark stickers to exporters and Certificate of Origin (CO). It will propose the government to operate the mechanism with public private partnership approach.

"The new mechanism should define quality of Nepali carpets, function as quality control body and enforce strict norms on issuance of stickers, so that customers can be assured on the quality of the product," said a member of the task force.

The taskforce is also strongly pushing for the establishment of laboratory to accredit the standard of the manufacturing products, including carpet. Apart from that, it is also pushing the government, manufacturers and exporters to work together to check export of substandard carpet products by neighboring countries in the name of Nepali hand-woven carpet.

As Nepali hand-knotted carpet has its own niche market in Europe and US, traders said more Indian carpets are finding way into the international markets under the label of Indo-Nepal Carpet. While these products are of substandard quality, those are not only displacing Nepali exports but also denting the image of Nepali product.

Exports of Nepali hand-knotted carpet dropped from 3.3 million square meters during the 1993/94 to 780,000 square meters during 2009/10.

Meanwhile, the process to register trademark has slowed as different associations of carpet producers are yet to forge consensus on whether or not register the trademark with the government.

Surendra Dhakal, CEO of Carpet Exporters´ Association, said registration of trademark alone will have no meaning unless the quality of Nepali carpet is enhanced. “There should be some value addition after the registration of trademark, otherwise we can´t benefit from it,” Dhakal added.
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A FALLOUT FOR PM NEPAL

Kathmanddu, 23 Nov.: -
The failure to elect a new prime minister has prolonged caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal’s stay in power, and the prorogation of the budget session of parliament on Friday midnight made it indefinite, The Kathmandu Post reports.

According to officials at the Parliament Secretariat, the Interim Constitution has provided the government the sole authority to summon the regular House session. And, unlike the previous constitution there is no maximum gap period between the two sessions of the parliament. It means Nepal will continue to enjoy his caretaker position until the next House session summoned by President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav at the recommendation of the present cabinet elects a new prime minister.

Sources close to Prime Minister Nepal say that the government will only start consultations among parties after the beginning the new session of the parliament and only after the end of the ongoing plenum of

the UCPN (Maoist). Prime Minister Nepal, who left for Russia to attend the Tiger Summit of global leaders on Monday, has a tight schedule of foreign junkets till the first week of December.

“The major political parties should reach a common understanding before inviting the new House session. Otherwise, there is no point running the parliament,” said Raghuji Panta, Chief Political Advisor to the prime minister on Monday. He said the meeting of seven political parties including that of the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML that took place on Sunday had agreed that Maoists should apologise for their unruly act in the parliament to create an atmosphere of consensus. The 1990 constitution had the provision that there could be a maximum of a six-month gap between two sessions of the House.

“There is no constitutional pressure on the government to fix the new date for the session,” said Tek Prasad Dhungana, Legal Advisor to the Constituent Assembly (CA).

Clause 51 of the Interim Constitution has the provision of summoning a special session of the parliament at the request of 25 percent of the members of parliament. “The special session can’t take up elections as it is basically called for discussing the issues of public importance,” said another senior official at the Parliament Secretariat. “In case of an impasse over electing the new prime minister, it can only direct the government to start the House session so that the election process can start again.”

The Interim Constitution states that the ordinance will expire if it is not endorsed within sixty days of the commencement of the parliament session. However, there is no reference to a time limit when the parliament is not in session.

Analysts say the widening rift between the Maoist and non-Maoist parties after the obstruction of budget on Friday has put the incumbent government in a strong position.

“The decision to end the parliamentary session and push the budget through ordinance has ensured the continuity of this caretaker government indefinitely,” said former Speaker Daman Nath Dhungana. “The cabinet has grossly violated the constitution by abruptly ending the session after the announcement of the next date for the prime ministerial election. It has chosen a path that benefits the status quoists and gives a foothold to those against change.”
, NOV 22 -
The failure to elect a new prime minister has prolonged caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal’s stay in power, and the prorogation of the budget session of parliament on Friday midnight made it indefinite.

According to officials at the Parliament Secretariat, the Interim Constitution has provided the government the sole authority to summon the regular House session. And, unlike the previous constitution there is no maximum gap period between the two sessions of the parliament. It means Nepal will continue to enjoy his caretaker position until the next House session summoned by President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav at the recommendation of the present cabinet elects a new prime minister.

Sources close to Prime Minister Nepal say that the government will only start consultations among parties after the beginning the new session of the parliament and only after the end of the ongoing plenum of

the UCPN (Maoist). Prime Minister Nepal, who left for Russia to attend the Tiger Summit of global leaders on Monday, has a tight schedule of foreign junkets till the first week of December.

“The major political parties should reach a common understanding before inviting the new House session. Otherwise, there is no point running the parliament,” said Raghuji Panta, Chief Political Advisor to the prime minister on Monday. He said the meeting of seven political parties including that of the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML that took place on Sunday had agreed that Maoists should apologise for their unruly act in the parliament to create an atmosphere of consensus. The 1990 constitution had the provision that there could be a maximum of a six-month gap between two sessions of the House.

“There is no constitutional pressure on the government to fix the new date for the session,” said Tek Prasad Dhungana, Legal Advisor to the Constituent Assembly (CA).

Clause 51 of the Interim Constitution has the provision of summoning a special session of the parliament at the request of 25 percent of the members of parliament. “The special session can’t take up elections as it is basically called for discussing the issues of public importance,” said another senior official at the Parliament Secretariat. “In case of an impasse over electing the new prime minister, it can only direct the government to start the House session so that the election process can start again.”

The Interim Constitution states that the ordinance will expire if it is not endorsed within sixty days of the commencement of the parliament session. However, there is no reference to a time limit when the parliament is not in session.

Analysts say the widening rift between the Maoist and non-Maoist parties after the obstruction of budget on Friday has put the incumbent government in a strong position.

“The decision to end the parliamentary session and push the budget through ordinance has ensured the continuity of this caretaker government indefinitely,” said former Speaker Daman Nath Dhungana. “The cabinet has grossly violated the constitution by abruptly ending the session after the announcement of the next date for the prime ministerial election. It has chosen a path that benefits the status quoists and gives a foothold to those against change.”
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SUJATA AIDE QUITS


Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: Chiranjibi Nepal, adviser to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sujata Koirala, has tendered his resignation, according to a highly placed source. Nepal, who had been serving in the capacity of political adviser to Koirala for more than a year, resigned on Sunday. “Nepal tendered his resignation citing personal reasons,” Koirala confirmed. The Himalayan Times reports.
. A source close to Koirala said she would take his resignation to the next Cabinet meeting for approval. Though Nepal cited ‘personal reasons’, sources claimed he quit after ‘bitter differences’ with Koirala. KATHMANDU: Chiranjibi Nepal, adviser to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sujata Koirala, has tendered his resignation, according to a highly placed source. Nepal, who had been serving in the capacity of political adviser to Koirala for more than a year, resigned on Sunday. “Nepal tendered his resignation citing personal reasons,” Koirala confirmed. A source close to Koirala said she would take his resignation to the next Cabinet meeting for approval. Though Nepal cited ‘personal reasons’, sources claimed he quit after ‘bitter differences’ with Koirala.
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'Weather caused Haiti cholera'

Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: Weather conditions — not UN soldiers — may have triggered Haiti’s cholera epidemic, which has killed more than 1,000 people, three leading researchers have told SciDevNet, The Guardian reports from Maryland.

A coincidence of several catastrophic events — from climatic changes caused by the ocean-atmosphere phenomenon La Niña, to the plunge in water and sanitation quality following Haiti’s disastrous January earthquake — provide the most likely explanation for the outbreak, which has hospitalised 17,000 people.

The outbreak suddenly appeared in small communities along the Artibonite River, 100 km north of the capital Port-au-Prince, on October 21. Its origin has not been determined with certainty but the popular belief is that the disease arrived with infected UN soldiers from Nepal. Cholera is endemic in Nepal whereas Haiti has not had a recorded cholera case in the last 50 years. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a press release earlier this month that genetic analysis of the cholera strain that hit Haiti reveals that it most closely matches South Asian strains that fuelled suspicion.

But scientists rejected the idea that cholera was imported from Nepal. “Vibrio cholerae may have been dormant in water until weather-related conditions caused it to multiply enough to constitute an infective dose if ingested by humans,” said David Sack, a cholera specialist at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US. Rita Colwell, a professor at the University of Maryland said the aquatic environment conditions produced by a strong La Niña this year may have made cholera flare up in Haiti.

Colwell’s research aims to predict cholera outbreaks by correlating disease occurrence with weather patterns, water surface temperatures and algal blooms. She has found that the annual patterns of higher sea temperatures along the coast correlate with patterns of cholera cases in both Bangladesh and Peru, based on data from 1992–1995 and 1997-2000, respectively.

Weather conditions do not have to be present together with poor sanitation and lack of clean water for an epidemic to occur, she said, but the latter increase chances of an outbreak. Cholera spreads when faeces from infected humans, who may not present any cholera symptoms, get into drinking water that other people consume. Afsar Ali, an associate professor of environmental and global health at the University of Florida agrees that climatic factors promoted the bacteria’s multiplication in the Artibonite area. He told SciDev.Net that when he visited Haiti in August, refugees from the earthquake were using water directly from the river and ocean.

The climate-cholera link in Haiti may be confirmed if, as Colwell believes, the epidemic weakens in winter as the waters in the Caribbean cool down.
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DANISH SUPERMODEL IN NEPAL

Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: Supermodel Helena Chris Christensen has spent three days in the in villages in southern Nepal as part of her campaign to highlight the effect of global warming on poor and rural communities, AP reports from Kathmandu.
“I and several women who told me their stories shared with me the fear they have over the way they live their lives now constantly waiting for flooding and not knowing how to react when it happens,” the Danish model told reporters in Kathmandu Monday after visiting Nawalparasi district.
She said the villagers were fearful for their children and their livelihood.
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