POLICEMAN KILLED IN CLASH WITH STUDENTS (BREAKING NEWS)

Kathmandu, 29 Nov.: Policeman Arjun Kumar Singh was killed in a clash with students at a campus in Nawalparasi Monday.
Police were efforting to break locksat Oxford campus.
The town is tense after clashes broke out.
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PM REPEATS CALL FOR CONVENING PARLIAMENT SESSION

Kathmandu, 29 Nov,: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal Monday repeated a call to convene a session of parliament in neighbouring Lalitpur.
The session should be convened to break a continuing political deadlock, he said
The government asked the president to prorogue a session of parliament to present a budge through ordinance after Maoist obstruction in parliament.
Nepal said his foreign visits won’t hinder talks to normalize a deteriorating political climate at home.
After returning from Russia last week, Nepal flies for Kampuchea Tuesday to attend a conference.
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INDIA TO LAY 70KM RAIL LINE IN NEPAL

Kathmandu, 29 Nov.: India railway will execute a 70lm rail line project at an estimated cost of Rs 470 crore in Nepal as part of a move to strengthen ties between the two neighbouring countries, PTI reports from New Delhi.
The project includes gauge conversion between Jai Nagar and Janakpur spanning a distance of 30 km and laying a new Janakpur-Bardibas line connecting a distance of 40km,
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MOST WANTED ARRESTED

Kathmandu, 29 Nov.: Sunil Lama, 24, on the most wanted list of Nepal Police, was arrested during a raid on a house in the capital overnight.
Lama was nabbed with an Italian pistol.
He was wanted for murder and extortion.
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BOMB DEFUSED IN CAPITAL OUTSKIRT

Kathmandu, 29 Nov.: A socket bomb wrapped in a plastic bag was defused by a a police bomb disposal unit at Jorpati near Baudha Sunday.
A leaflet, stamp and donation pad of Rashtriya Mukti Sena Nepal (Nationalist) was recovered.
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YCL CAMP RAIDED

Kathmandu, 29 Nov.: Seven persons were overpowered by police Sunday night during a raid on a YCL camp at Tunaldevi in the capital.
The raid was conducted amid complaints of abduction for ransom.
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TRADE, COMMERCE, ECONOMY

BUDDHA AIR TO START DIRECT FLIGHTS TO LUCKNOW

Kathmandu, 29 Nov. Private operator Buddha Air will begin thrice
weekly flights between Kathmandu and Lucknow, the capital of
Utter Pradesh from 7 January.
The one-way fare for flights on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday will
be Rs. 5,600,
India is the second foreign destination of the airline after Bhutan.
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FOREIGN ENVOYS URGE MAOISTS TO TOE LINE

Kathmandu, 29 Nov.: The ambassadors representing the UN Security Council (UNSC) members have stepped up consultations to send a collective message to the political parties in Nepal. They have particularly a strong message for the Maoists. Last Monday, German Ambassador Verena Gräfin von Roedern, the newly elected non-permanent member, called on the Maoist party to detach itself from the combatants, a position that has already been voiced by the American and British envoys here, The Kaathmandu Post reports.

“On the political front everybody is worried that UNMIN leaves without there being a set-up to take over certain responsibilities regarding the arms and armies,” said a Western diplomat.

“If not now, when?” said another diplomat. With this close to the two very important deadlines—UNMIN’s exit after Jan. 15 and statute drafting by May 28—there is a growing sense among the UNSC members that Maoists as the largest party in the Constituent Assembly has to take the lead.

“While the statements are aimed at the Maoists—as they’re the ones who have to meet their CPA and subsequent commitments to separate the PLA from the party—it is also clear that flexibility is required on all sides to allow the integration and rehabilitation process to begin,” said one Western embassy official referring to the statements issued by the American, British and German ambassadors.

“No one should be surprised that the ambassadors have commented on the importance of this very current issue—the international community has repeatedly urged all the parties, including the UCPN (Maoist)—to take concrete steps to consolidate peace including through the demobilisation of all paramilitary groupings,” said a spokesperson for the British Embassy The international community has concluded that without the Maoists dissociating themselves from the combatants, the trust deficit cannot be overcome to further the peace process.

Last Saturday, 14 heads of diplomatic missions including three UNSC members issued a statement calling for the parties to prioritise the peace process, especially integration and rehabilitation of the former Maoist combatants.

Lack of progress on the integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants and assessing the structure of the Nepal Army are central and urgent than ever before in light of UNMIN’s scheduled departure on Jan.15, read the statement issued to mark the 4th anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

The Maoists had agreed with the parties to complete the integration and rehabilitation of its combatants within six months in the seven-point agreement signed on June 25, 2008. Following this, the Interim Constitution was amended to allow the formation of a Maoist-led majority government.

“The country will not bear any responsibility for verified combatants who have not been integrated or rehabilitated after six months,” stated the agreement.

But two and half years later, the international community finds the continuing use of combatants as a bargaining tool untenable.

“Don’t the Maoists realise that holding onto the combatants for so long is bound to make it a political liability?” said the Western diplomat. While the United States, Britain and other members of the international community

say that they will continue to extend their support beyond UNMIN’s

departure, but the uncertainty about the post-UNMIN scenario is making them apprehensive.
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CHINA SAYS SORRY FOR MISTREATMENT OF NEPALI TRADERS
Kathmandu, 29 Nov.: Chinese authorities have pledged to stop “increasing harassmet" on Nepalis in the Tatopani border area in Sindhupalchok, The Kathmandu Post reports from SIndhupalchowk. .

During bilateral talks held here on Sunday, Chinese representatives assured the Nepali side that such incidents will not be repeated and that other border problems would be resolved amicably.

The Chinese team led by How Bin, the Regional Political Chief of Kuti state, said the Chinese side is ready to address demands made by the Nepali side. They also apologised for incidents when locals of Khasa, Tibet, misbehaved with Nepalis.

Last week, Khasa locals allegedly extorted Rs. 2,800 from Nepali students visiting the area for jaywalking.

"The Chinese team apologised on behalf of the locals over the matter and assured such activities would not ne repeated in the future," a Nepali official attending the meeting quoted Chinese delegates as saying. Chief District Officer Harikrishna Upadhyay, who led the Nepali team, said the Chinese authorities agreed to allow 120 containers of goods to be transported every day.

"We asked them to stop keeping Nepalis under surveillance by entering Nepali territory and also stop preventing Nepalis from taking photographs in the border area," Upadhyay said.

The Chinese side said they would decide on allowing photography only after consulting with the higher authority.

In Sunday's talks, the Nepali side said the problems arose of late in the border area as some Chinese nationals smuggle medicinal herbs and US dollars in the area.

The Chinese representatives expressed concern over parking of Nepali containers in the Miteri bridge and over visits to the area by high-level Nepali officials without informing the Khasa administration.

Of late, Chinese security personnel and people in Khasa have been allegedly harassing Nepali nationals in the border area on various pretexts. According to locals, the harassment is on the rise.

However, a spokesperson at the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu denied the allegations.

Nepali locals claim that Chinese security personnel and locals manhandle Nepalis, extort them in the name of imposing fines and create unnecessary hurdles in the trans-border activities.

"Chinese security personnel enter Nepali territory and harass Nepali people," a local said. He claimed that sometimes the security personnel go to as far as Larcha, about five kilometers into the Nepali territory from the border, and misbehave with Nepalis. Chief at the Kodari Immigration Office, Bijaya Poudel, admitted to the increase in the harassment meted out by Chinese authorities in the area. Some Chinese nationals reportedly tried to manhandle Poudel last week over a smuggling issue.
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GOVT. DENGUE DEATHS DON’T MATCH MECIA CLAIMS





Kathmandu, 29 Nov.:- The government Sunday said it had so far the record of the death of only five people by dengue, a revelation that exposed its poor inventory system, The Rising Nepal reports.
Various media outlets reported that at least 25 people lost their lives in the last five months due to the dengue fever.
A parliamentary task force ‘dengue disease control and investigation’ formed by Committee on Women Children and Social Welfare of Legislature-Parliament enquired with health authorities about the government’s steps to combat with the disease.
The authorities said that they had so far known that only five people were killed by dengue this year.
The task force visited Bir Hospital and Teaching Hospital last Friday and found two died of dengue in Teaching Hospital and one in Bir Hospital.
"The government is sorely lacking the record of deaths by dengue," said CA member Binod Pahari, coordinator of the task force.
He said that there might be several death cases of dengue in various hospital of Kathmandu but they did not come in government record.
In Chitwan alone, 14 died of dengue and they were not included in the record.
Some few days ago, the task force held discussion with Minister for Health and Population Umakanta Chaudhari, health secretary and Director General of Department of Health Services.
During the discussion Minister Chaudhari had said that the ministry would allocate special budget to contain the infectious disease but faced difficulty to coordinate with other Ministries to check dengue.
On October 29, the parliamentary committee directed the Ministry to launch special campaign in coordination with Ministry of Local Development and the Ministry of Finance to control the disease.
It also asked for emergency budget to control the disease and to form effective network for conducting awareness programme to deal with the deadly disease.
Dr. G D Thakur, director of Epidemiology and Disease Control Division said that the awareness generating programmes were being conducted in various parts of the nation.
He said that the security forces organised ‘search and kill’ campaign while around 222 dengue affected people received treatment in Teku Hospital.
Sensing that the government was not serious about the public health matter, the task force instructed the Ministry to make special preparedness, to point out a focal hospital for dengue and provide free health service to the dengue patients.
Around 10 dengue patients are still receiving treatment in Teku hospital.
Most of them are from Butwal and some a few from Kapilvastu, said Dr. Basu Dev Pandey, focal person for dengue.
Dr. Pandey added the spread of dengue had been slowly halted in Butwal while it spread faster in Kapilvastu district.
Dr. Senendra Raj Upreti, deputy health secretary, said that they would investigate all hospitals and submitted the deaths record to the task force soon.

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POVERTY RAGES IN LDCs AS RICH DON’T MEET AID LEDGES





Kathmandu, 29 Nov.: - Rich nations failed to live up to their aid commitment for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) as the latter continue to plunge into the vicious cycle of poverty, The Rising Nepal reports.
"The LDCs received only USD 37 billion out of committed USD 60.7 billion in 2008," said LDCs Report 2010 released here Sunday.
The report said instead of poverty reduction, the number of people below poverty line ($125) has risen to 421 million in the LDCs, slowing down the progress towards achievements of the Millennium Development Goals
"Even as global economic growth accelerated in the first decade of the millennium, the LDCs remained marginal in the world economy owing to their structural weaknesses and the form of their integration into the global economy," said the report entitled ‘Towards new international development architecture,’ prepared by UNCTAD.
A number of LDC-specific international support measures have been devised to promote the economic development of these nations, but the UNCTAD study concludes that they have had largely symbolic, rather than practical, development effects.
In the majority of cases, the report contends, they have not promoted the development of productive capacities, and the lack of these capacities is the key source of the structural economic weaknesses of LDCs.
The report says LDC governments must play stronger roles in creating favourable conditions for capital accumulation, technological progress, structural transformation -- especially a shift away from LDCs´ dependence on commodity exports -- and the creation of productive jobs that are vital for substantial poverty reduction.
It calls for the creation of a new international development architecture (NIDA) for the LDCs aimed at: a) reversing their marginalisation in the global economy and helping them in their catch-up efforts; (b) supporting a pattern of accelerated economic growth and diversification which would improve the general welfare and well-being of all their people; and (c)

helping these countries graduate from LDC status.
The Report argues that these objectives can be achieved if there is a paradigm shift that supports new, more inclusive development paths in LDCs.
Making public the report, National Planning Commission vice-chairman Dr. Jagadish Chandra Pokharel said that the role of state had increased in the wake of financial crisis.
"There is urgency to invest on physical infrastructure development, productive sector, and diversification of trade to increase economic growth," he added.
He pointed out unified and coherent voice among the LDCs.
On Nepal’s MDGs progress, he said that the country scored gains in social sector such as literacy and health but failed to make headway in employment generation and physical infrastructure development.
UNDP Nepal coordinator Robert Piper said that United Nations was committed to empowering the LDCs.
Presenting the report Professor Bishwanath Tiwari said that the LDCs witnessed slow progress in the poverty reduction, which hampered them to achieve MDGs.
He noted that there was lacking viable institution to enable the LDCs to create sound and visible technology.
There are 49 countries including Nepal under LDCs category. The United Nations categorises them as LDCs based on the criteria such low income, human assets weakness and economic vulnerability.
The 4rth UN Conference on LDCs will take place in Turkey next year.
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