DEPUTY PM PRESENTS FINANCIALORDINANCE; OTHER DETAILS

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 12 Feb. A financial ordinance and three ordinances presented to parliament Saturday by Deputy Prime Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari was approved unanimously by parliament for discussion.
Parliament was adjourned until Monday.
Adhikari is a former prime minister who wasn’t assigned any ministerial responsibility by Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal.
But he was given responsibility to look after the finance ministry by Khanal Saturday nine days after the election of the government chief.
Neither Khanal nor two other ministers from the UML in government have been assigned ministries after Maoists refused to join the government after installing Khanal as prime minister.
Maoist Vice-chairman Narayan Kazi Shrestha said Saturday the party will discuss support for the ordinance budget for the remaining five months of the current fiscal year.
A partial budget presented by the outgoing government has to be renewed by 15 February otherwise the government will be cash-strapped.
NC said it will positively consider support for the ordinance passage even from the opposition n bench.
The new government hopes Maoists will eventually join his administration.
Maoists Friday demanded within seven days an official position on a secret seven-point agreement which the main opposition and the largest party in parliament said must be implemented.
Maoists have threatened to review its outside support for Khanal if UML positive commitment to the agreement isn’t forthcoming.
“We’ll give government full shape despite difficulties. I want to take the country to a a golden future, Khanal said Saturday.
Internal differences in the UML’s party stance towards Maoists broke out openly Saturday as well.
Vice-chairman Bamdeb Gautam said Khanal’s won’t last long in government if the home ministry isn’t allotted to Maoists.
But former Premier Madhav Kumar Nepal said in Biratnagar security-related ministries such as the home, defence and even finance shouldn’t be assigned to Maoists.
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MISSING MINISTER REPORTEDLY RE-MARRIED

Kathmandu, 12 Feb.: Former General Administration Minister Rabindra Shrestha on the government has re-married for thesecond tme, television reports said Saturday quoting the family of his second wife.
Shrestha from UML re-married Supekshya Silwal and the couple is in Sikkim.
Shrestha is a UML politburo member while Silwal is a UML activist.
First wife, Laxmi, and a teenage daughter asked the party to launch a search for Shrestha Friday after he went missing five days ago.
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U.S. Under Secretary Maria Otero in Nepal

Kathmandu, 12 Feb.: U.S. Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero arrived in Kathmandu Saturday in a three-day visit. During her visit, she will meet with political leaders, senior government officials and civil society representatives to address a disaster risk reduction symposium and discuss trafficking in persons and refugee issues., the US embassy said.

On Monday, Otero will address the Disaster Risk Reduction Symposium entitled “Be Aware, Be Prepared: Implementing lessons learned from other earthquakes”..
The purpose of the event, hosted by the Government of Nepal in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy and the United Nations, is to raise awareness among key decision-makers of Nepal’s vulnerability to a catastrophic earthquake; demonstrate the commitment of the Government of Nepal and the international community to disaster risk reduction, and review lessons learned from recent disasters to inform policy and planning in Nepal.

Oteto visited Maiti Nepal imediatelyon arrival and met with survivors of trafficking where she recognized the outstanding work that Maiti Nepal is doing to help combat trafficking, the embassy added.
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POLICE CAMPAIGN TO REMOVE GLAZED GLASSES FROM VEHICLES

Kathmandu, 12 Feb.: Police removed 235 glazed glasses from vehicles mostly of so-called influential and powerful people in the capital Thursday ad Friday after supreme court directive to government to replace them for scurity improvement, police said.
Police intervened and stopped vehicles on capital’s streets during the week Former Minister Sujata Koirala and Maoist Vice-chairman Narayan Kazi Shrestha asking vehicles should have transparent glasses..
The apex court ruled glazed glasses on vehicles encouraged crime such as abduction and rape.
The vehicles of the prime minister and the president aren’t affected by the apex court diktat.
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KRISHNA PRASAD BHATTARAI SUFFERING MULTIPLE AILMENTS

Kathmandu, 12 Feb.: Former Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, 87, is suffering from bronchitis and chronic renal failure , Dr Shyam Bahadur Pandey who is treating at Norvic Hospital said Saturday.
Bhattarai was hospitalized Thursday.
Pandey quoted Bhattarai as saying he hoped to live until he was 100 years and hoped for changes in the country under his leadership in the next two/three years.
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