NEPALIS IN JAPAN ANGRY WITH HOME GOVT.

FAGU BENG CELEBRATED

Kathmandu, 19 March: Fagu us being celebrated Saturday in rainy and overcast conditions.
Fagu is another event to mark the beginning of spring.
The celebration in the capital with the burning of the chir erected in Basantapur.
One thousand policemen have been deployed in the Valley.
Terai will celebrate the festival Sunday.
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FORMER CIAA CHIEF WELCOMES VERDICT AGAAINST WAGLE

Kathmandu, 19 March: Former CIAA Chief Suryanath Upadhaya said Saturday the supreme court decision to convict NC leader Chiranjuvi Wagle was a ’landmark decision’.
“It’s[the verdict’ is very good. .It took a little more time [eight years].
If people holding public office don’t show their source of income it’s corruption. It’s the first decision taken by the court on a rule public officials have to declare their assts.
“The verdict is based on that rule. The supreme court has legalized that rule., If that source of income is not proved, it will be illegal,” Upadhaya told Radio Nepal.
Several members of the NC central committee, said the
verdict was biased; they accused other party leaders haven’t been persecuted.
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KATHMANDU-KODARI HIGHWAY BEING WIDENED

Work to broaden the Kathmandu- Kodari highway linking the capital with Tibet to six-lane has started,
The highway from Suryabinayak to Dhulikhel will be widened with Rs. 900 million government investment.
The highway constructed with Chinese was the first linking Nepal with Tibet.
The highway is currently being from the capital’s outskirts to Bhaktapur.
A second highway linking Nepal with Tibet is presently under construction in Rasuwa.
The project has been delayed 20 months.
Nepal is Tibet’s largest trading partner.
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NEPAL PREPARES POSSIBLE EVACUATION OF NATIONALS FROM BAHRAIN; GOVT WON’T FUND EVACUATION

Kathmandu, 19 March: An emergency meeting of officials of the ministries of foreign affairs and labour and transport in the presence of the prime ministry, Friday decided to prepare details of Nepalis in Bahrain where anti-government protests are swelling for possible rescue.
Chief Secretary Madhav Ghimere coordinated the meeting.
An estimated 30,000 Nepalis work in the Gulf state.
The meeting reviewed the present situation in oil rich state,
Nepal embassy in neighbouring Saudi Arabia will prepare details of Nepalis in Bahrain.
Evacuation of Nepalis from Libya was completed Wednesday at government expense.
Government henceforth won’t fund evacuation of Nepalis from Gulf and other countries, Nagarik reported.
With swelling pro-democracy movements in the Gulf, the government decided it can’t evacuates tens of thousands of Nepali workers at its
cost.
Agencies involved in foreign employment, including manpower
agencies, participated in an emergency meeting.
Persons being evacuated, manpower agencies and employing
agencies will henceforth have to fund any possible evacuation.
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KATHMANDU RECORDS 2,11MM RAIN

Kathmandu, 19 March: The capital recorded 2.11 mm rain in the last 24 hours.
The sky is overcast for the second consecutive day Saturday.
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TENURE OF FREE STUDNT UNIONS TO BE EXTENDED

Kathmandu,. 19March: Tribhuvan University Friday decided to extended the two-year tenure of free students that ends Sunday.
The tenure was extended until next union elections.
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10 NEPALIS COMMIT SUCIDE EVERY DAY

Kathmandu, 19 Mach: Ten Nepalis commit suicide every day, a study released Friday said.
Poverty is the main reason for suicide attempts.
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NEPAL POLICE BEGINS PROCESS FOR PROCURING LOGISTICS FOR SUDAN MISSION

Kathmandu, 10 March: Nepal Police has begun the process for procuring armed personnel carriers (APCs) for its mission in Darfur, Sudan, Kantipur reports.
Process has been completed to import them through Singapore-based
SAP Service Pvt. Ltd—who quoted the cheapest price for the supply.
The APCs are being procured for $397800.
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TRADE, COMMERCE, ECONOMY

NRB RELAXES REALTY LOANS

Kathmandu, 19 March: Nepal Rashtra Bank (NRB) Friday
relaxed realty loans.
The central bank has excluded personal home loans up to Rs. 6 million from real estate loans; no more than one person per family can get such loan.
NRB also relaxed provisions related to marginal lending against drooping share prices as collateral.
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SPORTS

ACC 20TWENTY CUP TOURNAMENT IN DECEMBER

Kathmandu, 19 March: ACC 20Twenty Cup cricket tournament will
be held in Nepal from 1 to 10 December.
ACC posted the schedule on its official website Friday.
Nepal, Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Oman, UAE, Kuwait, Bhutan,
Maldives and Saudi Arabia will participate n the tournament.
The tournament held once every two years was launched 2007.
UAE hosted the last tournament.
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NEPALIS IN JAPAN ANGRY WITH GOVT.
Kathmandu, 19 March: The Nepali community in Japan is angry and scared as well by the decision of Nepal Government to shift its mission from Tokyo to Osaka, some 550 km south of the capital city Tokyo, The Kathmandu Post reports .
On Friday morning, the Nepali mission in Tokyo was padlocked and no mission official was available even over the phone when leaders of the local Non Resident Nepali (NRN) community and other commoners started ringing up to seek help. Fearing radiation after a deadly earthquake and tsunami struck a nuclear plant in Japan, Nepal has decided to shift its mission from Tokyo to Osaka for the time being.
“The way the mission was shifted to Osaka tells us that there was considerable fear over the leakage radiation threat. Why they decided to shift the mission without informing us has left us amazed and puzzled,” Prakash Paudel 'Maila', a Nepali journalist working in Japan told the Post over the phone.
“The decision to move the embassy proves there was radiation leak threat. At this crucial juncture, they needed to stay in Tokyo, keep people informed about health hazards and assist in rescue efforts instead of skipping responsibility,” he said.
According to Paudel who is also a member of the local rescue team formed by the Nepali mission, seven Nepali nationals stuck in Fukushima were waiting to be rescued but due to the mission closure paperwork was not completed and they were compelled to stay stranded for two more days.
Over 36 Nepalis reached Tokyo on Friday morning from Sendai and some have made arrangements on their own for their stay. Another batch of 67 rescued Nepali has landed in Tokyo. "Now, who will look after the these when the mission makes its way to a safer place?" asked Paudel.
Meanwhile, Nepali Ambassador to Japan Ganesh Yonjan (Tamang) assured the Nepali community that the mission would coordinate with it in the rescue bid and other arrangements from Osaka too. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) also claimed that it was a temporary arrangement and that it would be constantly in touch with the Nepali community. “Our ambassador is still in Tokyo and doing his duty,” MoFA Joint Secretary Rudra Nepal, who looks after Japan, told the Post.
MoFA officials claimed that other countries' missions have also started shifting to other cities from Tokyo and that more importantly, the Japanese government has advised foreign missions and chanceries to take precautions against radiation leak effects.
“Our staffers are not escaping for the sake of their security. The move will help them work in a better and efficient manner,” claimed Nepal.
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