10 BODIES PULLED OUT OF SUN KOSI RIVER

10 BODIES RECOVERED, 15 INJURED SENT TO BANEPA, CAPITAL FOR TREATMENT AFTER BUS ACCIDENT UPDATE

Kathmandu, 3 May: Ten bodies have been pulled out from Sun Kosi river and 15 persons rescues after a bus accident at Rhitthe bhir, Jhaganjholi, Sindhuli, Tuesday morning.
The bus heading for Banepa from Sindhuli fell off a steep cliff into the river.
Passengers are still trapped inside the bus, locals said.
Police expect casualty figures to rise; exact number passengers who embarked the bus in Sindhuli wasn’t known.
Bodies and injured are being pulled to the top of the cliff from the river with help of ropes.
Police and army search/ rescue teams are rushing to the accident to help locals.
First reports said the bus was over-loaded and was negotiating a steep cliff when the vehicle fell into the river.
Japanese are still working to complete the road construction.
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MAOIST PEOPLE MOBILIZATION, PUBLIC MEETINGS

Kathmandu, 3 May: Maoists will mobilize people and hold public meetings in six places, including the capital, from 15 to 25 May to push concluding the peace process and promulgate a constitution by 28 May.
Meeting of office bearers took the decision Tuesday.
Six top leaders will address six public meetings 25 May—three days before the second deadline to promulgate a constitution.
The deadline will be missed.
Chairman Prachanda will address the rally in the capital.
It wasn’t know if Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya will address any of the six rallies; Baidya’s suggestion for people’s revolt was rejected by majority in the central committee which adopted the Maoist chief’s proposal for temporarily suspending revolt in favour of peace and constitution.
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MAOISTS DIDN’T FINALIZE A SECOND LIST OF GOVT. TEAM UPDATE

Kathmandu, 3 May: As announced by UML, Maoists didn’t finalize Tuesday its second list of a government team.
A meeting of office bearers Tuesday, anthorized Chairman Prachanda to select and finalize a team for dispatch to Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal Wednesday, Vice-chairman Narayan Kazi Shrestha said.
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NC SUPPORTS DR. LAXMAN NARAYAN SINGH’S APPOINTMENT AT CANCER HOSPITAL

Kathmandu, 3 May: Main opposition NC has drawn government’s attention to the disruption of service for nearly one week at the government-run BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital in Bharatpur, Chitwan.
The party also supported the appointment of Dr. Laxman Narayan Singh as director to succeed Dr. Bhaktaman Shrestha who was abducted and released after a huge ransom was paid last year.
Services at the specialist hospital have been disrupted by intra-party wrangling with parties pressing for the appointment of their candidates.
Consumers’ Rights Protection Forum (CRPF) Monday filed a writ petition at the supreme court asking the apex court to issue a mandamus order to resume services at the hospital.
At least one patient has died with disruption of service and hundreds have been inconvenienced.
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40 PERCENT DIVIDEND IN NT

Kathmandu, 3 May: A 40 percent cash dividend was announced Monday for shareholders by the 3rd annual general meeting Nepal Telecom (NT).
The company recorded a Rs. 10.77 billion net profit in fiscal year 2009/10--a six percent increase compared to the previous year.
The company hopes to record a Rs, 12 billion profit in the current fiscal year.
NT has invested Rs 600 million as share and Rs.6 billion in loan in Upper Kosi Hydropower Project.
NT is also investing in the Trishuli 3 B with Nepal Electricity Authority.
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EC CONDUCTING STUDY TO INCLUDE NEPALI DIASPORA IN VOTERS’ LIST FOR FIRST TIME
BHADRA SHARMA-
Kathmandu, 3 May: Election Commission (EC) has started preparations to enlist the Nepali diaspora as voters for the first time. Countries with over a hundred thousand Nepalis’ population will be targeted initially in the voters’ registration drive, Bhandra Sharma reports in The Kathmandu Post.

Officials at the EC said separate teams will leave for Qatar, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) for feasible study by the end of June, after a nationwide campaign completes digital voter registration.

Once the feasibility study is complete in these countries, the EC team will move to other destinations on the basis of population.

The study team will comprise senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Transport Management and EC, according to EC Spokesman Sharada Prasad Trital. However, Nepalis living in India will be deprived of this scheme.

According to the Department of Foreign Employment under the Ministry of Labour and Transport Management around 2 million Nepalis have legally left the country for employment for countries aside from India. It is reported that tens of thousands of Nepalis are living abroad illegally while the number of Nepali students studying in foreign universities is increasing every year.

But EC has no immediate plans for introducing postal or e-voting. According to officials, some EC related regulation and directives should be amended before starting the voter registration programme. Following the Supreme Court verdict to “register voters only on the basis of citizenship certificates”, EC is preparing to list only those Nepalis who have passports.

Till date, 3.08 million voters have been registered. “Our programme is running smoothly except in some eastern region districts,” said Acting EC Chief Neel Kantha Uprety.
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PRESSURE ON RAKESH WAHDWA TO TAKE INITIATIVE RUN CLOSED CASINOSM
PRASAIN
Kathmandu, 3 May: With the government considering selling property belonging to the Nepal Recreation Centre (NRC) that operates four casinos in the country, four trade unions at Casino Nepal have intensified their efforts to press NRC owner Rakesh Wadhwa to either clear royalty dues or agree to hand over the responsibility of the casino’s operation to its licence holder, The Kathmandu Post reports.

The unions held discussions with the Soaltee Hotel management on Monday. “We held discussions with Soaltee Hotel’s Chairman Dinesh Bista on Monday,” said a member of one of the unions.

Sources at Hotel Soaltee also acknowledged that a meeting was held between Chairman Bista and the four trade unions. “The discussion was centred on how to run the casino, how to clear royalty dues and possibility of bringing in new investors,” said a senior Soaltee official. Under the agreement between Soaltee Hotel and NRC reached 18 years ago, the hotel has given the license and the property to NRC on lease for running the casino.

Four unions— Nepal Tourism Hotel Casino and Restaurants Workers Union (Nepali Congress), All Nepal Hotel and Restaurants Workers Union (UCPN-Maoist), Independent Hotel Casino and Restaurants Workers Union (CPN-UML) and Nepal Rastriya Prajatantrik Tourism and Hotel Workers Union (Rastriya Prajatantra Party)—had formed a discussion committee to resolve the crisis three months ago.

This is the union’s second attempt to persuade Wadhwa to clear the outstanding royalty dues. Earlier in February, leaders of the four trade unions had visited New Delhi to press Wadhwa to clear the dues. The unions’ fresh move comes amid delay in salary payment to the casino’s staff and international investors’ interest to buy the casino. Sources say that Malaysian investors are showing interest on Casino Nepal. “We have held several rounds of meetings with the Soaltee management and Malaysian investors,” said a casino official. According to him, Malaysian investors are ready to takeover the casino, but they want legal hurdles to be cleared first. “If Wadhwa doesn’t show interest to clear the dues, then the Soaltee management should cancel its agreement with NRC and hand over the management of Casino Nepal to new buyers,” said another official.

According to trade unions, about 800 employees at the casino have not received their salaries for the last six months. “The casino management has to pay around Rs 500 million to its staff,” said a member of a trade union.

Wadhwa, who is on the run after the police issued an arrest warrant against him, has not shown any interest to clear the royalty. NRC’s two casinos— Casino Nepal and Casino Anna— have to pay royalty dues of Rs 130 million and Rs 103 million, respectively, as of mid-March.

The Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) is considering auctioning land belonging to NRC after its continuous defiance over royalty payment. The DRI has asked the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) to ascertain the exact amount of NRC’s outstanding royalty dues. According to the DRI, it may start the auction process by mid-March. NRC has around 3.5 ropanies of land and a house at Kalimati.
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KING BIRENDRA CONCEPTULAIZED GAUTAM BUDDHA AWARD

Kathmandu, 3 May: The Gautam Buddha International Peace Award took a decade to materialize, but former King Birendra, who made efforts to institute the award, is no more to witness his initiative see the light of the day, according to Kul Chandra Gautam, chairman of the award´s management and selection committee, Republica reports.

President Ram Baran Yadav will present the first edition of the $ 50,000 award, Nepal´s biggest and first international award, to the Mayor of Hiroshima Dr Tadatoshi Akiba and the Mayor of Nagasaki Tomihisa Taue on May 17 at a special ceremony in Lumbini.
“Former king Birendra had decided that Nepal would initiate the award,” said former U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Gautam, who leads the five-member Gautam Buddha International Peace Award Management and Selection Committee. The idea originated during the first World Buddhist Summit held in December 1998 in Lumbini.

The participants of the summit passed a resolution to establish an international peace award after the world´s best-known messenger of peace Lord Gautam Buddha. But the summit was not clear which country would institute such award.

While former king Birendra took the initiative to establish the award in Nepal, the plan was forgotten after the June 1, 2001 royal palace massacre. The plan was rekindled last year when then Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal was reminded of it during his Lumbini visit.

In order to decide on this years recipients, the committee headed by Gautam sought nominations from hundreds of recognized national and international Buddhist associations; individuals and institutions who have won the Nobel Prize and similar international awards; executive heads and members of government bodies of the United Nations, its special agencies, funds and programs; executive heads of major INGOs and NGOs accredited to the United Nations; and heads of major religious institutions.

Nepal is recognizing Dr Akiba and Taue´s efforts of leading the ´Mayors of Peace´ movement involving more than 4,000 municipalities around the world to advocate nuclear non-proliferation, reduction of military expenditure and disarmament. The award will be given away every five years.
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