CHAIRMAN PRACHANDA RETURNS HOME WEDNESDAY FROM MALAYSIA

MAOIST CHAIRMAN PRACHANDA RETURNS HOME WEDNESDAY

Kathmandu, 10 Aug.: Maoist Chairman Prachanda returns hone Wednesday three-day Malaysia visit to attend a meeting of a Hong Kong-based Chinese INGO Asia Pacific (APEC) which has proposed to investment in development of Lumbini, birthplace of The Buddha.
The Maoist party boss left Sunday night accompanied by Party Foreign Department Chief Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who often accompanies Prachanda on his foreign tours,,
Few details of Prachanda’s activities during his latest foreign trip have been released.
He flew for Malaysia to attend a conference of the INGO o which he is vice-chairman along with former Crown Prince Paras.
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PARLIAMENT SCHEDULED TO MEET WEDNESDAY

Kathmandu, 10 Aug.: Parliament is scheduled to meet again Wednesday.
Main opposition NC obstructed business for the eight time when it met last demanding Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal resign to form a national government by implementing a tripartite five-point agreement.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari was to address the last session on behalf of the premier announcing resignation.
But NC said contents of the address of the government exchanged with the main opposition were amended at the last minute without directly referring to the resignation on Maoist pressure.
NC continued to obstruct legislative proceedings.
Ailing Khanal, according to aides, is resigning Saturday.
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FOREIGN MINISTRY MOVES BACK TO SINGHA DURBAR

Kathmandu, 10 Aug.: All departments of foreign ministry, except protocol and passport divisions, moved back to central secretariat at Singha Durbar
A new building has been constructed inside the sprawling secretariat complex.
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NEA BEGINS CUTTING OFF ELECTRICITY SUPPLY TO GOVT. OFFICES

Kathmandu, 10 Aug.: Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Tuesday began cutting off electricity supply to government offices that haven’t settled their power bills
The new campaign began from Morang and Sunsari districts.
Many government offices didn’t meet a 15-day deadline to settle dues by Monday; government offices owe NEC an estimated Rs. 640 million.
Bills totaling Rs. 143.1 million were settled by Tuesday.
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SHER BAHADUR DEUBA PUSHES CANDIDACY FOR PM IN PARTY

KATHMANDU, 10 Aug.: With the prospects of the prime minister´s resignation growing, the Nepali Congress has begun discussions on the party´s prime ministerial candidate to stake a claim for leadership of the next government.

Former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Sunday proposed before an informal meeting of the party´s top leaders that they could choose him as prime ministerial candidate while retaining Ram Chandra Paudel as parliamentary party leader, according to leaders participating in the meeting.

Talking to Republica, Paudel confirmed that Deuba asked party President Sushil Koirala and others to support his proposal.

“I told Deuba he has already been prime minister thrice and should not claim the post again. I told the meeting that I, as parliamentary party leader, am already caught up in the PM race and my bid should bear fruit before I make way for others,” Paudel said.

Paudel was NC prime ministerial candidate during the last election that dragged on for six months until the 17th round vote elected Jhalanath Khanal.

The NC on Sunday opened fresh debate, sensing that Khanal is likely to step down by August 13 and the party should be prepared to float its candidate, said leader Bimalendra Nidhi. In addition, both Paudel and Deuba claim the top post.

Deuba has argued that Paudel should clear the way for him as he could not win even in the seventeenth round of vote the last time.

As Paudel and Deuba staked their claims for PM candidate, Koirala told them to seek consensus.

Leaders in the Deuba camp said Deuba floated the proposal to “avoid bitterness” that any no-confidence motion to remove Paudel as parliamentary party leader will invite in the party. And, any effort to remove Paudel, who defeated Deuba in the vote for parliamentary party leader in 2008, would widen the gap between the establishment faction led by Koirala and Paudel, said leaders from both factions.

“We want the issue of prime ministerial candidate to be resolved through consensus and do not want to go for an election for parliamentary party leader,” said a senior leader in the Deuba camp. “Paudel has sought two days to arrive at a conclusion.”

But Paudel said he did not make any commitment.

As the meeting continued for three hours, the scheduled meeting of the central committee called to discuss the party´s stance on state restructuring was postponed till Thursday.
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FULBARI MAY CLOSE DOWN CASINO

Kathmandu, 10 Aug : Fulbari Fishtail Gaming Company -- the operator of Fulbari Casino in Fulbari Resort and Spa -- has indicated that it would shut down the casino in the wake of the arrest of its director Piyush Bahadur Amatya, Manoj Adhikari writes in Republica from Pokhara.

The casino has been operating on loss for the past two years, particularly after the government tightened the entrance of Nepali citizens into the casino. If the casino is shut down, some 180 employees working in the casino will lose their jobs.
Employees of the casino, meanwhile, have started protest against possible shutdown of Pokhara´s first casino.

Fulbari Casino began operations from December, 2008 with 319 staffs. “But those were the days when we used to enjoy business of as much as Rs 8 million per day,” said Radha Prasad Gurung, the manager of the casino.

Presently, the casino hardly earns Rs 1 million a month and it is insufficient to meet even the operating cost.

According to Gurung, salary bill of the casino alone stands at about Rs 1.6 million per month. Apart from that, the company needs to spend additional half a million rupees to bear the food and transportation cost of the employees.

Due to low turnover, the casino management has been paying only basic salary to the staffers. As a result, more than 100 employees have already left the casino over the span of a month.

Meanwhile, organizing a press meet on the day, employees of the casino said the casino is on the verge of closure due to Amatya´s arrest. They have demanded for unconditional release of Amatya.

Amatya was arrested in Kathmandu last week after two of his formers partners filed a case against him, blaming him of cheating them. The case is being investigated by the police.
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