LANDSLIDE KILLS FOUR IN RUKUM

FOUR KILLED IN RUKUM LANDSLIDE

Kathmandu, 23 Aug.: Four persons, including two sisters, were killed at Khara, Rukum, Tuesday morning when overnight landslide triggered by heavy rain swept away two houses, Radio Nepal reports.
Seven and two year-old daughters of Puskar Oli and two boys in another house were killed.
Several other houses have been threatened by the mudslide.
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UPDATE ON LOBBYING FOR GOVT.

Kathmandu, 23 Aug.: Top leaders of Maoists, UMLl and fove Madeshbadi parties are meeting at Baluwatar Tuesday to find a consensus government.
A deadline expires Wednesday at five in the afternoon.
NC President Sushil Koirala sought support of Madhav Kumar Nepal for Sher Bahadur Deuba.
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SAMUEL TAMRAT MEETS PRESIDENT UPDATE
Kathmandu, 23 Aug: Samuel Tamrat, special emissary of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Tuesday discussed the delayed peace process and constitution drafting with President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav
Tamrat discussed the processes with a front of five Madeshbadi parties following a meeting with the president.
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QUAKE JOLTS POKHARA AREA

Kathmandu, 23 Aug.: A quake measuring four on the Richter scale was recorded at 8.36 overnight morning with its epicenter at Lahachowk northwest of Pokhara.
The National Seismological Department recorded the jold.
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BHOLA BIKRAM THAPA APPOINTED HONOURARY CONSUL GENERAL

Kathmandu, 23 Aug.: Bhola Bikram Thapa has been appointed honourary consul general of Bulgaria.
Thapa is managing director of President Tour and Travels.
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EFFORTS TO REMOVE PADLOCK
Kathmandu, 23 Aug.: Preparations for holding talks between the Education Ministry and associations of University teachers, standing against the appointment of Vice-chancellors in different Universities, are being carried out, RSS reports.

Democratic University Teachers’ Association and Nepal National University Teachers’ have been padlocking the Universities in protest of appointment of the Vice-c1hancellors in seven different Universities for the past couple of weeks.

Responding Ministry’s call for dialogue, Chairperson of Democratic University Teachers Association Gunanidhi Neupane said they were positive to hold dialogue to settle the row.

Talks between the two sides may take place on coming Wednesday, he informed.
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ARMY MEET TO REVIEW SITUATION
Kathmandu, 23 Aug,: A meeting of generals began at army headquarters to review the current situation in the country, Annapurna Post reports.
The meeting will continue for two days.
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US AMBASSADOR REJECTS SUGGESTION US EMBASSY INVOLVED IN FRAUD; US EMBASSY DRAGGED INTO CONTROVERSY
Kathmandu, 23 Aug.: US embassy in Kathmandu has been dragged into a public controversy after publication of an embassy letter to US Immigration official on USA confirming two Tibetans traveling illegally on Nepali passports were refugees.
The United States has taken serious exception to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB’s) handling of an investigation into the involvement of the embassy…., Lekhnath Pandey writes in Tuesday’s edition of The Himalayan Times.
Charge d’affaires of the US embassy Patricia Mohani, called on Deouty Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Upendra Yadav at his office today[Monday] and made the American displeasure on the matter known according to Dhananjaya Jha, joint secretary at the ministry.
Commenting recently on the social network Facebook, US Ambassador DeLisi said, ”The envelops in question contained internal US government communications and should not have been opened by others, as we had informed the government of Nepal. This is a government to government matter and we will not be commenting about it in public, We regard the integrity of our consular and immigration procedures with seriousness and reject implication, mad by some, that the US Government is somehow complicit in fraud regarding travel to the US,” he mentioned.
‘We stand by CIB in this case,” Singh [Home Ministry Spokesman Sudhir Kumar] told this daily, adding that asking the investigating agency not to open the documents does not make sense. MoFA Spokesperson Durga Prasad Bhattarai reminded at a press meet that diplomatic communities should follow the law of the land.
(The sealed US embassy letter was opened by police and made public heightening a controversy brewing between Nepal government and US embassy.)
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C.P.GAJUREL HEADS POLITICAL FRONT
Kathmandu, 23 Aug : The Maoists have activated their joint political front -- United National People’s Council (UNPC) -- with CP Gajurel as its head, to mobilize the masses, Kiran Pun writes in Republica.

The last central committee meeting of the party decided to activate the front that had been lying defunct for the past one year due to internal disputes.
The council was known as United Revolutionary People’s Council during the conflict period. The standing committee meeting on August 16 changed the name to UNPC to make it “acceptable to all”. The council is one of the organs of a communist party, with the army and the party being the other organs.

“The United National People’s Council will work as a bridge between the government and the people,” Nawaraj Subedi, general secretary of UNPC, told Republica.
He also informed that the council will be engaged in development activities. According to Sudedi, the council will hold meetings with patriotic, republican and leftist forces.

Gajurel, who is close to Baidya, was picked as the head of the council as per a Dhobighat understanding on power sharing among Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya, Vice-chairmen Bhattarai and Narayankaji Shrestha and General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa in July.

The party has designated Amik Sherchan as UNPC’s vice-chairman, while the chiefs of its 27 sister organizations, 29 ethnic organizations, two regional organizations and two minority groups are the members of the council.

“It was necessary to form the council to maintain robust relations between the party and the people. Similarly, the council was felt necessary to form a joint front by joining hands with patriots, leftists and republican forces,” Tilak Pariyar, member of the council, quoted Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal as saying while announcing the formation of the council at a closed-door meeting of the party on Monday.

Dahal also expressed hope that the council would play a major role to “complete the revolution”.

The council was inactive following the failure of a six-day general strike in 2010. Vice-chairman Bhattarai had been leading the council even before the Maoist insurgency started in 1996. The council became move active during the conflict and represented the Maoists’ central government.

“The council was formed for economic, political, social and cultural transformation,” Pariyar quoted Bhattarai as saying at the meeting on Monday.

Subedi claimed that the council, which carried out executive and judicial functions during the conflict, would work in a different manner now.
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HEARING ON PETITION AGAINST CA TERM EXTENSION BEGINS

Kathmandu, 23 Aug.: The much-expected hearings on a writ petition concerning Constituent Assembly (CA) term extension began on Monday at the Supreme Court (SC). A five-member special bench led by Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi and shared by senior justices Damodar Prasad Sharma, Top Bahadur Magar, Ram Kumar Prasad Shah and Kalyan Shrestha, began detailed hearings on the issue, Bimal Gautam writes in Republica.

Pleading before the bench, Attorney General Dr Yubaraj Sangraula argued that the apex court before arriving at a verdict should be aware whether its decision impedes legislative rights.
"The SC shouldn´t cross its parameters as the issue of CA term extension is purely a political one," he said, adding, "The SC decision should facilitate in removing obstacles that have surfaced in the course of drafting new constitution rather then deepening the rifts between the legislative and the court itself."

He also opined that the SC should come up with a verdict thereby ensuring and respecting the rights of other institutions.

"I don´t mean that the SC´s jurisdiction should be curtailed," he said, adding, "However, the apex court must be sensitive in ensuring others´ rights,"

Dr Sangraula raised mainly two issues while pleading before the bench. According to him, the two key questions --first, whether the apex court enjoys or doesn´t enjoy the right of judicial review over the legislative measures. And, second, whether the SC can declare null and void the CA´s decision to amend Article 64 before extending the CA´s term for one year and three months.

According to Dr Sangraula, the SC cannot deliver two different decisions at the same issue. "If the SC acquiesces the amendment to the Interim Constitution and subsequent extension of the CA´s term by one year and three months, then the court has to accept CA´s decision to extend its term in future as well," he added, "If SC says that CA erred in amending Interim Constitution and subsequently extending its term for one year and three months in the past, we have understand the situation to mean that the CA does not in fact exist at present."

Attorney General Dr Sangraula is pleading in detail on the issue on Tuesday.

Following an SC order, the Nepal Bar Association has appointed three advocates -- Badri Bahadur Karki, Hari Krishna Karki and Mukti Pradhan -- as part of amicus curie to assist the apex court in the case.

Only three months back, a five-member Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Regmi had ruled that the original term of the CA is for two years and could be extended for a maximum of six months only under conditions of emergency, or under the doctrine of necessity.

Writ petitioners lawyer Bal Krishna Neupane and Bharat Jangam had filed the writ petition after CA extended its term for three months even after SC verdict. They have been arguing that there is no existence of CA following SC verdict issued three months ago. Constitutional experts Bhimarjun Acharya and Chandrakanta Gywali have been pleading on behalf of writ petitioners while government has appointed senior advocate Bishwakanta Mainali to plead in the case.

"The two years of fix mandate of the CA enshrined in the Interim Constitution with the ratification of people cannot be extended under any pretext," said Dr Acharya, adding, "The SC should come up with a decision taking this provision into account."

The Office of the Attorney General has formed a nine-member panel to defend the government on the matter. The Supreme Court Bar Association has selected lawyers Purnaman Shakya and Tikaram Bhattari as amicus curie to plead in the case.

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ENERGY MINISTRY UNVEILS NEW BIDDING NORMS FOR HYDROPOWER LICENSE





Kathmandu, 23 Aug.: The Ministry of Energy (MoE) Monday unveiled a new ‘Hydropower License Management (International) Procedure’ ending the long practice of issuing licenses for hydropower generation to the first applicant, The Rising Nepal reports.
Highlighting the provisions of the new procedure at a programme organized at the Ministry, Minister for Energy Gokarna Bista said that the new procedure would help check the irregularities during the issuing of licenses and control the possible misuse of licenses.
"As per the new procedure, only those who are economically and technically capable will get the licenses," he said.
Lauding that the new procedure would have a long-term and serious impact in the history of Nepalese hydropower development sector, Bista said that the latest procedure was a new-fangled and historic move in this regard.
According to the new procedure, the government will issue licenses for hydropower projects of more than 10MW through bidding.
The new procedure will impact the applications of more than 23,226 MW.
The Ministry will call for bids for the first priority projects within 90 days of the implementation of the new procedure.
According to the new procedure, the Ministry can cancel the licenses of the promoters who have not completed necessary progress requirements during the given timeline.
Similarly, as per the new procedure, one promoter will not be allowed to take more than three licenses. However, it might not be applicable for the institution with full or partial ownership of the government of Nepal.
According to the new procedure, the government will select the priority projects for bidding through detailed analysis of electricity demand, regional balance, feasibility of the project and site, infrastructure and possibility of export.
For this, the ministry is going to formulate a detailed work procedure setting some of the basis for objective and transparent selection procedure.
The new procedure is expected to ease and simplify the working environment for the promoters, Bista said.


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FAKE DV RACKET FLEECES GULLIBLE

Kathmandu, 23 Aug.: Nawalparasi’s Gaindakot resident and +2 teacher Arun Karki’s happiness knew no bounds when he got an e-mail saying he had been selected for the Diversity Visa (DV) via lottery. The two-page notification telling him that he was one of 50,000 winners from across the globe among millions of applicants, led him to dream about a cushy life in the United States. The letter asked him to transfer US$ 989.67 for taking the process further. Wisely, Karki refrained from doing so. After enquiry, he found that the letter was fake, Binod Ghimere writes in The Kathmandu Post..
Prakash Sharma (named changed) of Jhapa also received a similar e-mail asking him to deposit US$ 989.67 to process his case. However, his gut instinct saved him. On the other hand, there is no dearth of those who fall hook, line and sinker for the fake email. No sooner does the US government publish the annual DV lottery result than hundreds of people start getting fake e-mails asking for money.
“I found even my colleagues had received similar mails,” said Karki, who is a lecturer at a local college.
Police say no complain has been filed regarding the issue but added that they are holding consultations with experts from the field to control such fraud. “No formal complaint has been filed with us. However, we learnt about the problem through informal channels and are working to nail the culprits,” SP Kedar Rijal Chief of Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu, adding the best way to avoid getting conned is to be wary of such fraud.
Most of the fake mails press for sending money through Money Gram to an individual in England, though the ISP addresses most of the time indicate that the emails originated in Nigeria. Unlike the fake lottery notifications that usually ask for the payment within seven days, the real lottery doesn’t ask winners to make an upfront payment.
“The thing to remember is that the DV lottery notifications are not sent by email, and the emails that say you have won a DV are not legitimate,” said Heather Steil, Public Information Officer at the US embassy here. “The only way people can ascertain their status is by visiting the US State Department website.”
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INTER-BANKING LENDING INCREASES
Kathmandu, 23 Aug.: In an indication that the liquidity situation has eased, commercial banks are increasingly providing inter-bank loans to B and C class financial institutions (FIs). Such is the rise that inter-bank loan taken by FIs from commercial banks is double of the transaction among commercial banks, according to Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), The Kathmandu Post writes..
“About two dozen B and C financial institutions are receiving loans from commercial banks daily, while inter-bank lending is being done only a dozen times among commercial banks,” said Bhaskarmani Gyawali, spokesperson for the central bank. “Such a trend is being seen for the last two months,” he added.
According to NRB officials, B and C class financial institutions have received loans worth around Rs 1 billion from commercial banks over the period.
In the wake troubles in some of B and C class FIs due bad corporate governance and acute liquidity crunch, commercial banks had almost stopped lending to them until two months ago. The central bank then called a meeting of A, B and C banks and financial institutions (BFIs) to ease inter-bank loans. As per the demand of FIs, NRB on June 27, allowed them to get inter-bank loans by putting up good loans and other types of assets (mainly fixed assets) as collateral for a period of six months. As per the earlier provision, inter-bank loans used to mature in a week.
According to NRB Deputy Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari, banks are providing finance to FIs under this new window along with regular means of inter-bank loans.
However, BFI officials said the lending has not been on a large scale. “I don’t have any reporting of finance companies taking inter-bank loans from commercial banks,” said Rajendra Man Shakya, president of Finance Companies’ Association. “What I have is the reporting of finance companies—which sought inter-bank loans under the new window of NRB—that they are yet to receive the loans.” However, the NRB spokesperson stood by his statement. “Given the sensitivity of the issue, many BFIs are not coming open regarding inter-bank lending transactions,” said Gyawali. “It is real that there have been good transactions between commercial banks and financial institutions.”
With commercial banks witnessing strong growth in deposits in recent months, most of them are in a position to lend, according to NRB officials. On the other hand, worsened image of FIs resulted in diversion of deposits to A-class banks.
Many bankers were of the opinion that inter-bank lending between commercial banks and other FIs has happened, but on a small scale. NIC Bank CEO Sashin Joshi said he do not believe that so many FIs received inter-bank loans. “The volume of transactions must be small,” he said.
Similar was the view of Nepal Investment Bank Executive Eirector Prithvi Bahadur Pande. “I don’t think there has been big inter-bank lending with B and C class FIs.”
However, Development Bankers’ Association President Manoj Goyal has a different take. “Given abundant resources with commercial banks, B and C FIs might have received inter-bank loans as they offer higher interest rate,” he said.
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