PM BHATTARAI ATTEMPTING TO CREATE IMPRESSION HE'S FRGNG A NEW FOREIGN POLICY APPROACH

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PM BHATTARAI ATTEMPTS TO CREATE IMPRESSION OF A NEW FOREIGN POLICY APPROACH TOWARDS NEIGHBOURS AND INTRNATIONAL POWER CENTERS

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 16 Nov.: Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai Tuesday attempted to create an impression he’s forge a new relationship of
‘balanced relationship’ between China, India and international
powers while talking with a select group of reporters.
He confirmed Chinese Prime Mnister Wen Jiabao will visit
Nepal 20 to 22 December and Indian Prime Minister Manmhan Singh will also be coming.
Bhattarai sad he’ll go to Beijing after Wen concludes his Nepal tour.
‘The visit will primarily by a goodwill visit. Because one
neighbour is big and keeping in mind the need for good relations between the two countries, decisions will be taken for mutual benefit.
‘Open discussions will be held on all issues for interest of both sides. But keeping in mind the transitional situation, we’ll take decisions on on subjects that won’t raise more controversies,” the premier said.
Bhattarai described China as ‘a very important neighbour’ and said ‘balanced relationship’ should be maintained between two
neighbours’.
He charged, rightly or wrongly, past rulers for attempting to
reap benefits by playing off one neighbour against the other.
This s not the general opinion at home where, successive rulers
have attempted to maintain friendly ties with both China and
India.
“Nepal’s past rulers played off China and India against the
other to reap benefit. His might have been right in the old times.
But in the present changed age now, we should try and take
benefit from the good relationship between India and China when their relationship is improving and they are progressing fast,” Bhattarai said.
He called for maintaining balanced relations with international powers.
‘You know the extend of their reach,” he said.
Nepal’s latest ruler is attempting to show his India-China policy is new amid open charges he’s developing close bonds with India demonstrated by a bilateral agreement during his just concluded India to protest New Delhi’s foreign investments in Nepal.
Following the criticism, Bhattarai said his government is trying
to sign a similar accord with China as well.
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NEPAL BETTERS ITS FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER
Kathmandu, 16 Nov.: Nepal has improved in the Global Hunger Index. But this still gives one lots of food for thought, Kuvera Chalise writes in The Himalayan Times. .

Though Nepal has improved its score to 19.9 from 23 last year, it has managed to climb up just one category — from alarming to serious level of hunger situation. It ranks 33rd among seriously hunger affected countries and 55th in the overall GHI which has ranked 81 nations this year.

Nonetheless, the country is on a winning path in its fight against hunger. In 1990, the country had a score of 27.1, in 1996, 24.6 and in 2010 it further came down, reflecting an improving situation.

“From food deficit situation in 2009, the country recorded 4,43,000 metric tonnes of foodgrains surplus in the last fiscal years,” said Hari Dahal, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.

Despite the positive trend, the global fight against hunger is not reaching its goals fast enough, states GHI, adding some 29 countries still have an alarming (20-29.9) or extremely alarming (over 30) hunger situation.

When it comes to South Asia, despite economic growth between 1990 and 1996, the scores in the region have not changed much.

The major problem in the South Asian region is high prevalence of underweight children under five, which is attributed to lower nutrition and women’s educational status.

Though South Asia shares the highest regional GHI scores with Sub-Saharan Africa — 21.7 and 22.9 respectively — food insecurity in these two regions stems from different reasons.

What is GHI?

KATHMANDU: The International Food Policy Research Institute calculates the Global Hunger Index every year. GHI is a multidimensional statistical tool used to describe the state of countries’ hunger situation. The index also measures progress and failures in the global fight against hunger. It calculates the countries on a 100 point scale, with zero being the best score (no hunger) and 100 being the worst, though neither of these extremes is achieved in practice. The lower the score, the better the food situation of a country.
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OBEROI GROUP SELLS SOALTEE HOTEL SHARES

Kathmandu, 16 Nov.: Oberoi Group sold Soaltee Hotel’s shares today [Tusday]. Shivakrim Land and Industries bought 1,020,144-unit shares of Oberoi Group on the secondary market for Rs 142.8 million at the price of Rs 140 per unit share, The Himalayan Times reports.

Oberoi Group had 6.84 per cent share in Soaltee Hotel that has a total of 14,924,063 unit shares listed at Rs 10 face value in Nepse.

The shares were transferred at Rs 140 per unit under Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) reached between the buying and selling parties on September 14.

The trading was done through a separate Block Share Trading window of Nepse’s Automated Trading System. It is the first time such type of block share trading has undertaken in the Nepse. The window allows an investor to purchase bulk amount of share at less than the market price.

“Soaltee’s previous day closing was at Rs 186 but Nepse allowed transaction to be undertaken at Rs 140 per unit share,” informed chief executive of Nepse Shanker Man Singh.

“The transaction was undertaken only after the approval of concerned regulators like Securities Board of Nepal, Nepal Rastra Bank and Department of Industries,” he added.

The provision is supposed to facilitate the foreign investment involved in Nepali public companies to take back their investment without any difficulty. “Despite the lower trading price, the market price will not be affected as for regular transaction the quoted market price will be applied,” explained Singh.
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