CAPITAL MINIMUM TEMPERATURE 3.6 DEGREES CELSIUS AS COLD WAVE HITS COUNTRY

MINIMUM CAPITAL TEMPERATURE 3.6 DEGREES CELSIUS

Kathmandu, 17 Dec.: The lowest temperature in the capital recorded Saturday morning was 3.6 degrees Celsius
The temperature is expected to fall to 1 degrees Celsius at night.
A severe cold wave has hit the Himalayan, hill and terai districts with death toll in the south rising to at leas five this week.
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TWO MORE RARE KATHE BHALUS BROUGHT TO CENTRAL ZOO
Kathmandu, 17 Dec.: The number of rare bear ‘kathe bhalu’ in the Central Zoo in Lalitpur has reached three, RSS reports from Lalitpur.

The number reached three after two more were brought by rescuing from Morang on December 10. Now there are five bears altogether including two Himalayan ones.

The new bears will have a modern international standard cage. The bears are in scrutiny for a month and then they will be kept in the cage, said zoo’s veterinary doctor Dr. Jiwan Thapa.

Nepal has three types of bears—Himalayan, kathe and brown.

A rare red monkey and large python rescued from Morang have also been in scrutiny and will be kept in new cage, the zoo said.

The zoo has 800 wild lives of 110 species.
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GOVT. TO TAKE OHCHR-N TO TASK
Kathmandu, 17 Dec.: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha today said that the Foreign Ministry will lodge a written objection against the OHCHR-Nepal for giving continuity to its activities even after the expiry of its mandate on December 8. The UN rights body had released a report on caste-based discrimination and untouchability titled ‘Opening the Door to Equality: Access to Justice for Dalits in Nepal’ amid a function on Wednesday, The Himalayan Times reports.

“We will seek clarification from the OHCHR-N in this matter. We have already made it clear that the UN rights body cannot make public any report in the name of OHCHR-N, though its Geneva-based headquarters can,” Shrestha told a select group of journalists that he had invited to share MoFA reform plans.

Shrestha has floated a 34-point action plan that covers ways to boost economic diplomacy, the terms of reference of ambassadors and conditions for recalling an ambassador.

On the occasion, Shrestha called on all to change the mindset that ambassadorial postings are a way of enjoying retired life.
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TWO JAILBIRDS FREED
Kathmandu, 17 Dec.: The Biratnagar appellate court today [Fridat] released Mukesh Budhathoki and Dewananda Yadav, detained for four months for the June 1 assault on murder-accused Abhishekh Giri, on general date, The Himalayan Times reports fro, Biratnagar,.

A group, including the two and Morang Youth Force chief Parshuram Basnet, had attacked Giri, a detainee at the Jhumka-based prison in Sunsari, while security personnel were taking him to the Morang district court to record his statement.

On August 18, the district court had ordered to keep Budhathoki, Yadav and Manoj Singh Rai in detention for their involvement in the attack.

Giri’s wife had filed a case against 17 people, including Basnet, for their involvement in the attack. Other accused are still at large.

A bench of judge Devendra Gopal Shrestha released Budhathoki and Yadav, responding to an appeal against the district court verdict. On November 25, judges had referred the case to the third bench as they differed on whether or not to release Budhathoki and Yadav.
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