DEMAND TO DECLARE DEAD DALIT MARTYR

DEMAND TO DECLARE MURDERED DALIT BOY MARTYR WITH COMPENSATION

Kathmandu, 22 Dec.: A demand was presented to declare
Mandir Sunar , a Dalit youth of Kalikot a martyr
A memorandum submitted to Prime Minister Bauram Bhattarai
Wednesday sought a one million rupee compensation for his family members.
Mandir was killed by a house owner in the district this month after he entered a kitchen of perceived higher caste family to light a cigarette.
Nnnn

MAOISTS CONDOLE DEATH OF NORTH KOREAN LEADER

Kathmandu, 22 Dec.: UCPN (Maoist) leading the government in a statement condoled the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il
“We would like to pay our heartfelt homage to the deceased leader Kin Jong Il,” Foreign Department Chief Krishna Bahadur Mahara said in a statement.
Nepal Majdoor Kishan Party of Narayanman Bijukakchaya based in Bhaktapur also condoled the death.
Nnnn

CAPITAL MINIMUM TEMERATURE THRSDAYMORNING 2.3 DEGREES CELSIUS

Kathmandu, 22 Dec.: Minimum temperature
recorded Thursday in the capital was 2.3 degrees Celsius.
Mercury is expected to rise to 16/18 degrees Celsius in the afternoon.
nnnn

NEPAL MEETS HONG KONG IN FRST MATCH OF ICC WORLD T20 QUALIFIERS

Kathmandu, 22 Dec.: Nepal, Afghanistan, Netherlands, Canada,
Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong, Bermuda and Denmark are in Group A of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers being hosted by UAE from 13
to 24 March.
Ireland, Kenya, Scotland, Namibia, Uganda, Oman, Italy and USA are in Group B.
Nepal plays Hong Kong in its first outing 13 March.
The final will be held at Dubai International Cricket Club 24 March.
nnnn



NEPALI SKIER TO PARTICIPATE IN WINTER YOUTHOLYMPICS IN AUSTRIA

Kathmandu, 22 Dec.: Nepali skier Bibash
Lama, 17, is participating in the First Winter Youth
Olympic Games (Winter YOG) in Innsbruck, Austria from 13 to 22 January
Nepal Ski Association said Lama qualified for the Winter YOG after securing minimum FIS score in the FIS (Federation International Ski) Race at Beidahu Ski Area in Changchun City, China
nnnn



________________________________________

MEDIA GOOGLE

‘If there has been any representation of Terai people in higher
posts, it is only from the Madeshi community. But others,
including Tharus, have been deprived of such opportunities.”

(Rajkukmar Lekhi, President of Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities, Republica, 22 Dec.)
Nnnn

GOVT.; OPPOSITION BEWWING IN INDIA
Kathmandu, 22 Dec.: The Indian government geared up today [Wednesday]for a showdown with opposition parties and civil activists over a landmark anti-corruption bill to be presented in parliament, AFP reports from New Delhi.

The new legislation was the focus of mass protests in August, spearheaded by veteran activist Anna Hazare, that saw millions take to the streets of cities across India to denounce the corruption that permeates all levels of Indian society.

The proposed law would create a powerful new ombudsman, or ‘Lokpal’, tasked with probing and prosecuting senior politicians and civil servants suspected of graft. The Indian cabinet approved a final version of the bill late yesterday and Sonia Gandhi, the president of the ruling Congress party, vowed to steer its passage through parliament over the objections of opposition MPs and the Hazare campaign. “I will fight for the Lokpal Bill,” she told a meeting of Congress party members.

Opposition parties have said they will insist on amendments to the cabinet-approved bill, while Hazare has scheduled a repeat of his August hunger strike that galvanised public opinion behind his campaign. The main points of contention focus on the ambit of the ombudsman’s office and its powers of investigation. The government bill offers only limited jurisdiction over the prime minister and requires the ombudsman to put any criminal probes in the hands of the government-controlled Criminal Bureau of Investigation.

Hazare and a number of opposition parties want the ombudsman to control any CBI investigations. “I reject the new version of the bill,” Hazare told reporters in his village in western India. “If the CBI is outside (the ombudsman’s control), then how will the Lokpal be strong? This system will save corrupt politicians,” he said, accusing the government of ‘cheating’ the Indian people by proposing a weak bill.

Gandhi hit out at what she called the ‘obstructionist’ tactics of the opposition and accused the Hazare team of ‘malicious’ criticism. The outpouring of public support for Hazare’s anti-graft fast in August had stunned PM Manmohan Singh’s government, which has been tainted by a series of high-profile corruption scandals. Hazare confirmed that he would hold a new, three-day hunger strike from December 27 in a public venue in Mumbai.

Government sources said the anti-corruption bill would be formally submitted to Parliament tomorrow — the final day of the current winter session.
nnnn