MAOIST CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEET CONTNUES WEDNESDAY

MAOIST CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEET CONTINUES
WEDNESDAY

Kathmandu, 4 Jan.: An extended meting of the UCPN (Maoist) continues with more central members scheduled to preset their views at the central committee Wednesday.
Twelve members presented their views Tuesday on rival political
proposals of Chairman Prachanda and First Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya presented for adoption by the party leading the government.
Prachanda has proposed party unity to complete the delayed peace process and constitution drafting while Baidya has charged the establishment
led by the party chief and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai for abandoning the people’s revolution to adopt rightist policies and programmes.
The party meets amid open talks of a split.
The two top party bosses are yet to respond to points raised by
speakers at the meet.
The opposing views of leaders could be fused after they are presented.
Baidya has presented more radical strategy of parliamentary and street protests to complete a people’s war.
Intra-party differences have already stalled the twin task sof completing the peace process and constitution drafting.
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RPP-NEPALTO PREVENT REMOVAL OF KING
TRIBHUVN STATUTE FROM SAHID GATE

Kathmandu, 4 Jan. RPP-Nepal will attempt and stop any attempt Thursday to to remove the bust of King Tribhuvan from Sahit Gate where the party will hold a protest meet condemning a cabinet decision this week fr its displacement to Narayanhiti
Following the party’s emergency central committee Tuesday,
Chairman Kamal Thapa said further protests will be announced from the Sahid Gate if a government decision isn’t corrected.
The party charged the government was trying to erase living
History.
The popular King—the father of the nation, led a movement against the 104-year Rana rule when four persons were martyred.
The King’s bust along with the busts of four martyrs were kept at the Gate.
Government was also charged for attempting to ignore more presseingissues like the fuel crisis that need immediate government attention.
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PAKISTANI ARRESTED WITH FAKE US CURRENCY NOTES

Kathmandu, 4 Jan.: Pakistani national Mohammad Iqbal was arrested at the capital’s Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) with fake US dollar bills totaling 5,400 Monday evening, airport officials said.
from the visitor’s luggage during the regular luggage check on Monday evening.
The notes were in 100 dollar bills.
Iqbal was arrested as he landed from Karachi.
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CHINESE DIES IN POKHARA IN APPARENT SUICIDE BID

Kathmandu, 4 Jan.: Chinese tourist Miglin Zhang, 28, slit his throat and died in an apparent suicide bid Tuesday in the resort town of Pokhara, police said
He attempted suicide at his hotel where he was booked with his wife.
The couple was with a group of Chinese tourists that drove to the town fro India via Lumbini, the birthplace of The Buddha.
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MOST BHAKTAPUR BRICK KILNS AVOIDING VAT
Kathmandu, 4 Jan.: Majority of the brick kilns in Bhaktapur were found involved in evading VAT. According to the Value Added Tax Act 2052, person or company making transaction of Rs. 2 million plus should register the business organisation in the VAT office, RSS reports.

Of the 74 brick kilns in the district, Jagate based Brick and Tile Company alone has registered the company in the VAT office, said Dipak Kharel, Chief Revenue Officer of the Inland Revenue Office, Bhaktapur.

A source in the Revenue Office claimed though the office urged the brick entrepreneurs to register their companies in VAT, they invested tens of million rupees in their business and make the transaction more than Rs. 2 millions just by limiting them in Pan Number.

The office urged the entrepreneurs to register their companies in VAT time and again, however, they delayed for the registration but assured to register them in VAT, he said.

The brick kilns supply their products (local bricks) at Rs. 7,500 to Rs. 8,000 per thousand, informed Hanuman Brick Industry, Bhaktapur. The entrepreneurs has to invest around Rs. 50 million to establish a brick industry, calimed an entrepreneur.
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NBB GETS CEO

Kathmandu, 4 Jan. : Gyanendra Prasad Dhungana has been appointed CEO of Nepal Bangladesh Bank.
Chartered Accountant Tirtha Raj Upadhaya has been appointed
its advisor.
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PM NOT ENTHUSIASTIC FOR REVIEW OF SUPREME COURT VERDICT
Kathmandu, 4 Jan.: High-level sources close to Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai told Republica Tuesday that he is not very enthusiastic to file application seeking review of the Supreme Court (SC) administration´s decision to reject review petitions against the court´s earlier verdict on CA term extension, Bimal Gautam writes in Republica..

The apex court administration had rejected review petitions filed by the executive and the legislature against the November 25 verdict of the apex court that said the term of the Constituent Assembly (CA) will automatically expire in six months.

On Tuesday, Chief Secretary Madhav Ghimire forwarded a copy of the SC administration´s decision to the prime minister.

"A copy of the decision has been submitted to the prime minister Tuesday," said the source, adding, "However, we found the prime minister not very enthusiastic to file review application."

As per the existing legal provision, a petitioner can file review application at the SC even after a review petition is rejected. The review application is however directly taken to the bench of an SC justice and the latter will come up with the final decision on whether to accept the review petition.

Another source at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) told Republica that there is no indication of any possibility of the executive knocking SC door against the rejection order.

"We have not received any official/unofficial instruction from the prime minister for making necessary preparation to file review application. If the prime minsiter was enthusiastic about filing review application then we would have received strong instruction to study, analyze and prepare review application," a knowledgeable source at the prime minister´s office added.

As of Tuesday, no study and analysis have been carried out by the OPMCM officials on the matter.

The prime minister´s political advisor Devendra Paudel however said the government has consulted the attorney general on the matter but is still indecisive on whether or not to file review application.

"Initially, the prime minsiter was in favor of filing review application immediately after the rejection order," Paudel said, adding, "However, I don´t have information about the prime minister´s feelings of late.

Paudel informed that the prime minsiter has entrusted Attorney General Mukti Pradhan with the responsibility to carry out necessary preparations regarding the review application.

Attorney General Pradhan is however currently outside Kathmandu. "We are studying on whether or not to move the SC, but no decision has been made so far," Pradhan told Republica on the phone.

Stating that SC´s November 25 verdict on CA term extension has not contravened any constitutional provisions or any precedents, the apex court had refused to register review petitions a week ago.

Both government and the parliament had argued that the SC had infringed the jurisdiction of parliament while issuing verdict on CA term extension and sought that the ruling be reviewed.

We are also in two minds: Speaker

Meanwhile, Speaker Subas Nembang told Republica that the chance of filing review application 50-50. "We may file review application and we may not. We are also in two minds."

The apex court had refused to accept the review petitions citing three grounds.

Firstly, the petitions were rejected as the SC verdict was not found to have grossly infringing any constitutional provision. Secondly, it declined to take up the review petitions as they were satisfied that no crucial evidence had gone missing [or was overlooked] while issuing the verdict. And thirdly, the petitions were refused as the SC´s November 25 verdict was not against any precedent.

It is clear that these three branches of government are most likely to engage in confrontation, an expert said.
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