SUPREME COURT STAYS GOVT. DECISION TO DISTRIBUTE CITIZENSHIP BY BIRTH

UPDATE NC LEADER PAUDEL DRAWS PM’S ATTENTION
Kathmandu, 16 Feb.: Parliamentary Party (PP) leader of the opposition Nepali Congress (NC), Ram Chandra Paudel met with Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai in Singha Durbar on Thursday, RSS reports.

During the meeting, leader Paudel informed the Prime Minister about the NC's stance on three bills tabled in the House meeting. After the meeting, Paudel told reporters that the NC was in favor of passing the bills with some amendment.

Paudel drew the attention of the Prime Minister saying the nation's image would be tarred in the international arena if the bills were not endorsed.

Leader Paudel said the PM has pledged to help pass the bills by resolving the party's internal rifts. Bills relating to Extradition Law, Organized Crime and Mutual Legal Assistance were tabled in the parliament meeting and are under consideration and waiting for the parliament's nod.
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VICTORIOUS WOMEN’S CRICKET GET RS.200,000 REWARD
Kathmandu, 16 Feb.: Victorious team members who lifted the ACC U-19 Women’s Championship winning team and coaching staff with get a cash award of Rs 2 lakh each The team also scored a tat-trick.
The cabinet took a decision Thursday.
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GOVT. DECIDES TO REVOKE ILLEGAL TRANSFERS
Kathmandu, 16 Feb.: The cabinet Thursday decided to revoke controversial illegal transfers of all government employees
A probe committee coordination by Tilak Ram Sharma, Under Secretary of Ministry of General Administration, will investigate the irregular transfers and report findings in five days.
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COMMITTEE FORMED TO RESOLVE CONTROVERSIAL GOVT. SEIZURE OF CAPTURED ASSETS DURING INSURGENCY.
Kathmandu, 16 Feb.: A committee headed by led by UCPN-Maoist leader Janardan Sharma has been formed by government to resolve what was described as ‘problems related to the war-era land deals carried out by the then so-called People’s government’, an official announcement said.
Government has put on hold a cabinet decision to implement decision of parallel Maoist bodies denounced by opposition parties.
Representative each from Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and Madhesi parties will be invited to the body.
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SQUATTERS GIVEN THREE MONTHS TO CLEAR ILLEGAL SETTLEMENTS
Kathmandu, 16 Feb.: Government Thursday gave illegal settlers along Bagmati river three months time to clear illegal settlements in Kathmandu Valley.

Rs. 15,000 compensation was announced for each squatter family.
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SUPREME COURT STAYS GOVT.ORDER TO DISTRIBUTE CITIZENSHIP
• Kathmandu, 16 Feb.: A two-member joint bench of the supreme court Thursday stayed government decision to distribute citizenship certificates to children acquiring citizenship by birth.

A bench consisted of justices Bharat Raj Uprety and Bharat Bahadur Karki
• The order was issued in response to a writ petition filed Sunday
• seeking the court´s intervention t annul Home Minister Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar´s directive to provide citizenship by descent to children of citizens by birth.
• CDOs have challenged what has been called an illegal directive refusing to execute the order in a show of rare defiance by government officials.
• Maoists leading the government have backed the home minister who hails from the terai and is a deputy prime minister second in protocol in government after Premier Bhattarai.
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UPDATE NC LEADER PAUDEL DRAWS PM’S ATTENTION

Kathmandu, 16 Feb.: Parliamentary Party (PP) leader of the opposition Nepali Congress (NC), Ram Chandra Paudel met with Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai in Singha Durbar on Thursday, RSS reports.

During the meeting, leader Paudel informed the Prime Minister about the NC's stance on three bills tabled in the House meeting. After the meeting, Paudel told reporters that the NC was in favor of passing the bills with some amendment.

Paudel drew the attention of the Prime Minister saying the nation's image would be tarred in the international arena if the bills were not endorsed.

Leader Paudel said the PM has pledged to help pass the bills by resolving the party's internal rifts. Bills relating to Extradition Law, Organized Crime and Mutual Legal Assistance were tabled in the parliament meeting and are under consideration and waiting for the parliament's nod.

MAOIST CHIEF WHIP GURUNG URGES REVOLT
Kathmandu, 16 Feb.: Standing committee member of UCPN-Maoist Dev Prasad Gurung has said that protests from the government, parliament and street were necessary to institutionalise the achievements achieved so far, RSS reports from Pokhara.

Leader Gurung said people's revolt was inevitable as institutionalising the achievements through peaceful protest was not possible.

Speaking at an interaction on "People's War and Social Transformation", leader Gurung alleged the parliamentary parties of being the agents of 'expansionist and imperialist forces'. He was of the opinion that revolution was needed to upgrade and develop the proletariat class.

However, Maoist lawmaker Khimlal Devkota stressed the need of peaceful ways to institutionalise the achievements
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PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE MAKES PUBLIC REPORT
Kathmandu, 16 Feb.: The Legislature-Parliament Committee on International Relations and Human Rights has made public the report on Nepal Foreign Policy-2012 in the changed context, RSS reports.
The report includes the working papers, comments on the working papers and the suggestions delivered by the participants at an interaction held on August 15, 2011 in the capital by the Committee on 'Nepal's Foreign Policy in Changed Context'.
According to chairman of the Committee, Padma Lal Bishwokarma, the report was prepared with a view to drafting clear foreign policy, and implement on the basis of common grounds.
The report has also given suggestions to make friendly and cordial relations with neighboring countries in the future.
The report has six chapters, 11 appendixes and five schedules.
The issues related to economic diplomacy, its present status and importance, management of fund for economic diplomacy, foreign employment, among others have been included in the report.
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DHAULAGIRI STRIKE CALLED OFF
Kathmandu, 16 Feb.: Transport Entrepreneurs of Dhaulagiri Zone have withdrawn indefinite Dhaulagiri closure program following consensus, RSS reports from Baglung.
Different Transport Entrepreneurs have called for the strike protesting the registration of new transport entrepreneurs committee in the zone.
Chairman of Dhaulagiri Zone Bus Entrepreneurs Committee, Kumar Khadka, said that the strike was withdrawn after the consensus between two sides.
Members of the Dhaulagiri Zone Bus Entrepreneurs Committee had been staging protest demanding to scrap the registration of new committee after the entrepreneurs of Burtibang registered a new transport entrepreneurs committee on Monday.
Earlier on Tuesday and Wednesday, the disgruntled entrepreneurs had closed the vehicular movements in the zone.
As per the agreement, both the sides have agreed to enjoy healthy competition, ban the registration of the old vehicles and not to organize strike programs in the future.
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LARGE CONSIGNMENT OF HASH BEING SUMMGGLED TO INDIA SEIZED
Kathmandu, 16 Feb.: Police have seized a total of 240 kilograms of cannabis from Jhapa district on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, RSS reports from Bhadrapur.
Sukdev Khanal, Police Inspector of the Area Police Office, Kakadbhitta, confirmed that the cannabis was seized from Jyamirgadhi-3 of the district. Police said the cannabis was being smuggled to India, adding that investigation into the case is underway and a person has been held in connection with this issue.
Police have seized some 800 kilograms of cannabis from the district during the past two months.
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INDIAN STATE LEGISLATRS CALL ON SPEAKER
Kathmandu, 16 Feb.: A delegation of the Bidhan Sabha Members of Chhattisgarh State of India called on Speaker Subash Nembang on Thursday, RSS reports.

Talks were held on parliamentary activities and contemporary issues at the meeting held at the Constituent Assembly (CA) building, it is learnt.

Likewise, the Indian delegation also met with the main opposition party Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party leader Ram Chandra Paudel, the NC PP Office said.
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CIVIL SERVANTS’ WARNING
Kathmandu, 16 Feb.: Civil servants' organisations have warned of stern agitation if the earlier decision of the Ministry of General Administration to transfer the civil servants was not revoked by this [Thursday] evening, RSS reports.
The organisations have said that the Ministry's decision to transfer the officials was arbitrary.
Chairman of Nepal Civil Servants' Union, Subodh Kumar Devkota warned that they would launch agitation from tomorrow if the decision was not scrapped. The Unions have also said that they had suggested that it would be unfair to transfer the officials prior to the amendment to the Civil Service Act.
Different organisations of civil servants have been staging sit-in in front of the ministries demanding cancelation of the government decision of transferring 2,500 plus civil servants and make the transfer system more transparent.
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