BRITISH NATIONAL MISSING IN EVEREST REGION Kathmandu, 21 June: British national Zisimos Soulfas, 27, is missing from Namche Bazzar in the Mount Everest region from 23 April, British embassy said. He was trekking alone to Everest base camp. Nnnn MEDIA GOOGLE “Neo and old foreign powers are trying to maintain their influence in Nepal, UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal charging ‘undesired foreign activities’ disturbing social harmony and goodwill inside country, The Himalayan Times. 21 June) nnnn. MIIGRANT WORKER DEPARTURE DOWN 9 PERCENT Kathmandu, 21 June: Low hiring from major labour destinations, mainly Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), pushed down the departure of migrant workers by 8.92 percent in the 11th month (mid-May to mid-June) of the current fiscal year, The Kathmandu Post reports. The Department of Foreign Employment’s (DoFE) latest statistics show a total of 36,850 individuals left the country for overseas jobs in the review period, against 40,461 workers in the same period last year. However, migrant workers’ departure in the first 11 months of the current fiscal year has increased by 12.95 percent. According to DoFE, a total of 349,943 Nepalis (including 116,389 leaving through personal contacts) left the country to work abroad during the first 11 months. The Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA) General Secretary Kamal Tamang attributed the decline to bureaucratic hassle in approving visas, mainly in Qatar. “Hiring from Qatar has declined, despite possibility of sending higher number of skilled and semi-skilled workers,” said Tamang. “It is mainly due to the department that has not been giving final approval easily for such jobs.” During the review period, Qatar took in 7,578 Nepali workers, down from last year’s 13,719 individuals. Hiring from the UAE has declined by 32 percent. According to DoFE, migrant workers’ departure to Malaysia has increased by 32 percent in mid-May to mid-June period. According to the NAFEA, there is a good demand from Malaysia off late. With Malaysian government already deciding to fix basic salary for foreign workers at 900 Ringgit a month (over Rs 25,000) within a year, the departure to Malaysia could increase in coming months, according to Tamang. Despite the slowdown in hiring, Qatar is still the largest labour destination during the first 11 months of the current fiscal year. It has hired 98,821 individuals followed by Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait. Nnnn