GOVT. OFFICIAL CONVICTED BY SPECIAL COURT Kathmandu, 13 Aug.: A division bench of the special court Monday sentenced executive director at the Trade and Export Promotion Centre (TEPC) Ramesh Kumar Shrestha for for misappropriating Rs 1.3 million during a 10th SAARC Trade Fair in 2010. The bench slapped two years and six month jail sentence along with a fine of NRs 1.32 million fine. CIAA filed the charge. Shrestha was also charged with misappropriating Rs 4.4 million while hiring contractual staff for the fair.. nnnn ACTION RECOMMENDED AGAINST FORESTERS Kathmandu, 13 Aug.: The District Forest Office, Rautahat, on Sunday suspended its nine employees saying they did not inform the Office about felling of trees in the national forest under the Brindaban Range Post. RSS reports from Rautahat.. The Office suspended Jamdars of Armed Forest Guards, working at Brindaban Range Post, Subodh Mishra, Gyasuddin Dewan, Raj Kumar Ray Yadav and Mahabir Prasad Chaudhary. Similarly, forester Leknath Bhandari and rangers Arbinda Shreevastav, Raj Kumar Ray Yadav, Birendra Raut Kurmi and Suresh Pandit were also suspended. nnnn UML STUDENT WING CALLS STATUTE CONFERENCE Kathmandu, 13 Aug.: The All Nepal National Free Students' Union (ANNFSU), a student wing of the CPN-UML, has decided to hold its statute conference from 25 to 27 this month for the internal cleansing and formulation of clear policy, RSS reports. Information about this was shared at a press meet in the capital yesterday. As many as 600 representatives would participate in the conference. ANNFSU Chairman Madhav Dhungel said they were holding the statute conference in order to cleanse the Union by wiping out malpractices which have badly affected the organization. On the occasion, he said the names of the colleges resembling English places and clubs should be changed. He accused the Council of Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) of conducting exams without maintaining transparency. nnnn PALPA ALSO HIT BY VIRAL FEVER Kathmandu, 13 Aug.: TANSEN: The number of patients suffering from viral and typhoid fever and Hepatitis 'A' has gone up in the Tansen-based hospitals in Palpa, RSS reports from Tansen. Scores of people in the rural parts of the district have been affected by the viral fever. Students here are unable to go to schools, following an epidemic of the viral fever. Health institutions based in the district headquarters Tansen are receiving increasing pressure of patients with viral fever. According to compounder of Shitalpati-based Shubham Pharma, Tej Thapa, over 100 viral fever patients visit the hospitals here daily in need of treatment. Children and the aged people are the most affected. Following an epidemic of the disease, all hospitals in the district headquarters have been told to fully prepare for providing effective treatment to the patients, said District Health Administrator Jhalak Sharma Poudel. According to Poudel, a health team has been deputed to the disease affected areas and health workers have been urged to cancel their day off and join the duty, he added. Similarly, the number of typhoid and Hepatitis 'A' patients is also on the rise in the district. Over 250 patients were found with the Typhoid virus in the past one month. The District Health Office, Palpa, has urged the district denizens to take precautions to ward off the infection. Nnnn UML’S OLI SAYS ‘DEMOCRAT; SHOULD LEAD GOVT. Kathmandu, 13 Aug.:: CPN (UML) leader KP Oli has said that formation of a consensus government under the leadership of democratic force is the only solution to the present political crisis in the country, RSS reports from Birgunj.. Speaking at a news conference organized by the Press Chautari Nepal, Parsa chapter today, he opined that a consensus government under the leadership of democratic forces should be formed to fill up existing constitutional vacuum and save the country from facing possible confrontation. He said, "The incumbent coalition government has no moral and political ground to lead the country and it should create an atmosphere for consensus." Reinstatement of the dissolved Constituent Assembly (CA) having an inappropriate size would promote regression and going for fresh elections is the best alternative to ending the present political deadlock, said Oli. He was of the view of forming a new government on the basis of political consensus, announcing election and requesting the President for removing the constitutional and legal difficulties to that end. "The new election will be either for the Parliament or the House of Representatives and that will work as the CA and draft the new constitution," said the UML leader, urging the Prime Minister to immediately resign from the post and pave the way for consensus. He further accused the ruling parties of spreading propaganda that the CPN (UML) is against federalism and the issues of Madhesis and indigenous nationalities. Recognition of all castes and communities and federal units on the basis of capacity should be on top priority while federating the country, he added. nnnn