FINANCE MINISTER PUN OFF TO CHINA Kathmandu, 27 Sept. A high-level delegation headed by Finance Minister Barsha Man pun left for China to discuss finance for the construction\expansion of a regional. international airport for the resort town of Pokhara. Chairman Prachanda himself announced the visit. Town residents have been holding daily protests and closing down the airport until noon every day to implement past assurances. Tourism Minister Post BahadurBogati now says the agreement can’t be implemented The issue has come as an embarrassment for the ruling party whose district leaders in the western region have admitted taking cuts for the airport construction. The admission is unprecedented. Government is seeking soft loans from China for the airport construction. The visit comes after the cancellation of a contract awarded to a Chinese company for the Maleumchi drinking water project being financed by multilateral donors, including Asian Development Bank (ADB). Nnnn CPN MAOIST FROM THURSDAY BAN VEHICLE WITH INDIAN NUMBER PLATES AND MOVIES Kathmandu, 27 Sept.: CPN Maoist- a splinter group of ruling UCPN Maoist has banned vehicles with Indian number plates and Indian movies popular in Nepal from Thursday. The party said the move is in retaliation against the free movement of Nepali vehicles in India. But the party won’t obstruct the return of Indian vehicles already in Nepal. “Hindi films spreading aberrations and insulting Nepal and Nepalis will also be banned,” the party said. Nnnn NEPALI AMBASSADOR PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO PRESIDENT PUTIN Kathmandu, 27 Sept.: Nepali Ambassadoi Mohan Sapkota presented his credentials to Russian President Vladmir Putin Wednesday in Moscow. Sapkota was in a group of envoys from 21 countries to present the credentials. Nnnn PRESIDENT AGAIN SUMMONS LEADERS SUNDAY Kathmandu, 27 Sept.: President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav has again summoned leaders of political parties Sundaym Nagarik reports. Sources claim he could take strong steps after Sunday’ discussions. Nnnn PROBE OF MAOIST IRREGULARITIES AT CANTONMENTS HASEN’T EVEN BEGUN Kathmandu, 27 Sept.: A unnamed Maoist central committee member said a promised probe of irregularities at cantonments hasn’t even begun “An official inquiry into corruption and irregularities at temporary camps for PLA hasnn;t even begun,’ a central committee. The party appointed Tourism Minister Post Bahadur Bogati to conduct the probe. ‘The Serchan commission has begun its probe but hasn’t yet completed its work,” he said. Amik Serchan commission was probing the assets of top leaders accused of amassing wealth. The deadline for submitting the reports has ended. nnnns