REMUNERATION OF TOURIST GUIDES INCREASED Kathmandu, 1 Sept.: Tourist Guide Association of Nepal has decided to increase remuneration to the tourist guides by 22 per cent from the existing rate, RSS reports. According to the Association, the decision will, however, come into effect from January 1, 2013. As per the decision, a tourist guide would get Rs. 1,000 for guiding two tourists for half a day. Similarly, Rs. 1,400 will be provided for guiding 3 to 10 tourists, Rs. 1,500 for guiding 11 to 15 tourists and Rs. 1,700 for guiding tourists over 21. Besides, a tourist guide will be paid extra amount if she/ he knows the mother tongue of tourists except English.Likewise, payment for guiding tourist outside the capital has also been increased, said Association Chairman Hareram Baral. Presently, the number of tourist guides trained by the academy operated under the coordination of the government bodies is around 3500. Of them, 1,000 are working as tourist guides. Of them, 450 are affiliated to the association.Annual income of a tourist guide in Nepal stands at around Rs. 250,000. nnnn DENGUE CLAIMS A LIFE IN DHANGADI Kathmandu, 1 Sept.: A dengue patient from Dododhara VDC in Kailali district has died on Saturday morning, RSS reports from Dhangadi. Bhakta Bahadur Chaudhary (24) of Dododhara Ward No-9 died while he was being taken to Nepalgunj for treatment, said Prem Bahadur Singh of District Public Health Office (DPHO), Kailali. Earlier, Bhakta Bahadur tested positive for dengue virus at the Seti Zonal Hospital Dhangadhi. However, other two people who had caught dengue virus were returned home after treatment. Meanwhile, the DPHO has launched public awareness campaign on the disease affected areas. A door to door programme has been launched to control the disease from spreading, said the Office. nnnn CHINEE DEFENCE MINISTER IN SRI LANKA, ATTEMPTS TO CALM INDIAN SUSPICIONS Kathmandu, 1 Sept : Chinese Defence Minister Liang Guanglie says Beijing´s increasingly close ties with South Asia are aimed at ensuring regional "security and stability" and are not intended to harm any "third party", AFP reports from Colombo. Liang, the first Chinese defence minister to visit Sri Lanka, did not name India -- where he heads to Sunday -- but officials in New Delhi have expressed concerns about Beijing´s influence in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan. India fears it might be part of a Chinese policy to throw a "string of pearls" -- a circle of influence -- around regional rival India. But in a speech released by Sri Lanka´s military on Saturday, Liang said that China had only peaceful intentions in South Asia, while stressing that the Indian Ocean was an important supply route for his fast-developing country. Beijing is seeking "harmonious co-existence and mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation" with countries in the region, he told a Sri Lankan army staff college on Thursday, according to a copy of the speech. In New Delhi, the minister will be a guest of the defence ministry, an Indian government spokesman said, without giving details of what will be discussed. India is warily eyeing growing Chinese clout in what New Delhi regards as its traditional sphere of influence. Liang dismissed the "China-threat theory". "Some people in the international community suspect that China would take the road of expansion with force and have been actively spreading the ´China-threat theory´," he said. "The People´s Liberation Army (China´s armed forces) efforts in conducting friendly exchanges and cooperation with its counterparts in South Asian are intended for maintaining regional security and stability and not targeted at any third party," he added. Liang said his trip to Colombo was aimed at further strengthening close ties with Sri Lanka, including military cooperation. China is a key supplier of weapons to the Sri Lankan military, which in 2009 crushed the Tamil Tiger rebels and declared an end to 37 years of ethnic conflict that claimed up to 100,000 lives on the island, according to UN estimates. nnnn