12 PRIONERS ESCAPE FROM SUNSARI Kathmandu, 9 Nov.: Twelve prisoners dug a tunnel and escaped from Jhumka, Sunsari, overnight. An Indian and Bangladeshi are among those who escaped from the prison 30km from the Indo-Nepal border. MORE PLANS AFOOT TO SUPPLY POWER CONTINUOUSLY DURING TIHAR Kathmandu, 9 Nov.: Authorities are working on detailed plans not to cut power during during three days of tihar beginning Tuesday. There’s additional power demand especially for illumination during the festival of lights. Daily load-shedding averages eight hours. nnnn GOVT. TO ACCEPT IMF LOAN Kathmandu, 9 Nov.: Government is receiving Rs 3.4 billion in grant and loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF)for the implementation of Improved Seeds Project for farmers. Cabinet Thursday decided to give permission to Nepal Electricity Authority 9NEA) to fell 16,257 trees for constructing Hetauda-Bardaghat transmission line and another 15 trees for constructing suspension bridges in Kusum Ghat of Bardiya district, nnnn. FOREIGN INVESTORS STAYING AWAY BECAUSE OF INSTABILIY Kathmandu, 9 Nov.: With the Constituent Assembly dying without adopting a statute, its harsh impacts on the economic front have surfaced, especially on possible foreign direct investment, Lekhnath Pandey writes in The Himalayan Times. Nepalese envoys abroad had apprised the government that host countries and the business community there had assured investment once the country got its constitution and stability returned. “We lobbied hard for increased support and investment in our development sectors,” a Nepalese Ambassador to one European country said. “They were very positive then, but now they prefer to invest in places like India, China and African countries.” Saudi Arabia’s billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal refused to visit Kathmandu the second time in August. He had earlier promised to announce his investment plan in Nepal. During his first visit in November 2010, the Prince had showed interest in investing in hydropower, tourism and the hospitality industry. The government had then announced the Mahaujjwal Rastradeep Medal for him to encourage him to invest in Nepal. He was expected to float his investment plan in detail in his next visit, when he was to receive the Medal. “Instead, he chose to receive the honour in Riyadh,” Ambassador of Nepal to Saudi Arabia Udaya Raj Pandey said. “It was because he did not see any business sense to announce plans at this particular juncture.” Pandey said many Saudi business leaders and companies were interested in investing more than US$ 2 billion in hydropower generation, hotel and airlines, and in tapping drinking water, but began shifting their capital to Egypt and Sudan — after reviewing business prospects in our country. Recently, Chinese Ambassador Yang Houlan said the interests of foreign investors, including of China’s, might shift from Nepal if this situation prevails. Nnnn ________________________________________ GOVT. MULLS GENERIC DRUGS TO COMBAT HIV/AIDS Kathmandu, 9 Nov.: With the aim of providing free treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS, the government is mulling to encourage domestic pharmaceutical companies certified with World Health Organization Good Manufacturing Practice (WHOGMP) to manufacture generic antiretroviral (ART) medicine, Arjun Poudel writes in Republica. “It is the constitutional right of HIV infected persons to get free treatment, but the government is not in a position to afford branded medicines," says Dr Krishna Kumar Rai, director of National Centre for HIV/AIDS and STD Control (NCASC). The government plans encourage domestic companies to produce antiretroviral drug so that it can afford free treatment to HIV/AIDS patients on its own, said Rai. He said the government has been spending about Rs 200,000 on each HIV patient annually for free medicine and treatment. This money is provided by the donors. However, the donors have only pledged financial assistance for the HIV patients only till 2015. More than 21,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in Nepal currently. "We cannot always expect donors to solve our problems. So we need our own plan to deal with the crisis," said Rai. According to doctors, discontinuation of the antiretroviral drugs may develop drug resistance among patients. Rai said the health ministry is also organizing a national AIDS conference from December1- 4 in which pharmaceuticals companies, donor agencies and other stakeholders would be invited to discuss the matter. The center said if the pharmaceutical companies agree to manufacture generic ART drugs, the government would not need donor support to provide the drugs to patients free of cost. An official at the health ministry said the government would also request the World Health Organization and its global partners to facilitate export of antiretroviral drugs manufactured by the Nepali pharmaceutical companies. Domestic pharmaceuticals companies have also taken the government initiative positively. “The government should allow us to manufacture generic medicines for HIV/AIDS treatment," said Umesh Shrestha, Chairman of Quest Pharmaceuticals Company. Shrestha, who is also former chairman of Association of Pharmaceuticals Producer of Nepal (APPON), said his company would manufacture antiretroviral drugs if the government allows. Hari Bhakta Sharma, executive director of Deurali Janta Pharmaceutical Pvt Ltd, said Nepali pharmaceutical companies would be happy to manufacture antiretroviral drugs for Nepali patients. According to Department of Drug Administration (DDA), 28 national pharmaceutical companies have been awarded with WHOGMP certificate. Nnnn ________________________________________ MJF REPUBLICAN CHOOSES NEW FLAG Kathmandu, 9 Mov.:: Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-Republican's first general convention concluded in Birgunj today [Thursday] by forming a new central working committee and taking a decision to change the party flag, The Himalayan Times writes froBirgunj. Organised with the main purpose of elevating party's acting chairperson Raj Kishor Yadav formally as chairperson, the convention, however, faltered as some of its major leaders remained absent and the convention largely focused on the formation of the working committee rather than holding discussion on the agendas presented by the chairperson and others during the closed session. The convention has picked all the member of the 51-member central working committee through a body formed under the coordination of the party Chairperson Yadav. Further, along with some amendment in the party statute, the convention has also approved a new flag as its official party flag. The convention, however, postponed the plan to issue the Birgunj declaration paper till Friday. "As the chairperson had to go to the Capital urgently following a call from the prime minister, the declaration paper will be issued from Kathmandu on Friday," said newly elected party General Secretary Shashi Kapur Miyan. Meanwhile, some of the dissatisfied party cadres picketed the convention site for some time today protesting the exclusion of their names in the working committee. Atmaram Saha, general secretary from the establishment side, on the other hand, described the party' Birgunj convention as a sham. "The so-call convention is illegitimate as 12 out of the 22 party central members did not even participate," argued Saha, adding, "Our official convention will be held once our party chairperson (JP Gupta) walks out of prison." After party's founding Chairperson JP Gupta was sent to jail on the charge of corruption, Raj Kishor Yadav had assumed the post of acting chairman of the party. Nnnn NB BANK ILLEGALLY APPOINTS BOARD MEMBERS Kathmandu, 9 Nov : Nepal Bangladesh Bank has resorted to illegal means to appoint two board directors, breaching the norms set by the banking sector regulator, Rupak D. Sharma writes in Republica The bank, which once triggered a bank run due to financial imprudence, appointed Achut Prasad Bajagain and Mukunda Nath Dhungel as board directors on August 26. The decision was taken by 208th board meeting of the bank, which was attended by then board chairman Shambhu Saran Prasad Kayastha and two other members, Bishnu Raj Adhikari and Indra Bahadur Thapa. Although Bangladeshi citizen Mohammad Lutfar Raham was also a board director at that time, he did not attend the meeting as he was said to be in his home country. Among those who attended the meeting, Kayastha did not sign the minute prepared after election of the duo, although Bajgain later refused the post, documents obtained by Republica show. Even though the remaining two directors have signed the minute -- endorsing the motion to appoint directors with majority votes -- Adhikari´s ballot cannot be considered legal as he had long ago lost his bank director´s post after being blacklisted as willful loan defaulter. This generally means the two candidates received only one vote each from director Indra Bahadur Thapa. This is not enough to endorse a proposal as the Bank and Financial Institution Act does not give legitimacy to decisions that failed to attract majority of votes. Nepal Rastra Bank said if Republica´s finding is true then the appointment of the two cannot be called legitimate. “Since we have already started investigating into the misdeeds of Adhikari following a newspaper report, we will be looking into this matter as well,” a high-ranking NRB official said. On Tuesday, Republica had published a report on Adhikari, a promoter of NB Bank, who was found working in the capacity of the bank´s board director despite being blacklisted by the Credit Information Bureau. Adhikari, also the managing director of Kathmandu College of Management, was blacklisted on July 29 for defaulting on an outstanding loan amount of around Rs 70 million acquired in the name of Synergy Property Developer from Nabil Bank. Although his name no longer appears in the list - because he has since cleared the debt - the Bank and Financial Institution Act does not allow any blacklisted person to assume the post of board director of any bank or financial institution for at least three years from the day the person´s name is withdrawn from the list. Despite this, Adhikari continued attending the bank´s board meetings in the capacity of director till September 6, documents received by Republica show. Nnnn OUTGOING CHINESE PRESIDENT HU SAYS CURRUPTION A THREAT Kathmandu, 9 Nov.: President Hu Jintao warned China’s incoming leaders today that corruption threatened the ruling Communist Party and the state, but said the party must stay in charge as it battles growing social unrest, Reuters reports from Beijing. In a state-of-the-nation address to party delegates before he hands over power, Hu acknowledged that public anger over graft and issues like environmental degradation had undermined the party’s support and led to surging protests. He promised political reform but ruled out copying Western-style democracy. He also stressed the need to strengthen the armed forces and protect sea territory amid disputes with Japan and Southeast Asian nations. “Combating corruption and promoting political integrity is a clear-cut and long-term political commitment of the party,” Hu said, adding, “If we fail to handle this issue well, it could prove fatal to the party, and even cause the collapse of the party and the fall of the state. We must thus make unremitting efforts to combat corruption.” Hu was opening a week-long congress at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People that will usher in a once-in-a-decade leadership change in the world’s second-largest economy. “It was a rather conservative report,” said Jin Zhong, the editor of Open Magazine, an independent Hong Kong publication that specialises in Chinese politics. “There’s nothing in there that suggests any breakthrough in political reforms.” The run-up to the carefully choreographed meeting, at which Hu will hand over his post as party chief to anointed successor Vice President Xi Jinping, has been overshadowed by a corruption scandal involving one-time high-flying politician Bo Xilai, accused him of taking bribes and abusing his power to cover up his wife’s murder of a British businessman in the southwestern city of Chongqing, which he used to run. “All those who violate party discipline and state laws, whoever they are and whatever power or official positions they have, must be brought to justice without mercy,” Hu told the delegates. “Leading officials, must exercise strict self-discipline and strengthen education and supervision over their families and their staff; and they should never seek any privilege.” The New York Times said last month that the family of Premier Wen Jiabao had accumulated at least $2.7 billion in “hidden riches”, a report China labelled a smear. The congress ends on November 14, when the party’s new Standing Committee will be unveiled. Only Xi and his deputy Li Keqiang are certain to be on what is likely to be a seven-member committee, and about eight other candidates are vying for the other places. nnnn