BRITISH

BRITISH OFFICIAL MEETS ARMY CHIEF

Kathmandu, 7 Aug.: Giles Thompson,  British  Foreign and Commonwealth Office Director, held discussions with Army Chief Gen. Gaurav SJB Rana

Tuesday.

 Thompson oversees  South Asian affairs.

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MAN WHO STOLE GOLD FROM CAPITAL SHOP NABBED IN TERAI

Kathmandu, 7 Aug: Bikram Bishwakarma, was arrested b a police squad from the capital in Bardibas Tuesday.

Bishwakarma decamped from the capital  steling 150 tolas of gold

ornaments 2 August 2 from a jewelry shop.

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CAPITAL TEMPERATURE

Kathmandu, 7 Aug.: Wednesday morning;s temperature was 20 degrees Celsius.

Temperature in the afternoon is expected to rise to 27 degrees in the

afternoon.

Tuesday’s rainfall was 0.7mm.

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ROOM BOOKINGS AT STAR HOTELS UP

Kathmandu, 7 Aug.:  Room booking at star hotels and resorts in Kathmandu for this month and the upcoming months look promising compared to the same period of last year, Republica reports..

Hoteliers say they have seen 10 to 15 percent increment for October-December compared to last year. Almost all the start hotels have reported growth in booking for the period. However, booking for September has gone down.

“The booking for September has gone down as the number of trekkers visiting Nepal is decreasing,” Bharat Joshi, resident manager at Hotel Yak and Yeti, said. He attributed the decline in the number of trekkers to recession in France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Booking figures of Hotel Yak and Yeti as at August 6 show the hotel has received 46 percent booking for August, 45 percent for September, 87 percent for October, 88 percent for November and 67 percent for December.

Hoteliers attribute the growth in booking to growing number of Chinese tourists, increased flow of tourists to Kailash Mansarovar area of Tibet, and growth in occupancy from MICE (Meeting Incentives Conference and Exhibition) segment.

Bharat Devkota, sales and marketing manager at Shaker Hotel, said hotels have received good bookings compared to last year because tourists feel political situation here has become stable after election date was finalized.

The hotel has received 65 percent booking for August and 75 percent, 90 percent, 90 percent and 50 percent, respectively, for September, October, November and December.

According to the hoteliers, most of the bookings have been made by individual clients. “Booking from corporate clients is not satisfactory. Likewise, booking from MICE segment, except India, is also down,” Joshi said, adding that most of the international conferences have been postponed to December-end or January due to election.
Though hotels in Kathmandu have reported rise in booking, Pokhara hotels say bookings are down compared to last year. Rajkumar KC, executive manager of Hotel Barahi, hotels in Pokhara have received less bookings compared to last year.

“We have received fewer bookings not because tourist arrivals are down. It is because six new hotels and resorts have opened in Pokhara,” said KC.
Hotel Barahi has received 60 percent booking for August, 44 percent for September, 95 percent each for October and November, and 80 percent for December.

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FNCCI SEEKS GOVT. INTERVENTION TO END STRIKE

Kathmandu, 7 Aug.: At a time when trade unions are resorting to closure of industries to push the management to fulfill their demands, private sector has demanded that the government involve Section 80 of Labor Act to create business doing environment in the country, Repubica reports.. A delegation of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) on Tuesday met with Minister for Labor and Employment Hari Prasad Neupane and urged the latter to implement the Clause for issuing an order to end the strike for restoring industrial peace. As per the Section 80 of the Labor Act, the government can issue an order to end strikes which are likely to cause a breach in the law and order situation of the country or would be contrary to the economic interest of the country or strikes commenced in essential services prescribed by the prevailing law. Trade unions affiliated to different political parties are protesting in over a dozen industries demanding salary hike for all employees in proportion to the pay hike for minimum wage earners. The government recently raised minimum monthly wage of workers by Rs 1,800 to Rs 8,000. After meeting with the minister, FNCCI Vice-Chairman Bhaskar Raj Rajkarnikar said strikes are being launched in different parts of the country without following due process and giving prior information to the management according to the law. He also said the FNCCI delegation also asked the government to permit entrepreneurs to close their industries if strikes continue unabated. He also maintained that the industries, which are shut down by trade unions, would implement ´no work, no pay´ system. “The government has raised minimum wage of workers. But trade unions are illegally demanding that the management pay the increased amount to all employees,” he added. Trade unions of different political parties have shut down 14 industries in Birgunj-Pathlaiya corridor demanding pay hike for all employees. Trade unions have shut down seven industries of Tribeni Group and two industries of Golchha Organization. They have also hampered productions of Nu Plast, Hanuman Metal, G D Pharmaceuticals, Hama Iron and Kansai Paints. Similarly, some industries at Hetauda Industrial Estate have also been shut down by the employees over pay hike row. FNCCI officials said industrial unrest has also been felt in Morang and Rautahat districts. “We have drawn attention of the minister toward labor woes in different industries across the country,” FNCCI said in a statement on Tuesday. The government plan of increasing investment and creating jobs won´t materialize if trade unions illegally push for salary hike in the name of implementing minimum wage increment, it added. Talking to Republica, Bishnu Rimal, President of General Federation of Nepalese Trade Union (GFONT), said workers´ pay has already been reviewed in industries in Biratnagar and Hetauda. “Problems arose after Tribeni Group and Golchha Organization turned down the trade union´s demand to review salary,” added Rimal. Rimal also suggested to the employers to settle the dispute with trade unions at the local level instead of influencing government officials. He was referring to the press statement that the Department of Labor issued on Monday. According to FNCCI, the minister has assured FNCCI members that he would try to resolve the issues by sitting for talks with the trade unions. He has reportedly asked officials to arrange tripartite meeting of trade unions, government and industrialists at the earliest.

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