Four Indian nationals get 15 yrs jail sentence for smuggling contraband

Four Indian nationals who were arrested on the charge of smuggling brown heroin have been sent to jail.
Kapivastu District Court on Monday slapped 15 years of jail sentence and Rs 2.5 million in fine to Pravu Nau, Mohammad Safwan Musalman, Raghu Bir Singh and Mohammad Jabed.
Police had arrested the four with 500gms of brown heroin three month ago

PM Khanal vows to protect achievements of Nepal's peaceful democratic movements

Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal on Sunday said Nepal is on its way towards institutionalizing the federal democratic republican set up achieved through the peaceful people's movements of the past.
Addressing a special ceremony organized at the Nepal Army Pavilion, Tudhikhel on the occasion of Fourth Republic Day in the capital today afternoon, PM Khanal complained that the ongoing processes of peace and constitution drafting couldn't achieve the desired pace due to the excessive desire for power among the parties as well as adoption of the majority system to form the government.
PM Khanal, however, expressed government's commitment to protect the glorious achievements of all the changes Nepal has seen by institutionalizing democratic republicanism and vowed to fulfill the dreams of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives while fighting for democracy and equality in the country.
Stating that the previous 83 disputed issues seen in the reports submitted by various thematic committees has come down to 22, PM Khanal said he was confident that the ongoing processes of peace and constitution will gain pace due to the five-point deal struck by the political parties to make way for a three-month extension of the Constituent Assembly (CA).
"We were able to save the Constituent Assembly from being dissolved and ensured that the people didn't lose the opportunity to write their own constitution," PM Khanal said talking about Sunday's five-point deal.
He also stressed on the need for political consensus, unity and cooperation to strengthen the hard-earned federal democratic republican set up and make the country developed and prosperous.
President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, Vice-president Parmananda Jha, Constituent Assembly chairperson Subash Nemwang, Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi including senior government officials, security chiefs, national and foreign dignitaries were present during the programme.

HSEB to take re-exam for three papers of grade XII

Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB) has decided to conduct re-examination of grade XII for three subjects – Physics, Hotel Management and Computer Science - whose question papers were leaked.
HSEB has scheduled the exams of Physics and Hotel Management for June 12 and that of Computer Science for June 13. It has cancelled the exams of these three papers taken earlier.
Investigation had revealed the question papers had been leaked before the exams.

Monday's Valley bandh called off

The Chhettri Samaj Nepal has withdrawn its bandh (general strike) in the Kathmandu Valley on Monday.
The Samaj agreed to call off the bandh after reaching an understanding with the government during the talks held at the Ministry of Peace Sunday evening.
The Samaj withdrew the bandh as the government side agreed to form a committee to look into the demands of the Samaj.
Demanding status of indigenous nationality for Chhettris, the Samaj enforced bandh in the Valley today, which paralysed normal life from early morning till evening.
Nearly 300 bandh organisers were arrested from different parts of Kathmandu valley today.

NEPSE loses 4.39 pts; turnover plunges by 18.91 pc

Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index declined by 4.39 points to close at 344.83 on Thursday compared to the opening day on Sunday and this week's total transaction amount, too, has plunged by 18.91 percent compared to last week.
NEPSE registered a turnover of Rs. 76.7 million through 6,160 transactions with total of 358,827 shares of 117 companies over the week while it had registered a total turn over of Rs. 94.6 million through 5,786 transactions observing a total of 523,724 shares of 122 companies last week.
All the groups witnessed negative growth except trade and finance group. Finance groups are in positive growth by 8.88 points and 0.53 points respectively.
Hydropower, production group, hotel, commercial banks, insurance, development banks and other group are in the negative growth by 67.47 points, 5.71 points, 5.65 points, 3.26 points, 3.19 points, 3.01 points, and 2.35 points respectively this week.
The sensitive index shows that the transaction of 'A' category companies has plunged by 0.82 points to stand at 85.46 on the closing day of its transaction.
According to the index published by NEPSE, People's Finance Limited, Standard Chartered Bank, Bank of Kathmandu, Chilime Hydropower Company and Progressive Finance are at the top five to have the highest transaction among the companies over a week.

NC shows strength at Khula Manch; leaders squarely blame Maoists for lack of progress in peace process, statute

In a show of strength, the main opposition Nepali Congress organised a major mass meeting at Khula Manch in Kathmandu on Friday at the end of its "public awareness campaign for peace and constitution".

Nepali Congress leaders at the mass meeting organised by the party at Khula...

The party took out rallies from different parts of the capital which converged into the mass assembly at Khula Manch in the afternoon.
Addressing the mass meeting, the senior leaders came down heavily against the UCPN (Maoist) for not abiding by the agreements reached in the past and warned the former rebel party against engaging in "politics of weapons".
They reiterated that the party would not go for extension of the Constituent Assembly's term in the existing circumstances and that the ruling coalition, especially the Maoists, should agree on the 10-point condition brought forth by the party.
Party president Sushil Koirala said the Maoists and the present ruling coalition must respond positively to 10-point proposal in order to take the peace process and the constitution-drafting forward.
Saying that the Maoists tried to take advantage of the flexibility shown by the NC in the past, Koirala expressed belief that a lot can be done by May 14 on peace process and constitution-drafting provided the Maoists showed sincerity.
"The Maoists will soon see their doom if they do not behave responsibly," he warned.
Similarly, senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba declared that the NC would be ready to come to an agreement if the Maoists fully agreed to the proposal of the Nepal Army on integration of the cantoned combatants.
Likewise, parliamentary leader Ram Chandra Poudel claimed that new constitution would not be written without the participation of the Congress party.
"Just like republic was not possible until the Nepali Congress decided to go for it, constitution will not be written without the NC," said he.

Curriculum development centre survey

Schools across Nepal continue to use an overwhelming number of sub-standard and unauthorised books as part of their curricula. According to a government survey, the volume of such books is over 75 percent.
Take for example this passage from a Grade 8 ‘Civics and Moral Education’ book published in English by Vidyarthi Pustak Bhandar and written by four university professors which are being used by some very reputed schools in Kathmandu. “We are the citizens of Nepal, one of the many countries of the world. Nepal is the country of us, the Nepalese. There is unity in diversity in Nepal as the main characteristics of Nepalese people. We lived here with unity and our country was formed.” The errors in such unauthorised books are common occurrences.
Despite a Supreme Court (SC) directive not to incorporate books that are not approved by the Curriculum Development Centre (CDC), the majority of private schools is using unapproved books, according to the CDC survey.
Though Clause 8 of the Education Act 1971 and the Education Regulation 2002 clearly state that approval from the CDC is a must before incorporating books into the school curriculum, most private schools are happily flouting legal provisions for hefty commissions from publishers. According to Suprabhat Bhandari, President of Guardians’ Association Nepal and also a member of the central level monitoring committee under the Department of Education, schools are using such books as publishers offer the a ‘handsome commission.’
The recent survey carried out by CDC in 40 private schools of the Valley shows that some 75 percent of the text books are unapproved. “Just a couple of schools were found using approved books in a set,” Nirmal Ghimire, under secretary at the CDC said. “The so-called top schools are way ahead in flouting rules. Among dozens of books used by them, only a few were found to have been approved.” Similar was the finding carried out by the monitoring committee. Bhandari said only 20-25 percent of textbooks are legally approved. Many schools, mainly big ones including GEMS, Little Angels, DAV and Galaxy were found using Indian books, according to Bhandari. Even Private and Public Schools Association of Nepal (PABSON) is said to be involved in pushing unapproved books.

Paras Shah manhandles casino manager

Barely 20 days after he was ordered to behave in public, former Crown Prince Paras Shah apparently manhandled the general manager of the Casino Royale, Shailendra Shumsher Rana.
According to the source Paras who entered in the premises of Yak and Yeti at 11:30 pm on Tuesday night slapped Rana for expelling a casino employee. Raj Bahadur Singh, husband of former crown prince's sister Prerna Shah is the owner of the casino. It was learnt that Paras was fully drunk while he entered the casino and manhandled Rana in course of discussion about the fired employee.
However, Rana issuing a statement on Wednesday has refuted the report about manhandling. He said they had discussed in a cordial environment.
In the case of Tiger Tops firing, the District Administration Office (DAO) in Chitwan on April 27 sought written commitment from Paras for not repeating such cases.

President Yadav highlights Buddha’s eternal doctrine of non-violence and peace; awards first Buddha Int’l Peace Award to Japanese mayors

President Dr Ram Baran Yadav on Tuesday said that Gautam Buddha’s eternal doctrine and message of non-violence and peace has become more meaningful and significant in the present context.

President Yadav

Addressing a special function organized in Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, on the occasion of 2555th Buddha Jayanti today, he stressed on the need to end the politics of violence and hatred in the country and urged the political parties to fulfill the aspiration of the people for a new constitution and sustainable peace and development.
On the occasion, President Yadav awarded the 1st Gautam Buddha International Peace Award to incumbent Mayor of Japanese city Nagasaki Tomihisa Taue and former Mayor of another Japanese city Hiroshima Tadatoshi Akiba.
Stating that Lord Buddha is the supreme spiritual teacher of our age, President Yadav expressed happiness over Nepal’s long-standing friend and well-wisher Japan bagging the first Gautam Buddha International Peace Award.
The award carries a purse of USD 50,000 and a certificate. The government established the award in order to promote world peace and tourism in Nepal coinciding with Nepal Tourism Year 2011.
Also addressing the function, Vice President Parmananda Jha, Defense Minister Bishnu Poudel and Minister of Culture Khagendra Prasai highlighted Buddha’s eternal teachings that can be helpful to strengthen world peace and international friendship.

2555th Buddha Jayanti being observed

The 2555th Buddha Jayanti is being observed Tuesday across the country and abroad with various programmes to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of lord Buddha, founder of Buddhism.

Followers of Satya Sai Baba organising a rally to celebrate the 2555th Buddha Jayanti observed...

Lord Buddha was born as prince Siddhartha to a royal couple of Shakya dynasty in Lumbini on the full moon day of Baisakha month in 623 BC. He got enlightenment on the same date and died after eighty years on the same date.
Buddha is known worldwide for his teachings of non-violence. He left the royal luxuries at the age of 29 and went in search of truth. He got enlightened after many years of mediation in Gaya. He was named Buddha after the enlightenment.
Buddha’s teachings are followed as Buddhism religion in various countries including Nepal, India, China, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Japan among other countries.
Known as the Light of Asia, Buddha is also named as a national luminary of Nepal.
Buddha is taken as the ninth incarnation of lord Bishnu as per Hindu Mythology.
A special function is being organised in Lumbini this afternoon to celebrate the Buddha Jayanti. 

Bhattarai receives death threat; requests home minister for security

UCPN (Maoist) vice chairman Baburam Bhattarai has received death threat from a member of labour union affiliated to his own party.

Dr Baburam Bhattarai

Party cadres and security guards heard Janak Gadtaula, a central member in the dissolved labour union headed by Shalikram Jammar Kattel and a bouncer at Casino Tara in Hotel Hyatt, saying ‘we need to finish vice chairman Baburam in a few days’ at party headquarters Paris Danda, on Monday.
Maoist members present at the headquarters at the time of the incident say, they also heard Gadtaula instructing his supporters to come in motorcycles and vans to ‘finish Baburam.’
Gadtaula had gone with about two dozen friends to the party headquarters to pressure the leadership for releasing their peer Kuldip Rai, chairman of the Maoist labour union at Casino Anna, arrested on several charges few days ago.
The guards and the party members close to Bhattarai informed Bhattarai of the overheard talks immediately. Bhattarai then called home minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara and party general secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa and informed them about the incident.
He also informed chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal about the incident soon after he returned from Bangkok. Bhattarai told them, people who can threaten me today can also threaten you tomorrow; people with criminal mentality in the party should be punished.
Gadtaula is considered a labour union leader close to Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Labour union members close to Dahal have blamed Baburam Bhattarai for Rai’s arrest.
There is serious dispute among three factions of labour unions in UCPN (Maoist). The labour union leaders had formed three parallel bodies few days ago. The party headquarters has dissolved all three bodies and has decided to call a national convention to elect a new central committee.
Gadtaula denied charges against him. He conceded he called his supporters at the party headquarters, but said that was for pressuring the party leadership to release Rai.

Timeline: Nepal

A chronology of key events: 1768 - Gurkha ruler Prithvi Narayan Shah conquers Kathmandu and lays foundations for unified kingdom. Mount Everest, known in Nepal as "Sagarmatha" 1792 - Nepalese expansion halted by defeat at hands of Chinese in Tibet. 1814-16 - Anglo-Nepalese War; culminates in treaty which establishes Nepal's current boundaries. 1846 - Nepal falls under sway of hereditary chief ministers known as Ranas, who dominate the monarchy and cut off country from outside world. 1923 - Treaty with Britain affirms Nepal's sovereignty. Absolute monarchy 1950 - Anti-Rana forces based in India form alliance with monarch. 1951 - End of Rana rule. Sovereignty of crown restored and anti-Rana rebels in Nepalese Congress Party form government. Nepal's Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary; first to the top of the world On This Day 1953: Everest conquered Obituary: Sir Edmund Hillary 1953 29 May - New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepal's Sherpa Tenzing Norgay become the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest. 1955 - Nepal joins the United Nations. 1955 - King Tribhuwan dies, King Mahendra ascends throne. 1959 - Multi-party constitution adopted. 1960 - King Mahendra seizes control and suspends parliament, constitution and party politics after Nepali Congress Party (NCP) wins elections with B. P. Koirala as premier. 1962 - New constitution provides for non-party system of councils known as "panchayat" under which king exercises sole power. First elections to Rastrya Panchayat held in 1963. 1972 - King Mahendra dies, succeeded by Birendra. Multi-party politics King Mahendra's 1962 constitution cemented royal rule 1960: King Mahendra in London (in Nepali) 1980 - Constitutional referendum follows agitation for reform. Small majority favours keeping existing panchayat system. King agrees to allow direct elections to national assembly - but on a non-party basis. 1985 - NCP begins civil disobedience campaign for restoration of multi-party system. 1986 - New elections boycotted by NCP. 1989 - Trade and transit dispute with India leads to border blockade by Delhi resulting in worsening economic situation. 1990 - Pro-democracy agitation co-ordinated by NCP and leftist groups. Street protests suppressed by security forces resulting in deaths and mass arrests. King Birendra eventually bows to pressure and agrees to new democratic constitution. The Kumari or living goddess tradition goes back centuries In pictures: The living goddesses of Nepal 1991 - Nepali Congress Party wins first democratic elections. Girija Prasad Koirala becomes prime minister. Political instability 1994 - Koirala's government defeated in no-confidence motion. New elections lead to formation of Communist government. 1995 - Communist government dissolved. 1995 - Start of Maoist revolt which drags on for more than a decade and kills thousands. The rebels want the monarchy to be abolished. 1997 - Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba loses no-confidence vote, ushering in period of increased political instability, with frequent changes of prime minister. 2000 - GP Koirala returns as prime minister, heading the ninth government in 10 years. Palace killings Nepal's royals, pictured before the 2001 palace killings In depth: Nepal palace killings On This Day 2001: Nepal royal family massacred 2001 1 June - King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and other close relatives killed in shooting spree by drunken Crown Prince Dipendra, who then shoots himself. 2001 4 June - Prince Gyanendra crowned King. 2001 July - Maoist rebels step up campaign of violence. Prime Minister GP Koirala quits over the violence; succeeded by Sher Bahadur Deuba. 2001 November - Maoists end four-month old truce with government, declare peace talks with government failed. Launch coordinated attacks on army and police posts. Emergency 2001 November - State of emergency declared after more than 100 people are killed in four days of violence. King Gyanendra orders army to crush the Maoist rebels. Many hundreds are killed in rebel and government operations in the following months. 2002 May - Parliament dissolved, fresh elections called amid political confrontation over extending the state of emergency. Sher Bahadur Deuba heads interim government, renews emergency. Sher Bahadur Deuba has had three stints as Nepalese PM 2006: Ex-PM freed from jail 2004: Deuba begins third term 2002 October - King Gyanendra dismisses Deuba and indefinitely puts off elections set for November. 2003 January - Rebels, government declare ceasefire. End of truce 2003 August - Rebels pull out of peace talks with government and end seven-month truce. The following months see resurgence of violence and frequent clashes between students/activists and police. 2004 April - Nepal joins the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Maoist rebels controlled swathes of the country Who are Nepal's Maoist rebels? 2004 May - Street protests by opposition groups demanding a return to democracy. Royalist Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa quits. Direct power 2005 1 February - King Gyanendra assumes direct control and dismisses the government. He declares a state of emergency, citing the need to defeat Maoist rebels. 2005 30 April - King lifts the state of emergency amid international pressure. 2005 November - Maoist rebels and main opposition parties agree on a programme intended to restore democracy. The king gave up absolute rule after weeks of protests 2006: Clock ticking for change 2006 April - King Gyanendra agrees to reinstate parliament following weeks of violent strikes and protests against direct royal rule. Maoist rebels call a three-month ceasefire. 2006 May - Parliament votes unanimously to curtail the king's political powers. The government and Maoist rebels begin peace talks, the first in nearly three years. Peace deal 2006 November - Government and Maoists sign a peace accord - the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) - declaring a formal end to a 10-year rebel insurgency. 2007 January - Maoist leaders enter parliament under the terms of a temporary constitution. Maoists join government 2007 April - Maoists join interim government, a move that takes them into the political mainstream. 2007 September - Three bombs hit Kathmandu in the first attack in the capital since the end of the Maoist insurgency. Maoists quit interim government to press demand for monarchy to be scrapped. This forces the postponement of November's constituent assembly elections. End of monarchy 2007 December - Parliament approves abolition of monarchy as part of peace deal with Maoists, who agree to re-join government. 2008 January - A series of bomb blasts kill and injure dozens in the southern Terai plains, where activists have been demanding regional autonomy. 2008 April - Former Maoist rebels win the largest bloc of seats in elections to the new constituent assembly, but fail to achieve an outright majority. 2008 May - Nepal becomes a republic. 2008 June - Maoist ministers resign from the cabinet in a row over who should be the next head of state. 2008 July - Two months after the departure of King Gyanendra, Ram Baran Yadav becomes Nepal's first president. 2008 August - Maoist leader Prachanda forms coalition government, with Nepali Congress going into opposition. Maoists leave government 2009 May - Prime Minister Prachanda resigns in a row with President Yadav. Maoists leave government after other parties oppose integration of former rebel fighters into national army. Veteran Communist leader Madhav Kumar Nepal named new prime minister. Gurkha veterans with at least four years' service in the British army are given permission to settle in the UK. 2009 December - Four people are killed during clashes triggered by Maoist-led land grab in far west of country, giving rise to fears over future of peace process. 2010 May - Governing coalition and Maoist opposition agree to extend deadline for drafting of new constitution to May 2011. 2010 June - PM Madhav Kumar Nepal quits under Maoist pressure. 2010 December - WikiLeaks website publishes US diplomatic cables alleging that police were bribed by Chinese authorities into handing over Tibetan refugees trying to flee China. They deny the charges. 2011 January - UN peace monitoring mission ends. 2011 February - Jhalnath Khanal elected premier, ending a seven-month stalemate during which Nepal had no effective government.

Nepal country profile

With its ancient culture and the Himalayas as a backdrop, landlocked Nepal has a romantic image.

OVERVIEW

It is nonetheless one of the world's poorest countries, and is struggling to overcome the legacy of a 10-year Maoist insurrection.

Until Nepal became a republic in May 2008, it had been ruled by monarchs or a ruling family for most of its modern history in relative isolation.

A brief experiment with multi-party politics in 1959 ended with King Mahendra suspending parliament and taking sole charge in 1962.

Democratic politics was introduced in 1991 after popular protests, but was marked by frequent changes of government. The last king of Nepal, Gyanendra, twice assumed executive powers - in 2002 and 2005.

Maoist rebels waged a decade-long campaign against the monarchy, leaving more than 12,000 people dead and 100,000 people displaced according to UN figures.

When King Gyanendra's direct rule ended under public pressure in April 2006, the rebels entered talks with the parliamentary government on how to end the civil war.

A peace deal was agreed in November, although the Maoists continued to press for abolition of the monarchy.

Parliament agreed to the condition in December 2007, and the Maoists emerged as the largest parliamentary party after elections in April 2008.

The monarchy was abolished a month later, and a Maoist-dominated government took office in August.

The Maoist-led coalition government disintegrated in May 2009, and was succeeded by another coalition excluding the Maoists.

Nepal has been at odds with neighbouring Bhutan over the repatriation of thousands of Bhutanese refugees of Nepalese descent who fled violence in Bhutan in the early 1990s.

Nepal has a flourishing tourism industry, but faces problems of deforestation and encroachment on animal habitats.

Most of the population depend on agriculture, and the UN estimates that about 40% of Nepalis live in poverty.

Foreign aid is vital to the economy, and Nepal is also heavily dependent on trade with neighbouring India.

                            Fact

Population: 29.8 million (UN, 2010)

Capital: Kathmandu

Area: 147,181 sq km (56,827 sq miles)

Major language: Nepali

Major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism

Life expectancy: 67 years (men), 69 years (women) (UN)

Monetary unit: 1 Nepalese rupee = 100 paisa

Main exports: Carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain

GNI per capita: US $440 (World Bank, 2009)

Internet domain: .np

International dialling code: +977