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Bhattarai asks Koirala to step
down
Kathmandu, May 5: Former Prime Minister and central leader of the ruling Nepali Congress Krishna Prasad Bhattarai asked Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to immediately step down. In a statement issued Saturday, the former Prime Minister said that Koirala must resign to save the image of the Nepali Congress. Bhattarai’s statement came following the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), an anti-corruption body, summoning Koirala to clarify on the controversial Lauda Air deal, in which opposition parties have alleged heavy irregularities. CIAA is currently probing into the Lauda Air issue and it has already put two high level officials behind bars and barred former Minister from going out of Kathmandu. In his statement, Bhattarai has said that he had already suspected Koirala’s involvement in the shady deal between Royal Nepal Airlines. Corporation and Austrian Lauda Air concerning leasing a Boeing jet for the period of 18 months. Prime Minister Koirala has denied irregularities and refused to step down. Earlier, Prime Minister Koirala had announced that he would immediately step down, if CIAA pointed out his name in the course of its probe. Opposition parties have long been demanding Koirala’s resignation to Pave the way for impartial probe into the issue. nepalnews.com yl Kathmandu, May 5: Two Koreans and their sherpa guide scaled the 8516 meters high Lhotse, the world’s fourth tallest peak, through the west face on April 29, the Ministry of Tourism said quoting a delayed report from base camp. Young Seok Park, 38, Hee Joon Oh, 31, and Serup Jangbu Sherpa, 30, stepped on the summit at 3.15 PM after a three-hour assault from the third camp at 7300 meters and stayed on the top for two hours, the Ministry said. This is the first ascent of an 8000 meter high peak in the Nepal Himalaya this spring climbing season. They were members of a six-member team. Five Spaniards, including two women, climbed the 6812 meters high Ama Dablam from the south west ridge Thursday, the Ministry said. Rocio Sanchez Briantes, 30, and Esther Sabadell Simo, 25, were the successful women climbers, the Ministry said. They were members of a six-member Spanish team. nepalnews.com br Nepal in UNICEF executive board Kathmandu, May 5: Nepal was elected Thursday to the executive board of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for a three-year term beginning 2002. Nepal has also been elected to the Commission on Sustainable Development for a three-year term beginning 2002. Nepal secured the second largest number of votes in elections for the UNICEF board, the Foreign Ministry said. nepalnews.com br Kathmandu, May 5: Maoists attacked a police post at a village in Gorkha district Thursday and destroyed documents and goods when police were away on patrol, officials said. Police recovered a dozen guns and documents after a raid on an insurgent training camp in Yangfshila village in Morang district Friday. nepalnews.com br Three killed in truck accident Kathmandu, May 5: Three persons, including the truck driver, were killed when the vehicle fell off a mountain highway in west Nepal, Thursday. The accident occurred near Sahajpur village in Kailali district. The truck was transporting grains from Dhangadi to Saphebagar in Acham district. nepalnews.com br Sushil asks PM Koirala not to step down Kathmandu, May 4: Central leader of the Nepali Congress Sushil Koirala asked Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala not to step down, despite pressures from within the party as well as opposition after an anti-corruption body sent a set of questions to the premier asking him to clear some issues related to the alleged irregularities in the Lauda Air deal. Issuing a press statement today, he asked Prime Minister Koirala not to bow down before opposition parties and dissidents within the NC and said his (PM Koirala’s) leadership was needed for the country and democracy. Sushil Koirala’s statement came after the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), an anti-corruption body, summoned Koirala to answer some questions in the controversial deal between Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation and Austrian Lauda Air regarding the lease of a Boeing jet for 18 months. Leftist opposition parties have been mounting pressure on the premier to resign alleging his involvement in the deal. Central leaders of the Nepali Congress Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, and Sher Bahadur Deuba have also asked him to resign and pave way for an independent and impartial probe into the issue. Sushil Koirala is the prime minister’s relative as well as a source of strength to him and has asked the premier to work for the consolidation of democracy providing leadership to the government and the party. The prime minister had earlier said that he would resign if CIAA charged him on the Lauda Air issue. Nepalnews.com/yl/at AAAN General Secretary Suspended Kathmandu, May 4: General Secretary of Amateur Athletics Association of Nepal (AAAN) Ravi Rajkarnikar has been suspended until completion of an investigation into an assault charge on a coach inside the National Sports Complex this week. The National Sports Council, the apex sporting body, Thursday, ordered the AAAN to debar Rajkarnikar from its office premises and not to assign him responsibilities until investigations into the assault charges are complete. Charges have been registered at the Council against Rajkarnikar by several athletics coaches saying the AAAN General Secretary assaulted senior instructor Narayan Yadav. In a written reply to the Council Thursday, Rajkarnikar denied the charge and instead claimed Yadav threatened him after asking for the accounts of the recently concluded 6th Asian Cross Country race held for the first time in Nepal. nepalnews.com br Mahat launches Nepal's first life insurance company Kathmandu, May 4: Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat Friday launched the Nepal Life Insurance Company ( NLIC)-- the kingdom's first company dealing in life insurance. The NLIC has an authorized capital of Rs.250 million; 45 Nepali promoters have contributed Rs.200 million and Rs.50 million will be raised from the general public through public issue of shares. Purushottam Lal
Sanghai is the chairman of the company. The NLIC hopes to sell 10,000
policies in the first year of operation mainly targeting government,
corporation officials and Kathmandu, May 4: In a defiant mood, beleaguered Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala despatched a three page letter to the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) arguing cabinet deliberations on the controversial Lauda Air deal were privileged information that could not be disclosed to the investigating body, sources close to the government said. Koirala fired off the letter to the CIAA amid rumours he was contemplating resignation when the Authority sent him a questionnaire Wednesday asking if then Tourism Minister Tarini Dutta Chataut consulted him on hiring a Boeing aircraft from the Austrian airlines for state airlines Royal Nepal Airlines (RNAC) at what critics call inflated rates. PM Koirala told the Authority he did not give any instructions to Chataut whose passport has been impounded and his movement restricted to Kathmandu valley following questioning. RNAC Chief Executive Hari Bhakta Shrestha and Director Tirtha Lal Shrestha have been detained for failure to furnish a Rs.500 million bail. The Prime Minister argued the RNAC is an autonomous corporation independent of the government whose actions cannot be questioned. Chataut resigned after the CIAA began a probe against him. The two Shresthas argued before the Authority they were only implementing a government order. One estimate said RNAC was losing Rs.100 million every month because of the flawed deal. But Koirala's troubles are not over yet. Former Prime Ministers Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and Sher Bahadur Deuba, heading a strong section inside the ruling Nepali Congress party, immediately called for Koirala's resignation. "Koirala has failed. There is a grave internal crisis. He should resign," Bhattarai told a public meeting. Five opposition parties in parliament and six left parties have been organizing street protests demanding Koirala's ouster. Earlier in the
year, the five opposition parties in parliament stalled winter proceedings
of parliament preventing the passage of two important ordinances to
establish an armed police force to combat Maoists and devolve powers to five
regional administrators. The main opposition Nepal Communist party (Unified
Marxist Leninist) has again threatened to stall Swiss Red Cross to work in Nepal Kathmandu, May
4: The Swiss Red Cross will invest at least $500,000 in various
development programmes in the next five years. An agreement was signed
between the Social Welfare Council and the Swiss organization recently, the
Council said. Member secretary of the Social Welfare Council and resident
representative of the Swiss Red Cross Shaila Shrestha signed Karki appointed Vice Chancellor of Eastern Regional University Kathmandu, May 4: Toran Bahadur Karki has been appointed Vice Chancellor of the Eastern Regional University. Karki was previously affiliated with the Trivhuban University. Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who is the Chancellor of the University, appointed Karki. nepalnews.com br King grants audience to visiting Japanese dignitary Kathmandu, May 3: King Birendra granted an audience to a visiting member of Japan's House of Councillors, Wataru Kubo, Thursday evening. Kubo is also President of Japan Nepal parliamentary group for friendship between the two Asian onarchies. He met separately with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and discussed bilateral issues, the Foreign Ministry said.Kubo also met other government and opposition leaders Thursday. The visit of Crown Prince Dipendra to Japan has " helped to renew friendly relations between the two countries," accompanying Minister for Science and Technology Surendra Prasad Chaudhary said. The statement was issued after the return home of the Crown Prince at the end of an eight day official visit to Japan. Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala accorded the heir to the throne a warm welcome at Tribhuvan International Airport. nepalnews.com br Four dead, four others seriously injured Kathmandu, May 3: Four persons died on the spot and four others were seriously injured in a collision between a bus and a tractor at Maisthan in Mohottari district Thursday along the Mahendra Highway, police said. The seriously injured are being treated at a hospital in Janakpur. Others injured in the accident have returned home after initial first aid treatment. The bus was travelling from Kakarvitta to the capital. nepalnews.com br SAARC meeting on drug enforcement concludes Kathmandu, May 3: The first South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) co-coordinating group meeting of drug enforcement agencies agreed to joint measures to counter drug trafficking in the region. "The agreed priorities would include common programmes intended for strengthening the legal systems of SAARC countries in the areas of financial investigation, asset forfeiture, money laundering, original crime, mutual legal assistance, controlled deliveries and extradition," an announcement said. The officials of the seven-nation grouping met at the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu. The United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) was represented in the meeting as an observer. "The meeting also agreed that the present level of information sharing among member states including furnishing of speedy information to the SAARC Drug Offences Monitoring Desk (SDOMD) should be enhanced and the use of information and communication technology should be explored," a headquarters news release said. UNDCP and SAARC will organize a joint workshop at the SAARC Secretariat later this year on policy formulation. The meeting called for the creation of an apex body of NGOs to collaborate with SAARC countries and the SAARC Secretariat to address all aspects of civil society co-operation in drug control. nepalnews.com br Last rites of Babu Chiri Sherpa held Kathmandu, May 3: The last rites of renowned climber Babu Chiri Sherpa, 35, who established two world records on the 8848 metres high Mount Everest was held at the foot of Syambhunath Thursday. A contingent of a police band played the last post before a senior lama lit the funeral pyre. Grieving family members, including his widow and daughters, paid floral tributes to Babu Chiri Sherpa who died Sunday after falling 200 meters into a crevasse at 6,500 metres on the world's tallest peak.The government gave the climber a state funeral. A police contingent played the funeral march as Babu's body was taken in an open van through the streets of the capital in a four-hour procession to the cremation site from Baudhanath. The body was kept at a building in Baudhanath for people to pay their last respects after evacuation by helicopter from base camp. Several thousand persons carrying placards lauding the exploits of Babu Chiri attended the funeral procession. He etched his name in the Guinness Book of World Records by camping 21 hours in the world's highest point and the fastest climb of Everest in 16 hours and 56 minutes; he also climbed the peak 10 times without the use of bottled oxygen. nepalnews.com br |
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