Court extends Joshi's remand

Kathmandu special court Tuesday extended by another 15 days the remand of former minister Gobinda Raj Joshi to prepare corruption charges at the request of CIAA, court sources said.

This was the fourth time the remand was extended.

Joshi contended there was no need for his continued detention.

Meanwhile, CIAA Tuesday registered two separate corruption charges against RPP leader and former minister Rabindra Nath Sharma.

Sharma has been charged for embezzling at Rs.60m from government coffers. nepalnews.com br Dec.2

Jia meets Chaudhari, Ranabhatt

Chairman of China's Political Political Consultative Conference Jia Qinglin met separately with Chairman of Raj Sabha and Speaker Taranath Ranabhatt Tuesday.

Jia said in a statement relations between the two countries based on the principles of Panmchasheel are very good.

The visiting fourth ranking leader of China will meet Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa and Special Foreign Affairs Representative Dr.Bhek Bahadur Thapa.

The King is expected to grant an interview to Jia before departure Wednesday. nepalnews.com br Dec.2

PM Thapa returning today

Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, having finished his marathon visit to four SAARC members, is arriving at 4:30 pm Tuesday, government sources told Nepalnews over telephone. 

PM Thapa is the outgoing chairman of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation). His nine-day-long visit was a routine visit made in capacity of the SAARC Chairman. 

PM Thapa visited India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Pakistan during the first phase of his visit. He will be visiting Bangladesh and Maldives soon, the sources said. nepalnews.com mr Dec 2 

Jia arrives

Jia Qinglin, Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, arrived in the capital Tuesday for a 24 hour visit.

He is the guest of Raj Parishad Standing Committee Chairman Parshu Narayan Chaudrari. He is the senior most Chinese official to visit Nepal after the retirement of President Jiang Zemin; he is China's fourth ranking leader.

An aid agreement is being signed and two more trading outlets with Tibet are being opened during the visit. Jia in on a South Asian tour. nepalnews.com br Dec.2

Nepal, North Korea talks

Nepal and North Korea will hold annual consultations in Kathmandu from Thursday, the Foreign Ministry said.

Foreign Secretary Madhu Raman Acharya will lead the Nepali delegation while the North Korean side will be led by Vice Minister of the Foreign Ministry Kim Yong Il.

The consultative mechanism was established in 2001. The first meeting was held in Pyongyang the same year. Bilateral, regional and internal issues of common concern are discussed
at the meeting. nepalnews.com br Dec.2

Dr. Lohani, Sir James meet

Officiating Prime Minister Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani and Special Representative of the British Government Sir Jeffrey James met Monday and discussed bilateral relations and the Maoist problem, RSS said.

Sir James also met members of the donor community Monday. He begins meetings with leaders of political parties Tuesday and Wednesday.

Sir James met Nepali Girija Prasad Koirala in the morning Tuesday. Sir James is on his fourth visit since his appointment as special representative in March this year. He will hold a news conference Friday. nepalnews.com br Dec.2

74 arrested for drugs smuggling

Altogether 74 Nepalis and foreign drug smugglers were arrested until November this year, the Narcotic Drugs Control Law Enforcement Unit (NDCLEU) said.

NDCLEU seized 373.70 kgs hashish and 16.445 kgs brown sugar during the period. Hileram Tamang was arrested Monday for attempting to smuggle out to Japan 32.28 grams of hashish concealed in a musical instrument.

Earlier, two other Nepalis were arrested for trying to fly out another 11 kgs of hashish to Japan. nepalnews.com br Dec.2

Maoists murder policeman

Maoists abducted and murdered a policeman in Dang overnight, radio reports said. Rebels accused him of spying.

Insurgents overnight destroyed a nursery producing saplings for a road reinforcement project in Nuwakot. Maoists shot and injured a policeman in Dhanakuta bazzar Monday. nepalnews.com br Dec.2. 

SAFTA meeting inconclusive

SAARC is likely to miss yet another deadline to finalise the draft treaty framework on South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) as the sixth round of negotiations on establishing the regional free trade ended inconclusively Monday, the Kathmandu Post said.

A joint-secretary-level Committee of Experts was required to finalise the SAFTA treaty framework prior to the forthcoming SAARC Summit to be held in Pakistan, the daily said.

The meeting failed after the developing member nations declined to pledge special preferential treatment to member LDCs (Least Developed Countries), the daily said, quoting government sources.

"Throughout the discussion, the LDC members asked the developed countries not to impose any antidumping and safeguarding measures on any of their products, and not to enlist their products in the negative list."

It is now up to the standing committee and the ministerial council to decide what and how the spirit of establishing regional free trade area is to proceed, the daily said quoting the unnamed source. nepalnews.com mr Dec 2

Nepali youth footballers create 'scare' in B'desh 

Nepali youth footballers have been termed "scary" by their opponents prior to the beginning of Nepal's fixtures with Pakistan and Bangladesh in the Under-20 Asian Federation Cup (AFC) qualifiers in Dhaka, agencies reported Tuesday.

"The sports officials of Bangladesh and Pakistan are scared of Nepal after they saw the practice and technical levels of Nepalese youths," a correspondent of Rajdhani daily, who is now in Dhaka, reported.

"Bangladesh has fixed its first match with us and the last one with Nepal, because they are scared of Nepali youths," the daily quoted Pakistani coach Sheikh Sahid, as saying.

"No team wants its first match with the tough opponent," Sahid added, citing the match schedules.

Nepali youths will face Pakistan on Wednesday and hosts Bangladesh on Friday in the Under-20 AFC qualifier. In the opening match played between Bangladesh and Pakistan on Monday, the hosts defeated Pakistan by 1-0.

"No one can stop us from qualifying for the final round of the Youth Championship to be held in Malaysia," Nepal's captain, Prashant Giri, told Rajdhani, after having seen the match between Bangladesh and Pakistan Monday.

"But to win, out team must overcome the only obstacle posed by the weather here," Giri said, citing the swelling mercury levels in the Bangladeshi capital. The temperature in Dhaka is as high as 28 degrees centigrade, the daily said. 

The present squad led by Nepal captain Giri are the products of FIFA's six-year-long goal project. nepalnews.com mr Dec 2

Nepal hold India for draw

Sishir Adhikari netted the equaliser in the 55th minute as Nepal and India played a 1-1 draw in the Under-17 Asian Cup qualifying match in Kolkata on Monday, reports said.

The third team in the Group F, Afghanistan, failed to reach India and hence Nepal will compete with India to move forward from the group, the reports said.

With only two teams in the group, Nepal will once again play India with the Monday's match assumed as home match for India as per two-leg system, the reports said.

Nepal, with an away goal in Monday's match, will be in comfortable position going into the second match, according to the reports. nepalnews.com mr Dec 2

4,000 AIDS patients to receive ARV treatment

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has set an objective goal to provide anti-retroviral (ARV) services for 4,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Nepal, published reports said Tuesday.

"A target of getting services for 400,000 HIV/AIDS victims in the South East Asian region by 2005 has been proposed, with 4,000 in Nepal," the Himalayan Times quoted Dr. Klaus Wagner, WHO representative in Nepal, as saying.

"Nepal's concerned ministry should not just announce policies but bring out programs in practical terms," the Kathmandu Post quoted Wagner, as saying.

Health Minister Kamal Thapa, meanwhile, said the ARV treatment in Nepal will be available by mid-January. Speaking on the occasion of World AIDS Day, Thapa said despite having enough resources and commitment the government is lacking on the implementation front.

There are an estimated 61,000 HIV/AIDS patients in Nepal, with 8,500 in need of ARV treatment. However, only 250 are receiving the therapy at present. 

Noteworthy, the government has begun ARV treatment for pregnant women and children at the Thapathali Maternity Hospital from December 1, 2003. nepalnews.com mr Dec 2

Student unions' ultimatum to schools

The seven student unions affiliated to the five agitating parties Monday served a 15-day ultimatum to all educational institutions demanding fulfillment of the latter's commitment made earlier, reports said Tuesday.

"The educational institutions will be responsible for any untoward incidents should they fail to fulfil their promises," a statement by the student union said Monday.

The student unions suspended their movement in May this year, after they reached an understanding with the institutions. Fourteen task forces were formed to look into the demands put forth by the students.

However, only the Tribhuvan University has so far called for review meetings and has discussed the progress being made by the task force, the reports said. nepalnews.com mr Dec 2

No plans for dialogue with Maoists: Koirala

Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala said Monday he or his party has no plans at present to meet Maoist leaders and hold political dialogue with them. 

"We have no plans now," Koirala told journalists in Nepalgunj Monday, according to radio reports. 

Earlier on Sunday, Maoist leader Dr. Baburam Bhattarai said the Maoists were keen to hold dialogue with the NC after having such dialogue with UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal in Lucknow, India recently. 

"The five parties' unity is still unbreakable," Koirala said, fielding a query whether the Lucknow meet has affected the five parties' alliance. 

On inclusion of NC (Democratic) to the five parties' movement, Koirala said, "We have no objection, if Deuba Congress joins the movement, but it all depends upon themselves." NC has been opposing NC (D)'s involvement in the five parties' movement against "regression". NC (D), on the other hand, has been demanding a decisive role as a pre-condition to join the movement.

On the course and nature of the next phase of movement, Koirala claimed it would be different. "This time the movement will be strong and result-oriented," he claimed. nepalnews.com mr Dec 1

Chief Justice declines comments

Chief Justice Kedar Nath Upadhaya Monday did not discuss with four members of the Nepal Bar Association details of a recommendation of three alternative names for the Chief Election Commissioner to the King by the Constitution Council of which he is a member.

Bar Association President Sindhu Nath Pyakhurel led the delegation for talks with the Chief Justice after the Bar determined Friday that the recommendation was flawed. Radio reports quoted Pyakhurel as saying the Chief Justice told the delegation the recommendation 'was under process." 

The Bar is meeting again Tuesday to discuss the recommendation. Nepali Congress has already sought clarification from Speaker Taranath Ranabhatt for recommending three alternatives. The Speaker is a member of the Council. Premier Thapa is the third member. 

Opposition has opposed the recommendation while Finance Minister Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani defended it. nepalnews.com br Dec.1