Sushil Pant new Attorney General

Advocate Sushil Pant has been appointed the Attorney General (AG) of the Kingdom of Nepal, a Royal Palace announcement said Tuesday. 

Pant is now the chief legal advisor of the government. His appointment followed the resignation of former AG Krishna Ram Shrestha a few days ago. The then Lokendra Bahadur Chand government had appointed Shrestha. 

PM Thapa asked Shrestha's resignation following differences while withdrawing a Maoist related case during the peace talks. The post of AG is a political appointment post in Nepal. They are changed with the change in government. nepalnews.com mr Sept 16

'Govt. bid to woo parties a fiasco' 

Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa's fresh bids to woo parties has once again proved to be a fiasco, as all five agitating parties have categorically refused to join the incumbent government, published reports said.

Of late, PM Thapa's "special envoy" Rabindra Nath Sharma met CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal at the latter's residence at Koteshor.

"On the occasion, Nepal reaffirmed that his party would not join the Thapa government. Instead, he suggest PM Thapa to resign and pave way for national consensus," reports said. Earlier on Sunday, Sharma met NC President Girija Prasad Koirala and received a similar response. 

On Monday, Sharma telephoned three other key leaders of the five agitating parties' block. They were also reluctant to join the government, according to reports. The three leaders were Narayan Man Bijukchhe, Amik Sherchan and Bharat Bimal Yadav.

PM Thapa started a fresh bid to lure parties, when the King after returning from the UK, asked PM Thapa to form an all party government. The present government has all its members from the PM's own party, the RPP. 

Earlier, the then PM Lokendra Bahadur Chand quit following his failure to win confidence of the major parliamentarian parties. nepalnews.com mr Sept 16

Case against Prachanda, Baburam

Police has filed a criminal case against 21 Maoists including Maoist leaders Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai for assassinating Krishna Mohan Shrestha, the then chief of the Armed Police Force, a published report said Tuesday.

The case filed at the Patan Appellate Court Monday said 21 Maoists were the masterminds and murderers of Shrestha, his wife Nudup and a bodyguard seven months ago, according to a news report in Space Time daily.

The other indicted leaders are Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Agni Sapkota, Ram Bahadur Thapa "Badal" and CP Gajurel. Likewise, party workers Krishna Hari Sainju, Seeta Karanjit and Kamal Bista are also indicted.

District Police Office, Lalitpur filed the case under the Terrorist and Destructive Activities (Control and Punishment) Act.

The charge sheet has demanded life imprisonment (20 years' jail term) for the leaders with 18 and 10 years imprisonment for Sainju, Karanjit and Bista, according to the news report. nepalnews.com mr Sept 16

'Valley most quake-prone area'

Kathmandu Valley is the most vulnerable place among the 21 earthquake-prone world cities, a published report said Tuesday quoting experts.

"The reasons behind the vulnerability are the geographical location of the Valley and the houses in the city that are constructed indiscriminately," The Himalayan Times reported quoting Bishnu H. Pandey, seismologist at the National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET).

The Valley is situated along the Himalayan belt, which consists of two active geologic plates - the Tibetan Plateau and Deccan Plateau in the south - and it is moving at the rate of two cm per year, the report said.

"History has it that major earthquakes occur in the Valley every 80 to 100 years."
nepalnews.com mr Sept 16

TU to increase part-time teachers' salary

Nepal's oldest university, the Tribhuvan University (TU) is to increase the salary of part-time teachers and provide concessions to their demands to end one of the long-standing problems, a report said Tuesday.

"We are permanently ending one of the long standing problems of part-time teachers," The Kathmandu Post quoted Geeta Bhakta Joshi, rector, TU, as saying. "Part time teachers serving for long years would be entitled to receive increased salary and other benefits at par with their permanent counterparts," he said.

So far, a part time teacher teaching at certificate and bachelor's level is entitled to receive Rs.60 per class as remuneration and Rs.75 at the master's level, the report added. nepalnews.com mr Sept 16

Bangladesh army team in Nepal

A 12-member delegation comprising senior officials of the Bangladesh Navy, Air Force and Army is in Nepal for a weeklong study tour, a published report said Tuesday.

The delegation has arrived as part of a one-year course at the National Defence College in Dhaka, The Himalayan Times reported.

The team visited the Ministry of Defence and is scheduled to call on Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, who also holds the Defence portfolio.

The team which came on September 13, will leave on September 20 for Paris. This is the second time that such a delegation is visiting Nepal, the report added. nepalnews.com mr Sept 16 

Gurkhas' settlement in UK

Gurkhas who served with the British Army may have the right to settle in Britain following a proposed review of immigration laws, a Kathmandu-based broadsheet reported from London Tuesday.

The (British) Defence Ministry, Home Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have already started the review, which is likely to lead to the Gurkhas being treated as "special cases", The Himalayan Times reported.

"Reports say the move came as increasing numbers of Nepali soldiers turned to the asylum system to claim naturalisation after their military service ended."

"Army chiefs and politicians from all parties have long campaigned for a change of heart in Whitehall regarding the Gurkhas, whose exemplary record and tradition has no bearing on any citizenship application."

Their plight has been taken up in Whitehall by Ann Widdecombe, a Tory MP who has a large Gurkha detachment in the 36 Engineer Regiment in her Maidstone constituency, the report added. nepalnews.com mr Sept 16

Maoists claim responsibility for high profile murders

In a statement Monday, Maoists have formally claimed responsibility for all high profile killings in the Valley in the post-ceasefire break period, including army Colonel Kiran Basnet's murder and attempt to kill ex-minister Devendra Raj Kandel. 

They have also claimed responsibility of all bombing incidents. The Maoists have apologized on schoolboy Deepak Gurung's death in a recent bombing. "Valley Special Company" of the "People's Liberation Army issued the statement.  

The statement said the Maoists killed three civilians Dipendra Thapa, Ram Shrestha and Salim Pode, because "they spied for army." The statement said bombing incidents are the part of their "sabotage campaign". 

Colonel Basnet was the highest ranking army official killed by Maoists. He was posthumously promoted to Brigadier General. He was receive his promotion letter on the day of his murder. He left behind a wife, a doctor and two teenage sons. nepalnews.com mr Sept 15

India pushes South Asian Union

External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, inaugurating the CII-sponsored Indo-Pakistan CEOs' Business Forum here on Sunday, said that New Delhi was ready to start discussions on the proposed South Asian Union " tomorrow, the day after, or the day after that..." or whenever the other countries in the region were prepared to do so, The Asian Age of New Delhi reported Monday.

In his address, he also called upon Pakistan to give India most favoured nation status and remove all non-tariff barriers, while pledging that New Delhi was ready to remove any Pakistan-specific barriers to trade if these were identified. nepalnews.com br Sept.15

Banker killed, other details

Maoists Monday shot dead a bank staff injuring a civilian while attempting to rob Nepal Bank Limited office in Gaushala, Sarlahi, police said.

Banker Dambar Bahadur Karki was killed in the incident. The injured civilian has not been identified. Four policemen were injured while retaliating the Maoist attack.

In Panauti, Maoists exploded bombs inside the Nepal Electricity Authority office after taking in-charge Ram Chandra Guragain into control. No one was injured in the incident. However, property worth Rs.60,000 was destroyed, according to the office staff.

In a statement Monday, the Home Ministry said four Maoists were killed across the country in latest skirmishes. One was killed in Deudhakala of Bardia and three more were killed in Kulthi of Bajura, the Ministry said. 

Security forces Monday shot dead a suspected Maoist woman in Damechaur of Dhading while setting off an ambush. Security forces seized 13 guns from Khalanga of Darchula.

Meanwhile, a constable of the armed police force Krishnaraj Bhatta was shot dead in an encounter in Sahajpur of Kailali.  Maoists killed truck conductor Dipesh Sharma in Makwanpur, reports said. In Tistung of the same district, an unidentified Maoist woman was killed. 

Maoists have killed another teacher in Dolakha district, police said. The body of Tilak K.C. was found at his village in the district Monday after his abduction by Maoists one day earlier.

Meanwhile, the local administration in Dhading district has re-issued curfew orders in some parts of the district for Monday night. nepalnews.com mr Sept 15

Human rights meet postponed

A human rights meeting of the Asia and Pacific region scheduled to be held in Kathmandu from September 22 to 25 has been postponed for security reasons, an announcement said Monday.

The National Human Rights Commission was sponsoring the meeting. nepalnews.com br Sept. 15

Many feared killed in bus accident

Many persons are feared killed when a bus fell 200 meters off a highway into Bheri River Monday at Sanghi in Surkhet, first reports said.

Five bodies have been recovered and 21 injured have been pulled out of the swollen river. Search continues for others, radio reports said. The bus was plying between Nepalgunj and Salli Bazzar in Surkhet. nepalnews.com br Sept.15

Maoist outrage continues

In separate incidents in Nepalgunj, Pokhara and Dang Monday morning, Maoists shot dead two policemen seriously injuring three, reports said.

Maoists shot dead a policeman near Nepalgunj and fled across the border to India, according to reports. Rebels shot dead a civilian and injured a policeman at Tulsipur in Dang Monday, another report said.

A group of Maoists shot dead one police constable injuring one more in downtown Pokhara at around 9 p.m. Monday. The shooters came in a motorcycle and immediately took off after firing bullets at police constables Raju Shrestha and Shambhu Chaudhary. The shooting occurred in front of the DIG Office, Pokhara.

Shrestha died on the spot, whereas Chaudhary sustained injuries in the arms and legs. Chaudhary is now undergoing treatment at a local hospital, reports said. 

A rebel died in Chitwan overnight in an encounter with security forces. nepalnews.com mr/br Sept 15

Nepal's entry to WTO welcomed

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi has welcomed the entry of Nepal and Cambodia, two least developed countries, into the WTO. 

"Nepal and Cambodia now face new challenges to implement their commitments stipulated in the protocols of their accession and Japan continues to support the countries as they take up these challenges," Kawaguchi told the WTO meeting in Cancun Thursday. 

She hoped Nepal and Cambodia would be able to reap maximum benefits from the membership. The Minister said the membership will make the WTO a more global organization with the representation of least developed countries. nepalnews.com br Sept.15

24 selected

Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has selected 24 players for the closed camp for the three-nation Emerging Nations tournament in Kathmandu from September 24, an announcement said. 

Those selected are :Shakti Gauchan, Manoj Katuwal, Kanishka Chaugain, Sarad Vesawkar, Yashwant Subedi, Lakpa Lama, Manjeet Shrestha, Prem Chaudhary, Irfan Siddiqui, Raju Khadka, Binod Das, Paresh Lohani, Parash Luniya, Sanjam Regmi, Raj Kumar Pradhan, Sandeep Shrestha, Mahaboob
Alam, Bardan Chalise, Raju Basnyat, Arun Thapa, Unil Shrestha, Kalam Ali, Sagar Pant and Dipendra Chaudhary. 

Coach Roy Dias will arrive in Kathmandu 18 September to run the camp. Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives are participating in the tournament. nepalnews.com br Sept. 15