Man kills himself with sulphur from 'matchsticks'

A 26-year-old capital resident Sunday took his own life by stuffing sulphur, collected from matchsticks, into a pipe and lighting the stuff holding it on his right temple, published reports said. 

Krishna Bahadur Adhikari, a self-trained mechanic by profession, committed suicide in his home in Swayambhu, Kathmandu, the Himalayan Times said quoting local police. 

"As the stuffed sulphur burnt, it exploded on his head and scattered his skull bones all over his room," said Damodar Ghimire, a police inspector at the ward police office, Swayambhu. 

The room where Adhikari lived was a complete mess with a lot of matchboxes and stripped matchsticks lying all over, he said. 

"The dead must have undergone severe frustration for a long time and took his time to prepare the explosive. This suicide case is really a strange one because of the method Adhikari used," the police said.

Some people innovate new things to give life and some to take, said the daily in its remarks. "Adhikari innovated a new form of explosive and this time he was a guinea pig in the experiment he conducted." nepalnews.com mr Jan 5 04

Crown Princess distributes warm clothes

Crown Princess Himani distributed warm clothes to senior citizens, children and cold wave-affected people in a program organised by Nagarjun Rotari Club on Sunday. 

According to the Club, a total of 33 people received warm clothes in the program organised to mark the 33rd birthday of Crown Prince Paras. 

The Crown Princess also gave away certificates and appreciation letters to various organisations and individuals who sponsored the warm clothes. 

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Women, Children and Social Affairs Renu Kumari Yadav lauded the role of royal family in sharing grief of the common people.  

Every winter, thousands of poor Nepalis, especially old people and children, suffer from cold wave. In this winter also, dozens of people across the country have been reported dead due to cold wave and winter-related problems. 

More death reports are still pouring in. nepalnews.com mr Jan 5 04

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U-17 cricket squad towards India

Nepal's Under-17 squad has left for India today (Monday) to take part in the forthcoming Asia Cup cricket tournament to be held from January 13-27 in four cities of India, reports said.

Nepal is in Group A and will take on Malaysia in the first match of the tournament on January 13, the Himalayan Times said. Nepal has another fixture with Qatar on January 14. Both the matches will be played in Vishakhapatnam, a South Indian city.

After the withdrawal of Brunei, Nepal will get a four-day rest before playing in the second round, if they qualify, the daily said.

Nepal need to win both the matches to advance to the second round where they will be joined by Group D winner and Test playing nations India and Pakistan, the daily said, adding, the second round matches will be held in Bangalore.

Kishor Bahadur Singh, member secretary of National Sports Council and Jai Kumar Nath Shah, president of Cricket Association Nepal, bid farewell to the players and wished them luck, the daily said.

The Nepali squad has Paras Khadka and Sarad Vesawker as the captain and vice captain. Other members of the team include Raj Shrestha, Bantu Bataju, Mahesh Chhetri, Deepak Shrestha, Irfan Siddiqui, Diwas Thakuri, Amrit Pokhrel, Dhan Bahadur Chhetri, Pawan Das, Sunil Bista, Antim Thapa and Angel Acharya. nepalnews.com mr Jan 5 04

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One Maoist dead in Jalbire ambush

One Maoist rebel is reported to have been killed in the Jalbire ambush, where three soldiers died Saturday evening, Nepal Television said Sunday. 

The TV, quoting district police office, Chitwan, said the number of injured in the incident has reached 18. Radio reports earlier said over a dozen army men were hurt in the road ambush. 

Meanwhile, latest radio reports, quoting local security sources said two Maoists were shot dead in Nuwakot on Saturday. One of the dead has been identified as Pundari Pariyar, according to the reports. nepalnews.com mr Jan 4 04

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Birth anniversary of Yogananda marked

The 111th birth anniversary of Guru Paramhansa Yogananda was held at Osho Tapoban, Kathmandu on Saturday.

According to a statement, hundreds of devotees remembered the Guru who contributed tremendously to make "yoga" popular in the west.

Chief of the Tapoban, Swami Ananda Arun shed light over the life of the Yogi. Yogananda was born in 1893 AD in India and died in 1952 AD, the statement said. nepalnews.com mr Jan 4 04

Nepalis donate blood in Qatar

Nepalis living in Qatar organised a blood donation camp under the leadership of Saptari Sewa Samaj in the Qatari capital of Doha on Friday, a statement said Sunday.

The program was held at the premises of Royal Nepal Embassy in Qatar. Royal Nepal Ambassador to Qatar, Shyamananda Suman also took part in the program. Embassy officials and representatives of other organisations were also present.

A total of 18 individuals donated blood on the occasion. The blood collected in the camp was handed over to a blood bank of Hamad Medical Corporation, the statement added. nepalnews.com mr Jan 4 04

SAARC inaugural session ends, next meet on Tuesday

The inaugural session of the 12th SAARC Summit ended in Islamabad today (Sunday), with the signing of the SAARC Social Charter by the heads of all member nations of the regional grouping.

Suppressing terrorism, increasing intra-SAARC trade and excluding political issues from the economic issues were some of the key features of the inaugural speeches delivered by the seven state heads.

"The nations of South Asia should make SAARC a living and dynamic organisation," Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, President of Sri Lanka said, addressing the function at Jinnah Convention Centre of the Pak capital. "We, South Asia, face the danger of marginalization in the global economy," she said.

According to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Begam Khaleda Zia, the concerns of LDCs, or Least Developed Countries should be addressed first while implementing the SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Agreement). "The South Asian neighbours can best co-operate in the field of energy," she said.

Bhutanese PM Gigme Y. Thinley said a common approach is needed to suppress terrorism in the region. Protecting biodiversity and natural beauty of the region should be another area of focus in the region, according to Thinley.

Indian PM Atal Behari Vajpayee pointed out the need to adopt a collective approach to remove mutual suspicion and enmity. "United we stand," he said urging all to form a single South Asian identity in the world.

President of Maldives M.A. Gayoom stressed the need to stop environmental degradation in the region. He said, "All South Asian countries need to sign the Kyoto Protocol."

Speaking as the immediate past chairman of SAARC, PM Surya Bahadur Thapa laid emphasis on a "holistic and sustained" approach to fight poverty in the region. PM Thapa said terrorism is a major problem of the region. "We member nations need to act resolutely to make the region free of terrorism."

Pakistani PM Mir Jafarullah Khan Jamali, who is the current chair of SAARC now, also underlined the need to make anti-terrorism mechanism strong in the region. "Our goal is to bring an improvement in people's living standard in the whole region," Jamali said.

SAARC Secretary General, Q.A.M.A. Rahim, was of the view that SAARC still has to go a long way. "The major blockade is that we think regionally but act nationally."  "Our achievements in the past 18 years are modest, but we are still optimistic about the future of SAARC and this whole region," he said.

The Summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is also scheduled to endorse SAFTA treaty, the main highlight of the Summit.

The next meeting of the head of the seven states will be held on Tuesday, as announced by Pakistani PM Jamali in the inaugural session of the Summit. nepalnews.com mr Jan 4 04

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Maoist ambush kills three soldiers

At least three soldiers were killed and over a dozen were injured in a Maoist-laid ambush in Jalbire area of the Narayangadh-Kathmandu highway on Saturday evening, radio reports said Sunday.

The ambush, aimed at trapping 10 trucks of the army heading towards the capital, went off at around 6:30 pm in the evening, the reports said. 

Road traffic was obstructed Saturday and Sunday morning due to the incident. Most of the injured have been brought to Kathmandu and some of them are receiving treatment at the local Bharatpur hospital, the reports said.

Meanwhile, Kathmandu-based security sources, while contacted, have confirmed the incident. The sources said, however, were not sure about the actual number of wounded soldiers.

"We are waiting for more reports," they said, adding, "One civilian is also reported to have injured in the blast." nepalnews.com mr Jan 4 04

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Nepal hands over SAARC chairmanship to Pakistan

Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, the outgoing chair of SAARC, officially handed over the chairmanship of 12th SAARC Summit to Pakistani Prime Minister Mir Jafarullah Khan Jamali amid the inaugural function of the Summit in Islamabad Sunday.

"His Excellency Mir Jafarullah Khan Jamali is hereby elected the chairman of 12th SAARC Summit," PM Thapa announced addressing the top function of seven South Asian nations.

Pakistani PM Jamali is now chairing the inaugural session of the Summit being held in Jinnah Convention Centre of the Pak capital.

Jamali, chairing the function, lauded Nepal's role as the chairman of SAARC "in the last two difficult years of uncertainty."

All heads of the state are scheduled to address the inaugural function this afternoon. 

Nepal Television in collaboration with Pakistan Television is live telecasting the event. nepalnews.com mr Jan 4 04

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Kathmandu-Karachi direct flights from today

The Kathmandu-Karachi direct flights, halted by the Indo-Pak tensions two years ago, is to resume from today (Sunday), Space Time said, quoting Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) officials.

"We are encouraged with the new flights as they are beginning on the day when the SAARC Summit is to start in Islamabad," the daily quoted Gulam Nabi Lasari, PIA general manager in Nepal, as saying.

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Sarbendra Nath, officials from Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal and PIA officials are receiving the first lot of 50 passengers at Kathmandu airport who will board the PIA flight from Karachi Sunday, the daily said.

The PIA plane will return to the port city of Pakistan on Sunday carrying 52 passengers, the daily said, adding, the airlines will fly twice a week to Nepal on Sunday and Wednesday.

"Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa will return to Nepal from Islamabad boarding a PIA flight on Wednesday," Lasari added. It will now take two and half hours for a plane to reach Karachi from Kathmandu through direct flights, according to the daily. nepalnews.com mr Jan 4 04

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