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Kathmandu, Jan.1: Mongolian President Natsagiin Bagabandi will pay a three day visit to Nepal from January 5, an announcement said Monday. The Mongolian President will visit Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha during his Nepal stay. 

He is the first Mongolian President to visit Nepal. King Mahendra had paid a state visit to Mongolia in the 1960's. nepalnews.com br

Kathmandu Receives First Winter Rain

Kathmandu, Jan.1: A long dry spell was broken Sunday when the capital received its first winter rain. But the it was slight with the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology recording only a 0.2 mm rainfall.

Farmers were happy and temperature measuring around 2 to 3 degrees centigrade is expected to fall. nepalnews.com br

Vehicles remain off the streets

Kathmandu, Jan 1: Vehicles remained off the streets Monday morning as a general strike called by nine communist factions began taking effect.

Talks between the government and the striking communists collapsed yesterday upon the left's insistence that the resignation of the deputy prime minister was non-negotiable. The government said it was willing to consider other demands but the left "was not willing to listen."

The left parties, out to get their share of "credit" for last week's carnage in the capital, hold the deputy prime minister and home minister responsible for the police killings of five in the clashes over--as it turns out now--what Indian film idol Hrithik Roshan never said.

Police patrols were out on the streets early while a few municipal tractors, ambulances and government were spotted around Chabail and Goushala.

Nepal has had over 50 general strikes since 1990 after democracy was restored. With today's first two-day general strike--it is to continue tomorrow--analysts say Nepal is headed toward outdoing Bangladesh, which is perhaps the world's number one for organizing strikes.

Media reports said on average a strike costs up to Rs 30 million per day in terms of lost business, damages done to public and private property in Kathmandu Valley alone. nepalnews/NT

Bomb blasts at NC leader's home

Kathmandu, December 31: An explosion rocked the residence of Nepali Congress general secretary Sushil Koirala Sunday evening hours before a general strike called by nine different communist factions. 

Unidentified gunmen also fired several rounds at the residences of two other Nepali Congress leaders Govinda Raj Joshi, a former home minister, and Dilendra Prasad Badu, minister of state. 

Police confirmed the blast at Koirala’s residence and added that the damages were not “very serious”. The blast shattered glasspanes in the building and even those of the neighbours.

Likewise, no one was hurt by the gunshots at the Joshi home but damaged a vechile parked nearby. Police are also said to have found a socket bomb which was defused by a police bomb squad.

One protester was killed as students and police clashed in several terai townships. Over a dozen terai towns remained closed on Sunday while students affiliated with the Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) protested manhandling of people with origins in the terai during the 26-27 December riots in the capital. (www.nepalnews.com/NT) 

Robbery at Trans Himalayan Tours

Kathmandu, Dec.31: Two guards at the Trans Himalayan Tours in the capital have absconded with Rs.1.7 million worth of office equipment and cash in a vault, police said.

The incident occurred Thursday night.Police identified the guards as Padam Kumar Shrestha and Surya Bahadur Nepuane. nepalnews.com br

Share Trading Tumbles

Kathmandu, Dec.31: Trading in shares tumbled during the week ending Thursday. The NEPSE index fell by 6.70 points after opening at 494.71 points on Monday and closed at 488.1 Thursday.
The market was not open Friday on King Birendra's birthday.

Altogether 35,425 shares of 36 listed companies totalling Rs.27.28 million were traded in 484 transactions.

The NEPSE index slightly rose for the first time in one month the previous week. Trading in commercial bank  shares again dominated the market. Altogether 5,985 shares of the General FinanceCo.Ltd. were sold. nepalnews.com br

Dr. Kalayanraj Pandey Elected NMA Chairman

Kathmandu, Dec.31: Dr. Kalayanraj Pandey was unanimously elected chairman of the Nepal Medical Association (NMA) Friday.

Dr. Choplal Bhusal was elected senior vice president, Dr. Kiran Prasad Shrestha vice chairman, Dr. Modnath Marhatta general secretary, Dr.Rajendra Prasad Pant treasurer, Dr.Anil KumarDas joint secretary and Dr. Om Bikram Shah joint treasurer.

They were also elected unanimously. nepalnews.com br

Sadbhavana Party demonstrates in Kathmandu

Kathmandu, Dec 30: Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) demonstrated in Kathmandu Saturday against the recent arson attack on its central office Thursday.

A procession comprising leaders and workers of NSP marched on the streets of  Kathmandu today condemning the vandalisation of its office and demanding immediate halt of such activities.

A group of some unscrupulous people vandalized and set the NSP central office ablaze on Thursday night.

NSP also demanded action against the culprit and compensation.

NSP is the terai-based party that advocates the interest of the Hindi-speaking people in the areas bordering India.

A group of businessmen of Indian origin also met with Prime Minister Koirala today and demanded special security for them following the repeated attacks on their firms and houses by the razed students. Koirala is learnt to have assured them of necessary security arrangements.

Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries and Nepalese Chambers of Commerce have already met the Prime Minister, leader of different political 

parties and requested to discourage the acts of vandalism in the business and industrial establishments. nepalnews.com yl

NSU convention postponed until next month

Kathmandu, Dec 30:The national convention of the Nepal Students’ Union (NSU), student wing of the ruling Nepali Congress party, which was scheduled to begin from Sunday ( December 31) has been postponed for one month because of the crisis in the ruling party.

Central president of the NSU Govinda Bhattarai issued a statement today saying that the convention was postponed for one month as per the instruction of Nepali Congress president and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.

Prime Minister Koirala was scheduled to inaugurate the NSU national convention in Narayangarh of Chitwan Sunday.

The postponed convention would be held on January 26-29 in Narayangarh, according to NSU statement.

The convention was postponed because of the new political crisis in the ruling party following the registration of no confidence motion against Prime Minister Koirala by 56 rival MPs of the Nepali Congress led by Sher Bahadur. nepalnews.com yl

NCC Calls for Security, Other Details

Kathmandu, Dec.30: The Nepal Chamber of Commerce Friday  asked the government to " restore law and order and guarantee security to people and their property" in the wake of anti Indian protests in the capital during the week that killed five persons and injured hundreds.

Protesters, mainly students, also vandalized Indian businesses in the city. "Acts of terrorism, intimidation and creation of a sense of insecurity in industry and business will adversely affect the economy. The Chamber, therefore, requests all responsible forces and political parties to think about the consequences of such violence," the Chamber said in a press statement.

Leftist students Friday evening burnt effigies of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ram Chandra Paudel and demanded his resignation charging him of police excesses during the protests. The protests were triggered by a perceived anti- Nepal and Nepali statement by Bollyhood actor Hritik Roshan who said he never made such a statement over a TV channel.

Despite a Nepali government statement that the so-called remark was only a rumour, Paudel and Communications Minister Jayaprakash Anand surprisingly demanded an apology from the actor.

Meanwhile, reports are coming in from border towns that Indian tourists heading for Kathmandu are returning home out of fear and insecurity.

Nepal Communist Party ( Unified Marxist Leninist), the main opposition in parliament, said Friday it opposes a two-day nation-wide strike called by nine left parties to protest government handling of the riots.

" Repeated strikes will create an adverse public opinion. People will be inconvenienced," the party said.

The strike has been called after a two-day weekend. Businesses and consumers have also protested the planed strike.

Meanwhile, Spacetime Network Pvt. Ltd. resumed transmission on all its channels, including Indian movies, shutdown for some days because of " unusual circumstances," the network said in a statement Friday. The network was also an object of attack. But screening of Hritik Roshan movies continue to be banned nation-wide by government decree. nepalnews.com br

King Birendra honours Everest heroes; artistes

Kathmandu, Dec.29: Four Nepali climbers of Mount Everest fame and two internationally renowned artistes were mentioned in an honour's list coinciding with King Birendra's 56th birthday Friday, a Royal Palace announcement said.

The King awarded the climbers, including two Sherpa women, the Gorkha Dakhsin Bahu medal for their exploits of the 8848 metres high Mount Everest, the world's tallest peak, this spring.

Appa Sherpa broke his own record to climb the mountain for the tenth time. Babu Cheeri Sherpa  established a speed climbing record by climbing the peak in slightly more than 17 hours.

The King also honoured Nepali women climbers of Everest Pema Doma Sherpa and Lakpa Sherpa ; they climbed the peak in May.

The King also honoured famous singer Udit Narayan Jha and Bollywood cine artiste Manisha Koirala.

They were among many Nepalis and foreigners honoured by the King. neplnews.com

Chinese Injured in Clashes

Kathmandu, Dec.30: A Chinese and three Nepalis, including a policemen, were injured in clashes and police firings at the site of the 5 MW Indrawati hydel project in Sindupalckowk district recently, police said.

A Chinese worker of assaulted a labourer and a police following a dispute.

Police fired in the air to control the clashes.

The project is being built by a Chinese company under contract from a private Nepali firm. nepalnews.com br

Families of deceased to get financial assistance

Kathmandu, Dec 30: The government has decided to give financial assistance of Rs. 1,00,000 to the families of those who were killed in the recent police firing in Kathmandu.

Five persons were killed when police opened fire at the demonstration of students in Kathmandu on December 26 and 27.

Students demonstrated against the alleged disparaging remarks of Indian cine actor Hritik Roshan about Nepal and Nepalese people.

The government has also decided to bear the cost of medical treatment of all those who were injured in t he police firing in the same incident.

The Council of Ministers took this decision following a pressure from opposition parties for the same. The main opposition party CPN-UML demanded compensation to the families of deceased and medical treatment of the injured. nepalnews.com yl

Sadbhavana Party’s office set ablaze

Kathmandu, Dec 30: The central office of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) situated in New Baneshwar was set ablaze Thursday evening.

According to NSP, a car parked in front of the office was also burnt in the same incident.

General secretary of NSP Rajesndra Mahato said that a group of unscrupulous people came at about 11 PM Thursday and set the office and the car on fire.

However, local people immediately gathered and called the fire brigade to extinguish the fire. As a result, no other damage could be caused.

Nepal Sadbhavana Party is terai-based party that advocates the interest of Hindi speaking people in southern plain of Nepal bordering India. Police have started investigation into t he incident. However, no one has so far been arrested in connection with this incident. nepalnews.com yl