news

Fifth round of PM election turns out to be another fiasco; next election on September 5

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 07:09:50 +0100

The fifth round of prime ministerial election also proved futile as both the prime...

Court releases policemen charged of helping convict flee

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 07:18:45 +0100

Kathmandu District Court has released Inspector of Nepal Police Dolraj Shahi along...

Kathmandu District Court has released Inspector of Nepal Police Dolraj Shahi along with four other accomplices charged of helping a convict flee from Dillibazaar prison.

A single of justice Shekhar Prasad Kharel ordered the release of the accused policemen at a bail of Rs 5,000 each and that of major accomplice Rita Rana Magar at a bail of Rs 18,500.

They are charged of helping Peshal Budhathoki, a convict serving jail-term at Dillibazaar prison for fraud, flee from the prison last Saturday.

Rana is Budhathoki's partner. Whether they were legally married or not is not clear.

Others charged of helping Budhathoki flee are constables Chandra Kumar Chaudhary, Bharat Thapa and head constable Raju Rai.

Janai Purnima, Rakcha Bandhan being observed

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 07:17:21 +0100

Thousands of Hindu devotees are thronging temples across the country to observe...

Thousands of Hindu devotees are thronging temples across the country to observe the festival of Janai Purnima, Tuesday.

In Kathmandu, large number of devotees have gathered at religious sites like Pashupatinath, Guheswari and Bhadrakali since early morning to receive blessings and wear religious threads.

On the occassion, a special and grand fair in taking place at the Gosaikunda of Rasuwa today.

Meanwhile, people in Terai celebrate this day as Rakcha Bandhan, a festival in which sisters tie Rakhi on the hands of their brothers praying for the latter's prosperity and long-life.

Maoist CC meeting postponed to Wednesday

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 07:16:11 +0100

The central committee meeting of the Unified CPN (Maoist), which was scheduled to resume from today, has been postponed to Wednesday.

A meeting of the Maoist officer-bearers Tuesday morning decided to postpone the meeting citing lack of preparation.

The CC meeting is to take up party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal's political report which he prepared during his overnight stay at a resort in Dhulikhel.

Sources said party's vice chairman-duo Mohan Baidya and Dr Baburam Bhattarai are also preparing to table separate drafts, countering Dahal's report.

The Maoist CC meeting was postponed on August 11 a day after it started at the party headquarters Peris Danda.

Army chief begins lobbying to stop extension of UNMIN term

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 07:15:01 +0100

Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Chhatraman Singh Gurung has started lobbying to stop...
Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Chhatraman Singh Gurung has started lobbying to stop the extension of the current mandate of United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), Kantipur daily reported.

Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Chhatraman Singh Gurung

CoAS Gurung has met leaders of various political parties other than the Unified CPN (Maoist) representing in the Army Integration Special Committee (AISC) and asked them not to extend the current mandate of UNMIN.

He has met with caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, also the chairman of AISC, caretaker peace minister Rakam Chemjong, UML general secretary Ishwar Pokhrel, and Nepali Congress leaders Minendra Rijal and Ram Sharan Mahat over UNMIN term extension.

At the meetings with the leaders, CoAS has asked them not to extend the term of UNMIN as its role had already completed. He has opined the Maoist combatants staying in the cantonments should be monitored by a secretariat to be formed under the AISC.

He has also talked about UNMIN term extension with Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) joint-chairman Jayaprakash Prasad Gupta and MJF (Loktantrik) leader Jitendra Dev over the phone.

NC leader Mahat said, the CoAS stressed that UNMIN's term should not be extended.

UNMIN's current mandate is ending on September 15.

Five killed in landslides, floods

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 07:13:41 +0100

At least five persons were killed due to floods and landslides triggered by heavy...
At least five persons were killed due to floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in many parts of the country on Monday.

Many more have been injured or missing and hundreds rendered homeless due to natural calamity caused by monsoon rain in the past one month.

Two persons were swept away by rivers in Sindhuli district on Monday.

The deceased have been identified as 17-yr-old Yunita B.K. of Jarayotar and Baubalal Kumar of Dudhauli, reports quoted police as saying. Similarly, one Bhim Khati was swept away by the swollen Garuwa rivulet in Ilam.

A woman has been killed while three others injured in a landslide that took place at Gotri VDC-5 of Bajura district on Monday, according to
state-owned news agency RSS.

The deceased has been identified as Laxmi Singh, 45, who was looking after her cattle when the incident took place.

Similarly, landslide buried Laisi Chepang in Kakada VDC-7 in Makwanpur district.

Over a dozen killed as Lukla-bound plane crashes in Makwanpur

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 06:40:34 +0100

Fourteen persons including eleven passengers and three crew members died on the spot when a Lukla-bound airplane crashed in Shikharapur of Makwanpur this morning as it was returning to Kathmandu after it failed to land on the Lukla airport.

Those killed include Capt. Lucky Shah, co-pilot Sophia Singh, air hostess Sahara Sherpa, and passengers R Rijal, P Humagain, P Bhote, K Rai and P Sherpa. Six foreigners - four Americans, one Japanese and a British national - were also killed in the crash.

The airplane crashed near a small settlement in Shikhapur VDC of the district. Reports say, the plane and body parts of the deceased is scattered all around the crash site.

The crash site is at least two hours walk from the nearest police post. Rescue personnel from Nepal Army and Nepal Police have left for the crash site.

The Dornier 9N-AHE belonging to Agni Air had taken off from Kathmandu airport at 7.05 am. It lost contact with the RADAR at around 7.30 am.

Sources say, the plane had encountered a technical failure in addition to the difficulty due to bad weather. According to reports, the pilot had reported generator failure en route to Lukla and decided to return, but the backup generator also later failed. Generator failure would mean the plane would have lost its cockpit avionics and would be effectively flying blind in rugged terrain and bad weather.

It was going to Simara airport after Kathmandu airport, too, was closed when it returned from Lukla.

The crash site is located about 15 miles south of Kathmandu and at an altitude of 9,000 ft.More information is comming soon...........