An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 jet, carrying 149 passengers and eight crew members, has crashed on a flight from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, media reports said.
According to the airlines, the crash happened today, shortly after take-off from Nairobi.
Search and rescue operations were under way, the airlines said.
The airlines said their staff will be sent to the accident site and will do everything possible. (Agencies)
KATHMANDU: Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa brushed aside claims that the government bowed down to ‘foreign pressure’ to make an agreement with CK Raut.
“Let me clarify that the agreement reached with CK Raut is purely our internal affair,” he said while responding to lawmakers’ queries in Sunday’s session of the House of Representatives (HoR).
Home Minister Thapa urged the lawmakers not to misinterpret the words and sentences used in the agreement. He refuted lawmakers’ claim that the 11-point agreement reached with CK Raut contained the word ‘referendum’. He termed the allegation as fake.
“The agreement, in fact, is a great achievement,” Thapa asserted while dismissing allegations that the government bowed down to a separatist force.
Home Minister Thapa said it is not the question of surrendering. “It is a matter of the country’s sovereignty and integrity, which we all should be proud of,” he maintained.
KATHMANDU: Lawmaker Gagan Thapa has sought clarification from the government about the agreement reached with CK Raut.
Thapa said the government needs to clarify its stance, especially on the issue of referendum. “There has been confusions about the term,” Thapa said while speaking at the House of Representatives today.
While it is positive that secessionist CK Raut has entered into mainstream politics, the language used during the deal has created confusions, he added.
“The language in the deal talks about referendum. What is the referendum for? We need an answer,” he demanded.
KATHMANDU: Prime Minister K P Oli has asserted that the signing of the 11-point agreement with secessionist leader C K Raut has brought all political pretensions to an end.
“Be assured, all political pretensions have come to an end now,” PM Oli said at a program in the capital today. “What can be more convivial than this,” PM Oli said referring to Raut’s commitment of joining the mainstream politics by forsaking his separatist movement.
Prime Minister Oli sniffed sarcasm on some people passing “negative comments” on the agreement while he ridiculed them of being suspicious on government’s every move.
Now that, he went on to say, the country is on the path of prosperity and good governance. “Let’s not run behind rumors,” he said adding that there remains no voice of separatists in the country. “Let’s all move ahead in unitedly,” he said.
“Until a couple days back, there was a secessionist group fighting for a separate country. There were voices of secession. Now that the group has expressed its commitment to respect the country’s sovereignty and integrity, and join the mainstream politics,” he said expressing bewilderment over the people’s “suspicious” attitude, “Is it wrong to abandon secessionist movement and make a commitment to the country’s constitution and sovereignty?”
Now that, he went on to say, the country is on the path of prosperity and good governance. “Let’s not run behind rumors,” he said adding that there remains no voice of separatists in the country. “Let’s all move ahead in unitedly,” he said.
Prime Minister Oli also reminisced these old days when all political parties, including the current main opposition Nepali Congress, fought for democracy together. “We currently have an opposition that has always remained together with us during the entire democratic struggle. We have paid a very high price for democracy. We were together in the rallies and prisons. Therefore, let’s walk together for the country’s prosperity,” he urged the opposition.
DHADING: At least three persons were arrested with 105 kilograms of hashish, this morning. A team of police seized the contraband from a bus (Na 5 Kha 2812) bound for Birgunj from Kathmandu at Gajuri along the Prithvi Highway. Those arrested are: bus driver, Lal Bahadur Saha, 45 of Birgunj sub-metropolis, Anil Chaudhary, 35 of Karmeyamai rural municipality-7 and Sriram Saha Kanu of Bindabasini rural municipality-3, according to Nawaraj Dhungel, Inspector of the Area Police Office, Gajuri. The arrest was made in terms of regular security check of vehicles.
KATHMANDU: Over seven hundred foreign employment agencies across the country are halting their works today to protest the bomb blast at the house of a foreign employment agency operator last Friday.
Netra Bikram Chand led Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has claimed the responsibility of the bomb blast at the house of Rohan Gurung, the chairman of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA) last Friday evening. Youth Group Nepal, an organization affiliated with the Chanda led NCP had claimed the responsibility of the incident issuing a press release last Saturday evening.
A powerful bomb blast at the garage of Gurung’s house had left four people injured. Cadres of the Chand’s NCP had demanded money from Gurung as a donation. However, Gurung had refused the demand citing that he was facing financial crisis as Malasiya had stopped hiring workers.
KATHMANDU: President Bidya Devi Bhandari is leaving for the US on Sunday evening to attend a high-level event in New York. The event ‘Women in Power’ is to be hosted by the President of UN General Assembly (PGA) Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces on March 12.
At the event, the President will deliver her speech on the theme “How Women Leaders Change the World.”
In the evening of March 11, the President will attend a welcome dinner to be hosted by the PGA Garces in honor of the women Heads of State/Government.
On the side-lines of the high level event, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and President of the UN General Assembly Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces will call on the President at the UN Secretariat.
The President will also hold bilateral meetings with the President of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid and the President of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic. On the same day, former Prime Minister of Ireland Mary Robinson will call on the President Bhandari.
On the 13th of March, the President will visit Permanent Mission of Nepal to the UN. Ambassador of Nepal to the United States of America, Dr. Arjun Kumar Karki and Permanent Representative of Nepal to the UN, Amrit Bahadur Rai will jointly host reception in the honour of the President.
The delegation comprises Tham Maya Thapa, Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizen, Chairperson of the Women and Social Committee of the House of Representatives Niru Devi Pal, expert at the Office of the President, Laxmi Kumari Karki, Foreign Secretary, Shanker Das Bairagi, Secretary at the Office of the President Binod K.C., Secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies Yam Kumari Khatiwada and other senior officials from: the Office of the President, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizen of the Government of Nepal.
The President will return on March 14 and arrive in Kathmandu on March 15 afternoon.
KATHMANDU: France consented to support Nepal to operate and manage a satellite. Gokul Prasad Baskota, has signed an agreement with France to seek the support and establish a security printing in Nepal.
The French government would provide concessional financial aid and technical support to Nepal in order to enforce its plan to operate and manage the satellite in the orbital slot provided by the International Tele-communications Union.
During his visit to France, a Letter of Intent was signed at the ministerial level to establish a security printing press and operate the satellite. The agreement to establish the security printing was reached between Nepal’s security printing center and the INGROUPE, a company owned by the French government. Likewise, Nepal Telecommunications Authority and Thales Alenia Space of France signed the agreement on operation of the satellite. The work of the security printing shall be completed within three years and that of the satellite within thirty months, said Minister Baskota.
During the bilateral talks held with State Minister Lemonye, matters relating to further consolidating Nepal-France relations through exchange of high-levels visits to mark the 70 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries were discussed.
Minister Baskota also urged the State Minister to encourage French investors to attend the investment summit to be held in Kathmandu from 29 to 30 March.
KATHMANDU: Food aimed for high altitude trekkers and mountaineers is introduced in Nepali market. The packaged food under the brand ‘Trekkers Fuel’ comes in three varieties, as revealed at a press conference today.
The food can be used even for over a decade from the date of buying as it is processed using American technology and 99 per cent of the water in the food is removed. The food is packaged at 40 degrees Celsius temperature, according to tourism entrepreneur and promoter of the brand, Ganesh Simkhada.
The manufacturers pan to introduce 20 more varieties of the food including rice and lentil soup in the near future.
Simkhada said that this food can be used not only by the trekkers and mountaineers but also by security personnel, rescuers and general public as it can be carried and prepared easily. He stressed the need of promoting this type of food.
Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) member Deepak Mahat also recommended the packaged food to the trekkers and mountaineers as it is easy to carry.
The packaged food is ten times lighter in weight, is fortified with protein, does not contain any chemicals and is tasty, especially for high altitude trekkers and climbers, according to its promoters.
RAUTAHAT: Nepal Communist Party (NCP) is backed by the people of Terai, said Prime Minister, KP Sharma Oli at a program here.
Expressing dissatisfaction over Rastriya Janata Party’s (RJP) announcement of withdrawing support to the government Oli said that it is unwise to think that NCP has no firm stand in Terai. “Some people have illusion that NCP is unpopular in Terai. But the fact is NCP leaders fought and died for the cause of Terai-Madhesh,” said Oli adding, “Some four decades back when I fought against Monarchy, people here had sheltered me and fed me.”
He also announced that since the government has launched big development projects the fate of Terai would be changed in four years.
In the meanwhile, speaking at the program Former Prime Minister and the Chairman of NCP, Puspa Kamal Dahal said that Madhesi people are NCP’s property.
“We are launching special package for the development and prosperity of Madhesh. So no one can defeat us from Madhesh in four yours,” he said. The program was organized by NCP Province number two.