KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court issued an interim order on Tuesday against the implementation of the minimum wages to other staffs except working journalists at the national media.
The SC issued the interim order in response to a writ filed by Mohan Chandra Singh of Image Channel Pvt against the facility of working journalists to other staffs at media houses.
A single bench of Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana issued the order stating that the issue of the implementation of minimum wages to other staffs except working journalists at media houses was under consideration.
The interim order has, therefore, barred the media houses not to implement the provisions of the minimum wages for other staffs in the media houses unless the final decision was made.

KATHMANDU: Members of the Tamang community on Tuesday celebrated Sonam Lhosar with fervor in Kathmandu. Several programs were organized across the nation on the occasion.

Celebrating Sonam Lhosar in traditional attire in Kathmandu

Women clad in their traditional attires pose for a portrait during Sonam Lhosar celebration in Kathmandu.

KATHMANDU: Secretary of State, Michael R. Pompeo has extended wishes to the peoples in Bhutan, Nepal, India, and the Tibetan areas of the People’s Republic of China on the occasion of Sonam Losar festival.

“On behalf of the Government of the United States of America, I offer my warmest wishes to the peoples of the Himalayan region and Tibetans throughout the world — including those in Bhutan, Nepal, India, and the Tibetan areas of the People’s Republic of China — in celebrating Losar,” a statement issued by Secretary Pompeo read.
The statement adds: “As you, your families, and your communities gather this year to celebrate the New Year, know that the United States remains your steadfast partner and friend.”

Meanwhile, at a time when the US has raised concern over the statement of Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Chairman of Nepal Communist Party, on Venezuela political crisis, Ambassador Randy Berry and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Gyawali jointly launched a training series on English and operational skills for tourist police, immigration officers, and tourism officials in Kathmandu.

Photo: US Embassy in Kathmandu

The series of training in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan, and Lumbini is expected to reach around 180 immigration officers, tourism officials, and tourist police, according the US Embassy in Kathmandu. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ambassador Berry said, “As Nepal’s economy continues to strengthen and as it welcomes more and more international visitors, it is more important than ever that those on the front lines are able to communicate and resolve problems in English.”

KATHMANDU: French Ambassador to Nepal, François-Xavier LEGER, presented an autographed book by Pierre Mazeaud, the first French alpinist to reach the top of Mount Everest in 1978, to Prime Minister KP Oli today.

The gesture has been made to ‘bring higher and further the Nepal-France relationship’, according to the French Embassy in Nepal. Shrinkhala Khatiwada, the Goodwill Ambassador for the 70th anniversary Nepal-France relationship and a youth icon, accompanied Ambassador LEGER on the occasion.

French Ambassador to Nepal François-Xavier LEGER (L), youth icon Shrinkhala Khatiwada (C) with Prime Minister K P Oli. (Photo: French Embassy)

Nepal and France share a long common history of cooperation in the domain of alpinism and is vital to the bilateral relationship.

KATHMANDU: In what can be dubbed as a shocking revelation, over 15, 000 Nepalese women are trafficked to third countries, via India each year, according to a record maintained by the Metropolitan Police Crime Division (MPCD).

Trafficking of Nepali women migrant workers via India skyrocketed following the government’s ban on the out-migration of Nepali women in the Middle East countries as domestic workers.

The data shows trafficking of Nepali women to the Middle East, European and African countries by unscrupulous agents is on the rise, thereby exposing migrant women into risks. This has created a nightmarish situation for both Nepali and Indian police.

Trafficking of Nepali women migrant workers via India skyrocketed following the government’s ban on the out-migration of Nepali women in the Middle East countries as domestic workers.

With the rise in the number of trafficking cases, police officials in India and Nepal have intensified their activities in curbing the trafficking racket. Special Bureau of Indian police had arrested Lopsang Lama, a Nepali agent from India last month. Lama had been sending Nepali women to various third countries via India.

Delhi Commission for Women had rescued 16 Nepali women in July last year. Lama had arranged to send the women to various countries in the Middle East via India. This came to the fore when they informed the police about Lama, who had so far sent more than 24 women to various countries charging Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 each, according to Indian police.

Likewise, it should be recalled that the Delhi Commission for Women along with the local police rescued 73 Nepali women from New Delhi in August last year.

Similarly, in the same year, Maiti India rescued 37 Nepali women from three buildings in Indrapuram area of Ghaziabad. The women were hidden by the agents in a group of 17, 13 and 7, according to Balkrishna Pandey at Maiti India.

“It is difficult to control trafficking of women since they get lured by unscrupulous agents and follow illegal ways,” said Dr Narayan Regmi, spokesperson at the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security. He further maintained that the ministry is working on a strategy to stop the trafficking of migrant women. Shockingly, it has also been revealed that the family members and neighbors are found to be assisting the traffickers.

Following the strict vigil by Indian police, the agents are adopting the strategy of trafficking Nepali women via Bangladesh of late.

Those women migrating for work via India to third countries are mostly uneducated, poor, and are uninformed about the procedures of foreign employment, according to Rajkumar Silwal at the Central Investigation Bureau. “Since the gullible women do not check the facts regarding foreign employment, they often get into trouble,” he said.

However, a majority of the rescued women are reluctant to share the details of the traffickers, he added.

KATHMANDU: The Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) has taken action against a total of 6,664 taxi drivers for unfair business practices and in various traffic rule violations in Kathmandu in the current fiscal year.

According to the MTPD, traffic police booked the taxi drivers for operating taxis without the mandatory seal on fare-meter, refusal to provide short distance service to passengers, tampering with and using defunct meter, and bargaining over fare without turning on the meter among others.

The MTPD had taken action against 8,120 taxi drivers in the last fiscal year 2074/75 BS. According to the MTPD Chief and Senior Superintendent of Office (SSP) Basanta Panta, noose was tightened against those taxi drivers trying to fleecing the passengers. He said, “We have been deploying some 40-50 traffic personnel to keep a close watch on such taxi drivers.”

Such unscrupulous taxi drivers are fined Rs 3,000. The taxi drivers charging arbitrarily or exorbitantly for five times would recommended by the MTPD to the Office of Transport Management for scrapping the license of taxi drivers.

Likewise, those taxi drivers bargaining over fare without turning on the meter or using defunct meters were finned Rs 500- Rs 1500. The MTPD has also urged the passengers to load the complaint at traffic control room (103) in case of above-mentioned circumstances with the taxi drivers.

BANKE: A person was killed when he came under the attack of a Royal Bengal Tiger at Badjaiyatal rural municipality-2 of Bardiya district. The victim is 71-year-old Chandra Bahadur Shahi. Thirty-year-old Bijaya Budha from the same locality has been injured by the tiger believed to have come from the jungle across the border with India. Budha has sustained injuries to his head, back and neck due to the tiger’s mauling.
Both Shahi and Budha, severely injured in the tiger attack, were brought to the Nepalgunj Medical College Teaching Hospital for treatment. Shahi died in course of treatment.
The Royal Bengal Tiger had attacked the duo Monday evening near the bridge on the way to Sitapur from Gaughat, in-charge of the Police Post Jamuni, Sub-Inspector Lokendra Karki said. The tiger had pounced on Budha immediately after attacking Shahi, according to Ganesh Rai, a local.

KATHMANDU: The Nepal Communist Party (NCP) says it stands by the viewpoint of party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on the political crisis in Venezuela.

A statement issued by the party today said NCP was committed on the UN Charter and Principle of Panchasheel. It added that NCP respects sovereignty, freedom and geographical integrity of a country and that there should not be any foreign intervention on the Venezuelan crisis.

Party chairman Dahal had last week termed the move of the US an ‘unacceptable intrusion in internal matters’. Spokesperson of the party Narayan Kaji Shrestha said NCP believes that there should not be any external interference over internal affairs of any country and the people of that country should resolve the problems in a peaceful manner.

Meanwhile, the party has instructed the task force formed to conclude the remaining work of the party merger process to submit details of work progress within February 12. A meeting of the party secretariat held at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar today directed the task force to submit the work progress made so far, according to Shrestha. The party had on December 27 formed a nine-member taskforce under the coordination of Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa to submit suggestions on the remaining party merger process. A press statement issued by the party said that the party secretariat would take a necessary decision after receiving the report along with details of work progress and the report would be presented at the standing committee meeting.

PARSA: Police have arrested nine persons on the charge of their involvement in illegal activities in the district.
The District Police Office, Parsa, arrested Ram Balak Prasad Bin, Somal Thing of Thaha municipality of Makawanpur, Mayank Bajpai, Minidun Ansari and Amarullaha Anntrol drug trafficking and smuggling goods at the border areas of India, and Dipendra Paneru of Kanchanpur. Similarly, other arrested are Rishi Subedi, Kumar Rai and Sujan Rai.

The Parsa police has made them public today. Five persons were arrested with 21 Kg marijuana, one with Nitravet tablets, and three with clothes worth Rs 3.3 million brought illegally after evading tax.

Bin, Thing and Bajpai were arrested with 11 kg of cannabis from Ranight of Birgunj while Mainudin and Amarullah with 10 kg of hashish from Birgunj Metropolitan City, said Superintendent of Police, Rewati Dhakal.

Similarly, Paneru was nabbed with 900 tablets of Nitravet from Inaruwa while Rishi, Kumar and Sujan were held with clothes worth Rs 3.3 million from the truck (Lu 1 Kha 3310) from Thori rural municipality.
Rishi is owner of the truck while Kumar and Sujan are driver and assistant respectively.

Necessary investigation was underway against six persons arrested with drugs after keeping at the District Police Office, Parsa.

Likewise, preparation was underway to send three arrested with illegal clothes at Revenue Office for necessary action. (RSS)

SINDHUPALCHOWK: Reconstruction works have been expedited to bring into operation the Tatopani checkpoint, an important Nepal-China border checkpoint, by the first week of May.

The Tatopani checkpoint had been closed following the 2015 earthquake that devastated physical infrastructures on both sides of the checkpoint.

Chinese SCRC Construction Company has been entrusted to reconstruct damaged physical infrastructures at the Tatopani checkpoint.

It has been almost four years since the checkpoint was closed after the mega earthquake destroyed its infrastructures including facilities on April 25, 2015.

The infrastructures of historical Nepal-China border checkpoint suffered further damages following the Bhotekoshi floods that occurred on July 6, 2016. The floods damaged Kodari Highway, delaying the construction works further.

The floods had damaged Miteri bridge connecting Nepal to China. The reconstruction of this historical bridge is underway. “We will complete the reconstruction works of infrastructures by the last week of April and that the Tatopani checkpoint will probably come into operation by the first week of May,” said an official of SCRC.

According to an official at the Department of Roads, the China government has expedited reconstruction of infrastructures including roads and customs office buildings.  Nepal government has also directed the Department of Roads to complete the infrastructure on Nepal side as soon as possible.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had signed a deal with China government in this regard. During Oli’s official visit to China last year, Foreign Secretary Shaker Das Bairagi and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou had signed a deal on bringing Tatopani checkpoint into operation, including the construction of Miteri bridge.

Prior to the devastating earthquake, Nepal used to import goods worth over 20 billion through this checkpoint, yielding about Rs. 2 billion in revenue for Nepal.