KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security is set to scrap the registration of those manpower companies failing to send at least 100 Nepali workers abroad for employment a year.
A meeting of the Law, Justice and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Committee took a decision to this effect last Monday.
Once the provision comes into effect, a total of 411 manpower companies registered at the Department of Foreign Employment will get their licenses scrapped.
According to the record maintained by the (DoFE), these companies have been found sending less than 100 Nepali workers abroad for foreign employment.
Currently, a total of 1,072 manpower companies have been registered at the Department of Foreign Employment.
“Many a manpower company do not send even 100 Nepali workers a year abroad for foreign employment,” Dilip Kumar Chapagain, General Director at the DoFE told Khabarhub, adding, “Many Nepali youths have been duped in the name of foreign employment. We are mulling to amend Foreign Employment Act to end such frauds and other related problems surrounding foreign employment.”
However, Mukunda Khanal, former vice-president of Nepal Foreign Employment Entrepreneurs’ Association, has accused the government of putting restrictions on the manpower agencies by introducing a new provision. “The agencies need to be regulated through an amendment to the Foreign Employment Act but it should not take away entrepreneurs’ right to run the business,” Khanal told Khabarhub.
The ministry has already reached a deal with Nepal Rastra Bank on the deposit and bank guarantee to be furnished by manpower agencies by dividing them into three categories.
According to the agreement, manpower agencies exporting up to 3,000 workers are required to deposit Rs 5 million in government coffers and furnish a bank guarantee of Rs 15 million to start operation.
Similarly, agencies sending 3,000 to 5,000 workers a year are required to park Rs 10 million in state coffers and present a bank guarantee of Rs 30 million to operate their business.
Likewise, those exporting over 5,000 workers annually have to deposit Rs 20 million in state coffers and provide a bank guarantee of Rs 40 million to start operation.
The committee will table the bill at the federal parliament for deliberation. Once it is endorsed by the federal parliament, it will be presented before the President for authentication. Once it is authenticated by the President, it shall come into force.
As many as 30,000 Nepali youths leave Nepal for foreign employment on a monthly basis.
Nepali youths have been working in over 172 different countries across the world.
NUWAKOT: Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Barsha Man Pun said Nepal needs to be self-reliant on energy to reduce the current trade loss.
Speaking after laying the foundation stone of the Upper Trishuli 3B at Kispang Rural Municipality in Nuwakot on Sunday, he said the country needs 10,000 MW of electricity to achieve the government’s two-digit economic growths goal.
The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and the Nepal Telecommunications Company Limited are the major investors of the project.
Minister Pun said the country currently needs 10,000 megawatts electricity for internal consumption.
On the occasion, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Executive Director Kulman Ghising maintained that the completion of the project would ensure reliable and regular power supply.
The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and the Nepal Telecommunications Company Limited are the major investors of the project.
While the NEA and Nepal Telecom have a 30 percent share each, the remaining investment is shared by others, including the local governments in Rasuwa and Nuwakot, locals, financial institutions, and Telecom employees. The cost of the project has been put at Rs 7.44 billion.
POKHARA: Enraged with the banks’ unilateral decision of raising the interest rate on loans, the Pokhara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) have warned of phase-wise agitation if the banks did not decrease the same.
They have given an ultimatum of mid-February to adjust the soaring interest rate on bank loans.
The PCCI had earlier issued a press statement urging the banks to decrease the loan interest rate.
Chairperson of the PCCI Damu Adhikari warned they would be compelled to go for phase-wise agitation if the banks did not bring down the interest rate on loans. He said the soaring interest bank loans will adversely affect their businesses.
The PCCI had earlier issued a press statement urging the banks to decrease the loan interest rate. They have been demanding that the spread rate be brought down to three percent.
NEW YORK – The owner of U.S. tabloid newspaper the National Enquirer pushed back on Friday against accusations of “extortion and blackmail” from Amazon.com Inc Chief Executive Jeff Bezos, saying its reporting on an extramarital relationship involving the world’s richest man was lawful and it would investigate his claims.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan is reviewing whether the alleged extortion violated a non-prosecution agreement, a person familiar with the matter said, confirming an earlier report by Bloomberg News.
Bezos on Thursday accused American Media Inc (AMI) of trying to blackmail him with the threat of publishing “intimate photos” he allegedly sent to his girlfriend unless he said in public that the American supermarket tabloid’s reporting on him was not politically motivated.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan is reviewing whether the alleged extortion violated a non-prosecution agreement, a person familiar with the matter said, confirming an earlier report by Bloomberg News.
AMI signed the agreement with federal prosecutors last year in connection with a $150,000 hush-money payment to a former Playboy model who claims she had an affair with U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump denies the affair.
Bezos opened an investigation into how the messages could have ended up in the hands of the tabloid, led by longtime security consultant Gavin de Becker. De Becker told media that the leak was politically motivated.
The agreement can be voided if AMI commits any crimes. If the agreement is nullified, AMI or its executives could face prosecution for the hush payment and its conduct with Bezos, legal experts said. AMI and its CEO David Pecker have had close links to Trump, who has attacked Bezos, Amazon and the newspaper he owns privately, the Washington Post, on Twitter.
“American Media believes fervently that it acted lawfully in the reporting of the story of Mr. Bezos,” the company said in a statement. Bezos and his wife announced last month that they were divorcing after 25 years of marriage. That same day, the National Enquirer touted it was publishing alleged intimate text messages between Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, a former television anchor whom he was said to be dating.
Bezos opened an investigation into how the messages could have ended up in the hands of the tabloid, led by longtime security consultant Gavin de Becker. De Becker told media that the leak was politically motivated.
In a blog post on Thursday, Bezos cited an email from AMI deputy general counsel, Jon Fine, to a lawyer representing de Becker. In it, AMI proposed a public acknowledgment from Bezos and de Becker that “they have no knowledge or basis for suggesting that (AMI’s) coverage was politically motivated or influenced by political forces.” In return for such an acknowledgment, according to the email, AMI offered “not to publish, distribute, share, or describe unpublished texts and photos,” Bezos said.
Bezos said the statement AMI was proposing was false and described the offer as an “extortionate proposal.” Bezos, Fine, and de Becker were not immediately available for comment. Amazon declined to comment. Shares of the world’s largest online retailer were down 1.8 percent at $1,584.74.
But criminal defense lawyer Page Pate said what AMI sought to gain from Bezos was “too fuzzy” and would not be enough to put them in violation of the non-prosecution deal. “I don’t think there is a clear enough hook to show that what they wanted from Bezos was a thing of value,” Pate said.
Extortion typically involves an effort to obtain property, services, money or some other benefit by threatening violence, reputational harm or other injury, although definitions can vary across state and federal laws.
In Florida, where American Media is based, extortion includes maliciously threatening targets with disgrace, or to expose their secrets. In Washington state, where Amazon is based, it includes threatening to expose secrets that may subject targets to hatred, contempt or ridicule, or reveal information that the targets wanted to conceal.
Federal law defines extortion as someone seeking or actually obtaining “property” through the “wrongful use” of actual or threatened force, violence or fear. “Property” can be something of value not limited to a tangible object or money.
Elie Honig, a former prosecutor, argued in a column on CNN that the actions alleged by Bezos amounted to extortion because the act of stopping Bezos’ investigation was of value to AMI and AMI’s threat of exposing lurid photos met the “wrongful” test.
But criminal defense lawyer Page Pate said what AMI sought to gain from Bezos was “too fuzzy” and would not be enough to put them in violation of the non-prosecution deal. “I don’t think there is a clear enough hook to show that what they wanted from Bezos was a thing of value,” Pate said.
On Friday, AMI said that at the time of Bezos’ allegations it was “in good faith negotiations to resolve all matters with him.” “In light of the nature of the allegations published by Mr. Bezos, the Board has convened and determined that it should promptly and thoroughly investigate the claims. Upon completion of that investigation, the Board will take whatever appropriate action is necessary,” it added. (Reuters)
DOLPA: Massive snowfall that occurred in the Karnali region has crippled air services. The Jufal airport in the district could not operate due to accumulation of snow on the airfield. Heavy snowfall that occurred from this morning has also obstructed the regular flights to and from the airport.
Thick snow that has piled up on the runway has obstructed the landing while extremely poor visibility has affected the flights to and from the airport, Bal Kumar Sharma Civil Aviation office Jufal chief said. There were slim chances of resuming the air services for few days. The snowfall and chilling cold have created difficulties to the locals. The same scenario has been seen in Jumla, Humla and Mugu districts as well.
Meanwhile, the preparation classes being run for students appearing in the SEE exams have also been affected due to cold. The students are failing to attend the classes at school, said Deepak Parajuli, a teacher at Janaprabha secondary school Liku, headmaster.
KATHMANDU: Casinos operating in various places, including Kathmandu are yet to settle over Rs 1.32 billion in revenue.
Casinos, which were operated by flouting the government’s rules, had remained closed for a certain period of time. However, the casinos resumed their operation following the Supreme Court’s interim order not to close down the mini-casinos operated by three and four-star hotels.
According to the Casino Regulations 2013, casinos are required to renew their license every year by paying 50 percent of the operating license fee. Likewise, the operators are required to apply for the renewal a month before its expiry, the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) stated.
While big casinos and mini-casinos are yet to settle their outstanding royalty of around Rs 20 million and Rs 10 million respectively.
According to the OAG report, five companies are yet to clear the arrears amounting to Rs 70 million in renewal fee this year. Casinos operators are required to pay an annual royalty of Rs 30 million as set by the Financial Act 2017-18.
Currently, a total of 29 casinos are yet to clear a total of Rs 290 million dues, according to Bishnu Prasad Rijal, the spokesperson at the OAG. However, the Department of Tourism has not taken action against them.
While big casinos and mini-casinos are yet to settle their outstanding royalty of around Rs 20 million and Rs 10 million respectively.
Sources at the Department of Tourism said only those casinos operating by taking advantage of the SC interim order have been found flouting the rules. The OAG has accused the Department of Tourism of failing to take action against them.
Director General of the Department of Tourism, Dhundi Raj Ghimire states, “It is, in fact, challenging to collect revenue from the casinos. Earlier, the Internal Revenue Department was collecting revenues from casinos. Currently, the Department of Tourism collects revenue from the casinos.”
Ghimire claimed that there have been some positive indications since he took charge as the Director General of the Department of Tourism. The Department has raised a total of 1.13 billion so far, including Rs 660 million last year.
It has also been revealed that casinos are being operated from four places with a single license. As per the provision in the Finance Act, a casino can be operated from only one place with a single license.
The following casinos are yet to clear the outstanding dues, and have been operating for the last two and a half years following the Supreme Court’s interim order.
Hotel Yak and Yeti Casino
Radisson Hotel Casino Rad
Casino Rock International
Happy Hour Mini Casino
Central Media Pvt. Ltd.
LONDON : Japanese carmaker Nissan is cancelling plans to make the next model of its X-Trail sports utility vehicle in Britain, less than two months before the country is due to leave the European Union, broadcaster Sky News said on Saturday.
Nissan first said four months after Britain voted in June 2016 to leave the EU that it would manufacture a new model of the SUV in Britain, which was seen as a major vote of confidence in the country’s manufacturing future.
The main production plant for the current X-Trail is in Japan, while Nissan’s plant in Sunderland, northeast England, makes the smaller Qashqai SUV and other models. “Precise details of Nissan’s impending announcement were unclear this weekend, but sources said it was likely to initially involve abandoning the X-Trail production plans which had been announced in the autumn of 2016,” Sky reported.
A UK-based spokesman for Nissan declined to comment. Sky said the announcement due on Monday was not expected to lead to immediate job losses at the Sunderland plant, as the X-Trail is not currently made there, but would raise doubts about further Nissan investment in Britain.
As well as the X-Trail, Nissan said in 2016 it would build the next generation Qashqai SUV in Britain after receiving government assurances over Brexit, in what was seen at the time as a boost for Prime Minister Theresa May.
Tesla to sell cheaper Model 3 in China
However, the failure of Britain’s government so far to negotiate a smooth exit plan from the European Union has made car manufacturers less willing to use Britain as a European manufacturing center. Investment in Britain’s car industry halved last year, data showed on Thursday, and car production by Nissan in Britain fell by more than 10 percent.
Industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said leaving the EU on March 29 without a transition deal to preserve the smooth flow of parts and finished vehicles across EU borders would cause “permanent devastation” to the British car industry.
(Reuters)
KATHMANDU: The national flag-carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has obtained an air operator’s certificate (AOC) by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) to conduct flights to Japan. According to NAC assistant spokesperson Nawaraj Koirala, its new A 330 wide-body aircraft was granted the AOC for Kathmandu-Osaka flights on Friday.
The NAC had purchased two wide-body aircrafts on different dates in the past eight months. The NAC would very soon seek permission from an aviation regulating body abroad (Japan) towards that end. It plans to launch the Kathmandu-Osaka flight in the next one month.
It dreams of operating the Kathmandu-China flight as well by the end of March. The NAC has already managed human resources to handle the flights in both destinations. A list of NAC presently available foreign flights includes New Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangkok and Qatar.
The process is underway to connect China, South Korea, and the Saudi Arabia with the NAC straight flights in near future. It presently owns two international wide-body aircrafts, two narrow-body aircrafts and one Boeing for the operations of international flights.
TOKYO, Jan. 30: The operator of Japan’s All Nippon Airways said Tuesday it has decided to order a total of 48 aircraft from Boeing and Airbus for deliveries from 2021 through 2025.
ANA Holdings said it would buy 30 Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes and 18 Airbus A320neo units, citing growing demand in the region and increased inbound tourism to Japan.
The company said the 30 Boeing jets would have a catalogue price of 383 billion yen ($3.5 billion), adding that the firm has so far confirmed orders for 20 units, with an option to buy 10 more.
The 18 Airbus orders are all confirmed, but their engines are yet to be decided, the company said. For now, the Airbus deal has a catalogue price of 166 billion yen, ANA Holdings said.
The deal makes ANA the first Japanese buyer of the Boeing model, while the Airbus A320neo already serves ANA’s international routes. The company praised the fuel efficiency of the two models. (AFP/RSS)
BEIJING, Jan. 30: Japanese automaker Toyota Tuesday began a recall of 4,682 Lexus sedans imported into China due to defective airbags, according to China’s market regulator.
Filed by Toyota Motor (China) Investment Co., the recall will involve one Lexus IS 250C manufactured on Jan. 15, 2014, and 4,681 Lexus GX 400 manufactured between Jan. 6, 2014 and Feb. 13, 2017, the State Administration of Market Regulation said in a statement.
The front passenger airbags, produced by Japanese manufacturer Takata, have defective inflators that could fracture and send potentially fatal shrapnel into passengers when airbags are activated, the administration said.
Defective Takata airbags have been linked to a number of deaths and injuries worldwide, prompting massive recalls of affected vehicles throughout the world.
The company will replace the defective airbags free of charge. (Xinhua/RSS)