Maya Kumari Sharma
A Council of Ministers’ meeting Thursday decided to call back Nepal’s controversial ambassador to Qatar, Maya Kumari Sharma three years ahead of her tenure in the Gulf country.
According to Cabinet officials, the decision was taken amid protests from Nepalis living in Qatar to call back the ambassador, who allegedly failed to promote welfare of Nepali migrant workers in Qatar.
Earlier, UCPN (Maoist) chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Sept. 20 instructed Sharma, appointed under the UCPN (M) quota, to return home following series of controversies surrounding her.
According to news reports, Dahal telephoned Sharma himself and requested her to return. Sharma was first engulfed in controversy, as she termed Qatar an “open jail” going beyond the diplomatic protocols she had to maintain. Similarly, her rude behavior to Nepali migrant workers also came under sharp criticism.
As Dahal himself instructed her to return, it eased the task of the government and in particular, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to call her back, according to analysts.
Sharma was appointed Nepali ambassador to Qatar on 9 May 2012 for four years’ term. She holds Ph.D. and Masters Degree in economics from Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand in India and is a permanent resident of Kanchanpur district in far-west Nepal.
Sharma could not be reached for immediate comments. Nepalnews.com
The death toll of a powerful earthquake that hit Pakistan’s southwest province of Balochistan on Tuesday afternoon has risen to 348 as 20 more bodies were recovered by rescue teams in the quake-hit areas, local media quoted an official as saying on Thursday.
Pakistani survivors search for household items in the debris of their destroyed houses in the earthquake-devastated district of Awaran in southwest Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Sept. 25, 2013. (Xinhua/Asad)
Pakistani survivors search for household items in the debris of their destroyed houses in the earthquake-devastated district of Awaran in southwest Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Sept. 25, 2013. (Xinhua/Asad)
Abdul Rasheed Gadozai, deputy commissioner of Awaran, a district which was worst hit by the quake, told local media that 20 more bodies were recovered from a collapsed building in Mashkai, a small town in Awaran, late Wednesday night.
As of 6:30 p.m. (local time) Wednesday, 328 people were confirmed dead in the earthquake and 445 were injured, said the country’s top disaster management organ National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in a press release.
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Awaran district and its five neighbouring districts in Balochistan at about 4:30 p.m. (local time) Tuesday, leaving hundreds of houses leveled to the ground, including a number of schools.
In Mashkai, 40 students of a school were killed in the earthquake while attending classes, said local media.
Officials from local meteorological department said Tuesday’s earthquake is the strongest in Pakistan in the past seven years.
The provincial government of Balochistan and the federal government of Pakistan have reacted swiftly to the catastrophe. Nearly 2,000 troops including 1,600 from the Army and 300 from Navy have been dispatched to the affected area. A Forward Operating Base has been set up in Khuzda in central Balochistan to oversee the rescue and relief operations in the affected region. Hundreds of tons of relief goods including food, tents, water, medicines have been sent to the affectees.
The international community including China, Turkey and Iran have expressed great concerns about the disaster in Pakistan and promised to offer help if needed.
An international election observation mission for November19 Constituent Assembly election has been launched by the U.S. based Carter Center, saying that it will help in “reassuring” the Nepali people that their efforts to draft a new constitution won’t go futile.
The election observation mission was launched at the invitation of Interim Election Council Chair Khil Raj Regmi and the Election Commission of Nepal and political parties, the Carter Center said.
“The Carter Center hopes that this election observation mission will reassure the Nepalese people that their efforts to draft a new constitution can succeed. Competitive and peaceful elections for a new constituent assembly are the best chance for Nepal to get back on the path to democracy and development,” said Carter Center Democracy Program Associate Director David Pottie.
The Center said that it deployed this week 12 long-term observers across Nepal, placing teams in the five development regions and a roaming team in the Terai region, to gain firsthand knowledge of the activities of the election commission, political parties, civil society organisations, and the international community, as well as other citizen and international election observation missions.
These 12 observers, representing eight countries, will be joined by an additional 40 short-term observers shortly before the elections. The Center said it will release periodic public statements on electoral findings, which will be available at www.cartercenter.org.
“The early deployment of long-term observers will allow the Center to assess pre-election preparations. The Carter Center also will closely monitor legal and political developments that may impact the election, as well as partner with national organizations to advance citizen election observation skills and training,” the Center said in a press statement.
The Center observed Nepal’s 2008 constituent assembly election and has remained present conducting long-term political and constitutional monitoring to June 2013. Over the course of that project, The Carter Center issued more than 20 public reports on issues including security, federalism, identity-based politics, voter registration, and land ownership, among others. Nepalnews.com/ag
As nobody is contesting against the incumbent president of All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) during the election to top leadership of the soccer’s governing body in Nepal,, Ganesh Thapa has retained the coveted post for the sixth consecutive time.
Thapa has been unanimously elected ANFA president for another four year term. He was first elected to the post in 1994.
Thapa was the only candidate to file nomination for the post to president while 22 candidates filed nominations for the post of eight vice-presidents and 37 candidates had filed their nominations for the 22 executive committee members by Wednesday, the last day for filing candidacy.
ANFA will formally endorse the election of one president, eight vice-presidents and 22 executive committee members through the upcoming general assembly on October 24. However, General Secretary, Chief Executive Officer, Treasurer and other officers will be nominated after the election.
Lalit Krishna Shrestha, Ganesh Bahadur Chand, Sunil Shumsher Rana, Kiran Rai, Basant Aryal, Kishor Rai, Hari Prasad Shrestha, Dipaka Khati, Bijay Narayan Manandhar, Narendra Shrestha, Mahesh Bista, Mani Kunwar, Ratna Shumsher Rana, Kumar Jung Thapa, Gobardan Singh Samjhana, Dipak Lamshal, Karma Chhiring Sherpa, Sunil Kapali, Bir Bahadur Khadka, Suresh Prasad Ligel, MB Gurung and Ganesh Bahadur Bhattarai are contesting for the post of vice-president. Nepalnews.com
An Air Dynasty helicopter while on a sightseeing trip, posted on the company’s Facebook page.
A helicopter crashed while the pilot was landing on Tenzing-Hillary Airport in mountainous Lukla region of Solukhumbu district on Thursday morning.
The 9N-AEX Air Dynasty chopper, which flew from Kathmandu for Lukla early today morning with three passengers and a crew member, met with the accident after its rear rotor touched the barbwire of a compound wall at the airport while landing, according to District Police Office, Solukhumbu.
Those on board have been identified as DG Sherpa, Anita Sherpa, Lakpa Sonam Sherpa, and helicopter pilot Captain Arun Malla. According to Air Dynasty, DG Sherpa had suffered serious wounds while the remaining three had minor injuries.
Another Air Dynasty helicopter, that was stationed at the airport at the time of the accident, has already brought the four back to Kathmandu. DG Sherpa was admitted to Vavodaya Hospital in Kathmandu and is in stable condition right now.
Authorities from the Civil Aviation Authority are investigating the cause of the accident. Nepalnews.com/ag
Rajan Mukarung
Noted litterateur Rajan Mukarung has bagged the prestigious Madan Puraskar for the year 2069 B.S. for his Nepali language novel ‘Damini Bhir’, according to an announcement on Saturday.
A decision to this effect was taken by a general meeting of Madan Puraskar Trust.
“Mukarung has been selected for the award for vividly depicting the lives of marginalized Nepalis and making special contribution to Nepali novel literature,” said a statement issued from the Trust.
Born in the hilly district of Bhojpur in east Nepal Mukarung is active in Nepali literature since long.
Reacting to the announcement of the award, Mukarung said his aim is “to bring originality in Nepali literature so as to utilize our own cultural beauty.”
‘Damini Bhir’ is a novel that depicts the circumstances, psychology and practices of Nepali society during transitional phase.
Similarly, Jagadamba Shree Puraskar 2069 has been given away to Ratna Shumsher Thapa for contributing to Nepali language by writing songs and poems for the past five decades. nepalnews.com
Baburam Bhattarai
KP Oli
CPN-UML senior leader KP Oli and UCPN (Maoist) senior leader Baburam Bhattarai have been recommended from their respective parties to contest the Constituent Assembly elections from Bhaktapur Constituency-2.
According to RSS, along with Oli, CPN-UML has recommended Mahesh Basnet, the chairman of Youth Association Nepal for the same constituency.
Oli has already been recommended from Jhapa, while Bhattarai has been recommended from Gorkha.
As for Bhaktapur’s Constituency-1, UCPN (M) has recommended its senior leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha, while Nepal Workers and Peasants’ Party (NWPP) has recommended Narayan Man Bijukchhe, who is a regular winner from the constituency.
The NWPP has been making preparations to make its secretary Sunil Prajapati a candidate from Bhaktapur Constituency-2, it is learnt.
Likewise, Nepali Congress has recommended Binod Kayastha, the president of Tarun Dal to contest the polls from Bhaktapur Constituency-2. Nepalnews.com
24WWF Nepal has announced the names of awardees for this year’s Abraham Conservation Awards, Matthew Preece & Yeshi Choden Lama Young Conservation Leader Award, WWF Media in Conservation Award and a Special Conservation Award.
The awardees included five individuals and one organisation that had made exemplary contributions to biodiversity conservation in Nepal.
“For conservation efforts to thrive, leadership of individuals and organizations right at the grassroots level is an imperative. This is where energies need to be focused as well as harnessed for greater conservation impact” stated Mr. Anil Manandhar, Country Representative of WWF Nepal. “The Conservation Awards, now in its 19th year, celebrate the power of the human spirit to create change for the sake of a living planet.”
Under the Abraham Conservation Awards, Sundari Community Forest Users Group from Amarapuri in Nawalparasi was provided the award under the organization category while Dr. Indra Prasad Sapkota, Planning Officer at the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, and Prakash BK, a social mobilizer, were provided awards under the individual category.
Senior Journalist at Annapurna Post, Pitamber Sigdel was awarded the WWF Media in Conservation Award. Bikash Pathak Chhetri, coordinator of the Community-Based Anti-Poaching Unit under Kerunga Buffer Zone Users Committee in Chitwan, was awarded the Matthew Preece & Yeshi Choden Lama Young Conservation Leader Award.
A Special Conservation Award was also conferred upon Chandra Kala Budha, Treasurer at Taranga-Siddhachuli Buffer Zone Users Community in Bardia.
“While I am honored to receive this award, I must mention that all my efforts in conservation would be incomplete without the support of the local communities who have shown tremendous commitment towards protecting Nepal’s rich biodiversity,” stated Dr. Indra Prasad Sapkota, one of the awardees of the Abraham Conservation Awards. “It is all the more important to address the needs of the local communities, especially in the context of human-wildlife conflict which is one of our immediate challenges, whereby their ownership towards biodiversity conservation can be sustained.”
The Conservation Awards are offered to organizations and individuals to honor their outstanding feats in the field of conservation in areas such as natural resource management, biodiversity protection, social mobilizationand journalism. The award holds a citation and cash prize of NRs. 25,000 for individuals and NRs. 50,000 for organisations.
26Four projects helping to improve water supply and sanitation services, air safety standards and the lives of the rural poor and farmers in Nepal have been recognized for excellence in delivering results by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The projects that won the awards are the Rural Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Sector Project, the Community Managed Irrigated Agriculture Sector Project and the Second Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project and the Air Transport Capacity Enhancement Project all of which are supported by ADB.
Finance Secretary Shanta Raj Subedi presented the Outstanding Project Management Team Awards to the winning teams at a special ceremony held in conjunction with ADB’s annual Country Portfolio Review meeting organized by ADB with the Government of Nepal in Kathmandu Thursday.
“These awards recognize the projects teams’ efficiency in implementation and achievement of targets,” said Kenichi Yokoyama, ADB’s Country Director for Nepal. “We appreciate the efforts made by the project teams in delivering the desired results on the ground as well as enhancing overall portfolio performance.”
The Rural Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Sector Project is helping to reduce poverty in isolated areas of Nepal by improving connectivity, enhancing economic and employment opportunities, and increasing rural access to markets and social services.
The Second Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project is helping to improve access to water and sanitation services in 20 small towns by developing additional water sources, construction of water treatment facilities and storage tanks, private latrines, public toilets, wastewater management facilities, and storm water drainage.
The Community Managed Irrigated Agriculture Sector Project is helping improve the agriculture productivity and sustainability of existing small and medium farmer managed irrigation systems suffering from low water deficiency and cropping intensity. A total of 178,285 farmers are expected to benefit from the improved water accessibility.
The Secondary Town Integrated Urban Environmental Improvement Project is helping improve the quality of urban life in key regional centers through effective, efficient, and reliable delivery of improved and affordable municipal services.
Similarly, the Air Transport Capacity Enhancement Project is helping improve the country’s airports and civil aviation safety standards. The project is helping to improve safety and capacity at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu, and three domestic airports – Lukla, Rara and Simikot – that serve remote areas inaccessible by road.
The Country Portfolio Review meeting, attended by the staff of ADB and the Government of Nepal, reviewed the status of implementation of all ADB-assisted projects/programs. The meeting also examined and discussed country-specific common project implementation challenges and prepared a time-bound action plan with quantifiable monitoring targets to improve portfolio performance and delivery of results on the ground.
ADB has worked in partnership with the Government of Nepal since the country joined ADB as a founding member in 1966. ADB began lending to Nepal in 1969. As of 31 August 2013, Nepal has received 163 loans/grants—126 sovereign Asian Development Fund (ADF) loans ($3 billion), 5 non-sovereign loans ($58.64 million), and 32 ADF grants ($798.25 million) totaling $3.9 billion.
ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members – 48 from the region. Nepalnews.com
Newly appointed Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Ranjit Rae, submitted his Letter of Credence to Prime Minister Ram Baran Yadav amidst a special ceremony held at the Office of the President at Shital Niwas on Wednesday.
Newly appointed Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Ranjit Rae, stands with President Ram Baran Yadav after presenting his credentials at Shital Niwas on Wednesday. nepalnews.com/rh
Newly appointed Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Ranjit Rae, stands with President Ram…
Rae arrived in Kathmandu on Monday, formally succeeding Jayant Prasad. Nepal is Rae’s third ambassadorial assignment after Vietnam and Hungary. However, he has been previously involved with Nepal as the Joint Secretary (North), overlooking India’s relation with Nepal and Bhutan. He held the position from 2002 to 2006, a crucial time in Nepali politics when the process to bring the Maoists into mainstream politics began.
At the ceremony, the President also accepted Letters of Credence from Dr. Urs Herren, Ms. Kirsten Rosenvold and Mr. Sami Mohammed Al-Sulaiman, ambassadors from the Swiss Confederation, Kingdom of Denmark and State of Kuwait respectively.
The Indian, Swiss and Danish ambassadors are residential while the Ambassador from Kuwait resides in New Delhi with concurrent accreditation to the Court of Nepal.
Minister for Foreign affairs and Home Affairs Madhav Prasad Ghimire , Army Chief Gaurav Shamsher Rana and other senior officials were present on the occasion. nepalnews.com