Though the Nepalese Cricket has just 12 years International background, the cricket vibes here is not less than any cricket crazy countries. Excellent results in the International arena, big business houses coming into game and many youths carrying the wooden bat is just an example how Nepalese cricket is booming in Nepal.

Recently the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) gave the final touch to long-aimed Ladies Cricket tournament, which was won by Nepalgunj team. With just four teams participating in the tournament, Nepalgunj team defeated Baitadi in the final to clinch the first National Ladies Cricket Championship.

Having a cricket powerhouse like India as its immediate neighbour and other neighboring countries Pakistan and Bangladesh, Nepal is gaining momentum in the men’s category while ladies team is set to take place in the first International ACC Women’s Cricket Tournament to be held in Malaysia next month.

On Sunday, the CAN announced the 18-member squad to prepare for the upcoming ACC Women’s Cricket Tournament. CAN officials informed that the players would be kept in closed camp from June 29 in Kathmandu. Eight players are from Nepalgunj, four from Bhairahawa and three each from Kathmandu and Baitadi.

The players are: Nairy Thapa (National Badminton player), Manisha Rawal, Mamata Thapa, Samjhana Sharma, Binu Budha Magar, Keshari Chaudhary (National Athletics player), Trishna Singh and Sita Rana from Nepalgunj, Nira Rajopadhyaya, Radhika Thapa and Samikshya Aryal from Kathmandu, Madhu Thapa, Saraswati Lamgade, Susmita Chaudhary and Nitu Thapa from Bhairahawa and Janaki Bhatta, Maya Rawat and Ritu Kanaujiya from Baitadi.

“Now the ladies aren’t just for the cheering the players”, Samjhana Shrestha, a cricket enthusiast, said, “I appreciate them (selected players) for their strong will and wish them luck for the upcoming tournament”.

However, the CAN will declare only final 14 players for the tournament in the next week. Nepal is drawn in Group A along with Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand. Bangladesh, China, Singapore and UAE are in Group B. Nepal will play their first match against Thailand on July 12 and will lock horns against Malaysia on July 14 and Hong Kong on July 15.

“We can be strong team in the world,” Sitasma Upreti, a college student, said, “Only India and Pakistan are strong in the south Asian block.”

The World Heritage Committee of the UNESCO has removed the Kathmandu Valley from the List of World Heritage in Danger.

A statement issued by the UNSECO Monday said the Kathmandu Valley has been removed, along with the royal palaces of Abomey, Benin, from the Danger List, recognising the progress made in preserving the heritage.

The cultural heritage of Kathmandu Valley, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979 and on the Danger List in 2003, features seven groups of monuments and buildings which display the full range of historic and artistic achievements for which the Valley is world famous.

They include the Durbar Squares of Hanuman Dhoka (Kathmandu), Patan and Bhaktapur, the Buddhist stupas of Swayambhu and Bauddhanath, and the Hindu temples of Pashupati and Changu Narayan.

“The World Heritage Committee commended Nepal’s efforts to protect the outstanding universal value of the site in the face of urban development,” UNESCO said.

The second day of the central committee meeting of the CPN-UML saw its zonal in-charges reporting on their works including its present position on its second day.

Talking about today’s meeting, CPN-UML standing committee member Jhala Nath Khanal said that as the party has already decided to go for its general convention only after CA polls, our entire focus would be on making necessary preparation for the polls. He, however, said that there would not be discussion on this matter in today’s meeting.

General Secretary Madhav Nepal presented his political report today and discussion on it would start from Tuesday.

The central committee meeting, which will run for five days, is expected to come up with the party’s strategies for the upcoming CA polls.

The two-day meeting of National Development Council (NDC) ended on Monday by approving the approach paper of the interim plan.

The three-year interim plan focuses on reconstruction, rehabilitation and infrastructure development, among others.

The NDC met approved the approach paper of the interim plan, which aims to invest Rs 587 billion in the next three years. The interim plan period starts with the upcoming budget.

Ministers, parliamentarians, experts, businessmen and civil society members, appointed as members of the recently formed NDC, had attended the two-day meeting.

The government aims to achieve a 5.5 percent growth rate during the plan period and reduce the poverty level to 24 percent

At the NDC meeting on Monday, Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat said that Nepal must move quickly to attain rapid economic growth at par with its neighbours.

“The NDC meeting has given a message that now the development will move forward based on understanding,” said Dr. Jagadish Chandra Pokharel, vice chairperson of National Planning Commission (NPC).

Meanwhile, the Maoists had presented a separate 16-point note stating their differences with the interim plan paper. Dr. Pokharel downplayed the dissenting note saying that they were mostly related with political and ideological aspects.

The unified Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP-Anandidevi) has formed new central working committee.

The new working committee formed after the unification of NSP and NSP-Anandidevi does not include those from dissenting factions from both sides.

Anandidevi Singh is the president of unified NSP-A. Its working committee includes two vice presidents Rajendra Mahato and Ram Narayan Yadav. Likewise, there are two general secretaries, Anil Kumar Jha and Shyam Sundar Gupta.

In the new working committee, there are five co-general secretaries including Biswonath Singh Rajbanshi, Sitaram Mandal, Surendra Prasad Kurmi, Kasim Ali Siddiqui and Raj Kumar Gupta. Nawal Kishore Shah has been appointed as treasurer while Sarita Giri is the spokesperson.

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has called the second session of the interim parliament on July 2.

The budget session of the legislature parliament will discuss and approve the annual budget of fiscal year 2007/08, among others.

The first session of the parliament had been prorogued on June 17 after it approved the second amendment of the constitution and passed the Constituent Assembly Members Election Act.

As per the interim constitution, Prime Minister is authorised to call or prorogue the parliamentary session.

After five days of suspending publication of Nepal Samachapatra daily and Mahanagar eveninger, the Kamana Publications has resumed the two dailies from Sunday.

The publications were resumed after the pro-Maoist workers withdrew their agitation and ended obstructions.

At a meeting held, on Saturday, among the representatives of Publications, pro-Maoist trade union, and workers working under Customer Solution company – which has been out-sourced to distribute the newspapers – the latter agreed to withdraw their strike.

The meeting was held at the initiative of Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) – Kamana Publications Unit. The workers (dispatchers and delivery boys) affiliated with pro-Maoist All Nepal Media, Press and Publications Workers Association had demanded their registration as trade union of Kamana even as they have been contracted out to work under Customer Solution leading to the obstruction in the publications. The management of the Publications had maintained that they cannot register the union from an independent company.

“I hope similar obstruction do not take place again. It is the victory of press freedom,” said Pushkar Lal Shrestha, executive chairman of the Publications.

“We have taken the pressures on independent workers to work under particular political party and obstructions of publication of newspapers as a direct interference in free press rather than aimed at establishing professional rights,” the Publisher’s Note in the Nepal Samacharpatra daily on Sunday says.

Meanwhile, on Saturday Shrestha was invited by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala at his residence in Baluwatar where the former briefed him about the agitation leading to obstruction of publications.

“It is the press freedom that shows whether there is democracy in the country. I cannot tolerate the situation of obstruction in press in democracy,” Shrestha quoted the PM as saying.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) index continued to register a double digit growth for the fourth consecutive week, with large number of investors purchasing shares, according to the weekly trading analysis.

The Nepse opened at 569.45 points on Sunday and closed at an impressive 583.44 points, a new historic high for weekly closing on Thursday, the last day of stock trading.

The weekly Nepse data shows that the weekly turnover decreased this week to Rs 270.2 million with 690,834 unit of shares being traded over the week, against the last week’s figure of RS 281.3 million through the trading of 555,153 shares. Out of the total 88 listed companies for share trading, 63 companies saw their transactions this week.

Stock analysts said that this succession of growth can be attributed to increase in share prices of commercial banks including other leading scrips.

The British defence ministry said the recruitment process for women in Gurkha regiment would begin soon with 50 young women taken in the first batch.

The Guardian news agency quoted Colonel Jeremy Ellis, the British defence attache in Nepal and commander of the Brigade of Gurkhas Nepal as saying that women will soon be alongside men, drawing the Gurkhas’ famous khukuris.

With the announcement of the British government to allow the entry of female members in its regiment, Yam Bahadur Gurung, a retired soldier has been running training camp for girls in Pokhara since a few months to make them fit for service.

The report said that many of the women hoping to join the British army are hardened members of the Maoist party.

The British government takes in some 230 Nepali soldiers every year to serve in Gurkha regiment of its defence force. At present there are about 3,500 male Gurkha soldiers serving with the British army. During the two World Wars, the Gurkhas suffered 43,000 casualties and won 26 Victoria Crosses, more than any other regiment.

The government has agreed to increase the monthly salary of government employees from the upcoming fiscal year.

During the ongoing talks between the government and the agitating government employees at the peace ministry Sunday morning, the government has also agreed to the demand of the employees to allow joining trade unions to section officers as well.

The historic decision of the reinstated House of Representative last year states that the section officers will also be allowed to join trade unions.

However, it has not been made clear about the increment amount and the skills development programmes for the employees.

The commission formed to review the salary of government employees had suggested the government to double the pay scale.

But the agitating employees said they would continue with their protest programmes. As part of that, they halted works in their offices for an hour today morning.