One more armed rebel group operating in the Terai districts, Samyukta Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha, has announced ceasefire starting Monday.

Expressing hope that the government would create environment for talks by releasing its detained cadres, the outfit said it has halted all its actions for now.

The rebel group also said a letter has been dispatched to the government expressing willingness to sit for peace talks. Names of the talk-team member are learnt to have been forwarded to the government.

The outfit suggested the government to finalise the date for formal talks at the earliest and ensure security of its negotiators. nepalnews.com ia Dec 01 08

Exports witnessed an upsurge of 27.1 percent during the first three months of the current fiscal year (FY) against a mere 4.3 percent rise in the corresponding period last year, according to reports.

Exports to both India and third countries registered a phenomenal growth this year, reports quoted a press communiqué issued by Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) on Sunday as saying.

During the current FY, exports to India saw an upward spiral by 10.1 percent against 0.6 percent recorded during the corresponding months last year. In a similar fashion, exports to third countries augmented by 58.3 percent compared to an increase of 11.9 percent last year.

Meanwhile, imports from India rose by 19.3 percent in the review period compared to a growth of 13.7 percent in the corresponding period of the last FY. The volume of imports from other countries posted a rise of 48.5 percent compared to just 12.1 percent in the last year.

Similarly, inflow of remittance from Nepali workers in foreign countries increased by a whopping 80.7 percent during the first quarter of this year. The rate of remittance growth in the first quarter of the last FY was 17.2 percent.

Likewise, overall Balance of Payment (BoP) recorded a surplus of Rs 7.7 billion in the first quarter of this FY in contrast to a deficit of Rs 5.6 billion in the same period last year.

Gross foreign exchange reserves stood at Rs 230.8 billion in the first quarter of this year, up by 8.5 percent compared to the corresponding period of the last FY. At the same time, the review period of this year saw a decline of gross foreign exchange by 3.9 percent to US $3 billion. In the same period the previous year, such reserves had plummeted by 1.6 percent. nepalnews nd Dec 01 08

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that the government is fully cognizant of the utter necessity of national leadership and ownership to fight a campaign against HIV/AIDS.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal with an HIV-infected child, Sudip Bhattarai, during a programme marking the World Aids Day at Tundikhel, Kathmandu, on Monday Dec 01 08. nepalnews.com/rh

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal with an HIV-infected child, Sudip Bhattarai…
In a message issued on the occasion of 20th World AIDS Day, Monday (December 1), PM Dahal has said that the state needs to develop leadership from village to center to create social awareness to fight the disease.

“Likewise, I want to state that it is also necessary to ensure honourable participation of people infected with the disease in all sectors of society,” he said.

In a separate message issued by Health and Population Minister Girirajmani Pokharel, he has outlined the government’s continued campaign to fight the disease.

“If we develop our process, policy and action plan on the basis of human rights, equality and social justice and remain committed to it, we can attain our Millennium Development Goals in stopping the HIV/AIDS infection,” Pokharel stated.

There are said to be around 70,000 HIV/AIDS patients in Nepal.

In a statement delivered by UN Country Team, it is mentioned that the HIV epidemic continues to have devastating impact on individuals, families, societies and nations. “With an estimated 36 million people living with HIV globally, it continues to be a major development problem, with the highest incidence among sex workers and their clients, men who have sex with men and injecting drug users,” the statement says.

This year the slogan of World AIDS Day is “Lead-Empower-Deliver.”

“In Nepal, with the joint effort of the government, civil society and international development partners, good progress have been made in the last 5-6 years in bringing down HIV prevalence and the rate of new infections in the groups most at risk. Our focus needs to be sustained to deliver much-needed services to reduce HIV and AIDS through coordination, collaboration and collective action,” the statement adds. nepalnews.com sd Dec 01 08

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ held bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart Dr. Manmohan Singh, at the latter’s official residence in New Delhi, India, on Wednesday evening.

According to reports, the two leaders talked about the ongoing peace process in Nepal and the process of constitution making. The Indian PM is said to have stressed on politics of understanding. The Nepali PM also expressed his commitment to complete constitution writing within stipulated time, reports add.

The issues of border problem and Kosi flood also figured in the talks.

Earlier, PM Dahal had reached the Indian capital to attend the second summit of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation).

India’s minister of state for Industry and Commerce, Ashwini Kumar, received the Prime Minister at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi where he landed at around 12:15 pm, reports said.

Briefly speaking to media persons at the Delhi airport, PM Dahal said he expected his visit to be fruitful in garnering Indian support for the peace process, economic development and constitution-making process.

He is set to address the summit on Thursday and will meet with the regional leaders on the sidelines of the summit.

PM Dahal will return home on Friday. nepalnews.com sd Nov 12 08

Journalist Om Sharma has been appointed as the press advisor of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, a statement issued by the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers said today.

Sharma was chairman of Gorkhapatra Corporation before being appointed the PM’s press advisor.

He is affiliated with the pro-Maoist Revolutionary Journalists Association. nepalnews.com mk Nov 12 08

The Supreme Court has turned down a plea for an interim order to prevent the implementation of the five percent ‘education service tax’ introduced by the government.

In a preliminary ruling on the writ petition jointly filed by the Institutional Schools Association Nepal (ISAN), Nepal Law Society and Guardians’ Association, a division bench today announced that interim order is unnecessary in this case. The bench also stated that the new tax scheme is well within the authority of the government.

Next hearing on the case will be on December 26.

On November 2, the apex court had issued a show cause notice to concerned government authorities regarding the service tax which has been opposed by private school operators and guardians alike.

The petitioners have said the tax is unjustifiable and should be revoked. They have also argued that the tax is against the constitutional provision which guarantees free education up to secondary level to every citizen.

They moved the court after the Inland Revenue Department issued notices to private schools, urging them to comply with the tax policy. nepalnews.com mk Nov 12 08

The condition of a 14-year-old girl who was raped by a group of men on the day of Chhath festival in Inaruwa of Sunsari district is worsening, reports quoted her doctors as saying.

According to Reportersnepal.com, a complaint against Krishna Dev Mehta, 28, brother-in-law of former District Development Committee (DDC) chairman Arbinda Prasad Mehta; Diwas Sonika, 25, son of a gold businessman Pradip Sonika; Birendra Yadav, who runs a motorcycle repair workshop in Inaruwa including three others has already been filed at the Sunsari District Police Office alleging them of being involved in the gang rape of the minor. The report said that even after two weeks since the incident took place, police has taken no initiative to arrest the culprits.

The report said that Mehta and his friends had reportedly abducted the girl from a place nearby the Sunsari river where on the day of the festival, large number of devotees had gathered to worship the sun god and then forcibly took her to the house belonging to former DDC chairman Mehta located just few minutes away. There they ruthlessly gang raped the hapless little girl, and after she fell unconscious, left her to die and fled from the place.

The girl was found in a very bad state the next morning and was immediately taken to B.P Koirala Memorial where doctors said her condition was serious.

The doctors also said that the girl’s uterus was badly damaged and had to be removed.

The report also quoted a source as saying that some high-level police officials are involved in protecting the culprits. nepalnews.com Nov 12 08

Finance Minister Dr Babu Ram Bhattarai
In what appears to be a remark made to take parties opposed to army integration process into confidence, Finance Minister Dr Babu Ram Bhattarai on Wednesday said that the merger of Maoist PLA with Nepal Army will not take place in violation of the Comprehensive Peace Accord signed between the seven-party alliance and the Maoists.

Speaking to reporters at Biratnagar Airport, Minister Bhattarai, who is considered no.2 leader inside the Maoist party, said that nobody has the right to talk against the peace pact, including those from inside his own party.

“Action would be taken against those from inside our own party who are found speaking against the peace pact,” he said, indirectly hinting at the inflammatory remarks made by some senior Maoist leaders against the peace accord and with whom he is going through a deep power tussle. nepalnews.com Nov 12 08

Chairman of the Constituent Assembly (CA) Subas Nemwang has said the constitution writing process will start from coming Sunday (Nov 16) as the long awaited CA regulations are set to be endorsed on Friday.

Addressing a programme in Rautahat’s Gaur on Wednesday, Nemwang said the schedule for constitution-making process has already been prepared and that the passage of the regulations would pave the way for the process to begin.

The CA regulations that were tabled in the House on Tuesday following lengthy debate ensure that the new constitution reflects inclusiveness, he added.

The CA chairman was of the view that there should be constant public pressure to make sure the new constitution would be ready in time.

“New Nepal will not be like today’s Nepal. The aspirations of people from different sections including Madhesis, Dalits, women and indigenous communities must be reflected in the new constitution,” Nemwang said. nepalnews.com mk Nov 12 08

Continuing with his party’s official line, Nepali congress leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula on Wednesday said that Maoist combatants shouldn’t be integrated into Nepal Army (NA) under any circumstances, warning that the country may face grave risk if something like that is done

Speaking at a ‘tea-party’ organised by NC’s youth wing Tarun Dal in Kalaiya of Bara district, the former home minister who was one of the peace negotiators during the NC-led interim government, talked against attempts to induct the politically indoctrinated army of a party into NA.

He also blamed the government of increasingly growing irresponsible towards its duties, and cited example to its apathy towards it main task of establishing sustainable peace and drafting a new constitution.

Sitaula is in a whirl-wind visit of Terai districts on “National Awareness Campaign for Peace, Democracy and Formation of new constitution” organized by his party. nepalnews.com Nov 12 08