The Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) has condemned the sacking of 45 journalists from Gorkhapatra daily, a state-owned national daily and has demanded their immediate reinstatement.

The government had sacked them on 26 July. “FNJ is holding talks with the management of Gorkhapatra Corporation,” said a statement by FNJ. The statement added that the management had said it can consider the Federation’s demand, but has shown willingness to reinstate only some of them. Currently, there is a Maoist minister heading the Ministry of Information and Communication.

“The journalists were sacked by the management without any genuine reason or proper evaluation.” When FNJ demanded the reason for ousting the scribes, the management said that they had to remove them so that they can recruit new journos to make the organisational structure inclusive, which sounds to be a baseless reason, according to FNJ president Bishnu Nisthuri.

These journalists have been working in the corporation on contract basis and some of them have worked for as long as 14 years. “The corporation cannot seize the bread and butter of its employees with baseless reasons and in the name of inclusiveness. The Federation demands the government to re-instate all the journalists immediately and to act more responsibly in the future.”

Meanwhile the FNJ Gorkhapatra chapter in its press release has warned the management that if it fails to re-instate the journalists soon, they will launch a phase wise movement against the management.

On the other hand, Revolutionary Journalist Association, said to be close to Maoists, has issued a statement saying that they are in favour of inclusiveness and restructuring of government media. It said that only the journos whose contract had expired had been removed from Gorkhapatra corporation. The statement issued by Govinda Acharya, acting president of the association, also accuses that some persons ‘who had aided and abetted royal regime in the past were involved in obstructing the progressive march of government media.’

Flood triggered by torrential monsoon rainfall has continued to strike the southern plains from east to west across the country.

Four more persons have perished due to flood and landslide. Taraba Urau, a 50-year-old woman, was swept away by a swollen canal in Banigama of Morang district on Thursday night. Likewise, a lady died after being crushed by a house that collapsed due to flooding in Khadihani of Dhanusha district.

A boy was killed by flood in Mahottari district while another perished in a landslide in Ramechhap.

Kantipur daily has reported that over 14,000 families have been displaced due to flood in various parts of the country. It reported that 8000 families were displaced in eastern Terai and hilly region; 2500 families were displaced in Bardiya district; 2000 families in Parsa; and 1500 families in Banke district.

Nepalgunj has been one of the worst affected regions. The city is waterlogged and flood waters have rushed inside homes. Educational institutions, factories, government offices, schools and markets are closed down. The city has been reeling under power black-out since last two days. Even water supply has been affected. Local FM radio broadcasts and newspapers coming out of the city have also stopped. People have rushed towards higher grounds – rooftops and community buildings – fearing inundation.

Meanwhile, according to reports quoting Home Ministry records, around 50 persons have already died in this year’s monsoon season due to floods and landslides.

The World Bank (WB) has warned that it would stall all assistance related to the financial sector reform programme if there is no ‘satisfactory’ improvement in Nepal Bank Limited (NBL) within one month and the expert management team at the bank is not restored, reports Kantipur daily.

In her letter to the finance secretary Bidhyadhar Mallik Thursday, WB’s Nepal country director Susan Goldmark has given the government time till 21 August for this. The letter says that if the two pre-conditions stated in the letter are not fulfilled by that time then all assistance related to financial sector reform would be suspended.

As per this, the WB would suspend grants and loans amounting to Rs 10 billion ($150 million). It has also threatened of suspending budgetary support programme.

Citing dissatisfaction over the union activities and lack of cooperation from the central bank, ICCMT, an Irish/Scottish consulting firm that had been handling the management of troubled Nepal Bank Limited (NBL) for the last five years, unilaterally terminated the management contract on July 22. The team announced its decision after the NRB had agreed to extend its contract by six months as against its demand for 18 months extension.

The WB said in the letter that since NRB has not taken necessary measures to ensure effective control over NBL as required by the agreement signed in June 2004, the government would not be able to make further withdrawal of assistance unless the management contract with ICCMT is extended for a six-month period.

In the letter WB has also alleged that Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) failed to create a conducive environment for the operation of the NBL and has asked for “decisive action satisfactory to the WB to restore the operational autonomy of the NBL management team.”

The WB has recommended convening a meeting of all parties, including the finance ministry, NRB, the consulting firm and the WB before the departure of the one remaining consultant.

WB has also made it clear that following a six month extension for ICCMT, the government is free to hire a professional management team for NBL, foreign or local, but with at least one expatriate as either CEO or chief credit manager.

However, the team needs to have qualification and terms of reference acceptable to the WB and should be hired as per the procurement procedures agreed between Nepal and the WB, said the letter.

Meanwhile, on Friday, the NRB appointed a new management team at the NBL. The three member team is led by NRB director Dr. Binod Atreya and includes Laxmi Prapanna Niraula and Numnath Poudel.

At least three people have died Saturday morning in separate accidents.

Two people travelling in a truck heading towards Kathmandu from Narayangarh died when the vehicle plunged into Trishuli River at Krishnabhir on the Prithvi Highway. One seriously injured passenger has been brought to Kathmandu for treatment.

Krishnabhir is one of the black spots on the Prithi Highway where a number of accidents take place during rainy season.

In another tragic incident, one person has been drowned in Sunkoshi River in Sindhuli on Saturday morning. One of the two people trying to cross the swollen river managed to swim to the banks. The river had drawn a woman two days ago, whose status remains still unknown.

Most rivers in Terai have been flooded due to incessant downpour since last 10 days. The weather forecasting division said the rain is expected to continue for next few days.

The members of the interim parliament on Saturday offered their five days salary to the flood victims.

The MPs announced the donation to the flood victims following an appeal by Speaker Subash Nemwang. Speaking during the House sitting today, the MPs asked the government to speed up the rescue operation and relief efforts in flood-hit areas of mid-western and eastern Terai.

Answering the parliament, Home Minister Krishna Prasad Situala said the government was trying to reach out to as many flood-hit areas as possible, but its works were marred by bad weather.

At least a dozen people have died while thousands of people have been displaced due to floods in Banke, Bardiya, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Saptari, Sunsari, Kapilbvastu, Siraha, Rupandeshi and some other Terai districts. Worst effect is seen in Bankes’s Nepalgunj and Jaleshwor in Dhanusha where most of the human settlements have been inundated.

Tough weather condition and destroyed road networks have hampered the government’s efforts to dispatch rescue teams with relief package for flood victims.

Local administrations in flood-hit Terai districts have said continued rainfall has hindered the rescur and relief operations. However, the Parsa administration managed to drop food items in some villages around the district headquarters from a helicopter.

With continuous rainfall the water level in affected areas is rising, further complicating the situation.

The rescue teams of Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force with essential foodstuff have been kept ready from Friday in Kathmandu. The Home ministry said the helicopters could not fly due to bad weather condition. Nepal Red Cross Society team has also been kept ready.

Rescue operation would start as soon as the weather condition improves, the ministry said. Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula today informed the parliament that relief support would be immediately dispatched to flood affected areas.

In a surprising move, the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) demanded the dissolution of interim parliament at the third round of formal talks between the government and MJF on Saturday.

“We think that it is wrong for parties to pocket salaries and benefits and exploit state resources and then take part in election. We think this interim parliament should be dissolved once the Election Programmes are released.. Their (legislative) authority can be given to the government,” said Upendra Yadav, chief of MJF. The MJF had spearheaded the Madhes agitation in January and February this year.

The talks that began at 2 pm at Godavari Village Resort in Lalitpur ended within an hour. According to Kishor Bishwas, the MJF vice-chairman and one of negotiators of the party, the talks could not progress due to lack of homework on the part of the government team.

He said there was no serious debate on key MJF demands, which include constitutional guarantee of federal governing system with local autonomy along with right to self determination, and fully proportional electoral system for constituent assembly elections.

Peace and Reconstruction Minister Ram Chandra Poudel, who heads the government’s talk team, said the meeting reviewed the implementation process of the agreement reached in talks held in Janakpur on June 01.

Next round of talks will be held within August 5, reports say.

Peace minister Poudel and state ministers Gyanendra Karki and Ram Chandra Yadav participated in the talks while the MJF team comprised of party chairman Upendra Yadav, vice-chairman Bishwas, Sitanandan Raya and Nasir Siddiqui.

Seven persons have died in a landslide triggered by torrential monsoon rainfall in Hasara VDC of Gulmi district in western Nepal.

At around 2 pm on Saturday, a house collapsed at Phediya of Hasara village after it was struck by the landslide killing seven persons.

Those killed include Devi Prasad Neupane, Saraswoti Neupane, Sabitri Neupane, Sita Neupane, Durga Neupane, Maya Neupane and Radha Gharti.

Meanwhile, reports of half a dozen deaths due to floods have come on Saturday. In Mahottari, Banarasi Devi and Dular Sada were swept away by flood waters while dead bodies of two ladies were discovered alongside swollen Gurje river in Dang district. Likewise, one Ambika Rai and Bhesh Bahadur Khadka were swept away by flood waters in Solukhumbu and Sindhuli districts, respectively.

Furthermore, in Banke district, four persons have died of snake bites. Most parts of the district are still waterlogged. In a statement it issued on Saturday evening, Nepali Army (NA) has said that it has used its helicopters and sky truck aircraft to carry out rescue and relief efforts in Dhanusha, Mahottari and Banke districts. It has also deployed soldiers to help the victims of flood in various districts across the country.

The Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Supplies (FNCCI) has welcomed the Monetary Policy for the fiscal year 2007/08 unveiled by the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) for incorporating many recommendations it had earlier forwarded.

“The commitments expressed in the monetary policy must be fully implemented,” the Federation has stated.

It has welcomed the policy for incorporating its recommendations such as enforcing national micro finance policy; bill of exchange act; allowing investment in foreign country; acceptance of document against payment mode; vow to review the fixed exchange rate of Nepali currency vis-à-vis Indian currency; and commitment to enforce various other policies. The FNCCI has said that these provisions, if implemented, would go a long way in strengthening national economy.

The FNCCI, however, has also pointed out at some provisions in the policy, which it has termed as negative. It has expressed surprise over the silence of the policy regarding continued appreciation of Nepali currency against US dollar. It has warned that this will discourage export and remittance income affecting balance of payment. It has also expressed worries that there could be further pressure on Indian currency reserve since there is a capital flight to India.

Five persons of a same family were killed in a landslide in a remote village in Salyan district on Thursday.

They were killed when a house was swept away by a fierce landslide in Chharchhare of Kaprechaur VDC of Salyan district.

Those killed include Dhal Bahadur Ramjali, his wife and three children. His two other children, however, survived the incident.

According to local people, relief and rehab have been affected due to continued landslide in the area.

Meanwhile, monsoon rainfall has continued to lash the country causing losses of lives and properties in Terai region.