'Hero'in Nepal

Nepal’s No. 1 

English Daily 

www.thehimalayantimes.com 

Printed simultaneously from 

Kathmandu and Itahari 

Inclusive and sustainable growth in South Asia Page 6 China has turned Tibet into a giant prison: Exiles Page 9 Weaker dollar to hit remittance income Page 12 

The Himalayan 

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T I M E S 

o 

Vol. XI No.308 • Kathmandu, Wednesday, September 26, 2012,Ashwin 10, 2069, Nepal Sambat 1132 

• SHORT TAKES 

NEPAL 

Madhesi parties mull unity 

KATHMANDU: Representatives of the Tarai 

Madhes Democratic Party and Madhesi 

Janaadhikar Forum-Democratic on Tuesday 

held talks over possibility of unifying Madhes-based 

parties to make one powerful outfit. 

TMDP Vice-chairman Hridayesh Tripathi, 

General Secretary Jitendra Sonal and Central 

Committee member Pushpa Thakur met 

MJF-D Chairman Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar, 

Vice-chairman Rameshwor Ray Yadav and 

party Spokesperson Jitendra Dev and held 

discussions on unity. (Details on Page 5) 

CURRENCY UNIT BUYING (in Rs) SELLING (in Rs) 

Indian Rs 100 160.00 160.15 

Chinese Yuan 1 13.52 13.61 

U.S. Dollar 1 85.24 85.84 

Euro 1 110.05 110.82 

Pound Sterling 1 138.42 139.40 

Japanese Yen 10 10.97 11.05 

The foreign exchange rates are fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank 

Huge avalanche 

toll linked to rush 

due to Tibet crisis? 

Associated Press 

this year, as many Tibetans 

Kathmandu, September 25 

set themselves on fire to 

bring attention to what 

The climbers killed in a they say is their suffering 

weekend avalanche in the under China’s repressive 

Himalayas were part of a policies. Chinese officials 

crush of mountaineers did not accept applications 

who came to the slope be- for climbing permits this 

cause of heightened ten- year, without giving any 

sions between Chinese au- reason, said Tshering. 

thorities and Tibetans. As a result, climbers who 

China rejected climbing were planning to climb 

permits for mountaineers Cho Oyu or Shisapangma 

hoping to scale peaks in in the Tibetan region 

the Tibetan Himalayas, changed their destination 

forcing many to crowd to Manaslu, a popular 

onto mountains in Nepal, choice because it was not 

according to alpine com- as difficult a climb as other 

panies. As a result, about high mountains, Tshering 

30 teams were registered to said. It is not clear if the ex- 

climb Mt Manaslu, a 50 per tra people on Manaslu 

cent increase over last year, contributed to the tragedy. 

said Ang Tshering of Asian What does appear clear is 

Trekking agency. 

that many would not have 

About two dozen been on that mountain 

climbers were sleeping at a had their Tibetan climbing 

camp high on the moun- permits been accepted. 

tain early on Sunday when Climbers also blame cli- 

the avalanche swept over mate change for some of 

them. Rescuers have so far the recent tragedies on the 

brought down the bodies Himalayan peaks. 

of eight victims — four “The uncertainty of the 

French, one each from weather condition has in- 

Germany, Italy and Spain, creased in the past few 

and a Nepali guide. 

years on the mountains. 

Tibet is a sensitive area The melting glaciers on the 

for China, which some- mountains make the 

times limits access for for- grounds unstable,” said 

eign tourists. It has also in Zimba Zangbu of the Nepal 

the past restricted the Mountaineering Associa- 

number of permits issued tion. “When it rains in the 

to climbers, and even rest of the country, it snows 

stopped issuing them in on the mountains. Man- 

2008 while Chinese aslu was also blanketed 

climbers took the Olympic with soft snow,” he said, 

torch to the top of Mt Ever- adding that this type of 

est before the Beijing snowfall does not get 

Games. Relations between packed on the mountain 

Tibet and the Chinese gov- surface and can lead to 

ernment have been volatile avalanches. 

China company 

loses Melamchi 

project contract 

Himalayan News Service 


The government today terminated 

the contract awarded to a Chinese 

company, which was selected 

to construct the Melamchi Water 

Supply Project. 

“We have ended the contract 

awarded to the Chinese company,” 

said Krishna Prasad Acharya, 

Executive Director of Melamchi 

Water Supply Development 

Board. “We issued 

the contract termination 

notice after 

a decision taken 

through a highlevel 

meeting.” 

The Chinese 

joint venture China 

Railway 15 Bureau 

Group Corporation 

and China 

Machinery Industry 

Construction 

Group Inc had 

signed a deal with 

the Melamchi Water 

Supply Development 

Board, a 

government undertaking, 

on February 

19, 2009, 

promising to complete 

the project by 

September 2 next 

year. But on September 

18, the Chinese contractor 

told the government that it 

would not be able to continue 

work at the Melamchi project unless 

its demands were met. One of 

the demands included giving it an 

extension till 2015-end to complete 

the project. 

Li Yuemei, a secretary for the 

Chinese joint venture, had then 

said at a press conference in Kathmandu 

that the company was unable 

to carry out its work, as the 

government had failed to pay 

heed to its demands. 

We will complete 

assessing the project 

performance and 

achievements made 

so far within two 

weeks.Then we 

will call for fresh 

bidding 

Krishna Prasad Acharya, 

ED, Melamchi Water Supply 

Development Board 

The project has been delayed 

due to protests from locals and 

negligence on the part of the contractor. 

Till now, the company has 

completed only 6.5 kilometres of 

the 27-kilometre tunnel. The Chinese 

company had bagged the 

contract for the Asian Development 

Bank-funded project at Rs 6 

billion. 

According to the contractor, the 

government has released only Rs 

580 million to the contractor to 

date, while it has 

already spent Rs 2 

billion on its own. 

The other problems 

raised by the 

contractor are 

providing possession 

of the site and 

its access to the 

site and releasing 

due amount to the 

contractor. The 

government, however, 

was dissatisfied 

with the performance 

of the 

contractor. 

“We will complete 

assessing the 

project performance 

and 

achievements 

made so far within 

two weeks,” said 

Acharya. “Thereafter, 

the contractor will be allowed 

to take or leave its equipment 

depending upon the fine 

the contractor is slapped with. 

Then we will call for fresh bidding.” 

The project after completion 

is expected to partially address 

the Kathmandu Valley’s 

drinking water problem. 

Since its inception in 2002, the 

project has been mired in controversy 

and politicisation with people 

questioning many times 

whether the much-talked water 

project is only a pipe dream. 

• POKHARA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 



Minister for Culture, 

Tourism and Civil Aviation 

Post Bahadur Bogati today 

ruled out early construction 

of an international airport in 

Pokhara, saying there were 

‘lots of complexities associated’ 

and that they needed to 

be resolved first. 

Addressing an interaction 

organised by the Reporters’ 

Club today, Minister Bogati 

said the plan to construct the 

airport would not take off 

until the most pressing problems 

were resolved. “There 

are some complications in 

relation to the construction 

of the international airport. 

We need to begin a fresh 

process to deal with these 

problems,” said Minister Bogati. 

“The Chinese bank 

(Exim Bank of China) has expressed 

some concerns 

about the existing provisions 

of Nepal’s Public Procurement 

Act. We will address the 

concerns first before moving 

ahead with the international 

airport construction project.” 

The Exim Bank of China, 

which has offered soft loan 

for the airport project, said 

the minister, has set a ‘precondition 

that it will release 

Weather: Partly cloudy 

C Min: 17-19 o 

C 

Sunrise 05:54 Sunset 17:56 

Capital ★ 16 pages Rs 3 

Need time for plan to take off: Minister 

Tourists at the Pokhara Airport after learning that all the flights were halted, on Tuesday. Locals had staged a protest 

halting all flights for four hours to press the government for early construction of an international airport in Pokhara. 

Flights halted for four hours 

POKHARA: A committee 

formed to press the government 

for early construction 

of an international 

airport in Pokhara 

on Tuesday halted flights 

to and from Pokhara for 

four hours. The Pokhara 

Regional International Airport 

Construction Concern 

Committee staged a 

sit-in in front of the 

Pokhara Airport, halting all 

flights from 8:00am to 

12:00pm on Tuesday. 

Protesting locals even vandalised 

the office of the Yeti 

Airlines, saying the operator 

was ‘forcefully’ trying 

to operate its flights. Security 

forces in large numbers 

were deployed in and 

around the airport. The agitators 

have also written to 

all the travel agents in 

Pokhara, asking them not 

to make any bookings till 

October 1. — HNS 

THT 

the soft loan only to the company 

recommended by the 

bank’. 

“A talks team on our part 

has been formed to resolve 

the differences,” said Minister 

Bogati. “The team will 

soon begin bilateral discussions 

with its Chinese counterpart.” 

The international airport 

construction in Pokhara has 

of late drawn a lot of attention, 

with locals staging 

protests to demand that the 

government do the needful 

to begin the project as soon 

as possible. 

A regional international 

airport plan in Pokhara was 

conceived about three 

decades ago, and protesting 

Pokharelis are want to make 

sure the plan this time does 

not turn out to be a flight of 

fancy.

PAGE 2 www.thehimalayantimes.com 

CAPITAL 

• IN BRIEF 

Workers cleaning the roof of a 

temple in Bhaktapur Durbar 

Square, on Tuesday. 

Lalitpur trade fair 

RSS 

KATHMANDU: An extensive trade 

fair will be organised in Lalitpur from 

September 27 with the objective of 

promoting local businesses. The sixday 

event is being organised by Mahotsav 

Exhibitions. One hundred 

stalls showcasing metal craft, iconography, 

woodcraft, pashmina, handmade-paper, 

woolen and agriculture 

produce will be set up . –– RSS 

Bike-lifter held 

KATHMANDU: Police on Tuesday 

caught Suraj Rawal (17) of Kaule, 

Sindhupalchowk in the act of lifting a 

motorcycle owned by Ram Bhakta 

Shrestha parked on the latter’s house 

premises in Danchhi. Rawal was accompanied 

by two others while committing 

the crime. Police said a search 

for the two accomplices was under 

way. — HNS 

Man goes missing 

KATHMANDU: Uttam Rijal (27), vice 

president of Rastriya Badi Ekta Party, 

has been missing since Friday. According 

to a complaint lodged with 

police, he was last seen in Kalanki 

and was heading for Anamnagar. — HNS 

Cops raise 

alarm over 

trade in 

narcotics 



The Narcotic Drug Control Law Enforcement 

Unit (NDCLEU) today sounded an alarm 

over increasing trade of brown sugar in the 

Capital and said high demand was spurring 

traffickers. 

In its latest move, NDCLEU rounded up 

six persons, including a woman, in Gongabu 

and seized 530 grams brown sugar from 

their possession. 

The arrested are: Kali Maya Tamang aka 

Rita (28) of Nuwakot, Jiyalal Sahani (30) and 

Mahesh Prasad Kurmi (31) of Parsa, and Thapa 

Tamang (19), Jayaram Tamang (19) and 

Bai Lama Tamang (24) of Dhading. 

SSP Nawa Raj Silwal, deputy chief of the 

unit, said Kali Maya was found to be supplying 

the drug to retailers in Kathmandu after 

procuring it from Jiyalal and Mahesh Prasad. 

“She would receive the drug from the duo 

and make it available to retailers on demand,” 

he said. 

Jiyalal and Mahesh Prasad are Parsa-based 

drug dealers, who shuttle between India 

and Nepal to push the drug into cities such 

as Kathmandu, Pokhara, Dharan and 

Biratnagar. 

The 560-gram brown sugar, which was 

seized fetches around Rs 3 lakh in the gray 

market. It can be used to provide a single 

dose to around 3,000 abusers. 

“The arrested admitted that demand for 

brown sugar was increasing every day. This 

paints a grim picture of the drug trade,” SSP 

Silwal noted. 

Separately, NDCLEU arrested two persons 

–– Chandra Bahadur Neupane (29) of Bara 

and Sahaj Das Gupta (50) of Siraha –– with 80 

grams and 50 grams of brown sugar in a separate 

operations. SP Sher Bahadur Basnet informed 

that white and brown sugar are mostly 

consumed by the rich whereas members of 

low-income class go for pharmaceutical 

drugs to serve their addiction. The law states 

that a person possessing 25 to 100 grams of 

brown sugar can be sentenced to 10 to 15 

years in jail and fined Rs 75,000 to 200,000. 



Nepali Army today organised 

a programme at Nepali 

Army Headquarters to brief 

Prime Minister Baburam 

Bhattarai on various activi- 

ties being undertaken 

by the force. 

The programme saw the 

participation of Deputy 

Prime Minister and Home 

Minister Bijaya Kumar 

Gachhadar, Minister for 

Physical Planning and 

Works Hridayesh Tripathi, 

Finance Minister Barshaman 

Pun, Chief Secretary 

Leela Mani Paudyal 

and Tilakram Sharma, 

secretary at the Defence 

Ministry. 

Chief of Army Staff Gau- 

THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012 

Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and Deputy Prime Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar interacting with army officials during their visit to 

Nepali Army Headquarters in Bhadrakali, Kathmandu, on Tuesday. 

Nepali Army briefs Prime Minister, ministers 

Injectable drugs seized 



The Narcotic Drug Control 

Law Enforcement Unit has 

arrested six persons with a 

huge cache of pharmaceutical 

drugs from separate locations 

of the City over a period 

of one week. 

The arrested are: Gopal 

Prasad Gupta (42) of Morang, 

Ganesh Kumar Lama (30) of 

Dhanusha, Sunil Kumar 

Tamang (22) of Dhading, 

Arun Kumar Sah (20) of Siraha, 

Lal Kumari Puri (20) of 

Bara and Shanti Kumari 

Lama (25) of Kathmandu. 

As many as 10,000 ampules 

of injectable drugs –– di- 

azepam and buprenorphine 

–– were seized from them. According 

to NDCLEU, prescription 

drugs are smuggled 

into Kathmandu and other 

cities via the porous border. 

Diazepam and buprenorphine 

are in high demand in 

Kathmandu as they are accessible 

and affordable for 

abusers, especially youngsters. 

A section of drug smugglers 

have switched to trafficking 

pharmaceutical drugs 

leaving their narcotic drug 

trade due to lenient jail term 

for medical drug smugglers, 

as per the Narcotic Drug 

(Control and Punishment) 

Act. 

rav Shumsher JB Rana welcomed 

the guests while 

Brigadier Generals Padam 

Bilash Karki and Hari Bahadur 

Basnet briefed Bhattarai 

on the organisational 

structure and responsibilities 

of the Nepali Army and 

its various activities. 

PM Bhattarai said presentations 

like this would 

help politicians make policies. 

He also stressed the 

need to make changes to 

traditional structures within 

the Nepali Army. 

Six persons held with illegal pharmaceutical drugs in different locations of the 

City, in police custody in Kathmandu on Tuesday. 

Bogati calls on opposition 

parties to prepare for talks 

Rastriya Samachar Samiti 


Minister for Culture, 

Tourism and 

Civil Aviation, Posta 

Bahadur Bogati 

has urged opposition 

parties to 

come for dialogue 

for consensus. 

At a programme 

organised by Reporters’ 

Club today, 

Minister Bogati 

said launching agitation by 

quitting the way of dialogue 

Bogati 

would only bring further 

crisis in the country. 

“There is no meaning in 

demanding Prime 

Minister Baburam 

Bhattarai’s resignation 

at this critical 

moment,” he said. 

Prime Minister 

Bhattarai himself 

will step down if 

parties reach a consensus 

on contentious 

issues facing 

the country, the 

UCPN-Maoist leader held. 

Minister Bogati said the 

country could not get an 

outlet due to lack of sincerity 

on the part of the Nepali 

Congress and CPN-UML 

and added that all parties 

should be serious about resolving 

the problems. 

Nepali Congress senior 

leader Minendra Rijal 

claimed that the country 

has been facing serious crisis 

due to the UCPN-Maoist 

and Madhesi Front and 

added that a 

national consensus government 

will be formed only 

after the government quits. 

Photo Courtesy: Nepali Army 

Bikers on 

tour for 

a cause 


Lalitpur, September 25 

THT 

Twenty bikers today set 

off on a seven-day tour 

across the country to 

promote the national 

Hand Wash With Soap 

(HWWS) programme. 

Yubaraj Lama, member 

secretary, National 

Sports Council and 

Sharad Ranjit, chief communication 

officer, 

UNICEF flagged off the 

riders in front of United 

Nations House, Pulchowk 

before they embarked 

on their journey, 

organisers of the event 

said. 

The bikers taking part 

in the event plan to promote 

the campaign in 

seven districts including 

Kathmandu, Hetauda, 

Janakpur and Bhedetar. 

Handwashing is the 

most effective and 

inexpensive way to 

prevent diarrhoeal and 

acute respiratory infections, 

which take the lives 

of millions of children in 

developing countries. 

Scientific studies have 

shown that the mere act 

of washing hands with 

soap can reduce 

diarrhoeal incidence by 

up to 47 per cent and 

reduce respiratory infections 

by an estimated 23 

per cent. 

Likewise, handwashing 

with soap at critical 

times can improve other 

health outcomes, including 

reduction in neonatal 

mortality, doctors say. 

According to a study in 

Nepal, handwashing with 

soap among birth attendants 

before delivery and 

among mothers before 

handling their newborns 

significantly reduces the 

risk of neonatal death. 

Every year, on October 

15, more than 200 million 

people celebrate Global 

Handwashing Day, 

which was originally created 

for children and 

schools in over 100 countries 

around the world.

THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012 www.thehimalayantimes.com 

CAPITAL 

• IN BRIEF 

Dr Prakashraj Neupane of 

Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital 

presenting a paper on the state of 

the disease in Nepal, on Tuesday. 

Pollution limit stayed 

THT 

KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court 

on Tuesday stayed the implementation 

of the government framed Vehicular 

Pollution Standards till necessary 

preparations are done. A division 

bench of justices Girish Chandra Lal 

and Gyanendra Bahadur Karki issued 

the order following a hearing. The 

bench however told the government 

not to obstruct preparations for implementing 

the standards. Challenging 

a government directive, advocate 

Jiwan Kumar Pokhrel had moved the 

apex court with a writ petition seeking 

its intervention against the standard 

implementation. — HNS 

Temples opened 

KATHMANDU: Sixteen temples on 

the premises of Hanumandhoka Durbar 

Square opened to the public and 

visitors.They are: Krishna Mahabishnu 

temple, Mahabishnu temple, Jagannath 

temple, Bishweshwar Mahadev 

temple, Degu Taleju temple, 

Nil Barahi temple, Gorakhnath Baba 

Pau temple, Kalbhairav temple, Shree 

Bishnu temple, Hanuman Swetbhairav 

temple, Kotilingeshwar Mahadev 

temple, Thulo Nahgara temple, 

Kaheshwar Mahadev temple, 

Saraswati temple, Nawayoginimai 

temple, Shiva Parvati temple and 

Radhakrishna temple. The temples 

will be open for devotees between 

7:00 to 11:30 am, KMC Chief Executive 

Officer, Kedar Adhikari said. — RSS 

Cannabis destroyed 

KATHMANDU: Police on Tuesday destroyed 

cannabis plants growing on 

public land in Danchhi, Matatirtha. A 

police team led by SI Birendra Juhari 

along with local clubs and political 

party leaders destroyed the plants on 

more than 10 ropani land.The initiative 

comes in the wake of increased 

use of cannabis among local youth in 

the Capital. — HNS 

Rock climbing contest 

KATHMANDU: An inter-media rock 

climbing contest kicked off in the 

Capital on Tuesday to mark the 33rd 

World Tourism Day. The contest was 

organised with the aim of promoting 

adventure tourism in the country. Altogether 

35 mediapersons are taking 

part in the competition. –– RSS 

HSEB asked to 

give clarification 

NVC wants to know why grades 

of students were tampered with 



The National Vigilance Centre 

has sought clarification from 

Higher Secondary Education 

Board (HSEB) regarding irregularities 

in the board, especially 

during Grade XII exams. 

The anti-graft body said it had 

recently sought details of answer 

sheet examiners and names of 

the colleges of students who allegedly 

had their grade increased 

and decreased. It has 

also demanded that the board 

apprise the centre on legal provisions 

for increasing and decreasing 

students’ grades. 

“Some of the Board authorities 

signed the register leaving a 

blank space where they had to 

fill in the students’ grades after 

validating the answer sheets forwarded 

by examiners,” said the 

National Vigilance Centre in a 

statement. 

Likewise, NVC has sought 

clarification as to why the board 

made public the results of Grade 

XII even when 384 answer sheets 

of the English paper were sealed 

by the anti-corruption unit’s 

staffers. 

NVC had raided HSEB on August 

30 and sealed 384 answer 

sheets. But on September 2, 

HSEB published the results of 

Management and Education 

faculty without consulting the 

National Vigilance Centre. 

The centre had found evidence 

that students from some 

colleges had their grades doubled 

while the grades of students 

of other colleges were reduced 

without any reason. 

Likewise, the centre has 

sought clarification from the 

Ministry of Education on why 

the secretary at the ministry was 

still holding the position of 

chairperson in Budhanilkantha 

School Management Committee. 

“There is no such provision 

in the Education Act,” it said. 

The statement said that NVC 

has directed the Ministry of 

Health and Population to monitor 

district hospitals and other 

health related offices from time 

to time to make sure that staffers 

are working seriously on disinfecting 

the facilities. 

Schoolchildren participating in a rally during a national cadres gathering of ANNISU-R 

in Kathmandu, on Tuesday. 

Rastriya Samachar Samiti 


Chief of the UCPN-Maoist, 

Department of Organisation 

Krishna Bahadur Mahara today 

said that Nepali Congress 

(NC) would not be given 

government leadership. 

It is irrelevant for the party, 

which remains reluctant to 

• NATIONAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE 

NAST recommends bio-fuel as 

alternative source of energy 

Himalayan News Service ing 100-litre bio-fuel per day to has 1.9 mega hectares of waste- 


the Office of the Prime Minister 

and National Planning Comland 

that could be used to cultivate 

Jatropha producing 2.9 

The Nepal Academy of Science mission. 

Megaton oil per year. 

and Technology (NAST) today It is learnt that the govern- A cooperative in Dhangadhi 

suggested that bio fuel producment is planning to spend Rs has started Jatropha farming in 

tion be made a commercially 5.4 billion in buying diesel to about 100 hectares land. 

viable option to reduce depen- minimise long power cuts for Kojima and Dhakal are makdence 

on petroleum products. the coming dry season. 

ing a presentation on the suc- 

For the last five months, Dhakal said that they are trycessful experimentation of bio- 

NAST has been generating ing to find measures to lower fuel tomorrow at the sixth na- 

power by blending bio-fuel (20 bio fuel price to decrease detional science and technology 

percent) and diesel (80 percent) pendence on diesel. 

conference that started here in 

during power cuts. It uses left- The price of bio-fuel was set capital today. 

over cooking oil from restau- at Rs 300 per litre by Everest Around 1,000 people includrants 

and Jatropha seed oil for bio-fuel some years ago, said ing 10 international delegates 

making fuel. 

Dhakal and underlined the are participating in the event, 

The blended oil is first treated need to convince the private which is organised in every four 

with dolomite before use in sector to distribute the technol- years. The conference aims to 

generating power. 

ogy. 

share new technology and in- 

Dolomite, used as a catalyst, A retired Japanese professor novation in the field of science 

is available in abundance in the with a PhD in bio fuel, also a and technology, vice chancellor 

country. 

volunteer at JICA, Hiroyuki Ko- of NAST Surendra Raj Kafle 

According to NAST senior jima is currently assisting said. He underlined the need to 

scientist Rabindra Dhakal, Dhakal at NAST. 

allocate minimum one per cent 

blended diesel can be used in “We can produce the needed budget for science and technol- 

engines to generate electricity. fuel in the country as well as exogy. The lab can produce up to port it in the next ten years,” NAST Chancellor and Prime 

ten litre of bio-fuel per day, he claimed Dhakal. 

Minister Baburam Bhattarai ap- 

said. 

The lab-testing of Jatropha pealed to Nepali scientists 

NAST had recently floated a was initiated some 25 years ago. abroad to return home while 

Rs 5 million project for produc- According to Kojima, Nepal inaugurating the conference. 

Govt leadership a no no: Mahara 

promulgate a constitution 

through the Constituent Assembly 

(CA) and fails to embrace 

people’s aspirations 

for change, to seek government 

berth, he said. 

He further said there is no 

moral basis for giving government 

leadership to the 

NC. The present government 

will in no way resign till con- 

Students resort to 

sit-in before NEA 



Agitating student unions affiliated 

to various opposition 

parties today staged sitin 

protest from 1:00 pm to 

2:00 pm in front of the central 

office of Nepal Electricity 

Authority (NEA) against 

the weekly 49-hour loadshedding. 

Lekhnath Pokharel, acting 

president, NSU said that 

despite being one of the 

world’s richest countries in 

hydro power, Nepalis were 

facing power crisis. 

He said, “Due to the more 

than five hours of load shedding 

everyday, students 

were compelled to study in 

the dark.” 

Around 200 students from 

various students unions 

participated in the sit-in 

protest. 

THT 

sensus is forged on constitution-making 

process, Mahara 

claimed. 

UCPN-M leader and 

Prime Minister’s political advisor 

Devendra poudel said 

the present government 

would not get out of power 

till a reliable base was prepared. 

He further said they were 

going to stage corner meetings 

in different parts of the 

city from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm 

tomorrow to press the government 

to control black 

marketing, inflation and 

hike in prices of petroleum 

products. 

The students had been 

protesting since the beginning 

of this month demanding 

that the government revoke 

the hike in prices of petroleum 

products. 

In mid September, under 

pressure, the government 

announced subsidy for students 

on Kerosene and Liquefied 

Petroleum Gas cylinder, 

but students rejected it 

stating that the government 

was trying to hoodwink 

them to end the protest. 

Therefore, they have organised 

their second phase 

protest programme. 

Survivors 

recount 

night of 

avalanche 

Agence France Presse 

PAGE 3 


Climbers who survived an 

avalanche in the dark on one 

of the world’s deadliest peaks 

spoke today of their horror 

as breaking dawn revealed 

the bodies of their companions 

littering the mountain. 

Nine people — four 

French climbers, a Spaniard, 

a German and a Nepali guide 

— were killed while two 

Frenchmen and a Canadian 

man are missing. They are 

feared to have died on that 

fateful night. 

The search for the missing 

continued till the third day 

ended today. 

Italian climber Christian 

Gobbi (42) said he and his 

friend, Silvio Mondinelli, 

(54) had woken and were 

talking when suddenly their 

voices were drowned out by 

a giant roar. 

The avalanche then swept 

their tent on Nepal’s Manaslu 

peak down the slope. 

“It was only a few seconds 

and we did not know what 

happened, but we had slid 

more than 200 metres. Then 

it stopped,” he said. 

Gobbi and Mondinelli 

ventured outside their torn 

tent and couldn’t see anything 

in the pitch black. But 

as the sun came up, they discovered 

the body of the 

Nepali guide and their 

friend, Italian Alberto Mariano, 

among broken tents, 

scattered belongings and the 

bodies of the other climbers. 

“We were terrified, we didn’t 

know what to do,” said 

Mondinelli. 

The group of more than 20 

at the camp were hit by a 

wall of snow in their tents 

near the peak of the 26,759 

feet Manaslu in the early 

hours of Sunday. 

“There was one American, 

who was screaming and asking 

for help, but we couldn’t 

do anything. We checked to 

find out who was alive and 

who had died. I alone saw 

seven dead bodies,” said 

Gobbi. 

Rescuers managed to 

pluck 13 people alive from 

the avalanche, described by 

survivors as looking like a 

“war zone”, with several 

flown to hospitals by rescue 

helicopters.

PAGE 4 

BLONDIE Dean Young and Denis Lebrun 

HAGAR Chris Browne 

BEETLE BAILEY Mort Walker 

BEAU PEEP Andrew Christine and Roger Kettle 

• ENGAGEMENTS 

EXHIBITION, CLASS AND WORKSHOP 

Yoga classes for ladies – Come transform yourself at the Transformers - The Yoga Studio. 

Venue: Naxal, time: 6 pm to 7 pm., charge for 21 days: Rs. 3500/-. Limited seats available. 

For further details 9841019111. 

'Weaving Art & Change in Nepal' - The Australian Embassy Presents a collaboration between 

Kumbheshwar Technical School & Australian Artists - An Exhibition of limited 

edition of carpets, sculptures, artists' books and paintings from 23rd September to 

7th October 2012 at Siddhartha Art Gallery, Baber Mahal Revisited, Kathmandu. 

11:00 am - 5:00 pm, daily. Contact: 4218048 / 4438979. 

'THE RISE OF THE COLLATERAL'– An Exhibition of Paintings by Mr. Manish Harijan from 

22nd August to 20th September 2012 at Siddhartha Art Gallery, Baber Mahal Revisited, 

Kathmandu. 11:00 am - 5:00 pm, daily. Contact: 4218048 / 4438979. 

Handwriting Improvement Workshop: Handwriting Improvement Workshop from 9th Septto 

10th Oct '2012. Say GOODBYE to BAD Handwriting. To register call 9841280251. 

FINE CUISINE 

Enjoy the real taste of Tibetan Gyakok and free wi-Fi Internet at Boudha Stupa Restaurant 

and Cafe Boudha tel:012130681. 

Baithak allows you to be a part of the Feast of the Rana Maharajas, experience the Authentic 

Nepali food along with the culture programme with the historic atmosphere. 

Contact: 014267346 

Cafereena a multi-cuisine restaurant located in the heart of city with the terrace beer garden 

turned up with the motto “Feed Your Passion”, Cafereena aims to be the most 

exclusive and unique restaurant offering the best lineup of cuisines. Contact: 

014231313(durbarmarg)/ 015009122(Jhamsikhel) 

Smoky Charcoal and Hot Stone BBQ Dinner at Splash Bar and Grill, Radisson Hotel Kathmandu 

from 14th September onwards every Friday at Rs. 1199 plus taxes from 18:30 

hrs. to 22:00 hrs. For more information contact: 4411818 Ext. 1302. 

EVENT 

Changa Chait 2069: Annual Kite Flying Festival to usher in the spirit of Dashain, at Club Himalaya, 

Nagarkot on 13th October 2012, 11:00 AM onwards. Food Festival, Live 

Band, Kids Zone and many more. Contact 016680080/46 for more information. 

Sizzler promotion at the Terrace Garden, Radisson Hotel New Wing at Rs. 777 net per person 

including a complimentary drink from 7thSeptember 2012, 1 pm to 9 pm. Contact 

4411818 Ext. 1302. 

Experience your holiday at Kingfisher Jungle Resort at Shukranagar, Meghauli Chitwan. 

One night and two days at Rs 3500 and two nights and three days at Rs 6000. Elephant 

safari,Canoeing and Nature walk fee to pay extra at the resort pickup and drop 

to Narayanghat.Residential package at Rs 30,000 per month. Contact: Rudra Raj 

Dotel 9849059295, Kathmandu Office: 4260329, Resort: 056 69 4490. 

Good Music at Tamarind Restro and Bar, Dharmendra Sewan every Friday acoustic live, 

sufi evening with Hemanta Rana every Wednesday, Salsa Workshop every Tuesday, Value 

Meals with Coke everyday from 1130hrs to 1500 hrsacoustic live with Hem Lama 

every Saturday and piano playing by Sunil Singh every Sunday, Monday and Thursday. 

For booking Contact: 552-2626. 

Spend your summer vacation with your family in Chitwan & Pokhara for more details 

contact us : 01-4414696, 9849712974. Kailash Int'l Travel & Tours, Lainchour. 

Live sufi and Hindi gazals by Rajesh Khadga and Pooja Sunwar at one of the finest Indian 

Restaurant in town at Maharaja, Grand Hotel, Soaltee mode. Contact: 4282482 ext: 

5040 & 5080 

Bhangeri Durbar Resort, Nagarkot has all rooms facing the majestic Himalayas with 

amazing view of the snow capped mountains and lush greenery all around with multicuisine 

restaurant inside. Contact: 9841332816 

For listing in this column, mail your events to 

engagements@thehimalayantimes.com 

1 2 3 4 5 6 

7 8 

9 10 

Across: 1 Near enough to be seen or 

heard or controlled (6,5)9 Harry ____ 

: the famous escape artist ? (7)10 

Squeeze tightly between finger and 

thumb (5)11 ___ Vegas : the famous 

gambling city ? (3)13 Comply with 

(4)16 Mock or scoff at (4)17 Not religious; 

sinful or wrong (6)18 A kind of 

lily (4)20 Historical muse (4)21 Respiratory 

disease (6)22 A heron-like wading 

bird (4)23 Broad thick timber 

along ship’s side (4)25 Up a __ tree : 

in great difficulties ? (3)28 Pilose; not 

11 12 

13 14 15 16 

17 

18 19 20 

21 

22 23 24 

25 26 27 

28 29 

30 

Quick Clues 

• WHAT’S ON 

NTV 

1700 News 

1705 Khusiko Sansar 

1730 Mumin 

1800 News 

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1825 Hamro Kathmandu 

1838 Krishi 

1900 News 

1925 Documentary 

2000 News 

2050 Sidha Prasna 

2130 Samarpan 

2200 Songs 

NTV PLUS 

1700 Play It On (Live) 

1830 Koseli 

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1930 Drishti 

2000 Jhankar 

2015 The Voice 

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2115 Action Cut 

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STARPLUS 

1745 Arjun 

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1915 Saath Nibhana 

Saathiya 

1945 Ek Doosre Se Karte 

Hain Pyaar Hum 

2015 Iss Pyaar Ko Kya 

Naam Doon? 

2045 Ek Hazaaron Mein 

Meri Behna Hain 

2115 Diya aur Baati Hum 

2145 Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata 

Hai 

2215 Pyaar Ka Dard 

Meetha Meetha Pyara 

2245 Mann Kee Awaaz 

Pratigya 

STARWORLD 

1545 2 Broke Girls: And The 

Upstairs Neighbor 

bald ? (5)29 Using insulting language; 

reviling (7)30 Reprimanding, scolding 

or berating (11). 

Down: 2 Habituate or get used to (5)3 

Salute or greet, as in ___ Mary ? (4)4 

___ Armstrong : the first man to step 

foot on moon ? (4)5 A large mountain 

system in south-central Europe (4)6 Affectedly 

polite ? (7)7 ___ __ __ on : 

illuminate or enlighten ? (5,1,5)8 It is 

used to measure temperature (11)12 

A member of a brave Red Indian tribe 

or the tribe itself (6)14 Tropical plant 

used in the same way as the potato 

(3)15 Largest of islands forming Japan 

1615 Once Upon A Time 

1715 Masterchef Australia 

1815 Grey’s Anatomy 

1915 Two And A Half Men: 

Look At Me, Mommy, 

I’m Pretty 

1945 2 Broke Girls: And The 

Upstairs Neighbor 

2015 The Simpsons 

2045 How I Met Your Mother: 

World’s Greatest 

Couple 

ZEE TV 

1915 Afsar Bitiya 

1945 Sapne Suhane 

Ladakpan Ke 

2015 Rab Se Sohna Isshq 

2045 Hitler Didi 

2115 Pavitra Rishta 

2145 Phir Subah Hogi 

2215 Mrs. Kaushik Ki 

Paanch Bahuein 

2245 Punar Vivaah 

2345 Rab Se Sohna Isshq 

TENSPORTS 

1615 LFC TV: Favourite 

Fives: Chelsea 

1715 WWE: Bottom Line 

1815 FIVB Beach Volleyball 

Swatch 2012 H/ls 

1845 UEFA Champions 

League 2012/13 H/ls 

2200 ON CINEMAX 

1945 WWE: Specials 

2245 WWE: Bottom Line 

2345 ICC Cricket 360 

STARSPORTS 

1715 Isle Of Man Tt 2012: 

Senior Tt Race 

1815 TNA Badshah 

2015 Italian Serie A 

2012/13 

2115 Score Tonight 

2145 Rebel TV 19 

2215 Smash 2012 

2245 Liga Bbva 2012/13: 

La Liga World 6 

2315 European Le Mans 

Series 2012 

SETMAX 

0720 Andar Baahar 

1035 Bhawani The Tiger 

1335 Pyar Ka Devta 

1715 Dirty Khabar 

1745 Har Dil Jo Pyar 

Karega 

2115 Aur Ek Ilzam 

HBO 

1125 Terminator 3: Rise 

Of The Machines 

1330 MRS. Harris 

1505 Kicking And 

Screaming (2005) 

1645 Just Go With It 

1845 The Newsroom S109: 

The Blackout 

1945 The Lord Of The Rings 

2240 Friends With Benefits 

CINEMAX 

0800 The Rundown 

0945 DR. No 

1140 The River Wild 

1345 Madigan 

1520 Best Ever Bond 

1635 Excess Baggage 

1810 Breakdown 

1945 Licence To Kill 

2200 Bunraku 

www.thehimalayantimes.com 

POTPOURRI 

DENNIS Hank Ketcham 

HOCUS FOCUS Henry Boltinoff 

Himalayan Double Crossword — 5728 

(6)19 Consolidated or merged (7)20 

Call of the crow (3)24 Stranger or foreigner 

(5)25 Prefix for rotation - “orgy” 

anagram ? (4)26 Not a mini ? (4)27 

Luxuriant and succulent; profuse (4). 

Cryptic Clues 

Across: 1 Star usherette ? (7,4)9 Lack 

of demand for an insurance bonus 

(2,5)10 The creature is evasive but will 

certainly turn up (5)11 Turkish Governor 

to live on end of jetty (3)13 The 

doctor is in the extremes of ecstasy; it 

goes against the current … (4)16 Number 

in favour of going round the bend 

(4)17 Chief article about one who displays 

utter lawlessness (6)18 Compete 

with women in examination (4)20 Acid 

in old city, I see (4)21 Jane’s novel way 

to start family tree (6)22 It might enable 

one to reach high office (4)23 Terror, 

terror ... hiding the fraud (4)25 Sir, 

turn around, the taxmen are here ! 

(3)28 Where Clare goes to town (5)29 

Hybrid animal with one-third of claws 

cut (7)30 Artist rides out serious difficulty 

(4,7). 

Down: 2 Hero’s gamble upset after 50 

invaded (2,3)3 500 Asian cattle living 

in Borneo (4)4 It’s one to ten the 

queen departs leaving one in a shock ! 

(4)5 One in the sky with diamonds according 

to Fab Four (4)6 A dry-out 

arrangement during a sunny bit of travel 

(3,4)7 Looked down on ‘luv’, rude 

and cavorting with energy (11)8 Messy 

act - rub oil in (11)12 Returns in the 

evening with a skin problem to put up 

the tents (6)14 Go unsteadily the passage 

(3)15 Transporter for former US 

president (6)19 Fed fine ingredients to 

respected Turk (7)20 Gripped by traumatic 

uprising, as Egypt was once 

(3)24 Love to take part in pictures 

(2,3)25 One gets little sleep when 

there’s water around (4)26 Canny man 

of business in a way (4)27 Some like 

his toast about portico (4). 

Yesterday’s Solution 

TUFTED PLACES 

A O TEPEE R A 

BRUTAL SEQUEL 

L R H IKER S V 

ESTE U T SOSO 

CHRISPATTEN 

O E I A A 

TICKLEDPINK 

PSST E I DAYS 

U O SPUME T A 

TABLET PLA INS 

U E ROLLS V S 

POLLEN EATERY 

QUICK 

BOTHER ABIDES 

I A BEANO A I 

M INNOW NONCOM 

B G NAHUM T O 

OGLE R L CYAN 

REDADMIRALS 

A G O L T 

CHESSPLAYER 

REES E E XRAY 

A A SALSA O E 

NOTNOW SQU INT 

C E BAYOU C I 

HERESY NAIADS 

CRYPTIC 

• FLIGHT SCHEDULE 

INTERNATIONAL 

FROM-TO 

AIR ARABIA 

DAYS DEPT/ARRV FLIGHT NO 

KTM-SHJ-KTM DAILY 2025/1945 G90536/G90535 

KTM-SHJ-KTM DAILY 1350/1310 G90538/G90537 

AIR INDIA 

KTM-DEL-KTM DAILY 1000/0900 AI214/AI213 

KTM-DEL-KTM MON, TUE, WED, THU 1555/1455 AI216/AI215 

KTM-VNS-KTM SAT, SUN, TUE, THU 1425/1340 AI252/AI251 

KTM-CCU-KTM MON, SAT 1605/1515 AI248/AI247 

KTM-CCU-KTM TUE 1750/1710 AI248/AI247 

AIR CHINA 

KTM-LXA-KTM TUE 0930/0830 CA408/CA402 

KTM-LXA-KTM SAT 1045/0941 CA408/CA407 

BIMAN BANGALDESH AIRLINES 

KTM-DAC-KTM WED 1200/1000 BG 702/BG701 

KTM-DAC-KTM MON 1410/1310 BG 702/BG701 

KTM-DAC-KTM TUE, FRI 1100/1000 BG702/BG701 

CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES 

KTM-CNN-KTM DAILY 2315/2210 CZ 3068/CZ3067 

DRAGON AIR 

KTM-HKG-KTM SUN, WED, FRI 2330/2230 KA 191/KA192 

DRUK AIR 

KTM-PBH-KTM THU, SAT 0915/0835 KB 401/KB400 

KTM-PBH-KTM TUE 1215/1145 KB 401/KB400 

KTM-PBH-KTM FRI 1345/1300 KB 401/KB400 

KTM-PBH-KTM SUN, WED 1410/0855 KB 205/KB205 

KTM-PBH-KTM MON 1610/1530 KB 411/KB410 

JET AIRWAYS 

KTM-DEL-KTM DAILY 0930/0825 9W263/264 

KTM-DEL-KTM DAILY 1545/1445 9W261/262 

NEPAL AIRLINES 

KTM-KUL-KTM SUN TO FRI 2330/1105 RA415/416 

KTM-BKK-KTM MON,WED,FRI 0900/1630 RA401/402 

KTM-HKG-KTM TUE,THU,SAT 0810/1820 RA409/410 

**Please check with airlines for any change in schedule 

THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012


NATIONAL 

New unified Madhesi party soon 



Representatives of the Tarai 

Madhes Democratic Party 

and Madhesi Janaadhikar 

Forum-Democratic today 

formally held talks to unify 

Madhesi parties to make 

one powerful outfit. 

TMDP Vice Chair Hridayesh 

Tripathi, General 

Secretary Jitendra Sonal 

and Central Committee 

member Pushpa Thakur 

who were in the party’s talks 

team met MJF-D Chairman 

Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar, 

Vice Chair Rameshwor Ray 

Yadav and party Spokesperson 

Jitendra Dev. 

Sonal said Gachhadar has 

agreed in principle for the 

unification of both the parties. 

According to him, 

Gachhadar told the TMDP 

leaders that he would form, 

within a day or two, a high 

level team of his senior party 

colleagues who would 

suggest the name of unified 

party, modalities of its leadership 

and other aspects of 

unification. 

Sources said TMDP Chair 

Mahantha Thakur and MJF- 

D Chair Gachhadar have 

held informal talks on party 

unification on a number of 

occasions in the past. 

TMDP leaders have repeatedly 

said that they were 

Minister rules out 

change of guard 


Janakpurdham, Sept 25 

Information and Communications 

Minister 

Rajkishor Yadav today 

ruled out the possibility 

of any change in the government 

leadership until 

the election to the fresh 

Constituent Assembly 

was guaranteed. 

Inaugurating the 

Dhanusha District Conference 

of his Madhesi 

Janaadhikar Forum (Republican) 

in Janakpurdham, 

Yadav accused the 

opposition parties – the 

Nepali Congress and 

UML – of trying to oust 

the government from 

power and prolong the 

constitution-drafting 

process. 

Stating that the fivepoint 

deal sealed on May 

2 had lost its relevance, 

the minister made it clear 

that neither the NC nor 

UML could lead the new 

government as the Constituent 

Assembly was 

dissolved without promulgating 

a new constitution. 

Yadav went on to say 

that they were ready to 

quit the government if 

the opposition parties including 

the NC and UML 

agreed on the contentious 

issues of a new 

constitution, election 

procedure for the new CA 

and new poll date. 

“As election to the fresh 

CA is the best alternative, 

parties have no choice but 

to go for the fresh polls,” 

Yadav added. 

Yadav, who is also the 

government salesperson, 

held that the government, 

Joint Madhesi Morcha and 

Federal Democratic Republican 

alliance were 

ready to go for the fresh 

polls. He accused anti-federalists 

and anti republican 

forces of shying away from 

the new election. 

Earlier, talking to mediapersons 

at the Janakpur 

Airport, Minister Yadav remarked 

that the problem 

of Madhes and Madhesi 

marginalised and oppressed 

for centuries could 

not be solved overnight. He 

said that the government 

was serious in resolving the 

problems facing Madhes 

and its people. 

ready to make sacrifices to 

realise the goal of unification, 

which is being interpreted 

that they would be 

liberal on awarding party 

posts to senior Madhesi 

leaders. 

Sources privy to unification 

talks say Thakur could 

agree to be the paramount 

leader of the unified party, 

who would not virtually 

run the party but would be 

consulted for all key decisions. 

According to Sonal, 

Gachhadar agreed in principle 

that one powerful Madhesi 

party was needed to 

advance the cause of Madhesis 

and Madhes region. 

“One powerful Madhesi 

force is needed whether we 

contest elections or resort 

to street protests,” Sonal 

said, adding that they 

were in favour of unifying 

Madhesi parties as soon as 

possible. 

The TMDP which initiated 

the unification process a 

few months ago will hold 

similar talks with all other 

Madhesi parties. Sonal said 

his party colleagues were 

also talking to MJF-Nepal 

Chairman Upendra Yadav. 

Yadav said unification between 

Madhesi parties was 

not impossible but no substantial 

dialogue had taken 

place as yet. 

Govt will crumble 

in a month: Gajurel 



Vice-chairman of the CPN- 

Maoist CP Gajurel today 

said that Prime Minister 

Baburam Bhattarai-led government 

would crumble 

within a month. 


organised by the Reporters 

Club here Gajurel said, “We 

will come up with such a 

struggle plan that it won’t 

take even a month to topple 

the Bhattarai’s government.” 

He also claimed that the 

storm of the struggle would 

wither away the Unified 

CPN-M Chairman Pushpa 

Kamal Dahal and his coalition. 

Gajurel said the meeting 

of the opposition parties 

scheduled for Wednesday 

would take a decision and 

announce their struggle 

plan accordingly. 

Asked about the leadership 

of the next government, 

Gajurel said they have not 

discussed that topic and 

were only focusing on the 

ways to topple the government 

first. 

He further said if the present 

government is not toppled 

then national interest 

will be in danger, nation will 

become a failed state and 

the government will gradually 

snatch all the rights of 

the people. 

On the other hand, Secretary 

of the Unified CPN 

Maoist and Minister for Culture, 

Tourism and Civil Aviation 

Post Bahadur Bogati, 

said that the attempts of the 

opposition parties to topple 

the government would never 

succeed. 

Nepali Army personnel during a rescue training to rescue the drowned 

persons at the Phewa Lake in Pokhara, on Tuesday. 

• ONCE-OVER 

‘Upgrade hospital’ 

ILAM: Nepali Congress Ilam on Tuesday 

wrote to the Ministry of Health, 

demanding that it upgrade the Mechi 

District Hospital. In a memorandum 

sent through the district administration, 

the party has sought necessary 

facilities and manpower at the hospital. 

The hospital has only 25 beds. – HNS 

2 killed in accidents 

BIRATNAGAR: Two persons died in 

two separate accidents in Morang 

and Jhapa districts on Monday. Molabi 

Devi Mahato (40) of Bhadgaun 

Sinawari, Sunsari, died when the bicycle 

he was riding was hit by truck 

with an Indian number plate in Biratnagar. 

Two other injured in the same 

incident are undergoing treatment, 

DSP Uma Prasad Chaturbedi said. In 

another accident in Jhapa, Jay Bahadur 

Magar (30) of Dangabari-6 died 

after he was hit by a commuter. — HNS 

NC will lead in next elections, says Sitaula 


Gaighat, September 12 

Nepali Congress General 

Secretary Krishna Prasad 

Sitaula today said that Congress 

would lead in the upcoming 

election. 

Speaking at a meet organised 

by the Nepal Press 

Union, Udaypur, Sitaula 

said that the present government 

should resign to 

pave the way out for the 

country. 

He blamed that the present 

government did a mistake 

by declaring the date of 

new Constituent Assembly 

when the tenure of CA was 

still valid. “So Prime Minister 

Baburam Bhattarai has 

no right to stay in the power,” 

he added. 

The NC leader warned 

that the Congress would 

stage street protest programmes 

if Bhattari does 

not quit power and give an 

outlet to the country. He 

THT 

said that talks are underway 

with the CPN-UML to stage 

the protests. 

Claiming that as long as the 

present government exists 

there won’t be any political 

and constitutional way out for 

the country, he said that there 

was no basis to believe the 

PAGE 5 

UCNP-M even though it talks 

a lot about consensus. 

Sitaula claimed that they 

were ready to declare the 

name of the PM candidate 

within an hour after consensus 

is reached among parties. 

He said, “There is no dispute 

in the party about the post.”


TheHimalayan 

T I M E S 

A THOUGHT FOR T ODAY 

Great works are performed, not by strength, 

but by perseverance. 

—Samuel Johnson 

Stigma and death 

Nepal is still reeling under the deep-rooted beliefs 

in superstitions. There may be some ray of hope 

in the urban centres, but the people in the rural parts 

are still as superstitious as ever. The ever-expanding 

education reach too has not been able to make the 

people see reason on many matters, even in the 21st 

century. That a leprosy patient in Bajura, disowned 

by the family, has died due to neglect and lack of care 

in times when medical assistance can help cure the 

disease. It is unthinkable that people still believe that 

leprosy is the result of the person concerned being 

cursed by god for his/her sins. One may wonder at 

the working of the Health Ministry that has to detect 

such patients and bring them under the treatment 

regime. Ironically speaking, Nepal has a leprosy 

prevalence rate of 0.89 which qualifies it, according 

to the WHO, to have eliminated leprosy. However, 

that still does not mean that the country can bask in 

glory and not take stock of the leprosy patients who 

might be scattered around the nooks and corners of 

the country. This calls for greater vigilance for 

which the mobilisation of health workers, supported 

by the local leaders and social workers is essential. 

One just wonders as to how the local level health 

and social workers missed out a patient in their 

vicinity. It cannot be more that indifference or shirking 

responsibilities. 

One person may have 

died as a result of neglect 

In the ongoing arising out of superstition 

political 

regarding the disease of 

leprosy which can be 

tug-of-war, no cured if timely medical 

thoughts go out treatment is available. In 

this context, it would be 

to the people fitting to note that in the 

surrounded by past years alone hundreds 

of people in many 

troubles of 

western districts have 

all sorts 

died from gastroenteritis 

and cholera, both of 

which could be prevented with the intake of fresh 

food and potable water. This just shows how we are 

lacking in these, particularly in the remote regions of 

the country. When the government cannot even 

make arrangements to supply clean drinking water 

to all the people, tragic deaths cannot be avoided. As 

for the health posts and centres, they often lack the 

basic medicines like cetamol and ORS. With such as 

state of affairs, the ‘health for all’ campaign is bound 

to flounder. What it all means is that the government 

and the political leaders are oblivious of the plight of 

the ordinary folks especially those residing in the rural 

parts of the country. How can they call themselves 

to be at the service of the people. Moreover, the political 

bigwigs consider themselves as elites, and think 

that they are doing a great favour to the people by 

talking about consensus on the yet-to-be-drafted 

constitution. A new constitution is necessary but not 

at the cost of the plight of the people. 

There are many relief measures that the people 

need, yet the government wants to extend its tenure 

by any means, while the opposing political parties 

wants to dislodge it. In all this tug-of-war, 

no thoughts go out to the people surrounded by woes 

of all sorts which, in fact, should have been resolved 

as their right. No political leader or party can 

call itself people-oriented until people like Theche 

BK of Bajura die because of the lack of health care 

and outright apathy 

Smooth operation 

In contrast to the earlier apathy, it has been reported 

that the government is to deploy Armed Police 

Force (APF) personnel to guard the power house and 

dam construction of the Upper Tamakoshi Project, 

which is to generate 456 MW. In fact, this seems to be 

a move in the right direction. The country has been 

only been able to add 5 MW in the past year compared 

to an increase in the demand for 100 MW. What 

has been seen is that there have been regular obstructions 

of the many hydro-power projects in the 

country leading to delay in their construction together 

with increasing the costs. If the deployment of police 

personnel works fine, many a unnecessary obstructions 

could be stopped. 

For one thing, it is mostly the local people who 

have to be appeased while a power project is under 

construction. Therefore, it calls for the power project 

developers to have cordial relations with the local 

people through offering them a chance to be shareholders 

and provide a certain percentage of the power 

produced to the local areas. Such an arrangement 

would help in eliminating bad blood. 

• LETTERS 

Heart-felt 

tributes 

This refers to the news report 

“Nine foreigners killed in 

Manaslu avalanche” (THT, 

Sept. 24, Page 1). Tourism is one 

of the main source of income 

for a landlocked country like 

Nepal. We must respect, 

through the core of our hearts, 

all the tourists who visit our 

country. It’s almost 

heart-breaking and shocking 

news to the entire Nepalese, 

that so many of our valued 

mountaineers were killed 

by the Manaslu avalanche 

and many more injured. 

Thanks also goes out to the 

private helicopter 

companies like Simrik, 

Dynastic, Fish tail and the 

Mountain Air who helped and 

played a vital role in the rescue 

operations. Now, special 

care and precautions are 

necessary for the mountainers. 

As per our veteran mountaineer 

Apa, as told to the Associated 

Press, because of the global 

warming, mountains now 

have considerably less ice 

and snow, making it harder for 

climbers to use ice axes and 

DILLI RAJ KHANAL 

It is now well recognized 

that amidst higher growth 

South Asia (SA) is emerging 

as the economic power 

house of the 21st century. 

During 2000-2008, the average 

growth rate was 7.8 per 

cent against 3.3 per cent 

growth at the global level. 

During 2009-2011 also, 

growth rate has remained 

about 6.5 per cent on the average, 

showing strong resilience 

capacity despite 

very pervasive adverse 

effect of great financial 

crisis across the globe. The 

consumption and income 

based poverty trends also 

confirm that poverty has 

reduced steadily over the 

years. The competitive 

strength in many areas 

including immense potentials 

of harnessing rich natural, 

human and other resources 

accompanied by 

demographic dividends, 

among others, corroborate 

such a possibility. 

However, as many indices 

reveal, the challenges are 

immense and daunting. 

First, amidst least integrated 

at the aggregate level, economic 

growth within the 

South Asian countries is 

highly uneven with an annual 

growth rate at around 3 

to 4 per cent is somewhat 

compounded by very adverse 

initial conditions with 

• TOPICS 

SANTOSH KC 

Learning a foreign language is 

one of the best self-development 

tools that we have at hand, 

as it helps us develop our cognitive 

skills, analytical thinking, it 

enhances our creativity and our 

adaptability. Neuron science 

claims that the process of learning 

a foreign language is a powerful 

way of forging into neural 

maps and creating a new ones. 

Many of the benefits of learning 

a foreign language are obvious. 

Knowing a foreign language 

opens more professional opportunities 

especially when we are 

dealing today with a global business 

environment and it makes 

any travelling experience more 

enjoyable. But, there are some 

crampons on their boots to get 

a grip on the slopes. No doubt, 

we do have the highest 

mountain in the world Mount 

Everest. We pay due respect 

to the departed souls. 

Rajendra Gurbacharya, 

Tahachal Bagaicha, 

Kathmandu 

On learning a foreign language 

less evident benefits of learning 

a foreign language that can be 

considered of even more value 

that these ones. 

The process of assimilating a 

foreign language comes along 

with benchmark between the 

targeted language and your native 

one, mental associations 

and comparisons. That’s why, 

besides accelerating brain activity, 

it also leads to a better understanding 

of the mother tongue 

and to a more appropriate and 

effective use of it. It will also 

boost our creativity because the 

process forces us to re-phrase, 

find synonyms and use multiple–verbal 

variations on the 

same topics. 

Knowledge a foreign languages 

also opens the door to 

Safer roads 

This is with reference to the 

news item “Bus falls off 

highway, 28 dead” (THT, Sept. 

12, Page 1). It is really shameful 

that the authorities are still 

unable to minimize the road 

accidents. The reason behind 

this accident may be drunk 

driving, but the authorities 

shouldn’t forget about the 

present condition of the roads 

in our country. Road conditions 

are pathetic, which itself 

reflects how safely the 

passengers would reach their 

destination. Also, most of the 

vehicles that ply on highways 

are not road worthy making 

them vulnerable to accidents. I 

think the authorities must 

regularly check and have strict 

monitoring programs. Now that 

Dashain and Tihar are round 

the corner, thousands of people 

many different cultures. It makes 

it easier and more enjoyable to 

travel, offers the possibility of 

reading literature in its original 

language, and can be the source 

of many friends from around the 

world. 

In today’s society, the world 

seems to be getting smaller. An 

individual can fly from one part 

of the world to another and be 

there within the same day, students 

in classrooms across the 

world can speak to each other 

via internet, or live video 

streams. In a world of globalizing 

by the minute, it is easy to see 

how important it is to learn a foreign 

language. For me, personally, 

there is no reason more important 

that having the ability to 

connect with someone or some 

would be returning home, and 

if such accidents occur they 

would be very tragic. So, there is 

a need to make the road 

journeys safe. Also, overloading 

should be strictly prohibited 

even during the festive season, 

as they could prove fatal. 

Moreover, drunk driving should 

be banned and the offenders 

strictly punished. It is necessary 

to make the roads safer by 

minimising road accidents in 

which hundreds of lives are 

lost every year. There is also a 

need to make travel by 

road convenient and safe. 

Chandan Kumar Shah, 

Kathmandu 

Investigate 

On September 23rd Gaur 

Hospital remained closed after 

a patient of snake bite died. The 

place. It also helps me, in a way, 

to feel more diversified and global 

myself. I feel that these connections 

with different cultures 

in different parts of the world arguably 

makes me a more threedimensional, 

well rounded, 

global individual 

It is easy to see the importance 

of foreign language study personally, 

nationally, and globally. 

Studying a foreign language also 

improves cognitive skills, learning 

, perception, memory, and 

insight, and it can improve a person’s 

creativity, mental flexibility 

and thinking skills. Last but not 

least, people who learn foreign 

languages will increase their 

ability to assimilate ideas ad notions 

they are not familiar with 

from cultural perspectives. 

patient’s kin claimed that the 

health worker on duty did not 

administer the anti-snake 

venom (ASV), although it was 

available, because of which the 

patient died. 

On the other hand, the 

health worker who was on 

duty said that he he had 

administered the anti-snake 

venom but the patient died. 

So, I would like to request the 

concerned authorities to carry 

out proper investigation and 

reveal the truth as to what 

had actually led to the 

patient’s death. 

Anjesh Kumar Sah, Birgunj 


Inclusive and sustainable growth in South Asia 

Very pertinent 

very weak economic base 

and domestic supply capacity 

linking to many structural 

constraints. Second, still 

today almost half of the 

poor of the world live in the 

South Asian region. Despite 

steady improvements in 

HDI on the average at 0.548 

in 2011, the inequality adjusted 

index comes out at 

only 0.393. The gender inequality 

index is 0.601, marginally 

lower than Sub-Saharan 

Africa. In such a paradoxical 

trend, sustainability 

of growth is an added problem 

amidst increased threat 

of deepening crises globally, 

the agenda of the 5th SA 

Economic Summit held in 

Islamabad from 11 to 13th 

September, 2012 was Making 

Growth Inclusive and 

Sustainable and hence the 

theme was very pertinent 

against the backdrop of proposed 

next SAARC Summit 

in Kathmandu. 

As obvious, the discussion 

and debate in the Summit 

had revolved around the 

main theme. Unlike an isolated 

argument that growth 

should be the main agenda 

of SA for the time being, 

overwhelming view at the 

Summit was inclusion and 

higher growth can go together 

and therefore various 

measures both at domestic 

and SAARC level should be 

driven by this in complementary 

way. 

• BLOG SURF • CARTOON 

Shutdown 

SHALAV RANA 

Wallked, with shorts, an ipod and a bottle 

of water, from home to office. A distance 

I covered in 60 minutes. There wasn’t the usual 

cacophony of traffic, the smoke the vehicles 

bellow, and the dust the road throws at you. I 

walked smiling, breathing heartily and 

enjoying the environment that Kathmndu 

should have had. It’s Kathmandu Shutdown...At 

the main junction at Balkhu, a 

crowd... were making sure nothing passed 

through, except ambulances and press 

vehicles. Their job was easy. 

There weren’t any vehicles on the road at all. 

They’d all been frightened off. Towards the 

end of the walk, my knees buckled, slightly. It’d 

been almost an hour since I’d started walking, 

and tackling the uphill climb just before I arrived 

at my office, I was drained. Still, the old 

athlete in me kicked in and I arrived in my office 

in one piece. Now, I’ve got to relax, get the 

strength back in my old legs and walk home. 

I’m thinking of listening to some disco music 

on the way back. Helps.— kathmandublogger.blogspot.com 

Despite high trade integration, with almost 

70 per cent trade among SAARC countries, 

countries like Nepal are facing immense 

trade deficit problem indicating loss not 

gains.This means that trade and economic 

integration are linked to harnessing 

domestic potentials 

Based on the deliberations 

carried out in different 

specific areas including regional 

trade agreements, 

trade in agriculture, energy 

security, cooperation in water, 

transport and logistic 

corridors from South Asian 

outlook, liberalization of 

services trade, migration, 

potential supply chains, regional 

tourism potentials, 

climate change, inclusion 

and sustainable SA and op- 

tions for collective response, 

it became clear that there is 

still long way to go. 

First of all, there is big 

trust deficit among some 

member countries driven 

by many unsettled sensitive 

issues. Amidst this, many 

agreements made so far either 

have not been implemented 

or progress has 

been very slow. For instance, 

after services trade 

agreement in 2010, no fol- 

low up actions have been 

taken. Lack of connectivity, 

poor or no legal and intuitional 

frameworks in the 

agreed areas, weak financial 

capacity or absence of access 

to financial services, 

poor telecommunication 

network, absence of transit 

facilities and suitable measures 

to encourage private 

investors have been major 

detrimental factors. As such, 

both commodity and services 

trade within the 

SAARC countries is minimal 

or stagnant. The intra-private 

investment flow is 

equally very low. 

Another feature which is 

often generalized or ignored 

is that despite high trade integration 

with almost 70 per 

cent trade with SAARC 

countries, countries like 

Nepal are facing immense 

trade deficit problem indicating 

loss not gains. 

This means that unless 

trade and economic integration 

are linked to harnessing 

domestic potentials 

for raising supply or production 

capacity in tandem, 

mere emphasis does not ensure 

mutual gains. Such issues 

were brought into discussion 

during deliberations 

more distinctly. 

On the whole, the proper 

theme enabled to concretize 

issues more candidly 

and suggest measures for 

enhancing economic inte- 

Letters to this column should be addressed to 

Letters C/o Edit Page Editor,The Himalayan Times, 

Post Box 11651,APCA House, 

Baidya Khana Road, Kathmandu, Nepal 

email: edit@thehimalayantimes.com, 

Fax 0977-1-4771959 

gration in SA that, at the 

same time, could ensure 

gains for the member countries 

more equitably. It was 

broadly suggested that instead 

of adding commitments 

in one after another 

area, step by step approach 

would be beneficial. As 

such, the major emphasis 

was given on augmenting 

trade in energy and tourism 

having huge potentials with 

comparative advantages. 

For this, promotion to the 

FDI from within the SAARC 

was also duly emphasized. 

Similarly, more reforms in 

services trade was stressed, 

key for, among others, reducing 

trade cost, boosting 

production in real sector 

and enhancing trade competitiveness. 

It was also suggested 

that the connectivity 

should get higher priority to 

facilitate that process. For 

all these to materialize, it 

was highlighted that area 

specific institutional 

arrangements and capacity 

enhancement is essential. 

At a time when there is an 

increased threat of protection 

practices in developed 

countries, it will be interesting 

to see that how the coming 

SAARC Summit will 

move ahead to remove trust 

deficit and take concrete 

steps for ensuring high but 

inclusive and sustainable 

growth across member 

countries . 

• THT 10 YEARS AGO 

If J & K can hold polls, 

so can Nepal: Khadka 


Kathmandu, September 25, 2002 

Home minister Khum Bahadur Khadka 

today reaffirmed the government’s 

stand that the mid-term polls 

would be held in time. “I am confident 

the polls will be held as stipulated and 

not put off. There is no alternative to 

them,” he said. At an interaction organised 

by Reporters’ Club in Kathmandu, 

the minister urged all parties not to get 

“entangled” in Article 127 when “the 

country is already on the threshold of 

elections”. He said that since only a few 

districts were troubled by Maoists, there 

shouldn’t be any confusion that polls 

wouldn’t be held. “Only those scared of 

facing the elections are talking of activating 

Article 127,” he commented. Referring 

to the Communist Party of Nepal- 

UML’s changed stance on the polls, 

Khadka said earlier they were not ready 

to believe that polls would be held on November13 

but were convinced by the 

government’s earnestness. He predicted 

that if the party didn’t get the backing of 

the Maoists, they would not get a majority 

in the elections. Talking to reporters, 

the home minister ruled out the prospect 

of peace negotiations with the rebels. 

However, he reiterated that a democratic 

government always kept its doors open 

for dialogue. “If the Maoists are sincere 

and honest about holding talks, the government 

would be ready,” he said, adding 

that it was unfair to call for talks simply 

through press statements. 

Here roads are the 

way to accidents 


Kathmandu, September 25, 2002 

Though Dallu is one of few residential 

areas, located close to the city and 

with a large number of people moving in 

and out of the area, its roads leave much 

to be desired. Raktakali and Tamsipakha, 

two direct routes leading to the hub of 

the city, are in a pitiable condition due to 

the bad weather and worse maintainence 

over the years. This has resulted 

in serious inconvenience for pedestrians 

and commuters alike. “It is extremely difficult 

to persuade taxis and tempos to go 

to this area because of the bad roads,” 

said Kapil Chitrakar, a local resident. 

“The situation gets worse when it rains 

because large puddles form in the middle 

of the road.” It has been over seven years 

since the Raktakali road was blacktopped. 

The Tamsipakha road was reconstructed 

four years back by the ward office. 

But it is in a bad way due to the 

weather and thin layer of blacktop during 

the reconstruction. Both roads are steep 

and slippery and liable to cause accidents. 

These busy streets are also a direct 

link to the Swayambhunath temple, 

which was declared one of the world heritage 

sites by UNESCO in 1979 and is a 

popular site for pilgrims and tourists 

alike. However, none of the approximately 

2,000 residents of the Dallu area has reported 

the situation to the Department of 

Roads (DR). “It is the responsibility of the 

DR and the ward office to monitor the 

condition of the roads from time to time,” 

says Chitrakar.


NATIONAL 

DPM addresses UN assembly 



Deputy Prime Minister and 

Minister for Foreign Affairs 

Narayan Kaji Shrestha participated 

in the 67th Session 

of the UN General Assembly 

and high-level 

meeting on the rule of law 

yesterday. 

In his address to the high 

level meeting, Shrestha 

emphasised that ensuring 

the rule of law at the international 

level assumes as 

much importance as at the 

national level. 

This provides essential 

tools and principles for 

peaceful coexistence and 

cooperation among the 

member states, he staed. 

He said that the rule of 

law should not be used as a 

cover of domination of one 

country by another, and 

practicing double standard 

in its application should be 

avoided, according to a 

press release issued by the 

Permanent Mission of 

Nepal to the United Nations. 

The minister underlined 

the importance of observance 

of the purposes and 

principles enshrined in the 

UN Charter and the international 

law and promoting 

multilateralism in handling 

all international issues 

of common concerns 

in the promotion of rule of 

law in a broader context. 

He then highlighted that 

it is extremely important 

to create a level playing 

field where all states can 

participate in an equitable 

manner. 

Shrestha reiterated 

Nepal’s commitment towards 

strengthening the 

rule of law at the national 

level as a part of its historic 

transformation process. 

He said that the historic 

Delay in full-fledged 

budget turning off 

investors: Tripathi 


Kathmandu, Sept 25, 

Minister for Physical Planning 

and Works Hridayesh 

Tripathi today said the government, 

in the absence of 

a full-fledged budget, was 

unable to sign deal with 

major investors like the 

World Bank and Asian Development 

Bank, and as a 

result these banks are diverting 

their funds to other 

countries. 


here today, the minister 

said some of the agreements 

that the government 

had signed with investors a 

few months ago were being 

cancelled simply because 

those projects could not be 

incorporated in the current 

third budget. 

“This means the investors 

will withdraw from 

our projects and will invest 

their money in some other 

countries,” he added. 

The minister said lack of 

full-fledged budget had adversely 

impacted the middle 

hill road, postal road 

and railway projects. “We 

cannot pursue big projects 

because we failed to incorporate 

them in the current 

budget due to its size,” Tripathi 

added. 

Budget, he said, is for the 

country and not for the 

government, and therefore 

it was an irresponsible act 

to block government’s effort 

to bring full-fledged 

budget. 

The government, he 

said, is left with money 

enough only to provide 

salaries to the employees. 

“We can no longer spend 

money on development 

works, budgetary constraints 

have hit road expansion 

drive,” Tripathi 

said. 

The government has a 

plan to expand 140 km 

road in the capital, but it 

has been able to expand 

only 80 km. He said he was 

committed to enhance 

competitive skills of Nepali 

contractors and hence he 

was going to introduce a 

provision whereby any foreign 

contractor would be 

required to have a Nepali 

partner. 

Jayaram Lamichhane, 

Chairman, Federation of 

Contractors’ Associations 

of Nepal (FCAN) said if the 

government did not bring 

full-fledged budget soon, 

the contractors would hit 

the street after Dashain. 

Lamichhane warned 

that the contractors would 

block vehicular movement 

around the valley. He crticised 

political leaders for 

blocking the budget. 

struggle of the Nepali people, 

with sacrifices of thousands 

of lives, in fact, was 

for the purpose of establishing 

rule of law along 

with equity and justice in 

the country. 

The Deputy Prime Minister 

also participated today 

at the special Ministerial 

Meeting of the United 

Nations Economic and Social 

Council. 

He underlined that the 

Economic and Social 

Council (ECOSOC) is the 

right forum to deal with the 

global economic, social 

and environmental challenges 

that the world has 

been facing in recent years 

in terms of multiple crises 

as well as the impact of climate 

change. 

He called for multilateral 

approach for global solution 

to these problems. 

He emphasised on the 

need for a more robust 

ECOSOC for integrated and 

coordinated follow-up of 

the outcomes of all major 

UN conferences and summits 

in the economic, social 

and related fields, particularly 

for the effective 

implementation of the Istanbul 

Programme of Action 

for the Least Developed 

Countries, according 

to the press release. 

On the margins of the 

UN General Assembly 

meetings, Shrestha held bilateral 

meeting with Kin 

Sung-hwan, Minister for 

Foreign Affairs and Trade of 

the Republic of Korea. 

Later in the evening, 

Minister Shrestha briefly 

met with United States 

President Barack Obama in 

the reception hosted by the 

President Obama and Mrs 

Michelle Obama in honour 

of the Heads of Delegation 

to the 67th Session of the 

UN General Assembly. 

Meat shops 

monitored 


Biratnagar, September 25 

With the festive season fast 

approaching, authorities in 

Biratnagar have intensified 

monitoring of local meat 

shops. 

Acting on complaints from 

consumers, authorities today 

took action against half a 

dozen shops for indulging in 

unethical practices. 

Biratnagar Sub-metropolis 

Office said, it has initiated 

action against Krishna Fresh 

House, Mala Meat Shop, 

Shyam Meat Centre and 

Khadka Meat Centre. 

The monitoring team, 

comprising representatives 

from the sub-metropolis and 

Morang district administration, 

found that most shops 

were selling meat in the 

open, others were using 

faulty weights and running 

their shop without license. 

Locals receiving former king Gyanendra Shah in Pokhara on Tuesday. 

Woman branded witch, thrashed 


Mahottari, September 25 

A group of locals today attacked 

a woman in a village 

in Mahottari claiming that 

she was practising witchcraft. 

Mithilesh Devi Yadav, a resident 

of Sahasaula VDC, was 

thrashed by her neighbours 

Ram Ekbal Yadav, Siyaram 

Yadav, Sanjeev Yadav and 

their wives, informed Mithilesh’s 

husband Bindeshwor 

Yadav. 

PAGE 7 

THT 

She has sustained injuries 

to her head and nose. 

Locals said the villagers 

had been taunting Mithilesh 

by accusing her of practicing 

witchcraft, for a long time. 

The ones involved in the attack 

are at large.


INTERNATIONAL 

• THE WORLD OVER 

Iran test-fires missiles 

TEHRAN : A semi-official Iranian 

news agency said today the military 

test-fired four missiles during a military 

drill in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. 

The report yesterday by Fars 

quoted General Ali Fadavi of the powerful 

Revolutionary Guard as saying 

the missiles hit a “big target” the size 

of a warship and sunk it within 50 

seconds. It was the first report of an 

Iranian military exercise taking place 

simultaneously and close to United 

States-led joint naval manoeuvres in 

the Persian Gulf, including minesweeping 

drills. —AP 

Syria clashes claim 62 

BEIRUT : At least 62 people — 26 

civilians, 26 soldiers and 10 rebels — 

were killed in shelling, clashes and 

other violence in Syria today. Soldiers 

shot dead a child today in Syria’s 

Aleppo province when they targeted 

the car she was in, a watchdog said, 

giving an initial toll of 62 people killed 

nationwide. Another child was badly 

wounded in bombardments on the 

northern metropolis, while a teenage 

boy was killed in shelling elsewhere 

in Aleppo province, it said. State media 

said the army had retaken the 

Aleppo district of Arkoub, but the Observatory 

said there was still fighting 

in the area. —AFP 

Brussels calls for calm 

BRUSSELS : European Union foreign 

policy chief Catherine Ashton on 

Tuesday called for calm as tension 

mounted in a dispute pitting China 

and Taiwan against Japan over islands 

in the East China Sea. As coastguard 

from Japan and Taiwan duelled 

with water cannon, Ashton said “with 

its significant interests in the region, 

the EU is following developments in 

East Asia’s maritime areas.” —AFP 

Third time lucky 

OSLO: A Norwegian family has hit the 

jackpot not once but three times, after 

winning millions of euros on three 

separate occasions. Last week, Tord 

Oksnes became a millionaire at the 

age of 19 after winning $2.1 million 

on national lottery. In doing so he became 

part of a family tradition that 

has seen his 26 year-old sister collect 

8.2 million kroner in 2010. —AFP 

• UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY 

Obama vows to 

halt Tehran bomb 


United Nations, Sept 25 

President Barack Obama vowed 

today the United States would not 

permit Iran to arm itself with nuclear 

weapons, as the UN General 

Assembly heard appeals for an 

end to Syria’s civil war. 

Crises across the Middle East 

dominated the first day of the annual 

UN summit, where Western 

leaders sought to increase pressure 

on Damascus and Iran to 

abandon confrontation and seek 

negotiated settlements. 

UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon 

condemned 

the violence, 

speaking a day af- 

ter his peace envoy 

had accused Syrian 

leader Bashar 

al-Assad’s regime 

of resorting to “medieval 

forms of torture” 

against his 

own citizens. 

And Obama 

went further, declaring: 

“the 

regime of Bashar 

al-Assad must come to an end 

so the suffering of the Syrian people 

can stop, and a new dawn 

can begin.” 

Obama was unequivocal on 

Iran, which is locked in a stand-off 

with the West over a nuclear programme 

that Washington alleges 

is designed to produce a weapon 

that could tip the balance of power 

in an already volatile region. 

“Make no mistake. A nucleararmed 

Iran is not a challenge that 

can be contained. It would threaten 

the elimination of Israel, the 

security of Gulf nations, and 

the stability of the global economy, 

that is why a coalition of 

countries is holding the Iranian 

government accountable. And 

that is why the United States will 

do what we must to prevent Iran 

from obtaining a nuclear 

weapon,” he declared. 

Make no mistake.A 

nuclear-armed Iran 

is not a challenge 

that can be 

contained. 

Six weeks before he is due to 

seek re-election, Obama is under 

pressure on the foreign policy 

front, with criticism of his handling 

of the killing of US diplomats 

and claims he is not standing 

closely enough behind Israel. 

His speech was designed to 

counter claims from White House 

rival Mitt Romney and also to renew 

his outreach to the Muslim 

world after two weeks of anti- 

American violence triggered by a 

movie trailer that insulted Islam. 

Obama said the Arab Spring 

would lead to improved democracy 

and living standards in a Middle 

East region 

more in line with 

US values but, 

while he condemned 

the film, 

he insisted no insults 

could justify 

violence. 

He vowed that 

the militants who 

stormed the US 

consulate in Benghazi 

on September 

11, killing the 

American ambassador 

to Libya and three colleagues, 

would face justice and 

said the United States would always 

defend free speech. 

“There are no words that excuse 

the killing of innocents. There is 

no video that justifies an attack on 

an embassy. There is no slander 

that provides an excuse for people 

to burn a restaurant in Lebanon, 

or destroy a school in Tunis, or 

cause death and destruction in 

Pakistan,” he continued. 

Ban spoke for many delegates 

when he called on world powers 

to put aside their differences and 

unite behind a plan to pressure 

the parties to ensure the conflicts 

be settled through negotiation. 

Ban dubbed the Syria conflict “a 

regional calamity with global ramifications” 

and said: “We should 

not look the other way as violence 

spirals out of control.” 

AP / RSS 

Protestors preparing to march to the Parliament to protest against austerity 

measures announced by the Spanish government in Madrid, Spain, on Tuesday. 

Einstein brain shrunk for app 


Chicago, September 25 

The brain that revolutionised 

physics now can be 

downloaded as an app for 

$9.99. But it won’t help you 

win at Angry Birds. 

While Albert Einstein’s 

genius isn’t included, an exclusive 

iPad application 

launched today promises to 

make detailed images of his 

brain more accessible to 

scientists than ever before. 

Teachers, students and anyone 

who’s curious also can 

get a look. 

A medical museum under 

development in Chicago 

obtained funding to scan 

and digitise nearly 350 fragile 

and priceless slides 

made from slices of Einstein’s 

brain after his death 

in 1955. The application will 

allow researchers and 

novices to peer into the eccentric 

Nobel winner’s 

brain as if they were looking 

through a microscope. 

“I can’t wait to find out 

what they’ll discover,” said 

Steve Landers, a consultant 

for the National Museum of 

Health and Medicine 

Chicago who designed the 

app. “I’d like to think Einstein 

would have been excited.” 

After Einstein died, a 

pathologist named Thomas 

Harvey performed an autopsy, 

removing the great 

man’s brain in hopes that 

future researchers could 

discover the secrets behind 

his genius. 

Harvey gave samples to 

researchers and collaborated 

on a 1999 study published 

in the Lancet. 

That study showed a region 

of Einstein’s brain –– 

the parietal lobe –– was 15 

per cent wider than normal. 

The parietal lobe is important 

to the understanding of 

math, language and spatial 

relationships. 

The new iPad app may allow 

researchers to dig even 

deeper by looking for brain 

regions where the neurons 

are more densely connected 

than normal, said Dr 

Phillip Epstein, a Chicagoarea 

neuroscientist and 

consultant for the museum. 

But because the tissue 

was preserved before modern 

imaging technology, it 


may be difficult for scientists 

to figure out exactly 

where in Einstein’s brain 

each slide originated. 

Although the new app organises 

the slides into general 

brain regions, it doesn’t 

map them with precision to 

an anatomical model. 

“They didn’t have MRI. 

We don’t have a three-dimensional 

model of the 

brain of Einstein, so we 

don’t know where the samples 

were taken from,” said 

researcher Jacopo Annese 

of the Brain Observatory at 

the University of California, 

San Diego. 

Annese has preserved 

and digitised another famous 

brain, that of Henry 

Molaison, who died in 2008 

after living for decades with 

profound amnesia. 

Known as “HM” in scientific 

studies, Molaison participated 

during his life in 

research that revealed new 

insights on learning and 

memory. “There will be another 

Einstein and we’ll do 

it like HM,” Annese predicted. 

For now, said the scientist, 

it’s exciting to have tissues 

from Einstein’s brain. 

Protest plan 

forces Spain 

to seal off 

Parliament 


Madrid, September 25 

Spain’s Parliament took on 

the appearance of a heavily 

guarded fortress today, 

hours ahead of a protest 

against the conservative government’s 

handling of the 

economic crisis. 

The demonstration, organised 

behind the slogan 

`Occupy Congress,’ is expected 

to draw thousands of 

people from around Spain. 

Madrid’s regional Interior 

Ministry delegation said 

some 1,300 police would be 

deployed though protesters 

say they have no intention of 

storming the chamber, only 

of marching around it. They 

are calling for fresh elections, 

claiming the government’s 

austerity measures show 

the ruling Popular Party misled 

voters to get elected last 

November. 

The protest comes as 

Spain struggles in its second 

recession in three years and 

with unemployment near 

25 per cent. Spain has introduced 

austerity measures 

and economic reforms in a 

bid to convince its euro 

partners and investors that it 

is serious about reducing 

its bloated deficit to 6.3 per 

cent of gross domestic product 

in 2012 and 4.5 per cent 

next year. 

Concerns over the country’s 

public finances was evident 

earlier when the Treasury 

sold $5.14 billion in 

short-term debt but at a 

higher cost. 

The Spanish government 

is expected to present a new 

batch of reforms tomorrow 

as it unveils a draft budget 

for 2013. A day later the results 

of bank stress tests carried 

out by an international 

auditing company are to be 

released. 


NEIGHBOURS 

• SNIPPETS 

AFP / RSS 

India’s Congress Party President 

Sonia Gandhi delivering a speech 

during a ceremony to mark the 

150th birth anniversary of former 

party president Motilal Nehru in 

New Delhi on Tuesday. 

20 miners die in China 

BEIJING: A steel cable broke as it was 

pulling two carriages at a coal mine in 

northwest China on Tuesday, killing 

20 workers in the country’s latest 

mining accident. The state-run China 

News Service said 34 miners were riding 

in the carriages when the cable 

broke, overturning the carriages in 

the mine in Baiyin city in Gansu 

province. It said 14 miners were rescued. 

China has the world’s deadliest 

coal mine industry with 1,973 miners 

killed in accidents last year. Safety 

improvements have reduced deaths 

in recent years, but safety rules are often 

ignored and accidents are still 

common. — AP 

Stampede kills one 

KANPUR: One person was killed and 

12 others were injured when a stampede 

broke out in the Hanuman Temple 

in Panki on the outskirts of the 

city on Tuesday. Devotees in large 

numbers had gathered at the temple 

on the occasion of ‘Budhwa Mangal’ 

festival when the incident took place. 

The doors of the 500-year-old temple 

were to open at 3 am but the devotees 

had lined up since last night. DIG 

(Kanpur) Amitabh Yash told reporters 

that serpentine lines were seen outside 

the temple since last night following 

which additional policemen 

were posted near the site. — Agencies 

China has turned Tibet 

into a giant prison: Exiles 


Dharamshala, September 25 

The Tibetans’ exiled political 

leadership said today the region 

had been turned into a giant 

prison by China and that an imminent 

change at the top in Beijing 

was little cause for optimism. 

About 400 Tibetans from 

around the world came together 

in the northern Indian hilltown 

of Dharamshala at the start of 

the biggest gathering of exiles in 

four years called to highlight the 

plight of Tibetans under Chinese 

rule. The four-day general meeting 

is the first since the Dalai 

Lama, the revered spiritual 

leader of Tibetan Buddhism, decided 

to retire from political duties, 

passing responsibilities to 

new prime minister Lobsang 

Sangay. 

The speaker of Tibet’s parliament-in-exile, 

which is based in 

Dharamshala, opened proceedings 

by denouncing Chinese repression, 

which he held as the 

cause of the deaths of 51 Tibetans 

in a recent spate of selfimmolations. 

“A state of undeclared 

martial law continues to 

remain in force in Tibet,” Penpa 

Tsering told the conclave. “(China) 

has converted Tibet into a 

territory resembling a prison 

camp.” He added: “The question 

(is) how and in what ways we, the 

Tibetan people living in exile, 

should respond to the tragic situation 

in Tibet today.” 

The change of leadership in 

China later this year is one of the 

key issues for the delegates, with 

some observers suggesting president-in-waiting 

Xi Jinping may 

be more flexible on Tibet. 

“Some people say he might 

lean more towards reform, while 

others believe he will maintain 

the hardline policies,” Sangay, 

who was elected as prime minister 

last year, told reporters. 

“We are not that optimistic because 

the Chinese government 

has continued to maintain hardline 

policies on Tibet... but, as 

human beings, you should remain 

hopeful, and the new personnel 

will hopefully have a new 

perspective on Tibet.” Sangay, a 

Harvard-educated international 

law scholar, arrived at the assembly 

hall escorted by monks robed 

in saffron and orange who blew 

horns as a portrait of the Dalai 

Lama was carried into the venue. 

“We must formulate ways to ensure 

that the cries and suffering 

in Tibet do not go in vain,” he 

said before the delegates broke 

up for group discussions. 

Aishwarya new UN goodwill ambassador 


United Nations, September 25 

Indian actress Aishwarya Rai 

Bachchan was today appointed as 

the new international Goodwill Ambassador 

for UNAIDS, the joint UN 

programme on AIDS and HIV. 

The announcement was made at 

the UN headquarters here by UN- 

AIDS Executive Director Michel 

Sidibe on the sidelines of the 67th 

session of the UN General Assembly. 

In her new role, she will help raise 

awareness on issues related to stopping 

new HIV infections in children 

and advocate for increased access to 

anti-retroviral treatment. “I am honoured 

to accept this appointment. 

Spreading awareness on health issues 

specially related to women and 

children has always been a priority 

for me and now as a new mother I 

can personally relate to this — the 

joys and concerns of every mother 

and the hopes that we have for our 

children,” she said. 

Her main focus will be to advocate 

for the global plan towards the elimination 

of new HIV infections among 

children and keeping their mothers 

alive. This plan was launched at the 

UN in June 2011 and focuses on 22 

countries including India, which ac- 

count for more than 90 per cent of all 

new HIV infections among children. 

“I promise that with UNAIDS I will 

do my utmost to make this happen,” 

she said. UNAIDS, which is focused 

on working towards universal access 

to HIV treatment, prevention, care 

and support, said 34.2 million people 

were living with HIV in 2011. 

The new appointment will be one 

of Rai’s first and most important associations 

with the UN. 

Last week, she had joined UN Secretary 

General Ban Ki-moon and 

renowned Hollywood actor Michael 

Douglas at a ceremony here to commemorate 

the International Day 

of Peace. She had also addressed a 

large group of students from 

varied backgrounds during a panel 

discussion on ‘Sustainable Peace for 

a Sustainable Future’. 

Her father-in-law Amitabh 

Bachchan had served as the International 

Goodwill Ambassador for 

UNICEF. 

A villager paddling a banana raft through floodwater at the flood-affected area of 

Mayong village, in the northeastern state of Assam, on Tuesday. The number of the 

displaced in the flood-swamped northeast India has risen to 1.7 million. 

Reuters 

Washington, September 25 

Two US Marines are facing criminal 

charges for urinating on the 

bodies of dead Taliban fighters in 

Afghanistan, actions caught on a 

video that was widely circulated 

on the Internet, the Marine Corps 

said yesterday. 

The criminal charges are the 

first faced by anyone over the incident. 

The video triggered widespread 

anger in Afghanistan early 

this year, with Afghan President 

Hamid Karzai calling the Marines’ 

actions ‘inhuman’. 

Staff Sergeants Joseph W Chamblin 

and Edward W Deptola, were 

also charged with ‘posing for unofficial 

photographs with human casualties’, 

the Marine Corps said. 

The investigation showed that 

although the video was only circulated 

on the Internet in January, 

the incident actually took place on 

PAGE 9 

AFP / RSS 

Two UN Marines face criminal 

charges over urination video 

or around July 27, 2011, during a 

counter-insurgency operation in 

Afghanistan’s Helmand province. 

The Marine Corps said on August 

27 that three Marines pleaded 

guilty to charges over the video. 

But their punishment fell short of 

criminal prosecution. 

Chamblin and Deptola, on the 

other hand, also face a series 

charges for failing to supervise junior 

Marines. This includes simple 

things like failing to require them 

to wear protective equipment to 

more serious breaches, like 

failing to report the ‘negligent discharge’ 

of a grenade launcher. 

Deptola is also charged with failing 

to stop the unnecessary 

damaging of Afghan compounds, 

the Marines said. 

The Marines said there were 

other pending cases in the video 

investigation. They declined to 

elaborate on the incident in which 

the negligent actions took place.


APPOINTMENTS 

APPOINTMENTSGrow with 

Believe it or not, there 

are still folks out there 

whose hands are not 

soldered to their 

laptops or mobile 

devices and who would 

rather network in a venue 

with real live people. 

Social networking may be 

a great way to digitally meet 

potential new colleagues, 

clients, and customers. 

But ‘retro-networking’ is, 

for many, still the preferred 

way to forge professional 

connections: face-to-face. 

In fact, because digital 

networking seems to have 

eclipsed other methods, 

in-person networking feels 

way more exclusive and 

potentially effective. 

Here are six activities that 

allow you to ‘retro’-fy your 

networking pursuits: 

1. Plan a trip 

You never know what wellconnected 

person might 

turn out to be your seat mate. 

Consider getting an airline 

club membership so you 

can walk the lounge and 

strike up a conversation with 

professional-looking people. 

Even better, look for someone 

sitting alone and ask if 

you can join them. You can 

also make your waiting time 

in the lounge pay off by 

telling your social network 

colleagues where you will be 

before your flight — an inperson 

meeting might be 

in the cards. Plan ahead for 

opportunities at your destination 

— in advance of your 

trip, consider, say, booking a 

golf game at your hotel with 

fellow business travellers 

using an online golf club. 

2. Find the ‘connector’ 

The key person you always 

want to locate and meet 

is the connector. That is 

typically the super-confident 

person who is invariably 

surrounded by acolytes and 

who seems to know everyone 

by name. Do not marginalise 

yourself from these individuals 

— they may seem 

unapproachable or too 

busy to talk with someone 

they do not know. But they 

actually live for (and love) 

networking. Figure out 

how to introduce yourself 

to the connector and you 

will gain access to a whole 

new community. 

Better yet, become a connector 

yourself. The way you 

speak, dress, move, shake 

hands, and communicate 

instantly says everything 

about who you are. Be the 

attractor by encouraging 

people to talk about themselves 

and their interests. 

3.Volunteer 

Some non-profit organisations 

— like art and 

history museums, historical 

societies, and botanical 

gardens, for starters — do 

attract movers and shakers in 

the business world who want 

to do good. And you may 

wind up in their company if 

you volunteer and become 

active on some core committees, 

such as fund-raising or 

Expand your 

connections 

SIX ACTIVITIES 

THAT ALLOW 

YOU TO ‘RETRO’-FY 

YOUR NETWORKING 

PURSUITS 

events planning. The upside 

is potential invitations 

to parties and the opportunity 

to hone your skills. 

4. Adjust your 

LinkedIn options 

If your name on LinkedIn 

appears as ‘Anonymous’ 

when you view other 

people’s profiles, then you 

cannot tell who is reading 

your profile either. Instead, 

set your profile so that your 

name appears when you 

are looking up other 

people, who will then be 

able to see that you have 

just read their profiles. That 

means you will be able to 

see that other people have 

us 

been checking out your 

profile, too. If you notice 

someone is periodically 

looking at your profile, get 

in touch with that person 

— it may result in a new 

professional contact. 

5. Get out of your 

house 

Outside the home is 

typically where people 

you have never met before 

hang out. Consider developing 

a new hobby that 

involves other people. 

Bridge, chess or sports may 

yield results. Subscribing to 

Meetup is also a great way 

to receive e-mails when 

special-interest groups 

plan to meet. Craigslist, 

Facebook and LinkedIn all 

provide ways to start 

groups, as well. And how 

can you forget the benefits 

of brainstorming over a 

meal? Inviting colleagues to 

breakfast, lunch or dinner 

often yields the one-on-one 

time and attention that 

is hard to come by with 

people’s packed schedules. 

As they say, everyone has 

got to eat. 

6. Seek out old college 

or high school pals 

You are never a stranger 

to your former classmates, 

which is why it is smart to 

network with them. 

Establish ties or reconnect 

with your high school, college 

or business school, and 

sign up for the alumni 

newsletter. There is a 

good chance you will learn 

about local networking 

events. — Agencies 


You have to put in many, 

many, many tiny efforts 

that nobody sees or appreciates 

before you achieve anything 

worthwhile. — Brian Tracy 

Dealing with 

experience 

discrimination 

WHAT TO DO 

WHEN TOLD YOU 

ARE OVER-QUALIFIED 

It is hard to believe you 

can be discriminated 

against for your experience, 

but it happens. 

Here are two reasons why: 

REASON #1: Employers 

do not want turnover 

When you are overqualified 

for a job, the first 

concern is that you will be 

bored and leave for something 

better as soon as you 

can. In the HR world, 

turnover is a bad thing. It 

is estimated that it costs 

130 per cent of an employee’s 

salary to replace them. 

So, each time someone 

leaves voluntarily, it costs 

the company money. 

Therefore, the goal is to 

hire someone who will 

stick around. The result is 

a focus on someone with 

just enough experience to 

get the job done. 

REASON #2: Employers 

are budget-conscious 

The more experience 

you have, the more 

expensive you are. Today, 

every company is looking 

to save a buck. Why overpay 

when you can get 

what you need for less? 

Now, perhaps you are willing 

to take a pay cut for the 

job, but the hiring manager 

realises as soon as you 

can get a better paying job, 

you will be out the door. 

That risks turnover. 

SOLUTION: SHIFT THE 

MINDSET 

The only way to fight 

back against experience 

discrimination is to hit the 

employer’s concern headon. 

When they say, “You’re 

over-qualified”, you need 

to respond with these five 

words: “What concerns 

you about that?” 

This will force them to 

share their reasons for not 

wanting to hire you. At 

which point, you can now 

address them. You will 

need to be sincere and 

give them good, solid 

reasons why you will not 

ditch them for a better offer 

down-the-line. So, if 

you cannot do that, it is 

suggested you do not ask. 

TIP: ASK, DO NOT TELL 

Notice the advice above 

has you asking what the 

concern is about your 

experience as opposed to 

suggesting you dive in and 

start telling them you will 

not leave them if something 

better comes along. 

That is because part of 

shifting the mindset 

successfully begins by 

having them articulate the 

concern. You need to let 

them state it so they know 

you heard them and then 

you earn the right to 

respond. If you do not, you 

will come across as attacking 

their opinion without 

understanding where they 

are coming from. That will 

certainly guarantee you do 

not get the job. 

Dealing with experience 

discrimination can feel 

frustrating, but if you 

follow the technique 

above, you will at least 

have a shot and changing 

the hiring manger’s mind. 

As a job seeker, you are a 

business-of-one, who 

must sell your value to an 

employer. That means 

overcoming objections so 

you can get them to 

choose you. Use the 

advice above, and the 

next time you are told 

you are over-qualified, you 

just might change the 

hiring manager’s mind 

and get the job! — Agencies


APPOINTMENTS 

PAGE 11


Business 

Weaker dollar to hit remittance income 



The appreciating Nepali 

currency against the US dollar 

might affect remittance 

income and export of Nepali 

products. 

The appreciation of the 

Indian currency (IRs) with 

which our currency is 

pegged to has pulled down 

the exchange rate of the US 

dollar to Rs 85. 

In late June, the dollar had 

reached Rs 91.28 –– the 

highest ever –– after the Indian 

currency plunged to 

lower than IRs 57. Since then 

monetary intervention by 

the Indian central bank has 

saved the Indian currency 

from plunging further. 

Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) 

had fixed the dollar exchange 

rate at Rs 85.05 for 

today –– the lowest in the 

last four and a half months. 

By closing time today, the 

central bank had fixed it 

at Rs 85.24 for tomorrow. 

Today’s average of the dollar 

exchange rate fixed by 20 

commercial banks stood 

at Rs 84.98. 

Even though Nepal’s financial 

conditions have 

nothing to do with the exchange 

rate movement, the 

fixed exchange rate regime 

with India takes the Nepali 

currency along its ride. India’s 

current reformist steps 

like removing subsidy on 

fuel and allowing foreign investment 

in retail stores has 

sparked global confidence 

in the Indian currency once 

again, pushing it up. 

“For the Indian economy, 

having a strong currency is 

favourable, but for a funda- 

mentally weak economy like 

Nepal, a strong currency 

turns out to be unfavourable,” 

said economist 

Dr Chiranjibi Nepal. 

The cheaper US dollar 

translates to a decline in remittance 

income. Appreciation 

in US dollar had swelled 

| EXCHANGE RATE | 

Figures in rupees (Source: Nepal Rastra Bank) 

remittance income by 41.8 

per cent amounting to Rs 

360 billion, last fiscal year. 

“Reduced remittance in 

the absence of a full budget 

can bring another round of 

liquidity crunch in the financial 

sector which will be 

detrimental to economic ac- 

tivities, as the rate of expansion 

in lending is still slow 

despite enough liquidity,” 

he added. 

Likewise, a weak dollar 

means Nepali exports will 

be expensive in foreign markets. 

Nepali exports to third 

countries is already meagre, 

as Nepali exporters have 

been unable to exploit the 

advantage forwarded by 

cheap Nepali currency. 

“Nepali exports will be 

unfavourably affected for 

being expensive due to the 

weak dollar,” added Nepal. 

Merchandise exports to 

third countries had increased 

by 17 per cent to Rs 

24.6 billion, aided by the appreciation 

in the dollar. 

However, despite expensive 

dollars translating to expensive 

imports, it did nothing 

much to deter imports. 


FNCCI President Suraj Vaidya with executive members during the ninth executive 

committee meeting in Lekhnath, Kaski, on Monday. 

THT


BUSINESS 

• BIZ BRIEFS 

Actor and brand ambassador of 

Run Shoes Jeevan Luitel officially 

launching the start of sales of the 

company’s products, in 

Kathmandu, on Monday. 

Bajajtantra winners 

THT 

KATHMANDU: Neer Bahadur Khatri, 

Butwal (10668) won Rs 0.5 million; 

Dil Bahadur Bishwokarma, Dolkha 

(05282) won Samsung 40” LED TV; 

Abdul Majid, Rajbiraj-10 (02908) won 

gold (20 gm); Suraj Rijal, Gothatar 

(10954) won an overseas trip for a 

couple; Binod Adhikary, Dhading 

(11106) won a Dell laptop; Janak 

Chaulagain from Hetauda (01908) 

won a Samsung refrigerator, and 

Nepal Scouts (03871) won a Nokia 

smartphone under the Hansraj Hulaschand 

and Co’s — the sole authorised 

distributor of Bajaj motorbikes 

in the country — first week of Bajajtantra 

scheme that has targeted 

Dashain and Tihar. — HNS 

IME’s new campaign 

KATHMANDU: International Money 

Express (IME), jointly with Global 

IME Bank, is coming up with a direct 

marketing and promotional campaign 

‘IME Haasya Yatra… Byroad ko 

Batoma’ starting on Wednesday. The 

road show is being organised to promote 

IME’s Indo-Nepal remittance 

service, it said, adding that it is a 20day 

long road trip along with famous 

comedy actors and IME brand ambassadors 

Deepak Raj Giri and Deepa 

Shree Niraula. It will be an entertainment 

cum informative road show 

wherein besides the entertainment 

programmes, IME and Global IME officials 

will also provide guided information 

to people on safer, swifter and 

reliable way of remittance from India 

through a formal banking channel set 

by the companies in partnership with 

India’s United Bank of India. — HNS 

• FOREX RATES 

The foreign exchange rates for September 26 as fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank are as follows: 

CURRENCY UNIT BUYING (in Rs.) SELLING (in Rs.) 

Swiss Franc 1 91.00 91.64 

Australian Dollar 1 88.86 89.48 

Canadian Dollar 1 87.00 87.61 

Singapore Dollar 1 69.46 69.95 

Saudi Arab Riyal 1 22.73 22.89 

Qatari Riyal 1 23.41 23.58 

Thai Bhat 1 2.76 2.78 

UAE Dihram 1 23.21 23.37 

Malaysian Ringit 1 27.77 27.97 

Swedish Krona 1 13.01 

Danish Krona 1 14.76 

Hong Kong Dollar 1 10.99 

Note: Under the present system the open market exchange rates quoted by 

different /commercial banks may differ. 

Government plans to 

ensure food security 



Government is planning to 

improve the food security 

situation of the country by 

improving the agriculture 

system. It is planning to develop 

the agriculture sector 

to accommodate workers 

and ensure food security in 

the country, said prime 

minister Baburam Bhattarai 

in an annual review of 

the Ministry of Agriculture 

Development today. 

“I have directed the National 

Planning Commission 

and Ministry of Finance 

to increase the budget 

for the agriculture sector,” 

he said, adding developing 

the sector is the only 

way to reduce dependency 

on foreign employment. 

We have to provide at least 

500,000 jobs in the agriculture 

sector by commercialising 

it, he added. 

He directed the ministry 

officials to develop two different 

programmes targeting 

small and big farmers. 

“But, emphasis should be 

given to small farmers who 

have less than one hectare 

of land,” he said. 

Secretary of the ministry 

Dr Ganesh Raj Joshi said 

that they were developing 

new programmes and 

strategies giving priority to 

food security. Last year, the 

country had produced 9.4 

million metric tonnes of 

Food lab gets 

accreditation 

KATHMANDU: The 

Central Food Laboratory 

under the Department 

of Food Technology 

and Quality Control 

received international 

accreditation 

last week. It has received 

accreditation 

from the National Accreditation 

Bureau for 

Calibration and Testing 

Laboratories in India, 

said director general 

of the department 

Jeevan Prabha Lama. 

The accreditation will 

be beneficial in testing 

agriculture products 

meant for export and 

save around Rs 50 million 

spent in lab tests 

in India and third 

countries. — HNS 

food grains, yet seven districts 

of the far-western 

hills and Karnali zone 

faced food shortages. 

National Planning Commission 

(NPC) is developing 

programmes to attract 

youth to agriculture. “We 

are giving importance to 

livestock and vegetables to 

provide jobs to maximum 

youth,” said vice chairman 

of NPC Dr Deependra Bahadur 

Kshetry. 

Import duty hurts plastic industry 



High import duty and production 

cost, coupled with poor 

quality of power supply, lack of 

skilled manpower, and competition 

from imported plastic 

goods due to the open border, 

have hit the growth of the domestic 

plastic industry, according 

to Nepal Plastic Manufacturers’ 

Association. 

The domestic plastic industry 

can grow rapidly, provided the 

government reduces the import 

duty, supports the industry in 

waste collection and management, 

and subsequently supports 

in establishing recycling 

plants, said president of the association 

Shailendra Lal Pradhan 

at an extensive seminar on 

‘Showcase of Plastic and 

Growth of its Industries’, organised 

jointly by the association 

and Esskay Pvt Ltd, here today. 

There are about 300 organised 

plastic processing units 

Central transfer, low 

capacity challenge 

local revenue: WB 



Dominance of central transfers and low 

capacity to generate revenues at local 

level are two key challenges to South Asia 

with regard to local finances, according 

to World Bank (WB)’s country director for 

Nepal and Bangladesh Ellen Goldstein. 

Though global experiences demonstrate 

that local governments are best 

placed to provide services according to 

local needs and preferences, in South 

Asia, local fiscal and financial capacity 

need to keep pace with the increasing responsibilities, 

she said, addressing a 

cross country learning forum ‘Strengthening 

Local Government Finances for 

Better Service Delivery and Greater Accountability’, 

organised jointly by the 

Swiss Development Cooperation and 

World Bank here today. 

“To exercise autonomy, local governments 

need to generate their own revenues 

through taxes, fees, user charges, 

and other forms of cost recovery and 

borrowings,” she added. 

“There should be clearly defined functional 

responsibilities, and funded and 

fiscal transfers should be received in adequate 

amounts and on time,” she said, 

adding that local governments need to 

mobilise new resources and increase 

their capacity to borrow responsibly for 

investments in local services. “Finally, local 

governments need to seek ways to attract 

private participation to finance and 

deliver local public services.” 

The three-day forum brings together 

over 80 policy makers and local finance 

practitioners from central, state and local 

governments from various Asian nations. 

It aims to provide participants a 

platform to share experiences in reform 

processes at the local, state and federal 

levels with regard to local finances, and 

good practices and instruments. Goldstein 

also highlighted the bank’s support 

for local governance across South Asia. 

and about 200 more secondary 

units making it a total of 500 

plastic traders in Nepal, which 

provide direct employment to 

25,000 people and indirect employment 

to a similar number, 

he said, adding total investment 

in the plastic sector is expected 

to be around Rs 30 billion, contributing 

an annual tax of more 

than Rs 500 crores. “The industry 

also pays more than Rs 200 

crores as import duty and VAT.” 

Despite quality production 

under the most advanced technology, 

the annual growth of 

the domestic market is restricted 

to only five per cent, the lowest 

in the South Asian region, 

said convener of the programme 

and MD of Esskay Pvt 

Ltd Sharad K Tibarewala. 

“Nepal has the highest import 

duty on plastic products as 

compared to other South Asian 

nations,” he said. Similarly, export 

is hampered due to the sole 

dependency on India for the 

use of sea ports, said vice presi- 

• BRAND WATCH 

Microentrepreneurs trade fair concludes 



The Micro Entrepreneurship 

Trade Fair, that started 

on Friday, concluded today 

garnering huge attraction 

for handlooms and coats 

made of allo fibre besides 

honey and local crafts. 

The fair that provided an 

exposure to micro entrepreneurship, 

generated a good 

response from visitors, ac- 

dent of the association and convener 

of the seminar Sharad 

Sharma, shedding light on different 

aspects of the plastic industry, 

its growth and future 

perspectives in Nepal. 

“The use of plastic goods is 

increasing in geometric ratio as 

it is widely used in our society, 

and is nothing but simply a recycling 

process,” said participants 

in the session on ‘Sustainability 

and Environment’. 

“Used plastic and its products 

are valuable resources and 

cheap to produce, and does not 

decompose but can instead be 

recycled,” they said, adding that 

plastic has enabled numerous 

technological advancements, 

new design solutions, enhanced 

performance and furthered 

cost savings in recent 

times. “The production of plastic 

products is also not energy 

intensive as compared to metal, 

glass and paper.” 

The seminar was jointly inaugurated 

by finance minister 

Hero MotoCorp launches 

Brand ‘Hero’ in Nepal 

KATHMANDU: Hero MotoCorp — the 

world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer 

— on Tuesday officially launched the brand 

‘Hero’ and its range of motorcycles in the 

domestic market. It has appointed NGM as 

its sole authorised importer and dealer in 

the country, it said, adding that the motorcycles 

will be distributed in Nepal through 

a network of more than 70 outlets. Managing 

director and CEO of Hero MotoCorp 

Pawan Munjal launched the new brand 

‘Hero’ in the presence of representative of 

NGM Dr Roop Jyoti, Nepali cricketer Binod 

Das, and Miss Nepal 2012 Shristi Shrestha. 

Cricketer Das during the programme unveiled 

the company’s 150cc motorcycle 

‘Hero Xtreme’ and Shrestha introduced the 

cording to chairperson of 

National Micro Entrepreneurship 

Federation Kesh 

Kumari Pariyar. 

The five-day fair showcased 

allo clothes, bags, 

Nepali handmade paper 

and dairy products, squash, 

herbal soaps, chhurpi, bamboo 

products and Nepali 

carpets and blankets. 

The fair that aimed to 

connect the products of micro 

entrepreneurs from the 

Barshaman Pun as chief guest 

and industry minister Anil K Jha 

as guest of honour. 

The seminar also saw some 

prominent personalities representing 

the major plastic companies 

and their associations 

like MD of Chevron Philips, Singapore 

Jim Becker and other 

distinguished personalities 

both from Nepal and abroad. 

Though plastic granule as 

polypropylene and polyethylene 

was invented by Philips Petroleum, 

US in 1950 AD, it was 

introduced in Nepal about four 

decades back only. 

Some 150 KT of polymers are 

consumed annually in Nepal to 

manufacture plastic products 

like household goods, bottles 

for packaging for oil, water, 

drinks, medicines, and syringes, 

furniture, ropes, polyester yarn, 

lubricants, pipes and fittings, 

packaging sacks, and construction 

materials. The domestic industry 

manufactures a wide 

range of plastic products. 

‘Hero Pleasure’ scooter. The range of Hero 

two-wheelers which will be available in the 

market includes brands across several categories 

–– entry-level segment (HF Deluxe 

and HF Dawn); deluxe segment (Splendor 

Pro, Splendor NXG, Super Splendor, Glamour 

and Passion Pro); premium segment 

(Karizma ZMR, Hunk, Xtreme and Achiever), 

and the scooter Pleasure. — HNS 

Kwality Thai Foods brings 

123 noodles in market 

KATHMANDU: Kwality Thai Foods has 

brought its first brand 123 instant noodles 

in brown noodles segment. The brand is 

being launched gradually towards 

western part and 

rest of the 

country beginning 

from 

Birtamod and 

other eastern 

markets, the 

company said, 

adding that 

packed with high 

nutritional values 123 noodles will be available 

in both chicken and veg soup based 

variants. “Priced at Rs 10 per packet 123 

noodles is available in 60 gm pack metallic 

wrapper.” Kwality will be manufacturing 

various brands of noodles to cater to the 

taste of demanding consumers soon. — HNS 

poor, women, dalit, indigenous 

and Madhesi communities 

to the market was 

successful, added Pariyar. 

The micro entrepreneurship 

programme supported 

by the Micro Entrepreneurship 

Development Programme 

has been operating 

in many districts of the 

country. Due to encouraging 

output, the Australian 

government has increased 

its assistance to the sector. 

• STOCK 

PAGE 13 

SN NAME OF THE COMPANY SHARE VALUE IN RUPEES SHARES QTY 

Maximum Minimum Closing 

1 Agricultural Dev Bank Ltd 176 172 175 4,295 

2 Arun Valley Hydropower Dev Com Ltd 330 325 328 849 

3 Alpine Dev Bank Ltd 96 96 96 200 

4 Asian Life Insurance Co Ltd 236 228 235 664 

5 Arun Finance Ltd 34 34 34 140 

6 Bageshowori Dev Bank 142 136 142 229 

7 Biratlaxmi Bikash Bank Ltd 136 135 135 209 

8 Bank of Kathmandu 541 525 525 450 

9 Butwal Power Co Ltd 703 690 703 7,711 

10 Bishwa Bikas Bank Ltd 151 148 148 450 

11 Business Universal Dev Bank Ltd 112 109 109 1,905 

12 Chhimek Laghubitta Bikas Bank Ltd 405 405 405 50 

13 City Dev Bank Ltd 182 176 180 585 

14 Clean Energy Dev Bank Ltd 147 146 147 238 

15 Chilime Hydro power Co 932 872 888 1,412 

16 Citizen Investment Trust 913 897 900 340 

17 Country Dev Bank Ltd 75 69 74 1,320 

18 Citizens Bank International Ltd 192 190 190 53 

19 Diyalo Bikas Bank Ltd 103 95 103 90 

20 Everest Bank Ltd 1,112 1,104 1,110 5,222 

21 Excel Dev Bank Ltd 320 296 320 60 

22 First Microfinance Dev Bank Ltd 189 177 177 634 

23 Garima Bikas Bank Ltd 176 174 176 1,610 

24 Global IME Bank Ltd 249 244 248 4,830 

25 Gandaki Bikas Bank Ltd 145 137 145 1,203 

26 Guras Life Insurance Co Ltd 136 134 135 990 

27 Grand Bank Nepal Ltd 170 167 167 2,035 

28 Gaurishankar Dev Bank Ltd 91 89 90 565 

29 Gulmi Bikas Bank Ltd 145 137 137 1,289 

30 Hama Merchant & Finance Ltd 69 63 63 1,430 

31 H & B Dev Bank Ltd 100 100 100 467 

32 Himalayan Bank Ltd 692 690 690 726 

33 Himalayan Fin Ltd (Bittiya Sanstha) 46 42 42 520 

34 Jyoti Bikas Bank Ltd 92 89 91 3,790 

35 Janata Bank Nepal Ltd 126 123 124 1,778 

36 Janaki Finance Ltd 365 362 365 484 

37 Kailash Bikas Bank Ltd 179 176 176 20 

38 Kumari Bank Ltd 235 234 235 1,757 

39 Kasthamandap Dev Bank Ltd 82 79 82 1,835 

40 KIST Bank Ltd 116 114 115 62,620 

41 Kamana Bikas Bank Ltd 126 121 124 1,030 

42 Karnali Dev Bank Ltd 82 81 81 200 

43 Laxmi Bank Ltd 325 323 324 540 

44 Lumbini General Insurance 118 118 118 50 

45 Life Insurance Co Nepal 1,210 1,186 1,210 1,400 

46 Lumbini Bank Ltd 233 227 228 2,579 

47 Mahakali Bikas Bank Ltd 104 104 104 40 

48 Machhachapuchhre Bank Ltd 154 137 141 23,525 

49 Manakamana Dev Bank Ltd 69 67 69 1,770 

50 Muktinath Bikas Bank Ltd 325 320 322 1,320 

51 Nepal Aawas Finance Ltd 112 112 112 44 

52 Nabil Bank Ltd 1,434 1,415 1,426 1,942 

53 NABIL Bank Ltd Promotor Share 906 889 906 113 

54 Nepal Bangladesh Bank Ltd 152 148 148 5,400 

55 Nepal Credit And Com. Bank 122 119 119 3,200 

56 NDEP Dev Bank Ltd 78 76 77 23,901 

57 Nilgiri Bikas Bank Ltd 137 137 137 40 

58 Nepal Investment Bank Ltd 556 543 544 5,958 

59 Nepal Life Insurance Co Ltd 1,185 1,175 1,185 280 

60 National LifeInsu. CoLtd 494 494 494 10 

61 NMB Bank Ltd 159 156 158 10,084 

62 Nepal Doorsanchar Com Ltd 599 593 593 2,695 

63 Oriental Hotel Ltd 93 93 93 210 

64 Pathibhara Bikas Bank Ltd 102 100 102 280 

65 Prime Commercial Bank Ltd 218 216 217 3,980 

66 Public Dev Bank Ltd 70 64 66 710 

67 Premier Insurance Co Ltd 145 144 145 189 

68 Prime Life Insurance Com Ltd 282 274 280 3,478 

69 Professional Bikas Bank Ltd 74 73 74 510 

70 Prabhu Finance Com Ltd 153 150 152 1,690 

71 Purnima Bikas Bank Ltd 79 76 77 410 

72 Rastriya Beema Sansthan 2,106 2,100 2,100 444 

73 Reliable Finance Ltd 146 146 146 20 

74 Shangrila Dev Bank Ltd 152 147 147 30 

75 Sanima Bank Ltd 192 187 192 2,231 

76 Nepal SBI Bank Ltd 583 566 583 1,097 

77 Siddhartha Bank Ltd 302 297 302 776 

78 Standard Chartered Bank Ltd 1,710 1,677 1,710 1,068 

79 Sewa Bikas Bank Ltd 158 151 158 247 

80 Soaltee Hotel Ltd 294 290 290 402 

81 Sagarmatha Insurance CoLtd 625 625 625 126 

82 Shikhar Insurance Co Ltd 348 332 336 1,510 

83 Subha Laxmi Finance Co Ltd 79 77 78 450 

84 Surya Life Insurance Com Ltd 140 139 139 990 

85 Sunrise Bank Ltd 142 140 141 784 

86 Subhechha Bikas Bank Ltd 112 112 112 13 

87 Swabalamwan Bikash Bank 265 260 260 217 

88 Tinau Dev Bank Ltd 109 109 109 20 

89 Unique Finance Ltd 93 91 92 1,010 

90 Western Dev Bank Ltd 95 93 95 80 

Float Index: 30.77 ( -0.072) 

Base: 24/08/2008=100 

Total Traded Amount Rs: 53,044,184 

Total Market Cap Rs: 391,854.12 Millions 

Total Shares: 224,148 

Total Transactions: 1,239 

Nepse Index: 414.07 ( -0.46) 

Base: 16/07/2006, (Adjusted on 10/04/2007) = 100 Date: September 25, 2012


Sports 

• TIME OUT 

Sports Bureau Chief of Annapurna 

Post Roshan Singh Raut receives a 

feliciation letter from former 

Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan 

Mahat (left) during a programme 

in Kathmandu on Tuesday. 

Raut felicitated 

THT 

KATHMANDU: Nepal Wado-Kai 

Karate Do Association on Tuesday felicitated 

Sports Bureau Chief of Annapurna 

Post national daily Roshan 

Singh Raut. Former Finance Minister 

Dr Ram Sharan Mahat feted Raut 

during an inauguration of the second 

International Technical Seminar and 

Convocation Ceremony. A total of 78 

national coaches are participating in 

the three-day seminar conducted 

by General Secretary of Wado International 

Karate-Do Federation 

Koichi Shimura, Central Technical 

Joint Secretary Tahaki Sono Da and 

Yoshi Hiro Tando. — HNS 

Eicher Gyan Carnival 

KATHMANDU: Innovative, Kathmandu 

Valley and Galaxy won their 

respective basketball matches under 

the 19th Eicher Gyan Carnival on 

Tuesday. Innovative cruised past Himalayan 

31-11, Kathmandu Valley 

beat LRI 52-44 and Galaxy got the 

better of Gyan Niketan 50-44. In the 

girls’ basketball, Daffodil saw off Rato 

Bangala 25-16 and LRI overcame The 

Excelsior 20-16. In the boys’ football, 

Innovative defeated The Excelsior 

2-0 and Dharma Bhakta laboured 

past Bright Future 1-0. —HNS 

Opal, Saipal through 

KATHMANDU: Opal and Saipal 

Academy on Tuesday entered the 

semi-final of the first Kathmandu 

Unified (KU) City Inter-school Senior 

Boys Basketball Tournament. Opal 

routed Kins 33-8 and Saipal blanked 

Saraswoti 17-8. In another match, 

Swarna Shikshya beat The Clebration 

21-17, while Shanti Adarsha earned a 

walkover win from St Davis. —HNS 

Gyan Niketan champs 

KATHMANDU: Gyan Niketan lifted 

the Pathshala Cup second National 

Mini Basketball Tournament on Tuesday. 

Gyan Niketan blanked Nepal Police 

Club 26-6 in a one-side final after 

tournament’s Most Valuable Player 

Samim Pradhan netted eight points. 

Shuvatara sneaked past KMC 30-24 

to win the third place playoff. EPS 

were declared the Fair Play Team, 

while Pawan Giri of Police was adjudged 

the Outstanding Player. —HNS 



Veteran striker Nirajan Rayamajhi 

scored a solitary goal as 

newcomers Iceberg Madhyapur 

Youth Association (MYA) 

stunned Nepal Armed Police 

Force (APF) Club 1-0 in the 

Ncell Cup here today. 

The MYA victory left the 

Group ‘A’ wide open with all 

fours teams remaining in contention 

for the 

quarter-finals. 

With two teams 

to get the last 

eight tickets, MYA 

lead the table 

with four points, 

while APF and 

NIBL Friends 

Club have three 

each. Three Star 

Club are at the 

maximum risk of 

early elimination 

with just one 

point from two 

matches. 

In a Group ‘B’ match, Machhindra 

Football Club defeated 

New Road Team (NRT) 2-1 in 

Group ‘B’. The result meant 

Laxmi Hyundai Manang 

Marshyangdi Club (MMC) became 

the first team to enter the 

last eight with six points despite 

not being in action today. 

Machhindra and Tribhuvan 

Army Club have three points 

each with one round remaining, 

while NRT crashed out after 

second consecutive loss. 

Former national team striker 

Nirajan — who is the leading 

international goal scorer from 

Nepal alongside Hari Khadka 

with 13 goals — struck in the 

Dipen claims gold 

KATHMANDU: Dipen Dangol 

of Radiant Readers claimed the 

senior boys’ singles gold medal 

in the sixth Purna Man Memorial 

Open Table Tennis Tournament 

defeating Srijan Kabe of 

Dallu 13-11, 11-9, 11-7 here on 

Tuesday. Likewise, Dilip Gurung 

of Adarsha Vidhya Mandir 

(AVM) won the U-14 boys’ singles 

gold with a 8-11, 8-11, 11-3, 

11-6, 11-9 victory over Tendi 

Sherpa of Bijeshwori Gyan 

Mandir. In the U-12 boys’ singles 

final, Sentu Shrestha of Nobel 

Academy rallied for a 6-11, 

14-12, 11-7, 11-6 victory over Ritij 

Joshi of AVM. Purnima 

Shakya of Jagat Sundar came 

from behind to beat her schoolmate 

Sarina Maharjan 2-11, 16- 

14, 11-4, 11-9 in the junior girls’ 

final, while Ghana Shyam Sharma 

of United College Preparatory 

School overcame Rajesh 

Lama of Manakamana 11-8, 11- 

6, 11-8 to lift the junior boys’ 

section title. — HNS 

first half to steer the Bhaktapur-based 

team to victory. Nirajan, 

a 16th minute substitute 

for injured forward Bal Gopal 

Sahukhala, headed home Raj 

Kumar Ghising’s free kick in 

the 27th minute. Bal Gopal was 

stretchered off the pitch after 

colliding with APF defender 

Bhim Shrestha. 

Despite dominating the entire 

match APF could not find 

the back of the nets, thanks 

largely to MYA goalkeeper 

Bikesh Kuthu. 

APF could have taken the 

lead in the 25th minute only to 

see Ranjan Bista apply a weak 

shot from the area following a 

pass from Rajendra Rawal, 

while Bikesh brilliantly saved a 

low strike from Ganesh Lawati 

in the 54th. The national-team 

third-choice goalie made yet 

another diving save to deny Krishna 

Lama’s powerful shot 

from the edge in 60th minute. 

MYA coach Upendra Man 

Singh praised his team’s brilliant 

performance, particularly 

from Bikesh. “He (Bikesh) was 

instrumental in our victory. 

Saroj, Dipjal win 

LALITPUR: Nepal No 1 Saroj 

Kumar Mulmi and No 2 Dipjal 

Dhungana opened with victories 

in the highest cash prize 

first London Open Snooker 

His performance has boosted 

the morale of the entire team,” 

said the former national team 

goalkeeper and skipper. 

APF coach Janak Singh 

Tharu also praised the MYA 

glovesman. “We created a 

number of scoring chances but 

could not capitalise on them. 

Bikesh was major hurdle for 

our forwards today,” said 

Tharu, who missed the services 

of skipper Kumar Thapa. 

Kumar has 

gone to India to 

participate in 

the FIFA Grassroots 

Instructor 

Course. 

Against NRT, 

Deepak Rai and 

Karna Limbu 

scored in the 

second half as 

Machhindra 

came from a 

goal down to 

stay in last eight 

hunt. Sushil KC 

put NRT ahead 

in the 19th minute in a rebound. 

Dipen Rai did well to 

beat as many as three defenders 

and saw his shot blocked by 

Machhindra goalie Dinesh 

Thapa but Sushil had the easiest 

of the jobs scoring from 

close range in the rebound. 

Machhindra came back 

strongly in the second half and 

their hard work paid off. Deepak 

levelled the scores eight 

minutes after the break with a 

spectacular 25-yard freekick. 

Karna Limbu ensured Machhindra 

walk away as victors 

with a goal in the second of the 

three-minute added on time 

after Deepak’s chip shot re- 

Championship here on Tuesday. 

Saroj defeated Prajwol Karki 

and Dipjal eased past Suman 

Lama with identical 3-0 victories. 

In other matches, Sanatan 

Pratap Malla beat Bishal Jaiswal 

3-1, Keshav Malla edged Shahil 

bounded off the wood work. 

Machhindra coach Prakash 

Baidhya said he was delighted 

to earn three points from a 

50-50 encounter. “I am happy 

to come up with a victory despite 

conceding an early goal. 

The win has regenerated our 

hopes of entering quarter-finals,” 

said the coach. 

NRT coach Raju Kaji Shakya 

was a disappointed man. “We 

had prepared well for this tournament 

but my players failed 

to implement the team plans,” 

said the coach. 

Gurung 3-2, Ajit Lama overcame 

Biki Deula 3-1, Phuri 

Sherpa saw off Dhiraj Thapa 3-1 

and Sanjog Shah sneaked past 

Sanu Tamang 3-1. Pragyat Rana, 

Sujen Shahi, Sudip Lama, Rajan 

Lama, Prabesh Shakya and Bijaya 

Thapa also won their 

matches in the opening day. 

The top two finishers will win Rs 

100,000 and Rs 50,000, while the 

losing semi-finalists will pocket 

Rs 15,000 each. —HNS 

Boys Handball 

KATHMANDU: Reliance International 

Academy and Bouddha 

Children Heaven won their 

opening round matches of the 

second Inter-school Boys 

Handball Tournament on Tuesday. 

Reliance defeated Ideal 

Model 8-6 and Bouddha saw off 

Anmol Jyoti 8-6. In other 

matches, Joseph School hammered 

NAMS 12-3, Loyalty 

eased past Amar School 11-6 

and Lovely Angel sidelined Little 

Moon 4-3. —HNS 


Old boy Nirajan strikes as Madhyapur stun APF 

Machhindra knock NRT out; Group A wide open; Manang enter last eight with one match to go 

• LOCAL BRIEFS 

Udipt Singh Chhetry / THT 

Saroj Mulmi plays a shot during the third set of the first-round 

match against Prajwol Karki at the first London Open Snooker 

Championships in Manbhawan, Lalitpur on Tuesday. 

Manish, Sujendra 

make perfect start 


Ilam, September 25 

Top seed players eased to 

victories in the Ram 

Prasad Gautam Memorial 

International Chess Tournament 

here today. 

On the first competition 

day, there were double 

wins for Russian 

Grand Master (GM) 

Alexander Fominyh, Australian 

International Master 

(IM) Alekasandar Wohl 

and Nepali FIDE Masters 

(FM) Manish Hamal and 

Sujendra Prasad Shrestha. 

Fominyh, who is rated 

2490, beat Ashutosh Kumar 

of India and Rajendra 

Rai in his first and second 

round matches, while IM 

Wohl overcame India’s 

Avirup Kundu and Bikash 

Kumar Dwivedi. 

Manish beat Prashant 

Chemjong of Nepal and 

Anutup Bishwash of India, 

while Sujendra beat 

Ganesh Ghimire and Dr 

Badri Prasad Thaiba in 

their first and second 

round games respectively. 

Ganesh Man Duwal 

earned a first round bye 

before defeating Dev Das 

Rahul in the second. 

There were also double 

victories for Niladri 

Shekhar Bhattacharya 

and Dilip Das of India, 

former Nepal champion 

Badri Lal Nepali, Niraj Niraula, 

Krishna Thapa, Anil 

Rajbahak, Krishna Thapa, 

Madan Krishna Kayastha 

and Tirtha Raj Rai. 

Bangladeshi FM Aminul 

Islam, who was fresh 

from winning the Mount 

Gaurishankar International 

Chess Tournament 

in Dolkaha earlier this 

month, was held to a draw 

by Raunik Mandal of India. 

Aminul has 1.5 points 

in the board. 

In all 139 players including 

participants from 

Russia, Australia, US, 

Canada, India and 

Bangladeh are competing 

in the tournament to be 

played under Swiss 

League format over 10 

rounds. The top three finishers 

will win R 60,000, 

Rs 40,000 and Rs 25,000 

respectively. The tournament 

is organised by 

Gajurmukhi Chess Club. 


Lalitpur, September 25 

The GP Koirala Foundation 

today felicitated the ICC 

World Cricket League Division-IV 

champions Nepali 

national team here today. 

The Foundation rewarded 

the national team with 

Rs 50,000 amidst a ceremony. 

Nepali Congress leader 

and former Deputy Prime 

Minister and Foreign Minister 

Sujata Koirala along with 

National Sports Council 

(NSC) Member Secretary 

Yubaraj Lama handed over 

the cheque to team skipper 

Paras Khadka. 

Nepal had lifted their first 

international trophy on foreign 

soil after defeating the 

United States of America in 

the final to win the WCL Division-IV 

in Kuala Lumpur, 

Malaysia on September 10. 

The triumphant team 

members in Malaysia led by 

Paras included Gyanendra 

Malla, Sharad Vesawkar, Basant 

Regmi, Binod Das, 

Pradeep Airee, Subash 

Khakurel, Anil Mandal, Sanjam 

Regmi, Rahul BK, Prithu 

Baskota, Chandra Saud, 

Shakti Gauchan and Amrit 

Bhattarai. Team coach Pubudu 

Dassanayake along with 

Nirajan Raymajhi of Madhyapur Youth Association vies for the ball against Nepal APF Club 

players during their Ncell Cup match at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu on Tuesday. 

Binod and Rahul were not 

present at the programme. 

Thanking the foundation, 

skipper Paras said his team 

was focused on taking Nepal 

to a new level in cricket. 

“Everyone in Nepal is eyeing 

a place in the World Cup. 

That day might not be very 

far as all of us are focused on 

that,” said Paras. 

Paras also appealed the 

concerned authorities to 

support the sport. “It is not 

enough for the players alone 

Nepal-Korea Forum to honour Shakya 

KATHMANDU: Former national 

team skipper Raju Kaji 

Shakya is leaving for South 

Korea on Thursday to receive 

an honour from the Nepal- 

Korea Sports Forum, the 

New Road Team coach informed 

here on Tuesday. The 

Forum is felicitating Shakya 

— once a prolific striker — 

for his contribution in the 

development of Nepali foot- 

to take cricket to bigger 

stage. There should be equal 

support from administration, 

NSC and Youth and 

Sports Ministry,” he added. 

NSC member secretary 

Lama appreciated the foundation’s 

felicitation and 

lauded the result produced 

by the cricketers. “I can say 

that the result in Malaysia 

could be attributed to state’s 

contribution as we have 

been focused on prioritising 

sports,” said Lama. 

ball. Shakya was the member 

of the Nepali team that 

claimed gold medal in the 

first South Asian Federation 

(SAF) Games on home soil in 

1984 and led Nepal to victory 

in the sixth edition in 

Bangladesh in 1993. Shakya, 

who played for national side 

for 17 years from 1981, led 

the national team for seven 

years. — HNS 

Pak crush Bangladesh 


Pallekelle, September 25 

Pakistan opener Imran 

Nazir smashed 72 off 36 

balls to lead his team into 

the Super Eight stage at the 

World Twenty20 with an 

emphatic eight-wicket victory 

over Bangladesh here 

on Tuesday. 

Bangladesh needed to 

win by at least 36 runs 

to knock out Pakistan in the 

final Group D match, and 

Shakib Al Hasan's 84 off 54 

balls in a total of 175-6 

raised hopes. But they 

were ruined by Nazir 

smashing nine fours and 

three sixes in a 124-run 

opening stand with captain 

Mohammad Hafeez (45) 

as Pakistan cruised to 178-2 

in 18.4 overs. 

Pakistan topped the 

GPK Foundation fetes cricket heroes 

THT 

The ICC WCL Division-IV winning Nepali national cricket team with Chairperson of 

GP Koirala Foundation Sujata Koirala (centre) at a programme in Lalitpur on Tuesday. 

THT 

group after beating New 

Zealand by 13 runs. Pakistan 

join India, South 

Africa and Australia in Super 

Eight Group 2. England, 

New Zealand, Sri Lanka and 

West Indies are in Group 1. 

Earlier, Shakib smashed 

11 fours and two sixes 

against some erratic bowling 

and poor fielding to 

record the highest individual 

knock by a Bangladeshi 

in the 20-over format. 

After Bangladesh won the 

toss and elected to bat first, 

Tamim Iqbal hammered 

five fours before he was run 

out for 24 and Shakib took 

charge. Lefthander Shakib 

added 68 with captain 

Mushfiqur Rahim (25), but 

both batsmen were 

dropped by Shahid Afridi 

and Sohail Tanvir in Yasir 

Arafat's (3-25) first over. 

NC leader Koirala said 

Nepal’s victory was exemplary. 

“To be crowned as the 

champions on foreign soil is 

really a huge achievement. 

The state should recognise 

such achievements in every 

possible way,” Koirala, chairperson 

of the foundation, 

said. The government-recognised 

Nepal Olympic Committee 

President Rukma 

Shumsher Rana and other 

NC leaders were also present 

on the occasion.


THTcampus campus 

FRIENDS FOR ALL SEASONS? 

CAMPUS 

recall 

You can teach a student 

a lesson for a day; 

but if you can teach him 

to learn by creating 

curiosity, he will 

continue the learning 

process as long 

as he lives 

— Clay P Bedford 

This is a not a forced relation. It is up to a person’s choice whether s/he wants that relationship or 

not. It is a blissful relationship — friendship. But with time friendship also changes. There is one 

set of friends in school, but on reaching college, you make another set of friends. While some 

give preference to school friends, others value college friends. Sangita Shrestha finds out 

what today’s students think about school and college friends 

College friends are better 

than school friends as we go to 

different places to visit with college 

friends. While school 

friends are from those around 

our homes, college friends 

come from different parts of a 

country and have more information 

about anything in comparison 

to school friends. So, I 

prefer college friends. 

— Suzin Dangol,Class XII, 

National College of Computer 

Studies,Paknajol 

I find school friends far better 

than college friends. This is because 

school friends have 

known me since I was a child 

where we played and studied 

together. As for college friends, 

they are just ‘Hi-Hello’ friends 

and not as close as those from 

school. 

— Shiva Shrestha,Class XII, 

Sunshine College,Bhaktapur 

Friends understand the 

feelings of sadness and 

happiness. When there are 

friends around, I do not 

feel lonely, I enjoy their 

company. The only difference 

between the friends at 

school and college is that 

the school friends understand 

me more than college 

friends. The reason might 

be due to our diverse backgrounds 

which are unfamiliar 

to one another. 

— Sharad Lama,Class XI, 

National Integrated College, 

Dillibazar 

I prefer both set of friends 

—from school as well as from 

college. The only difference 

between them is that I am familiar 

with school friends 

since my childhood. Meanwhile, 

college friends are ac- 

quainted with me in the 

later part of my life. But 

there is no difference between 

them in terms of 

friendship. 

— Pradeep Rai,Class XII, 

Kathmandu Bernhardt 

College,Balkhu 

Both the college and 

school friends are equal for 

me. However, I would give 

priority to school friends as 

they are less pretentious. I 

don’t feel shy or guilty while 

sharing and saying anything 

with them. But as one has to 

move with time, one obviously 

needs college friends 

after leaving school. 

— Krishna Tamang,Class 

XII,Kathmandu Bernhardt 

College,Balkhu 

College friends are better 

than school friends as during 

college life we get 

much time for get together 

and have fun. 

But I didn’t get along 

well due to the group 

division among 

friends at school. 

However, there is no 

such division at college 

and I feel comfortable 

with college 

friends. 

— Anjali Tamang, 

Class XII,Everest 

International 

College,Solteemode 

I like college friends 

more as compared to school 

friends 

Follow yourself, know your needs 

KATHMANDU: Dr Milan 

Ratna Shakya is an associate 

professor and 

Chairperson of Central 

Department of Buddhist Studies 

at Tribhuvan University (TU), 

Kirtipur. A professional artist 

since 1978, his artworks have 

been exhibited in national and 

international arenas. His three 

books in English have already 

been published and two more 

books are soon going to be published. 

He is currently preparing 

for Post-Doctorate research on 

medical-astrological studies 

and its impact of life span 

through Buddhist perspective. 

Dr Shakya, who is also contem- 

plating to enhance Buddhist 

Department as the International 

Research and Psychosomatic 

Curing Centre of Buddhism Dynamism, 

gets nostalgic about 

his college days 

MY ALMA MATER(S) 

I completed my BFA from 

Lalit Kala Campus, Botahity in 

1982, did MA from Department 

of Nepalese History, Culture and 

Archaeology, TU, Kirtipur in 

1984 and finished PhD from 

Faculty Dean of 

Humanities, TU in 

2005. 

COURSE 

STUDIED 

I studied Painting, 

Sculpture, 

Culture, Nepalese 

History and Archaeology,Religion 

as well as 

Aestheticism. I 

am the first person 

to do a PhD 

in Aestheticism 

in Nepal. 

COLLEGE LIFE 

It became a 

place to know 

and understand 

one’s own self. It was the time 

where I learnt to be serious and 

work towards a productive life. 

Photo: Courtesy Dr Milan Ratna Shakya 

BEST OF COLLEGE LIFE 

The best thing was being con- 

scious about surrounding and 

developing leadership skills 

with the realisation of who I am. 

LASTING MEMORIES 

Our group, The United Artists’ 

Circle, exhibited an exhibition 

D’ART EXPO-80. It was inaugurated 

by late great poet and 

Natya Samrat Balkrishna Sama. 

Our exhibition became one of 

his last visits before his death. 

And at that time, Sama was 

not in the condition even 

to cut the ribbon with 

scissors. 

LESSON LEARNT 

You should not be limited to 

bookish knowledge. Instead you 

must see things from a realistic 

point of view. Pragmatic enthusiasm 

gave me confidence and 

determination with the ability to 

imagine and bring down reality 

into the art forms. 

WORDS TO HEED 

You should not follow the 

crowd, instead follow yourself 

and know your needs. Be imaginative 

which helps you to be 

productive. 

HOW TO ACE IN COLLEGE 

Education is not everything. 

You also need good company as 

it leads you towards good career. 

However, college is the first 

stepping-stone that works as the 

river leading you to an ocean 

which is your goal. — HNS 

as everyone from school takes 

their own way after school life is 

over. But as we are studying 

same subjects, many things — 

from interest to career — match 

with college friends. Also I like 

to spend time with my college 

friends. 

— Pabitra Dhungel, 

Class XII,Everest International 

College,Solteemode 

I prefer to choose school 

friends to friends at college. The 

main reason being schoolmates 

have been with me since my 

childhood 

and we have grown up together 

where we used to 

Photos: THT 

KATHMANDU: With an 

aim to understand the future 

prospects of the students 

studying journalism 

education in Nepal, the Department 

of Journalism and Mass 

Communication (JMC) of National 

Integrated College (NIC), organised 

a workshop on September 2 at 

the college premises, Dillibazar. 

During the event, Prof P Kharel, 

Head of Central Department of 

JMC, Tribhuvan University felicitated 

different students of the college 

for their excellent professional 

achievement in media. 

The students to be awarded 

play, fight, gossip and eat together. 

The group we had 

formed back in school and the 

way we competed with other 

groups to prove ourselves better 

is still memorable. Those days 

were more interesting that than 

the present time I am spending 

with my college friends. 

— Puspa Tuladhar,BBS IInd 

year,Trinity International 

College,Dillibazar 

I feel better when with school 

friends than college friends. My 

friends from school understand 

me and my behaviour even better 

than me. I often get nostalgic 

about them. However, one has 

to be conscious while around 

college friends as usually 

friends pretend to be good just 

to impress others at college. I 

don’t like such a behaviour. 

— Robic Upadhayay, 

BBA VIIIth Semester,People’s 

Campus,Paknajol 

School friends have been 

with me since my childhood 

days where they understand 

me better and are always 

helpful. But college friends 

have selfish motives and they 

usually betray you, hurting 

your feelings. And the relation 

is also short term with 

college friends where there is 

not any close relationship. 

Instead I have awkward feeling 

while spending time 

with them. Therefore, I 

choose school friends. 

— Alisha Shakya, 

BBA VIIIth Semester, 

People’s Campus,Paknajol 

Workshop on future 

prospects of journalism 

education in Nepal 

were — NIC’s first batch students 

Bhawana KC, working at Nepal 

Television; Srijana Khadka from 

Annapurna Post; Sarita Karki of 

Greatway magazine and Saourav 

Prasai, campus topper of Bache- 

PAGE 15 

MIT is 

world’s best 

university 

LONDON: Cambridge has slipped from the 

number one spot in the prestigious world 

ranking of universities after being overtaken 

by America’s Massachusetts Institute of 

Technology (MIT). 

MIT is now ranked as the world’s best university, 

pushing Britain’s historic academic centre into second 

place. MIT was third on the list last year, the Daily 

Mail reported. 

Oxford maintained its position at number five in 

the table compiled by QS World University Rankings. 

University College London climbed from number 

seven last year to number four in the new rankings, 

placing it above Oxford University, according to the 

Mail Tuesday. 

Imperial College London is ranked sixth, meaning 

that for the first time four of the top six universities in 

the world are British. 

Britain has 18 universities in the top 100 — one 

fewer than in 2011. Harvard University, which held 

the top spot for six years between 2004 and 2009, is 

ranked third in the list. 

The QS rankings are compiled using six indicators 

— academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty/student 

ratio, citations per faculty, international 

faculty ration and international student ratio. 

The results are based on surveys of over 46,000 

academics and 28,000 employers. — IANS 

Photo: Courtesy Sanskriti Acharya 

• STUDENT REPORTER 

lor’s level (Journalism). 

Senior media personalities like 

Rajendra Dev Acharya, Dr Pradeep 

Bhattarai, Tirtha Koirala, among 

others, were present at the event. 

Laxman Datt Pant, Head of JMC 

Department said that the universities 

and colleges offering journalism 

courses need to establish institutional 

tie-ups with media industry 

to explore students’ potential. 

Prakash Regmi, Programme Director 

of the college moderated the 

workshop, while Indra Bahadur 

Malla, the Principal presented his 

welcome remarks. 

Ten television stories produced 

by BA IIIrd year students under the 

direction of JMC department were 

screened in the workshop. 

The guests of the workshop 

praised the students’ practical attempts 

and also assured for the industry-college 

tie-ups. 

There are a total of 100 pursuing 

Journalism and Mass Communication 

studies in +2 and Bachelor’s 

level at NIC. The students found 

the programme encouraging. 

— Sanskriti Acharya 

and Biyan Timilsina 

Class XII,National Integrated 

College,Dillibazar 

aspiring reporters 

This column is for aspiring ‘Student Reporters’ who would like to share the 

happenings or events of their colleges with other students. Do send us your 

reports accompanied by a photo(s) of the event. Please do not forget to 

mention your name (student reporter), class (batch) and college. Your report 

should reach us by Sunday, 4:00 pm at features@thehimalayantimes.com, 

or Features, The Himalayan Times, Anamnagar, Kathmandu


VARIETY 

ON A NOSTALGIC CURVE 

YOUR LUCK 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: This year you learn to detach even more. It becomes 

very important for you to understand what is going on with 

higher-ups. There will be the version they present to you, and the 

authentic side they choose to reveal to others. Travel, education and 

people from a distance are fortunate for you. If you are single, your 

affectionate and demonstrative nature attracts many potential 

sweeties. It could be difficult to choose which one is right for you. If 

you are attached, the two of you benefit from taking some time 

away together to relax and reconnect. Schedule that vacation soon. 

AQUARIUS can be provocative. 

A baby born today has a Sun in Libra and a Moon in Aquarius if born before 

10:24 pm (PDT).Afterward, the Moon will be in Pisces. 

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You are riding the crest of 

a wave.Take advantage of an opportunity that appears 

out of the blue. Your vision for what could occur probably 

is more of a possibility than you might imagine. 

Tonight: Where your friends are. ✹✹✹✹ 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Zero in on what you 

know is effective when dealing with an elder or respected 

authority figure. In some way, you might want 

to be more authentic. There could be an element of resentment 

that surrounds you. Do not lash out. Tonight: Out with 

loved ones. ✹✹✹✹ 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Your ability to get past an 

immediate issue emerges. You see what many people 

don’t — an alternative path. Do not hesitate, even if 

this way might appear offbeat. If you think it could end 

a problem and be successful, why not do it? Tonight: Burn the candle 

at both ends. ✹✹✹✹ 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Allow your imagination to 

come forward, and approach a situation very differently. 

A partner, associate or dear friend actively might be 

giving you feedback and direction. Use care with 

anger, whether it is yours or someone else’s. Stay neutral. Tonight: 

Put on some music. ✹✹✹✹ 

LEO (July 23-Aug 22): Deal with a partner directly, or 

else the mood could turn ugly. In discussions, you’ll realise 

that you have many more options than you initially 

thought. A neighbour or sibling could be difficult as 

well. Bypass this person. Tonight: Be a duo. ✹✹✹✹ 

VIRGO (Aug 23-Sept 22): Others flock to you. With 

one exception, everyone seems upbeat and friendly. 

Be careful with angry words, as they could be 

remembered for a long time. Curb your spending 

for now, at least until you feel more confident. Tonight: Sort through 

invitations. ✹✹✹✹ 

LIBRA (Sept 23-Oct 22): You could be taken aback by 

a situation. It is rare to find you speechless. Deal with 

strong feelings first, and allow more compassion to 

flow between you and someone else. Concentrate on a 

project you want to finish. Tonight: Put your feet up. ✹✹✹✹ 

SCORPIO (Oct 23-Nov 21): Your creativity rises to an 

unprecedented level. Your way of handling anger 

might work for you, but not others. Keeping your feelings 

to yourself could cause depression. The question 

is: How do you express them in an appropriate manner? Tonight: 

Take a midweek break. ✹✹✹✹✹ 

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22-Dec 21): Try to establish 

better communication and a sense of community 

with others. Your way of thinking and handling 

a matter could change radically after getting input 

from others. An older friend could be difficult. Tonight: You do not 

need to go far. ✹✹✹✹ 

CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19): Be aware of how much 

you indulge yourself right now. Ultimately, you might 

justify indulging a friend or loved, but ultimately it impacts 

you the same way. Be careful when expressing 

your displeasure with someone. Tonight: Return calls. ✹✹✹✹ 

AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Feb 18): You are in your element, 

though it is clear that someone else does not realise it. 

You might want to discuss a matter involving a friend 

at a distance; perhaps it is time for a trip. Once you 

seem more available, so will the other party. Tonight: Do some 

shopping you have putting off. ✹✹✹ 

PISCES (Feb 19-March 20): Know when to back off 

and say “enough.” You have experienced a lot of frustration 

lately. Having someone else add to the disagreeable 

commentary might be too much. Let someone 

know what your boundaries are. It is important for both of you. 

Tonight: Chill with friends. ✹✹ 

Born today: Tennis player Serena Williams (1981), politician Christine Todd 

Whitman (1946), physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849) 

By Jacqueline Bigar 

Note: Bigar’s Stars is based on the degree of your sun at birth.The sign 

name is simply a label astrologers put on a set of degrees for convenience. 

For best results, readers should refer to the dates following each sign. 

KATHMANDU: At 

least one or 

more members 

of many Nepali 

families these 

days are abroad — either to 

earn money or to study or 

for some other reason. This 

reality is true in case of 

most of the Nepali families. 

And one can see reflection 

of this reality along 

with psychological aspects 

of those waiting for their 

family members in their 

country and those who are 

abroad in ‘Repercussions’, a 

painting exhibition by artist 

Jyoti Prakash BK. 

The exhibit — which is 

BK’s third solo exhibition — 

started from September 21 

at the Nepal Art Council, 

Babarmahal and displays 

25 of his works. 

Various textures used in 

the paintings seem to be a 

significant feature of his 

artwork that define certain 

Baby girl for 

Akki,Twinkle 

MUMBAI: Bollywood 

star Akshay Kumar, 

who became a father 

for the second time on 

September 25, says his newborn 

daughter resembles his 

wife Twinkle. 

“We are blessed with a 

lovely baby girl, who looks 

just like her mother and 

grandmother (veteran actress 

Dimple Kapadia),” the 

45-year-old said in a 

statement. 

Twinkle delivered the 

baby, their second child after 

10-year-old son Aarav, at the 

Breach Candy Hospital on 

September 25 morning. 

Kumar was in Jaipur to 

promote his forthcoming 

film Oh My God, but rushed 

back to Mumbai to be by his 

wife’s side. He is extremely 

happy. 

“I have no words to express 

my happiness. I would 

like to thank everyone for 

their blessings and wishes,” 

added the actor. — IANS 

moods of people. For example, 

the desire to be with 

their close and dear ones, 

anxiousness, restlessness, 

grief and so on as a result of 

missing someone in life are 

reflected in BK’s works. 

One of his paintings 

‘Waiting for’ portrays a 

mother and a child in blue 

clothes. The innocent child 

is sleeping peacefully in the 

painting where the mother’s 

face reflects anxiety. The 

blue colour denotes sadness 

while the face of mother 

and the houses situated 

opposite of her in orange 

colour are seen blazing 

which reflect anxiety and 

suffocation, as per BK. 

“The use of curved lines 

on the roof of the house and 

at the border of the cloth 

denote restlessness and instability 

of life,” adds BK 

where the curved lines are 

one of the features that is 

found in his other paintings 

as well. 

Meanwhile, in another 

painting ‘Glimmer’, a man’s 

body is inside a square 

frame and head is outside 

at the base corner of the 

painting. One can see 

moon and also human settlement 

that is being covered 

with fog. “It reflects desire 

of a man to be in his 

own place, but he is in a foreign 

land away from his 

place and family. The painting 

showcases his nostalgic 

feeling,” the artist adds. 

The contemporary works 

of BK have used acrylic and 

new media. The creations 

influenced by cubism and 

batik style have shown the 

true reality of current 

society. 

The exhibition is on till 

September 28. — HNS 

AUDITIONS FOR 

MANHUNT ON 

KATHMANDU: The 

beauty pageant for 

Nepali women — 

Miss Nepal ended 

recently, and now it is turn 

for Nepali men to get ready 

for such a contest “related to 

intellectuality and beauty 

of men”. 

Manhunt International 

Nepal 2012 — a male modelling 

contest for males of 

Nepal — has already begun 

its hunt for aspiring men. 

And the first audition of the 

contest took place at Buzz 

Café, Baluwatar on September 

22. 

As per Anup Saxena, CEO 

Group of Event Entertainers 

(GEE), the organiser of the 

contest, a total of 30 contestants 

had taken part in the 

Instinctive Chitrangada 

KOLKATA: Bollywood actress Chitrangada 

Singh, who earned accolades 

for her brilliant performance 

in her debut film Hazaaron 

Khwaishen Aisi, follows her instinct while 

choosing films. 

“For me, it is my instinct and the director 

involved in the project that is the 

prime criterion for selecting a film. Then 

the producers of the film and then the 

script,” Chitrangada told reporters at the 

sidelines of Blender’s Pride Fashion Tour 

recently. 

Chitrangada recently scorched the 

screen in her first item number I want just 

you in Joker and said, “I am open to item 

songs, provided it is well choreographed.” 

Currently the actress is looking forward 

to her next release Inkaar that deals with 

sexual harassment at work place. 

She said, “It is a film that deals with a 

very important issue of our society. It is 

very easy to prove a rape than to prove 

sexual harassment.” 

Inkaar revolves around Chitrangada’s 

character who is sexually exploited by 

her boss, played by Arjun Rampal. — IANS 

audition of the pageant out 

of which 12 contestants have 

been selected for the finals. 

But the “audition is still taking 

place at our office as 

there are many other candidates 

who did not make it to 

the audition of September 

22”, revealed Saxena. 

The audition will continue 

till September 29 and the interested 

candidates may still 

apply for the audition, 

he said. 

Manhunt International 

Nepal 1995 Prashant Tamrakar, 

choreographers 

Rachana Gurung Sharma 

and Rojin Shakya, Joesph Sebastian 

(Business KTM 

Duke) are the judges of the 

audition, as per a press release 

issued by GEE. 

Some 16 to 20 contestants 

will be selected for the final 

round who will be trained on 

aspects like personality development, 

presentation, cat 

walk, self-confidence enhancement, 

et cetera from 

October 21. During this 

training session, they will 

also compete for different titles 

— Mr Personality, Best 

Physic, Most Popular, Mr Talent, 

Mr Photogenic, Mr 

Friendship and the title of 

the contest. 

The grand finale will be 

held on October 19 at Army 

Officer’s Club. The winner of 

the contest will participate in 

the 16th Manhunt International 

2012 scheduled to take 

place in Bangkok, Thailand 

from November 1 to 11. — HNS 


SUDOKU-1403 

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION 

HOW TO SOLVE: Every number from 1 to 9 must appear in each of 

the 9 vertical columns, in each of the 9 horizontal rows and in 

each of the 9 boxes 

THT-DOKU-1213 

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION 

HOW TO SOLVE THT-DOKU: Place numbers into the puzzle cells in such a way that each row and 

column contains each of the digits from 1 up to 5. Like a Sudoku puzzle, no number is 

repeated in any row or column. Each bold-outlined group of cells contains a hint consisting of a 

number and one of the mathematical symbols — + x - /. The number is the result of applying the 

mathematical operation represented by the symbol to the digits contained within the domain. 

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION 

With advancement in technology, new gadgets with advanced 

features are being introduced. And the fascination for such 

gadgets is always high among the public. Among the gadgets 

introduced till date, which is your favourite one? Why? 

Do you have a dream gadget that has not been invented yet? 

What features would you want in it? 

Send your replies in not more than 200 words by Friday, 

September 28 by 2 pm to Features Department, 

The Himalayan Times, 

e-mail: features@thehimalayantimes.com; 

Log on to www.thehimalayantimes.com 

Ash is UN Goodwill 

Ambassador 

UNITED NA- 

TIONS: The 

United Nations 

Programme on 

HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has 

appointed Bollywood actress 

Aishwarya Rai 

Bachchan as its International 

Goodwill Ambassador. 

She will raise global 

awareness on protecting 

children from HIV infection 

and increasing access to 

antiretroviral treatment. 

The appointment came a 

day before the start of the 

annual debate at the UN 

General Assembly. She has 

been involved in humanitarian 

issues for many years 

and will now have a special 

focus on HIV/AIDS, Xinhua 

reported. 

At a press conference on 

September 24, UNAIDS Executive 

Director Michel 

Sidibe welcomed her to the 

UNAIDS family. 

“Mrs Rai Bachchan is respected 

and admired by 

millions of people around 

the world,” Sidibe said. “I 

am convinced that through 

her global outreach, Mrs 

Rai Bachchan can help UN- 

AIDS reach its goal of eliminating 

new HIV infections 

among children by 2015.” 

Speaking on this occasion, 

Rai Bachchan said, “I 

am honoured to accept this 

appointment.” 

“Spreading awareness on 

Beyonce pregnant again? 

LOS ANGELES: Singer 

Beyonce Knowles, 

mother of eight-monthold 

daughter Blue Ivy 

with husband Jay-Z, is reportedly 

expecting her second 

child. 

The 31-year-old was 

spotted at a restaurant on 

September 23 in a tightfitting 

leopard dress that 

showed off her baby 

bump, reports showbizspy.com. 

Her representative said, 

“I do not comment on her 

personal life.” Beyonce recently 

revealed that she and 

Jay-Z are more than happy to 

change diapers. “Actually, Jay- 

Z is very good. We both 

change diapers. I love changing 

diapers, I love it. I love 

every moment of it, it’s so 

beautiful. I love it all,” she said. 

She had also expressed her desire 

to have a big family. — IANS 

health issues, especially related 

to women and children, 

has always been a priority 

for me,” she said. 

“And now, as a new mother, 

I can personally relate to 

this — the joys and concerns 

of every mother and 

the hopes that we have for 

our children. 

“I strongly believe that 

every baby should be born 

free from HIV. And I wish 

that every woman living 

with HIV stays healthy and 

has access to treatment. I 

promise that with UNAIDS, 

I will do my utmost to make 

this happen,” she added. 

She worked as a model 

before starting her acting 

career. — IANS 

Published by: International Media Network Nepal (Pvt) Ltd, APCA House, Baidya Khana Road, Anamnagar, Kathmandu, Nepal, PO Box 11651 Phone: 4771489, Fax: 977-1-4770701 / 4771959, E-mail: editorial@thehimalayantimes.com Regd No 143/051/052 Postal Regd. 069-070 Printed at: Sama Printers (Pvt) Ltd, Sainbu VDC, Lalitpur. Editor: Ajaya Bhadra Khanal 

Photos: THT 

Photo: Courtesy GEE

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