News from Nepal

KATHMANDU . Nepal entered into the semifinal of the ACC Twenty20 Cup defeating Singapore by a huge margin of 121runs at TU cricket ground in Kathmandu on Sunday. Electing to bat first after winning the toss, Nepali batsmen displayed a superb batting performance as they posted a massive score of 210 runs in 20 overs losing its five wickets. While making the massive total, Nepali batsman Binod Bhandari hammered a solid half century top-scoring with 54 of just 33 balls. Skipper Paras Khadka notched up a brisk 44 runs off 25 balls while opener Pradeep Airee made 30 runs off 32 balls. Likewise, Nepal´s lower -order batsmen also joined in the run-feast with Vice-captain Gyanendra Malla blasting a brisk 11-ball 30 and Sarad Veswakar smashing 26 off 11 balls. This is the highest total made by any teams so far in the tournament. Earlier in the tournament, Hong Kong had scored 198 runs against Mald...

Kathmandu. Former US President Jimmy Carter has offered the services of his organisation to Nepal during the upcoming Constituent Assembly elections and mooted the possibility of sending observers for the polls. The proposal comes just days after the country's newly-appointed electoral chief called upon the government to fix a 'realistic' date for the polls to be held before June 21. Carter made the suggestion during his meeting with Chairman of Nepal's interim election government Khil Raj Regmi yesterday. On his part, Regmi said the government will take positively the interest shown by the Atlanta-based Carter Center in taking part in the election process. On March 26, the Chief Election Commissioner Nilkantha Uprety had expressed his reservations about the June election date saying: "With only 70-75 days at our hands, we are not in an easy situation." Before leaving for Myanmar tomorrow, the former US President is expected to present his analy...

The much anticipated election for a new Constituent Assembly in Nepal is likely to get delayed. The 11-point agreement among four major parties had proposed polls by June 21 but the interim election council led by Khil Raj Regmi is yet to announce election dates - more than two weeks after assuming charge. On Saturday, the Election Commission stated that possibility of holding polls within the June deadline is unlikely unless election-related amendments are made within the next few days. Refusals by nearly three dozen parties to take part in the polls, differences over voters’ lists and voters’ age and disruptions to registration of voters are other factors delaying announcement of poll dates. “The EC can recommend a poll date only after government formulates election-related Acts and creates environment favourable for election,” chief election commissioner Neel Kantha Uprety told the Republica daily. If polls are not held by June, before the onset of the monsoon seaso...

Kathmandu, March 27: Chairman of Interim Council of Ministers Khil Raj Regmi has stressed the need of collective efforts to ensure that the upcoming Constituent Assembly election is result-oriented, as it determines the fate of the Nepali people. Speaking at an interaction programme organised by Ex-civil servants organizations national coordination council here on Wednesday, Chairman Regmi said that drafting of a new constitution was the main agenda of the nation, as it had a long-term importance and is the way to building a stable country.   "Now we are honestly working to make the CA election successful", he said. Expressing hope for continuous support and cooperation from every community, caste and level of the society to build a happy, peace and prosperous Nepal, Chairman Regmi said he had to take up the leadership of the election government amidst vivid challenges due to request from the political parties. Organisation Chairman Akru Narsingh Rana said aroun...

Kathmandu, March 27: National man and woman volleyball league championship is to be organized from April 8 to13. Chairman of the Nepal Volleyball Association, Dan Bahadur Tamang, said a total of six man and four woman teams will be participating in the championship amid a press conference organized by the association. Tribhuvan Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police, University, G Four clubs and Western Regional Volleyball Training Centre are competing for men events while New Diamond School, Western Regional Volleyball Training Centre, APF, Nepal Police Clubs will be face to face for women event.   The first winner would be awarded with the prize of Rs. 150,000, the first runner up gets 75,000 and second runner up gets 40,000 in each events including the shields and medals while the best players in different titles would be awarded with Rs.5,000 each. The championship is scheduled to be organized at the covered hall in the National Sports Council, Tripureshwor.

KATHMANDU: The home team Nepal succumbed to a six-wickets loss against Hong Kong in their second ACC T20 Cup match at TU cricket ground, Kirtipur on Wednesday. In the current table standings of group 'A', Hong Kong are at the top with four points and Nepal are in the second with two points.The home team only managed to set a paltry target of 116 parts after the Gorkhalis’ batting flopped. Gyanendra Malla top scored with 38 runs. Nepal is playing their third match of the tournament with Malaysia on Saturday at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, in Kirtipur at 1:15 pm.

The arrest of Syed Liyaqat Shah, an alleged Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militant, has started a volley of claims and counter-claims in India on whether he was planning a terror attack in Delhi or was on his way to Jammu and Kashmir as part of a rehabilitation plan. There’s no dispute however over the fact that he had arrived in Kathmandu from Pakistan and was about to enter India through the Gorakhpur border when he landed in police net. Shah was not the first militant from Jammu and Kashmir who has followed the route. Since 2010 nearly 300 former militants have returned to their home state, Jammu and Kashmir, from Pakistan to take part in the state government’s rehabilitation process. Many of them have travelled via Nepal and used to porous Indo-Nepal border—for their return. Though the method has no official sanction of Indian and Pakistani governments, intelligence authorities of both countries are aware of it and have seemed to allow it to be used by disi...

Like virtually all South Asian and East Asian societies, couples in Nepal prefer to give birth to baby boys rather than girls. This long-held cultural practice has led to the abortion of millions of female fetuses and created a serious gender imbalance across the region, researchers said. Researchers from the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine have just released a study in which they declared that the cultural preference for sons over daughters is even more of an intractable problem in Nepal than such social ills as poverty, under-education, and high maternal and child mortality rates. There also appears to be a link between the preference for infant males and the use of contraception among women. In research published in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, the UC Sand Diego school of medicine's team found you...

LONDON, March 16: Nepal Army (NA) Colonel Kumar Lama, who was arrested in UK on charges of committing torture during insurgency era in Nepal, has been released on condition on Friday. Lama was released after depositing a bail amount of 10,000 pound sterling, on a condition that he would not leave the UK until the court gives a final verdict on the case. He was released after assurance of Nepal government to UK government through diplomatic channels that he would not be provided with travel documents until the court gives a final verdict on his case. Nepali Ambassador to U.K. Suresh Chalise expressed his happiness over Lama´s release . “It’s welcoming move, the decision to release Colonel Lama would heighten people’s belief on the British legal system,” Chalise added. The Chelmsford Crown Court on March 2, had granted bail to Lama but his release was delayed after the UK authorities demanded that Nepal give them official assurance. A specialist unit of the M...

Kathmandu, March 2: Nepal trounced Northern Mariana Islands 6-0 in the match held here this evening under the qualifying games leading up to the AFC Challenge Football Tournament. In the match played under floodlights at Dasarath Stadium, Bharat Khawas scored a hat-trick with goals in the 4 th , 40 th and 71 st minute respectively. Santosh Sahukhala (30 th minute), Raju Tamang (68 th ) and Sandip Rai (69 th ) were the other goal scorers for the hosts. Nepal will now play Bangladesh on March 4. Earlier, in the inaugural match of the qualifying games under Group D today, Palestine defeated Bangladesh 1-0.

Kathmandu, March 2: Health condition of former Crown Prince Paras Shah is gradually improving, said the Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital, Bangkok where he is under treatment after suffering a heart attack 12 days ago. According to medical update issued by the hospital on Saturday, Shah now can recognize people. Active and coordinated movement is noted in all his limbs and he is on ventilator support, cardiologist with the hospital Dr Mann Chandavimol said in the statement. Former Crown Prince Shah has been staying in Thailand since the last few years. He suffered severe heart attack 11 days ago. The former Royal couple and other members of the family are already there to acquire information about his health condition.

KATHMANDU, March 2: At least two Chinese companies have expressed interest to acquire state-owned Nepal Metal Company Limited (NMCL), which has failed to start production even after over three decades of establishment. The NMCL was established with the aim of extracting zinc-lead ores from Mount Ganesh area of Dhading district. The two Chinese firms--South Asia Mining Energy Company Limited and Chenhui Mineral Energy Company Limited--have jointly approached the Ministry of Industry (MoI) offering their interest to take up the management of NMCL after acquiring company´s shares. "The Chinese firms have shown interest to take over the company by acquiring all its shares. Whether to sell the company is now up to us," said MoI Secretary Krishna Gyawali. Gayawali added that the ministry has asked the firms to submit a detailed proposal on share acquisition. The company that never ca...