Almost all broadsheet dailies published in Kathmandu on Thursday have given prominent space to political parties’ preparations for the upcoming elections. Various other economic and social issues have also been given importance on the front pages of the papers.
Important
Political parties step up preparations for polls
Top leaders of the Nepali Congress during a meeting of the party.
Political parties and the ‘parliamentary boards’, authorised to select candidates for the upcoming federal and provincial elections, have stepped up their preparations for the polls. Kantipur. in its lead story for the day, says the Nepali Congress has formed its parliamentary board under the de facto leadership of corruption convict leader Khum Bahadur Khadka. The report says that according to the party’s own statute, Khadka is not even qualified to hold membership of the party. Meanwhile, other political parties that have committed to the Congress-led Democratic Alliance, have demanded that the seat allocation be finalsed at the earliest, says The Himalayan Times. The paper also reports that the leaders of the new left alliance have missed the deadline to select common candidates for the upcoming polls.
Republica says a group of Nepali Congress leaders have demanded that the elections be held on the same day across the country as ‘militant’ cadres of the UML and Maoist Centre could influence polls held in two phases. The paper quotes NC leader Ramesh Rijal as saying that rumour that the government is preparing to postpone the polls may have spread amid speculations that the Supreme Court might order the government to rethink the ‘cluster quota’ rules for filing nominations. The court is to hear a petition on the issue soon. However, NC leaders tell The Kathmandu Post the party does not have plans to postpone the elections
Another businessman shot dead
The Kathmandu Post says yet another businessman was shot at in Sarlahi on Tuesday, a day after a hi-profile builder was shot dead in the capital. According to the Post, the assailants shot dead bullion trader Sunil Shah (27) while he was returning home from his shop at Pipariya at around 7:45 pm. Police have intensified the search for the shooters.
Ignored
Worries about the economy
Kantipur, in its anchor for the day, says vital stats of the economy do not look good as Nepal recovers from the devastating floods. While the growth in remittances has been sluggish, trade deficit is increasing at an alarming rate and the government has missed its revenue targets.
Doctors accused of plagiarism
Republica reports that a team of six doctors has been found to have plagiarised the findings of research carried out by a team led by renowned surgeon Dr Bhola Rijal. The paper says a research paper titled ‘Association of Thyroid Dysfunction Among Infertile Women Visiting Infertility Center of Om Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal’, which was authored by Dr Bhola Rijal, Dr R Shrestha and Dr Bharat Jha, was found to have copied and presented under the title ‘Association of Thyroid Dysfunction Among Infertile Women Visiting Nepalgunj Medical College Hospital, Kohalpur, Nepal’ as jointly authored by Dr Mukesh Kumar Shrewastawa, Dr C Thanpari, Dr RK Goit, Dr NK Yadav, Dr RK Mittal and Dr V Rohil.
Interesting
Nepali migrant workers defrauded of Rs 1.5 billion in two years
Karobar, in its lead story of the day, says Nepali migrant workers aspiring to go abroad for work have been defrauded of Rs 1.5 billion in the last two years. The report quotes government data to say complaints have been received claiming that over Rs 1.45 billion has been fleeced.
