Supreme Court telling authorities not to collect tax from Ncell, for the time being, has been featured in all major newspapers. News of the Malaysian climber being rescued from Mt Annapurna has also been featured in some newspapers.
Here is a summary of important, ignored and interesting stories from the front pages of national broadsheets:
Important
Don’t collect tax from Ncell now: SC
Kantipur, Karobar, Nagarik, Republica, Gorkhapatra, Rajdhani, Nepal Samacharpatra, The Himalayan Times and The Kathmandu Post report that Supreme Court on Thursday passed an interlocutory order and issued a show cause notice to authorities in a move which many say gave a sense that the debate on capital gains tax was still alive.
A single bench of Justice Bam Kumar Shrestha issued a show-cause notice to the Large Taxpayers Office and asked both parties—the tax office and mobile company—to appear before the court on May 6 to discuss the matter. Supreme Court officials said the interlocutory interim order was issued to the Large Taxpayers Office not to collect the tax until discussions on May 6.
The court order came two days after the seven-day deadline set by the Large Taxpayers Office for Ncell ended.
Nepal and UAE agree to sign revised labour pact
Karobar and The Himalayan Times report that Nepal and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday agreed to pen a revised labour pact. The UAE receives thousands of Nepali migrant workers every year. As per the new agreement, the UAE government has agreed to hire Nepali workers at zero cost. Along with that, employer companies will have to bear the recruitment service charge, two-way airfare, visa fee, health check-up fee and also the security screening and levy charges of Nepali migrants.
Govt adamant on amending Human Rights Act
The Kathmandu Post reports that despite serious reservations from the constitutional rights watchdog, the government looks bent on forwarding the bill to amend the National Human Rights Commission Act 2012, some provisions of which human rights defenders say undermine the commission’s authority.
The proposed bill, which has been registered at the federal parliament, undermining the existing jurisdiction, gives every authority regarding the implementation of the recommendations by the constitutional body to the attorney general. The commission has publicly expressed reservations about the bill and asked the government for its revision. The government, however, looks adamant on its position and committed to presenting the bill for endorsement without revision.
Ignored
200 flights affected due to President’s travel to China
Naya Patrika reports around 200 flights on Wednesday were disrupted because president Bidya Devi Bhandari was travelling to China. The sky was kept plane-free for nearly an hour. That resulted in chaos at Tribhuvan International Airport throughout the day. Many aircraft had to circle around the valley up to five times. Flights coming from the north were sent back north by the air traffic controller.
Two deals to be signed with China
Gorkhapatra reports that two deals will be signed with China during President Bidya Devi Bhandari trip to Nepal’s northern neighbours. An agreement on customs cooperation and agreement on boosting cooperation between Nepal Bureau of Standard and Metrology and Standardisation Administration of China is likely to be reached. Government officials also add that an agreement on cultural property protection to curb illegal trade in artefacts was also likely.
Civil servants warn to halt court services throughout the country
Nepal Samacharpatra reports that the official trade union of the civil servants has said that it will halt court service throughout the country if the court staffers aren’t provided overtime pay and motivational allowance. They have been asking for the same since July 2018.
The union has threatened of a protest throughout the country if their demands are not met. Union president Prakash Parajuli said that civil servants hadn’t received motivational allowance even though the government had ordered to do so.
Interesting
Land encroached by land mafias being looked at
Rajdhani reports that the government is forming a high level commission to find public and private lands encroached by the land mafia. Ministry of Land Management, Cooperative and Poverty Alleviation has asked the Finance Ministry for approval as it has to bear the cost of commission. As soon as the Finance Ministry accepts, the proposal will be sent to the Cabinet.
NCP to form politburo before May 14
Annapurna Post reports that the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) is all set to form its politburo by the second week of May. The upcoming meeting of the secretariat will form the politburo.
The party will also finalise other issues including allotment of duties and party unification at the earliest, according to NCP leaders. The meeting will be convened as soon as leader Madhav Kumar Nepal returns home from China, said Narayan Kaji Shrestha, NCP’s spokesperson. Nepal will return from China on April 28.
First citizen photographed 92 years ago
Gorkhapatra reports that 92 years ago, a Nepali newspaper first carried a photograph of a citizen. Gorkhapatra in 1927 for the first time published a photo of a woman from Birgunj in its third page. Prior to that, it had only published photographs of some Rana prime ministers.
