Good morning!
Here’s a quick summary of important, ignored and interesting stories from Saturday to kickstart your Sunday.
Important
Three killed in Dhanusha explosion
Three persons including two civilians of the same family and a police officer were killed in an explosion in Kshireshwarnath municipality of Dhanusha district in southeastern Nepal on Saturday night. The victims have been identified as local Rajesh Sah, his son Ananda and police inspector Amit Dahal, who was deployed at the local Mahendranagar Area Police Post. The explosive was planted at Sah’s house.
Two other children of Rajesh and police constable Rijnath Kumar Mahato sustained injuries in the incident.
Being informed about a red bag in the house, Sah had informed the police on Friday night. After a while, the cops came and tried to look at the unidentified thing. Then, it suddenly explored, according to locals.
Police have suspected that the banned Maoist party led by Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplav’ planted the explosive.
Deuba fails to appease Paudel
Amidst the widening intra-party rift, Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba on Saturday met Ram Chandra Paudel, the leader of rival camp inside the party, and tried to convince him about the differing issues. The former prime minister, however, failed as Paudel said he would not budge unless Deuba proposed a plan for the 14th general convention.
Earlier, on Thursday, the Paudel faction had boycotted the party’s central working committee meeting and held a separate meeting the next day. The Friday meeting also commissioned a team led by Prakash Man Singh to hold talks with the party leadership about growing differences.
During the meeting, Paudel told Deuba that the talks’ team would sell the issues on his behalf if Deuba was ready to prioritise the general convention preparation.
Ignored
Minister tells non-performing teachers to change their job
Minister for Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel has told teachers who cannot deliver quality education to leave their job and change some other profession.
Speaking with journalists in Biratnagar on Saturday, the minister said, “Every student has a right to quality education and the government ensures that. But, if any teacher cannot do so, they need to change the job. The school is not a place to earn the living.”
Japan interested to support foreign employment returnees
The Japanese government expressed its interest in launching some programmes in support of Nepali women who have returned home after working abroad. During a meeting with Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizens Parvat Gurung, Japanese Ambassador to Nepal, Masamichi Saigo, said Japan was also willing to continue its support to various programmes launched for senior citizens.
On the occasion, minister Gurung thanked the Japanese government for its continued support to Nepal’s agriculture and infrastructure development among others.
Interesting
Occupy Tundikhel activists want mayor Shakya to lead them
After Kathmandu Metropolitan City mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya commented that activists launched the Occupy Tundikhel campaign just to show their faces in the media, the activists have said they are ready to work under the mayor’s leadership if he initiatives the actions that they have been demanding.
A day after Shakya’s statement, the activists gathered at Tundikhel for their weekly programme and objected to Shakya’s statement that the campaign was politicised.
“No, we also have our own jobs. We are here, not because we are free. The mayor should have done this [the call to save Tundikhel]. Now, please lead it, we are ready to follow you,” the campaign leader Bijaya Shrestha said.
