Good morning!
The Nepali edition of our website published some significant stories after we closed on Thursday night. Here’s a quick summary of important, ignored and interesting reports to start your day:
Important
TV presenter Rabi Lamichhane arrested
TV presenter Rabi Lamichhane and his associate Yuvaraj Kandel were arrested on Thursday evening in connection with the alleged suicide by their co-worker and journalist Shalikram Pudasaini. Police from Metropolitan Police Range, Kathmandu arrested the duo at the Panipokhari-based office of News 24 Television, a police source confirmed. Earlier on Thursday, police also arrested nurse Ashmita Karki whose name has also come up in the case. The arrest comes a day after a video of shot by the deceased showed Pudasaini blame Lamichhane for his death. In the video, purportedly shot by the journalist before killing himself, Pudasaini also named Karki, and Kandel as the persons who pushed him to commit suicide.
Journalist Pudasaini, associated with Mountain Television, was found dead at a hotel in Chitwan on August 5.
PM’s ill health puts off secretariat meeting
Nepal Communist Party’s secretariat meeting due to be held on Thursday was shifted to another date after PM KP Sharma Oli’s got ill. The secretariat meeting has been put off by NCP since Tuesday. Party leaders had already reached Baluwatar before the PM informed that he could not be present in the meeting. A senior leader told Onlinekhabar that PM Oli told party co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal that he had a fever and could not make it to the meeting.
Ignored
Final verdict on Ncell’s tax case on August 22
The Supreme Court has said it will pass its final verdict in the Ncell tax case on August 22. Even though the SC had said it would make its decision on Thursday, the apex court decided that it needed one more week. The case is being heard at a full bench of justices Tej Bahadur KC, Purushotam Bhandari, Dambar Bahadur Shahi, Sushmalata Mathema and Manoj Kumar Sharma.
Karnali Province infrastructure minister sacked
Minister for Physical Infrastructure Development of Karnali Province, Khadka Bahadur Khatri, has been sacked in the wake of a banking offence case filed against him. Karnali Chief Minister Mahendra Bahadur Shahi relieved Khatri of his duties on Thursday. Khatri is the first provincial minister to be sacked following the formation of provincial governments in Nepal after the new constitution was enforced. Patan High Court, on Tuesday, ordered police to arrest and produce Khatri before the bench within three days. The government last month filed a banking offence case against Khatri, Raju Prasad Shrestha, Chhabi Lal Dhakal, Randhir Tumba and Dev Jung Shahi for submitting fake bank guarantees to Bhojpur Technical Committee between June and November 2016.
Interesting
Rs 2 billion needed to repair irrigation projects damaged by floods
Irrigation projects damaged during the monsoon will take around Rs 2 billion to repair. Energy Minister Barsha Man Pun, during a press conference on Thursday, said that it will cost around Rs 2.11 billion to repair the projects. Minister Pun said that the irrigation department, for now, had asked for Rs 380 million to repair priority projects damaged by the floods. Due to the incessant rain between July 12-14, multiple irrigation projects in the Terai have been affected.
Nepali Army unhappy over public shaming of officials under investigation
The Nepali Army is dissatisfied after the names of two brigadier generals under investigation for allegedly forging their citizenship and academic certificates were made public. In a press release, the NA said that it was not happy that the news was leaked to the media. The army, after finding irregularities in the educational documents of two of its high ranking officials, has been verifying the certificates of all its officers. NA has urged all media outlets not to leak the names as it will affect the investigation.
IGP Khanal visits airport unannounced
Inspector General of Nepal Police Sarbendra Khanal on Thursday visited Tribhuvan International Airport for a surprise inspection. IGP Khanal was briefed about the security at the airport by police official deployed at the airport.
He urged the officers working there to be polite to passengers and act in a decent manner. Khanal also monitored security checks, luggage screening and other activities related to security at the airport. Along with that, he was also briefed regarding the equipment used by the police at the airport. He also held a discussion with the General Manager of the airport Raj Kumar Chettri.
