WEEK IN NEWS

Political Briefs

CPN-UML leader KP Oli said that he was ready to become the the country's new Prime Minister "If the people so want." He also claimed that the current government had cut short its stay in power by taking the controversial decision to legalise war-era property dealings by the UCPN (Maoist). Speaking at a press meet in Dang, Oli said that his party was ready to form a new majority government though it favoured a national consensus government. (Jan 28) The three major parties, UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress and CPN (UML) agreed to amend the Constituent Assembly (CA) calendar. This means the big 3 have sought extra time, once again, to resolve the contentious issues seen in the constitution drafting processes. This is the 13 revision of the CA calendar. “We have concluded that we cannot sort out the thorny issues of constitution writing by Jan 29. Therefore, we have agreed to revise the CA calendar. We also reaffirm our commitment to promulgate the constitution by May 28,” said UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal after a three-party meet at Singha Durbar. (Jan 28)

The government registered an appeal at the Supreme Court (SC) against the latter's refusal to register a petition seeking a review on the SC’s last verdict regarding the extension of the Constituent Assembly (CA) term. Attorney General Mukti Pradhan registered the appeal on behalf of PM Dr Baburam Bhattarai. The SC on December 27 had refused to register petitions by the government and the Legislature-Parliament that sought a review on the November 25 SC verdict which said the CA's term would end automatically if it failed to promulgate the new constitution by May 28. (Jan 27) Opposition parties Nepali Congress and CPN-UML obstructed the House session in protest of the government decision to legalise the transaction of private properties by the UCPN (Maoist) during the decade-long armed conflict. Lawmakers from the two parties warned that they would continue to obstruct the House business until the government revoked the decision. According to NC lawmaker Ramesh Lekhak, they demanded the government to rollback its decision "which has been impeding the peace and statute drafting processes. Earlier this month, the Cabinet had decided to distribute land ownership certificates for plots purchased, sold and transferred by the Maoists during the armed conflict. (Jan 26)

Following immense pressure from student unions and other sectors, the government revised the prices of petroleum products. As per the new prices, petrol will now cost Rs 112, diesel and kerosene Rs 81 per litre and a cylinder of LPG Rs 1415. Minister for Commerce and Supplies, Lekhraj Bhatta announced the government’s decision at a press meet at his ministry. He also informed that the government has been planning to bring relief package for students, poor families and farmers. Recently, the government had hiked the prices of diesel and kerosene Rs 85 per litre from Rs 76. Similarly, the price of petrol was hiked to Rs 115 per litre from Rs 105. and the price of cooking gas was increased to Rs 1,500 per cylinder from the Rs 1,325. (Jan 26) A special function was organised at the Indian Embassy to mark the 63rd Republic Day of India. Speaking on the occasion, Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Jayant Prasad highlighted various aspects of Nepal–India relations. Ambassador Prasad also handed over 20 ambulances to 20 VDCs and four school buses to different schools in the rural areas. Similarly, Ambassador Prasad also handed over as gifts 200 push carts for garbage management to some municipalities of Nepal. (Jan 26)

The government extended the term of the State Restructuring Commission (SRC) by one week. A Cabinet meeting decided to extend the term of the SRC which was formed two months ago to recommend to the Constituent Assembly the best possible model of federalism for the country. The meeting also decided to accept a grant assistance of Rs 5.46 billion from the Asian Development Bank for the School Sector Reforms Programme. The meeting also extended the term of the taskforce formed to make necessary recommendation on the national calendar by one more month. (Jan 26)

Two lawmakers, Gauri Mahato and Ram Naresh Yada, from the Rajendra Mahato-led Sadbhavana Party split from the mother party to form a new party called Rastriya Sadbhavana Party. The lawmakers also informed Constituent Assembly (CA) Chairman Subash Nembang about the split. Earlier on July 18, four lawmakers from the Mahato-led Sadbhawana Party had split from their mother party to form the Federal Sadbhawana Party. Anil Kumar Jha was appointed as its Parliamentary Party leader. Now, the Sadbhavana Party has only three lawmakers including Chairman Mahato and lawmakers Laxman Lal Karna and Saroj Kumar Yadav. (Jan 26)

Students affiliated to various political parties greeted PM Dr Baburam Bhattarai with black flags at Tansen, the headquarters of Palpa district. The students were protesting against the massive hike in petro prices by the government. The local police resorted to baton-charging to disperse the protesting students. PM Bhattrai and Minister for Local Development, Top Bahadur Raymajhi had reached Tansen in a helicopter to attend a training programme of their party, UCPN (Maoist). (Jan 24)

Business Briefs

Auto makers Fiat and Suzuki Motor C o r p o r a t i o n have made an agreement to supply Fiat diesel engines to India's largest car company Maruti Suzuki. According to a release, Fiat India Automobiles (FIAL) will supply up to one hundred thousand 1.3 litre MultiJet 75hp SDE engines per year to Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) starting from January 2012 for a period of three years. These volumes will be in addition to the 1.3L MultiJet SDE engines already licensed by Fiat and manufactured by Suzuki Powertrain India.

Johnnie Walker, maker of the world’s leading Blended Scotch Whisky has a new addition in its range, Johnnie Walker Platinum Label, aged 18 Years. According to the company, Platinum Label is for sophisticated global costumers, and it embodies the characteristic flavour of Johnnie Walker. Priced at Rs 6,500, Platinum Label is a premium blended scotch whisky that will sit towards the top end of the Johnnie Walker range, says the company.

It is available in 750 ml bottles. Huawei, a leading global Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions provider, has appointed Neoteric Nepal as authorized distributor for their Enterprise Business products in Nepal. This collaboration will enable Huawei to deepen its foothold in the enterprise market in Nepal, says the company. Huawei is bringing entire range of networking products from switch, router, firewall, security, and many others suited to local business. Huawei’s products and solutions are available in over 140 countries, serving more than one third of the world’s population.

Paramount Electronics, a u t h o r i z e d distributors of Panasonic AV in Nepal has recently introduced a 24’’ LCD TV in its Viera range. The model of VIERA LCD is TH-L24C28X. it has a wide 178° viewing angle for clear and vibrant images from a wide viewing range. The TV has features such as 20000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, video output 3W+3W, Speaker 3 x 10 cm: 2P and 1HDMI input. It also has some special feature like Icon menu, sport mode, child lock, PC input adjustment and Hotel Mode. The TV is priced Rs 36,999.

Nokia has launched Asha, a new series of mobile phones in the Asian markets. The series comprises of four handsets namely Asha 303, Asha 300, Asha 200 and Asha 201. According to the company, the series will offer a smarter mobile experience, close to smart phone experience as the devices will have the access to thousands of application via Nokia store for free. All these handsets are said to have a powerful processor, numerous multimedia features and are available in an affordable price range.

NIDC Development Bank has opened its new branch in New Road, Kathmandu. The Bank will provide all the modern banking services from this branch. NIDC Bank will open a new branch in Dhangadhi in the near future, says the Bank.

Citizens Bank International has opened a branch in Birendranagar of Surkhet. This is the 33rd branch of the bank. The Bank opened a total of 455 accounts and deposited more than 10 million rupees on the very day of the opening. The branch will provide services like remittance, draft, and ATM service among others, says the Bank.

Bawarchi Restro Bar has opened its second outlet at Babarmahal Revisited. The restaurant claims to draw inspiration from the best food traditions across India. The restaurant specializes in Nawabi Indian cuisine, Kolkata Katti Rolls, delicious array of Biryanis, Tangra Chinese and the newly added Teppanyaki Japanese Creations. For the next month, the restaurant will be giving a 25 per cent discount on all food and beverages.

Janata Bank Limited has opened a branch in Nepalgunj of Banke. This is the 17th branch of the Bank. The bank says that it will open new branches in Dhangadhi, Achham, Darchula and Rolpa within the current fiscal year.

H i m Electronics Pvt Ltd, the authorized distributor of Samsung has set up its Exclusive Brand Outlet (EBO) named "Samsung Plaza" at Narayanghat. This is the only Samsung Plaza outside the valley. The Plaza will showcase and retail Samsung’s latest range of Smart TV, 3D LED and LCD TVs, Samsung Digital Smart Cameras along with the entire range of colour TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, microwave ovens, vacuum cleaners, music systems and DVD players.

Rastriya Banijya Bank (RBB) has reinstated its branch office in Parshadhap of Chitwan that was closed during the period of armed conflict. The branch is now fully computerized and provides ABBS facility as well. The bank claims that it will further expand its banking base to increase disbursement in agriculture and small and medium enterprises.