NOC unlawfully gives petroleum supply contract to Birat Oil

KATHMANDU, Nov 4: Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has unlawfully issued Rs 200 million to Birat Oil, a private petroleum organization, to open Letter of Credit (LC) for importing petroleum items to Nepal.

Additionally, the state-possessed fuel monopolist arrangements to buy petroleum items imported by Birat Oil at expanded rate.

Birat Oil is supplying petrol to NOC at Rs 199 for each liter and diesel at Rs 187 for each liter. Petrol is as of now retailed at Rs 104, while diesel costs Rs 81 for every liter.

Twenty-two household and worldwide firms had indicated enthusiasm to supply petroleum items to Nepal after NOC looked for Expression of Interest (EoI) a month ago.

A very put NOC authority said the delicate to supply fuel to Birat Oil was given to Birat Oil on the course of NOC Managing Director Gopal Bahadur Khadka. The authority said rates cited by different firms are at any rate Rs 30 for each liter lower than the ones cited by Birat Oil. In addition, different firms had not looked for assets from NOC to open LC.

"According to the agreement, NOC will need to purchase fuel purchased from its cash," the authority said. "Our figuring shows Birat Oil will make benefit worth Rs 40 million without making any noteworthy venture."

Birat Oil is bringing diesel and petrol from Siliguri, India where petrol costs IRs 66.11 (Rs 105.77) and diesel is accessible at IRs 49.55 (Rs 79.28). It will then offer petrol and diesel to NOC at Rs 199 and Rs 187 for each liter, separately.

Sources at NOC said 25 tankers stacked in Siliguri will enter Kathmandu soon. They said Khadga have even consented to pay traditions obligation of the petroleum items.

Khadka told Republica that NOC has caused Birat Oil to open LC worth Rs 20 million. "Cost is not the issue. The need of great importance is to convey petroleum items to the nation," he included.

He likewise said it is not obligatory for NOC to purchase petroleum items supplied by Birat Oil. "The administration will take choice on this issue. To begin with let the tankers land here," he included.

Mukunda Ghimire, executive of NOC, likewise said NOC will buy the fuel supplied by Birat Oil.

Gas Shortage with Videos

Here is Video of Gas Shortage which is a big issue in Nepal These days. Its a comedy that people are Praying gas so that it won't get shortage again.
TO see the video CLICK HERE

chitwan national park income drives

CHITWAN, Nov 4: Chitwan National Park (CNP) has recorded a sharp dive in its income gathering subsequent to the previous couple of months, obviously demonstrating the antagonistic impacts of the nation's present clamorous circumstance.

As indicated by the national park's data officer Tika Ram Poudel, the income gathering from August to October this year has been recorded at Rs 102.3 million, which is a 66% plunge from the income gathered in the same period a year ago.

The CNP had gathered Rs 306.8 million in the first quarter of the past financial year. An announcement discharged by the national park asserted that it had gathered Rs 104.14 million in August alone a year ago, which is more noteworthy than the consolidated income gathered in the first quarter of this current year.

The disastrous 7.8 extent tremor of April 25, combined with more than two months of Madhes dissents and the monetary barricade forced by India has added to 80% decrease in visitors going to the national park. The outcomes are unmistakably noticeable in the tourism business, which is additionally reflected by the sharp plunge in the recreation center's income accumulation.

Half of the income gathered from the recreation center is put resources into its cushion zone. The cushion zone comprises of human settlements and arable terrains abutting the CNP. There are an aggregate of 21 buyer bunches in Nawalparasi, Parsa and Makawanpur locale, every one of whom fringe the CNP. Their financial plan designation is completely subject to income gathered from the recreation center.

CNP, the first national park of the nation, is understood all through the world as the natural surroundings for imperiled one-horned rhinos and Royal Bengal tigers. Considering its commitment in national income accumulation, partners and authorities have been indicating out that the decreasing number of voyagers and the nation's present political circumstance will have serious effect in the nation's economy.

Gas From China

Rest in Peace

Annapurna Post

Annapurna Post

Rest in peace. The police men who gave their lives for saving the nations. Salute for them. 

Let's End Nepal Banda

Copied 

I really like this picture. I have been working and I walked the first day to my office as it was Nepal banda. Even a Children can Know what's wrong and right. Banda is done to check if citizens are on my favor or not. If people are in favor of Banda definitely they would support them and close their shops and other works. But people want to run their daily life without any disturbance. Banda is not the ultimate solution for the issue. There are various alternatives to show your protest.  

PM Koirala wishes for continued peace, progress and prosperity of India So Do I

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala has extended warmest greetings to PM of India Narendra Modi, for continued peace, progress and prosperity of the people of India

In a message of greetings given on the Independence of India, PM Koirala said 1947 has been a landmark event of the twentieth century. This day heralded the beginning of liberation and freedom from the yoke of colonialism and subjugation for many countries and peoples in Asia and Africa, and enabled them to join the comity of nations. 

"The association of our leader B. P. Koirala with the Indian Independence Movement demonstrates our common commitment to the noble cause of independence and self-dignity. Historic relations between Nepal-India remain firm and unassailable based on this foundation," added PM Koirala. 

Similarly, he said these relations have been nurtured by vision and commitment of leaders in both countries and gained new heights. The Government and people of Nepal deeply cherish the visits Indian PM Modi undertook last year. The visits have immensely contributed in further strengthening the traditionally warm, close and friendly ties between the two countries and people. 

"I firmly believe that we should maintain the momentum generated by your historic visits to mutual benefit of our peoples and work together for promoting peace, stability, and development in the region and beyond," mentioned the PM in the statement. 

Moreover, PM Koirala believed that the spirit of the Independence Day, coupled with the dynamic leadership of Modi will further inspire the people of India to achieve even higher level of progress and prosperity in the days ahead. He said, "The people of Nepal rejoice in the achievements of India in various fields as the largest democracy and one of the rapidly emerging economic powerhouses of the twenty-first century." 

He also thanked Indian PM Modi for the continued support on constitution writing process of Nepal, where all major political parties are working together for the democratic constitution that will be promulgated through the Constituent Assembly which will strengthen the foundations of constitutionalism and the rule of law in the country. RSS 

Basantapur acid attack accused faints

Ekantipur

Jiwan BK, fell unconscious during the press conference held at Metropolitan Police Office in Rani Pokhari by the Nepal Police on Friday. BK was in handcuffs when he lost consciousness.

 But the pictures show that he was acting. What should be the punishment for him. Such attacks if are accused then these types of incident may happen again and again. I personally want hard punishment so than any one cannot try to do this kinds of activities again and again. Our society should react to this. 

Bike accident In Kathmandu TINKUNE

Annapurna post

Wife died and husband is injured. What is happening these days road accidents are increasing in day by day. The easiest thing in life is to blame other. Lets be careful rather than blaming other. Its happens without knowing so its called accident let drive safe.

Annapurna Post

Apple accounts for half of US phone activations in Q4

The September launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has provided Apple with solid ground to maintain its ruling position on the US market. A newly published survey by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners reports that a dominating 50% of phone activations during 2014 Q4 have been iPhones.

Pakistan Unrest

            ULTAN, Pakistan, Jan 7 : (AFP) -- Pakistan on Wednesday hanged two men sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court, taking the number of executions to nine since the country lifted a moratorium on capital punishment after last month's Taliban school massacre.

            The convicts, Ghulam Shabbir and Ahmed Ali (alias Sheesh Naag), were reportedly members of banned sectarian militant outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.

            The two were sentenced to death in 2002 by an anti-terrorism court -- Shabbir for killing a senior police official and his driver, and Ali for killing three people.They were hanged in the southern city of Multan early Wednesday.    "Two men convicted for murders, Ghulam Shabbir and Ahmed Ali, were hanged till death today," Saeedullah Gondal, superintendent of the jail where the executions took place, told AFP.

"Their bodies were handed over to their families."Pakistan last month lifted a six-year moratorium on the death penalty in terror cases in the wake of the Taliban's horrific massacre at an army-run school in the city of Peshawar.The attack on December 16 left 150 people dead, the vast majority of them children.

            Pakistani officials have said they plan to hang 500 convicts in the coming weeks, drawing protest from international human rights campaigners.Pakistan's parliament on Tuesday approved the setting up of military courts to hear terrorism-related cases in a bid to speed up hearings.

            The country's notoriously slow civil court procedures often delays justice for years.On Tuesday, authorities halted the death sentence of Shafqat Hussain, who was convicted of murdering a seven-year-old boy in 2004 when he was just 15, following an outcry from rights groups.

            Despite the moratorium, which began in 2008, courts continued to issue death sentences and Amnesty International estimates there are around 8,000 people on death row in Pakistan.

            The United Nations, European Union, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called on Pakistan to re-impose its moratorium on the death penalty.Rights campaigners say Pakistan overuses its anti-terror laws and courts to prosecute ordinary crimes.

Provincial judge killed in eastern Afghanistan explosion

            JALALABAD, Afghanistan, Jan 7 : (Xinhua) -- A provincial judge was killed while his two children wounded in a bomb attack in Jalalabad city, the provincial capital of eastern Afghan Nangarhar province on Wednesday morning, the latest attack in a string of targeted killing, police said.

            "A sticky bomb attached to car of judge Mahmud-ul-Hassan was detonated while he was traveling to office at around 8:00 a.m. ( local time). Two kids of Hassan aboard the vehicle were also wounded as a result of the blast," provincial police spokesman Hazrat Hussain Mashriqiwal told Xinhua.

            The casualties were shifted to a nearby hospital in the city, 120 km east of Afghan capital of Kabul.

            Late Hassan served as a provincial judge in the neighboring Laghman province, Mashriqiwal said.The Taliban insurgent group has intensified attacks over the past couple of months as the Afghan forces took on the full responsibility for security in the country earlier this month.

            The civilians considered to be supporting government, civilian government employees, religious leaders, tribal elders and persons involved in peace and reconciliation efforts came under attack in targeted killings in the militancy-hit central Asian country.

            About 10,000 civilians were killed and injured in Taliban-led insurgency and conflicts in the country in 2014, according to UN mission officials.

            The officials blamed the attacks of Taliban insurgents and other armed groups for vast majority of the civilian deaths and injuries.  Enditem

Pakistan executes two more for terrorism: official

Strong earthquake strikes off Panama coast

            WASHINGTON, Jan 7 : (AFP) -- A strong, magnitude-6.6 earthquake struck off the Pacific coast of Panama late Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said.There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

            The quake hit at 11:07 pm (0507 GMT) and its epicenter was in the Pacific Ocean about 150 miles (245 kilometers) south of the Panamanian city of Punta de Burica, the USGS said.No tsunami warning was issued.

US-led strikes may have killed civilians: Pentagon

            WASHINGTON, Jan 7 : (AFP) -- The US military is reviewing several incidents in which civilians may have been killed in coalition air strikes against Islamic State jihadists in Iraq and Syria, officials said Tuesday.

            The comments marked the first time the US military has acknowledged that the air war may have exacted a toll on civilians.

            US Central Command, which is overseeing the air campaign, initially looked into 18 cases and concluded 13 were not credible but five merited further review. Of those, two incidents -- one in Iraq and one in Syria -- prompted formal investigations, defense officials told AFP.

            The current probes involved one case that occurred as recently as December 26, officials said.

            "What I know is that Central Command is investigating several (of) what they believe to be credible allegations of civilian casualties," Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters.

            "This is something we always take seriously. We are very mindful of trying to mitigate the risk to civilians every time we operate, everywhere we operate."His comments marked a shift as the Pentagon had insisted for months they had not confirmed any instance of civilian deaths from the bombing raids.

            Human rights organizations, however, have previously reported that dozens of civilians have been killed in the US-led air strikes, mainly in Syria.

            The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in October that 32 civilians were killed after the first month of coalition strikes in Syria, as well as 467 fighters from the Islamic State group.

"It would be highly unlikely that there would be no civilian casualties at this stage in the air campaign," said one US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

            But the American military was not on the ground in Syria and had a relatively small presence in Iraq, so it was difficult to say definitively how many civilians may have been killed in the air war so far, the official added.

Credible evidence

            Allegations of possible civilian casualties had come from a range of sources including the military's own reviews and internal reporting, the State Department, and accounts by news media and non-governmental organizations, said Major Curtis Kellogg, a spokesman for US Central Command.

            "A source is generally deemed to be credible if the source provides verifiable information, such as corroborating statements, photographs or documentation that can help us determine whether an allegation is founded," Kellogg said.

            But the two formal investigations currently under way "are the direct result of our own internal review process and not the result of allegations received from outside of DoD (the Department of Defense)," he said in a statement.Investigations can cover areas including "technical, mechanical or human errors involved in the strikes," he said.

            "The current environment on the ground in Iraq and Syria makes investigating these allegations extremely challenging. Traditional investigatory methods, such as interviewing witnesses and examining the site, are not typically available," he said.

            As of mid-December, commanders said more than 1,300 air strikes had been carried out in Syria and Iraq. The vast majority of the raids have been conducted by US fighter jets, bombers and drones.

            Air strikes against the IS group in Iraq began on August 8 and were extended into Syria on September 23.

At least 20 killed in road mishap in southern India

    MUMBAI, Jan 7 : (Xinhua) -- At least 20 people were dead after a passenger bus fell into a ravine in southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday morning, local media reported.

            According to TV reports, the incident took place near Penukonda district. There were around 40 passengers in the bus and at least four students are among the dead. Injured passengers have been rushed to Bengaluru hospital.
More details are awaited.

50 killed in bombing attack on Yemeni police academy

 SANAA, Jan 7 : (Xinhua) -- At least 50 people were killed and 20 others wounded early Wednesday when a car bomb went off outside the police academy in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, security officials and medics said.

            Hundreds of high school graduates and cadets were lining up in a long queue, waiting to be enlisted in the academy, at about 7:00 a.m. (0400 GMT) when the car bomb exploded, security officials said.

            Witnesses told Xinhua that a mini bus were driving very fast on the street alongside the wall of the police academy in central Sanaa before it exploded at the academy's main gate. The explosion could be heard across the city. Gunshots were also heard in the area after the explosion.

            Ambulances were crowded and police forces cordoned off the whole area where dozens of bodies were scattered.

This is the most deadly attack in Sanaa since Oct. 9, 2014, when an al-Qaida suicide bomber blew himself up at a gathering of the Shiite Houthi group, killing at least 47 people.On June 11, 2012, an al-Qaida suicide bomber attacked this police academy, killing at least 21 people. 

India to probe death of politician's wife

            NEW DELHI, Jan 7 : (Xinhua) -- The Delhi police Wednesday formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the death of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of former Union minister Shashi Tharoor.

            Delhi police chief B.S. Bassi made the announcement a day after he said the 52-year-old's mysterious death at a five-star New Delhi hotel in January last year was a "murder" and it was "due to poisoning".

            "A SIT has been formed to probe the case. We will share details with you as and when things happen," the police chief told the media.

            Asked whether Tharoor, currently a lawmaker of the main opposition Congress party, would be questioned in the case, he said, "Whatever is necessary has been done, whatever will be necessary will be done."

            Local TV channels reported, quoting sources, that the police may send Sunanda's viscera samples to a laboratory abroad to determine which poison had caused her death, including the FBI laboratory in the U.S.

            The Dubai-based businesswoman, whom Tharoor married in 2010, was found dead in her hotel suite in January last year, just days after a tiff with her husband over his alleged affair with a Pakistani scribe.

            Initially, the police had treated the death as a suicide case.

2 killed, 9 injured in southern Afghan suicide bombing

QALAT, Afghanistan, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Two civilians were killed while nine people wounded after a suicide car bomber targeted a police convoy in Qalat city, the provincial capital of southern Afghan province of Zabul on Monday, police said.

"The car bomb was detonated at around 10:00 a.m. local time ( 0530 GMT) close to provincial police station. The likely target of the attack was deputy provincial police chief General Ghulam Jilani Khan. Luckily Khan escaped unhurt," provincial police chief General Ghulam Sakhi Rough Liwani told Xinhua.

Two civilians passing by died on the spot along the attacker, the source said, adding "the injured included four civilians and five policemen of the convoy." The injured were shifted to nearby hospitals by ambulances and police vehicles.

Several vehicles and shops were damaged as a result of the explosion in the city, 340 km south of Afghan capital of Kabul.

No group has claimed responsibility yet for the attack, but the Taliban routinely claim responsibility for such attacks.

The Taliban has intensified attacks over the past couple of months as the Afghan forces are taking over the responsibility for security in the country.

Last Thursday, the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) assumed the full security charges from NATO-led troops after a four-year security transition

Beijing dangerous smog down four percent in 2014: govt

BEIJING, Jan 5, (AFP) - Air pollution in Beijing dropped slightly last year, municipal authorities said, although levels of the most dangerous small particulate matter remained more than three times the internationally recommended limit.

China's cities are often hit by heavy pollution, blamed on coal-burning by power stations and industry, as well as vehicle use, and it has become a major source of discontent with the ruling Communist Party.

According to a notice posted Sunday on the website of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, levels of PM2.5 -- small airborne particles with a diameter small enough to deeply penetrate the lungs -- declined by four percent in 2014 compared with 2013.

The average density for such particles was 85.9 micrograms per cubic metre -- more than triple the World Health Organization's recommended limit of 25 micrograms per cubic metre.

The notoriously smog-clogged capital had 93 days of "excellent air quality" last year, 22 days more than in 2013, the environmental protection bureau said.

There were 45 days of "heavy pollution", down by 13 from 2013, it added.

Public discontent about the environment has grown in China, leading the government to declare a "war on pollution" and vow to cut coal use in some areas.

China's State Council, or Cabinet, said in 2013 that "concentrations of fine particles" in the capital's air would fall by approximately 25 percent from 2012 levels by 2017.

But poor air quality has persisted as officials continue to focus on economic growth, and lax enforcement of environmental regulations remains rife.

In October, thousands of runners battled thick smog during the Beijing Marathon, with photos of mask-clad athletes drawing worldwide attention to the city's dangerously polluted skies. A stage of Tour of Beijing bicycle race was also cut short because of the poor air quality.

In November, authorities enforced a host of anti-pollution measures ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, when Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted leaders from the United States, Russia and Japan among others.

The briefly clear skies were popularly dubbed "APEC blue" by online commentators, mocking their temporary nature.

Xi himself made note of the city's pollution problem at a welcome banquet for leaders and spouses, telling the crowd that "these days the first thing I do in the morning is to check the air quality in Beijing".

As smog levels crept back up, however, authorities abruptly ordered one of China's most popular air pollution-reporting apps to remove independent data provided by the US embassy.

Two bodies retrieved from collapsed building in Nairobi

NAIROBI, Jan 5 : (Xinhua) -- Kenya's rescuers have retrieved two bodies from the rubble in a building, which collapsed late Sunday in a Nairobi residential estate.

Pius Masai with the Kenya National Disaster Operation Center told journalists on Monday that 40 people were rescued alive from the building in Huruma estate, a residential estate located in northeastern Nairobi, adding that several people are still trapped in the debris.

   

"So far we have lost two people, a lady and an infant, who have so far succumbed to injuries. We have rescued 40 people out of which 28 are hospitalized and 12 were treated on site for minor injuries," Masai said.

   

He said the rescue efforts will take time, as the officials coordinating the operation need more heavy equipment to save more lives.

   

"We want to save as many lives as possible. We need some heavy equipment to be able to carry out this rescue efforts effectively. The operation will take some time, but we appeal to the public to remain calm," Masai said.

   

Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) said it has set up an information desk to help in the tracing and recovery for cases of missing families and loved ones.

 

Several people have volunteered at the site to dig in the rubble with their bare hands. RSS