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The District Police Office, Chitwan has arrested two Indian nationals with 396 kg marijuana.

The arrestees have been identified as Anil Giri (45) of Baijai Thana Sambal district of Uttar Pradesh, India and Rajpal Singh (37) of Kailadevi Thana Apawati Kutawapur village.

The Nepal Police made them public on Tuesday evening.

Spokesperson of the District Police Office, DSP Bijaya Raj Pandit shared that the Indian nationals were arrested with marijuana from Anptari, Bharatpur Metropolitan City-1.

The police confiscated the banned substance while being smuggled to Narayangadh from Muglin in a truck with Indian number plate (JH 02 W 9631).

A police team headed by SP Rameshwor Karki recovered 28 packets of marijuana from the cabin of the truck.

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister M. U. M. Ali Sabry is arriving in Nepal on a three-day official visit on Wednesday.

The purpose of his visit is to participate in the first meeting of Nepal-Sri Lanka Joint Commission (JC) set to be held in Kathmandu on December 21-22, 2023.

At the meeting, Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prakash Saud will lead the Nepali delegation consisting of the officials of various ministries of the Government of Nepal. The two foreign ministers will also hold a separate meeting.

During the visit, the Sri Lankan minister is also scheduled to pay courtesy calls on President Ram Chandra Paudel and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed.

The Foreign Minister will leave Kathmandu for Colombo on December 23,  2023.

The Supreme Court has demanded written responses from Ncell, Axiata Limited and relevant government entities—Nepal Telecommunications Authority and the Company Registrar’s Office—regarding a controversial purchase and sale of Ncell shares. A single bench of judge Prakashman Singh Raut directed Ncell, Axiata and the government entities to come up with their written responses by Jan 1 so as to decide whether or not to issue an interim order in the case. The bench issued the order after conducting a preliminary hearing on a writ from Amresh Kumar Singh, a lawmaker in the Federal Parliament.   

It may be noted that Axiata has exited Nepal after selling 80 percent shares of Ncell to Spectralite UK, a company owned by Satish Lal Acharya, a non-resident Nepali.

Subsequently, Singh moved the court demanding that the “suspicious and questionable” transaction be deemed illegal, referring to questions raised over the transaction.

The petitioner has pointed out that the transaction may have been conducted for evading taxes and for ruling out the transfer of ownership of the company with foreign investment to the government of Nepal upon completion of 25 years of its establishment (six years later), as stipulated in relevant domestic laws. 

The bench has told both the plaintiff and the defendants—Ncell, Axiata Limited, NTA and CRO—to appear before the court for discussions on Jan 1 with documents related to the transaction, to decide whether or not to issue an interim order in the case. 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal responded to questions raised in the parliamentary State Affairs Committee about the transaction.

The government had formed a high-level panel under former auditor-general Tanka Mani Sharma to investigate the matter after holding meetings with top leaders of the ruling coalition and demands from the parliamentary Finance Committee for intervention. 

On its part, Ncell has said that the pricing and structure of the transaction was determined through a willing buyer and seller basis. As per the agreed deal structure, Axiata was set to receive a base payment, along with additional benefits in the form of profit-sharing for the next five years, extending until 2029, it said in a statement.

Rastriya Prajatantra Party led by Rajendra Lingden has decided to hit the streets demanding the restoration of a Hindu state along with the monarchy. The party has formed different sub-committees under its senior leaders to press for the cause. 

Party Spokesperson Mohan Shrestha said their street protest is meant to press major political parties to scrap the 2015 Constitution as well as federal structures and highlight problems facing the people. 

Of late, voices against the 2015 constitution have become louder. A few weeks ago, businessperson Durga Prasai had organized a demonstration in Kathmandu on the same agenda. 

While several groups are hitting the streets demanding the fulfillment of these agendas, like-minded parties and organizations have not come together to build a united force for the cause. 

The teaser of action thriller ‘Operation Valentine’ has been unveiled. Nepali filmmaker Phurba Sherpa handled the Line Producer role, and a portion of the film was shot in Nepal’s Langtang area.

Entitled ‘First Strike’, the teaser presents captivating visuals alongside impactful dialogues delivered by lead actor Varun Tej. The film’s narrative centers around the unwavering bravery of Air Force heroes on the frontlines and the adversities they confront while safeguarding the nation.

Based on true events, ‘Operation Valentine’ features Tej portraying Rudra and Manushi Chhillar in the role of a radar officer, emanating strength and determination in her character portrayal.

Penned by Shakti Pratap Singh Hada, Aamir Khan, and Siddharth Raj Kumar, the film is directed by Hada himself and is scheduled for release in Telugu and Hindi on 16 Feb 2024. Initially slated for release on Dec 8, the film faced a postponement.

Sony Pictures International Productions and Sandeep Mudda are the producers of the film while it is co-produced by Nandkumar Abbineni and God bless Entertainment.

Recently, the production team issued a statement announcing the alteration in the release date. “Varun Tej and Manushi Chhillar’s ‘Operation Valentine’ will now have a revised release date to ensure the audience receives the most extraordinary cinematic experience. Stay tuned,” the statement read.

The State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the House of Representatives has instructed the Government of Nepal to make a recovery of tax that Ncell, the private telecommunications service provider in the country, owed to it.

A meeting of the Committee today issued directives to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies. The meeting directed the government to not allow the transactions of Company shares until the Committee formed to investigate the matter about the sale of company shares submits the report.

Committee President Ramhari Khatiwada said the meeting asked the government for amending the Telecommunications Act and Regulations, making them compatible with time. In addition to this, the government has been directed to assess the capacity and business experiences of buyers during the sale and purchase of shares of big companies like the Ncell.

Similarly, the meeting decided to seek information regarding the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA)'s response to the sale of Ncell share, directing the government to make necessary amendments to bring the Ncell under the government ownership.

Sri Lankan Ambassador to Nepal Air Chief Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Tuesday.

During the meeting held at the Prime Minister's office in Singha Durbar, several matters related to Nepal and Sri Lanka were discussed, said the PM's secretariat.

A bridge project over Tamor River to link Panchthar and Terhathum districts has yet to be completed even after 12 years of contract signing.

In the absence of the bridge, the people of Kummayak Rural Municipality in Panchthar have to walk seven to eight hours to reach Myanglung in Terhathum to attend the weekly market.
Villagers usually travel to Myanglung weekly market carrying goods on their backs so that they could sell them. They return home carrying daily supplies, such as salt, oil, soap bars and clothes. It is an arduous journey that many villagers take every Friday  

Ramesh Thapa, who had come to Myanglung to sell almonds from Bijuwapani of Kummayak, said, “We were excited about the bridge project because we would not have to carry heavy loads along steep hill trails. But now we don’t know if the bridge will ever be constructed.”

If one has to reach the city of Dharan, one has no option but to walk all the way to Myanglung and from there cover the distance of 116 kilometers through Basantapur, Sidhuwa, Hile and Dhankuta. Locals say with the bridge in place, Dharan can be reached directly through Tamor corridor, and the travel duration would be cut by half. 

A contract was signed with Swachchhanda Contractor Company in June 2011 for the construction of the bridge at a cost of Rs 130m. As per the agreement, the bridge was to be completed by July 2018. 

Ram Kumar Dev, chief of the Road Division Office, Dhankuta, said only 50 percent of the work has been completed so far. “Out of the five pillars, only four have been constructed. We are extending the construction deadline till mid-July 2024,”he added. 

Ajay Lamichhane, a representative of Swachchhanda Contractor Company, said that the project was delayed because there was no road leading to the bridge from Myanglung. “Before we could start building the bridge, we had to build the road first,” he said. 

Following the project delay, Arjan Dhungana of Myanglung and Dik Bahadur Karki of Laligurans Municipality had lodged a complaint with the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). Local residents of Myanglung too have been putting pressure on the Myanglung Municipality and the District Administration Office, Tehrathum, to complete the bridge project.