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Telecom service provider Ncell has topped the list of companies paying the highest taxes (Rs 8 billion) in the first six months of the current fiscal, followed by Nepal Telecom (Rs 6 bil­lion), Surya Nepal (Rs 3 billion), Gorkha Brewery (Rs 1.5 billion), Nepal Investment Bank (Rs 1.5 billion) and Nabil Bank (Rs 1 billion). APEX BUREAU

Turkish Airlines started regular flights to Freetown last week, as its 52nd destination in Africa. Beginning February 24, new direct flights to Freetown, Capital of Sierra Leone, also bring the total countries reached by the flag carrier to 121.

Turkish Airlines flies to more destinations in Africa than any other airline and this latest addition to Free­town marks another milestone in its international expansion, a press release issued by the company reads. The airlines already has services to city-hubs of Accra, Lagos, Bamako, Conakry, Dakar, Abidjan, Cotonou, Douala, Yaounde, N’Djamena, Ougadou­gou, Niamey, Cape Town, Johannesburg and more.

The Freetown flights will be available twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The service will provide a link between Istanbul Atatürk International Airport and Lungi International Airport via Ouagadougou.

The ‘throne’ is the best seat in the house. What more would one want if that throne can be adorned with a warm, water­proof and durable cushion? ‘Toilet Chakati’ is a unique product for Nepal, a concept already in exis­tence in Western countries but newly introduced in Nepal by two young entrepreneurs. Ratish Basnyat (26) and Suresh Maharjan (29), producers and distributors of Toilet Chakati in Nepal, jointly own the Knit Nepa Handicraft. Their product is simple and cheap but very useful considering factors like hygiene, convenience and portability. Made of waterproof material with a cushion inside, Toilet Chakati can be easily installed in—and detached from— most toilet seats. “It is particularly useful for women, children, elderly and people who have to share toi­lets,’’ says Maharjan. “The idea behind it is that you can personal­ize your toilet seat to make it more comfortable and cleaner.”

Basnyat, an MBA graduate from the UK, brought the idea home and shared it with Maharjan, who was already involved in manufacturing hand-knit products. “I saw similar products in the UK and thought we could introduce something like those in the Nepali market,” Basnyat says. “And given the price and the quality we offered, we got a great response from the market, includ­ing bulk orders from the US and the UK.”

Priced between Rs 300 and Rs 400 and with a nominal addi­tional charge for home delivery, the Toilet Chakati is one product that is poised to become ‘hot cakes’ in the Nepali market. Despite hum­ble beginnings, the entrepreneurs see a bright future for their product as they look to bring more innova­tive products to Nepal and increase their investments.

 Nepalese Young Entrepre­neurs’ Forum (NYEF) is set to host the sixth edition of the ‘Made in Nepal’ exhibition in the Capital from March 16.

Issuing a press statement last week, NYEF officials said that the three-day event aims to promote entrepreneurship and domestic goods and services. The event will display prod­ucts like garments, automo­biles, handicrafts, agriculture, leather, furniture, travel and tours, cottage industry, herbal products, fashion designing, music and movies.

With the slogan ‘Afno Bhanya Afnai Ho’, which is a repeat of last year’s edition, the idea, according to the organiz­ers, is to reinforce the percep­tion that Nepali products can also be on a par with interna­tional products.