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The Nepal Transport Workers Association has said that the decision of the government to dissolve transport associations and committee has laid off some 15,000 transport employees. 

The 15,000 employees were working for the 400 committees active across the country and they have all lost their job as result of the government's decision, the Association Chair Dharma Raj Bhandari said. 

The meeting Saturday of the Association has also objected to the provision made in the new civil code, which has prescribed 10 years in prison to a driver who is responsible for accident leading to fatalities. 

The meeting decision to run a nationwide campaign for a new structure as per the statute amended by the last general assembly, expand organisation in new locations, enforce minimum wage in all transport workers, exert pressure for enforcement of the social security act and form thematic committee to assign responsibilities. 

Bhandari also said the Association will work with the Nepal Trade Union Congress to ensure that the rights and well-being of the transport workers are guaranteed across the country. RSS

Property worth about Rs 20 million was destroyed when an electric shop caught fire at Shivasatashidham-11 in Jhapa district Thursday evening. 

An electric short circuit started a fire in Sangraula brothers' electric shop. Electric devices including televisions, refrigerators, and washing machines among others were destroyed in the fire, said shop owner. 

According to Jhiljhile Area Police Office Inspector Kailash Rai, the fire was doused by locals and security personnel after an hour. RSS

 China has blasted US tariffs on solar panel imports, filing a complaint at the World Trade Organization in the latest salvo of the trade battle between the world's two economic giants. 

US President Donald Trump approved steep tariffs on solar panel imports in January to protect US producers, triggering an outcry from China, South Korea and even protests from the US solar industry. 
China's commerce ministry accused Washington of erecting trade barriers while subsidising its domestic industry. 

"While taking protectionist measures against imported photovoltaic products, the US provided subsidies to domestically produced photovoltaics and other renewable energy products," the ministry said in a statement. 
China lodged its challenge at the WTO on Tuesday, the statement said.

The US subsidies have given an unfair advantage to domestic companies and "damaged the legitimate rights and interests of China's renewable energy companies," it said. 

Beijing said the US measures are suspected of violating trade rules and that it would turn to the WTO's dispute resolution mechanism to protect its interests. 

Trump's tariffs were not popular with the US solar industry, which claimed the rising cost of imports would cause the loss of thousands of jobs.Imports of cheap Chinese panels helped triple US annual solar electricity generation between 2012 and 2016.

But they also drove prices down by 60 percent, causing most US producers to stop production or declare bankruptcy, the US Trade Representative said in January. 

The USTR accused China of using state incentives, subsidies and tariffs to increase production and said manufacturers had evaded US tariffs by repeatedly shifting production to new countries.The United States and China have slapped tit-for-tat tariffs on tens of billions of dollars worth of goods from each country, with another round of levies scheduled to being next week. AFP

Austria's capital Vienna has beaten Melbourne to be ranked the "world's most liveable city" in a new annual survey released Monday, ending the southern Australian city's seven-year reign. 

It is the first time a European metropolis has topped the annual chart compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit which identifies the best urban playgrounds to live and work in. 

Each year 140 cities are given scores out of 100 on a range of factors such as living standards, crime, transport infrastructure, access to education and healthcare, as well as political and economic stability. 
Vienna scored a "near-ideal" 99.1, beating Melbourne into second place on 98.4. Japan's Osaka took third place. 

Australia and Canada dominated the top ten, each boasting three cities. Australia had Melbourne, Sydney (fifth) and Adelaide (10th) while Canada had Calgary (fourth), Vancouver (sixth) and Toronto (joint seventh). 

"Those that score best tend to be mid-sized cities in wealthier countries," researchers said in their report. They noted that several cities in the top 10 had relatively low population densities which fostered "a range of recreational activities without leading to high crime levels or overburdened infrastructure". 

Australia and Canada, researchers said, have an overall average population density of 3.2 and four people per square kilometre respectively, compared to a global average of 58. 
Japan, which alongside Osaka boasted Tokyo in the top ten (joint seventh), is the glaring exception to that rule with a nationwide average of 347 people per square kilometre but its cities are still famed for their transport networks and living standards. Copenhagen was the only other European city in the top ten at ninth place. 

Researchers said wealthy financial capitals such as Paris (19th), London (48th) and New York (57th) tended to be "victims of their own success" with higher crime rates and overstretched infrastructure dampening their appeal.At the other end of the spectrum the five worst cities to live in were Damascus at the bottom of the table followed by Dhaka, Lagos, Karachi and Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. 

The survey also looked at cities where long-term improvements had been made. Abidjan, Hanoi, Belgrade and Tehran saw the largest improvements in liveability over the last five years -- more than five percentage points. 

Ukraine's Kiev, the capital of a European country wracked by political violence, civil war and the loss of Crimea to Russia, saw the largest drop in its liveability over the last five years (-12.6 percent). Puerto Rico's San Juan -- which was devastated by a hurricane last year -- as well as Damascus and Caracas also saw steep drops over the same period. AFP