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The government has suspended Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) General Manager Premnath Thakur. Thakur was suspended as per the ministerial level decision after he was found asking for bribes with the representatives of the Thai Smile Airlines. The Tourism Ministry spokesperson Rajendra Kumar KC said that Thakur was suspended after he was found taking bribes during the investigation. “A letter has been sent to the Director General of the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority as per the ministerial level decision to suspend Thakur from the post of General Manager,” read a statement issued by the Tourism Ministry on Friday. “The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has been urged to carry out further investigation on the matter.”    

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Secretary General Jagan Chapagain has pledged to ensure additional humanitarian assistance to Nepal. Chapagain, who arrived here Saturday on the four-day visit, said he was already ready to provide more humanitarian assistance to Nepal. This is second visit to Nepal after he assumed the post of IFRC General Secretary in February 2020. Before departing for Geneva following the completion of his visit today, he applauded the role of Nepal Red Cross Society in building safe and resilient societies in partnership with the government. A high-level delegation from the IFRC Nepal was there to see off the Secretary General at a VVIP lounge of Tribhuvan International Airport. Describing the Red Cross as the largest humanitarian assistance body, he insisted on the collective efforts to further strengthen its movement. During his stay here, the IFRC Secretary General had separate meetings with the senior officials from the Ministry of Health and Population and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During his meetings with political leadership, he sought their help to further promote the Red Cross movement. He also attended the ceremony to launch the IFRC ‘World Disasters Report’.  The IFRC assistance are majorly focused on prevention, mitigation and response of natural and human-caused disasters and the climate change.

Born in 1960, Krishna Dharabasi is one of the bestselling Nepali writers. He has several books to his credit and they are mostly based on past and present societal issues. Some of his notable works are ‘Radha’, a novel published in 2005, and a short story ‘Jhola’, that was adapted into a motion picture in 2014. He is also a literary critic. Anushka Nepal talked to Dharabasi to find out what he reads, how and why he writes, and whether we are all capable of telling stories. Can you tell us a little about your reading habits? My reading habit is a bit diverse. I used to read ever since I was a child, and back then I was into ready fantasy books. After completing my schooling, I was more interested in reading books based on spirituality. I mostly read books by Dr Narayan Dutt Shrimali, and I still do. I don’t exactly remember the number of books that I have read but I read both fiction and non-fiction. I also read books in Nepali, Hindi, and English. These days, I’m more into audiobooks. It’s quite a comforting feeling. What books are you currently reading? I’ve always read across genres but one thing I missed out on reading was science. I think I’m yet to unlock the mysteries of the world. So currently, I’m reading ‘A Brief History of Time’ by Stephen Hawking. It’s something which I believe will give me a greater knowledge about the reality and the universe we are living in. After finishing this book, I’m planning to dig deeper in the field of science, especially physics. It will be a completely new journey for me. Which are some of your favorite books? It’s difficult to pick my favorites because there are many books that I’ve enjoyed reading. I think that’s true for every reader. But then if I absolutely had to name a few, those would be ‘The Good Earth’ by Pearl S. Buck, ‘Chapaieka Anuhar’ by Daulat Bikram Bista, ‘Atma Britanta’ by BP Koirala, and ‘Shesh Prashna’ a Bengali novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. You write essays and stories. Which one do you enjoy more?  I started my writing journey with poems. I wrote a lot of those during my 30s. But then, I wanted to do something different. That is when I decided to work on essays, stories, and novels, but that didn’t happen till I turned 40. Although I have written quite a few novels, my preference has always been essays. Even now, I keep writing essays on different topics, even though none of them have been out yet. I also write descriptive essays on the topic of social issues and politics. I enjoy them. It gives me immense mental clarity When you sit down to write, what do you focus on?  I focus on two things when I write a book. First, I want to explore the issue I’m writing about in depth. I don’t want it to be superficial and vague. Second, I try to highlight the struggles faced by the marginalized community in Nepal. That requires me to understand and empathize with what that community might have gone through. Every time I write, I try to put myself in my character’s shoes. Are you biased towards any of your published works? I’m specially attached to Jhola because it feels personal. I lost my father when I was young, and my mother raised me and my siblings. Just imagine if Sati Pratha was still around at that time. I would have lost my mother on the same day too. Would I have become a writer? Would I have even survived this long? What would have happened to my siblings? All these thoughts inspired me to write this story from the perspective of a son. Do you have any suggestions for aspiring writers? I think, as a writer, it’s important to have vast knowledge of a lot of topics. That will give you an idea for an angle while writing a book. If you read multiple books about the same thing, you will be able to view the same issue in different ways. Then, being able to put things in perspective, in your own way, is what will make you a good writer. So my only suggestion is that you read a lot. Collect as much information as you can and then unleash it all.

Kailash Sirohiya, Chairman and Managing Director of the Kantipur Media Group, responded to the allegations made by Rastriya Swatantra Party President Rabi Lamichhane. Issuing a statement on Tuesday, Sirohiya denied all the allegations leveled against him and challenged Lamichhane to prove them. He said that maybe he was expressing his frustration at the honorable Supreme Court for stripping him of membership of the House of Representatives. Sirohiya further said that in the statement that may be he was trying to divert the people’s attention away from his dual citizenship related case. During a press conference held on Sunday, Lamichhane had made various accusations against Sirohiya and the Kantipur Media Group. The Chief of the Kantipur Media Group expressed his regret that Lamichhane leveled baseless allegations against the Nepali media fraternity and media personnel. “He was trying to attack the prestige and trustworthiness of the Nepali media in a premeditated way either to cover up his mistakes or weaknesses,” he said, adding, “Those who believe in press freedom and democracy will not tolerate this.” Expressing his serious reservations over Lamichhane’s accusations that he owned shares of Chandragiri Cable Car allegedly in return for stopping to publish the news against the Chandragiri Hills project, he said that I don’t know if he knows this: Chandragiri Hills is a public limited company and anyone can easily check who owned what percentage of shares in it and at what time, from the concerned government office. Neither I nor any of my family members has ever owned a single share in the company. I have serious reservations over Lamichhane’s false accusations along this line. Sirohiya said that yes, it was true that his son’s (Sambhav Sirohiya) car met with an accident in Maitighar on December 12, 2015. But, unlike Lamichhane’s portrayal of the incident, neither had the car hit any pedestrian on the street nor had it collided with any other vehicle. It was an unfortunate accident in which one of my relatives sustained minor injuries for which he was treated at Norvic Hospital for a time, he said. There was absolutely nothing in the incident that should have been hidden, nor was any attempt made to hide it. Instead, Sambhav Sirohiya had formally notified the Traffic Police Office at Baggikhana of what had happened, he added. “We are surprised why a person who has already served in the capacity of Home Minister would try to mislead the public by suggesting a cover-up. And who gave him the right to try to destroy someone’s private life by spreading such a blatant lie?” he questioned. In response to the questions raised by Lamichhane over his investments Himalayan Reinsurance Limited, Sirohiya said that the company was being established some years ago, as a businessman. He too had bought promoter shares worth Rs 10 crores. “I did not get the shares as a personal favor but bought them with my own taxable income. For this purpose, I had withdrawn money from my accounts in Kumari Bank and Nepal Investment Bank Limited and bought the shares with the same money. Why can’t I take part in a perfectly legal business transaction?” he questioned. Sirohiya said that Lamichhane had brought up an unsubstantiated claim once made by businessmen Ajaya Sumargi that Sirohiya used to get ‘golden shares’ for every big business established in the country. Expressing his dissatisfaction over Lamichhane's statement, he said, “I would like to remind everyone of the ruling of the Kathmandu District Court in our favor in relation to a case we had filed against Sumargi. Can Lamichhane furnish any proof that I had accepted such golden shares? I want to challenge him: Can he point to a single share that I or any of my family members bought with an income that we did not earn from legal sources and for which we did not pay taxes?” he questioned.