Broadsheet dailies (both in Nepali and English) published in Kathmandu on Sunday, April 17, 2016, have given considerable space to the Nepali cricket team’s win over Namibia in the World Cricket League match in Kathmandu on Saturday. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s appeal to the main opposition party, the Nepali Congress, to join his government has also received attention.
Important
Nepal’s five-wicket win over Namibia
Almost all broadsheet dailies have given space to Nepal’s first win in the World Cricket League (2015-2017). Most papers have given batsmen Sharad Vesawkar and Binod Bhandari credit for the five-wicket victory. Batting first, Nambia posted 195 runs on the board, Nepal chased down the score with 17 balls to spare. In its four-column story, The Himalayan Times says, “Bhandari joined Vesawkar at the centre and the former struck two sixes off Nicolas Scholtz in the same over to maintain the creeping run rate. While Bhandari played aggressively, Vesawkar stood firm at the other end to guide the team home without further loss.”
Nayapatrika, Nepal Samacharpatra, Gorkhapatra and Rajdhani have also given considerable space to the news. Most newspapers have a photo of the Nepali team taking a selfie after the win.
Prime Minister’s appeal to Congress to join government
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was speaking to the media at a press conference in UML’s office in Dhumbarahi organised to make public the decisions of the party’s recently-concluded Central Committee meeting. State-owned paper Gorkhpatra in its three-column story on the right (above the fold) says Prime Minister Oli is committed to adhering to the 16-point agreement reached between the three major parties during the run-up to the promulgation of the Constitution in September 2015. Naya Patrika in its single-column snippet (below the fold) says the Prime Minister has appealed the Nepali Congress to join his government. Annapurna Post in its lead story quotes UML leader Jhalanath Khanal as saying that the UML was ready to look for an alternative to KP Oli.
Controversy of confiscation of murder convicts’ property
The Himalayan Times in its two-column lead story (above the fold) says that lawyers are divided on whether the state should confiscate the property of murder convicts. The report says, “The new penal code bill, under consideration in Parliament, does not propose confiscation of property of murder convicts as in the existing laws. While some lawyers say the new provisions are in line with the modern concept of criminal justice, other say that the confiscated property should go to the victim’s kin.
Ignored
Three years since ICAO’s blacklisting
The Himalayan Times, in its four-column anchor for the day, says both the government and the Civil Aviation Authority have done nothing to get the ICAO’s blacklisting of Nepal’s aviation sector lifted. “..failure to comply with the (international) stipulations earned Nepal entry into the global shame list (significant safety concern) in 2013 whereby the country has been put among a few nations such as Eritrea, Haiti and Sierra Leone for three years now.”
The report quotes former NAC director Ashok Chandra Pokharel as saying, “Four ministers for civil aviation have assumed office since 2012 but none of them had a concrete plan to vacate the ignominious safety list, which is a major setback for the aviation and tourism sector.
Only 311 foreign workers registered in Nepal
Karobar in its two-column story says that only 311 foreigners have registered themselves with the Department of Labour. The report says that it is estimated that over 50,000 foreigners are working in Nepal. According to the Labour Act, all foreigners, except for those working for diplomatic missions, need to register with the department by paying Rs 10,000. The report says that because foreign workers are not paying taxes, the state is losing a billion rupees every year in revenue.
Interesting
30 of 63 new hotels coming to Kathmandu have Chinese investment
Abhiyan has a two-column story on the rise of Chinese investment in Nepal’s hotel industry. The report says although Nepal witnessed a sharp decline in number of Chinese tourists coming to the country, this has not deterred Chinese investors from pledging money for new hotels. According to the report, during the last Nepali year, 62 proposed hotels that have sought permits to run their business in Kathmandu, and out of them 30 have Chinese investment.
5.7 per cent drop in labour force participation
Abhiyan‘s lead story for the day is on the decline in labour force participation in Nepal. According to standard norms, the population above 15 years of age is considered ‘working population’. During the previous fiscal (2014/15), 82.9 per cent of the working population was actively involved in labour, however the figure dropped to 77.2 per cent the following year. The report, quoting a demographics expert, says migration from rural areas to urban centres and the rise in number of youths going abroad for employment may be attributed to the decline.
