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Silver Heritage receives $34 million for fledgling Nepal properties

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The Tiger Palace Resort in Nepal has been a thorn in Silver Heritage’s paw since it opened. Revenues have not been able to reach the levels everyone expected, accounting irregularities have caused a black eye and improper construction on land that belonged to a local temple was seen as a major faux pas. As Silver Heritage began to consider an expansion of the project, it also began to receive offers to remove the thorn, with several companies indicating a desire to purchase the property. The idea is tempting and Silver Heritage has previously received bids of up to $33 million, but a new offer is now on the table, calvinAyre reports.

A new suitor, identified as Indra Bahadur Thapa, wants Tiger Palace. He also wants Silver Heritage’s gaming operations at the Millionaire’s Club and Casino located in Kathmandu. While the other offers would have given as much as $33 million for Tiger Palace, Thapa is willing to spend $33.9 million for all of Tiger Palace’s operations in Nepal.

A filing with the Australian Securities Exchange from yesterday indicates that the figure is based on an equity value of $20-million with another $13.9 million lending facility between Silver Heritage subsidiary Tiger One Pvt Ltd and banks in Nepal. That lending facility would be assumed by the buyer. Silver Heritage might be seriously considering the offer. It has approved a 90-day exclusivity period for Thapa, which would take effect as soon as he puts up $3 million in escrow.

That exclusivity was approved by Silver Heritage’s board “after careful analysis” and after the company said this past May that there was “material uncertainty” that it might be able to continue the Nepalese operations. The board members “considered the terms of the offer, including the absence of a superior offer, and in conjunction with the material uncertainty related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the company’s ability to continue as a going concern…”

The timing of the agreement couldn’t be better for Silver Heritage. It reported its first-half financials yesterday and things aren’t looking healthy. Its cash flow was slightly more than $3.86 million for the period, and its cash and cash equivalents amount to almost $4.26 million.

Nepali Music and Food Festival in London

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Jagan Karki, London – The Embassy of Nepal to the UK organised Nepali Music and Food Festival on Sunday.

The program was organised by the Embassy in association with Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN) UK chapter.

Photo: Narendra Basnet

The program, that was organised with the aim of promoting the Visit Nepal 2020 campaign, also celebrated the International Day of Indigenous People along with their language, culture, and traditions.

Members of various ethnic communities from Nepal now living in the UK demonstrated their customs, musical instruments, songs, a symbol of their tradition and rituals during the event.

Addressing the ceremony, Ambassador of Nepal to the UK Dr Durga Bahadur Subedi said Nepal is not only a country of natural beauty but also the country of ethnic diversity.  “You can find diverse culture, customs, religions and rituals in Nepal. The new Constitution and Parliament of Nepal is regarded as one of the most inclusive and diverse parliaments in the world. It is our pride and privilege to organise such colourful festivals for the first time at the Embassy premises,” he added.

“We have unity in diversity along with religious and cultural harmony in the nation. The real identity of Nepal and Nepalese is the unity in diversity,” Ambassador Dr Subedi said.

Nepal is a multicultural, multi-ethnic, secular nation.  The 2011 Census recorded 125 castes/ethnic groups in the country.

Photo: Dinesh Pariyar/Gurkha Studio

“The program was organised to help promote tourism of Nepal and also promote and keep the culture and identity of the indigenous people alive. We can keep our culture active and preserve them through this kind of programs,” said Tharka Rana, Founder President of the NEFIN, UK.

“This program was one of the pride movements to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the indigenous communities along with the promotion of cultural and culinary tourism to support Visit Nepal year 2020. It is one of the historic events initiated by the Embassy to celebrate the cultural diversity of in the UK,” said Writer, Poet and Vice President of NEFIN, UK Naresh Kangmang Rai.

Video Report by : Dinesh Pariyar , Gurkha Studio UK.

The elusive China-Nepal rail link: High costs and risks, uncertain benefits

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Sam Cowan

There has been a flood of commentary in the Indian media on China’s enhanced engagement with
Nepal in recent years. Beijing’s commitment to build a railway link to Kathmandu has become the symbol of this new dynamic. But while many in New Delhi may think this is a done deal, the truth is more complicated.

Nepal’s Prime Minister, KP Oli, is not a man to be modest in his claims and promises. In a public speech on June 3, 2018, just before a visit to China, he stated, “While the Indian rail would take four years to materialise, a metro rail by China would reach Kathmandu within three years.” Clearly, his top priority on the trip was to get an absolute commitment from China to build the railway. On his return, there was a striking difference in tone. A newspaper article on June 24, 2018, significantly headed, “PM Oli applies brakes on his railway dream”, quoted him as saying, “Materialising rail is not like waving a magic wand.”

The reasons for his uncharacteristic restraint soon became clear. Following an agreement signed during his visit, the China Railway First Survey and Design Institute conducted a month-long technical study of the proposed 121-km railway from Kathmandu to Kyirong. The Chinese invited the Nepal side to come to the north central city of Xi’an on August 21 to be briefed on the technical results of the study, but key details had already appeared in The Kathmandu Post on August 16. The essence was that both governments would have to consider very significant technical and financial hurdles before even considering finalising the project.

The Chinese report highlighted many high technical risks. Engineers would need to build ramps along the northern and southern slopes leading to Lake Paiku, near Kyriong, to connect the tracks to the Kathmandu section to overcome the huge difference in elevation between the southern and northern edges of the Himalaya.

The Kathmandu section of the railway is in the “collision and splicing zone” along the Eurasian Plate, presenting six major geological problems. First, the hard rock burst and the large deformation of soft rocks would cause extremely high stress. Second, the problems associated with the fault effects of the deep, active fractures lying in high-intensity seismic areas. The level of seismic activities could present problems with high ground temperatures, slope stability, debris and water erosion.

Given that depressing assessment, Nepal understandably took heart from an annex attached to the Joint Communique of the Leaders’ Roundtable of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation signed on April 27, 2019. The Annex was not mentioned in the text but, in a list under a heading of, “Economic corridors and other projects catalysed and supported by connectivity”. It included, “The Nepal-China Trans-Himalayan Multi-dimensional Connectivity Network, including Nepal-China cross-border railway.” Also listed were such grandiose projects as the “New Eurasian Land Bridge” and “North-South Passage Cairo-Cape Town Passway”.

There was, therefore, understandable optimism about a meeting in Beijing on June 19-20, held, as Nepal thought, to finalise the Detailed Project Report [DPR] and to get agreement from China to pay for it. But this concluded without any discussion of the DPR. An article in Republica, dated June 21, 2019, under the heading of “China seeks clarity on 5 points ahead of DPR”, reported the detail of what must have been a disappointing outcome for Nepal.

First, Chinese officials asked Nepal to meet the standards set by the pre-feasibility study, and pointed to the need for further technical study of the report which China had passed to Nepal. They also asked for preparations to be made to tackle the engineering challenges that may arise, and for an in-depth study on minimising possible geological disasters. The fourth concern was on measures to be taken to ensure the security of the railway and, finally, officials pointed out the need for a scientific study to minimise the ecological impacts in the affected areas.

None of these issues are easy. A proper investigation of the engineering challenges, geological disaster potential and environmental impact, along such a long corridor that, in effect, is a transect across the Himalayas, will be a large, complex and costly piece of work.

My view is that China could build this rail link but it would be very high risk and require a vast commitment of money, men and resources over many years [nine has been talked about], and for what economic benefit?

In sum, on this emotive, costly and complex project, it would be wise to wait and see if China has the will to make it happen. Nepal will continue to push hard, but I can envisage China playing a long game.

Sam Cowan is a retired British army four star general, and a former head of Britain’s Brigade of Gurkhas. He is the author of “Essays on Nepal: Past and Present”

The views expressed are personal.

The article was originally published in Hindustan Times.

Rs 9 trillion foreign remittance was received by Nepal during the fiscal year

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London —  According to the Department of Foreign Employment, 236, 211 youths had gone to various countries taking work permit for the first time while  272, 617 had gone abroad by renewing their work permit.

A total of 508, 828 youths, who left homeland for foreign employment, sent Rs 8.7 trillion in remittance to Nepal in the fiscal year 2075/76, according to the record of the Nepal Rastra Bank. Of them, 800 lost their lives.

In the fiscal year 2075/76, 617, 417 Nepali youths had gone abroad for foreign employment.

Nepal: Justice Stalled for Conflict-Era Crimes

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HWR, London – The Government of Nepal has failed to fulfill its commitment to provide justice for the victims of the country’s decade-long armed conflict, Amnesty International, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Human Rights Watch, and TRIAL International said today.

The organizations echoed statements by victims and human rights groups about the Nepal government’s inaction on addressing conflict-era human rights violations, and a lack of transparency in the appointment of commissioners to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and to the Commission on the Investigation of Enforced Disappearances.

We have seen no evidence so far that the authorities of Nepal are serious about fulfilling their obligation to investigate conflict-era violations and bring all those suspected of criminal responsibility to justice in fair trials before ordinary civilian courts,” said Raju Chapagai, South Asia researcher at Amnesty International. “If the commitment to human rights obligations was as unflinching as claimed by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, the government would have acted diligently to deliver on its transitional justice responsibilities.”

Unkept Promises

After being elected in 2018, Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli renewed promises that the legal framework governing the transitional justice process would be brought into conformity with Nepal’s international human rights law obligations, as the Supreme Court had repeatedly directed. However, the government never amended the law, and instead pushed forward – without adequate consultation – with the establishment of a committee to recommend appointments to the transitional justice bodies.

“The failure of the government to deliver on its commitment to ensure truth, justice, and reparations for the victims of conflict-era abuses shows a dismaying disregard for the protection of human rights,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

The organizations called on the government to: 1) suspend the current process, and initiate a consultative and transparent process for the nomination and appointment of commissioners; 2) follow through on commitments to amend the 2014 transitional justice law to ensure that the legal framework is consistent with international human rights standards and Supreme Court rulings; and 3) adopt and publicize a plan for taking the transitional justice process forward.

“The legitimacy of Nepal’s transitional justice process lies both on a transparent and consultative appointment process for commissioners, and a strong legal foundation to allow the commissions to fulfil their mandate,” said Helena Rodríguez-Bronchú, head of TRIAL International’s Nepal program. “Societal consensus is crucial for both factors.”

Nepal Turns a Deaf Ear to Repeated Calls

Amnesty International, ICJ, and TRIAL International had previously submitted their analysis of the draft transitional justice legislation circulated in 2018 and had made recommendations on ensuring compliance with international human rights law. Human Rights Watch had also alerted for reform of the transitional justice law before appointing the commissioners. In April 2019, United Nations experts also wrote a joint letter to the foreign minister reminding the government of its commitment to amend the law and calling for a transparent process for appointing new commissioners after the terms of the previous commissioners expired.

“The lack of progress in holding perpetrators accountable for the suffering inflicted upon victims, their families and Nepali society as a whole, is appalling,” said ICJ Asia-Pacific Director Frederick Rawski. “Nearly 13 years after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, political leaders inside and outside of government are still playing games by politicizing the process. It is about time that they showed some courage, and took action to ensure access to justice, instead of continually looking after their own short-term self-interests.”

KTM Travel and Tours to organise Super 8 Corporate Cricket Tournament

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Jagan Karki, London — KTM Travel and Tours is organising a super 8 corporate cricket tournament jointly with other Nepali teams. 

The games will take place on Sunday, 11th of August 2019, at Tigers Sports Complex, Southall, in London.

The game is designed of 8 overs among 6 cricket teams among Nepali community from all over the U.K.  “It will be commenced as per the standards of the ICC,” Tour event director Binod Bikash Simkhada told South Asia Time.

Operation Director, Abhishek Bhattarai, said that the game will be commenced from 8 am to 8 pm on the day and the entry fee for the game is free.

“Our aim is to encourage Nepali youths towards one of the most popular games of Nepal. This will help bring the senior and youths together among Nepali society living in the U.K.,” said Sunil Thapa, Director of KTM Travel and Tours and Director of the match.

The teams participating in the tournament include Brigade of Gurkhas sponsored by Red 27 Mobile;Ten QOGLR sponsored by Peepal mortgage; Danfe Cricket Club, Greenford sponsored by HTR Care and Recruitment; Himalayan Cricket Club sponsored by Your Driving School and Nawa Yuwa Cricket Club sponsored by Khukuri beer, according to Bikram Gurung, Team Director of the Tournament said.

Racist yobs attack and abuse Ex-Gurkhas, Chant “Chinese Go Home, You Are Not Wanted”

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London –Thugs attacked caretakers at the empty supermarket on Heath Road in Middlehaven in Middlesborough, Cleveland Police confirmed. The racist yobs shouted: “Chinese go home, you are not wanted.” The victims, however, are from Nepal an forget for the British Army as Gurkha soldiers, The Express has reported.

Hero Gurkhas were injured by an onslaught of heavy rocks hurled by a gang of racist yobs.

Youths sent rocks and glass bottles flying towards caretakers at the empty Sainsbury’s store on Heath Road, and shouted: “Chinese go home, you are not wanted”.

Cleveland Police found out the men are in fact originally from Nepal and had joined the British Army as Gurkha soldiers.

After fighting for Britain and travelling the world these men are now British citizens working at Middlesbrough’s Gateway Retail Park .

PCSO Zoe Price said: “There is a sense of pride in having Gurkhas working with us, but we also want to have pride in our local area and remind people that nobody goes to work to be abused and injured, Teesside live reported.

“As soon as local officers realised the gravity of the situation we were able to make a difference by working with these men and with local children and young people.

“I’d urge parents and carers to be aware of where your children are – for their safety and that of the local community.

“This situation could have ended so very badly but by talking to us, these men have seen their circumstances change for the better.

“ Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Police Team will deal firmly with anyone involved in this kind of behaviour.”

Officers said the youngsters behaviour amounted to more than simple anti-social behaviour, with offences including criminal damage, serious injury and racial abuse.

Police increased their presence and once some of the young people had been identified, they carried out home visits to inform their parents about what their children had been doing.

One parent found out during a home visit that her son had been involved and took him to apologise to the men, assuring them that he would not be back.

Local officers continue to check the site, and incidents have drastically reduced.

If you witness it recurring or have any information then please call 101 and ask for PCSO James Elford and PCSO Zoe Price, The Gazettelive reports.

Bangladesh creates fertile ground for e-commerce growth : UNCTAD

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UNCTAD –Bangladesh has laid down an exemplary digital foundation and is striving to prepare its citizens for the digital future, an UNCTAD assessment of the country’s readiness to engage in e-commerce shows.

From left: Marianne Dumont, ASYCUDA Programme Coordinator for Asia; Shamika N. Sirimanne, Director DTL; H.E. Mustafa Jabber, Ministry of Post, Telecommunication & Information Technology; Mostafizur Rahaman Sohel, BASIS Director

The enormous growth in its information and communications technology (ICT) sector and its young, dynamic and IT savvy population can only make things better, the assessment report indicates.

“Bangladesh is fertile ground for e-commerce to take root and benefit companies and consumers alike,” said UNCTAD’s director of technology and logistics, Shamika N. Sirimanne, while launching the assessment report in Dhaka on 25 July.

The report is expected to inform the Bangladeshi government’s ongoing efforts to realize the vision of its digital strategy and to build a robust, safe and business-friendly e-commerce ecosystem.

Minister of commerce Tipu Munshi received the assessment report accompanied by other senior government officials.

“The report provides useful insights that will guide us as we address remaining challenges and tap the unprecedented opportunities provided by e-commerce,” Mr. Munshi said.

The ICT sector is a natural fit in the country’s development goal to create jobs for the 110 million Bangladeshi under the age of 35, in a country of 160 million, according to the assessment report.

The ICT sector in Bangladesh has grown by 40% annually since 2010, thanks to public and private sector initiatives. This success is a case study in policy development, the report notes.

The government’s “Digital Bangladesh” initiative recognizes ICT as an engine of growth and seeks to foster sustainable development through effective use of modern technology.

Challenges to be tackled

The report identifies challenges that need to be addressed to ensure a better digital future, especially for the people living in rural areas, where connectivity and lack of skills hinder a truly inclusive digital development.

An estimated 65% of the population resides in rural areas, which poses significant hurdles for both providing government services to citizens as well as integration of the rural population with the cities.

Two out of three Bangladeshi live in areas that still lack internet connectivity and less than 4% of the people use 4G-capable devices.

Also, last-mile delivery challenges and security concerns make operations difficult in the remotest areas, pointing to the need for improvements in trade logistics.

Efforts to tackle these and other barriers to e-commerce development should be scaled up, the report recommends.

It calls for continued concerted action between public and private sectors, increased cooperation between development partners, effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and a resource mobilization strategy.

Ms. Sirimanne said the report’s recommendations need to be mainstreamed into national strategies and private sector initiatives to advance the digitalization of Bangladesh.

“We look forward to working closely with UNCTAD to implement the actions suggested in the report,” state minister of ICT, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, said.

“This report is just a beginning of many collaborations that lie ahead us. We want to create examples by converting suggestions into actions,” said Mostafizur Rahaman Sohel, convener of BASIS E-Commerce Alliance Bangladesh, an association of e-traders.

Helping countries develop right strategies

UNCTAD began the eTrade Readiness Assessments programme in 2017 to identify the challenges and opportunities associated with e-commerce and help countries put in place the right strategies and interventions.

Over the past three years, 18 assessment reports of least development countries (LDC) have been completed and another seven are ongoing.

UNCTAD has received several requests for similar assessments from non-LDCs where governments are keen to harness e-commerce for development.

The programme is funded by Germany, the Enhanced Integrated Framework and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation.

More than half of the families in Pakistan are unable to have two meals a day,unable to meet their nutritional needs-Report

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PTI, Karachi — Nearly half of all the families in Pakistan are unable to meet their nutritional needs due to poverty, affecting a large number of children with chronic malnutrition and stunted growth, a media report on Friday quoted the first-ever survey of its kind in the cash-strapped country as saying.

According to the National Nutrition Survey 2018, poverty keeps more than 50 per cent of Pakistani families from having two meals a day, leading to severe dietary deficiencies, The Express Tribune reported.

As a result, as many as 40.2 per cent of all children in Pakistan are affected by chronic malnutrition and stunted growth, which inhibits both their cognitive and physical development, the exercise carried out by the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) revealed.

The survey also discovered that 36.9 per cent of Pakistani households remain food insecure and lack reliable access to affordable nutritious food in sufficient amounts.

The objective of the survey is to draw the attention of authorities towards the ever-growing problem of malnutrition among Pakistani children.

The survey is one of the biggest in Pakistan’s history and covers both the rural and urban population of all four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

As many as 115,600 families, including 145,324 women, 76,742 children under five years of age and 145,847 minors aged between 10 and 19 years were studied during the course of the survey, the report said.

Teams conducting the research took blood and urine samples from participants and investigated water quality and sewerage situation in and around their homes to determine their natural body development and whether it was hindered by diseases or lack of nutrients, it said.

Sri Lanka says illegal UK waste offloaded to India, Dubai

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AFP — A Sri Lankan investigation into nearly 3,000 tonnes of illegally imported hazardous waste has shown that some of it was sent on to India and Dubai, a top minister said Friday.

Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera told parliament the importer of the waste had reshipped about 180 tonnes of raw garbage to India and Dubai in 2017 and 2018.

Sri Lanka’s customs department found that a local company imported 241 containers from Britain, out of which 15 had been sent to India and two to Dubai.

Sri Lankan customs insist the British authorities should not have allowed the export without first clearing with Sri Lankan authorities if they were willing to accept the untreated waste.

The customs service said the consignment was believed to contain mortuary waste among other garbage which included large quantities of plastic.

“We have ordered the importer and shipping agent to take immediate steps to return the containers to its origin (Britain),” the minister said.

“I have also ordered that all those responsible be prosecuted immediately.”

He said 130 containers had been taken to a free-trade zone near Colombo and some had been emptied causing contamination of water sources and air pollution.

“The importer has been asked to immediately repack all the garbage back in the containers,” he said adding that all the waste must be sent back to Britain.

The company at the centre of the probe, Ceylon Metal Processing Corporation Privater Limited, said the storage company at a free trade zone was responsible for processing what they imported as “used mattresses”.

Ceylon Metal director Sasikumaran Muthuramar denied that the containers, 111 of which are held up at Colombo port, contained bio waste.

Sri Lanka customs authorities said Tuesday that the waste had been mislabelled and imported as used mattresses, but contained bio and clinical waste in contravention of international laws on the transport of waste material.

Sri Lanka’s pushback comes as Indonesia and the Philippines also returned shipments of foreign rubbish to their ports of origin.

Indonesia announced two weeks ago it was sending more than 210 tonnes of garbage back to Australia and Canada has agreed to accept 69 containers of rubbish it had shipped to the Philippines between 2013 and 2014.

A former UK’s Special Forces member set the world record climbing 11 worlds highest mountain in 4 months

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London — Nirmal ‘Nims’ Purja has set the world record by successfully climbing 11 of the world’s highest mountains, known as the 8000ers, in just over four months.

Nirmal “Nims” Purja MBE is a Nepalese mountaineer and former Gurkha and Special Boat Service soldier, an elite special forces unit of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy.


Purja, 35, has succeeded in the second phase of his ambition to speed climb the world’s 14 highest mountains in just 7 months.

Before heading for Broad Peak summit, Nims summited K2 on July 24, Gasherbrum – II on July 18, Gasherbrum – I on July 15 and Nanga Parbat on July 3.

According to Project Possible, his final attempt will begin in September with plans to climb the remaining three peaks – Mt Manaslu, Mt Cho Oyu, and Mt Sishapangma – by this November.

Nepali airlines are permitted fly over 15 Chinese airports

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London — Nepali airlines have got permission to fly to 15 Chinese airports from Chinese authorities. The decision came after the review of the bilateral aviation agreement between Nepal and China. Nepali airlines earlier could fly to only seven Chinese destinations as per the previous agreement.

The new agreement, signed in China by a team led by Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Suresh Acharya, has not named the 15 destinations but states that Nepali airlines will get to fly to 15 destinations of their choice, Setopati reported.

There will be 98 flights between Nepal and China every week as per the new agreement.

Five Chinese airlines currently operate 46 flights a week to Nepal from different cities but Nepali airlines have not been given permission for even a single flight to China.

Mahindra & Adfactors Take Top Honours At 2019 South Asia SABRE Awards

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BENGALURU — Mahindra and Adfactors took home the Platinum award for Best in Show at the South Asia SABRE Awards ceremony in Bangalore last night, for a campaign that focused on improving educational opportunities for girls across India, Holmesreport writes.

The campaign picked up a further three SABRE Awards on the night, with judges lauding the initiative for its “insight, impact and intelligent presentation.”

It was also a good night for MSL India which led all agencies with seven SABRE Awards, including Diamond SABRE Awards for Reputation Management and Research & Planning. Perennial heavyweight Adfactors took home six Gold SABRE Awards, as did AvianWE including its Chase subsidiary, while Genesis BCW clients won five.

The Mahindra campaign beat four other strong finalists to take home the Platinum award, in order:
#2 Yeh Diwali HONOR Wali’ (A Diwali with HONOR) — HONOR with Genesis BCW
#3 LET PEOPLE SPEAK #Nooutsidefoodincinema (F&B crisis) — PVR Cinemas with AvianWE
#4 Creating an association of multi-sectoral partners to accelerate road safety in Gurugram — ABInBev with AvianWE
#5 Listening is Seeing — Audible with Edelman India

The prestigious CEO of the Year honour was awarded to Ola’s Bhavish Aggarwal. OYO, meanwhile, was named Company of the Year.

Chinese and Nepali companies to jointly develop hydropower project

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KATHMANDU, Xinhua  — Two Chinese companies have joined hands with a Nepali company to develop the Tamakoshi III hydropower project with an investment of around 500 million U.S. dollars in Nepal.

A joint venture development framework agreement was signed between China’s YEIG International, Shanghai Investigation, Design and Research Institute Co. Ltd. and Nepal’s TBI Holdings Pvt. Ltd at a ceremony in Kathmandu on Thursday.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Nepali Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Barsha Man Pun and Zhang Guohua, vice governor of southwest China’s Yunnan Province, among other officials and stakeholders.

Expressing best wishes to the joint venture, the Nepali energy minister said the cooperation can bring experiences achieved by Yunnan in the field of hydropower to Nepal.

“This project can work as a symbol of friendship and cooperation in the hydropower sector between the two countries,” he said.

Noting that Yunnan Province is an important green energy base and electricity relay hub, Vice Governor Zhang believed that as a key hub in the Belt and Road Initiative, Yunnan has achieved fruitful results in cooperation with Nepal.

“The signing of cooperation document today will encourage more cooperation and exchanges in hydropower,” Zhang said, adding that in 2018 alone, trade between Yunnan Province and Nepal amounted to 10 million U.S. dollars, a growth rate of 341 percent.

According to TBI Holdings, the 200-MW hydropower project will be started in early 2020 and will be completed in three and half years.

TBI Group Chairman Bhaban Bhatta said, “The project can be a milestone in the Sino-Nepal relations.”

The hydropower project will be developed in Tamakoshi River, a part of Koshi River system, which flows through Dolakha and Ramechhap districts.

Nepali Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Barsha Man Pun speaks during the signing ceremony of the joint venture development framework agreement for the Tamakoshi III Hydropower Station Project in Kathmandu, Nepal, July 25, 2019. Two Chinese companies have joined hands with a Nepali company to develop the Tamakoshi III hydropower project with an investment of around 500 million U.S. dollars in Nepal. (Photo by Sunil Sharma/Xinhua)

Two British Nepalese men are fined £1,610 for slaughtering pigs at their home

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London — Swindon Borough Council had to take court action to get several pig carcasses destroyed after receiving a complaint last Friday (12 July) they were being butchered in a back garden in Penhill.  The council official facebook page mentioned about the incidence.

One of the pig carcasses was found with its head still attached covered in plastic sheeting and lying in a paddling pool with some bags of ice. The council officer then noticed another pig inside a gas-fired hog roast covered in flies.

Defendants Keshar Rana and Ashis Limbu said they bought the carcasses from a farm in Wales but were initially reluctant to provide further details.

No health marks or stamps were found on the carcasses confirming that they had not been slaughtered in an approved abattoir where they would have been subject to a post mortem check. This is undertaken in all abattoirs to identify and reject any meat that is deemed unfit for human consumption. As a result of routine inspection, organs of slaughtered pigs are rejected along with parts of the carcasses such as heads and legs due to conditions such as septicaemia, pleurisy, pericarditis, abscesses or the presence of parasites. Without such checks having been carried out there is a very real risk of unfit meat entering the food chain.

Mr Rana and Mr Limbu told our Environmental Health officer that the cooked meat was meant for public consumption at a ticketed event in Maidstone the following day.

The court granted our request under Section 9 of the Food Safety Act 1990 for a declaration condemning two pig carcasses and for an order that they may be destroyed. Mr Rana and Mr Limbu were ordered to pay the Council costs of £1,610.

PM Boris Johnson says UK should consider amnesty for illegal immigrants

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London –-Newly appointed PM of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson said during his statement about considering an amnesty for migrants in the UK illegally.

According to Press Association , the Prime Minister said the UK should look at the “economic advantages and disadvantages” of an amnesty for undocumented migrants.

He was responding to a question from the Labour MP Rupa Huq, who said that when Johnson was mayor of London he proposed an amnesty for illegal immigrants. (It is an idea that Johnson has long advocated, and one that he did raise during the Tory leadership contest, but only tentatively.) Huq said, now Johnson was in a position to do something about this, he could show whether or not he was a man of his word, the Guardian reported.

Johnson insisted he was still committed to the idea. He told her:

“It is absolutely true that I have raised it several times [when] I was in government. I must say, it did not receive an overwhelming endorsement from the previous prime minister when I raised it in cabinet.

But I have to say I do think our arrangements – theoretically being committed to the expulsion of perhaps half a million people who don’t have the correct papers and who may have been living and working here for many, many years without being involved in any criminal activity at all – I think that legal position is anomalous.

And we saw the difficulties that that kind of problem occasioned in the Windrush fiasco. We know the difficulties that can be caused.

And I do think – yes, I will answer [Huq] directly – I do think we need to look at our arrangements for people who have lived and worked here for a long time, unable to enter the economy, unable to participate properly or pay taxes without documents.

We should look at it. And the truth is the law already basically allows them an effective amnesty. That’s basically where things have settled down. But we should look at the the economic advantages and disadvantages of going ahead with the policy that [Huq] described and which I think she and I share.

Mr Johnson first made the call when he was mayor of London in 2008 and then again in 2016 aggain in April 2018 during the raised issue of Windrush family.