November 12, 2024: Snapshot of today's main news

Kathmandu, November 12 — In this section, we present the key headlines of the day. If you have been busy and missed the news, we have got you covered. Here are the highlights.

Former Gandaki minister Manange sent to prison for attempted murder

After being found guilty in an attempted murder, Gandaki Provincial Assembly member and former minister Rajeev Gurung alias Deepak Manange has been sent to the Dillibazar Jail.

Manange was arrested on Tuesday from Sanobharyang in the capital city, and the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) presented him to the Kathmandu District Court for the implementation of the verdict. The court then immediately ordered his transfer to the central jail.

In Manange's case, the Supreme Court had previously upheld the decision made by the Patan High Court, stating that the court's ruling was valid.

The Patan High Court had sentenced him to five years in prison for involvement in an attempted murder. The Supreme Court also upheld this five-year prison sentence.

Manange has already served part of his sentence and, after accounting for the time served, will now have to spend an additional 2 years, 4 months, and 1 day in prison.

Bagmati Province splits and expands ministries

The Bagmati Provincial Government has increased the number of ministries. In a cabinet meeting held on Tuesday, the government decided to split the existing 13 ministries in the province, creating a total of 14 ministries.

According to government spokesperson and Minister for Internal Affairs and Law, Suraj Chandra Lamichhane, the meeting approved the reorganization of ministries and the redistribution of responsibilities. He informed that the meeting also decided to establish a new ministry called Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation.

Lamichhane pleads not guilty in Supreme Cooperative fund misappropriation case

Former Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane, who was brought to Bhairahawa from Kaski on Tuesday afternoon for questioning regarding cooperative fraud, has denied any involvement in the misappropriation of funds.

Lamichhane's statement was recorded at the District Government Attorney's Office in Rupandehi. The process was completed by 6 PM, and the statement will continue to be taken on Wednesday (tomorrow), according to SP Ranjit Singh Rathore of the District Police Office, Rupandehi.

The statement session was attended by DSP Bijay Pandit from the Butwal Area Police Office, District Attorney Premraj Poudel, and other investigation officers. They questioned Lamichhane about the misappropriation of funds from Suprem Cooperative.

Lawmakers agree on fixed timeframe for corruption investigations by CIAA

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) is set to introduce a "time card" system to investigate cases of corruption involving public office holders. The move aims to set a clear timeframe for such investigations within the law.

A bill to amend the CIAA Act, 1991 is currently under consideration in the parliament. The bill is being discussed in detail by the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the House of Representatives.

The committee has formed a subcommittee, led by Hridayaram Thani, to conduct in-depth discussions on the bill. The subcommittee members have expressed unanimous support for introducing the "time card" system, which would ensure that corruption cases are investigated within a fixed period and that cases do not remain pending for years.

Contempt petition filed against RSP leaders for disrupting judicial process

The Supreme Court has ordered the registration of a contempt of court petition against Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) top leaders, who are accused of protesting against the court’s proceedings while an investigation into the mismanagement of cooperative funds is ongoing.

A bench led by Justice Binod Sharma on Tuesday issued an order for the registration of the petition that had been previously rejected by the Supreme Court administration.

The petition was initially rejected by the Supreme Court administration, which had filed it for further review on October 30. After the petition was rejected by Assistant Registrar Achyut Kuinkel, lawyer Bhattarai submitted a petition to the bench on November 6 challenging the decision. In the first hearing of the petition, Justice Sharma's bench overturned the decision to forward the petition.

The Supreme Court's single bench ordered the dismissal of the petition, and Bhattarai, the lawyer, stated that he would now file a contempt petition today.

Nepal to present cases of climate change consequences before COP29

President Ramchandra Paudel has been in Baku, Azerbaijan since Monday, leading a high-level delegation to the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The conference began on Monday and will run until November 22.     

The Conference is expected to focus on key issues, including the challenges faced by mountain regions and efforts to build consensus among developing countries on increasing climate finance. It is also expected to provide a positive outlook on the implementation of the Paris Agreement, support the creation of a global carbon market, and ensure financial management for climate adaptation and mitigation.     

Nepal is preparing to highlight the impacts of climate change on mountain regions, advocating for solutions to minimize these effects and safeguard vulnerable areas.     

President Paudel has pledged to push for the conservation of mountains and the Earth during the COP29 discussions.    

Industries without paid dues to get power back, NEA BoD decides

The Board of Directors of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has decided to reconnect power lines to industries that had not paid their dues.

Energy Minister Dipak Khadka, following the decision of the Cabinet, instructed the board to reconnect power to these industries.

In a Cabinet meeting held on Sunday, it was decided to reconnect the power lines after giving industries 15 days to pay their dues based on the TOD (Time of Day) meters.

Previously, the NEA had cut the power lines of 34 industries on October 25 due to unpaid dues for electricity consumed via dedicated and trunk lines. Among these, six industries have started paying their dues in installments, and their power has been restored.

Qatar Airways flight lands at Gautam Buddha International Airport

 A Qatar Airways flight landed at the Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa on Tuesday.

The wide-body aircraft of Qatar Airways, arriving from Doha, landed at the Gautam Buddha International Airport, as confirmed by the airport's general manager, Pratap Babu Tiwari.

According to him, there were 33 passengers on the flight, and one passenger disembarked in Bhairahawa.

The remaining 32 passengers will be brought to Kathmandu.

Qatar Airways has announced that it will now operate regular flights to and from Bhairahawa.

Energy Ministry asks Kulman Ghising for six-point clarification again

The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation has once again asked for a six-point clarification from the Managing Director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), Kulman Ghising.

On October 29, Energy Secretary Suresh Acharya had sent a letter to Ghising, giving him a seven-day deadline to provide clarification. However, from October 31 to November 4, there was the Tihar holiday, and then the Chhath holiday occurred on November 7.

Due to this, today is the final day to respond to the government's letter. According to sources in the Ministry of Energy, Ghising has not yet responded to the letter.

Earlier, the government had also asked Ghising for a 15-point clarification. In this current request, the issues include why the previous response was not submitted on time, why the dedicated and trunkline charges were not collected on time, and why certain information was not passed to the higher authorities, despite the ministry being the overseeing body, according to sources from the Ministry of Energy.

NEPSE index falls by 11.24 points after two days of gains

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index declined slightly on Tuesday after two days of gains. After rising on Sunday and Monday, the market fell by 11.24 points on Tuesday.

The index closed at 2749 points on Tuesday. While the shares of 80 companies increased, the stock prices of 157 companies decreased. The share prices of 7 companies remained unchanged.

On Tuesday, stocks of companies like Gurans Microfinance and Menchhiyam Hydropower saw positive circuit breakers.

Gold and silver prices drop

Both gold and silver prices have decreased today. On Tuesday, the price of gold per tola (11.66 grams) dropped by 2,400 rupees, and silver per tola fell by 30 rupees.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association, the price of hallmarked gold is currently trading at 162,600 rupees per tola. The previous day, it was 165,000 rupees per tola.

Similarly, the price of silver has dropped by 30 rupees per tola. The price of silver today is set at 1,925 rupees per tola, while on Monday, it was 1,955 rupees per tola.

Dozens killed after car ploughs into crowd in China

At least 35 people have been killed and 43 more injured after a man drove into a crowd of people exercising at a stadium in Zhuhai, southern China on Monday, authorities say.

A 62-year-old male driver, identified as Mr Fan, drove his SUV through a barrier at Zhuhai Sports Centre in what local police say was a "serious and vicious attack".

Many elderly people, as well as teenagers and children, were among the injured, Chinese media is reporting. Police said the driver was arrested as he tried to flee and is in a coma from self-inflicted wounds.

Saudi crown prince says Israel committing 'genocide' in Gaza

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” in some of the harshest public criticism of the country by a Saudi official since the start of the war.

Speaking at a summit of Muslim and Arab leaders the prince also criticised Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Iran.

In a sign of improving ties between rivals Riyadh and Tehran, he warned Israel against launching attacks on Iranian soil.

Saudi's de facto leader was joined by other leaders present in calling for a total Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said it was a “failing of the international community” that the war in Gaza had not been stopped, accusing Israel of causing starvation in the territory.

Bangladesh seeks Interpol Red Notice for Hasina's arrest

Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor of International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), today said that his office sent a letter to Interpol through the inspector-general of police on Sunday, seeking a red alert for the arrest of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on charges of crimes against humanity.

"We requested Interpol two days ago to issue a Red Notice. The former prime minister (Sheikh Hasina) is an accused in the case and is currently a fugitive. The request was made directly from the chief prosecutor's office through the IGP," he told the reporters at the ICT premises.

"As an international policing agency, Interpol has been requested to take necessary steps to ensure her arrest," he said.

"She (Sheikh Hasina) is accused of crimes against humanity, with an arrest warrant pending against her. However, she has left the jurisdiction of Bangladesh," he added.

Mohammad Nabi to retire from ODIs after Champions Trophy 2025

Afghanistan allrounder Mohammad Nabi has said he wants to retire from the ODI format after the Champions Trophy 2025. Nabi revealed his plans at the end of the ODI series against Bangladesh in the UAE, while claiming his Player-of-the-Series award in Afghanistan's 2-1 series victory.

"In my mind, from the last World Cup, I was retired but then we qualified for the Champions Trophy and I felt if I could play that, it would be great," Nabi told the host broadcaster after the third ODI.

It is understood he has communicated the decision to the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and will continue playing T20Is. To the ACB media team, he said: "We will see, but no, I will not play for long. God willing, after the Champions Trophy, we will say goodbye to the ODIs."

With 167 appearances in the format, Nabi is Afghanistan's highest-capped ODI cricketer and the current World No. 1 ODI allrounder according to the ICC rankings.

ICC U-19 Women's T20 World Cup Qualifiers: Nepal defeats Kuwait by 165 runs

Nepal defeated Kuwait by 165 runs in their fourth match of the ICC U-19 Women's T20 World Cup Qualifiers.

In a match held at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai, Nepal set a target of 214 runs, and Kuwait was bowled out for just 48 runs. 

Captain Puja Mahato's all-round performance led Nepal to a commanding victory.

Mahato played a brilliant knock of 130 off 69 balls, hitting 17 fours. Soni Pakhrin remained unbeaten on 43 runs with two fours.

Ecuador's Angulo, 22, dies a month after car crash

Ecuador international Marco Angulo has died at the age of 22 just over a month after being seriously injured in a car crash, his club have announced.

The LDU Quito midfielder had been in hospital since the incident on 7 October in the south of Ecuador's capital Quito.

Reports in Ecuador, external said he underwent several operations and spent over a week in intensive care, before passing away on Monday night.

"With deep sorrow and sadness, we regret to have to inform you of the death of our dear player Marco Angulo," LDU Qutio, who play in Ecuador's top flight, said in a statement on Tuesday morning.

"We convey our condolences to his family and his loved ones.

"His passing is an irreparable loss which will leave an indelible mark in our hearts."