- Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Kathmandu, April 23: President Ramchandra Paudel has urged Qatar to deepen cooperation between Nepal and Qatar on issues of common interests like saving the earth from climate change impacts, protecting the Himalayas, preserving the sources of water, and maintaining environmental balance.
President Paudel said so at a meeting with the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at the Office of the President in Shital Niwas earlier today. The Emir of the State of Qatar arrived here this afternoon on a two-day state visit to Nepal at the invitation of President Paudel.
“The common challenge of today’s world is saving the earth from climate change; protecting our Himalayas; preserving the source of water and maintaining the environmental balance. Cooperation of all is imperative in these areas. This is an issue of human existence. I consider mostly the developing countries should be more serious in such issues, President’s press advisor Kiran Pokharel quoted President Paudel as saying.
The President also said that the conflict in the Middle East has ‘made us worried’, Pokharel told the RSS. Likewise, President Paudel praised the role played by Qatar for peace building and wished for the end to the war and restoration of peace in the Middle East.
On the occasion, the Emir of the State of Qatar Al Thani said the entire world is suffering from climate change impacts, and good results will come and a good environment will be created if all abided by the international agreements on climate change.
He also expressed the confidence that his visit would be fruitful to explore new areas of cooperation by further deepening Nepal-Qatar relations. Furthermore, the Amir of Qatar praised and expressed appreciation to Nepali migrant workers stating that they have huge contributions to the development of Qatar.
The Emir of Qatar Al Thani viewed that new possibilities could be explored for investments in water resources, agriculture, tourism and other sectors in Nepal. On the occasion, President Paudel also expressed the confidence that the agreement and memorandum of understanding to be reached on Wednesday would unleash new potentials for investment in the areas such as water resource, agriculture and tourism in Nepal.
Noting that Nepal and Qatar have ever enjoyed cordial bilateral relations, President Paudel clarified that the relations between Nepal and Qatar are bound by the sense of friendship, mutual respect, trust and good will. There has been a tradition of exchange of high-level visits between the two countries in a regular way which he claimed had played spectacular role in expanding the bilateral relations.
The historical visit has taken the Nepal-Qatar relations to a new height, he further said.Noting that Nepal has moved towards the journey of economic development and prosperity now with the agendas of political transformation reaching to a conclusion of late, he expressed his belief that there would be continuous support from Qatar to Nepal’s efforts towards attaining development and prosperity.
President Paudel further expressed his optimism that the bilateral cooperation and collaboration would be further deepened in coming days in the context when there are arrays of potential for partnership in trade, tourism and investment areas.
Qatar has been a prime and attractive destination of foreign employment for Nepali workers and Nepali workforce has also substantially contributed in the making of modern Qatar, he recalled.
Expressing happiness over the sustainable development and prosperity of Qatar under the visionary leadership of the Emir, President Paudel lauded his far-reaching thinking and unswerving commitment to make Qatar a highly-developed nation. On the occasion, the visiting dignitary also signed the visitors’ book placed at the Office of the President.
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01- Qatari Emir arriving today
Kathmandu, April 23: Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, is arriving in Nepal later this afternoon in a two-day state visit at the cordial invitation of President Ram Chandra Paudel.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed that the Qatari Emir will hold a meeting with President Paudel at his office, Shital Niwas. The President is scheduled to host a state banquet in honour of the Amir.
Similarly, the distinguished guest from Qatar will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ on Wednesday.
Following the talks, both leaders will witness the signing ceremony of bilateral agreements and memorandums of understanding, the Foreign Ministry added.
The Qatari Emir is scheduled to depart from Kathmandu on April 24.
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02- Province govt invests in tourism promotion: CM Yadav
Siraha, April 23: Chief Minister of Madhes Province, Saroj Kumar Yadav, has said province government would invest in tourism promotion.
Addressing the concluding session of the 10-day-long ‘Lahan Expo’ here Monday, CM Yadav assured that province government would create atmosphere conducive for investment.
“Madhes province is bordered to India which has huge population. Province government pays attention how the Indian tourists could be brought in Nepal,” he said, pledging his readiness to work together with tourism entrepreneurs and businesspersons. Potential areas of tourism would be identified and investment made accordingly, he informed.
The CM further assured complete security to the businesspersons in the province.
He also shared information that province government would allocate adequate budget for coming year for constructing a levee along the Balan River and a modern building of the Ramkumar-Uma Prasad Memorial Province Hospital.
According to him, Lahan has significant role on introducing federal republic in country.
Also addressing the event were province assembly member Lalita Das, President of District Coordination Committee, Dinesh Mahato, Lahan municipality Mayor Mahesh Prasad Chaudhari, and Chief District Officer Bashudev Dahal.
The expo had begun with focus on agriculture, tourism, industry and trade.
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03- 630 students provided scholarships
Baniyani, April 23: Jhapa rural municipality in Jhapa district has provided scholarships to 630 students from three community schools.
The 11th and 12th graders from poor financial background were provided the scholarships to help them complete education, according to Anju Thapaliya, acting chairperson of the rural municipality.
Each student from Grade 11 was provided Rs 9,650 while Rs 11,200 to each student from Grade 12. The students from technical stream were however awarded Rs 12,000 each.
The Janakalyan Secondary School got the monetary assistance for its 56 students, while the Dilliraj Secondary School for to 352 students and the Janata Secondary School 222.
There are 21 community schools, 14 institutional ones and 18 madarsa running in Jhapa rural municipality.
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04- One dies, four receive injury in tractor accident
Barahathawa, April 23: A person died while four others from a single family got injured in a tractor accident occurred at Piprabhitta of Barahathawa municipality in Sarlahi district last night.
Raj Kumar Singh, 17, died after the incident occurred Monday night.
Four others injured in the incident have been undergoing treatment at a local health facility, according to Dipak Shrestha, spokesperson at District Police Office, Sarlahi.
Meanwhile, a cyclist died and two others got injured in a road accident in Chitwan.
Cyclist Kumar Gurung, 60, from Ganeshsthan of Bharatpur metropolis was injured seriously when a motorcycle coming from opposite direction hit him. He died while receiving treatment at Chitwan Medical College last night.
Information to this was shared by Shreeram Bhandari, spokesperson at District Police Office, Chitwan.
Sudarshan Adhikari, 33, from Manahari rural municipality-3 of Makwanpur and Santosh Burlakoti, 49, from Basanta Chowk of Bharatpur-9 were injured in the accident. They have been receiving treatment at Chitwan Medical College.
Adhikari was riding a motorcycle and Burlakoti was a pillion rider.
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05- RSS and Qatar News Agency signing MoU on news exchange
Kathmandu, April 23: The and the Qatar News Agency (QNA) of Qatar are signing the memorandum of understanding on news exchange.
The MoU is being signed in course of the two-day state visit of Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to Nepal, according to Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. The Qatari Emir is arriving in Nepal later this afternoon.
Both State-run news agencies- RSS and QNA- will have free exchange of news service. The MoU would facilitate the news exchange so that Qatari media would receive RSS news via QNA while Nepali media receive QNA news via RSS.
The RSS was established in 1961, while the QNA on May 25, 1975.
Earlier, a meeting was held at the RSS central office regarding exchange of news between the two state-run news agencies, as well as the coverage of the state visit of the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to Nepal starting Tuesday.
RSS Executive Chair Dharmendra Jha welcomed Deputy News Director of QNA, Yushef Ahmed Al Sayed, and expressed his belief that the visit of the Qatari Emir would further enhance the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
Likewise, QNA Deputy News Director, Al Sayed, expressed readiness to exchange news between the two news agencies.
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06- ‘Collective intelligence’ underlined to reduce climate emergencies
Narayan Prasad Ghimire/RSS
Kathmandu, April 23: As the climate crisis is taking toll on people and planet with increasing number of severe incidents, the research and studies have also been continued with focus on how the world could adopt better climate actions and minimize emergencies in number and scale.
One of the measures the researchers have underlined lately is collective initiatives with blend of indigenous knowledge and use of modern technology so that climate actions could be made more participatory and result-oriented.
A recent report published by UNDP Accelerator Labs and the Nesta analyzed the cases from the Global South showing how ‘collective intelligence’ is applied to fulfill gaps in climate adaptation and mitigation.
The report, ‘Untapped: Collective Intelligence for Climate Action’, implies ‘collective intelligence’ as a synergic approach where data, people and technology work in tandem. “At its simplest, the ‘collective intelligence’ can be understood as the enhanced capacity that is created when people work together, often with the help of technology, to mobilize a wider range of information, ideas and insights.” It further argues the collective intelligence is resulted with combination of these factors where it ensures more than the sum of their parts.
With this, the document has kept in centre human experiences, traditional practices and exchange of knowledge on dealing with climate adversities, which can be further optimized by the use of modern technology, including artificial intelligence (AI). The concept of citizen scientist is optimized by it.
“AI is being applied to help make sense from and use large volumes of data, while generative AI techniques are transforming the nature of content and knowledge generation,” the report underlined.
As per study document, there is a ‘Bioleft’ platform in South America, which is facilitating farmers to know about climate resilient crops as the platform is informing about open source repository of local seed varieties and collaborative seed breeding among them. “The platform enables geo-referencing of seeds and records their transfer under an official Bioleft license,” the report mentioned.
Similarly, in another case of climate smart agriculture, the story about Water-Associated Infectious Diseases in India is mentioned as a ‘rare example of disease surveillance for waterborne diseases’. This scheme applies Smartphone App to map vulnerability at community like cholera occurrence and other waterborne disease. The information about sanitary condition of people is availed through data crowd-sourcing with the use of App.
‘DengueChat’ is another digital initiative put in place in the Latin American project, which the report says, ‘applies citizen science’ to control disease outbreaks at a hyper local level’.
The tech initiative to protect biodiversity is also showcased in the document. The ‘CyberTracker Kalahari’ focused in the Kalahari Desert of Southern Africa, adopted indigenous knowledge and practices on biodiversity are monitored.
The report also briefly mentions about Nepal in relation to use of technology on land management data. “In Nepal, government representatives have committed to exploring the use of the LANDex tool for official data collection. These tools provide groups that are typically overlooked in local land management disputes with the means to build an evidence base to help them make their case with decision makers or other stakeholders,” it added.
The report is coauthored by Aleks Berditchevskaia, Alex Albert, Kathy Peach, Gina Lucarelli, and Alberto Cottica.
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07- Fire destroys seven houses, loss of property worth Rs 5.4 million
Kathmandu, April 23: Seven houses from Birgunj metropolis-17 were gutted in fire this morning.
The fire spread from a thatch-roof house of local Mahendra Sahani engulfed seven other houses in vicinity. The property worth Rs 5.4 million was lost in the fire, according to Rajiv Bahadur Chhetri, chair of ward no 17.
“As it was a huge blaze, we could not douse on time. Not only houses, but also cowsheds are burnt to ashes,” he informed.
Nothing inside the houses could be saved, according to him.
Kumar Bikram Thapa, DSP at District Police Office, Parsa, informed that it took two hours for two fire engines to extinguish the blaze.
Ward chair Chhetri said the local level would take initiatives to provide relief to the needy ones.
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08- Truck carrying chemical used in drugs catches fire
Malekhu (Dhading), April 23: A truck carrying chemical used in drugs has caught fire. The truck (Na 4 Kha 8617) was going towards Kathmandu from Sunauli of Rupandehi when it suddenly caught fire when on the move on the Prithvi highway at Banchhetar, Gajuri rural municipality-6 in Dhading district this morning.
Sushil BK, the driver of the truck, guessed that the fire might have been ignited when chemical canisters collided with each other when the vehicle was in motion.
Vehicular traffic on both ends of the highway has been stopped after the incident. A fire engine has been called from Dhunibesi municipality to douse the fire, said Ganesh Lal Shrestha, Chairman of Gajuri rural municipality.
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09- Let us present practical projects, not ‘wish list’: PM Dahal
Kathmandu, April 23: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ stressed on taking the private sector into confidence and spreading a message that there is investment-friendly environment in the country.
Addressing the Investment Board’s meeting at New Baneshwor today, PM Dahal opined that the private sector should be facilitated rather than controlled to ensure development and prosperity. The PM argued that the idea of controlling was not acceptable in today’s world parlance.
“A new model for development should be charted by taking the private sector into confidence. There will be no development unless private sector is taken into confidence,” Dahal reiterated.
He asserted that the public’s aspirations and expectations could be fulfilled by adopting the policy that encourages development and thus instructed the Board’s officials to work towards that.
As for the upcoming Third Investment Summit, the Head of the Government opined that all should deliver with positive attitude to make it a success. He asserted that practical projects should be projected and pitched rather than merely presenting a ‘wish-list’ during the summit. The summit is due in less than week in Kathmandu.
According to the PM, some Acts were amended prior to the Summit which would give an impetus to attract foreign investment. “Let’s organize the Summit and give a new message,” he encouraged, pointing out the need to simplify procedures and other works related to development projects.
The PM insisted that the political leadership should be able to deal with the difficulties arising while delivering some good works. Stating that priority should be given to steel industry, he underscored that works should be done seriously for the establishment of such industries.
Furthermore, he instructed the Board to prioritize irrigation related project to generate as many as jobs in agriculture sector. He also drew the attention of the Board to accelerate stalled development projects.
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10- Price of yellow metal goes down
Kathmandu, April 23: The price of gold has declined in the domestic market today. The price has decreased by Rs 2,700 per tola (11.66 grams). The Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association has determined the price of hallmark gold at Rs 135,500 per tola today. Hallmark gold was traded at Rs 138,200 on Monday.
Similarly, the price of worked gold has also fallen by Rs 2,700 per tola. Worked gold was traded at Rs 137,500 per tola on Monday and it is trading at Rs 134,850 today.
Likewise, the price of silver has decreased by Rs 45 per tola compared to its price on Monday, according to the Federation. Silver was traded for Rs 1,705 per tola on Monday and its price has been determined at Rs 1,660 today.
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11- Capital adorned before Qatar Emir’s State visit to Nepal
Kathmandu, April 23: The federal capital, Kathmandu, is preparing to warmly welcome Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, who is scheduled to arrive late this afternoon on a State visit.
The Qatari Emir is arriving on a two-day State Visit at the friendly invitation of President Ramchandra Paudel.
The city has been adorned with welcome gates and banners along major roads and intersections in honor of the high-profile dignitary from Qatar.
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office has undertaken the cleaning and decoration of roads stretching from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) to various key areas including Tinkune, New Baneshwor, Babarmahal, Tripureshwor, Kalimati, Jamal and Lainchaur.
According to Nabin Manandhar, the spokesperson for the Kathmandu Metropolis, the adorned roads proudly display the national flags of both Nepal and Qatar.
More, banners featuring the names of President Ramchandra Paudel and the Emir of Qatar, along with a portrait of Kumari, the Living Goddess, adorned with the Namaste gesture, indicate the cultural richness and diversity of the Kathmandu Valley. Such banners read “Hearty welcome to the Emir from Qatar”.
Security arrangements along the designated route for the VVIP from Qatar have been intensified, with each welcome gate being guarded by security personnel.
Furthermore, key areas such as Shital Niwas (the Office of the President), Soaltee Hotel where the Emir will be staying, and Dwarika Hotel where various visit-related events are scheduled to take place have been beautifully decorated for the occasion. The Non-Resident Nepali Association and the Qatar Embassy in Nepal have also prepared welcome gates to extend greetings to the Emir.
In light of the Emir’s visit, the government has declared a public holiday for today, suggesting the diplomatic significance of the visit.
Security beefed up
Meanwhile, the Nepali Army has said it has mobilized a security mechanism in the venues various visit-related events ranging from welcome and other ceremonies to farewell are scheduled to take place. The security arrangements are in place on a need basis.
In coordination with the NA Chief of General Staff, a Lieutenant General, various security squads comprising security personnel from the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and the National Investigation Department have been mobilized.
According to TIA General Manager, Jagannath Nirauala, all flights at TIA will remain halted for 15 minutes each during the arrival and departure of the Qatari Emir, bearing in mind the security sensitivity of the visit.
The visit is expected to help elevate the bilateral relations between Nepal and Qatar to a new height. The Qatari Emir’s visit marks the first highest-level visit from the entire Middle East to Nepal. Qatar serves as one of the major labour destinations for Nepal.
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12- Nepalgunj-based ICP to come into operation by two weeks
Ranjha (Banke), April 23: The newly established Integrated Customs Point (ICP) in Nepalgunj is to come into operation within the next two weeks.
India built the facility located in Nepalgunj transit along the Nepal-India border and it has already been handed to Nepal. “The customs services will be available from the newly constructed facility in the next 10-15 days,” said Nepalgunj Customs Office Chief Dhruba Raj Bishwakarma.
Once the ICP comes into operation, the check-pass of containers will be conducted from the facility.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi jointly inaugurated the facility virtually during Dahal’s visit to India (May 31- June 3, 2023).
India handed it to Nepal on Monday around after one year of the inauguration. It has been spread to 87 bigha of land (one bigha is equivalent to 6772.63 sq. metres) and the land acquired by the Government of Nepal in support of India. It avails customs office, livestock and plant quarantine, warehouse, food technology, quality control facility, security barrack, bank counter, and so on.
The Nepalgunj-based business community is excited about the preparations for launching the ICP services. It is expected to be convenient for them in the trans-border imports and exports business, according to the Nepalgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry former President Krishna Prasad Shrestha.
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13- Dhanusha-based journalist Yadav dies in motorcycle accident
Janakpur, April 23: A Dhanusha-based journalist died in a motorcycle accident today.
The District Police Office, Dhanusha identified the deceased as Binay Kumar Yadav, 28. He died in the motorcycle accident that occurred on Tuesday morning at Dhalkebar of Mithila municipality-6 in Dhanusha.
The motorcycle (Pradesh 02-006 Pa 3035) he was riding met with an accident as it collided with a roadside railing. Severely injured in the accident, he was rushed to the Janakpur-based Provincial Hospital and breathed his last amidst the treatment, the Office confirmed.
A pillion rider on the motorcycle Laxmi Narayan Yadav who is the neighbor of the journalist is being treated at the same hospital. The journalist, a permanent resident of Dhanushadham municipality-5, was the operator of Radio Dhanushadham and the executive editor for the E-News Bureau.
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14- Russian delegation calls on PM Dahal
Kathmandu, April 23: The delegation of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries from Russia has paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’.
In the meeting held at the official residence of the Prime Minister at Baluwatar today, the visiting Russian delegation discussed various aspects of Nepal-Russia relations and investment prospects among others with PM Dahal.
On the occasion, PM Dahal shared that Government of Nepal was preparing for the Investment Summit (on April 28-29 this year) to attract foreign investment and, thus, urged the Russian delegation to consider investment in Nepal, according to PM Dahal Secretariat.
“We have prepared for the Investment Summit focusing on the entrepreneurs and foreign investors,” the PM informed the visiting Russian delegation, mentioning about some amendment in the laws to facilitate foreign investors to invest in Nepal.
“The government adopts the policy of cooperation to those willing to invest in Nepal,” he assured. Stating that Russia had been continuously supporting economic development in Nepal, the Head of the Government suggested that there were ample scope for investment in road, agriculture, hydro power projects and information technology in Nepal.
Expressing his confidence that the Nepal-Russia ties would remain further strong in the new context, he emphasized enhancing mutual cooperation between the two countries in coming days.
The Russian delegation was led by Sergey Katyrin, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Russian Federation. Present in the courtesy meeting were Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) President Chandra Prasad Dhakal and Russian Ambassador to Nepal Aleksei Novikov among others.
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15- KMC mobilizes volunteers at community schools
Kathmandu, April 23: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has mobilized volunteers at the community schools for the beautification of schools and to further encourage the students towards teaching and learning activities.
Officiating Chief of the KMC’s Education Department, Saraswati Pokharel, said the volunteers have been mobilized to create neat and clean, greenery, artistic and attractive environment at the schools as well as to further motivate the students in the teaching and learning.
KMC selected 145 volunteers from the applications it had called through a public notice and mobilized them at the community schools within the metropolis, Pokharel added. Forty-five of the selected volunteers have been mobilized towards the Youth and Children (Heritage) Programme and the rest towards the Environment and Children Programme. According to Pokharel, the volunteers have been mobilized in 89 community schools within the metropolis for six months.
The volunteers are required to give their time to the school on two days a week (Thursday and Friday) and make the ‘Beautiful School’ programme effective through collaboration with teachers and students.
The KMC believes that the volunteers will contribute to its two programmes by formulating, in coordination with the Liaison Teacher, on Thursday the action plan for the programmes to be conducted in the school on Friday and implement the same. The volunteers shall also take the lead in cleaning the school compound, classrooms, garden and the toilets and institutionalizing the practice of segregation of waste, among other activities.
The KMC Education Department Chief also indicated the possibility of mobilizing the volunteers also in the KMC’s ‘Smart Tole’ programme. The KMC has also formulated a code of conduct for the volunteers.
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16- Important bilateral agreements between Nepal and Qatar
Kathmandu, April 23: Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, is arriving today on a two-day State Visit at the friendly invitation of President Ramchandra Paudel.
It is expected that the visit of the Qatari Emir on the eve of the third Investment Summit in Nepal would give a positive message about Nepal in the international community.
The cabinet meeting on April 18 had approved the programme of state-visit of the Qatari Emir, agreed on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ leading the Nepali delegation for bilateral discussions with the Qatari delegation and MoU for cooperation for various bilateral agreements to be inked during the Qatari Emir’s two-day visit.
Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Rekha Sharma, the council of ministers has already approved the MoU for cooperation between Nepal and Qatar on youth and sports sector as well as education and scientific research.
Nepal and Qatar established diplomatic relations on January 21 in 1977. Nepal established its Embassy in Doha, Qatar on July 11, 2000 where as Qatar set up its Embassy in Nepal in August 2011.
Before that, Qatari Ambassador resident in New Delhi, India was concurrently accredited to Nepal.
Nepal and Qatar are both uphold similar views on many international agendas and issues. Both countries have been signatory to the Non-Aligned Movement and are members of the United Nations.
Similarly, both countries have been working in tandem at these international forums and have been playing crucial roles for the cause of peace, security and development n the world.
Agreements have been inked for collaboration between the two countries in several sectors. Nepal had signed a Labour Agreement with Qatar on March 21, 2005 during the visit of then Minister for Foreign Affairs Ramesh Nath Pandey’s visit to Qatar.
The Fourth Labour Ministerial Joint Meeting of the two countries held on December 2 and 3, 2021 in Kathmandu agreed to review the Labour Agreement signed in 2005. However, the Agreement has not been reviewed so far.
The two countries also in 2005 signed an agreement related to economic, trade and technical collaboration.
The Qatari investors have put in investment in the agriculture, infrastructure, and energy among the various sectors after Nepal in 2007 inked an agreement with Qatar for removal of dual taxation.
Similarly, Nepal and Qatar signed an agreement on bilateral air service (civil aviation) on July 8, 2002. An agreement on collaboration in the tourism sector was reached between the two countries in 2011.
The private sectors of the two countries have also been collaborating in different areas. Nepal Chamber of Commerce and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce had signed an agreement relating to bilateral cooperation in 2018.
The Doha Bank, one of the major banks of Qatar, opened its contact office in Kathmandu in December 2018.
Nepal’s industrialists have also become organized in Qatar. An organisation called Nepali Business Association Qatar was registered with the Qatar Financial Authority in March 2021.
There have been exchanges of high-level visits between Nepal and Qatar at various times. The first President of Nepal, Dr Ram Baran Yadav, made an official visit to Qatar in 2011. Likewise, then President Bidya Devi Bhandari paid a state visit to Qatar from October 30 to November 2, 2018.
The then Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, Krishna Kumar Shrestha, visited Qatar on March 21-23, 2022. The then Minister for Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel visited Qatar from November 20 to 22, 2019. Then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Krishna Bahadur Mahara also visited Qatar from April 6 to 10 in 2019.
The then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health and Population, Upendra Yadav paid a visit to Qatar on November 13-14, 2018.
The then Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat paid an official visit to Qatar in January 2017 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Qatar.
Similarly, the then Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bamdev Gautam visited Qatar from April 11 to 14, 2015.
The high-level visits to Nepal from Qatari side include the visit of Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of Qatar, Dr Abdullah Bin Saleh Mubarak al-Khulafi from April 4 to 7 in 2015; the visit by Qatar’s Environment Minister Abdullah Bin Mubarak Bin Abud Al-Midhadi from April 5-9 in 2012 and that of Qatar’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shekh Hamad Bin Jasim Bin Al Thani in 2009.
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17- Qatari Emir’s visit: Govt urged to request for pact on Bhairahawa-Qatar direct flights
Bhairahawa (Rupandehi), April 23: Stakeholders have urged the government to take initiatives for operating direct flight between Bhairahawa and Qatar from Gautam Buddha International Airport during the Qatari Emir’s visit to Nepal.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, is arriving today on a two-day State Visit at the friendly invitation of President Ramchandra Paudel.
Siddhartha Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s President, Thakur Kumar Shrestha, requested the government to prioritize the proposal of operating direct flight between Bhairahawa and Qatar during the bilateral discussions to be held during the Emir’s visit.
“Emir’s visit could be an opportune time for Nepal to pitch for directly flying national flag carrier of Qatar- Qatar Airways- from Bhairahawa to Qatar. We urge the government to raise this matter according a high priority,” Thakur Kumar said.
Similarly, Siddhartha Hotel Association’s President, Chandra Prakash Shrestha, echoed with Thakur Kumar and requested the government of Nepal to propose direct flight between Bhairahawa and Qatar during the Qatari Emir’s visit.
Shrestha viewed that the operation of flight between Bhairahawa and Qatar would increase hope among the private sector and economic activities in and around Bhairahawa could boom thereby benefitting the national economy.
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18- Industry Minister says Nepal fails to secure expected benefits from WTO
Kathmandu, April 23: Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Damodar Bhandari, has said Nepal failed to secure expected benefits from international trade despite the completion of 20 years of its membership in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Speaking at a programme on “expectations, achievements and future course of action in 20 years of Nepal’s WTO membership” organised by the Ministry on Tuesday, the Minister said, “There is no situation for least developed countries despite some exceptions to secure anticipated expectations from the WTO to ensure benefits of the world economy to the developing countries and an increased market access for them.”
He underlined the need to guarantee meaningful participation of government, private, and related research institutes and stakeholders concerned to ink a bilateral trade and investment agreement with nations with potential for exports from Nepal.
As he advised, Nepal should make efforts to explore potentialities for international trade and implement objective and country-wise export strategies.
He also pointed out the need for wider dialogues and discussions with the participation of public-private sectors to navigate ways for awareness in industrial and trade sectors.
There is a wider discussion at the national level when expected achievements from the WTO remain unmet, according to the Minister.
We accept the WTO standards, but in the context of Nepal, such standards have not been implemented, we are overwhelmed by the burden of import trade. We have to liberate from this situation. The lack of Nepal’s presence in world trade be analyzed meticulously.
Acknowledging Nepal’s weak presence in world trade, Commerce Secretary Dinesh Kumar Ghimire insisted on policy-level and strategic interventions toward that end. He stressed the need to increase domestic production.
Industry Secretary Krishna Bahadur Raut said Nepal could not secure the right benefits of WTO while other speakers including the Chairperson of Federation of Nepal Cottage and Small Industries, Umesh Prasad Singh; Vice Chair of Federation Of Export Entrepreneurs Nepal (FEEN) and Ministry Joint Secretary Leela Prasad Sharma expressed concerns over the country’s increasing size of imports, thus leading to a ballooning trade deficit in absence of lack of Nepal’s access to the world trade market.
They called for replacing the import-based trade.
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19- Qatari Emir arrives on two-day State visit
Kathmandu, April 23: The Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, arrived here on a two-day State visit to Nepal at the friendly invitation of President Ramchandra Paudel. He landed here at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) this afternoon.
Upon arrival at TIA, President Paudel welcomed him at the VVIP lounge. Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, Speaker Devraj Ghimire, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha reached TIA to receive the distinguished guest from Qatar.
Similarly, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth, members of the Council of Ministers, high-ranking government officials, heads and representatives of diplomatic missions in Kathmandu were at TIA to welcome the Qatari Emir.
The Qatari Emir arrived here this afternoon on a special plane upon completion of his State visit to Bangladesh.
A contingent of the Nepali Army presented a guard of honour and fired 21 canon salvoes, welcoming the visiting dignitary.
The Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and President Ramchandra Paudel will hold a high-level meeting at the Office of the President, Shital Niwas this evening. President Paudel will also organize a state banquet in honour of the Emir this evening.
Nepal and Qatar will sign MoUs on various areas including on youth and sports, and education and scientific research during the Emir’s visit.
This is the first visit by any Qatari Emir to Nepal ever since the two countries established diplomatic relations on January 21, 1977. Nepal opened its embassy in Doha, Qatar on July 11, 2000 and Qatar its embassy in Nepal in Kathmandu in August 2011.
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20- Emir of Qatar calls on President Paudel
Kathmandu, April 23: The Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani called on President Ramchandra Paudel at the latter’s office in Shital Niwas this afternoon.
During the meeting, matters related to bilateral interests and diplomatic relations have been discussed. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Shakti Bahadur Bastet and other officials are also present in the meeting taking place at the Gandaki Hall of Sheetal Niwas.
The Emir of Qatar arrived at Shital Niwas directly from Tribhuvan International Airport, where he was welcomed at the VVIP lounge by President Paudel, Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and other senior government officials. Later this evening, President Paudel is scheduled to host a banquet in honor of Qatari Emir Al Thani. Furthermore, bilateral talks are scheduled to take place between Emir Al Thani and Prime Minister Dahal on Wednesday.
At the invitation of President Paudel, Amir Al Thani of Qatar arrived Kathmandu earlier today on a two-day state visit to Nepal.
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22- List of projects to be showcased at the investment summit endorsed
Kathmandu, April 23: The 58th meeting of Investment Board of Nepal held today has approved the list of projects for which letters of intent will be sought, showcased and market sounding will be carried out during the near-coming the third Nepal investment Summit.
During the summit, a total of 148 projects including both government and private will be showcased. The meeting today also decided to increase investment in two projects. An additional investment worth Rs.6 billion 634 million has been approved for the Huaxin Narayani Cement Project.
Likewise, Dabur Nepal has proposed reinvestment of Rs 9 billion 680 million for capacity expansion and product diversification. The detailed project report of the project was received and after the assessment the negotiation process was been taken ahead.
Following the meeting, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ directed to work to make the investment summit more result-oriented rather than being limited to formalities. The Prime Minister also instructed the authorities to form a special unit to facilitate the mobilization of capital and credits from domestic, foreign and private sectors.
Stating that the prosperity of the country will be achieved only through the partnership between the public and private sectors, Prime Minister Dahal said the government has initiated the work of amending laws to remove obstacles to investment. Chief Executive Officer of the Investment Board, Sushil Bhatta, shed light on the status of implementation of the decision of the previous board meeting and the preparations for the investment summit.
The investment summit is being held in Kathmandu on April 28 and 29.
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23- President Paudel requests Qatari Emir for helping Joshi’s release
Kathmandu, April 23: President Ramchandra Paudel has requested Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar for his help in the release of Nepali student Bipin Joshi, who has gone missing since the attack by Hamas in Israel.
President Paudel made this request during a bilateral meeting held with the Qatari Emir at Rastrapati Bhawan Sheetal Niwas earlier this afternoon. At the cordial invitation of President Paudel, Emir Al Thani of Qatar arrived here this afternoon on a two-day state visit to Nepal.
On the occasion, President Paudel said that Bipin’s release was a matter of interest and concern and urged the Emir of Qatar to take initiative for his release, according to Kiran Pokharel, the President’s Press Advisor. In response, the Emir of Qatar said that he had taken some initiative on the matter in the past and that he would take further initiatives in this regard.
Bipin Joshi, a Nepali student in Israel, remains missing following the attack in Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
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24- Leopard rescued
Baitadi, April 23: A leopard stuck in a trap set up by locals has been rescued in Baitadi today. The leopard was rescued from a trap set up at Bhuwa Bherikhola of Sigas rural municipality-9.
Chief of Division Forest Office, Baitadi, Dilip Kumar Yadav, said a team of National Trust for Nature Conservation and Shuklaphanta National Park rescued the trapped leopard.
The leopard has been released in Sigas Conservation Forest, he added. The leopard of around two-year-old suffered minor leg injury and was released after treatment.
Locals had informed the police and Division Forest Office after seeing the leopard stuck in the trap.
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25- President Paudel hosts banquet in honour of visiting Qatari Emir
Kathmandu, April 23: President Ramchandra Paudel hosted a state banquet in honour of the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who is in Kathmandu for a two-day state visit.
On the occasion, different cultural performances were performed. In the banquet, First Lady Sabita Paudel, Vice President Ramsahaya Prasad Yadav, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, Speaker Devraj Ghimire and National Assembly Chairman Narayan Prasad Dahal were present.
Also present were the Chief Justice, Deputy Prime Ministers, former PMs, ministers, lawmakers, industrialists and other dignitaries. Earlier today, President Paudel and Emir of the State of Qatar held bilateral talks at the Office of the President in Shital Niwas.
Likewise, two countries’ delegations are scheduled to hold bilateral meetings on Wednesday.
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26- Chief Minister of Karnail Province to seek vote of confidence on Thursday
Karnali, April 23: Chief Minister of Karnali Province, Yam Lal Kandel, is to seek vote of confidence on coming Thursday.
Chief Minister Kandel registered a letter at the Province Assembly Secretariat seeking a motion of confidence on April 25. Chief Whip of CPN (Maoist Centre) in Karnali Province Assembly, Rana Singh Pariyar, said the date to take vote of confidence by Chief Minister Kandel was fixed after an environment to expand the cabinet was built providing four ministries to the CPN (Maoist Centre).
Similarly, Chief Whip of CPN (UML) in Karnali Province Assembly, Tek Raj Pachhai, shared that an understanding was reached among power-sharing parties about expanding province government and distribution of ministries.
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27- Eastern border checkpoints closed from today for election in India
Jhapa, April 23: The border checkpoints sharing border with Jhapa and Ilam districts have been closed for 72 hours since 6.00 pm today.
The Nepali border entry points have been shut in view of the second phase of Lok Sabha elections taking place in India from coming April 26.
According to the local administration, movement of the general people and vehicles would be prohibited during the closure period.Chief District Officer of Jhapa, Bandhu Prasad Bastola informed that the border checkpoints based in Kakadbhitta, Bhadrapur, Taghandubba and Gaurigunj would be closed during the stated time.
With the enforcement in place, the checkpoints which were closed since 6.00 this evening would open at 6.00 pm on April 26. The Indian Lok Sabha election (second phase) is taking place in Darjeeling of West-Bengal and Kisangunj district of Bihar on April 26 at once. Both the districts of India are geographically linked with Jhapa district of Nepal.
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28- Photo expo in memory of ‘Gorkha Earthquake’
Kathmandu, April 23: A photo exhibition is to be organised in memory of the Gorka Earthquake. The Department of Mines and Geology, Lainchaur, is organising the photo expo at its premises on Wednesday. Sambahika Samaj Nepal is the co-organiser of the event.
Gorkha Earthquake took place on Baisakh 12, 2072 BS, which coincides tomorrow. Director General of the Department, Ram Prasad Ghimire, said the photo exhibition is going to be organised to recall the damages caused by the devastating earthquake.
A total of 50 photos reflecting the damages caused by earthquake and problems faced by the general people would be put on display in the expo. Around 10,000 people lost their lives and thousands of physical infrastructures got damaged in the earthquake measuring 7.8 in the Richer scale that occurred at 11:56 am on Baisakh 12, 2072 BS (25 April 2015) with its epicentre at Barpak of Gorkha.
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29- President calls for public awareness and security measures to reduce quake-induced loss
(To be disseminated on April 24)
Kathmandu, April 24: President Ramchandra Paudel has stressed on the need to adopt various protective measures and increase public awareness to reduce the risk and damages caused by an earthquake.
In a message today on the occasion of the 9th Earthquake Memorial Day, President Paudel said that increasing urbanization is also increasing the risk of quake-induced damages. “Though earthquakes cannot be prevented we can protect ourselves from its possible risks and damages “, President Paudel has said in the message.
Stating that Nepal is at a high risk of natural disasters including earthquake, President Paudel has said that natural disasters are a risk for everyone and earthquakes can be addressed only if preparedness based on past experiences and risk management are done proactively.
He has also paid tributes to those who lost their lives in the devastating earthquake and subsequent aftershocks that took place on Baisakh 12, 2072 BS (25 April 2015) with epicentre in Barpak of Gorkha.
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