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News In Brief
On Monday, March 16, 2009, Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Janardan Sharma signed a six-point deal with the representatives of the Muslim community in Kathmandu. After the several rounds of talks between the representatives of the government and the Muslim community they reached the agreement. Following the agreement, the government would initiate the work on making amendments to the Interim Constitution and other laws to remove all provisions that conflicted with the identity of Muslims and other ethnic groups.
On Tuesday, March 17, 2009, in course of political consultation, Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala indicated that his party could join the Maoist-led government given the environment made conducive to do so. However, it was not the first time, he had done so. Obviously, during his visit to India for the so-called medical checkup, his Indian political gurus must have blessed him with the ideas of cooperating with all political parties for crafting a new constitution and institutionalizing a lasting peace in Nepal.
March 17, 2009, the Nepalese media were full of the story about the government not extending the term of office for eight retiring Brigadier Generals. According to the media report, the administration of the Defense Ministry had indicated the possibility of extending the term of eight Nepali Army Brigadier Generals but did not do so even after the expiry of their term on Monday. It has not come as a surprise to the political analysts in view of the Nepal Army chief ignoring the order issued by the Defense Ministry to stop any new recruitment in the recent past.
March 17, 2009: Fire destroyed the interior part of the temple to Goddess Baglamukhi in Patan on Monday night, Mach 16. Baglamukhi is a Tantric goddess. Devotees believe that the goddesses met the wishes of devotees. So, hundreds of devotees line up to pray to her every day, and thousands on every Thursday, as it is the most auspicious day for praying to her. The priest and the attendant to the goddess said that it would be two months before the temple could be opened to the devotees.
March 17, 2009: the Inland Tax Office has started sealing the stores in RB Complex and Suraj Arcade in Kathmandu on the charge of evading the Value Added Tax (VAT). The storekeepers at Suraj Arcade shut the team of the tax officials in the store for more than four hours. They could come out only after the police came to rescue them. Some of the storekeepers shut down the trade center around the Suraj Arcade.
