Nepal Highlights

The fifth Rhino Count, the largest ever campaign to count the number of greater one-horned Rhinos living in the jungles of Nepal has begun from Chitwan National Park (CNP), Tuesday. Some 150 wildlife technicians have bee deployed on 40 domesticated elephants with modern equipments to track and collect details of the endangered animal, according to Juddha Gurung, member secretary of Nature Conservation Trust, which manages CNP. The team completed count of Rhinos in Sunachari area of CNP, 1 st among the 19 blocs in CNP. The Rhino will be conducted over 19 days in CNP, taking one bloc each day. The Rhino count team will collect maximum possible details of the Rhinos including sex, estimated age and health status of the Rhinos. Greater one-horned Rhinos, available only in the jungles of Nepal and India, have been placed in the list of endangered animals due to the fast depletion in its numbers. The animal is poached for its precious horn, which is believed to have medicinal and cosmetic

Military in charge of the Unified CPN (Maoist) Barshaman Pun has said the integration model proposed by Nepal Army (NA) is positive.Pun is the Minister for Peace and Reconstruction in the present Jhala Nath Khanal cabinet. He is a also an Army Integration Special Committee (AISC) representing the UCPN (Maoist). inister Pun said, the integration model is positive and it can be finalised after determining the criteria for ranks and the number to be integrated. NA has proposed to form a separate general directorate under its command comprising of certain number of Maoist combatants, and personnel from NA, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force. The general directorate, with 10 - 12 thousand personnel, will be deployed for border security, industrial security, forest and national park security, development works and rescue work during disasters.It will be commanded by a Major General and will have about 200 officers. The general directorate will have about 50 companies commanded by Majors.

One person has died and two others sustained injuries in a knife attack in Ganabahal, Kathmandu, Monday. Police said, Sujan Shahi, 23, of Kathmandu Metropolitan City - 12 attacked knife on Rujen Shahi, 25, and his brother. Rujen and his brother Dipak Shahi,28, were taken to Bir Hospital Kathmandu immediately after the attack. Deepak has died while undergoing treatment, while Rujen is undergoing treatment. Sujan, the assailant, has also been injured after local residents attacked him after the knife attack.

A powerful earthquake measuring about 5.7 on the richter scale has rocked far-western districts Monday evening. The quake has damaged some houses in Dhangadi and Baitadi and triggered landslides in various places in the hilly districts. The extent of the damage remains sketchy. No human casualty has been reported so far. The epicentre of the quake is not known. Tremors were felt in western hilly districts and various parts of north-west India, too. Panic has gripped the far-western districts with people fearing another quake. The tremor occurred at around 5.16 pm Monday lasted for about 10 seconds, according to the Department of Mines and Geology. Our position is the whole constitution has to be put on referendum. Another quake hit the far-western districts around 8 am.