Nepal Highlights

A fire has started in Bhutanese Refugee Camps located in Goldhaap, Jhapa Tuesday morning. The fire that started at about 7.45 am this morning has destroyed over 500 huts at time of filing this news. Fire-fighters and security personnel have not reached the site to douse the fire. For more information see: http://www.bhutannewsservice.com/

State Affairs Committee (SAC) of the Legislature Parliament has directed the government to prepare a strategic action-plan to improve the security situation of the country within 15 days, Monday. A meeting of the committee at Singha Durbar this afternoon also directed the government to work out strategy to convert the prisons into rehabilitation centres.

Veteran Nepali Congress leader and two-time Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai passed away at the age of 87 on (day). He breathed his last at the Norvic Hospital, Thapatali, at 11.26 pm while undergoing treatment.

Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) chairman Upendra Yadav met UCPN (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Thursday to discuss the possible power-sharing.

Former Crown Prince Paras Shah is going to Chitwan Thursday for a hearing on a case filed against him at the District Administration Office (DAO), Chitwan.

A Standing Committee meeting of the Unified CPN (Maoist) Thursday morning called to pick ministers to represent the party in the Jhala Nath Khanal cabinet failed to pick the ministers and has been postponed for later today. The meeting was postponed without finalizing the list of ministers as chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal was scheduled to leave for Gulmi to inaugurate a function there.

Indian Currency (IC) worth more than NRs 19 billion was withdrawn from accounts in Nepali banks through various ATMs in India in the first five months of the current fiscal year, Nagarik daily reported quoting Nepal Rastra Bank officials. The amount is more than four times withdrawn the same way in the first five months of the previous fiscal year.