ICYMI: Here are our top stories from Thursday, April 18

Here are some of the top stories from The Kathmandu Post (April 18, 2019). ICYMI: Here are our top stories from Thursday, April 18

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Post Report

Published at : April 18, 2019

Updated at : April 19, 2019 07:45

Kathmandu

Here are some of the top stories from The Kathmandu Post (April 18, 2019).

UN pushes Nepal to amend transitional justice act in a strongly worded letter

The United Nations has expressed its serious concern over the selection process of new leadership in the two transitional justice commissions and the delay in Act amendment.

In a letter from five special rapporteurs under the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights sent to Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali, the agency has sought transparency and proper consultation before selecting the members and chairpersons in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Commission on the Investigation of Enforced Disappearance.

In the 10-page letter, which was sent through Nepal’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, the rapporteurs have said the existing selection procedure lacks impartiality, independence and transparency.

Tax office says Ncell dues will make up for around half of the revenue target shortfall

The decision by the Large Taxpayers Office on Tuesday giving Ncell and Axiata seven days to pay Rs39 billion in capital gains tax comes at a time when the government is struggling to meet its revenue target.

“Another reason to fast-track the process of recovering capital gains tax from Ncell and Axiata is certainly to make up for the revenue shortfall,” a senior official at the Inland Revenue Department, a body responsible for collecting income tax, told the Post on condition of anonymity.

The Inland Revenue Department and the Department of Customs, which are responsible for collecting most of the revenues for the federal government, have reported a combined revenue shortfall of Rs67 billion against the target this year.

Nepal’s first ever satellite launched into space

Nepal’s first satellite, ‘NepaliSat-1’, has been launched into space, which will soon start rotating around the earth’s orbit to collect information about the country’s topography and earth’s magnetic field.

The NepaliSat-1, developed by two Nepalis, Abhas Maskey and Hariram Shrestha, at Japan’s Kyushu Institute of Technology bears the Nepali flag and the logo of Nepal Academy of Science and Technology. Similar satellites from Japan and Sri Lanka were also launched alongside NepaliSat-1.

India bans herb import from Nepal

For the past month, India has been strictly enforcing its prohibition of the importing of medicinal herbs from Nepalgunj into its borders, and this has severely affected local businesses.

Indian authorities said that Nepali authorities could not specify the species of the medicinal herbs within the time frame stipulated by the Indian government. The Indian government had given its Nepali counterpart six months to determine the species of the medicinal herbs.

It has been estimated that around 10,000 metric tons of medicinal herbs are stuck in godowns across the country.

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