ICYMI: Here are our top stories from Monday, November 18

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

Nepalis line up outside the Department of Passports to apply for their document. Post Photo: Keshav Thapa

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Post Report

Published at : November 18, 2019

Updated at : November 18, 2019 16:08

Kathmandu

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

Oli to offer party reins to Dahal in exchange for his own men in cabinet

Prime Minister and Nepal Communist Party Co-chair KP Sharma Oli, who appeared to have been in a bid to consolidate power despite his weakening health, now seems to have decided to make some concessions.

While Oli is going to keep governance issues with himself through his trusted leaders, particularly Ishwar Pokhrel, who is deputy prime minister, minister for defence and also a party secretariat member, he will allow Co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal to look after party affairs.

Cheaper readymade garments eating into small-scale tailoring businesses

According to tailoring and fabric shops, their business has declined around 50 percent over the last five years due to the market overflowing with readymade garments at cheaper prices.

The major reason for people’s increasing attraction toward readymade garments is that they are available in several sizes and designs, catering to all age groups and reasonably priced.

International aviation regulator to conduct full safety audit in Nepal in May

The International Civil Aviation Organisation will conduct a full safety audit in Nepal from May 10-20 under its universal safety oversight audit programme, sources privy to the matter said. The last such assessment was done 10 years ago.

According to two sources who spoke to the Post on condition of anonymity, officials of the Montréal-based UN specialised agency will check if Nepal’s civil aviation body has followed the recommended practices and standards for airline safety, and addressed previously identified safety concerns.

As passport crisis looms, government scrambles to negotiate deal for secure printing press

With the country’s stock of passports fast depleting, the government is looking at an administrative crisis that could derail the plans of thousands of migrant workers, students and travellers in coming months.

Officials at the Department of Passports say they only have 750,000 passports in stock, which could barely last six months. Among the three passport categories—diplomatic, official and ordinary—the department will soon be running low on official passports as two battalions of Nepali personnel are gearing up for peacekeeping operations abroad, according to two officials at the department.

Jordan’s garment sector remains barred for Nepali workers over low wage issue

The demand for Nepali migrant workers in Jordan’s garment sector has remained blocked for the past one and a half years due to a government stipulation that mandates labour demand letters to be first approved by Nepal’s diplomatic missions in labour destination countries.

The government introduced the new rule in May 2018. Since then, the demand for Nepali workers in the garment sector in Jordan has dropped to zero. Jordan is considered a comparatively safer labour destination for Nepali women.