ICYMI: Here are our top stories from Friday, December 27
Here are some of the top stories from The Kathmandu Post (December 27, 2019). The Central Investigation Beureau unveils mobile phones, laptops and other devices confiscated from the arrested Chinese nationals, in Kathmandu on Wednesday. Anish Regmi/TKP
Here are some of the top stories from The Kathmandu Post (December 27, 2019).
Arrest of 122 Chinese nationals was not a ‘joint operation’, security agencies say
Nepal has objected to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s statement that the arrest of 122 Chinese nationals from various parts of Kathmandu was the result of a “joint operation” between Nepali and Chinese police.
In a massive crackdown, the Nepal Police, acting on a tip-off from Interpol and the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu, arrested 122 Chinese nationals on Monday for their alleged involvement in cyber fraud and online gambling, among other charges.
Fall in arrivals by air during peak tourist season does not bode well for Visit Nepal 2020
Foreign tourist arrivals to Nepal by air fell drastically in November, the country’s peak tourist season, recording the worst decline ever in a single month. The largest drop in a single month earlier was in November 2001 due to the royal massacre on June 1 that year.
According to the Department of Immigration, tourist arrivals plunged 17.46 percent to just 98,548 individuals in November. That means Nepal lost 20,851 tourists in a single month, despite the peak tourist season and optimism that the 2019 South Asian Games would boost arrivals. The South Asian Games ended on December 10.
At this Dhulikhel institution, dal-bhat reigns supreme
Kathmandu might have Jimbu Thakali and Tukuche Thakali Kitchen but the neighbouring town of Dhulikhel boasts a dal-bhat joint that is almost as popular. Located right in the centre of town, Chapro, touted as Dhulikhel’s most popular eatery for dal-bhat, serves an average of 200 plates of dal, bhat, tarkari every single day. The restaurant’s popularity has even earned it a spot on Lonely Planet’s list of restaurants to eat at in Dhulikhel.
As a tumultuous year for our neighbourhood comes to an end, for Nepal, it’s been a year marked by a bilateral high and a superpower tussle in Kathmandu’s power corridors. The visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping was the peak of ‘brand Nepal’ in many ways; the visit is expected to kick-start several dormant agreements, as well as bring in more tourists, greater investments, and more people-to-people exchanges.
As our northern neighbour makes further inroads into Nepal and the world, here are a few books that help decode modern China.
Government amends public procurement regulation for the fourth time in seven months amid pressure from the contractors
The government has amended Public Procurement Regulation for the fourth time in the last seven months, fulfilling at least two demands of public contractors.
The government’s spokesperson and Minister for Communication and Information Technology Gokul Baskota confirmed that the Cabinet meeting on December 23 amended the regulation.
Overall, it is the ninth amendment to the regulation.
9.6°C Kathmandu
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