These are some of the best stories from The Kathmandu Post (February 5, 2020). Migrant workers at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Post File Photo
These are some of the best stories from The Kathmandu Post (February 5, 2020)
Nepali officials have no plan on how to proceed with Airbus bribery revelations
The fallout from the Airbus bribery scandal has reverberated around the world as a number of countries formally opened corruption probes following the release of settlement documents by French officials. However, Nepali officials, as of Tuesday, appeared clueless.
In Ghana, a political storm erupted over accusations of Airbus payments to a relative of a government official in connection with the purchase of military transport planes, according to media reports.
Ruling party debates directly elected executive head once again. This time, it has the numbers
The ruling Nepal Communist Party is once again considering the merits of transitioning to an electoral system with a directly elected executive head, after laying the debate to rest during the drafting of the 2015 constitution.
At the concluding session of the party’s Central Committee meeting on Sunday, co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal said that the next meeting of the Central Committee, scheduled to take place within the next six months, will thoroughly discuss electoral and governance systems after consulting with experts.
Education consultancies and recruiting agencies are forcing students and labourers into taking coronavirus test
Ganga Bahadur Karki, a resident of Urlabari Municipality in Morang, already acquired a contract for a job in Saudi Arabia when the overseas employment company that was sending him abroad told him that he needed to undergo a coronavirus test in order to receive a visa.
Karki duly visited the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital in Teku on Tuesday for the test but was told by doctors that a coronavirus test was not necessary for a visa to Saudi Arabia.
Former vice-chancellors warn government to stop politicisation in universities
Former vice-chancellors have criticised the government’s attempt to curtail the autonomy of universities saying it will only worsen the situation of the already politicised higher education sector in the country.
The government in May last year introduced a bill to amend the laws governing universities, authorising the prime minister, as the ex-officio chancellor of the varsities, to initiate a process to relieve the vice-chancellor, rector and registrar of their duties if one-fourth of senate members agree. Following the criticism from academicians, the government is hesitant to table the bill in Parliament. It is under consideration at the parliamentary Committee on Education and Health.
Bagmati Province allocates budget to construct model integrated settlements
With the objective to uplift the economic status of the indigenous communities—Majhi, Danuwar and Gandharva—and to help preserve their ethnic tradition and culture, the Bagmati provincial government is constructing integrated settlements in three different districts. The model settlements will carry and highlight the communities’ cultural identities.
The provincial government has allocated Rs 45 million budget to construct the settlements. The government also aims to promote agriculture tourism in the proposed settlements by carrying out collective organic farming and running homestays.
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