These are some of the best stories from The Kathmandu Post (February 6, 2020). Students picket Chitwan Medical College demanding that the Medical Education Commission take action against their college. Post File Photo
Some of the big stories from today's The Kathmandu Post.
Crucial meetings and projects with China pushed back after coronavirus outbreak
As coronavirus spreads across the world, crucial governmental meetings with China scheduled for February and March, along with a number of Chinese-led infrastructure projects, hang in the balance in Nepal.
So far, four meetings with the Chinese, including one led by the Finance Ministry, have been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, said Sushil Lamsal, deputy chief of mission at the Nepali Embassy in Beijing.
An official at the Finance Ministry confirmed that a bilateral meeting that would discuss Chinese assistance to Nepal and the expediting of Chinese-led projects had been cancelled by the Chinese.
Three former ministers among 175 individuals indicted over Lalita Niwas land scam
After a nearly year-long investigation, the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority on Wednesday filed corruption cases against 175 individuals at the Special Court, including three former ministers, over the illegal transfer of government land at Baluwatar in Kathmandu into the hands of private individuals.
Former deputy prime minister and minister for physical infrastructure and transport Bijay Kumar Gachhadar, and two former land reforms ministers Dambar Shrestha and Chandra Dev Joshi face corruption charges over the infamous Lalita Niwas scam.
Following the filing of a corruption case, Gachhadar, a senior Nepali Congress leader, has been automatically suspended as lawmaker as per the Corruption Prevention Act 2002. He was elected from Sunsari.
Durga Nath Sharma, journalist behind the popular world affairs show, is dead at 72
Durga Nath Sharma, the venerable broadcast journalist whose voice resounded through the homes of thousands of Nepalis, bringing the most complex news from around the world through weekly foreign news programme, died on Wednesday in Kathmandu. He was 72.
Sharma died at around 11 in the morning while undergoing treatment at the Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Centre.
For many Nepalis growing up in the 1990s, Sharma's weekly show on Nepal Television, Bishwo Ghatana, was their introduction to world affairs. In a stately voiceover, Sharma would present the week's most significant news, ranging from conflict in the Balkans to developments in the Middle East.
Medical colleges continue to overcharge students while authorities remain passive
Despite receiving complaints of some private medical colleges charging exorbitant fees from their students, the Medical Education Commission hasn’t taken any action against the colleges.
Students have alleged that other than issuing statements, the commission has largely remained passive.
On Sunday, a group of students from Nepalgunj Medical College had filed a case at District Administration Office, Banke, claiming that the college had been charging them an additional fee of Rs 300,000 under the heading of internship fee and security deposit.
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