Big three to take shot at consensus

KATHMANDU, SEP 11 - The top leaders of Nepal Congress, CPN-UML and UCPN (Maoist) have agreed to begin closed-door informal meeting on Friday to explore the points of compromise on the disputed issues of constitution writing.

They said in the meeting of the Constituent Assembly’s Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee (PDCC) on Wednesday that the current modality of talks cannot ensure a breakthrough and that there should be serious discussions on the issues of federalism, forms of governance, judiciary and electoral system. As per the agreement, each party head will be allowed to include another leader from their party in the negotiation process that is set to begin from Friday.  

Cross-party leaders said since the number of attending leaders in the ongoing three-party meetings are high, the closed-door meeting will allow the leaders to hold discussions on the key contentious issues of constitution writing in unhindered manner.

The PDCC meeting also discussed about seeking more time to settle the contentious issues. Noting that it will require at least three more weeks to conclude talks with CPN-Maoist, the UCPN (Maoist) has proposed that the time should be extended accordingly.

NC leaders, however, say that 7-10 days time will suffice to forge consensus on contentious issues and CA calendar should be extended accordingly. NC leader Krishna Prasad Situala said the political parties should not demand for a longer extension as it could affect the CA calendar.

Meanwhile, CPN-UML has proposed that the agreement on extending the deadline should be decided after seeing how the talks among the parties progress until September 15. 

The leaders of the three parties have said that they will take the decision after the talks with the CPN-Maoist on Thursday.

The purpose of talks is to finalise the modality and nitty-gritty of all-party conference as well as date. PDCC resumed talks with major parties in an effort to forge consensus on key contentious issues of constitution writing. PDCC Chairman Baburam Bhattarai held talks with top leaders of major three parties asking them to intensify talks to forge consensus on contentious issues, though it may not be possible to reach a final agreement before the talks with CPN-Maoist concludes

Apple Watch, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus: Meet the bigger iPhones and Apple's first smartwatch

Apple unveiled the Apple Watch alongside two new iPhones - iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus - with sharper and larger displays, calling the wearable device the next chapter in its history. 

PCA chief apologises for his comments on Moeen Ali abuse

London: The chief of England's Professional Cricketers' Association Angus Porter has profusely apologised for his comments that England cricketer Moeen Ali should have taken the abuse from the Indian fans during the one-off T20 International as a "compliment".

In an interview on Tuesday with the Press Association, Porter said that it was better for Moeen that he "rather be booed than ignored".

"There is an element of taking it as a compliment. You are more likely to boo someone when you think they are someone to be feared. Take it as as a positive, you'd rather be booed than ignored," Porter was quoted as saying by PA.

PCA chief Porter has profusely apologised for his comments that Moeen Ali should have taken the abuse from the Indian fans during the one-off T20 International as a "compliment". (Getty Images)

However after being criticized from all quarters, Porter retracted from his earlier statement with an apology.

"I made a mistake by suggesting racism does not matter and I do condemn it unreservedly. I started by saying that in the interview but I also tried to play down the situation because Moeen does not want it to become a major issue. But in trying to play it down I succeeded in doing the reverse and I am sorry." Porter was quoted as saying by the 'Daily Telegraph'.

"It is very important that I make it clear that racist behaviour is condemned unequivocally and I am happy to say that. I think it is a fact of life for professional sports people that they will get abuse from people in the crowd who have paid their money and enjoy being anonymous in a crowd rather than on the playing field," he was quoted as saying in a statement.

According to the report in the newspaper, Moeen has told the PCA that he wants to forget the issue and move on in order not to make the situation worse if he plays against India in the future.

But his father Munir told the website ESPN Cricinfo he thought the booing was racist and based on Moeen being a Muslim.

"The whole family was looking forward to it and we thought he would receive a warm welcome. Instead, he was abused from the start. He was abused because he is a Muslim and because of his Pakistan heritage. That is disgraceful," he said.

PIL filed in Delhi High Court against the makers of 'Finding Fanny' over the usage of 'vulgar word fanny'

New Delhi: A petition was filed in the Delhi High Court Tuesday seeking a ban on the release of director Homi Adajania's new movie 'Finding Fanny' starring Deepika Padukone and Arjun Kapoor, due to the use of "vulgar word 'fanny'".

The public interest litigation (PIL) also challenged the UA certificate given to 'Finding Fanny', which is scheduled to release Friday.

The film also stars Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia and Pankaj Kapoor.

A petition was filed in the Delhi High Court seeking a ban on the release of director Homi Adajania's new movie.

The plea would come up for hearing Wednesday before a division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice R.S Endlaw.

The PIL filed by Nandini Tiwari and NGO Jai Jagriti Foundation through their lawyer Abhishek Krishna said the word "fanny" was a slang and should be removed from the movie, its songs, posters and banners.

It said the dictionary meaning of the word "fanny" was highly sexually explicit, and using the word in the movie will hurt the feelings of the citizens of India, especially minor children.

Tiwari, mother of a four-year-old, said allowing such words in films and television will pollute children's minds.

Questioning the UA certificate, the plea sought a ban on the film's release and direction to the filmmakers to delete the word "fanny" from the movie, songs and posters.

The plea was filed against the information and broadcasting ministry, the film's producer, director and actors.

Indian Army turns saviour, wins the praise of flood-hit Kashmiris, but will the perception change?

New Delhi: The men and women in olive green and their counterparts in the Indian Air Force, Indian Navy and National Disaster Response Force, who have never had a very healthy relationship with the people of Kashmir Valley, are putting their lives in danger while trying to rescue and provide relief to the flood-hit residents of Jammu and Kashmir.

Despite being the target of terrorists, separatists and always viewed with suspicion by the local populace, the Indian Army launched the relief and rescue efforts on a war footing and have come as a saviour to the people.

ALSO SEE J&K floods: India shouldn't make it a prestige issue and take UN's help, says Hurriyat

Speaking to CNN-IBN Senior Editor Anubha Bhonsle at an Army run relief camp, a team of female golfers from Pakistan, who were stranded in Kashmir said, "We have been rescued by the Indian Army. They are doing a great job." It was unthinkable just a week ago. Forget the Pakistanis, not even the Kashmiris would have praised Indian Army just a week back.

The separatists have been systematically attacking the Indian Army and maligning it for almost 30 years.

Indian Army is much maligned in Kashmir, the most militarized zone in the entire world. Indian defence forces are being seen as 'invaders' or 'the occupiers' by the local population. The separatists have been systematically attacking the Indian Army and maligning it for almost 30 years. A majority of the Kashmiris are also of the same view.

But, the devastating floods seem to have changed that perception or mindset. The same Army and other security forces are now being hailed as saviours of the marooned Kashmiris. Everybody is sending distress messages to the Army pleading with the soldiers to rescue them.

The rescue and relief operations actually started only after the Army took charge of it. The local state government led by the chief minister Omar Abdullah was clueless till the flood water entered the state capital Srinagar. According to the local people, the state government's reaction was too disappointing.

The Army which has a huge presence across the state immediately swung into action. It has so far rescued more than 50,000 people and wants to rescue everyone stuck there. It is also airdropping food packets and other essential things in far flung areas.

The Army personnel on the ground are also reaching out to the people stuck at various places in Srinagar and other parts by boats and by road. They are taking the stranded people to safer places.

Omar Abdullah, who is under fire for 'inaction', said, "No state government has planes and helicopters. It has to be from the Centre. It is a national disaster."

The separatists, who work under the banner of All Party Hurriyat Conference, have completely vanished from the scene. The same leaders who claim that Kashmir can't be a part of India and they are the sole representatives of all Kashmiris are missing in action instead of helping the marooned people.

Former Union minister and the Congress leader Professor Saifuddin Soz was heckled by angry people in Srinagar. They accused him and other politicians of doing nothing to rescue the people. The same story is being repeated all over Kashmir.

The local police force is also doing little. Most of the police establishments are under water and the equipments have also been damaged. The morale is also very low among them while the Army men are doing a great job by risking their own lives at some places. They are working non-stop.

The people in rest of India are hoping that the floods will serve as an eye opener for those Kashmiris who advocate freedom from India. They hope that the Kashmiris will now realise that only the rest of India can protect them and the anti-India sentiments will disappear slowly.

However, the vested separatist interests are unlikely to accept their defeat. They are expected to start the usual anti-India tirade once the situation in across Kashmir returns to normal.

The good thing is Indian Army has won the praise of ordinary Kashmiris for the first time since insurgency started. Hope, it stays like this.

Bus ticket bookings for Dashain open today

KATHMANDU, SEP 10 - Bus ticket bookings for the upcoming Dashain festival are scheduled to open on Wednesday. A meeting of government officials and transportation entrepreneurs held on Tuesday decided to put the tickets on sale besides postponing a planned fare hike.

The conference held at the office of the Department of Transport Management (DoTM) also agreed that ticket prices would be jacked up by 7 percent from October 18. Transportation entrepreneurs have urging the government to raise public transportation fares by at least 15 percent.

Despite the annual Dashain travel rush when hundreds of thousands of Nepalis head home to be with their families, government officials and transport operators both said that tickets would be easily available.

“People can book their bus tickets at current prices from Wednesday. Fares will be hiked only from mid-October,” said Dol Nath Khanal, general secretary at the Federation of Nepalese Transport Entrepreneurs (FNTE). People will be able to book their tickets without any hassles and serious measures have been taken to prevent trouble to travellers, he added.

Keeping in mind the festival rush when an exodus from the Kathmandu valley to the villages takes place, Khanal said that around 200 extra buses will be put into service on various routes. “Destinations having higher demand will get additional vehicles. Also, we will make sure that remote places too get abundant buses to carry passengers,” said Khanal.

According to a rough estimate, 1.5 million people will depart from the valley to celebrate Dashain at their homes this year. Around 3,500 buses are expected to leave Kathmandu on the day of Fulpati, the seventh day of the 10-day Dashain festival, said the DoTM.

Likewise, the meeting at the DoTM has also decided to limit bookings and sales to five tickets per person to prevent black marketing during the festival rush. “Transport entrepreneurs have expressed their commitment to abide by the rules,” said Mukti KC, director at the DoTM. “We will also be making monitoring efficient.”

To prevent black marketing and other undesirable activities, the DoTM has set up 10 help desks in the Kathmanduvalley and 12 more elsewhere in the country. The help desks will provide information about ticket sales and also receive complaints from travellers. The complaints will be promptly forwarded to the concerned authorities. The desks will be manned by officials of transportation offices. A monitoring team comprising staff from the department has been created to oversee the help desks.

KC added that there would be a monitoring team consisting of representatives from the DoTM, Traffic Police, Nepal Police, Federation of Transportation Entrepreneurs Association, consumer groups, trade unions affiliated with the three major political parties and the Department of Commerce who will conduct random checks.

Likewise, the meeting has also concluded that the buses should not stop at highway eateries marked by red stickers. Also, the DoTM has made it mandatory for bus owners to assign two drivers on long routes. As per government rules, bus drivers need to be changed every 250 km or 6 hours.

Meanwhile, the DoTM has booked 12 bus operators for selling tickets prior to the formal opening of bookings. “We have found 12 bus operators selling tickets during the market monitoring,” said KC.

Sebon urges NRB for coordination

KATHMANDU, SEP 10 - The Securities Board of Nepal (Sebon) on Tuesday asked Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) to coordinate with it before taking any decision affecting the share market after its cap on investments by banks put stocks in freefall.

Sebon officials told a press meet held by the Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) that they would request the central bank for proper coordination between the two regulators.

Sebon’s move follows complaints from stockbrokers that the Nepse has taken

a beating due to unclear and untimely directives from the central bank.

Sebon Director Paristha N Poudyal said they would request the central bank to work in concert while formulating such policies. He also urged investors not to panic over

the recent drop in the Nepse.

Share prices have been on a downhill course for the last two weeks after NRB directed banks and financial institutions (BFI) to limit their investments in held-for-trading securities to 1 percent of their core capital. Held-for-trading securities are shares or bonds bought with the sole purpose of selling them at a profit after a short period.

Although the central bank later clarified that the provision would not prevent BFIs from investing in other types of shares, it does not seem to have assuaged the stock market’s fears much.

Sebon Spokesperson Niraj Giri said that they were closely observing the Nepse’s recent downward spiral. “As the secondary market is dominated by shares of BFIs, a small change in policies influencing the sector brings great fluctuations in the Nepse,” he added.

Giri said that the Nepse was due for a takeoff. “The statistics of the last few years show that the market should be growing during this time,” he said. According to Giri, the market was affected largely by the presence of a small number of institutional investors at present. “As small investors are large in number, the market slumped mainly due to a drop in their confidence.”

Similarly, Nepse General Manager Sitaram Thapaliya said, “There is no reason that should affect the stock market at present.” He added that new investors in particular should consider the situation carefully before buying shares.    

Meanwhile, former Sebon chairman Chiranjeevi Nepal described the sharp fall in the stock market as abnormal. “At a time when the market needs to rise, the sharp fall is likely to bring down the confidence of investors to make further investments,” he said.