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VOL. 28, NO. 16, Dec 26, 2008 (Poush 11 2065 B.S.)
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THE FOREIGN MINISTRY HAS TAKEN a strong exception to the news reports that appeared in a section of Pakistani media alleging that Ajmal Kasab – the youth arrested for his involvement in Mumbai attacks – was once arrested in Nepal and handed over to India. In a statement issued by the Ministry, it has expressed profound dissatisfaction over a news item published in Pakistan's daily newspaper 'The News" on December 15 with the headline 'Ajmal Kasab kidnapped from Nepal before 2006.' The Ministry has said the news was baseless and was published only to negatively portray the image of the country. "The Ministry hereby refutes the news report in the strongest term and states Ajmal Kasab was neither arrested in Nepal nor was he handed over to any other country," the Ministry stated.
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| Chairman of China Study Centre Madan Regmi (Centre)hosting reception to welcome new Chinese ambassador Qiu Guohong (Left)Minister of Information Communication Krishna bahadur Mahara |
THE BIR HOSPITAL HAS SUCCESSFULLY carried out a kidney transplant operation. The hospital got the success following four years of unsuccessful attempt. This was the second attempt made in the hospital. Following the success of the operation, the Bir has become the second hospital in the country to successfully carry out transplant kidney transplantation. The hospital transplanted kidneys of two persons on December 12. According to the hospital, the health condition of those who donated kidneys and those who transplanted are normal in the last five days. Organizing a press meet in the capital on Wednesday, Bir Hospital officials said that a team of surgeons comprising of Dr Sandip Gulariya of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Dr Bijaya Kumar Sharma, Dr Damodhar Pokharel, Dr Bisworaj Joshi, Dr Pukar Chandra Shrestha and Dr Paras Mani Shrestha had transplanted two kidneys in Bir Hospital on December 12. The team had carried out kidney transplants on Sujit Bhattarai from Jhamsikhel and Dawa Tamang from Okhaldhunga. Maha Laxmi Bhattarai (the mother of Sujit) and Kale Tamang (elder brother of Dawa Tamang) had donated their kidneys to the recipients. Bir Hospital had earlier in November 2004 made the first attempt to transplant a kidney on Pradip Chaudhari but it failed. "It is our second attempt after a four- year gap, and we succeeded. Now, we are determined to continue such operations in the days to come," said Surgeon Dr Pokharel, the head of Surgery Department at the Bir. Claiming the transplant was a 'teamwork', Dr Prabin Mishra said that entire staff of the hospital equally share the credit of success. "Even the Ministry of Health (MoH) has given us assurances of cooperation for its continuation," he said. Following the government's permission to carry out kidney transplants in the country given on August 4 this year, the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH), Maharajgunj, had done a transplant operation successfully within a week. TUTH has carried out 15 kidney transplants to date. TUTH charges of Rs 350,000 for a transplant, compared with over Rs 1 million that needs to be spent if one goes to India for a similar surgery. However, it costs only Rs 250,000 at Bir Hospital, according to Dr Pokharel. According to the MoH, there are over 600 persons in Nepal who have undergone kidney transplant operations so far by going to India and other countries.
A REPORT BY FINNISH FORENSIC EXPERTS has stated that they found traces of human remains – minimum one male individual – from among the samples they took from Shivapuri to Finland lab for further tests a year ago. The samples were taken from Alle area in Shivapuri forest where the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had initiated investigation after receiving complaints that the site could have been a burial place for some of the disappeared persons. "The tests in Finland have confirmed there were human remains – at least of one male – from among the samples," said NHRC member and spokesperson Gauri Pradhan. "However, the report rules out the possibility that there could be mass grave in that area. No trace of human remains were found in other samples," he said. Pradhan said NHRC will now initiate further investigation to find out if the remains belonged to any of the 43 people said to have been disappeared from Bhairabnath and Yuddha Bhairab battalion of Nepali Army (NA) and whose whereabouts are still unknown. "We have submitted a technical report. From among six samples, we could successfully extract a DNA from one," said Professor Helena Ranta of University of Helsinki who along with Professor Pekka Saukko of University of Turku had conducted tests in modern facilities.
RENOWNED LITTERATEUR RAMESH BIKAL passed away at the age of 81 in the capital on Wednesday (Dec 17). He took his last breath at the Nepal Medical College in Jorpati at around 4.15 pm. According to family sources, Bikal was ailing from diabetes, asthma and hypertension since a long time. He had been hospitalized for 12 days. Bikal contributed immensely in Nepali story-writing sector. Footpath Ministers, Lahuri Bhainsi and Swana Bajyaa are some of his famous stories. His novel Abiral Bagdachha Indrawati is also popular among readers. The novel was made into a television serial as well. Bikal has published about one dozen books of poems. Besides writing, he was interested in painting and singing. He is survived by two sons and four daughters.
