Food Poison: Pesticide residues found in vegetables

 Nearly 14 percent of the vegetables that are currently supplied to the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market have been found with a high level of pesticide s residue making them unfit for consumption, the Plant Protection Directorate said on Thursday. 
The Rapid Pesticides Residue Analysis found out that 26 of the 187 vegetable samples contained harmful chemicals responsible for slowing down the enzymatic activity inside human blood. These vegetables were supplied to the market between June 18 and July 15. Among the 36 different crops, including potato, cauliflower, chilli and capsicum, the ones grown in Kavre, Bhaktapur, Dhading and Kathmandu contained high organophosphate and carbamate pesticide s residue.
The samples considered unfit for consumption contained the enzyme inhibition rate above 45 percent, enough to slow down or stop secretion of Acetyl Chlorine Esterase which is essential for normal functioning of the nervous system, said Dilli Ram Sharma, programme director at the directorate. Six other samples contained inhibition rate between 35 and 45 percent, which experts said could be consumed after quarantining them for three to four days.  The remaining 155 samples had the inhibition rate below 35 percent thus fit for consumption. Samples of some vegetables imported form India also had traces of pesticide s.
“The situation, however, is not as serious as perceived by the public. But we still need to control the entry of vegetables and fruits from the farmers who use chemical fertilisers on a large scale,” Sharma said.
He added that the supply of vegetables with high pesticide content has decreased since the directorate started its monitoring on June 18. 
The directorate plans to launch a campaign to destroy the produces with high pesticide content from Friday. It is also preparing to take stringent actions against the farmers using harmful pesticide s. 
Of the 350 metric tons of pesticide s imported in the last fiscal year, around 80 percent were used in vegetables farming. Pesticides were first introduced in the country in 1950s for malaria eradication.

Photo Shoot

 

A motorbike rider negotiates his way through a muddy road at Balkumari in Lalitpur on Wednesday. - See more at: http://www.ekantipur.com/photo-gallery/2014-07-09/1975/21970#sthash.DxV2Zv3d.dpuf

A motorbike rider negotiates his way through a muddy road at Balkumari in Lalitpur on Wednesday. - See more at: http://www.ekantipur.com/photo-gallery/2014-07-09/1975/21970#sthash.DxV2Zv3d.dpuf

A motorbike rider negotiates his way through a muddy road at Lalitpur on Wednesday after the rain stopped falling.

Villagers ostracise rape victim widow

A widow of Dhola VDC-2 in the district, who was reportedly raped by her relative seven months ago, has allegedly been ostracised by local people for her refusal to withdraw the case from the district court.
The victim said local people have been pressing her to withdraw the case.
“Villagers do not talk to me and bar me from participating in any social functions and festivals ever since I filed the case,” she said, adding that villagers did not even attend the funeral of her mother-in-law on Wednesday as per alleged direction of local residents Balaram Simkhada and Man Bahadur Simkhada.
The woman, who was working as an office assistant at local Baljyoti Primary School for the past six years on contract basis, said she was fired from the job in a bid to force her to withdraw the case.
She said local Sandip Simkhada, 24, raped her. Sandip is absconding.
She said she was forced to enroll her children in another school due to the incident and that local priest also refused to perform after-death ritual of her mother-in-law. “Only a few villagers speak in my favour. Some local people are pressing me to settle the case in the local level,”
she said. A local resident said they cannot speak in favour of a single woman at a time when the entire village is against her. Women rights activist Radhika Sapkota said the society has mistreated the woman. She accused police of not taking action against the guilty.
VAW victim deprived of treatment

BANKE
A 25-year-old woman of Chisapani in the district, who was allegedly thrashed by her husband and admitted to a Nepalgunj-based hospital, has been deprived of treatment as she was taken away by her family members saying that she will be treated at home.
Binita Budha was admitted to Western Hospital on Friday evening as she
sustained serious injuries in her fingers and has bruises around her body after being thrashed by her husband Ganesh. Her family members, however, took her away from the hospital at night as the incident was reported to police.
Police said Ganesh is a Nepal Army soldier but it is still not clear where has been posted. “The victim’s fingers look as if they were crushed. She also said she wanted to go to her maternal house in Mugu,” said Head Constable Netra KC, who reached the hospital to inquire her about the incident. He said the family members took her away soon after he visited her at the hospital.
According to the hospital employees, the family members asked them to discharge her saying that they would provide her treatment at home.
A group of women rights activists reached the hospital on Saturday to visit the victim but she was not there. They claimed that the victim of domestic violence was deprived of treatment.
Police said they are searching for the accused.

71-year-old widow raped

A 71-year-old widow has allegedly been raped at Butwal-9 in the district. Police said the woman is under the care of the Women Rehabilitation Centre, an NGO, after undergoing
treatment at Lumbini Zonal Hospital.
According to the victim, 33-year-old Kul Bahadur Pariyar, a local rikshaw puller,
raped her under influence of alcohol. She said Pariyar, a permanent resident of
Palpa, came to her house on Tuesday morning and raped her after tying her both hands.
Police said they arrested Pariyar and filed a case against him in the court.
Meanwhile, in Sankhuwa-sabha, police arrested 51-year-old Dawa Sherpa on rape charge from Mamling-7 in the district. Sherpa allegedly raped a woman while she was working on her farmland on Tuesday.

‘Living martyr’ Mukesh will not walk again: Doc

Duncan Maru, a research faculty at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Teaching Hospital of Harvard University, said that Mukesh Kayastha would never walk again but was receiving the optimal rehabilitation in the form of parental care and love at his own home.
Kayastha was only 14 when a shot fired during the second Jana Andolan in 2006 left him immobile and speechless.
After talking to his parents and examining medical reports, Maru gently told the guardians on Sunday that the doctors in Nepal had done their best to contain the brain injury and that there was nothing medical science could do to fix the loss of the brain tissue.
The bullet destroyed around one-third of Kayastha’s brain in the left hemisphere. The remaining brain mass suffers from hydrocephalus, a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid collects in the brain cavities, impairing neurological functions. A metal shunt placed in Kayastha’s head drains the excess fluid to his stomach.   
“At this point there is no cure for the brain loss Mukesh has suffered. He will never walk and talk again,” said Maru, also a physician at Boston’s Children Hospital.
Kayastha’s lower limbs show muscle spasticity and clonus, a neurological condition characterised by stiffness and involuntary contractions. Kayastha’s foot when pushed upwards beats rapidly, suggesting an irreversible damage to motor neurons.
Addressing Kayastha family’s long-held wish of seeing their son examined abroad, Maru warned that a trip abroad could do more harm and create complications in the patient’s health. The main threats to Kayastha’s life right now are overwhelming complications resulting from chest and urinary infections.
“An arduous journey by plane, the low-pressured cabins, the new hospital environment and its own microorganisms and a lot of poking and probing for tests could easily exacerbate Mukesh’s condition,” said Maru.
As for rehabilitation, Maru was impressed by Mukesh’s present physical condition: no bed sores, well-nourished, and healthy skin.
“A patient like Mukesh does not receive as good of a care even in the US. Instead of flying him abroad for comprehensive rehabilitation, it is better for Mukesh to remain in his family environment. All this love and care is what is keeping him alive,” said Maru.
Mira Kayastha, Mukesh’s mother, although shattered by the prognosis that her son would never walk again, was relieved to know that the care she provided was optimal and that there was no need to take Mukesh abroad.
The American physician stressed that Mukesh be treated as someone normal with consciousness and if possible, the parents should take him out on his wheelchair for short trips. Maru also suggested weekly visit from a physiotherapist and regular follow-ups with a neurosurgeon. 
“We would love to take him outside for fresh air, but there are no open spaces here. We wish the government would build a small house with a park for Mukesh. We’ve already purchased land in his name with the fund the state gave him,” said Mira.

Rhino killed in Chitwan sanctuary

Barely a few weeks after Nepal marked the second consecutive ‘ Zero Poaching Year ’, a rare one-horned rhino has been found dead in the Chitwan National Park (CNP), apparently killed by wildlife smugglers.
The poachers killed the rhino in the proposed Dobhan Buffer Zone Community Forest in Jagatpur VDC in the district on Friday night. The CNP officials and Nepal Army  personnel found the dead rhino with its horns severed on Saturday morning.
According to Tikaram Poudel, the CNP spokesman  and assistant conservation officer, the rhino was an adult male, approximately aged 25. He said the park officials and the NA personnel at Dhurba Post had heard gunshots on Friday night. A team of park officials and the security personnel, who were mobilised to scour the area, found the dead rhino the next morning.
The smugglers used a sharp weapon to sever the horn, the CPN stated, adding that a .303 rifle bullet was found between the eyes and ears of the rhino during autopsy, confirming its killing. The CNP also stated that they had found five used .303 bullet shells 250 metres from the site.
The CNP said that they had stepped up the manhunt and deployed personnel from the Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police, NA personnel posted at the park, together with a team of park officials to arrest the poachers.
It is speculated that the smugglers exploited the security situation as the incident happened merely a week after the transfer of NA personnel from Nandabaks Battalion who were in charge of park security.
Even on previous occasions, smugglers would be found active during a change of guard or transfer of NA battalions at the park. Although armymen and park officials were deployed round the clock, the smugglers succeeded in their goal. A week ago, the park had bade farewell to Nandabaks Battalion Chief Chakra Bahadur Shah, who had played a crucial role in helping the CNP achieve two successive ‘ Zero Poaching Year ’. During the farewell programme Shah had asked the park officials to stay alert as the smugglers could take advantage of the situation.
The CNP had celebrated ‘ Zero Poaching Year ’ for the second consecutive year and nature conservationists were overwhelmed by the recent achievement.

Crusher industries’ strike: Lack of sand, gravel affects dev projects

Hundreds of development projects in the districts have been affected after crusher industries stopped supplying construction materials such as sand and gravel from April 29 protesting the new provisions proposed by the government to regulate them.
Authorities concerned said the strike may leave the ongoing projects, including construction and widening of roads, incomplete, freezing their budget and increasing costs.
In Rupandehi, the strike has affected around 400 development projects being implemented under the Road Division Office with the budget of Rs 500 million. Likewise, scores of development projects launched by the District Development Committee, municipalities and VDCs have also been affected due to the shortage of construction materials.
Among the most affected projects are the construction of a 10 kilometre section of the Belahiya-Butwal six-lane road and a bridge at Yogikuti. The cost of the road project alone stands at around
Rs 910 million.
“Development projects which were supposed to be completed within May have been affected due to the lack of construction materials. Some of them have come to a
complete halt,” said Madhavjung Karki, chief engineer at the DDC.
Karki said budget released for various projects may remain unused if the ongoing works are not completed in time. Contractor Bharatjung Rayamajhi said they had been using construction materials kept in stock for the Belahiya-Butwal road project. “We would be left with no option other than halting the work if the stock is not replenished,” he said.
Likewise, Suman Yougesh, an engineer at the Department of Roads in Hetauda, said all ongoing projects of the department have come to a halt due to the shortage of construction materials. He said whatever materials they had in stock will be finished within few days.
Om Prakash Sikariya, former chairman of the Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry, demanded that the concerned stakeholders should sort out the problem at the earliest.

Hospital staffers mistake ailing boy for dead girl

Doctors and nurses at the Siddhartha Children and Women Hospital (SCWH) in Butwal, Rupandehi district, have been accused of mistaking an ailing child for a dead one.
On Wednesday noon, Bidhya Harijan of Gonaha VDC-1 in the district was admitted to the Bhim Hospital in Bhairahawa and gave born to a baby boy. The hospital , however, referred the child to the SCWH for further treatment after it did not cry right after the birth.
Bidhya’s husband Kanhaiya and brother-in-law Paramalik took the child to the SCWH and admitted him to the ICU. The SCWH officials, however, handed over the child’s body to the family at around 12pm that night, declarying him dead.
While performing final rites of the child the following morning, the family came to know that the dead child was a girl, not their son.
Then they immediately took the body to the SCWH and handed it over to the hospital . They accused doctors and nurses of being too negligent.
Admitting to their mistake, the hospital administration has formed a three-member committee to investigate into the matter.
Former Chairman of Lumbini Zonal Hospital Ram Bahadur Karki is coordinator of the committee while Dr Santosh Pokharel of the SCWH and Ram Prasad Harijan from the victim’s side are members. The hospital officials said they will make public a report about the incident within seven days.
Meanwhile, the dead child’s parents have also accused the hospital of administering medicines supposed to be given to the child of Bidhya to their child, thus causing the child’s death. The baby girl, daughter of Kamala Gautam of Nayagaun in Gulmi, was admitted to the hospital for treatment. Kamala was unaware of her baby’s death until she was handed over the body returned by the Harijans.

Frog-like Baby Was Born In Nepal

A frog-like baby was born in Nepal two years ago but died after half an hour of its birth.The neck-less baby with its head almost totally sunk into the upper part of the body and with extraordinarily large eyeballs literally popping out of the eye-sockets, was born to Nir Bahadur Karki and Suntali Karki at the Gaurishnkar Hospital in Charikot. The Karki couple is a permanent resident of Dolakha’s Bhirkot VDC.

The bizarre baby, however, died after half an hour of its birth, Suntali, the mother, informed. It was taken to the hospital after its death. The news about such a baby being brought to the hospital spread like wildfire and there were hundreds gathered at the hospital to have a look. The police had to be deployed to control the crowd.

  The baby weighed 2kg at birth and was born after the normal nine-month gestation period. Suntali, already a mother of two normal daughters, was not suffering from any illness during the pregnancy. Nir Bahadur, the father, says he does not feel any remorse for the newly-born baby’s death. 

KFC, Pizza Hut Shut Down In Nepal After Employees Threaten To Kill Managers

The Colonel may have a mutiny on his hands.
Four KFC and Pizza Hut chains in Nepal have suspended their operations after employees reportedly attacked and threatened to kill store managers, Agence France-Presse reports. KFC and Pizza Hut are currently the only fast food chains in the country since the first locations opened three years ago.
Since the end of Nepal’s civil war in 2006, citizens of the country have become increasingly open to foreign goods, but it's not the first time management at Western companies have faced backlash, according to news.com.au. In 2007, Coke, Pepsi and Unilever were involved in a labor dispute with local workers who, among other demands, wanted higher wages, Two Circles reports.
Of course, bosses in the states have faced similar threats from workers. Most recently, an ex-Wegmans employee threatened both the CEO and President of the supermarket chain via email, nj.com reports.
It does seem fried chicken and pizza have become battlegrounds of some ideologically charged disputes recently. The CEO of Papa John's was met with controversy earlier this month after he complained that health care reform would force the chain to raise the price of its pizzas. Meanwhile, Chick-Fil-A became the centerpoint of a debate on gay marriage after the president of the fried chicken chain confirmed his anti-gay marriage stance. Since the announcement, customers have both protested and supported the corporation, with some hapless employees getting stuck in the middle.
As for KFC, the corporation itself hasn’t made any statement on Chick-fil-A, but the Colonel certainly seems to have an opinion. No word on how he feels about Nepal.

Nepal's Gay Beauty Pageant Contestants Vie for 'Mr. Handsome' Title

Hundreds of gays, lesbians and transgenders on Saturday cheered on shirtless contestants competing for the title of "Mr. Handsome" in Nepal's first gay beauty pageant.
Eighteen men sporting cowboy hats, lilac satin ties and tight jeans drew wild applause as they strutted across the stage in a Kathmandu auditorium, grooving to the Black Eyed Peas pop anthem "Let's Get It Started".
The event, billed as the country's first all gay male talent and courage contest saw contestants competing for a host of titles, including "Mr. Friendly", "Mr. Personality" and "Mr. Red Ribbon" for running anti-HIV campaigns.
Biswo Raj Adhikari, a 24-year-old sociology student from Makwanpur district near the capital was crowned "Mr. Handsome" and said he was thrilled to win the title.
"My family and friends will be proud of me as I will be able to inspire other gays who hesitate to come out openly," he told AFP.
Parents and well-wishers of the contestants thronged the event organised by leading LGBT rights group, The Blue Diamond Society (BDS), cheering on participants as they answered questions about discrimination against sexual minorities.
The country's only openly gay lawmaker and BDS president, Sunil Babu Pant said: "This programme has encouraged gay men to reveal their hidden talents and will create more awareness about gender and sexuality".

"Although treatment of gays has improved in recent years, many are still not willing to come out openly," he told AFP.
He said he hoped the pageant would become an annual event. BDS held South Asia's first gay sports tournament in September 2012, attended by Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis.
Nepal is a conservative Hindu country which arguably has some of the most progressive policies on homosexuality in Asia. A landmark 2007 court ruling ordered the government to enact laws guaranteeing the rights of gays.
The country’s new constitution, currently being drafted by lawmakers, is expected to define marriage as a union between two adults, regardless of gender, and to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation

Kanchenjunga Avalanche Leaves 3 Climbers Missing And Presumed Dead In Nepal

 

Nepalese officials say an avalanche has swept three climbers and they are now presumed dead on the slopes of Mount Kanchenjunga, the world's third tallest peak.Police official Meghraj Kadel says rescuers found no trace of an Indian climber and her two Nepalese Sherpa guides after they were hit by the avalanche at 7,300 meters (23,940 feet) on Wednesday.
The Indian was identified as 35-year-old Chanda Gayen, and her guides Temba and Dawa Wanju. They scaled Kanchenjunga on Sunday and were attempting to climb Yalung Kang, a sister peak.
In April, an avalanche hit a trail on Mount Everest, killing 16 Sherpa guides in the mountain's worst disaster that led to the cancellation of the climbing season because many Sherpa guides refused work.
 

Buddha's birthplace:Nepal or India?

To hear many Indians talk, you’d think it was India, where he attained enlightenment and gave his first sermon.
But the people of Nepal know better — and they are eager to correct misconceptions about the Awakened One, considered one of the world’s most revered figures.
Next month, Nepal will circulate a new 100-rupee note with the imprint, “Lumbini: The Birthplace of Lord Buddha.” The currency is part of the government’s most recent effort to correct the record.
It comes amid protests following a promotional video on the private Indian channel Zee TV, which claimed the Buddha was born in India.
Zee TV corrected the error, but Nepal Cable TV Association blocked the channel when the new series on the life of Buddha premiered on Sunday (Sept. 8). The association’s chairman described the move as a way to prevent possible unrest in the country, which is predominantly Hindu but proud of its Buddhist heritage.
“We believe it was a mistake by Zee TV,” said association Chairman Sudhir Parajuli. “The official stand of the Government of India is that the Buddha was born in Nepal, but a few people not having sufficient knowledge proclaim that his birthplace is in India.”
Most scholars agree that Buddha was born in 623 B.C. in the sacred area of Lumbini located in the plains of southern Nepal. An inscription on a pillar erected by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in 249 B.C. testifies to it.
Still the misconception persists.
In 2010, Indian-American journalist Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN’s flagship foreign affairs show and editor-at-large at Time magazine, sparked protests in Nepal for stating in a book that the Buddha was Indian.
And just this Monday (Sept. 9) at a Buddhist function in Delhi, the state’s Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit referred to the Buddha, saying, “India has been fortunate that he was born here and today we find that his message spread to millions of people brings them solace and comfort all over the world.”
In April, a former TV journalist from Nepal, Rabi Lamichhane, returned to his country from the United States determined to clear the record. He did so by staging a marathon talk show that lasted 62 hours and 12 minutes titled “Lord Buddha was born in Nepal.” The marathon was certified by the Guinness World Records as the longest talk show.

A Raw Look Inside The Life Of A Nepalese Honey Hunter

     High in the Himalayas, an ancient honey hunt harkens back to a time before industrialized bee farms, pollination woes and colony collapse disorder.
Photographer Andrew Newey spent two weeks living among the Gurung people near Nepal's Annapurna mountain range, documenting a sacred tradition of honey collection that dates back to 11,000 B.C. His photos reflect a disappearing tradition as climate change and tourism make each year of hunting that much harder.

Using precision and skills mastered over many years the ‘cutter’ jousts tentatively at a bee’s nest with a sharpened stick known as a tango.


Once the bees have been smoked out of their nest the honey hunter is able to cut the exposed honeycomb away from the cliff face.


As the honey hunter descends the rope ladder, the blood, blisters and bee stings that are synonymous with this treacherous tradition become visible.