Binita Baral sells organic vegetables at Trishara Hotel, Lazimpat

Actress Binita Baral is currently (on December 14, 2013) selling organic vegetables, she has grown herself in her farm, in a hotel in Lazimpat. Binita and the team is stationed at Trishara Hotel, located near the French Embassy.

On Saturday, Binita remains at the site from 11 AM to 2 PM.

In a message Binita asks everybody to eat organic and live healthy.

400 Nepali migrants await repatriation

DOHA , DEC 10 - Police in Qatar have taken 400 migrant Nepali workers to the ‘deportation centre’ after they began a protest against their employer Exblowra Company, asking the Qatar i authority to arrange for their safe passage home.

The workers claimed that the company did not provide them agreed salary and food allowance.

The company on Thursday shifted the Nepali workers from its labour camp in Al Shahaniya to a new location in New Sailiya.

“Our basic salary is 450 riyals and there is no food allowance. The company does not provide at the new camp and there is no shop nearby,” said Ramendra Mahato of Siraha who has been working at the company for the past six years.

The police cordoned off the camp on Friday after the disgruntle workers intensified their protest to press their demands.

“We demanded to provide a  basic salary of 900 riyals and additional 300 riyals for food as fixed by the government. We decided to return home as the company failed to address our demand,” said Ram Babu Yadav of Dhanusha, adding that the company had even charged them for visa.  

Labour attaché Indra Dev Pandey at Nepali Embassy in Qatar said that the company agreed to raise the salary but the workers could not be convinced.

He informed that the workers would be repatriated to Nepal once the company provides their perks and salaries. “We will arrange air tickets and start sending them home from Tuesday,” said Pandey.  (#Source: eKantipur.com)

Govt to issue bonds, savings certificates

The government will issue foreign employment bonds, national savings certificates and development bonds worth Rs 7.25 billion this month.

According to Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), national savings certificates worth Rs 1 billion, foreign employment bond worth Rs 250 million and development bonds worth Rs 6 billion will be issued on Dec 9, 16 and 19 respectively.

While the initial two bonds will mature in five years, development bonds will have a seven-year maturity period.

Banks and financial institutions, contractual savings institutions and individuals can subscribe to the development bonds while the national savings certificates are targeted at individual citizens and non-profit organizations.

Foreign employment bonds are targeted at migrant workers. While the interest rate for the development bonds will be fixed through competitive bidding, the government has fixed the interest rate for the national savings certificate at 8 percent. The interest on foreign employment bonds has been fixed 9 percent.

With the government preparing to issue foreign employment bonds worth Rs 1 billion this fiscal, they will be issued under the ratio of 25:50:25. The government aims to issue development bonds worth Rs 26 billion, national saving certificates worth Rs 4 billion this fiscal.

The government has made an early start in raising internal loans this year despite having abundant idle funds in its treasury.

According to an NRB official, the government has Rs 40 billion in its treasury.

The government had issued development bonds worth Rs 3 billion in mid-November which was oversubscribed eightfold.

Gold plunges delighting wedding shoppers

Gold plunged Rs 1,000 per tola on Tuesday as world prices tumbled with investors turning away from the yellow metal and moving towards stocks. Bullion traders said the fall in prices would help boost sales of the yellow metal as the wedding season was underway.

Gold has been going downhill for two consecutive days this week. On Monday, the price had decreased by Rs 300 per tola. The precious metal was traded at Rs 52,700 per tola on Tuesday, down from Rs 53,700 per tola on Monday.

International trends strongly influence local gold prices. On Tuesday, gold prices in the international market fell US$ 27.8 per ounce. Gold was traded at US$ 1219.70 per ounce on Tuesday, down from US$ 1247.50, according to the international media.

Market watchers attributed the sharp fall to investors abandoning gold in favour of the share market with the strengthening of the US economy.

Meanwhile, the fall in prices has brought cheer to local buyers during the ongoing marriage season when sales of the precious metal jump due to massive purchases for making bridal jewellery. According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers Association (Fenegosida), daily sales have surged to 35-40 kg from 30-35 kg last week.

Despite the surge in sales, traders have complained that the central bank has not allowed banks to import adequate amounts of gold . The central bank has fixed a daily quota of 20 kg for domestic consumption. Traders said that the quota system had given rise to informal trading of gold in the market.

Tej Ratna Shakya, special member of Fenegosida, said the quota imposed by Nepal Rastra Bank had given rise to black marketing. According to Shakya, the domestic market’s daily requirement of gold   stands at 15-20 kg per day in normal situations which rises by 50 percent during the wedding season.

He said that the central bank’s import quota of 20 kg a day was not sufficient during the wedding season. Gold demand picked up on Tuesday due to the fall in prices, according to traders.

Bikash Jodhani, director of Jay Mata Di Gold Palace at Bishal Bazaar, said wedding shoppers were thronging gold shops but they were still watching the fluctuating market prices.” Traders said people were waiting for prices to fall further.

Meanwhile, silver prices also fell Rs 25 per tola. The white metal was traded at Rs 835 per tola on Tuesday against Rs 860 per tola on Monday on the domestic market. (eKantipur.com)

Amazon Delivering Packages Using Drones/Aircraft- Home Delivery Service 2014

Amazon.com is testing delivering packages using drones, CEO Jeff Bezos said on the CBS TV news show 60 Minutes Sunday. The idea would be to deliver packages as quickly as possible using the small, unmanned aircraft, through a service the company is calling Prime Air, the CEO said.