Nepalpolls: The Opinion House

Finance Minister Surendra Pandey announces Budget for F/Y 2009/10.

2009-07-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

Finance Minister Surendra Pandey has unveiled a Rs. 285.92 million budget for the fiscal year 2009/10. Exemption limit of individual for income tax was made 1,60,000 for individual and 2,00,000 for a couple. Besides this a major change was slash down in capital gain tax from 15% to 10%.

For full study of the budget follow the link below:

http://www.ekantipur.com/Budget_speech_2009.pdf

Nepal's Minister Jumps Off a Bridge

2009-04-15T19:27:00.000-07:00

Please Click on the title to access the full story.

Maoists Not To Mend Their Ways.

2009-03-28T22:37:00.000-07:00

CPN-UML General Secretary Jhala Nath Khanal issued a threat to pull out of the coalition Government if the Maoists didnt mend their ways. He specifically asked the Government to book the criminal accused for assassination of UML's active cadre "Prachanda Thaiba" addressing a rally in Butwal as a protest against the gruesome atrocities of the Maoists. Addressing the rally taken out for the funeral procession of Youth Force Cadre Thaiba, Khanal claimed that UML could not afford to be a mute spectator.

Local Administration had clamped curfew in Butwal,Bhairahawa and adjoining areas on the wake of violence. UML cadres rallied through the Butwal Municipality and the body of Thaiba was cremated on the bank of Tinau River after the post-mortem was carried out at the Lumbini Zonal Hospital. As always the ruling Government has pledged to book the culprit and take necessary action as per the law after carrying out necessary investigation.Maoists refuted all the allegations and accusations of the UML and asked UML not to politicize the situation.

Bill Gates Regains His Lost Title

2009-03-12T22:44:00.001-07:00

With the recession deepening, last years world's richest man Sir Warren Buffet lost his title as he saw his fortune decline by $ 25 billion as the stock price of Berkshire Hathaway fell by nearly 50% in 12 months. Bill gates who had slipped to 3rd position from world number one is back again on his seat. This in no way implies that Gates survived the recession. Other billionaires were great losers than gates which made him the world richest man once again. Bill Gates only lost US$ 18 billion.

This year the worlds billionaire have average net worth of $3 billion. Current billionaire figure stands at 793 which a year ago was 1,125.Mexican Telecom tycoon Carlos Slim Helu maintains the third position but he too lost $25 billion. Its been reported that while 656 moguls lost in the past year 44 added to their fortunes. Those who gained did so by catering the budget conscious consumers and some predicting the crash.

Trading Life!

2009-02-24T22:45:00.000-08:00

The world has gotten very ‘businessy’. There seems to be no boundary to the number and nature of things you can trade on. Recent shock came to me from one news article in Wall Street Journal

Milliion Dollar Check, Widow Got None.

The news is about companies buying insurance policies for their underpaid employees and making hefty sums when they die. This one in particular is a case where a bank figured that one of its employees had deteriorating health conditions. Bank first buys a life insurance policy and then fires the employee. After four years the employee dies and bank collects a sum of more than half a million.

Full story here.

Recession:Right time to make Investment.

2009-01-25T01:07:00.000-08:00

Title though seems contradicting is true. In today's world recession is more a psychological issue than real. It's as simple as saying that the stock/bullion/real estate price will drop in a day or two and then only will I purchase. After a boom of around 6 years, speculating 2 years of recession is the work of economic pundits. Its not that recession speculations were not made until this real recession started. But the consumers rejected that school of thought and kept investing when the market was on a bull run hoping to make higher profits. Once, twice people rejected the idea out rightly. Third time population at large thought the speculations might be right and started talking of the global downturn. Media hyped the news and the news of recession did spread as a wildfire. Firms and individuals became more conservative and started using protectionism mechanism to stay immune. This in turn fuelled the much less only talked recession. So recession is really a social epidemic- A state of mind held by the population at large and certainly propagated by the media. If all the people living in the globe woke up next morning with no thoughts of recession and started acting normally as they used to before the real epidemic started, the derailed economy would come to shape. Saying this I do not mean that I will give damn to what others think and keep acting as if nothing really happened. Fearing that others will not think the way I think ,I too start thinking the way other think adding to the woes of population at large. Since the shake waves of recession has started hitting people personally, the real concern now is how persistent and how long? People's pessimism has brought down the effective demand and consumer spending ultimately. Recession phobia has left investors with accumulated cash not knowing where to invest. Mild recession shocks have brought down the economy hence creating enough avenues to make investment. Recession is the right time to buy cheap and sell high provided that you calculate the right time beyond which the market no more shrinks. So start speculating the right time when the economy hits the right bottom in order to bounce.

HOW TO MAKE MONEY?

2009-01-10T03:48:00.000-08:00

Gone are the days when the nation with the largest military was considered to be the mightiest and sole superpower. In today’s world it’s a trade off or a balance stroked out between economy and military in which economy owes more weight that determines the real power center. Current scenario is, the nations with the vibrant economies got the ability to whirl the world round at the tip of their finger and impose various restrictions to put the non aligned groups in peril just at the cost of their will. In this context, we take you on a tour to knowing how you can establish a small private business and start making money. After all we are economic people living in economic world and for us money really matters no matter wherever we go and on which part of globe we live in. Mentioned below are steps and on following those you’ll be on your way.

First Step: Business Concept

This step is of utmost importance and demands a lot of creativity. Developing any new product that will instantly sell is not a cakewalk. For the budding entrepreneur skeptical about their new ideas they can opt to buy a franchise or copy an unregistered product after paying for the goodwill that already exists. Franchise purchase must bring some extra profit without incurring any branding and promotional expense that would have to have been incurred, had you started a completely new product. Once you have decided on the business you want to start, the real work begins.

Second Step: Business Planning

The next thing you need to do is plan a business. The concept of the product you have decided to launch won’t create its niche in the market until and unless you can place a product. Appropriate marketing mix is how you can place any new product on the public. You should study the market trend and find out the trends, calculate projections and make advertising and other strategies to make your business a success. A good plan is also essential if you wish to borrow the capital needed i.e. if you are in need of external financing because it’s your plan that gives financier the idea of to what extent your business is going to succeed.

Third Step: Business Financing

With clear business plan on your hand you need some capital to conduct your business. Someone needs to finance your business. Financers may be your friend, family or external sources like banks and other financial institutions. Borrowing from friends and family may pose threat and dilute the absolutism of decision making as they tend to impose their own versions while taking any major decision. External borrowing demands regular interest payment timely which might be extra burden during the starting if the product penetrates the market at slower pace.

Fourth Step: Legal Framework

You got the concept, plan and money that requires for any business to get, started yet one thing remains. There are various forms of legal structure of any business. You may wish and register it as sole proprietorship, partnership, private or public company as you like to.

Fifth Step: Opening the doors

Now it’s high time that you get on the road and start making some money. Once you have started your business at some strategic location, you got to hire right type of employees. Once operation begins you need to take care of right way of accounting and taxes as well. Now that your business is through the start-up phase, you can now look forward to the issues of managing and organizing a small business

Over 119 Killed and 300 Injured As Terrorist Attack Rocks Mumbai.

2008-11-27T00:47:00.000-08:00

27th November,2008

Mumbai,India

Commercial capital of India"Mumbai" came under severe attack as herd of terrorists armed with guns, automatic rifles and grenades stormed in to take on the city. Terrorists approached from the southern Mumbai i.e. from sea sailing on boats and took control of the most elite and tourist hubs like Hotel Taj,Oberoi-Trident, Metro Theatre and Chhattrapati Shivaji Terminus(formerly Victoria Terminus) Railway station.Fresh gun shots rang early morning which left scores of tourists staying at these elites, mostly westerners fearful and stranded. One of the terrorist called to claim the responsibility and said it was an avenge to the prosecution of Muslims in India. He demanded that Indian Mujahideen Militants be released in exchange for the hostages. Though this city had observed such attacks in the past, this one is believed to be the most audacious,heinous and gruesome. Police, soldiers and commandos cordoned and fanned the affected area in an attempt to nab the terrorists and safe rescue of the tourist being held.

Maharastra's Chief Minster Vilasrao Deshmukh termed it as a very serious and deplorable situation and issued a public call to calm down. Well trained commandos and soldiers entered the area after few high ranking police officials and encounter specialists were gunned down by the terrorists. Unlike other attack, instead of placing the blast on hideouts, attackers seemed well planned and attacked the area challenging the security authorities. Hostages who escaped in the smoky burnt hotel apartments made a call to say that the situation was horrible and real crap.

Though situation seemed controlled after the security officials gunned down 2 and nabbed 9 attackers, some gun shots were heard in the air.

Across the world governments, top leaders and politicians denounced the violent attack. State Department of US, newly elected President Barack Obama said they were ready to work in correlation with India to wipe out what they called unacceptable violent attacks. UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon also condemned the brazen display of terror.

Relationship Between Dollar, Gold and Oil Price

2008-11-25T13:49:00.000-08:00

This is the most talked topic when we dwell on any world affairs, but very few of us really know about the correlation that exists between these three economic determinants. Gold is the real currency while dollar is only the representative hence the trend is people tend to favor gold to dollar when there is high inflation and diminishing dollar and vice versa.
The statements in the article ought not to be taken in its absoluteness because in short term there is no any clear cut cause and effect relation which makes it almost impossible to state what happens to gold price when dollar down erodes.
A: Long term trend analysis shows negative correlation between gold prices and the value of dollar but gold price does not increase proportionately to the diminishing dollar. Market is not so simple that every down-day for the dollar corresponds to an up-day for gold and every up-day for dollar correspond to down day for gold.
B: The effect may not be immediate and the lagging can sometime be attributed to the information gap and time lag which an individual wastes in doldrums not being able how to react to the changes. Daily and weekly fluctuations are not important at all as they don’t give analyst any idea of clear cut trend and interrelationship between them.
Inflationary 1970’s saw soaring of gold above $800 while dollar fell. Dollar bounced back in 1980 and rallied before peaking in 1985, while concurrently gold peaked in 1980 and dropped all the way down to $300 during the same 5 years that dollar rallied. Even in the present time with the up climbing dollar the price of the yellow metal is slowly diving down while it was at the highest when the dollar was to its lowest.

Oil has recently been used as a political tool as the fossil fuel demand is ever increasing and the developed nations cannot make without it. The developed economies are heavily dependent on fossil fuel whose reserve is limited and under the control of few Arabian and African nations. Sometime before the news of Oil and Petroleum exporting Countries (OPEC) slashing the supply in order to create high demand and thus result in high price was making the rounds of news. Moscow had cut the oil pipeline to Belarus during their conflict. This liquid, being a factor of immense importance, people seek to know the price fluctuation of it with dollar and yellow metal.
With the lowering dollar, both price of gold and crude oil are slated to rise. With the rising demand of emerging economies like China and India, the demand of crude oil does'nt seem to decrease anytime soon. This causes the price of crude to rise. With high oil price, price of commodities and cost of living increases due to inflation. Inflation causes excess flow of dollars in the market. High availability of dollar means its value gradually diminishes. At this point of time people tend to favor the yellow metal to paper currency.

President Yadav has the "Cool" he needs to keep

2008-11-11T15:29:00.000-08:00

What happens when a medical doctor becomes a politician? And then the President of one of the poorest countries in the world?
You get a 'cool' leader who knows the seriousness of turbulent times.

When everyone else in Nepal is looking for expanded role and more power, Dr. Ram Baran Yadav is doing his best to keep the unity and integrity of the nation. When asked if he thought he needed more space, he said," It is not me who will decide this issue, the constitution does it."
Read his interview here.

When media men try to aggravate him to get something that "sells", he knows how to keep things in. I am not sure if Mr Prime Minister briefed him after his numerous foreign visits.However Mr Yadav clearly said that he is being briefed regularly.
When his deputy Mr Jha is continuously in the controversy, Mr Yadav has made himself a truly wise leader of the country in need.

Time has proved that UML did not make a mistake lobbying with NC in electing this man of honor as the first ever elected President of Nepal.
Bad news, in spite of all this, is that Mr Yadav has come to realize that his Medical Profession was far more....respectful than politics.

Doctors are far more respected [in the society] than those involved in politics," he said speaking at an annual function of Dhulikhel Hospital Friday. "If I had known before that it [politics] will be like this then perhaps I would have continued to work as a doctor." Yet not forgetting his responsibility of uniting the nation he went on to add,"No matter where we live, what religion we follow and whatever caste and community we may belong to, at the end we are all Nepalese."

When will Jhas,Koiralas,Dahals,Nepals,Khanals,Khapangis,Yadavs of Foreign Minister Upendra's like and etc etc learn from this "Extra Cool" guy?
I say lets get more doctors into politics. Who knows?

Restaurant Service

2008-11-07T09:45:00.000-08:00

By Ahava Yardenah(www.helium.com)
When it comes to restaurant service, many people have many different opinions and ideas for how things should be done. Yet there are some basic things that should never be overlooked.
Waiting Staff:
When hiring waiting staff, managers should look for one thing...good attitude. Alright, two things...good attitude and good balance, but I digress. If you are interviewing someone for a position make sure they have good customer relation skills. I always include on all of my applications that I have good customer relation skills and it often gets me hired. I have had a lot of jobs in food service and customer relations are the most important part. Customer relations is important in any job where you are selling something to someone, but this isn't like unlocking a door for someone to try on a shirt. You are in charge of these people's food, something that goes into their bodies. Things that go in the body can damage it, poison it, or make it sick if not properly cared for. People do not trust waiting staff with nasty attitudes. They worry their food will get spit in, or other horrendous things that are just as gross and unsanitary. A customer should never have to deal with getting a dirty look for asking for things like: more silverware, a clean glass/plate/utensils, a new order because the one that came is wrong or cold, a re-fill for a beverage. I have gotten dirty looks for all of the above. I myself am guilty of having been a jerk behind the counter when it came to food service, and the customers didn't like it. They downright hated it and it made me feel bad. So I tried my best not to let my crankiness show through if I ever was in a mood. For me, being mostly cheerful all the time, I had customers that understood and would often ask me if I was having a bad day. As long as you are polite to people, they won't care if you are in a 'mood'. They start to care when you take your mood out on them, especially with no provocation. I know there are jerk customers in the world...but a jerk waiter is something that has no excuse. You chose the job, so like it or leave it. A good memory is also a plus for any waiting position.

BRAVE GURKHA IS KILLED IN HELMAND PROVINCE

2008-11-07T03:39:00.000-08:00

A Gurkha soldier of the British Army has been killed in a Taliban ambush in Afghanistan . The gurkha was from the 2nd battalion, the Royal Gurkha Rifles based in Shorncliffe Kent south east of England . The fallen hero, named as Yubraj Rai 28 from Eastern part of Nepal, died on tuesday when his patrol came under fire near Musa Qala . Medics fought to save him at the scene but he died from his wounds according to MOD . His next of kins has been informed.Our condolence and thoughts are to the victim family .

Obama Becomes the 44th President of the USA

2008-11-04T22:03:00.000-08:00

Barack Hussein Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States on Tuesday, as the country chose him as its first black chief executive.
Please click on the title to read the article from nytimes.com.

CA Final Students meet for a cause.

2008-11-04T20:56:00.000-08:00

18Th October,2008

K-town,Nepal

CA Final Year students of Nepal organised a dance party as part of Deepawali celebration. The venue was China and World Restaurant,Durbarmarg. By late evening everyone were on the dance floor shaking their booty to the latest singles and trynnna impress the bystanders.

The party was organised as a rendezvous and that also for a cause. The organizers raised some issues regarding hike in the monthly stipend of the Article Trainees and life insurance of individuals being sent to remote areas for the purpose of auditing.

(Where's d party tonite......?)

(Oye...Balle...Balle......)

(Can u c wat i can c?........)

(Nope mum...trust me its only fanta..hahah..)

(We are sober...and u can c it..haha...haha..)

Nepali Restaurants in New York City

2008-10-18T13:10:00.000-07:00

This post of mine is in response to the query of one of my brothers who currently resides in Sydney, New South Wales. Sanzil wanted to know if we had Nepali restaurants or bars in NYC to hang out at.I thought answering this would make a practical post for my rarely-updated page at nepalpolls.com.
On a saturday morning I set out with my slim 7.1 Megapixel Olympus and took pictures of some nearby restaurants owned or operated in part or full by people of Nepali origin.

I have included only five 'Nepali' resturants that cluster in an area of radius hardly 1/2 mile. These are located at Jackson Heights, the little India in NYC.
The most ineresting thing about these mushrooming Nepali hangouts is that three of these five places shown in the photos have some kind of musical programs during dinner hours. Nepali artists like Sapana Shree and Harish Mathema among others perform in these estabilishments.I am sure newcomers to NYC will find these places very 'Nepali'.

.

Kali Became a Halloween Idea

2008-09-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

Prachanda at Asia Society in New York

2008-09-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

Please Click on the title or here to watch Prchanda speaking at Asia Society in New York.
You might have to watch few ads at zshare.net to be able to download the video. Spend a minute or two following the link, you will get the video.

small approach to happiness

2008-09-19T00:20:00.000-07:00

Living healthy

Swami Ramdev has been so convincing in preaching that a few yogas can cure blood pressure and blood sugar. Not surprisingly if one has a will then yogas can be performed virtually anywhere. This article is mainly focuses on one technique of yoga, Anulom Bilom. This yoga complements your self discipline and boosts your self confidence. Practicing yogas as always gives you heavenly feel. This yoga should be done by sitting down with your legs crossed and putting one leg over the other which is called a Padhmasan position in Sanskrit language.

Close the right nostril with your thumb very lightly with remaining fingers pointing upwards. Close your eyes with completely composed and complete surrender, then breath in deeply then breath out via other nostril using two little fingers. Inhale deeply from the same nostril which is right nostril and exhale from the left nostril. More precisely, inhale from left nostril…….exhale from right nostril……..inhale from right nostril ……..exhale from left nostril……….inhale from left nostril ………exhale from right. Keep on doing it, this is called Anulom Bilom Yoga. Inhale deeply up to the Diaphragm and then exhale completely. Folks, your mouth should not be part of this breathing program.

This wonderful exercise proves very effective in the case of heart problems, hypertension, depression, deep feelings of insecurity, fear, and stress. In today’s society everybody is so frightened and there is so much insecurity inside man. Everybody feels very lonely. Just practice this exercise for couple minutes if possible after you get up, esp. when your stomach is empty, your bright future will knock the door with in fifteen days. That’s how you never feel insecure and unhappy. You will be able to embrace every moments of your life. You will start to live in purity.

Ladies and gentlemen, society is getting broken down, things are getting totally disintegrated, so this exercise will be responsible to making your vision of life totally positive. It will turn your life into celebration. You will be no longer working derisively at your work place but celebrating a day. Breath becomes aromatic. Your life will become very pleasing and relaxing. Your central and autonomic nervous system will start functioning very effectively. Your troubles of your mind would simply go away.

one useful lesson

2008-09-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes ago, when the ice-creams were not so expensive, a ten-year old boy

went to an ice-cream parlor. While sitting at the table, he asked the waitress,

‘’how much does a sundae cost?’’ 50 cents, she replied. The boy took out his

money from the pocket and began counting it. ‘’well, how much does a simple

ice-cream cost?’’ there were other people waiting to be served, so the waitress

began to get little impatient. 35 cents, she replied abruptly. The boy counted his

money again and said, ‘’please get me a simple ice-cream’’. The waitress served

him the ice-cream and his bill. The boy ate his ice-cream, paid his bill at the cash

counter and left. When the waitress went to clean the table she began to cry, for

there, in the corner of the plate were 15 cents …..Her tips.

The boy took a simple ice-cream instead of a sundae, so he could leave a

tip for her.

Why Executives make more money?

2008-09-07T03:34:00.000-07:00

Engineers and scientists will never make as much money as business executives. Now a rigorous mathematical proof that explains why this is true:

Postulate1: Knowledge is Power.
Postulate2: Time is money.
As every engineer and scientist knows:
Work/Time=Power
Since, Knowledge=Power and
Time =Money we have:
Work/Money=Knowledge
Solving for Money we get:
Work/Knowledge= Money
Thus: as Knowledge approaches zero, Money approaches infinity regardless of the Work done.
Conclusion: The less you know, the more you make.

(Though funny photos ought to have been posted, posted is a funny text. Even u click proceed it wont let you anywhere. This is an attempt to make it more funny. Cheers.

Mukesh’s two billion dollar home costliest in world.

2008-09-07T03:28:00.001-07:00

The 27 storey skyscraper being built in Mumbai by Mukesh Ambani, the richest person in India could be the world’s largest and costliest home with a price tag nearing two billion dollars, according to Forbes magazine. When the Ambani residence is finished in January 2009, completing a four year process, it will be 550 feet high with 400,000square feet of interior space, Forbes said in a report on its website.

The only remotely comparable high rise property currently on the market is the 70 million dollar triplex penthouse at the Pierre Hotel in New York, Forbes said in its report titled.” Inside the world’s first billion-dollar home.”

Like many families with the means to do so, the Ambani wanted to build a custom home. They consulted with architecture firms Perkins +Will and Hirsch Bedner Associates, the designers behind the Mandarin Oriental, based in Dallas and Los Angeles, respectively the report said. Plans were then drawn up for what will be the world’s largest and most expensive home: a 27 storey skyscraper in Mumbai with a cost nearing two billion dollars.

The report further noted that the cost for the Ambani residence, called Antilla whose shape is based on vaastu would be more than a hotel or high rise of similar size because of its custom measurements and fittings.

While a hotel or condominium has a common layout, replicated on every floor and uses of the same materials throughout the building, the Ambanis home has no two alike in either plans or material use, it said. At the request of Mukesh’s wife Nita, say the designers, if a metal, wood or crystal is part of the ninth floor design, it shouldn’t be used on the 11th floor, for example, it said. Atop six stories of parking lots, the living quarters begin at a lobby with nine elevators, as well as several storage rooms and lounges.

Food and wine matching key

2008-09-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

I am not a wine professional however I would like to share some tips that my mentor at International Wine Center taught me. Out of curiosity, I began to buy some bottle of wine and started to hit some experiment at my apartment. I would buy different kind of meat. Some have more fatty acid; some have white meat, while some have red meat. Coming back to the point, below here are some tips which might help wine lovers to match the wine with the food.

Match the body of the wine with the weight and richness of the food. Body of the wine is a mouth feel when you take a sip of wine and swirl in your mouth. As I am a restaurant employee, I discovered the easiest way to understand the body of the wine.

Skim milk >> light bodied >> like Riesling
Regular milk >> medium bodied >> buttery chardonnay
Cream >> full bodied >> port wine or sauternes.

Match the strength of the flavor of the food to that of wine.
Pair high acid foods with high acid wines.
Pair sweet foods with sweet wines. For instance, people drink dessert wine with dessert. For instance key lime pie with Riesling (dessert wine).
Avoid combining oily or very salty foods with high-tannin red wines because this will turn our taste into metallic taste which is one of the boring experiences.
Pair chewy and rare red meat with high-tannin wines.
Pair salty foods with sweet or high-acid wines.
pair fatty and oily food with high-acid wines
Match or contrast flavor characteristics of the food and the wine.

Very significantly, in order to match the wine, think about: body, acidity, texture/tannins, sweetness, and flavor intensity and flavor characteristics.

In Pakistan, Musharraf Bows Out

2008-08-18T11:21:00.001-07:00

Nearly nine years after he seized power in a bloodless coup, Pakistan's beleaguered President Pervez Musharraf has decided to call it a day.

Dressed in a dark suit and looking sullen, the former army chief announced his resignation in a hastily arranged live televised address. "I hope the nation and the people will forgive my mistakes," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "Every decision I made was only with noble intentions."
Musharraf maintained his composure, but occasional flashes of indignation underscored the fact that the decision to step down was hardly his alone. It came days after the four-month-old coalition government decided to seek Musharraf's impeachment and the country's four provincial legislatures overwhelmingly passed what were in effect no-confidence votes against the President. Musharraf, a former commando who has braved two wars, was plainly reluctant to surrender, but the prospect of public humiliation at the hands of his political opponents proved decisive. "The coalition has decided that I am part of the problem and not the solution," Musharraf conceded in his speech. "I could fight back and answer back, but that may have led to deepening uncertainty."
Many analysts believe that a discreet intervention by the new army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani, may have helped Musharraf make up his mind. Over recent months the army has been keen to rebuild its much-damaged domestic image and distance itself from politics. Any active effort on its part to save Musharraf would have only aroused popular disquiet at a time when the army is struggling to tame militancy in the country's wild North-West Frontier Province.
In pockets of the Pakistani capital yesterday, political activists took to the streets, exultantly raising chants against Musharraf. The scenes were reproduced in other major cities, chiefly Lahore, where political power lies with Musharraf's most devoted political enemy, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif — the man Musharraf overthrew in 1999, who now leads the second-largest party in the coalition government. Keen observers of Pakistan's turbulent years could not help but notice the irony. When Sharif's government fell, delighted Pakistanis poured onto the streets to cheer the army's intervention. Now the tables have turned. The civilian coalition government has faced down the former general, and recent opinion polls establish Sharif as the country's most popular politician.
The shift was hardly sudden. For years, Musharraf's one-man rule remained largely unchallenged, but his fortunes declined last year when Pakistan's main cities erupted in protest at his decision to sack the country's independent-minded chief justice. "Go, Musharraf, go" became a constant refrain as his popularity sank and his once isolated political opponents grew emboldened. He imposed a state of emergency last November, suspending the constitution and sacking the judiciary. Public hostility toward his regime deepened as lawyers were beaten in the streets, political activists detained and the press muzzled.
With his authority draining, Musharraf was forced to make a series of ruinous concessions. Washington urged him to broaden his political base and enter a power-sharing agreement with the late Benazir Bhutto. Musharraf allowed Bhutto to come back to Pakistan, and Sharif returned weeks later. In the face of domestic and international pressure, Musharraf had to shed his uniform — the source of much of his authority. Matters grew worse when Bhutto was assassinated in Rawalpindi in late December. And a relatively free and fair general election in February stripped Musharraf of a loyal government as his allies suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of voters.
The enfeebled President who stepped down today was a different man from the barrel-chested general who strutted across the world stage in the years after 9/11. Initially shunned by the international community, General Musharraf was embraced by the Bush Administration as a key ally in the war on terror. Religious conservatives and even secular liberals routinely criticized him for fighting "America's war." In 2003, he cheated death twice when militants attempted to blow up his car.
In his resignation speech today, Musharraf took a tone of unquestioning self-confidence familiar to readers of his highly self-regarding autobiography, In the Line of Fire. "Where was Pakistan in 1999?" he intoned. "No one knew us, no one spoke to us, and no one listened to us. Now, we have put Pakistan on the map and people take notice." Looking intently toward the camera, he declared, "This country faced unprecedented challenges. And I turned every challenge into an opportunity ... I'm leaving satisfied with my actions."
Now the focus is turning toward Pakistan's delicately stitched-together coalition government, for which Musharraf has proved a source of common enmity and cohesion. The two parties led by Sharif and Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari, could start wrangling over Musharraf's freshly evacuated seat. Zardari has deflected suggestions that he's interested, but suspicions linger that he may wish to become the next head of state — if only as a ceremonial figure. The coalition has vowed to claw back the wide-ranging powers with which Musharraf endowed the presidency.
Still, Musharraf's exit is likely to provide the coalition a significant if brief popularity bump. The Karachi Stock Exchange rose 4%, and the rupee rose marginally against the dollar. But with inflation at 25%, alarming levels of capital flight, soaring costs of food and fuel, and rising unemployment, the economic outlook remains bleak. And as Pakistan-based Taliban become more confident, Islamist militancy is a growing concern.
The coalition partners accused Musharraf of "mismanaging the economy" and allowing terrorism to flourish. But if over the coming months the weak civilian partners fail to arrest the decline of the economy and the rise of militancy, they may face a galling nostalgia for the one-man rule of the Musharraf years.

Nepal's Share Market on the Boom.

2008-08-07T03:12:00.000-07:00

7 August,2008

Kathmandu,Nepal.

Despite Nepal Stock Exchange(NEPSE) and Security Exchange Board of Nepal(SEBON) issuing regular warnings for the investors to be cautious while investing in Nepalese Share Market , NEPSE hit yet another historic height of 11128.13 points, a rise by 2.26 points or 26.30 percent from yesterdays closing of 1102.1 which was also a record high.And here is the rest of it. Reckless investment without adequate analysis may pose threats as to the sustainability of the growth.Commercial banks group had the biggest contribution to push it to this height and was led by NIB which gained 327 points per share on Wednesday.Everest Bank followed NIBL with 172 points per share. The total contribution by commercial banks contribution was 36.51 points or 3.13 percent to 1204.79 points. Partly the steep boom in the share price can be attributed to the huge profits posted by the commercial banks in the unaudited balance sheet for financial year 2064/65.

A Congolese Speaking Nepali

2008-08-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a clip of how a young man of Congo, who has never been to Nepal and has no formal education in Nepali, speaks Nepali so fluently as to astonish us.