Jul 132017
 

Police on Wednesday in Kathmandu arrested a trader for allegedly selling ‘plastic’ rice.

According to Metropolitan Police Range, Kathmandu, Tanka Prasad Sherchan of Sano Bharyang-based Sherchan Brother Pvt Ltd was arrested for further investigation after the rice of RTC brand bought by Swoymabhu police was found to be suspicious.

Police said they would send the rice sample to food lab for examination.

Is ‘plastic rice’ for real?

The term ‘plastic rice’ first surfaced in China in 2010. Dubbed the Wuchang rice scandal, Chinese officials unearthed a scam by companies who passed off ordinary rice as premium Wuchang rice by adding flavours to it. The Wuchang rice, known for its unique aroma, is exported to various nations. Chinese traders are believed to have made a huge profit through this scam.

Continue reading »

Oct 272016
 

Belgian political leaders have reached a consensus on Thursday in support of the CETA trade deal between the EU and Canada, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said. Belgium is the last of the 28 member bloc that approves the trade deal.

A signing ceremony on Thursday was cancelled after the French-speaking region of Belgium, Wallonia, hold up the deal.

ceta-dealPrime Minister Michel said they had agreed on an addendum to the deal which addressed regional concerns over the rights of farmers and governments.

There was a lot of talk and debate about Walloon regional government’s concerns about trade dispute settlement courts and safeguards for farmers.

Talks between the federal government and representatives of the devolved governments resumed today and an accord was reached on the final objections.”When this happens Belgium can sign the treaty” PM Michel told a news conference. Continue reading »

 Posted by at 7:48 pm
Sep 222016
 

Wallonia (French speaking part of Belgium) is heading towards completely organic agriculture.

The Walloon Minister for Agriculture, René Collin, confirmed on Wednesday that 100% organic agriculture was a “very long term” objective, The Brussels Times reported Thursday.

organic-foodIn 2015, there were some 1,350 organic farmers in Wallonia (French speaking part of Belgium). “We may need at least 2,000 such farmers in 2020, and this is a feasible objective,” the Minister for Agriculture says. Continue reading »

Sep 162013
 

Nepal is participating as ‘Guest of Honour’ in Flanders International Trade Fair (ACCENTA) in Ghent, Belgium. The fair was inaugurated on September 14 and it will run until 22.
Nepal has been selected for ‘Guest of Honor’ among the sixty countries participating in the fair, which is one of the the largest fair of the Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxemburg).
ACCENTA-250x202There are about six hundred entrepreneurs from all over the world are participating in the event. Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister of Belgium Pieter de Creme along with Nepalese finance minister Shankar Koirala inaugurated the fair amidst a formal program on September 14
The fair, which spread in 16 thousand square meters, have a 1,048 square meter big Nepali pavilion. The main entrance have decoration of Nepali wood art. There are pictures of showing Nepali arts and cultures in all sides of pavilion. Artists from Euro Nepal Artist Association are organizing various cultural programs during the nine day long expo. There is a restaurant serving Nepalese specialities too. Various Nepali organizations organize one day long Nepal Festival as well. Of the 320 stalls, there are 60 stalls from Nepalese entrepreneurs.The Continue reading »

 Posted by at 3:06 pm
Feb 142013
 

Among the most iconic images of the Nepal conflict is the photograph of a woman embracing the body of her dead husband on a blood-stained battlefield littered with the bodies of other policemen executed after capture. Grisly as this picture is, it is another picture from Dailekh of a young girl with tears streaming down her cheek that is actually even more disturbing.

That girl is weeping silently as her mother, Laxmi, tells a press conference in Kathmandu in 2005 about the disappearance of her husband, Dekendra Thapa. Like tens of thousands of other personal tragedies of the conflict, the girl’s story would have been forgotten had it not been for the personal crusade for justice of her mother, Dailekh’s journalists and human rights activists. Continue reading »