KATHMANDU: Various Nepali embassies have so far raised 900 million rupees for the quake victims. At least 31 Nepali embassies and consulate missions abroad have collected 902.1 million rupees, while four missions failed to raise a single penny, according to data released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The respective diplomatic missions have transferred some of the collected amount to Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund (PMDRF) while transfer of the remaining amount is underway. The top five fund raisers include Nepali embassies in Tokyo, Japan (Rs 316 million); Bangkok, Thailand (Rs 137 million); Seoul, South Korea (Rs 125 million); Beijing, China (Rs 88 million) and Dhaka, Bangladesh (Rs 53 million). Nepali embassies in Cairo, Egypt (Rs 268,017); Copenhagen, Denmark (Rs 263,465); Brussels, Belgium (Rs 291,699); Abu Dhabi, UAE (Rs 834,225) and Brasilia, Brazil (Rs 936,014) were stated as five least performers in terms of money collection. With a moderate diplomatic presence abroad, Nepal has 29 embassies, two permanent missions, one each in the UN Headquarters in New York and in Geneva, and four consulate missions in three countries — China, India, and Saudi Arabia.

Monitor ads, govt told

KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a writ of mandamus in the name of the government, ordering it to monitor, regulate, control and prohibit misleading advertisements about some consumer products including cosmetics, medicines, food and drinking items. A joint bench of Justices Gopal Parajuli and Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana issued the order, said Assistant Spokesperson for the Supreme Court Baburam Dahal.

Aussie aid for TLCs

KATHMANDU: The Australian government has pledged to provide AUS$ 5 million to Plan International for the construction of inclusive temporary learning centres and to assist schools to ‘build back better’ in the aftermath of the April 25 earthquake. A press statement issued by the Embassy of Australia said the earthquake had damaged 23 per cent of the country’s schools, affecting the education of one million children. An estimated 36,000 classrooms were destroyed, leading to immediate need of temporary learning spaces.