Scribe in poll fray

BHAKTAPUR: Journalist Bikal Shrestha has filed his candidacy for the post of the vice-mayor of Bhaktapur Municipality in the civic polls scheduled to be held on February 8. Publisher-editor of the Nepal News Weekly published from Bhaktapur and Chairman of the Federation of the Nepalese Journalists, Bhaktapur branch, Shrestha said he filed his candidature on behalf of journalists. The FNJ, Bhaktapur, has supported his move. — RSS

Biyogi cremated

KATHMANDU: Minister of State for Communication, Shreesha Shumshere Rana, visited the Pashupati Arayaghat on Sunday to offer his last respects to the former chairman of the Editors’ Society and seniormost journalist late Govind Biyogi. Journalists, including FNJ president, paid their last respects to the late scribe. A meeting of the Editors’ Society called here on Sunday declared the closure of the office for three days to mourn Biyogi’s death. — RSS

GHRD chief felicitated

KATHMANDU: Minister of State for Information and Communications, Shrish Shumsher JB Rana, felicitated Chairperson of ‘Global Human Rights Defence-GHRD’, Shradhananda Sheetal, at a function organised here on Monday. The GHRD was founded following the International Conference on ‘Rights of Refugees and victims of racial and religious violence’ held in Netherlands in 2003. It aims at fighting against rights violations. — RSS

Health team in Humla

KATHMANDU: The Department of Epidemiology and Disease Control stated that two teams of health workers were sent to Humla District on Monday to check the spread of influenza in Barahi, Lali and Thehe VDCs. Acting Director of the Department Dr Manas Kumar Benarjee has confirmed that four persons have died of Pneumonia at Thehe. Meanwhile, quoting Padam Bahadur Shahi, our correspondent in Humla, reports that 10 persons have died in Jarai. Likewise, seven persons in Lali , three each in Thehe and Kharpunath have died of influenza. — RSS

Employees’ plea

KATHMANDU: The employees of the Singhdurbar Vaidhyakhana Development Committee have appealed to the concerned bodies for saving the Vaidhyakhana from closing down. The Vaidhyakhana with a 300-year long history is the only state-run institution in the country producing Ayurvedic medicines. According to the employees, the mere existence of the institution is presently at stake owing to its inability to give continuity to the production of most of its medicinal products. — RSS