KATHMANDU United Nation's Education Scientific and Cultural Organization has decided to award Nepal this years international literacy award to Nepal. The organization has decided to award the UNESCO Confucius award to Nepal's Informal Education Centre reported the Chinese news agency Xinhua. The award was established by UNESCO in cooperation of China.

You arrive at a bakery. It’s the evening of a national holiday. You want to buy a cake with your last 10 dollars to round off the preparations you’ve already made. There’s only one thing left in the store — a 10-dollar cake. On the steps of the store, someone is shaking an Oxfam tin. You stop, and it seems quite clear to you — it surely is quite clear to you — that it is entirely up to you what you do next. You are — it seems — truly, radically, ultimately free to choose what to do, in such a way that you will be ultimately morally responsible for whatever you do choose. Fact: you can put the money in the tin, or you can go in and buy the cake. You’re not only completely, radically free to choose in this situation. You’re not free not to choose (that’s how it feels). You’re “condemned to freedom,” in Jean-Paul Sartre’s phrase. You’re fully and explicitly conscious of what the options are and you can’t escape that consciousness. You can’t somehow slip out of it. You may have heard of determinism, the theory that absolutely everything that happens is causally determined to happen exactly as it does by what has already gone before — right back to the beginning of the universe. You may also believe that determinism is true. (You may also know, contrary to popular opinion, that current science gives us no more reason to think that determinism is false than that determinism is true.) In that case, standing on the steps of the store, it may cross your mind that in five minutes’ time you’ll be able to look back on the situation you’re in now and say truly, of what you will by then have done, “Well, it was determined that I should do that.” But even if you do fervently believe this, it doesn’t seem to be able to touch your sense that you’re absolutely morally responsible for what you next.

KATHMANDU Senior leader of Nepali Congress Sher Bahadur has expressed his optimism of getting the support of UML for forming a majority government in NC leadership before August 2. While speaking to journalists at a press meet organized at his residence in Budhanilkantha, Deuba backed up his claim by forwarding the fact that NC had supported UML leadership before this. Capitalizing on that fact, he claimed that it was now UML's turn to return that favor. He said that the "ball is in the court of UML".

KATHMANDU United Nations Mission in Nepal's chief Karin Landgren arguing that a majority government would be powerless has said that such a government cannot give shape to the ongoing peace process within the timeframe. Landgren shared her concerns with UCPN Maosit vice chairman Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai at the later's residence in Shantinagar today. According to Bhattarai's assistance during the meeting, Landgren had urged Bhattarai for taking initiatives for forming a national consensus government while claiming the limitation of power with a majority government will impair it from concluding the peace process.

KATHMANDU The members of the civil society has urged the poltiical parties of delivering the nation with a government on August 2. Claiming that a prolonged period without any government will bring grave consequences for the nation the representatives of the society urged the political parties for taking stands in favor of nation rather than their political parties. In an interaction program organized by Reporters Club, Nepal the representatives of the civil society urged the political parties for paving way for the civil society if they fail to form a government. Speaking at the interaction, President of Democratic Lawyer's Association Upendrakesari Neupane claimed the strategy of the political parties of remaining neutral in the prime ministerial election as "undemocratic". He further claimed that if the political parties continue with this strategy it "will not only make political parties and lawmakers unsuccessful but also the whole of nation will be unsuccessful".

KATHMANDU After finding it impossible to please the United Democratic Madhesi Front with oral commitments for implementing its demand, Unified CPN Maoist today formed an official notion on the demands. A meeting of the Maoist leaders today discusssed the 16 point demands that UDMF had forwarded in return of its support to form a majority government. According the Maoist vice chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha the meeting prepared a written notion of party on the UDMF demands. Declining to comment on the contents of the Maoist notion, Shrestha said that the notion will be made public once accepted by the UDMF in a press meeting. In case the Front rejects the Maoist notion, the contents of the notion will be made public by arranging a special press conference.

KATHMANDU US ambassador to Nepal Scott H. DeLisi today discussed the issues of constitution drafting, combatant integration and the developments in the prime minister selection with UCPN Maoist chairman Puspa Kamal Dahal. The meeting was done at UCPN Maoist headquarters in Parisdanda. Maoist chairman Prachanda assured the envoy that all the problems will be solved after the formation of the government. Before Prachanda, DeLisi had met Deputy Prime Minister and President of Madhesi Janadhkar Forum Bijay Kumar Gachedar at the ministry. DeLisi during

KATHMANDU SASHI KOIRALA After finding itself in ditch, Nepali Congress is cutting down the bases of the Maoist for equalizing their status. Presently Nepali Congress lacks the support of both UML and the Front. Support of both sides is necessary for NC to form a majority government. But the Maoists are in better standing. The Maoist can form a majority government if it gets support from either of the parties- UML or the UDMF. UML has already declared of not supporting a majority government and moreover its stand of not supporting an armed leadership even in national consensus government has left little hope for the Maoist from it. But the Maoist have some good relationshiip with the Madhesi Front. With some reservations on the demand made the UDMF, Maoist agree with most of the demand. If the parties reach an compromise than NC will be ditched and once again the Maoist will be forming a majority government.

KATHMANDU 29 countries, which have been habitat to Tigers are celebrating Tiger's Day today. In a Tiger specialist conference in Thailand last year, had decided to celebrate July 29 as Tigers day. On this occasion, Nepal which is home to 129 adult tigers will be officially announcing Tiger population in Nepal. The population will be based on the latest statistics. Abiding with its promise of taking steps towards Tiger Conservation, Nepal government has recently an annex Banke National Park to Bardiya National Park.

KATHMANDU United Nepal Free Students Union Revolutionary (UNFSU- R) has declared protest programs against Centre for Technical Education and Vocational Training's (CTEVT) neglect of not taking admission even after one month of SLC result. In an press meet organised at the office of Revolutionary the organization has warned of padlocking CTEVT and conducting nationwide protest if CTEVT does not opens admission soon. According to the protest schedule, the organization will obstruct the work of CTEVT for one hour on Friday and Saturday, on August 2 an interaction program on the issue, on August 3 CTEVT officials office will be padlocked, on August 8 and 9 all CTEVT affiliated campuses through out the nation will be shut down.

KATHMANDU An Unified CPN Maoist local activist was brutally shot dead yesterday in Parshuram VDC -1 of Bara district. YCL incharge and UCPN Maoist's district secretariat member Khesari Yadav was shot dead by an unidentified armed group while the while the victim was sleeping on his roof. The murder happened at around 2 am yesterday night. Keshari was shot two bullets on his chest and abdomen and breathed his last while he was being rushed to Kaleya for medical treatment.

Shiv Visvanathan One of the great indicators of any society is the creativity of its radicals and the availability of its eccentrics. Equally critical is the tolerance and understanding that society shows its dissenters. One needs the notion of human rights not just to emphasise that you are human but recognise that within that humanity, you can be utterly different. This is easier said than done, especially in a society where time begins accelerating and mobility rather than justice becomes the tuning fork of welfare. One dreams and demands the instant infrastructure of roads, refineries, dams and laboratories. A society in double quick time may be impatient with those who are slowing it down, rendering viscous its dreams of speed, desire and acceleration. Viewed within such a perspective, one can understand a society's intolerance to the dissenter. Medha Patkar seems iconoclastic and outdated, hysterical and utterly oblivious to every counter-argument. Why tolerate her? Why not harass her? It seems inevitable but the tragedy begins here.

Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has been assured of increasing grants to Nepal by the visiting Asian Development Bank (ADB) chief Haruhiko Kuroda in meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Singhdurbar today. Stressing the importance of concluding the peace process, Kuroda said that the world community was observing the peace process at close quarters and increasing ADB's investment in Nepal depended on its outcome.

KATHMANDU After 7 years the government has decided to reopen doors for employment in the war torn Iraq. The doors will be open from Wednesday . The decision was taken by the Labor ministry for saving the jobs of 30000 Nepalis in Iraq following a demand by the US CENTCOM Contracting Command that asked the Nepalese currently working there for legalizing their status. "The decision will be coming into effect from Wednesday after consultation with the Foreign minister and the Prime Minister" said the Labor Minister Mohamand Aftab Alam to reportersnepal.com over telephone today. He further informed that US embassy has assured of permitting the Nepalese in Iraq to continue their stay. The embassy welcomed the decision.

KATHMANDU At a time when United CPN Maoist are putting all their efforts together for forming a majority government in the leadership of its chairman Puspa Kamal Dahal, party's vice president Baburam Bhattarai has declared that a majority government is not capable of concluding the peace process and perform task related to the constitution drafting. He further claimed that due to that reason they were carrying out efforts for forming a national consensus government. Bhattarai is reported to have said this to outgoing British Ambassador Andrew Hall today. He further informed the ambassador of the ongoing negotiations between the parties for forming a majority government.

KATHMANDU The Natural Resources Committee of the Legislative parliament doubting irregularities in the process of providing license to foreign company for digging oil has demanded discussion on it in the parliament. The meeting of the committee today decided to discuss the issue in the parliament claiming that the license was secretly handed over to the firm in 2004. The government in 2004 had provided license to Kern Energy for digging oil in various parts of the country. The company is presently studying oil resources in Dhangadi, Karnali, Lumbini, Birgunj.

REUTERS By Augustine Anthony ISLAMABAD | A commercial Pakistani passenger plane with 152 people on board crashed in bad weather in hills near Islamabad Wednesday, and police said they expected few had survived. At least 20 people were confirmed dead when the Airbus 321, belonging to private airline Airblue, crashed in heavy rain while flying from the southern port city of Karachi. Rescue efforts are continuing, officials said.

KATHMANDU Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal is holding talks with visiting Asian Development Bank (ADB) chief Haruhiko Kuroda at the Prime Minister's office in Singhdurbar. The main agendas of the topic, according to sources will the present contribution of ADB and other areas for extending ADB cooperation. ADB is currently the biggest donor of Nepal. It has been contributing in education, town development, sanitation, drinking water and in the development of the Municipal corporation.

KATHMANDU The national Banker Nepal Rastra Bank which is responsible for supervising commercial banks, guiding monetary policy and oversee the foreign exchange rates and count's foreign exchange reserves is all set to introduce an interim monetary policy for this fiscal year. Generally the monetary policy was released by the Bank within a week of the announcement of the Annual Budget but this year as the budget has not been yet introduced, the Bank has come up with the interim policy. The policy has some reilef for real estate businessmen, loans in terms of share holdings, and has added some extra policies for providing loans for farmers for livestock farming and horticulture.

ऋषि धमला: दुई पटकको प्रयासपछि पनि व्यवस्थापिका संसदले नयाँ प्रधानमन्त्री चुन्न सकेन र आगाीम साउन १७ गते प्रधानमन्त्री पदको पुनः निर्वाचन हुँदैछ । प्रधानमन्त्री छान्ने प्रयोजनका लागी बसेका व्यवस्थापिका संसदका पछिल्ला दुई वैठकको दृश्य बडो उदेकलाग्दो थियो । दश वर्षसम्म शसस्त्र विद्रोह गरेर शान्ति प्रकृया हुँदै गणतन्त्र स्थापनासम्मको इतिहास बनाएका चमत्कारी ब्यक्तिव एकीकृत नेकपा माओवादीका अध्यक्ष प्रचण्ड प्रधानमन्त्री पदमा खडा हुनु र लगातार दुई पटक नै पराजित हुनु नमिठो क्षण थियो ।