Roundup of Economic & Business News (Jan 1-Jan 31)

Jan 1
Tourist arrivals exceed half million (ekantipur.com)
Petrol becomes available, at last (ekantipur.com)
Finance Ministry releases Rs 54.66 b in five months (Nepalnews.com)
LPG subsidy in offing for students (ArthaExpress.com)

Jan 2
Housing emerges as most lucrative investment (ekantipur.com)
Investors chase after ADB/N share options (ekantipur.com)
Private firms thrilled over deregulated LPG (ekantipur.com)
500 Nepali workers died in gulf countries in 2007 (Nepalnews.com)

Jan 3
Can Valley await ‘multipurpose’ Melamchi? (ekantipur.com)
Govt mulls cash relief on LPG and kerosene (ekantipur.com)
Paddy prices jump on short supply (ekantipur.com)
Gold prices touch all-time high (ekantipur.com)

Jan 4
15 hrs a week power cut from Sunday (ekantipur.com)
BoP deficit may lead to crisis in forex reserves (ekantipur.com)
Handicraft exports from eastern region up (ekantipur.com)

Jan 5
Dairy farmers demand govt support (ekantipur.com)
MoFA help sought to check illegal labor exit (ekantipur.com)

Jan 6
124 MW free energy sought from Arun III, Upper KarnaliOne project per developer
Minister says Arun III, Upper Karnali will proceed despite Maoist opposition (Nepalnews.com)
New package for margin lending in the offing (Nepalnews.com)
Nepal Telecom's shares to be floated at Rs 600 (Nepalnews.com)
Minister promises 5,000 MW in 10 years (Nepalnews.com)
Experts consider new tourism product (ArthaExpress.com)

Jan 7
EPF set to invest Rs 12b in Upper Tamakoshi (ekantipur.com)
NT to slash rates from Feb 13 (ekantipur.com)
NAC has new chairman, MD (ekantipur.com)
Industrial Security Force soon: Mahat (ekantipur.com)
Karnali employment plan ‘a total failure’ (ekantipur.com)
AEPC gets Rs 32m for cutting CO2 emission (ekantipur.com)
Govt issues guidelines for network marketing (ArthaExpress.com)

Jan 8
Japan opens door to Nepali workers (ekantipur.com)
Varun to build luxurious Condos in Kathmandu (ekantipur.com)
Supply fluctuates in tandem with NOC payments (ekantipur.com)

Jan 9
Time to adopt blended fuel (ekantipur.com)
36 hours a week load shedding from today (ekantipur.com)
Nepal, Korea to sign pact on language test for workers (ekantipur.com)
Maoist chiefs tell traders not to worry (ekantipur.com)
Govt okays Oil Bonds issue (ekantipur.com)

Jan 10
Govt readies Rs 3b cash to bail out NOC (ekantipur.com)
SAFTA signatories discuss non-tariff barriers (ekantipur.com)
Processed tea production surges (ekantipur.com)
Minister Nepal wants Rs 40 billion budget in education (Nepalnews.com)
Maoists to promote private-public partnership (Nepalnews.com)
Microfinance summit on Feb 14-16 (ArthaExpress.com)
Nepal should harness wind power (ArthaExpress.com)

Jan 11
Taxi fare raised to Rs 20.50 per km (ekantipur.com)
Sanima to issue 20pc rights share (ekantipur.com)
India aid of Rs 29.84 million for road in Dhanusha (Nepalnews.com)
Govt readies Rs 3b cash to bail out NOC (ArthaExpress.com)

Jan 12
Days of cheap loans may end soon (ekantipur.com)
Workshop on mutual fund ends (ekantipur.com)
International job fair turns ugly (Nepalnews.com)
HTPL, NITDB sign supplementary accord (ArthaExpress.com)

Jan 13
Interview: RJ Group plans KFC, Pizza Hut in Nepal (ekantipur.com)
NMBFL to upgrade to commercial bank (ArthaExpress.com)

Jan 14
Yeti Airlines to go international (ekantipur.com)
Low on fuel again (ekantipur.com)
ADB pledges Rs 6.29 billion grant aid to Nepal (Nepalnews.com)
Industrialists warn of stir if problems not solved (Nepalnews.com)

Jan 15
Nepal loses Rs 2.17 b annually in disasters (ekantipur.com)
Vegetable prices plunge amid glut (ekantipur.com)
Rice shoots up to new high (ekantipur.com)
Govt decision to give Rs 1 million to MPs to be challenged in court (Nepalnews.com)
Nepali team to visit Israel (ArthaExpress.com)

Jan 16
No mechanism in Nepal to check bird flu (ekantipur.com)
SMEC to clarify West Seti stance by Jan-end (ekantipur.com)
Govt requests 3 billion rupees from donors (ekantipur.com)
Govt working to scrape Rs 8b for extra expenses (ekantipur.com)
NAC lacks pilots (ArthaExpress.com)
RBB management team gets extension (ArthaExpress.com)

Jan 17
NT shares auction hits small investors (ekantipur.com)
Tatopani customs to get new facilities (ekantipur.com)
‘Govt should take over Bishal Bazaar management’ (ekantipur.com)
Maoists close down Nagarkot hotels (ekantipur.com)
Khetan Group diversifies (Nepalnews.com)

Jan 18
4 new life insurance companies to open (ekantipur.com)
5.5pc growth achievable: NPC (ekantipur.com)
Nagarkot hotels back in business (ekantipur.com)
CAN unveils 2008 InfoTech schedule (ekantipur.com)

Jan 19
Nepali organic veggies in demand in India (ekantipur.com)
UTL starts pre-paid from today (ekantipur.com)
Govt to introduce programs for cooperatives (ArthaExpress.com)

Jan 20
Ministry starts talks with GMR for Upper Karnali (ekantipur.com)
Nepal, Qatar sign labor protocol (ekantipur.com)
Interview: ‘Days of low interest rates are ending’ (ekantipur.com)
BATAS' new showroom (ekantipur.com)
Govt refutes media reports of PM’s involvement in Indian currency racket (Nepalnews.com)
Ayurvedic medicines likely to be produced from yarchagumba soon (ArthaExpress.com)
Govt to help private sector build capacity (ArthaExpress.com)

Jan 21
India to provide only 15 MW of promised 40 MW (ekantipur.com)
Prices of major fuels up (ekantipur.com)
ADB/N to cut accumulated losses within 5 years (ekantipur.com)
Lasting peace prerequisite for economic development (ekantipur.com)
Yeti to begin int'l flights today (ekantipur.com)
NRN's plans to invest in hydro-electricity sector go kaput (Nepalnews.com)
Land price shoots up in Panchthar (ArthaExpress.com)

Jan 22
Roll back prices or hike fares: Entrepreneurs (ekantipur.com)
Fuel price protests grip valley (ekantipur.com)
Fuel price hike a compulsion: Govt (ekantipur.com)
Tarai bandas hit exports (ekantipur.com)
Work on Banepa-Khasa optical fiber starts (ekantipur.com)
Transporters announce 25 pc fare hike (Nepalnews.com)
New directive to stabilise secondary market (Nepalnews.com)

Jan 23
Govt relents on fuel prices (ekantipur.com)
ADB Melamchi loan commitment till 2013 (ekantipur.com)
Ex-workers threaten to shut down Jhimruk hydro (ekantipur.com)
NT opens IPO to sell 15m shares (ekantipur.com)
Surya Nepal workers launch strike (ekantipur.com)
Qatar now favorite labor destination (ekantipur.com)
Nepal Travel and Tourism Meet held in London (Nepalnews.com)

Jan 24
SC halts transactions in Rajguthi land (ekantipur.com)
GMR lands 300 MW Upper Karnali (ekantipur.com)
Veg ghee exports drop 50pc (ekantipur.com)
RBB earns a cool Rs 5b (ekantipur.com)
Budget deficit at Rs 9.8b (ekantipur.com)
Indefinite bandh hits life in Terai region (Nepalnews.com)
Petrol pumps want refund (Nepalnews.com)
43rd Anniversary : RBB urged to be competitive (ArthaExpress.com)

Jan 25
‘PPA rate soo for up to 10 MW projects’ (ekantipur.com)
ADB/N's share issue gets hopes high (ekantipur.com)
‘Lack of well-trained staff impeding customs services’ (ekantipur.com)
NRB mulls new base for price index (ekantipur.com)

Jan 26
Poll expense estimate up Rs 530m (ekantipur.com)
No bird flu here, say officials (Nepalnews.com)

Jan 27
KPMG yet to reply court on guv case (ekantipur.com)
Maoists begin 'tax' on vehicles (ekantipur.com)
Interview: ‘Nepal can lure more foreign students’ (ekantipur.com)
Yeti flies in int’l sky (ekantipur.com)
Govt to give Rs One billion to NOC (Nepalnews.com)

Jan 28
Diesel, kerosene crunch worsens (ekantipur.com)
Advertisements: Some socially sensitive, many insensitive (ekantipur.com)
Govt seeks support from developed trading partners (ekantipur.com)
NEPSE suspends trading after market takes a dive (ekantipur.com)
Nepal to update trade competitiveness study (ArthaExpress.com)

Jan 29
Upper Tamakoshi closer to realization (ekantipur.com)
Imprudent loans cost provident fund Rs 210m (ekantipur.com)
Rs 4b worth of securities to hit market (ekantipur.com)
Indian policy shift threatens Nepali jute mills (ekantipur.com)
CAN Info Tech kicks off (Nepalnews.com)

Jan 30
Nepal ready for jobs deal with Israel (ekantipur.com)
ADB pledges $25 million in grants for IT projects in rural Nepal (Nepalnews.com)
Nepal to get its first financial centre (ArthaExpress.com)
UTS is the largest taxpayer (ArthaExpress.com)

Jan 31
Workers disrupt Birgunj dry port operations (ekantipur.com)
WB, Nepal sign Rs 15.92b assistance agreement (ekantipur.com)
Transporters warn of indefinite strike (Nepalnews.com)
Diesel Shortage: 70 pc Public Vehicles ´Not Plying´ (ArthaExpress.com)
(ekantipur.com)