Take a quick look at some of the important news you may have missed from today’s paper.

Anti-graft body summons five international firms involved in supplying Airbus jets to Nepal

In January, the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee had concluded that the procurement of the two wide-body aircraft by Nepal Airlines had caused a loss of Rs4.35 billion to the government. The $209.6-million Airbus deal was the largest ever in Nepal’s aviation history.

On Wednesday, the apex constitutional body for corruption control issued a public notice asking the firms—Hi Fly X Ireland Limited, Dublin; AAR International Inc, USA; German Aviation Capital GMBM, Frankfurt; Hi Fly-TransporteAereos [Hi Fly Airlines], Lisbon, Portugal and Norton Rose Fulbright, Munich, Germany—to appear at the authority office in Tangal within 15 days. 

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Nepal and India will review bilateral ties—and a laundry list of pending issues

The fifth meeting of the Joint Commission at foreign ministers’ level in Kathmandu, which was initially proposed for February, could not take place at the time as SushmaSwaraj, India’s external affairs ministers, was occupied with election campaigns. Officials from both the countries are expecting to use Gokhale’s visit to review and assess the past commitments that were made during the visits of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to India and two return visits of Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi to Nepal last year.

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Ghanashyam Bhatta might be hearing-impaired but that has never stopped him

Ghanashyam was born with an impairment in his ears. His family took him to Lucknow where a doctor said that he might pick up language if he was spoken to by his parents, but that never happened. He is not completely deaf, but cannot make out words and most sounds. He can only hear shrill sharp noises.

In the eighth grade, he had to change schools from his deaf school to a general one and repeat a grade. He decided to drop out instead, but always wanted to make something of his life. He wanted to set an example, earn a living for himself and start his family. He initially trained to be an electrician, but he was always ripped off due to his good nature, says his brother Damodhar. In 2007, he came to Kathmandu and found a job, along with a wife and family.

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After court order, archaeology office starts process to form panel to study Bagh Durbar

Responding to a petition filed by a group of conservationists, a joint bench of Justices Anil Kumar Singh and SapanaPradhanMalla on March 20 issued a mandamus order to the government to carry out a

study for the reconstruction of the Rana-era palace which suffered damage in the April 25, 2015 earthquake, by forming a team of independent experts.

Ishwor Man Dangol, spokesperson for the metropolis, said they will follow the Supreme Court’s decision. “We will abide by the court’s order,” said Dangol.

Conservationists, however, expressed doubt if the metropolis will completely backtrack on its decision, as it has in the past tried to work on its own without consulting stakeholders and without ensuring participation of the community.

Nepal’s investment climate has improved, officials say

The government has amended three vital pieces of legislation—Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act, Public Private Partnership and Investment Act and Special Economic Zone Act—to simplify the process for foreign investment. “We are also in the process of amending the Foreign Exchange Act, implementing hedging funds and gearing up for Nepal’s credit rating,” Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada said.

According to the government, the Cabinet has approved 'one-stop service' at the Ministry of Industry, ensuring approval for foreign direct investment within a week. “All these reform measures, we think, will be vital in attracting foreign investment in a sustainable way,” said Khatiwada.