Here are some of the top stories from The Kathmandu Post (June 22, 2019).

This is why leopards are entering our cities

On the morning of June 1, 2016, Meena Pokharel woke up to disturbing news. At 7 am, her maid told her that there was a leopard in the garden. Not believing her, Pokharel rushed downstairs and to her surprise, there really was one—staring back at her with inscrutable yellow-green eyes.

Unsure of what to do, Pokharel called the police and they in turn called the Central Zoo and officials from the Division Forest. The news spread and by 10am, Pokharel’s Kuleshwor home was surrounded by more than a hundred people. A leopard was on the loose, and everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the elusive animal.

At around 1pm, the rescue team from the zoo finally tranquilised the leopard and then took it to the Central Zoo, after which it was relocated to Parsa Wildlife Reserve. Marissa Taylor with the story here.

Nepal’s government has been quietly facilitating urban refugee resettlement for years

Since 2012, successive governments have been quietly facilitating the resettlement of urban refugees, the Post has learned. Most recently, earlier this month, 72 Pakistani and Bangladeshi urban refugees had their overstay visa fees waived, thus allowing them to leave the country and resettle in Canada.

The first such decision was made in 2012 by the Baburam Bhattarai administration, on the grounds that “prolonging their [urban refugees’] stay in Nepal would only complicate matters”. The 2012 decision was announced as a “one-time provision that should not be taken as a precedent.” More by Anil Giri here.

Customs duty on books only adds to students’ financial burdens while killing reading culture

A few days ago, Krishal Maharjan started his A-levels at Little Angels School in Hattiban. Although his school’s semester has already begun, he still hasn’t received his course books. And now that a new tax provision for books has been introduced, his books, already expensive, will cost even more.

The budget announcement for the upcoming 2019-2020 fiscal year has mandated a 10 percent customs duty on all imported books. Previously, there was never a tax on the import of books, especially schoolbooks, as mandated by UNESCO’s Florence agreement, which prohibits customs duties on the import of books and publications that can be classified as educational, scientific and cultural. As a signatory, Nepal’s new tax provision contradicts that agreement, affecting thousands of school and college going students. More by Diya Rijal and Bhrikuti Rai here.

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