The European Commission has pledged up to ? 1 million to provide food aid for 50,000 victims of the floods that have affected Sunsari district. The funds will be channelled through the European Commission's humanitarian aid department.
The most vulnerable people displaced by the flooding will benefit from nutritional support through the World Food Programme. Eduardo Lechuga Jimenez, charge d' affaires at the Delegation of the European Commission to Nepal said the assistance was on top of the ? 18 million for the victims of the conflict and ? 15.4 million in food aid for Bhutani refugees that the Commission has been providing.
Among other donors5, Surya Nepal has donated Rs1 million to the disaster relief fund for Kosi flood victims. While Yeti Airlines has pitched in Rs 150,000 worth of food grains to flood victims in Inaruwa, including two tonnes of rice and one tonne of pulses to the District Head Office.
Best of Bolly
Nepal Telecom subscribers can now download the latest Bollywood ringtones via SMS or internet. Each tone costs Rs 10 plus VAT and is activated for 15 days. The service is provided by Digitainment, a company affiliated to Hangama, which is promoting Nepali and Bollywood digital music on mobiles.
Logan Launch
Agni, the local distributor of Mahindra vehicles, has launched two models of the Mahindra Renault Logan. The 1.4-litre petrol version has an introductory price of Rs 1.65 million, and the 1.5-litre diesel, Rs 2.195 million.
Fully charged
A joint venture between Tata AutoComp Systems and GS Yuasa International of Japan has launched a range of automotive and inverter batteries which have a calcium-calcium alloy composition that reduces water evaporation in the battery. Mahabir Trade Concerns is the sole distributor of the batteries, which also have 'self-switch-off' technology that gives extended shelf life and, according to Tata, charges quickly.
Superior rooms
For the second year running, the Soaltee Crowne Plaza Hotel has won the Platinum Award for Nepal's Best Business Hotel from Today's Traveler magazine, in a ceremony organized in Delhi on the magazine's 11th anniversary. The hotel is managed by the British-based InterContinental Hotels Group.
