AT LEAST 4O PEOPLE KILLED IN SALYAN ACCIDENT

At least 40 people were killed and over 40 others injured when a passenger bus met with an accident near Luham Bazaar in Tribeni VDC of Salyan district in mid-western region Saturday morning.
The ill-fated bus heading for Tulsipur of Dang district from Salyan skidded some 200 meters off the road and plunged into a gorge, police sources in Dang said. Most of the victims died on the spot.
Nearly 100 people were travelling in the Ra-1-Kha 185 bus belonging to Rapti Yatayat. Local people and police officials had rescued the injured passengers. Over a dozen passengers jumped off the bus and saved their lives.
Brake failure is said to be the reason behind the accident.
The injured passengers have been taken to Ghorahi in Dang and Nepalgunj for treatment. The death toll is likely to rise as a few the injured passengers are in critical condition.

THREE NEPALI WOMEN TO RUN MARATHON FOR CHARITY

Three Nepali women—Prerna Shrestha, Sworupa Khadka and Raksha Pant-- are running the US Marathons next month to raise funds for the Help Nepal Health Post in Haripurwa VDC, Sarlahi, in south-eastern Nepal.
Haripurwa VDC is a conglomerate of villages with approximately 13,000 people. The VDC does not have a health facility and the villagers have to walk long hours to the district hospital in Malangwa for minor treatments and check ups.
According to Help Nepal Network ( www.helpnepal.net), a global charity set up by Nepalis, Prerana, Sworupa and Raksha – all members of Help Nepal-- will attempt to raise at least $8,000 for the Health Post.
This summer, Help Nepal organised the US tour of the famous comedian duo, Madan Krishna Shrestha and Haribansh Acharya, and raised $10, 760.90 for the proposed 13-bed Sarlahi Health Post. The total initial estimated cost for the construction of the Health Post is approximately $19,000.
According to the organisers, Prerana will run the ING New York City Marathon on November 5, and Sworupa and Raksha will run the Philadelphia Marathon on November 19.
A PhD candidate in Neuroscience at The Rockefeller University in New York, Prerna graduated from Bates College in 2003 with a Bachelors of Science degree in Biological Chemistry. She also serves in the executive committee of International Nepali Biomedical Society (INBS).
Raksha works in McKinsey & Company's Asset Management Research Practice in NYC. Raised in Thailand and the Philippines, she graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 2002 with an Economics major/Math minor. Raksha and friends have also launched "Badi ko Sathi", a non-profit with the goal of educating Badi children and raising societal awareness about the Badi plight.
Sworupa works as an Assistant Operations Manager at Mellon Financial Corporation in its Consulting and Investment Solutions group. She graduated from University of Bridgeport, CT in 2001 where she served as a president of The Himalayan Club, a student organization. She is also the founding member of XMA (Xavier's Mary's Alumni Association).
"I urge all the Nepalis—living in the US and elsewhere—to participate in and spread the word about Help Nepal's "One dollar a month" online donation program and make it one of the most inclusive, therefore one of the most powerful donation tools to make a difference in Nepal," said Shailesh Gongal, chairman of Help Nepal Network USA. "Just imagine if 100,000 Nepalis living in the US give a dollar a month, we will be raising USD 1.2 million a year," he added.
The organisers said they have already raised over 1,300 US dollars so far in support of the cause championed by three courageous Nepali women. They said they welcome online contributions at https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=5012
Set up in 1999, Help Nepal Network now has its chapters in nearly one dozen countries and is the largest charitable network of the Nepali diaspora. It has already provided assistance to implement projects mainly in education and health sectors targeting rural and underprivileged communities in Nepal.