The Kathmandu-based Samling Carpet Industry has opened a carpet factory in the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China. The wholly-owned factory has been set up with the total investment of Rs 300 million.

The factory has been named as Tunlin Trade and Industries Company Limited. Local officials say this is the first industry with fully foreign investment in Xigatse region. The factory aims to employ 3500people and sell carpets worth Rs 770 million a year. The factory will manufacture 200,000 square meters of Tibetan woolen carpet every year, according to company chief Seten Jigme. Samling is a leading carpet manufacturer of Nepal that manufactures around 144,000 square meters of carpet a year.

Since all major vernacular dailies and weeklies were closed for Dasain holidays, we have selected the events for this column from the issues prior to the Dasain. The events range from a Maoist shoe-hurling at Indian ambassador Rakesh Sood in Solukhumbu to Maoist chief Prachanda’s controversial honour during a tour to Malaysia. The Indian government has since officially lodged a protest to the Nepalese government while Prachanda has embarked on a tour to China – Editor