Gurkhas hail victory in British court

Kathmandu, 1 Oct: Nepal’s Gurkhas who won the right of residence at a British court Tuesday hailed the victory.
“We were treated as slaves by the British government. The high court has upheld the Gurkhas as true fighters,” said Krishna Rai, vice-president of Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen’s Organization.
Nearly 2,000 Gurkhas who retired before 1997 can now reside in the UK where only soldiers from Nepal who served in the British army after 1997 were eligible to settle even though all foreign soldiers serving four years in the British army have a right of abode.
A two-year legal battle has been resolved.
‘I’m absolutely delighted that the Gurkhas are finally going to get the rights that they so richly deserve,” said Nick Clegg, leader of Liberal Democratic party.
Gurkhas have been recruited in the British army since 1815.
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PM Prachanda defends son

Kathmandu, 1 Oct: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, under heavy criticism for taking his entire family to the US on government expense, defended his son Tuesday on return home.
“Prakash Dahal is my son. He is a computer staffer at the Prime Minister’s Office and I took him for operating computer. It is great injustice if you say that he is a family member and an abuse of state resources,” Prachanda told reporters.
Prachanda said he found curiosity and attraction for a new Nepal.
“One aspect was that someone who came from an armed rebellion has become prime minister. This seems to have hit home everywhere,” he said.
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Rebels declare dasain truce

Kathmandu, 1 Oct: Three rebel groups in the terai have declared a dasain cease-fire.
Madesh Virus Killers, Madeshi Mukti Tigers and Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha declared cessation of hostilities till tihar.
More than one dozen rebel groups are active in the south.
Fourteen groups met in Bihar last week to intensify the war after dasain.
Three persons were injured in an explosion at Malangwa Tuesday.
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Maoist killed

Kathmandu, 1 Oct: A Maoist leader was shot dead in Solokhumbu Sunday.
Lok Bahadur BK, district member of Dalit Mukti Morcha was shot and killed by an unidentified gang.
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Girija rejects Maoist invite to join govt,

Kathmandu, 1 Oct: Girija Prasad Koirala Tuesday rejected a claim of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda Nepali Congress will join the Maoist-led government.
‘What will be your situation when you are first demoralized and then made an offer. That’s the Congress,” Koirala said in the capital hours after the prime minister returned home from New York.
“Prachanda now is following the Shining Path. He has forgot Shining Path was a dark path.
The prime minister claimed Nepali Congress will join government.
“Congress will also join government,” Prachanda told reporters who said relations between political parties had deteriorated.
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Prachanda’s nepotism

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 1 Oct: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda has intensified a drive to provide government jobs to relatives, Budhabar reports.
Prachanda clarified Tuesday he took son Prakash to the USA as a computer staff. He gave priority to family members while appointing family members personal secretary and joint secretary.
Shamir Dahal has been appointed joint personal secretary; Samir is son of Narayan Dahal, the prime minister’s brother and a CA member.
Gadanga Dahal, younger daughter of the prime minister, has been appointed a section chief while another daughter, Renu, has been nominated to the assembly.
Wife Sita tags along the prime minister at home and abroad.
Like Prachanda, Communication Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Defence Minister RaamBahadur Thapa Badal took their sons to North Korea and China respectively, Janaastha reports.
While returning from the USA Tuesday, the prime minister’s son, Prakash, rode a covered flagged car.
Agriculture Minister Jaya Prakash Gupta said Jaya Hind at a programme organaized by the foreign ministry in India in the presence of other Nepali ministers.
A scheduled meeting of CPN (Maoist) scheduled for Wednesday is not being conducted, Ghatana ra BIchar reports, Ghatana ra Bichar
Prachanda took along his wife, son, daughter-in-law and daughter to the USA; Prachanda is likely to encounter opposition in the party; he didn’t take a person handling foreign affairs in the party.
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Madhav Kumar Nepal leaves for Qatar

Kathmandu, 1 Oct: Former CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal left for Qatar Tuesday, Janaastha reports.
He just returned from India.
A Norwegian team is in town to probe assistance the Scandinavian country could give for the peace process.
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