Record skydiving at Everest
Kathmandu 6 Oct:: Skydivers Wendy Smith (New Zealand), Neil Jones (Canada) and Holly Budge (Britain) made solo jumps from an altitude of 29,500ft Monday around 9AM local time at the Shyangboche drop zone, an announcement said.

One day earlier, 10 solo and 3 tandem jumpers made their jumps.
Wendy Smith became the first solo jumper to land at the drop zone at 6:17am (local time). She jumped from a height of 22,000ft. Explore Himalaya’s trek guide Nima Tamang became the first Nepali to make a tandem jump (with Steve Hennessey) from a height of 22,000ft..
On 3 October, eight solo jumpers of the Everest Skydive team successfully completed their familiarization jump local time 7 & 7:15 am.
The jumps were made from a height of 18000ft. in two batches from the Pilatus Porter aircraft at the drop zone in Shyangboche.
The Pilatus aircraft flown by the two Swiss pilots, Ruedi Isenschmid and Henri Schurch.
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President’s visit of flood-hit region leads to friction with govt.

Kathmandu, 6 Oct: Ministers expressed dissatisfaction with President Dr Ram BAran Yadav’s visit of flood-hit districts without consulting government, Chiranjivi Dhungana reports in Annapurna Post.
He toured flood-hit regions in east, mid and far-west.
Ministers at a meeting Sunday charged the president visited the areas without coordination with government; some even said the visit was a challenge for government.
Some of the comments during the visit put government in an embarrassing and difficult position, according to sources.
They concluded there should be coordination between the president and prime minister.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda said he will discuss the issue with the president.
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Girija’s challenge to Maoists
By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 6 Oct: Girija Prasad Koirala Sunday challenged Maoists to turn Nepal into a people’s republic.
The former prime minister and president of Nepali Congress issued the challenge in his hometown Biratnagar.
“Either don’t speak or fulfill commitments,” Koirala said.
Koirala said this as senior Maoist leaders, including Prime Minister Prachanda, said parliamentary democracy is unfit for Nepal.
CPN (Maoist) central committee is debating whether to opt for a people’s republic or a democratic deferral republic.
Maajor constituents in government, including CPN-UML and MJF, oppose people’s republic.
Koirala charged Maoists plan to finish democracy and Congress and warned the party will resist.
‘We should unite to save history,” Koirala said adding the fractured party should unite.
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Govt. invite to rebel groups in tarai

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 6 Oct: Government Sunday invited ‘political groups’ in the tarai for talks without facilitators.
“Government talks team will hold talks with them,” Sharma said.
Peace Minister Janardhan Sharma issued the oral invitation through a press conference; Sharma heads a three-member government talks team formed last week.
Written invitations are likely to be sent after dasain.
Sharma said government has been talking with some groups through channels which weren’t named.
“Calling for talks without appointing a facilitator is just another drama. It is simply difficult to hold a dialogue without a facilitator,” The Kathmandu Post an unidentified leader of 14 armed groups who formed a front in Bihar recently.
“How can the talks team hold a dialogue without any facilitator since the leaders of the armed groups are based in India?” the newspaper quoted the leader as saying.
Government is going to make sweeping changes in security bodies for action against criminal groups in the tarai, Dipak Rijal reports in Nepal Samacharpatra.
The home ministry has adopted a strategy to work with political groups and deal sternly with criminal groups.
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