Shailja Acharya dead

Kathmandu, 12 June: Congress woman leader Shailja Acharya, 67, died at a hospital in the capital Friday morning after prolonged illness.
He was rushed to hospital this week after suffering pneumonia.
She died at 4.25 in the morning.
Acharya was sacked from the first government of her uncle Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala when she as agriculture minister charged the government of rampant corruption.
She held senior party positions but was never inducted in Congress governments again.
Acharya was jailed for three years for waiving a black flag at King Mahendra during panchayat rule after December 1960.
Acharya is being cremated Friday.
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US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia arrives

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 12 June: US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Robert O Blake arrived Friday on a visit—the highest official of the Obama administration to visit Nepal.
Blake is arriving for political discussions immediately after the fall of a Maoist-led government installed 10 months ago.
He is holding discussions Friday with Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, President Dr Ram Baran Yadav and other party leaders.
Blake is in Nepal at a time when the prime minister hasn’t been able to complete the expansion of government nearly three weeks after appointment of the government chief.
Maoists at the same time are holding anti-government and anti-president protests charging a ceremonial president of attempting to impose military rule through foreign interference.
The top US diplomat for South Asia arrived one day after an announcement of the constituent assembly said work on drafting a constitution has been stopped indefinitely after nine subject committees failed to suggest drafts,
The assembly, which has to draft a constitution within 12 months, is also without a chairman after Madhav Kumar Nepal joined government.
Maoists, demanding a communist constitution amid protests of other parties, are in majority in the assembly as well.
Fears have been expressed the constitution may not be drafted within the deadline.
The parties that drafted a 1990 constitution once described as the world’s best shred it to pieces.
The same parties are now trying to draft another basis law.
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Maoists continue anti-government, anti-president protests

Kathmandu, 12 June: Maoists Friday continued their anti-government and anti-president.
The continuing violent portents hit the hill districts of the west and mid-west.
Maoists are demanding correction of a presidential order retaining sacked Army Chief Gen Rukmangud Katawal.
“OHCHR-Nepal calls on leaders of political parties and their affiliated bodies to ensure that their cadre respect the rights of other political parties to peacefully carry out lawful activities.
“I appeal to all leaders to ensure that their member refrain from violence and threatening speeches, and respect the commitments made in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement,” representative Richard Bennett said as violence continued.
The statement also came after Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal charged the UN rights body was silent when Maoists launched attacks against CPN-UML activists.
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Nepal Army delayed at delayed action against Lt Gen Kul Bahadur Khadka

Kathmandu, 12 June: Delay in the formation of a court of inquiry to determine the fate of Acting Chief of the Army Staff Kul Bahadur Khadka, ignoring the recommendation of the Army’s legal department is tantamount to allowing ‘politics’ a back-door entry into Nepal Army, Brigadier General B.A. Sharma said of Thursday, The Kathmandu Post reports.
The ongoing efforts aimed at seeking a ‘political solution’ to a legal case being handled by the institution internally would only make the Army Act defunct, Sharma told the Post.
His statement comes at a time when Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal is busy negotiating with his coalition partners and the main opposition party on the future course of action against Khadka, named Acting Chief of Nepal by the Maoist-led government on 3 May.
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International conference on endangered tigers

Kathmandu, 12 June: World Tiger Forum (WTF) is holding its 13th international conference in Kathmandu from 27 to 30 October.
The stately cat is on an endangered list.
The tiger is found Nepal around Chitwan National Park and Bardia National Park.
The conference will discuss the protection effort for the cat.
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Harry Potter in Nepali

Kathmandu, 12 June: Nepali Harry Potter fans can rejoice finally, for the official Nepali translation of the first book in the boy-wizard’s series ‘The Philosopher’s Stone’ has been published in Nepal, The Kathmandu Post reports.
Translated by Slesha Thapaliya and Bijaya Adhikari, the publishers, Sunbird Publishers, had to wait for a year before British author J.K. Rowling gave a go-ahead for the project.
The Nepali version ‘Harry Potter ra Parasmani’ will hit the stands this week.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“As the declaration of the republic was made possible through consensus, the same would be required for writing the constitution.”

(PM Madhav Kumar Nepal, The Himalayan Times, 12 June)

“Let the government not encourage the apolitical army to do things other than obey government orders-- provoking it by saying the army helped to usher in a republic or defaming it by saying royal rule and December 1960 was encouraged.”

Retired Brig Gen Rajendra Thapa, Naya Patrika, 12 June)
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