Maoists planned to abduct then Crown Prince Paras to Rolpa

Kathmandu, 15 July: Rebel Maoists planned to abduct then Crown Prince Paras to and interrogate him on the Narayanhiti royal palace massacre during the royal regime of King Gyanendra, Naya Patrika reports.
After Maoist, government peace talks failed after second round negotiations on 10 Bhadra 2060, Maoists went of an offensive against the state.
The Maoist plan to deal a decisive blow to the state through the interrogation and also assassinate Chief of Army Staff Gen Pyar Jung Thapa.
Senior army officer Kiran Basnet was killed during that exercise.
Army got a whiff of the plan after the arrest of a member of the special task force.
The plan was busted.
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Al Qaeda surfaces in Nepal

Kathmandu, 15 July: Police on Monday held two persons from Narayanpur area of Kailali on the charge of extorting people in the name of Al Qaeda, an Islamic terrorist group, The Kathmandu Post reports from Tikapur.
Police have not disclosed their names yet.
Police said the duo have been writing letters to people in a letter head bearing the name “Nepal Al Qaeda Association World Terrorism’.
Police are yet to establish whether the arrestees have an affiliation with Al Qaeda.
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Nominal rainfall recorded until the end of Ashad

Kathmandu, 15 July: Maize and millet crops have dried up in the hill region and paddy plantation hasn’t been completed because of nominal monsoon rain until the end of Ashad Wednesday, weathermen and farmers said.
Paddy plantation is normally completed at the end of the Nepali month Ashad.
Only 40 percent of 300,000 hectares of farmland in the eastern region has come under cultivation so far.
The dry season has created severe water shortage of water in the capital.
Maize and paddy production could decline in 2009 because of inadequate rain.
Frogs have been married off invoking rain.
Barren fields could still be planted in the next two weeks with rain.
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Chairman Prachanda to furnish replies

Kathmandu, 15 July: Chairman Prachanda will furnish replies Wednesday to points raised by members at an extended meeting of the central committee discussing party strategy and dates for a national convention—the first in 18 years—after Maoist-led government was ousted two months ago.
At the meeting, demands were made for immediate integration of 19,000 plus Maoist combatants in UN camps before the promulgation of the constitution.
Central committee members demanded simultaneous integration and constitution drafting.
Both the integration and drafting have been delayed.
Maoist combatants were to be integrated six months after the installation of the Prachanda government and the constitution drafting deadline of May 2010 in unlikely to be met.
A basic draft of the basic law hasn’t even been drafted with Maoists insisting on a people’s republic.
Maoists have demanded a national government under it predicting the two-month government of Madhav Kumar Nepal will collapse soon.
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Schedule to draft a constitution being discussed again

Kathmandu, 15 July: Discussions are being held to amend a schedule for the fifth time to draft a constitution.
A draft of a proposed constitution should have been ready by Wednesday.
Only three of 11 subject committees recommending drafts have completed their work.
Ten months remain to complete a draft.
For two months the main drafting committee is without a chairman after Madhav Kumar Nepal was appointed prime minister.
Serious and fundamental differences between major political players to draft a basic law to replace an interim constitution.
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NEPSE gains 26.23 points; other details

Kathmandu, 15 July: In the biggest surge in seven months, NEPSE index gained 26.23 points at the end of trading Tuesday.
The government reduced capital gains tax from 15 to 10 percent in share sales.
Banking and hydropower sectors gained 67.7 and 25.57 points respectively.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“We are preparing to adopt multiple posts in the central leadership due to a chaotic situation that persists after the unification with different parties and entry of large number of people from other parties.”

(Maoist politburo member, The Himalayan Times, 15 July)

“What will happen to Nepal’s image if political instability continues and ambassadors are repeatedly changed?”

(Dr Bhek Bahadur Thapa, Annapurna Post, 15 July)
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