Vice-president Jha again asked to take oath in one week

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 23 Aug: Vice-president Parmananda Jha will automatically lose his job if he doesn’t take his oath as directed in Nepali within another seven effective from Sunday.
A five-man bench of the supreme court issued a verdict Sunday on a writ saying the vice-president had ignored an earlier court directive.
The apex court had earlier issued a verdict asking Jha to take an oath in Nepali in seven days- an order which was ignored.
Jha took an oath in Hindi one year ago even as President Dr Ram Baran Yadav administered it in Nepali.
Parties have suggested amendment to the constitution to take an oath in the mother tongue after a crisis created by the decision and refusal of the vice-president to take an oath in Nepali.
Hindi is not a mother tongue of people of the terai.
Political parties have repeatedly drafted an interim constitution to resolve immediate problems even as no headway has been made in drafting a constitution to replace it.
There’s no agreement between major political players on basics of the proposed constitution which has to be drafted in another eight months.
A political and constitutional crisis will then ensue if the deadline isn’t met.
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Six more swine flu cases detected

Kathmandu, 23 Aug: Six more swine flu cases have been detected in Nepalis returning from abroad, among them six women, the health ministry
The disease which has taken epidemic proportion after breaking out in Mexico has now been detected in 28 persons so far.
They were brought by two foreign and expatriate Nepalis.
In neighbouring India 64 have died so far.
No deaths have been reported in in Nepal which shares an open 1,700 km border with India.

RPP-Nepal demands referendum on constitutional monarchy, Hindu state

Kathmandu, 23 Aug: RPP-Nepal Sunday again demanded a referendum on constitutional monarchy and a Hindu state.
Party Chairman Kamal Thapa made the demand after a party meeting.
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Thapa will deliver a collection of signatures for the demand to Speaker Subash Nemwang.
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317 dead, 154 in Jajarkot of cholera, diarrhea

Kathmandu, 23 Aug: Altogether 317 persons have died of cholera and diarrhea in the mid-and far-West even as the epidemic that broke out three months continues to claim fresh lives.
Altogether 154 have died in the worst affected Jajarkot district, the health ministry said.
The estimate is a conservative estimate.
Amid threat to pullout from Nepal, UN WFP has asked government to issue a certify a NGO charge the epidemic was caused by contaminated food distributed by the agency.
The agency said the food quality is certified by a government laboratory.
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