Nurse strike continues for third day

Kathmandu, 4 Sept: Nurses continued nation-wide strike for the third consecutive day Friday pressing six demands, including end to political intervention in the health sector.
Nepal Nursing Association (NNA), leading the protests, has threatened to extend the strike from Saturday to emergency services in hospitals where patients are being inconvenienced .by the protest.
NNA is demanding for ministerial-level talks to discuss demands.
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Gen Rukmangud Katawal retires Wednesday; other details

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 4 Sept: Army Chief Gen Rukmangud Katawal, who oversaw the Nepal Army during a difficult transition when monarchy was toppled and fought an enemy it fought during the 10-year Maoist people’s war, retires Wednesday.
Katawal clashed with the former enemy who headed the government for nine months before Maoist-led government of Prachanda had to quit.
Prachanda was forced quit when couldn’t sack Katawal—an orphan picked up by King Mahendra from Udaipur during a district and raised in the capital to eventually lead the state army.
The promotion to the top job was a personal achievement since previous chiefs were only Ranas, Shahs, Thapas and a basneyt—traditional ruling class members.
President Dr Ram Baran Yadav intervened to retain Katawal when he was sacked – an action Maoists called a presidential and military coup backed by India.
Katawal is on leave prior to retirement.
Acting Chief Gen Chatraman Gurung is holding an official farewell for Katawal at army headquarters.
Then Royal Nepal Army was defeated by major world powers with the help of major political parties inside Nepal in the Maoist people’s war and not by the extreme communists who have achieved their objective of a republic.
But its institutionalization is running into trouble.
India, UK and USA stooped supplies and funds to the state army after the royal regime toppled in May 2006.
In what turned out to be a kiss of death, George W. Bush for the first time initiated a sudden and $45 military aid package to expand, train and equip RNA but then snapped new ties during the second regime when Katawal was chief.
In his first administration Bush also sent for the first and only time Secretary of State Colin Powell to Nepal indicating the short-lived but improved new security relationship between Kathmandu and Washington.

The programme was initiated by push to ‘search, find and kill’ Maoists who eventually entered Singha Durbar in the second administration of Bush in a major and severe setback for Washington in Nepal.
Katawal clashed with the Maoists who attempted to stop promotions in the army, fill in vacancies and even re-equip the army with military supplies.
India has agreed to resume suspended military supplies.
Realizing the possibilities of a Maoist takeover having lost the political initiative to communists who emerged victorious in the May 2009 constituent assembly elections, major parties, including Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, have stopped their hate campaign against the state army.
Now they have come out publicly in its direct support.
Main opposition Maoists are now demanding correction of the presidential action to back Katawal for what they call the restoration of civilian rule.
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YCL to oversee Nepal- India border security

Kathmandu, 4 Sept: YCL has created a new political structure with the end of its three-day central committee meeting, mouthpiece Janadisha reports.
The meeting decided to form a border security monitoring committee following widespread border incursion.
Chairman Prachanda told the meeting youth must be mobilized because the country sovereignty is endangered.
The meeting formed a 255 central committee and a secretariat with 55 members.
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Govt. boycotts vice-president

Kathmandu, 4 Sept: Government didn’t send a formal invitation to Vive-president Parmananda Jha Thursday to attend the Indta jatra at Basantapur after he didn’t take an oath in Nepali as directed by the supreme court and government.
Government is in a confused state after the refusal.
The supreme court said Jha can no longer function as vice-president.
Maoists Thursday greeted the president and prime ministers when they drove separately to Basantapur to attend India jatra.
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TRADE, COMMERCE, ECONOMY

NIBL China back cooperation

Kathmandu, 4 Sept: Nepal Investment Bank Limited (NIBL) has signed a cooperation agreement with China Development Bank (CDL)
Under terms of a MoU. CDB will finance projects recommended by NIBL to push Nepal’s economic development.
NIBL will support to CDB in investment and project financing.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“To give parliament the right of judicial review is like asking a like asking a holder of a doctorate in economics to conduct a medical test.”

(Justice Balaraam KC, Annapurna Post, 4 Sept.)
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