Clashes break between Maoists, police (Developing Story)

Kathmandu, 12 Nov: Police lobbed teargas shells five hours after a sit-in started as Maoists who attempted to break a police cordon and approach the southern gate of Singha Durbar.
Several dozen Maoists, including lawmakers were injured in clashes at two points.
Maoists hurled stones at police and smashed vans.
Maoists gheraoed the central secretariat defying prohibitory orders.
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Maoist gherao of Singha Durbar begins

Kathmandu, 12 Nov: A two-day gherao of central secretariat Singha Durbar began Thursday morning to disrupt work at the government offices housed there.
Almost all ministries are located inside the complex.
Leaders, including Chairman Prachanda, led groups converging at the secretariat.
Maoists bussed in thousands of people from all over the country.
One person died and 10 were seriously injured on Tanahu when a bus transporting Maoists to the capital for the anti-government protests plunged off a highway.
Many schools closed in the Valley for two days because of the inconvenience caused by the sit-in.
One day after extending prohibitory orders around Singha Durbar to Kalikasthan and Padmodaya School, it was revoked Wednesday evening by the Kathmandu district administration saying people would be inconvenienced.
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Govt. offices in Bara, Parsa closed

Kathmandu, 12 Nov: Government offices in Bara and Parsa districts remained closed for the second consecutive Thursday to protest the assault on the Parsa CDO by a woman minister Tuesday.
A case of assault has been filed against her at Parsa district court demanding her arrest by the bodyguard of CDO Durga Prasad Bhandari.
The order hasn’t been executed.
Demand has been made for action against her for the assault.
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Girija improving

Kathmandu, 12 Nov: The health condition of Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala is improving of the third day of treatment at hospital Thursday, doctors said.
He will be treated at hospital for several more days.
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Jhalanath Khanal welcomes UN call for national government

Kathmandu, 12 Nov: Chairman of ruling party CPN-UML Jhalanath Khanal welcomed UN call for a national government opposed by 22 parties including his own immediately after returning Wednesday from India where he held political discussions on Nepal’s internal affairs with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“The need of the country is to form a national unity government which will pave the way out of the current political stalemate,” he said.
Khanal said he wasn’t worried by a UN call for a national unity government.
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Paras Khadka captain of national team

Kathmandu, 12 Nov: Paras Khadka has been appointed captain of the 14-member national cricket team.
He replaces Binod Das.

MEDIA GOOGLE

“This [promotion of Maj Gen Toran Bahadur Singh] is our internal affair and the international community should not interfere.”

(Defence Minister Bidya Bhandari, The Kathmandu Post, 12 Nov.)

“Generally leftist insurgents don’t want anything to do with UN’s involvement in their country. They are skeptical about the intervention of the world body. But contrary to this, Maoists invited the UN to oversee the peace process, even though it was a home grown process.”

(Dr Baburam Bhatarai, Republica, 12 Nov.)
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