Ruling coalition meet

Kathmandu, 29 April: Ruling 22 coalition parties met Thursday morning at the Nepali Congress parliamentary party to draw up strategies to tackle strategies to handle the Maoist show of force of May Day and an indefinite strike the following to press demand for a national government under its leadership.
The ruling coalition meets two days ahead of the Maoist mass mobilization of its cadre.
The meeting comes after a meeting of two largest coalition parties-Nepali Congress and UML and a national debate between the three biggest parties aired by television and radio stations Wednesday as the nations is heading towards a national crisis.
It’s unlikely a constitution will be promulgated by the 28 May deadline and Maoists have threatened to bring down the government from the streets.
Chairman Prachanda and Vice-chairmen Mohan Baidya Kiran and Dr Baburam Bhattarai represented the Maoists at the debate hosted by FNCCI and media organizations.
Acting President Sunsil Koirala, central committee members Dr Ram Sharan Mahat and Krishna Prasad Shitaula represented Nepali Congress while Chairman Jhalanath Khanal, General Secretary Ishwor Pokhrel and politburo member Pradip Geywali spoke o behalf of UML which leads the government.
The three parties and leaders repeated old stances and no new suggestions were offered to break the prolonged political stalemate.
Congress and UML asked Maoists to withdraw their mass mobilization of cadre and indefinite strike call from 1 May.
Nnnn

EU envoys meet Prachanda

Kathmandu, 29 April: Ambassadors and representatives of EU member states held a half-hour collective discussion with Maoist Chairman Prachanda two days ahead of the party’s mass mobilization of cadre on the streets on May Day and an indefinite nation-wide strike the following day.
The envoys expressed concern with developments.
The meeting comes after a collective meeting with the prime minister and a call to extend the mandate of UNMIN which ends 15 May.
The donors of the UNMIN want its continued the continued presence in Nepal .
Western donors are concerned with developments in Nepal with the failure of parties to institutionalize a republic even in four years; the transition has been a tortuous process and the future is uncertain.
India, EU and USA supported Nepal’s political parties to abolish monarchy and declare a republic.
The EU is continued for the continued presence of UNMIN even as its presence hasn’t been fruitful or helpful.
There’s no guarantee its continued presence will help the pace process.
Donors are putting pressure of the government to extend the mandate on UNMIN even as a visiting top UN diplomat threatened to withdraw blaming Nepali’s parties instead for the emerging crisis.
nnnn

Schools closed down for fifth consecutive day

Kathmandu, 29 April: Maoists forced the closure of boarding schools nation-wide for the fifth consecutive days Thursday protesting a hike in fees with the beginning of a new academic year.
Education ministry formed a three-member talks team headed by Joint Secretary Mahashram Sharma to re-open schools.
nnnn

Record ascent by Korean woman challenged

Kathmandu, 29 April: Spanish climber Edurue Pasaban on Tuesday reaffirmed her doubts her South Korean rival’s claim to have become the first woman to scale the 14 world’s highest peaks, AFP reports out of Madrid.
Contacted by satellite telephone at her camp on another mountain, Pasaban said she doubts that Oh Eun-Sun reached the top of Mount Kangchenjunga in 2009 as claimed.
“Our doubts emerged when she presented some photos, and other climbers shared them,” she said.
The picture shows her standing on a bare rock but those taken by Pasaban’s team shows them standing on snow.
nnnn