Prachanda, Jhalanath Khanal discussions

Kathmandu, 22 June: Maoist Chairman Prachanda and UML Chairman Jhalanath at a meeting Tuesday agreed to convene a meeting with Nepali Congress as a political crisis continues.
They also discussed a the implementation of the 3-point 28 May agreement,
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Load-shedding hours reduced

Kathmandu, 22 June: Load-shedding was reduced from Tuesday to five hours a day with the arrival of monsoon by Nepal Electricity Authority.
There was nine hour power outage for days and six hours three days every week.
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Two killed, 25 injured in bus, tripper collision

Kathmandu, 22 June: Two persons were killed and 25 were injured, three seriously when a bus bound for Birgunj collided with a tripper at Hetuada Tuesday morning.
The bodied of the dead were pulled out from the bus wreckage.
All the injured were bus passengers.
Three children were killed and one was injured by lightning in Siraha overnight at the beginning of the monsoon.
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Race begins in NC to lead a new govt.

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 22 June: A race has started in the Nepali Congress (NC), the largest party in the ruling coalition to lead the successor government of embattled Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal.
Senior leader and Chief of NC (Democratic) Sher Bahadur Deuba and Vice-chairman and parliamentary party leader Ram Chandra Paudel are the leading contenders.
‘The time to take a decision on who should be prime minister hasn’t come. The leadership will be chosen when the time comes through established process and consensus,” party Acting President Sunshil Koirala said Monday before emplaning for New York for medical check-up.
Koirala underwent treatment for tongue cancer there several years ago.
But both factions have started lobbying support inside the party.
Deuba was furious when Koirala reportedly lent support for Paudel.
Deuba lost the rave for the parliamentary party to Paudel after his supporters defected; Dueba supporters are not trying to lobby behind the former prime minister who considers himself Paudel’s senior.
Paudel’s supporters contend the parliamentary party leader
should be prime minister.
As the prolonged political crisis continues, concerned Indian leaders have started converging in the capital for discussions with political party leaders.
Among them is D.P. Tripathi, general Secretary of Prime Minister Mamohan Singh.
Singh brokered the 12-point New Delhi agreement between seven parliamentary parties and exiled top Maoist leaders in New Delhi there the exiles were living in the Indian capital’s outskirt.
H,N. Sharma, General Secretary of Samajwadi Janata Party,is accompanying Tripathi.
“If the parties honestly implement all past agreements including the 12-point understanding and the three-point deal, forming a national consensus government and establishing a lasting peace in Nepal will be possible,” Tripathi said Monday.
Tripathi supported the 28 May tripartite agreement between Maoists, UML and NC.
The agreement has become a stumbling block although it was intended to end an impasse.
Maoists there was a commitment Nepali would resign five days after the agreement while ruling parties argue the agreement that extended the two-year elected mandate of the constituent assembly (CA) by one year until 28 May2011 said all three points should be implemented simultaneously.
There was no agreement between Maoists and Congress at an inter-party meet on the issue Monday.

Nepal ranks 26 as a failed state

Kathmandu, 22 Kathmandu: Nepal ranks 26 among 117 countries in a list of failed state index, according to Foreign Policy magazine.
Somalia topped the list for the third consecutive year.
Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka ranked seven, 11 and 22 respectively, are placed above Nepal in South Asia.
Nepal hasn’t got out of a crisis that first began with the dissolution of parliament and the failure of then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to hold parliamentary elections within six months.
A 10-year Maoist was raging then.
Then came brief royal rule in 2005 followed by toppling of the rule of King Gyanendra and the declaration of a republic with international support.
Nepalis are suffering political instability, economic woes, deteriorating law and order situation.
An end to the prolonged impasse isn’t in sight.
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TRADE, COMMERCE, ECONOMY

Another ATR-72-500 joins Buddha Air fleet

Kathmandu, 22 June: Another 70-seater ATR 72-500 this week joined the fleet of Buddha Air which has now eight aircraft.
The aircraft will augment the airline’s internal flights.
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Tourism Minister Bhadari unveils largest Shiva statue after president declines

Kathmandu, 22 June: Tourism Minister Sharat Singh Bhandari Monday unveiled the Rs 120 million 143-feet high Kailashnath Mahadev idol, thought to be the world’s tallest, at Chittapol-5 in Bhaktapur with the investment of Indian national Kamal Jain.
President Dr Ram Baran Yadav declined an invitation to open it to the public.
Though the president was requested to unveil the statue, he declined the request citing personal investment in its construction, according to RSS.
He called for registering it as a public property in the name of any trust before inauguration.
A 24-room and 32-bed Ayurvedic Hospital, children’s park and four homes for patients’ visitors have also been constructed at the temple premise that covers 75 ropanis of land.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“We have to leave everything on earth when we die, So, don’t hanker after money.”

(PM Nepal tells secretaries even as ministers have been charged for corruption, The Rising Nepal, 22 June)

‘It was heard previous secretaries were very capable; I didn’t get this happy experience.”

(PM Nepal, Nagarik, 22 June)

‘Due to the corrupt mentality of the bureaucrats, development activiti4es and law and order maintenance has suffered.”

(PM Nepal, The Himalayan Times, 22 June)
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