7th round election for PM Tuesday, Nemwang said he won’t intervene

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 7 Sept. Seventh round of election for prime minister is being held in parliament Tuesday in two months to succeed Caretaker government chief Madhav Kumar Nepal.
The vote is expected to be inconclusive again even though the MJF-Nepal led by Upendra Yadav with 25 seats is expected to support Maoists after splitting from a front of four Madesh parties.
UML and three other Madesh parties are again expected to stay neutral in Tuesday’s vote at two in the afternoon.
Maoists issued a whip Tuesday asking all lawmakers to be present in parliament one hour before voting and cast ballots after 10 didn’t participate in the sixth round vote.
Speaker Subash Nemwang clarified he won’t intervene to break the deadlock.
“Only when rules aren’t clear, they have to be clarified, When they are clear, the deadlock can’t be broken by intervention,
‘Won’t it be like yesterday’s directives during the royal rule if, in the name of right, directives are given against the constitution and rules.
“If there is an agreement between parties, candidacy for prime minister can be withdrawn to begin a new process: ” the speaker told Nagarik Tuesday in an interview.
He said this as NC Acting President Sushil Koirala charged in Pokhara Monday Nemwang wasn’t; doing anything to break the deadlock.
“It’s not the work of the speaker only to ring the bell and call parliament into session. He should give a ruling why the prime minister couldn’t be elected.” Koirala said.
He charged: “The speaker hasn’t acted responsibly. He couldn’t goad parties even when one process and prolonged for so long.”
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Ban Ki-moon suggests mandate should be decided by new govt.

Kathmandu, 7 Sept.: UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon has said in a report to the security council called the UNMIN mandate should be decided by for a ‘duly formed government’ and not the current caretaker government.
Discussion on the report begins in New York Tuesday.
“The Secretary-general suggests that the current mandate should be rolled over to permit the necessary discussions to take place with a duly formed government,” according to UNMIN.
‘The Secretary-General is not in favour of repeated extension of the Mission’s mandate in the atmosphere of persistent and unfounded criticism that complicates its ability to function.
“Should these discussions offer neither clarity nor any prospect of consensus among the parties to the CPA and AMAMAA regarding a realistic and time-bound fulfillment of these commitments concerning the armies and the phasing out of UNMIN monitoring, then the Secretary-genera; will propose alternative measures to the Council, including possible termination of UNMIN’s mandate,” Ban added.
The secretary-general asked parties to prospect past agreements.
“He calls on all parties to make scrupulous efforts to respect past agreements with particular emphasis on commitments pertaining to the armed personnel.
The cabinet Monday extended the tenure of UNMIN that ends 15 September for another four months while authorizing the prime minister to discuss limiting mandate of the UN political agency in Nepal by taking Nepal Army off the UNMIN watch.
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Four swept away by swollen river in capital

Kathmandu, 7 Sept.: Four persons were swept away by the flooded Bishnu khola washed away a jeep in the capital’s outskirts overnight and six were injured.
The jeep was plying between Hetauda and the capital.
Incessant rain from Monday has threatened settlements along rivers in the capital as Kathmandu streets are inundated.
The capital recorded 61.5mm rain from Monday evening until Tuesday morning.
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Cabinet to prove tape controversy

Kathmandu, 7 Sept. The cabinet Monday decided to probe a tape scandal in which Maoist Spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara asked an unidentified Chinese man for Rs 500 million to buy votes in parliament for Chairman Prachanda in elections for prime minister.
Chinese embassy denied government involvement and Mahara and Maoists said the tape a defamation attempt.
Government will consult constituent assembly chairman and the attorney general to form a probe panel, Government Spokesman Shanker Pokhrel said after the cabinet meet.
The next cabinet will take a final decision, he said.
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First rhino calf in Bardiya

Kathmandu, 7 Sept. The birth of the first rhino calf has taken place in Bardiya after translocation from the Chitwan national Park in a bid to prevent the extension of the endangered species.
Conservationists sighted the mother and calf.
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Technical committee term extended

Kathmandu, 7 Sept.: Cabinet Monday extended the term of the technical committee for the supervision, integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants until 14 January 2011.
The tenure was ending 16 September.
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Maoists denounce court verdict

Kathmandu, 7 Sept.: Maoist Spokesman Dinanath Sharma Monday denounced a supreme court verdict slapping a life term on Maoist lawmaker Bal Krishna Dhungel for murder.
Sharma, in a statement, said the verdict has challenged the comprehensive peace agreement between parliamentary parties and Maoists.
He argued the court violated the agreement which was supreme and couldn’t be challenged
He said following the agreement, state and Maoists had agreed to withdraw cases during the 10-year insurgency.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“Fighters return to the camp after committing crimes outside. This happens because of the absence of UNMIN monitoring.”

(NC Acting President Sushil Koirala, Kantipur, 7 Sept.)

“I’ll singly will guard the gate, if the situation of a Moist victory emerges.”

(UML leader KP Sharma Oli, Kantipur, 7 Sept.)
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Columbian, not Nepali world’s shortest man (Excerpts)

Kathmandu, 7 Sept.: Edward Nino Hernandez is in many ways a typical 24-year-old Columbian male. He loves to dance reggaeton, dreams of owning a car and wants to see the world, AP reports from Bogata.
What sets Nino apart in his size. He is slightly taller than a piece carry-on luggage and weighs just 10 kg.
Nino has just been officially certified as the world’s shortest living man by the Guinness World Records, measuring 27 inches.
‘He hasn’t grown since he was 2 years old,” his mother, Neomi Hermandez said of her oldest of her five children.
The previous holder was He Pinping of China, who was 1.5 inches taller and died March 13. They say Nino’s reign is not expected to last long, however.
Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal is expected to take over after he turns 18 o October 14.
He measures about 22 inches and is currently recognized by Guinness as the shortest living teen.
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PM cancels visit, president trims delegation

Kathmandu, Sept.7:
Following widespread criticism of his upcoming visit to the 65th United Nation General Assembly (UNGA) due to begin on Sept. 14, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on Monday announced that he was cancelling his New York visit altogether. President Dr Ram Baran Yadav also reduced the size of his delegation to China, scheduled to leave Kathmandu in Oct-end, The Kathmandu Post reports.

On its Sept. 2 edition, The Kathmandu Post first broke the story about the unusually large size of the two high-level entourages, which it pointed out were loaded with relatives, unwelcome guests, and aides—the numbers well over the benchmark set by the hosts. The prime minister’s team had 30 members.

After a Cabinet meeting on Monday, government Spokesman and Minister for Information and Communications Shanker Pokhrel confirmed that Prime Minister Nepal had withdrawn from the UNGA, citing “protracted political stalemate at home”. However, sources inside the Prime Minister’s Office told the Post that following mounting pressure from various quarters, who had raised eyebrows about both the size of the delegation and and legitimacy of the visit by the caretaker prime minister, he was “bound to act upon the call.”

Sources said Nepal’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Gyan Chandra Acharya, will represent the country at the UNGA. “It is likely that Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala will attend the meeting of Least Developed Countries on the GA sidelines, as Nepal is the current Chair of the group.” A small team from the UN division at the Foreign Ministry will attend the GA to assist Acharya.

“First, his own party leaders, aides and a section of the diplomatic community advised him not to attend the UNGA as a caretaker prime minister, which they said will seriously drag him to fresh controversies. Second, the unusual size of his delegation also raised new questions. Third, the prime minister may also have sensed that there could be a new government on Tuesday,” a senior leader of his party, CPN-UML said on condition of anonymity.

Following the same story in the Post, President Yadav called a meeting of the proposed delegation to China and asked them to withdraw their name voluntarily.

“A third of them withdrew,” sources said. According to officials, not more than a dozen members will accompany Yadav in his first official trip to China which will be during the closing ceremony of the Shanghai Expo on Oct. 31. “Just seven to eight members from the President’s Office and two or three from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will go to China,” Baman Prasad Neupane, Secretary at the President’s Office said.

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9 vie for NC CWC membership

Kathmandu, 7 Sept.: Nine leaders of Nepali Congress today declared their candidacy for membership of the party’s Central Working Committee (CWC)

member, The Himalayan Times reports.

The party will form a new CWC after its 12th National General Convention, that is slated from 17 to 21 September.

Those announcing candidacy are Taranath Ranabhat, Man Bahadur Bishwokarma, Bhismaraj Angdambe, Omkar Shrestha, Binay Dhoj Chand, Dilman Pakhrin, Sushil Nahata, Sukraraj Sharma and Romi Gauchan Thakali.

Announcing their candidacy at Reporters Club, the NC leaders expressed their commitment to improve the party’s image and regain the lost position after they were elected to the CWC.
The party’s upcoming National General Convention (NGC) slated from 17 to 21 September would cost Rs 30 million, the Nepali Congress pledged to make its

economic activities transparent, The Himalayan times adds..

Speaking at a press meet organised in the party headquarters in Sanepa

today, Economic Committee Coordinator Dip Kumar Upadhaya said they would collect Rs 10 million from NGC representatives, NC Constituent Assembly (CA) members and ministers, and the remaining Rs 20 million from well-wishers and businesspersons.

Coordinator Upadhaya further informed that the party had begun to receive cheques from today.

He expressed commitment that the party would have its NGC income and expenditure audited by chartered accountants to maintain transparency.

“As we sensed weaknesses in money collection and expenditure in past conventions, we won’t let the situation repeat itself this time,” said Upadhaya.

The party has allocated separate budgets under

different headings, including stage management, accommodation for the general convention’s representatives and publicity.
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NC lawmaker Pandey caught gambling, released

Kathmandu, 7 Sept.: NC lawmaker Achut Pandey was caught gambling Monday but was released an hour later under political pressure, Nepal Samacharpatra reports.
He was arrested gambling at the house of Dinesh Serchan in Bhotebahal by the Kathmandu Metropolitan Police along with two others.
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