NC, UML TALKS FOR FORMATION OF NEW GOVT.

UML, NC TALKS TO FORM NEW GOVT

Kathmandu, 16 Aug.: UML and NC started talks Tuesday to assemble a successor government of Jhalanath Khanal who resigned Sunday in a letter to President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav Sunday.
UML is also holding talks with Maoists later Tuesday.
Dr, Baburam Bhattarai is the party’s candidate for leader of a unity government.
Khanal blamed Maoists and NC and some elements in his own UML party in parliament one day later Mondayfor failure to conclude the peace process, draft a constitution and assemble a national government.
A UML team of General Secretary Ishwor Pokhrel and Bhim Rawal held talks with a main opposition tam led by President Sushil Koirala.
NC has laid a claim to a national government.
UML dialogue team headed by former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal decided Monday not to stake to lead a successor government of Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal.
The team urged a consensus government.
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RAIN HAVOC IN FAR-WEST

Kathmandu, 16 Aug,: Water level in Mahakali river on Indo-Nepal border reached 310,000 cusecs overnight after heavy rain in catchments
Sarada barrage was closed for crossing as a safety measure.
Water has overflowed the bank and entered settlements along Kanchanpur district.
Dhangadi municipality in the faR-West is underwater and over100 houses in Kailali district have been flooded and people displaced with heavy rain.
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PLANNED MERGER OKAYED

Kathmandu, 16 Aug.: An announced merger of troubled Vibor Bikas Bank and Bhaju Ratna Finance and Saving Co. was approved by a special annual general meeting of the BikashBank Monday.
Promoters will now have 61 percent state in Vibor Bikash Bank public 39 percent.
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18 PERSONS PLANTING MILLET
SUFFER FOOD POISONING

Kathmandu, 16Aug.:,:Eighteen persons engaged on a field suffered food poisoning Monday while planting millet at Padampokhari VDC-6 in Makwanpur.
Family members of landown Suklal Dhanal also fell sick.
Locals and police rushed them to Hetuda for medical treatment.
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TOP CHINESE TEAM ARRIVING FOR SECURITY TALKS WITH NEPAL
Kathmandu, 16 Aug,: Zhou Yongkang, the fourth ranking member of the nine-member powerful standing committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) arrives at 11.30 by a special flight.
He’s also Secretary of the Political and Legislative Affairs Committee of the CPC is paying an official visit to Nepal beginning Tuesday.
He heads a 60-member team and is coming as a special envoy of President Hu Jintao.
The delegation comprises three ministers and four deputy ministers.
He’s the most senior Chinese official visit in eight years.
Zhou will hold formal talks with Deputy Prime Minister Upendra Yadav immediately after arrival to begin his Nepal visit.
Security officials are accompanying Zhao to assist in bilateral security talks.
China is seeking to strengthen security on the long Nepal-Tibet border.
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FORMER KING, QUEEN IN BHAKTAPUR

Kathmandu, 16 Aug.: Former King Gyanendra and Queen Komal; Monday offered special prayer and puja at Dattatreaya in Bhaktapur.
They walked to the Shiva temple for the special puja.
People greeted the couple as they walked to the temple.
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CA TERM CAN’T BE EXTENDED INDEFINITELY
Kathmandu, 16 Aug.: Making public the full text of its May 25 judgment on extension of the Constituent Assembly (CA), the Supreme Court today said the CA tenure cannot be extended for indefinite period as the constitution itself had determined its two-year tenure, The Himalayan Times reports..

The five-member special bench led by Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi ruled out indefinite extension of the Interim Constitution, stating that its original tenure was two years; and it had also been endorsed by popular will through the CA election.

The bench overruled the previous verdict issued by Justices Bala Ram KC, Prakash Osti and Bharat Raj Upreti, which was delivered in response to another PIL filed by Bijaya Raj Shakya.

The previous verdict had interpreted that the CA tenure could be extended indefinitely until the promulgation of the new Constitution.

“Since Article 64 has clearly set a two-year tenure for the CA, it is wrong to define it in terms of the spirit of Article 82 and 148 because this will go against the rule of interpretation and also against the rule of law, accountability of elected representatives towards the public and desire of the people for promulgation of the Constitution through the CA for protecting and promoting their rights and interests.”

The text of the judgment also said that extension of CA tenure is not envisioned by the Interim Constitution as this will prolong the transition and cause uncertainty.

According to the full text, the constitution has given room for extension of the CA term only by six months if the CA cannot complete its task due to a situation beyond its capacity.

The text clarified that if a state of emergency is declared, then the CA tenure extension might be justified as per the doctrine of necessity, but extending its tenure in normal circumstances goes against the spirit of the Constitution.

The bench also drew the attention of the authorities — the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Law and Justice and the Constituent Assembly Secretariat — to the need to complete its task by giving it the priority it deserves.

Stating that the rationale behind the CA extension had already expired and its annulment would create adverse impact on the activities of the CA, the bench quashed the writ petition.
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PRACHANDA, DR. BABURAM BHATTARAI FACTIONS CLASH IN GORKHA BAZAAR

Kathmandu, 16 Aug.: Gorkha Bazaar remained tense on Monday after two factions of the UCPN (Maoist) clashed, disturbing peace, Krishna Acharya writes in The Kathmandu Post from Gorkha..

Activists belonging to the factions led by the party’s Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Vice Chairman Baburam Bhattarai came to blows when a disagreement over tender procurement for rice supply in the food-hit VDCs in eastern Gorkha took a nasty turn.

The fracas between two Maoist groups spread terror among local people and brought businesses to an impromptu halt.

The exact number of the Maoist cadres hurt in the skirmish could not be ascertained. Ashok Lamichhane of the Bhattarai camp was seriously hurt in the clash.

DSP Bahadur Jung Malla said a large number of security personnel were mobilised to bring the situation under control and avert any untoward incident.

He also said three motorcycles bearing licence plates of Bagmati zone and belonging to the supporters of the Dahal faction were vandalised by the activists from the rival faction.

The Bhattarai faction said a rowdy group of around 60 persons had arrived from Kathmandu to back the Dahal faction. While police arrested two youths, the others are on the run, said local Maoist leader Yan Prasad Bhatta, who is a supporter of Bhattarai.

Chudamani Khadka, Maoist district secretary and supporter of the party establishment faction, blamed the Bhattarai faction of sowing a seed of the skirmish. The Bhattarai supporters, on the other hand, said the rival faction was bent on bagging the tender through unfair means.

The government had invited a tender worth around Rs 20 million for supplying rice to seven food-hit VDCs. Monday was the final day for submitting the forms.

Meanwhile, a state committee-level team of the UCPN (Maoist) is all set to go to Chitwan to investigate the escalating intra-party rift in the district.

Maoist district in-charge Anil Sharma said the team will arrive in the district on Aug 19. "I have urged the team to take action against the guilty of both the factions," he said.
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