ANOTHR NEPALI DECLARED WORLD'S SHORTEST MAN

72-YEAR OLD NEPALI IS NOW WORLD’S SHORTEST MAN
Kathmandu, 26 Feb.: A 72-year-old man from a remote valley in southwestern Nepal was on Sunday declared the shortest man ever documented after being measured by Guinness World Records officials, AFP reports.
Chandra Bahadur Dangi stands just 54.6 centimetres (21.5 inches) tall, measurements confirmed, 5.3cm shorter than Filipino Junrey Balawing, the previous holder of the "world's shortest man" title.
"I'm continually amazed that this record keeps getting broken," Guinness World Records editor-in-chief Craig Glenday said in a statement after the adjudication in the Nepali capital Kathmandu.
"Just when you think it's impossible for the record to get any smaller, Mr Dangi comes along and astonishes us all.
"What I find equally remarkable is his age -- if he really is 72, he is by far the oldest person to be awarded the shortest-man record in Guinness World Record's 57-year history," Glenday added.
Dangi has also been declared the shortest human adult ever documented, taking the accolade from India's Gul Mohammed, who was measured at 57cm before he died in 1997 aged 40.
Dangi, who weighs 12 kilogrammes (26.5 pounds), was brought to the attention of the world only three weeks ago after Nepali researchers looking into the history of the Dangi people were introduced to him.
He told AFP in his first interview with Western media earlier this month that recognition at the end of his life would be some compensation for years of hardship.
The pensioner, who was orphaned at 12, says relatives used to display him at freak shows to make money for themselves and that he has never experienced romance or found his soulmate.
"Until now, Chandra's stature has been a burden; he is acutely aware of the difficulties of fitting into an average-sized world and is disappointed at having missed out on the chance to find a wife," Guinness World Records said on Sunday.
"He is hopeful, though, that his new title will see a change in his fortunes."
The cause of his stunted growth remains a mystery although many holders of the "world's shortest man" crown have suffered from primordial dwarfism.
Dangi earns a sparse living weaving jute headbands and has only ever left his village in poverty-stricken Dang district, 350 kilometres (220 miles) from Kathmandu, a handful of times.
Guinness World Records quoted Dangi, who visited Kathmandu for the first time to be measured, as saying he was too old for marriage but would still like to travel.
"I want to visit foreign countries and meet people from around the world," Dangi said.
Another Nepali, Khagendra Thapa Magar, claimed the title in 2010 after being measured at 67 cm.
Magar's stint as the world's shortest man saw him travel to more than a dozen countries and make television appearances in Europe and the United States.
He was also the official face of Nepal's tourism campaign, which featured him as the smallest man in a country that is home to the world's highest peak, Mount Everest.
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THREE-PARTY MEET INCONCLUSIVE
Kathmandu, 26 Feb. No headway was made Sunday in summit talks between leaders of ruling UCPN (Maoist) and opposition parties NC and UML.
Maoist Chairman Prachanda , NC President Sushil Koirala and UML leader and former Premier Madhav Kumar will meet again Thursday to refine their suggestions for
integration of Maoist in the state army, establishment of a truth and reconciliation
commission and a constitution to institutionalize a declared republic.drafting.
The leaders were asked to submit proposals last Friday .
The suggestions were incomplete.
Prachanda suggested vacating camps and cantonments occupied by former PLA
fighters in three weeks.
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SCHOOLS OPENED SATURDAY ON PUBLIC HOLIDAYAS PROTEST
Kathmandu, 26 Feb.: Saturday, February 25 will be a memorable day in the educational history of Nepal for a twist in the traditional schedule of teachers and students. Schools opened on the day, in lieu of Sunday, at the call of agitating teachers, Binod Ghimere writes in The
Kathmandu Post.
Probably for the first time, most of the schools—government and private—were open on Saturday and teaching-learning activities went as on a regular day. The move came as an innovation in protests being carried out by teachers’ associations. As part of their third-phase protest, over a dozen of teachers’ unions affiliated to the Nepal Teachers’ Union and the Nepal Educational Republican Forum (NERF) taught students on the weekly holiday while they will close schools on Sunday.
The agitating teachers claimed that classes went as usual in more than two thirds of schools across the country. NERF President Hom Kumar Thapa claimed that 70 percent public and over 60 percent private schools opened on Saturday and student attendance was normal. “We found that students studied enthusiastically, making our move a success,” he said. However, private school owners say only 50 percent schools were open and student turnout was half.
They chose this form of protest after concluding that the government was reluctant to address their ‘genuine’ demands. Putting forth a 47-point charter of demands, the unions have been agitating for the past
one month.
They have been demanding permanent status for temporary teachers following a procedure besides seeking that private school teachers be given appointment letters and salaries on a par with their government school counterparts. “We changed the course of our protest to build pressure on the government as our mild agitation went unheeded,” Thapa added. There are over 6.2 million students enrolled in 32,000 public and 9,000 private schools across the country.
The Ministry of Education has taken a serious exception to the teachers’ move. “There are legal provisions and norms applicable for schools. Being government employees, teachers have no right to flout them,” said Roj Nath Pandey, joint spokesperson for the ministry.
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