BIRATNAGAR BOY SECURES 94.9 PERCEEENT MARKSCLAIMING TO BE TOPPER IN SLC EXAMS Kathmandu, 14 June: Arun Kalakoti of Balkalyan Bidya Mandir in Birtnagar secured 94.9 percent marks claiming to be top scorer nation-wide in this year’s SLC results announced Thursday Sangam, Sargam and Sandip Pokhrel of Oraste VDC-2 in Syanghja secured first division. Fifty-three percent students failed the annual tests even after 5 grace marks for failing in two subjects. nnnn MAOISTS MAKE FINAL ATTEMPT AT UNITY Kathmandu, 14 June: Maoists are making a final attempt at unity ahead of Friday’s first national meet of the Mohan Bidhaya faction of UCPN (Maoist) in the capital. The dissident group rejected a seven-point proposal of the establish for unity Wednesday. The two sides of the largest party which is leading government with Madeshbadi front is preparing for another round of talks between Chairman Prachanda and First Vice-chairman Baidhaya later Thursday in a bid to same the party divided on ideological lines. Nnnn EU DIPLOMATS MEETING PRACHANDA Kathmandu, 14 June: Ambassadors of member states of the EU and some outside it are meeting Maoist Chairman Prachanda Thursday to urge parties to come to a consensus to end a new crisis and deadlock after Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai called constituent assembly (CA) elections 22 November leading to dissolution of the assembly. The meeting 12 hours after their discussions with President Dr.. Ram Baran Yadav. “Declared election isn’t possible without understanding between NC,UML, and Madeshibadi parties. “Can you show me one country in the world where elections have been held without the agreement of major parties?” the President asked the ambassadors in an unprecedented collective meet. ‘There’s no country where election has been held without understanding. That’s why in Nepal, election can’t be held without agreement of four parties,”the ceremonialhead told the ambassadors. Nnnn MEHDI HASSAIN DEAD Kathmandu, 14 June: Pakistan’s gazal maestro Mehdi Hassain died Wednesday at a Karachi hospital. He was 84. Mehdi Hassain first performed before Nepali audiences in 1983. King Birendra awarded him the Gorkha Dakshin Bahu First Class.. He sang songs of Chadani Shah. Nnnn CAPITAL RECORDS HIGH TEMPERATURE Kathmandu, 14 June: The capital’s temperature Thursday morning was 21 degrees Celsius. Mercury is expected to rise to 35 degrees Celsius in the afternoon. Thursday’s maximum temperature in the capital was 35.2 degrees Celsius. A dry spell has hit the county with prediction of a delayed monsoon. The maize crop has dried up with early prediction of a drop of production of the second major crop after paddy. Nnnn