THREE KILLED IN SAPTARI ACCIDENTS Kathmandu, 24 July: Three people died in separate incidents in Saptari district on Monday, RSS reports from Rajbiraj.. A three-year-old girl drowned in a pond near her house. She is Muni Kumari Yadav, daughter of Santosh Kumar Yadav, a resident of Mahadewa VDC-6. The child had gone to the pond for swimming. In another incident, 60-year-old Ram Prasad Mandal of Belhi Chapena VDC-1 died due to electrocution. He received the electric shock while turning on the water pump for irrigating the paddy field. Forty-five years old Rabindra Mishra of Benaras, India committed suicide by jumping into a drum containing heated tar. The tar was made ready for black-topping the Portaha section of the East-West highway, police said. nnnn MAOISTS CLOSE DOWN PANCHTHAT FOR THIRD CONSECUTVE DAY Kathmandu, 24 July: Maoists closed Panchthar district for the third consecutive day Tuesday blaming a NC activist for the death of Gajendra Jabegi in a brawl. Maoists have called an indefinite bandh and action against the NC activist. They have demanded the Maoist activist be declared a martyr. Nnnn NEPAL-CHINA SECURITY TALKS BEIJING ASKS NEPAL PLANS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE FOR EFFECTIVE SECURITY Kathmandu, 24 July: China has asked Nepal to come up with a proposal for financial and infrastructure aid required to enforce an effective security strategy along the Sino-Nepali border to check cross-border crimes, Nirmal Sjrestha writes in The Kathmandu Postfrom Hong Kong. During secretary-level talks between the two countries in Beijing on Monday, the Chinese side expressed its readiness to support Nepal to strengthen security along the borders. Nepali Ambassador to China Mahesh Maskey said the Chinese government was willing to assist Nepal in curbing cross-border crimes and asked the Nepali officials to come up with a proposal pertaining to the matter. He also said the Chinese officials praised the work being done by the Nepali side in maintaining security along the borders. Apart from border security, the Chinese officials also pledged support to Nepal in other fields. “They assured us that China is ready to provide all assistance to Nepal. They asked us to submit proposals for the required assistance,” Maskey said. The two sides also discussed the implementation of agreements signed by the two countries during the Nepal visit of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. During the Chinese premier’s visit in January this year, Nepal and China had agreed on various issues, including strengthening diplomatic ties, border security improvement and curbing of anti-China activities in Nepal. nnnn MADESHI MORCHA SEEKS PACKAGE DEAL Kathmandu, 24 July: Samyukta Loktantrik Madeshimorcha , a major partner in the coalition, has reiterated the need for “consensus in package” among parties. The alliance of the Madhes-based parties say the change of government will not happen unless the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML agree on issues of constitution writing, The Kathmandu Post writes.. The alliance convened a meeting on Monday to chalk out details on the issues to be discussed with President Ram Baran Yadav on Tuesday. The leaders stressed the need of an agreement on contentious issues of constitution writing before the change of government. “If the Nepali Congress and the UML want to have a change of guard, then it is important that they agree on constitution writing. Everything has to be dealt in a package,” said Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Ganatantrik leader Rasjkishore Yadav. According to Chairman of the Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party-Nepal Mahendra Yadav discussion can be held on the process through which the constitution can be drafted. “There are options which can be explored. If parties agree on contentious issues of constitution writing then the Constituent Assembly could be revived for a brief period. Else, we can go for fresh CA elections as declared by the government,” said Mahendra Yadav. He added that if the NC agreed on constitution writing, it could be handed the leadership of the government as agreed in the past. Yadav also informed that the Morcha would brief the President on these issues. As for the bringing ordinance for amending electoral laws, Yadav said the government would bring an ordinance with regard to changing the electoral laws as sought by the election commission. The constitutional body on Sunday had verbally agreed to give parties seven more days for amending electoral laws after the earlier deadline expired on the day. nnnn