30-MEMBER WOMEN’S FOOTBALL TEAM ANOUNCED Kathmandu, 14 Aug.: ANFA Monday announced a 30-member squad for the second SAFF Women’s Football Championship in Colombo 7 to 17 September.. The players are from Nepal APF Club, Nepal Police Club and four from Tribhuvan Army Club. The team: Jamuna Gurung, Anu Lama, Pramila Rai, Sajana Rana, Laxmi Poudel, Tulasha Singh, Usha Bhandari, Bhagwati Thapa, Man Maya Magar, Chandra Devi Dahal, Ranjana Darji Mira Maharjan , Chandra Bhandari, Niru Thapa, Yasoda Lama, Rupa Magar, Rina Gubhaju, Dhim Kumari Gurung, Menuka Giri, Namita Dali , Krishna Khatri, Dipa Adhikari, Lila Lamgade and Anjali Waiba. Others are: Nisha Bohora , Amrita Jaisi of Kailali, Laxmi Nepal,, Sharmila Gole,, Ranjita Gurung and Renuka Bhattarai. nnnn. MAOISTS FORM CONTROVERSIAL 26-PARTY ALIANCE FOR FEDERATION Kathmandu, 14 Aug.: In a clear indication that major political parties are further fortifying their camps against each other, 26 political parties led by UCPN (Maoist) on Monday formed Federal Democratic Republican Alliance (FDRA) with an objective to consolidate the strength of "pro-federalists", Tirtha L. Bhusal writes in Republic.. Leaders involved in forging the alliance said the major objective of the group was to ensure "new constitution with federalism and identity based federalism". Leaders said UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal will head the 26-member committee comprised of members from 26 political parties in the alliance. Major Madhes-based political parties and some other fringe parties have joined the alliance. They said a formal announcement of the alliance will be made at a press meet on Wednesday. Dan Bahadur Kurmi Chaudhary, who was present at the meeting, claimed that they chose to make the formal announcement on Wednesday as they were yet to finalize the alliance´s three-page announcement paper. The meeting, held at the prime minister´s official residence at Baluwatar, also entrusted a group of five leaders with the task of finalizing the draft. Finance Minister Barshaman Pun from UCPN (Maoist), Minister for Physical Planning and Works Hridayesh Tripathi from Tarai-Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP), Jitendra Dev of Madhesi People´s Rights Forum-Democratic (MPRF-D), Prem Bahadur Singh of Socialist People´s Party and Bishwendra Paswan of Dalit Janajati Party are in the taskforce. "Leaders from the alliance´s member parties have agreed on two options to end the current political stalemate," Chaudhary told Republica. "The first option is to hold new election of the Constituent Assembly (CA) and another alternative is to reinstate the CA." He said they have also agreed to reduce the number of lawmakers if they go for fresh elections. They have also decided to include leaders from civil society and some experts such as politcal scientist Krishna Hachhethu in the alliance. While CPN-Maoist had last week announced an alliance, Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML leaders have accused the UCPN (Maoist) leaders of unnecessarily polarizing the politics by forming alliances in the name of so-called federalists and anti-federalists. Parties represented at the meeting include UCPN (Maoist), Madhesi People´s Rights Forum, Madhesi People´s Rights Forum-Democratic, Madhesi People´s Rights Forum-Republican, Tarai-Madhes Democratic Party, Federal Sadbhavana Party, Rastriya Sadbhavana Party, Sadbhavana Party, Nepal Democratic Socialist Party, Nepal Family Party, CPN-ML (Socialist), Churebhawar Rastriya Ekta Party, Tamsaling Nepal Rastriya Dal, Nawa Janawadi Morcha, Nawa Nepal Nirwan Party and Nepaa Rastriya Party, among others. Nnnn DISSENSION CONTINUES IN MAIN OPPOSITION NC Kathmandu, 14 Aug.: In what could be the start of yet another row between the two rival factions in the Nepali Congress, all those appointed as department chiefs and zonal coordination committee coordinators of the party from the Sher Bahadur Deuba faction have decided to tender their resignations en masse, Republica reports. A meeting of the CWC members and former Constituent Assembly (CA) members from the Deuba faction held at Deuba´s residence on Monday afternoon took a decision to this effect, concluding that the decision of party President Sushil Koirala to form an additional 12 departments in the party was against a provision in the party statute. “We decided to tender our resignations en masse as the decision was not taken in consultation with Sher Bahadur Deuba,” said Deuba-aligned CWC member Purna Bahadur Khadka. Khadka said there have been differing opinions whether to resign before the CWC meeting that begins Thursday or submit the resignations during the CWC meeting. “We are meeting again Tuesday afternoon. The meeting will decide when to tender the resignations,” he further said. On July 29, Koirala had taken a decision to name the chiefs of 42 various departments, including 12 new departments, and 14 zonal coordination committee coordinators. The appointments that were supposed to be made within two months of the general convention held in September 2010 as per the party statute were delayed due to prolonged differences between the establishment faction and the Deuba-led faction. Out of the total of 42 departments, 13 are headed by Deuba-aligned leaders. Likewise, six of the 14 zonal coordination committee coordinators were named from the Deuba side. Khadka said the meeting also held discussions on the current political situation and ways to bail the country out of the constitutional crisis. "We have underscored the need to immediately call a Mahasamiti meeting of the party and come up with a single idea for taking the country out of the current political deadlock," he said."Discussion on the issue is still continuing." Nnnn ________________________________________ ________________________________________ CHOLERA WARNING ISSUED FORTOURISTS AGAINST CHOLERA Kathmandu, 14 Aug.: The government today urged foreign travellers to take precautions against cholera after 13 people died in an outbreak in the remote west of the country, The Himalayan Times reports.. GD Thakur, director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Department, urged the visitors to drink boiled or mineral water and “pay attention to their personal care and hygiene”. “There have been 13 deaths in two months in Doti district in western Nepal but now the situation is under control,” Thakur said. “Although only a few cholera cases were reported during the rainy season in the past 15 years. Since mid-April, we have detected 15 cholera cases in Kathmandu but there have been no deaths.” Nepal is nearing the height of its monsoon season, when diarrhoea-related illnesses normally spike because of contaminated water sources. Cholera is caused by bacteria in water or food, which has usually been contaminated with the faeces of an infected person. If untreated it can kill within a day through dehydration, with the old and the young the most vulnerable. Healthcare facilities in most western districts, including Doti, are primitive, with farm workers often living in dirty, cramped conditions without electricity or access to clean drinking water. “Foreign visitors who plan to come to Nepal should not worry because the situation is completely under control. We request them to pay attention to their personal care and hygiene,” Thakur said. “We encourage them to drink either boiled or mineral water and not to eat leftover food. The department is very vigilant and there is nothing to worry about.” Nnnn ENERGY SECRETARY DISCUSSES WEST SETI WITH CHINA IN BEIJING Kathmandu, 14 Aug.:: Energy Secretary Hari Ram Koirala today discussed the West Seti Hydroelectricity Project with the key officials of China Three Gorges International Corporation (CTGI) in Beijing, The Himalayan Times reports. Talking to The Himalayan Times, Koirala said they had detailed discussion with Chen Fei, CTGI executive president, and other senior officials on the concerns raised by the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Means to review the MoU. The MOU signed between the Energy Ministry and CTGI in February had provoked wide debate and discussion on the project and the Parliamentary Committee had formed a commission to probe into MoU and had made a number of recommendations to the government thereafter. Secretary Koirala said they tried to build the trust with the Chinese investor and constructor. “The discussion was focused on the synchronization of the transmission line installation and hydro projects construction, share increment for public, which was 2-5 per cent, and financial arrangement for the mega project, as per recommendation of the Parliamentary Committee report,” Koirala added. Prime Minister’s economic advisor Rameshwor Khanal and Chief of Nepal Investment Board Radhesh Panta were in the visiting team. The team also met with the officials of the Chinese Development Bank and Export-Import Bank of China for the financial arrangement. The transmission line of estimated 500 KM from Doti to Butawal to link to the national grid is the major bottleneck behind starting the project, said Secretary Koirala. The feasibility study of transmission line is yet to be done. The CTGI has pledged to dispatch a team for reviewing MoU signed in February and sign a fresh MoU soon, according to Koirala. “The new MoU will incorporate the committee reports and will be approved by the Cabinet,” he added. In its report, the Parliamentary Committee highlighted the lack of transparency in the MoU and made a number of recommendations on the project: To coordinate with the Nepal Investment Board to implement the project as provisioned by the act, prepare financial plan of the project and begin immediate work on transmission lines, resettle population hit by the project and allocate at least 150 MW to far west region and development of industrial corridor in the area and earmark 49 per cent share for the Nepali people. Nnnn MEDIA GOOGLE “Reparation and compensation that the government has distributed to the victims are not enough.The government should facilitate broader discussions on the ordinance [blanket amnesty for rights violators] among victims, human rights defenders and the NHRC.” (NHRC Chairman Kedarnath Upadhaya, The Himalayan Times, 14 Aug.) nnnn