FIFTH CHOPPER JOINS SIMRIK AIR FLEET Kathmandu,1 Nov.: Another helicopter joined Simrik Air During the festive season increasing the fleet strength of choppers with the private carrier to five. A French AAS 350B3-E joined the fleet during the peak autumn tourist season- Nnnn CAPITAL’S MINIMUM TEMPERATURE 10 DEGREES CELCIUS Kathmandu, 1 Nov.: The capital’s minimum temperature Thursday morning was 10 degrees Celsius. Mercury is expected to rise to 27 degrees Celsius in the afternoon. Nnnn MACHINDRA CLUB PLAYS NPC Kathmandu, 1 Nov.: Machindra Club plays Nepal Police Club (NPC) in the Safal Poljara Cup in Pokhara Thursday. NRT and APF have already entered the quarterfinal Nnnn INDIA BEAT PAKISTAN IN WOMEN CRICKET; NEPAL OUT OF CHINA TOURNAMENT Kathmandu, 1 Nov.: Indian women lifted the inaugural ACC Twenty20 in China Wednesday. Nepal was out of the championship losing to Sei Lanka, Bangladesh and China in group matches. Nnnn CPN-MAOIST IDENTIFIES NEW ENEMY Kathmandu, 1 Nov : In a major policy shift, the CPN-Maoist, the breakaway faction of the UCPN (Maoist), has named a combination of political, bureaucratic and ´comprador´ capitalist elements ´protected and guided by Indian expansionists´ as its principal enemym Kiran Pun writes in Republica. According to a political document presented at its central committee meeting by party Chairman Mohan Baidya this past week, the main contemporary contradiction of the Nepali people is with compradors, bureaucrats and capitalists guided and protected by Indian expansionists. The newly-formed Maoist party also said that a significant change in the political and social situation seen during the past two years had compelled the party to redefine its principal enemy. Defining of a principal enemy in a communist party´s official document carries special significance because all the activities of such a party are designed and executed to defeat the "principal enemy". According to commentators, this latest process of redefinition floated by the CPN-Maoist demonstrates a major shift from a policy adopted two years back when the UCPN (Maoist) party was united. The party had then defined Indian expansionists blended with domestic reactionary forces as the party´s principal enemy. Further explaining the nature of the presence of the principal enemy in different state organs, the CPN-Maoist said that a section of all major political parties including the UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML and Madhes-based parties are protected and guided by Indian expansionists. Such a trend is also visible in those bureaucratic and business classes that work to serve the interests of Indian expansionists and act against the national interests, it is stated. Most of the bureaucrats coming from the elite classes also fall under the principal enemy category, said the documents seen by Republica. Similarly, Chairman Baidya´s political document has pinpointed American imperialism and Indian expansionism as enemies and said that with the rise of the European Union and other regional alliances, the US had lost its superpower status and the world had become multi-polar. Defining the principal enemy was the main issue in the debate among the three factions led by Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Vice-chairmen duo Baidya and Baburam Bhattarai, during the Palungtar plenum two years. Dahal and Baidya had taken a stance defining Indian expansionist as the principal enemy whereas Bhattarai had opposed that idea and had argued that it was not Indian expansionists but domestic reactionary forces, especially feudal ones, that should be defined as the principal enemy. The plenum finally endorsed the version floated by Dahal and Baidya, forcing the Bhattarai faction to write a note of dissent. However, within three months, Dahal had turned to the Bhattarai faction and Baidya had written the note of dissent. The issue of defining the principal enemy was one of the major factors that triggered a split in the UCPN (Maoist) last June. Nnnn NA SLS GOVT.FOR RS. 9 BILLION Kathmandu, 1 Nov : Stating that the Nepal Army was running out of money even to pay regular salaries and carry out day-to-day operations, Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Gaurav Shumsher Rana urged Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun on Wednesday to provide over Rs 9.94 billion, including Rs 858 million for salary payments, Kamal Pariyar writes in Republica. CoAS Rana requested the finance minister at his office at Singhadurbar to allocate the money as soon as possible so that the NA´s regular work is not affected. According to ministry sources, Minister Pun has assured CoAS Rana of releasing a budget for regular salaries at the earliest by arranging alternative sources. But he clarified that he was not able to release any budget for purchasing helicopters, for their maintenance or for the purpose of integrating former Maoist combatants, until a full-fledged budget based on political consensus comes through. According to finance ministry sources, the NA has demand Rs 2.55 billion for the purchase of two helicopters, Rs 1.33 billion for integration and Rs 5.2 billion for the maintenance of four existing army helicopters. The army has demanded Rs 136 million at present to begin integration of the remaining Maoist combatants. Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kuber Singh Rana also met Finance Minister Pun for addressing the budget crunch as soon as possible. Nepal Police has demanded Rs 740 million and the Armed Police Force (APF) Rs 360 million to pay regular salaries of the security personnel. The key political parties are unable to reach a common understanding for providing the country a complete budget before the end of this month. The incumbent government is preparing to bring another one-third budget instead of a full budget based on political consensus. Nnnn ________________________________________