MAHESH BASNET LEADS IN VOTE COUNTING IN UML YAN Kathmandu, 26 Feb. Mahesh Basnet leads in vote counting by 82 votes for leadership of Youth Association Nepal (YAN) of UML over rival Niraj Acharya. Elections for a three-year term was held in Butwal Monday. Altogether 422 votes had been counted until noon Tuesday. Basnet is supported by KP Sharma Oli and Acharya by Chairman Jhalanath Khanal. Twenty-one members have been unanimously elected YAN members. Nnnn . UML STANDING COMMITTEE MEET CONVENED Kathmandu, 26 Feb.: UML standing committee meets Tuesday to fresh developments after Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi indicated in his first public official reaction Monday he could lead an election government if some pre-conditions were met. Former {rime Minister and second ranking party leader Madhav Kumar Nepal has reservations on such a government. A standing committee called last week couldn’t be held with a boycott by Chairman Jhalanath Khanal who supports a Regmi government just to get rid an entrenched government of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, who is a Maoist vice-chairman. nnnn CHILDREN WITH PARENTS FOUND IN ORPHANAGES Kathmandu, 26 Feb.:: More than 60 per cent children in the country’s orphanages have parents though the law says only orphans can be Sheltered, RSS reports from Lalitpur. there. According to Central Child Welfare Committee, a research has proved this, though there is no government data on children living in orphanages, whose parents are alive. Officer at the committee Ram Bahadur Chand, said parents send their children to orphanages with fake recommendation letters to orphanages. Especially poverty-stricken parents send their children to orphanages thinking they will be provided free education and their basic needs will be fulfiled, said Chand. As per the new legal provision, orphans who are without guardians and relatives to look after them are kept in orphanages. Nnnn MEDIA GOOGLE “The country has been stuck in political stalemate due to the inability and power hunger nature of the four parties. “Now polls are not possible in May, and it is doubtful whether they will be even held in November or not. If if elections are held also there is no certainty that people will get a constitution as per their wishes.” (RPP-Nepal Chairman Kamal Thapa, The Himalayan Times, 26 Feb.) nnnn