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Kathmandu, April 28: General secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist), a break away faction from the main opposition CPN-UML, Bamdev Gautam has demanded a national government representing all national parties in order to tackle the present crisis in the country.

Speaking at a party function in Kathmandu Gautam accused the ruling Nepali Congress of completely failing to solve the country’s problems and give good governance, and demanded a national government. The firebrand communist leader said that his party never opposes the people’s movement for the cause of the nation and the people. However, he did not agree with the street protests of six leftist parties including CPN-UML and the violence and killing perpetrated by Maoists in the name of people's war. Gautam said that the Maoist problem should be solved through dialogue and negotiation. “The situation has gone beyond the control of Nepali Congress and
CPN-UML,” he said. Nepalnews.com/yl/at

Bir Hospital nurses on strike

Kathmandu, April 28: Nurses in Bir Hospital, the country’s oldest hospice, have gone on strike from Friday demanding 50 per cent allowances for working extra times. Doctors and other volunteers are doing the duty of nurses but the work has been completely hampered. Patients have suffered the most because of the strike. Relatives and patients say that the management of the hospital needs to solve the issue immediately or make some alternative arrangement to ensure that the services in the hospital are not affected. The strikers had given ultimatum to the management sometimes ago but they say the management did not respond to their demands. “We were forced to go on strike,” said a nurse. Hospital management source said that it is an issue that cannot be solved overnight and efforts are being made to resolve the crisis. Nepalnews.com/ylat

Main opposition party asks Koirala to resign on moral ground

Kathmandu, April 27: The main opposition party CPN-UML reiterated its demand of Prime Minister
Girija Prasad Koirala's resignation  on moral ground as Commission for Abuse of Authority (CIAA) charged the then Civil Aviation Minister Tarini Dutta Chataut and two other officials with irregularities in the deal with Austrian Lauda Air concerning leasing a Boeing jet aircraft for a period of 18 months. In a statement issued Friday, CPN-UML said that Koirala has no other alternative other than to step down on moral ground as CIAA, the anti corruption watch dog, has already charged a member of his cabinet and senior officials with corruption and irregularities. "Our party asks Koirala to step down immediately", the statement siad.

CIAA asked former chairperson and board member of the Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation Hari Bhakta Shrestha and Tirtha Lal Shrestha to submit bail of Rs 50 million each. They were sent to police custody after they failed to produce the amount. CIAA has also asked former Minister Chataut not to leave Kathmandu without prior permission of CIAA until the investigation on Lauda
Air deal completes. This decision has given moral boost to opposition parties that have been launching street protests against Prime Minister Koirala holding him responsible on Lauda Air deal.

Meanwhile, opposition leader Madhav Nepal said in Kathmandu that since CIAA has held the cabinet responsible for the irregularities on Lauda Air, Prime Minister Koirala, must step down as a head of the cabinet. He said if he does not step down voluntarily, people would pull him down from the chair. Nepalnews.com/br/at

Maoists kill Yadav

Kathmandu, April 27: Maoists Friday night murdered Banti Yadav of Falkahi village in Siraha
district, police said. A group of about 50 rebels attacked Yadav at his home and murdered
him, police said. Siraha, a terai district adjoining India, is not a major insurgency area.
Nepalnews.com/br/at

Nepal to present Rhino pair to Japan

Kathmandu, April 27: Nepal will present Japan a pair of one horned Asian rhinos coinciding with
the current official visit of Crown Prince Dipendra to Japan, the Ministry of Forest said Friday. "The
visit will help promote bilateral ties," the announcement said. The heir to the throne began an eight day official visit to Japan Wednesday. The announcement did not say when the rhinos will be presented to Japan. Nepalnews.com/br/at

Load shedding lifted in Kathmandu valley

Katmandu, April 27: The one month load shedding in Kathmandu has been completely lifted in
Kathmandu valley following after water levels in rivers increased due to glacial melt, the Nepal Electricity Authority(NEA)said Friday. The NEA Thursday announced resumption of regular electricity supply in the afternoon in the Valley following rains this week that increased river levels
improving power generation by hydel plants. 
Power generation fell this spring because of a prolonged winter dry spell and low temperatures  affecting glacial melt in the Himalayan. Load shedding will be lifted in other parts of the country depending on water supplies, the NEA said. Nepalnews.com/br/at

Two detained in Lauda Air scam

Kathmandu, April 27: Former RNAC chief Hari Bhakta Shrestha and board member Tirtha Lal Shrestha were detained Thursday evening after they failed to furnish a bail of Rs 50 million each ordered by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). The CIAA ordered former Minister of Tourism Tarini Dutta Chataut to submit his passport and confined him to Kathmandu Valley pending further investigation of a controversial deal with Austria's Lauda Air to lease a Boeing aircraft for RNAC. Chataut had resigned earlier this year following questioning by CIAA in the controversial deal. The Tourism Ministry controls the state airline. Critics of the deal said the aircraft was leased at an inflated rate. The opposition, charging direct involvement of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala in the lease, has been pressing for his resignation but the premier has refused to bow to opposition demands for his resignation. Nepalnews.com/br/at

Storm kills four in Chitwan

Kathmandu, April 27: A sudden storm in Chitwan on Wednesday evening killed four persons, including a lactating mother and an infant son, and injured two others, police said. Laxmi Busneyt, 22, and her 16 day old son were killed in the storm in Shaktikhor village in the district, police said. The storm hit three villages in the district. Meanwhile, a fire killed two infants in Chambas village in Tanahu district in west Nepal Wednesday, police said. Nepalnews.com/br/at

Load shedding relaxed

Kathmandu, April 27: The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has announced that the ongoing daytime power cuts in the capital will be relaxed from Thursday. The move comes after rains this week raised river water levels. Load shedding will be further relaxed if the water flow increases, NEA said. NEA enforced load shedding nation-wide one month ago following a fall in power generated by hydel plants. A long dry spell and low temperatures caused the fall in the river levels. The load shedding has disrupted normal life and affected industrial production.  Nepalnews.com/br/at

Crown Prince Dipendra’s Japan tour 

Kathmandu, April 26:  Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako hosted a dinner for visiting Crown Prince Dipendra in Tokyo Thursday, the Foreign Ministry said. Crown Prince Dipendra began an eight-day official visit to Japan Wednesday. On the second day of his Japan tour, Crown Prince Dipendra visited the Diet or Japanese Parliament. "Nepal is in the process of consolidating the democratic process," he told the Japanese parliamentarians. The Crown Princes of the two Asian monarchies jointly visited a museum in Tokyo Thursday. Nepalnews.com/br/at

Blackout in the capital

Kathmandu, April 26: In continued protests, six left parties led by the main opposition in parliament Nepal Communist Party (Unified Marxist-Leninist) disrupted traffic nation-wide Thursday evening for one hour demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Koirala for alleged corrupt practices. Detailed national reports were not immediately available. Residents in parts of the capital observed an hour-long blackout after the traffic disruption pressing for Koirala's resignation.
Resilient and beleaguered Koirala has refused to resign asking opposition to adopt constitutional means to oust him. Nepalnews.com/br/at

First woman justice to Supreme Court appointed

Kathmandu, April 26: Senior advocate Shushila Singh Silu became the first woman to be appointed temporary justice of the Supreme Court for a two-year term, an announcement said. Chief Justice Keshab Prasad Upadhaya appointed her along with three other justices Chandra Prasad Parajuli, Min Bahadur Rayamajhi and Ram Nagina Singh to the post. Nepalnews.com/br/at

Nepal beat Macau 6-1

Kathmandu, April 26: Nepal beat Macau 6-1 Wednesday in the 2002 World Cup Group 6 qualifying match after Niranjan Rayamajhi scored a hat trick, reports from Almaty, Kazakhsthan said. Nepal also beat Macau in the first round match played in Iraq. Nepal with six points after six matches was placed third in the group after Iraq and Kazakhsthan. Iraq has qualified for the next round on a better goal average. Japan and South Korea are hosting the 2002 World Cup. Nepalnews.com/br/at

Two killed, nine injured in bus accident

Kathmandu, April 26: Two persons, including a policeman, were killed on the spot and nine others were injured when a minibus fell into the Chatara canal in Sunsari district Tuesday at 5pm, police said. The injured are being treated at a hospital in Dharan. The bus was travelling to Chatara from Jhumka. Nepalnews.com/br/at

Supreme Court says Citizenship bill unconstitutional

Kathmandu, April 26: A seven man bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Keshab Prasad Upadhaya in a unanimous decision said the amendment to the citizenship bill approved by the Parliament last year was unconstitutional, a press release issued by the court said Wednesday. The opinion has been sent to King Birendra who asked the court’s comment on section 2 of the bill complied with Articles 8 and 9 of the Constitution. The Supreme Court said addition of words the phrases "by birth" and "descent" in section 2 violated the Constitution. The Constitution has already set conditions for citizenship so the bill cannot set additional grounds.

The bill approved by the 18th session of Parliament and was sent to the King for the Royal Seal. "If the proposed bill was adopted, it will mean the amendment of the constitution," the court said. Critics of the bill also said the relaxation of citizenship provisions would create another Fiji in Nepal. Only children of male Nepalis are entitled to citizenship by descent although foreigners can get naturalised citizenship. Former Speaker of the House of Representatives and lawyer Daman Dhungana welcomed the court verdict. "The Supreme Court has done legal justice by striking off the recent amendment. It has respected the constitution. But political and emotional justice is yet to be done. The people who are entitled to citizenship must get it. The Government and parliament amended the constitution. It was unconstitutional," Dhungana told Nepalnews. The ball is now in the King's court. It is not known what he will do with the bill. Nepalnews.com/br/at

Author breaches secrecy

Kathmandu, April 26: An author of a computer science book breached secrecy and acted in an undignified manner when setting questions for optional computer subject for the just concluded School Leaving Certificate examinations, an official announcement said. Authorities re-scheduled the examination after the leak. RC Khanal will not be assigned any examination task henceforth. "He did not maintain dignity and instead breached secrecy and concerned authorities will be requested to take action against him," an announcement said. The Secondary Examinations Committee met Tuesday to act on the scam. The Committee accepted questions set by Khanal were identical to the contents a book authored by him. Nepalnews.com/br/at

Maoists shoot at helicopter

Kathmandu, April 26: Maoists shot and damaged a helicopter ferrying police personnel at Kalikot district Wednesday but the chopper managed to return safely to base, police said. Three bullets were fired at the helicopter, which returned to district headquarters in Manma, police said. The helicopter was carrying 45 additional policemen sent to Ormale village to reinforce a group that had been ambushed by rebels. There were no police injuries in the three-hour gunfire exchange, police said.Nepalnews.com/br/at