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Khadka, Sharma released

Maoist central committee members Krishna Dhoj Khadka and his wife Rekha Sharma were released Sunday coinciding with the third all party talks to constitute a full-fledged government team to negotiate a peace with Maoists.

Chief Government negotiator Col. Narayan Singh Pun, who is also a helicopter pilot, brought them to Kathmandu in a chopper from Gorkha where they were detained at a security camp for more than a year.

Maoist negotiating team, including Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, welcomed them at the Airport. They are expected to fly home to Parbat Monday after party consultations Sunday. nepalnews.com br April 13

Solar project delivered

Indian Ambassador Shyam Saran has handed over a solar electrification project to a users' group of Baglung Bazzar, the Indian Embassy said. 

The Indian Government will provide Rs.12.8 million for the project maintenance. The Ministry of Science and Technology and the Alternative Energy Development Center will jointly run the project. 

About 5,000 people are to benefit from the project. nepalnews.com br April 13

Space Time suspends publication

Space Time Today, said it will "temporarily discontinue" publication because of "unavoidable technical constraints" from Monday, the daily newspaper said in a notice. 

The capital's youngest English language daily newspaper will, however, continue its on-line service, the newspaper said. 

Kathmandu now has three English language daily newspapers: The Rising Nepal, The Kathmandu Post and The Himalayan Times. nepalnews.com br April 13

All party meet begins

An all party meeting convened by Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand got underway Sunday morning with the participation of parties in government and without five opposition in the dissolved parliament. 

Government will expand the one-man negotiating team of Chief Coordinator and Minister for Physical Planning Narayan Singh Pun after the third round of all party talks even without the participation of the five parties, PM Chand said.

The CPN-UML is sponsoring a separate four party meeting of the dissolved parliament Sunday afternoon without the participation of Nepali Congress (Deuba). Maoists and Government are expected to hold informal talks Sunday to begin stalled peace talks.

Krishna Dhoj Khadka and his wife, Rekha Sharma, both central committee members, are to be released  from detention in Gorkha Sunday after a government decision to free the couple to create as atmosphere for talks on rebel demands; their release also coincides with the news of the death of Khadka's father in Pyuthan Saturday. 

Three other  central committee members continue to be detained. They are: Rabindra Shrestha, Muma Ram Khanal and Bam Deb Chetri. The insurgents have taken the government decision to release the prisoners as positive developments and pressed for the release of the others.

The release of the husband and wife was to coincide with the launch of the third all party talks to appoint a government peace negotiating team. Maoists set two pre-conditions for beginning peace negotiations: withdrawal of five detained central committee members and the withdrawal of criminal cases against senior Maoist leaders, including Chief Negotiator Dr, Baburam Bhattarai at Patan Appellate Court.

The talks, it appears, are now beginning to make some headway after a historic agreement to suspend hostilities on January 29 to negotiate a peace. Col. Pun, in desperation, has alleged his colleagues, without naming them, were hindering the peace process. nepalnews.com br April 13

Power tariff  to be reduced

Government will reduce power tariffs from  July 17. Minister for Water Resources Dipak Geywali made the announcement Saturday at a public meeting. Government is working to introduce separate winter and summer tariffs, he said.

Government power tariffs will be reviewed every year in the budget, he said. nepalnews.com br April 13.

Chinese education exhibition

A two-day Chinese exhibition to familiarize prospective students going for higher studies in China
ended Sunday, organizers said. Twenty-nine Chinese universities participated in the exhibition at the
Birendra International Convention Center.

Arniko Society Nepal, Chinese Embassy and the China Scholarship Council of the Chinese Education ministry sponsored the exhibition. nepalnews.com br April 13

All-party meeting to nominate team for peace talks: PM

Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand said Saturday that the political parties that failed to turn up at the all-party meeting in the offing would be excluded from the peace talks with the Maoists, reports from the district said.

Speaking at a programme organised in Phidim by the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Chand said a committee for the talks would be formed by including the representatives of political parties that attend the all-party meeting.

Meanwhile nearly two hundred students showing black fags to Prime Minister Chand upon his arrival in Biratnagar were charged with batons by the police. Several students were injured in the incident. The students protested against the recent killing of student leader Devilal Poudel in Butwal and
the steep hike of petrol prices.

Prime Minister Chand was visiting Biratnagar to inaugurate the newly constructed building of the Morang Industrial Organisation. The agitated students vandalised several shops and vehicles after the police tried to disperse them and charged them with batons.

Similarly, Chand faced protests from students in Terathum the same day. Chand visited Terathum to distribute land ownership certificates to the victims of the Myanglung fire. 

At the function organised in Myanglung, Chand said the government was looking towards restoring permanent peace in the country through peace talks and to hold the elections to the House of Representatives as instructed by the King. nepalnews.com am Apr 13

Govt. to release two Maoist leaders Sunday

The government is going to release two Maoist central committee members Krishna Dhoj Khadka and Rekha Sharma Sunday as a step forward to build congenial atmosphere for peace talks, media reports said.

Though the government had agreed to release the two leaders on Saturday, the release was postponed after there was news that Khadka's father had passed away at his ancestral home in Pyuthan.

The peace negotiators on behalf of the government and the Maoists had earlier planned to announce the release of the two Maoist leaders by organising a press conference in the capital Saturday. 

But the death of Khadka's father led to the change of the programme according to which both the Maoist leaders will be flown to Pyuthan in a helicopter.

The two Maoist leaders had been arrested from their rented flat in Kathmandu last year. The leaders were kept at the army barrack in Gorkha before the beginning of the peace talks. After the peace process began, the whereabouts of the two leaders were made public.

After the release of Khadka the government will release Maoist leaders Bamdev Chettri and Rabindra Shrestha in the second phase. Similarly the government will release Mumaram Khanal in the third phase. 

The Maoist leadership has been demanding the release of all of its five central members if the peace talks are to be taken ahead. nepalnews.com am Aprl 13

Students call off Butwal bandh

Students have called off the indefinite Butwal bandh Saturday on conditions that the local administration would fulfill their nine-point demand within seven days, reports from the district said.
The students agreed to withdraw the indefinite Butwal bandh following a meeting with the local government officials.

The students had been launching protests for the last five days demanding that the government give Rs 1.5 million rupees in the form of compensation to the family of student leader Devi Lal Poudel who was killed in police firing.

They also demanded for the release of the students who were arrested during the protests without any pre-conditions. The students also demanded for the resignation of the DSP and CDO. The
meeting took place under the chairmanship of the Chief District Officer of Rupandehi Deepak Kumar Joshi. 

Others participating in the meeting were Deputy Superintendent of Police Navaraj Dhakal, Campus Chief Purna Bahadur Bohora and the representatives of the joint struggle committee.
nepalnews.com am Apr 13

Govt. asks students to stop vandalism

The Home Ministry Saturday asked student protesters to stop violence and sit down for talks to resolve demands for a reduction in the price of kerosene. 

Student protests against the hike in POL prices and police firings in Butwal on protesters Tuesday that killed one student and injured several others continued for the fourth day Saturday nation-wide. 

The strike call paralyzed life in Butwal for the fourth consecutive day as students said they will continue their agitation until the Rupendaehi chief district officer and the district's senior most police officer are suspended. 

Petrol stations closed down Saturday after Friday's blackout called by student protesters. nepalnews.com br April 12

Palestine beat Nepal

Nepal lost to Palestine 0-1 in a preliminary football match at the Dashrath Rangashala Saturday for the 2004 Olympics in Athens. 

Palestine converted a penalty in the 13th minute of the first half. The second and final league match will be played Tuesday. 

The winner in Kathmandu will qualify for the next round. nepalnews.com br April 12

Sacked ministers speak

King Gyanendra Friday reshuffled the six-month old government of Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand just as a  student movement to press reduction of POL prices began to turn violent and  snowball against Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand.

One student was killed and several others were injured Tuesday  in police firings on demonstrators protesting price hikes in Butwal Tuesday. The King sacked Home Minister Dharma Bahadur Thapa, Minister for Education Debi Prasad Ojha and Minister for Commerce and Industry Mahesh Pradhan ostensibly to placate the students. 

"I may have been removed  because I could not maintain law and order," Thapa told Annapurna Post. "I took an unpopular decision to hike prices of petroleum products. The King has to listen to the problems of the people," Industry and Commerce Minister said. 

"My name has been carved out in history after the responsibility given to me by the King. I am, therefore, still responsible to the King." 

Prime Minister Chand and Deputy Prime Minister Badri Prasad Mandal share eight ministerial berths between them after Friday's unexpected reshuffle-- an indication that new faces could be inducted into the government, analysts said.

Eight student unions affiliated with different political parties said they will continue protests against the hike on POL products. nepalnews.com br April 12

Opposition to boycott talks

Representatives of four political parties in the dissolved parliament said they will again boycott Sunday's all party talks called by Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand to discuss  forming a so far  incomplete government team to pursue peace talks with Maoists.

"This government does not have any legal status. Our old position to boycott such talks stand," spokesman of the Nepali Congress Arjun Narsingh K.C. said. CPN-UML standing committee member Bharat Mohan Adhikari said: "The working style of the illegal government is becoming anti people and
unconstitutional. We will not give this government legitimacy by participating in the talks."

Spokesman of Nepali Congress (Democratic) Hom Nath Dahal said:" The only solution to the present crisis is to form an all party government  to succeed the present government." Amik Serchan of the United People's Front and Narayanman Bijukakchaya also said they will not attend Sunday's proposed talks.

In the past, Prime Minister Chand had followed up on government decisions despite the boycott of all party meetings by the opposition. Government has not announced a full-fledged team to assist Chief
Negotiator Col. Narayan Singh Pun even 10 weeks after the January 29 ceasefire between the Government and Maoists to end seven years of hostilities. nepalnews.com br April 12

The Boss launched

The Boss, a monthly business magazine, was launched Friday. Ambika Shrestha, President of Dwarika Hotel, launched the  magazine. 

"It is a hands-on magazine targeting the top and middle level people and young boys including all executives, professionals and policy makers," said Shalini Wadhwa, Managing Editor and Chief Executive. nepalnews.com br April 12 

Fire guts a Saptari village again

A fire Friday gutted more than 200 houses of Mahlaiyaniya village in Saptari, police said. The fire started from a threshing machine, locals said. Exact details of damage were not available from the remote village because without a road fire fighters could not reach the disaster site.

A devastating fire at Bhelichapena in the same district this month left behind more than Rs.30 million of devastation in the worst fire so far this summer. The fire gutted more than 1,500 homes and affected 2,117 families. nepalnews.com br April 12