Nepal's Maoist chief bails out man who slapped him =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Nepal's Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Tuesday bailed out a man detained for allegedly slapping him in public last month, media reports said.

   Padam Kunwar, a 25-year-old party worker from Baglung district in western Nepal, slapped Dahal at a public event on November 16.

   Kunwar said he slapped the head of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) because he was frustrated with the political deadlock stemming from the failure of parties to form a national unity government.

   A caretaker Maoist government has been in place since May, when the term of the Constituent Assembly, or parliament, expired after it failed to draft a new charter.

   Kunwar was attacked by Maoist supporters after he slapped Dahal and later arrested. Dahal paid 28,000 rupees (329 dollars) to bail him out, according to Kantipur Television.

   Dahal has not commented on the case since the bailout, although he had said after the incident last month that he had forgiven Kunwar, a former Maoist soldier, whose family also fought the decade-long Maoist war.

   The Maoist politician was the third of Nepal's top political leaders to be slapped in public recently, as public discontent over the political stalemate rises.
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REFILE (dpa 055): Maoist chief slapped at reception in Nepal; man arrested

Filed on November 16, 2012

   Kathmandu (dpa) - The head of Nepal's Maoist party, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, was slapped Friday at a reception in Kathmandu as public frustration over the country's political deadlock rises.

   Padam Kunwar, a 25-year-old party worker from the Baglung district in western Nepal, was arrested, police said. Dahal's glasses were broken in the incident, media reports said.

   Police said they would take Kunwar to hospital for treatment after he was beaten by party workers after the slap.

   “We take this incident seriously and will investigate before we take action,” said Maoist leader Barshaman Pun, who also acts as finance minister.

   Hundreds of Maoist party workers as well as guests from other parties attended the reception, after which the Maoists accused the government of providing inadequate security.

   Nepal is currently under a caretaker government after the term of the constituent assembly expired in May after it failed to draft a new charter. The caretaker government has been under pressure from the opposition to step down to make way for a consensus government.

   Nepal plunged into a deeper crisis Friday after the caretaker government failed to deliver a budget because of opposition protests.
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FEATURE: Gurkhas mourn dead, seek equal rights from British army

By Pratibha Tuladhar, dpa =

   Syangja, Nepal (dpa) – As a group of mourners sang the Magar dirge, Jham Bahadur Pun Magar, 55, wiped his eyes with the end of the white linen cloth wrapped around his bare body.

   “This song is about how you can no longer call out to someone once the person is dead,” the former soldier in the British army said.

   The ceremony in the western district of Syangja honoured the 60,000 Nepalese Gurkha soldiers who died fighting for the British crown during the two world wars, and to press for recognition.

   “Songs like these make me cry,” he said laughing at his own tears, revealing a facet of the culture known to be “as gentle and shy in daily life as they are fearless and tenacious in battle.”

   Described by 19th-century British officials as a “martial race,” the Nepalese hill tribesman have served in the British army over two centuries. More than 200,000 Gurkhas fought for the British in the world wars, serving in different countries.

   The Gurkhas first joined forces with the British in 1814, fighting for the East India Company.

   The regiment was split when the British quit India in 1947 and it has since served in both the Indian and the British armies.

   “If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or he is a Gurkha,” Indian Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw famously said.

   The name is derived from Gorkha district, where the expansion of the Nepalese kingdom began. Western Gurungs and Magars, and Rais and Limbus from the east, have mostly joined the Gurkha ranks. The tribes live in some of the remotest districts in the shadows of Himalayan peaks.

   They are nature worshippers, with many practicing Buddhism, while some have taken up Hinduism.

   “When I was stationed in Borneo in 1962, there were times when I’d lost my way in the forest, battled snakes and quicksands,” recalled Til Bahadur Gurung, 70, who stood out from his country men in a suit and Scottish cap.

   “There were days when we dug out roots for food and waited for the sun to dry our clothes after we got drenched in rain.”

   Gurung now lives in Reading, England. He moved to Britain three years ago, after former Gurkha soldiers won a court case in 2009 that gave them right to residency. But he is not entitled to a pension, and survives on government welfare.

   “I once shot a single-engine Indonesian plane with a GPM (General Proper Machine-gun),” he recalled. “The plane dropped paratroopers, but it burst into flames by the time it arrived at the Indonesian airport - like a scene from the movies.”

   Gurkhas are also identified by their traditional 18-inch curved  knife called the khukuri.

   “Legend has it that the khukuri had to taste blood once removed from the sheath,” said Rajesh Rai, spokesman for the Gurkha Ex-Servicemen’s Association (GAESO).

   “It was to imply that Gurkhas never give up in war.”

 

   Since 1858, 13 Gurkhas have been awarded the Victoria Cross, Britian's highest military honour for valour.

   “When we were growing up, we could not think beyond joining the British army because that’s what we had seen our fathers do,” explained retired soldier Damar Bahadur Pun, who followed his own father and three uncles into the British army, as did his four brothers, and one of his two sons. 

   “We grew up knowing that was our destiny,” he said.

   Now the once-unquestioned loyalty to the crown is strained as the Gurkha accuse the British government of discrimination.

   “Our ranks, salary and pensions have always been lower than that of other British soldiers,” said Padam Bahadur Gurung, chairman of the veterans' association.

   “We’re demanding equal pay for equal work.”

   They are petitioning the British government for rights on par with other soldiers, and recognition for Gurkhas killed in war.

   There are currently around 4,000 Nepalis serving in the British forces, GASEO's Rai said. About 130 are recruited from Nepal each year.

   As a three-day mourning ritual got underway this month, Buddhist monks said prayers, women lit colourful incense sticks, and men dressed in ethnic attire beat drums and chanted prayers.

   Retired soldier Dambar Bahadur Limbu watched as a shaman from his Limbu caste invoked a slow wail, dedicating the ritual to the dead.

   “It is the first time in 200 years that the undocumented Gurkha deaths are being honoured for their sacrifices,” Limbu said.

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Fire guts Bhutanese refugee camp in eastern Nepal =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Eighty refugee homes were gutted in an inferno at a Bhutanese refuges camp in Nepal's eastern district of Jhapa, police confirmed Tuesday.

   Police said the locals had dismantled some 30 huts to prevent the fire's spread in the tightly packed settlement.

   No human casualties were reported, but 600 people were displaced by the fire. Police suspected the fire started due to leakage of cooking gas.

   Last year, some 200 huts were burnt in an inferno in the camp.

   Nepali speaking Hindu Bhutanese started leaving Bhutan in the early 1990s, saying they were facing persecution from the authorities.

   Over 60,000 Bhutanese refugees live in eastern Nepal in UN-monitored camps. Around the same number have been resettled in the United States.

   The process to resettle the Bhutanese refugees began in 2007, after several rounds of talks between Bhutan and Nepal failed to decide the fate of the refugees.
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Nepalese Bollywood star diagnosed with cancer =

November 30, 2012
   Kathmandu (dpa)- Nepalese-born Bollywood star Manisha Koirala has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, a news report said Friday.

   “The cancer is in preliminary stage and can be cured through operations”, the Himalayan Times quoted her father Prakash Koirala as saying. She was to have an operation in the coming days, he said.

   The 42-year old actress was admitted to hospital in Kathmandu on suspect of food poisoning but was flown to India's Mumbai on Tuesday for further diagnosis.

   Koirala's first lead in a Bollywood film was in 1991, since when she has starred in several films of varying genres and successes, including critically acclaimed roles in Bombay and Akele Hum Akele Tum, both in 1995.

   She has been off-screen in recent years, and involved in social and rights activities in Nepal.

   She was born into a political family. Her grandfather BP Koirala was the first elected prime minister of Nepal and a leader of the Nepali Congress, the country's first political party.

   Her uncle Girija Prasad Koirala, known for brokering a peace deal with the Maoist rebels, served several terms as prime minister before his death in 2010.
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Nepal parties miss deadline to form consensus government =

Nov 29, 2012

   Kathmandu (dpa)- Nepal's political logjam was prolonged yet again on Thursday after parties missed the week-long deadline set by the president to form a national unity government.

   The failure was due to the parties being unable to decide on who would lead the government. They are expected to call on the president to grant them another week for negotiations.

   Nepal has had a caretaker Maoist government since May, when the term of the Constituent Assembly, or parliament, expired after it failed to draft a new charter.

   Last week, President Ram Baran Yadav gave the parties until November 29 to come up with a consensus on nominations for a prime minister and a government.

   Maoists criticized the president's deadline, saying the step was unconstitutional because his role is ceremonial. But the opposition has welcomed his involvement, believing it will help end the political deadlock.

   The political crisis deepened after the opposition said it will reject any agreement with the government unless it steps down. The government, for its part, has stuck to its position that it will only step down sometime before a constituent assembly election set for April.
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Nepali president sets deadline to form new government =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Nepal's president on Friday issued a deadline to political parties to form a new government, after months of deadlock between the caretaker, Maoist-led administration and the opposition.

   President Ram Baran Yadav gave the parties until November 29 to come up with a consensus on nominations for a prime minister and a government.

   Nepal has had a caretaker government since May, when the term of the Constituent Assembly, or parliament, expired after it failed to draft a new charter.

   The opposition has so far rejected any agreement with the government unless it steps down, which it has refused to do.

   On Thursday Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai called on the opposition to cooperate on holding fresh parliamentary elections in April. But the opposition said the caretaker government could not legitimately hold elections and called on it to resign once again.
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Großbritannien soll Namen der gefallenen Gurkhas nennen

(Mit Bild vom 21.11.) =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Mit einer sieben Punkte umfassenden Forderung an die britische Regierung ist am Donnerstag in Nepal die Trauerfeier für Zehntausende gefallene Gurkha-Soldaten zu Ende gegangen. London solle unter anderem die Namen der nepalesischen Soldaten öffentlich machen, die im Dienste der britischen Armee ums Leben gekommen sind, verlangte ein Sprecher der Vereinigung ehemaliger Gurkha-Soldaten (GAESO) im westnepalesischen Distrikt Syangja. Mit einer dreitägigen Zeremonie war seit Dienstag der 60 000 nepalesischen Gurkhas gedacht worden, die nach Angaben der GAESO vor allem in den beiden Weltkriegen starben. Die Organisation wünscht sich eine Gleichstellung der Gurkhas mit britischen Soldaten.

# dpa-Notizblock

Späte Ehrung für die Gurkhas - Tapfere Kämpfer fordern Gleichstellung

Von Pratibha Tuladhar, dpa
(Mit Bild) =

Sie dienen der britischen Armee bereits seit den Zeiten des Empire, doch die Gurkhas fühlen sich von London vernachlässigt. Die historische Trauerfeier für ihre Gefallenen in Nepal ist auch ein Aufschrei für mehr Rechte.

   Syangja (dpa) - Furchtlos, loyal und unerbittlich: Die Gurkhas gelten als eine der meistgefürchteten Truppen der britischen Streitkräfte. Wenn sie einmal ihren Kukri genannten Krummdolch gezückt haben, so heißt es, darf er nur mit blutiger Klinge ins Futteral zurückgesteckt werden. Auch Til Bahadur Gurung gehörte einst dieser Elitetruppe aus dem Bergkönigreich Nepal am Himalaya an. Doch nach neun Jahren Dienst wurde er entlassen - ohne Abfindung, ohne Rente. «Ich lebe von staatlicher Unterstützung», erzählt der heute 70-Jährige, der seit 2009 in Reading in Großbritannien wohnt.

    Nun ist Gurung wie viele andere Veteranen der «Royal Gurkha Rifles» ins westnepalesische Syangja gereist, um bei einer Trauerfeier der zehntausenden im Dienste der britischen Armee gefallenen Kameraden zu gedenken. In seiner Dschungeluniform, der grün-rot gestreiften Krawatte und seiner Schottenmütze sieht Gurung völlig anders aus als die meisten anderen Männer seines Alters, die in dem Ort am Annapurna-Massiv leben.

   Insgesamt nehmen Nepalesen von 18 verschiedenen Volksgruppen an der dreitägigen Zeremonie teil. Während buddhistische Mönche in Sprechgesängen ihre heiligen Schriften vortragen, tanzen andere Trauergäste in ihren traditionellen Kostümen oder trommeln zu Ehren der Toten. Auch Gebete und Klagelieder erfüllen den Hügel bei Syangja, an dem die Menschen zusammengekommen sind. Jham Bahadur Pun Magar, auch er ein ehemaliger Gurkha, laufen Tränen übers Gesicht. «In diesem Lied geht es darum, wie es ist, seine Liebsten zu verlieren», erzählt der 55-Jährige.

   Seit der Regiments-Gründung 1851 sind nach Angaben der Vereinigung ehemaliger Gurkha-Soldaten (Gaeso) rund 60 000 der nepalesischen Elitesoldaten im Dienste der Briten gefallen. Die meisten von ihnen stammen aus Syangja. Alleine in den beiden Weltkriegen dienten
200 000 Gurkhas. In der jüngeren Vergangenheit waren Kontingente in Afghanistan und im Irak im Einsatz.

   «Zum ersten Mal in 200 Jahren werden die Gurkhas für die Opfer geehrt, die sie erbracht haben», sagt Dambar Bahadur Tumbahamphe, ein anderer Ex-Kämpfer. Aber es geht nicht nur um Gedenken. Die Veteranen- Vereinigung wirft Großbritannien vor, die Gurkhas zu benachteiligen. Bis heute bekommen die nepalesischen Soldaten einen niedrigeren Sold und geringere Pensionen als britische Soldaten. Dass Veteranen wie Til Bahadur Gurung überhaupt ihren Ruhestand in Großbritannien verbringen dürfen, haben sie der Tatsache zu verdanken, dass die Gurkhas sich 2009 vor Gericht in London ein Bleiberecht erstritten.

   «Die Behandlung, die wir vom britischen Parlament erfahren, ist rassistisch», beklagt der Gaeso-Vorsitzende Padam Bahadur Gurung. Von den Regierungen beider Länder verlangt die Organisation zudem Auskünfte über das Abkommen zwischen der britischen Armee und der nepalesischen Seite. «Wir wollen die Bedingungen erfahren, zu denen die Nepalesen rekrutiert werden», betont Gurung.

   «Als Kinder konnten wir uns nichts anderes vorstellen, als uns der britischen Armee anzuschließen», erzählt Damar Bahadur Pun, der wie seine vier Brüder und seine drei Onkel im Dienste der Briten stand. Zuweilen bewerben sich junge Nepalesen, bevor sie überhaupt volljährig sind. Aber diese bedingungslose Loyalität, das zeigt sich auch in Syangja, hat Risse bekommen.

# dpa-Notizblock

Nepal performs mass funeral for 60,000 British Gurkha soldiers =

 November 20th
 Syangja, Nepal (dpa) - The Gurkha Army Ex-servicemen’s Organisation on Tuesday began holding funeral rites for Nepalese soldiers who died fighting for Britain, the organizers said.

   The three-day ceremony was for the 60,000 Gurkhas who died serving in the British Army in various conflicts including both world wars.

   "We are organizing this event to pray for the peaceful departure of the souls who lost their lives fighting in different battles under the British Empire," said former soldier Rajesh Kulung.

   The organization said members of at least 14 different hill castes who fought in the British Army were being honoured at Syangja district in western Nepal, home to most of the deceased soldiers.

   "Britain has neither publicised any data of Gurkha casualties nor has the Nepalese government shown any interest in the whereabouts" of the soldiers, the organisation said.

   It urged the governments to respond to the plight of the Gurkhas.

   Gurkhas are Nepali soldiers who first joined the British East India Company Army in 1851 and later served in the British and the Indian armies. Known for their use of the curved traditional Nepali knife called the kukri, the Gurkhas mostly served in the infantry.

   More than 200,000 Gurkhas fought for the British in the two world wars. They have also served in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Borneo, Cyprus, the Falklands and Kosovo. More recently, they have been stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

   They have been petitioning the British government for rights on  par with those of other British soldiers. In 2009, retired Gurkhas won the right to live in Britain. But they are still fighting for pensions and pay equal to the rest of the British Army.
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Maoist chief slapped at reception in Nepal; man arrested

   Kathmandu (dpa) - The head of Nepal's Maoist party, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, was slapped Friday at a reception in Kathmandu as public frustration over the country's political deadlock rises.

   Padam Kunwar, a 25-year-old party worker from the Baglung district in western Nepal, was arrested, police said. Dahal's glasses were broken in the incident, media reports said.

   Police said they would take Kunwar to hospital for treatment after he was beaten by party workers after the slap.

   “We take this incident seriously and will investigate before we take action,” said Maoist leader Barshaman Pun, who also acts as finance minister.

   Hundreds of Maoist party workers as well as guests from other parties attended the reception, after which the Maoists accused the government of providing inadequate security.

   Nepal is currently under a caretaker government after the term of the constituent assembly expired in May after it failed to draft a new charter. The caretaker government has been under pressure from the opposition to step down to make way for a consensus government.

   Nepal plunged into a deeper crisis Friday after the caretaker government failed to deliver a budget because of opposition protests.
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Nepal crisis deepens as government, opposition war over budget =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Nepal's political crisis deepened Monday as a standoff between the government and the opposition over the annual budget threatened essential services.

   Salaries for soldiers, teachers and other government employees could be blocked if the Thursday budget deadline is not met.

   The problem is already taking a toll on stalled development projects, while senior citizens and disabled people complained Sunday that they had not received monthly stipends for the past several months.

   An emergency budget was announced in July by the caretaker government, which runs out on Thursday. The government has prepared a another spending plan of 460 billion rupees (5.23 billion dollars) that it planned to announce through an ordinance on Monday.

   But the opposition says the caretaker government lacks that authority and vowed to block it.

   “On what principles can you have a budget when there is no parliament?” said Surendra Pandey, former finance minister and an opposition leader.

   “The government has to first form a consensus on bailing the country out of political transition before promulgating a budget.”

   Posta Bahadur Bogati, a minister in the Maoist-led administration, said another emergency budget is necessary because of the political impasse.

   “They (the opposition) will not offer us an alternative, but keep harping on the government stepping down,” he said.
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Nepal suspends dozens of police after 12 prison inmates escape =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Nepal's government said Saturday it had suspended 47 policemen after 12 inmates escaped from a prison in the  eastern part of the country.

   The jailbreak in Sunsari district occurred Thursday night. The men had dug a 25-metre tunnel, working on it for two months, officials said.

   "The tunnel was not dug overnight," chief district officer Laxman Bahadur Basnet said.

   The government said it suspended the policemen who were on duty at the prison on suspicion of helping the prisoners to escape.

   "The jail administration remained ignorant even though it was being dug for weeks," Basnet said. "It shows their negligence."
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Three foreign trekkers die in Nepal =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Three foreign trekkers have died in separate incidents in north-western Nepal, local media reported Thursday.

   A German trekker died of altitude sickness in Dhaulagiri district, according to Kantipur news portal.

   In a separate incident, an Israeli tourist died when he fell off a bridge into Kaligandaki river at Jomsom, in Mustang district.

   An Austrian trekker died of a heart attack in a hospital, also in Mustang.
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Nepal launches sports festival for sexual minorities =

   Kathmandu (dpa)- A three-day sports festival for sexual minorities opened on Friday in Nepal with participants from 20 countries competing in events that include football, basketball and athletics.

   It is being hailed as the first sports event for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in South Asia.

   “I always got treated badly when I tried to play in the boy’s team but this feels like our space to play,” said Sila Rani, 26, wearing a blue jersey as she prepared to take part in a football game at Kathmandy's Dashrath Stadium. “We can play openly now."

   Teams in maroon, blue, green, yellow and navy blue, representing the five development regions of Nepal queued at the capital’s biggest stadium, waiting for their turn at various sporting events.

   Football, volleyball, basketball, karate, kabaddi and athletic events feature in the festival, which is being supported by the government and the US, Australian and Norwegian embassies.

   “It’s great to see that the sexual minorities are claiming their space and celebrating what we are,” said US diver and Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis.

   Nepal is considered one of the first countries in South Asia to recognize the rights of sexual minorities.

   “We also received applications from 900 people across Nepal for participation in the festival, but only 250 qualified,” said Sunil Babu Pant, Nepal's first openly gay member of parliament.

   “We also want to impart the message to the International Olympics Committee that they must stop discriminatory practices based on gender,” said Pant.

   “If they can have Paralympics, there should also be one for the third-gender community.”
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Maoists temporarily lift ban on Hindi movies in Nepal

   Kathmandu (dpa) - The newly-formed Communist Party of Nepal, Maoist, said Thursday it had lifted temporarily its ban on Hindi movies.

   The party, a breakaway faction of a larger Maoist group, imposed its own unofficial ban on screening Bollywood films this month, saying they had a negative impact on Nepali society as they were "vulgar."

   The ban was backed up with the threat of members going to cinemas to enforce it.

   The party issued a press statement Thursday to announce the lifting of the ban "in view of the festive season of Dashain" that begins next week.

   On Tuesday, a group of businessmen approached the president of the Communist Party of Nepal, Maoist, Mohan Baidhya, asking him to lift the ban.

   “The ban has caused a loss of 25 million rupees (295,000 dollars) within 10 days to the Nepali theatre industry," said Ashok Sharma, managing director of Digital Cinema Nepal.
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UN urges Nepal to implement justice for war-time violations

   Kathmandu (dpa) - The United Nations late Monday expressed concerns over Nepal’s failure to address human rights violations committed during the 10-year civil war.

   A report on violations during the 1996-2006 conflict said as many  as 17,000 were killed and 1,300 were missing. It said the government did not meet pledges to ensure justice.

   “Perpetrators of serious violations on both sides have not been held accountable, in some cases have been promoted, and may now even be offered an amnesty,” the report said.

   “The granting of amnesties for certain crimes, particularly genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, contravenes principles under international law,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said.

   “Not only do amnesties contravene international human rights law by upholding impunity, they also weaken the foundation for a genuine and lasting peace.”

   Last week, the government promoted Colonel Raju Basnet to the rank of brigadier general, despite accusations that he was responsible for the torture and disappearance of suspected Maoists in 2003. 
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Nepal activists protest promotion of suspect army officer =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Nepali police detained activists and relatives of victims of forced disappearances Sunday during a protest against the promotion of an army officer accused of human rights violations.

   The demonstrators rallied outside the prime minister’s residence  against the decision Thursday to promote Colonel Raju Basnet to brigadier general despite the allegations of war-time atrocities.

   The National Human Rights Commission and UN Office of the High Commission for Human Rights said Basnet had a leading role in the disappearances of 49 prisoners from the Bhairavnath Battallion base in 2003.

   The army was accused of torturing suspected Maoists and their supporters during the 1996-2006 conflict. Several suspects were not seen after being held in captivity at the base.

   In 2007, the Supreme Court ordered an investigation, but the  government failed to follow through.

   More than 16,000 people were killed during the war, and more than  1,000 are listed as missing.
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Nepal plane crash blamed on hitting eagle =

   Kathmandu (dpa) – Nepal’s civil aviation authorities said Thursday that the plane crash that killed all 19 people on board last week was caused by an eagle.

   Officials told a press conference that an eagle weighing around three kilos had hit the Donier aircraft, causing the crash.

   The authorities had previously suggested that the most likely cause of the was that the pilots attempted to return to the capital's Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) after a collision with an bird shortly after take-off.

   On Sunday, the government said the Bird Control Committee, which ensures the removal of birds from the airport vicinity, had been activated.

   Nepal's aviation safety record has come under heavy criticism following the crash.

   Local newspapers and analysts have said not enough was being done to ensure flight safety in the Himalayan country.

   Seven Britons, four Chinese, an US citizen of Chinese origin and seven Nepalis were killed in the crash last Friday.

   The Dornier aircraft, operated by Sita Air, was heading from Kathmandu to the Mount Everest region, in the north-east of the country. The bodies are badly burnt and still awaiting identification.

   Nepal has witnessed 74 aviation accidents that have left more than 700 people dead since 1949.
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2ND LEAD: Plane crash in Nepal kills 19, safety measures questioned

Eds: Adds background, quotes; epa photos =

   Kathmandu (dpa) – The pilots of a plane with 19 people on board that crashed near Kathmandu on Friday had been attempting to make an emergency landing, Nepalese authorities said.

   “It appears they were trying to land near the (Manohara) river to avoid settlements, but the plane nose-dived on the banks of the river and caught fire," said Ratish Lal Chandra Suman of the Civil Aviation Authority.

   The Dornier aircraft, operated by Sita Air, was heading from Kathmandu to the Mount Everest region, in the north-east of the country, when it came down after apparently colliding with birds shortly after take-off, airport authorities said.

   None of the plane's three-strong crew and 16 passengers survived the crash. The victims include seven Britons and five Chinese citizens, police told the local Kantipur Television.

   Witnesses told local media that they had seen passengers waving through the windows for help as the aircraft caught fire.

   Authorities said they had not yet been able to identify the bodies, which were charred beyond recognition and transported to the Teaching Hospital for autopsies.

   The accident has renewed questions about air safety in Nepal, a country with a long history of air crashes.

   According to Toya Dahal, a journalist who specializes in the civil aviation sector, Nepal has witnessed 74 aviation accidents that have left more than 700 people dead since 1949, with human error often being blamed.

   "In Nepal, 95 per cent of crashes occur due to human error, while internationally, only 20 per cent happen due to human error, with the rest being caused by technical faults,” Dahal said.

   "Besides the difficult terrain, common problems seen leading to crashes in Nepal are overloading and lack of aircraft maintenance."

   Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority has come under strong criticism for failing to enforce adequate monitoring.
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LEAD: Plane crash in Nepal kills 19 =

Eds: Adds attempted emergency landing, nationalities of passengers; epa photos =

   Kathmandu (dpa) – The pilots of a plane that crashed killing all 19 on board Friday in Kathmandu were trying to make an emergency landing, Nepalese authorities said.

   The pilots had attempted to return to the capital's Tribhuvan International Airport after the plane collied with birds shortly after take-off, the Civil Aviation Authority said in a press release

   “It appeared they were trying to land near the (Manohara) river to avoid settlements, but the plane nose-dived on the banks of the river and caught fire," said Ratish Lal Chandra Suman, an officer at the Civil Aviation Authority.

   Some witnesses told local television stations that they saw passengers waving through the windows for help as the aircraft caught fire.

   The dead comprised 16 passengers and three crew members. There were seven British and five Chinese citizens among the dead, police told the local Kantipur Television.

   Sita Air, the operator of the flight, said there were 12 foreign and four Nepalese passengers on board as well as three Nepalese crew members.

   The Dornier aircraft was heading from Kathmandu to Lukla in the Mount Everest region in the north-east of the country when it came down, airport authorities said.

   Authorities said they had not been able to identify the bodies, and that they had been transported to the Teaching Hospital for autopsy. TV footage showed bodies charred beyond recognition.

   More than 700 people have died in air crashes in the South Asian country since 1955.
dpa

19 killed in Nepal plane crash =

   Kathmandu (dpa) – A plane crash killed 19 people Friday in the  Nepalese capital Kathmandu, local media reported.

   The dead comprised 16 passengers and three crew members, according to government-run Nepal television.

   The Dornier aircraft operated by Sita Air was heading from Kathmandu to Lukla in the Mount Everest region in the east of the country when it came down near the capital's Tribhuvan International Airport, airport authorities said.

   Witnesses told local television stations that the plane caught fire soon after it took off and then crashed into the banks of the Manohara River.

   Sita Air said there were 12 foreign and four Nepalese passengers on board as well as three Nepalese crew members.
dpa

Darkness descended with deadly avalanche, survivor says =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - A survivor told of darkness then death as an avalanche plunged down the world's eighth-highest mountain, killing at least eight climbers.

   The avalanche struck before dawn Sunday on Mount Manaslu in north-western Nepal as the climbers were sleeping.

   "All of a sudden, there was darkness," Andreas Reiter, 26, a German survivor, told local media. "I could imagine that we were buried under the avalanche."

   "I witnessed one of my team members die," he said.

   Nepal's government on Tuesday revised the death toll down to eight as hopes dimmed for finding three other missing climbers.

   Some sources had earlier said that up to 12 bodies had been recovered as agencies gave conflicting death tolls in the immediate aftermath of the accident.

   Those confirmed dead were a Nepali trekking guide and seven Europeans - four French nationals, a German, one Italian and one Spaniard - said Dipendra Paudel at the Tourism Ministry's Mountaineering Section, which is in charge of the rescue and recovery work.

   "We will continue searching for the remaining three [missing], of course, but there is little chance of finding them alive now," Paudel said of the two Frenchmen and a Canadian who were buried in the avalanche at a height of about 7,000 metres.

   Three Frenchmen and two Germans were rescued and discharged after receiving treatment at hospital in Kathmandu, Paudel said.

   Mount Manaslu is called the "Killer Mountain" by locals for its steepness. The 8,156-metre peak is prone to avalanches and at least 60 people have died on it, according to government figures.
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LEAD: Most known victims of Nepal's avalanche were European citizens

Eds: Adds source, quotes =

   Kathmandu (dpa) – Most of the climbers known to have died in an avalanche on Nepal’s Mount Manaslu were European citizens, police said Monday, with one figure placing the number of dead at 12.

   “Among the dead were a German, a Spaniard, four Frenchmen, an Italian and a Nepali,” said police officer Anit Thapa. He said five people had been rescued and airlifted to Kathmandu hospitals but did not disclose their nationalities.

   "The nationalities of those missing are yet to be identified," Thapa said.
  
   The death toll and the number of missing from Sunday’s avalanche on the world's eighth highest mountain, were conflicting.

   Government figures said eight people were confirmed dead, while the Nepal Mountaineering Association said 12 people had died.

  "Exact details are still hard to confirm because we have received different figures from different sources," said Zimba Jangbu Sherpa, president of the association.

   "Five people are missing, according to the information we have," he added.

   The avalanche struck at a height of around 7,000 metres, as climbers were preparing to set off for the summit.
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Manaslu avalanche

Death toll reaches 12 after avalanche hits climbers in Nepal =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - The death toll in an avalanche in Nepal has risen to 12, the Nepal Mountaineering Association said Monday.

   The avalanche struck Mount Manaslu on Sunday at a height of around 7,000 metres when climbers were preparing to set off for the summit.

   Eleven people were killed on the mountain and one died after he was taken to Kathmandu for treatment, the Nepal Mountaineering Association said.

   “Exact details are still hard to confirm because we have received different figures from different sources," said Zimba Jangbu Sherpa, president of the association.

   He said 18 had been rescued and taken to Samagaon, the nearest village from the base camp.

   “Five people are still missing, according to the information we have,” he added.

   There have been conflicting reports on the death toll and number of people missing.

  “Rescue operations go on for days before we are able to locate the missing, so we can’t really confirm the total number of dead right now," said Dipendra Paudel of the Tourism Ministry's mountain section.

   The tourism ministry said a Nepali, a German and a Spaniard were among the killed. It said six French nationals, an Italian and a Canadian were among those missing. Three French climbers, two Germans and a Nepali climber were airlifted to hospitals in Kathmandu, police said.

   Mount Manaslu is the world's eighth-highest mountain.
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2ND LEAD: Spanish and German tourists killed in Nepal avalanche 
Eds: Updates with information from Tourism Ministry, adds quotes and background =

   Kathmandu (dpa) – Rescuers recovered the bodies of at least nine climbers killed in an avalanche in the Himalayas on Sunday, according to Nepal's Tourism Ministry.
  
   A German, a Spanish and a Nepali national were among those killed in the avalanche at a height of some 7,000 metres in the Mount Manaslu region. There were conflicting reports on the numbers of those missing and rescued.

   The ministry said eight people were missing, comprising six French nationals, an Italian and a Canadian. Police said that four were missing and that 13 people had been rescued.

   Three French climbers, two Germans and a Nepali climber were airlifted to hospitals in Kathmandu, police said.

   "Manaslu is known as a killer mountain for its steepness and angry weather,' said Dipendra Paudel of the Tourism Ministry.

   "The avalanche occurred because of sudden sunshine after days of cold weather."

   The avalanche occurred as the climbers were preparing to set off for the summit and hit base camps two and three of the mountain.

   "We will only be able to release more information once we resume the rescue operation tomorrow," Paudel said. "We had to stop due to bad weather."

   Nepal is home to some of the world's highest mountains and Manaslu is the eighth highest in the world. Deaths in the climbing season are common on the treacherous peaks due to bad weather and difficult climbing conditions.

   There are two climbing seasons in Nepal, one beginning in April and ending in May and one beginning with the end of the monsoon season in September and continuing until October.
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LEAD: Rescuers recover 9 bodies after Nepal avalanche, four missing 
Eds: Recasts bodies recovered, updates with details =

   Kathmandu (dpa) – Rescuers recovered the bodies of nine people killed in an avalanche on a mountain in north-western Nepal on Sunday, while four people were still missing, police said.

   A German and a Nepali were among those killed in the avalanche at a height of some 7,000 metres in the Mount Manaslu region, according to police.

   Police said 13 people were resued. Three French climbers, two Germans and a Nepali climber were airlifted to hospitals in Kathmandu.

   Police said the avalanche struck base camps 2 and 3 on Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world.
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Nine killed in Nepal avalanche =

   Kathmandu (dpa) – At least nine people were killed in an avalanche on a mountain in north-western Nepal on Sunday, police said.

   A German tourist and a Nepali were among those killed in the avalanche at a height of some 7,000 metres in the Mount Manaslu region, according to police.

   Four people went missing, while 12 people were rescued.

   The rescue operation involving helicopters was being hampered by poor weather, police said.
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Girl dies during menstrual confinement in Nepal

   Kathmandu (dpa) - A girl died in Nepal's far-west after being buried under a landslide in a cow-shed, where she had been confined while menstruating, local media reported Thursday.

   In the western districts of the country, girls are confined to sheds during menstruation, in a local tradition called chaupadi. They are forbidden to visit temples or enter the house during their period and are made to sleep in the cow-sheds.

   Kumari Basnet, 16, was killed in a remote village in Jajarkot district on Monday night, when the shed was buried under a landslide, The Kathmandu Post daily reported.

   Women are considered impure during menstruation in the Hindu tradition.

   In western Nepal, many women following the chaupadi tradition die due to infections or attack by animals. Some also fall victim to rapists because the sheds are sometimes located at a distance from  houses.
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Nepal to use unmanned aircraft to control wildlife poaching

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Nepal is training park rangers and soldiers on the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in anti-poaching activities,  programme organizer World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said Wednesday.

   The aircraft have video cameras that can serve as "a deterrent to poachers and illegal loggers since they now know that the parks are being monitored both on the ground and from above," it said.

   “Nepal is committed to stopping wildlife crime, which is robbing the nation of its natural resources, putting the lives of rangers and local communities at risk and feeding into global criminal networks,” said Krishna Acharya, director general of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation.

   “Technologies like these non-lethal UAVs (drones) could give our park rangers a vital advantage against dangerously armed poachers.”

   WWF said it was conducting the training in two national parks.

   Nepal had traditionally been using anti-poaching patrols by land.

   The GPS-equipped planes are light enough to be launched by hand and can film the ground below with a still or video camera. They are designed to fly a pre-programmed route of about 30 kilometres at a maximum elevation of 200 metres for up to 50 minutes.

   The aircraft cost about 2,500 dollars each.

   Nepal is home to endangered rhinoceros, tigers and elephants. Rhino poaching has been a particularly vexing problem for the  government over the past decade.

   “WWF is excited to be part of this field test of new technology in partnership with the government of Nepal,” country representative  Anil Manandhar said.

   “We see this as a potentially powerful new tool to improve protection of Nepal’s national parks from illegal activities like poaching and logging.”
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28 die in Nepal bus plunge =

   Kathmandu (dpa) – At least 28 people were killed when a bus veered off a road and fell 300 metres in western Nepal Tuesday, police said.

   Eleven  were injured in the accident in Kalikot district.

   Police said the bus landed on the banks of the Tila River.

   Hundreds die in road accidents in Nepal every year, blamed on bad roads and reckless driving. On Sunday, 13 people were killed in a similar accident in western Nepal.
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13 killed in Nepal bus accident

   Kathmandu (dpa) - At least 13 people were killed when a bus skidded off the road and plunged more than 100 metres into a ravine Sunday in western Nepal, police said.

   At least 20 others were injured in the accident in Gulmi district. Police said the bus driver swerved to make avoid a motorcycle on a sharp bend in the road.

   Police said the death toll could rise as people were still trapped inside the wreckage.
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Mount Everest, Dead Sea paired up on commemorative stamp =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Nepal and Israel have jointly launched a commemorative stamp featuring the highest point on earth, Mount Everest, and the lowest, the Dead Sea, to celebrate bilateral ties.

   The stamps were released in simultaneous functions in Kathmandu and Jerusalem. The idea of bringing together the two extremes was conceived in Israel.

   “We were thinking about the subject of the stamp and because I had been to Nepal and seen the mountains, I decided we should have Mount Everest, the highest place on earth and the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth on it,” said Yaron Razon, director of Israel's Philatelic Services.

   The governments hailed it as a marker of their longstanding relationship.

   “Nepal was one of first Asian countries to recognize the state of Israel when it came into existence 64 years ago,” said Hanan Goder Goldberger, the Israeli ambassador to Nepal.

   “And we have never forgotten that friendship.”

   Israel has launched joint stamps with 15 other countries including France, Canada, Austria, China and The Vatican. For Nepal, it is the first such venture.

   The stamps are priced at thirty-five Nepali rupees and five shekels in Israel.

   Nepal is one of the most popular travelling destinations for Israelis, who like to go trekking in the mountains after their military training.
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Quiet please. Nepalese journalists experiment with new media

By Pratibha Tuladhar, dpa =

   Kathmandu (dpa) – Radio journalist Binu Subedi spends each day talking and listening, but for three days she will be working in total silence.

   She is one of five Nepalese journalists sequestered in a hotel for a social media experiment to develop stories with the help of the internet alone.

   Organizer Media Foundation chose the “tech-savvy” journalists to join the campaign called the Media Gufa 2012.

   The organizers said they were trying to study the viability of sourcing stories entirely online, to develop more coverage of rural Nepal.

   “The objective of this camp is to assess the extent of internet reach in a developing country like Nepal in sourcing and reporting stories,” said Dharma Adhikari, general secretary of the Media Foundation.

   The reporters would use the internet to interact with sources but must maintain silence. They will have access to handheld devices and laptop computers but will not be allowed to speak on the phone or talk to each other.

   “The word gufa means cave in Nepali,” explained Gunaraj Luitel, one of the participants. “And wise men in our history have always sought to spend their time in caves to seek knowledge, so this is our turn to explore new media knowledge.”

   They are expected to develop stories on rural issues such as health, literacy, climate change, gender and children.

   “Nepal only has 19-per-cent internet penetration and less than 1 million people use new media in Nepal, which is what makes this a challenging task for journalists,” Adhikari said.

   He said he borrowed the idea from a similar experiment in France, which he had read about on the internet.

   “A friend approached me about this project and we wanted to be involved to see what the experiment brings about,” said Dipak Bhatta, whose Hotel Mandap is sponsoring the retreat.

   For Rajneesh Bhandari, a television news reporter and student of multimedia journalism, it is an opportunity to learn how far he can go using social media to tell a story.

   “I think it will help me learn to communicate better using social media as a tool,” he says.

   “Finding a story with the help of the internet and doing all the interviews online will be a difficult task since our country is so low on the use of internet, but this will be a great experiment for me as a working journalist.

   “I hope to bring back what I learn here, with me to the newsroom.”

   Joining the journalists is a team of three researchers who will study their behaviour and record it.

   “We’re not here to monitor them like in the Big Brother show, but we will take note of the mental stress they face or mark any habitual changes, which we will use as case studies,” researcher Hem Raj Kafle said.

   Binu Subedi was eager to participate, with some reservation.

   “I work for a radio station, so not talking for three days might be a little difficult,” she said.

   “But this might be like meditation, during which we are learning.”
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Nepal Maoists welcome US move to remove them from terrorist list =

   Kathmandu (dpa) – Nepal's Maoists welcomed Friday a decision by the United States government to remove their movement from its list of organizations supporting terrorism, stressing that the move would encourage them to stand firm about peace and democracy.

   “We have adopted the path of peace, constitution and democracy and the decision of the US government has proves us right,” local media quoted Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, who hails from the Maoist party, as saying.

   In 2003, the US listed the Maoists as a terrorist organization, blocking its leaders from obtaining a US visa or conducting business transactions with the US.

   Another Maoist leader, Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha, said the decision had opened new avenues of cooperation with Washington.

   On Thursday, the US Department of State said the Nepalese party had shown credible commitment to peace and reconciliation.

   Maoists launched a decade-long insurgency in Nepal in 1996,
during which more than 16,000 people were killed. The war ended with the signing of a peace deal with the government in 2006.

   The party joined to mainstream politics in 2008.
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Tigers move by night to avoid humans in Nepal =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Tigers in Nepal have started moving around by night and remaining dormant during the day to avoid humans, a study published by the National Academy of Sciences said Wednesday.

   The study conducted in Chitwan National Park showed that tigers had been using the same trails in the forests used by humans, but by night.

   Research conducted in 2010-11 used more than 75 camera traps, assisted by scientists from Michigan State University in the United States.

   “Tigers need resources, people need the same resources,” said Neil Carter, one of the researchers.

   “If we operate under the traditional wisdom that tigers only can survive with space dedicated solely for them, there would always be conflict,” he said. "In Chitwan, tigers seem to be adapting to make it work."

   The Chitwan National Park forest is busy with villagers who live on the outskirts of it, forest patrol teams and tourists.

   “There appears to be a middle ground where you might actually be able to protect the species at high densities and give people access to forest goods they need to live,” Carter said.

   “If that’s the case, then this can happen in other places, and the future of tigers is much brighter than it would be otherwise.”

   The big cats are an endangered species. Official statistics say there are 121 adult tigers in Chitwan National Park.
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Nepalese farmer bites back, killing snake that bit him =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - A Nepalese farmer bit a cobra to death as the venomous snake attempted a getaway after biting him, a newspaper reported Thursday.

   "It made me angry after the snake bit me," said Mohammed Salmo Miya, 55, of Morang district, 130 kilometres south-east of the capital, Kathmandu.

   "So, I followed it and bit it several times to kill it," the Annapurna Post daily quoted him as saying. He said it took 15 minutes to kill the cobra.

   Miya said he could have just struck the snake a few times to kill it, but was so angry that he decided to bite it instead. He had heard that biting a snake back reduced the effect of the venom.

   The snake bit him on his right leg, while he was working in the field.

   Villagers thronged to see Miya, and the snake he killed. An assistant at the village health post, which Miya visited after the incident, said the farmer was healthy.

   The Tarai region in the south has a wide variety of snakes. Every year, 20,000 cases of snake bites are reported in the country, mainly in the southern belt, killing hundreds.
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KFC and Pizza Hut locations in Nepal close due to worker threats =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - International fast food chains KFC and Pizza Hut were shut down indefinitely in Nepal by management over threats by employees, local media reported Wednesday.

   Bishnu Reddy, the outlets' country manager, said they were closed after "workers turned violent, manhandled a management official and threatened to kill some other officials," the Kantipur news portal reported.

   Media reported that the employees had disagreed with management over the formation of a trade union.

   KFC and Pizza Hut were the first international fast food chains to arrive in Nepal. They began operation in 2009, drawing throngs of people.

   Foreign investors took their arrival as a sign of encouragement that the Himalayan nation, which suffered from a decade-long insurgency, had found political stability.

   "The closing of KFC and other international brand names has left a bad image among foreign investors," said Tejendra Nath Shrestha, chairman of Nepal's Restaurant and Bar Association.
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Nepal bars women under 30 from working in the Gulf

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Nepal has barred women under 30 from taking up employment in Gulf countries, following reports of exploitation, local media said Thursday.

  “Young female workers are reported to have been sexually and psychologically exploited," the Himalayan news portal quoted Information Minister Raj Kishor Yadav as saying.

   "The Cabinet decided to set an age bar for woman migrant workers in the Gulf,” the minister said, adding women aver 30 were less likely to suffer exploitation.

   According to official statistics, 244,000 Nepali women are working in Gulf states, but only 56,000 of them are officially documented with the Department of Foreign Employment.

   Most of the women are between 18-25. In 1998, Nepal banned women from working in the Gulf, but the measure was rescinded in 2010.
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At least 11 killed in Nepal bus accident =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - At least 11 people were killed when a bus skidded off the road and plunged into a river in Nepal's Dhading district Tuesday, police said.

   Twenty people were injured in the accident that occurred about 45 kilometres north-west of the capital Kathmandu.

   The bus plunged about 200 metres into the Mahesh River.
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Fourteen dead in Nepal jeep accident =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - At least 14 people were killed on Saturday when a jeep veered off a road in western Nepal, police said.

   The group were travelling to the funeral of a relative. The jeep plunged downhill into a river in the Palpa district, 315 kilometres west of Kathmandu.

   Two people survived the accident.
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Nepal football president dismisses links to Bin Hammam corruption

   Kathmandu (dpa) - The president of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) has denied allegations linking him to a bribery scandal, saying the 100,000 dollars in question were a personal loan, local media reported Sunday.

   ANFA president Ganesh Thapa said that money he received from former Asian Football Confederation (AFC) chief, Mohamed bin Hammam, has already been paid back.

   "It was completely personal", Thapa told Kantipur Television by telephone. "It was a personal loan and we have already paid it back."

   Bin Hammam, 63, once a candidate to replace Sepp Blatter as the head of football's ruling body FIFA, was suspended from all organization posts in 2011 on allegations of bribery during the presidential election campaign.

   The suspension has since been nullified by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but Bin Hammam is suspended by the AFC and FIFA is set to investigate the case as well through its new ethics committee.

   Thapa said the money had been given to him as a personal loan by Bin Hammam, who he said was a close friend. He added that it had nothing to do with professional affairs.

   He said the loan had been deposited to his son Gaurav Thapa's account in 2009. The payment was made in five instalments from Bin Hammam's account.

   Gaurav Thapa is currently in England for the London Olympics, according to his father, and has been serving as an employee in the AFC since 2007.
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At least 20 killed in separate accidents in Nepal =

   Kathmandu (dpa)- At least 20 people died in two separate accidents in Nepal on Sunday, police said.

   A minibus veered off the road and fell 200 metres into a river in the western district of Arghakanchi, killing 16 people. Four were injured in the incident.

   Earlier, four people died and 12 were injured when a speeding bus overturned in Jhapa district in eastern Nepal.

   Road accidents caused by reckless driving and bad roads are common in Nepal. On Monday, 15 died when a passenger bus plunged into a river.
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Climate change threatens Nepal’s snow leopards =

   Kathmandu (dpa)- A study by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Tuesday warned that the snow leopards in the Himalayas are threatened by climate change.

   Warming at high elevations in the Himalayas is occurring at rates higher than the global average, according to the WWF.

   The report says 30 per cent of snow leopard habitats in the region may be lost if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase. Warmer and wetter conditions in the Himalayas will result in forests ascending into alpine areas, which is the snow leopard’s habitat.

   “If the treeline shifts upward, as our research predicts it will, we’re looking at the snow leopard faced with diminishing options for where it can live,” said Jessica Forrest, a WWF researcher and one the study’s authors.

   The, snow leopards live in areas generally below 5,000 meters. The endangered species are found in the mountains of northern and central Asia, including the Himalayas. Their number is between 4,000 to 6,5000. Some 500 of them live in Nepal’s mountains.

   “Loss of alpine habitat not only means less room for snow leopards, but also has the potential to bring them closer to human activities like livestock grazing,” said WWF snow leopard expert and study co-author Rinjan Shrestha.

   “As grazing intensifies and the leopards’ natural prey decline, they could begin preying more heavily on livestock, resulting in increased retaliatory killings.”
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Fifteen killed in Nepal bus plunge =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Fifteen people were killed in Nepal Monday, when a bus plunged into a river, police confirmed.

   Over a dozen people were injured when the bus fell into the Trishuli River along the Prithivi Highway, some 80 kilometres west of the capital Kathmandu.

   Six died soon after the crash and the others died while undergoing treatment.

   Police said the death toll was likely to rise as they were still searching for the missing. Fifty people were traveling on the bus.

   On Sunday, nearly 40 people were killed in Nepal when a bus carrying Indian pilgrims plunged into a canal. Several were still missing.
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More than 40 dead after Nepalese bus crashes into canal =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - At least 42 people were killed when a bus skidded off the road and plunged into a canal in Nepal on Sunday, police said.

   The accident occurred in Nawalparasi district, some 270 kilometres south of the capital, Kathmandu.

   Police said 42 bodies had been pulled out of the Gandak canal. No identities had been established.

   Nearly 50 people were rescued alive; some in critical condition. The rescued said the accident had occurred because the driver was drunk. Police took the driver into custody for interrogation.

   The bus was carrying pilgrims, most of them Indian nationals. Police said the bus may have been carrying over 100 passengers.

   Army and police officers were deployed for rescue work.
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At least 34 dead in Nepal bus crash =

   Kathmandu (dpa)- More than 34 people were killed when a bus plunged into a canal in Nepal on Sunday, police said.

   The accident occurred in the Nawalparasi district, some 270 kilometres south of the capital, Kathmandu.

   Police said 34 bodies had been pulled out of the Gandaki canal. Four people were rescued alive.

   The bus was carrying pilgrims, most of them Indian nationals.

   Initial reports on the cause of the accident and the number of people missing were sketchy. Police said the bus may have been carrying over 100 passengers.
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Nepal launches sex education via text messaging =

  Kathmandu (dpa) - Nepal has launched a programme to provide sex education to prostitutes via text messages on mobile phones, reports said Sunday.

   The programme began in Chitwan district, 200 kilometres south of the capital Kathmandu, according to national news agency RSS.

   Yubraj Sapkota of non-governmental organization Sahabhagi said the initiative was necessary because sex workers were often too shy to seek advice or reveal their status.

   He said the programme was aimed at teaching them about safe sex and sexually transmitted diseases.

   Data collected by Sahabhagi showed there were about 1,000 sex workers in the district.
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Ten dead and seven injured in Nepal road accident

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Ten people were killed and seven injured when a van plunged 150 metres into a ravine in western Nepal Tuesday, police said.

   The van carrying 17 people went out of control on a bend in the road in Doti district.    Police said the monsoon had worsened the condition of poorly maintained roads across the country, increasing the chance of accidents.
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Author: Pratibha

Breakaway group announces split from main Nepalese Maoist party

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Members from the largest party in Nepal's recently dissolved parliament announced Monday that the party was splitting in two.

   A faction of the United Communist Party of Nepal (UCPN)-Maoist, led by Vice Chairman Mohan Baidhya, is set to break away from the party to form the Communist Party of Nepal, Maoist. It would be headed by Baidhya and would be officially launched on Tuesday.

   On Monday, Baidhya announced that his backers had severed ties from the UCPN-Maoist. The new party has 75 central committee members.

   "We have formally split from the UCPN-Maoist and have named the newly formed party CPN, Maoist with the ideology based on the people's revolt," faction leader Netra Bikram Chand told the press.

   The dissent faction led by Baidhya had been at loggerheads with the establishment faction led by party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal over a number of issues. The Baidhya faction, which is considered hard line, accused the establishment faction of toning down their party line after joining the mainstream.    

   "We entered the people's war to carry out a democratic revolution centred on the establishment of a people's federal republic," Baidhya said in an interview with the Republica daily last week. "The chairman abandoned that tactical line in favor of a democratic republic."

   Dahal sought unsuccessfully to sort out differences with Baidhya a number of times last week.

   The UCPN-Maoists waged a decade-long civil war which ended in 2006 with the signing of a peace pact with the government. More than 16,000 people were killed in the conflict. In 2008, the party became the largest elected party in the Constituent Assembly, marking its entry to mainstream politics.

   The party currently leads the caretaker government. Nepal plunged into political crisis on May 27 after the Constituent Assembly met its demise after failing to write a constitution within its deadline.

   Caretaker Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai announced a fresh constituent assembly election for November, just as the old assembly expired. But the announcement has been contested by various sides, including the Baidhya faction, which wants Bhattarai to resign.

   On Monday, Bhattarai was greeted with protests on his way to the airport, as he left the country for Brazil to attend the Rio plus 20 summit.

   Protesters representing opposition parties demanded he step down, clashed with police and attacked government vehicles.

   "We stand at a time when different ethnic groups have been waging their own revolutions, demanding recognition," said Anil Thapa, journalist and political analyst.

   "It is likely that the Baidhya faction could take such groups under its wings to make their party stronger."
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Nepalese man acquitted of murder in Japan returns home =

   Kathmandu (dpa)- A Nepalese who was granted a new trial after spending 15 years in a Japanese jail for a murder arrived in Nepal on Saturday.

   Govinda Prasad Mainali, 45, was in 2000 acquitted of the murder and rape of Yasuko Watanabe, a Tokyo Electric Power employee who was murdered in March 1997. He remained in jail pending an appeal by Japanese prosecutors.
 
   The Tokyo High Court said in a ruling in June that new DNA tests suggested that Mainali could be innocent and ordered a retrial.

   When he arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday, he was greeted by his emotional family members and relatives at the airport.

   "I have no words to express my happiness on being able to return home," Mainali told the reporters.
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Belgian woman found dead in Nepal =

   Kathmandu (dpa) – A Belgian woman, who had been missing for over two weeks in Nepal, was found dead, police said Friday.

   The body of Debbie Mayeau, 23, was discovered on Thursday in Syabru village of Rasuwa district, 130 kilometres north of Kathmandu.

   Police said an investigation was under way to find out the cause of her death.

   Mayeau had left for a hike to the Langtang National Park on May 31 and was scheduled to return on June 6.

   Her body was airlifted to the capital for an autopsy.
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Child labourers face harsh conditions in Nepal =

Published: June 13,2012
   Kathmandu (dpa) – Hundreds of thousands of children are employed in the most dangerous sectors in Nepal, officials said Wednesday, despite recent measures against the practice.

   As many as 600,000 underage children work in stone quarries, brick kilns, the transport sector, domestic work, embroidery workshops and the sex industry, according to a joint study conducted by International Labour Organization and Nepal Child Labour Report.

   The children's working conditions are deplorable, and they are deprived of education and basic health facilities, and often suffer physical and sexual abuse, said Gauri Pradhan of the National Human Rights Commission.

   In total, as many as 1.5 million children under the legal minumum age of 14 are employed in the country, according to a 2008 survey. Many work as helpers at restaurants, dishwashers, and fare collectors on public transport.

   The government's 2011-20 roadmap aims to eliminate all types of child labour by 2016, but observers say progress is slow.

   “There is a wide gap in the laws and their implementation as the concerned sectors do not appear committed,” said Sumnima Tuladhar, executive co-ordinator of CWIN, an organization working for child rights.

   “Besides, the citizens haven’t fulfilled their social responsibility as they continue to employ children at home as workers.

   “These children don’t receive an education and are often subject to physical and sexual abuse.”

   Poor economic conditions are blamed for the large number of child labourers in Nepal. Parents often send their children to work as domestic help because they cannot fend for them. Some children work for a meagre salary, but others only receive food and shelter.

   In some southern Nepal communities, girls are sold by their families into bonded labour. Although the practice has been banned by law, the tradition continues in some poorer families.

   A lack of cooperation between agencies is another major obstacle top solving the problem, said former parliamentarian Shanta Chaudhary, who was a bonded labourer herself as a child.
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Nepali opposition parties begin campaign to topple government =

Published: June 8, 2012


   Kathmandu (dpa) – A coalition of 27 opposition parties held a mass protest in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu on Friday to oppose government plans for fresh constituent assembly elections.

   Hundreds of members of the public plus party supporters turned up as the opposition called the government's decision unconstitutional, and said they would campaign to remove the government from power.

   The term of the constituent assembly expired on May 27, as the parties failed to write a new constitution. They were locked in dispute over what form federalism should take in the multi-ethnic Himalayan nation.

   Caretaker Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has announced fresh elections for November, but other parties have condemned that decision as "unilateral."

   The opposition want the government to step down and make way for a broad-coalition government, which will conduct the election.

   The two-year term of the constituent assembly had been extended four times since 2008, two years after the end of a decade-long civil war with Maoist rebels.
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Nepali mountaineer summits Everest three times in nine days =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - A Nepali mountaineer has set a new record by climbing Mount Everest three times in nine days, local media said Tuesday.

   Kame Sherpa, 51, reached the summit of the world's highest mountain three times in the month of May to set a new record, according to Kantipur Television.
   He summitted on May 19, 23 and 27, becoming the first to do so in a single season. The feat brought his total of successful Everest summit attempts to 14.

   Apa Sherpa, 52, has reached the summit 21 times. In May 2011, he said that he would no longer climb beyond the base camp.
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LEAD: Judge shot by gunmen in Nepal dies

   Kathmandu (dpa)- A Supreme Court judge in Nepal died Thursday after he was shot on his way to work in Kathmandu, doctors said.

   Justice Rana Bahadur Bam and his bodyguard were shot in the capital's Lalitpur district by two men on a motorcycle earlier Thursday.

   Doctors treating Bam said he died from excessive bleeding. He had received injures to his neck, chest and stomach.

   His bodyguard, who sustained wounds to his chest, is also reported to be in critical condition.

   Bam was under investigation for alleged bribery, after releasing three criminals convicted of abduction on unusually small bails.
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Nepal gets its first blind restaurant

 Kathmandu (dpa) – Nepal's first blind restaurant has just opened. The restaurant in Kathmandu is a part of a project funded by the Israeli embassy to support people with special needs and allows the sighted to experience what it is like to be blind.

   The restaurant, Dining in the Dark, is a darkened hall, draped in layers of black curtains. Five visually impaired male waiters have been trained and employed by the restaurant, which has only four tables.

   "I thought it was a fantastic project to be able to help the visually impaired," said Rachael Manley, the owner. "It is a combination of using the skills of these people while also providing them an opportunity to become independent."

   The menu is fixed and minimalist, containing vegetarian salads, pasta and dessert. "We are serving only vegetarian food, so that waiters don't get confused," said Manley.

  She said blind dining, which has become popular in other parts of the world, heightens the sense of taste and aroma. Mobile phones, objects that create light and cameras are not allowed inside the restaurant.

   "There are a few such restaurants in Israel and they have had a big impact in society as it is a chance to let people experience how it feels to be blind," said Nitzan Arny, a consular assistant at the Israeli embassy who also helped train the waiters.

   The waiters were selected by the Nepal Association of the Blind. "It took some time, but it's not difficult and they're doing a good job," Arny said.

   There are 50 million blind people in the world, according to the World Health Organization, and 90 per cent of them are living in developing countries. The Nepal Association of the Blind reports that there are 200,000 blind people in the country, most of them poor and dependent on their families and help from organizations.

   "Some of the people we've trained for the job didn't know what a restaurant was, so it was a bit of a challenge at first," said Bijay Lama, a trainer. "But it's amazing to see how they handle the job, guided by their sense of touch and hearing."

   One of the waiters, Ganga Bahadur Pariyar, 24, said he was very happy to have a chance to become independent. Also a university student, he said he's glad he doesn't have to depend on his family now that he has a job.
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Judge injured by gunmen in Nepal

   Kathmandu (dpa)- A Supreme Court judge and his bodyguard were shot in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu Thursday, police said.

   Justice Rana Bahadur Bam and his bodyguard were shot in the capital's Lalitpur district by two men on a motorcycle. Bam received injures to his neck and chest and his bodyguard also sustained wounds to his chest.

   Their condition was stable, police said.

   Bam is under investigation for alleged bribery, after releasing three criminals convicted of abduction on unusually small bails.
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Jeep accident leaves nine dead in Nepal =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Nine people were killed and 11 injured Wednesday when a jeep skidded off the road and fell 400 metres in western Nepal, police said.

   Police said the accident in the district of Accham could have been due to overcrowding, and rescue operations were ongoing.

   Road accidents caused by reckless driving and old vehicles are common in Nepal.
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Nepal fails to draft constitution after four years

Eds: Clarifies day of deadline =
   Kathmandu (dpa) – Nepal plunged into a governing crisis Monday after the failure to write a new constitution ended in a call for new elections to try again later in the year.
   The Constituent Assembly elected in 2008 was dissolved Sunday  after it failed to draft a charter.
   “It’s a good think the constituent assembly was dissolved,” said Kalpana Shakya on the way to her office after watching the news on television.
   “Why have a body that can’t complete its task in so many years?”
   Elsewhere, people vented their exasperation in other ways.
 
   “No constitution#failed CA … disappointed! Leaders lost their reasoning. Hope ppl won’t lose their sense,” @ajaydas09 said on twitter.

   The assembly's final deadline expired as political parties failed to resolve disputes over what form federalism should take in the multi-ethnic Himalayan nation.
   Its two-year term had been extended four times since 2008, two years after the end of a decade-long civil war with Maoist rebels.
   Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai called for the election of a new constituent assembly on November 22.
   But that decision was opposed by political parties including the the prime minister's own.
   “The decision to hold an election is unconstitutional as the government has no legitimacy with the dissolution of the constituent assembly,” Maoist leader Mohan Baidhya said.
   “The prime minister has to resign to make way for a national government.”
   Demonstrators took to the streets in some parts of the country, burning effigies of the prime minister.
   The Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxists-Leninists, Nepali Congress and the plains-based Madhesi Front called on the president to dissolve the government.
   “The main problem was that the parties weren’t clear on the process of a constituent assembly,” political analyst Tirtha Koirala said.
   “Failure to write a constitution is the failure of political management.”
   Rival politicians were unable to agree on how to demarcate the new federal states and whether they should be based on ethnicities.
   “There is room for questions on whether the current government will actually be able to conduct elections,” Koirala said.
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Nepal fails to meet constitution deadline: Election in November

   Kathmandu (dpa) - The Nepali government announced fresh elections for November 22 after missing Sunday's deadline to write a constitution.

   "Regressive forces prevented us from writing an inclusive constitution on time," Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai said in a midnight address to the nation.

   "We will make an attempt on November 22 to elect a fresh constituent assembly to make another attempt to write a new constitution, which address the aspirations of all the people."

   Bhattarai called an emergency cabinet meeting to propose the election date as the deadline expired.

   "I believe that all sides will cooperate in holding fresh elections for a fresh people's mandate," he said.

   Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxists-Leninists (UML) and some fringe parties voiced disapproval of the call for elections.

   "The Maoists were never serious about discussing the major issues in the constitution, which is why we don't have a constitution today," Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel said.

   The term of the Constituent Assembly, a body elected in 2008 to write a constitution, expired Sunday without completing its mandate of writing a constitution.

   The deadline expired as the political parties, which had been engaged in discussions on the disputed issue of state restructuring, failed to arrive at an agreement.

      The Constituent Assembly has had its two-year term extended four times since it was first elected in 2008, two years after the end of a decade-long civil war with Maoist rebels.

   Political parties have been unable to bridge their differences on sticking points including how to demarcate and name the new federal states, which will be enshrined in the constitution.
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Hundreds stranded in Everest region

   Kathmandu (dpa)- Hundreds of tourists were stranded in Nepal's Everest region after flights could not take off due to bad weather, local media reported Sunday.

   More than 900 tourists were stranded for the last three days in Lukla Airport in the Everest region, according to the Kantipur news portal.

   Four hundred of the stranded tourists were foreigners, with the rest Nepalis.

   Helicopters used for rescue were grounded due to poor visibility.

   May has been a busy month for the Everest region with hundreds of climbers attempting to scale the world's highest mountain. The climbing season runs from late March to May.

   The number people climbing the mountain successfully in 2012 season reached 250, with 87 climbing the mountain on the last day of the season on Saturday. Four climbers were reported dead and two missing on the mountain at the close of the climbing season.
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Hopes fade for new constitution in Nepal as deadline ends

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Nepalese political parties in talks on promulgating a new constitution failed to reach agreement as the deadline inched closer on Sunday.

   The sides had until midnight (1800 GMT) to settle the disputed issue of state restructuring.

"The possibility of promulgating the constitution is over, as we have failed to reach an agreement,” Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal said. "We're discussing alternatives to it now.”

Politicians said they were faced with three options. They would either ask parliament to complete the task of drafting the constitution, or extend the term of the constituent assembly by declaring a state of emergency. A third option would be to call fresh elections.

Cabinet was expected to announce the options.

   The area outside the Constituent Assembly remained crowded all day with various groups calling for a new constitution. Some demonstrators who tried to enter the cordoned off area clashed with the police.

The Constituent Assembly has had its two-year term extended four times since it was first elected in 2008, two years after the end of a decade-long civil conflict with Maoist rebels.

Political parties have been unable to bridge their differences on sticking points like how to demarcate and name the new federal states, which will be enshrined in the constitution.
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