Nepal parties reach agreement on new government =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Political parties in Nepal on Wednesday agreed on the formation of a new government to be led by the country's chief justice and govern the Himalayan republic until elections.

   The leader of the country's four biggest parties reached the agreement after late-night negotiations in the capital, Kathmandu. Chief Justice Khilraj Regmi was expected to be sworn in as prime minister Wednesday night.

   The parties also set June 21 as the date for elections to the constituent assembly, despite June being a monsoon month. The election commission had warned earlier that it is unprepared for polls given vacancies in election commissioner posts.

   In an acknowledgement of the difficulty in meeting the June goal, the parties left open the possibility of a postponement until November-December. The new 11-member cabinet is mandated to govern until mid-December.

   Wednesday's agreement ends weeks of negotiations on the formation of an administration to replace the caretaker government, in place since May 2012.

   The opposition had argued against appointing the chief justice as head of government, saying to do so would breach the separation of powers.

   The small parties have criticized the move of the major parties to appoint the chief justice as the prime minister.

   Nepal had announced election for November last year, which did not materialize. The parties then said they would hold election in May.

   The latest announcement comes as a breakthrough after the parties have squabbled for months about a new government, amid tensions regarding integration of former Maoist rebels into the military.
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Dozens arrested over cannabis use during Hindu festival =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Police in Nepal on Sunday arrested more than 80 people for smoking cannabis at a festival dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva whose most devout followers consume the drug as an act of reverence. 
   "We arrested 85 people from the Pashupatinath temple," said Uttam Subedi, a metropolitan police range officer. 
   "Most of them were smoking cannabis and a couple of them were arrested for pickpocketing and creating public disturbance."
   Shiva devotees in Nepal smoke cannabis in a bid to please the deity and invoke his blessings during the annual Shivaratri festival. 
   Under Nepalese law only holy men, or sadhus, are permitted to smoke cannabis during the festival and dealing in it is illegal.
    Every year hundreds of pilgrims make their way to Pashupatinath temple in the capital Kathmandu, which is dedicated to Shiva, which features cannabis-smoking Naga sadhus with their matted dreadlocks and ash-smeared bodies.
   Some 4,000 sadhus from Nepal and India participated this year, authorities said.
   About 5,500 security personnel were deployed at the World Heritage Site.
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15 die in Nepal bus accident =

March 4,2013
   Kathmandu (dpa)- Fifteen people were killed when a bus carrying wedding guests crashed down a hillside in  south-western Nepal, police said on Monday.

   At least 25 people were injured in the accident in the district of Palpa,  police officer Sthaneshwor Regmi said.

   The bus tumbled about 300 metres into a river Sunday night.

   Police suspected the driver was under the influence of alcohol.
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Nepal police criticized for arresting long-haired youths =

March 3,2013
   Kathmandu (dpa) – A Nepalese police campaign to curb crime came under criticism Saturday after the arrests of youths with long hair and studs in their ears.

   Angry youths protested in Kathmandu against "police brutality."

   "Calling it a campaign to curb theft, robbery and hooliganism, Metropolitan Police on Monday rounded up 711 young people, mostly males, sporting long hair and wearing ear studs or earrings from different parts of the city," a posting on Facebook said.

   Police said youths aged 16 to 25 years are mainly involved in criminal activities in Nepal.

   "We arrested 1,200 students in three days time, but only took action against 15 who were involved in criminal activities," Kathmandu police chief Rana Bahadur Chand said. "We released the others who were found to be innocent."

   Some newspaper editorials criticized the campaign as a misdirected use of police resources.
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