Nepal

Two dead, 21 missing in Nepal boat capsize

Kathmandu  - At least two people were confirmed dead and more than 20 others missing after a passenger boat capsized on Koshi River in eastern Nepal, officials said Sunday.

The boat carrying more than 40 people was crossing Koshi River when it capsized Sunday morning in Sunsari district, about 400 kilometres south-east of the capital Kathmandu.

Police said rescue workers found bodies washed up near a village in the Indian side of the border, but were hampered by poor weather conditions.

"Rescue workers are facing problems searching for the missing as the area is covered in heavy fog, reducing the visibility to less than 300 metres," district administrator Durga Bhandarisaid.

Indian Army delegation meets PLA commanders in Kathmandu

Kathmandu, Jan 4 : Visiting Indian Army delegation led by Lieutenant General SPS Dhillon met Maoist People''s Liberation Army (PLA) commanders here on Saturday.

PLA chief Nanda Kishor Pun ''Pasang'' and Deputy Commander and Maoist central secretariat member Barshaman Pun ''Ananta'' met the three-member Indian Army delegation.

Both the side made no public statement regarding the meeting.

The Maoists have long been advocating for discontinuation of recruitment of the Nepal national in the Indian Army, but there hasn''t been any official deliberation on the matter.

Young Communist League pledges to implement pact

Kathmandu, Jan 3: Young Communist League (YCL) chief Ganesh Man Pun has said that the YCL would fully comply with the agreement between the Maoists and the Nepali Congress (NC).

The commitment comes a day after Prime Minister Prachanda assured the Nepali Congress that the YCL would vacate private, public and government buildings and disband its paramilitary structure within three weeks.

During an interaction programme here on Friday, he said that YCL cadres would be established in society through involvement in various development activities.

"We have started the process of vacating the buildings and also of involving cadres in various development activities by opening various offices," he added.

Prachanda asks for three months to fulfil Nepali Congress demands

Pushpa Kamal DahalKathmandu, Jan 2 : Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda has expressed his willingness to fulfill the nine-point demands of the Nepali Congress (NC) in three months.

He expressed the fresh willingness at the meeting of the six ruling parties on Thursday.

A meeting of the High-Level Political Coordination Committee (HLPCC) held at the PM''s official residence had suggested Prachanda to address the Nepali Congress demands including the return of the seized property to the rightful owners.

Nepal govt is not considering sacking Army Chief: Dr. Bhattarai

NepalKathmandu, Jan 2 : Nepal Finance Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has said that the government does not think it was necessary to sack General Rookmangud Katawal.

Nepalnews quoted him as saying that the government was not considering sacking the Army Chief. "We don''t think it is necessary," he said.

A tension of sorts had erupted between the government and the Nepal Army after the latter was asked to stop the process of recruiting midway.

Maoist cannot abandon ''Prachanda Path'', says Baidya

Nepal, Jan 2 : Senior Maoist leader Mohan Baidya today said that his party will not unify with any other party at the cost of ''Prachanda Path'', which has been the party''s guiding ideology for the past few years.

Baidya clarified that his party cannot do without Prachanda Path, which follows the nick name of party Chairman and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ''Prachanda'', but hinted that the Maoists could confer with other parties to further enhance the party''s guiding ideology.

Baidya''s statement comes a day after the CPN-Unity Centre (Masal) decided to unify with the CPN-Maoist.

Pages