Nepal's five-time Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who had been unwell for several months, died here today after multiple organ failure.
Terming the Communist Party of Nepal (United Maoists Leninst) as a "black sheep" among the communists, Nepal's former Premier and Maoist chief Prachanda has said he will launch the "people's movement-III" by forging an alliance with "nationalist forces" to establish civilian supremacy in the country.
Nepal on Friday sought India's co-operation in moving the peace process forward, giving indications ahead of Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon's visit that it was looking forward to closer bilateral ties.
A book by Indian-American journalist Fareed Zakaria has sparked a row in Nepal, with a top Maoist leader accusing him of misrepresenting facts by claiming that Buddha was born in India, instead of Nepal.
In a major breakthrough, Nepal's ruling coalition partners on Saturday sorted out the vexed issue of portfolio distribution and power sharing after they 'tentatively agreed to a deal' to give the 20-day-old Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist government a "full shape" by Sunday.
The opposition Nepali Congress had sought Prachanda's resignation after the Maoist government was reduced to a minority in the wake of CPN(UML) pulling out in protest against the decision to sack the Army Chief.
Maoist chairman Prachanda, expected to lead the next government in Nepal, has warned the media against criticising his party, saying that "we will no longer tolerate criticism as we have already been elected by the people". Addressing a rally to celebrate the declaration of republic in Kathmandu Prachanda said his CPN-Maoist will not tolerate further criticism by the media and warned of serious consequences if it continued to criticise the party.
The United States is considering removing the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist from the list of terrorist organisations after its stunning performance in the constituent assembly elections. Earlier, the US ambassador to Nepal had met Maoist chairman Prachanda, where the Maoist chief suggested that the US should remove the Maoists from its terrorist list. The US is also likely to pull out a negative travel advisory about Nepal that lies posted on the State Department's website.
The Communist Party of Nepal Maoist, which emerged victorious in the recent Constituent Assembly polls, decided on Wednesday that the next government should be under its leadership and that party chairman Prachanda' would head the government. The meeting reaffirmed the abolition of monarchy and implementation of republic in the country and concluded to form a coalition government and continue consensus with other parties.
The Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist, Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and Madhesi People's Rights Forum (MPRF) at a meeting held Monday night agreed in principle to form a coalition government under the leadership of former rebels, NC spokesman Arjun Narsingh Khatri Chhetri said.
Nepal's major parties on Wednesday failed to break an impasse over the formation of a new government as efforts to strike a deal on sharing of power proved futile. During crucial talks in Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's residence here, the Maoists rejected a proposal from Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML to amend the interim constitution to remove a provision requiring two-thirds majority for forming or unseating the government.
Bhattarai said his party 'Naya Shakti Nepal' would bear the "historic responsibility" of making Nepal prosperous and developed.
The Coummunist Party of Nepal - Maoist unveiled its election manifesto for the April 10 polls on Friday. They promised to abrogate the 'unequal' 1950 Indo-Nepal peace treaty, divide the country into 11 regions based on ethnicity and raise the per capita income ten-fold.The manifesto unveiled by Maoist chairman Prachanda in Kathmandu, ahead of the Constituent Assembly elections, describe India as an expansionist force.
CPN-Maoist leader Ram Bahadur Thapa 'Badal', who was the party's chief military strategist during the time the party's decade-long war with the State, made it clear that the Maoists were not in favour of retaining cultural king or any other form of monarchy, affirming that their 'struggle against feudalism' was also aimed at destroying all the remnants of the institution of monarchy. 'It would be good if he peacefully, leaves the palace after the first assembly sitting.
After the clash on Wednesday, 29 dead bodies were recovered from the site and 40 Maoists, who sustained injuries have been admitted to the local hospital for treatment.
But that is unlikely to deter NGOs planning their first protest march in Kathmandu on Thursday.
Nineteen parties in the Parliament have already confirmed that they will be voting in favour of the no-confidence motion.
Maoist chief Prachanda was on Wednesday elected by lawmakers as Nepal's Prime Minister for a second time.
Maoist supremo Prachanda had a narrow escape when his vehicle was targeted with a roadside bomb in western Nepal on Wednesday.
A day after premier K P Oli resigned, Nepal President called on all the political parties to elect a new prime minister within a week
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Janakpur, the revered Hindu religious site in Nepal, has not yet been officially cancelled despite reports about the trip being called off due to opposition by some political parties, the government said.
The Shiv Sena on Monday refused to call off the protest against the book launch of former Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri in Mumbai.
For India to endorse Nepal's Buddhist conference will be like sipping from a poisoned chalice, warns former RA&W official Jayadeva Ranade.
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