Nepal Highlights

Failing to complete the works within the timeline set earlier, the Constituent Assembly (CA) has amended the constitution-writing timetable for the sixth time on Wednesday. A CA meeting endorsed the new timetable without altering the final date of constitution adoption. As per the new schedule, deliberations on preliminary drafts and concept papers in the CA will have to complete by November 15. The timetable was amended as some CA committees failed to submit their drafts within the deadline. Only six committees have so far submitted their drafts. Deepening differences among the key political parties on fundamental issues to be included in the constitution also led to the amendment in the timetable.

President Ram Baran Yadav administered oath of office and secrecy to the newly appointed Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Chhatra Man Singh Gurung and presented insignia, Wednesday. Earlier, the government had promoted Gurung, from Lieutenant General to General and appointed him as the CoAS on Tuesday. He had taken charge as an acting CoAS since the past one month after erstwhile CoAS Rookmangud Katawal went on a customary home leave, one month before his tenure ended.

Three children of the same family have been killed when their house collapsed due to a torrential rain in Palpa, Wednesday morning. Pushpa Saru, 16, a third grader in a local primary school, Ram Bahadur Saru, 14, a sixth-grader and Roman Bahadur Saru, 11, a fourth-grader in Adarsha Higher Secondary School died at about 4 am, this morning after they were trapped inside the debris of the collapsed house, reports say. All three children of Prem Kumari Saru and Purna Bahadur Saru died in the incident. Purna Bahadur Saru is in Mumbai, India for work. The children who were practising for a cultural programme till late last night were sleeping on the same bed, local residents say. Two buffaloes have also been killed after the house collapsed.

The activities of CPN (UML)’s Youth Force (YF) have been suspended under the directives of party chairman Jhala Nath Khanal due to the growing rift between Khanal and senior party leader K P Oli, reports say. Khanal and his supporters decided to suspend YF activities as the Youth Force leadership was in control of party leader K P Oli, Nagarik daily reported. Chairman of Youth Force Mahesh Basnet said, ‘Youth Force is now in a kind of semi-dissolved state as the party has not made its concept clear on the its structure.’ Basnet is considered close to Oli. Earlier, the party central committee had decided to form a single volunteer front by integrating Youth Force and People’s Volunteer (PV). It had also designated central committee member Yogesh Bhattarai to recommend the new name, working procedure and regulations for the integrated volunteer front. Bhattarai, considered close to chairman Khanal, has already submitted his report to the party standing committee. Officially, Yo

Nepali workers fired, deported from Dubai An engineering firm in Dubai has fired 108 Nepali workers, along with some Indian and Pakistani workers in accusation of being involved in a strike, Kantipur daily reported. UAE immigration has started deporting the fired Nepali workers after detaining them for seven days. 90 of them have been deported till Tuesday, while the remaining 18 are still in jail in Dubai. The fired Nepali workers, who were arrested by Dubai police from the camp they were staying in on August 31, were deported directly from the custody. They were not even allowed to collect their belongings from their residences, the report says. The Nepali workers have said they were unjustly fired as they were not involved in the strike. Workers from India and Pakistan had started the strike from August 29 demanding a hike in salary but Nepali workers had continued the work, said Govind Bhandari of Morang, who was fired from the company. The fired Nepali workers were wor