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Maoists call off strike as
Nepalese rise in protest
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Suspend or end strike, US tells Maoists
‘NRI woman was murdered’
Indian student killed in US accident
Fresh bomb scare at Times Square
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Maoists call off strike as
Nepalese rise in protest Bending down before the pressures poured from national and international community, main opposition party of Nepal the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists on Friday decided to withdraw their nationwide indefinite strike that had crippled the country since May 2. A standing committee meeting of the party reached the decision in this regard. Maoists chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda said his party had decided to suspend its protest program. “As people from different walks of life requested us to withdraw the strike that had crippled the normal life, we decided to suspend bandh,” former rebels’ supremo said, adding: “Besides, we have decided to suspend the strike in a bid to foil the conspiracy hatched by the government that has been trying to provoke the people to clash against each other in the pretext of defying the strike.” Earlier today, thousand of apolitical protesters had carried out grand peace rally urging both the government and Maoists to strike the deal and end political deadlock within 48 hours. They teased leaders of major political parties, mainly main opposition party the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists that has been launching general strikes since May 2 to regain the power in the country. Even after the Maoists’ attempts to disrupt the peace rally, industrialists, artists, lawyers, journalists, doctors, teachers, students, human rights activists and others - fed up with the strike - expressed their solidarity to the peace by joining the peace assembly in Basantapur in the heart of Kathmandu. Police personnle lobbed tear gas shells to contain the situation after the Maoists and the peace rally participants clashed. Similarly, US Assistant Secretary of the State for South Asian Affairs Robert Blake had also asked the Maoists either to end or suspend their strike to avoid possible political confrontation that might endanger peace and constitution drafting process. “We will continue our protest programs for the next couple of days. But if it fails to exert pressure on the government, we will resume the general strike and bandh more aggressively,” Prachanda said. He also informed that his party had decided to organise mass meetings across the country on Saturday and apprise the party's decision to those who have been taking part in the strike. According to Prachanda, as part of fresh round of protest, his party would encircle Singha Durbar - main government administration secretariat - on Sunday.
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Suspend or end strike, US tells Maoists
Kathmandu, May 7 “The Maoist-imposed strike in Nepal is creating serious hardships for the people of Nepal and the risk of dangerous confrontation is growing,” Robert O Blake, US assistant secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, said in a statement. “We call on the Maoists to end or suspend their strike and ease these hardships.”
— IANS
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London, May 7 Newlywed Kuldeep Sidhu, 25, was found strangled, with a ligature around her neck, and an apparent suicide note nearby. Sidhu, from Quinton in Birmingham, who was in the early stages of pregnancy, was killed unlawfully, Coroner Aidan Cotter ruled. The badly burned body of Sidhu was found by firefighters at the house that she shared with her husband in Glyn Farm Road, Quinton, on May 14, 2008. “At first, it looked as though the deceased had committed suicide. There was a rope around her neck and a rope tied to the top of the banisters. A suicide note had been carefully placed in an obvious position in the lounge,” the coroner said. “An attempt was made to destroy the evidence by burning her body,” the coroner added. Earlier, the inquest heard that Sidhu’s husband, Baljinder, was arrested on suspicion of murdering his wife, but was released without charge. — PTI
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Indian student killed in US accident
Washington, May 7 Praneetha Devi Kasani was killed and five others were injured when she, along with her five friends, was driving back home to Ohio from West Virginia yesterday morning. Puneeth Reddy Amarella, 22, who was driving, lost control of his car and crashed it into another vehicle in the left lane. Praneetha got ejected from the car and died on the spot. All injured are out of danger. — PTI
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Fresh bomb scare at Times Square New York, May 7 A section of the busy shopping centre was cleared as the police investigated a “suspicious package”, which they later said was a white cooler left on the sidewalk. An all-clear was given later after investigations were carried out over the contents of the cooler that was left in front of a hotel, close to where the SUV with the car bomb was placed by terror suspect Faisal Shahzad last Saturday. A bomb squad robot completed its X-ray of the suspicious cooler, but it turned out to be a false alarm. New York Police officials later gave an all-clear. “Situation all clear. The cooler contained water bottles,” said NYPD. It was the second suspicious-package call and at least partial evacuation in the area today. The police cordoned off the square with yellow tape, and bomb-sniffing dogs surveyed the area. Since the foiled car bomb attack last Saturday, the number of “suspicious package” calls to the NYPD has increased. Between Sunday and Wednesday, the police have checked out 493 suspicious packages, compared with 381 in the same period last year, according to Wall Street Journal. On May 1 police had found a car bomb in Times Square, that failed to explode, sparking a two-day manhunt that led to the arrest of Pakistani-born US citizen Faisal Shahzad. — PTI
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