Former Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) Taranath Ranabhat was admitted to NORVIC Hospital Thursday, after he fell unconscious.
Ranabhat, who was suffering from sinus trouble, fell unconscious at 4.00 p.m. and was rushed to Om Hospital.
Later in the evening, he was taken to NORVIC Hospital, after X-ray and ECG text in Om Hospital.
He is to undergo a general operation to clear a blood clot in the forehead. He is said to be out of danger.
A team of doctors led by Dr Upendra Devkota is examining Ranabhat.
Ranabhat, who faced criticism for not actively taking part in the pro-democracy movement of the country resigned from the post of Speaker after the King reinstated the HoR.
A three-member committee was formed to investigate into the irregularities and presence of “dictatorship” in the Kathmandu branch of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ).
Acting upon an application filed by seven executive members of the branch, FNJ central committee decided to investigate into the causes of dispute among the executive members of the branch.
The three-member committee will focus mainly on corruption, violation of the norms of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists and the tendency of undermining the voice of the majority in meetings of the executive committee.
Seven executive members of the FNJ Kathmandu Branch had locked the office yesterday and filed an application against president Yubraj Bidrohi, vice-president Kamal Gurung, treasurer Dhan Bahadur Magar and secretary Dinesh Basnet, demanding that persisting problems of the chapter be resolved.
Maoist supremo Prachanda has welcomed and supported Thursday’s declaration by the House of Representatives (HoR) as a partial “victory of the 12-point understanding reached between the Maoists and the seven-party alliance and people’s movement.
“Our party welcomes it and supports the declaration as a victory of the 12-point understanding and the Nepali people’s historical movement,” said a statement issued by Prachanda.
Stating that several declarations including declaring Nepal a secular state as demanded by Maoists has made his party proud, the Maoist chairman however said that the proclamation does not address many aspirations of the people.
He said the party feels “glorified” that some of the demands raised by his party have been addressed. “But the declaration has attempted to address the people’s desire of ending monarchy by politically limiting it as a ceremonial one,” Prachanda said.
He said it was silent over the issues of growing foreign interference, restructuring the state, self-determination, regional and ethnic autonomy and federal system, revolutionary land reforms and fundamental rights to education, health and employment.
Prachanda warned that the proclamation may be a serious ploy to overshadow talks, election of the constituent assembly and an overall progressive outlet.
He added that the declaration had tried to give credit to only to the alliance by not mentioning the significance of the 12-point pact.
He however said that his party would raise these and other issues for discussion among people and during talks with the government.
The government of Nepal has declared Friday a “public holiday” to celebrate the House of Representatives (HoR) proclamation that was adopted by the reinstated House on Thursday.
A notice issued by the Home Ministry said all the government offices, semi-government offices and Nepalese embassies and consulates abroad will remain closed on Friday. The Ministry said the decision had been taken to celebrate the HoR proclamation that declared itself as “sovereign.”
The proclamation curtailed royal powers, changed the name of His Majesty’s Government of Nepal (HMG/N) as Nepal government and Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) as Nepali Army.
Employees of various government agencies and semi-government agencies could be seen pasting computer print-out of “Nepal government” on the sign boards of their offices that earlier read: His Majesty’s Government.
Reports say the HoR proclamation is likely to generate tens of millions of rupee job for printers and sign board painters across the country over the next few weeks.
Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Shri Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, inaugurated the auditorium of Drabya Shah Multiple Campus, Gorkha district on Thursday.
A press release issued by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said the auditorium was built with the grant assistance of Indian government worth NRs. 53,32,449/- under the India Nepal Economic Cooperation Programme.
The auditorium will directly benefit the 400 students of Drabya Shah Multiple Campus and will add to the educational infrastructure in Gorkha district with a population 3,03,651, the statement added.
Maoists abducted 13 people from Udaypur district, the army said.
A press statement issued by the Directorate of Public Relations of Nepali Army said Maoists abducted them from Bhatuwa area of Panchabati village development committee of the district on Tuesday.
The statement further said that Maoists created obstruction in the construction of road at Devsthal-Kaindanda-Chaurjahari road section.
The statement said that Maoists have warned to give five percent donation from the money received for construction of road and that approval should be obtained from them for the construction of the road.
Maoists have been continuing atrocities despite their leadership’s repeated commitment not to do so.
Setting another world record, renowned mountaineer Appa Sherpa has successfully conquered the world’s highest peak for the record sixteenth time Friday morning.
Sherpa along with two Sherpas and one American reached atop Mt Everest at around 10.50 a.m. this morning.
Appa conquered the peak as a head guide of the American expedition group ‘Team No Limit’ comprising 12 foreigners and 14 high altitude guides, Ang Tshering Sherpa, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association and managing director of Asian Trekking, the organisers of the expedition, informed Nepalnews.
He informed that other members of the team are also continuing their journey towards the top of Mount Everest.
Sherpa further said that Asian Trekking is proud to be the part of the Expedition, as Appa made a new record in the field of mountaineering.
Appa’s first successful ascent of Everest was on May 10, 1990 and he set foot atop the summit twice in 1992. He has been climbing the world’s highest peak regularly since 1990.
Appa announced retirement from climbing after he ascended Mount Everest for the 13th time in 2003, but he continued to clime the Mountain breaking his earlier records.
More mountaineers are climbing the Everest, setting several world records this season due to favourable weather conditions. 42 climbers scaled the world’s highest peak on Thursday itself.
According to Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, climbers from the US, the UK, Poland, Canada, Australia, Spain, Philippines, Korea, Germany, Switzerland and Austria along with Sherpa guides of Nepal successfully reached the 8,848-meter summit in a single day.
Setting a world record, a 70-year-old Japanese climber scaled Mount Everest on Wednesday, making him the oldest person in the world to achieve the feat.
The second Nepali women to climb the Mount Everest, Lakpa Sherpa, made another world record by ascending the peak for the sixth time.
New Zealand’s mountaineer Mark Inglis, who lost his legs in a climbing accident 24 years ago, become the first double amputee to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
The health of former Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) Taranath Ranabhat is gradually improving after he underwent an operation Thursday night.
A team of doctors led by Dr Upendra Devkota conducted a successful operation of Ranabhat to clear a blood clot in the forehead.
Ranabhat was rushed to Om Hospital after he fell unconscious at 4 p.m. on Thursday and was transferred to NORVIC Hospital, after X-ray and ECG text in Om Hospital.
Ranabhat was suffering from sinus trouble.
According to doctors involved in his treatment, his health condition is stable. However doctors did not allow visitors to see him.
Ranabhat, who faced criticism for not actively taking part in the pro-democracy movement of the country, resigned from the post of Speaker after the King reinstated the HoR.
The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the legal provision of authorizing the government to seize the license of a broadcasting media for transmitting news.
In response to the wit filed by Narayan Dutta Kadel demanding dismissal of the provision under section 8 of the National Broadcasting Act 1992, a special bench comprising justices Anup Raj Sharma, Balaram KC and Tahir Ali Ansari, issued its verdict stating the provision was inconsistent with the spirit and press freedom guaranteed by the constitution.
The provision states that the government can cancel the license of a broadcasting agency if it is found broadcasting any matters not legalized under the act or under other regulations made according to it.
The verdict of the special bench reads ‘the provision in the act was inconsistent with the spirit and provision of the constitution and the earlier verdicts given by the Supreme Court.’
Similarly, the same bench in another writ filed by Kadel, has given its decision that the provision of Publications and Newspapers Act 1991, Section 15 (1) is inconsistent with the Article 13 of the constitution. The act provides power to the government to restrict any matter before publishing if government thinks it to be so.
The writ demanded to cancel all the provisions empowering the government to formulate policies or regulations to ban publishing or broadcasting any matter except the restrictive provision under Article 13 (1) of the constitution. The provision had empowered the government to formulate policy for restriction of specific news matters for specific period of time or allow publishing or broadcasting after censorship by appointed government official.
Terming Thursday’s proclamation of the reinstated House of Representatives as historic, the United States has said it supports the Nepal government as it continues its efforts to restore and strengthen democracy in the country.
Testified on developments in Nepal before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs on Thursday, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Richard A. Boucher, said, “Nepal’s future is in the hands of its people and its political leaders must take steps to meet the people’s aspirations.”
“We have no interest in prescribing the architecture of their democracy. The United States stands behind the people’s right to make that choice themselves through a free and fair political process, and will stand against any who attempt to deny them the freedom that is their right,” said Boucher, according to a statement issued by the US embassy in Kathmandu on Friday.
Meanwhile the EU hasalso welcomed the historic proclamation of the parliament and expressed their eagerness to work with the new government in Nepal.
A press statement issued by the Foreign Ministry said the Charge d’ Affairs and acting head of Delegation of the European Commission in Kathmandu, Eduardo Lechuga Jimenez, expressed this commitment during his meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister KP Sharma Oli on Friday.
He informed that a high level delegation from the EU will be visiting Nepal in the beginning of June this year to express support to political change in Nepal.
He further said that the high level visit will provide an opportunity to have detailed discussion on the EC’s future co-operation strategy in Nepal.
He also expressed the hope that the EU will provide enhanced level of assistance to Nepal in meeting long-term development challenges as well as the immediate challenges of reconstruction and rehabilitation.