Royals offer puja

POKHARA: King Gyanendra and Queen Komal, on the occasion of Ram Nawami, offered puja at Ram Mandir in Pardi of Pokhara on Thursday. They also received prasad from the priest of the temple. Chairperson of Ram Mandir Management Committee, Lila Bhakta Acharya, received the royal couple who also inspected the Dharmashala constructed by the Swami Narayan Muktinath Development Trust on the premises of the temple.

One killed in mishap

BARA: One person was killed when a vehicle of the Royal Nepalese Army headed for Pathlaiya from Birgunj hit him on Wednesday night. A manager of a packaging industry, Pramod Maharana (32), who sustained critical injuries when the vehicle of the Naya Ranbir Battalion hit him, died while undergoing treatment in the Narayani Sub Regional Hospital, Birgunj, police said. Maharana hailed from Orissa in India. —HNS

Hindu meet ends

Birgunj: The conference of the World Hindu Federation concluded here on Thursday. At least 600 representatives and observers from 31 countries, including Nepal and India, participated in the conference. Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Industry Minister Buddhi Man Tamang, said monarchy in Nepal is the centre of faith for all Hindus . —HNS

AI condemns arrests

Kathmandu: Amnesty International on Thursday urged the government to stop arrests of political party and civil society members and release all those detained for expressing their political views.”Targeting leaders of the opposition parties is not only wrong, but also dangerous,” a statement issued here by AI quoted Purna Sen, Asia-Pacific Director, as saying. “Squeezing the space for legitimate political activity heightens the risk of violent confrontation and human rights abuses,” Sen said. —HNS

Kidnap bid foiled

MAHOTTARI: Locals of Khairabani VDC said they foiled the Maoists’ bid to abduct former chairman of Khairabani VDC Radhe Shyam Jha. He was elected VDC chairman in 2054 BS from the RPP. — RSS