Royals’ stay extended

POKHARA: King Gyanendra and Queen Komal’s stay in Pokhara has been extended by one more month. The royals are here since the second week of February. Though they were planned to return to the capital on Sunday, they did not returen following the extension of their stay, according to security sources. —HNS

Dacoits injure one

RAUTAHAT: A local, Darshan Singh, was seriously when a gang of armed dacoits opened fire on him at Mathiya VDC of Rautahat on Saturday night. The gang of around 25 armed dacoits also looted property worth Rs 100,000 from the house of Jagat Singh. — HNS

Maoists loot medicine

BARDIYA: Maoists have looted medicines worth Rs 1.1 million from Mainapokhar VDC of Bardiya district on Saturday. The medicines were being transported to the Bardiya District Hospital from the regional medical store at Nepalgunj on a bus. The medicines included 198 cartons of pills and one carton vaccine, the store said. — HNS

Maoists gun down cop

SARLAHI: The Maoists shot dead one cop on duty on Sunday. They abducted another cop, police said. The armed Maoists shot dead Lalbabu Prasad Yadav of Sarlahi Tribhuvannagar VDC-4. Umesh Roy was abducted, police said. The Maoists came in a blue pick-up jeep to the post which has six security personnel under the command of deputy police inspector Shyam Sundar Yadav. The Maoists identified themselves as soldiers prior to shooting, it is reported. — HNS

NC meet on Thursday

Kathmandu: Nepali Congress (NC) President Girija Prasad Koirala has decided to call an informal meeting of the party on Thursday, amid claims that the party is now obliged to come to concrete decisions on issues of concerns. The meeting has been called at the residence of the party supremo Koirala and are expected to discuss on protest programmes. — HNS

‘King isolated’

Surkhet:People’s Front Nepal vice president, Manoj Bhatta, said on Sunday the King is being alone for the first time in Nepali history. Speaking at a press meet as a part of the Mechi Mahakali Campaign in Birendranagar on Sunday, Bhatta said the King is going to be alone in political, diplomatic and international circles. Expressing his disagreement to the opinion of Maoist supremo Prachanda on the issue of constituent assembly, Bhatta said the sovereignty should be vested upon people. — HNS