Party merger

KATHMANDU: Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist) have merged on Friday. Maoist senior leader Mohan Baidhya and general secretary of the Marxist party Bikram Hamal signed and announced the unification deal amid a function in Kathmandu. The unification of the two parties, Baidhya said, has added more energy to the Communist movement in the country. — HNS

Refugees’ fund woes

DAMAK: Donor countries have reportedly stopped providing financial assistance for those Bhutanese refugees, who want to return home. The Bhutanese Refugees Representative Repatriation Committee (BRRRC), the umbrella organisation of the refugees, said the countries stopped providing the grant to the refugees, who favour repatriation to Bhutan, 14 months ago. Acting president of the committee Dr Bhampa Rai said the grant is being provided to those refugees who support the third-country resettlement plan. The committee used to get a monthly financial grant of Rs 34,200 from the Danish Church Fund. — HNS

JTMM-G triggers blast

RAJBIRAJ: Cadres of the Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha-Goit (JTMM-G) detonated a bomb in a vacant police post at Mainakderi VDC in Saptari on Thursday night. The bomb, detonated around 10 pm, damaged a room of the post, the police said. JTMM-G cadres also set fire to furniture and logistics in the post, the Saptari District Police Office said. JTMM-G district army commander Bikash has owned up the incident. — HNS

SLR ‘ready’ for talks

Phidim: The Sanghiya Limbuwan Rajyaparisad (SLR), which has been launching general strike in the eastern hilly region together with the Sanghiya Ganatantrik Rastriya Morcha. on Friday said the group is ready to hold talks with the government if its four demands are met. “If the government meets our four demands we are ready to solve problems and contest the CA polls,” SLR central member Mukum Limbu said. — HNS