Norwegian PM arrives

KATHMANDU: Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg arrived here on Thursday night on a one-day visit. Stoltenberg’s visit would focus on climate change and how it affects the Himalayan region and its people, the Royal Norwegian Embassy here said. Stoltenberg is also expected to visit some glacial lakes in cooperation with International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development on Friday. He is also expected to meet PM GP Koirala, UML General Sceretary Madhav Nepal and CPN-Maoist Chairman Prachanda . — HNS

Protest against police

Lamjung/Gaighat: YCL on Thursday staged demonstrations in Lamjung and Gaighat to protest against the police raids on YCL offices in Balaju, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur of Kathmandu last night. In Lamjung, some 200 YCL cadres staged a rally in Besishahar. Armed with sticks, the YCL cadres shouted slogans against the government and Nepali Congress. In Gaighat, YCL cadres took out a protest rally round the town and held a meet in the main bazaar. — HNS

Kattel’s appeal

DAMAK: Dr Kattel, executive president, Bhutan Gorkha National Liberation Front, in a statement on Thursday urged the Bhutanese government to call all Bhutanese parties in exile for the round table conference and then hold the CA polls. He added that only then would real democracy come to Bhutan. The party, in its nine-point charter of demands, had asked for the unconditional repatriation of all refugees, women be given 50 per cent representation in the CA polls and that the Gorkha people be given a guarantee of citizenship. — HNS

Clinic torched

ITAHARI: An unidentified gang torched the clinic of Sunil Kumar Shah of Gautampur village development committee -1 of Sunsari district on Thursday. Medicines and instruments worth Rs 1 lakh were gutted in the fire after the group torched the clinic by sprinkling kerosene, Sunsari district police office said. — HNS

Bandh hits Kalaiya

BARA: The Sanyukta Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha-called two-day bandh on Thursday crippled life in Kalaiya. Following the bandh, markets and shops were closed and transport service stayed off the road. Only a few numbers of carts, rickshaws, bicycles and motorcycles plied on Kalaiya-Birgunj road. Meanwhile, educational institutions were hit due to the educational strike called by the Educational Republic Forum. — HNS