35 bigha of land seized

LAHAN: The Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha (Goit) seized 35 bigha of land, including the homestead belonging to late poet Siddhi Charan Shrestha, in Siraha on Saturday. — RSS

Prisoners’ stir

BIRGUNJ: The jail inmates at the Birgunj prison on Sunday started 24-hour relay hunger strike demanding amnesty and employment opportunity. This is the fifth phase of the agitation by the jail inmates. Yogendra Roy Yadav, Navaraj Mainali, Damodar Poudel, Manoj Shah and Gyanendra Jha are taking part in the strike. — HNS

BSO established

RAJBIRAJ: The first Armed Police Force (APF) Border Security Office (BSO) was set up at Rajbiraj in Saptari district on Sunday. APF DIG of the eastern region, Thakur Mohan Shrestha, inaugurated the BSO. Shrestha said the office has been set up to control smuggling, criminal activities and provide security to the Nepali people in the border area during the CA election. — HNS

Everest expeditions

KATHMANDU: Two members and three high-altitude workers of AC Everest Expedition Spring 2007 on Sunday scaled Mt Everest, the world’s highest peak, at 5 am. A press release issued by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation here on Sunday said that Michale John Roberts from New Zealand and Cedric Ross Hayden from America scaled the Everest under the leadership of Edmund Guy Cutter. — HNS

Eight-party alliance

BANKE: Minister for Local Development, Dev Gurung, on Sunday said confusion on the issue of the election to constituent assembly has weakened the unity of the eight parties. Speaking to journalists at Nepalgunj airport on Sunday, Gurung said: “The alliance unity has been weakening and that is because the constituent assembly election was deferred due to the activities of foreign and royalist forces.” Stating that the Maoists joined the government on the condition that the CA polls would be held in mid-June, Gurung said a constituent assembly would not be formed until a federal democratic republican system is established. — HNS

SC officials’ demand

KATHMANDU: Submitting a petition in the Supreme Court, at least 27 junior officials of the apex court demanded the continuation of clothing allowance given to them. “We have submitted the petition because we have not got justice even after the establishment of lokatantra,” Gopal Neupane, a junior official, said. — HNS

Two men abducted

RAJBIRAJ: Two armed groups on Sunday abducted chief of the Hanumannagar branch office of the Nepal Electricity Authority, Hari Narayan Thakur, and his brother Mahendra Narayan Thakur, from Koiladi of Madhepur village development committee in Saptari district on Saturday, DIG of the Armed Police Force Thakur Mohan Shrestha said. At around 9 pm, some 15 persons entered Thakur’s house and took him towards an undisclosed location, saying that they wanted to interrogate him. Three hours later, another group came and took away Mahendra, a teacher, with them. — HNS