THT 10 years ago: Yeti footprints found in Khumbu, explorers claim

Kathmandu, November 30, 2007

A team of explorers has arrived in the capital with an exciting story of finding footprints of Yeti near the base camp of Mount Everest, at Khumbu. “We are happy to say that we have found footprints of Yeti. And the snowman is no more a legend for us now,” Joshua Gates, the team leader of the expedition of the American television channel Destination Truth, told the media today. Showing the model of the footprint, collected at the site, he added that some scientific research would continue in the US regarding its authenticity and other phases of exploration for further studies. The team, consisting of 9 Americans and 14 Nepalis, left Kathmandu on 24 November and arrived here today after competing the expedition. After finding the footprints, they chartered a helicopter and directly few back to the capital. He said that the team found the footprints when it was returning from Khumbu by the confluence of Ghettekhola and Dudhkoshi rivers, near Monju village at a height of 2,850 metres. It was Tul Bahadur Rai, assistant guide of the team, who first spotted the footprint by the riverbank. “It was the night of November 28. I cried in excitement when I saw the footprints. I called all the members and they took photographs and also made a model of the footprint, after they were convinced that it indeed was a footprint” he told this daily.

Big four agree to start on a clean slate

Kathmandu, November 30, 2007

Leaders of the Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML, CPN-Maoist and Janamorcha Nepal today agreed to “review” previous agreements reached between the then seven-party alliance and the Maoists. They also set the agenda for discussions but could not reach any final conclusion. “We have agreed to make a thorough review of the previous agreements from the 12-point understanding to the latest ones and we have also set agenda of discussions,” said Maoist chairman Prachanda after the meeting held at the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction. Prachanda said the directive of the special session of the parliament, adjustment process of the People’s Liberation Army, full compliance of the comprehensive peace accord and restructuring the government were the main agenda of discussion. They are scheduled to hold another round of meeting tomorrow afternoon. But the NC leaders did not come up with any stance on the issues of parliamentary directive on republic and electoral system, according to the Maoist leaders. “The NC has not made its stance clear on the motions passed by the parliament,” senior Maoist leader, Mohan Baidya, who was also present at today’s meeting said “They just listened to our views and did not say anything about the two issues”.