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Nepali Congress has started internal discussions after CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal did not give up his claim for the post of prime minister. Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba held a meeting with party senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel, Vice-President Purna Bahadur Khadka, leaders Ram Sharan Mahat, Bal Krishna Khand and Bimalendra Nidhi among others on Sunday morning. Leaders have stressed that the Nepali Congress should lead the government in the first phase. Saying that people have given mandate to the Nepali Congress to lead the government, leaders said that that the leadership should not be given to the Maoist Center, who has secured just 32 seats. The leaders held a meeting to make a strategy before the meeting of the coalition. According to the Article 76 (2) of the Constitution, President Bidya Devi Bhandari had set a deadline of 5 pm today to claim the post of prime minister by securing a majority. During a meeting of the coalition held on Saturday, the Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist Center) failed to reach an agreement after they refused to budge from their stance. Earlier this morning, Congress leader Nidhi had reached Khumaltar to cajole Dahal. Nidhi had reached Dahal’s residence taking the message of Deuba. The NC leader had urged Deuba to leave his stance of becoming the prime minister. According to a source, Nidhi said that the Nepali Congress will cooperate with the CPN-UML if Dahal did not give up his claim for the post of prime minister. The Nepali Congress started talks with the UML after Dahal through party Deputy General Secretary Barshaman Pun on Saturday warned that they would leave the coalition if he did not get the post of prime minister. Soon after the meeting of the coalition, Prime Minister Deuba sent Nidhi to Balkot on Saturday evening. Nidhi conveyed Prime Minister Deuba’s notice to Oli and also that the Nepali Congress is ready to discuss possible power sharing with the UML.

Nepali Congress has made a last-ditch effort to cajole the CPN (Maoist Center). Congress leader Bimalendra Nidhi held a meeting with Maoist Center Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal at the latter’s residence in Khumaltar on Sunday. According to the Article 76 (2) of the Constitution, President Bidya Devi Bhandari had set a deadline of 5 pm today to claim the post of prime minister by securing a majority. During a meeting of the coalition held on Saturday, the Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist Center) failed to reach an agreement after they refused to budge from their stance. On the occasion, the two leaders discussed a new government formation, power sharing and contemporary political issues. Nidhi had reached Dahal’s residence taking the message of Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba. The NC leader urged Deuba to leave his stance of becoming the prime minister. According to a source, Nidhi said that the Nepali Congress will cooperate with the CPN-UML if Dahal did not give up his claim for the post of prime minister. The Nepali Congress started talks with the UML after Dahal through party Deputy General Secretary Barshaman Pun on Saturday warned that they would leave the coalition if he did not get the post of prime minister. Soon after the meeting of the coalition, Prime Minister Deuba sent Nidhi to Balkot on Saturday evening. Nidhi conveyed Prime Minister Deuba’s notice to Oli and also that the Nepali Congress is ready to discuss possible power sharing with the UML. A source claimed that the duo discussed possible power sharing between the Nepali Congress and the UML.  

Christmas, the greatest festival of Christians, is being celebrated with zest and zeal, throughout the country on Sunday. It is celebrated to mark the birth of Jesus Christ, on December 25. The festival has been recognized as a national festival since 2007. The government has announced a national holiday today to celebrate the festival. On the occasion, Christians visit churches and exchange gifts with family and friends.

Police have arrested a Sudanese national with a huge cache of gold from the Tribhuvan International Airport. Muhammad Ahmed, who came to Kathmandu on a Fly Dubai flight on Friday, was arrested with around 19 kg gold during the security check. He brought the semi liquid gold by tying it around his waist. The TIA-based Customs Office said that Ahmed was arrested with 18-19 kg gold today.

French serial killer Charles Sobhraj, who was freed from a prison in Nepal on Friday, has been deported to his home country. The Home Ministry deported Sobhraj to France by banning him from entering Nepal for 10 years. The Department of Immigration sent him to the Tribhuvan International Airport amid tight security. The Home Ministry deported Sobhraj after the Nepal-based French Embassy made travel documents for him. He will fly to Doha and then to Paris, France on a Qatar Airways flight. Sobhraj, who had been doing time in the Kathmandu-based prison for the past 19 years for the murder of an American woman, Connie Jo Boronzich, 29, and his Canadian girlfriend Laurent Carrière, 26, in 1975, was freed on the ground of age following a directive of the Supreme Court. Responding to a habeas corpus writ, a division bench of Justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Til Prasad Shrestha on Wednesday issued a verdict directing the government to free Sobhraj (78) at the earliest, saying that he has already completed 95 percent of his jail term. The government was also ordered to make arrangements to send him to his home country within 15 days. Following his release, he was sent to the Department of Immigration. Now, the Department will start the process to deport him to his country. But, Sobhraj has expressed his desire to stay in Nepal for some time. He was arrested on September 19, 2003. Sobhraj had previously spent 20 years in prison in India.

Nepali Congress President and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur held a meeting with the party leaders close to him on Friday to discuss power sharing. Deuba met the leaders to make a concrete decision after CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal refused to give up his claim for the post of prime minister and to make future strategy. Prime Minister Deuba held a meeting with Vice-President Purna Bahadur Khadka, Prakash Man Singh, Bal Krishna Khand, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, Umakanta Chaudhary and Dila Sangraula. The 15 day-time given by President Bidya Devi Bhandari to form a new government is expiring on Sunday. The leaders suggested Deuba to not leave the post of prime minister under any circumstances. “We have given a suggestion that a new government should be formed under the leadership of the Nepali Congress as the largest party of the Parliament. He will not budge from his stance,” a leader, who took part in the meeting, said. Earlier, this morning CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had told leader Singh, who had reached Dahal’s residence in Khumaltar to discuss power sharing, that he wanted the post of prime minister at any cost. Dahal also warned that he would leave the coalition if he did get the coveted post.    

A French serial killer Charles Sobhraj has been freed from a prison in Nepal on Friday. Sobhraj, who had been doing time in the Kathmandu-based prison for the past 19 years for the murder of an American woman, Connie Jo Boronzich, 29, and his Canadian girlfriend Laurent Carrière, 26, in 1975, was freed on the ground of age following a directive of the Supreme Court. Responding to a habeas corpus writ, a division bench of Justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Til Prasad Shrestha on Wednesday issued a verdict directing the government to free Sobhraj (78) at the earliest, saying that he has already completed 95 percent of his jail term. The government was also ordered to make arrangements to send him to his home country within 15 days. Following his release, he has been sent to the Department of Immigration today. Now, the Department will start the process to deport him to his country. But, Sobhraj has expressed his desire to stay in Nepal for some time. He was arrested on September 19, 2003. Sobhraj had previously spent 20 years in prison in India.

Hours after holding a meeting with CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Nepali Congress leader Prakash Man Singh reached Baluwatar on Friday afternoon to meet Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. During the meeting, leader Singh told Deuba that Dahal will not budge from his stance of becoming the prime minister easily. According to a Baluwatar source, Prime Minister Deuba said that he would hold a serious discussion with the leaders of the ruling coalition on the issue soon. It has been understood that Dahal wants to become the prime minister with the support of the ruling coalition as much as possible or else he is preparing to lead the government with the help of the CPN-UML and some fringe parties. Dahal has been holding consultations with Prime Minister Deuba and UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli parallelly to become the prime minister. Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Deuba, Dahal and CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Nepal discussed possible power sharing. President Bidya Devi Bhandari has called upon the political parties to form a new government by December 25.