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Showing posts from December, 2007

End of Nepal monarchy - or trouble? By Charles Haviland

End of Nepal monarchy - or trouble? By Charles Haviland BBC News Nepal's most powerful parties have agreed that the 240-year-old monarchy will be abolished, yielding to a demand put by the Maoist former rebels when they walked out of the interim government three months ago. The historic decision reverses a clause of last year's peace agreement which said the fate of the royals would be decided by a popularly-elected assembly. Parliament must now change the temporary constitution. It will be left to the assembly, once elected, to actually scrap the monarchy - but that is looking almost inevitable. The move concludes a dismal year of continuing violence, new militant ethnic sentiment and endless political squabbling - a big contrast to 2006 which saw the end of the Maoist insurgency and, earlier, King Gyanendra's climb-down from direct rule. Punitive acts Although their walk-out meant elections were postponed for a second time, the Maoists say they will now rejoin the cabine

NEPAL: Biogas technology beginning to make its mark

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NEPAL: Biogas technology beginning to make its mark Photo: Naresh Newar/IRIN Nepal's biogas users play a key role in reducing carbon emissions KATHMANDU, 6 December 2007 (IRIN) - Over six million tonnes of carbon emissions could be avoided in the next five years by Nepal through large-scale use of biogas, according to climate change experts. Biogas is a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide produced by fermenting organic matter like animal or human waste, biodegradable waste and municipal solid waste. In Nepal, biogas systems are circular pits filled with cow dung. Constructed near to people's homes, the gas they produce is piped to where the cooking is done. Nearly 85 percent of Nepal's 27 million people live in rural areas and around 95 percent of the rural population burn traditional fuels such as wood and agro-waste. Biogas systems were first introduced in Nepal in the late 1950s and thousands of families now use them. The carbon emissions thus saved in Nepal may be sm