THE HIMALAYAN UNIVERSE

Wednesday 27th of June 2007 Nepal Palace Plans Gala Bash For King's 'diamond' Birthday Wednesday 27th of June 2007 Ignoring calls by the prime minister to abdicate in favour of his five-year-old grandson, Nepal's King Gyanendra is throwing a lavish black-coat party in the palace next week to celebrate his 'diamond' birthday - just three months before the crucial election that could abolish his more than two-century-old crown. Invitations have been issued in the name of Queen Komal to around 1,000 guests - the who's who of Nepal. They include Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who has asked the king and Crown Prince Paras to abdicate in favour of Paras' son, Hridayendra, in a last-ditch attempt to save the beleaguered crown. The cocktail dinner, to be held at the Kaski hall of the Narayanhity royal palace July 6, has foreign diplomats, ministers, top politicians and industrialists on the invitation list. However, it remains to be seen how many would at...

June 20, 2007 Wednesday CAPITOL HILL HEARING HEARING OF THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE; SUBJECT: PENDING NOMINATIONS; CHAIRED BY: SENATOR JOHN F. KERRY (D-MA); WITNESSES: ANNE WOODS PATTERSON TO BE AMBASSADOR TO THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN; NANCY POWELL TO BE AMBASSADOR TO NEPAL; JOSEPH ERELI TO BE AMBASSADOR TO THE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN; RICHARD NORLAND TO BE AMBASSADOR TO THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN; STEPHEN SECHE TO BE AMBASSADOR TO THE REPUBLIC OF YEMENN; LOCATION: 419 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING, WASHINGTON, D.C. HEARING OF THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE SUBJECT: PENDING NOMINATIONS CHAIRED BY: SENATOR JOHN F. KERRY (D-MA) WITNESSES: ANNE WOODS PATTERSON TO BE AMBASSADOR TO THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN; NANCY POWELL TO BE AMBASSADOR TO NEPAL; JOSEPH ERELI TO BE AMBASSADOR TO THE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN; RICHARD NORLAND TO BE AMBASSADOR TO THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN; STEPHEN SECHE TO BE AMBASSADOR TO THE REPUBLIC OF YEMENN LOCATION: 419 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE...

Powell-Kerry Exchange on Nepal NANCY J. POWELL, the US ambassador designate to Kathmandu, tackles questions about Nepal at a Capitol Hill hearing. Ms. Powell, the nominee for US ambassador to Nepal, at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, offers her views on political transition in Nepal, the Terai unrest, the Bhutanees refugees problem, and American assistance. The following are the edited excerpts of a transcript of the June 20, 2007 hearing at the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the pending nomination of Nancy Powell to be ambassador to Nepal. The Hearing was chaired by the Democratic Senator John F. Kerry and took place in Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. The joint hearing also included nominees Anne Woods Patterson (for Pakistan), Joseph Adam Ereli (Bahrain), Richard Boyce Norland (Uzbekistan), and Stephen A. Seche (Yemen). SEN. KERRY: Thank you. We'll come to order. I apologize to everybody for being a little late. We're in the middle o...