UK arrest irks Nepal

Kathmandu, Jan. 4 (AP): The government of Nepal summoned the British ambassador in Kathmandu today to protest the arrest of a Nepali army officer in the UK over allegations of torture reportedly committed during the Himalayan’s nation’s decade-long Maoist insurgency.

Deputy Prime Minister Narayankaji Shrestha told reporters that the Nepal government has demanded the immediate release of Col Kumar Lama. Police arrested the 46-year-old in St Leonards-on-Sea, 115km southeast of London.

China kids

Beijing (AP): A fire at a private shelter for orphans and abandoned children in central China killed at least seven kids on Friday, a local official said.

Chavez

Caracas (Reuters): Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is still suffering a “severe” respiratory infection that has hindered his breathing.

Fatah rally

Gaza (Reuters): President Abbas predicted the end of a five-year split between the two big Palestinian factions as his Fatah movement staged its first mass rally in Gaza with the blessing of Hamas who rule the enclave.