A GENERAL strike called by opposition parties crippled life in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu by shutting down schools, markets and transport.
An alliance of 30 opposition parties called the strike in protest at government plans to bring out a draft of the country’s new constitution next week without seeking their agreement. Police claimed that activists attacked and vandalized seven buses and trucks but no serious injuries were reported. It is common in Nepal for protesters to mob vehicles that defy strike calls. Nepal abolished its monarchy in 2008 but political differences have left it without a constitution.
