Nepal Economy

Daman Dhungana figures George Washington & Co. had it easy: Nobody asked America's founding fathers about airplanes and fertilizer. Not so in Nepal. "When we ask people in the villages what they want in our new constitution, all they say is airplanes," Dhungana said with a sigh. "Everyone wants an airfield and an airplane. Plus seeds and fertilizer. How can we write that into the constitution?" It's no idle question.

Daman Dhungana figures George Washington & Co. had it easy: Nobody asked America's founding fathers about airplanes and fertilizer. Not so in Nepal. "When we ask people in the villages what they want in our new constitution, all they say is airplanes," Dhungana said with a sigh. "Everyone wants an airfield and an airplane. Plus seeds and fertilizer. How can we write that into the constitution?" It's no idle question.

Suspected communist rebels ambushed an army patrol near the Nepalese capital Sunday, killing at least nine soldiers, army officials said. Three rebels were killed in subsequent fighting. Also Sunday, suspected rebels raided a police station near Hetauda, 30 miles south of Katmandu, and fled with at least 25 guns. Rebels have stepped up their attacks on government and security forces ahead of the Jan. 13 deadline set by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba for rebels to join peace talks.

India and Nepal took a major step toward improving their strained relations by agreeing to end a 14-month-old trade and transit dispute that has staggered Nepal's economy, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said. The dispute was resolved during a two-hour meeting Friday involving Indian Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh and his Nepalese counterpart, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, the Indian official said.

Deo Man Limbu sat in a veterans hall lined with pictures of old soldiers and reflected on his years of service, his battles and his dreams. The retired major with Britain's legendary Gurkhas faced the Argentines in the 1982 Falklands War, when being a member of one of the world's most feared fighting forces had its advantages. Well before hostilities started, British military planners had encouraged photographs of Gurkhas sharpening their fearsome curved knives — no one seemed to ask why you'd bring a knife to a gunfight — and media stories about their fighting prowess.