It’s estimated that some 350 thousand mothers and millions of children die each year due to complications related to pregnancy. Most of these deaths could be prevented with more skilled birth attendants and better access to emergency care. Pat Duffy takes the story to Laos.
August 14, 2011 Nepal Prime Minister Resigns VOA News
Photo: AP Photo/Binod Joshi Jhalnath Khanal in Katmandu, Nepal (File Photo)Nepal's prime minister has resigned just three months after taking the job, as the political stalemate in Nepal remains unresolved.
Jhalanath Khanal, the chairman of Unified Marxist Leninist party, submitted his resignation to Nepal's president on Sunday. He is expected to address the parliament on Monday.
Khanal was elected to his post in February after 17 rounds of inconclusive parliamentary elections for a new leader. He said he would step down by August 13 if there was no significant progress made on the peace process or the formation of a power-sharing government.
Nepal's government has been deadlocked since former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal resigned in June 2010 under pressure from the Maoist opposition.
Maoists control most seats in parliament, but not enough to govern alone. They were allowed to rejoin the government following a 2006 peace agreement that ended a decade-long Maoist insurgency.
The peace process, however, has since been stalled by deep differences between the country’s political parties. With both parties disagreeing on the shape of the new constitution and on the future of about 19,000 former Maoist fighters who are living in camps.
