Nepal PM Prachanda’s wife no more
KATHMANDU, July 12: Sita Dahal, wife of Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, died on Wednesday after suffering from a rare neurological condition. She was 69. Sita, who had been ill for a long time, was undergoing treatment at Norvic International Hospital in Kathmandu, where the doctors confirmed her death at 8.33 am, according to Prime Minister’s press coordinator Surya Kiran Sharma. Sita, who was also an adviser to the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), was suffering from Progressive Supranuclear Palsy along with Parkinsonism, Diabetes Mellitus-II and Hypertension for a long time. Progressive supranuclear palsy is a rare neurological condition that can cause problems with balance, movement, vision, speech and swallowing. She was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday morning following complications in her health condition. According to Prime Minister Prachanda’s personal physician Professor Dr Yuvraj Sharma, Sita suffered cardiac arrest at 8 am on Wednesday. (PTI)
Vandals destroy artwork by Italian artist
Milan, July 12: Vandals set fire and destroyed a seminal artwork by one of Italy’s most famous living artists early Wednesday outside Naples’ City Hall. By the time flames were doused, all that was left of the installation by Michelangelo Pistoletto was a charred frame. Pistoletto’s artwork, titled “Venus of the Rags” had been in display in Naples since June 28. It featured a large plaster neoclassical nude Venus, inspired by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen’s 19th century “Venus with Apple,” picking through a mountain of rags. (AP)
Gurudwara opens in Leicester
London, July 12: Bringing cheer to the Sikh community in the UK, a new gurdwara has opened its doors for up to 900 worshippers in Leicester. The 4.2 million-pound Gurdwara Sahib, which was originally located on Meynell Road, is now built on a 2.8 acre site in Hamilton, Leicester, to make room for the increasing number of worshippers. The construction was carried out by the trustees of the Ramgarhia Board Leicester who borrowed 2.1 million pounds to part-fund the new building. (IANS)