KATHMANDU // A homemade bomb exploded outside a polling station in Nepal’s capital yesterday, injuring an eight-year-old boy and two others.
Despite the threat of violence, millions of Nepalis defied low expectations and voted in elections to choose a special assembly to draw up a long-delayed constitution.
Chief election commissioner Nil Kantha Upreti said voter turnout was more than 70 per cent, the highest in the nation’s history.
But there are signs that the beleaguered Himalayan nation of 27 million could see more of the same dysfunction in coming months, a depressing prospect for citizens already struggling with daily power cuts, fuel shortages and poverty.
Opposition activists who do not recognise Nepal’s interim government vowed to disrupt the polls, and at least 30 people were wounded in small bomb blasts and other violence in the run-up to the election.
Yesterday, a crude bomb went off after voters lined up to cast their ballots at a busy polling station in the heart of Kathmandu, seriously wounding the boy, police official Hemant Pal said.
“This eight-year-old boy was playing with his friends in the neighbourhood when he picked up the bomb, assuming it was something to play with,” Mr Pal said.
The boy’s uncle, Uttam Shahi, said that the child was knocked unconscious and would likely lose several fingers.
Two women suffered minor injuries in the blast.
In Chamundu village, about 400 kilometres west of Katmandhu, opposition activists stormed into a polling station and ripped up ballots, said Homnath Thapaliya, the chief government administrator in the area. He said police fired in the air and about a dozen voters suffered bruises as they tried to flee the scene.
The Election Commission said voting was halted in one village in the north-east and there were brief disruptions in four other places.
Associated Press
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Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Results:
Men's wheelchair 800m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 1.44.79; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 1.45.88; 3. Isaac Towers (GBR) 1.46.46.
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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