Lift media curbs, India tells Nepal

In London, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw announced in a statement the suspension of a 1.3 million pound ($2.5 million) package of non-lethal equipment announced in January.

Indian Ambassador to Nepal Shiv Shanker Mukherjee, who returned to Kathmandu after consultations, told reporters that New Delhi has expressed “our grave concern for discriminately targeting Indian joint venture establishments, including UTL. (a wireless telephone service), which has been restricted to operate its service since the February 1 royal coup.’’ Services of UTL Phone, an Indo-Nepal joint venture, have been blocked indefinitely since the royal takeover.

Reports say cable operators have been instructed not to run Hindi news channels for at least six months. However, government officials deny having issued any such directives.