Protesters against US grant clash with riot police in Nepal

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Protesters opposing a proposed U.S. half-billion dollar grant for Nepal have clashed with police outside Parliament, leaving injuries on both sides. The proposal was scheduled to be presented in Parliament for approval on Wednesday but the debate was postponed because of disagreements among political parties. There has been growing opposition to the grant, mainly led by Communist parties. The money is meant to be used for the construction of power transmission lines and improvement of roads in the Himalayan nation, but the parties allege it comes with conditions that are not acceptable. Two of the Communist parties are part of the coalition government. They claim the conditions in the grant agreement will prevail over Nepal’s laws and strike at the country’s sovereignty.