Nepal’s Parliament debates US aid grant amid fierce protests

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Nepal’s government has presented a contentious half-billion dollar aid grant from the United States for approval in Parliament, triggering a fresh round of violent clashes between protesters and police outside the legislature. Hundreds of protesters tried to push through barbed wire barricades and pelted riot police with stones. Police beat them with bamboo batons, fired tear gar and water canons, leaving injured on both sides. Opposition to the grant comes mainly from two Communist parties that are part of the coalition government. They claim the conditions in the grant agreement will prevail over Nepal’s laws and threaten its sovereignty. They say it’s part of the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy that could bring American soldiers to Nepal. U.S. officials say the aid is for development.