Nepal

KATMANDU, Nepal - Nepal's parliament failed to elect a new prime minister for the ninth time Thursday, leaving the Himalayan nation in a political limbo that has delayed its annual budget and stalled a peace process with former insurgents.

KATMANDU, Nepal - A power battle that has left Nepal's political system in limbo for months has also frozen efforts to solidify peace, write a constitution and push ahead with development in this desperately poor nation.

BAGHDAD - The U.S. military said Wednesday it is clamping down on contracting firms on American military bases using employees whose home countries ban travel to Iraq, raising questions about why the contractors were allowed to work in the country for so long despite the ban.

NEW YORK - Indra Tamang was a teenage farmer in a Nepalese village without running water or electricity.