Nepal's president extends deadline to form government
Updated
Nepal's new president, Ram Baran Yadav, has given former Maoist rebels another three days to form a consensus government.
The country has been without a functioning government since it became a federal democratic republic in May and abolished its monarchy.
Mr Yadav had originally set Wednesday as a deadline for the Maoists, who won a majority of seats in recent elections, to form a national consensus government.
But the deadline's been extended at the request of Maoist chairman Prachanda, who's told the president that an understanding has now been reached with his political rivals.
A spokesman for the second-largest party, the Nepali Congress, also says chances for a national unity government have improved in recent days.
