Nepal government running out of money

Nepal's government will run out of money in less than a month unless it can lift opposition protests in parliament by supporters of the country's former Maoist insurgents and pass a new budget, officials warned Thursday.

Parliament must approve this fiscal year's budget by the middle of November or face a likely shutdown of the administration, with the government unable to pay employees, Cabinet spokesman Sarada Prasad Trital said.

The Maoist lawmakers have held up proceedings in the chamber for several months with protests against the president for rejecting the dismissal of the army chief by the previous Maoist-led government.

The decision by the president, who officially commands the military, led Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal to resign as prime minister. A new coalition government took over in May.

President Ram Baran Yadav had overruled Dahal's attempts to fire the army chief, saying they were unconstitutional.

The Maoists accused the army chief of opposing the integration of thousands of former Maoist fighters into the national army _ a key component of a peace deal between the government and the rebels when they laid down their arms three years ago. The fighters are still in U.N.-monitored camps.

The Maoists contested elections last year and emerged as Nepal's largest political party.