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UN human rights council meeting in Geneva has rejected an American-led call for a debate on the report that accused Beijing of serious human rights abuses and possible crimes against humanity in Xinjiang province.

The 47-member by 19 to 17 rejected an American-led call for a debate on the report at the next human rights council in spring. Eleven countries abstained. A simple majority was required.

China has reaffirmed that dialogue and consultation are the only way to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue, urging the US side to take action, show sincerity, and create conditions for the resumption of dialogue, Global Times reported. "All parties concerned should focus on the overall situation of peace and stability on the Peninsula and prevent the situation from escalating, " Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said at Wednesday's UN council on the situation of the Peninsula. The UN members met after North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile on Tuesday. Geng said that China has noticed North Korea's recent missile launches, and also noticed the joint military drills held by the US and other countries in the region. Geng said the recent strengthening of the US'  military alliance in the Asia-Pacific region heightened the risk of military confrontation, practiced double standards on the nuclear issue, and poisoned the regional security environment. Against this background, the situation on the Peninsula inevitably becomes tense, Geng said. "Historical experience shows that dialogue and consultation are the only correct way to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue. If the dialogue progresses smoothly, the situation on the Peninsula will be relatively stable; if the dialogue stalls or even reverses, the situation on the Peninsula will escalate," Geng said. "We call on the US side to take action, show its sincerity and effectively address the legitimate and reasonable concerns of the North Korean side, in order to create the conditions for the resumption of dialogue," he said, according to Global Times. Geng also stressed that the UN Security Council should play a constructive role on the Korean Peninsula issue, and should not blindly exert force and pressure. As a close neighbor, China pays close attention to the situation on the Peninsula and will always insist on maintaining peace and stability on the Peninsula, realizing the denuclearization of the Peninsula and resolving issues through dialogue and consultation.

Nepal’s rape-accused cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane underwent a medical check-up after being detained upon his arrival at Tribhuwan International Airport and will now be presented before the court on Monday.  The plane carrying Lamichhane who was on the run for a month after the registration of a case of raping a minor landed about 45 minutes later than the estimated time of arrival due to bad weather. Lamichhane flew to Kathmandu via Qatar Airways and was detained at the immigration desk as he already was on a black list subjecting him to immediate arrest. Donned in white joggers, a black mask and a cap with Jordan sign on it, the former Nepali national cricket team captain walked out of the airport surrounded by Police personnel and handcuffed.  “He has been arrested from the airport upon his arrival. Medical tests were done and he would be interrogated today itself,” Dinesh Raj Mainali, SP of District Police Range Kathmandu said. “He is currently kept at Gaushala Police Station but has chances of transfer to other places depending on the situation.”  Lamichhane will remain in custody till Monday as the courts across Nepal are closed till Sunday as the festive holiday is still on. A girl, 17, filed a case alleging that Lamichhane took her to various places in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur all day on August 21 and brought her to a hotel in Sinamangal where she was raped the same night. A diffusion notice was issued from INTERPOL (International Criminal Police Organization) as he was on large leave with his location unknown since the registration of a case against him. The Kathmandu District Court had also issued an arrest warrant against him over the case of raping a 17-year-old minor along with the Immigration Department blacklisting him. Within 25 days of his formal arrest, the case is required to be registered with the court via the District attorney’s Office. Police would further conduct the investigation and then submit its report to the attorney’s office and then a formal case would be registered at the court once the report states the events mentioned in the complaint and the police investigation match.  Hearing over the case would decide whether to leave Lamichhane on bail or remand him in custody. It could take weeks for him to get the first hearing from the judicial body.  Last year, leg spinner Lamichhane was appointed as the captain of the Nepal cricket team. He formerly captained the Nepal Under-19 side first in 2016 during the Asia Cup and then in 2017 for the Asian Cricket Council World Cup Qualifier. He has also played in the Indian Premier League (IPL).  The Police, on the other hand, has initiated an investigation under the National Penal (Code) Act, 2017’s Section 219. The National Penal (Code) Act, 2017 has criminalized the offence of rape under Chapter-18, Section 219. Section 219 (2) defines rape as “where any person has sexual intercourse with a woman without her consent or with a girl child below eighteen years of age even with her consent, the person shall be considered to commit rape on such woman or girl child.”  Section 219 (2) (a) states that consent obtained by way of coercion, undue influence, intimidation, threat, misinterpretation, or kidnapping or taking of hostage shall not be considered consent. Furthermore, section 219 (2) (b) ensures that consent obtained at the time of being of unsoundness of mind shall not be considered consent. If proven guilty, Lamichhane would be facing imprisonment of 10 to 12 years. (ANI)

Dozens of houses in Bardia have been inundated due to the incessant rain since Tuesday night as the danger level of Babai River also exceeded. Balapur, Suryagaudi and other settlements of Gulariya Municipality were inundated due to the flood. Chief District Officer Bandhu Prasad Bastola said that the residents of the flooded area have been kept in a safe place. Although the water level in the river has decreased now, the local administration has asked the residents of the lower coastal areas to be cautious as the rain has not stopped in the hilly districts. The Gulariya-Nepalgunj road section has been blocked after the river flooded the road. According to CDO Bastola, the mobility of vehicles has been stopped. The river has made some cuts in the Balapur area. The victims of Suryagaudi are taking safe shelter by camping on the local roads which are safe. Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Army are already deployed for the rescue and relief. The rescue team with security personnel including three motor boats are on stand-by. Sand Sacks are also kept ready for immediate control in flooded area.  According to the hydrology and meteorology department, the water level was measured at 6.86 meters on Thursday evening at the Chepang water measuring station of Babai River. In Chepang of Babai, 5.50 meters is considered a warning level. A water level of 6.10 meters is considered as a danger level.

Two people died in Makwanpur on Thursday after being buried by a landslide and washed away by a river. According to the area police office, Manahari, 47-year-old Tok Bahadur Chepang, a resident of Raksirang Rural Municipality-6, was buried in a landslide after continuous rains. The police said that the road was blocked due to rain, so they could not reach the spot which caused problems in rescue. Similarly, an old man died yesterday when a cesspit in Kailash Rural Municipality-3 washed away. 65-year-old local Dal Bahadur Chepang is the one who died. Bagmati Province Police Office, Hetauda said that he was swept away by the river while returning home from Kalika market.

Chairman of CPN (Maoist Center) Pushpa Kamal Dahal has expressed grief over the people who died in a bus accident at Amlekhgunj, Bara. Through his social media, Dahal has expressed his condolences to those who died in the bus accident. Sixteen people lost their lives in a bus accident this morning. He has requested the concerned authorities to provide relief and compensation to the families of the deceased and the injured and also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured. Likewise, Dahal has instructed the party line to involve for relief, rescue and all other kinds of assistance in the disaster-prone areas.

12 of the 16 people who lost their lives in the bus accident that took place on Thursday morning at Jitpur Simara Sub-metropolitan City-22, Amlekhgunj in Bara district under East-West Highway have been identified. The deceased are Lilaraj Choudhary, Nanda Kumari Pudasaini, Safal Kandel, Som Bahadur Chaurasia, Mannidevi Chaurasia, Shubalakshmi Shrestha, Swastika Shrestha, Nazlin Khatun, Bizart Ansari, Suresh BK, Lal Bahadur Bogti, and Santosh Kumar Rai. Balram Shrestha, spokesperson of District Police Office Makwanpur, informed that the remaining four people are yet to be identified. He further said that the driver Kodipti Narayan Dhakal, 40, resident of Syangja is being treated at Chure Hills Hospital in Hetauda and his condition is normal. 8 people died on the spot and 2 out of 9 people were taken to Chure Hills Hospital for treatment. 4 people died in Hetauda Hospital during treatment. Out of 6 people who were taken to Makwanpur Cooperative Hospital in Hetauda, 1 person died and another one was referred to Chitwan who also died there while undergoing treatment. The bus number Ba 06-001 Kha 0110, which was going from Narayangadh to Birgunj, fell into the river 20 meters below the road section at bridge number three. The preliminary investigation revealed that the bus was out of control and the accident happened. Currently, 19 people are being treated in the hospital in Bharatpur and 9 in Birgunj. 2 people are being treated at Chure Hills Hospital, 2 people at Makwanpur Cooperative Hospital and 3 people at Hetauda Hospital. There were 50 people on the bus.

The Royal Swedish Academy on Thursday awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in literature to French writer Annie Ernaux for the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory. "BREAKING NEWS: The 2022 #NobelPrize in Literature is awarded to the French author Annie Ernaux for the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory," the official Twitter handle of The Nobel Prize said. "French writer Annie Ernaux, awarded the 2022 #NobelPrize in Literature, was born in 1940 and grew up in the small town of Yvetot in Normandy, where her parents had a combined grocery store and cafe. Her path to authorship was long and arduous," the tweet added. The Nobel Prize laureate, in her writing consistently and from different angles examines a life marked by strong disparities regarding gender, language and class. She has written over 30 literary works. In 'L'occupation' (2002) Ernaux dissects the social mythology of romantic love. On the basis of notes in a diary recording her abandonment by a lover, she both confesses and attacks a self-image built on stereotypes. Writing becomes a sharp weapon for dissecting truth. Ernaux has said that writing is a political act, opening our eyes to social inequality. For this purpose she uses language as "a knife", as she calls it, to tear apart the veils of imagination. With great courage and clinical acuity, Annie Ernaux reveals the agony of the experience of class, describing shame, humiliation, jealousy or inability to see who you are, she has achieved something admirable and enduring. The Nobel Prize laureate Ernaux believes in the liberating force of writing. Her work is uncompromising and written in plain language, scraped clean. And when she with great courage and clinical acuity reveals the agony of the experience of class, describing shame, humiliation, jealousy or inability to see who you are, she has achieved something admirable and enduring. Last year, Tanzanian author Abdulrazak Gurnah won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature. Born in 1948 and growing up on the island of Zanzibar, Gurnah has published ten novels and a number of short stories. The theme of the refugee's disruption runs throughout his work. He began writing as a 21-year-old in English exile, and although Swahili was his first language, English became his literary tool. (ANI)