Myanmar's Suu Kyi to go on trial for election fraud Feb. 14 -source
A court in army-ruled Myanmar will start an election fraud trial of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 14, a source familiar with the proceedings said on Monday, after she was accused of influencing the 2020 vote to win a second term in office, Reuters reported.
Suu Kyi faces trial in more than a dozen cases and so far has been sentenced to a combined six years in detention by a court in the capital Naypyitaw, in legal proceedings derided by the international community as a sham.
She has denied the military's accusations of fraud in a 2020 poll swept by her National League for Democracy (NLD) party.
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Suu Kyi, 76, is accused of influencing the election commission during the ballot. Former president and ally Win Myint and Min Thu, a former cabinet member, face the same charges, said the source, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.
The trio have been charged under section 130-A of the penal code and face up to three years in jail and a fine if found guilty. It adds to a slew of cases against Suu Kyi that carry combined maximum prison terms of more than a century. L4N2UB1FJ
A spokesperson for the junta did not answer a call seeking comment. The military government has previously said Suu Kyi would be afforded due process by an independent court.
The military said it took power because its complaints of fraud by the NLD, which won the 2020 election in a landslide, were being ignored by the election commission. The NLD says it won fairly.
Suu Kyi was arrested in the hours before the Feb. 1 coup last year and the junta's critics say the charges against her are designed to ensure she can never return to politics.
The trials are taking place behind closed doors and defence lawyers, previously the only source of information on the proceedings, are currently the subjects of a gag order.
74 arrested from online gambling den at Boudha
Police on Sunday carried out a raid at an online gambling den at Boudha and arrested 74 persons involved in the unlawful activities.
A police team deployed from the Metropolitan Police Circle, Boudha raided a restaurant and rounded up 66 men and eight women while they were playing online bingo.
Subash Ghising is the owner of the restaurant.
Police said that they have recovered around Rs 600,000 from the scene.
Raghuram Srinivas appointed fielding consultant of Nepali national cricket team
Indian high performance coach Raghuram Srinivas has been appointed as the fielding consultant of the Nepali national cricket team.
According to the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), he arrived in Nepal on Sunday to take the responsibility of the close camp.
Srinivas was the fielding coach when Nepal's head coach Pubudu Dassanayake was the coach of the United States.
Dassanayake expressed his happiness over the arrival of Srinivas in Nepal.
Nepal are playing T20 World Cup Global Qualifuers in Oman on February 17.
Bad weather affects flights at Dhangadhi Airport
Flights to and from the Dhangadhi Airport have been affected due to adverse weather since this morning.
Civil Aviation Authority Dhangadhi Chief Ram Krishna Bhatta said that all the flights had to be suspended due to poor visibility.
He said that flights of Buddha Airlines, Shree Airlines and Sourya Airlines have been affected.
A total of seven flights are scheduled from the airport on a daily basis.
Three flights were suspended yesterday also due to bad weather, he said.
Freedom Convoy: Truckers cause chaos in Ottawa after second day of protests
Protesters against a vaccine mandate for truckers crossing the US-Canada border have brought Canada's capital city to a standstill for a second day, BBC reported.
Thousands of demonstrators joined the so-called Freedom Convoy in Ottawa.
Police have started investigations after several incidents, including the appearance of swastika flags and footage of a woman dancing on the tomb of the unknown soldier.
Defence Minister Anita Anand said the incidents were "beyond reprehensible".
Ottawa police said in a Twitter post that "several" investigations were now under way into the "desecration" of a number monuments in the capital city, as well as "threatening/illegal/intimidating behaviour to police/city workers and other individuals and damage to a city vehicle".
Elsewhere across the city, truckers blocked the streets around Canada's parliament building and Ottawa's Mayor Jim Watson said some protesters had harassed staff at a soup kitchen, demanding free meals after they were turned away by restaurants for their refusal to comply with indoor mask mandates.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family also left their home in Ottawa over safety concerns on Saturday.
Around 90% of Canada's 120,000 cross-border truckers are now vaccinated, in line with the country's adult population.
The demonstration has grown beyond a call to end the cross-border mandate to a push to an end to all vaccine mandates nationwide, and some demonstrators have pledged to continue their protests they are removed.
Mr Trudeau called the protesters "a small fringe minority" during a press conference earlier this week.
Conservative leader Erin O'Toole has met some of the protesters and has spoken in favour of the right to peaceful demonstration, but criticised "individuals desecrating" memorials in Ottawa.
Mr Trudeau's Liberal government brought in the vaccine mandate on 15 January that would require unvaccinated Canadian truckers crossing the two nations' border to quarantine once they return home.
The US has also recently said that foreign truck drivers must show proof of vaccination to enter the country.
Senior Chinese minister holds talks with Prachanda on bilateral issues
Kathmandu-- Song Tao, Minister of the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has held a video call with CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda on January 30.
According to the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese leader congratulated Prachanda on his re-election as chairman of the party.
Song Tao said that China and Nepal are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, and development partners with a shared future, according to a press statement. The two leaders discussed the implementation of the agreement signed by two countries during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Nepal visit in 2019.
The Chinese side is willing to promote major projects under the framework of the "Belt and Road Initiative" and pragmatic implementation in various fields and cooperation to build a trans-Himalayan three-dimensional interconnection network to better benefit the two countries and the two peoples, the statement reads.
Prachanda thanked the Chinese side for its valuable support for Nepal's economic and social development and the fight against Covid-19. Prachanda wished the Beijing Winter Olympics a complete success and extended Chinese New Year greetings to the Chinese people, the statement says.
Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister holds talks with Foreign Secretary Paudyal
Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao has held a virtual meeting with Nepalese Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal.
On behalf of the Nepalese government, Paudyal extended sincere New Year greetings to China, congratulated Beijing on becoming the world's first city to host both Summer and Winter Games, and wishes the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 a complete success, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Wu Jianghao expressed his thanks and extended holiday greetings to his Nepalese colleagues. He stressed China will work with the international community to vigorously carry forward the Olympic spirit and present a streamlined, safe and splendid Games to the world.
Both sides also exchanged in-depth views on bilateral cooperation against COVID-19, Belt and Road cooperation, and international and regional issues of common concern, according to a press statement.
One arrested with 1.8 kg gold in Pokhara
Police have arrested a man in possession of 1.8 kg gold in Pokhara.
The arrestee has been identified as Ramesh Sunar (25).
Sunar was heading towards Pokhara from Kathmandu in a micro bus when police apprehended him during a security check at Power House Chok in Pokhara-30.
Police said that they have also recovered cheque books of various banks from his possession.
He has been sent to the Department of Revenue Investigation Department, Lalitpur for investigation, the District Police office, Kaski said