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Kathmandu: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu on Oct 29 during his four-day visit to Nepal. Secretary-General Guterres is visiting Nepal at the invitation of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Prime Minister Dahal extended this invitation while attending the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September and the United Nations Food Summit in Rome, Italy in July.

Prime Minister Dahal’s press advisor, Govinda Acharya, informed that the UN Secretary-General’s initial visit, set for Oct 13-15, was postponed due to the Hamas militants’ attack on Israel and is now rescheduled for Oct 29. During his visit, discussions will focus on concluding Nepal’s ongoing peace process and establishing sustainable peace in the country. Climate change, sustainable development, and the agenda for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) will also be in the spotlight.

Guterres had previously visited Nepal in 2007 in his capacity as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Guterres, who has been serving as the United Nations Secretary-General for a second term since 2017, succeeded Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, issuing a press statement on Friday, said the Secretary-General will be accompanied by Jean Pierre Lacroix, Under Secretary General for Peace Operations, Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations to Nepal and other officials from the UN Headquarters in New York and the United Nations country team in Nepal.

During his visit, the Secretary-General is scheduled to pay courtesy calls on President Ramchandra Paudel and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. He will also meet with the leaders of major political parties, including Nepali Congress President and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN-UML Chairperson and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

Secretary-General Guterres is scheduled to address a joint session of the federal parliament at 4:00 pm on Oct 31 (Tuesday). 

During his four-day visit, he is scheduled to visit Patan Durbar Square, Pokhara, Annapurna Base Camp, and Lumbini among other places.

Washington: The United States announced a latest $150m for arms and equipment military aid package to bolster Kyiv to fight and succeed against Russia.

The US government in a latest package announces arms and equipment which includes air defense, artillery, anti-tank, and other capabilities, said a press statement from US Department of State.

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken said in a statement on Thursday, “This new package of arms and equipment includes air defense, artillery, anti-tank, and other capabilities which will further enhance Ukraine’s capacity to defend its territory against Russian offensives while continuing its counter-offensive against Russia’s forces. Ukraine’s forces are fighting bravely to reclaim territory seized by Russia's forces, and this additional support will help them continue making progress. This package provides $150m of arms and equipment authorized under previously directed drawdowns for Ukraine.”

US while reiterating its support for the war torn Ukraine noted that the US and its ally partners will continue to support Ukraine until Russia withdraws its forces from the country.

Quoting the statement, “Russia started this war and could end it at any time by withdrawing its forces from Ukraine and stopping its brutal attacks, which continue to take the lives of innocent people. Until it does, the United States and the coalition we have built of more than 50 nations will continue to stand with Ukraine, and we will continue to work with Congress to help Ukraine secure its future—a future in which its people rebuild and live safely in a resilient and thriving democracy.”

On Aug 14, the United States government announced security assistance of $200m for Ukraine which continues to defend its territory and protect its people.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a US State Department statement that the package, which is valued at $200m, includes air defense munitions, artillery rounds, anti-armour capabilities, and additional mine-clearing equipment.

Moreover, In July this year, the US government announced a $1.3bn military aid package for Ukraine—during its ongoing conflict with Russia—including air defense systems and attack drones.

According to the US Department of Defence, the package includes four more National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), medium-range air defense batteries that have helped Ukraine withstand ongoing Russian barrages of missiles and drones.Notably, it is the same system that is used to protect Washington DC and the area around the US capital.

The package will give Kyiv a total of 12 NASAMS. The US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said last November that the NASAMS had a 100 percent success rate in intercepting Russian attacks, CNN reported.

Lloyd Austin, United States Secretary of Defense on July 18 said following an international meeting of countries providing aid to Ukraine “Make no mistake: We are determined to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom for as long as it takes.”

ANI

Washington: The US military launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Pentagon said, in retaliation for a slew of drone and missile attacks against US bases and personnel in the region that began early last week.

The US strikes reflect the Biden administration's determination to maintain a delicate balance. The US wants to hit Iranian-backed groups suspected of targeting the US as strongly as possible to deter future aggression, possibly fueled by Israel's war against Hamas, while also working to avoid inflaming the region and provoking a wider conflict.

Information about the specific targets and other details were not yet provided.

According to the Pentagon, there have been at least 12 attacks on US bases and personnel in Iraq and four in Syria since Oct 17. Air Force Brig Gen Pat Ryder said 21 US personnel were injured in two of those assaults that used drones to target al-Asad Airbase in Iraq and al-Tanf Garrison in Syria.

In a statement, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the “precision self-defense strikes are a response to a series of ongoing and mostly unsuccessful attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups that began on Oct 17.”

He said President Joe Biden directed the narrowly tailored strikes “to make clear that the United States will not tolerate such attacks and will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests.” And he added that the operation was separate and distinct from Israel's war against Hamas.

The Biden administration has not accused Iran of having a direct role in the Oct 7 Hamas attack on Israel and has said it appears so far that Tehran was not aware of it beforehand. But the US has noted that Iran has long supported Hamas and has raised concerns that Iran and its proxies could turn the conflict into a wider war.

Austin said the US does not seek a broader conflict, but if Iranian proxy groups continue, the US won’t hesitate to take additional action to protect its forces.

According to the Pentagon, all the US personnel hurt in the militant attacks received minor injuries and all returned to duty. In addition, a contractor suffered a cardiac arrest and died while seeking shelter from a possible drone attack.

The retaliatory strikes came as no surprise. Officials at the Pentagon and the White House have made it clear for the past week that the US would respond, with Ryder saying again Thursday that it would be “at the time and place of our choosing.”

“I think we’ve been crystal clear that we maintain the inherent right of defending our troops and we will take all necessary measures to protect our forces and our interests overseas,” he told reporters during a Pentagon briefing earlier in the day.

Biden said Wednesday that he warned Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, that if Tehran continues to “move against” US forces in the Middle East, “we will respond.”

The latest spate of strikes by the Iranian-linked groups came in the wake of a deadly explosion at a Gaza hospital, triggering protests in a number of Muslim nations. The Israeli military has relentlessly attacked Gaza in retaliation for the devastating Hamas rampage in southern Israel nearly three weeks ago, but Israel has denied responsibility for the al-Ahli hospital blast and the US has said its intelligence assessment found that Tel Aviv was not to blame.

The US, including the Pentagon, has repeatedly said any strike response by America would be directly tied to the attacks on the troops, and not connected to the war between Israel and Hamas. Such retaliation and strikes against Iranian targets in Syria after similar attacks on US bases are routine.

In March, for example, the US struck sites in Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard after an Iranian-linked attack killed a US contractor and wounded seven other Americans in northeast Syria. American F-15 fighter jets flying out of al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar struck several locations around Deir el-Zour.

US officials have routinely stressed that the American response is designed to be proportional, and is aimed at deterring strikes against US personnel who are focused on the fight against the Islamic State group.

US officials have not publicly tied the recent string of attacks in Syria and Iraq to the violence in Gaza, but Iranian officials have openly criticized the US for providing weapons to Israel that have been used to strike Gaza, resulting in civilian death.

The Pentagon, meanwhile, has beefed up air defenses in the region to protect US forces. The US has said it is sending several batteries of Patriot missile systems, a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and additional fighter jets.

The THAAD is being sent from Fort Bliss, Texas, and the Patriot batteries are from Fort Liberty in North Carolina and Fort Sill in Oklahoma. An Avenger air defense system from Fort Liberty is also being sent.

Officials have said as much as two battalions of Patriots are being deployed. A battalion can include at least three Patriot batteries, which each have six to eight launchers.

Ryder said Thursday that about 900 troops have deployed or are in the process of going to the Middle East region, including those associated with the air defense systems.

AP

New Delhi: The Indian government on Thursday vowed to explore “all legal options” after a Qatari court handed death sentences to eight Indian employees of a Qatari company on spying charges.

According to Indian media reports, the eight men are retired Indian naval officers who worked for the consulting company Al Dahra, advising the Qatari government on the acquisition of submarines.

India’s External Affairs Ministry said in a statement it was awaiting the detailed judgment in the case.

“We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options,” it said. “We attach high importance to this case and have been following it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities.”

The statement did not provide further details.

Qatar’s government declined to immediately comment on the sentences.

Qatari authorities provided New Delhi consular access to the eight Indian nationals during their trial.

Millions of Indians live and work in the Gulf, a large number of them as semi-skilled or unskilled workers. They constitute an important source of income for India and contribute to the success of Gulf economies.

AP