Nepal’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka Nepali presents letter of credence
Nepal's Ambassador to Sri Lanka Purna Bahadur Nepali has presented his letter of credence to Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Monday.
Ambassador Nepali presented the letter of credence at a special ceremony held at the Office of the President, according to the Embassy of Nepal in Colombo today.
On the occasion, Ambassador Nepali, on behalf of President Ram Chandra Paudel, wished the Sri Lankan President for his personal happiness, good health as well as continued peace and progress of the people of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
Welcoming Ambassador Nepal, President Dissanayake wished President Paudel for the latter's personal happiness, good health as well as peace and prosperity of the Nepali people.
Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister, Secretary at the Office of the President, spouse of the ambassador, senior officials of the Office of the President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were present on the occasion.
Trump and intelligence chiefs play down Signal group chat leak
US President Donald Trump and his intelligence chiefs have played down a security breach that saw a journalist invited into a Signal group chat where he reported seeing national security officials plan airstrikes in Yemen, BBC reported.
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe denied at a Senate hearing that any classified information was shared in the message chain.
But Democrats on the panel rebuked the cabinet members as "incompetent" with national security.
Over at the White House, Trump was joined by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who was at the centre of the leak. The president stood by him and insisted the incident did not affect the military operation, according to BBC.
Russia and Ukraine agree naval ceasefire in Black Sea
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a naval ceasefire in the Black Sea in separate deals with the US, after three days of peace talks in Saudi Arabia, BBC reported.
Washington said all parties would continue working toward a "durable and lasting peace" in statements announcing the agreements, which would reopen an important trade route.
They have also committed to "develop measures" to implement a previously agreed ban on attacking each other's energy infrastructure, the White House said.
But Russia said the naval ceasefire would only come into force after a number of sanctions against its food and fertiliser trade were lifted, according to BBC.
Japanese ambassador pays courtesy call on Minister Dahal
Japan's ambassador to Nepal, Maeda Toru, today paid a courtesy call on Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Devendra Dahal.
During the meeting held at the Minister's office in Singha Durbar, the Minister congratulated the newly-appointed ambassador Maeda for assuming the office.
He acknowledged Japan's grants, loan, multilateral assistance and technical support to Nepal for its infrastructure and human resources development, and in the conservation of environment as well as in the development of health, education and agriculture sectors.
"We acknowledge the support and cooperation from the Japanese government, citizens, non- government organisations and universities during the natural disasters including the 2015 earthquake," the Minister said, adding that bilateral relations and cooperation with Japan is always the top priority of Nepal.
He added that Nepal longed for taking benefits from Japan's experiences, knowledge, skills and technologies in their efforts for development in various sectors including infrastructure, industry, agriculture and hydropower.
On the occasion, the exchange of high-level visits between the two countries was recalled.
The Minister urged Japan's investors to explore opportunities in Nepal as well, pledging the security of their investment.
He highlighted that the year 2026 will mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Nepal and Japan, and in the same year, Nepal will graduate from the category of a least developed country to a middle-income developing nation.
Minister Dahal also expressed gratitude to the Japanese government for providing scholarships to Nepal’s government officials each year under the Japan Development Scheme (JDS). Additionally, Nepal has benefitted from Japan's Colombo Plan.
