Lamichhane remanded in custody for 13 more days
The Kaski District Court has extended the custody of Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President and former Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane for an additional 13 days, allowing further investigation into allegations of cooperative fund embezzlement and organized crime. This marks the fourth time the court has granted police permission to detain Lamichhane for inquiries related to the case.
On Nov 5, the court had previously extended his detention for 10 days. Justice Nabaraj Dahal’s bench issued the latest remand order, which also applies to former Gorkha Media Vice-chair Chhabilal Joshi, Geeta Pachhai, and Ram Bahadur Khanal.
Lamichhane was taken into custody by a Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) team on Oct 18 at his party’s office in Kathmandu. The former minister and several associates are accused of embezzling funds from the Suryadarshan Savings and Credit Cooperative in Pokhara. The arrests came after a parliamentary investigation revealed alleged financial misappropriation involving millions of rupees from the cooperative.
New envoys to US, China
President Ramchandra Paudel has appointed Lokdarshan Regmi and Krishna Prasad Oli as ambassadors to the United States and China, respectively. According to Shailaja Regmi Bhattarai, spokesperson for the President’s Office, the appointments were made on the recommendations of the Council of Ministers, in line with Article 282(1) of the Constitution. The Cabinet had proposed ambassadors for 18 different countries.
Also, President Paudel has appointed Nripa Dhwoj Niraula and Nityananda Pandey as judges of the Supreme Court in accordance with Article 129 (2) of the Constitution.
The Parliamentary Hearing Committee had, on Nov 8, unanimously endorsed the nominations of Niroula (chief judge of the Patan High Court) and Pandey (chief judge of the High Court, Tulasipur) as SC judges.
NC finalizes candidates for by-elections
The Nepali Congress (NC) has finalized Sabita Budha from Rahadev, Ward No 8, as its candidate for the Vice-chair position in Sarkegad Rural Municipality, Humla, in the upcoming by-elections on Dec 1. Basant Rokaya, the NC’s district Vice-chair, confirmed Budha’s nomination, making NC the first major party to announce a candidate for the post.
The other major parties, CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Centre), have yet to finalize their candidates. According to UML district secretary Tirtharaj Bohara, UML is conducting door-to-door campaigns across Sarkegad’s eight wards. Similarly, CPN (Maoist Centre) is prioritizing candidate selection, said district secretary Dharmaraj Bohra.
The Vice-chair seat became vacant following the passing of Chandra Singh Karki in a road accident. Karki, previously elected through an alliance between NC and CPN (Maoist Centre), had held the position since the last local elections.
President Paudel heads to Azerbaijan for COP29
President Ram Chandra Paudel is set to depart for Baku, Azerbaijan, today to participate in the 29th UN Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP29) at the invitation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Leading a senior Nepali delegation, Paudel will address the ‘World Leaders Climate Action Summit’ on Nov 12.
Nepal will also host a high-level session on Nov 13, led by President Paudel, to highlight the country’s climate agenda. Additionally, a dedicated meeting on “Addressing Climatic Loss and Damage in Mountainous Regions” will be held to focus on issues critical to Nepal.
One of the world's most climate-vulnerable nations, Nepal aims to bring attention to the impacts of climate-induced floods and landslides in regions like Melamchi, Mustang, Kanchanpur, and Kathmandu Valley. Nepal’s COP29 presentation will outline its National Adaptation Programme, a long-term climate strategy under the UNFCCC framework.
The COP29 conference will run from Nov 11-22, with President Paudel expected to return to Nepal on Nov 15.
