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Norway's Ambassador to Nepal Torun Dramdal today paid a courtesy call on newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha.

In the meeting held at the Ministry, matters relating to strengthening the bilateral relations and mutual interests between the two countries were discussed, according to Ministry Spokesperson Amrit Bahadur Rai.

On the occasion, the two also exchanged views on the enhancement of Norway's support to Nepal.

Similarly, Pakistan's Ambassador to Nepal Abrar H Hashmi and Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Nepal Saad Nasser Abdullah Abu Haimed called on Minister Shrestha.

Both ambassadors wished the Minister a successful tenure, it has been learnt.

 Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song called on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Thursday.

The Chinese ambassador had reached Baluwatar to meet Prime Minister Dahal.

During the meeting, they discussed issues of bilateral interests.

According to a source,  the Chinese ambassador inquired about the latest political developments with Prime Minister Dahal.

The source said that Chinese Ambassador Chen also suggested Prime Minister Dahal to advance the BRI project.

A few days ago, high ranking officials of the Chinese Liberation Army had visited Nepal.

Some political analysts have been claiming that the new alliance of UML-Maoist was formed under the influence of China.

UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, however, claimed that China has no hand in the formation of UML-Maoist coalition.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has underlined the need of a comprehensive strategy to address complex challenges of climate change, health and social justice.

In his address to an inaugural session of the South and Southeast Asia Regional Conference on Connecting the Dots between Climate Change, Health, and Equity here today, the Prime Minister highlighted the need for a unified and comprehensive approach to addressing these pressing issues.

"While acknowledging the significance of this monumental event, the Government of Nepal sees it as a crucial step forward in our journey towards a future characterized by justice, sustainability, and fairness," he said.

He further added that the challenges posed by climate change are immense, touching every corner of our planet, impacting our societies, health systems, and the natural environment.

"The trumpet call from climate scientists is clear and urgent: we must significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions to avoid surpassing the critical threshold of 1.5° Celsius. This is especially vital for nations like ours, with our beautiful yet vulnerable mountainous landscapes and as a Least Developed Country (LDC), where the consequences of climate change are not just abstract statistics but harsh realities,'' he said.

"The scientists have explicitly said that the emission of greenhouse gasses should be significantly reduced to maintain the temperature limit of 1.5 degree Celsius. Not only the harsh reality of climate change, but also its consequences are significant especially for least developed and mountainous countries like ours," he said.

Noting that landslides, floods, wildfires, glacial lake outburst and drought are becoming more frequent and deadlier, PM Dahal said, "Such disasters have impacted the most vulnerable populations. The poor, women, children and indigenous nationalities have been impacted of all."

The Prime Minister, referring to the latest reports, said that one-third of the global natural resources, including in the Himalayan range, have been lost and these loss and damage have not only put at risk the biodiversity but also the livelihood of billions of people living in the coastal areas.

Recalling that he has voiced in the international forums from the COP-28 held in Dubai to the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations on various challenges the least developed nations are facing due to climate change, he called on the developed economies to support the least developed and vulnerable countries by means of the urgently needed resources and technologies.

Russian citizens residing or visiting Nepal will have the opportunity to vote in the upcoming Russian presidential election, scheduled from March 15 to 17. The Russian Embassy in Nepal has confirmed that polling stations will be set up in Pokhara and Kathmandu to facilitate voting.

Alexander Ivasev, the representative of the Russian Embassy overseeing the polling stations in Pokhara and Kathmandu, assured that the voting process would be accessible for Russian citizens in Nepal.

Polling will take place in Pokhara on March 15 and in Kathmandu on March 17, accommodating both residents and tourists. This arrangement aims to ensure that Russian nationals, including approximately 200 permanent residents in Nepal, can participate in the election. The polling station in Pokhara will be located at Hotel Barahi, while the one in Kathmandu will be at the embassy.

Voting hours in Pokhara will be from 8 am to 12 pm, and voters must present their passports to cast their votes.

The election features four candidates, including the incumbent president, Vladimir Putin, who is running as an independent candidate for a fifth term. Other candidates include Vladislav Davankot of the New People’s Party, Leonid Slutsky of the Nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, and Nikolai Kharitolov of the Communist Party.