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US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal at the latter’s residence in Baluwatar on Monday. US Ambassador to Nepal Dean R Thompson was also in the Nuland’s team. According to a Baluwatar source, the meeting discussed Nepal-US relations, bilateral cooperation and mutual interests. Nuland arrived in Kathmandu on a two-day visit to Nepal on Sunday evening. ALSO READ: US engagement in Nepal The US State Department said that she will visit India, Sri Lanka and Qatar after Nepal. She is scheduled to meet Deputy Prime Minister and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Chairman Rajendra Lingden and Foreign Minister Bimala Rai, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Nepal today itself, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. They will also discuss the culture of Nepal among other issues. It has been learnt that the team of Nuland will also visit the cultural heritage sites in Patan of Lalitpur. This is the first high-level visit of a foreign official since the formation of a new government under Pushpa Kamal Dahal in December last year.

The Attorney General’s office has decided to move the Supreme Court demanding annulment of the high court’s order to release former national cricket team captain Sandeep Lamichanne on bail. The Attorney General’s office is preparing to file an application within a couple of days. Deputy Attorney General Sanjeev Raj Regmi said that office will file an application at the Supreme Court within a couple of days demanding annulment of the high court’s order to release Lamichhane on bail. “We will file the application within a couple of days,” he said. The government lawyers have claimed that the decision to release Lamichhane on bail was against the law. Lamichhane, who was arrested on the charge of raping a minor girl, has been released from jail after posting a bail of Rs 2 million. Earlier, the Patan High Court had ordered the concerned authority to release Lamichhane. A joint bench of Justi Dhruva Raj Nanda and Ramesh Dhakal had granted Lamichhane the bail. He, however, has been barred from leaving Nepal. A 17-year-old girl had filed a rape complaint against Lamichhane at the Metropolitan Police Circle, Gaushala when he was abroad to play Caribbean Premier League (CPL) from Jamaica Tallawahs. According to the complaint, Lamichhane had allegedly taken the girl to various places in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur on August 21 and raped her in a hotel room the same night.

Rabi Lamichhane obtained Nepali citizenship again on Sunday. He reacquired citizenship from the District Administration Office by completing the necessary process. Lamichhane along with security personnel had reached the District Administration Office this morning to regain citizenship. Earlier on Friday, the Supreme Court had scrapped Lamichhane's lawmaker post saying that he never applied to reclaim his Nepali citizenship after renouncing his American citizenship. A Constitutional Bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Hari Krishna Karki comprising Justices Bishowambhar Prasad Shrestha, Ishwar Khatiwada, Ananda Mohan Bhattarai and Anil Sinha had issued the verdict. On December 14, advocates Yubaraj Poudel and Rabiraj Basaula registered a writ petition at the Supreme Court arguing that Lamichhane was not a Nepali citizen and his status as a lawmaker should be annulled. With the court’s decision, Lamichhane had lost his parliamentary and ministerial positions. Journalist-turned-politician Lamichhane was appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister on January 26. Following the apex court’s verdict, Lamichhane tendered his resignation the same day to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. He was elected as a member of the House of Representatives from Chitwan-2.  

Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song today paid a courtesy call on Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Narayan Kaji Shrestha at the latter's office in Singha Durbar. The meeting between the duo focused on mutual relations between Nepal and China and the issue of projects initiated by China in Nepal, it has been said. On the occasion, they exchanged congratulations and extended best wishes for their successful tenure in office, said ministry's secretary Keshab Kumar Sharma. Offering his best wishes to the newly appointed Ambassador, the minister expressed the hope that relations at the people's level between the two countries would be further strengthened. He also urged the Chinese side to resume the widening of the long-halted Kalanki-Chabahil road soon by removing obstructions at the project site. The talks also touched on the Chinese promises to move ahead with existing projects initiated with the support of the Government of China, provide additional assistance and carry out a study of other new projects, said Sharma. The DPM Shrestha drew the attention of the Ambassador for the Chinese government to provide additional assistance for the repair and expansion of the Araniko Highway, and open the transits. The matter about upgrading the Muglin-Pokhara and Narayangadh-Butwal roads was also discussed.