India to grant Nepal access to two key ports in Gujarat & Odisha under trade, transit treaties
Despite several challenges plaguing the bilateral relationship of late, India and Nepal are all set to upgrade their bilateral trade and transit ties under which Kathmandu will be given access to some of the key Indian ports along with enhanced reach for its agriculture produce, ThePrint has reported.
Under its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy the Narendra Modi government has decided that it will now allow Nepal to export and import goods from two of India’s strategic ports—Mundra Port in Gujarat and Dhamra Port in Odisha—under the yet to be revised transit treaty, negotiations for which are going on, diplomatic sources told ThePrint.
Such a move, according to sources, will not only give Nepal enhanced entry into the Indian markets but will also enable Kathmandu to use India as a gateway to access other markets in Southeast and Central Asian regions, said a source, who wished to not be identified. This has been a long-pending demand by Nepal, which had been pushing India for such an upgradation in both the trade as well transit treaties that were signed decades ago, The Print reported. The agreement was initially finalized as ‘The Treaty of Trade and Transit’ that was signed between the friendly neighbors in September, 1960. Thereafter, in 1978, the treaty was split into two—trade and transit. Both these treaties get automatically renewed every seven years. The last time these two treaties were reviewed was in October 2016, without any changes.The trade treaty allows Nepal unilateral duty-free access to the Indian market even as India remains Nepal’s largest trading partner. However, Nepal continues to complain that it has not been able to penetrate the Indian markets for its good due to various non-tariff barriers.
Currently, Nepal is allowed to use only the ports of Kolkata and Visakhapatnam.
Zaporizhzhia: UN nuclear agency calls for Ukraine plant safety zone
Shelling of Europe's biggest nuclear power plant could lead to unlimited release of radioactive materials - and Russian military equipment on site could undermine its security, the UN's nuclear agency has warned, BBC reported.
Russia occupied the Zaporizhzhia plant at the start of its invasion of Ukraine and it has come under repeated attack.
After a visit last week, UN's nuclear watchdog has called for a safety and security protection zone.
It said shelling must end immediately.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the report - saying it noted the "presence of Russian military hardware on the territory of the nuclear power plant, pressure on our employees there, and makes clear references to the Russian military occupation".
He added that he'd support a security zone if it was aimed at demilitarising "the territory of the nuclear power plant".The plant lies on the southern bank of the River Dnieper, across the water from Ukrainian-held towns and military positions.
Both sides have accused each other of targeting the plant, occupied by Russian forces in early March.
On Tuesday, Russia accused Kyiv of hitting the area three times in 24 hours. Ukraine says Russia forces have used it as a shield from which to fire on nearby cities, although Russia insists they are guarding the site.
However the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency is careful not to apportion blame to either side, according to BBC.
Shelling continued while a 14-strong IAEA team visited the site last week and its head Rafael Grossi warned at the time of a very real risk of nuclear disaster. Although most of the team left the plant after two days, it said two of its officials would remain there on a permanent basis.
In its report released on Tuesday, the agency highlighted the "extremely stressful conditions" facing the 907 Ukrainian staff working there under Russian military control.
The IAEA detailed the damage to the plant and said while continued shelling had not yet triggered a nuclear emergency it did present a constant threat to safety that "may lead to radiological consequences with great safety significance".
There was an urgent need for "interim measures" to prevent a nuclear accident caused by military action, it added, saying all relevant parties would have to agree to a "nuclear safety and security protection zone" being set up to avoid further damage.
Russian military, vehicles and equipment were seen around the plant and "several military trucks" were inside the turbine halls of two of the plant's six reactors, the agency said.
It warned that military equipment on site and clashes near vital areas undermined the plant's protection system and it called for the removal of vehicles that could interfere with safety systems.
The watchdog said staff had to secure permission from the Russian military to visit cooling ponds at the plant and it criticised the presence of nuclear officials from Russia's nuclear body, Rosatom. That could lead to possible friction when key decisions had to be made, it said, BBC reported.
"We regret that in your report ... the source of the shelling is not directly named," Vasily Nebenzya told a Security Council session attended virtually by Mr Grossi.
Although it has six reactors, the Zaporizhzhia plant has only had two operating since the war began and just one reactor has been working in recent days.
Three of the four lines providing power from Ukraine's grid have been put out of action during the fighting and on Saturday the UN watchdog said the last line had also been disconnected, leaving just one lower-power reserve line from a nearby thermal plant.
Ukrainian officials said on Monday that the last working reactor was disconnected from the grid after the last main power line went down, according to BBC.
Liz Truss: New prime minister installs allies in key cabinet roles
Liz Truss has rewarded her key allies with top jobs in a major reshuffle hours after succeeding Boris Johnson as prime minister, BBC reported.
Kwasi Kwarteng is made chancellor, James Cleverly becomes foreign secretary and Suella Braverman replaces Priti Patel as home secretary.
One of Ms Truss's closest friends, Therese Coffey, is appointed as health secretary and deputy PM.
Her new cabinet will meet ahead of her first Prime Minister's Questions later.
None of those who backed her defeated rival, Rishi Sunak, will remain in her full cabinet, with Dominic Raab, Grant Shapps, George Eustice and Steve Barclay all returning to the backbenches.
But Ms Truss's press secretary said the changes would "unify" the Tory Party and pointed to senior roles for five of her leadership rivals: Suella Braverman, Tom Tugendhat as security minister, Kemi Badenoch as trade secretary, Penny Mordaunt as leader of the Commons, and Nadhim Zahawi as chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, according to BBC.
Meanwhile, the new PM made her first call to a fellow foreign leader, pledging the UK's ongoing support to Ukraine in a call with president Volodymyr Zelensky.
No 10 said Ms Truss was also "delighted" to accept an invitation to visit Ukraine.
She later spoke to US President Joe Biden, where the pair discussed the importance of the UK reaching an agreement with the EU over post-Brexit trading rules in Northern Ireland, BBC reported.
Indian Army Chief Pande pays courtesy call on PM Deuba
Chief of Army Staff of Indian Army General Manoj Pande paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba in Singha Durbar on Tuesday. He was accompanied by Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava and other delegation members. During the meeting, General Pande briefed Prime Minister Deuba on his engagements in Kathmandu and conveyed his personal gratitude for the warm hospitality extended by the Government of Nepal. He reaffirmed that he would work for further strengthening the defense cooperation between the two countries. Earlier in the day, General Pande had visited Nepali Army Command and Staff College at Shivapuri and addressed the students and staff there.
