Nepali sky safe: Tourism Minister Shrestha
Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Jeevan Ram Shrestha has claimed Nepali sky to be safe. He said this in his address to the 41st general assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Addressing the general assembly underway in Montreal city of Canada on Wednesday, Minister Shrestha said that Nepal has made remarkable progress in aviation safety as per the ICAO-determined standards and recommendations, the private secretariat of the minister shared. Tourism Minister Shrestha claimed that Nepali sky was safe as the country had gained a higher score on aviation safety in comparison to the global standards. He reiterated Nepal government's commitment to make the aviation sector secure, reliable and qualitative. There was no alternative to air travel taking into consideration the geographical situation of Nepal, he said, adding the government was fully committed to make the aviation service more secure, qualitative and effective. Sharing that the Gautam Buddha International Airport had already come into operation and Pokhara International Airport was in the final phase of its construction, he said the government had laid emphasis on expanding air connectivity, up-grading airports and constructing new airports.
Chief Minister Pandey bereaved of mother
Chief Minister of Bagmati Province Rajendra Prasad Pandey has been bereaved of his mother. She was 87. CM Pandey's mother Manamaya Pandey breathed her last on Thursday. Manamaya died at Sitapaila, Kathmandu at 3 am today, said Chief Minister's personal secretary Umesh Rupakheti. The late Pandey is survived by five sons, including CM Pandey, CPN-UML leader Surendra Pandey and three daughters. Her last rites would be performed at Pashupati Aryaghat today, family sources said.
Myanmar court sentences Suu Kyi and Australian economist to 3 years in jail - source
A court in military-ruled Myanmar on Thursday sentenced deposed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and her former economic adviser, Australian Sean Turnell, to three years in prison, a source familiar with the proceedings said, Reuters reported.
Both had been charged with violating the official secrets act and had pleaded not guilty.
"Three years each, no hard labour," said the source, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue. The sentencing took place in a closed court.
Suu Kyi and several members of her economic team had been indicted for the same offence, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years. They are among thousands arrested since the junta seized power in a coup early last year, including politicians, lawmakers, bureaucrats, students and journalists, according to Reuters.
The courts have dealt harshly with opponents of the military, handing down prison terms and even the death penalty in some cases. The junta insists Myanmar's courts are independent and those arrested are receiving due process.
VP Harris to visit DMZ after North Korean missile tests
US Vice President Kamala Harris is capping her four-day trip to Asia with a stop at the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone dividing the Korean Peninsula as she tries to demonstrate the US commitment to the security of its Asian allies, Associated Press reported.
The visit on Thursday comes on the heels of North Korea’s latest missile launches and amid fears that it may conduct a nuclear test. Visiting the DMZ has become something of a ritual for American leaders hoping to show their resolve to stand firm against aggression.
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday, while Harris was in Japan, and had fired one before she left Washington on Sunday. The launches contribute to a record level of missile testing this year.
Before going to the DMZ, Harris met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at his office in Seoul and praised the alliance between the countries as a “linchpin of security and prosperity.” Yoon, a conservative who took office in May, called her visit “another turning point” in strengthening ties. Harris and Yoon were expected to discuss the growing North Korean nuclear threats and the U.S. commitments to defend the South. They were also expected to discuss expanding economic and technology partnerships and repairing recently strained ties between Seoul and Tokyo to strengthen their trilateral cooperation with Washington in the region.
Harris earlier spent three days in Tokyo, where she denounced North Korea’s “illicit weapons program” during a speech on an American destroyer at a naval base and attended the state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
In Washington, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the latest missile tests would not deter Harris from the DMZ and that she wanted to demonstrate America’s “rock-solid commitment” to regional security.
“As you know, North Korea has a history of doing these types of tests,” Jean-Pierre said, calling it “not unusual.”
Yoon had anchored his campaign with vows to deepen Seoul’s economic and security partnership with Washington to navigate challenges posed by the North Korean threat and address potential supply chain risks caused by the pandemic, the US-China rivalry and Russia’s war on Ukraine. But the alliance has been marked by tension recently, according to Associated Press.
A new law signed by President Joe Bidenprevents electric cars built outside of North America from being eligible for U.S. government subsidies, undermining the competitiveness of automakers like Seoul-based Hyundai.
South Koreans have reacted with a sense of betrayal, and Harris acknowledged the dispute in a conversation with the country’s prime minister, Han Duck-soo, on Tuesday in Tokyo.
“They pledged to continue to consult as the law is implemented,” the White House said of the meeting.
Scott Snyder, a senior fellow for Korea studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the dispute over electric vehicles has swiftly become a firestorm that US officials cannot ignore, although there may not be a simple solution, Associated Press reported.
