Paribartan Rai appointed chief attorney general of Province 1
Paribartan Rai of Khotang has been appointed as the chief attorney general of Province 1. Chief Minister of Province 1 Rajendra Kumar Rai had appointed Rai as the chief attorney general on Thursday. He was appointed as the chief attorney general after Bhojraj Shrestha put in his papers recently. Province Chief Parshuram Khapung administered the oath of office and secrecy to newly appointed Rai amidst a program.
Nepal calls for timely execution of internationally agreed goals
Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal addressed the annual Ministerial Meeting of the Group of 77&China (G-77 &China) on the sidelines of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA on September 23. In the meeting, Foreign Secretary Paudyal stated that humanity faces multiple challenges arising from the pandemic, climate crisis, geopolitical tensions, and economic recession. People's livelihoods in vulnerable nations like the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDCs were severely impacted by the problems like rising inequality, soaring food and fuel prices as well as financial and debt distress, he said. He called for the timely implementation of internationally agreed goals and frameworks like 2030 Agenda, Paris Agreement, Addis Ababa Action Agenda, among others, as a way out of the crisis, Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations, New York, stated in a press release. Emphasizing on the importance of solidarity and cooperation at the global level, the Foreign Secretary underscored the need to fulfill ODA commitment and to utilize all forms of cooperation – North-South, South-South and Triangular – to accelerate global development. He reiterated Nepal's solidarity with the group's principles of unity, solidarity, and cooperation, and Nepal's support for the cause of global peace and prosperity. Earlier on September 23, the Foreign Secretary had cordial meetings separately with the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, Ali Sabry and Deputy-Foreign Minister of Vietnam, Ha Kim Ngoc, and discussed matters of mutual interest at bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels. The Foreign Secretary also had a fruitful meeting with UN Under-Secretary General and High Representative Ms Rabab Fatima. The discussion was focused on strengthening cooperation between Nepal and the UN on issues related to LDCs and LLDCs, and Nepal's graduation from the LDC category. Similarly, Foreign Secretary Paudyal met separately with Under-Secretary General for Operational Support, Atul Khare and Under-Secretary General for Peace Operation Jean-Pierre Lacroix. Matters related to Nepal-UN partnership in UN peacekeeping including deployment, training and safety/security of peacekeepers were discussed, the Permanent Mission stated.
North Korea fires ballistic missile into sea ahead of visit by US VP Kamala Harris
North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the sea off its east coast on Sunday, ahead of planned military drills by South Korean and US forces involving an aircraft carrier and a visit to the region by US Vice President Kamala Harris, Reuters reported.
South Korea's military said it was a single, short-range ballistic missile fired from near the Taechon area of North Pyongyan Province just before 7 a.m. local time and flew about 600 km (373 miles) at an altitude of 60 km and a speed of Mach 5.
"North Korea's launch of a ballistic missile is an act of grave provocation that threatens the peace and security of the Korean peninsula and international community," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
After the launch, the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Kim Seung-kyum and the US Forces Korea Commander Paul LaCamera discussed the situation and reaffirmed their readiness to respond to any threat or provocation from North Korea, it added.
South Korea's National Security Council held an emergency meeting to discuss response measures and condemned the launch as an apparent violation of the UN Security Council Resolutions and an unjustifiable act of provocation, according to Reuters.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who arrived in Seoul late on Saturday from a trip to Britain, the United States and Canada, was briefed on the launch, the presidential office said.
Iran protests: Raisi to 'deal decisively' with widespread unrest
Iran's president has vowed to take action against protesters after more than a week of anti-government demonstrations, BBC reported.
President Ebrahim Raisi pledged to "deal decisively" with the protests, which have now spread to most of Iran's 31 provinces.
Officials say some 35 people have been killed since protests broke out over the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody.
Clashes continue in several cities.
Ms Amini had been detained for allegedly breaking headscarf rules. Officers reportedly beat her head with a baton and banged her head against one of their vehicles. The police have said there is no evidence of any mistreatment and that she suffered "sudden heart failure".
And while Mr Raisi says her death will be investigated, his Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi has insisted that Ms Amini was not beaten.
Videos circulating on social media have captured violent unrest in dozens of cities across the country over the past few days, with some showing security forces firing what appeared to be live ammunition on protesters in the north-western cities of Piranshahr, Mahabad and Urmia.
New images have also appeared on social media showing protesters hurling petrol bombs at the security forces, according to BBC.
Meanwhile reformist group the Union of Islamic Iran People's Party has called for the mandatory dress code to be repealed and for "peaceful demonstrations" to be allowed.
Amnesty International has warned that evidence it gathered pointed to "a harrowing pattern of Iranian security forces deliberately and unlawfully firing live ammunition at protesters".
Mr Raisi has dismissed the protests as "riots". Iran, he said, must "deal decisively with those who oppose the country's security and tranquillity".
Hundreds of people have been detained by security forces, with the police chief in the north-western province of Guilan announcing on Saturday that some 739 people - including 60 women - have been detained in his region alone.
The BBC has heard testimony from some of those arrested who allege they were beaten. One said he was beaten "ruthlessly" before being jailed in a small cell with hundreds of others, where they were deprived of food, water and access to a bathroom.
Government forces have also launched a crackdown on independent media and activists. The US-based media watchdog the Committee to Protect Journalists says 11 journalists have been detained since Monday.
In the western border town of Oshnavieh, sources told the BBC that demonstrators briefly took control of sections of the town from government forces, BBC reported.
