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The Biden administration announced on Tuesday that it will send Ukraine a small number of high-tech, medium-range rocket systems, a critical weapon that Ukrainian leaders have been begging for as they struggle to stall Russian progress in the Donbas region, Associated Press reported.

The rocket systems are part of a new $700 million tranche of security assistance for Ukraine from the US that will include helicopters, Javelin anti-tank weapon systems, tactical vehicles, spare parts and more, according to two senior administration officials. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the weapons package that will be formally unveiled on Wednesday.

The US decision to provide the advance rocket systems tries to strike a balance between the desire to help Ukraine battle ferocious Russian artillery barrages while not providing arms that could allow Ukraine to hit targets deep inside Russia and trigger an escalation in the war.

In a guest essay published Tuesday evening in The New York Times, President Joe Biden confirmed that he’s decided to “provide the Ukrainians with more advanced rocket systems and munitions that will enable them to more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield in Ukraine.”

Biden had said Monday that the US would not send Ukraine “rocket systems that can strike into Russia.” Any weapons system can shoot into Russia if it’s close enough to the border. The aid package expected to be unveiled Wednesday would send what the US considers medium-range rockets — they generally can travel about 45 miles (70 kilometers), the officials said, according to Associated Press.

The Ukrainians have assured US officials that they will not fire rockets into Russian territory, according to the senior administration officials. One official noted that the advanced rocket systems will give Ukrainian forces greater precision in targeting Russian assets inside Ukraine.

The expectation is that Ukraine could use the rockets in the eastern Donbas region, where they could both intercept Russian artillery and take out Russian positions in towns where fighting is intense, such as Sievierodonetsk.

Sievierodonetsk is important to Russian efforts to capture the Donbas before more Western arms arrive to bolster Ukraine’s defense. The city, which is 90 miles (145 kilometers) south of the Russian border, is in an area that is the last pocket under Ukrainian government control in the Luhansk region of the Donbas.

Biden in his New York Times’ essay added: “We are not encouraging or enabling Ukraine to strike beyond its borders. We do not want to prolong the war just to inflict pain on Russia.”

It’s the 11th package approved so far, and will be the first to tap the $40 billion in security and economic assistance recently passed by Congress. The rocket systems would be part of Pentagon drawdown authority, so would involve taking weapons from US inventory and getting them into Ukraine quickly. Ukrainian troops would also need training on the new systems, which could take at least a week or two, Associated Press reported.

Officials said the plan is to send Ukraine the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, which is mounted on a truck and can carry a container with six rockets. The system can launch a medium-range rocket, which is the current plan, but is also capable of firing a longer-range missile, the Army Tactical Missile System, which has a range of about 190 miles (300 kilometers) and is not part of the plan.

Since the war began in February, the US and its allies have tried to walk a narrow line: send Ukraine weapons needed to fight off Russia, but stop short of providing aid that will inflame Russian President Vladimir Putin and trigger a broader conflict that could spill over into other parts of Europe.

It is official, that Nepal Army Chief Prabhu Ram Sharma will be visiting America from June 27 to July 1, Nepal Army said on May 31. A Cabinet meeting held on May 30 endorsed Sharma’s visit to America.  During his visit to the US, Sharma is expected to hold bilateral talks on enhancing bilateral defense cooperation. Two countries enjoy a close military engagement.  In a press statement, Nepal Army said that visit will strengthen the military cooperation between the two countries.  

The Nepali embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan organized a program to celebrate the Mt. Everest Day at the embassy in Islamabad. 

The program was organized to commemorate the first ascent to the Mt. Everest by Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Edmund Hillary on May 29, 1953.

Nepali Ambassador to Pakistan Tapas Adhikari welcomed the guests to the program and congratulated Abdul Joshi on his recent ascent to the Mt. Everest on May 16, 2022.

On the occasion, Ambassador Adhikari expressed his confidence that his expedition will inspire many young Pakistanis for mountaineering and adventure tourism and increase people-to-people contacts between Nepal and Pakistan, according to Islamabad Post.

He also highlighted the impacts of climate change on the mountains and urged for collectively addressing the negative consequences.

During the programme, Joshi shared his interesting expedition experience while scaling the summit. He also drew many parallels between Nepal and Pakistan, particularly in the field of trekking and tourism.

Australia's new Labor government has secured a majority in parliament, election analysts say, BBC reported.

The centre-left party, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, defeated Scott Morrison's conservative coalition in an election on 21 May.

A record vote for independents and minor parties had made it uncertain whether Mr Albanese would govern in his own right.

But he now has the 76 lower house seats needed, after victories in tight races.

It is a different story in the Senate, where Mr Albanese's government will need crossbench support to pass laws.

About a third of Australians voted for candidates outside the major parties, with support surging for the Greens and independents running on climate platforms, according to BBC.

Mr Albanese has promised a "constructive relationship" with the expanded crossbench, despite not needing to rely on their votes in the House of Representatives. Two seats there remain undecided. 

He will announce his cabinet on Tuesday.

The veteran politician, who heads Australia's first Labor government in almost a decade, has promised to adopt more ambitious emissions reduction targets. 

However, he has so far refused calls to phase out coal use or to block the opening of new coal mines.

Mr Albanese flew to Tokyo last week for a summit with the leaders of Japan, India and the US, known as the Quad. 

His government is also aiming to sure up ties in the Pacific in the face of growing Chinese influence. Foreign Minister Penny Wong made a trip to Fiji within days of being sworn in.

Her visit came as China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi embarked on a tour of small Pacific nations, hoping to secure trade and security deals, BBC reported.

Last month, China and the Solomon Islands agreed a security pact that sparked fears in Australia and the US that Beijing could build a naval base in the region.

Mr Morrison lost power after shedding almost 20 seats at the election. These included traditional conservative strongholds in the cities, where climate policies were seen as a key factor.

Staunch conservative and former defence minister Peter Dutton will now be opposition leader, after he was chosen by the Liberal Party to replace Mr Morrison.

Barnaby Joyce - who made international headlines over a row about Johnny Depp's dogs- was replaced by David Littleproud as leader of the Nationals, the Liberals' junior coalition partner, according to BBC.

In the last 40 years only one government - under John Howard in 2004 - has won a Senate majority.