Newly appointed ministers take oath of office and secrecy

Newly appointed ministers of CPN (Unified Socialist) took the oath of office and secrecy on Monday.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to four ministers amid a program organized in Sheetal Niwas this morning.

Jeevan Ram Shrestha has been appointed minister for tourism, culture and civil aviation; Metmani Chaudhary as minister for urban development, Sher Bahadur Kunwar as minister for labor, employment and social security, and Bhawani Prasad Khapung as minister for health and population.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba administered the oath of office and secrecy to minister of state for health and population Hira Chandra KC.

The sworn-in ministers will assume their office from today itself.

President Bhandari, on the recommendation of Prime Minister, had appointed new ministers from the CPN (Unified Socialist) on Sunday.

Earlier on June 5, the Unified Socialist had written to the Prime Minister to replace four of its ministers.

Newly appointed ministers to be sworn in today

Newly appointed ministers of the CPN (Unified Socialist) are scheduled to take the oath of office and secrecy on Monday.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari will administer the oath of office to the newly appointed ministers at the Office of the President today.

Likewise, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is set to administer the oath to a Minister of State at his office in Singhadurbar today.

Jeevan Ram Shrestha has been entrusted with the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation; Metmani Chaudhary the Ministry of Urban Development; Bhawani Prasad Khapung the Ministry of Health and Population and Sher Bahadur Kunwar the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security.

Likewise, Hira Chandra KC has been appointed the Minister of State for Health and Population. The Council of Ministers was reshuffled on Sunday.

German envoy calls on Prime Minister Deuba

Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Nepal, Dr Thomas Prinz called on Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. 

During the meeting, he handed over a letter from Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Prime Minister Deuba suggesting to continue Germany’s support to Nepal’s development efforts in the following core

areas:

1. Sustainable Economic Development

2. Climate and Energy

3. Health and Social Protection

Issuing a statement on Sunday, the German Embassy in Nepal said that it is pleased to inform that the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of the Federal Republic of Germany has decided to continue with the bilateral development cooperation with Nepal beyond 2023.

The German Ambassador Dr Thomas Prinz said: “I am extremely happy that the German Government has decided to continue bilateral development cooperation with Nepal. It gives us the chance to jointly tackle important challenges like climate change.”

Nepal and Germany have had long-standing bilateral cooperation for over 60 years.

German Development Cooperation has been supporting Nepal’s efforts in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Immediate support was also provided for Covid-19 response. 

Since September 2021, Germany supports Nepal’s shift to a green, resilient, and inclusive development (GRID) pathway as signed on the Kathmandu Declaration on GRID, endorsed by the Government of Nepal and 17 Development Partners.

Ukraine war: Zelensky to address G7 as Russian missiles hit cities

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to urge delivery of more heavy weapons when he addresses the G7 group of wealthy nations later, BBC reported.

It follows a barrage of Russian missile strikes on Kyiv and other areas over the weekend, which killed at least one.

In eastern Ukraine, Russia has taken full control of Severodonetsk and is targeting nearby Lysychansk.

On Sunday Mr Zelensky said delaying arms deliveries was "an invitation to Russia to strike again and again".

Speaking via his daily video address he also called for air defence systems and new sanctions on Russia.

"Partners need to move faster if they are really partners, not observers," he said.

The war in Ukraine is top of the G7 agenda and nations are expected to promise further military support for Kyiv and more sanctions on Moscow, according to BBC.

Western leaders are attempting to present a united front, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz saying Russian missile strikes showed it was "right to stand together and support Ukrainians". Earlier US President Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin was counting on Nato and the G7 to "splinter... but we haven't and we're not going to".

However, BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale, who is at the summit, says Western unity over the war has faltered in recent weeks, with some leaders discussing long-term relationships with Russia and others stressing strong, lasting support for Ukraine.

The G7 summit in Bavaria will be followed by a Nato meeting in Spain later in the week at which Mr Zelensky is also expected to speak, BBC reported.