Nepali envoy to US Khatri holds meeting with Deputy Vice President of MCC Brooks
Nepali Ambassador to the US Shreedhar Khatri held a meeting with Jonathan Brooks, Deputy Vice President of Europe, Asia, Pacific and Latin America, MCC and his team at the Embassy on September 1. During the meeting, issues related to implementation of the MCC compact in Nepal were discussed, read a statement issued by the Embassy of Nepal in Washington.
Nepal PM Deuba congratulates Truss on her election to premiership of UK
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Wednesday conveyed a congratulatory message to the newly elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Elizabeth Truss. In his message, the Prime Minister has extended his best wishes to Truss for her successful tenure as well as for the continued progress and prosperity of the people of the United Kingdom, read a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Stating that Nepal attaches high importance to its relations with the United Kingdom as one of the major development partners, the Prime Minister has thanked the UK for its valuable support in Nepal’s development endeavors. The Prime Minister has recalled his visit to the United Kingdom last year to participate in the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) and stated that given Nepal’s robust commitments on climate action and green development, support from development partners like the UK in the areas of sustainable livelihood, renewable energy and technology transfer goes a long way in realizing these commitments, the statement read. Likewise, Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Khadka has sent a message of congratulations to James Cleverly, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom. In his message, the Foreign Minister has expressed confidence that Nepal-UK multi-faceted relations would be further strengthened during Cleverly's tenure in office.
EU plans to cap Russian gas price as Putin issues warning
The European Union has proposed a price cap on Russian gas just as Russia’s President Vladimir Putin warned that such a move would cause Moscow to cut off all energy supplies, Aljazeera reported.
Europe is in the middle of an escalating standoff with Russia that could drive up already-soaring European gas prices further in advance of the cold months ahead. Brussels accuses Moscow of weaponising energy supplies in retaliation for Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Russia continues to insist that the sanctions are causing the supply problems, which it puts down to pipeline faults. On Friday, Russia’s Gazprom fully suspended gas supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany after it said it found an engine oil leak during maintenance work.Rising tensions
Putin has warned that contracts could be discarded in the event of price caps. “We will not supply anything at all if it contradicts our interests,” Putin said on Wednesday at an economic forum in Vladivostok. “We will not supply gas, oil, coal, heating oil – we will not supply anything,” Putin stated. Europe usually imports about 40 percent of its gas and 30 percent of its oil from Russia. Despite the warnings, the EU is planning to press ahead with a price cap on Russian gas and also a ceiling on the price paid for electricity from generators that do not run on gas, according to Aljazeera. “We will propose a price cap on Russian gas … We must cut Russia’s revenues which Putin uses to finance this atrocious war in Ukraine,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters.
Saky airfield: Ukraine claims Crimea blasts responsibility after denial
Ukraine has claimed responsibility for a series of air strikes on Crimea after a month of uncertainty over who was behind them, BBC reported.
One of the attacks, which took place in early August, targeted Russia's Saky military base and killed one person.
Ukraine had refused to acknowledge its role and even blamed them on Russian soldiers' discarded cigarettes.
It confirms a significant expansion of the conflict by Ukraine into Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
In an article for national news agency Ukrinform, Kyiv's top commander Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said Ukrainian rockets had targeted a number of Crimean military sites, including the Saky airbase which was rocked by multiple explosions on 9 August.
He claimed the attack - against a base used by Moscow to launch attacks against Ukraine - took 10 Russian warplanes "out of action".
The strikes were part of a deliberate response to Russian efforts to try and distance its own civilians from the conflict, he said.
Saky airbase is near Novofedorivka on Crimea's western coast, a beach area popular with Russian tourists.
It is the first time Ukraine has attacked Crimea proper since the full-scale Russian invasion began in February, according to BBC.
The Russian-controlled peninsula has become subject to an increasing number of Ukrainian military threats in recent weeks.
"The weather forecast says it is going to be very hot in Crimea," the Ukrainian army warned on Twitter on Wednesday, before suggesting Moscow's occupying forces may be forced to swim back to Russia across the Black Sea.
