Speaker Agni Sapkota leaves for Azerbaijan
A Nepali parliamentary delegation led by Speaker of the House of Representatives Agni Prasad Sapkota has left for Azerbaijan to attend the conference of the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan on Tuesday.
The event will be held from June 30 to July 2.
House of Representatives member Pushpa Bhushal and National Assembly member Ram Chandra Rai and Sapkota's personal secretary Govinda Pathak among others are in the delegation team.
Speaker Sapkota is scheduled to address the conference on behalf on Nepal.
The conference is scheduled to endorse the Statute on working modalities of the Non Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network and issue the Baku Declaration.
US says Taiwan Strait flight shows commitment to open Indo-Pacific
A US Navy aircraft's flight through the Taiwan Strait last weekdemonstrated a US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, the US military said on Tuesday (June 28), after China complained it endangered peace and stability, Reuters reported.
China said it had sent aircraft to monitor and warn the P-8A anti-submarine aircraft as it flew over the sensitive waterway on Friday.
"US Navy vessels and aircraft routinely interact with foreign warships and aircraft while operating throughout the region," the US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement.
"All interactions with foreign military forces during the transit were consistent with international norms and did not impact the operation," it said.
"The United States will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows including within the Taiwan Strait. The aircraft's transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific."
The fly-through came after Taiwan scrambled fighters twice last week to warn away two large-scale incursions by China's air force into Taiwan's air defence zone, according to Reuters.
China views Taiwan as a renegade province to be reunified by force, if necessary.
This month, China said it "has sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the Taiwan Strait" and called it "a false claim when certain countries call the Taiwan Strait 'international waters'".
Both the United States and Taiwan have rebuffed that, saying they do consider it international waters.
In recent years, US warships, and on occasion those from allied nations such as Britain and Canada, have sailed through the strait, drawing China's anger, Reuters reported.
Bamdev Gautam announcing new party today
Nepal Communist Party Ekta Rastriya Abhiyan Coordinator Bamdev Gautam has decided to form a new political party.
Gautam is organizing a press conference in the Reporters’ Club at 3 pm today for the same.
Ekta Rastriya Abhiyan Publicity Department Chief Nimkanta Pandey said that a new party will be announced today.
PM Deuba calls Cabinet meeting for 3 pm today
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has called a meeting of the Council of Ministers on Tuesday.
The Prime Minister’s Secretariat said that the meeting will be held in Baluwatar at 3 pm today.
It has been learnt that the meeting will discuss contemporary issues and daily administrative works.
Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Deuba had reconstituted the Cabinet by four ministers and one state minister of the CPN (Unified Socialist).
This will be the first Cabinet meeting of the new ministers representing CPN (Unified Socialist) in the government.
Similarly, the Janata Samajbadi Party has also decided to recall all the ministers from the government.
A meeting of the Upendra Yadav faction held on Monday evening made the decision to his effect.



