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President Ram Chandra Paudel has been admitted to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) for prostate treatment.

Acting Executive Director of the hospital, Prof Dr Ghanashyam Gurung informed that the President was admitted for treatment this morning.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire called on President Ram Chandra Paudel at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, Sheetal Niwas today.

In the meeting, Speaker Ghimire briefed the President about his visit to Cambodia, the Secretariat of the President said.

Speaker Ghimire is going to Cambodia today in connection with attending the 11th Plenary Session of the International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace (IPTP) to be held in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh from November 23 to 26.

President Ram Chandra Paudel conferred the rank of Honorary General of the Nepal Army on visiting Indian Army Chief Gen. Upendra Dwivedi with during a special ceremony at the Rastrapati Bhawan on Thursday.

Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Defense Minister Man Bir Rai among others were present on the occasion.

The Indian Army Chief arrived in Kathmandu at the cordial invitation of Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Ashok Raj Sigdel on Wednesday.

There is a tradition of Nepal and India conferring the rank of Honorary General on each other's Army Chief since 1950.

Earlier this afternoon, CoAS Sigdel and Indian Army Chief Gen. Upendra Dwivedi, who is on a five-day visit to Nepal, held bilateral talks at the Army Headquarters, Bhadrakali.

This is General Dwivedi's first official visit to Nepal after his appointment as the Chief of the Indian Army on June 30.

He is scheduled to call on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Defence Minister Manbir Rai tomorrow.

President Ram Chandra Paudel returned home this morning from Baku, Azerbaijan by attending the 29th edition of the Conference of Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Speaker of House of Representatives (HoR) Devraj Ghimire, National Assembly Chairman Narayan Prasad Dahal, and Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak welcomed the President at the VVIP Lounge of Tribhuvan International Airport.

A contingent of the Nepali Army accorded a guard of honor to the President on the occasion.

Ministers, lawmakers, high-level government officials and the chiefs of security bodies had also reached the airport to welcome the President.

President Paudel had left for Baku on November 10 to attend the COP29 at the invitation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Along with the President, First Lady Sabita Paudel, President Paudel's Water and Environment Expert Parameshwor Pokharel, Secretary at the Office of the President Narayan Prasad Sharma, Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister Krishna Hari Pushkar, President's Personal Secretary Abagya Paudel, Joint-Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Amrit Bahadur Rai, Executive Chairman of Rastriya Samachar Samiti Dharmendra Jha and President's Communication Expert Kiran Kumar Pokharel also returned home.

President Ram Chandra Paudel has urged all the developed countries to fulfill their commitment made to addressing the climate change impact.

President Paudel made this call during the bilateral meeting with President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev today.

"Nepal has its full commitment to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Since Nepal has set the target of achieving the 'zero carbon emission' milestone by 2045, five years ahead of the globally-set target, we urge all the developed countries to fulfill their commitments that they have expressed in connection to addressing the climate change consequences," Kiran Pokharel, the President's Press Advisor, quoted President Paudel as saying in the bilateral meeting.

President Paudel said that although Nepal's carbon emission is negligible, it has been bearing a big impact of climate change.

Stating that the snow in the Himalayas is melting rapidly, the water sources for the people living in the downstream region are decreasing and there is big loss of lives and property every year due to the climate change-induced natural disasters every year, he recalled that this year also Nepal had to suffer huge loss of lives and property due to the unseasonal heavy downpour.

"The government is having to divert a large portion of its budget each year for providing relief support to the population affected by the climate change impact," President Paudel said. 

Noting that Nepal and Azerbaijan did not only share geographical similarities due to their mountainous terrain and land-locked condition, but also have similar structural challenges and effects that the mountainous countries are facing, he said, "Climate change is the common challenge of the whole world; our two countries which are mountainous are suffering from the adverse impact of climate change. I urge the Azerbaijani government for solidarity in Nepal's initiatives as it has been raising, in various international forums, including in COP, issues that the mountainous countries face due to climate change." 

President Paudel on the occasion praised Azerbaijan for the extensive development and economic transformation it has achieved since its independence in 1991.

He said that Nepal is at present moving ahead on the path of economic development following the political changes and the government's priority is sustainable economic development. "We cannot institutionalize the political achievements that we have gained without economic transformation and development," he added.

President Paudel congratulated his Azerbaijani counterpart for the full success of the COP-29 that is organized under his able leadership, expressing the belief that the Declaration to be passed by COP-29 will protect the rights and interest of Nepal-like countries that emit negligible carbon into the atmosphere but have to suffer much from the climate change effects.

He drew the attention of Azerbaijan to the good investment opportunity in Nepal in the agriculture, tourism and water resources sectors.

During the meeting, President Aliyev of Azerbaijan stated that he would work closely with Nepal on climate change issues in the context of his presidency of the COP for one year more, according to Pokharel, the President Paudel's press advisor.

President Aliyev said that his country was positive to invest in the sectors to be proposed by Nepal.

During the meeting, the Azerbaijani President said that Azerbaijan would serve as the COP Chair for the next one year, suggesting a closer cooperation with Nepal for climate action, according to the President's advisor.

 The President of Azerbaijan also said that they are positive for an investment in areas to be proposed by Nepal.

Nepal and Azerbaijan had established diplomatic ties in 1995.  Both countries cooperate in the multi-sectoral forum including the UN on sustainable development and climate change, the shared issues of both nations.

President Paudel on Tuesday addressed the "World Leaders Climate Action Summit" a high-level session held under the ongoing COP29.

 During the conference, Nepal on Wednesday hosted a separate high-level special session on "Addressing Loss and Damage in Mountains," drawing global attention to its agenda of concerns. The President hoped that such discussions would help find a better understanding of the issue and explore practical solutions.

He also addressed an event organized by Kyrgyzstan.

He also attended the group meeting held by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres with the Heads of State and Government of underdeveloped countries who gathered in Baku to take part in the COP 29 conference. The President utilized the meeting to urge the UN Secretary-General to make the developed countries serious about the impact of climate change.

The conference that commenced on November 11 will continue until November 22.  President Paudel landed in Baku last Monday, leading the high-level delegation to the conference. He is today scheduled to leave Baku for Doha of Qatar en route to home. He will reach Kathmandu on Friday morning.

President Ram Chandra Paudel has drawn the world's attention to address the problems of climate change and poverty.

Addressing the high-level session organized by Kyrgyzstan in the course of ongoing COP29 in Baku, today, President Paudel viewed that climate change sufferers should be ensured justice, an integrated approach is essential.

"The youths from mountainous countries have migrated elsewhere due to climate change impact, while the poor, women, children and elderly ones are suffering worse. The programs to alleviate poverty and climate change would be launched together to address these twin issues."

He further reminded that the climate change is largely caused by the activities of carbon emissions by the developed countries, but the poor people from mountainous countries are bearing the brunt. "I hope the COP29 will be successful to guarantee justice to the victims," President Paudel mentioned in the session.

As the climate change indicators are breaking records every year, the people in the mountain countries are bound to live in the harshest condition, he said, adding that more than 35, 000 households of mountainous Thame village of Solukhumbu district were displaced due to GLOF (glacial lake outburst floods) in Nepal last August. Similarly, the floods and landslides that occurred in the monsoon took the lives of over 500.

"The suffering and trauma the disasters caused in enduring. Proper evaluation and further preparedness are imperative to minimize the loss and damage," he said.

According to him, as both Nepal and Kyrgyzstan are mountainous countries, they both share similar plights when it comes to climate change.

The event was also addressed by the President of Kyrgyzstan, President of Mongolia and Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, among others.

Earlier, President Paudel had addressed the COP29 on Monday.

Leaders of the major opposition parties in the federal Parliament have called on President Ram Chandra Paudel on Wednesday.  The leaders including CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal met the President at the latter's office.

On the occasion, the leaders informed the President about their submission of a memorandum to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and the government's shortcomings.

President Paudel's press advisor Kiran Pokharel informed that the leaders of the opposition parties met President Paudel and talked about the current situation. They urged the President to play the role of guardian of democracy and the Constitution. The leaders claimed that some conspiracies were being hatched against the spirit of the Constitution in the country, Pokharel shared.

In response to the leaders' concern, President Paudel assured that he was committed to the constitutional provisions and democratic norms. 

The party including CPN (Maoist Center), Rastriya Swatantra Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, CPN (Unified Socialist) and Aam Janata Party are in the opposition in the Parliament.

Maoist Center Chair Dahal, leader Shakti Basnet, RSP leaders Shishir Khanal and Sumana Shrestha, RPP leaders Buddhiman Tamang and Hemjung Gurung, CPN (US) Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal and Vice Chair Rajendra Prasad Pandey and Aam Janata Party leader Tilak Magar were present in the meeting.

President Ram Chandra Paudel has said that the Constitution of Nepal has united ethnically, religiously, culturally and geographically diverse Nepali society into a thread of broader national unity by ending all sorts of discrimination and oppression imposed by the centralized and unitary form of governance.

In a message of best wishes today on the occasion of Constitution Day and National Day 2081 BS, the President has expressed confidence that the Constitution Day would make the political parties, leadership, government and the entire state regime more responsible for making it more democratic, just and result-oriented.

President Paudel has expected that this day would inspire all to unite to meet the aspirations of people for lasting peace, good-governance, development and prosperity through the federal democratic republican system.

In his message, the President has praised the contributions of political activists, the general public and the leaders of the political parties for their participation and leadership role in the political movements and tough struggles that happened at different times for the establishment of the republic. 

Likewise, the President has expressed condolence to all known and unknown martyrs for their martyrdom during different movements waged for the cause of the republican system.

President Ram Chandra Paudel has extended best wishes to all Nepali sisters and brothers on the occasion of the Indra Jatra festival today. He wished for peace, prosperity and happiness.

During the festival, the God of rains and good harvest, Indra, and living Goddess Kumari are worshiped. Similarly, chariot procession of Lord Ganesh and Bhairav is held.

We pay obeisance to God Indra for the good harvest, which reflects human relations with nature, President Paudel reminded, adding that such native festival helps protect ancient civilization.

The festival is celebrated especially in the districts of Kathmandu Valley, and adjoining Kavrepalanchowk and Dolakha districts.

"I believe the festival helps foster national unity, harmony and good will among the people from diverse cultures, languages and regions," the President stated in the message of best wishes.

He further wished the festival inspired all to work for social justice and economic prosperity with balanced and sustainable use of natural resources.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) submitted its report for Fiscal Year 2080/81 (2023/24) to President Ram Chandra Paudel today.

CIAA Chief Commissioner Prem Kumar Rai handed the report to the Head of State at a ceremony held at the Office of the President, Rashtrapati Bhawan in Shital Niwas. 

Receiving the report, President Paudel said making works like the identification of corruption-related offenses, investigating them and prosecution scientific, fact-based and result-oriented was more important in the context of maintaining good governance. 

It is inevitable to make the Commission's works transparent and effective, enhancing the professional capacity of its staff as well as the institutional development for this, the Head of State suggested on the occasion.

The President expressed his happiness, stating that the Commission has been adopting various strategies of corruption control while fulfilling its role as envisaged in the Constitution, internalizing the motto of integrity, impartiality and courage, taking the national and the general people's interest in to consideration in the course of carrying out its functions. 

He also expressed the conviction that the Government of Nepal will address in an effective manner the key topics pointed out in this report that includes the works and activities carried out by CIAA in the course of fulfilling its constitutional and legal responsibilities.

Chief Election Commissioners from the member countries of the Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA), who are presently in Kathmandu for the 12th annual meeting of the Forum, paid a courtesy call on President Ram Chandra Paudel on Thursday.

During the meeting at the Office of the President, Shital Niwas today, President Paudel stressed that periodic elections are the cornerstone of democracy and means of ensuring citizens' access to and ownership of the state. He underlined the need to guarantee that each election is free and impartial. 

The Head-of-the State expressed his hope that the Conference would enhance impartiality, accountability, and fairness in elections across South Asia. "I hope that the Forum will continue to contribute to promoting and strengthening democracy through free, fair, reliable, and transparent election processes."

He as the President of the Chair country of the Forum said that Nepal is committed to achieving the collective goals of the organization and addressing the challenges collectively.

On the occasion, Chief Election Commissioner, Dinesh Thapaliya, briefed the President about the Conference, according to the Office of the President.

The Chief Election Commissioner and representatives from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Maldives among others were present on the occasion.

The two-day FEMBoSA event hosted by the Election Commission of Nepal was inaugurated by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Wednesday.

President Ram Chandra Paudel authenticated the Bill to amend the Commission of the Investigation on the Enforced Disappeared Persons and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act (TRC Bill) on Thursday.

The President assented to the Bill in accordance with Article 113 (2) of the Constitution.

The Bill was submitted to the President for authentication following its endorsements by both Houses of Parliament recently.

A delegation led by Takebe Arata, Japanese parliamentarian, called on President Ram Chandra Paudel on Monday.

In the meeting held at the Office of the President, Sheetal Niwas today, President Paudel said to the visiting Japanese delegation that Nepal had a suitable environment for investment in sectors such as hydropower, tourism and agriculture.

Apprising that the Government of Nepal had recently reformed the law to create an enabling environment for investment, the Head of the State urged the Japanese investors to consider investment in Nepal, according to the Secretariat of President Paudel.

Expressing his gratitude towards Japan's 'unconditional and selfless' support towards Nepal, he thanked Japan's support especially in the areas of infrastructures, agriculture and health.

Mentioning that Nepal's relationship with Japan was culturally connected through the medium of Lord Buddha, the light of Asia, he viewed that the relation between Nepal and Japan was strong at people-to-people level as well.

He further asserted that the two countries shared a close bond due to the fact that both countries express the same voice in the international forums on the political agendas such as democracy, human rights and rule of law, stated the President's Secretariat.

Furthermore, President Paudel expressed his satisfaction over the performance of the Nepali students returning from Japan after learning skills there.

The Japanese delegation, on the occasion, drew the attention of President Paudel, towards enabling a favorable environment for the Japanese companies willing to invest in Nepal.

They shared that they were happy to meet Nepali students aspiring to travel to Japan for further studies who were eager to return home after learning skills there.

Arata, also Chairperson of Standing Committee on Judicial Affairs, House of Representatives in Japan, said that the Japanese delegations suggested the government of Nepal for economic decentralization and for creating a favorable environment for such returnees to retain in Nepal and work here.

President Ram Chandra Paudel today administered the oath of office and secrecy to all 19 newly-appointed ministers in the KP Sharma Oli-led government.

Prithvi Subba Gurung has been appointed as the Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Ramesh Lekhak as  Minister for Home Affairs, Sharad Singh Bhandari as Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security,  Arzu Rana as Minister for Foreign Affairs, Pradip Yadav as Minister for Water Supply and Sanitation, Balaram Adhikari as Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives, and Poverty Alleviation, Damodar Bhandari as Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, and Nawal Kishor Shah Sudi as Minister for Women, Children, and Senior Citizens.

Likewise, Devendra Dahal has been appointed as the Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Tejulal Chaudhary as the Minister for Youth and Sports, Pradip Paudel as the Minister for Health and Population, Ajay Kumar Chaurasiya as the Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Badri Prasad Pandey as the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Ramnath Adhikari as the Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Bidhya Bhattarai as the Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Manbir Rai as the Minister for Defense, Deepak Khadka as the Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Raj Kumar Gupta as the Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration and Ain Bahadur Shahi as the Minister for Forests and Environment.

Prior to this, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli took the oath of office and secrecy.

It was followed by the oath-taking ceremony of Deputy Prime Ministers Prakashman Singh and Bishnu Prasad Paudel.

Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav, Prime Minister Oli, Chief Judge Bishowambhar Prasad Shrestha, Speaker Devraj Ghimire, National Assembly (NA) Chairperson Narayana Prasad Dahal, outgoing Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, Jhalanath Khanal and Dr Baburam Bhattarai, various political leaders, lawmakers, government's senior officials, chiefs of security agencies, chiefs and representatives of Nepal-based diplomatic missions and distinguished personalities from different walks in the society were present on the occasion.

President Ram Chandra Paudel will appoint the new Prime Minister today.

The process of appointment and swearing-in of the Prime Minister will take place today after the deadline set by the President for the formation of the new government comes to an end, said Kiran Pokharel, the Press Advisor of the President.

President Paudel had, in accordance with Article 76 (2) of the Constitution, called on parties on Friday to submit their stake on the new government leadership by 5 pm today.

Accordingly, the Chairperson of CPN-UML KP Sharma Oli had submitted his claim for the post of the Prime Minister on Friday itself with the support of Nepali Congress.

Following the expiration of the deadline at 5 pm, President Paudel will appoint the Prime Minister this evening. However, the swearing-in ceremony of the prime minister and ministers will be held at 11 am on Monday, as the time will not be enough for the same on Sunday, added Press Advisor Pokharel.

A new government is being formed after incumbent Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal lost a majority of the Parliament, with the CPN-UML deciding to part ways with him and join hands with the main opposition, Nepali Congress.

The CPN-UML has said that President Ram Chandra Paudel should initiate the government formation process as per Article 76(2) of the Constitution after the incumbent Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “loses the crucial floor test” in the Parliament on July 12.

A meeting of the party’s Secretariat meeting has taken such a decision. After the meeting, UML leader Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said: “There are no constitutional and legal ambiguities regarding the government formation process, there are precedents vis-a-vis government formation as per Article 76(2) of the constitution.” 

Furthermore, he said the NC and the UML will participate in the government on an equal basis.

It should be noted that NC and UML, the largest and the second largest party in the Parliament, have agreed to form a national unity government to address burning issues facing the country. 

Against this backdrop, the UML meeting has decided to strive for bringing in “more and more parties” in the government. While addressing the party meeting, party Chairperson KP Sharma Oli said there has not been any concrete agreement with the NC about forming a commission for suggesting ways to form the next government.

According to the UML chair, there has been a principled position on constitution amendment but no discussion has taken place (between the two parties) on specific issues concerning the amendment. Oli accused ‘some forces’ of trying to create confusion about the NC-UML agreement.

We have realized that some provisions in the Constitution should be amended in keeping with changing times, he said. Oli is of the view that Prime Minister Dahal, at the helm of a minority government after the UML’s recent withdrawal, is still working to prevent UML from forming the next government by refusing to step down.

The NC and UML have agreed to form a national unity government but the text of the agreement has not been made public yet. As things stand, Oli is supposed to become the PM in the first phase and then hand over power to Deuba for the remaining term. PM Dahal is seeking a vote of confidence on Friday amid speculations that odds are stacked against him.  

Meanwhile, the UML has issued a whip to all its members in the House of Representatives (HoR) to mandatorily attend a session of the lower house scheduled for July 12 and to vote against PM Dahal.