United States seeks to expand defense ties with Nepal under its Indo-Pacific Strategy

The United States said on Saturday that it is now seeking to expand defense relationship with Nepal under the framework of the Indo-Pacific Strategy. In a report on its Indo-Pacific Strategy on Saturday, US Defence Department said that the country is seeking to expand defense relationship with Nepal focusing on high availability/disaster recovery, peacekeeping operations, defense professionalization, ground force capacity, and counter-terrorism. The Indo-Pacific strategy has been widely seen as a strategic move of the USA to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Three Yarshagumba pickers die in Dolpa

Three people who had gone to pick the precious herb Yarshagumba died in Dolpa district in the past three days. According to information officer of Shey Phokshundo National Park, Chatra Khadka, the deceased has been identified as Krishna Bujar, 18, of Barwkot rural municipality-1 and Ramesh Chalaune, 23 of Jajarkot district. Yarsa collectors die after suffering from high altitude sickness while collecting the precious fungus, Yarshagumba in the highland areas of Dolpa every year in the summer season. 

Nepal urges India to hold 5th JC meeting at foreign minister level

Nepal has urged India to hold the fifth meeting of the Joint Commission at the foreign minister level at the earliest. In his congratulatory message to newly-appointed External Affairs Minister of India Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Friday, Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali mentioned that Nepal is looking forward to hold the fifth meeting of the Joint Commission at a mutually convenient time, according to sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

BIMSTEC cannot replace SAARC, says PM Oli

PM Oli has called for "revival" of the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation which has remained dysfunctional since 2016 after India and three other SAARC fellow member states boycotted the SAARC Summit that was scheduled to be held in Pakistan in 2016. During his interview with India Today in New Delhi on Friday, Oli who is also the current chair of SAARC, said, "I don't want to talk about regional and other issues. But, as the chair, Nepal wants to revive SAARC and make it effective again. Developing relations in the region is better than anything else."

Preventing China from growing neither possible nor wise, says Singaporean PM

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said that countries need to accustom themselves to a larger role for China, and it is neither possible nor wise to prevent the world's second-largest economy from growing. Lee said so while delivering a keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Friday, according to media reports. China has totally changed since it started opening up 40 years ago, and its gross domestic product (GDP) has grown by more than 25 times in real terms, Lee said.

Police: City worker kills 12 in Virginia Beach; suspect dead

A longtime city employee opened fire in a municipal building in Virginia Beach, killing 12 people on three floors and sending terrified co-workers scrambling for cover before police shot and killed him following a “long gunbattle,” authorities said. Four other people were wounded in Friday’s shooting, including a police officer whose bulletproof vest saved his life, said Virginia Beach Police Chief James Cervera.

 
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