Nepal

Kathmandu, September 18

Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali is leaving for New York on September 21, leading a Nepali delegation to the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The foreign minister will be accompanied by his spouse, Saraswoti Gyawali.

The delegation will comprise senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador of Nepal to the United States of America Arjun Kumar Karki, Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations Amrit Bahadur Rai and other officials from the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations in New York.

The General Debate of the UNGA will begin on September 24 under the theme ‘Galvanising Multilateral Efforts for Poverty Eradication, Quality Education, Climate Action and Inclusion.& Minister Gyawlai will address the United Nations General Assembly on September 30. On September 26, Minister Gyawali will chair the Informal Session of the SAARC Council of Ministers, according to a press release issued today by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On the margins of the UNGA, Minister Gyawali will participate in the Climate Action Summit, United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, and the United Nations High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development.

While in New York, Minister Gyawali will address separate ministerial meetings of the Non-Aligned Movement, G77 and China, Least Developed Countries, and Land-locked Developing Countries. He will represent also Nepal at the Ministerial Meeting of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue.

The foreign minister will also address the 10th Ministerial Meeting of the United Nations Group of Friends of Mediation and High-level Dialogue on Peace Operations.

He will participate in the high-level commemorative event convened by the president of the General Assembly to mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, stated the press release. Minister Gyawali will attend the reception to be hosted by the US president on September 24 evening, and will join the State Luncheon hosted by the UN secretary general the same day.

On the sidelines of the UNGA, Minister Gyawali will engage in bilateral meetings with his counterparts from various countries.

Minister Gyawali is also scheduled to interact with Nepali Diaspora in New York on the 26th of September, and attend an interactive meeting on brain gain with the Nepali diaspora community on the 29th of September in Chicago. He will return from New York on October 1.

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Kathmandu, September 18

Kathmandu District Court today set free Naresh Bahadur Thapa, a younger brother of Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, on bail of Rs 100,000, while sending five others to jail until final verdict.

An order to this effect was passed by Judge Medini Prasad Paudel following todayhearing. Those sent to jail include Pawan Khadka, Birbal Bhattarai, Suren Nagarkoti Balami, Shailesh Prajapati and Binod Lama, said court registrar Ananda Prasad Shrestha. The court also issued an arrest warrant against Javed Anwar Bin, another defendant, in absentia.

The Central Investigation Bureau had arrested Naresh on September 8 suspecting his links with an extortion racket spearheaded by gangster Samirman Singh Basnet from behind bars.

Samirman is also the alleged mastermind of the 2017 murder of Sharad Kumar Gauchan, then chairperson of the Federation of Contractors& Associations of Nepal.

Naresh was taken into custody by the CIB following statements of two of Samirmanaccomplices — Pawan and Suren — who were arrested by Metropolitan Police Circle, Maharajgunj, earlier this month on the charge of extorting businesspersons. Both had accused Naresh of having a nexus with Samirman and possibly with gangsters based in UAE. Naresh had also admitted to meeting Samirman in the Central Jail.

Police produced Naresh and five others before the court on September 12. CIB Director Deputy Inspector General Niraja Bahadur Shahi said Naresh and his associates were held due to their alleged involvement in issuing extortion threats to several contractors and businesspersons.

Naresh had remained in Basundhara-based Chirayu Hospital after being arrested, due to poor health.

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