Bhim Bahadur Bhandari elected Sudurpaschim Province Speaker
Bhim Bahadur Bhandari has been elected as the Speaker of Sudurpaschim Province. Bhandari, CPN (Maoist Center) Province Assembly member, was elected as the Speaker from the election conducted for the third time today. In the 53-member Province Assembly, 52 votes were cast. Out of which, he obtained 29 votes while 23 voted against him. Man Bahadur Rawal of the Nepali Congress garnered 23 votes. Earlier, the Speaker could not be elected in the Province Assembly after none of the candidates secured a majority in the elections held on January 28 and 30. Nepali Congress has 19 members, CPN (Maoist Center) 11, CPN-UML 10, Unmukti Party 7, CPN (Unified Socialist) 4 and Rastriya Prajatantra Party has one member in the Province Assembly. The Assembly has one independent lawmaker.
Death toll from strike on Ukraine apartment block rises to 40
The death toll from a Russian missile strike in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro rose to 40 on Monday, with dozens more missing, making it the deadliest civilian incident of Moscow's three-month campaign of firing missiles at cities far from the front, Reuters reported.
Ukraine says the mass civilian deaths, which it describes as terrorism, demonstrate why it needs more weapons to defeat Russian forces 11 months after they invaded. Russia denies intentionally targeting civilians.
German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht resigned on Monday as her government came under rising pressure to let allies send Ukraine German heavy tanks, at the start of what looks like a pivotal week for Western plans to further arm Kyiv.
Officials acknowledged little hope of finding anyone else alive in the rubble of Saturday's attack in the central city of Dnipro, but President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the rescue operation would go on "as long as there is even the slightest chance to save lives".
"Dozens of people were rescued from the rubble, including six children. We are fighting for every person!" Zelenskiy said in an overnight televised address.
Zelenskiy, speaking later in his nightly video address, said the Dnipro attack underscored the need to speed up decisions on arms supplies and "coordinate all the efforts of the coalition defending Ukraine and freedom." He expects key decisions by Ukraine's allies when they meet in Germany later this week, he added.
Dnipro was in mourning on Monday.
A serviceman in uniform laid flowers and sobbed, clutching his head in grief next to an impromptu shrine to the dead at a bus stop across the street from a gaping hole where the apartment block had stood.
The missile flattened all nine storeys in a section of the long concrete housing unit. Rescue workers shovelled through debris more than 48 hours after the attack, according to Reuters.
"We all live in buildings like this one and we all imagine what if it happened to us. It is awful," said Polina, 28, a resident of the neighbourhood.
Russia, which since October has been conducting large scale strikes on Ukrainian cities mainly targeting power generation infrastructure, said it was not to blame for the destruction in Dnipro as it was caused by Ukrainian air defences. Kyiv says the apartment building was hit by a Russian ship-to-ship missile, a type that Ukraine does not have the capability to shoot down.
At least 40 people were killed in the attack with 30 still unaccounted for, city official Gennadiy Korban said. He said 75 people were wounded, including 14 children, Reuters reported.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the Dnipro strike., a U.N. spokesperson said. "Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law. They must end immediately," the spokesperson said.
Peru declares state of emergency in Lima over protests that killed 42 people
Peru’s government late on January 14 declared a state of emergency in the capital Lima and three other regions due to protests against President Dina Boluarte that have claimed at least 42 lives in recent weeks, AFP reported. The measure, in force for 30 days, authorises the army to intervene to maintain order and suspends several constitutional rights such as freedom of movement and assembly, according to a decree published in the official gazette. In addition to the capital, the state of emergency covers the regions of Cusco and Puno and the port of Callao, adjacent to Lima.
More than 100 roadblocks blocked traffic across Peru on Saturday, mainly in the south, which has been the epicenter of the protests, and also around Lima.
Authorities have, however, reopened Cusco international airport, which is vital to Peru’s tourism sector.
Why is Peru protesting?
The mass anti-government demonstrations first broke out in early December, after then-president Pedro Castillo was ousted from office for attempting to dissolve Congress and rule by decree, seeking to prevent an impeachment vote against him.
He had also called for reorganising the South American nation’s judiciary while facing multiple corruption probes by the prosecutor’s office. On this day, the leftist political neophyte and former schoolteacher was due to face his third Impeachment vote by the Opposition-led Congress.
Mr. Castillo’s supporters have marched and barricaded streets around the South American country demanding new elections and the removal of current leader Boluarte.
President Boluarte ‘will not resign’
President Boluarte, who is from the same left-wing party as Castillo, has insisted she will not step down.
“Some voices that have come from the violent and radical factions are asking for my resignation, provoking the population into chaos, disorder and destruction,” Ms. Boluarte said in an address on state TV Friday night, according to AFP.
“I will not resign. My commitment is with Peru.”
Ms. Boluarte lamented that the protests have at times turned violent, as at least 42 people have been killed in clashes with security forces, including a police officer burned alive in a vehicle. Hundreds more have been injured.
“I cannot stop reiterating my regret for the deaths of Peruvians in these protests,” she said. “I apologize for this situation.”
But she rejected the possibility of calling a constitutional assembly as demanded by protestors, pointing to the difficulties Peru’s neighbor Chile has had in drafting and approving a new constitution.
Peru has faced political instability in recent years, with Ms. Boluarte, 60, the sixth person to hold the presidency in five years, AFP reported.
Mr. Castillo, who was being investigated in several fraud cases during his tenure, has been remanded in custody for 18 months, charged with rebellion.
Madhes Province CM Yadav to seek vote of confidence tomorrow
Madhes Province Chief Minister Saroj Kumar Yadav will seek a vote of confidence on Tuesday. Likewise, the election of the Speaker of Madhes Provincial Assembly will take place the same day. Secretary of the Provincial Assembly Secretariat Ranjit Kumar Yadav said that the programmes scheduled for today have been postponed for tomorrow following Sunday's plane crash in Pokhara and subsequent declaring of a national holiday to mourn the incident today. The provincial assembly will meet at 1 pm Tuesday. Chief Minister Yadav took the oath of office and secrecy on Friday. Meanwhile, Ram Chandra Mandal of CPN-UML and Jangi Lal Rai of the Nepali Congress have filed their nominations for the post of the Speaker.
