Government committed to hold local polls in free, fair and fearless environment
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba said that the government is committed to hold local level elections in a free, fair and fearless environment.
Speaking at a program organized in Nuwakot on Monday, he said, "The country is preparing for the local level elections. The government is committed to hold the upcoming elections in a free, fair and fearless environment and all the concerned stakeholders should be committed to the same."
Saying that rumors are being spread about the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), he said that those who are spreading rumors are involved in the decision making process of the MCC.
The Prime Minister said that CPN-UML leader Bhim Rawal is one of the persons who has been protesting against MCC the most. He further said that Rawal should be ashamed to say so.
"UML Chairman and the then Prime Minister KP Oli has tabled the MCC in the Parliament saying that the compact should be ratified. Now, I have said that the MCC should be endorsed from the Parliament," he said.
"Bhim Rawal is one of the persons who has been protesting against MCC the most. He was the Defence Minister when the Cabinet endorsed the MCC. What was Bhim Rawan looking at then? Why is he protesting againt the MCC now," he questioned.
Chinese embassy says has never heard of Russian requests for Ukraine help
The spokesperson for China's embassy in Washington responded to media reports on Sunday that Moscow had asked Beijing for military equipment since launching its invasion of Ukraine by saying, "I've never heard of that."
The spokesperson, Liu Pengyu, said China's priority was to prevent the tense situation in Ukraine from getting out of control, Reuters reported.
"The current situation in Ukraine is indeed disconcerting," he said in an emailed response to a query from Reuters.
"The high priority now is to prevent the tense situation from escalating or even getting out of control."
Earlier the Financial Times and Washington Post cited U.S. officials as saying that Russia has asked China for military equipment since its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, according to Reuters.
Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation."
PM has issued directive not to speak against alliance: Dahal
CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said that Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has also directed his party leaders not to speak against the alliance. That is why there is no problem in the alliance now, he said.
Speaking to journalists at the Dhangadi Airport on Monday, Chairman Dahal said, "Our first priority is to win the elections on our own strength. But, if there is a possibility of forging an electoral alliance then the coalition will be given the priority."
Hinting at the faction led by Shekhar Koirala of Nepali Congress, he claimed that the top-notch leaders of the coalition are for forging an electoral alliance though there are differing views within the party.
Chairman Dahal further said that preparations are underway to incorporate Nepali Congress in the Sudurpaschim Province.
US official: Russia seeking military aid from China
A U.S. official said Russia asked China for military equipment to use in its invasion of Ukraine, a request that heightened tensions about the ongoing war ahead of a Monday meeting in Rome between top aides for the U.S. and Chinese governments, Associated Press reported.
In advance of the talks, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan bluntly warned China to avoid helping Russia evade punishment from global sanctions that have hammered the Russian economy. “We will not allow that to go forward,” he said.
The prospect of China offering Russia financial help is one of several concerns for President Joe Biden. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said that in recent days, Russia had requested support from China, including military equipment, to press forward in its ongoing war with Ukraine. The official did not provide details on the scope of the request. The request was first reported by the Financial Times and The Washington Post.
The Biden administration is also accusing China of spreading Russian disinformation that could be a pretext for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces to attack Ukraine with chemical or biological weapons, according to the Associated Press.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put China in a delicate spot with two of its biggest trading partners: the U.S. and European Union. China needs access to those markets, yet it also has shown support for Moscow, joining with Russia in declaring a friendship with “no limits.”
In his talks with senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi, Sullivan will indeed be looking for limits in what Beijing will do for Moscow.
“I’m not going to sit here publicly and brandish threats,” he told CNN in a round of Sunday news show interviews. “But what I will tell you is we are communicating directly and privately to Beijing that there absolutely will be consequences” if China helps Russia “backfill” its losses from the sanctions.
“We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country anywhere in the world,” he said.
In brief comments on the talks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian did not mention Ukraine, saying that the “key issue of this meeting is to implement the important consensus reached by the Chinese and U.S. heads of state in their virtual summit in November last year.”
“They will exchange views on China-U.S. relations and international and regional issues of common concern,” Zhao said in comments posted on the ministry’s website late Sunday, Associated Press.
The White House said the talks will focus on the direct impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine on regional and global security.
