KATHMANDU, 22 July 2021, (TON): As Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba begins consultations to expand his five-member Cabinet, he faces an uphill task with demands and complexities of the constituencies that supported him during the confidence vote in Parliament.

The 165 lawmakers that voted for him belong to a disparate group.

Besides the Nepali Congress, lawmakers from the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), the two factions of the Janata Samajbadi Party that has more or less split, a section of the main opposition CPN-UML, and Rastriya Janamorcha supported Deuba.

According to leaders close to Deuba, he wants representation of all parties that stood by him.

Discussions are going on with all the parties who supported us, Purna Bahadur Khadka, a Congress general secretary.

But all the parties have their own complexities including Deuba's own Nepali Congress.

The rival faction of the party, led by Ram Chandra Poudel, has demanded at least one deputy prime minister with the other General Secretary Shashanka Koirala, former vice-president Prakash Man Singh and senior leader Sujata Koirala vying for the post.

It has also demanded three additional ministerial portfolios.

But Deuba has made it clear that it is not possible and the Poudel faction will get just two portfolios in the Cabinet. One of the major reasons behind the delay in Cabinet formation is dynamics inside the Nepali Congress.

BERLIN, 22 July 2021, (TON): A relief official dampened hopes of finding more survivors in the rubble of villages devastated by floods in western Germany, as a poll showed many Germans felt policymakers had not done enough to protect them.

At least 170 people died in last week’s flooding, Germany’s worst natural disaster in more than half a century, and thousands went missing.

Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland told “we are still looking for missing persons as we clear roads and pump water out of basements,” Sabine Lackner, deputy chief of the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW).

She said “any victims that are found now are likely to be dead.”

For immediate relief, the federal government will initially provide up to 200 million euros ($235.5 million) in emergency aid, and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said more funds can be made available if needed.

That will come on top of at least 250 million euros to be provided from the affected states to repair buildings and damaged local infrastructure and to help people in crisis situations.

KATHMANDU, 22 July 2021, (TON): The Upendra Yadav-Baburam Bhattarai faction of the Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal endorsed the parliamentary party statute, paving the way for the election of its parliamentary party leader.

Bhattarai tweeted that 20 lawmakers of the party representing it in the House of Representatives and two lawmakers representing the party in the National Assembly endorsed the Parliamentary Party statute and decided to send it to the Executive Committee for the latter's approval.

The Yadav-Bhattarai faction had fallen into minority a few weeks ago when it had only 12 lawmakers in its camp who supported Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba's bid for prime ministership under Article 76 (5) of the constitution.

JSP-N Co-chair Yadav said “the party would elect its parliamentary party leader within a week.”

He said that his party would join the Sher Bahadur Deuba government, but was in no rush to be its coalition partner. "We are yet to elect our parliamentary party leader.

The Election Commission has also not decided on the authenticity dispute," Yadav said when asked if they would join the government within the next five days.

Both the Yadav-Bhattarai and the Mahantha Thakur-Rajendra Mahato factions of the party claim to be the authentic party and the EC has formed a bench to resolve the dispute.

Meanwhile, the Thakur-Mahato faction held its Executive Committee meeting and demanded that Deuba, who had assured the JSP-N of addressing its political demands, meet those demands.

WASHINGTON, 22 July 2021, (TON): House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on rejected two Republicans tapped by House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy to sit on a committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, a decision the Republican denounced as “an egregious abuse of power.”

McCarthy said “the GOP won’t participate in the investigation if Democrats won’t accept the members he appointed.”

Pelosi cited the “integrity” of the probe in refusing to accept the appointments of Indiana Rep. Jim Banks, picked by McCarthy to be the top Republican on the panel, or Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan. The two men are outspoken allies of former President Donald Trump, whose supporters laid siege to the Capitol that day and interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden’s win. Both of them voted to overturn the election results in the hours after the siege.

Democrats have said the investigation will go on whether the Republicans participate or not, as Pelosi has already appointed eight of the 13 members — including Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, a Trump critic — and that gives them a bipartisan quorum to proceed, according to committee rules.

Pelosi said “she had spoken with McCarthy and told him that she would reject the two names.”

Pelosi said in a statement “with respect for the integrity of the investigation, with an insistence on the truth and with concern about statements made and actions taken by these members, I must reject the recommendations of Representatives Banks and Jordan to the Select Committee.”

MALE, 22 July 2021, (TON): Foreign Minister Abdula Shahid has departed to New Delhi, India, on an official visit in his capacity as the President-elect of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The visit is in response to an invitation by the Government of India – according to Minister Shahid.

Minister Shahid is set to call on the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi during this visit. He will also meet with Minister of External Affairs of India Dr. S. Jaishankar.

On July 23, Minister Shahid will deliver the 38th Sapru House Lecture at the Indian Council of World Affairs on the topic “Presidency of Hope 76th UNGA: COVID Pandemic and the need for reformed multilateralism.”

Minister Shahid was elected as the President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly during a voting held on July 7 in New York.

KABUL, 22 July 2021, (TON): Russia said that the Taliban were prepared for political compromise, even as the insurgents launch offensives against government troops to secure greater swathes of Afghanistan while US troops draw down.

The Taliban have capitalised on the withdrawal of foreign troops to capture scores of districts, border crossings, and encircle provincial capitals.

Rounds of inconclusive talks appear to have lost momentum as the militants make battlefield gains.

But the Kremlin's envoy to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said during a conference with former Afghan leader Hamid Karzai on Tuesday that the insurgents were prepared to consider political offers put forward by other parties to negotiations.

Kabulov said “over the past 20 or so years, the bulk of the (Taliban) leadership has certainly become fed up with war and understand that there is a need to search for political solutions to the current deadlock.”

He added that based on the statements and actions of the insurgent group, it had shown it was “ready for a political compromise”.

Kabulov added “but it's clear that from their viewpoint a political compromise should be decently presented to them.”

TEHRAN, 22 July 2021, (TON):  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had a phone call with his outgoing Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani late, as the two parties discussed relations and regional developments.

In a statement released from Turkey’s Directorate of Communications, it was underlined that Erdoğan also vowed to continue his country’s close dialogue with the newly elected Iranian government headed by President-elect Ebrahim Raisi.

The statement also added that the leaders exchanged congratulations on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.

Iranian judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi recently won the presidential elections.

Rouhani had previously said “I congratulate the people on their choice.”

he said last month after the election results had shown a clear lead for Raisi “my official congratulations will come later, but we know who got enough votes in this election and who is elected today by the people.”

NAYPYITAW, 22 July 2021, (TON): Human Rights Watch said that the Myanmar junta’s military tribunals have sentenced 65 people to death following unjust trials since the military coup on February 1, 2021.

State media and local groups have reported that 26 of those sentenced are currently detained, while 39 were convicted in absentia.

Military tribunals handed down the death sentences in areas of Yangon where the junta declared martial law in March. In imposing martial law, the junta transferred all executive and judicial power to the head of the relevant regional military command and instituted the death penalty as a possible sentence for 23 crimes.

Shayna Bauchner, Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch said “the Myanmar junta has added to its mass shootings of protesters on the streets by having military tribunals hand down several dozen death sentences after egregiously unfair trials۔”

Apparently aimed to chill the anti-coup protest movement, these death sentences should serve as a stark warning to foreign governments that urgent action is needed to show the junta that there will be a reckoning for its crimes.

On March 14 and 15, the State Administration Council (SAC) junta declared martial law in 11 townships in Yangon and Mandalay, following a weekend in which security forces killed an estimated 120 people during anti-coup protests. The Yangon commander, Maj. Gen. Nyunt Win Swe, was granted oversight of all administrative and judicial powers in the designated Yangon townships.

The martial law orders lay out 23 categories of crimes to be charged in military tribunals in the designated townships, all of them carrying a potential sentence of capital punishment. The designated offenses include several put in place by the junta since the coup. The majority are not capital crimes in civilian courts. The 65 death sentences have been imposed for murder charges under penal code sections 302, 396, and 397.

NEW DELHI, 22 July 2021, (TON):  In a major boost for the Indian Air Force (IAF), three more Rafale fighter jets arrived in India after flying non-stop from France.

IAF said that the aircraft were provided mid-air refuelling by the air force of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

IAF said in a tweet "three Rafale aircraft arrived in India a short while ago, after a direct ferry from Istres Air Base, France. IAF deeply appreciates the support by UAE Air Force for in-flight refuelling during the non-stop ferry."

Three Rafale aircraft arrived in India a short while ago, after a direct ferry from #IstresAirBase, France.

IAF deeply appreciates the support by UAE Air Force for in-flight refuelling during the non-stop ferry.

The second squadron will start operations by July-end at Hashimara Air Force Base in West Bengal, with the Rafale aircraft that have already arrived in Ambala flying there from next week.

The first Rafale squadron is based in the Ambala air force station. It had already started patrolling the borders with China in eastern Ladakh and other areas.

The squadron in Hashimara would give a major boost to air preparedness against the Chinese Air Force as it will bring a number of Chinese airfields in close range of the Indian aircraft.

NAYPYITAW, 22 July 2021, (TON): The head of Russia's state arms exporter said that Moscow was cooperating closely with Myanmar's ruling junta to supply it with military hardware including aircraft.

Rights activists have accused Moscow of legitimising the junta, which seized power in a Feb. 1 coup, by continuing bilateral visits and arms deals.

Alexander Mikheev, the head of Rosoboronexport  said "there is close cooperation between us on the supply of military products, including aircraft."

He gave no further details.

Mikheev described Myanmar as one of Rosoboronexport's main clients in southeast Asia and a key partner of Rostec, Russia's state aerospace and defence conglomerate.

He made the comments at Russia's annual MAKS air show, which President Vladimir Putin attended on Tuesday.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told Myanmar's junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing during his visit to the Russian capital last month that Moscow was committed to strengthening military ties.