Indian American Geeta Rao Gupta has been confirmed by the US Senate as the Ambassador at Large for Global Women's Issues in the State Department. In a tweet, the department expressed interest in her work to advance women's and girls' rights through US foreign policy. By a vote of 51 to 47, the US Senate confirmed Geeta. According to Geeta, there are many inequities and indignities that women suffer around the world, which hold them back from participating fully in the economy. "In situations of conflict and emergencies and humanitarian crises they are particularly vulnerable, both in terms of their safety but also in terms of their being able to look after their families and feed their families," she said during her confirmation hearing.
Nepal lawmaker strips in the House
An agitated Nepalese lawmaker took off his shirt in the House of Representatives for not being allowed to speak amid a heated discussion over the fake refugee scam that apparently involves top former home ministry officials. Nepal police are investigating the scam related to the trafficking of Nepalese nationals as Bhutanese refugees abroad. Amaresh Singh, an independent lawmaker, took off his shirt as Speaker Devraj Ghimire did not allot a slot for him to speak at the beginning of the meeting. Ghimire warned him of action if he did not behave properly in the House. Following the warning, Singh put his shirt back on.
Sherpa climbs Everest 26th time
A Nepali sherpa guide climbed Mount Everest for the 26th time, hiking officials said, becoming the world’s second person to achieve the feat. Pasang Dawa Sherpa, 46, stood atop the 8,849-m (29,032-ft) peak, sharing the record number of summits with Kami Rita Sherpa, said Bigyan Koirala, a government tourism official. If he reaches the summit, Kami Rita, who is currently climbing Everest, could break yet another record. Pasang Dawa reached the top with a Hungarian client, said an official of his employer. “They are descending from the top now and are in good shape,” the official said.
6 militants, 7 soldiers killed in Pak raid
A raid on militants in Pakistan's southwest in response to an earlier attack on soldiers left seven troops, six militants and a civilian dead, the army said. The operation continued for two days after a group of militants attacked a camp of soldiers in the Qila Saifullah district of northern Balochistan province. The militants also held hostage three families, including women and children, at the residential area of the army camp, the army said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for that attack. A statement by the military’s media wing said seven soldiers, six militants and a civilian were killed in the ensuing raid. A woman was also wounded during the operation.
YouTuber faces 20 years’ jail for staged plane crash
The US justice department announced that an influencer who faked a plane crash in California so he could upload a YouTube video showing himself jumping to safety has agreed to admit to burning the debris in order to obstruct the inquiry. The plea agreement signed by Trevor Daniel Jacob, 29, of Lompoc, California, and his attorney was filed in US district court in Los Angeles. Jacob, an experienced pilot and skydiver, agreed to plead guilty to one count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation, which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
14-year-old shot in US while playing
A 14-year-old girl was shot and wounded over the weekend while playing hide and-seek in Louisiana, police said - the latest in a tragic series of similar US shootings. The incident occurred in the town of Starks in Texas, the sheriff’s office said. Officers called to the scene found a teenage girl “suffering from a gunshot wound to the back of her head”, though she was transported to the hospital with “non-life threatening injuries”. After investigating, police learned that several young people were “playing hide and seek in the area and were hiding on the neighbour’s property”. When detectives spoke with the owner of the property, he said he “observed shadows outside his home”.
Egypt, Qatar helped broker ceasefire in Gaza Strip
Egypt and Qatar played a major role in achieving the latest ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources said. The sources said the unofficial ceasefire has reached thanks to mediation efforts by Egyptian and Qatari officials after the Palestinian factions launched dozens of rockets at Israel in response to the death of senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad official Khader Adnan in Israeli custody after an 86-day hunger strike. “The Egyptians, Qataris and other mediators relayed messages to Hamas and Islamic Jihad to the effect that Israel does not want another war. They also warned them that a new war would have disastrous consequences on the residents of the Gaza Strip.”
Chinese appeals in fight for right to freeze her eggs
An unmarried Chinese woman began her final appeal of a hospital’s denial of access to freeze her eggs five years ago in a landmark case of female reproductive rights in the country. Teresa Xu’s case has drawn broad coverage in China, including by some state media outlets, since she first brought her case to court in 2019. She lost her legal challenge last year at another Beijing court. In China, the law does not explicitly ban unmarried people from services like fertility treatments and simply states that a “husband and wife” can have up to three children. But hospitals and other institutions, in practice, implement the regulations in a way that requires people to present a marriage license.
Vietnam plans to ask all social media users on platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and TikTok to verify their identities, citing the need to combat online scams. The nation has one of the highest online fraud rates in Asia, with financial, identity and romantic scams particularly common. But social media restrictions are also used by the communist state to curb freedom of expression, and government critics with online followings are regularly targeted. No details were shared about the potential punishments for breaking this law.