CHINESE DEFENCE MINISTER IN NEPAL TO BOLSTER MILITARY COOPERATION

China's Defence Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday to

meet Nepal's top leadership and bolster military cooperation and take the

existing friendly bilateral relations to a new height.

Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa welcomed him at the Tribhuvan International

Airport, according to the state-run Nepal Television.

The Chinese Defence Minister, also a State Councillor, told reporters that

his visit is aimed at implementing bilateral understandings reached between

the two governments in the past.

Mr. Wei said that the visit will promote bilateral military cooperation

between Nepal and China, and take the existing friendly relations between

the two neighbours to a new height.

This is the highest-level visit from China after President Xi Jinping's

two-day state visit that took place in October last year.

According to Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Wei will pay courtesy

calls on President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister and Minister for

Defence K P Sharma Oli during his brief stay in Kathmandu.

He is also scheduled to hold a delegation-level meeting with Nepal's Chief

of Army Staff General Purna Chandra Thapa.

The Chinese Defence Minister, who is leading a 21-member delegation, will

return to Beijing on Sunday evening.

His visit comes days after India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla

wrapped up his maiden two-day visit to Nepal. In the first week of November,

Indian Army chief Gen. M M Naravane paid a three-day visit to Nepal aimed at

resetting bilateral ties that came under severe strain following a bitter

border row between the two countries.

Wei's visit also comes amidst an ongoing political rift in the ruling Nepal

Communist Party (NCP) that resurfaced following a meeting between Prime

Minister Oli and his rival Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'

"WON'T CHANGE MY MIND": TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON ELECTION FRAUD CLAIM

US President Donald Trump has indicated that he will not formally concede to

Joe Biden and abandon his claims of mass ballot fraud.

"It's not like you're gonna change my mind. My mind will not change in six

months," Trump told Fox News in his first TV interview since losing his

re-election bid.

"This election was rigged. This election was a total fraud," he claimed,

without backing this up. "We won the election easily."

Despite Trump's unprecedented attack on the validity of the US election

system, his legal team has yet to provide any evidence that stands up in

court.

Case after case has been rejected by judges around the country.

The latest rebuff came from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which yesterday

turned down a lawsuit filed by Trump supporters seeking to contest Biden's

win in the state.

"We're trying to put the evidence in and the judges won't allow us to do

it," Trump said. "We are trying. We have so much evidence."

Ignoring the usual boundaries between his office and the judicial and law

enforcement system, Trump complained that the Department of Justice and FBI

were not helping him.

They are "missing in action," he said, also questioning the point of the

Supreme Court if it doesn't intervene.

"We should be heard by the Supreme Court. Something has to be able to get up

there. Otherwise, what is the Supreme Court?" he asked.

'WORLD'S SMALLEST ATOM-MEMORY UNIT CREATED'

Houston: Researchers have created the smallest memory device yet, an advance

that may lead to faster, smaller, and more energy-efficient electronic chips

for consumer electronics and brain-inspired computing. The scientists from

the University of Texas at Austin in the US also found the physics that

unlocks dense memory storage capabilities for these tiny devices, states a

study published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

HK LEADER PILES UP CASH AT HOME AFTER SANCTIONS

Hong Kong: Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says she has to pile up cash at home

as she has been unable to open a bank account in the global financial centre

since Washington sanctioned her after Beijing imposed a national security

law on the city. Beijing circumvented Hong Kong's legislature and imposed a

national security law on June 30, a move condemned by foreign governments.

MUSLIMS IN NEPAL HOLD ANTI-CHINA PROTEST DEMANDING JUSTICE FOR UYGHURS

Muslims in Nepal on Sunday organised a protest against atrocities on Uyghur

Muslims in the Xinjiang province of China.

The protesters raised voice against the demolition of thousands of mosques

in Xinjiang and the treatment being meted out to them by the Chinese

government.

Muslims in Pokhara also joined the international community in expressing

their views on the gruesome human rights violations against Uyghur Muslims.

The Muslim Kalyankari Samaj held a protest in Pokhara highlighting the

severe anxiety and anger among local Muslims against Uyghur in China.

The community leaders said that they would keep raising their concern

against atrocities on Uyghurs in the future as well.

Similar protests were held in Nepal a few days ago.

UK, FRANCE SIGN NEW DEAL TO STOP ILLEGAL MIGRATION ACROSS CHANNEL

Britain and France signed a new agreement to try to stop illegal migration

across the Channel on Saturday, upping patrols and technology in the hope of

closing off a dangerous route used by migrants to try to reach the UK on

small boats.

UK interior minister Priti Patel said that under the deal, the number of

officers patrolling French beaches would double, and new equipment including

drones and radar would be employed.

This year, hundreds of people, including some children, have been caught

crossing to southern England from makeshift camps in northern France -

navigating one of the world's busiest shipping routes in overloaded rubber

dinghies. Some migrants have drowned.

Patel said in statement that the agreement represented a step forward in the

pair's mission to make channel crossings unviable.

"Thanks to more police patrols on French beaches and enhanced intelligence

sharing between our security and law enforcement agencies, we are already

seeing fewer migrants leaving French beaches," she said.

The UK and France plan to continue a close dialogue to reduce migratory

pressures at the shared border over the next year, she added.

AT LEAST 64 DEAD AS AFGHANISTAN VIOLENCE SPIRALS

Afghanistan witnessed its worst violence in recent months, with two suicide

bombings killing at least 34 people, mostly soldiers in a military base. At

least 30 members of Taliban were killed in separate clashes with troops.

The suicide bombings targeted a military base and a provincial chief,

officials said.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attacks, which took

place as Afghan government representatives and the Taliban hold face-to-face

talks in Qatar for the first time to end the country's decades-long war.

In eastern Ghazni province, 31 soldiers were killed and 24 others wounded

when the attacker drove a military humvee full of explosives onto an army

commando base before detonating the car bomb, according to an official in

Afghanistan's National Security Council. Ghazni's provincial health

department chief, Zahir Shah Nikmal, also confirmed the death toll and

casualty figures from the attack.

"Such terrorist attacks will create an atmosphere of fear, terror and

pessimism among the Afghan people and will harm the peace process," said

Abdullah Abdullah, who is leading the overall peace process in Afghanistan.

"The increase in violence is not acceptable to people... and runs against

the peace process, negotiations and reconciliation."

In southern Afghanistan, another suicide car bomber targeted the convoy of a

provincial council chief in Zabul province, killing at least three people

and wounding 21 others, including children. Interior ministry spokesman

Tariq Arian said a suicide bombing took place, without giving further

details.

POPE, WITH NEW CARDINALS, WARNS CHURCH AGAINST MEDIOCRITY

Pope Francis, joined by the church's newest cardinals in Mass on Sunday,

warned against mediocrity as well as seeking out "godfathers" to promote

one's own career.

Eleven of the 13 new cardinals sat near the central altar of St Peter's

Basilica, where Francis on Saturday had bestowed upon them the red hats

symbolizing they are now so-called princes of the church.

Two of the new cardinals couldn't make it to Rome because of pandemic travel

complications. The freshly-minted cardinals who did come to the Vatican wore

protective masks and purple vestments, as the Church began the solemn

liturgical season of Advent in the run-up to Christmas.

In his homily, Francis decried what he called "a dangerous kind of sleep: it

is the slumber of mediocrity."

He added that Jesus "above all else detests lukewarm-ness."

Being chosen to head Vatican departments or eventually becoming pope

themselves could be in any of these new cardinals' future. Cardinals often

advise popes and pick the next pontiff by conferring among themselves and

then meeting in secret conclave to select one of their own to lead the Roman

Catholic Church and its roughly 1.3 billion rank-and-file faithful.

Francis has often warned against clericalism during his papacy, and he

picked up on that theme in Sunday's homily.

"If we are awaited in Heaven, why should we be caught up with earthly

concerns? Why should we be anxious about money, fame, success, all of which

will fade away?" the pope said.

Deviating from his prepared text, he added: "Why look for godfathers for

promoting one's career?"

FIRE BAN IN AUSTRALIA AFTER HOTTEST NOV NIGHT

Parts of Australia, including Sydney, sweltered through the hottest November

night on record with temperatures likely to stay high on Sunday, prompting

authorities to issue a total fire ban.

Sydney CBD surpassed 40 degrees Celsius on Saturday while swathes of western

New South Wales, South Australia and northern Victoria baked through even

higher temperatures nearing 45 degrees.

Temperatures are expected to cross 40 degrees for a second straight day on

Sunday while the Bureau of Meteorology has predicted a five or six-day

heatwave for parts of northern New South Wales and southeast Queensland.

The predictions for soaring temperatures prompted the Australian Energy

Market Operator to say demand may exceed supply in New South Wales on Sunday

afternoon.

Australia has been experiencing hotter and longer summers with last season

dubbed "Black Summer" by Prime Minister Scott Morrison due to unusually

prolonged and intense bushfires that burned nearly 12 million hectares,

killed 33 people and an estimated 1 billion animals.

The Rural Fire Service issued a total fire ban for most of eastern and

northeastern NSW for Sunday.