Kathmandu:  An Independent MP in Nepal, Amresh Kumar Singh, on Monday took off his shirt and vest in the House in protest against not being given time to speak.

Singh, a former Nepali Congress leader, contested the elections last year as an Independent candidate from Sarlahi after the Nepali Congress did not give him a ticket.

Singh, who had done Ph.D from Jawaharlal Nehru University in the Indian capital of Delhi, took off his clothes after Devraj Ghimire, Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) did not allow him to speak.

Ghimire warned him that “action would be taken if he did not behave politely in the HoR meeting.

“I am ready to become a martyr for speaking against corruption,” said Singh before taking off his clothes.

Ghimire asked him to take care of “parliamentary dignity and decorum”.

Singh, however, refused to listen to any of the requests by the Speaker and began taking off his clothes.

Reacting to this, some lawmakers have demanded a medical test of Singh, who left the House after the episode.

This was the first-ever such incident to have happened in the history of Nepal’s Parliament.

Tokyo: A woman was injured following a coffee can exploding and splashing her with the contents at a train station in northern Tokyo, local media and police said on Monday.

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, what was believed to be a can of coffee exploded just before 4:00 p.m. (local time) at Nishiarai Station in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward.

The police received an emergency call from an employee at the station operated by private railway operator Tobu Railway following the explosion, saying, “There was a sound like an explosion or a burst.”

The can was placed near a ticket vending machine and following its explosion doused the woman aged in her 20s or 30s in its liquid contents, Xinhua news agency reported.

As a result of the explosion and the contents hitting the woman, she said her forehead had been hurt and she had felt the heat from the liquid.

The police have since recovered the suspicious can and an investigation is underway as to the cause of the explosion and the exact contents contained in the suspicious can.

New York: An Indian-origin primary care physician in US’ Georgia has been accused of sexually assaulting four of his female patients during routine check-ups over a 12-month period.

Rajesh Motibhai Patel, 68, was indicted last week on multiple counts of violating his patients’ constitutional right to bodily integrity while acting under colour of law and for engaging in unwanted sexual contact, a Department of Justice release said.

According to information presented in court, between 2019 and 2020, Patel, a physician at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Decatur, allegedly assaulted four of his female patients by touching them improperly during routine exams. Investigators believe that Patel may have victimised additional patients.

“Patel allegedly sexually abused his female patients and violated his oath to do no harm to patients under his care,” US Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said.

“Veterans and their families expect and deserve the highest quality of healthcare delivered in a safe and accountable setting,” Veteran Affairs Inspector General Michael J. Missal said.

He said that the department has been cooperating the law enforcement to ensure the safety of patients.

Beijing:  China’s Defence Minister Li Shangfu on Monday told Pakistan’s Navy Chief Amjad Khan Niazi that their militaries, including their navies, should “expand into new fields of cooperation” to bolster the capability of the two neighbours in safeguarding security in the region, Pakistan media reported.

Ties between the two militaries stretch back years, with their navies and air forces holding bilateral exercises in each other’s territory.

Shangfu told Niazi, who was visiting Beijing, that the two countries’ military relationship was a key part of bilateral ties, Geo News reported.

“The two militaries should expand into new areas of exchanges, create new high points of cooperation to continuously enhance their ability to deal with all sorts of risks and challenges, and jointly maintain the security interests of the two countries and of the region,” said Li, according to a statement on China’s Ministry of National Defence website.

Niazi’s visit comes after Zhang Youxia, Vice-Chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, said in late April that the Chinese military is willing to build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, Geo News reported.

“Chinese military is willing to work with the Pakistani military to further deepen and expand practical cooperation, continuously push mil-to-mil relationship to a higher level, and jointly safeguard the common interests of the two countries, as well as the regional peace and stability,” General Zhang said during a meeting with Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir.

Islamabad:  It seems that Pakistan may not get the crucial tranche from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) anytime soon, as the country’s loan programme is not on the agenda of the lender’s Executive Board till May 17, local media reported.

Pakistan and the IMF have been discussing fiscal policy measures in the review since February, aiming to resume stalled funding of $1.1 billion due in November from a $6.5-billion programme agreed in 2019, Geo News reported.

Pakistan is trying to unlock the crucial ninth review as other multilateral lenders have set the revival of the IMF programme as a precondition to unlock funding.

The IMF funding is vital for Pakistan to avert a default on its external payment obligations during a balance of payment crisis, in which foreign exchange reserves have shrunk to just four weeks of controlled imports, Geo News reported.

According to sources, the global lender is not satisfied with the assurances given to it by Pakistan’s friendly countries.

Officials of the finance ministry, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, shared that Pakistan has fulfilled multiple conditions set by the lender for the revival of the loan facility. They added that the staff-level agreement on the ninth review was supposed to be signed by February 9.

They further said that the delay in the IMF programme is likely to affect the budget planning which is expected to be tabled in the second week of June, Geo News reported.

Last week, IMF mission chief in Pakistan Nathan Porter said the lender was working with Pakistan to conclude a ninth review of the bailout programme.

As part of the conditions, Pakistan has given an assurance that its balance of payments gap this fiscal year, which ends in June, is fully funded.

Pakistan has announced pledges worth $3 billion in financing support from Saudi Arabia and UAE, but the funds are yet to come through. Longtime ally China has rolled over and refinanced its loans, Geo News reported.