World Briefs

envoy Preeti Saran re-elected to key UN body for new term

new york: Veteran diplomat Preeti Saran has been re-elected to the prestigious UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) for a fresh three-year tenure starting 2027, in recognition of her expertise in steering the body through complex global socio-economic challenges. Ambassador Saran is currently serving as the chair of the CESCR, the UN body responsible for monitoring how member nations implement international covenants on economic and social rights. The CESCR operates under the administrative control of the UN Human Rights Commission. Nepal’s ex-PM Oli, ex-home minister Lekhak released on bail

kathmandu: Nepal’s former prime minister K P Sharma Oli and ex-home minister Ramesh Lekhak were on Thursday released from custody on a personal recognisance bail, police said. Oli, the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Lennist), and Lekhak, a senior Nepali Congress leader, were arrested last month on charges of alleged involvement in suppressing the Gen Z movement of September 8 and 9 last year, in which 76 people died. On Monday, a joint bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justices Binod Sharma and Sunil Kumar Pokharel ordered authorities to complete the investigation against Oli and Lekhak by Thursday or release them from custody. Oli and Lekhak have been released on condition.