Briefly

CHINA

Nepalese foreign minister to pay visit

Nepalese Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal will visit China from Sunday to Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian has announced. China and Nepal are traditional friendly neighbors, Lin said at a regular news conference. China attaches great importance to its relations with Nepal and stands ready to take the visit as an opportunity to work with Nepal's new government, formed in March, to enhance political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation to further promote their strategic partnership of cooperation, he said.

REPUBLIC OF KOREA

Yoon's team files appeal against sentence

Republic of Korea's former president Yoon Suk-yeol's legal team filed an appeal on Friday against the firstinstance verdict on his general treason charges, Yonhap News Agency reported. Yoon was sentenced to 30 years in prison for general treason linked to the infiltration of drones into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea earlier on Friday by the Seoul Central District Court. Yoon was accused of ordering the operation around October 2024 with the intent of militarily provoking the DPRK in a bid to create a pretext for his martial law declaration in December of the same year.

THAILAND

Princess Bajrakitiyabha passes away at 47

Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the eldest daughter of Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn, passed away on Thursday at age 47 after more than three years of hospitalization, the Bureau of the Royal Household announced on Friday. In a statement, the bureau said the princess passed away at 7:48 pm at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok, where she had been receiving treatment since December 2022. Princess Bajrakitiyabha lost consciousness on Dec 14, 2022, after suffering a sudden heart problem. The king has ordered the bureau to arrange a funeral with the highest royal honors.

UNITED STATES

Trump to nominate intelligence head

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he will nominate Jay Clayton, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, as director of national intelligence. Trump announced the nomination on social media amid pressure from Congress to name a permanent replacement for Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned last month. Trump faced intense push-back over his decision to name Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director.

CHINA DAILY-AGENCIES-XINHUA