Nepal

• An international assessment team from the Asia-Pacific Group (APG), under the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), recently conducted field visits and discussions with Nepali authorities. • The team urged Nepal to accelerate reforms to strengthen its regulatory enforcement, prosecution, and anti-money laundering mechanisms. • These efforts are critical for Nepal to address financial crimes and improve the recovery of illicit assets.

Climbers take advantage of clear weather after threat of ice fall on normal route delayed start of spring season A record 274 climbers have reached the summit of Mount Everest from the Nepalese side in a single day after a spring season that started late because of the threat of ice fall on the normal tourist route.The climbers took advantage of the clear weather on Wednesday, said Rishi Ram Bhandari, of the Expedition Operators Association Nepal. Continue reading...

• Nepal’s opposition parties moved in Kathmandu to block all eight ordinances introduced by the government, escalating political and legal pressure on the ruling side. • The article says the fight centers on measures pushed by the government and now facing an organized effort in the National Assembly to strike them down. • The dispute matters because ordinances are a fast-track tool, and rejecting them would weaken the government’s ability to govern by decree and could deepen parliamentary gridlock.

• India has rejected Nepal's claim and objection to the upcoming Kailash Mansarovar Yatra (pilgrimage) scheduled to proceed via the Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand. • The dispute underscores ongoing border demarcation issues between India and Nepal, specifically regarding the Lipulekh region in the western Himalayas. • The disagreement could impact bilateral relations and regional stability, with implications for trade and cross-border cooperation between the two nations.

Wildlife film pioneer has died aged 74 ‘immersed in nature and surrounded by friends’, his representatives have saidAn award-winning wildlife cameraman renowned for his work with David Attenborough has died aged 74 while trekking in Nepal.Doug Allan, described as a “true pioneer” of wildlife film-making, won several Bafta and Emmy awards and was principal camera operator on a number of BBC series including Planet Earth, Frozen Planet and The Blue Planet. Continue reading...

At least 77 people killed in anti-corruption youth uprising in September, which began over a brief social media banNepal’s former prime minister, KP Sharma Oli, was taken into custody on Saturday as police investigate whether he was negligent in failing to prevent dozens of deaths during Gen Z protests last September.This week, a Nepali panel which investigated violence during the anti-corruption protests recommended that Oli, 74, be prosecuted for failing to prevent the crackdown on the protests. Continue reading...

Balendra Shah, 35, is a symbol of change in country whose government was toppled last year in youth-led uprisingNepal’s rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, who is about to be sworn in as the new prime minister, has issued his first post-election message via rap, urging unity.Hours before the release he swore an oath as a newly elected lawmaker and is due to become the Himalayan republic’s new prime minister on Friday. Continue reading...