Nepal

In the Sagarmata area alone, the Nepali name for the world's highest mountain, the accumulation of waste amounts to about five tonnes per day. Environmental conditions complicate regular collection efforts and the increasing number of hikers does not help, but mountaineering alone earns Nepal 10 per cent of its GDP.

Nepal has decided to print on its 100 rupee banknotes a map of the country that includes disputed territories with India. The Indian Foreign Minister immediately expressed his disapproval. A working group had been set up in 2024 to resolve the border dispute, but the meetings were suspended from 2019.

Today's news: Imran Khan appeals to the International Monetary Fund demanding independent verification of the vote before negotiations; Taiwan's TSMC opened its first microchip factory in Japan; Egyptian economy collapses as tourism, gas and Suez Canal hit by war in Gaza; In Russia more victims of the repression of crimes of opinion under Putin than in the thirty years from Kruschev to Andropov.

Hundreds of Nepali doctors saw their US medical licensing scores invalidated on suspicion of cheating. They slam examination administrators for linking national origin to possible cheating, saying it discriminates against them and unfairly casts doubt on their training. This also casts a shadow over 1,500 Nepali doctors already working in the United States.

More than 500 Nepali savings cooperatives are in dire straits with US$ 490 million in depositors’ money at risk. The lack of controls and the use of money by promoters to obtain bank loans are blamed. The prime minister promises to intervene, but victims accuse politicians of complicity.

Temperatures warmer than seasonal averages and low rainfall over the past few months have resulted in what experts describe as the "driest winter" in the region. From Nepal and northern Pakistan to Tibet and Bhutan, a combination of different weather factors is to blame, including the climate crisis and El Niño.

The war against Hamas is profoundly changing Israel’s labour market, especially in agriculture and construction. Tens of thousands of Thais and Nepalis have left, while Palestinian workers are no longer allowed in with Israel calling up of 350,000 reservists. India and Sri Lanka are looking with interest at the opportunities created even if the Indian government will not provide any social protections.

A video showing three hostages was released yesterday, fuelling expectations about their fate. Thailand and Nepal are seeking to get information about their own citizens held in Gaza. The terminally ill mother of an Israeli-Chinese woman seen on a video at the time of the abductions attended a rally in Tel Aviv.

Officially emigrating for work, Nepalis have been recruited into the Russian army to fight. At least 10 Nepalis have already fallen in Russian regiments. For migrants, the promise of Russian citizenship is an incentive to join up. The Nepali government has decided to block permits and is asking Russia to repatriate its citizens sent to war.

The 12 parishes of the Apostolic Vicariate of Nepal have been asked to take additional security measures during Christmas due to possible attacks by Hindu extremists. "Christmas is a time of joyful celebration and we should celebrate it with joy and not with fear," said Father Silas Bogati, vicar general of the Apostolic Vicariate of Nepal.

Today's news: the Hong Kong government wants to prosecute activist Agnes Chow in Canada too. Israel accuses Hamas of using sexual violence as a weapon of war. After the death of 6 Nepalese soldiers in the Russian army, the Himalayan country has asked Moscow to no longer recruit its citizens. A cyclone in India has caused at least 9 deaths and displaced 8,000 people.

Police harshly cracked down against the unauthorised demonstration led by businessman Durga Pasai. By exploiting widespread poverty, the anti-system activist wants to restore a Hindu state to “Protect the Nation, Nationalism, Religion and Culture”. Deposed in 2008, the last king, Gyanendra, lives in the capital as an ordinary citizen.