Politics, policy and power from Kathmandu — reported for readers who follow it from a different time zone.
BreakingNepal
Nepal’s Supreme Court has directed the government to set up licensing and monitoring rules for the controlled cultivation of cannabis for medicinal, scientific and industrial use, after nearly five decades of restrictions. The order does not legalise recreational use or allow farmers to grow the plant freely.
Nepal
The release of detained journalists following the prime minister’s intervention does not end the controversy. Parliament must investigate who ordered the police operation, why newsrooms were targeted and whether press freedom was violated!
Nepal
Nepali Congress president Gagan Kumar Thapa has said the release of detained journalists does not close the issue, challenged the ruling RSP to accept political responsibility, and demanded publication of three unreleased investigation reports, as the party moves to take its case to Parliament.
BreakingNepal
Nepal and Bhutan have jointly proposed a special agenda titled "1.5°C Warming in Mountains" at COP31, calling for stronger global action to protect Himalayan glaciers, water resources, biodiversity and communities facing the growing effects of climate change.
BreakingNepal
The Kulekhani reservoir reached the 1,528.50-metre warning threshold on Saturday, prompting a first-stage siren and precautionary warnings for communities along the Bagmati in Rautahat and Sarlahi.
Nepal
Plainclothes police took three editors and journalists into custody and sought others at media offices in Kathmandu on October 30, reportedly over reporting on the police chief. All were released the same evening, but who authorised the operation and on what legal grounds remains unanswered.
Nepal
Nepal Police chief Dan Bahadur Karki called senior officers from all seven provinces to Police Headquarters on October 29, as reports said the government wanted him out. Karki told them nobody had asked him to resign. No removal decision has been confirmed.
Nepal
Daily demand for blood in Kathmandu Valley exceeds 400 pints while collections have fallen to about 20, as the Dashain exodus and closed offices and colleges disrupt donations, prompting the Nepal Red Cross Society to appeal urgently for eligible donors.
BreakingNepal
The Department of Immigration has suspended restricted-area trekking permits from October 29 to 31 as authorities warn of heavy snowfall, snowstorms and possible avalanches linked to Cyclone Arnab, and has urged trekkers already in high-risk areas to stop and stay in safe places.
Nepal
Official records show 464 civil servants have resigned since the fiscal year began on 17 July, as a proposed Federal Civil Service Bill would retire some serving staff at 55 or after 30 years of service and cap pension calculations at 30 years, raising fears over benefits and legal concerns.
BreakingNepal
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, will give Nepal vaccines and grants worth about Rs 8.59 billion for routine immunisation through 2030 and has waived a US$308,271 audit repayment, Health Minister Nisha Mehta announced, though Nepal must still pay about Rs 2.5 billion in co-financing.
Nepal
Rain is forecast across parts of Nepal from October 28 to November 1, just as farmers cut and dry their paddy. Dhading's Agriculture Development Office has told farmers to bring in ripe crops where they can, drain their fields and keep cut grain dry, and to wait until after November 1 if they cannot do it safely. Earlier October storms already damaged paddy in western Nepal.
Nepal
Land Management Minister Pratibha Rawal told residents in Bharatpur-11, Chitwan, on October 26 that land ownership certificates should go to eligible landless people as a right and urged local governments and land-problem committees to speed up. About 1.3 million applications are in the system, and only a few thousand certificates have been issued.
Nepal
Nepal resumed its 40 MW seasonal electricity exports to Bangladesh on the evening of October 23, after flood damage on August 26 stopped them.India’s Central Electricity Authority approved power from three replacement projects, Solu, Kabeli-1 and Lower Modi. The export season ends on November 15.
Nepal
The UN Loss and Damage Fund agreed on October 22 to provisionally set aside US$21.6 million for Nepal after the August 26 Bhotekoshi floods, the first such emergency decision in the fund’s history. Nepal has not received the money yet. It must submit a proposal for approval, and the sum covers about 0.45% of an estimated US$4.78 billion in recovery needs.
Nepal
Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle said at a summit in New Delhi on October 23 that the era of linking Nepali nationalism with anti-India feeling is over. He wants closer economic ties with India. Former RPP chair Kamal Thapa and other critics say disagreeing with India's actions should not be treated as hostility.
Nepal
Traffic is building at four main entry points to Kathmandu Valley as people return from Dashain, with about 1,000 vehicles a day reported coming in. More than 576,000 people left the Valley for the festival.
Nepal
Women won 69 of the 231 elected seats on the Nepali Congress central committee, or 29.87%, just short of the one-third of its revised statute requires. Three women took top posts at the 15th general convention, but none of the 69 won an unreserved seats. President Gagan Thapa can nominate more women to close the gap.
BreakingNepal
Mustang’s tourist arrivals fell 41.52% in three months after floods cut the Beni–Jomsom road.
BreakingNepal
Banchare Danda landfill will be disrupted from October 18 to 21 as sanitation workers take festival leave. KMC says home collection is off on three dates. Residents should store waste safely.
BreakingNepal
Sudhan Gurung says the government is preparing legislation and reforms for Nepal Police. A Police Bill, 2081 already appears on Parliament’s website, so the bill’s status needs clarifying.
BreakingNepal
Dik Bahadur Damai stayed in Dillibazar Prison after May 20, when his sentence expired.
Nepal
A new procedure lets relatives of people missing since the August 26 Bhotekoshi-Trishuli disaster seek official recognition of death. It could unlock compensation, insurance and property services.
