Nepal has imposed a ban on the import of Indian mangoes after detecting excessive levels of chemical pesticides in imported consignments. The decision was announced by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development in Kathmandu, following a similar move by Japan in May. The ministry stated that the measure aims to ensure food safety and protect consumers.

Officials from Nepal’s Madhesh Province said the ban would help expand the market for locally grown fruits. Ministry spokesperson Manish Kumar Pal told The Rising Nepal that the decision would encourage domestic fruit production and allow citizens access to healthier and safer produce.

However, mango traders in Nepal expressed concern that the ban could lead to shortages, price increases, and financial losses. Although Nepal produces and exports mangoes, domestic production is insufficient to meet local demand, and the mango season lasts only two months each year.

Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah told parliament on Sunday that both Nepal and India have occupied each other’s territories. Responding to a question, he said that after assuming office he learned Nepal also holds parts of Indian land, just as India occupies Nepali land. Shah emphasized that both sides should engage in dialogue to examine the issue and resolve it through diplomatic means.

He added that Nepal has also communicated with China and the United Kingdom regarding the border dispute. According to Shah, the UK should show interest because the problem dates back to the period when Britain left the region. Citing a report by The Kathmandu Post, the article said Nepal has already sent an official diplomatic note to India.

Shah stated that India replied by agreeing to form a joint committee of historians, surveyors, and regional experts from both governments to seek a negotiated solution.

A new world record was set on Mount Everest as 274 climbers successfully reached the summit within 24 hours. Nepalese authorities confirmed the achievement on Thursday, May 21, 2026, citing favorable weather conditions that allowed a large number of climbers to ascend simultaneously via the southern route. Officials from the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal said such a high number of summits in one day had never been seen before.

Everest is typically climbed through two main routes: the southern route from Nepal and the northern route from Tibet, China. In 2019, 223 climbers summited via Nepal and 113 via China in a single day. This year, with China’s route closed, most climbers concentrated on the Nepal side. The season began slowly due to a large ice block hanging dangerously over the main route, but conditions later improved, allowing expeditions to resume.

Authorities said the climbing season will continue through the end of May, with about 494 foreign climbers and an equal number of Sherpa guides aiming to reach the 8,848.86-meter peak.

Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah has cancelled scheduled meetings with several senior foreign diplomats, including India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and the US Special Representative, sparking new discussions in South Asian diplomatic circles. Misri’s planned visit to Kathmandu on May 11–12, intended to discuss bilateral relations and the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage route, was called off at the last moment by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Indian media reported that Shah prefers to meet counterparts of equal rank, such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, rather than senior officials. Analysts suggest the cancellations reflect both a nationalist stance and pressure from ongoing border disputes, particularly over the Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura, and Kalapani regions. Nepal’s 2020 map revision claiming these areas as its own intensified tensions with India.

Kathmandu stated that Shah is currently focused on administrative reforms and will meet only heads of state or foreign ministers. The government also emphasized a “balanced diplomacy” approach among India, the United States, and China, though observers are debating whether China’s growing influence in Nepal is shaping this policy direction.

A Turkish Airlines aircraft caught fire while landing at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, on May 11, 2026. Authorities confirmed that all 277 passengers and 11 crew members were safe. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, the fire is believed to have started from a spark in the right landing gear during touchdown. Rescue operations were completed, and an investigation into the cause of the incident is underway.

Following the incident, the airport’s only runway was closed for about two hours before resuming operations. Kathmandu’s airports are considered among the world’s most challenging due to their mountainous surroundings and complex terrain, which increase risks for pilots.

A similar Turkish Airlines incident occurred at the same airport in 2015 when a plane skidded off the runway, though no injuries were reported. Nepal has faced multiple aviation safety issues in the past, prompting plans to improve safety standards amid European Union restrictions on its airlines.

Nepal has lodged a formal protest against India’s announcement to resume a pilgrimage route through the disputed Lipulekh pass in the Himalayas. The Indian government said on Thursday that pilgrimages to Tibet’s Kailash Mansarovar would restart this year via the Lipulekh corridor, which connects India, China, and Nepal. The route had been closed since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement issued Sunday, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted that the Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura, and Kalapani regions fall within Nepal’s territory under the 1816 Sugauli Treaty signed with the British colonial rulers. Kathmandu expressed strong objection to India’s decision, calling it a violation of Nepal’s sovereignty.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs responded that the Lipulekh route has been used by Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Bon pilgrims since 1954 and dismissed Nepal’s claim as baseless and historically unfounded. According to India’s plan, 500 Hindu pilgrims will travel through Uttarakhand to Tibet this year, while others will use a separate route via Sikkim.

A large ice block above Mount Everest Base Camp has forced hundreds of climbers and local guides to suspend their ascent toward the summit. Nepal’s Department of Mountaineering official Himlal Gautam said on Friday that the ice barrier, or serac, between Base Camp and Camp One was unstable and unsafe for passage. Climbers are currently waiting at the base camp while authorities monitor the situation.

According to government data, 410 foreign climbers have been granted permits to attempt Everest this spring season, which typically ends in late May. Experienced Sherpas, known as “Icefall Doctors,” usually complete rope and ladder installations across the Khumbu Icefall by mid-April, but this year the work has been delayed due to the unstable serac. The Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee plans to conduct an aerial survey to assess the risk, with its chairman Lama Kaji Sherpa warning that avalanche danger remains until the ice melts to a safer level.

The Khumbu Icefall is one of the most perilous sections of the Everest route, and a similar ice collapse in 2014 killed 16 Sherpa guides, marking one of the deadliest incidents in the mountain’s history.

Nepal has undergone a dramatic political transformation following a youth-led uprising that toppled the government last September. The movement, spearheaded by 28-year-old Bablu Gupta and other Gen Z activists, culminated in a March election where the youth-driven Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) achieved a sweeping victory. Nearly 10 percent of the newly elected lawmakers are aged 30 or younger, a sharp rise from less than 2 percent in the previous parliament. The new Prime Minister, 35-year-old rapper and former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, took office on March 27, symbolizing a generational shift in leadership.

The uprising was fueled by frustration over corruption, nepotism, unemployment, and restrictions on social media. Nepal’s transformation stands out amid fading youth movements elsewhere, such as in Bangladesh and Madagascar. The new government has pledged to create 1.2 million jobs, ensure universal health insurance, and build a digital governance system. However, questions remain about the durability of these reforms and the risk of populism.

Nepal’s political renewal has inspired optimism among young people worldwide, though challenges of accountability, inclusion, and economic opportunity continue to test the new leadership’s promises.

Nepal’s new government has established a committee to investigate the assets of politicians and government officials. An official announced on Thursday that the five-member body, led by a former Supreme Court justice, will review the wealth declarations of top figures who have held public office since 2006. The decision was approved in a cabinet meeting, according to Prime Minister’s press and investigation adviser Deepa Dahal, who said the government is finalizing the committee’s timeline and other details.

The formation of this committee was part of a 100-point reform program introduced by Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s administration after taking office. Earlier this month, Nepal issued arrest warrants against former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife on money laundering charges, which Deuba, currently abroad, has denied. Nepal ranks 109th out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.

The committee’s findings are expected to play a key role in the government’s broader anti-corruption and governance reform agenda.

The government of Nepal has decided to introduce a two-day weekend for all public offices and educational institutions. The decision was made during a cabinet meeting held on Sunday. According to administrative experts, the initiative could bring positive outcomes if implemented properly, but poor management might lead to public inconvenience.

Former chairman of the Administrative Court and coordinator of the Administrative Reform Advisory Committee, Kashi Raj Dahal, said the move would be beneficial if proper management is ensured. He noted that it could help save energy, allow employees living near workplaces to engage in farming, and give them more time with their families. However, he cautioned that essential services must remain open and that offices with heavy public demand might not be able to adopt the two-day closure.

Dahal also emphasized the need for strict adherence to working hours once the new rule takes effect. He warned that if employees misuse the schedule by leaving early or arriving late, the reform could create complications instead of benefits.

Nepal’s new Prime Minister and Rastriya Swatantra Party leader Balendra (Balen) Shah has announced major changes to the country’s education system during his first cabinet meeting. The government has introduced a 100-point reform program, with a large portion focused on education. As part of this initiative, all politically affiliated student organizations in schools and universities have been banned, and campuses have been instructed to remove them within a set timeframe. In their place, non-political student councils will be formed within 90 days to represent students’ genuine interests.

According to official documents, the government also aims to depoliticize the administration by prohibiting civil servants and teachers from joining political parties and dissolving party-based trade unions. To reduce exam pressure, all traditional internal exams up to grade five have been abolished, replaced by alternative and psychological assessment methods. Schools with foreign names have been ordered to adopt Nepali names by the end of the year to promote national identity.

The reforms also include removing the citizenship certificate requirement for undergraduate admissions and decentralizing teachers’ pension and record management to provincial education ministries from the next fiscal year.

Nepalese police arrested former Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak on Saturday, accused of involvement in the crackdown on Gen-Z protesters last September. The arrests came a day after newly elected Prime Minister Balendra Shah and his cabinet took office. Kathmandu Valley Police spokesperson Om Adhikari confirmed the arrests and said further legal steps would follow.

The Gen-Z protests erupted after a temporary social media ban, fueled by long-standing economic hardship. The demonstrations turned violent on September 8 and 9, leaving at least 76 people dead, including 20 young protesters on the first day. The unrest led to Oli’s resignation at age 74 and the fall of his government. In the subsequent March 5 election, Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party won an absolute majority.

An interim commission investigating the violence recommended legal action against Oli and other officials, citing negligence in controlling the shootings that killed several children.

Former Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was arrested early Saturday from his residence in Kathmandu on charges related to the deadly suppression of last year’s protests. Police said the 74-year-old leader was taken into custody and later admitted to a Kathmandu clinic for routine health checks due to his age and history of kidney transplants. Former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak was also detained under the same investigation.

The arrests follow a panel’s recommendation to prosecute Oli and Lekhak for criminal negligence in handling the protests that erupted in September last year. The demonstrations began over a social media ban but escalated amid public anger over corruption and economic hardship. At least 70 people, mostly civilians, were killed when police opened fire during the unrest.

The dramatic arrests come just a day after 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician Balen Shah was sworn in as Nepal’s new prime minister, marking a tense political transition in the country.

Former Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was arrested early Saturday, March 28, according to police reports cited by the BBC. Authorities are investigating whether he bears responsibility for the deaths that occurred during the Gen-Z-led protests in September 2025.

The protests, which began as a reaction to a temporary social media ban, evolved into a large-scale anti-corruption youth movement fueled by long-standing economic grievances. At least 77 people were killed during the unrest on September 8 and 9, including 19 young protesters on the first day of the crackdown. The demonstrations were directed against Oli’s government, which had been accused of corruption.

Following the violent suppression of the protests, Oli resigned after failing to control the mass demonstrations. His home minister, Chiren Ramesh Lekhak, had stepped down earlier. An interim government led by former Chief Justice Sushila Karki was later formed, which established a commission headed by former special judge Gauri Bahadur Karki to investigate the uprising and related incidents.

Balendra Shah, leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), was sworn in as Nepal’s youngest prime minister during a special ceremony at the presidential residence, Sheetal Niwas, on Friday. President Ram Chandra Paudel administered the oath of office and secrecy to Shah, who becomes the country’s 47th prime minister.

Shah, a 35-year-old structural engineer and former rapper, won a decisive victory in the March 5 general election from the Jhapa-5 constituency, defeating former prime minister and CPN-UML chairman KP Sharma Oli. The seat had long been considered Oli’s stronghold. The election followed last year’s anti-corruption ‘Gen Z’ protests, in which 76 people were killed. Shah’s RSP secured 182 of the 275 parliamentary seats, paving his way to the premiership.

As the former mayor of Kathmandu, Shah is also the first Madhesi—an inhabitant of Nepal’s southern plains bordering India—to hold the country’s top political office, marking a generational and social milestone in Nepal’s leadership.