Kathmandu: Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba is back home after nearly five months of medical treatment abroad and he’s already put out a public message. His point is simple, he didn’t come back chasing a post or more power. He came back for national unity, for strengthening democracy and for listening to what young people are feeling right now.
He didn’t hold back on the current government either. He says it has failed to meet what people expected of it and that instead of respecting the mandate voters gave it, it has stayed stuck in political bias and grudges. He issued a warning that the foundational principle of democracy cannot be altered, asserting that ultimate authority resides with the public.
He also talked about the country’s youth and not in a vague, feel good way. He said Congress has seen up close how badly young people want change and the quiet frustration many of them carry.
His answer isn’t to brush that aside but to change the party alongside the times, making room for what younger members bring while still respecting the sacrifices of those who came before.
Deuba brought up history too, pointing back to 1990, when BP Koirala returned to Nepal pushing national reconciliation. He says the country needs that same spirit of everyone at the table, working toward unity, today.
There’s low morale among party workers right now and Deuba admitted as much. He said lifting that morale is something he plans to work on directly because he doesn’t think Congress’s job is finished and the party needs to pull together to get stronger.
On the constitution, his position is firm: any protection or amendment has to come through national consensus, not one sided moves. And he repeated that Congress won’t bend on democracy, the constitution or citizens’ rights.
He closed by saying he isn’t after any personal gain from this. He wants to spend whatever time he has left serving the nation, its sovereignty and its democracy, not as a leader chasing a title, he said, but as a lifelong citizen of the country, coming back humbly and ready to serve.
Kathmandu: Budhanilkantha Municipal Hospital has announced plans to expand its healthcare services by adding several specialist medical services starting next fiscal year. The hospital will open a dental department that runs every day, set up cardiology and gynecology services twice a week, offer skin care (dermatology) consultations once a week and increase child health (pediatric) services from one day a week to two days a week.
The hospital shared this plan during its Annual Progress Review and Future Action Plan Program for the fiscal year 2082/83 (2025/26).
Speaking at the event, Budhanilkantha Municipality Mayor Mitharam Adhikari said the municipal hospital has been working with a special focus on the health of local residents and that the municipality has made people’s well being its top priority in its healthcare policy.
Mayor Adhikari also spoke about several ongoing support programs. These include free blood for municipal residents, arranged through coordination with the relevant organizations; free burn treatment at Kirtipur Hospital, a 17 percent discount at HAMS Hospital, NPR 50,000 in financial help for heart treatment at Shahid Gangalal National Heart Centre and a 15 percent discount at Bansbari Neuro Hospital.
Chief Executive Officer Gopal Prasad Pokharel, while presenting the annual progress report and future action plan, said the municipality plans to introduce a free treatment policy by working together with the municipal hospital and other hospitals.
Pokharel also said the hospital’s daily outpatient (OPD) services have increased from two to three. He added that the hospital’s ultrasound service, which began on Asar 12, 2083 (late June 2026), had already treated 348 patients by the end of that month. He reported that orthopedic services had expanded from two days a week to five days a week and that the birthing service, which started on Mangsir 9, 2082 (November 2025), has helped with 22 deliveries so far.
Hospital Director Dr. Sudhanshu Jha shared that during the fiscal year 2082/83, the hospital served 46,848 outpatients, treated 3,414 emergency cases, supported 4,304 health insurance beneficiaries and helped 3,811 other service recipients bringing the total number of people served to 54,073. Dr. Jha noted that as public expectations keep rising, keeping the trust of the people the hospital serves remains its biggest challenge.
Municipality spokesperson and Ward No. 10 Chairperson Navaraj Bhattarai reaffirmed the municipality’s commitment to building a healthy Budhanilkantha. He praised the impressive progress made over the past two years and stressed how important it is to keep expanding services so more people can benefit.
Bhattarai also said that the quality of the municipal hospital’s services reflects on the elected officials and he urged the administration to work harder to meet public expectations.
At the event, Dr. Kalu Singh Khatri, a member of the Hospital Management Committee and Dr. Bhupendra Basnet, Director of Bir Hospital, along with other participants, gave their suggestions on how to improve both the quality and the reach of specialist healthcare services at the municipal hospital.
Kathmandu: Typhoon Dolphin has hit eastern China hard and reports say more than a million people have had to leave their homes.
The storm came ashore near Yuhuan in Zhejiang province on Sunday evening, packing winds of around 150km/h. It is being called the strongest typhoon to hit China this year.
By Monday morning, authorities had downgraded it to a tropical storm but heavy rain and flood warnings remain in place across several provinces, including Shanghai, through Wednesday.
Shanghai alone cancelled about 1,400 flights and moved over 30,000 people to safety. In Wenzhou, more than 900,000 residents were relocated and over 1,000 emergency shelters were opened.
Videos from state media show flooded streets in Shanghai’s old French Concession with people wading through water that reached their ankles.
Popular spots like Shanghai Disneyland and the Bund viewing platforms have shut down for now. A nine year old boy from Zhejiang is reported missing after being swept out to sea, though officials have not confirmed any deaths so far.
State broadcaster CCTV said Dolphin travelled nearly 6,000km before making landfall which is an unusually long path for a typhoon and this may explain its size and heavy rainfall.
Chinese police have also detained two people for spreading fake storm videos online, including one made with AI showing a false claim about someone falling from a building in Shanghai.
Before reaching China, Dolphin had already brought heavy rain to the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan’s Okinawa island.
Kathmandu: European football’s governing body is not backing down. UEFA said on Thursday it still has no confidence in FIFA president Gianni Infantino, even after FIFA apologised for its failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup.
UEFA had earlier voted to boycott FIFA competitions over the plan which involved selling profits from the tournament through a commercial arm. Infantino later dropped the idea. But UEFA says that is not enough.
In a statement, the body said its member associations had set two clear conditions: the sale plan must be withdrawn and FIFA must promise nothing like it happens again. Neither condition, UEFA said, has been fully met.
The statement also repeated that UEFA has lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership and that this position has not changed.
The pressure on Infantino is growing from several sides. FIFPRO, the global players’ union, accused him of a serious misuse of his position as president.
England’s Football Association has pulled its backing for his re-election. Even Amnesty International weighed in saying the crisis shows FIFA needs better governance.
FIFA tried to show unity after a summit in Morocco on Wednesday saying top officials there still support Infantino. The organisation apologised for mistakes in handling the World Cup sale plan and promised such errors would not be repeated.
It said the meeting was meant to help rebuild trust after the backlash the plan caused.
UEFA was not convinced. It dismissed the show of support from FIFA staff noting their careers depend on the president’s approval. As far as UEFA is concerned, nothing has changed.
Kathmandu: Prime Minister Balendra Shah is holding discussions with lawmakers from Sudurpaschim Province on Tuesday amid ongoing political consultations following the recent violence in Sunsari.
The meeting began at 11:00 am at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, where participants are discussing contemporary political issues.
Lawmakers attending the meeting include Tara Prasad Joshi, Khem Raj Koirala, Hari Mohan Bhandari, Janak Singh Dhami, Gyanendra Mahata, Jagat Joshi, Komal Gyawali and KP Khanal.
Prime Minister Shah has intensified political consultations following the Dewanganj incident in Sunsari. In recent days, he has also held talks with Madhesh based political parties and, four months after assuming office, met President Ram Chandra Paudel.
Kathmandu: A woman who grew up thousands of miles from Nepal just won the country’s top beauty title. Deepmala Dhakal took the Miss Nepal crown on Saturday evening and in doing so, became the first non resident Nepali ever to win it.
Dhakal isn’t new to Nepali community work. She holds the “second generation coordinator” post for Hong Kong within the Non Resident Nepali Association’s current committee.
Her win Saturday broke new ground in three ways.
First, the obvious one: no non resident Nepali had won Miss Nepal before. Women living abroad had entered the contest plenty of times.
Some who’d gone overseas on student visas even won after returning home. But someone settled permanently abroad, the group NRNA calls “second generation”, had never taken the crown until Dhakal.
Second, she arrived at Miss Nepal through the Diaspora title, run by organizer The Hidden Treasure and rode that straight into a win. Her Miss Nepal Hong Kong victory locked in her spot in the main pageant.
Nobody who’d won the Diaspora title had gone on to win Miss Nepal itself. Dhakal is the first.
Third, she picked up four sub titles in one night at the grand finale, more than any contestant before her: Miss Visionary Green, Miss Health Harmony, Miss Confidence and Beauty with Purpose.
A few of those wins pushed her directly into the semifinals. The Beauty with Purpose title in particular sets her up for Miss World next year.
There’s a family story behind all this. Dhakal’s mother, Roshani, competed in Miss Nepal back in 1994 and didn’t win. Three decades later, her daughter finished what she started.
NRNA vice chair Rojina Pradhan praised the win, calling it both a continuation of a proud family legacy and a significant moment for non resident Nepalis generally.
What comes next:
Dhakal, along with Miss Nepal International winner Arya Nishant and Miss Nepal Cosmo winner Kashish Subba, will spend the coming year working with The Hidden Treasure. Dhakal heads toward Miss World. Arya is bound for Miss International in Japan and Kashish will represent Nepal at Miss Cosmo in Vietnam.
Kathmandu: President Donald Trump said Saturday night he has canceled a planned military strike on Iran. He said the decision followed requests from Iran and other Middle Eastern countries, who told him the terms of a deal were largely worked out.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the US military was “locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” but that he’d agreed to pause after hearing from Tehran and other regional governments. He said Israel had agreed to hold off as well.
The pause has a condition attached. Trump said it depends on the two sides being “able to rapidly make a DEAL.” Earlier reporting had suggested the US and Israel were preparing to hit Iran’s energy infrastructure this weekend.
Before Trump’s announcement, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly raised concerns about the strike plans, according to people familiar with the matter.
Iran isn’t backing off its own warnings either. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told regional counterparts by phone that Iran would respond forcefully to any further American attacks.
The State Department’s earlier travel warning still stands. It has urged Americans in the Middle East to consider leaving the region now and it repeated its warning about possible flight cancellations, airspace closures and other travel disruptions.
For now, everyone is watching to see if the deal holds or if the region ends up back where it started.
Kathmandu: Continuous rainfall has triggered landslides, flooding, and road erosion across Nepal, disrupting traffic on several major highways and forcing authorities to suspend or restrict vehicle movement in vulnerable areas.
According to a traffic update issued by Nepal Police on Sunday morning, several key road sections have been completely blocked, while nighttime travel has been prohibited on others due to the heightened risk of floods and landslides.
As a precaution, all types of vehicles have been barred from operating between 6:00 pm and 4:00 am on the Khurkot–Nepalthok–Katunjebesi section of the BP Highway linking Kavrepalanchok and Sindhuli. Nighttime traffic has also been suspended from 5:00 pm to 5:00 am on the Kanti Lokpath.
The Mechi Highway has been completely blocked at Ilam Municipality-9 after persistent rainfall turned the road muddy.
In Sindhupalchok, landslides at Jirokilo and Kodari in Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality have completely blocked the Araniko Highway.
Similarly, the Lamosanghu–Ramechhap road at Kirnetar in Tamakoshi Rural Municipality-5, Dolakha, has been cut off after the Sunkoshi River eroded part of the roadway.
The Pasang Lhamu Highway at Khalte in Uttargaya Rural Municipality-5, Rasuwa, has also been completely blocked due to erosion caused by the Trishuli River.
Meanwhile, a landslide at Underdanda in Dharche Rural Municipality-3, Gorkha, has obstructed the Larke–Benighat unpaved road.
Authorities have urged travelers to check the latest road conditions before setting out and remain cautious, warning that the ongoing monsoon continues to pose a high risk of landslides, flooding, and road damage across the country.
Kathmandu: FIFA said Friday it will keep going with its plan to bring private investors into football’s biggest tournaments, even as most of the sport’s regional bodies line up against it.
What FIFA Wants to Do
FIFA wants to set up a new company called “FIFA Forward Enterprise,” or FFE, to run its major competitions including the World Cup. Outside investors could buy up to 20% of it and would stay minority owners. The plan values FFE at $20 billion and could raise as much as $4.2 billion.
Among the investors reportedly involved is Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, who is US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has told the 211 member associations that if they approve the deal, their guaranteed funding would double, from $10 million to $20 million over the next four years. He says their total funding through 2038 would climb to about $86 million each, up from roughly $36 million. Members have until mid September to say yes.
UEFA and Concacaf Say No
UEFA which covers 55 countries and Concacaf which covers 41 in North and Central America and the Caribbean, have both rejected the plan and threatened to boycott the World Cup over it.
UEFA called the World Cup “one of football’s greatest sporting legacies” and said none of it should be sold off. It also blasted the way the plan was rolled out, calling it secretive and describing FIFA’s approach as “governance by intimidation.” Until the plan is dropped, UEFA says its national teams won’t play in any FIFA competition.
Concacaf’s complaints were similar: no real process, a deadline that felt rushed and no sign that FIFA’s own governing bodies had reviewed any of it first. Concacaf also asked a fair question: why does FIFA need private money at all, right after the most profitable World Cup ever?
Asia Turns Too
The Asian Football Confederation joined UEFA and Concacaf in opposing the plan and called on FIFA to fix how it consults members before big decisions like this.
That’s a real shift. Asia has usually backed Infantino. AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, who actually lost the 2016 FIFA presidential race to Infantino, wrote to member federations warning that FIFA’s move “appears to undermine the very foundations of continental football” and won’t work “without the support of all the confederations, which is not the case now.”
South America Stays Quiet
CONMEBOL, the South American confederation, hasn’t said a word publicly. That’s not much of a surprise. Its president, Alejandro Dominguez, has long backed Infantino and has been pushing for a 64 team World Cup in 2030.
Africa Leaves the Door Open
The Confederation of African Football is the one holdout that hasn’t rejected the plan. It says it has received the FFE proposal and will look at it at an Executive Committee meeting next week.
CAF has invited its own member associations to weigh in too and says it wants to keep talking with everyone involved about funding for football’s growth, in Africa and elsewhere.
The Investor Pushes Back
A source close to Thrive Capital, the firm expected to lead the private investors, pushed back on the idea that this is somehow a Trump family deal. Speaking to CBS News, the source said Joshua Kushner holds no role in the Trump administration, doesn’t donate to Republicans and runs a firm managing about $60 billion in assets on his own merits.
FIFA Fires Back
FIFA answered its critics on Friday. “Nobody is selling football,” it said in a statement adding that such a thing “is not something FIFA would ever entertain.”
FIFA insisted every member association will get a real say and called for an “open and democratic” consultation. It blamed some of the uproar on “incorrect media reports” and said it would keep going with the consultation “to ensure that each member association has the ability to express its vote based on facts.”
At the same time, FIFA softened its tone on actually setting up FFE. Without backing from its 211 members, it said, “FIFA’s commercial activities would remain unchanged” and the new company simply “would not be established.” How the consultation plays out from here is still an open question.
Why It Matters Now
The row lands just weeks before FIFA’s next event, the Women’s Under 20 World Cup in Poland, which kicks off September 5. It also comes while England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland’s joint bid sits as the only one on the table to host the 2035 Women’s World Cup with a decision due November 23.
Kathmandu: Prime Minister Balen Shah is facing growing criticism over his handling of the deadly unrest in Sunsari district, with opposition leaders, political analysts, and local representatives accusing the government of failing to provide timely leadership following violence that killed one person and injured more than 20 others.
The violence erupted on Sunday in Dewanganj, around 25 kilometers south of Inaruwa, after clashes between two groups. According to local authorities, 24-year-old Om Prakash Mehta was shot dead during the incident, while more than 20 people—including police officers and protesters—were injured, several with gunshot wounds.
Critics say the Prime Minister neither addressed the nation nor convened an all-party meeting in the immediate aftermath of the violence. Instead, Shah issued a statement on social media late Tuesday, saying the government was treating the incident seriously, had mobilized state agencies, and was committed to an impartial investigation while urging all sides to remain calm.
In the absence of a government-led political initiative, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chair Rabi Lamichhane convened an all-party meeting on Wednesday attended by leaders from major political parties. Participants called for dialogue, restraint, and a fair investigation into the incident.
Leaders including Nepali Congress President Gagan Kumar Thapa, CPN-UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel, Rastriya Prajatantra Party Chairman Rajendra Lingden, Nepali Communist Party Coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda,” Janamat Party Chair CK Raut, and representatives of other parties urged the government to play a more active role in restoring peace through political dialogue.
Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle also attended the meeting and reportedly said state agencies had been mobilized to investigate the incident. However, participants noted that he did not indicate he was representing the Prime Minister.
Opposition leaders criticized Shah’s absence, arguing that the country’s chief executive should have personally led efforts to ease tensions and coordinate a political response. Several also questioned the silence of Home Minister Sudhan Gurung, saying the government had failed to demonstrate visible leadership during the crisis.
The Prime Minister’s Secretariat rejected accusations of inaction, stating that Shah had publicly appealed for restraint, ordered an impartial investigation, and directed relevant agencies to take necessary action. The Secretariat maintained that the government was fully engaged in addressing the situation.
Political analysts, however, argued that a televised address or an all-party meeting led by the Prime Minister could have helped defuse tensions earlier and prevented the crisis from escalating.
Meanwhile, Lamichhane met President Ram Chandra Paudel on Wednesday to discuss the Sunsari unrest, fueling debate over the respective roles of the Prime Minister and the ruling party chairman during national crises.
Separately, Koshi Province Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki convened an all-party meeting, where participants agreed on the need for a thorough investigation, compensation and support for the victim’s family, free treatment for the injured, and measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The Speaker of the House has also urged Prime Minister Shah to address Parliament on both the Sunsari violence and the broader political situation following demands from opposition parties.
A curfew remains in effect in parts of Dewanganj, although the security situation has gradually improved. Security forces, including the Nepal Army, continue to maintain a strong presence in the affected areas.
Local residents have demanded justice for the victim, compensation for the bereaved family, free medical treatment for the injured, and sustained dialogue among political leaders, community representatives, and government authorities to prevent further communal tensions.
Residents and local observers say the dispute had been simmering for more than a month over disagreements involving public symbols and local activities before erupting into violence on Sunday. While tensions have begun to ease, they warn that lasting peace will depend on accountability, dialogue, and effective government action
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