Nepal

Provincial leaders in Nepal have accused the interim government of Prime Minister Sushila Karki of sidelining them with a “unilateral” budget freeze, crippling preparations for crucial March elections.

The avalanche’s impact generated a powerful displacement wave that breached a second downstream glacial lake, releasing an additional 303,000 cubic metres of water – a combined total equivalent to 185 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

As Nepal moves further into the post-monsoon season, the health sector faces a precarious balance. On one side are the improving weather conditions and fading monsoon rains; on the other, the remnants of mosquito-friendly conditions – standing water, warm afternoons, high humidity – that sustain dengue transmission.

The split between the home ministry and the judicial commission led by former judge Gauri Bahadur Karki has become increasingly public, reflecting a deeper dilemma: to move swiftly with criminal probes, or to hold back until the commission delivers its findings.

Widespread floods and landslides triggered by relentless monsoon rains have killed at least 52 people in Nepal and 18 in India’s Darjeeling district.

As weather cleared briefly Sunday, rescue teams reached cut-off areas, airlifting aid to Sankhuwasabha and Dhankuta. Volunteers retrieved bodies as aid agencies coordinated emergency relief and logistical support.

In 2008, Nepal recorded 97 deaths; since then, annual fatalities have ranged between 6 and 32. But experts caution that the real numbers, especially in remote areas with limited surveillance, are likely higher.

Nepal's political landscape is in a state of turmoil, as major political parties have united to demand the reinstatement of the Parliament, which was dissolved by President Ram Chandra Poudel following a week of deadly anti-corruption protests.