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Nepal

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Nepal. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Kathmandu

Head of State

President Ram Chandra Poudel

Head of Government

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli

Rapper turned-Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, known as Balen. Photo: Safal Prakash Shrestha/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Protests around the world

Ex-rapper to run for Nepal PM after youth-led protests

Two popular leaders form an alliance ahead of Nepal’s March 5 elections.

29 Dec 2025 - 1:36PM

Human trafficking

Nepal probes illegal matchmaking as China cautions citizens over ‘bride buying’

29 Dec 2025 - 12:25PMvideocam

Extreme weather

Asia’s year in extreme weather and natural disasters, from earthquakes to floods

23 Dec 2025 - 3:00PM

Mount Everest

Nepal’s plan to tackle uphill task on Mount Everest: clean up waste

Over the years, the authorities have removed a mountain pile of trash and the bodies of climbers on the world’s highest peak.

23 Dec 2025 - 12:30PMvideocam

A Nepalese sherpa collecting garbage left by climbers at an altitude of 8,000 metres during the Everest clean-up expedition at Mount Everest in 2010. Photo: AFP

Tourism

Nepal rolls out delayed tourist tracking system to keep tabs on foreign visitors

Starting next year, hotels and travel companies must begin automatically reporting visitor locations to a central government database.

17 Dec 2025 - 5:10PM

Corruption in Asia

Nepal charges Chinese contractor with corruption over airport deal

A watchdog alleges the company colluded with ex-ministers to inflate costs and siphon off US$74 million from the Pokhara airport project.

9 Dec 2025 - 4:00PMvideocam

SCMP Highlights

Singaporean Chinese ‘least attractive’, Philippines cyclones: 7 Asia highlights

From a viral image prompting a beauty debate to Chinese marriage brokers eyeing Nepal, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

9 Dec 2025 - 12:30PM

Satellite imagery taken by the US’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Super Typhoon Fung-wong approaching the Philippines on November 9. Photo: NOAA/NESDIS/AFP

Human rights

‘Like a market’: Chinese marriage brokers hunt for brides in Nepal

China’s bachelor crisis meets Nepal’s poverty in a trade that blurs the lines between arranged marriage and coercion.

9 Dec 2025 - 2:36PM

Tourism

Last frontier: Nepal slashes pricey permit, but will it boost tourism, economy?

Upper Mustang residents worry that they will not be able to reap the benefits from the cheaper permit and instead be like ‘animals in a zoo’.

30 Nov 2025 - 4:25PM

Japan

Tokyo government ordered to pay US$247,970 in damages in Nepal man’s death

The court found that unreasonable force used by police led to Arjun Bahadur Singh’s death in 2017 while in custody.

21 Nov 2025 - 4:00PM

Arjun Bahadur Singh was arrested in 2017 and lost consciousness during questioning. Photo: Newsnepalaya

Social media

Asian Angle | Nepal found out what Thailand already knew: digital repression is risky

The tactics vary, from Myanmar’s internet blackouts to Indonesia’s subtler control, but the results are the same: resentment and resistance.

15 Nov 2025 - 1:00PMvideocam

Protesters burn tyres in Kathmandu earlier this year. Following the protests over social media bans and government corruption, Nepal lifted its restrictions. Photo: AFP

Israel-Gaza war

Israel confirms 3 bodies received from Hamas are not hostages

The Gaza truce is in danger as Israel says three bodies returned are not hostages, and Hamas reports new strikes on Khan Younis.

1 Nov 2025 - 9:54PM

Protests around the world

‘It’s suspicious’: Nepal’s protest arson leaves a trail of burning questions

Inspectors suspect some of the blazes, which incinerated more than 450,000 court files, were deliberately set to destroy evidence.

1 Nov 2025 - 4:00PM

Music

The story of Lamma Fun Day, Hong Kong’s longest-running free music festival

Taking place this year on November 15 and featuring its biggest line-up, LFD raises money to support youth projects and initiatives in Nepal.

28 Oct 2025 - 4:26PMvideocam

Afro-Brazilian percussion band Salvaje perform at Hong Kong’s Lamma Fun Day in 2023. This year’s festival will feature 45 bands, DJs and solo artists. Photo: Dave Wilkinson

South Korea

2 foreigners die in 1 week climbing Nepal’s ‘Himalayan Matterhorn’

A Frenchman was hit by falling ice and a South Korean collapsed while attempting the technically difficult Ama Dablam peak.

27 Oct 2025 - 3:09PM

Mount Ama Dablam towers over Khumjung village in Solukhumbu district. Photo: Reuters

Protests around the world

Nepal’s Karki adds popular volunteer organiser, doctor to cabinet

Youth and Sports Minister Bablu Gupta, and Health and Population Minister Dr. Sudha Sharma, who both supported the youth-led protests last month.

26 Oct 2025 - 9:22PM

War and conflict

Video | Body of Nepali hostage held in Gaza returns home

The body of 22-year-old Nepali student Bipin Joshi has been released and returned under a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

21 Oct 2025 - 4:42PM

Israel

‘Stolen too soon’: Nepal mourns hero hostage returned from Gaza after ceasefire

Bipin Joshi, kidnapped weeks after arriving in Israel, reportedly saved friends during the Hamas attack by throwing a grenade at his assailants.

21 Oct 2025 - 4:15PMvideocam

Nepalese people mourn next to the coffin of late Nepalese hostage Bipin Joshi on Monday. Photo: EPA

Gen Z

Nepal’s Gen Z uprising splinters as ideological cracks start to show

As the dust settles on Nepal’s massive youth uprising, the euphoria of revolution is giving way to confusion and division.

20 Oct 2025 - 8:45AMvideocam

Mount Everest

‘History has vanished with him’: last link to Everest’s first summit dies at 92

Kanchha Sherpa was among the 35 members of the team that put Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay atop the peak on May 29, 1953.

17 Oct 2025 - 3:18PMvideocam

Hong Kong society

Hong Kong teacher empowers students to serve, learn and lead with heart

Chan Yik-yeung’s initiative, Dream Compassioneers, earns him a place as a finalist in the Spirit of Hong Kong Awards in the nurturing category.

14 Oct 2025 - 4:00PM

Chan Yik-yeung lead students at the 27th IAVE World Volunteer Conference in Busan. Photo: Handout

Accidents and disasters in China

Editorial | Everest rescue shows danger of taking risks for social media glory

The experience should serve as a lesson about the importance of preparedness and vigilance against complacency, no matter the conditions.

10 Oct 2025 - 7:15AM

Hikers stranded on the eastern slopes of Mount Everest have been guided to safety by rescuers, according to officials from Tingri county in Shigatse city, Tibet. Photo: Handout

China consumption

China sees uptick in ‘super golden week’ spending amid record travel surge

China’s transport hubs handled a record 2.4 billion trips during the extended holiday, though consumers favoured value-for-money deals.

9 Oct 2025 - 4:05PM

India

15 killed in India after landslide topples bus amid extreme rain

The deadly collapse follows extreme rains across South Asia, which experts say are intensifying due to human-caused climate change.

8 Oct 2025 - 4:42PMvideocam

Accidents and disasters in China

800 people rescued in China after being stranded by Everest blizzard

Snow that crushed climbers’ tents and cut off all descent routes from the base camp.

9 Oct 2025 - 1:10AMvideocam

CCTV says 580 trekkers and more than 300 local guides and yak porters “safely reached” a relocation point in Qudang in the Tibet autonomous region. Photo: CCTV

India

Opinion | India’s diplomatic weight is best exercised closest to its borders

New Delhi’s geopolitical strength comes not from looking East or West but from its ability to stabilise its own neighbourhood.

8 Oct 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

Hong Kong society

Hong Kong authorities launch probe over suspected mad honey poisoning case

Man, 38, started suffering from dizziness, nausea and generalised weakness two hours after consuming honey made in Nepal.

6 Oct 2025 - 8:10PM

Extreme weather

Landslides and floods kill 70 in Nepal and India after torrential rains

Nepal’s PM Karki said the government was ‘fully prepared for rescue and relief’ while India’s Modi said he was ‘pained by the loss of lives’.

6 Oct 2025 - 5:25PMvideocam

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Nepal

Ex-rapper to run for Nepal PM after youth-led protests

Two popular leaders form an alliance ahead of Nepal’s March 5 elections.

Nepal probes illegal matchmaking as China cautions citizens over ‘bride buying’

Asia’s year in extreme weather and natural disasters, from earthquakes to floods

Nepal’s plan to tackle uphill task on Mount Everest: clean up waste

Over the years, the authorities have removed a mountain pile of trash and the bodies of climbers on the world’s highest peak.

Nepal rolls out delayed tourist tracking system to keep tabs on foreign visitors

Starting next year, hotels and travel companies must begin automatically reporting visitor locations to a central government database.

Nepal charges Chinese contractor with corruption over airport deal

A watchdog alleges the company colluded with ex-ministers to inflate costs and siphon off US$74 million from the Pokhara airport project.

Singaporean Chinese ‘least attractive’, Philippines cyclones: 7 Asia highlights

From a viral image prompting a beauty debate to Chinese marriage brokers eyeing Nepal, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

‘Like a market’: Chinese marriage brokers hunt for brides in Nepal

China’s bachelor crisis meets Nepal’s poverty in a trade that blurs the lines between arranged marriage and coercion.

Last frontier: Nepal slashes pricey permit, but will it boost tourism, economy?

Upper Mustang residents worry that they will not be able to reap the benefits from the cheaper permit and instead be like ‘animals in a zoo’.

Tokyo government ordered to pay US$247,970 in damages in Nepal man’s death

The court found that unreasonable force used by police led to Arjun Bahadur Singh’s death in 2017 while in custody.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Asian Angle | Nepal found out what Thailand already knew: digital repression is risky

The tactics vary, from Myanmar’s internet blackouts to Indonesia’s subtler control, but the results are the same: resentment and resistance.

Israel confirms 3 bodies received from Hamas are not hostages

The Gaza truce is in danger as Israel says three bodies returned are not hostages, and Hamas reports new strikes on Khan Younis.

‘It’s suspicious’: Nepal’s protest arson leaves a trail of burning questions

Inspectors suspect some of the blazes, which incinerated more than 450,000 court files, were deliberately set to destroy evidence.

The story of Lamma Fun Day, Hong Kong’s longest-running free music festival

Taking place this year on November 15 and featuring its biggest line-up, LFD raises money to support youth projects and initiatives in Nepal.

2 foreigners die in 1 week climbing Nepal’s ‘Himalayan Matterhorn’

A Frenchman was hit by falling ice and a South Korean collapsed while attempting the technically difficult Ama Dablam peak.

Nepal’s Karki adds popular volunteer organiser, doctor to cabinet

Youth and Sports Minister Bablu Gupta, and Health and Population Minister Dr. Sudha Sharma, who both supported the youth-led protests last month.

.css-rcruog{color:#C79A00;}Video | Body of Nepali hostage held in Gaza returns home

The body of 22-year-old Nepali student Bipin Joshi has been released and returned under a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

‘Stolen too soon’: Nepal mourns hero hostage returned from Gaza after ceasefire

Bipin Joshi, kidnapped weeks after arriving in Israel, reportedly saved friends during the Hamas attack by throwing a grenade at his assailants.

Nepal’s Gen Z uprising splinters as ideological cracks start to show

As the dust settles on Nepal’s massive youth uprising, the euphoria of revolution is giving way to confusion and division.

‘History has vanished with him’: last link to Everest’s first summit dies at 92

Kanchha Sherpa was among the 35 members of the team that put Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay atop the peak on May 29, 1953.

Hong Kong teacher empowers students to serve, learn and lead with heart

Chan Yik-yeung’s initiative, Dream Compassioneers, earns him a place as a finalist in the Spirit of Hong Kong Awards in the nurturing category.

Editorial | Everest rescue shows danger of taking risks for social media glory

The experience should serve as a lesson about the importance of preparedness and vigilance against complacency, no matter the conditions.

China sees uptick in ‘super golden week’ spending amid record travel surge

China’s transport hubs handled a record 2.4 billion trips during the extended holiday, though consumers favoured value-for-money deals.

15 killed in India after landslide topples bus amid extreme rain

The deadly collapse follows extreme rains across South Asia, which experts say are intensifying due to human-caused climate change.

800 people rescued in China after being stranded by Everest blizzard

Snow that crushed climbers’ tents and cut off all descent routes from the base camp.

Opinion | India’s diplomatic weight is best exercised closest to its borders

New Delhi’s geopolitical strength comes not from looking East or West but from its ability to stabilise its own neighbourhood.

Hong Kong authorities launch probe over suspected mad honey poisoning case

Man, 38, started suffering from dizziness, nausea and generalised weakness two hours after consuming honey made in Nepal.

Landslides and floods kill 70 in Nepal and India after torrential rains

Nepal’s PM Karki said the government was ‘fully prepared for rescue and relief’ while India’s Modi said he was ‘pained by the loss of lives’.

Asian Angle | Nepal found out what Thailand already knew: digital repression is risky

Video | Body of Nepali hostage held in Gaza returns home