KATHMANDU: Stay updated with Nepal News’ evening briefing, bringing you the day’s most important developments from Nepal and across the globe. From politics and economy to sports, entertainment, and culture, we deliver a concise roundup of the top news you need to know.
President Paudel Issues Two Ordinances on Forest and Land Laws Today
President Ram Chandra Paudel issued two ordinances to amend existing laws related to forests and land on Tuesday, following a recommendation from the Council of Ministers. According to the President’s Office, the president issued the Ordinance to Amend Some Nepal Acts Related to Forests, 2026, and the Ordinance to Amend Some Nepal Acts Related to Land, 2026, on Tuesday afternoon. The ordinances were issued in accordance with Clause (1) of Article 114 of the Constitution of Nepal, which empowers the president to promulgate ordinances on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers when Parliament is not in session. The latest issuance brings the number of newly issued ordinances to two more, although the President’s Office statement provided no further details about the specific legal provisions being amended.
NDRRMA Prepares To Issue Death Certificates For Missing Bhote Koshi Flood Victims
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority Executive Director. Dharmaraj Upreti announced that the government is finalizing administrative procedures to issue official death certificates, or legal declarations equivalent to deceased status, for citizens and foreign nationals who remain missing following catastrophic flash floods along the Bhote Koshi river basin. Addressing a meeting of the Parliamentary Special Committee on the Bhote Koshi and Kali Gandaki Corridor Disasters in Singha Durbar on Tuesday Upreti explained that recent legislative amendments legally recognize missing flood victims as deceased, while forensic DNA verification results processed through police laboratories approach completion to authenticate victim identities. Infrastructure and Physical Development Ministry Secretary Padma Kumar Mainali added that administrative authorities identified 300 decentralized land plots to construct high-quality transitional shelter centers ahead of the festive season, as Committee Chairman Krishna Prasad Paudel confirmed that a comprehensive legislative report will soon be tabled before the National Assembly.
HoR Speaker Aryal Returns Home From Tanzania
House of Representatives Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal returned to Nepal on Tuesday, concluding his official diplomatic visit to Tanzania where he led the national parliamentary delegation attending the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accompanied by his spouse Ambika KC, Member of Parliament Rabin Mahato, National Assembly members Jhakku Prasad Subedi and Anjan Shakya, Speaker Aryal participated in high-level multilateral parliamentary deliberations held in Arusha from October 5 to 9, focusing on global legislative cooperation, democratic governance, and sustainable development goals alongside parliamentary delegates from around the world.
Home Minister Sudan Gurung, Indian Counterpart Amit Shah Discuss Security Cooperation
Home Minister Sudan Gurung and Indian Union Home Minister Amit Shah discussed strengthening bilateral security cooperation, border management and disaster preparedness during a meeting on the sidelines of the first BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday. According to the Embassy of Nepal in India, the two ministers discussed ways to improve coordination on border security, combat transnational crime and strengthen cooperation in disaster preparedness and response. During the meeting, Gurung expressed appreciation for India’s timely assistance following the recent floods and landslides in Nepal. He also emphasized the need to advance practical cooperation that delivers mutual benefits for the people of both countries. The Nepali minister said bilateral engagement should be guided by the principles of sovereign equality, mutual respect and trust. The meeting highlighted the importance of closer coordination between Nepal and India on shared security concerns, cross-border challenges and disaster response, while building on the longstanding relationship between the two neighboring countries.
Minister Rawal Announces Enactment Of Ordinances To Eliminate Barriers For Landless Settlers
Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives, and Federal Affairs Pratibha Rawal announced that the enactment of two crucial administrative ordinances has successfully eliminated longstanding statutory and bureaucratic barriers to resolving landlessness across Nepal. Following the official promulgation of the Forests (First Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, and the Lands (First Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, by President Ram Chandra Paudel on Tuesday, Minister Rawal stated that legal obstacles hindering land title distribution for Dalit communities, landless squatters, and unmanaged settlers have been cleared. Furthermore, she emphasized that the new legal framework empowers authorities to resolve tenure regularizations overlapping protected forest buffer zones, calling on executive bodies and local committees to execute resolution procedures under dedicated mission-mode operations.
Ministry Holds Dialogue with Gandaki Stakeholders on Student-Centered School Education Law
The Ministry of Education and Sports has held a dialogue with education stakeholders in Gandaki Province to gather suggestions for making the proposed School Education Act practical, relevant to current needs and student-centered. The dialogue, titled Education Dialogue, Part 2 (Gandaki Province Discussion), was held in Pokhara, with Shailendra Jha, chief adviser to the education minister, attending as the chief guest. Panelists included Saroj Gautam, the ministry’s political adviser; Yubaraj Sharma, central president of the Higher Institutions and Secondary Schools’ Association Nepal (HISSAN); Krishna Adhikari, central president of the Private and Boarding Schools’ Organization Nepal (PABSON); Krishna Adhikari, vice-chancellor of Gandaki University; Prakash Khadka, general secretary of the National Private and Boarding Schools’ Association Nepal (N-PABSON); and Loknath Acharya, chief of the Education Development and Coordination Unit, Kaski. Discussions focused on improving school education quality, enhancing student learning outcomes, strengthening cooperation between public and private educational institutions, clarifying policies and identifying provisions to be incorporated into the proposed law.
Finance Minister Departs For Bangkok To Lead Delegation At World Bank And IMF Annual Meetings
Minister for Finance Swarnim Wagle departed for Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, on Tuesday to lead the national delegation attending the joint annual meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund. Boarding a Thai Airways flight from Tribhuvan International Airport at 1:30 PM, Finance Minister Wagle scheduled participation across more than 16 high-level bilateral and multilateral deliberations to discuss macroeconomic stability, national development priorities, and international financial cooperation. Accompanying the Finance Minister on the official diplomatic mission, concluding upon his return to Nepal on October 21, are Finance Secretary Ghanshyam Upadhyaya, International Economic Cooperation Division Chief and Joint Secretary Amrit Lamsal, Private Officer Madhav Bhandari, and Ministry Officer Gajendra Bhattarai.
Ministry Of Energy Restores Power Transmission Networks Across Flood-Hit Corridors In Northern Gorkha
The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation accelerated comprehensive repair and rehabilitation operations to restore electrical grid infrastructure severely damaged by flash floods along the Budhigandaki and Syar Khola river corridors. Minister for Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation Biraj Bhakta Shrestha confirmed that electricity supplies have been successfully re-established across all affected regional sectors except for Dharche Rural Municipality, where mountainous terrain lacking roadway access beyond Khorlabensi impeded immediate heavy equipment deployment. Operating under the Nepal Electricity Authority’s Arughat distribution center, technical crews restored power to wards 2, 3, and 4 of Bhimsen Thapa Rural Municipality within 10 hours of the disaster, alongside full restoration across Arughat bazaar, Dandagaon, and Arupokhari branches, while targeting complete grid recovery across all remaining flood-impacted settlements within the week following extensive destruction to over 70 high-voltage poles and localized infrastructure.
Law Minister Pledges Legal Reform And Resilient Infrastructure Following Rasuwa Floods
Speaking at the Fifth National Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Lalitpur on International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sobita Gautam pledged to reform disaster risk reduction laws and build geography-resilient infrastructure. Citing severe damage from the August 26 Rasuwa flood, Gautam emphasized aligning infrastructure design, development frameworks, and policies with scientific evidence and expert recommendations. She highlighted emergency response challenges, noting that lack of cold-storage facilities prompted a Cabinet legal provision allowing temporary body burials under World Health Organization guidelines. Gautam assured that legislative revisions will address missing-person declarations, property rights, and family relationships arising during disasters.
Govt. To Modernize Postal Services With 100 Motorcycles And Capacity Building Initiatives
Minister of Information and Communication Bikram Timilsina announced on Tuesday that the government is procuring 100 motorcycles to address postal transportation challenges and improve service quality. Speaking at the Department of Postal Services annual progress review for fiscal year 2025/26, Timilsina urged staff to resolve operational shortcomings rather than citing budget or administrative constraints. Ministry Secretary Rajendra Kumar Paudel called for policy reforms and coordination with provincial and local governments, while Department Director General Manmaya Bhattarai noted ongoing efforts despite operational challenges. On the occasion of the 152nd World Post Day, post offices in Gorkha, Salyan, Myagdi, and Bhaktapur were recognized, and Dhurba Raj Acharya of the Postal Training Center received a cash award.
Energy Minister Advocates For Evidence-Based Systems And AI In Disaster Management
Minister for Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation Biraj Bhakta Shrestha asserted that national disaster management frameworks must transition away from personal administrative discretion toward automated, evidence-based systems driven by scientific telemetry and artificial intelligence (AI). Launching the “Initiation of Disaster Resilience from Home” campaign on Tuesday, Minister Shrestha emphasized that disaster preparedness protocols must activate autonomously based on real-time data analysis rather than individual bureaucratic decisions. Highlighting Nepal’s acute vulnerability to monsoonal floods, glacial lake outburst floods, and landslide-induced river blockages, he underscored the necessity of deploying predictive monitoring systems across downstream river corridors, maintaining strategic stockpiles of emergency relief equipment, and integrating psychological trauma counseling to address post-disaster mental health challenges among vulnerable populations.
Foreign Minister Khanal Meets South African Ambassador Sooklal
Minister for Foreign Affairs Shishir Khanal held a meeting with the non-resident ambassador of South Africa to Nepal, Professor Anil Sooklal, on Sunday. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the discussion focused on further strengthening bilateral relations between Nepal and South Africa. During the meeting, both sides exchanged views on enhancing economic and investment cooperation, promoting South-South cooperation, and strengthening multilateralism. The discussions also covered the current situation in Nepal following the recent devastating floods. Both sides emphasized the need to make global efforts against climate change more effective. They highlighted the importance of amplifying the voices of countries vulnerable to climate change in international forums and stressed the need to increase international cooperation to address the challenges posed by climate change.
Foreign Secretary, French Ambassador Discusses Bilateral Cooperation
Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai and French Ambassador to Nepal Françoise Puig-Inza discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, tourism, climate change and sustainable development during a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday. During the courtesy call, Rai congratulated Ambassador Puig-Inza on her appointment as France’s ambassador to Nepal and wished her a successful and productive tenure in the country. The discussions focused on expanding cooperation across several areas of mutual interest, including trade and investment, with an emphasis on strengthening economic ties between Nepal and France. The two sides also discussed promoting people-to-people contacts and tourism to further deepen relations between the two countries. Cooperation on climate change and sustainable development was another key area of discussion, reflecting shared interests in addressing environmental challenges and supporting sustainable development. The meeting underscored the commitment of both countries to further strengthening bilateral relations through cooperation in economic, social and environmental sectors.
UNDOF Commander Praises Nepali Peacekeepers, Highlights Women’s Role in UN Mission
Major General Anita Asmah, head of mission and force commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), has praised the dedication and professionalism of Nepali peacekeepers during a two-day visit to United Nations positions in Sector Hermon on October 9 and 10. According to UNDOF, Asmah visited UNP 12A, Hermon Base and Hermon Hotel, where Nepali personnel are deployed as part of the Nepali Contingent (NEPCON). She met peacekeepers stationed at the locations and commended their resilience, commitment and professionalism in carrying out their duties. During the visit, Asmah expressed particular appreciation for the all-female soldier component deployed at UNP Hermon Hotel, described by UNDOF as the highest permanently manned United Nations position. The recognition highlighted the contribution of women serving in international peacekeeping operations, including those from Nepal, which contributes personnel to UN missions. UNDOF said the visit helped boost troop morale and reaffirmed the commitment of peacekeepers to implementing the mission’s mandate.
Parliamentary Committee Examines Exploitation And Consular Deficits Facing Nepali Migrant Workers In Spain
Members of the Federal Parliament’s Parliamentary Hearing Committee raised serious concerns regarding the severe labor exploitation, undocumented status, and systemic human trafficking confronting an estimated 70,000 to 80,000 Nepali nationals residing in Spain during the confirmation hearing of proposed ambassador Prapti Sherchan on Tuesday. Expressing alarm during the deliberations, Communist Party of Nepal lawmaker Barsaman Pun highlighted that while formal consular registries account for merely 8,000 resident Nepalis, thousands more who entered via Eastern European routes suffer from severe workplace abuses, including months of unpaid labor enforced by transnational recruitment brokers. Lawmakers urged the newly proposed ambassador to leverage her extensive international diplomatic experience to strengthen consular protections, expand bilateral trade, and safeguard migrant welfare across Europe.
Comments
0 commentsNo comments yet — be the first.