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The Democratic Republic of the Congo has announced a cabinet reshuffle as the country grapples with worsening violence in its eastern region. Presidential spokesperson Tina Salama said the new line-up, unveiled Friday, aims to ensure efficiency, credibility and regional balance.

The 54-member cabinet, only slightly smaller than the previous one, retains Judith Suminwa Tuluka as prime minister and includes opposition leader Adolphe Muzito as vice prime minister for the budget, according to Xinhua.

President Felix Tshisekedi had pledged earlier this year to form a “government of national unity” to help contain the decades-long conflict in the east, driven by ethnic tensions, militias and rebel groups such as the M23.

The US Air Force is blocking early retirement for transgender members with 15 to 18 years of service, forcing them out without retirement benefits, according to a recent memo. Those affected must either resign or be discharged with a lump-sum payment, according to BBC.

This move is part of the Trump administration’s transgender military ban, which critics say is unfair and discriminatory. Early retirement remains available for those with 18 to 20 years of service, but full benefits require 20 years.

Over 4,000 transgender troops serve in the military despite legal challenges and changing policies, BBC reported.

OpenAI has rolled out GPT-5, its most advanced AI model yet, now available to 700m ChatGPT users. CEO Sam Altman says it delivers “PhD-level” expertise in coding, writing, health, and finance, with a standout feature that can instantly build software from text prompts, according to BBC.

The launch comes as tech giants pour billions into AI infrastructure. Early reviewers say GPT-5 handles coding and complex problems well, though the jump from GPT-4 is smaller than past upgrades. It can’t learn on its own but uses extra computing power to think through tougher questions, aiming to make AI more capable and widely accessible.

A pilgrim died after falling off a cliff near Bisnepani in Bajura district on Thursday evening.

The deceased has been identified as Biplav Ojha (52) of Gokarneshwor Municipality-5 in Kathmandu, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Ikbal Hawari.

The incident took place when Ojha was returning to Nateshwori after visiting Badimalika.

DSP Hawari shared that the problem has surfaced to pull out the body from a gorge due to incessant rainfall.

Though preparations were made to bring a helicopter of the Nepali Army for the rescue, it has not been possible due to adverse weather, added police.

The country’s largest hydropower project being developed by the private sector has achieved financial closure. Times Energy Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Sahas Urja Ltd, has secured a Rs 52.5bn bank financing to build the Budhigandaki semi-reservoir hydropower project (341 MW) in Gorkha district. A consortium of 10 commercial banks and financial institutions led by Nepal Investment Mega Bank (NIMB) is financing the project. Nabil Bank, Laxmi Sunrise Bank, Global IME Bank, Hydroelectricity Investment and Development Company Ltd (HIDCL), Machhapuchchhre Bank, Citizens International Bank, Nepal Infrastructure Bank, Prabhu Bank and Agricultural Development Bank are the other partners in the consortium. 

The project is expected to cost an estimated Rs 70bn. Of this, 75 percent, or Rs 52.5bn, will be financed through debt from the consortium, while the remaining 25 percent, or Rs 17.5bn, will come through equity investment from the promoters. Sahas Urja will contribute 51 percent of the equity investment amounting to around Rs 8.93bn.

According to Sahas Urja, the access road to the project site has already been completed and the process of distributing compensation for land required for the project is underway. Construction is scheduled to begin from early 2026. The company has already signed a power purchase agreement with the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). 

NEA will pay the company Rs 8.4-10.55 per unit in the dry season and Rs 4.80 per unit in the wet season. The license to develop the project was originally held by Times Energy promoted by entrepreneur Deepak Malhotra. The project got momentum after Sahas Urja, which owns the Solukhola hydropower project (86 MW), acquired Times Energy for around Rs 2bn about a year ago.

The project will be built on Budhigandaki river that flows through Chum Nubri and Dharche rural municipalities of Gorkha. The dam is located in Tsum Nubri Rural Municipality in the Manaslu Conservation Area. Other structures will be located outside the conservation area. Times Energy received the generation license from the Department of Electricity Development in Dec 2023.

Designed as a peaking run-of-river (PRoR) project, the project will have a reservoir capable of daily peaking for five hours. The underground powerhouse will have six vertical-axis Pelton turbines of 57 MW each. The project aims to begin commercial generation in 2030. The power generated by the project will be connected to the 400 kV Ratamate substation being built under the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact.

Japan’s weather agency has issued its highest-level heavy rain warning for Kirishima in Kagoshima Prefecture after record downpours triggered fears of landslides, flooding, and overflowing rivers, according to Xinhua.

Kirishima recorded 107.5 mm of rain in one hour early Friday, with a 12-hour total of over 480 mm — nearly double its August average.

Torrential rain is forecast to continue across Kyushu through Sunday, with up to 200 mm expected in southern areas and 120 mm in the north. Authorities have urged residents to stay alert as dangerous conditions may already be present, Xinhua reported.

For a country hemmed between the world’s first and second most populous nations with giant carbon footprints, clean air is no less than a luxury. 

But it won’t be fair to blame the neighbors alone for a progressively worsening air pollution in the Kathmandu valley and other parts of our country, which still has a very nominal carbon footprint.

Article 30 of the Constitution of Nepal stipulates the right to a clean environment, stating that every citizen shall have the right to live in a clean and healthy environment. 

But that right is up in smoke like several other fundamental rights. With not much industrial base to boast of, vehicular emission is a major factor behind air pollution in the country, along with forest fires. During the sweltering summer that has just passed us by, the country hogged the headlines as numerous forest fires worsened air quality further and further even as the government did precious little to control the situation. 

Air quality has improved due to the rains, which, though, has brought another set of disasters in an ill-prepared and ill-governed country.

The wildfires are gone for now, but it’s not unusual to come across scenes that make one wonder if our roads were on fire. 

Every day, ill-maintained vehicles leave behind plumes of soot on our roads under the very nose of our extremely competent government, making a mockery of high emission standards it has set vis-a-vis vehicular emission.

Under the Paris Agreement, Nepal's Nationally Determined Contribution 3.0 aims for net-zero emissions by 2050, expanding clean energy to 15,000 MW by 2030, and 15 percent of energy from clean sources by 2030.

Despite green commitments to the international community and the domestic populace, the government continues to invest in infrastructure that is sure to increase the country’s dependence on dirty fuels. The country with enough hydropower potential to meet her domestic energy needs already has a cross-border pipeline (Motihari-Amhlekhgunj petroleum pipeline) with plans to extend it to Lothar (Chitwan) and then onto Kathmandu, and another cross-border petroleum pipeline (Siliguri-Charali petroleum) on the cards.

We export green energy and import dirty fuels. What can be more ironic?

When the rest of the world is switching to green transport alternatives like electric vehicles and hydrogen engines, the government is showing some clear signs of petroleum addiction, which will bleed the national economy further and further as petroleum imports account for a large chunk of our trade deficit.

It’s time the government did a course correction and shifted focus on developing green transport systems and an economy that does not ‘run’ on dirty fuels.   

Former Superman actor Dean Cain has announced he will soon be sworn in as an ICE agent, joining the agency’s efforts to expand its workforce. Cain, who is already a sworn law enforcement officer, praised the recruitment campaign aimed at doubling ICE’s personnel to support President Trump’s push for increased deportations, BBC reported.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Cain’s honorary appointment, highlighting his encouragement for Americans to join ICE and help protect communities. ICE is actively recruiting, offering bonuses of up to $50,000 and removing age limits to attract more candidates amid rising immigration enforcement.

Currently, ICE employs about 20,000 officers and staff nationwide. The agency recently received a significant budget increase, making it the highest funded federal law enforcement body, as it steps up deportations despite protests and criticism, according to BBC.