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The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) has reached a preliminary conclusion that Tuesday’s devastating flood from the Lhende Stream in Rasuwa was caused by a supraglacial lake outburst in China.

According to satellite data, the flood was likely triggered by the bursting of a supraglacial lake (a lake formed on top of a glacier), located about 36 kilometers north from the Nepal-China border at Rasuwagadhi (latitude 28.4043, longitude 85.6469), at an altitude of around 5,150 meters.

Before the incident, the lake covered approximately 0.74 square kilometers. After the flood, its area was found to have decreased to around 0.60 square kilometers. This change in size indicates a significant release of water, supporting the conclusion that a lake outburst caused the flood in the Lhende Stream.

Flood expert Binod Parajuli from the Department stated that further information is expected from China and upcoming satellite images will help clarify the details of the incident. The Department will continue its study of the event.

The International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) has earlier also suggested that the flood was caused by the outburst of the glacier lake.

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) will advance its pump‐storage programme to bolster energy security, having applied for a licence to conduct a pre‐feasibility study for a 594 MW project.

Executive Director Hitendra Dev Shakya reported that the NEA has approached the Ministry of Energy for studies on two pump‐storage facilities. Reviewing his first 100 days in office, he said prioritising pump storage has been a key achievement.

The NEA has prepared pre‐feasibility proposals for the 100 MW Kulekhani–Sisneri and the 494 MW Hulingtar–Dumkim projects. To ensure reliable supply, it has also launched an initiative to assess and support a battery energy storage system (BESS) alongside the pump‐storage schemes. Meanwhile, licensing for the Uttar Ganga and Upper Arun hydropower projects has progressed.

Shakya noted that, facing a payment obligation of Rs 14bn, the Authority will secure short‐term loans. He attributed delays in the Hetauda–Dhalkebar transmission line to funding constraints. He added that foundational reforms and long‐term plans set in motion during his initial 100 days will now be fast‐tracked. Projects under way include the Nijgadh–Pokhariya line, the Balaju–Maharajgunj (via Singha Durbar) route, and the Dudhkoshi transmission corridor.

To resolve disputes over dedicated and trunk‐line tariffs, the NEA has received 46 review applications; a committee is working to finalise these soon.

For Kathmandu Valley’s power stability, the Distribution Control Center in Syuchatar will now monitor 17 feeders connected to various switching stations and substations around the clock.

Under a Public–Private Partnership model, the NEA has issued an Expression of Interest for a 400/200 kV transmission line to integrate private-sector generation into the national grid rapidly.

Through its Energy Mix Programme, the NEA sought proposals for 960 MW of solar capacity via competitive procurement. Of 63 shortlisted projects, it has signed Power Purchase Agreements totalling 170 MW with eight companies.

On Tuesday morning, flooding in Bhotekoshi, Rasuwa forced the shutdown of 240 MW of output—230 MW from NEA plants and 10 MW from the private Mailung Khola facility. The 111 MW Rasuwagadhi plant suffered the worst damage, followed by the 60 MW Trishuli 3A project. While most stations will resume generation once waters recede, Rasuwagadhi and Trishuli 3A will require extended repairs.

A child drowned in the swimming pool of a hotel in Birgunj on Wednesday.

The deceased has been identified as nine-year-old Bajrangi Rauniyar of Ranighat, Birgunj Metropolitan-11, District Police Office Chief Gautam Mishra said.

The child, who fell unconscious after drowning in the swimming pool on the third floor of the hotel, was rushed to the Narayani Hospital, where he breathed his last during the course of treatment.

"Investigation into the incident is underway,” Mishra said.

Tourists on a pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar via Nepal are bearing the brunt of a lengthy VISA verification process.

Nepali tour operators have complained that around 3000 tourists are stuck in Kathmandu as the Chinese Embassy is taking more than 10 days for VISA verification. The VISA process that used to take three days in the past is now taking 10 days with no guarantee of VISA approval, forcing tourists to wait for the Mansarovar pilgrimage in various hotels in Kathmandu.

Ramesh Ojha, Managing Director of Ojha Holiday Tours and Treks Pvt. Ltd., said that the new policy regarding VISA verification has put tourism entrepreneurs in trouble during the ' tourist season'.

To make matters worse, the recent floods in Rasuwa has forced tour operators to change the route to Mansarovar as the road via the Kerung route from Rasuwagadhi is shut. Majority of Indian tourists were going to Mansarovar via this route. High-spending tourists including citizens of Indian origin living in various countries, however, use air transport to reach Mansarovar via Simikot in Humla and from Kathmandu via Lhasa in China.

More than half a dozen tour operators including Ojha Holidays, Richa Travels and Tours, Eco Trek, Heritage Tours and Travel, Sunny Travel, Trekkers' Society, and others are the most popular ones offering the Kailash Mansarovar tour package for tourists.

Namaraj Joshi, the owner of Leisure Port in Mumbai, India, expressed concern over having to wait for VISA in Kathmandu for 10 days with a group of 39 people.

The issue had also been raised by Members of Parliament in the meeting of the House of Representatives, International Relations and Tourism Committee on July 6. They drew the attention of Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey to the fact that hundreds of foreign nationals were waiting in hotels due to delays in the VISA process to Mansarovar.

In response, Minister Pandey had committed to taking initiatives with the Chinese Embassy through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate the VISA process for tourists going to Mansarovar via Nepal.

Foreigners acquire entry permission from Lhasa, and get their VISA within three days of handing over the passport for verification. The Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu does the VISA verification after the applicants arrive in person.

According to tour operators, tourists going to Mansarovar in Tibet via Nepal account for about 20 percent of the total tourists going to the sacred Hindu religious site.

 “We are the worst hit due to the delay in VISA verification as we have to manage the tourists' lengthened stay, which is costing us more than what we earn by managing the running tour package,” complained Surya Pathak, Managing Director of Soham Journeys Pvt. Ltd.

Recalling that his company used to send 3,000 tourists in a season, Pathak said that this year it would barely reach 1,000 tourists. In 2019, the company had taken nearly 4,000 people on the Mansarovar Yatra.

The season for visiting Kailash Mansarovar is about five months from May to September.

According to the Association of Kailash Tour Operators, an umbrella organization of 30 tour operators, around 25,000 tourists visit Mansarovar via Nepal annually. Since the Nepalgunj-Simikot-Hilsa route is the closest to reach there a significant number of tourists prefer to use this route.

Tour companies have stated that it costs Indian citizens Rs. 250,000 to 300,000 and at least Rs. 1 million for non-resident Indians to visit Mansarovar.

A large number of Non-resident Indians (NRIs) living in the US, the UK, Canada and Australia use Nepal as a transit to make a pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar.

A took title Pakistan’s Buddhist Heritage in Nepal language was launched in Kathmandu on July 9. The book authored by eminent scholar Om Charan Amatya highlights the revered sites in Pakistan, their links to Nepal and potential for spiritual and cultural value for the Nepalis and Buddhists across the world.

Speaking in the program organized by Embassy of Pakistan, CPN-UML Leader Bhim Prasad Acharya, lawmaker from CPN-UML highlighted the significance of cultural heritage as an important facet of P2P contacts. He termed the Buddhist heritage as a shared legacy of both friendly countries – Pakistan and Nepal. Leader Acharya also emphasized on the need for enhancing P2P connectivity to further promote the cultural heritages. 

Myo Myint Maung, Ambassador of Myanmar and Chameera Munasinghe, Charge d’Affaires, Sri Lanka. Besides, venerable monks and Buddhist scholars, political leaders, journalists, civil society members and officials of Pakistan Embassy and their families also attended the event. A. Imran Shaukat, Ambassador on Buddhist Heritage Promotion for Pakistan addressed virtually and shared details of “Pakistan’s Buddhist Heritage Promotion Initiative.”

Abrar H Hashmi, Ambassador of Pakistan to Nepal said that Pakistan takes pride in its cultural heritage; has preserved it; and wants to share it both as an emotional experience with the followers and tourists alike.

He commended Om Charan Amatya for his meticulous work in highlighting the profound historical and cultural ties between Pakistan and Nepal. He hoped that book would go a long way in reaching to Nepali readers and bring deeper understanding and quest for research, pilgrimage and travel.

A flag-hoisting ceremony is set to take place at the Ram temple in Ayodhya in November with thousands of special guests expected to attend and Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to be the chief guest, Hindustan Times reported.

An official of the temple trust, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told PTI on Monday that the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust has shortlisted two dates in November for this significant event. Preparations for the ceremony are gaining momentum.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi might be present as the chief guest on this auspicious occasion," the official said.

According to sources within the temple, the Ram flag will be hoisted atop the 161-foot-high spire of the temple. In addition, flags will also be hoisted on the spires of all other temples within the complex, marking a major milestone towards the completion of the temple's construction, according to Hindustan Times.

Europe’s top human rights court has ruled that Russia violated international law in Ukraine and was responsible for the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, which killed 298 people, according to Al Jazeera.

The decision, part of cases brought by Ukraine and the Netherlands, marks the first international court ruling holding Moscow accountable for human rights abuses since its 2022 invasion. While symbolic—Russia was expelled from the court in 2022—it is seen as a key step in seeking justice.

The ruling follows a record Russian drone assault on Ukraine and renewed Western pledges of military support.

Nepal and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a grant agreement for “The Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS)” for Fiscal Year 2025.

The grant amounting to 572 million Japanese Yen (JPY 572,000,000) will provide 22 scholarships to the government officials of Nepal through advanced education.

The Government of Japan has been providing scholarships continuously since 2016.

Ghanashyam Upadhaya, Secretary, Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Government of Nepal and MAEDA Toru, Ambassador of Japan to Nepal on behalf of the Government of Japan signed the agreement, reads a statement issued by JICA.

Similarly, the grant agreement was signed by Dhani Ram Sharma, Joint Secretary, International Economic Cooperation Coordination Division (IECCD), Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Government of Nepal and MATSUZAKI Mizuki, Chief Representative of JICA Nepal Office.

Each year, the scholarship offers 20 seats for two-year master’s degree courses (since 2016) and two seats for three-year Doctoral level courses (starting 2019) to reputed universities in Japan.

These scholarships enable participants to study at prestigious Japanese universities, enhancing their expertise in fields such as judiciary and economic policy among others while also expanding their global professional networks. Since 2016, 209 civil servants have been awarded scholarships through the JDS Grant Aid program.

On the occasion, MATSUZAKI Mizuki, Chief Representative of JICA Nepal Office, emphasized JICA’s commitment to strengthen human resources in Nepal.