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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.

Typhoon Danas made its third landfall late Tuesday in Rui’an City, Zhejiang Province, with strong winds and heavy rain, local officials confirmed.

It first hit Taiwan on Monday, then Wenzhou’s Dongtou District earlier Tuesday night before moving further inland, according to Xinhua.

Authorities continue to monitor the typhoon’s impact as it moves inland.

At least 31 people have been killed and over 100 injured in Kenya following nationwide anti-government protests, according to the National Commission on Human Rights. Over 500 arrests and two forced disappearances were also reported.

The demonstrations, held on Saba Saba Day, turned violent in cities including Nairobi and Eldoret. The commission accused police of excessive force and collusion with armed gangs, according to Al Jazeera.

Protests, largely youth-led, have continued since 2024 over tax hikes, economic hardship, and corruption. Rights groups condemned police for defying court orders and using military-grade weapons. The total death toll since the unrest began now exceeds 100.