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The Ministry of External Affairs has expressed its grief over the death of a female student at Odisha's Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT).

"We are deeply saddened by the tragic demise of a Nepali student of KIIT University, Bhubaneswar. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family during this difficult time," reads a statement issued by the MEA on Friday.

The MEA said that it is in constant touch with the Odisha state government.

“The State Government of Odisha has extended full support to the family of the deceased, and a thorough enquiry is currently being conducted by the Odisha Police."

It is the responsibility of the Indian government for the safety, security of the well-being of international students, the MEA further said.

"The Government of India takes the safety, security and well-being of all international students very seriously. We remain in close contact with the Nepali authorities and the Odisha State Government, as well as KIIT management, to ensure real-time communication and coordination in this matter.”

The season for collecting Yarsagumba, the prized Himalayan herb, has officially begun, with locals from Chhekampar heading towards the highlands. Former ward chairperson Pasang Funjo Lama informed that villagers have started moving toward the Chheke and Baju pastures since the beginning of the Nepali month of Baisakh. “This year’s Yarsagumba collection season has started, and about half of the village has already left for the highlands,” Lama said. “In the first phase, mostly young people go to clear the snow. Afterward, children and elderly villagers also join. In the third phase, the focus shifts mainly to searching for remaining Yarsagumba.”

He added that during the second phase, villagers take their domesticated animals along with them to the highlands.

Local resident Chhiring Funjo Lama shared that preparations are underway to leave the village entirely by next week. “We are planning to lock our homes and move to the highlands with our yak and cattle. For the next month, the village will remain almost empty,” he said. Only households with elderly or disabled members will leave someone behind to look after them and monitor the vacant homes.

During the Yarsagumba collection period, villagers set up temporary shelters using stone walls and tarpaulin roofs or tents in the highlands.

This year’s harvest looks promising. “Last year’s yield was good, and early reports suggest that those who have already gone this season have found a good amount,” Lama said. “The second phase usually offers the best yield, while the third phase tends to produce less.”

Yarsagumba is collected mainly from the pastures of Chhekampar and Samagaun in Gorkha district. In Samagaun, however, collection typically starts later, around the month of Jestha. Yarsagumba remains a major source of income for locals in the region. According to the Manaslu Conservation Area Project (MCAP), after Dolpa and Manang, Chhekampar and Samagaun produce some of the highest quality Yarsagumba.

Local committees collect fees for access during the collection season, while MCAP collects revenues during the sale of Yarsagumba.

Farmer Gunda Bahadur Thakuri from Tinkanya, Golanjor Rural Municipality-4, earned Rs 1.5m this year from the sale of junar (sweet orange). Although his earnings have reached up to Rs 3.5m in previous years, production declined slightly this year due to unfavorable weather conditions. Thakuri, who has been cultivating junar for around 35 years, is supported in his work by his wife, Devi Kumari Thakuri. He currently farms on more than 25 ropanis of land.

The land, once unproductive even for basic crops like corn or millet, now supports thriving junar orchards that have helped fulfill Thakuri’s aspirations and created employment opportunities for locals. Several farmers in the area have found success through dedication and hard work, earning millions annually from junar cultivation.

In addition to Golanjor, commercial junar farming is underway in Kamalamai Municipality-3, Jalakanya Chapauli, Tinpatan Rural Municipality-1 (Shram Khola), Sunkoshi Rural Municipality-7 (Majhuwa), and other areas of Sindhuli district.

Junar has become the main source of income for many households in the region, replacing traditional crops such as pulses, corn, millet, and sorghum. Contributing to this shift are better market access, favorable pricing, and government initiatives like the Prime Minister’s Agriculture Modernization Project’s Junar Superzone program.

Farmers in the Mahabharat range of the district earn between Rs 350,000 and Rs 500,000 annually through junar farming. This growth has not only improved household incomes but also created local employment. Junar from Sindhuli is also transported to Kathmandu and other regions as a gift item (koseli).

To capitalize on its identity as a major junar-producing area, Golanjor Rural Municipality has proposed renaming itself “Junar Rural Municipality,” according to Chairperson Shankar Raj Baral. “We have seen prosperity through junar farming. It is the primary source of income for locals. While we are preparing to brand the municipality at the national and international levels, a few technical matters are still being addressed,” Baral said.

The municipality has been implementing special programs to support farmers, including training and access to better pricing. Across Sindhuli district, junar and orange cultivation spans 1,318 hectares, with junar grown on 794 hectares. The district produces junar worth approximately Rs 520m annually.

According to the Prime Minister’s Agriculture Modernization Project Implementation Unit, junar orchards have recently expanded to 237 hectares in Sindhuli, creating employment for over 6,000 people. Chandrakant Chaudhary, Chief Administrative Officer of Golanjor Rural Municipality, emphasized the importance of effective marketing to enhance income at both the local and national levels. The municipality is also providing incentives and subsidies for pest and disease control to improve the quality of production.

Nepal witnessed a deeply troubling series of press freedom and freedom of expression violations, with 32 documented incidents affecting 40 journalists, individuals and media houses.

These violations spanned five key areas: killings (2 incidents, 2 killed), arrests (3 incidents, 6 arrested), information blockages (3 incidents, 5 affected), equipment seizures (2 incidents, 3 affected), and threats (22 incidents, 24 threatened), according a report published by Media Action Nepal.  The report was made public on May 2, 2028 in Kathmandu.

The pattern of these violations points to a systemic erosion of journalistic safety and freedom, with journalists and media houses increasingly targeted for performing their constitutionally protected duties, the report said.

Two killings were at the center of this grim period: journalist Suresh Bhul was killed by a violent crowd, and Suresh Rajak was brutally attacked and burnt during a pro-monarchy protest on March 28, 2025. Rajak’s death, in particular, sent shockwaves through Nepal’s media landscape as it highlighted the increasing risks for journalists covering political unrest.

Arrests were carried out in politically sensitive contexts, such as protests involving youth activists and reporters covering cultural issues. Bijay Shah’s arrest for cultural reporting, and two other arrests for contempt of court, illustrate how legal instruments are being used to silence critical voices.

Three well-known media institutions, Kantipur Publications, Annapurna Post, and Samadhan Daily, were also directly targeted, the report says.  This points to an institutional dimension of media suppression where not only individual journalists but also media outlets as a whole are subjected to pressure, often through targeted surveillance, obstruction, or direct attacks, according to the report. Such incidents weaken the role of the press as a watchdog and hinder the operational independence of media house. The report states that government must enact and enforce robust legal protections for journalists. This includes amending the Media Council Bill and the proposed Social Media Bill to remove vague and punitive provisions that curtail freedom of expression. Laws should align with international press freedom and FoE standards, and explicitly guarantee journalists' rights to report without fear of retaliation.

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day 2025, Media Action Nepal has launched its Annual Press Freedom Report titled “From Intimidation to Impunity: Rising Threats against Media in Nepal” on May 2, 2025, amid a public function held in Kathmandu. The report, which comprehensively documents violations of press freedom and freedom of expression (FoE) from May 4, 2024, to May 1, 2025, was jointly released by Laxman Datt Pant, Founder and Executive Director of Media Action Nepal, Dr. Suresh Acharya, Chief Information Commissioner of the National Information Commission, Priyanka Jha, Chairperson of Media Action Nepal and Nirmala Sharma, Chairperson of the Federation of Nepali Journalists.

Speaking at the launch, Media Action Nepal’s Founding Chair and the Executive Director Laxman Datt Pant remarked, “This years’s findings expose a distressing and deepening crisis in Nepal’s media landscape. The report paints a grave picture of escalating threats faced by journalists. These violations not only endanger individual journalists but erode the very foundation of democracy.”

Commenting on the findings of the report, the Editor of Annapurna Express Kamal Dev Bhattarai lauded Media Action Nepal’s continued commitment to press freedom. He emphasized that “organizations like Media Action Nepal serve as a credible watchdog documenting violations and guiding national discourse.” He urged the government and stakeholders to seriously consider the report’s recommendations to safeguard freedom of expression in Nepal.

Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov paid a courtesy call on President Ram Chandra Paudel today.

In the meeting held at the Office of the President in Sheetal Niwas, Kathmandu today, President Paudel expressed his happiness over the new development between the two countries' relations.

It may be noted that Nepal and Azerbaijan held the first-ever political consultation upon the arrival of Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister Mammadov in Kathmandu on Wednesday.

President Paudel underscored the need to identify the areas of cooperation between the two countries for broader collaboration in future.

Recalling his representation of Nepal to the global climate conference-COP-29- held in Azerbaijan in November, 2024, the President said that he was confident over the relations between Nepal and Azerbaijan becoming stronger in future.

In response, visiting Deputy Foreign Minister Mammadov asserted that President Paudel's visit to Azerbaijan had added a new dimension between the two countries.

No Memorandum of Agreement (MoU) had been signed between Azerbaijan and Nepal in the past 30 years, said the visiting Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister, adding that the preparatory work is currently underway to ink such an agreement between the two countries.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Foreign Affairs Department head Vijay Chauthaiwale called on Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel in Singha Durbar on Friday.

On the occasion, they discussed bilateral relations and matters of mutual interest, according to Finance Minister Paudel's secretariat.

As part of a series of events leading up to the Sagarmatha Sambaad, popularly known as the Everest Dialogue, Press Council Nepal organized a discussion program with media persons on Wednesday to gather suggestions on how the media can help ensure its success and attract international attention.

Scheduled for May 16 to 18, 2025, the Sambaad, on the theme ‘Climate Change, Mountains and the Future of Human Life’, is a global dialogue initiated by the government to address key issues of global, regional and national importance.

Speaking at a program titled “Climate Change, Sagarmatha Sambaad, and the Role of Media” held at the Council’s meeting hall, Chairperson of Press Council Nepal Bal Krishna Basnet said that strategic suggestions would be collected from journalists who regularly report on environmental and climate issues. These suggestions would be submitted to the government to support the global outreach of the Sambaad.

Basnet expressed confidence that Nepal’s efforts could succeed if journalists effectively communicated the message. The Sambaad is being organized to address the causes and impacts of, and human responsibility related to climate change.

“The Council will act as a bridge to bring the government, media and journalists together to work on climate change issues,” he said. The problems of the Himalayas to sea-level rise are not just Nepal’s concerns, they are global issues and must be raised in the Sambaad, he added.

Senior journalists made presentations in the program. In their presentations, Editor of the Annapurna Express English Daily Kamal Dev Bhattarai, Ramesh Bhushal and Shriram Subedi stressed that Nepali media must be able to deliver issue-based information effectively to the public.

“Government should ramp up its efforts to make the program a global dialogue in a true sense,” Bhattarai said.

They suggested that the government should involve international media and journalists to elevate the Sagarmatha Sambaad to the global stage.

Responding to the media persons, Secretary of the Ministry of Forests and Environment, Rajendra Prasad Mishra, said that the issues and suggestions raised in the program would be forwarded to the Sambaad Secretariat for immediate action.

Urging journalists and media outlets to communicate dialogue-related content in a series, he said that the event is an opportunity to place Nepal prominently on the world map.

Shishir Shrestha, a Taekwondo athlete, coach, and National 1st Class Referee with over two decades of experience, has been appointed as a board member of the Australia Taekwondo Para Community.

Shrestha holds multiple certifications, including National 1st Class Referee, 1st Class International Coach, and 3rd Class International Master. He won a bronze medal in the Under-30 Men's Team Poomsae category at the 2024 Australian Open G2 World Taekwondo Championship and has also earned recognition at the South Asian Games and other international events.

In his new role, Shrestha is expected to contribute to the development of Para Taekwondo in Australia, with a focus on inclusion, athlete welfare, training standards, and leadership diversity. In a statement, Shrestha acknowledged the support of Grand Master Hassan, Master Carlos, and the Nepal Taekwondo Association. He also thanked his family, coaching team, and peers for their continued encouragement throughout his career.