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With rising water levels in major rivers and accelerated snowmelt following the onset of the monsoon, power generation by hydropower projects in the country is gradually increasing, enabling the country to resume power exports to India and Bangladesh. 

According to Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), daily exports have now reached 350 MW. Of this, 40 MW is being sent to Bangladesh via India, and the remaining is being exported to various Indian states including Haryana and Bihar. Since Sunday, NEA has been exporting 200 MW and 80 MW, respectively, to the Indian states of Haryana and Bihar. Additionally, it has been supplying up to 30 MW daily to the Indian power exchange market.

Nepal has received permission to export up to 940 MW in total—400 MW under a medium-term bilateral agreement and 540 MW through the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX). Although 125 MW is approved for export to Bihar, only 80 MW is currently being utilized. Similarly, exports to Haryana are expected to increase to the full 235 MW approval in the coming weeks.

NEA plans to resume export of the full 940 MW by the first week of July.

Electricity exports to Bangladesh resumed on Saturday night under a trilateral agreement between Nepal, India and Bangladesh. Nepal is now exporting 40 MW to Bangladesh via the Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur 400 kV transmission line. The electricity is sourced from Trishuli and Chilime hydropower projects. NEA estimates this export will generate monthly revenue of Rs 250m for Nepal, or Rs 1.25bn over five months.

Nepal, India and Bangladesh signed a tripartite agreement for power exports to Bangladesh in October last year. To begin with, Nepal is exporting 40 MW. Bangladesh has expressed interest to develop a reservoir-type power plant in Nepal in partnership with Nepal for a long-term energy partnership.

Unlike Nepal-India energy trade, which is settled in Indian currency, Bangladesh is paying Nepal in US dollars. The cost per unit is 6.4 cents. Bangladesh also bears the transmission loss and costs incurred within India, while NEA covers the losses within Nepal.

In the first five months of 2024-25, Nepal exported electricity worth Rs 13.4bn to India.

Although Nepal has a total installed capacity of 3,602 MW, actual generation stands at around 2,300 MW right now. Domestic demand hovers around 1,900 MW.

The Narayangadh-Butwal road section along the East-West Highway has been completely obstructed since last night. 

According to the Nawalpur Police, traffic operation has been disrupted on the highway with the flood sweeping the diversion of the Binayi River in this section and the slippery road at Daunne. 

Information Officer of the Nawalpur Police, Deputy Superintendent of Police Madhu Nepal informed that the flood has washed away the diversion that was placed to pass the vehicles in lack of a bridge. 

Due to continuous rainfall, there has been trouble in operating vehicles on the Dumkibas-Daunne road section, he shared. 

DSP Nepal has urged the vehicle operators to use alternative roads for travel until improvement of road condition in the section. 

He suggested the vehicles from the east to the west should take route via Narayangadh, Muglin, Pokhara, Syangja, and Butwal and the vehicles moving west from Kathmandu should use the route through Muglin, Pokhara, Syangja, and Butwal to reach their destinations. 

Likewise, vehicles traveling east from the west are asked to use Butwal, Syangja, Pokhara, and Muglin routes to reach their destinations. 

Likewise, light vehicle operators are requested to know the condition of the road and use the Gaindakot-Pipaldanda route.

The influence of monsoon winds is continuing in the country. 

With this, there is a possibility of light to moderate rainfall with thunder and lightning in some areas of all provinces. 

There is also a chance of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in one or two places in Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, and Lumbini Provinces this afternoon, stated a press release issued today by the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. 

There is a possibility of light rain or snowfall in a few areas of the higher hilly and mountain regions of the country. 

According to the department, the weather will generally be partially to mostly cloudy across the country tonight. Light to moderate rainfall along with thunder and lightning is likely to occur in some areas of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini Provinces, and a few places in the remaining provinces. 

Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is also possible in one or two places in Koshi, Madhes, Gandaki and Lumbini Provinces. 

There is a possibility of light rain and snowfall in some areas of the country's high-hilly and mountainous regions.

Urban forests, parks, and ponds could lower Kathmandu’s temperature by as much as 1.6°C if implemented strategically, according to a new study published in the journal Urban Climate. The research represents the first of its kind to closely examine how different types of blue-green spaces help cool down areas across the Kathmandu Valley.

The study, carried out by an international team from seven institutions, looked at 301 parks, 130 urban forest patches, and 26 ponds within the valley’s high-density urban areas using satellite-based information and Machine Learning algorithms. The study shows that Swoyambhu forest stayed cooler at 31.9°C, while nearby city areas reached 36.0°C—a difference of 4.1°C. At UN Park, the temperature was 34.3°C, compared to 38.2°C in the surrounding buildings, a difference of 3.9 °C. A traditional pond, Na Pukhu, in Bhaktapur measured 39.6°C, while the nearby urban area hit 42.5°C, the study found. 

The number represents the highest cooling effects recorded over five summers, highlighting how much these blue-green spaces can help during the hottest times. It is important to note that the satellite temperature estimates give an idea of the ground temperatures but still need to be confirmed with actual measurements on the ground. However, the differences they show help us understand important cooling patterns.

Overall, urban forests provide the greatest cooling effect, lowering temperatures by up to 1.2°C on average. Parks come next, cooling by up to 0.9°C, and ponds can reduce temperatures by up to 0.85°C.  But how well these spaces cool depends a lot on their surroundings. In vegetation-dominated areas, blue-green spaces can cool temperatures by as much as 1.6°C, while in densely built areas, the cooling effect drops to just 0.3-0.6°C. 

Lead researcher Saurav Bhattarai, a PhD student at Jackson State University, USA and an ORISE fellow, said the findings show that effective cooling strategies should be tailored to specific urban contexts. “Just adding green spaces is not enough; they need to be carefully designed and well integrated with the surrounding city environment,” he explained.

This study comes at a time when the Kathmandu Valley is getting steadily warmer, with temperatures rising by 0.38°C per decade since 1976. 

The study also found that soil moisture in the valley has dropped by an average of 2.1 percent over the past decade, with some central urban areas experiencing reductions as high as 35 percent.

Dr Rocky Talchabhadel from Jackson State University stressed the need for urgent action. “Our study shows that Kathmandu’s high-density areas are at greater risk from extreme heat. Without immediate action, these urban heat islands will only get worse,” he said.

Urban forests demonstrated the strongest relationship between their size and cooling effect—when the forest area doubles, the cooling effect increases by about 30 percent.  Parks showed moderate connection between size and cooling, but how well they cool depends more on how they are designed inside, not just their size. 

Park landscape design reveals that tree canopy coverage proves most critical for cooling effectiveness. In small parks, a one percent increase in high canopy area corresponded to an approximate 0.99°C increase in cooling effect. For the largest parks, high canopy coverage demonstrated substantial impact, with a one percent increase linked to a 1.76°C increase in cooling effect.

Prof Vishnu Prasad Pandey from Tribhuvan University noted that strategic placement and design of blue-green spaces can maximize cooling benefits even in space-constrained urban areas. “This isn’t just about planting more trees. The internal composition of parks—the ratio of tree canopy, grass and impervious surfaces—determines their cooling effectiveness more than their size alone,” he said.

The research team recommends different approaches for different urban zones. For dense urban cores, priority should be given to water features and rooftop solutions, including cisterns, reflective pools, green roofs and rooftop farming, while safeguarding existing mature trees. For transitional areas, the focus should be on expanding forest patches and designing parks with high, contiguous tree-canopy cover to maximize shade. In vegetation-dominated zones, conservation of current forests and green buffers can prevent future urban heat island formation.

Dr Prajal Pradhan from the University of Groningen, Netherlands, stressed the global applicability of the findings and methods. “Cities globally can learn from our findings based on the Kathmandu Valley. We provide a framework for assessing cooling potential that can be applied anywhere and used to plan cities to adapt to urban heat,” he said.

Dr Nawa Raj Pradhan from the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center warned that if no action is taken, increasing temperatures will put pressure on public health systems, increase energy demands for cooling and disproportionately hit vulnerable communities the hardest. The study estimates that implementing comprehensive cooling strategies could reduce urban cooling energy demands by 15-25 percent, potentially saving significant electricity costs while improving public health outcomes.

Israel’s military warned people Thursday to evacuate the area around Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, Associated Press reported.

The warning came in a social media post on X. It included a satellite image of the plant in a red circle like other warnings that preceded strikes.

Israel’s seventh day of airstrikes on Iran came a day after Iran’s supreme leader rejected U.S. calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause “irreparable damage to them.” Israel also lifted some restrictions on daily life, suggesting the missile threat from Iran on its territory was easing.

The Israeli military said Thursday’s round of airstrikes targeted Tehran and other areas of Iran, without elaborating.

Already, Israel’s campaign has targeted Iran’s enrichment site at Natanz, centrifuge workshops around Tehran and a nuclear site in Isfahan. Its strikes have also killed top generalsand nuclear scientists, according to Associated Press.

It has been more than two months since the inauguration of the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, but Nepal’s pavilion remains unopened. The expo, which began on April 13, will continue until October 13.

Construction was delayed due to negligence on the part of key line ministries, namely the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The delay stems from a protracted dispute between government agencies and the contractor. Despite selecting a private company for the project two years ago, poor coordination and unresolved issues have prevented its timely completion.

A government official described the situation as an embarrassment for Nepal, noting that 157 of the 158 participating countries have already opened their pavilions and are actively engaging with visitors and investors. “This has exposed Nepal’s governance failure on the global stage,” the official said, adding that preparations for the pavilion had started two years ago. Government officials put blame on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the entire delay. 

The government is blaming the contractor for the delays. Japanese and international media have begun reporting on Nepal’s lagging progress. Although the contractor, who had halted work, resumed construction just a week ago, it is still unclear when the pavilion will be completed.

This week, the Japanese Association for International Expositions confirmed that construction of Nepal’s pavilion has resumed. Japanese media report that work was suspended in January due to non-payment. Nepal has now assured the Japanese side that construction will be completed within a month.

Two months into the expo, ticket sales are rising steadily. Organizers say daily visitor numbers are increasing, with the reservation website often crashing around midnight due to high demand for slots at popular pavilions and events. Unfortunately, Nepal is missing out on this vital window for exposure and engagement. Since opening on April 13, the expo has sold approximately 3.75m tickets, which is nearly 30 percent of the 13.44m total sold since ticket sales began in November 2023 through June 6. 

Nepali Embassy in Dhaka, in collaboration with the Nepal Tourism Board, hosted a Nepal-Bangladesh Tourism Meet under the theme Destination Nepal: From the Bay of Bengal to the Himalayas in Chattogram, Bangladesh, on Wednesday.

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Ghanshyam Bhandari emphasized the vital role tourism and people-to-people connections play in Nepal-Bangladesh relations. He shed light on the growing ties between the two countries and called for greater efforts to ‘truly connect the heights of the Himalayas with the depths of the Bay of Bengal’. 

He highlighted the ongoing efforts of the Government of Nepal to improve tourism infrastructure.

Ambassador Bhandari also appreciated the important contributions of travel and tour entrepreneurs in further positioning Nepal as a preferred tourist destination, reads a statement issued by the Embassy.

Similarly, Rohini Prasad Khanal, Officiating Director of Tourism Marketing & Promotion Department at the Nepal Tourism Board, delivered a presentation on Nepal’s diverse tourism products and potential, urging the participating travel agents and tour operators to strengthen efforts towards building more robust tourism linkages between the two countries. 

Highlighting Bangladesh as one of Nepal’s major source markets, he expressed optimism about an increased flow of Bangladeshi tourists in the days ahead, according to the statement.

Likewise, Mount Everest Summiteer Babar Ali shared brief remarks about his experiences in Nepal during his successful summit to Mount Everest in 2024 and his recent ascent to Mount Annapurna.

The programme also featured a raffle draw, with tour packages and round trip air tickets for the Dhaka–Kathmandu sector sponsored by Nepali tour and travel agencies, Himalaya Airlines and Biman Bangladesh Airlines.

Over 120 participants including Chattogram-based representatives of ATAB, TOAB, hotels and airlines, and leading organizations from the tourism and hospitality sector attended the event, the statement further reads.

The U.S. State Department said Wednesday it is restarting the suspended process for foreigners applying for student visas but all applicants will now be required to unlock their social media accounts for government review, Associated Press reported.

The department said consular officers will be on the lookout for posts and messages that could be deemed hostile to the United States, its government, culture, institutions or founding principles.

In a notice made public Wednesday, the department said it had rescinded its May suspension of student visa processing but said new applicants who refuse to set their social media accounts to “public” and allow them to be reviewed may be rejected. It said a refusal to do so could be a sign they are trying to evade the requirement or hide their online activity.

The Trump administration last month temporarily halted the scheduling of new visa interviews for foreign students hoping to study in the U.S. while preparing to expand the screening of their activity on social media, officials said, according to Associated Press.