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At least 56 people have been killed and 21 are missing in Sri Lanka after floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains wreaked havoc this week, in one of its worst weather related disasters the country has seen in recent years, BBC reported.

Twenty-one people were killed in the central tea-growing district of Badulla when a landslide crashed onto their homes overnight, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said in a statement.

Videos uploaded to social media show houses being washed away as flood waters cascade through towns, while most train services have been cancelled across the country, according to BBC.

Tea worth Rs 1.373 has been exported via the eastern checkpoint, Kakadbhitta, in the first four months of the current fiscal year. 

According to Public Information Officer at the Mechi Customs Office, Ishwor Kumar Humagain, a total of 4,688,932 kilograms of tea was outbound to India during the reporting period. 

In comparison to the same period last year, the export this year has slumped by 37 percent. 

In the same period last year, total tea worth amounting to Rs 2.205 billion was exported. 

This year tea export has declined by Rs 831.7 million. 

President Ram Chandra Paudel has nodded to Cabinet decision and Prime Minister's recommendation to mobilize Nepali Army for the election to the House of Representatives scheduled for coming March 5.

President Paudel endorsed the government's decision of mobilizing NA in the HoR election in order to strengthen election security, reads a press release issued on Thursday by Spokesperson at the Office of the President, Pradeep Kumar Koirala. 

Prime Minister Sushila Karki had recommended to the President for it as per Cabinet decision held on November 24, the statement added.  

The Patan High Court has ordered the release of former Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara on bail of Rs 2 million.

A joint bench of Judges Arjun Prasad Koirala and Tejendra Prasad Sharma Sapkota issued an order to release  Mahara on bail of Rs 2 million, Patan High Court Information Officer Parbati Hitan said. 

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Nepal Police arrested Mahara on October 12 to investigate the smuggling of 61 kg of gold hidden in 'break shoes’.

In 2023, Mahara was held from Bhairahawa in the gold smuggling case.

Later, the public prosecutor's office on the recommendation of the CIB investigation officer released him on a general date.

With today's win against Lumbini Lions, the previous runners-up Sudurpaschim Royals have moved closer to the playoff in the second edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) cricket currently under way at the Tribhuvan International Cricket Stadium, Kirtipur,

Sudurpaschim secured their fourth consecutive win by defeating Lumbini Lions by seven wickets. 

Chasing a target of 144 runs set by Lumbini, Sudurpaschim achieved it in 18.2 overs with the loss of three wickets.

In today's match, Sudurpaschim's opening batter Binod Bhandari played a half-century innings remaining unbeaten on 69, while Arif Sheikh added 37 runs.

Sudurpaschim secured the win with Binod and Sheikh putting together a 99-run partnership after losing two wickets at 39 runs. Binod was also named Player of the Match.

Earlier, Lumbini, having lost the toss and put into batting first, were all out for 143 runs in 19.4 overs.

 Captain Rohit Paudel contributed the most with 35 runs and Dilip Nath scored 31 runs.

Abhinash Bohara from Sudurpaschim took three wickets, Harmit Singh three, and Hemant Dhami two wickets. 

Sudurpaschim, captained by Dipendra Singh Airee,  won four consecutive matches and is at the top with eight points.

Under the captaincy of Rohit Kumar Paudel, Lumbini have won only one out of four matches. 

With two points, Lumbini are in sixth place.

With the loss in this match, Lumbini are in increased pressure as they must win the remaining three matches to reach the playoffs.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 10. 43 points to close at 2, 676. 03 points on Thursday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 2. 48 points to close at 461. 66 points.

A total of 14,693,807-unit shares of 333 companies were traded for Rs 6. 66 billion.

Meanwhile, Sagar Distillery Limited (SAGAR) was the top gainer today, with its price surging by 10. 00 percent. 

Likewise, Him Star Urja Company Limited (HIMSTAR) was the top loser as its price fell by 7. 78 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 1. 52 trillion.

The US has suspended processing all immigration requests from Afghans, after an Afghan man was identified as the suspect in the shooting of two National Guard soldiers near the White House, BBC reported.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services said the decision was made pending a review of "security and vetting protocols".

The suspect of Wednesday's shooting, which left two National Guard members critically injured, is said to have arrived in the US from Afghanistan in September 2021, according to BBC.

Khampa Rebellion from the Nepali Perspective, the debut investigative work of journalist and documentary-maker Rajendra Kunwar, stands out as a rare and timely contribution to Nepal’s political–historical literature. Published recently and now available at Dobilla Bookstore in Kathmandu, the book offers an in-depth, multi-layered exploration of one of the least-understood episodes in Nepal’s geopolitical history—the Khampa rebellion.

Kunwar, who hails from Huti village in Darchula’s Byas Rural Municipality-6, brings to this work his two decades of experience in journalism, documentary filmmaking, and field reporting on various aspects of Nepal’s society. His habit of traveling deep into Nepal’s rural landscapes to document lived realities lends authenticity and nuance to this research-based narrative.

The first section of the book traces the political circumstances and long-term planning that culminated in the Khampa revolt. Here, Kunwar provides a historical overview of Nepal–Tibet relations and examines how the geopolitical landscape changed dramatically after the 1950s.

The author details the Nepal–China border agreement, King Mahendra’s 1960 coup, and the shifts in Nepal’s foreign policy during this turbulent era. This section also examines how King Birendra’s rise to power reshaped state strategies and eventually led to the suppression of Khampa activities in Nepal.Particularly insightful is Kunwar’s analysis of the US–China rapprochement of 1972, engineered by Henry Kissinger, and how it altered the regional dynamics affecting Nepal’s position and the fate of the Khampas. Similarly, the book offers glimpses of Nepal’s relationship with India and the US.

In its second section, the book boldly probes the involvement of CIA and India’s RAW in the Khampa movement. It presents fresh information on how Khampa fighters entered Nepal via India, and the extent to which Indian and American agencies supported or manipulated their presence.

Kunwar also contextualizes the Khampa activities within the broader canvas of the 1962 India–China War, outlining how the conflict influenced Indian policies toward Tibet and shaped the Khampa agenda. The result is a compelling portrait of Nepal caught between the world’s major powers during the Cold War.

Perhaps one of the book’s most valuable contributions is its third section, which includes first-person testimonies from members of the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, and high-ranking government officials who witnessed or participated in the events of the Khampa uprising.

This is likely the first time such voices have been assembled in one place. Their accounts provide new insights, operational details, and firsthand perspectives previously missing from historical narratives. This section alone makes the book essential reading for scholars of Nepal’s modern military and political history.

The fourth section turns toward the Khampas themselves. Kunwar has interviewed surviving Khampa members or their children, presenting stories of struggle, displacement, loyalty, and political complexity. These narratives humanize a group often portrayed only in strategic terms, offering new information and overlooked issues that deepen our understanding of the rebellion’s human dimension.

‘Khampa Rebellion from the Nepali Perspective’ is an ambitious, well-researched, and highly relevant work. It combines geopolitics, oral histories, intelligence studies, and regional diplomacy into a single coherent narrative.

For students, teachers, political leaders, security personnel, and anyone interested in Nepal’s history, this book provides a comprehensive and compelling account of a pivotal yet underexplored chapter of Nepal’s geopolitical evolution.  Rajendra Kunwar’s work marks a significant contribution to Nepali historiography—one that will likely serve as a reference point for future research on the Khampa movement, Cold War politics, and Nepal’s delicate diplomatic positioning between global powers.