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Iran’s president on Wednesday ordered the country to suspend its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency after American and Israeli airstrikes hit its most-important nuclear facilities, likely further limiting inspectors’ ability to track Tehran’s program that had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels, Associated Press reported.

The order by President Masoud Pezeshkian, however, included no timetables or details about what that suspension would entail. However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signaled in a CBS News interview that Tehran still would be willing to continue negotiations with the United States.

“I don’t think negotiations will restart as quickly as that,” Araghchi said, referring to Trump’s comments that talks could start as early as this week. However, he added: “The doors of diplomacy will never slam shut.”

Hamas suggested Wednesday that it was open to a ceasefire agreement with Israel, but stopped short of accepting a U.S.-backed proposal announced by U.S. President Donald Trump hours earlier, insisting on its longstanding position that any deal bring an end to the war in Gaza, Associated Press reported.

Trump said Tuesday that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. The U.S. leader has been increasing pressure on the Israeli government and Hamas to broker a ceasefire, and hostage agreement and bring about an end to the war.

Trump said the 60-day period would be used to work toward ending the war — something Israel says it won’t accept until Hamas is defeated. He said that a deal might come together as soon as next week.

But Hamas’ response, which emphasized its demand that the war end, raised questions about whether the latest offer could materialize into an actual pause in fighting, according to Associated Press.

A report titled ‘Discontent to Deliberation: Challenges and opportunities in Nepal’s governance process’, published by Centre for Social Change, has identified that practice of federalism in Nepal continues to generate legal and political conflicts, particularly around the delineation of powers and responsibilities between the levels of the government.

Provincial governance remained at a flashpoint, with repeated disputes over the appointment and dismissal of Chief Ministers. For instance, in Koshi Province, a dramatic series of legal and political maneuvers followed the resignation of Chief Minister Kedar Karki, the report says. His attempt to prevent the appointment of his successor, Hikmat Karki, was challenged in the Supreme Court under Article 76(5), which governs the formation of a new government when no party commands a majority.

At the local level, the promise of decentralized governance was repeatedly tested by disputes over fiscal transfers, budget processes, and intra-governmental coordination. The report says one of the most significant flashpoints occurred in June 2024, when the federal government announced a steep reduction, by almost 26 percent, in fiscal equalization grants to local governments.

Regarding the ethnocultural government, the report says a defining feature of ethnocultural conflict over the past year has been land-related struggles that reflect both class-based and identity-based exclusion. In particular, the case of Swargadwari Guthi tenant farmers from Dang demonstrates the intersection between landlessness, caste, and bureaucratic marginalization.

Nepal’s cultural and religious diversity has become a site of contestation as development projects encroach upon sacred spaces. The Pathibhara (Mukkumlung) cable car project in Taplejung triggered sustained opposition from indigenous Limbu communities, who view the area as spiritually significant.

According to the report, the Language Bill became a flashpoint for identity-based protest in Madhes Province. In January 2025, a bill proposing Hindi as one of the official working languages alongside Maithili, Bhojpuri, and English was introduced in the provincial assembly. Despite the widespread use of languages like Tharu, Magahi, and Urdu in the region, these were excluded, leading to mass opposition from lawmakers and the public. Protesters burned effigies, blocked assembly proceedings, and accused the government of linguistic bias. The bill was withdrawn under pressure, but the episode exposed the limited consultation with affected communities and the volatility of language in identity politics.

Regarding the natural resources and environment governance, the report says that one of the most prominent trends observed in the reporting period was the escalation of community-led environmental movements, driven by mounting ecological violence and failures in state responsiveness.

The events of 2024–25 indicate that natural resource and environmental governance in federal Nepal is marked by high levels of conflict, contestation, and institutional fragmentation. Communities are increasingly asserting their rights, contesting unjust policies, and demanding sustainable and equitable resource management. Yet, systemic weaknesses persist in the forms of overlapping jurisdictions, politicization of resource access, elite capture, and insufficient regulatory enforcement.

The report aims to provide a comprehensive and empirically grounded analysis of how Nepal’s federal system has functioned over the past three years. Drawing on an extensive dataset of governance-related conflicts and cooperation, it examines how constitutional mandates are being exercised and contested in practice, especially within the domains of developmental, political, ethnocultural, and natural resources and environmental governance. The report offers a critical lens into the promises and paradoxes of federalism as a democratic project. It sets the stage for understanding not only the challenges of implementation, but also the stakes involved in navigating this complex system of governance.

National Assembly (NA) members have expressed their concerns over the alleged changes made in the Civil Service Bill in an unauthorized way.

Airing their views during zero hour of the session today, they said the incorporation of the word 'except' in the provision regarding the cooling-off in the Bill endorsed by the State Affairs Committee, House of Representatives is objectionable.

"Such an act is fraudulent and unconstitutional," they said, demanding the formation of a parliamentary committee to probe the matter.   "This is an unjust act," said Shreekrishna Adhikari. "The unauthorized alteration to the Bill is an insult to the dignity of Parliament," commented Sabitri Malla.  

Several members, including Krishna Bahadur Rokaya, Ghana Shyam Rijal, Rukmini Koirala, Renu Chand, Bishnu Kumari Sapkota, and Bishnu Bahadur Bishwakarma raised various contemporary issues. These included the two-month-long power outage in Rukum East, the lack of MRI and ICU facilities at the National Trauma Centre, and the shortage of drinking water as well as inadequate road and electricity infrastructure in Melauli, Baitadi.

They stressed the need for swift coordination among federal, provincial, and local governments, and called for the timely presentation of the draft bill, aimed at uplifting the Dalit community, in the Parliament.