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The main opposition, CPN (Maoist Center), concluded its Standing Committee meeting, which witnessed an intense exchange of words between Party Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal, his supporters, and Janardhan Sharma, who is attempting to position himself as a potential successor to Dahal. However, Sharma’s colleagues within the party sided with Dahal, preventing him from consolidating influence. As a result, Dahal has emerged even stronger and is likely to retain his grip on the party for at least the next 10 years.

The internal rift within the Rastriya Prajatantra Party has escalated, with a rival faction led by Dhawal Shumsher Rana launching parallel activities. Rana, who plans to contest the party presidency, has been actively consolidating support by highlighting the weaknesses of the incumbent president, Rajendra Lingden, who is seeking re-election. The long-standing internal feud has deepened due to differences over the royalist movement that gained traction during the winter and spring but has since lost momentum.

The CPN-UML is preparing for its upcoming statute convention. Former President Bidya Devi Bhandari is reportedly seeking involvement in the convention, but party leaders maintain that her chapter is effectively closed. Bhandari and her close associates are said to be planning a future political strategy after her party membership was revoked. Her supporters are also reportedly working to raise the issue at the convention and are organizing separate activities within the party.

CPN (Maoist Center) Chairperson Dahal has continued his longstanding effort to unify fringe communist parties. He is currently in talks with Netra Bikram Chand, who leads a breakaway Maoist faction. However, the CPN (Unified Socialist), led by Madhav Kumar Nepal, has rejected Dahal’s unification proposal. This is in line with Dahal’s traditional approach of reaching out to smaller parties when he finds himself out of power.

Within the Nepali Congress, dissatisfaction over the performance of the NC–CPN-UML coalition government has become routine. Senior NC leaders continue to voice criticism. Meanwhile, the Rastriya Swatantra Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party have been obstructing Parliament sessions, demanding the formation of a parliamentary committee to investigate the visa scam. In every session, lawmakers from both parties walk in only to walk out in protest. Despite this, the ruling parties have shown little interest in addressing their demands.

The upcoming by-election in Rupandehi-3 for a seat in the House of Representatives has become a prestige battle for both traditional and emerging political parties. The NC and UML are keen to win to reaffirm public trust, while newer parties like the Rastriya Swatantra Party are eager to claim the seat as proof of growing momentum in their favor. Some independents and minor parties are in quiet negotiations to form an alliance against mainstream candidates. The Rastriya Prajatantra Party is also striving to retain its presence. All parties are currently focused on finalizing their candidates.

Bagmati Province, long marked by instability, appointed a new chief minister this week. NC leader Indra Bahadur Baniya replaced Bahadur Singh Lama, who is also from the NC. Although this shift has triggered some discontent within the party, it is unlikely to have a major impact on national politics or broader NC dynamics. Except for Bagmati, most provinces have seen relative stability after the NC and UML formed a coalition government.

Preparations are underway for Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s visit to New Delhi, though dates have not yet been confirmed. According to media reports, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is expected to visit Nepal next week to formally extend the invitation. Misri has been engaging with a broad range of government officials and political leaders. With two cross-party delegations recently visiting New Delhi, bilateral engagement has noticeably intensified.

Prime Minister Oli also addressed the third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LDCs) in Turkmenistan this week. In his remarks, he outlined the major challenges these countries face, including lack of direct sea access, high transit costs, weak infrastructure, long and uncertain transit routes, limited market access, overdependence on a narrow range of exports, and vulnerability to global shocks and climate change-induced disasters.

He emphasized that the trade and transit rights of landlocked developing countries are a moral responsibility of the global community. He called for greater solidarity, enhanced financial and technological support, and fairer trade terms and transit regimes.

Nepal and China celebrated the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries this week. At a commemorative event, Prime Minister Oli reaffirmed Nepal’s commitment to the one-China policy and highlighted the countries’ “time-tested” friendship. Over seven decades, he said, Nepal-China ties have deepened, rooted in mutual trust and guided by shared values. He added that China has consistently respected Nepal’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence.

The special investigation committee tasked with probing the controversial amendment of the Federal Civil Service Bill, particularly the “cooling-off period” clause, has submitted its report to House Speaker Devraj Ghimire. The report names two key individuals responsible for the tampering.

Meanwhile, Ram Hari Khatiwada, Chair of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee, is under pressure to resign over his alleged role in the controversy. The Rastriya Swatantra Party has demanded his resignation, but the Nepali Congress has not taken a public position. In a related development, the government’s failure to advance the Education Bill is expected to provoke renewed protests from teachers. Significant disagreements persist between the NC and UML over the bill's contents.

The Election Commission is working on a new regulation that would give sweeping oversight powers to the bureaucracy for monitoring and evaluating political parties. Most parties have condemned the move as unconstitutional and an attempt to control party activity. Given the widespread criticism, the proposal is likely to be revised.

Lastly, the National Examination Board (NEB) published the results of the Grade 12 examinations today. Of the 396,347 students in the regular category, 61.17 percent passed, while 36.49 percent of partial examinees were successful. The Board reported that 38.83 percent of regular students received a “non-grade” result in the exams held this May.

This is yet another indication of a resource-rich republic performing well below par for reasons best known to its ruling clique.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli stated that Nepal has not made any mistakes regarding carbon emissions, but rather the country is simply bearing the consequences of others in terms of the impacts of climate change. 

“Our carbon emissions are negligible, yet we are hugely impacted by climate change, and Nepal is one of the major victims of this,” the Prime Minister said while addressing a side event entitled “Glacial Melt and Beyond: Unraveling the Climate Challenges Impacting LLDCs” of the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries at Awaza in Turkmenistan on Thursday.

PM Oli said that as a Himalayan country, glacial melting was one of the major challenges of Nepal. 

He added that the Himalayas are not only a source of water, lives and livelihoods of billions of people downstream, it is our identity, national pride and our present and future. 

"Not only this,  the Himalayas and Oceans are interlinked, and they recharge each other. Himalayas are cooling centers of the planet earth. But, unfortunately, this is vanishing," the PM added. 

The issue of glacial melt is not just an environmental concern for countries like Nepal; it is a constant threat, striking at the heart of our development, security, and survival, according to the PM. 

Oli shared that Nepal has already been victims of devastation of glacial lake outburst floods. "Recently on July 8, on a clear day, glacial lake outburst caused catastrophic floods in the Lende River in Rasuwa district which swept away the connecting bridge between Nepal and China. The flood caused death tolls of about 20 people and damaged huge infrastructure," the PM shared.  

Such climate-induced disasters are occurring time and again and we are afraid that this may increase in the days to come, he added.  

On the occasion, the PM stated that our agriculture, hydropower, tourism, and biodiversity– all climate-sensitive sectors–are increasingly at risk.

"These threats extend beyond our national boundaries. What happens in our mountains has cascading effects across borders, regions, and generations," the PM viewed. 

The PM stated that under the current emissions trajectories, the Himalayan region may lose up to two-thirds of its glacier volume by the end of this century. 

Saying that the rivers born in the Himalayas—the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Indus and Mekong, among others, —are lifelines for billions, PM Oli mentioned that as glaciers recede, these river systems will dry up, threatening water availability, agriculture, and energy security.

"The melting of our glaciers is not simply a loss of ice—it is a loss of lives, livelihoods, heritage, and hope. The cry of the glaciers is not silent. It is loud, and urgent. It is a plea not just for action, but for justice."

The PM viewed, “we can save our Himalayas with concrete and concerted actions and the speed of glacial melting could be reduced through collection efforts.

PM Oli also shared with the world community that Nepal stands ready—to act, to partner, and to lead—so that the voices of the Himalayas do not fade beneath melting ice, but rises to inspire global climate justice.

Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli said sustainable infrastructures, robust connectivity, and seamless transit are essential pillars of growth, resilience, and hope in the landlocked developing countries (LLDCs). 

PM Oli said it while addressing a High-Level Thematic Roundtable on 'Building sustainable infrastructure, strengthening connectivity, and promoting the unfettered transit systems for landlocked developing countries' in Awaza, Turkmenistan, today.  

According to him, they are a lifeline. Indeed, they form the backbone of economic transformation, and they are essential for our competitiveness, according to him. 

"As we enter the next decade of action, let us renew our collective determination to connect LLDCs — physically, digitally and economically— to the global opportunities. Let us focus on infrastructure, connectivity, and transit as urgent imperatives for equity, inclusion, and shared progress," the PM said. 

The PM further viewed that our progress continues to be hindered by a lack of sea access, remoteness from global markets, high trade costs, delayed transit, limited connectivity, and fragile infrastructure. This is the best forum to discuss these challenges and its innovative solutions, reiterated.   

"To overcome these structural challenges and vulnerabilities, we must invest in integrated and climate-resilient infrastructure that connects regions. We must harness digital technologies to unlock new opportunities. We must create seamless transit systems that are reliable, efficient, and predictable. We need to simplify, harmonize and modernize customs procedures," the PM explained. 

According to him, it is time to deliver on the promise and build a future where no states are left behind.

Nepal's priority on seamless transit

On the occasion, the Head of the government took time to share Nepal's ambition of ‘Prosperous Nepal and Happy Nepali.

 In order to fulfill this aspiration, Nepal has prioritized sustainable infrastructure, improved connectivity, and seamless transit systems for durable and accelerated economic growth. 

He informed the world that Nepal is actively expanding and reinforcing cross-border linkages to ensure smooth and uninterrupted transit and trade. 

Nepal is committed to deepening partnership with its neighboring countries and beyond in the spirit of economic cooperation, regional integration and shared progress, the Prime Minister said.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel has directed the secretaries to prepare an action plan and implement the annual budget accordingly.

During a meeting at the Finance Ministry today, the Finance Minister reminded the secretaries to ensure results with proper enforcement of the budget.

 The ministry would extend support from its side for this, he pledged.