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CPN (Maoist Center) Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said his party is ready to support a constitutional amendment and has proposed a seven-point agenda for it. Speaking during a special address in the House of Representatives on Monday, Dahal expressed dissatisfaction with the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, saying they had pledged to amend the Constitution when forming the current coalition government but have not acted accordingly.

Leader of main opposition Dahal outlined seven key areas where he believes constitutional amendments are necessary. These include the system of governance, the electoral system, the naming of provinces, and the demarcation of provincial boundaries along with addressing issues of identity and rights. He also emphasized the need to strengthen fiscal federalism, ensure greater inclusivity, and introduce enhanced provisions for social justice.

He said his party is prepared to fully support the government if it proceeds with a constitutional amendment on these issues. “I want to tell the government—if a two-thirds majority is lacking, our party will take responsibility to gather the required support. Move forward with confidence,” Dahal stated.

However, he also emphasized that any amendment must address long-standing dissatisfaction that has existed since the promulgation of the Constitution. He recalled that his party had expressed differing views during the Constitution’s adoption, and those concerns still need to be resolved.

“Does the government have the courage to move ahead with progressive constitutional amendments addressing the system of governance, electoral system and issues of naming and demarcating provinces, as well as ensuring identity, rights, fiscal federalism, better inclusivity and social justice?” he asked.

Dahal warned that Nepal is heading toward a multidimensional national crisis. He accused the government of being influenced by brokers and vested interests. In a special address to the House of Representatives, Dahal said the government has strayed from the commitments made during the Comprehensive Peace Accord and the drafting of the Constitution. “Are we moving forward according to the dreams we saw during the peace process?” he wondered. “Corruption, lawlessness, and systemic disorder have taken root. Public services are difficult to access, and the state has failed to protect marginalized communities.”

He expressed frustration over bills that pass unanimously in parliamentary committees but remain stalled in the House due to “political interference and backstage maneuvering.” He accused the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML of turning the Parliament into a “playground for middlemen” through collusion, calling the trend dangerous for democracy. He further claimed that the government was operating under the influence of brokers and rent-seekers, compromising even regulatory bodies.

Citing several high-profile controversies—including the Bhutanese refugee scam, stock exchange licensing issues, electricity dues waivers, protection of land mafias and questionable appointments—Dahal alleged that governance has been hijacked by vested interests. “The character of this unnatural coalition has been exposed, and the public finds it disgraceful,” he said.

Dahal also questioned whether the government is prepared to ensure transparency in critical areas such as stock exchange licensing and arms procurement by security agencies. “This government is sliding toward the total collapse of good governance,” he warned. “When the state functions under commission deals and broker influence, it becomes a threat to democracy.”

Calling for urgent reforms, Dahal urged the government to prioritize good governance, social justice and economic transformation. Without corrective measures, he cautioned, the country could face growing instability.

The Pentagon has signed a $200m deal with Elon Musk’s xAI to deploy its Grok chatbot across government departments. Part of the “Grok for Government” program, the contract supports the Trump administration’s push for expanded AI use in national security, BBC reported.

Grok 4, the latest version, will be integrated into classified systems with custom tools and support. Similar $200m contracts were awarded to Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI.

The deal comes days after Grok faced backlash for antisemitic outputs. Musk blamed the issue on the bot being “too compliant” and said fixes are underway.

Though Musk recently resigned from his government role after clashing with Trump over spending policy, xAI continues to deepen its federal ties, according to BBC.

The US Supreme Court has approved President Donald Trump’s plan to lay off nearly 1,400 employees at the Department of Education, in a 6-3 ruling that overturned a lower court block.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon called the decision a “significant win,” supporting Trump’s push to downsize the federal government and shift education control to the states, Firstpost reported.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, issued a strong dissent, warning the move could undermine civil rights enforcement and overstep Congress’s authority.

Democratic-led states including California, New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts, along with national teachers’ unions, have filed lawsuits arguing the layoffs threaten student loans, special education, and funding for low-income schools. School officials warn of severe disruptions nationwide, according to Firstpost.

Over the past 15 years, China has established itself as a global leader in the clean energy technologies and now leads energy transition progress across the Asia, according to World Economic Forum (WEF). 

WEF in June this year released a new report titled Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2025 report which states that China showed high levels of readiness for the energy transition, backed by leading clean energy and industrial infrastructure, human capital, innovation and investment. The economy accounted for nearly 40% of the world’s clean energy investment in 2024.

China showed strong progress due to expanding renewable capacity and clean-energy technology production and diffusion. For the first time, the country’s CO2 emissions declined 1.6% y-o-y in the first quarter of 2025, 36 despite increasing energy demand, the report said.  China has made significant progress in its domestic energy transition and is now the world’s largest investor in clean energy, said Gum Huay, Managaing Director at the World Economic Forum. 

 China has emerged as a central driver of global energy transition in view of its significant strides in renewable energy and its broader commitment to transforming its energy system, according to Nicholas Wagner, an energy expert with the World Economic Forum (WEF). 

In a recent written interview with Xinhua, Wagner, manager of Energy and Industry Transition Intelligence at the WEF's Center for Energy and Materials, said China's recent progress in energy transition underscores both the scale of its commitment and its visionary long-term planning and investments.

China now leads the world in renewable energy capacity additions and is projected to account for about 60 percent of all new global capacity through 2030, said Wagner, citing the International Energy Agency (IEA). The Energy Transition Index, part of the Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2025 report released by the WEF, showed that China climbed five spots from the previous year to rank 12th out of 118 countries in 2025. It also placed fifth in transition readiness.

According to the white paper issued by China’s State Council, China has the world’s largest charging facility network, providing the most complete types of services covering the broadest areas.

By the end of 2023, there were 8,596,000 electric vehicle charging facilities across the country, of which 2,726,000 were public and 5,870,000 were private; the overall vehicle-charger ratio arrived at 2.37:1, the report says. 

According to the report, China has explored innovative ways to use solar PV power and launched a number of “PV plus” models that integrate PV power generation with activities including agriculture, transport, and desertification control and prevention. These models broaden the potential uses of solar PV power and contribute to green development throughout society.

The large power station in Tunli Town, Linfen City, Shanxi Province, has an installed capacity of 30 MW. The station adopts a “PV plus agriculture” model and utilizes agrivoltaic farming, growing oil-yielding peonies in greenhouses fitted with power-generating solar panels to increase land use efficiency, the report further says.  

Similarly, China has integrated traditional and new energy.  PetroChina Jilin Oilfield has built a 150 MW wind and PV power project on the site of abandoned well stations and the surrounding vacant land, the report said. 

Designed to supply electricity to the oilfield, this project is connected to the oilfield’s power grid nearby. In its first year of operation, it has generated a cumulative output of 380 GWh, meeting 22 percent of the oilfield’s electricity needs, according to the report.