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The Centre for Social Innovation and Foreign Policy (CESIF) organized a seminar on "Terrorism in South Asia and its Implications for Nepal" on June 2, 2025, at Kathmandu. The seminar discussed the persistent threat of terrorism in South Asia and its specific repercussions for Nepal, focusing on Nepal's vulnerabilities and the need for effective countermeasures. 

Speaking in the program, Former Foreign Minister and senior leader of Nepali Congress N.P said that terrorism in South Asia poses a serious spillover risk for Nepal, warning that “vulnerabilities are no longer only at others’ homes—we are also open to them.” 

The foreign minister highlighted systemic flaws in immigration management, referencing past lapses like the IC 814 incident, where Nepal failed to classify the perpetrators as terrorists or coordinate diplomatically with the country of origin of the terrorists. Parliamentarian Raj Kishore Yadav talked about ‘Nepal’s silence’ on the Pahelgam attack as a diplomatic misstep and lamented parliament’s continued failure to frame terrorism as a national issue.  Nepal should have been more assertive and explicitly sided with the victim side, he said. 

Shankar Das Bairagi, former national security advisor and foreign secretary emphasized Nepal’s normative commitments to international conventions but admitted that the implementation gap “depreciates our credibility.” He identified immigration, open border and intelligence as critical vulnerabilities and called for institutional reforms to enhance data sharing and deterrence capabilities. Former Ambassador Dinesh Bhattarai traced the ideological roots of South Asian terrorism to the differences in religion, and statistically noted, Hindus are the clear target. 

Binoj Basnyat, a strategic affairs analyst spoke about shifting nature of warfare in South Asia, shaped by technology, proxy conflicts, and big power rivalries, noting that Nepal’s counterterrorism efforts currently rely heavily on soft diplomacy but lack proactive mechanisms. “We must revisit the way our security is maintained,” he said, emphasizing that Nepal’s experience with past insurgencies does not adequately prepare it for emerging transnational threats. 

Former foreign secretary Madhu Raman Acharya strongly urged Nepal to take a principled stance on regional terrorism, particularly in cases like the Pahelgam attack, stating that “Nepal should have clearly sided with India” and used such incidents as diplomatic openings to build trust with India.

Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene resigned Tuesday after losing a parliamentary confidence vote amid weeks of anticorruption protests.

Only 44 lawmakers backed him, falling short of the 64 votes required. Oyun-Erdene denied corruption allegations and blamed powerful interests for targeting his government, according to Al Jazeera.

Protests in Ulaanbaatar have escalated due to allegations of corruption, economic hardship, and growing living costs.

Oyun-Erdene will serve as caretaker prime minister for the next 30 days, Al Jazeera reported.

Non-Resident Ambassador of the Republic of Zimbabwe to Nepal Stella Nkomo has said there is a lot of investment opportunities for Nepali businessmen in her country.

Speaking at the second round table meeting on Nepal-Zimbabwe Economic Partnership, organized by Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs (AIDIA), the Ambassador invited Nepali businessmen to invest in Zimbabwe as the country offers tax benefits, and easy repatriation of profits.  The first round table was organized in 2018.

“The investors can repatriate 100 percent of their profit,” she said, presenting the opportunities for investment in Zimbabwe. She said that energy, technology transfer and telecommunications where two countries can build up an enhanced collaborations.

Speaking on the occasion, AIDIA founder Sunil KC said that there are many areas of joint investment and collaborations between two countries. Stating that the trade between Zimbabwe and Nepal is very negligible at present, KC opined that there is a huge potential for trade and economic activities to grow.

Nepal and the South African country Zimbabwe established formal diplomatic relations on 27 November 1984. Since then, the two countries have maintained cordial relations, though their bilateral engagements remain limited. There is potential for enhanced cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, and cultural exchange.

Like Nepal, Zimbabwe has a potential for hydropower development, though Zimbabwe’s economy is mostly dependent on mines and minerals.  Nepal can export textiles and handicrafts to Zimbabwe as Nepal has expertise in these sectors. Nepal has more potential to expand exports of traditional goods to Zimbabwe. Participants who were from Nepal’s business community shared their views on possible areas of cooperation between two countries.

US President Donald Trump on Monday said he would not allow any uranium enrichment by Iran, directly contradicting reports that US negotiators had offered Tehran limited enrichment rights.

“WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!” Trump posted on Truth Social, pushing back against a proposal reportedly delivered by US envoy Steve Witkoff via Oman that would permit low-level enrichment for civilian use, according to Xinhua.

The White House defended the proposal as severe, but did not address the discrepancies. Iran criticized the US draft as containing "radical" demands and emphasized its stance on enrichment rights and securing clear sanctions relief.

Since April, the United States and Iran have undertaken five rounds of indirect nuclear talks, mediated by Oman, Xinhua reported.