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The air pollution afflicting the country, including the federal capital, Kathmandu, for quite a while has declined remarkably after the rainfall last Friday.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 178, making Kathmandu City as the second most polluted city in the world a week back. 

The AQI has now declined sharply placing Kathmandu City at AQI 60. It means Kathmandu is the 67th polluted place in the world now.

The AQI measurement from 0 to 50 is considered 'good' while 51 to 100 'requires alertness', 100 to 150 is 'unhealthy', impacting badly the people with respiratory and heart diseases. It is 'unhealthy for all' if the AQI ranges from 151 to 200, while the 'very unhealthy' stage is 201 to 300 and 'very dangerous' in case of the AQI above 300. 

Director General at the Department of Environment, Gyanraj Subedi, informed that the rainfall coupled with storms swept away the dust and polluted particles. It resulted in clean air.

A woman died after a wall collapsed at the Hasana Brick Kiln in Harisiddhi, Lalitpur Metropolitan City–28, on Sunday.

The deceased has been identified as Tilsari Khadka (55) of Rukum. 

Critically injured in the incident, Khadka was rushed to Medicity Hospital in Thaiba, where she succumbed to her injuries during treatment, according to DSP Purnima Kumari Chand.

Four other labourers were injured in the incident. They have been identified as Janaki Chanda (27) of Rukum, Shanti Kunwar (27) of Salyan, Nand Kumari Magar (46) of Rolpa; and Suma Kumal (29) of Dang.

Police said Chanda, who sustained serious injuries, has been referred to Model Hospital for further treatment. 

The condition of the other injured is said to be stable.

Police said that they are looking into the case. 

Kathmandu University (KU) has been appointed as the chair of the Interim Executive Committee of the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC), a multilateral group of universities from the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region. 

The Interim Committee has been mandated to oversee HUC’s tasks, including the adoption of the new charter and byelaws and renewal of memberships. 

KU is represented by its Vice-Chancellor Prof. Achyut Wagle, who will serve as the chair of the Interim Executive Committee until a General Assembly, to be held within a year, elects a new committee, reads a statement issued by the KU. 

The decision was taken during the two-day retreat of the HUC in Kathmandu last week. 

Hosted by KU, the retreat convened 70 international guests, including 29 Vice-Chancellors of the HKH region, to establish a roadmap for the future and ensure the financial sustainability of the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) in a global, multilateral context. 

Participants from Thailand, India, China, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Bhutan took part in  the event. 

Prof. Dr. Vibha Dhawan, Chancellor of The Energy and Resources Institute School of Advanced Studies, India, delivered the keynote address during the program. 

Prof. Dhawan emphasized bridging the gap between scientific research and traditional wisdom to build climate-resilient communities, ensuring that indigenous knowledge systems are integrated into a transboundary roadmap for the Hindu Kush Himalaya, according to the statement. 

"By enhancing academic collaboration, universities can reverse environmental degradation and protect our global biodiversity hotspots from the escalating threats of the Anthropocene," Prof. Dhawan said.

Former justice of the Supreme Court Dr. Ananda Mohan Bhattarai served as the event's special guest. 

He called for moving beyond parochial laws to align with global legal frameworks, such as the Paris Agreement. 

“We must protect the vital ecosystems like the Shivalik and Karnali regions and ensure that ecosystem service budgets reach local communities, and transform environmental conservation from a legal promise into a sustainable reality for the entire Hindu Kush Himalaya,” Bhattarai said.

Vice Chancellor of Kathmandu University, Prof. Achyut Wagle, highlighted that not only our ecology but the culture of our indigenous communities and the existing flora and fauna are under immense threat, the statement further reads. 

"It is the urgent responsibility of university scholars to utilize data-driven inferences to bridge the gap between academic research and effective policy-making to safeguard the Hindu Kush Himalaya," said Professor Wagle.

The participants deliberated on the pressing issues of the HKH region across seven technical sessions, including HUC’s financial sustainability, multilateral academic and research collaboration, HUC's global positioning, and the initiation of a vice-chancellors’ forum for regional cooperation. 

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a second corruption case at the Supreme Court over alleged irregularities in the construction of the Pokhara Regional International Airport.

According to the Commission, the case has been filed against 21 individuals and two companies, including then Tourism Secretary Kedar Bahadur Adhikari.