Submit your Article

India on Tuesday handed over the first tranche of election-related assistance to Nepal during a ceremony held at the Ministry of Home Affairs in Kathmandu.

The assistance was formally received by Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal. 

India’s Charge d’Affaires in Kathmandu, Dr. Rakesh Pandey, handed over more than 60 double-cab pickup vehicles along with other logistical supplies for use in preparations for Nepal’s upcoming elections, reads a statement issued by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu. 

Home Minister Aryal thanked the Government of India for the support and said it reflected the longstanding cooperation between the two countries.

India has been providing election-related assistance to Nepal since 2008 at the request of the Nepali government. 

According to officials, the support has included the supply of around 2,400 vehicles to various government bodies, including the Election Commission, the statement further reads. 

For the forthcoming elections, India has committed to providing about 650 vehicles, which will be delivered in phases over the coming weeks.

Officials said the assistance is part of broader bilateral cooperation between India and Nepal.

Bangladesh will not travel to India for the T20 World Cup next month "under current conditions" and have requested their matches be moved elsewhere, the country's cricket board has said, BBC reported. 

Bangladesh bowler Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League teamat the request of the Indian board amid growing tensions between the countries.

That led to an emergency meeting at the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), who now say they have "formally requested" the International Cricket Council (ICC) moves all Bangladesh's matches, according to BBC. 

At least seven people have died and more than 100 others have been hospitalised in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore over the past few days, allegedly after drinking contaminated water in the city’s Bhagirathpura area, the Indore mayor said on Wednesday, India Today reported. 

"Three deaths have been officially confirmed, but we have received information about four others as well," Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava said, accepting responsibility and assuring that strict action would be taken against senior officials too.

India’s heaviest launch vehicle LVM-3, in its third commercial mission, placed US communication satellite Bluebird Block-2 in a precise orbit early Wednesday morning. Weighing around 6,100 kg, it was the heaviest satellite launched by an Indian rocket, The Indian Express reported. 

“This (the LVM3-M6 mission) was the ninth consecutive successful launch for LVM-3, demonstrating a 100% reliability… The satellite was placed with less than 2-km deviation from the planned orbit, which is one of the best performances among launch vehicles in the global arena… This gives us great confidence for the Gaganyaan mission,” said ISROchairperson V Narayanan after the successful launch.

A modified version of the same launch vehicle — a human-rated version with more safety — will carry Indian astronauts to space, according to The Indian Express. 

The foundation stone for the construction of a new school building at Shree Ninyukharka Secondary School in Dhurkot Rural Municipality–3 of Gulmi district with the support of the Government of India was laid on Tuesday under a High Impact Community Development Project (HICDP). 

The foundation stone was jointly laid by Gitanjali Brandon, Counsellor at the Embassy of India in Kathmandu, and Bhupal Pokharel, Chairman of Dhurkot Rural Municipality.

The project is being implemented with financial assistance of Rs 38 million from the Government of India. 

Under the initiative, a two-storeyed school building with classrooms and allied facilities, including furniture, will be constructed. The project is being executed through the Dhurkot Rural Municipality.

Local representatives, school management members, and other stakeholders welcomed the initiative and expressed appreciation for India’s continued developmental support in the education sector.

India and Nepal share close ties as neighbouring countries and development partners, cooperating across multiple sectors. The implementation of HICDPs reflects India’s ongoing support for Nepal’s development efforts, particularly at the grassroots level.

The Embassy of India in Nepal, in collaboration with the Lumbini Development Trust and Lumbini Buddhist University, organized the third edition of the India-Nepal Cultural Festival in Lumbini on Monday.

Krishna Bahadur Gharti Magar, Governor of Lumbini Province, Munu Mahawar, Additional Secretary (North), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, Dr Lharkyal Lama, Vice Chairman of Lumbini Development Trust, and Dr Rakesh Pandey, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of India in Kathmandu jointly inaugurated the program.

Showcasing the shared cultural heritage and traditions of India and Nepal, the festival highlighted Buddhist history and values, reads a statement issued by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu. 

The event featured a cultural program, with performances by renowned artists from both countries.

A six-member ICCR troupe led by Sandhya Kunjan Menon Das performed an Odissi dance recital with a Buddhist theme. The evening also included a traditional musical performance by a Nepali band ‘Ghugu Mugu’.

As a part of this festival, an academic seminar titled “India-Nepal Buddhist Heritage: A common Legacy” was organized at the Lumbini Buddhist University in the forenoon of 08 December 2025, according to the statement. 

Eminent Buddhist scholars from India and Nepal discussed the significance of Buddhist heritage in strengthening cultural ties and fostering people-to-people connections between the two countries.

The event underscored the strong cultural and historical bonds between the two nations.

The event drew enthusiastic participation from civil society members, academics, senior monks, and members from the Lumbini Development Trust.

Nepal and India are holding a meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Petroleum and Gas Cooperation in New Delhi on Monday. 

Joint Secretary Shiva Ram Pokharel of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies will lead the Nepali delegation in the meeting, while a Joint Secretary from the Indian Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas will lead the Indian delegation.

The JWG was set up in 2017 to strengthen cooperation between the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) and the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) and to widen collaboration in the petroleum and gas sector. 

The meeting comes at a time when Nepal is seeking progress on multiple cross-border energy projects, including the handover of the second phase of the Motihari–Amlekhgunj petroleum pipeline and new initiatives to expand bilateral petroleum infrastructure.

Ministry officials say Nepal will push for the formal handover of the second phase of Motihari–Amlekhgunj petroleum pipeline, which was completed in October last year but has yet to be transferred to Nepal. 

The first phase of the pipeline, handed over in 2018, currently supplies diesel, petrol and kerosene to Amlekhgunj, from where fuel is distributed to major hubs including Kathmandu, Pokhara, Biratnagar and Bhairahawa. The pipeline now accounts for nearly 70% of Nepal’s nationwide fuel imports.

The meeting is also expected to review the status of several projects, including the proposed Siliguri–Charali pipeline, the Charali storage facility and the planned Amlekhgunj–Chitwan pipeline. The storage facility in Chitwan will be built with Nepali investment and Indian technical cooperation.

Officials say Nepal will also push for the Motihari-Sarlahi gas pipeline. It will also brief India on new domestic storage projects under development, including depots being built on NOC land in Rupandehi.

Nepal is additionally exploring the possibility of receiving aviation turbine fuel (ATF) through the cross-border pipeline, according to Indian media reports.

India is the sole supplier of petroleum products for Nepal. NOC currently imports diesel, petrol, kerosene, ATF and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the India Oil Corporation (IOC).

Russian President Vladimir Putin used his India Today interview to underline that the India-Russia partnership is anchored in national interest, not in rivalry with any third country, even as Washington turns increasingly confrontational toward both capitals, India Today reported. 

Putin arrived in New Delhi on Thursday evening for a two-day summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Hours before their meeting, the Russian leader defended the trajectory of the relationship and pushed back at the United States' pressure. "Neither I nor Prime Minister Modi, despite certain external pressures we face, have ever approached our collaboration to work against someone," he said when asked about Washington's aggressive approach, according to India Today. 

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has lifted restrictions on the use of high-denomination Indian rupee notes in Nepal, introducing a more flexible system for currency movement between the two countries.

The RBI amended its earlier rules under the Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Currency) Regulations 2025. Under the revised provision, Indian currency and RBI-issued notes—except notes of InRs 100 denomination and above—can now be carried to and from Nepal and Bhutan without restriction.

According to the new rules, travelers from India to Nepal or Bhutan can now carry Indian currency notes above InRs 100 denomination up to a limit of InRs 25,000. Likewise, persons traveling from Nepal or Bhutan to India are also allowed to bring high-denomination notes up to InRs 25,000.

The amendment also permits Nepali and Bhutani currency to be carried between Nepal, Bhutan, and India without restriction. However, the new provision does not apply to citizens of Pakistan or Bangladesh.

Earlier, Nepal had prohibited the use of high-denomination Indian notes within its territory. The revised rules will take effect once Nepal Rastra Bank aligns its regulations with the new RBI provision.

Officials say the updated policy will benefit tourists and migrant workers traveling between Nepal and India by easing currency-related difficulties.

India has scrapped an order making it mandatory for smartphone makers to preload a state-run cyber safety app on new phones after a public furore, BBC reported.

The order gave smartphone makers 90 days to pre-load new phones with its new Sanchar Saathi app which could not be "disabled or restricted", sparking privacy and surveillance concerns. 

The government argued the move was necessary to verify the authenticity of handsets, but cybersecurity experts said it impinged on citizens' right to privacy, according to BBC.

India has ordered all new smartphones to come pre-loaded with a state-run cybersecurity app, sparking privacy and surveillance concerns, BBC reported.

Under the order - passed last week but made public on Monday - smartphone makers have 90 days to ensure all new devices come with the government's Sanchar Saathi app, whose "functionalities cannot be disabled or restricted".

It says this is necessary to help citizens verify the authenticity of a handset and report the suspected misuse of telecom resources, according to BBC.

Three people have been arrested in India after a daring 70m rupees ($800,000; £600,000) heist in which armed men posing as central bank officials robbed an ATM cash van, BBC reported.

On Saturday police in the southern city of Bengaluru said they had cracked the case and recovered 57.6m rupees of the money stolen three days earlier.

"Our investigation is on track to get the remaining amount," Bengaluru police commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh told reporters, according to BBC

At this year's UN climate summit (COP30), under way in Brazil's Belem city, all eyes are on India - the world's third largest carbon emitter, BBC reported.

India has not yet submitted a key climate plan that countries are required to do every five years, even as international assessments have deemed India's climate action as being "worryingly inadequate". Delhi has argued otherwise.

Known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the updated plan from each member country to the UN Framework Climate Convention (UNFCC) is expected to have more ambitious carbon reduction targets as the world has failed to make the required level of cuts to avoid dangerous global warming, according to BBC.

India's goods exports to the US rose for the first time in five months in October, jumping 14.5% from September, even as Donald Trump's steep tariffs remain in place, BBC reported.

Exports to India's largest foreign market had dropped sharply last month after 50% US tariffs on India - including a 25% penalty for buying Russian oil - kicked in on 27 August.

The improved data came as Indian state-run oil firms agreed to import more annual liquified petroleum gas (LPG) from the US and Trump exempted many farm goods from reciprocal tariffs that could benefit India, according to BBC.

India’s anti-terror investigating agency said Sunday it arrested a man from Indian-controlled Kashmir on suspicion of conspiring with a suicide bomber to carry out a deadly car blast in the capital New Delhi, Associated Press reported.

The National Investigating Agency said in a statement that the car that exploded on Monday was registered to Amir Rashid Ali, who it alleged had traveled to New Delhi from Indian-controlled Kashmir to facilitate the purchase of the vehicle. It said Ali’s arrest was a “major breakthrough” in the case.

The explosion killed 10 people and injured 32 others near the city’s historic Red Fort. Indian officials called it a “heinous terror incident” carried out by “anti-national forces.”

Armed Police Force, Nepal, and the Seema Surakshya Bal (Border Security Force), India have reached an understanding to make joint border patrol and border security more effective.

During the 9th bilateral coordination meeting, discussions were held on the issue of controlling cross-border crimes and drug smuggling.

Nepali delegation was led by APF, Nepal, Inspector General, Raju Aryal, while Director General of SSB, India, Sanjay Singhal, had led the Indian delegation. 

The 9th meeting was held in New Delhi, India, from November 12 to 14. 

Similarly, various issues including controlling smuggling and illegal import in border areas, and exchanging information and training were also discussed, said Joint-Spokesperson at the APF, Nepal, Superintendent of Police, Shailendra Thapa.

The meeting also reviewed the implementation of the agenda passed by the 8th coordination meeting held in December last year in Kathmandu. 

Discussion was also held on the issue of effectively implementing the shared concepts passed by the meeting and the future strategy.