Nepal

Kathmandu Metropolitan City has renewed efforts to enforce a long-ignored ban on public smoking; An awareness drive with fines is underway and though past attempts failed, the city says strict enforcement is vital for public health and pollution control

The Baitadeli dialect, rooted in the Khas tradition, is a marker of identity of the far west; mostly oral, eventually written in Devanagari, it declines as Nepali dominates; Locals see it as vital heritage, its preservation a cultural distinctiveness

On August 1, Bagmati Province was officially declared fully vaccinated for children aged 16–23 months, with all districts achieving complete coverage

Joint anti-drug operations will be performed by Nepal and India at their shared border in consequence of increased trafficking cases; the pact includes joint patrols and intelligence sharing to curb cross-border narcotics movement

Exporting of 40MW of electricity to Bangladesh and 80MW to India’s Bihar state has begun, marking a milestone in regional energy cooperation and confirming Nepal’s growing hydropower capacity

A massive royalist rally in Kathmandu on 29 May saw the participations of tens of thousands demanding the return of the monarchy; the peaceful demonstration marked a significant moment in Nepal’s ongoing political debate over republicanism

An American climber died of cardiac arrest while descending Makalu, Nepal’s fifth-highest peak; the incident renews growing concerns over safety and overcrowding on Himalayan mountains during peak climbing season

Thousands of teachers of the Nepal Teachers’ Federation protested in Kathmandu earlier this month wearing black masks and demanding the long-delayed School Education Act; a nationwide strike closed schools and put more pressure on the government