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Nepal

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Nepal. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Kathmandu

Head of State

President Ram Chandra Poudel

Head of Government

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli

Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026 is set to unveil the top 50 list on July 28. Photo: Handout

Food and Drinks

The best guest shifts in Hong Kong and Macau amid Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026

As the top 50 list is unveiled in Macau next Tuesday, rare guest shifts bring the region’s finest mixologists to the Four Seasons’ Argo, Green Room at Upper House and more.

24 Jul 2026 - 12:29PM

Tourism

Why scrapping Nepal’s ‘dollar fare’ could leave locals grounded

15 Jul 2026 - 3:32PM

Science

Active fault line threatens world’s biggest hydropower project: Chinese geologists

9 Jul 2026 - 12:15PMvideocam

Editor's Letter

This week in PostMag: covering crafts, from Bhutan’s heritage arts to a designer’s mountainous ‘planet’

Also, a Hong Kong master carpenter on being the last in his line and the vanishing Cantonese ‘kung fu’ cuisine classics.

5 Jul 2026 - 8:00AM

A master weaver at work at the Royal Textile Academy, in Thimphu, Bhutan. Photo: Jen Paolini

Japan

Japan’s detention system under scrutiny after ruling on abuse of restraints

A court order to compensate the family of a detainee shows reforms to immigration centres are urgently needed, observers say.

2 Jul 2026 - 4:22PM

China-India relations

Himalayan pass reopens as ‘goodwill’ gesture in China-India thaw

The Lipulekh Pass – a key route for traders and pilgrims – has been closed for six years as a result of long-standing border tensions.

1 Jul 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

Japan

‘My dream is broken’: foreign business owners in Japan lament new visa rules

Japan’s business manager visa holders surged to 46,000 by mid-2025 – up 70 per cent from 2020. About half were Chinese nationals.

3 Jul 2026 - 5:25PMvideocam

Budhathoki Samjhana checks receipts at Chitwan Rhino Restaurant and Bar in Tokyo’s Okubo-Shin area on June 12. Photo: AFP

Bird flu viruses

Why scientists are alarmed by Nepal’s worsening bird flu outbreak

Nepal has culled 600,000 birds as H5N1 sweeps Kathmandu, closing the capital’s only zoo and raising fears it could mutate to infect humans.

2 Jul 2026 - 12:13PMvideocam

United States

US Supreme Court paves way for Trump’s mass deportation of Haitians, Syrians

Top court rules that the administration can strip protections from some 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians in the US.

26 Jun 2026 - 1:07PM

Extreme weather

Asia’s shaky food supply shudders as ‘super’ El Nino arrives

Every few years, the Pacific runs a fever. This year, it could be worse than anything seen for decades, scientists warn.

20 Jun 2026 - 8:00AMvideocam

India

Could India’s Cockroach Janta Party spark South Asia’s next youth uprising?

Analysts say the satirical party reflects real discontent but remains far from matching the movements that toppled neighbouring governments.

14 Jun 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

A participant wearing a cockroach mask takes part in a nationwide protest campaign launched by Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, in Pune, India, on Thursday. Photo: AP

Mount Everest

Video | Sherpa missing 6 days on Everest found alive

Dawa Sherpa was found alive by a Nepali team that helps set routes on the world’s highest mountain.

5 Jun 2026 - 2:21PM

Mount Everest

Missing Everest guide feared dead crawls back to Base Camp after 6 days

Dawa Sherpa was found alive by a Nepali team that helps set routes on the world’s highest mountain.

5 Jun 2026 - 2:29PMvideocam

Middle East

Outside In | How Trump’s war on Iran is jeopardising Asia’s remittance lifeline

In Gulf economies, lost migrant jobs and remittances risk plunging millions across Asia into crisis.

29 May 2026 - 4:30PM

Workers take a break with the city skyline of Dubai seen in the background on March 11. Photo: AFP

Climbing and mountaineering

2 climbers die on Everest as record breaker warns of overcrowding

Both climbers had successfully reached the peak but died while descending. At least five climbers have died this Everest season.

22 May 2026 - 7:05PM

Climbers walk in a long queue as they head to summit Mount Everest in the Solukhumbu district of Nepal. Photo: Reuters

Bangladesh

Bangladesh turns to China for Teesta river project, testing India ties

Bangladesh’s new prime minister has formally asked China to help with a long-delayed river project near the sensitive Siliguri Corridor.

16 May 2026 - 1:30PM

Climate change

‘Godzilla El Nino’: Southeast Asia warned of punishing climate whiplash

Experts warn the heat could increase the risk of localised flooding, put pressure on drainage systems and threaten agricultural production.

13 May 2026 - 4:10PM

Mount Everest

US climber dies in avalanche on Nepal’s Mount Makalu

Three Nepali guides and a Czech climber have died in the Himalayas so far this season.

12 May 2026 - 5:21PM

A general view of the landscape with snow-covered mountains in Nepal’s Mustang District. Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 10 highest peaks. Photo: EPA

China travel

China’s record travel volume meets cautious spending in May Day holiday surge

Thousands of domestic train services added on last day of ‘golden week’ to meet record demand, and high energy costs affect consumer spending.

7 May 2026 - 4:03PMvideocam

Climbing and mountaineering

Everest climbers left hanging after giant ice chunk blocks path to summit

Mountaineers are waiting for the serac above the Khumbu icefall to melt before marking the rest of the route for the spring climbing season.

27 Apr 2026 - 2:05PMvideocam

K.P. Sharma Oli

Nepal minister quits amid financial scrutiny after just weeks in office

Home Minister Sudan Gurung was a key figure in the Gen-Z protests last September that toppled Nepal’s previous government.

22 Apr 2026 - 8:13PMvideocam

Sudan Gurung, a Gen Z movement protest leader who became Home Minister, drives a car after the oath-taking ceremony outside the presidential office in Kathmandu, Nepal on March 27, 2026. Photo: EPA

Food and agriculture

Asia braces for food shortages as ‘super El Nino’ and Iran war collide

A precarious planting season looms amid suppressed rainfall and soaring fertiliser costs threatening the region’s harvests.

22 Apr 2026 - 5:06PM

Women sit and eat rice noodles on the sidewalk in Hanoi, Vietnam, on April 14. Photo: AFP

US, Israel war on Iran

Why Iran war is making petrol cars an unwanted luxury in Asia

From Nepal to Vietnam, soaring fuel costs are making petrol cars a luxury as Asia outpaces Europe in the race to go electric.

20 Apr 2026 - 9:20AM

US, Israel war on Iran

UN warns 8 million in Asia-Pacific risk poverty if Iran war drags on

A new UNDP report has forecast job losses, crippling inflation and food insecurity, with the poorest nations brutally exposed to the oil shock.

14 Apr 2026 - 5:26PM

US, Israel war on Iran

Nepal’s trekking trade looks east as Iran war disrupts Western tourist flow

Flight disruptions through Gulf hubs have cut Western arrivals, prompting tourism operators to chase travellers from Asia-Pacific markets.

14 Apr 2026 - 5:00PMvideocam

With conflict disrupting flights through the Middle East, Nepal’s tourism sector is counting on Asian trekkers to help soften the blow. Photo: Shutterstock

The Philippines

Manila vs Hong Kong: the 2 sides of Asia’s housing affordability crisis

Asia is home to 60 per cent of the world’s slum dwellers and some of the planet’s most expensive real estate.

12 Apr 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

Children walk through a flooded area in Baseco, one of the biggest slums in Manila, the Philippines. Photo: AFP

Education

Nepal’s school fee crackdown upends South Asian private education norms

Nepal wants private schools to charge less and be more transparent. It could backfire, industry insiders say.

14 Apr 2026 - 9:15AM

SCMP Highlights

UAE retaliates against Iran, Bali’s spate of murders: 7 Asia highlights

From how UAE is fighting Iran back to a series of murders in Bali, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

7 Apr 2026 - 12:30PM

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Nepal

The best guest shifts in Hong Kong and Macau amid Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026

As the top 50 list is unveiled in Macau next Tuesday, rare guest shifts bring the region’s finest mixologists to the Four Seasons’ Argo, Green Room at Upper House and more.

Why scrapping Nepal’s ‘dollar fare’ could leave locals grounded

Active fault line threatens world’s biggest hydropower project: Chinese geologists

This week in PostMag: covering crafts, from Bhutan’s heritage arts to a designer’s mountainous ‘planet’

Also, a Hong Kong master carpenter on being the last in his line and the vanishing Cantonese ‘kung fu’ cuisine classics.

Japan’s detention system under scrutiny after ruling on abuse of restraints

A court order to compensate the family of a detainee shows reforms to immigration centres are urgently needed, observers say.

Himalayan pass reopens as ‘goodwill’ gesture in China-India thaw

The Lipulekh Pass – a key route for traders and pilgrims – has been closed for six years as a result of long-standing border tensions.

‘My dream is broken’: foreign business owners in Japan lament new visa rules

Japan’s business manager visa holders surged to 46,000 by mid-2025 – up 70 per cent from 2020. About half were Chinese nationals.

Why scientists are alarmed by Nepal’s worsening bird flu outbreak

Nepal has culled 600,000 birds as H5N1 sweeps Kathmandu, closing the capital’s only zoo and raising fears it could mutate to infect humans.

US Supreme Court paves way for Trump’s mass deportation of Haitians, Syrians

Top court rules that the administration can strip protections from some 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians in the US.

Asia’s shaky food supply shudders as ‘super’ El Nino arrives

Every few years, the Pacific runs a fever. This year, it could be worse than anything seen for decades, scientists warn.

Could India’s Cockroach Janta Party spark South Asia’s next youth uprising?

Analysts say the satirical party reflects real discontent but remains far from matching the movements that toppled neighbouring governments.

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}Video | Sherpa missing 6 days on Everest found alive

Dawa Sherpa was found alive by a Nepali team that helps set routes on the world’s highest mountain.

Missing Everest guide feared dead crawls back to Base Camp after 6 days

Dawa Sherpa was found alive by a Nepali team that helps set routes on the world’s highest mountain.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Outside In | How Trump’s war on Iran is jeopardising Asia’s remittance lifeline

In Gulf economies, lost migrant jobs and remittances risk plunging millions across Asia into crisis.

2 climbers die on Everest as record breaker warns of overcrowding

Both climbers had successfully reached the peak but died while descending. At least five climbers have died this Everest season.

Bangladesh turns to China for Teesta river project, testing India ties

Bangladesh’s new prime minister has formally asked China to help with a long-delayed river project near the sensitive Siliguri Corridor.

‘Godzilla El Nino’: Southeast Asia warned of punishing climate whiplash

Experts warn the heat could increase the risk of localised flooding, put pressure on drainage systems and threaten agricultural production.

US climber dies in avalanche on Nepal’s Mount Makalu

Three Nepali guides and a Czech climber have died in the Himalayas so far this season.

China’s record travel volume meets cautious spending in May Day holiday surge

Thousands of domestic train services added on last day of ‘golden week’ to meet record demand, and high energy costs affect consumer spending.

Everest climbers left hanging after giant ice chunk blocks path to summit

Mountaineers are waiting for the serac above the Khumbu icefall to melt before marking the rest of the route for the spring climbing season.

Nepal minister quits amid financial scrutiny after just weeks in office

Home Minister Sudan Gurung was a key figure in the Gen-Z protests last September that toppled Nepal’s previous government.

Asia braces for food shortages as ‘super El Nino’ and Iran war collide

A precarious planting season looms amid suppressed rainfall and soaring fertiliser costs threatening the region’s harvests.

Why Iran war is making petrol cars an unwanted luxury in Asia

From Nepal to Vietnam, soaring fuel costs are making petrol cars a luxury as Asia outpaces Europe in the race to go electric.

UN warns 8 million in Asia-Pacific risk poverty if Iran war drags on

A new UNDP report has forecast job losses, crippling inflation and food insecurity, with the poorest nations brutally exposed to the oil shock.

Nepal’s trekking trade looks east as Iran war disrupts Western tourist flow

Flight disruptions through Gulf hubs have cut Western arrivals, prompting tourism operators to chase travellers from Asia-Pacific markets.

Manila vs Hong Kong: the 2 sides of Asia’s housing affordability crisis

Asia is home to 60 per cent of the world’s slum dwellers and some of the planet’s most expensive real estate.

Nepal’s school fee crackdown upends South Asian private education norms

Nepal wants private schools to charge less and be more transparent. It could backfire, industry insiders say.

UAE retaliates against Iran, Bali’s spate of murders: 7 Asia highlights

From how UAE is fighting Iran back to a series of murders in Bali, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Video | Sherpa missing 6 days on Everest found alive

Outside In | How Trump’s war on Iran is jeopardising Asia’s remittance lifeline