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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

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

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

Food and agriculture

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

22 Apr 2026 - 5:06PM

US, Israel war on Iran

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

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

A farmer sprinkles fertiliser on crops in a field on the outskirts of Amritsar, India, on April 9. Experts have warned that the fertiliser crunch across Asia-Pacific may have lasting effects. Photo: AFP

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

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

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

School students watch news about Balendra Shah, Nepal’s new prime minister, on a mobile phone in Kathmandu last month. Photo: EPA

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

US, Israel war on Iran

Fuel, food and fury: how the Iran war could topple South Asian governments

Analysts warn the crisis is threatening to spill over into wider economic and political instability.

5 Apr 2026 - 1:30PM

Religion

Untouchable no more: Nepal to apologise to Dalits for first time

Nepal has banned caste discrimination, yet many Dalits still live in poverty. Can a formal state apology inspire change?

31 Mar 2026 - 7:30PMvideocam

A Dalit woman sits with a child in Humla district, in Nepal’s remote northwest. Photo: AFP

K.P. Sharma Oli

Nepal’s ex-PM Oli arrested over alleged role in crackdown on protesters

Oli says he will fight the ‘vindictive’ arrest, as former home minister Ramesh Lekhak is also detained.

28 Mar 2026 - 3:48PMvideocam

K.P. Sharma Oli

Balendra Shah sworn in as Nepal’s prime minister

Balendra Shah, the 35-year-old ex-rapper widely known as Balen, is Nepal’s youngest PM in decades.

27 Mar 2026 - 3:29PM

Protests around the world

Nepal’s probe into deadly uprising finds ex-prime minister, officials ‘reckless’

The report is proposing prison sentences of up to 10 years for K.P. Sharma Oli and other top government officials.

27 Mar 2026 - 7:11PM

Food and Drinks

Drink in Focus: Tropical Spicy Brew at Friday After Class

Friday After Class, one of the latest additions to buzzing Peel Street, is launching a new cocktail menu that features fruity, tropical creations that evoke summer holidays.

26 Mar 2026 - 6:00PM

The Tropical Spicy Brew at Friday After Class in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

Diplomacy

Opinion | Look East? South Asia’s fate is far more intertwined with Middle East

Beyond oil, remittances and cultural ties, trade and defence pacts in recent years have added to strategic and security interconnectedness.

24 Mar 2026 - 9:04AMvideocam

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hug after signing a defence pact, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 17, 2025. Photo: Reuters

Climate change

Himalayan glacial loss threatens 2 billion as Asia’s ‘water tower’ shrinks

Conflicts, such as the Iran war, are diverting global attention away from the ecological crisis, scientists warn.

21 Mar 2026 - 3:00PM

United States

Nepal voted for change. Can its rapper-engineer PM deliver?

Balendra Shah has promised to transform Nepal, but success hinges on him becoming the first elected leader to finish a full five-year term.

18 Mar 2026 - 2:10PMvideocam

SCMP Highlights

Japanese governor turns heads, Nepal’s new PM is a rapper: 7 Asia highlights

From the unlikely background of Nepal’s new leader to Thai police’s deadly blind spot, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

17 Mar 2026 - 1:22PM

Left: Takato Ishida, the 36-year-old governor of Fukui, attends a session of the prefectural assembly. Right: Ishida attending the Special Committee on Anti-Harassment on Monday. Photos: Instagram / ishida.takato

Hong Kong society

Letters | How Hong Kong can better support its Nepali youth

Readers discuss the challenges faced by an ethnic minority group, the need for a law to prevent workplace bullying, and the struggles of English teachers.

17 Mar 2026 - 11:30AM

LGBTQ

Nepal’s LGBTQ community celebrates first transgender woman lawmaker

More than 900,000 people identify as sexual minorities in Nepal, which has some of South Asia’s most progressive laws on LGBTQ rights.

16 Mar 2026 - 11:00PMvideocam

India

7 die in Nepal as bus carrying Indian pilgrims plunges off mountain road

Nine people were injured, including seven other pilgrims, when the bus careered off a road and rolled about 150 metres down a slope.

15 Mar 2026 - 8:26PMvideocam

The wreckage of a bus that rolled down a mountain slope, killing seven, sits at Shahid Lakhan village, west of Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, on Sunday. Photo: AP

US, Israel war on Iran

No longer safe: Iran war puts 9 million Indian workers in the line of fire

As missiles fly, drone strikes from Dubai to Doha are shattering the illusion of safety for millions of Indian expats living in the Gulf.

14 Mar 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

A worker assesses the damage after a drone strike on a building in Dubai’s Creek Harbour neighbourhood on Thursday. Photo: Getty Images/AFP

India

Nepal just elected a rapper for PM. His foreign policy has a new beat

Newly elected Balendra Shah’s public messaging suggests a balanced approach rather than a tilt to either side, analysts say.

12 Mar 2026 - 12:36PMvideocam

Asia elections

Nepali ex-rapper will form government after landslide election win

Balendra Shah emerged as a leading figure in the 2025 uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli.

8 Mar 2026 - 7:00PM

Hong Kong society

Hong Kong charity cancels ‘Race for Water’ fundraiser weeks before event

Annual trail-running fundraiser organised by A Drop of Life was to take place on March 22, but will no longer proceed.

8 Mar 2026 - 8:40PM

The “Race for Water” trail event scheduled for March 22 has been cancelled. Photo: Handout

Asia elections

Nepal election: rapper-turned-politician Balen Shah beats former prime minister

The 35-year-old former Kathmandu mayor’s defeat of K.P. Sharma Oli means he is on track to head the next government.

7 Mar 2026 - 9:33PMvideocam

Balendra Shah, 35, receives his victory certificate on Sunday after defeating former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli in Nepal’s parliamentary election. Photo: AP

Protests around the world

Video | Nepal votes after Gen Z protests

Nearly 19 million Nepalis are choosing 275 members of parliament in an election seen as a test of stability.

5 Mar 2026 - 5:09PM

Protests around the world

Video | Nepal to choose new government following Gen Z protests

Nearly 19 million people have registered to vote, with 800,000 taking part for the first time.

3 Mar 2026 - 5:07PM

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Nepal

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

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

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.

Fuel, food and fury: how the Iran war could topple South Asian governments

Analysts warn the crisis is threatening to spill over into wider economic and political instability.

Untouchable no more: Nepal to apologise to Dalits for first time

Nepal has banned caste discrimination, yet many Dalits still live in poverty. Can a formal state apology inspire change?

Nepal’s ex-PM Oli arrested over alleged role in crackdown on protesters

Oli says he will fight the ‘vindictive’ arrest, as former home minister Ramesh Lekhak is also detained.

Balendra Shah sworn in as Nepal’s prime minister

Balendra Shah, the 35-year-old ex-rapper widely known as Balen, is Nepal’s youngest PM in decades.

Nepal’s probe into deadly uprising finds ex-prime minister, officials ‘reckless’

The report is proposing prison sentences of up to 10 years for K.P. Sharma Oli and other top government officials.

Drink in Focus: Tropical Spicy Brew at Friday After Class

Friday After Class, one of the latest additions to buzzing Peel Street, is launching a new cocktail menu that features fruity, tropical creations that evoke summer holidays.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | Look East? South Asia’s fate is far more intertwined with Middle East

Beyond oil, remittances and cultural ties, trade and defence pacts in recent years have added to strategic and security interconnectedness.

Himalayan glacial loss threatens 2 billion as Asia’s ‘water tower’ shrinks

Conflicts, such as the Iran war, are diverting global attention away from the ecological crisis, scientists warn.

Nepal voted for change. Can its rapper-engineer PM deliver?

Balendra Shah has promised to transform Nepal, but success hinges on him becoming the first elected leader to finish a full five-year term.

Japanese governor turns heads, Nepal’s new PM is a rapper: 7 Asia highlights

From the unlikely background of Nepal’s new leader to Thai police’s deadly blind spot, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}Letters | How Hong Kong can better support its Nepali youth

Readers discuss the challenges faced by an ethnic minority group, the need for a law to prevent workplace bullying, and the struggles of English teachers.

Nepal’s LGBTQ community celebrates first transgender woman lawmaker

More than 900,000 people identify as sexual minorities in Nepal, which has some of South Asia’s most progressive laws on LGBTQ rights.

7 die in Nepal as bus carrying Indian pilgrims plunges off mountain road

Nine people were injured, including seven other pilgrims, when the bus careered off a road and rolled about 150 metres down a slope.

No longer safe: Iran war puts 9 million Indian workers in the line of fire

As missiles fly, drone strikes from Dubai to Doha are shattering the illusion of safety for millions of Indian expats living in the Gulf.

Nepal just elected a rapper for PM. His foreign policy has a new beat

Newly elected Balendra Shah’s public messaging suggests a balanced approach rather than a tilt to either side, analysts say.

Nepali ex-rapper will form government after landslide election win

Balendra Shah emerged as a leading figure in the 2025 uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli.

Hong Kong charity cancels ‘Race for Water’ fundraiser weeks before event

Annual trail-running fundraiser organised by A Drop of Life was to take place on March 22, but will no longer proceed.

Nepal election: rapper-turned-politician Balen Shah beats former prime minister

The 35-year-old former Kathmandu mayor’s defeat of K.P. Sharma Oli means he is on track to head the next government.

.css-1t72pn8{color:#C79A00;}Video | Nepal votes after Gen Z protests

Nearly 19 million Nepalis are choosing 275 members of parliament in an election seen as a test of stability.

Video | Nepal to choose new government following Gen Z protests

Nearly 19 million people have registered to vote, with 800,000 taking part for the first time.

Opinion | Look East? South Asia’s fate is far more intertwined with Middle East

Letters | How Hong Kong can better support its Nepali youth

Video | Nepal votes after Gen Z protests