KATHMANDU: Khabarhub brings you a glimpse of major developments of the day in Nepal, including politics, business/economy, sports, entertainment, and more.
Sudurpaschim Chief Minister Shah secures vote of confidence
Sudurpaschim Province Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah has secured a vote of confidence in the Provincial Assembly after the Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP) withdrew its support.
Interestingly, Shah received support from NUP lawmaker Kailash Chaudhary, the same party that had withdrawn its backing. While NUP has seven members in the provincial assembly, only Chaudhary was present and voted in favor of Shah; the other six members were absent.
Shah also received votes from 18 Nepali Congress lawmakers and 11 from CPN-UML. The final vote count is yet to be officially announced. Both the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML had issued a whip to support Shah ahead of the vote.
Bamdev Gautam’s demand for organization department sparks row in Unified Socialist
Just weeks after joining CPN (Unified Socialist), leader Bamdev Gautam’s request for key responsibilities has sparked internal disputes within the party.
Gautam, who officially joined the party led by Madhav Kumar Nepal on July 18, had embraced party chair Nepal and General Secretary Ghanashyam Bhusal in a warm gesture during a welcome event at Rastriya Sabha Griha. However, tensions began brewing even before a month passed.
Gautam had entered the Unified Socialist after his long-standing effort through the ‘NCP National Unity Campaign’ failed to bring him back into the UML fold. Disappointed by UML’s refusal, he eventually aligned with Madhav Nepal, stating he would live up to 100 years and fulfill his dream of establishing socialism.
Ranjita removed, Resham appoints father Lalbir as NUP chair
The Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP) faction aligned with Resham Chaudhary has appointed his father, Lalbir Chaudhary, as the party’s new chairperson.
The move comes shortly after the removal of Ranjita Shrestha from the party. The decision was made during the party’s first national convention, which began Wednesday in Kathmandu. The convention, controlled by Resham’s faction, also endorsed the removal of Ranjita from the party entirely, ending her official role in NUP.
Ranjita had earlier appointed senior vice-chair Shiva Bastola as acting chair, citing health reasons. She did so after a group of central committee members issued a 24-hour ultimatum to call a meeting, seemingly to avoid disciplinary action.
Ranjita seeks clarification from party leader Gangaram after being ousted
Ranjita Shrestha, who was recently expelled from the Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP) during its first national convention and stripped of even ordinary membership, has sought clarification from the party’s parliamentary leader Gangaram Chaudhary.
A day after her dismissal, Shrestha on Thursday questioned Chaudhary for presiding over what she called an illegitimate central committee meeting, allegedly held in violation of the party statute. In a letter, she asked him to submit a written clarification within 24 hours of receiving the notice.
In the letter, Shrestha accused Chaudhary of holding meetings on July 1, July 25, and July 27 without informing her and beyond the authority granted by the party’s Interim Statute of 2021. She claimed that illegal decisions were made in those meetings.
NEPSE falls by 31.50 points
The Nepal Stock Exchange continued its downward trend on Thursday, dropping by 31.50 points to close at 2,922. This follows a sharper fall of nearly 48 points on Wednesday.
Market volatility was evident throughout the day, with the index peaking at 2,967 at 11:24 AM before declining steadily to its lowest, and closing, point. Alongside the index drop, daily turnover also declined. Total trading amounted to Rs 15.98 billion, down from Rs 16.44 billion the day before.
A total of 52 companies saw their share prices increase, while 198 declined. All sectoral indices fell, except for the Finance group, which edged up by 1.18 percent. The Trading sector recorded the highest loss at 2.44 percent, followed by Banking (1.44%), Investment (1.32%), Life Insurance (1.29%), Hydropower (1.15%), Manufacturing and Processing (1.14%), Hotels and Tourism (0.99%), Non-life Insurance (0.70%), Microfinance (0.50%), Development Bank (0.47%), and Others (0.30%).
After suspending wife from party, Resham Chaudhary reaches out to Deuba
Resham Lal Chaudhary, patron of the Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP), met with Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba on Thursday, in a move that comes amid deepening internal strife within his own party.
Chaudhary visited Deuba at his residence in Budhanilkantha and later shared a photograph of the meeting on Facebook, captioning it, “A politically significant discussion.”
The meeting follows a dramatic shake-up in the NUP, with Chaudhary ousting party chairperson and his wife, Ranjita Shrestha, from the party entirely, stripping her of even general membership during the party’s first national gathering on Wednesday.
PM Oli to visit Turkmenistan for Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is set to visit Turkmenistan from August 2 to 8 to attend the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries.
Government spokesperson Prithvi Subba Gurung announced the visit following a cabinet meeting held on Thursday, July 24. He said the Council of Ministers approved the formation of a Nepali delegation led by Prime Minister Oli for the high-level gathering.
The cabinet also approved several other decisions during the meeting. Among them was the acceptance of 2.8 billion Japanese Yen (approximately Rs 2.6 billion) in grant aid from the Government of Japan for the emergency reconstruction of roads damaged by recent flooding in Sindhuli district.
CPN-UML begins preparations for Rupandehi-3 by-election
The ruling CPN-UML has begun internal preparations for the upcoming by-election in Rupandehi Constituency-3, scheduled for November 3 as announced by the Election Commission.
To initiate the candidate selection process, UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel has sent an official letter instructing the party’s district and provincial committees to recommend three potential candidates, including at least one woman.
According to the letter, the Constituency Coordination Committee must consult both the district and provincial committees before finalizing the names. The district committee is expected to forward its recommendations to the Constituency Coordination Committee, as per the party’s internal process.
PM Oli prepares cabinet reshuffle
One year after forming a seven-party coalition government, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has initiated talks to reshuffle his Cabinet, holding high-level discussions with coalition leaders at Baluwatar.
PM Oli met Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba to discuss restructuring the Cabinet by replacing all ministers representing coalition partners.
According to sources, the meeting also included senior NC leaders Purna Bahadur Khadka and Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak. On the UML side, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Deputy General Secretary Bishnu Rimal, and Attorney General Ramesh Badal were present.
Gold prices fall by Rs 800
The price of gold in the domestic market dropped by Rs 800 per tola on Thursday, according to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association.
With the decline, gold is now being traded at Rs 193,600 per tola.
Similarly, the price of silver, which had soared to Rs 2,310 per tola, has gone down to Rs 2,270 per tola.
RSP to intensify anti-corruption protests in parliament and on the streets
Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has pledged to step up its campaign against corruption, vowing to take its protest both to the streets and the parliament.
The decision came during the party’s parliamentary group meeting held in Bhairahawa on Wednesday. The meeting, attended by 15 lawmakers including acting chair DP Aryal, reviewed the ongoing parliamentary session, the federal civil service bill’s cooling-off period, and the functioning of key constitutional bodies.
Speaking to reporters, party chief whip Santosh Pariyar said the RSP is deeply concerned about growing executive interference in the legislative process. “From issues around the cooling-off period to corruption hidden under the guise of Visit Visas, we have been raising these concerns consistently in parliament,” said Pariyar.
Nepali Congress-UML leaders meet in Baluwatar
As a political crisis unfolds in Bagmati Province, senior leaders from the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML convened at the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar on Thursday for crucial talks.
The meeting comes in the wake of deepening tensions within the provincial government, particularly after a split emerged between current Chief Minister Bahadur Singh Lama and Nepali Congress provincial assembly member Indra Baniya. Their power struggle has thrown the coalition into uncertainty.
On Wednesday, Baniya led a successful move within the Congress parliamentary party to unseat Lama as its leader. In a show of internal strength, Baniya secured 22 votes, while Lama received only 14. Despite losing the vote, Lama has refused to step down as Chief Minister, arguing that the constitution does not mandate his resignation under current circumstances.
Chitwan National Park releases 133 gharials into Rapti River
Chitwan National Park has released 133 gharials from its breeding center into the Rapti River as part of its ongoing conservation efforts.
According to the park’s information officer, Avinash Thapa Magar, the crocodiles were reared at the Gharial Breeding Center in Kasara and gradually released into the river throughout the last fiscal year. Among them, two were male, while the rest were female.
With this latest release, the total number of gharials reared and released from the center has reached 2,090. Of those, the Rapti River has received the largest share with 1,335 gharials released to date. Other destinations include the Narayani River with 419, the Saptakoshi with 115, Babai River with 110, Karnali with 41, Kali Gandaki with 35, Chaudhary River in Shuklaphanta with 25, and the Rapti River in Banke district with 10.
UML assigns key responsibilities ahead of statute convention in September
The ruling CPN-UML has begun formal preparations for its upcoming Second Statute Convention, scheduled to take place from September 5 to 7 at Sunrise Hall in Godavari, Lalitpur.
The party has allocated specific responsibilities to senior leaders and departments to ensure the successful organization of the high-level internal gathering.
According to Dr. Bhishma Adhikari, secretary of the UML’s central office, the responsibilities were assigned during a meeting chaired by General Secretary Shankar Pokharel on Wednesday.
Seven highways blocked across Nepal
Seven major highways across Nepal have been completely obstructed following continuous rainfall, triggering landslides and floods in various parts of the country, according to the Nepal Police Headquarters.
Among the blocked highways are the Koshi Highway at Bhotkhola Rural Municipality in Sankhuwasabha, the bridge linking Nepal and China in Gosainkunda Rural Municipality of Rasuwa, and the Pasang Lhamu Highway in the same district. The Arniko Highway at Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality in Sindhupalchok has also been fully disrupted.
In the western region, the Kaligandaki Corridor in Baglung Municipality, the Shahid Highway in Parivartan Rural Municipality of Rolpa, and the Jajarkot-Dolpa Bheri Corridor Road in Aathbiskot Municipality of Rukum West have been completely obstructed.
PM Oli to visit Turkmenistan for Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is set to visit Turkmenistan from August 2 to 8 to attend the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries.
Government spokesperson Prithvi Subba Gurung announced the visit following a cabinet meeting held on Thursday, July 24. He said the Council of Ministers approved the formation of a Nepali delegation led by Prime Minister Oli for the high-level gathering.
The cabinet also approved several other decisions during the meeting. Among them was the acceptance of 2.8 billion Japanese Yen (approximately Rs 2.6 billion) in grant aid from the Government of Japan for the emergency reconstruction of roads damaged by recent flooding in Sindhuli district.
Parliament’s strength lies in digital access and public trust: Speaker Ghimire
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Devraj Ghimire, has emphasized that the strength and legitimacy of modern parliaments depend not only on traditional mechanisms, but increasingly on digital access and the trust of the public.
Speaking at the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments organized jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the United Nations (UN) in Geneva, Switzerland from July 29–31, Ghimire highlighted the urgent need for legislative bodies around the world to adapt to the ongoing digital transformation.
“The strength of the parliament today is not merely in the papers but rests on digital access and public trust,” Ghimire told participants while addressing the session on ‘What will be the role of parliamentarians in shaping our digital future?’
After suspending wife from party, Resham Chaudhary reaches out to Deuba
Resham Lal Chaudhary, patron of the Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP), met with Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba on Thursday, in a move that comes amid deepening internal strife within his own party.
Chaudhary visited Deuba at his residence in Budhanilkantha and later shared a photograph of the meeting on Facebook, captioning it, “A politically significant discussion.”
The meeting follows a dramatic shake-up in the NUP, with Chaudhary ousting party chairperson and his wife, Ranjita Shrestha, from the party entirely, stripping her of even general membership during the party’s first national gathering on Wednesday.
NEPSE falls by 31.50 points
The Nepal Stock Exchange continued its downward trend on Thursday, dropping by 31.50 points to close at 2,922. This follows a sharper fall of nearly 48 points on Wednesday.
Market volatility was evident throughout the day, with the index peaking at 2,967 at 11:24 AM before declining steadily to its lowest, and closing, point. Alongside the index drop, daily turnover also declined. Total trading amounted to Rs 15.98 billion, down from Rs 16.44 billion the day before.
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