KATHMANDU: Stay updated with Nepal News’ evening briefing, bringing you the day’s most important developments from Nepal and across the globe. From politics and economy to sports, entertainment, and culture, we deliver a concise roundup of the top news you need to know.

President and State Leaders Assembly Commemorates 19th National Republic Day

President Ram Chandra Paudel delivered an official address at the Tundikhel military pavilion today to celebrate the Nineteenth National Republic Day. The state ceremony marked the historical transition enacted today, when the first Constituent Assembly formally abolished the legacy monarchy. Concurrently, Rastriya Prajatantra Party Chairman Rajendra Lingden organized flag-raising events at Chabahil, calling for implementation of the recent human rights security reports. Additionally, House of Representatives Speaker Dola Prasad (DP) Aryal and Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav issued joint messages demanding that lawmakers prioritize anti-corruption protocols to safeguard democratic infrastructure.

Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav Expresses Republic Day Commitments

Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav issued a formal address today to convey his deep respect to the nation’s historical martyrs, as well as the disappeared and injured heroes who sacrificed for democratic change. He stated that the current political structure has successfully dismantled legacy dynastic rule and restricted the misuse of state power, warning that any attempts to weaken these systems threaten the hard-earned values of federalism and the republic. The Vice President urged citizens to look at Republic Day as a key opportunity to highlight Nepal’s rich cultural diversity and national achievements, hoping the day inspires all political forces to protect constitutional achievements while building a unified and prosperous country.

PM Attends HoR After 18 Days Since May 11

Prime Minister Balendra Shah attended the House of Representatives session on Friday (May 29), marking his first appearance in the lower house in exactly 18 days. He was last present in the parliament on Monday (May 11, 2026) during the presentation of the government’s policies and programs for the fiscal year 2026/27. His return coincided with a historic milestone as Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle commenced presenting the landmark 75th annual budget for the fiscal year 2026/27 before a joint session of the Federal Parliament. The highly anticipated fiscal address drew immense national interest amid demands from opposition lawmakers for increased executive accountability in the house.

Speaker Dola Prasad (DP) Aryal Outlines Parliament’s Role in Democratic Governance

Speaker of the House of Representatives Dola Prasad (DP) Aryal issued a dedicated congratulatory message today marking the 19th National Republic Day. He characterized the declaration of the federal democratic republic today as a historic institutional milestone for social justice, inclusive governance, and sovereign citizens’ rights. Speaker Aryal stressed that real democracy must directly improve the daily lives of the public by providing equal access to opportunities, driving economic growth, and managing a dignified living environment. As the head of the country’s supreme representative body, he committed to enhancing parliamentary procedures to tightly focus legislative practices on fulfilling public expectations, maintaining constitutional supremacy, curbing corruption, and boosting employment.

Deputy Speaker Ruby Kumari Issues National Address on Constitutional Commitments

Federal Parliament House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Ruby Kumari issued an official statement today celebrating National Republic Day by honoring the historical struggles that established the federal republic on May 28, 2008. Highlighting modern socioeconomic challenges, she emphasized that true republican governance is realized only when citizens enjoy equal rights, freedom, justice, and a dignified standard of living. She specifically called upon the Gen Z youth generation to leverage education, technology, and progressive thinking to lead national development, urging all citizens to unite beyond caste, language, and religious divides under a shared identity.

Finance Minister Wagle Presents Budget for Fiscal Year 2026/27

Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle on Wednesday began presenting the annual budget for the fiscal year 2026/27 before a joint session of the Federal Parliament. The presentation marks the 75th formal budget announcement in the country’s history and the first federal budget presented by Wagle since assuming office as finance minister. Ahead of the presentation, Prime Minister Balendra Shah called a Cabinet meeting at 2:30 pm at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar to endorse the government’s income and expenditure estimates for the upcoming fiscal year. Wagle is also scheduled to brief the Cabinet on the new budget amid heightened public and political interest surrounding the country’s economic direction and fiscal policy priorities.

Ministry Launches Open Application Portals for Vacant Ambassadorial Posts

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially launched an open recruitment and nomination window today, Friday, inviting qualified citizen applicants to fill vacant ambassadorial seats worldwide. Executed under the statutory guidelines established inside the Ambassadorial Appointment Directive, 2075, the application framework allows experienced independent professionals to submit personal portfolios or enables third-party institutional bodies to submit formal recommendations. Administrative notifications confirm that prospective diplomats must register structured curriculum vitae packets through the ministry’s centralized digital portal or via official communication email directories prior to the absolute application deadline scheduled for June 5 at 5:00 PM.

Communist Leader Madhav Kumar Nepal Returns from Diplomatic Russian Assembly

Nepali Communist Party Co-Coordinator and former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal arrived back at Tribhuvan International Airport today following an official diplomatic excursion to Russia. The political leader originally departed for the foreign capital on May 23, responding to a formal invitation issued by the executive committee of the Russian Communist Party. During the international convention, he delivered a speech examining the modern geopolitical popularity and structural challenges of leftist state doctrines. Private secretariat briefs confirmed he held bilateral strategic meetings with Russian General Secretary Gennady Zyuganov to discuss trade relations and mutual economic development platforms.

Ujyalo Nepal Party and Hamro Nepal Party Formally Merge

The Ujyalo Nepal Party and Hamro Nepal Party have formally unified. A seven-point agreement was signed between both sides on Friday at the central office of the Ujyalo Nepal Party in Tripureshwar. The two parties stated that they entered into this unification with the shared goal of serving the nation through the collaboration of political forces holding a common resolve. The party adjustment agreement was signed by Dharma Chaudhary, General Secretary of the Ujyalo Nepal Party, and Dadhiram Pariyar, General Secretary of Hamro Party Nepal. According to the agreement, both parties will champion the spirit of the People’s Movement, social justice, inclusivity, and proportional representation as their shared political agenda. Furthermore, they expressed a mutual commitment to wage a joint struggle against corruption and bad governance.

Foreign Minister Khanal Coordinates Development Sectors with America

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that newly appointed Minister Shisir Khanal held a high-level telephone conference with United States Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Security Allison Hooker last night. During the diplomatic dialogue, the US government reaffirmed its bilateral commitment to support national development priorities. The minister highlighted the government’s current economic focus on infrastructure projects, clean energy generation, digital technology frameworks, and tourism expansion. Diplomatic logs state the official talks marked nearly eight decades of diplomatic cooperation, with both representatives pledging to maximize bilateral trade investments and expand cross-border technology transfers through existing multilateral coordination frameworks.

German Ambassador Reaffirms Support in a Meeting with Minister Badi

German Ambassador to Nepal Udo Volz has reaffirmed Germany’s commitment to advancing women’s health, dignity, and gender-responsive policies during a recent meeting with Minister for Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities and Social Security Sita Badi. During the meeting, Ambassador Volz highlighted Germany’s support for gender-transformative health planning and acknowledged the role of UN Women in Nepal, noting that Germany remains the organization’s largest global financial contributor. German Development Cooperation, through the health program of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), has been supporting menstrual health awareness, anti-Chhaupadi campaigns, maternal healthcare, and cervical cancer screening programs in remote municipalities. The program stated that menstrual health campaigns have reached more than one million people online and around 9,000 community members through theater and film-based outreach activities.

Education Minister, French Ambassador attend Airbus-TU MoU signing

Education and Sports Minister Sasmit Pokharel and French Ambassador to Nepal Virginie Corteval attended the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Airbus and Tribhuvan University (TU) aimed at strengthening aerospace education and human resource development. The agreement was signed by Airbus South Asia President and Managing Director Jürgen Westermeier and Tribhuvan University Vice-Chancellor Sushil Bahadur Bajracharya. Under the partnership, the two institutions will collaborate on aerospace and aviation research, academic curriculum development, training, internships, and industry exposure. The agreement also includes cooperation in digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, advanced analytics, and cybersecurity. Officials said the partnership aims to strengthen Nepal’s aviation and aerospace ecosystem through technical exchange, skills development, and international collaboration.

Child Protection Services Rescue 588 Minors in 8 Months

The Economic Survey 2025/26 published by the Ministry of Finance today confirmed that child protection services rescued 588 minor children from immediate physical violence and vulnerable conditions during the first eight months of the current fiscal year. Comprehensive tracking metrics reveal the government supplied immediate medical relief, psychosocial counseling, and emergency shelter rehabilitation services to 7,462 total youths through mid-March. Furthermore, consecutive enforcement data from the street-child mitigation campaign logs the extraction and long-term institutional care management of 2,658 street children, comprising 2,258 boys and 400 girls, spanning a 10-year timeline launched originally on May 10.

Undocumented Citizens in Cambodia Given One Week for Mandatory Repatriation

The Nepali Embassy in Bangkok issued an emergency consular directive today, giving undocumented citizens residing illegally inside Cambodia a one-week mandatory deadline to repatriate. Since launching emergency documentation services on May 1, diplomatic teams coordinated with Phnom Penh immigration offices to secure targeted fee waivers for 602 nationals who overstayed visas. The mission dispatched one-way emergency travel certificates to assist individuals with lost passports. Consular officials warned that remaining citizens face immediate imprisonment, heavy financial penalties, and deportation under newly enacted Cambodian immigration laws unless they provide verified flight routing itineraries to the embassy database immediately.

Medical Commission Records 10 Elite Applications for Vice Chairperson Seat

The specialized selection panel tasked with tracking executive appointments for the Medical Education Commission announced today, Friday, that 10 senior medical specialists registered candidacies for the vacant vice chairperson position. The department logged all formal applications before the statutory registration deadline closed on May 27. The candidate list features prominent healthcare administrators, including former vice chair Prof. Dr. Srikrishna Giri and former Ministry of Health and Population Secretary Dr. Roshan Pokharel. The selection committee scheduled individual strategic vision presentations and interview evaluations on June 9 and 10.

Rs 1 Million Allocated for 76th Annapurna Ascent Day Anniversary Celebration

Municipal administrators in Myagdi finalized structural plans today to host the 76th Annapurna Ascent Day anniversary celebration next week at the base of the 8,091-meter peak in Narchyang. To accelerate high-altitude tourism promotion across the Maurice Herzog trekking trail, the Annapurna Rural Municipality allocated a Rs 1 million treasury budget for the seasonal event. Program schedules outline a 36-kilometer open mountain marathon starting May 31, which awards a Rs 100,000 cash prize to the winner and Rs 60,000 for the runner-up, culminating in structural trail infrastructure exhibitions on June 3.

KMC Approves 26K Candidates for Higher Secondary Scholarships

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) Education Department finalized its entry verification protocols today, clearing 26,680 applicant students to contest the upcoming grade 11 and 12 scholarship selection examinations. Academic screening boards rejected 208 individual forms out of 26,888 total electronic submissions due to registration flaws. Examination Committee Member-Secretary Ram Chandra Khadka issued administrative directives requiring all candidates to download full-color entry permits directly via the city’s web portal before the test on May 31. Municipal administrators introduced strict color-print rules to eliminate proxy candidate testing frauds inside high school scholarship quotas.

Swiss Ambassador Attends Discussion on Emerging Nepali Cinema at KIMFF

Swiss Ambassador to Nepal Danielle Meuwly attended the panel discussion “Alpine Alliances: New Wave of Nepali Cinema” during the twenty-third Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF) yesterday. The discussion featured filmmaker Abinash Bikram Shah, director Min Bahadur Bham, and producer Ram Krishna Pokharel, who discussed international collaboration in cinema through partnerships and festivals, including the Locarno Film Festival. The panel focused on opportunities for emerging Nepali filmmakers in networking, co-production, financing, and global film distribution.

3 New Domestic Films Hit the Theaters Today

Domestic theater chains executed their traditional Friday release schedules today, launching theatrical runs for three new films: Roll No. 1, Shape of Momo, and Kumbha. The Central Film Examination Committee granted a universal screening certificate to director John Yonzon’s Roll No. 1, a 152-minute educational drama starring Mukun Bhusal. Concurrently, Sikkim-based director Triveni Rai’s 114-minute family feature Shape of Momo opened simultaneously across screens in Nepal and India. The international project is backed by Bollywood executive producers Zoya Akhtar and Payal Kapadia, with distribution handled by Rana Daggubati’s Spirit Media. Additionally, Randhir Shrestha’s martial arts feature Kumbha entered limited commercial release.

Chinese Tiantan Award Panorama Set to Screen 6 Crime and Sci-Fi Films

The Nepal Film and Cultural Academy announced today that the Tiantan Award Panorama promotion program will screen six award-winning Chinese cinematic features in Kathmandu from June 2 to 4, 2026. Organized in partnership with the China Film Administration, the commercial event at the Chhaya Center in Thamel aims to scale up cross-border distribution ties. The festival schedule opens with the crime thriller Trap, directed by Zhang Shuo, followed by Liu Zhihai’s historical drama Beyond the Skies, Wu Shuang’s Summer Diary, the mystery Lost in the Stars, Zhang Lu’s The Shadowless Tower, and the sci-fi feature Journey to the West.

India Defeats Nepal in CAVA Volleyball Championship

The National Sports Council’s Covered Hall in Tripureshwar hosted the third-place play-off of the CAVA Women’s Volleyball Championship today, where India defeated hosts Nepal 3-1 to secure the bronze medal. The competitive match concluded with India dominating the scoring tables via set outcomes of 25-22, 25-23, 15-25, and 25-22. This defeat blocked the host nation from achieving a podium placement, following Nepal’s consecutive medal runs during the previous two regional championship editions. The loss followed a 3-0 semi-final shutout against Iran yesterday, alongside a prior 3-2 group-stage defeat to the same Indian roster.

Visa Gridlock Strands Iran Football Squad Ahead of World Cup Opener

The Iranian National Football Team faced severe logistical disruptions today as players remained stranded, awaiting United States entry visas for the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted across America, Canada, and Mexico. Iranian Ambassador to Mexico Abolfazl Pasandideh confirmed the squad had to abandon its Arizona training camp, relocating operations to Mexican border facilities in Tijuana. Despite political friction following recent military airstrikes, FIFA President Gianni Infantino rejected requests to shift tournament venues from Seattle and Los Angeles to Mexican soil. The visa delay endangers scheduled group stage matches against New Zealand on June 15, Belgium on June 21, and Egypt on June 26.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Warns of Rising Conflict of Nuclear Powers

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has warned that growing divisions among nuclear-armed states are increasing the risk of direct armed confrontation with potentially catastrophic consequences. Speaking at a roundtable on strategic stability during the International Security Forum in Russia, Ryabkov said tensions among the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council had deepened due to what he described as “destructive actions” by the collective West. Ryabkov further added that the widening rift has escalated strategic risks and raised the possibility of direct military conflict between nuclear powers. The International Security Forum, held under the auspices of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, opened on Tuesday (May 26) with participants from around 120 countries discussing international security, traditional values, and geopolitical challenges.

Blue Origin Rocket Explosion Threatens NASA Moon Plans and Amazon Satellite Push

A massive explosion during an engine test late Thursday at Launch Complex 36 in Kennedy Space Center has dealt a major setback to Blue Origin, raising fresh uncertainty over both NASA’s lunar ambitions and Amazon’s satellite expansion plans. The company’s 98-meter New Glenn rocket exploded ahead of a planned June launch carrying 48 satellites for Amazon’s Leo broadband network. The blast severely damaged the only launch pad capable of supporting New Glenn missions, likely grounding the heavy-lift rocket for months. The setback threatens upcoming NASA Moon missions tied to Blue Origin’s lunar lander program and further complicates Amazon’s effort to compete with SpaceX and its Starlink satellite network.

Taiwan Emerges As Global AI Hub At Computex 2026

Computex 2026, scheduled for June 2 to June 5, is set to showcase Taiwan’s dominance in the global artificial intelligence supply chain in Taipei next week. Nvidia plans to invest up to USD 150 billion annually on the island, designating it the epicenter of the AI revolution, while Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Chief Executive Officer Lisa Su announced major long-term sector investments. The expanded trade show features 1,500 exhibitors and will focus heavily on AI infrastructure, data center systems, advanced processors, robotics, and manufacturing technologies. Industry executives from Intel, Qualcomm, Arm Holdings, Marvell Technology, and NXP Semiconductors will attend alongside prominent Taiwanese semiconductor and hardware manufacturing firms.