Kathmandu
Monday, October 13, 2025
KATHMANDU: Nepal News is transforming the way stories are told in Nepal. No longer content with simply reporting events, our journalists dig deeper, asking not only what is happening, but why it matters. Each story is carefully planned, with clear assignments, structured outlines, thorough research, verified data, and insightful quotes. Every piece is thoughtfully edited and crafted to provide clarity amid the noise.
Every week, we present a curated selection of stories that capture the heartbeat of Nepal — from groundbreaking investigative reports to human-interest features, policy analyses, and cultural insights. These are more than just news stories; they are windows into the forces shaping our society, economy, and daily lives.
Here’s a look at the seven standout features from last week, each reflecting our commitment to quality journalism, storytelling depth, and editorial integrity. Explore these stories to understand not just the headlines, but the narratives behind them:
Hefty salaries, lavish allowances at Nepali missions abroad
Nepal News editor Baburam Bishwakarma presents an unflinching expose on rampant financial fraud within Nepali foreign missions, detailing how diplomats in Lhasa, New York, and Jeddah illegally claimed millions in family and operational allowances, highlighting systemic exploitation of the state treasury and evasion of Auditor General directives.
Former PM Oli’s risky intervention in air safety
Khila Nath Dhakal, Special Representative for Nepal News, delivers an incriminating report on political interference that risked hundreds of lives, revealing how then-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli personally coerced the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) to bypass critical safety standards for Nepal Airlines’ wide-body A330 ‘Makalu’ just one day before the deadly, maintenance-related Saurya Airlines crash in July 2024.
NC, UML central committee meetings under pressure to remove Deuba and Oli
Roman Acharya, Senior Correspondent for Nepal News, delivers an urgent report on the deepening crisis within Nepal’s two largest political forces, the Nepali Congress and CPN (UML), detailing how both parties face unprecedented internal and external pressure for a generational leadership change and systemic reform following the Gen Z uprising, even as party presidents Sher Bahadur Deuba and KP Sharma Oli resist stepping down ahead of crucial, rescheduled Central Committee meetings.
Mega projects trapped in compensation issues
Uddab Thapa, Special Representative for Nepal News, presents an unflinching exposé on the financial disaster undermining Nepal’s national pride projects, detailing how the cost of land acquisition has escalated to a shocking three times the construction cost for projects like Gautam Buddha International Airport, and revealing how political influence and intermediaries have inflated compensation prices, stalling major works like the Kathmandu-Terai Expressway and the East-West Electric Railway, thereby plunging the state deeper into debt as project delays accumulate.
Ashes in the air: The policies, the people, and the price we pay
Aakash Chaudhary, Correspondent of Nepal News, delivers an alarming report on the widespread failure to enforce Nepal’s 2011 public smoking ban, detailing how political inaction and institutional negligence allow cigarettes to be sold and smoked openly near major hospitals and schools, a direct violation of the law that is exposing pregnant women and non-smokers to severe secondhand smoke risks, even as the tobacco industry generates over Rs 13 billion in mid-year excise revenue, highlighting a dangerous conflict between state revenue and public health.
State investment in the name of leaders’ cups
Deep Subedi, Correspondent of Nepal News, presents an unflinching expose on the stark political prioritization and misuse of sports funding in Nepal, detailing how the 10th National Games announced for Karnali Province has been repeatedly postponed and neglected despite a Rs 2 billion provincial investment, while the youth wings of the Nepali Congress, CPN (UML), and Maoist Centre organize high-cost “Flattery Cups” like the KP Oli Cup (costing up to Rs 8 million) and President Cup (costing Rs 14 million) in the names of their living leaders for political gain and prestige, diverting resources and relevance from official, nationally recognized sports competitions.
Everything You Should Know About Nepal’s Recent Floods and Landslides
Binod Dhakal, English News Coordinator at Nepal News, presents an explainer on the escalating humanitarian and economic crisis in Nepal, detailing how severe late monsoon rainfall has caused 49 fatalities and 11 missing persons as of 3 PM on October 5, with rivers like the Koshi and Bagmati exceeding danger levels, and revealing that the current government’s proactive response and improved disaster information systems have successfully minimized casualties compared to the previous year, despite widespread damage to major highways and infrastructure.
