- Saturday, 30 August 2025
Kathmandu, May 24: The International Everest Summiteers’ Summit 2025 is being held in the federal capital, Kathmandu, for the first time on May 27 under the auspices of Everest Alliance Nepal.
Chair of the organizer, Sudarshan Nepal, shared that the summit will feature a special gathering of national and international Everest climbers from Nepal as well as various countries around the world. He said that the summit will bring together mountaineering experts, policy makers, conservationists, tourism stakeholders, locals including tourism entrepreneurs, Sherpa guides, trekkers, and communities representing mountain culture on a single platform to discuss international cooperation on promoting sustainable tourism, protecting the Himalayan environment, and uplifting local communities.
The participation of more than 177 mountaineers from 16 countries has been ensured so far. Countries including India, China, the USA, Pakistan, Austria, Britain, Italy, Norway, Iran, Singapore, Australia, Lebanon, Morocco, the UAE are being represented in the Summit.
The Everest Summiteers will share their inspiring journey stories, experiences of success, moments of struggle and lessons learned. Similarly, the voice of conservation has been given special priority in the conference. The summit has received special support of international and national organizations such as ICIMOD, IUCN, WWF, ZSL and NTNC, said the organisers.
Kanchha Sherpa, who first climbed Mount Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953, will be honored with the “Lifetime Achievement Award”.
Other attractions of the conference include seminars on the challenges of climbing, women’s participation, climate crisis, safe technology, Everest honor ceremony, Himalayan cultural festival, tableaus reflecting painting and mountain lifestyle, photo exhibitions, and equipment exhibitions. Local handicrafts and traditional Himalayan materials from the Everest region will be put on display during the summit.
The theme of the summit is ‘Everest is our pride, identity and now our responsibility’ and is also expected to draw attention towards the growing environmental crisis in the Himalayas, responsible mountaineering practices, and the need for international cooperation.
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Two Nepali nationals stranded in Cambodia rescued
Kathmandu, May 24: The Nepali Embassy in Thailand has rescued and repatriated two Nepali citizens who had been stranded in Cambodia for a long time.
The two, including a woman and a man returned home on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Embassy has once again requested all concerned to go for foreign employment only after obtaining a labour permit as per the criteria set by the government and not to get lured to come for foreign employment in countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.
The embassy has also sought the support of the mass media and civil society to spread this message and prevent Nepalis from being trapped in the foreign employment scams.
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Possibility of rain in four provinces including Bagmati
Kathmandu, May 24: There is a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning at a few places in the hilly areas of Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini and Karnali Provinces and at one or two places in the rest of the country. There is also possibility of light rain and snowfall at one or two places in the high-hilly and mountainous areas of the country, according to the Weather Forecasting Division.
The weather today will be partly to generally cloudy across the country.
Later tonight, the weather will be partly to generally cloudy in the hilly areas of the country including Koshi, Madhesh, Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini Provinces and mainly clear to partly cloudy in the rest of the country.
There is a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning at one or two places in the hilly areas of Koshi, Madhesh, Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini Provinces.
There is a possibility of light rain and snowfall at one or two places in the high-hilly and mountainous areas of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki and Karnali Provinces.
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Kanti highway Blocked again
Bagmati, May 24: The Kanti highway remains blocked for traffic since last night.
The highway connecting Hetauda to Kathmandu has been completely blocked since last night due to floods creating obstruction on the Bagmati Bridge connecting Bhimphedi Rural Municipality-8 of Makawanpur and Bagmati Rural Municipality-2 of Lalitpur, shared Deputy Superintendent of Police Shyam Aryal, spokesperson of the District Police Office, Makwanpur.
He said that vehicular movement has been stopped after the road was blocked and efforts are being made to resume traffic soon.
Meanwhile, travelers have been requested to use alternative roads to travel between Hetauda and Kathmandu as the Kanti highway remains blocked today.
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IT associations’ 41-point feedback on e-governance blueprint
Kathmandu, May 24: Three associations of information technology sector have provided 41-point feedback to ‘e-governance blueprint 2081’ developed to make the government’s public service system digital, transparent and effective.
The Computer Association Nepal Federation (CAN Federation), the Center for Cyber Security Research and Innovation (CSRI Nepal) and the Information Security Response Team Nepal (NPCERT) jointly submitted a memo with feedback to Chunamani Poudel, Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on Friday.
CAN Federation Acting President Chiranjivi Adhikari expressed confidence that the ‘Digital by Default’ policy, promotion of public-private partnerships and the ‘One Citizen – One Dashboard’ concept will pave the way for an inclusive digital future.
He said that strengthening cybersecurity, promoting digital literacy and using technologies like AI and blockchain should be prioritized.
Likewise, CSRI Nepal President Dr Shaligram Parajuli said that the Blueprint will help increase the effectiveness and participation of government services in coordination with the Digital Nepal Framework.
Information Security Response Team Nepal President Dr Rajiv Subba pointed out the need to prioritize data security and develop strong cybersecurity standards, effective data protection policies and secure cross-border data transfer systems.
On the occasion, Secretary Poudel clarified that the government is committed to collaborating with the private sector and pledged that the suggestions received will be incorporated to make the blueprint more effective.
The e-Governance Blueprint 2081 is based on seven strategic pillars of strengthening digital infrastructure, citizen-centric services, human resource development, innovation, legal updates, coordination and evaluation.
The blueprint also includes a common national cloud, rural internet expansion, digital dashboard, citizen app, real-time feedback mechanism, green information technology and use of services in local languages.
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Kaligandaki Corridor blocked by landslides
Dhorpatan (Baglung), May 24: The Kaligandaki Corridor has been blocked for traffic due to landslides triggered by incessant rains.
The landslides took place in Dablyang of Baglung Municipality-10 due to rainfall taking place since Friday evening.
According to Police Inspector Keshav Thapa of the District Police Office, Baglung, traffic remains blocked as a result of the blockage of the corridor. Efforts are underway to open the road with the help of machines.
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Farmers worried after wind damages Akbare crop
Bhojpur, May 24: Farmers in Bokhim of Bhojpur are worried after the wind accompanying the rain damaged their chilli cultivation.
The heavy winds knocked down the blooming Akbare chilli plants, said Local farmer Kumar Bista.
Most of the farmers in Bokhim have been cultivating Akbare chillies commercially, using modern technologies.
Farmers say that apart from natural disasters, problems such as root rot, yellowing of leaves and infestation of fruits have started to appear more frequently in recent times.
Commercial chilli cultivation is done in Bokhim, Pokhare, Bhainshipankha and other areas of Bhojpur Municipality.
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