KATHMANDU – In the early hours of January 12, a wave of anticipation swept across Nepal as the Munal satellite—the nation’s pride, built by the hands of its own students—streaked toward the heavens. While technical anomalies during the rocket's third stage prevented the satellite from reaching its final home in the stars, the mission is being hailed not as a defeat, but as a historic "successful failure." The Hardware Lost, The Vision Found Though Munal may not be broadcasting signals from orbit, the signals sent across the country are loud and clear: Nepal has entered the space age. This wasn't...

The 2026 Dilemma: International Community Weighs Risks of Nepal's LDC Graduation KATHMANDU / NEW YORK — As the calendar turns to 2026, the global spotlight has intensified on Nepal's impending graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category, scheduled for November 24, 2026. While the transition is a milestone of national pride, a chorus of international organizations and economic experts are raising red flags, questioning if the nation is truly prepared for the "shocks" of becoming a developing country. The concern follows a tumultuous late 2025, marked by the "Gen-Z Movement" and a subsequent economic slowdown that has seen the...

CANBERRA / KATHMANDU — In a major blow to thousands of aspiring Nepali students, the Australian Department of Home Affairs has officially reclassified Nepal as an "Evidence Level 3" (Highest Risk) country, effective January 8, 2026. This "out-of-cycle" decision moves Nepal from the moderately simplified Level 2 to the strictest tier under the Simplified Student Visa Framework (SSVF). The change follows similar reclassifications for India, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, collectively affecting countries that account for nearly one-third of Australia’s international student intake. Why the Sudden Change? While Evidence Levels are typically reviewed annually, this rare mid-cycle intervention was triggered by what...

KATHMANDU — In a historic leap for Nepal’s burgeoning space sector, the MUNAL satellite, the first-ever spacecraft built by Nepali high school students, was successfully launched into orbit today, January 12, 2026. The launch took place at 10:32 AM NST from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India, aboard ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C62). This achievement marks Nepal's second entry into space, following the 2019 launch of NepaliSat-1, but it represents a significant shift toward indigenous development and youth-led innovation. A Project Born in the Classroom The MUNAL project is the result of a two-year journey that began...