Submit your Article

Nepal has formally informed the Malaysian government that it cannot accept the new standards recently introduced for private recruitment agencies involved in sending Nepali workers to Malaysia. According to the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security, a diplomatic note conveying Nepal’s position has been dispatched to the Malaysian government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday. 

Ministry Spokesperson Joint Secretary Pitambar Ghimire said the government has told Malaysian authorities that the standards cannot be followed immediately and that labor-related issues can be resolved through bilateral talks and understanding.

Earlier, Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through a diplomatic note to the Embassy of Nepal in Kuala Lumpur, informed that it had decided to rationalize the number of licensed private recruitment agencies allowed to handle the recruitment and placement of Nepali workers. The process, according to Malaysia, will be merit-based and overseen by its Ministry of Human Resources.

The note outlined 10 mandatory criteria agencies that recruitment agencies must meet to qualify. These include having at least five years of operating experience, successfully managing at least 3,000 foreign workers in the past five years, and deploying workers to at least three destination countries during that period. Agencies must also possess valid operating licenses, maintain a clean legal record, demonstrate ethical recruitment practices, and operate fully equipped training and assessment centers. Additionally, they are required to provide at least five written testimonials from international employers.

Malaysia has asked Nepal to submit a list of agencies meeting these requirements by Nov 15. It has sent similar diplomatic notes to India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Myanmar. Malaysian authorities have defended the move as an effort to ensure that only experienced and responsible firms are involved in the recruitment process.

However, Nepal’s recruiting agencies and their umbrella organization, the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA), have strongly objected to the plan, calling it discriminatory and monopolistic. Issuing a statement, NAFEA said it firmly rejects any attempt to impose syndicate-based control in the recruitment sector.

A total of 5,174 prisoners and detainees who escaped during the GenZ protest on Sept 8 are still at large. According to the Department of Prison Management, 14,549 inmates had escaped from various prisons and juvenile reform centers across Nepal. Of them, 8,856 prisoners and 597 juveniles have since turned themselves in or rearrested. Earlier, on Sept 11, the Department had issued a public notice urging escaped inmates and juveniles to surrender at their respective prisons. The notice warned that those who failed to return by Oct 6 would face additional legal penalties under the Prison Management Act, 2079 (2022), and other prevailing laws.

Following the notice, Nepal Police Headquarters also repeatedly called on the fugitives to contact nearby prisons.

Director of the Department of Prison Management, Chomendra Neupane, said correspondence has been made to place the foreign fugitives on a blacklist. Considering the possibility of escape across the open border with India, the Department has shared details of the fugitives with border checkpoints and intensified surveillance along frontier areas.

Similarly, Director General of the Department of Immigration Ram Chandra Tiwari said all escaped inmates have been blacklisted to prevent them from fleeing through Nepal’s airports or open borders. “Given the open border with India, there’s a high chance that some of these fugitives may cross over. We have tightened checks at all border points and circulated their records to every airport,” Tiwari said.

According to Director Neupane, the Prison Act provisions stipulate up to five years in prison or a fine of Rs 50,000—or both for those who escape from prisons, reform centers, or rehabilitation homes while on probation or parole. In cases where inmates were involved in damaging prison property or aiding destruction during the escape, they could face up to 10 years’ imprisonment and fines up to Rs 100,000.

Neupane further warned that those who knowingly shelter, protect, or conceal escaped prisoners will also face punishment under the same Act. “If anyone is found helping fugitives evade capture or providing them shelter, they could face up to three years in jail or fines of Rs 30,000—or both,” he said.

The Department has formed a ‘Fugitive Search and Arrest Task Force’ in each district, coordinated by the Assistant Chief District Officer, to locate and apprehend the escaped inmates. Despite the large number of fugitives, authorities remain confident. “Since prison administrations have the inmates’ addresses and family records, they cannot hide for long,” Director Nyaupane asserted.

President Ram Chandra Paudel is returning home this afternoon after participating in the Second World Summit for Social Development held in Doha, the capital of Qatar.

During the visit, President Paudel addressed the main session of the Summit last Tuesday. 

He also addressed the high-level roundtable conference on strengthening the three pillars of social development: poverty eradication, full and productive employment and decent work for all, and social inclusion organized during the summit.

President Paudel had reached Doha on Monday, leading a Nepali delegation to participate in the World Summit that began on Tuesday. 

President Paudel was invited by the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to participate in the World Summit. 

There is a possibility of light rain or snowfall at one or two places in the hilly regions of Koshi, Gandaki, and Karnali Provinces today.

The weather will remain partly cloudy in the hilly regions and mainly fair in the rest of the country, according to the Weather Forecasting Division.

As per the meteorological analysis, there is a partial effect of the westerly low pressure system in the western region of the country.

Taiwan must be allowed full and equal participation when China hosts Apec in 2026, the US State Department said on Nov 5, after Taipei complained that Beijing had "added a lot of conditions" to its attendance, Reuters reported.

The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) is one of the only international bodies Chinese-claimed Taiwan is a member of, and next November's summit in Shenzhen will come as relations between Taipei and Beijing have plummeted amid a stepped-up Chinese military pressure campaign against the island.

China's foreign ministry said this week that Taiwan's participation in Apec activities must comply with the "one China" principle, which Beijing views as meaning both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one country, something Taipei's government rejects, according to Reuters.

President Donald Trump's administration has revoked around 80,000 non-immigrant visas since its inauguration on January 20 for offenses ranging from driving under the influence to assault and theft, a senior State Department official said on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

The extent of the revocations, first reported by Washington Examiner, reflects a broad immigration crackdown initiated when Trump came into office, deporting an unprecedented number of migrants including some who held valid visas.

The administration has also adopted a stricter policy on granting visas, with tightened social media vetting and expanded screening, according to Reuters.

US Supreme Court justices raised doubts on Wednesday over the legality of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs in a case with implications for the global economy that marks a major test of Trump’s powers.

Conservative and liberal justices alike sharply questioned the lawyer representing Trump’s administration about whether a 1977 law meant for use during national emergencies gave Trump the power he claimed to impose tariffs or whether the Republican president had intruded on the powers of Congress.

But some of the conservative justices also stressed the inherent authority of presidents in dealing with foreign countries, suggesting the court could be sharply divided in the outcome of the case.

The court has a 6-3 conservative majority. The arguments, lasting more than 2-1/2 hours, came in appeals by the administration after lower courts ruled that Trump’s unprecedented use of the law at issue to impose the tariffs exceeded his authority.

Businesses affected by the tariffs and 12 US states, most of them Democratic-led, challenged the tariffs.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned there will be a 10% reduction in air travel capacity at 40 major airports in the US starting Friday morning, if the government shutdown continues, BBC reported.

The decision was made because air traffic controllers have been reporting issues with fatigue, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said at a briefing with Duffy on Wednesday.

"It is unusual, just as the shutdown is unusual, just as the fact that our controllers haven't been paid for a month is unusual," said FAA chief Bryan Bedford, according to BBC.