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Telephone service has been disrupted in three local levels of Humla district for more than two weeks, leaving the service-recipients without reliable communication. 

In Kharpunath rural municipalities, villages such as Pius, Bacchegauda and ward no 3 of Sunkhada have experienced frequent outages, with the network signal only appearing late at night, according to a local resident Shanti Shahi.

A telephone tower at Thana of Raya is dysfunctional now, she added. Likewise, in Sarkegaad, local residents of Syaltadi, Rip and Unapani villages report that the Nepal Telecom services are not functioning. 

"Even if the mobile phone shows the signal, calls do not go through," lamented Binod Fadera of Rip village. The rural municipality itself lacks operational connection of telecommunication, added a local business person Gagan Aidee.

Prolonged telecommunication disruption has plagued Piplang of Chankheli Rural Municipality for nearly a month. Locals must climb high hills to make calls as the network fails to function in their locality, shared Basuna Tamang, a local resident.

Chankheli Rural Municipality Chairperson Pyarilal Shahi attributed the disruption in the telecommunication services due to issues in the Nepal Telecom's tower at Melchham. 

Shahi mentioned that administrative works have been hampered due to lack of connectivity and local residents are also facing problems in communications.

Also, the delay surrounding the construction of 4G tower by the Nepal Telecom to provide network access to the rural municipality has further added to the woe of the local residents for reliable and convenient communication service.

Chief Administrator at Chankheli Rural Municipality Deepak Giri shared that they have been resorting to letter correspondence for administrative business in absence of reliable telecommunication services.

Much to the dismay, wireless internet installed by a private company is also not functioning effectively, he said.

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order increasing entry fees for foreign tourists visiting national parks, while proposing steep budget cuts to the National Park Service.

The White House stated that the new fees will raise hundreds of millions of dollars for conservation and maintenance programs. The government defended the proposal as a gesture of fairness, pointing out that while American taxpayers fund park operations through taxes, yet foreigners currently pay the same entry fee, Reuters reported.

The executive order comes alongside a proposal to cut the Park Service’s 2026 budget by over $1bn—more than a third of its current funding. Meanwhile, staffing levels have declined, with only 4,500 of the promised 8,000 seasonal workers hired.

The White House cited Trump’s 2020 Great American Outdoors Act as a landmark achievement in conservation, according to Reuters.

Heavy vehicles along the Karnali Highway have been barred from playing after a road collapsed at Gothebhir in Tilgufa Municipality-6 in Kalikot district this morning.

According to the District Police Office, Kalikot, authorities restricted the heavy vehicles from plying the Highway from today itself following the road collapse to ensure the safety of passengers.

"We urge one and all to observe extreme caution while travelling along this highway as it is extremely risky to travel due to incessant rain," said Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Tek Bahadur Rawal.

A fast-moving wildfire in central California’s San Luis Obispo County has forced evacuations and partially shut down Highway 166, according to Xinhua.

Known as the Madre Fire, it broke out Wednesday afternoon and has since scorched over 52,000 acres, with containment at just 5 percent, according to Cal Fire.

Officials say the fire is spreading rapidly, especially across ridge tops and drainages, and remains highly active overnight. It is now the state’s largest wildfire of the year.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, Xinhua reported.