Weekly Summary
Across the week, Budhigandaki flash flooding dominated coverage, with landslide-dam breach mechanisms, evacuation and rescue mobilization via NDRRMA deployments, and recovery support from the Nepal Red Cross continuing into the Dashain period. Parallel governance and accountability developments included President Ram Chandra Paudel issuing ordinances alongside repeated parliamentary scrutiny of nominations such as the rejection of Chudamani Kharel for Malaysia, while allegations surfaced around Khagendra Sunar audio and conduct and bribery claims tied to Lakshman Bahadur Pandey. In the political and economic arena, festival travel and administrative controls focused on Dashain exodus management, while broader policy shifts included Nepali Congress leadership with Gagan Thapa taking oath, opposition to the government’s land ordinance, and disaster recovery planning through the proposed post-disaster reconstruction budget.
Forex remained relatively stable over the week: USD/NPR moved within 152.24-155.08 (1.83% net change), starting at NPR 155.08 on Oct 11 and ending at NPR 152.24 on Oct 18; other major pairs traded in narrow ranges (CAD 107.30-108.77, AUD 105.38-108.32, GBP 202.10-205.21, JPY 9.63-9.79). international gold closed near NPR 237,768 per tola; international silver closed near NPR 3,254.
