Nepal News Digest — August 9, 2026

Deuba Postpones Return to Nepal Until August 13

Former PM Sher Bahadur Deuba. File photo.

Former Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has rescheduled his return to Nepal to August 13. Originally set to land in Kathmandu on the night of August 11, he will now arrive at 12:30 PM on Thursday aboard a Thai Airways flight, timed for a daytime welcome. Deuba, who has been undergoing medical treatment in Singapore and Hong Kong, is preparing to address a national gathering of the NC non-establishment faction starting August 14.

Nepal Rolls Out Insurance Against Wildlife Attacks

A herd of elephants in Jhapa, where human-wildlife conflict is common. File photo: Ramesh Kumar Thapa.

As human-wildlife conflict intensifies along Nepal’s forest fringes, the country has launched its first Wildlife Risk Insurance Policy. For an annual premium of Rs 1,500, households can insure against death, injury and property losses from attacks by 18 species — including elephants, tigers and leopards — with payouts of up to Rs 1 million. Wildlife has killed 146 people nationwide over the past five years.

Doctors Trained Abroad Record Higher Failure Rate in Medical Licensing Exam

A higher share of medical graduates from foreign institutions failed the Nepal Medical Council’s Special Licensing Examination compared with graduates trained in Nepal. Of 1,013 candidates, 947 (93.5%) passed overall — only 15 of 919 Nepal-trained graduates failed, while pass rates among those who studied in China (21.6%) and Egypt (42.1%) lagged well behind.

Raccoon Named Mayonesa Rescued From Mayonnaise Jar in Dallas

A raccoon nicknamed Mayonesa spent several days wandering a Dallas neighborhood with a mayonnaise jar stuck over her head, dodging capture again and again. Dallas Animal Services officers finally cornered her up a tree, sedated her and freed her from the jar — dehydrated, but in remarkably good condition and full of energy. She’s now recovering with a wildlife rescue group before being released back into the wild.