Hello and Namaste from Nepal!

We’re thrilled to bring you our latest edition of Nepali Dias Express, your trusted weekly digest of what’s happening back home, why it matters, and how it connects to Nepalis living around the world.

Nepali Updates

1. Nepal Cracks Down on Unregistered Social Media

Remember that one uncle who complains about Facebook ruining “sanskriti”? Well, he just got a new friend: the Government of Nepal. They gave all social platforms a week to register locally. Most didn’t. Result: over two dozen apps are getting blocked.

Only TikTok, Viber, Telegram, and a few others survive for now. Meanwhile, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter (sorry, “X”) are starting to go dark here. The Ministry says they’ll be back once they register. Knowing how fast our bureaucracy works, maybe in time for Dashain… 2085. 

2. India Formalises Free Travel for Nepalis

Crossing the open border into India has been our casual pastime. No passports required, just walk across with an ID card and a nod. This week, through the Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025, India has officially codified the age-old open border. Good news is the ID-card-only rule still stands.

The bad news is, you can’t fly into India via China, Macau, Hong Kong, or Pakistan anymore. Tibetans in Kathmandu will also need special permits. In short: the open border stays, but the shortcuts just got padlocked.

3. Khetan Group Buys Into Fonepay

Rajendra Khetan; yes, from the same family that built fortunes in beer and aviation, just bought 14% of Fonepay, the QR network that already handles 90% of Nepal’s digital payments. Add in nine other investors, and the deal values Fonepay at Rs. 6.7 billion!

Think about it: the same guys who sold us Gorkha beer now want to process our QR payments. Makes one wonder; what made them shift from industrial empires to fintech?

4. NIBL Bets Big on Himalayan Java

 NIBL Equity Partners recently bought 28.8% of Himalayan Java; the café chain that basically taught Kathmandu how to drink espressos without making a weird face.

And the logic is spot on. Nepal grows amazing coffee, ships it off to 20+ countries, but almost all of it goes out raw and anonymous. By the time it hits shelves in Europe or Japan, it’s wearing someone else’s brand. We get the beans out, but not the credit (or the cash).

Now with NIBL’s money, Java’s got the chance to change that. They’ve already got 70+ outlets buzzing across Nepal, and now they’re eyeing South Asia. The plan is to roast and brand Nepali coffee properly, sell it with our story attached, and maybe finally make “Himalayan Java” as recognizable as Starbucks.

Imagine picking up a bag of beans in Singapore or Dubai that proudly says “Made in Nepal.” That’s the dream. And if they pull it off, every cup abroad could taste a little like home.

Global Updates

1) Ukraine: Still no peace, still more threats

Quick recap: Russia invaded Ukraine back in 2022, and the war’s been grinding on for more than three years now. Recently, 26 countries led by France and the UK said, “Okay, the moment there’s even a ceasefire, we’ll send a reassurance force; troops, ships, planes, to make sure Russia doesn’t start swinging again.”

Sounds hopeful, right? Except Vladimir Putin just said any foreign troops in Ukraine would be “legitimate targets.” In other words: “If you show up, we’ll shoot.” He even suggested hosting peace talks in Moscow, which Ukraine dismissed as a bad joke.
So the situation is stuck: Western allies want guarantees for Ukraine, Russia wants no Western boots nearby, and the actual fighting is still going.

2) Thailand: A family dynasty on shaky ground

Ah, Thailand. For 20 years, it’s been the Shinawatra show. Former PM Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in 2006, lived in exile, and only came back last year under a special deal that kept him out of prison. His daughter briefly became prime minister, but she was just removed over an ethics scandal.

Now, days before the Supreme Court decides whether Thaksin actually needs to serve prison time, he quietly flew out of Bangkok in his private jet. Officially, he says he’s off for a “health check” and will return by September 9. Many doubt it.

Meanwhile, parliament is preparing to pick a new prime minister, and the frontrunner is Anutin Charnvirakul, known for legalizing cannabis. If he wins, it could be the first time in years the Shinawatra political machine isn’t running the show.

3) The U.S.: Trump’s tariffs in legal trouble

Trump’s favourite toy has always been tariffs. Tax imports, call it patriotism, and wait for everyone else to blink. But a U.S. appeals court just ruled his tariffs illegal, saying the law was never meant to let presidents unilaterally mess with trade. Instead of backing down, Trump went straight to the Supreme Court, asking them to overturn the lower court’s ruling. 

And honestly, knowing Trump, even if the judges strike it down, he’ll just find a new way to slap a price tag on someone else’s goods, because what’s a Trump presidency without a trade war?

4) China: Not just a parade, but a power show

Beijing just staged a massive military parade down the Avenue of Eternal Peace. Yes, there were new weapons: the DF-61 intercontinental missile, hypersonic gliders, drones for land, air, and sea, and even truck- and ship-mounted laser weapons. On the surface, it was about showing off military muscle.

But what really stood out was who was watching. At Xi’s side in Vladivostok a day earlier? Putin and Kim Jong Un. At the parade in Beijing? Delegations from countries that are tilting away from the West, nodding along as China rolled out its might.

So, yes, it was about military muscle. But it was also theatre; a carefully choreographed show to remind the world that China has friends, firepower, and the factories to back both up.

To put it all together, Europe’s dreaming of peace in Ukraine, Putin’s still spoiling the party, Thailand’s politics are on another plot twist, Trump’s tariffs could unravel in court, and China’s showing off both missiles and guest lists.

DEEP DIVE

Nepal Government Decided to Delete the Internet: What’s The Logic Behind It?

So, Nepal just did the unthinkable: it basically deleted the internet.

Not literally, of course. But close. As of September 5, 2025, the government has banned pretty much every app you and your family rely on to stay connected. The hit list? Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Snapchat, Reddit, Discord, Pinterest, Signal, Threads, WeChat, Quora, Tumblr, Clubhouse, Mastodon, Rumble, MeWe, VK, Line, IMO, Zalo, Soul, and even Hamro Patro.

Basically, everything except your calculator app.

But social media is how we stay connected, how small bakeries take cake orders, how clothing boutiques sell out festive collections, how young startups market themselves without ever buying a TV ad. In a country where 80% of internet use is social media, these platforms are the backbone of daily life and business.

Which leaves us with the obvious question: why on earth would the government pull off such a digital stunt; basically cutting the veins of how Nepalis talk, work, and do business every single day?

The Chaos: Last Photos and Viber Rush

Naturally, people panicked, and rightfully so. On X (ironically, right before it got blocked), users began posting what they called their “last photos.” Families and friends scrambled to find alternative apps. Viber, a platform most of us hadn’t used since 2015, suddenly became the most downloaded app in Nepal. By evening, even Google Play was reportedly struggling to handle the rush .

Small businesses, especially with the Dashain-Tihar season around the corner, freaked out. Social media is their storefront. Imagine running a cake shop or a clothing boutique and suddenly losing Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, the very places where your customers find you. Entrepreneurs were already dropping their Viber and TikTok handles as backup. 

In some areas, some of the “banned” apps are still working but not without an awful lot of buffering. 

But Why Did the Government Do This?

The government insists this isn’t a random tantrum. It’s about law, compliance, and control.

Back on August 25, the Cabinet decided that all social media companies operating in Nepal had seven days to register. That meant filling out forms, submitting a stack of documents (from Articles of Association to privacy policies), appointing local representatives, and basically telling the government: “We’re here, and we’ll follow your rules”

The deadline expired on September 4. And when Meta, YouTube, and others didn’t get themselves officially listed, the government pulled the plug the very next day.

The Legal Card: Supreme Court + Directive

The move wasn’t born overnight. It has a two-layered legal foundation:

1. Supreme Court’s August Ruling

On August 17, a full bench of justices said: enough is enough. They ordered that all social media platforms must be registered in Nepal and come under official oversight. The Court pointed to issues like fake IDs, misinformation, and lack of accountability, saying platforms should not operate freely without local responsibility .

2. The 2023 Directive

Then there’s the Directive for Regulating the Use of Social Media, 2023 (2080), issued under Section 79 of the Electronic Transaction Act 2008 (2063). Think of this as the government’s playbook. It says:

• Any platform; Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, whatever, must register with the Ministry of Communication.
  

• They need to submit a fat pile of documents: company registration, tax clearances, privacy policies, user complaint systems, even video KYC of their authorized representative
  

• Platforms with over 100,000 users are considered “large platforms”, and they must set up a local contact person, grievance officer, and compliance officer
  

• Operators must remove illegal content within 24 hours of a complaint; hate speech, obscene material, child exploitation, cyberbullying, misinformation, you name it.
  

• Registrations must be renewed every three years

If you don’t comply, the Ministry is empowered to ban your platform from operating in Nepal

So legally, the government’s not just winging it, they have both a Supreme Court order and a Directive to lean on.

Government’s Justification: Safety and Sovereignty

When asked why this drastic step was necessary, Information Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung said the government tried to negotiate, even through diplomatic channels, but big platforms like Meta “refused” to comply .

The government frames the ban as a matter of:

• National sovereignty: keeping foreign companies accountable.
  

• User protection: preventing hate speech, fake news, cybercrime, exploitation of children, and more.
  

• Legal compliance: they’re just enforcing what the Supreme Court ordered.

In their view, it’s about bringing global giants under Nepali law, not censorship.

The Backlash: Why People Are Angry

But here’s where the government’s logic hits a wall.

• Everyday disruption: Social media makes up nearly 80% of Nepal’s internet traffic, mostly Facebook and YouTube . Cutting that off overnight is like pulling electricity for “safety checks.”
  

• Diaspora cut-off: Over 5 million Nepalis abroad rely on these apps to talk to family back home. Imagine telling a migrant worker in Qatar they can’t use WhatsApp to call their kids anymore.
  

• Business disaster: Small enterprises and online shops are crippled, especially during peak shopping season.
  

• Rights & freedoms: Experts like Santosh Sigdel of Digital Rights Nepal argue this violates constitutional guarantees of free expression and digital rights .

Policy wonks like Jaya Jung Mahat called it “unpopular and regressive.” Others, like Mahesh Kushwaha, went further: “Does this idiot government give one hoot about hundreds of thousands of migrant workers abroad?”

Nepal’s History of Flip-Flops

And here’s why many people are skeptical: Nepal has a habit of banning platforms, only to reverse course later.

• TikTok: Banned in November 2023 for “social harmony” reasons, unbanned in August 2024 after ByteDance promised compliance.
  

• Telegram: Banned in July 2024 over fraud and money laundering but later reapplied for registration .

So when the government says, “We’re serious this time,” many suspect it’s another cycle of ban → outrage → backtrack → regulation.

So, What’s Next?

For now, ISPs are figuring out the technical side of the block and preparing public notices . Meanwhile, Meta and other big players are reportedly in touch with officials, trying to understand the paperwork.

Will the ban last? Hard to say. Given Nepal’s track record, there’s a decent chance of negotiations leading to partial rollbacks. But the message is clear: if you want to operate in Nepal, you have to play by Nepal’s rules.

Let’s Wrap it Up

Here’s how we’d put it if we’re being brutally honest: Nepal is at a digital crossroads. On one side, the government wants accountability, safety, and sovereignty. On the other, millions of citizens (and businesses) just want to live their lives, connect with loved ones, and sell their products.

The real question isn’t whether Facebook and YouTube come back; they probably will, with paperwork. The question is: can Nepal regulate digital platforms without choking its own people’s rights and economy?

Because shutting down the internet in 2025 is not just about controlling memes and trolls, it’s also about controlling the lifeline of an entire nation.

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