Nepal Suffers Shortage of Sacrificial Goats

Al-Qaeda-linked extremists believed to be targeting Asian flights

(NEWSER) - Nepal's only international airport has been placed on high alert after warnings from Indian authorities that it could be the target of a terror plot. Intelligence suggests that flights in Nepal and other South Asian countries are part of a new plot by al-Qaeda, AP reports. Travelers using Kathmandu's airport have been warned to expect long delays. More»

(NEWSER) - Nepal's once-pristine natural beauty has been ravaged by years of civil war, neglect, and corruption, the Washington Post reports. Dangerous levels of pollution now cloud Kathmandu, forcing many residents to wear masks. Even the top of Mount Everest is marred by litter left behind by generations of climbers, and many warn the government that the tourists vital to the country's economy will start staying away if it doesn't take action. More»

German, Swiss tourists killed after Nepali flight crash-lands

(NEWSER) - A small tourist plane has crashed on Mt. Everest, killing 18 passengers and crew, AFP reports. Most of the passengers on the Yeti airlines flight from Kathmandu to Lukla were German tourists, officials said. Two Swiss nationals and five Nepalis were also on the passenger manifest. Witnesses said the plane burst into flames as it crash-landed on the sloping airstrip in bad weather. Lukla is a popular destination for Everest trekkers. More»

Three-year-old will leave family to live in temple

(NEWSER) - A new 3-year-old “living goddess” has been named in Nepal, Reuters reports, and she took up her post today, clad in red and gold, in an ornate 15th century temple in Kathmandu. Matina Shakya has left her family to live as the Kumari, appearing in a window to be seen by foreign visitors and dispensing blessings to the president of the Maoist-led nation that was until this year a monarchy. More»

Traditional building practices coexist with global trade in Nepal's capital

(NEWSER) - Decades of restoration have kept up the medieval splendor of a region long hidden from the world: Kathmandu Valley. Started by Germany in the 1960s and later spearheaded by a Harvard professor, the repairs have maintained many of the area's stupas and pagodas, Lucinda Lambton writes for Vanity Fair—but one must visit to see how the architecture infuses the sacred in the everyday. More»