Nepal forms Ministry for Gender and Sexual Minorities
Kathmandu, May 16: Nepal has, for the first time, established a ministry explicitly recognising sexual minorities, as the country continues its march toward liberal policies for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer (LGBTIQ) community. The new government, led by Balendra Shah, explicitly included ‘Gender and Sexual Minorities’ in the name and mandate of a ministry during the administrative restructuring of federal ministries. According to the Government of Nepal (Allocation of Business) Regulations, 2026, published in the Nepal Gazette, the Ministry of Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities and Social Security has been formed. The ministry will be responsible for the protection, upliftment, empowerment, and development of gender and sexual minority communities, in addition to Dalits, highly marginalised minorities, and citizens from oppressed and backward regions, the regulations state. (IANS)
Maldivian military diver dies while searching for Italian divers
Colombo, May 16: A Maldivian military diver died Saturday while searching for the bodies of four Italian divers believed to be deep inside an underwater cave. The group of five Italian divers is believed to have died while exploring a cave at a depth of about 50 metres in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, according to Italy’s Foreign Ministry. The recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 30 metres. Maldives Presidential Spokesman Mohammed Hussain Shareef said that Mohamed Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defence Force, died of underwater decompression sickness. “The death goes to show the difficulty of the mission,” he said. (AP)
US top court rejects Virginia’s bid to restore congressional map
Washington, May 16: The Supreme Court on Friday rejected Virginia’s bid to restore a congressional map that would have given Democrats a chance to pick up four seats in the closely divided House of Representatives. The court’s order is the latest twist in the nation’s mid-decade redistricting competition. It was kicked off last year by President Donald Trump urging Republican-controlled states to redraw their lines and was supercharged by a recent Supreme Court ruling severely weakening the Voting Rights Act that opened up even more winnable seats for the GOP. (AP)
Train hits bus at Bangkok rail crossing; 8 die
Bangkok, May 16: A train crashed into a public bus on Saturday in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, killing at least eight people. Thai news reported the crash happened in the late afternoon near an airport railway station in the central area. The city’s emergency services said at least eight people were killed and more than 20 others were injured. Footage of the moment of the crash shared on social media showed a line of vehicles had stopped at a railway crossing when a cargo train struck an orange bus. The impact also dragged several nearby vehicles along the tracks before the bus was engulfed in flames. (AP)
