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Nepal Minister Quits after Sexual Harassment Claims

Nepal's agriculture minister resigned Thursday following a storm of criticism after videos and photographs of him attempting to hug women during recent festival celebrations were posted online, officials said.

Images of Hari Prasad Parajuli, minister for agriculture development, trying to grab and hug women during Tuesday's celebrations marking the beginning of the annual rice planting season went viral on social media late Wednesday, sparking accusations of sexual harassment.

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U.N. Official: Quake Aid Supplies Stuck at Nepal Customs

Bureaucratic customs procedures are slowing down aid deliveries to quake-devastated Nepal even as monsoon rains threaten to disrupt supply routes to the worst-hit areas, a senior U.N. official said Wednesday.

The landlocked Himalayan nation needs around $6.7 billion to recover from the disaster that killed more than 8,800 people, destroyed nearly half a million houses and left thousands in need of food, clean water and shelter.

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Donors Pledge $3bn in Aid to Quake-hit Nepal

International donors led by India and China pledged around $3 billion to rebuild quake-devastated Nepal on Thursday, as the country's premier vowed "zero tolerance" of corruption and said all aid money would go to victims.

Nepal says it needs around $6.7 billion to recover from the April disaster, which killed more than 8,800 people, destroyed nearly half a million houses and left thousands in need of food, clean water and shelter.

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Nepal Landslide Toll Climbs to 35

Rescuers on Friday recovered 14 more bodies following a landslide triggered by heavy rains in northeast Nepal, taking the confirmed death toll to 35.

Up to 20 people are still missing after the landslide, which crushed villages in mountainous Taplejung district Thursday following incessant rains.

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Landslides Kill at least 21 after Heavy Rain in Nepal

Landslides triggered by heavy rains have left at least 21 dead and dozens missing in northeastern Nepal, prompting officials to evacuate villagers living in the riskiest areas, police said Thursday.

Rescuers struggled to reach affected villages in mountainous Taplejung district after the landslides, which hit just weeks after twin quakes killed 8,700 people, damaged roads and bridges, and swept away houses.

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Nepal Parties Reach Long-awaited Charter Deal after Quake

Nepal's rival political parties have struck a historic agreement to end years of deadlock on a new constitution that will divide the country into eight provinces, spurred by a devastating earthquake.

The deal reached late Monday comes weeks after an earthquake that killed thousands and piled pressure on politicians to end a stalemate that has paralyzed the country.

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Four Dead in Helicopter Crash in Quake-Hit Nepal

Nepalese troops recovered four bodies after a helicopter which had been delivering relief supplies crashed Tuesday in a region devastated by twin earthquakes in recent weeks, the army and police said.

The aircraft from Kathmandu-based Mountain Helicopters came down in a forested area north of the capital, police said.

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Schools Reopen in Quake-Devastated Nepal

Thousands of children, many still traumatized from losing homes and loved ones, returned to class Sunday as Nepal's schools formally reopened following a devastating earthquake that claimed more than 8,600 lives.

Many children attended lessons in temporary classrooms made of bamboo or in tents on playing fields after their schools were destroyed or badly damaged in the quake that struck on April 25.

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Quake-Hit Nepal Suspends Adoptions

Nepal's government said Wednesday it had imposed a three-month ban on adoptions to try to stop vulnerable children being trafficked after a devastating earthquake.

The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare said it imposed the ban as part of a package of measures after rescuing more than 50 children.

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Thousands Head Home as Nepal Landslide Flood Fears Ease

Thousands of villagers have returned to their homes in quake-hit Nepal's mountainous northwest after a river which was dammed by a landslide began flowing normally again, a local official said Monday.

The landslide late Saturday night had sent mud and rocks tumbling into the Kali Gandaki river in Myagdi district, creating a two-kilometer-long (1.2 mile) artificial lake and sparking fears of flash flooding.

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