The Himalayan nation restores centuries-old statue, stolen in the 1980s, to its original temple in capital Kathmandu.
Published On 2 May 20262 May 2026
A centuries-old Buddha statue stolen from a Nepali temple has been reinstalled in its original location, one of several artefacts returned from foreign museums and collectors in recent years.
The statue, dating to the 13th century, was carried in a palanquin back to its pagoda-style temple in the capital, Kathmandu, to the sound of traditional music on Friday.
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“I feel so happy, we all do. Our god is coming back,” temple-goer Sunkesari Shakya, 67, told the AFP news agency, recalling the day the statue was stolen, wreaking “havoc” in the community.
In a ceremony attended by a visiting United States envoy, the statue, which returned from New York in 2022, was placed back on its original stone plinth. The event coincided with the festival of Buddha Jayanti, marking the birth of the founder of Buddhism.
Devotees carry a sculpture of the Buddha to be reinstalled at a temple in Kathmandu [Prakash Mathema/AFP]
A replica that locals had been worshipping instead was moved to another area of the temple.
The statue was taken from the temple in the 1980s and later emerged at Tibet House US, a cultural centre in New York, where it was gifted by an unknown monk, according to Nepal’s Department of Archaeology.
Sergio Gor, Washington’s special envoy to South and Central Asia, told AFP, “One of the things we are focusing on is to be able to bring back some of these incredible artefacts that decades past got into the wrong hands.”
“We are trying to right a wrong from the past,” said Gor, who was on a three-day visit to Nepal.
Devotees carry a sculpture of the Buddha to be reinstalled at a temple in Kathmandu [Prakash Mathema/AFP]
Many in the Himalayan nation of 30 million people are deeply religious, and the country’s Hindu and Buddhist temples, as well as heritage sites, are an integral part of everyday life.
But many sites are bereft of centuries-old sculptures, paintings, ornamental windows and even doors, which were often stolen after the country opened up to the outside world in the 1950s.
Many pieces were taken with the help of corrupt officials to feed art markets in the US, Europe and elsewhere, although their export remains illegal.
About 200 artefacts have been returned to Nepal, according to the Archaeology Department, including wood and stone carvings, paintings, scriptures and idols of gods and goddesses. At least 41 artefacts have been placed back in their original locations.
“This is very important. Our statues are not just objects of art but part of a living heritage,” conservation expert Rabindra Puri told AFP.
Puri said there was growing momentum to return stolen artefacts. More than 400 are officially listed as missing, but experts estimate the actual number to be in the thousands.
Authorities are specifically seeking to return more artefacts from the US, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
A minor scuffle during the Congress meeting in the politics of Madhya Pradesh has intensified the discussion in political circles. Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh took a dig at state president Jitu Patwari and said that Patwari’s hold on AICC is not as much as his own. This comment came at a time when participation in the organization and electoral representation was being discussed in the meeting of the Scheduled Caste Department. This statement of Digvijay Singh is being seen as an indication of the changing leadership balance within the party.
Responding to this, Jitu Patwari said in a simple manner, “I am your disciple.” His answer lightened the atmosphere. Digvijay Singh also immediately reacted and said that “Now the Guru has become jaggery and the disciple has become sugar”, which created an atmosphere of laughter among the leaders and workers present in the meeting.
There was a stir in political circles due to mutual sarcasm
According to the information, in the evening Jitu Patwari reached Digvijay Singh’s residence to seek blessings. After the video of this meeting surfaced, there was a stir in the political circles. In the meeting, Digvijay Singh may have jokingly taunted Jitu Patwari that your hold in AICC is more than mine. You can get Venugopal Rao to write anything, when Jitu Patwari replied that I am your disciple and in response to this, Digvijay Singh said that now the Guru has become jaggery and the disciple has become sugar.
After this, Jitu Patwari also understood that somewhere Digvijay Singh was angry with him and to remove this resentment, Jitu Patwari reached Digvijay Singh’s official residence in Bhopal in the evening. As soon as Jitu reached, he first touched the feet of Digvijay Singh and took his blessings. There was a brief conversation between the two leaders and after that Jitu Patwari left his bungalow. Jeetu Patwari understands very well that if Digvijay Singh is angry with him then it is very important to express his anger because it has many advantages and disadvantages.
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A serious incident of bullying and challenging law and order has come to light from Hapur district of Uttar Pradesh. In a locality of Dehat police station area, some youth targeted a house and created a ruckus and pelted stones. This sudden attack created panic in the entire area and the people nearby got scared. As soon as the information about the incident was received, the police reached the spot, but by then all the accused youths had fled from there.
The attackers started pelting stones as soon as they reached outside the house.
It is being told that the attacking youth reached outside the house with stones in their hands and started pelting stones without any warning. At that time, women and children were present inside the house, who were badly frightened by this sudden attack. There was screams inside the house and the family members were forced to hide here and there to save their lives. The entire incident created an atmosphere of fear in the area.
The entire incident has been captured in the CCTV camera installed outside the house. It can be clearly seen in the video how the youth are aggressively attacking the house. This video is now becoming increasingly viral on social media, due to which both anger and concern have increased among the people.
Attacked on suspicion of keeping friend hostage inside the house
According to preliminary information, the reason for this attack is said to be a misunderstanding. The attackers had received information that one of their friends was being held hostage inside this house. Based on this suspicion, he took the law into his own hands and attacked. However, this claim has not been officially confirmed yet.
Police reached the spot and controlled the situation and took CCTV footage into their possession. At present, the police is busy identifying the accused and searching for them and a thorough investigation of the case is going on.
China’s UN Ambassador Fu Cong says maintaining the ceasefire and reopening the Strait of Hormuz are “urgent” priorities, warning the issue will be high on the agenda if it remains closed during President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to Beijing.
Assembly elections are to be held in Uttar Pradesh next year, but the political heat has already started increasing. Meanwhile, there is speculation that senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former MP from Kaiserganj parliamentary seat in Uttar Pradesh, Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, will join the Samajwadi Party. Amidst these speculations, BJP MLA from Gonda and son of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Prateek Bhushan Singh has put an end to these speculations.
Gonda MLA Prateek Bhushan, while answering a journalist’s questions, has responded to the news of his father and former MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh joining the Samajwadi Party. When the journalist has asked MLA Prateek Bhushan whether Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh will leave BJP and join SP? To this he laughingly replied that he had not been told about this. However, he has clarified that Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has no such plan.
Apart from this, Gonda MLA Prateek Bhushan Singh said on ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Act’ that this Act is an important step towards empowering women. MLA Prateek Bhushan Singh has expressed confidence that women can bring a big change in Uttar Pradesh. Commenting on Pappu Yadav, he said that he does not consider him a big leader and does not want to discuss his topic.
Why did speculation start about former MP joining SP?
On the other hand, Samajwadi Party’s national president and former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has responded to the speculations about former MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh joining SP. Akhilesh Yadav said that only former MP and Gonda leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh can tell better what the political situations are.
Former MP praised Akhilesh Yadav
It is worth noting that recently, BJP MLA Anupama Jaiswal’s face got burnt while burning the effigy of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, then Akhilesh Yadav had gone to the hospital to meet the BJP leader and inquire about his condition. That political development was praised by former MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and called it the greatness of Akhilesh Yadav. It is noteworthy that former MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has already criticized the policies of BJP on many occasions.
Record-breaking warm temperatures for the start of May in many parts of the country will be washed out by a cold front bringing rain, thunderstorms and much cooler weather.
A high-pressure system dragged warm northerly winds across south-east Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said.
Daytime temperatures on Friday were 10 to 14C above average in parts of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, while dozen of stations recorded their warmest May day on record.
In Victoria, Geelong, Shepparton and Bendigo were among the places that had the warmest days on record with temperatures in the high 20s, while in Tasmania, records were toppled in places including Hobart and Launceston, which recorded 26.9C and 24.3C respectively.
Night-time temperatures across parts of South Australia, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and NSW were eight to 12C above average on Friday night.
Australia has also had its driest April since 2018.
A cold front over the Southern Ocean, which circles Antarctica, merged with a cloud band moving over Western Australia to form the cold front which swept across South Australia on Saturday, heading towards Victoria and Tasmania.
BoM meteorologist Christie Johnson said on Friday that there had been “unseasonably warm conditions over the last couple of weeks”.
“However, as we move into Sunday, we do see that cooler air extending across SA and into western Victoria, with maximum temperatures dropping just back into the high teens,” she said.
“And finally on Monday, the cold air will make its way right across the south-east, with much cooler temperatures.
“And this will feel particularly cool … given the warm temperatures we’ve had recently.”
Thunderstorms, rain, windy conditions and “abnormally high tides” were expected over south-eastern Australia over the weekend and into the start of next week.
There is a risk of severe storms, heavy rainfall and potentially flash flooding, she said.
Sydney will be spared the wintry blast, though, with temperatures forecast to remain in the mid-20s most of the week.
Sydney’s maximum temperature is expected to reach 26C on Sunday, with rain and 25C predicted for Monday. Rain is forecast for Melbourne all week, with a maximum of 23C on Sunday dropping to 13C by Thursday.
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Who: Manchester United vs Liverpool What: Premier League Where: Old Trafford, Manchester When: Sunday, May 3 at 3:30pm (14:30 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 11:30 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Manchester United host old rivals Liverpool for a game that could prove crucial in the battle for Champions League qualification.
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United have improved considerably under caretaker boss Michael Carrick, who took charge following Ruben Amorim’s dismissal.
They sit third in the table, three points ahead of Liverpool, and need two more points to secure a top-five finish and a spot among Europe’s elite next season.
Liverpool come into the match on the back of three successive Premier League wins.
United boss Carrick relishes ‘special’ Liverpool rivalry
Carrick believes Manchester United against Liverpool is always a “standout” fixture even though neither of the clubs are challenging for the Premier League title this season.
“Certainly one of my favourite games, without doubt it’s a standout game,” the United boss said. “There’s big games and big rivalries that we have with other teams, but certainly this one is right up there.
“The history, the ups and downs the past has produced in these types of games and the excitement and entertainment, and the emotion, which is a huge part of it. It makes it a really special game.”
The former United midfielder said the club had made great strides since last season, when they finished a miserable 15th in the table, 42 points behind champions Liverpool.
“I just think this probably shows the improvements of the group, really, and getting stronger,” he said.
“And to be coming into this game in such a good position, on the back of good results, and trying to achieve and moving forward.
“So, fully aware of the situation in the league and how close it is between us. But that’s not something, really, we’ve focused on going into this game. I think it’s a one-off game.”
Fernandes and the art of the assist as record beckons
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is one assist away from the single-season record of 20 shared by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
Carrick believes Fernandes should be rewarded with the league’s Player of the Year award for his performances this season.
“Hopefully he does [win it],” Carrick said after Monday’s 2-1 win over Brentford.
“He deserves it for the impact he has had and the moments he’s created, whether it’s creating or scoring or having other influence within the group. He’s had a big season.”
Fernandes in action with Brentford’s Sepp van den Berg [Jason Cairnduff/Action Images via Reuters]
Salah ruled out of United game but will return before end of season
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah will miss Sunday’s game due to a muscle injury, but manager Arne Slot confirmed on Friday that he was expected to return before the end of the season.
Salah was forced off during Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Crystal Palace last week with a hamstring concern, prompting fears it could end his campaign and potentially his Anfield career, with the Egyptian set to leave at the end of the campaign.
Liverpool said on Wednesday the injury was not as serious as initially feared and that Salah should feature again before the campaign concludes.
“As we know from Mo [Salah], he is always working incredibly hard when he is fit but also when he is injured to be back as soon as possible,” Slot told reporters.
“We expect him to be back for the final part of the season but not for Sunday [against Man Utd].
“In all ways, it is a big relief that his injury is minor, so he is able to play for us and at the World Cup. If ever there was a player that deserves a big send-off, it is definitely Mo.”
Salah celebrates scoring against Everton on April 19 [Jason Cairnduff/Action Images via Reuters]
‘I have seen how good they are’
Slot praised Carrick for improving United and stressed the importance of the game.
“We are aware of the fact that it is a very big game, not only because we play United but also to qualify for Champions League and to get the highest possible position in the league table,” Slot said.
“We always know that they are really good but now they are showing it in the league table. It might be a bit of an advantage that they only play once a week.
“When we have played them every time, I have seen how good they are and now they have, especially under Michael Carrick, become more consistent in their results.”
Head-to-head
The two clubs have met on 243 occasions, with Manchester United winning 92 games to Liverpool’s 82, while 71 of the matches ended as draws.
Last five encounters:
October 19, 2025: Liverpool 1-2 Man Utd (Premier League)
January 05, 2025: Liverpool 2-2 Man Utd (Premier League)
September 01, 2024: Man Utd 0-3 Liverpool (Premier League)
April 07, 2024: Man Utd 2-2 Liverpool (Premier League)
March 17, 2024: Man Utd 4-3 Liverpool (FA Cup quarterfinal)
What happened in the last game between the two sides?
Harry Maguire scored a late winner as United beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield in October to inflict a then fourth straight defeat on the champions.
Bryan Mbeumo put United in front after two minutes and although Cody Gakpo equalised in the 78th minute, Maguire grabbed his club’s first win at Anfield since 2016 with an 84th-minute header.
Maguire scores the winner at Anfield on October 19, 2025 [Carl Recine/Getty Images]
United’s team news
Carrick said forward Matheus Cunha had returned to training after a recent injury setback and should feature and he also said he was hopeful that Luke Shaw would be fit enough to play.
Matthijs de Ligt is still working his way back to full fitness and will not be involved against Liverpool.
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker is still out with an injury, but Slot said he is “very close” to being able to train with the squad again.
Deputy keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili is also sidelined for several weeks after sustaining a knee wound in the Merseyside derby win over Everton in April, so third-choice stopper Freddie Woodman is set to continue in goal after impressing in the 3-1 win over Crystal Palace last weekend.
Along with Salah, Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and Hugo Ekitike are also unavailable due to injury – with the latter set to miss the World Cup with a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Left-back Milos Kerkez is a doubt as he has been nursing a knock.
Predicted starting XI:
Woodman (goalkeeper); Jones, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak
