People in Nepal used to think vultures were bad luck. Not anymore

Three boys walk through a community forest in the village of Pithauli in southern Nepal. One kicks a soccer ball, the other two carry a goat leg in each hand.

They’re on their way to feed white-rumped vulture chicks orphaned after a recent hailstorm.

Vulture “restaurants” have sprung up in Nepal over the past decade to offer safe food to the endangered birds, which lost more than 99 percent of their species population across South Asia over about a decade.

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Law in Nepal sets penalties for forcing a woman into a menstrual shed

Nepal’s government has enacted a new law aimed at stopping the practice of forcing a woman who is menstruating, or has just given birth, to sleep outside their home, in a hut or shed.

According to the law, any family member who forces a woman to practice “chaupadi” — the Nepali term used for menstrual isolation — can be punished with a jail sentence of 3 months and/or a fine of 3,000 rupees (about $30).

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