Nepal's government has ordered a new measurement of Mount Everest to determine exactly how high the world's highest mountain is.

The country's authorities have continued to recognise the decades-old measurement of 29,028 feet, but there have been other claims recently by China and western climbers.

Land reforms ministry spokesman Gopal Giri said that the government decided last week during its annual budget speech to take the new measurement.

He says the plans are being put in place this week and the work will entail placing a device on the peak that will measure the height using satellite technology