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Nepal’s new interim prime minister unveiled her first ministers Monday, as the Himalayan nation seeks to restore order after deadly youth-led anti-corruption protests that ousted the previous government.Under an outdoor awning and against the backdrop of the fire-damaged presidential office, President Ram Chandra Paudel gave the oath of office to three key ministers in a ceremony broadcast on television.Protests, sparked by a ban on social media and feeding into long-standing economic woes, began on September 8 and quickly escalated, with parliament and key government buildings set ablaze.It was the worst unrest since the end of a decade-long civil war and the abolition of the monarchy in 2008. At least 72 people were killed in two days of protests, with 191 still recovering in hospital, according to government figures.Prime Minister Sushila Karki, the 73-year-old former chief justice, has been tasked with addressing protester demands for a corruption-free future ahead of elections in March.Om Prakash Aryal, an advocate known for his cases tackling corruption, governance and human rights, takes the critical home minister post, as well as law, justice and parliamentary affairs.- Reluctant leader -Kulman Ghising, the former director of the Nepal Electricity Authority — who is widely credited with ending the country’s long-standing load-shedding problem — has the energy, infrastructure, transport and urban development portfolios.Rameshwor Khanal, a former finance secretary and a respected economist, was handed the key finance post, a challenging task to tackle the unemployment woes that drove the uprising.A fifth of people in Nepal aged 15-24 are unemployed, according to the World Bank, with GDP per capita standing at just $1,447.The appointment of Karki, known for her independence, came after intense negotiations by army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel and Paudel, including with representatives of “Gen Z”, the loose umbrella title of the youth protest movement.Thousands of young activists used the Discord app to name Karki as their choice of leader.Karki said Sunday that she had “not wished” to take the post, but that her “name was brought from the streets”.She said her government would work “according to the thinking of the Gen Z generation”, saying that they were wanting “the end of corruption, good governance and economic equality”.

Myanmar’s junta acknowledged Monday its long-promised election would not be held in about one in seven national parliament constituencies, as it battles myriad rebel forces opposed to the poll.A civil war has consumed Myanmar since the military snatched power in a 2021 coup, jailing democratic figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi and deposing her civilian government.The military has touted elections — due to start in phases on December 28 — as a path to reconciliation.However monitors are slating the poll as a ploy to legitimise continuing military rule, while it is set to be boycotted by many ousted lawmakers and blocked by armed opposition groups in enclaves they control.A notice by Myanmar’s Union Election Commission shared in state media said elections would not be held in 56 lower house constituencies and nine upper house constituencies.The notice did not provide a specific reason for the cancellation but said “these constituencies have been deemed not conducive to holding free and fair elections”.However, many of the territories are known battlegrounds or areas where the military has lost control to an array of pro-democracy guerrillas and powerful ethnic minority armed organisations defying its writ.There are a total of 440 constituencies for Myanmar’s upper and lower houses, with the 65 cancelled accounting for nearly 15 percent of the total.They include the rebel-held ruby mining hub of Mogok, a majority of constituencies in western Rakhine state where the military has lost ground, and numerous areas the junta has been hammering with air strikes.Myanmar’s junta lost swaths of territory when scattered opposition groups committed to a combined offensive starting in late 2023, but it has recently clawed back some ground with several victories.Nonetheless, there have been other signs the poll will be limited in scope.A census held last year in preparation for the election estimated it failed to collect data from 19 million of the country’s 51 million people, according to provisional findings.”Significant security constraints” were cited as one reason for the shortfall.

University student Aditya Rawal was outside Nepal’s parliament with hundreds of other anti-corruption protesters when gunfire crackled and 14 people slumped down in front of him.One was his university friend, and as he dashed forward to help — with his hands up — bullets smashed into him too.”I heard somewhere that if you raise both hands, they will not shoot you,” Rawal, a 22-year-old digital marketer, told AFP as he lay on a bed in the capital Kathmandu’s Civil Service Hospital.”But I was their target.”At least 72 people were killed during chaos beginning on September 8, as youth protests under a loose “Gen Z” label rallied against a government ban on social media.”There had been so many protests in Nepal by older people, but in our ‘Gen-Z’ protest, they used guns”, Rawal said.A day later, protests escalated, driven by economic woes and anger at government corruption.The veteran prime minister quit and parliament and key government buildings were set on fire, before the army seized back control.It was the country’s worst unrest since the end of a decade-long civil war and the abolition of the monarchy in 2008.On Friday, former chief justice Sushila Karki, 73, was sworn in as interim prime minister, tasked with steering Nepal to elections within six months.- ‘Blood’ -Nurse Usha Khanal, 36, said her gloves were “drenched with blood” as she treated the wounded, while tear gas fired nearby seeped into the hospital itself.The Civil Service Hospital admitted 458 injured protesters; six later died, four of them under 30 — a stark reminder of the youth-led nature of the movement.Rawal, his leg heavily bandaged and bullet fragments lodged in his arm and stomach, said he would do it again.”If there is no change, we still have time to fight… We want a transparent government, no corruption and no dictatorship.”One in five Nepalis aged 15–24 are jobless, World Bank data shows, with GDP per capita at just $1,447 in the Himalayan nation of 30 million.Rawal’s cousin, 20-year-old Puja Kunwar, has remained by his bedside.”His actions were for our nation,” she said. “It really gives me courage.”- ‘Changes’ -On the same ward, 19-year-old protester Subash Dhakal, shot in his knees, is likely to be largely bedridden for six months.The sacrifices of those who died and were injured “should not be in vain”, he said.”This has toppled the government and formed a new one… we don’t want the country to return to its earlier state”, he said.His mother, government school teacher Bhawani Dhakal, 45, gave him money to take a bus to join the protests from their hometown, 30 kilometres (19 miles) away.Dhakal said she had protested with other teachers against an education bill earlier this year, but that had resulted in nothing.”It’s amazing that they brought change in just 24 hours,” she said. “Our sons threw out all the corrupt leaders.”Subash Dhakal said he was proud of his role.”I have no regrets at all,” he said.”I have done it not only for me. It was for everyone, from my family to all brothers. This pain is ephemeral, but this will definitely bring about some changes.”

India beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the Asia Cup on Sunday as the neighbours met for the first time since a military conflict between them in May, but tensions simmered after the match as India’s players left the field without shaking hands.India captain Suryakumar Yadav defended the snub in his post-match press conference, saying that the team were “aligned with the government and Board of Control for Cricket in India” in not shaking hands with the Pakistan team.India resisted calls to boycott the T20 match between the nations, who have not played in any bilateral Test series since deadly attacks in Mumbai in 2008 were blamed on Pakistan militants.The hostilities in May this year left more than 70 people dead in missile, drone and artillery exchanges, before a ceasefire.The conflict was triggered by an April 22 attack on civilians in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi accused Pakistan of backing — a charge Islamabad denies.Pakistan’s head coach Mike Hesson told reporters he was “disappointed” with the Indian team’s decision.”We were ready to shake hands at the end of the game,” the New Zealander said. “We are disappointed that the opposition did not do that. “We went over there and they were already gone to the changing room, so that was obviously a disappointing way to finish the match.”Suryakumar, in the post-match presentation, said India took the match against Pakistan as “just another game” and dedicated the win to the Indian army.”We stand with the victims of the families of the Pahalgam terror attack and we express our solidarity,” Suryakumar said. “We want to dedicate today’s win to the armed forces.”Pakistan’s team management issued a statement after the clash to say that they had “lodged a protest with match referee Andy Pycroft after the match”.”The behaviour of Indian players was against the spirit of sportsmanship,” the statement added. “That is why skipper (Salman) Agha was not sent to the post match ceremony.”- Indian spinners dominate -On the field in Dubai, Pakistan batted first but were constrained to 127-9 in their 20 overs.In reply, India lost two wickets after a fiery 31 off 13 balls from opener Abhishek Sharma, but Suryakumar hit an unbeaten 47 to achieve the target with 25 balls to spare.Abhishek had come out roaring as he hit Pakistan pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi for a four and a six and, despite the fall of Shubman Gill in the next over, kept up the charge.Swashbuckling Abhishek cracked four boundaries and two sixes before he mistimed another attempt for a maximum to be caught at long-off, off spinner Saim Ayub.The captain, who turned 35 on Sunday, hit the winning six as Indian fans celebrated at a stadium dotted with empty seats, and the players from both teams went off without handshakes.Earlier, India’s bowlers set up the dominant win as Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav combined to rattle the opposition batting.Hardik Pandya struck in the first over to dismiss opener Ayub for a golden duck and fellow quick Jasprit Bumrah sent back wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Haris for three.Sahibzada Farhan, who top-scored with 40, attempted to rebuild the innings along with Fakhar Zaman, who made 17, in a partnership of 39.Axar broke the stand with his left-arm spin as he had Zaman caught out and in his next over had skipper Agha out for three.Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep came into the attack and struck twice on successive balls to pack off Hasan Nawaz (5) and Mohammad Nawaz (0) as Pakistan slipped to 64-6 inside 13 overs.Wickets kept tumbling, but number nine Afridi took on the opposition attack with four sixes in his unbeaten 33 off 16 balls to push the total past 120 and play out Pakistan’s full 20 overs.India, with two wins from two, are nearly through to the next Super Fours stage of the tournament with their final group match against Oman on Friday.Pakistan play UAE next on Wednesday and despite the defeat to India are expected to make the next stage.

Die-hard India and Pakistan cricket fans thronged the stadium in Dubai despite stifling heat on Sunday to watch the high-profile Asia Cup encounter, saying politics must take a back seat.The eagerly-awaited Group A clash in the T20 tournament comes four months after the two countries were engaged in a military conflict sparked after April 22 attacks in Pahalgam on the Indian side of Kashmir.The brief war, stopped after US President Donald Trump intervened, brought the two nations to their lowest point in their bitter relations.But fans said they were there to watch cricket and would leave politics to politicians.”I am here from Japan and I love both India and Pakistan,” said Pakistan-born Mohammad Javed, an engineer by profession.”We don’t get to see cricket in Japan but we tour a lot to see these matches irrespective of what’s going on between the two countries.”I live with Indians and travel with them, and I have no problem with that.”Arun Tripathi works in Dubai and mingles with Pakistani families.”It’s the politicians who destroy relations,” said the 50-year-old accountant.”Why boycott cricket? The politicians do their work and let us enjoy cricket.”- Hypocrisy -There were calls from hardliners, former cricketers and the public to boycott the match in the wake of the Pahalgam attacks which left 26 people dead.But New Delhi cleared the match in its sports policy, saying the national team will play Pakistan in multinational events and not in bilateral fixtures.Since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, blamed on militants based in Pakistan, the two countries have only played a bilateral series in 2012.Khan Nasir, a taxi driver, accused India of hypocrisy. “Look at Indians,” he said. “On one hand they want to boycott the match and on the other they have come in large numbers. Their former players wanted the Asia Cup to be called off but they are here as commentators.”The ring of fire, as Dubai Stadium is called for its floodlights, promises fire in the stands, with the blue colour of India dominating the green of Pakistan in the 25,000-capacity venue.”We will win on the field as well as in the stands,” said Puja Kulkarni, a student in Dubai’s college.”We are 40 students from the same college and in the same stand, so we will lift our spirits.”But Pakistan’s Ahmed Fayyaz said one Pakistani is more powerful than 50 Indians. “We will shout more and we will tell them our strength. We are here to win.”West Indian superstar Chris Gayle said he hoped for an electrifying atmosphere.”It’s the #IndvsPak game against & it always brings excitement for fans across the globe,” Gayle tweeted.”Both teams have moved from their superstars, and it’s the new era for the rivalry. “The atmosphere will be great & hope for a cracker of a game.”  India’s greats Virat Kolhi, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20Is last year while Pakistan left out star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.

Grieving families of those killed in Nepal’s anti-corruption demonstrations say they hope the deaths will not be in vain, as the protesters’ choice of interim prime minister took charge Saturday. Among the dead was 30-year-old Santosh Bishwakarma, one of at least 51 people killed in two days of chaos this week — the worst unrest since the end of a decade-long civil war and the abolition of the monarchy in 2008.His widow Amika, also 30, her eyes swollen with grief, recalled his “ultimate dream” to “die having contributed to the nation”.Santosh was shot dead on Monday during the first wave of protests, led by the youth-driven “Gen Z” movement.A temporary social media ban sparked the demonstrations, tipping longstanding frustration over entrenched corruption and economic malaise into wider anger.”He used to say he wouldn’t die like a dog,” Amika told AFP in her modest Kathmandu home, clutching a framed photo of her late husband.”His dream was to make Nepal known to the world — and he did.”- ‘Just equality’ -KP Sharma Oli, the 73-year-old leader of the Communist Party, quit as prime minister a day after Santosh’s death and as protesters torched parliament, ending his fourth term in the post.On Friday, former chief justice Sushila Karki was sworn into office to lead a six-month transition to elections.Thousands of young activists had used the app Discord to debate the next steps — and name Karki as their choice of next leader.But Amika, now raising her 10-year-old son Ujwal and seven-year-old daughter Sonia alone, fears for the future.”My husband would have done everything to fulfil their dreams, even at the cost of his life,” she said. “But how am I supposed to manage everything on my own? He sacrificed his life for the country, and I hope the new government will help me.”Family friend Solan Rai, 42, said he believed the protests marked a turning point. “I hope we finally see real change this time,” he said, adding that the anger had been “more intense than anything we’ve seen before”. The World Bank says a “staggering” 82 percent of Nepal’s workforce is in informal employment — among the highest rates in the world. Its GDP per capita stands at just $1,447.At Kathmandu’s Pashupatinath temple on Friday, hundreds gathered for mass cremations. Families wept over the bodies of loved ones, including young men shot dead in the clashes. “I hope there is some justice — and our people finally get the change they so desperately seek,” said Ratna Maharjan, grieving for her son, breaking down into tears.One mother refused to release her son’s body, wrapped in a shroud, clinging to him on the temple steps.Nearby, police officers laid garlands of marigolds on their fallen colleague as a bugler played over the smoke-filled riverbank.Amika’s plea was simple. “What we seek isn’t too much to ask — just equality,” she said. “So the rich don’t thrive while the poor languish.”

Pace bowling great Wasim Akram has urged Pakistan and India’s cricketers to ignore the noise and enjoy the game when they meet in a highly charged Asia Cup T20 match on Sunday.The Group A match in Dubai is the first clash on the cricket field between the countries since a military conflict four months ago took relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours to their lowest point in decades.   India resisted calls to boycott the match between the pair, who have not played in any bilateral series since deadly attacks in Mumbai 2008 were blamed on Pakistan militants. “Enjoy, it’s a game of cricket,” legendary left-armer Akram told AFP of the match, which potentially could be the first of three high-octane meetings between the countries in the T20 tournament. “Forget about everything other than cricket. One team will win, and one team will lose,” he said.”Just enjoy the moment if you win the game. Pressure will come, enjoy that and show discipline because this is just a game. It’s for both teams and for both sets of fans.”A full house of 25,000 is expected at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium and Akram recalled how he thrived in such pressure situations during his 19-year international career.”I enjoyed every game against India, and so did players from the opposition,” said Akram, who led a Pakistan touring team to India in 1999 despite threats from extremists.The 59-year-old was also part of Pakistan’s 1987 tour during which the two countries came close to war.Akram advised an inexperienced Pakistan team to think of the bigger picture and not get carried away by the hype of playing T20 world champions and arch-rivals India.”Pakistan have a chance as they won a tri-series last week,” said Akram, referring to a T20 series with Afghanistan and the UAE. “They should not think that we just need to win against India, think of winning the Asia Cup,” he said. “You can lose to a big team but even then, stand up and play well in the tournament.”I don’t think the match will be one-sided like India against UAE,” said Akram of India’s opening romp on Wednesday where they needed just 4.3 overs to reach their target after dismissing the hosts for 57.”Anything can happen in this tournament.”Pakistan beat Oman by 93 runs in their opening match on Friday. Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Bangladesh are in Group B. The top two teams from each Group will qualify for the Super Four.The Asia Cup final will be in Dubai on September 28.

Nepal’s first woman Supreme Court chief justice Sushila Karki — now the country’s new prime minister — is known for her insistence on integrity and the need for an independent judiciary.Karki, who took the oath of office late Friday from President Ram Chandra Paudel, will lead the political transition in the Himalayan nation after deadly anti-corruption protests.The 73-year-old emerged as the leading candidate of many representatives of “Gen Z” — the loose umbrella title of the protest movement — who selected her via online platform Discord.She told Nepali media that the Gen Z protesters had told her that “they believe in me” to lead for “a short time for the purpose of doing elections”.”She is a credible choice to lead the interim government,” Anil Kumar Sinha, a former justice of the Supreme Court who worked with Karki, told AFP.”Her integrity has never been in doubt, and she is not someone who can be intimidated or easily influenced. She is courageous and not swayed by pressure.”- ‘In favour of youth’ -In a speech broadcast on Nepali media earlier this year, Karki spoke of ingrained corruption.”We see it everywhere but we don’t speak — now we need the youth to speak up, take the lead and stand in elections”, she said.”What I have seen in the last 35 years does not work. I am 100 percent in favour of youth coming forward.”Her tenure as chief justice, from 2016 to 2017, was brief but significant — challenging gender stereotypes and facing down politicians over corruption.Karki came of age in a society where women rarely entered the legal profession.Born in 1952 in Biratnagar, an industrial town in eastern Nepal, she earned degrees in political science in India and in law in Kathmandu.She began her career as a lawyer in 1979, and quickly gained a reputation as a fearless advocate, often taking up cases others avoided. – Defiant -In 2012, Karki was one of two presiding Supreme Court judges who jailed a serving government minister for corruption — a first at the time for Nepal in its battle against a culture of graft.In 2017, the government tried to impeach her as chief justice after she overturned its choice for chief of police.The United Nations called the impeachment “politically motivated” and the move was blocked. She stepped down from the post at her retirement.Nepal emerged from a brutal decade-long Maoist insurgency in 2006 and, in 2008, the end of the country’s 240-year-old Hindu monarchy.The transformation to a federal state was marred by political infighting, and successive governments have dragged their feet on bringing perpetrators of abuses committed during the civil war to justice.But it was under Karki’s watch as chief justice that a court in 2017 sentenced three soldiers to 20 years in jail for the murder of a teenage girl, at the time only the second conviction for crimes committed during the war.She is Nepal’s first woman prime minister, but not its first woman leader — Bidya Devi Bhandari held the largely ceremonial role of president for two terms from 2015 to 2023.

Nepal’s former chief justice Sushila Karki was sworn in Friday to lead the transition as the country’s next prime minister after deadly anti-corruption protests ousted the government.The 73-year-old Karki, Nepal’s first woman chief justice, was sworn into office by President Ram Chandra Paudel, after the previous prime minister quit Tuesday as parliament was set ablaze.”Congratulations! We wish you success, wish the country success,” Paudel said to Karki after the small ceremony in the presidential palace, attended by diplomats and some former leaders.The Himalayan nation of 30 million people was plunged into chaos this week after security forces tried to crush rallies by young anti-corruption protesters.At least 51 people were killed in the worst violence since the end of a civil war and the abolition of the monarchy in 2008.The military took back control of the streets on Wednesday, enforcing a curfew.The appointment of the judge, known for her independence, comes after two days of intense negotiations by army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel and Paudel, including with representatives from “Gen Z”, the loose umbrella title of the youth protest movement.Thousands of young activists had used the online app Discord to debate the next steps — and name Karki as their choice of next leader.Karki, dressed in a red sari dress, took the oath but did not make a further speech. She smiled and bowed with her hands pressed together repeatedly in traditional greetings.”It is a moment of victory… finally the power vacuum has ended,” said Amrita Ban, a Gen Z protester.”We did it”, key youth protest group Hami Nepal posted on Instagram, calling for unity.”Honour the lives of those who sacrificed themselves for this moment”.Presidential press advisor Kiran Pokharel told AFP that “a council of ministers will be formed after, and other processes will be taken from there”.- ‘Make a better Nepal’ -Protests fed into longstanding economic woes in Nepal, where a fifth of people aged 15-24 are unemployed, according to the World Bank, with GDP per capita standing at just $1,447. At least 21 protesters were among those killed, mainly on Monday during the police crackdown on demonstrations against corruption and poor governance that was sparked by a ban on social media.Parliament, major government buildings and a Hilton Hotel were among the sites set ablaze by protesters on Tuesday.KP Sharma Oli, the 73-year-old leader of the Communist Party, then quit as prime minister. His whereabouts are not known.More than 12,500 prisoners who escaped from jails across the country during the chaos “are still at large”, police spokesman Binod Ghimire told AFP.Nepal’s army said it had recovered more than 100 guns looted in the uprising, during which protesters were seen brandishing automatic rifles.Soldiers patrolled the largely quiet streets of the capital Kathmandu for a third day on Friday.”I was very afraid, and stayed locked inside my home with family and didn’t leave,” said Naveen Kumar Das, a painter-decorator in his mid-40s.He was among many ordinary residents of Kathmandu who took advantage of a brief lifting of the curfew to stock up on supplies.James Karki, 24, who was among the protesters, said he was hopeful for change ahead. “We started this movement so we could make a better Nepal,” he said. 

Afghanistan’s deputy prime minister visited the country’s east on Friday, becoming the first member of the Taliban government to do so nearly two weeks after a powerful earthquake killed more than 2,200 people.Abdul Ghani Baradar, co-founder of the Taliban with Mullah Omar, visited the eastern province of Kunar where the worst damage was seen from the magnitude 6 earthquake on August 31, according to his office.In the Friday sermon that followed the disaster, the government’s religious authorities claimed the earthquake and its aftershocks were “divine punishment”, calling on Afghans to repent. Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world, is wracked by a humanitarian crisis after decades of war. On Friday, Baradar called on “all officials to collect aid and distribute it transparently”.”Efforts are being made to rebuild destroyed homes and provide the necessary infrastructure to reduce damage from future natural disasters,” he said, according to his office. Thousands of families are now surviving in open fields or tents in mountainous rural areas. The United Nations said half of those who died were children.On Thursday evening, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi assured diplomats that “441 flights” had delivered aid to villages cut off by landslides and rockfalls, and that the injured had been evacuated by helicopter. The UN is concerned about the risk of disease spreading among the victims but, like other international NGOs, it has been forced to reduce its assistance to Afghans due to cuts in aid spending.The UN is also battling segregation rules imposed by Taliban authorities on its staff, which led to the organisation suspending its assistance to the millions of Afghans expelled from neighbouring countries.