Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on Thursday (February 15) appointed moderate communist K P Sharma Oli, who led an alliance with former Maoist rebels to a sweeping victory in recent elections, as prime minister.

A presidential spokesman said Oli, who spent 14 years in jail for opposing the now-abolished monarchy in the 1970s and 1980s, was named prime minister hours after Sher Bahadur Deuba, whose party suffered a landslide defeat in the polls, resigned.

Oli, who was also prime minister from 2015 to 2016 soon after the nation&#39;s current constitution was formalised, said he would promote peace, stability and development in one of the world&#39;s poorest countries where revolving-door coalitions have sapped business confidence, curbed growth, spurred corruption and slowed reconstruction after a 2015 earthquake that killed 9,000 people.

Oli&#39;s leftwing alliance is considered to be closer to China while outgoing leader Deuba is widely seen as being closer to India. The two Asian giants have poured aid and investment to woo Nepal, home to Mount Everest, as a geo-political ally.

Nepal has been embroiled in political instability since a decade-long Maoist conflict ended in 2006 and the monarchy was abolished two years later. Oli is the 26th prime minister since protests led to the establishment of a parliamentary democracy in 1990. 
&nbsp;

A presidential spokesman said Oli, who spent 14 years in jail for opposing the now-abolished monarchy in the 1970s and 1980s, was named prime minister hours after Sher Bahadur Deuba resigned

Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on Thursday (February 15) appointed moderate communist K P Sharma Oli, who led an alliance with former Maoist rebels to a sweeping victory in recent elections, as prime minister. A presidential spokesman said Oli, who spent 14 years in jail for opposing the now-abolished monarchy in the 1970s and 1980s, was named prime minister hours after Sher Bahadur Deuba, whose party suffered a landslide defeat in the polls, resigned. Oli, who was also prime minister from 2015 to 2016 soon after the nation's current constitution was formalised, said he would promote peace, stability and development in one of the world's poorest countries where revolving-door coalitions have sapped business confidence, curbed growth, spurred corruption and slowed reconstruction after a 2015 earthquake that killed 9,000 people. Oli's leftwing alliance is considered to be closer to China while outgoing leader Deuba is widely seen as being closer to India. The two Asian giants have poured aid and investment to woo Nepal, home to Mount Everest, as a geo-political ally. Nepal has been embroiled in political instability since a decade-long Maoist conflict ended in 2006 and the monarchy was abolished two years later. Oli is the 26th prime minister since protests led to the establishment of a parliamentary democracy in 1990.

Moderate Nepali communist KP Sharma Oli to 'balance China, India' as new PM

At least eight suspected Maoist rebels were killed in a gunfight with police who ambushed their hideout in southern India on Thursday.

The deaths are the latest in a long-running conflict between Indian authorities and the leftist rebels, who say they are fighting for the rights of marginalised tribal groups.

Police said they came under fire from the group when they ambushed a suspected forest hideout in Bhadradri Kothagudem district in the southern state of Telangana.

&quot;Special police forces launched a search operation in the forest on Wednesday night to capture a group of extremists,&quot; district police chief Ambar Kishor Jha told AFP.

&quot;They came under fire and eight of the extremists were killed.&quot;

Telangana is part of the so-called &quot;red corridor&quot; that passes through resource-rich areas of central, southern, western and eastern India and is mostly inhabited by underprivileged tribes.

The state was once a hotbed of Maoists rebels, but has managed to curb the insurgency through welfare schemes for tribal groups and a security crackdown.

Jha said hundreds of police were still searching the dense forests after the siege for any rebels who may have escaped.

He said police seized two semi-automatic rifles, hand grenades and ammunition from the site after a gunbattle lasting several hours.

The Maoist insurgency has claimed around 10,000 lives since it started in the 1960s, and is considered India&#39;s most serious internal security threat.

The rebels operate from jungle bases, but often descend on villages to demand protection money and recruit young men and women to their ranks.

They also oppose efforts to build new roads and infrastructure in remote areas because it undermines their long-running campaign against India&#39;s security forces.

Since his election in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been seeking to stem the insurgency by earmarking development funds for revolt-hit areas and improving policing.

Police said they came under fire from the group when they ambushed a suspected forest hideout in Bhadradri Kothagudem district in the southern state of Telangana

At least eight suspected Maoist rebels were killed in a gunfight with police who ambushed their hideout in southern India on Thursday. The deaths are the latest in a long-running conflict between Indian authorities and the leftist rebels, who say they are fighting for the rights of marginalised tribal groups. Police said they came under fire from the group when they ambushed a suspected forest hideout in Bhadradri Kothagudem district in the southern state of Telangana. "Special police forces launched a search operation in the forest on Wednesday night to capture a group of extremists," district police chief Ambar Kishor Jha told AFP. "They came under fire and eight of the extremists were killed." Telangana is part of the so-called "red corridor" that passes through resource-rich areas of central, southern, western and eastern India and is mostly inhabited by underprivileged tribes. The state was once a hotbed of Maoists rebels, but has managed to curb the insurgency through welfare schemes for tribal groups and a security crackdown. Jha said hundreds of police were still searching the dense forests after the siege for any rebels who may have escaped. He said police seized two semi-automatic rifles, hand grenades and ammunition from the site after a gunbattle lasting several hours. The Maoist insurgency has claimed around 10,000 lives since it started in the 1960s, and is considered India's most serious internal security threat. The rebels operate from jungle bases, but often descend on villages to demand protection money and recruit young men and women to their ranks. They also oppose efforts to build new roads and infrastructure in remote areas because it undermines their long-running campaign against India's security forces. Since his election in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been seeking to stem the insurgency by earmarking development funds for revolt-hit areas and improving policing.

Telangana: Police ambush Naxals, kill eight

An explosion in the remote forests of India&#39;s Chattisgarh killed at least three women, police said on Thursday.

&quot;Two women died on the spot and one died in the hospital. Five more are injured in the blast,&quot; Abhishek Meena, police chief of Narayanpur district, told AFP.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
3 dead and 4 injured in an IED blast in narayanpur: SP Abhishek Meena <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chhattisgarh?src=hash">#Chhattisgarh</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/821786144350306304">January 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

A group of women collecting herbs accidentally stepped on the improvised explosive device. The dead included a 14-year-old girl.&nbsp;

One of the injured was a six-month-old girl, Meena said.

The police are yet to confirm if the device targetted the security forces in the area,&nbsp;which is one of the strongholds of Maoist rebels.

The rebels are often accused of planting IED&#39;s to target the troops patrolling the vast swathes of the resource-rich region, AFP said.

(With inputs from AFP)

The police are yet to confirm if the device targetted the security forces in the area,?which is one of the strongholds of Maoist rebels

An explosion in the remote forests of India's Chattisgarh killed at least three women, police said on Thursday. "Two women died on the spot and one died in the hospital. Five more are injured in the blast," Abhishek Meena, police chief of Narayanpur district, told AFP. 3 dead and 4 injured in an IED blast in narayanpur: SP Abhishek Meena #Chhattisgarh — ANI (@ANI_news) January 18, 2017 × A group of women collecting herbs accidentally stepped on the improvised explosive device. The dead included a 14-year-old girl. One of the injured was a six-month-old girl, Meena said. The police are yet to confirm if the device targetted the security forces in the area, which is one of the strongholds of Maoist rebels. The rebels are often accused of planting IED's to target the troops patrolling the vast swathes of the resource-rich region, AFP said. (With inputs from AFP)

India: Blast kills three women, injures five others in Chhattisgarh

maoist-rebels

Maoist Rebels, News on Maoist Rebels, stories on Maoist Rebels, articles on Maoist Rebels, Maoist Rebels stories at Wion, Maoist Rebels news, Maoist Rebels latest news

maoist rebels

Moderate Nepali communist KP Sharma Oli to 'balance China, India' as new PM

Telangana: Police ambush Naxals, kill eight

India: Blast kills three women, injures five others in Chhattisgarh