08/03/2026

theSun on Sunday MAR 8, 2026

WORLD 7

Nepal rapper set for election win KATHMANDU: Nepal’s rapper-turned politician Balendra Shah held an unassailable lead against ousted prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli yesterday in the highly contested face-off in Nepal’s southeastern district of Jhapa, according to data from the Election Commission. Shah led with more than 47,500 votes, with Oli trailing behind on 12,600. “Looking at the trend, RSP has taken the lead in many places and has won several seats,” said commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai. “This is heading to a landslide victory. This reflects the frustration that has been building up,” said Chandra Dev Bhatta, a political analyst. “It is actually the people’s revolt against the established political parties,” he said. Centrist party in the lead

Prabowo may quit Board of Peace JAKARTA: President Prabowo Subianto said he will withdraw from President Donald Trump’s”Board of Peace” if it does not benefit Palestinians, after the attack on Iran deepened doubts over his country’s involvement. Prabowo has come under criticism from domestic Muslim groups for agreeing to join the Board and provide troops to a Gaza stabilisation force. Foreign Minister Sugiono said on Tuesday that all discussions about the Board of Peace, which will oversee the creation of the stabilisation force, had been halted due to the attack on Iran. Prabowo gathered leaders of local Islamic groups for a meeting on Thursday evening, at which he reiterated his reasoning behind joining the Board, according to a statement released by the government communication office. Prabowo will withdraw from the board if it does not benefit Palestinian and Indonesian interests, the statement quoted Hanif Alatas of the Islamic Brotherhood Front as saying. “The president said if he sees that there is no longer any benefit for Palestine ... and that it is not in line with Indonesia’s national interests, he will withdraw,” Hanif said. The Indonesian Ulema Council had previously called for Indonesia to exit the Board. Critics have said Indonesia’s participation compromises its support for the Palestinian cause. – Reuters Bhattarai said results from direct elections would be ready by tomorrow, but longer for full results to be ready. – AFP “The people understand that the new parties do not really have strong agendas but it is punishment to the (old) parties for their decades-long poor governance.” By yesterday morning, on the second day of counting, there were only 34 declared results. RSP took 27, Nepali Congress won four and the Marxist party of Oli was trailing with one. Former Maoist guerilla commander Pushpa Kamal Dahal has one seat for his party. RSP had comfortably secured more than half of votes so far counted in the proportional representation vote, which determines a further 110 seats via party lists.

With about 70% of votes counted, AFP calculations show Shah has passed the winning threshold. If the trends are confirmed by the vote count, 35-year-old Shah’s victory over the veteran Marxist leader – and his rise from city mayor to potential prime minister – would mark one of the most dramatic results in recent Nepali politics. Shah’s centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) looked set to win by a landslide in parliamentary polls, according to Election Commission trends yesterday, but with counting still far to go. The high-stakes parliamentary election on Thursday came six months after anti-corruption protests toppled the government.

Supporters of the Rastriya Swatantra Party celebrating outside a counting centre in Damak, Jhapa district yesterday. – REUTERSPIC

struggling economy. According to early trends yesterday, RSP was on track to win a majority in the 275-member House of Representatives, the lower house of parliament.

The September 2025 youth-led demonstrations, under a loose Gen Z banner, began over a brief social media ban but quickly tapped into broader grievances over corruption and a

Close call for Australian navy helicopter in Yellow Sea SYDNEY: Australia’s military said a Chinese navy helicopter flew dangerously close to one of its aircraft during a routine passage through the Yellow Sea. helicopter’s altitude before closing in to an unsafe distance,” it said, referring to China’s People’s Liberation Army-Navy.

and accused the HMAS Toowoomba of conducting close reconnaissance “under the pretext” of implementing UN resolutions. The vessel has “repeatedly deployed its helicopters for close-in reconnaissance and persistent provocations against China in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, endangering China’s national security”, Defence Ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin said in a statement. Jiang said China was acting in response to Australian “infringements”, adding that the operation was legitimate, reasonable and in accordance with international law. – AFP

“The Chinese helicopter moved slightly ahead, increased speed and then rolled towards the ADF helicopter,” the ministry said. The aircraft then took “evasive action to maintain safe flight”. “Australia expects all countries, including China, to operate their militaries in a safe and professional manner,“ it said. China’s military said Canberra’s description of events was a “complete distortion of facts”,

The Defence Ministry said it has raised concerns with Beijing after the incident on Wednesday over open sea between China and the Korean peninsula. It said the frigate HMAS Toowoomba had been conducting “routine activities” when its helicopter was intercepted by a Chinese aircraft. “The PLA-N helicopter matched the ADF

Philippines shifts to four-day work week MANILA: Oil-poor Philippines is to shift to a four-day work week, with fuel prices set to rocket up amid the attacks on Iran, President Ferdinand Marcos said.

The shift, set to start at all government offices tomorrow, is aimed at easing the economic impact of the conflict. He warned the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil supply transits, would increase local pump prices next week by 7.48 pesos (50 sen) per litre for petrol, 17.28 pesos for diesel and 32.35 pesos for kerosene. “We are victims of a war that is not of our choosing. But we can control how we will protect Filipinos,” Marcos said. The Philippines imports most of its crude oil from the Middle East and still relies on oil-fired power plants to generate electricity. The conflict also threatens the safety and job security of more than two million Filipinos working in the Middle East. Marcos also ordered all government agencies to cut their fuel and power consumption by 10% to 20%, banned government study tours and team-building activities, as well as “meetings that can be done online”. He urged Congress to authorise him to reduce excise taxes on petroleum products if the price of crude oil breached US$80

A Filipino protester holds a banner during a rally in Quezon City. – REUTERSPIC

subsidies and cash transfers to affected sectors, he said without giving details. Marcos said the four-day workweek will be “temporary”, but gave no end date. – AFP

(RM316) per barrel, as well as to amend a biofuels law so cheaper bioethanol can be used for blending with petroleum products. The government will also provide fuel