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Usman Khawaja said Friday he will retire from international cricket after the fifth and final Ashes clash against England, leaving a legacy as Australia’s first Muslim Test cricketer while lashing out at perceived “racial stereotyping” during his 15-year career.The 39-year-old will pad up for the last time, should he be selected, when the Test gets under way in Sydney on Sunday, ending months of speculation about his future.It would be an 88th Test for the classy left-hander, culminating a career where it began after making his debut at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2011, also against England.”The number one emotion is contentment. I’m very lucky to have played so many games for Australia the way I have,” Khawaja said. “I hope I have inspired people along the way.”I’m a proud Muslim coloured boy from Pakistan who was told that he would never play for the Australian cricket team. Look at me now, and you can do the same,” he added. Khawaja immigrated to Australia from Islamabad as a child, battling the odds to become the country’s first Pakistan-born, and first Muslim, national player.At one point, he was the only Asian first-class player in Australia and is credited as a role model who opened doors for others.”Usman has made a huge contribution to Australian cricket both through his outstanding achievements as one of our most stylish and resilient batters since his Test debut 15 years ago, and off field, particularly through the Usman Khawaja Foundation,” said Cricket Australia chief Todd Greenberg.”On behalf of Australian cricket I would like to thank and congratulate Usman for all he has achieved.”Khawaja’s foundation helps youths from refugee, immigrant, Indigenous, and poor socioeconomic backgrounds through introductory cricket programs and educational support.– ‘Attacked me’ –Khawaja, a qualified pilot, has plundered 6,206 runs in Test cricket with 16 centuries, averaging 43.39.He smashed a career-high 232 against Sri Lanka a year ago, but has not made three figures since.The current Ashes series has been a rollercoaster ride, with the veteran batsman coming under scrutiny.He injured his back in the first Test in Perth and was replaced as opener in the second innings by Travis Head who blasted a match-winning century.Khawaja did not feature in the next match at Brisbane and was omitted from the team for the third Test in Adelaide, only to get a lifeline when Steve Smith dropped out ill just before the toss.He came in at number four and hit 82 and 40 before making 29 and 0 in the fourth Test at Melbourne.”I’m glad I get to leave on amy own terms, with a little bit of dignity, and go out at the SCG where I love,” he said, while expressing frustration at how he was treated.”When I did my back (in Perth), I hurt my back and had back spasms and it was something I couldn’t control.”The way the media and past players came out and attacked me. I could have copped it for a couple of days but it went on for five days.”The way everyone came out at me about my preparation, ‘he’s not committed to the team. Only worried about himself. Playing a golf competition. He’s selfish, he didn’t train hard enough. He’s lazy’. “These are the same racial stereotypes (I thought we had moved past).”But obviously we haven’t fully moved past that. I haven’t seen anyone treated like that in the Australian cricket team before.”He nevertheless admitted the writing was on the wall during the current Ashes series.”Going into Adelaide and then not being picked initially for that game was probably a sign for me to say ‘all right, it’s time to move on’,” he said.Khawaja also played 40 one-dayers and nine Twenty20 internationals.

Revellers around the world toasted the start of 2026 on Thursday, bidding farewell to a volatile year when temperatures soared, US President Donald Trump upended global trade, and the brutal conflict in Ukraine raged on.While a fragile truce took hold in devastated Gaza, violence in Sudan continued unabated. A new American pope was installed at the Vatican, the world lost pioneering zoologist Jane Goodall, and Labubu dolls sparked a worldwide frenzy.In Sydney, partygoers paused for a minute of silence to remember the victims of the mass shooting on Bondi Beach before fireworks lit up the skies at the stroke of midnight.Heavily armed police patrolled the shoreline, packed with hundreds of thousands of people, barely two weeks after 15 people were gunned down at a Jewish festival in Australia’s deadliest mass shooting for almost 30 years.The famed Sydney Harbour Bridge was bathed in white light to symbolise peace.Pacific nations including Kiribati and New Zealand were the first to see in 2026, with Seoul and Tokyo following Sydney in celebrations that make their way around the globe with each passing hour.In Hong Kong, a major New Year fireworks display was cancelled in homage to 161 people killed in a fire in November that engulfed several apartment blocks.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country was “10 percent” away from a deal to end the fighting with Russia, soon to reach the four-year mark.Russia’s Vladimir Putin meanwhile used his traditional New Year address to urge his compatriots to believe that Moscow would deliver a victory in Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.And Kim Jong Un praised North Korea’s “invincible alliance” with Russia, where Pyongyang has sent troops to assist Moscow.In the Ukrainian city of Vyshgorod, beauty salon manager Daria Lushchyk said the war had made her work “hell” but that her clients were still showing up.”Nothing can stop our Ukrainian girls from coming in and getting themselves glam,” Lushchyk said.- Tariffs and fragile truce -This year has brought a mix of stress and excitement for many, war for others still — and a daring jewel heist at the Louvre.Pop megastar Taylor Swift got engaged to her American football player boyfriend Travis Kelce, and K-pop heartthrobs BTS made their long-awaited return.Trump returned as US president in January, launching a tariff blitz that sent global trade and world stock markets into meltdown.The 79-year-old Republican met with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for five meetings in his first year back in office — and hosted the ally at his lavish Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, at a glittering New Year’s Eve party.After two years of war that left much of the Gaza Strip in ruins, pressure from Trump helped land a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October — though both sides have accused each other of flagrant violations.”We bid farewell to 2025 with deep sorrow and grief,” said Gaza City resident Shireen Al-Kayali.”We lost a lot of people and our possessions. We lived a difficult and harsh life, displaced from one city to another, under bombardment and in terror.”In contrast, there was optimism despite abiding internal challenges in Syria, where residents of the capital Damascus celebrated a full year since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.”There is no fear, the people are happy, all of Syria is one and united, and God willing… it will be a good year for the people and the wise leadership,” marketing manager Sahar al-Said, 33, told AFP as bells rang in Damascus.In Dubai, thousands queued for up to nine hours for a spectacular fireworks and laser display at the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.Revellers popped champagne near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Bulgaria adopted the euro, and huge crowds danced at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay street party.Crowds packed Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach for what authorities have called the world’s biggest New Year’s Eve party.”A wonderful, unforgettable day,” said partygoer Ayane de Fatima, 30, adding she hoped 2026 would be “free from the bad things happening in the world”.In the US capital, the Washington Monument was lit up as America kicked off its 250th birthday celebration year.And in New York, thousands gathered in freezing temperatures amid tight security for the traditional ball drop in Times Square.Nearby, at an abandoned subway stop near City Hall, Zohran Mamdani — a leftist and persistent thorn in Trump’s side — was sworn in as the city’s first Muslim mayor.- Sports, space and AI -The coming 12 months promise to be full of sports, space and questions over artificial intelligence.Athletes will gather in Italy in February for the Winter Olympics.And for a few weeks in June and July, 48 nations will compete in the biggest football World Cup in history in the United States, Mexico and Canada.NASA is planning a crewed mission to circle the moon during a 10-day flight, more than 50 years since the last Apollo lunar mission.And after years of unbridled enthusiasm, AI is facing scrutiny, and nervous investors are questioning whether the boom might now resemble a market bubble.bur-pbt-cw-sst/ceg/mjw

New Year celebrations took on a sombre tone in Sydney as revellers held a minute of silence for victims of the Bondi Beach shooting before fireworks lit up the harbour city at the stroke of midnight.People around the world toasted the end of 2025, bidding farewell to one of the hottest years on record, packed with Trump tariffs, a Gaza truce and vain hopes for peace in Ukraine.Heavily armed police patrolled among hundreds of thousands of people lining the Sydney shore barely two weeks after a father and son allegedly opened fire on a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people in Australia’s deadliest mass shooting for almost 30 years.Parties paused for a minute of silence an hour before midnight Wednesday, with the famed Sydney Harbour Bridge bathed in white light to symbolise peace.”Right now, the joy that we usually feel at the start of a new year is tempered by the sadness of the old,” Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a video message.At midnight, nine tonnes of fireworks were set off to welcome the New Year.”The fireworks have always been on my bucket list and I’m so happy to be here,” said Susana Suisuikli, an English tourist.  Pacific nations including Kiribati and New Zealand were the first to see in 2026, with Seoul and Tokyo following Sydney in celebrations that will stretch to glitzy New York and the Hogmanay festival on the chilly streets of Scotland.More than two million people are expected to pack Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach for what authorities have called the world’s biggest New Year’s Eve party.In Hong Kong, a major New Year fireworks display planned for Victoria Harbour was cancelled to pay homage to 161 people killed in a fire in November that engulfed several apartment blocks.- Truce and tariffs -For many it has been a year of stress and excitement, even without the wars that have claimed tens of thousands of lives.Labubu dolls became a worldwide craze in 2025, thieves plundered the Louvre in a daring heist, and K-pop heartthrobs BTS made their long-awaited return.The world lost pioneering zoologist Jane Goodall, the Vatican chose a new pope and the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk laid bare America’s deep political divisions.Donald Trump returned as US president in January, launching a tariff blitz that sent global markets into meltdown.Trump used his Truth Social platform to lash out at his sliding approval ratings ahead of midterm elections to be held in November.”Isn’t it nice to have a STRONG BORDER, No Inflation, a powerful Military, and great Economy??? Happy New Year!” he wrote.Many expect tough times to continue in 2026.”The economic situation is also very dire, and I’m afraid I’ll be left without income,” said Ines Rodriguez, 50, a merchant in Mexico City.After two years of war that left much of the Gaza Strip in ruins, US pressure helped land a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October.No-one is sure how long the break in hostilities will hold, with each side accusing the other of flagrant violations.”We bid farewell to 2025 with deep sorrow and grief,” said Gaza City resident Shireen Al-Kayali. “We lost a lot of people and our possessions. We lived a difficult and harsh life, displaced from one city to another, under bombardment and in terror.”World leaders including China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin exchanged New Year greetings.Xi said he was “ready to maintain close exchanges with Putin to jointly push for continuous new progress in bilateral ties”, state news agency Xinhua said.The war in Ukraine — sparked by Russia’s invasion in February 2022 — is grinding towards its fourth anniversary with no ceasefire in sight despite a renewed burst of diplomacy.- Sports, space and AI -The coming 12 months promise to be full of sports, space and questions over artificial intelligence.NASA’s Artemis II mission, backed by tech titan Elon Musk, will launch a crewed spacecraft to circle the moon during a 10-day flight, more than 50 years since the last Apollo lunar mission.After years of unbridled enthusiasm, AI is facing scrutiny and nervous investors are questioning whether the boom might now resemble a market bubble.Athletes will gather in Italy in February for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.And for a few weeks in June and July, 48 nations will dispute the biggest football World Cup in history in the United States, Mexico and Canada. It could be a last chance to see the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on the global stage.

New Year’s Eve revellers toasted the end of 2025 on Wednesday, waving goodbye to 12 months packed with Trump tariffs, a Gaza truce and vain hopes for peace in Ukraine.It was one of the warmest years on record, the stifling heat stoking wildfires in Europe, droughts in Africa and deadly rains across Southeast Asia.There was a sombre tinge to celebrations in Australia’s harbour city Sydney, the self-proclaimed “New Year’s capital of the world”.Barely two weeks have passed since a father and son allegedly opened fire on a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people in the nation’s deadliest mass shooting for almost 30 years.Parties paused for a minute of silence at 11:00 pm (1200 GMT) as the famed Sydney Harbour Bridge was bathed in white light to symbolise peace.”Right now, the joy that we usually feel at the start of a new year is tempered by the sadness of the old,” Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a video message.Hundreds of thousands of spectators lined Sydney’s foreshore, with nine tonnes of fireworks set off from the stroke of midnight.Residents and tourists gathered by the city’s harbour and boats dotted the water to secure the best viewing spots near the Sydney Opera House. “The fireworks have always been on my bucket list and I’m so happy to be here,” said Susana Suisuikli, an English tourist.  Security was tighter than usual, with squads of heavily armed police patrolling the crowds.Pacific nations including Kiribati and New Zealand were the first to see in the new year, kicking off a chain of celebrations stretching from glitzy New York to the Hogmanay festival on the chilly streets of Scotland.More than two million people are expected to pack Brazil’s lively Copacabana Beach for what authorities have called the world’s biggest New Year’s Eve party.In Hong Kong, a major New Year fireworks display planned for Victoria Harbour was cancelled to pay homage to 161 people killed in a housing estate fire in November.- Truce and tariffs -Labubu dolls became a worldwide craze in 2025, thieves plundered the Louvre in a daring heist, and K-pop heartthrobs BTS made their long-awaited return.The world lost pioneering zoologist Jane Goodall, the Vatican chose a new pope and the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk laid bare America’s deep political divisions.Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, launching a tariff blitz that sent global markets into meltdown.Trump used his Truth Social platform to lash out at his sliding approval ratings ahead of 2026 midterm elections.”Isn’t it nice to have a STRONG BORDER, No Inflation, a powerful Military, and great Economy??? Happy New Year!” he wrote.But many expect tough times to continue in 2026.”The economic situation is also very dire, and I’m afraid I’ll be left without income,” said Ines Rodriguez, 50, a merchant in Mexico City.After two years of war that left much of the Gaza Strip in ruins, US pressure helped land a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October.No one is sure how long the break in hostilities will hold, with each side already accusing the other of flagrant violations.Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,200 people, most of them civilians.Israel’s retaliatory assault on Gaza has killed more than 70,000, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, a figure the UN deems credible.”We bid farewell to 2025 with deep sorrow and grief,” said Gaza City resident Shireen Al-Kayali. “We lost a lot of people and our possessions. We lived a difficult and harsh life, displaced from one city to another, under bombardment and in terror.”World leaders including China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin began exchanging New Year greetings.Xi said he was “ready to maintain close exchanges with Putin to jointly push for continuous new progress in bilateral ties”, state news agency Xinhua said on Wednesday.The war in Ukraine — sparked by Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 — grinds towards its four-year anniversary in February with no temporary ceasefire reached in the final days of 2025 despite a renewed burst of diplomacy.- Sports, space and AI -The coming 12 months promise to be full of sports, space and questions over artificial intelligence.NASA’s Artemis II mission, backed by Elon Musk, will launch a crewed spacecraft to circle the moon during a 10-day test flight, more than 50 years since the last Apollo lunar mission.After years of unbridled enthusiasm, AI is facing scrutiny and nervous investors are questioning whether the boom might now resemble a market bubble.Athletes will gather on Italy’s famed Dolomites to hit the slopes for the Winter Olympics.And for a few weeks in June and July, nations will come together for the biggest football World Cup in history in venues across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Bangladesh bid farewell on Wednesday to former prime minister Khaleda Zia in a state funeral that drew vast crowds mourning a towering leader whose career defined the country’s politics for decades.Zia, the first woman to serve as prime minister in the South Asian nation of 170 million people, died on Tuesday aged 80.Flags were flown at half-mast and thousands of security officers lined roads as her body was carried through the streets of the capital Dhaka by a vehicle in the colours of the national flag.A sea of mourners gathered outside parliament and packed streets leading to it, many waving national flags as well as those of her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), before prayers were held over her coffin.Retired government official Minhaz Uddin, 70, said he had never voted for Zia, but came to honour the three-time prime minister.”I came here with my grandson, just to say goodbye to a veteran politician whose contributions will always be remembered,” he said.”Khaleda Zia has been an inspiration,” mourner Sharmina Siraj told AFP, adding that “it is difficult to imagine women in leadership positions anytime soon”.The 40-year-old mother of two said stipends introduced by Zia to support girls’ education “had a huge impact on the lives of our girls”.- ‘Legacy lives on’ -Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia had vowed to campaign in elections set for February 12 — the first vote since a mass uprising toppled her arch-rival Sheikh Hasina in 2024.Zia’s BNP is widely considered a frontrunner, and her son Tarique Rahman, 60, who returned to Bangladesh last week after 17 years in exile, is seen as a potential prime minister if they win a majority.”She is no more, but her legacy lives on — and so does the BNP,” said Jenny Parvez, 37, who travelled for several hours with her family to watch the funeral cortege pass.The interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, declared three days of national mourning and an elaborate state funeral.Yunus said Bangladesh had “lost a great guardian”.Zia’s body was then interred alongside her late husband, Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1981 during his time as president.Leaders and members of the armed forces laid wreaths, and a bugle sounded as the burial took place. – ‘Unbreakable’ -Tarique Rahman said in a statement that “the country mourns the loss of a guiding presence that shaped its democratic aspirations”.His mother, he added, “endured repeated arrests, denial of medical care, and relentless persecution”, but “her resilience… was unbreakable.”Suffering from a raft of health issues, Zia was rushed to hospital in late November, where her condition gradually deteriorated despite treatment.Nevertheless, hours before her death, party workers had on Monday submitted nomination papers on her behalf for three constituencies for next year’s polls. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he hoped Zia’s “vision and legacy will continue to guide our partnership”, a warm message despite the strained relations between New Delhi and Dhaka since Hasina’s fall.New Delhi’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is attending — the most senior visit by an Indian official since the overthrow of Hasina. He said he had met with Tarique Rahman and offered India’s “deepest condolences”.Hasina, 78, sentenced to death in absentia in November for crimes against humanity, remains in hiding in her old ally India.Zia was jailed for corruption in 2018 under Hasina’s government, which also blocked her from travelling abroad for medical treatment.Zia was released in 2024, shortly after Hasina was forced from power.”I pray for the eternal peace and forgiveness of Begum Khaleda Zia’s soul,” Hasina said, in a statement shared on social media by her now-banned Awami League party.

New Year’s Eve revellers toasted the end of 2025 on Wednesday, waving goodbye to 12 months packed with Trump tariffs, a Gaza truce and vain hopes for peace in Ukraine.It was one of the warmest years on record, the stifling heat stoking wildfires in Europe, droughts in Africa and deadly rains across Southeast Asia.There was a sombre tinge to party preparations in Australia’s harbour city Sydney, the self-proclaimed “New Year’s capital of the world”.Barely two weeks have passed since a father and son allegedly opened fire on a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people in the nation’s deadliest mass shooting for almost 30 years.Parties will pause for a minute of silence at 11:00 pm (1200 GMT) as the famed Sydney Harbour Bridge is bathed in white light to symbolise peace.”Right now, the joy that we usually feel at the start of a new year is tempered by the sadness of the old,” Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a video message.Hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected to line Sydney’s foreshore as nine tonnes of fireworks explode on the stroke of midnight.Throughout the evening, residents and tourists began gathering by the city’s harbour and sailboats dotted the water to secure the best viewing spots near the Sydney Opera House. “The fireworks have always been on my bucket list and I’m so happy to be here,” said Susana Suisuikli, an English tourist.  Security was tighter than usual, with squads of heavily armed police patrolling the crowds.Sydney kicks off a chain of celebrations stretching from glitzy New York to the Hogmanay festival on the chilly streets of Scotland.More than two million people are expected to pack Brazil’s lively Copacabana Beach for what authorities have called the world’s biggest New Year’s Eve party.In Hong Kong, a major New Year fireworks display planned for Victoria Harbour was cancelled to pay homage to 161 people killed in a housing estate fire in November.- Truce and tariffs -Labubu dolls became a worldwide craze in 2025, thieves plundered the Louvre in a daring heist, and K-pop heartthrobs BTS made their long-awaited return.The world lost pioneering zoologist Jane Goodall, the Vatican chose a new pope, and the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk laid bare America’s deep political divisions.Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, launching a tariff blitz that sent global markets into meltdown.The president used his Truth Social platform to lash out at his sliding approval ratings ahead of 2026 midterm elections.”The polls are rigged,” he wrote, without providing evidence.”Isn’t it nice to have a STRONG BORDER, No Inflation, a powerful Military, and great Economy??? Happy New Year!”But many expect tough times to continue in 2026.”The economic situation is also very dire, and I’m afraid I’ll be left without income,” said Ines Rodriguez, 50, a merchant in Mexico City.After two years of war that left much of the Gaza Strip in ruins, US pressure helped land a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October.But with each side already accusing the other of flagrant violations, no one is sure how long the break in hostilities will hold.Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,200 people, most of them civilians.Israel’s retaliatory assault on Gaza has killed more than 70,000, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, a figure the UN deems credible.World leaders including China’s Xi Jinping and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin began exchanging New Year greetings.Xi said he was “ready to maintain close exchanges with Putin to jointly push for continuous new progress in bilateral ties”, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported Wednesday.The war in Ukraine — sparked by Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 — grinds towards its four-year anniversary in February with no temporary ceasefire reached in the final days of 2025 despite a renewed burst of diplomacy.- Sports, space and AI -The coming 12 months promise to be full of sports, space and questions over artificial intelligence (AI).NASA’s Artemis II mission, backed by Elon Musk, will launch a crewed spacecraft to circle the moon during a 10-day test flight, more than 50 years since the last Apollo lunar mission.After years of unbridled enthusiasm, AI is facing scrutiny and nervous investors are questioning whether the boom might now resemble a market bubble.Athletes will gather on Italy’s famed Dolomites to hit the slopes for the Winter Olympics.And for a few weeks in June and July, nations will come together for the biggest football World Cup in history in venues across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Myanmar’s military has said turnout in the first phase of the country’s junta-run elections exceeded 50 percent of eligible voters, a far cry from the participation rate of the last poll which was voided by a coup.The military grabbed power in a 2021 putsch that triggered civil war, and on Sunday, opened voting in a phased month-long election they pledged would return power to the people.Rights advocates and Western diplomats, however, condemned the vote, citing a crackdown on dissent and a candidate list stacked with military allies likely to prolong the armed forces’ rule.Myanmar’s dominant pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party claimed an overwhelming victory in the first phase this week, while the junta accused rebels of launching attacks on poll sites and government buildings over the weekend.Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun said in a recorded message that 52 percent of the more than 11.6 million people eligible to vote in phase one had cast their ballots, or over six million voters.”Even in democratic countries, they do not have more than 50 percent voter turnout,” Zaw Min Tun said in the video shared with journalists late Tuesday.”This successful election is not the victory of our government. It’s the victory of our country and people.”The military ruled Myanmar for most of its post-independence history, before a 10-year interlude saw a civilian government take the reins.However, after Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party trounced pro-military opponents in the last elections in 2020, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing snatched power in a coup, alleging widespread voter fraud.The turnout rate in the 2020 vote was around 70 percent.But the droves of young people who queued to cast ballots in past elections were conspicuous by their absence from Sunday’s poll.Legions have left the war-ravaged country since the military seized power, including many men of conscription age — up to 35 — or youngsters seeking better livelihoods abroad.And some of those still in the country were not particularly eager to take part in the vote, which international rights campaigners have dismissed as a sham intended to rebrand military rule.

An emerging political bloc in Nepal has gained another heavyweight, with a third key figure joining the new alliance ahead of next year’s election, a party member said on Tuesday.Two of Nepal’s most popular political leaders, television host Rabi Lamichhane of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, agreed on Sunday to unite their parties for the March 5, 2026, polls.They pledged to address the demands of younger “Gen Z” protesters following deadly anti-corruption demonstrations in September that ousted the government.Kulman Ghising of the Ujyalo Nepal Party, who is the energy minister in the interim government, also agreed to join the new alliance late on Monday.”This agreement… has brought an alternative force into the political mainstream,” said Sanjiv Ballav Bhattarai, a former Ujyalo Nepal committee member, who has now joined Lamichhane’s RSP. Ghising, 55, won significant public support when he led the Nepal Electricity Authority in tackling the Himalayan country’s load-shedding crisis.At least 77 people were killed during the youth-led September 8-9 uprising.Protests began under the loose umbrella title of Gen Z, triggered by a brief government ban on social media.The demonstrations tapped into wider public anger at economic stagnation and political corruption in the country of 30 million people.The agreement said the new alliance embraces “the spirit of the Gen Z movement against corruption and bad governance”.Prominent Gen Z protest figures, including Sudan Gurung, played a role in bringing the leaders together for talks.Nepal became a federal republic in 2008 after a decade-long civil war and a peace deal that saw former Maoist insurgents brought into government and the abolishment of the monarchy.A revolving door of ageing prime ministers and a culture of horse-trading between three dominant parties fuelled public perceptions that the government was out of touch.Lamichhane’s RSP emerged as a political surprise in the 2022 general election, when it became the fourth-largest party in parliament.However, Lamichhane has since been embroiled in cases of cooperative fraud and organised crime and was recently released on bail.

Bangladesh’s former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who many believed would sweep elections next year to lead her country once again, died on Tuesday aged 80.The government declared three days of state mourning for the country’s first woman prime minister, with vast crowds expected to attend her funeral on Wednesday.Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia vowed in November to campaign in elections set for February — the first vote since a mass uprising toppled her arch-rival Sheikh Hasina last year.Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is widely seen as a frontrunner, and her son Tarique Rahman, who returned only on Thursday after 17 years in exile, is seen a potential prime minister if they win a majority.”The country mourns the loss of a guiding presence that shaped its democratic aspirations,” Rahman said in a statement.He said he was also mourning the loss of the “infinite love” of his mother, who “endured repeated arrests, denial of medical care, and relentless persecution”.”Yet even in pain, confinement, and uncertainty, she never stopped sheltering her family with courage and compassion. Her resilience… was unbreakable.”In late November Zia was rushed to hospital, where, despite the best efforts of medics, her condition deteriorated from a raft of health issues.Nevertheless, hours before her death, party workers had on Monday submitted nomination papers on her behalf for three constituencies for the polls. The BNP said Zia died shortly after dawn on Tuesday.Interim leader Muhammad Yunus said Bangladesh “has lost a great guardian”.”Through her uncompromising leadership, the nation was repeatedly freed from undemocratic conditions and inspired to regain liberty,” Nobel Peace Prize winner Yunus said in a statement.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he hoped Zia’s “vision and legacy will continue to guide our partnership”, a warm message despite the strained relations between New Delhi and Dhaka since Hasina’s fall.Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Zia had been a “committed friend” to Islamabad, while China’s ambassador in Dhaka Yao Wen offered his condolences.”China will continue to maintain its longstanding and friendly ties with the BNP,” he said.- ‘Prison over luxury’ -Braving cold rain, mourners gathered on Tuesday outside the hospital in Dhaka where Zia’s body rests.”This is an irreparable loss for the nation,” senior BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told reporters, his voice choking with emotion.”She chose prison over luxury and spent years behind bars,” said Golam Kibria, 29, a BNP loyalist who said he was tortured under Hasina’s government, calling Zia an “unmatched leader who can never be replaced”.Three-time prime minister Zia was jailed for corruption in 2018 under Hasina’s government, which also blocked her from travelling abroad for medical treatment.Zia was released last year, shortly after Hasina was forced from power.Hasina, 78, sentenced to death in absentia in November for crimes against humanity, remains in hiding in her old ally India.”I pray for the eternal peace and forgiveness of Begum Khaleda Zia’s soul,” Hasina said, in a statement on social media by her now banned Awami League party.Bangladesh’s Prothom Alo newspaper, which said Zia had “earned the epithet of the ‘uncompromising leader'”, reported that Rahman and other family members were by her side at the time of her death.”The lives of politicians are marked by rises and falls,” the newspaper wrote on Tuesday.”Lawsuits, arrests, imprisonment, persecution, and attacks by adversaries are far from uncommon. Khaleda Zia endured such ordeals at their most extreme.”

Bangladesh’s former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who many believed would sweep elections next year to lead her country once again, died on Tuesday aged 80, her Bangladesh Nationalist Party said.”The BNP Chairperson and former prime minister, the national leader Begum Khaleda Zia, passed away today at 6:00 am (0000 GMT), just after the Fajr (dawn) prayer,” the party said in a statement.”We pray for the forgiveness of her soul and request everyone to offer prayers for her departed soul,” it added.Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia vowed in November to campaign in elections set for February 2026 — the first vote since a mass uprising toppled her arch-rival Sheikh Hasina last year.The BNP is widely seen as a frontrunner.But in late November she was rushed to hospital, where, despite the best efforts of medics, her condition declined from a raft of health issues.Nevertheless, hours before her death, party workers had on Monday submitted nomination papers on her behalf for three constituencies for the polls.During her final days, interim leader Muhammad Yunus called for the nation to pray for Zia, calling her a “source of utmost inspiration for the nation”.BNP’s media chief Moudud Alamgir Pavel also confirmed Zia’s death to AFP.Zia was jailed for corruption in 2018 under Hasina’s government, which also blocked her from travelling abroad for medical treatment.She was released last year, shortly after Hasina was forced from power.There had been plans earlier this month to fly her on a special air ambulance to London, but her condition was not stable enough.Her son, political heavyweight Tarique Rahman, only returned to Bangladesh after 17 years in self-imposed exile on Thursday, where he was welcomed back by huge crowds of joyous supporters.Rahman will lead the party through the February 12 general election, and is expected to be put forward as prime minister if his party wins a majority.Bangladesh’s Prothom Alo newspaper, who said that Zia had “earned the epithet of the ‘uncompromising leader'”, reported that Rahman and other family members were by her side at the time of her death.”The lives of politicians are marked by rises and falls,” the newspaper wrote on Tuesday.”Lawsuits, arrests, imprisonment, persecution, and attacks by adversaries are far from uncommon. Khaleda Zia endured such ordeals at their most extreme.”