Violence has spiralled across Nepal amid anti-corruption protests
Nepal's army has deployed patrols on the streets of Kathmandu, as the Himalayan nation reels from the worst unrest it has seen in decades.
Fierce protests against corruption and nepotism spiralled further on Tuesday into arson and violence. The prime minister resigned as politicians' homes were vandalised, government buildings were set ablaze and parliament was stormed and torched.
But the "Gen Z" groups spearheading the protests have distanced themselves from the destruction, saying the movement has been "hijacked by "opportunist" infiltrators.
On Wednesday the streets of the capital Kathmandu appeared calm, but smoke was still rising from burning buildings and charred vehicles lay on roads.
Nationwide curfews are in place until Thursday morning, the army has said, warning of punishment for anyone involved in violence and vandalism.
Twenty seven people have been arrested for their involvement in violence and lootings and 31 firearms have been found, it added.
The military is attempting to control a volatile situation, with PM KP Sharma Oli's resignation leaving a leadership vacuum.
His government's abortive attempt to ban social media triggered the demonstrations that saw 19 protesters killed in clashes with police on Monday.
Those deaths - which have since risen to more than 20 - only fuelled the unrest on Tuesday. Scenes of violence and vandalism have come to illustrate the visceral intensity of the anti-government demonstrations.
But many protesters are worried that the movement has been co-opted by "infiltrators".
Tuesday's protest "organised by Nepal's Generation Z, was conducted with a clear vision: to demand accountability, transparency, and an end to corruption," read a statement issued by protesters.
"Our movement was and remains non-violent and rooted in the principles of peaceful civic engagement."
Getty Images
Both protesters and the army have blamed the escalating destruction on "infiltrators"
The authors of the statement said they were actively volunteering on the ground to "responsibly manage" the situation, safeguard citizens and protect public property.
They also said no further protests were scheduled from Wednesday onwards, and called on the military and police to implement curfews as necessary.
"Our intent has never been to disrupt daily life or to allow others to misuse our peaceful initiative," the statement said.
The army too has alleged that various "individuals and anarchist groups" had infiltrated the protests and were damaging private and public property.
"We are mainly in the process of controlling elements who are taking advantage of the situation to loot, set fires and cause various incidents," military spokesman Rajaram Basnet told the BBC.
What led to the protests?
The demonstrations were ostensibly triggered by the government's decision last week to ban 26 social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook - but they have since grown to embody much deeper discontent with Nepal's political elite.
In the weeks before the ban, a "nepo kid" campaign, spotlighting the lavish lifestyles of politicians' children and allegations of corruption, had taken off on social media.
And while the social media ban was hastily lifted on Monday night, the protests had by that stage gained unstoppable momentum, plunging the nation into chaos.
Getty Images
Protesters across Nepal are calling for an end to corruption among the country's political elite
On Tuesday, protests continued unabated. A crowd in Kathmandu torched the headquarters of the Nepali Congress Party, which is part of the governing coalition, and the house of its leader, Sher Bahadur Deuba, a former PM.
In the capital Kathmandu, several locations have been targeted by anti-corruption protesters since Monday.
Hundreds of protesters broke into and torched the country's parliament building, smashing windows and spray-painting graffiti and anti-corruption messages on the walls.
The Singha Durbar, a large complex in the city that houses Nepal's government offices, was also stormed, and the Supreme Court on Wednesday announced that it had postponed all hearings of pending cases indefinitely due to severe damage.
"Since the case files, servers, and the courtroom were severely damaged in the fire, the hearings scheduled for today have been postponed," said a notice issued by the Supreme Court's chief registrar.
"The hearings scheduled for tomorrow are also postponed until further notice."
The locations targeted during protests
On Tuesday afternoon, in a self-proclaimed bid to pave the way for a constitutional solution, Prime Minister Oli stepped down.
"In view of the adverse situation in the country, I have resigned effective today to facilitate the solution to the problem and to help resolve it politically in accordance with the constitution," Oli wrote in his letter to President Ramchandra Paudel.
But it's not clear who will replace him - or what happens next, with seemingly no-one in charge.
"Looking ahead, we believe Nepal's future leadership must be free from entrenched political party affiliations, fully independent, and selected on the basis of competence, integrity, and qualifications," the Gen Z protesters said in their statement on Tuesday.
"We demand a transparent and stable government that works in the interest of the people and not for the benefit of corrupt individuals or political elites," they added.
"Our goal remains firm: a proper government with qualified, non-corrupt leaders."
Ms Choi's case has been cited in legal textbooks in South Korea as a classic example of a court failing to recognise self-defence during sexual violence
A South Korean woman has been acquitted after a court revisited her decades-old conviction for biting off the tongue of a man during an alleged sexual attack.
Choi Mal-ja was 18 when she was convicted of grievous bodily harm and sentenced to 10 months in jail. Her aggressor, who was 21, received a lighter sentence of six months.
After a years-long campaign to clear her name, a retrial began in the southern city of Busan in July. In its first hearing, prosecutors apologised to her and, in an unusual move, asked the court to quash the conviction.
"I could not let this case go unanswered... I [wanted] to stand up for other victims who share the same fate as mine," Ms Choi said after the acquittal.
As a teenager back then, the incident changed her fate by "turning [me] from a victim to an accused".
"People around me warned me that it would be like throwing eggs at a rock, but I could not let this case go," said Ms Choi, now 79.
She thanked her supporters, and called out those in power whom she said "abused their authority to trample the weak and manipulate the law".
Ms Choi's case has been cited in legal textbooks in South Korea as a classic example of a court failing to recognise self-defence during sexual violence.
According to court records, the attacker had pinned Ms Choi to the ground somewhere in the southern town of Gimhae. She only managed to break free after biting off about 1.5cm (0.59in) of his tongue.
The man continually demanded compensation for his injury and even broke into Ms Choi's home with a knife on one occasion, South Korean media reported.
In one of South Korea's most contentious rulings on sexual violence, the man was given a six-month suspended sentence, for trespassing and intimidation. He was never charged for attempted rape.
Ms Choi received the harsher sentence for causing him grievous bodily harm, with the court saying at the time that her actions exceeded the "reasonable bounds" of self-defence.
She was detained for six months during the investigation, and was later given a ten-month sentence, which was suspended for two years.
News1
Ms Choi, now 79, said she wanted to stand up for other victims who shared her fate
In 2018, inspired by the global #MeToo movement, which has also taken hold in South Korea, Ms Choi reached out to advocacy groups and spent about two years gathering evidence before filing a petition for a retrial.
Her path to exoneration has been challenging. Lower courts rejected her petition saying there is no evidence to support her claims of self-defence.
Ms Choi fought on, saying she did not want to see other victims of sexual violence go through what she did. "[They] should not have to bear the pain alone," she told The Korea Herald in an earlier interview.
Finally, in December 2024, the Supreme Court granted her application to reopen the case.
Outside the court on Wednesday, Ms Choi and her supporters were all smiles, with some of them holding placards that said, "Choi Mal-ja did it!" and "Choi Mal-ja succeeded".
Ms Choi's lawyer, Kim Soo-jung, described the earlier conviction as a "misjudgement due to gender bias and societal perceptions".
"Thanks to Choi Mal-ja's relentless fight without ever giving up, the prosecution and judiciary had the opportunity to correct that error today," said Ms Kim.
She added that Ms Choi plans to file a civil lawsuit against the state to seek compensation.
The Korea Women's Hotline, one of the groups that had supported Ms Choi in her campaign, believes Wednesday's verdict will pave the way to justice for victims of sexual violence.
"Going forward, women's defensive acts will be understood as legitimate. I expect this will mean fewer women will face unjust suffering," says Song Ran-hee, who leads the group.
"At the very least, it will send a message to victims. Even if the process you are going through now is painful and unjust, it says: 'Your voice matters. Speak out,'" Ms Song tells the BBC.
There have been at least two other cases in South Korea of women biting off the tongues of sexual assailants – one in 1988 in the city of Andong, and another in 2020 in Busan. In both cases, the courts ruled recognised what the women did as legitimate acts of self-defence, and ruled in favour of them.
The firm guarding sites where aid is distributed in Gaza has been using members of a US biker gang with a history of hostility to Islam to run its armed security, a BBC investigation has found.
BBC News has confirmed the identities of 10 members of the Infidels Motorcycle Club working in Gaza for UG Solutions - a private contractor providing security at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, where hundreds of civilians seeking food have been killed in scenes of chaos and gunfire.
We can reveal that seven members of the gang are in senior positions overseeing sites at the controversial aid operation backed by Israel and US President Donald Trump.
UG Solutions (UGS) defended its employees' qualifications for the job, saying it does not screen people out for "personal hobbies or affiliations unrelated to job performance".
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said it has "a zero-tolerance policy for any hateful, discriminatory biases or conduct".
Infidels MC was set up by US military veterans of the Iraq war in 2006 and members see themselves as modern Crusaders, using the Crusader cross as their symbol - a reference to the medieval Christians who fought Muslims for control of Jerusalem.
The gang is currently hosting anti-Muslim hate speech on its Facebook page and has previously held a pig roast "in defiance of" the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
"Putting the Infidels biker club in charge of delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza is like putting the KKK in charge of delivering humanitarian aid in Sudan. It makes no sense whatsoever," said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a leading Muslim civil rights organisation in the US.
"It's bound to lead to violence, and that's exactly what we've seen happen in Gaza."
The gang's leader, Johnny "Taz" Mulford, is a former sergeant in the US Army who was punished for conspiracy to commit bribery, theft and making false statements to military authorities. He is now the "country team leader" running UG Solutions' contract in Gaza.
Facebook
Johnny "Taz" Mulford is the "country team leader" for UG Solutions in Gaza
We emailed Infidels MC for comment. In response, Mr Mulford instructed fellow leaders of the biker gang not to reply but included the BBC when he clicked "reply all" - inadvertently disclosing email addresses and names of fellow Infidels MC members, some of whom were working in Gaza.
By matching up names with public information about Infidels MC's leadership, and evidence from UG Solutions insiders who worked with them, we have identified 10 members of Infidels MC who Mr Mulford recruited to work with him in Gaza.
In addition to Mr Mulford, we have identified three leading members of Infidels MC who also have senior roles at UGS's Gaza operation:
Larry "J-Rod" Jarrett, who has been publicly named as the Infidels MC vice-president, and is in charge of logistics
The gang's national treasurer, Bill "Saint" Siebe, who leads the security team for one of GHF's four "safe distribution sites"
One of the gang's founding members, Richard "A-Tracker" Lofton, a team leader at another distribution site
Facebook
L-R Bill Siebe, Richard Lofton and Larry Jarrett are leading members of the gang hired to senior roles in Gaza
Confidential documents, open-source information and former UGS contractors have enabled us to confirm the identities of a further six Infidels bikers hired to work in Gaza. Three of them are leaders or deputy leaders of the firm's armed security teams.
Mr Jarrett, Mr Siebe and Mr Lofton did not respond to requests for comment.
UGS told the BBC it conducts comprehensive background checks and only deploys vetted individuals. However, news reports indicate Mr Jarrett was arrested two years ago in the US for drunk driving and has a previous charge of driving under the influence from about a decade earlier. It is not known whether either case resulted in a conviction.
The founder and chief executive of UG Solutions, Jameson Govoni, was arrested earlier this year in North Carolina for his alleged involvement in a hit-and-run incident and for fleeing from police to evade arrest, according to court documents. Mr Govoni, who is based in the US and is not a member of Infidels MC, declined to comment.
Until now Mr Mulford was the only UG Solutions contractor to have been identified as a member of the Infidels. The BBC's investigation reveals how widespread his hiring of members of the biker gang has been, notably to better-paid jobs leading the UGS armed security teams.
Social media posts show that in May, just two weeks before travelling to Gaza, Mr Mulford sought to recruit US military veterans who follow him on Facebook, inviting anyone who "can still shoot, move and communicate" to apply.
Johnny Mulford asked on social media for people with a combat arms MOS or "military operational speciality"
In total, at least 40 of about 320 people hired to work for UG Solutions in Gaza were recruited from Infidels MC, according to an estimate by a former contractor.
UG Solutions is paying each contractor $980 (£720) per day including expenses, rising to $1,580 (£1,160) per day for team leaders at GHF's "safe distribution sites", documents seen by the BBC show.
One leader of a team in Gaza overseeing site security, Josh Miller, posted a photo of a group of contractors in Gaza with a banner reading "Make Gaza Great Again".
Facebook
Josh Miller posted a photo of contractors in Gaza with their faces obscured and a "Make Gaza Great Again" sign
The banner advertises the logo of a company he owns which sells T-shirts and other clothing, including one which has the slogan "embrace violence" and another which says: "Surf all day, rockets all night. Gaza summer 25."
His company also posted a video online showing scenes of gun violence and advocating the shooting of criminals, with the caption: "Remember, always shoot until they're no longer a threat!"
Mr Miller has the word "Crusader" tattooed across his fingers and "1095" on his thumbs. This is the year when the leader of the Catholic church, Pope Urban II, launched the first crusade, attacking Muslims as a "vile race". Mr Miller did not respond to requests for comment.
A post on the Infidels MC Facebook page selling "1095" hats says it signifies the start of the Crusades, "a military campaign by western European forces to recapture Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim control". The "Holy Land" refers to the area mostly covered by modern-day Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Facebook
A company run by one of the security contractors sells "Gaza Summer 2025" T-shirts
Johnny Mulford, who in addition to leading the gang is listed as the registered agent of a Florida company called Infidels MC, has the date 1095 tattooed across his chest. He has a Crusader cross tattooed on his right forearm and another on his left upper arm along with the word "Infidels".
"When you see anti-Muslim bigots today celebrating 1095, celebrating the Crusades, they are celebrating the wholesale massacre of Muslims - the erasure of Muslims and Jews from the holy city of Jerusalem," said Mr Mitchell from the US Muslim civil rights organisation CAIR.
He said the gang had the hallmarks of anti-Muslim hate groups which for decades have used the name "Infidels".
Facebook
Johnny Mulford has tattoos with the Crusader cross and the date 1095, which marked the beginning of the Crusades
Anti-Islamic views expressed by the gang include a flyer for the pig roast during Ramadan, which the BBC found on an archived web page. It says: "In defiance of the Islamic holiday of Ramadan… we invite you to attend the Infidels MC Colorado Springs Chapter open bike party & pig roast."
The flyer also shows a woman wearing a burka that has been torn off from the neck down, exposing her chest.
The Infidels MC Facebook page has hosted clearly Islamophobic discussions. In 2020 the club shared a link to a false, satirical article claiming four US Democratic politicians, two of them Muslim, wanted the Bible to be deemed hate speech.
Comments from members of the Facebook group included: "Filling my magazine to the max. Would not be the first time we were at odds with muslims"; "Deport these pathetic skanks to a pathetic third world crap hole where they won't be offended by the Holy Bible"; and a comment dismissing "them and their Mohammad" with an expletive.
As of Wednesday, the comments remain on the Infidels MC Facebook page.
Internet Archive
News reports at the time highlighted the biker gang's "anti-Muslim" pig roast
The Infidels MC website also used to show the skull logo of the violent Marvel comic book character Punisher, a symbol appropriated by white supremacist groups, inscribed with "kafir" in Arabic script - which translates as "unbeliever" (or "infidel").
The UN has said most of the killings appear to have been carried out by Israeli security forces. Incidents where civilians were harmed while seeking aid are "under review by the competent authorities in the IDF", the Israeli military said.
Facebook
Infidels MC says it has chapters in 15 US states and one in Germany
In a statement, UG Solutions, based in North Carolina, said Johnny Mulford is a "trusted and respected figure" with more than 30 years' experience supporting the US and its allies globally. "We stand by his reputation, record, and his contributions to the success of complex missions," the company said.
Getty Images
More than a thousand people have been killed at or near aid sites in Gaza, with the UN saying most killings appear to have been carried out by Israeli security forces
"We do not screen for personal hobbies or affiliations unrelated to job performance or security standards. Every team member undergoes comprehensive background checks, and only qualified, vetted individuals are deployed on UG Solutions operations," UGS said.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it relies on "people from all backgrounds" to provide aid in Gaza and to build trust with Gazans.
"The team providing aid at the Foundation's sites is diverse - and it is successful for that reason," the GHF said.
Rachel Reeves has told her cabinet colleagues that government departments will have their access to the Treasury's emergency funds limited ahead of the budget, BBC News understands.
The £9bn Treasury Reserve, designed to be used for "genuinely unforeseen, unaffordable and unavoidable pressures" has recently been used to fund higher public sector pay and compensation payouts.
In a letter to ministers, the chancellor said Treasury would only consider providing reserve funds to departments that have already maximised their savings.
It comes less than 11 weeks before Reeves is set to deliver Labour's Budget amid mounting pressure to boost economic growth while balancing public finances.
The aim of restricting reserve access is to help Reeves stick to her borrowing rules by reducing government borrowing and keep department spending within totals announced at the June Spending Review.
She also warned that any funds borrowed from the reserve would have to be repaid.
Economists have previously warned that she will need to lift taxes or make spending cuts to meet her borrowing rules, which include having day-to-day government costs paid for through tax income instead of borrowing by 2029-30.
Head of the Confederation of British Industry Rain Newton-Smith said chancellor "must commit to tax reform, not just tax rises" in an opinion piece in the Guardian.
Businesses have faced ongoing cost pressures following April's increased employer National Insurance Contributions and the National Living Wage as well as continuing price increases.
"The chancellor cannot raid corporate coffers again so she must look elsewhere, embracing long-term strategic tax reforms rather than maintaining a slavish adherence to manifesto promises on tax or ideas based on the world as it was 18 months ago," Ms Newton-Smith said.
Reeves told her colleagues that the focus over Autumn would be on "reducing inflation, controlling spending and kickstarting growth".
She referenced recent bond market fragility "in many advanced economies" at cabinet on Tuesday saying "stability is more important than ever to underpin growth in a volatile global environment, and that means living within our means."
The chancellor told colleagues: "I do not think there is anything progressive about spending £100 billion a year on paying off debts accrued by previous governments."
Reeves added she would rather spend more of that money on "cutting hospital waiting lists, tackling illegal migration and keeping our country safe."
While the tough message was delivered to cabinet, it was also aimed at the markets and her own backbench MPs.
In the Commons on Tuesday she said she agreed that Labour backbenchers should "resist the temptation to duck tough choices on spending".
The Spending Review already reduced the amount of the Reserve back from normal levels of about £14bn a year, with the Institute for Fiscal Studies arguing that it "left little space to deal with unforeseen pressures".
Forecasts for how much money Reeves needs to find in the upcoming to meet her self-imposed borrowing rules vary widely.
Some estimates putting the figure at around £25bn while an estimate from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research put the figure at £50bn.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC last week, Reeves played down the larger figure and said she aimed to "get the balance right" at the Budget.
Reeves has two rules on government borrowing, which she has repeatedly said are "non-negotiable". These are:
day-to-day government costs will be paid for by tax income, rather than borrowing by 2029-30
to get debt falling as a share of national income by the end of this parliament in 2029-30
Josh Druding's image of Chappell Roan performing live is up for music moment of the year
Abbey Road studios has announced the nominees for its Music Photography Awards, after considering more than 20,000 submissions from 30 different countries.
The photographs up for awards feature stars including Chappell Roan, Lana Del Rey, Charli XCX, Tyler the Creator, Pulp, The 1975, Maggie Rogers, Fontaines DC, Doja Cat, Central Cee and Burna Boy.
Fans can vote for music moment of the year on the MPA's website until 23 September and the awards ceremony will take place at London's Abbey Road on 2 October.
Mark Robertson, Abbey Road's director of marketing and creative, thanked the "incredibly gifted community of photographers who continue to impress with their work".
He added the images "prove that music photography is a genuine art to be celebrated and plays a vital role in shaping culture".
The awards include two new categories this year - portrait and festivals - with an additional guest category called club culture.
All 40 images from the eight open categories on display in Outnet's Now Pop One venue in London, where photographs by the nominees can be seen between 19 and 23 September.
Here are some of the nominees:
Greg Noire
Category: Live Music
Photographer: Greg Noire
Image: US rapper and singer Doja Cat performing on stage with her dancers in eye-catching furry costumes
Pupat Chenaksara
Category: Music moment of the year
Photographer: Pupat Chenaksara
Image: British singer-songwriter Charli XCX getting soaked in the rain while singing on stage
Connor Baker
Category: Club culture
Photographer: Connor Baker
Image: Glitterbox at Hï Ibiza, with clubbers mid-dance amid the smoke effect
Jez Pennington
Category: Festivals
Photographer: Jez Pennington
Image: British rock band Enter Shikari at Download Festival, having a muddy experience
Phoebe Fox
Category: Judges choice
Photographer: Phoebe Fox
Image: British rock band The Cure's lead singer Robert Smith shot in profile with his trademark hairstyle and make-up
Kirby Gladstein
Category: Music moment of the year
Photographer: Kirby Gladstein
Image: US singer-songwriter Lana Del Ray is wearing what looks like a black bridal ensemble
Platon
Category: Judges Choice
Photographer: Platon
Image: The crucial right hand of US musician, songwriter, guitarist and record producer Nile Rodgers, who is also the co-founder of disco band Chic
Annie Noelker
Category: Portrait
Photographer: Annie Noelker
Image: US record producer and songwriter Benny Blanco is getting his five-a-day in a restaurant
Lantz Martin
Category: Emerging photographer of the year
Photographer: Lantz Martin
Image: US rapper and record producer Ken Carson poses in profile for a black and white shot
Jordan Curtis Hughes
Category: Making Music
Photographer: Jordan Curtis Hughes
Image: British rock pop band The 1975's lead singer-songwriter Matty Healy, surrounded by music instruments and snacks
Jen Amelia Veitch
Category: Underground scenes
Photographer: Jen Amelia Veitch
Image: A clubber at Hidden club night in Manchester posing on a billiards table
Posters in Paris call for a wide-ranging strike on Wednesday with slogans like “September 10, we block everything!” and “Money for wages, not for war!” Members of some air and rail unions are expected to participate.
Login
