Nepal’s prime minister resigns as social media ban reversed amid violent protests

September 9, 2025

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(LONDON) — Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday after a social media ban sparked violent protests in which at least 19 people died on Monday.

Even after the government’s social media restrictions were rolled back, the protests continued on Tuesday in Nepal’s Kathmandu, were protestors were reportedly setting homes of political leaders on fire.

Oli had earlier blamed “external infiltrators” for violence.

The homes of several politicians — including Sher Bahadur Deuba, leader of the largest party Nepali Congress; President Ram Chandra Poudel; Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and leader of the Communist Party of Nepal Maoist Pushpa Kamal Dahal — were set on fire, The Associated Press reported.

The Monday clashes left 19 dead and 421 injured, according to the government. An indefinite curfew was put in place in the capital and Tribhuvan Airport has been shut down, with all flights cancelled.

“I’m protesting. I didn’t like it. I hate it. I’m opposing it!” Rajendra Bajgain, a member of parliament, told ABC News after Monday’s protests.

The protests began after the government decision to ban social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube. That ban was seen by many as an attack on freedom of speech — and an extension of what some described as the government’s corrupt nature.

“Ministers are corrupt. They are doomed with the PM,” Bajgain said prior to the prime minister’s resignation. “Listen to me very clearly, very loudly: if [the prime minister] continues the ban, he’s going to finish in a couple of days.”

In a statement released on Sept. 4, Committee to Protect Journalists Regional Director Beh Lih Yi said that the ban would essentially be “blocking online news platforms vital to journalists [and] will undermine reporting and the public’s right to information.”

July 22 will be the second-shortest day of the year, scientists say

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(NEW YORK) — Tuesday, July 22 will be the second-shortest day of the year, as Earth completes a full rotation in less time than usual.

The planet on Tuesday will experience a shorter rotation than the typical 24 hours, though not by much: 1.34 milliseconds less than usual, according to Timeanddate.com.

Typically, we think of the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere as Dec. 21 or 22, which coincides with the winter solstice – July 21 or 22 in the Southern Hemisphere – which is the point at which the hemisphere is tilted farthest away from the sun. In those instances, however, it’s only the number of hours of daylight that are affected, and not the length of time it takes for the Earth to make a full rotation on its axis.

The 1.34-millisecond discrepancy in Tuesday’s length is explained by differences in the gravitational pull between the Earth and the moon, which causes the Earth to spin more quickly, according to the Lunar and Planetary Institute.

In recent years, Earth has broken its own speed records several times, including on July 5, 2024 – the shortest day ever measured, when the planet’s full rotation was completed 1.66 milliseconds faster than usual, according to Timeanddate.com.

This year, July 10 was measured as the shortest day of the year, with a full rotation occurring 1.36 milliseconds faster than normal. Aug. 5 is expected to be the third-shortest day of the year, projected to be 1.25 milliseconds shorter than usual.

Earth completes one full rotation on its axis in 24 hours, or about 86,400 seconds, plus or minus a millisecond or so, according to Timeanddate.com. Before 2020, Earth’s shortest length of day was just 1.05 milliseconds shorter than usual.

If current trends continue, a full second may need to be subtracted from atomic clocks in the near future to accommodate for a “negative leap second,” according to Timeanddate.com.

The system of leap seconds was introduced in the 1970s, according to Time and Date. While there have been dozens of positive leap seconds, in which a second was added, there has never been a negative leap second. The International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service, which monitor’s the Earth’s rotation, also determines whether to add or subtract a second.

In its early days – about 4.5 billion years ago – Earth was spinning at a much faster rate, according to the Lunar and Planetary Institute. A full rotation only lasted between three and six hours.

During the mid-Proterozoic period – between 2.5 billion years ago and 543 million years ago – the Earth had slowed such that a day lasted about 19 hours, according to a 2023 study published in Nature Geoscience.

Since then, the length of an Earth day has slowed to its present 24 hours due to the fact that the moon’s gravitational pull “steals” some of energy Earth uses to spin, in addition to causing tidal friction, according to the Institute.

Additionally, climate change is causing days on Earth to become longer due to the melting of ice at the poles, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. As the poles melt, the redistribution of mass from the resulting sea-level rise also is increasing the length of a day, the researchers found.

Massive fire destroys Tomorrowland music festival main stage days before opening

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(BOOM, BELGIUM) — A massive fire severely damaged the main stage at Belgium’s Tomorrowland, one of the world’s largest electronic dance music festivals, just days before its scheduled opening.

The blaze erupted Wednesday at the festival grounds in Boom, Belgium, where thick plumes of black smoke could be seen rising into the air. Video footage shared on social media showed large flames engulfing the main stage, along with what sounded like fireworks going off.

The cause of the fire remains unknown. No injuries were reported in the incident, according to festival organizers.

“Due to a serious incident and fire, our beloved Mainstage has been severely damaged,” Tomorrowland officials announced on Instagram. They added that the festival’s campsite, DreamVille, will still open as planned on Thursday, July 17.

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The festival, which attracts tens of thousands of music fans annually, is scheduled to run from Friday, July 18, through Sunday, July 20. Headline performers include top DJs David Guetta, Charlotte De Witte and Martin Garrix.

Festival organizers say they are “focused on finding solutions for the festival weekend” and will provide more updates soon. All pre-festival activities in Brussels and Antwerp will proceed as planned.

19 dead as Bangladesh air force jet crashes on school

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(LONDON and BELGRADE, Serbia) — At least 19 people were killed and 164 were injured when a Bangladeshi air force training jet crashed near a school in the capital Dhaka on Monday, officials said.

The aircraft crashed on the grounds of the Milestone School and College, in the city’s northern Uttara neighborhood, close to the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

“The rescue operation is still ongoing,” Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury, the director of the Inter Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, told ABC News. “It will take some more time. All injured or dead have been taken to four different hospitals.”

The single-seater, Chinese-made F-7 BGI aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff after experiencing a “mechanical failure,” Chowdhury said. The pilot — Flt. Lt. Md Towkir Islam — “made a valiant attempt to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas,” Chowdhury said. “Despite his best efforts, the aircraft tragically crashed.”

Islam died from his injuries as he was being taken to hospital, Chowdhury added.

“It was a training mission, part of regular training, not a bigger exercise,” Chowdhury said. He added that the ISPR does not know yet if the aircraft had any prior technical issues.

Chowdhury said the rescue operation at the impact site is ongoing. “There may still be people inside,” he said. “We are not yet sure if everyone is out of the building. The smoke and heat are very high.”

A senior teacher at the school told ABC News that around 4,000 students study at the center. “But when the incident happened, around 1,000 students were present in the campus,” the teacher said. The plane crashed next to the school’s cafeteria.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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