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Nepal's new leader vowed Sunday to follow protesters' demands to "end corruption" as she began work as interim prime minister, after "Gen Z" youth demonstrations ousted her predecessor. Sushila Karki, the 73-year-old former chief justice, has been tasked with restoring order and addressing protesters' demands for a corruption-free future ahead of elections in six months. Protests, sparked by a ban on social media and feeding into long-standing economic woes, began on Monday and quickly escalated, with parliament and key government buildings set ablaze. "We have to work according to the thinking of the Gen Z generation," Karki said in her first public comments since taking office on Friday. A fifth of people in Nepal aged 15-24 are unemployed, according to the World Bank, with GDP per capita standing at just $1,447, in the Himalayan nation of 30 million people. "What this group is demanding is the end of corruption, good governance and economic equality," she added. Karki held a minute's silence on Sunday for those killed in the unrest, before meetings began in the key government complex of Singha Durbar -- where several buildings were set on fire during mass protests on Tuesday. At least 72 people were killed in two days of protests, and 191 injured, the government's chief secretary Eaknarayan Aryal said Sunday, increasing an earlier toll of 51. It was the worst unrest since the end of a decade-long civil war and the abolition of the monarchy in 2008. The appointment of Karki, known for her independence, came after intense negotiations by army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel and President Ram Chandra Paudel, including with representatives of "Gen Z", the loose umbrella title of the youth protest movement. Thousands of young activists had used the Discord app to name Karki as their choice of leader. "The situation that I have come in, I have not wished to come here. My name was brought from the streets," Karki said. Parliament has been dissolved and elections set for March 5, 2026. "We will not stay here more than six months in any situation, we will complete our responsibilities and pledge to hand over to the next parliament and ministers," she added, in a speech to the nation. Ordinary Nepalis said they were hopeful the government would bring change -- but were aware the challenges were heavy. "This government's list of responsibilities and issues to address isn't easy," said grocery shopkeeper Satya Narayan, 69, in Pharping village, about an hour outside the capital. "It also needs to ensure unity and harmony in the country by taking all sections along". President Paudel, who swore Karki into office, said late Saturday that "a peaceful solution has been found through a difficult process". Soldiers have scaled back their presence on the streets, where they had been deployed in large numbers after the protests. But more than 12,500 prisoners who escaped from jails during the chaos are on the run, and present a daunting security headache. Regional leaders have congratulated Karki, including Nepal's two giant neighbours, India and China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said New Delhi supported "peace, progress and prosperity" in Hindu-majority Nepal, while Beijing's foreign ministry said it wanted to "push China-Nepal relations steadily forward". Buddhism is the country's second-largest religion, and the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, wished Karki "every success in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the people of Nepal in these challenging times."

Nepal's newly appointed interim prime minister began work on Saturday by visiting young protesters wounded in the deadly anti-corruption rallies that ousted her predecessor.Sushila Karki, the 73-year-old former chief justice, was tasked a day earlier with restoring order and addressing protesters' demands for a corruption-free future ahead of elections in six months.She has not spoken publicly since being appointed late on Friday, but started her work to restore government by meeting some of the scores wounded in hospital.Protests began on Monday and quickly escalated, with parliament and key government buildings set ablaze, as they fed into long-standing economic woes in Nepal.At least 51 people were killed in the worst unrest since the end of a decade-long civil war and the abolition of the monarchy in 2008.The capital Kathmandu took a step back towards normality on Saturday as a curfew was eased and daily life returned, with markets opening, traffic returning and families visiting temples.Soldiers scaled back their presence on the streets, where they had been deployed in large numbers since the protests."We don't know what will happen in the future now, but we are satisfied today," said Durga Magar, a 23-year-old Kathmandu shopworker.A fifth of people in Nepal aged 15-24 are unemployed, according to the World Bank, with GDP per capita standing at just $1,447.The appointment of Karki, known for her independence, came after intense negotiations by army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel and President Ram Chandra Paudel, including with representatives of "Gen Z", the loose umbrella title of the youth protest movement.Thousands of young activists had used the Discord app to debate the next steps, and to name Karki as their choice of next leader.Parliament was dissolved and elections set for March 5, 2026, shortly after she was appointed.International rights groups issued a joint statement calling for the new administration to end the "impunity of the past".Nepal is "at a turning point, where the hard work of securing human rights for all could be built upon or sent into reverse," Amnesty International's Isabelle Lassee said as part of the statement.For many Nepalis, Karki's appointment carried both symbolic weight and the promise of change."Nepal has got its first woman prime minister," said Suraj Bhattarai, 51, a social worker, adding he hoped she would "take good governance forward".Magar, the young shopworker, said corruption was the main issue."It doesn't matter whether it is Gen Z or anyone older in politics who tackles it," she said. "It just needs to stop."Regional leaders congratulated Karki.Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India supported "the peace, progress and prosperity" of Nepal.Bangladesh's Nobel-winning Muhammad Yunus, who is also an interim leader running the country since a 2024 revolution until elections next year, said Karki took over at a "critical" time but backed her "able leadership".Rooting out endemic corruption will be no easy task, while more than 12,500 prisoners who escaped from jails during the chaos are on the run and present a daunting security headache.Fr many, Karki marks a break from the revolving door of prime ministers who fuelled public anger with endless political horse-trading.KP Sharma Oli, the 73-year-old leader of the Communist Party, quit as prime minister on Tuesday, ending his fourth term in the post. His whereabouts are not known."They were playing a game of musical chairs," said Kathmandu businessman Shikhar Bajracharya, 32. "There was no possibility for younger people to come into power."

Nepal's first female chief justice named interim headShops reopen, cars back on roads in KathmanduAuthorities begin handing over bodies of those killedSushila Karki, a former chief justice, will become the first woman to lead Nepal, to be sworn in as interim leader later on Friday after violent anti-graft protests forced Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to resign, the president's office said.President Ramchandra Paudel's office announced Karki's appointment following negotiations between Paudel, army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel and the protesters who led Nepal's worst upheaval in years.Fifty-one people were killed and more than 1,300 injured this week in the anti-graft protests by the 'Gen Z' movement, named for the age of its mainly young supporters.The protest was sparked by a social media ban that has since been rolled back. The violence subsided only after Oli resigned on Tuesday.Karki, 73, would take the oath of office at 9:15 p.m. local time (1530 GMT), said Archana Khadka Adhikari, information officer at the president's office. Two other ministers would also be sworn in along with her, local TV channels reported.The only woman to have served as chief justice, Karki was the preferred choice of the protesters who cite her reputation for honesty and integrity and a stance against corruption.She held the top judicial post for about a year until mid-2017.Nepal has grappled with political and economic instability since the abolition of its monarchy in 2008, while a lack of jobs drives millions to seek work in other countries and send money home.As the country of 30 million people inched back to normality on Friday - with shops reopened, cars back on roads, and police replacing the guns they wielded earlier this week with batons - families reclaimed bodies of those killed in the protests.Some roads were still blocked, although streets were patrolled by fewer soldiers than before."While his friends backed off (from the protests), he decided to go ahead," Karuna Budhathoki said of her 23-year-old nephew, as she waited to collect his body at Kathmandu's Teaching Hospital."We were told he was brought dead to the hospital."Another protester who died, Ashab Alam Thakurai, 24, had been married only a month earlier, his relatives said."The last we spoke to him ... he said he was stuck with the protest. After that we could not contact him ... eventually we found him in the morgue," said his uncle, Zulfikar Alam.