Nepal's prime minister quits after deadly protests kill 19

KATHMANDU — Nepal's Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday as anti-corruption demonstrators defied an indefinite curfew and clashed with police, a day after 19 people died in violent protests triggered by a social media ban.

Oli's government lifted the social media shutdown after protests turned violent, killing 19 and injuring more than 100 after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters trying to storm the parliament on Monday.

"I have resigned from the post of prime minister with effect from today ... in order to take further steps toward a political solution and resolution of the problems," Oli, 73, said in a letter to the president.

Earlier on Tuesday, Oli had called a meeting of all political parties, saying violence is not in the interest of the nation and "we have to resort to peaceful dialogue to find solutions to any problem".

However, anger against the government showed no signs of abating, as protesters gathered in front of parliament and other places in the capital Kathmandu, in defiance of an indefinite curfew imposed by authorities.

The protesters set fire to tires on some roads, threw stones at police personnel in riot gear and chased them through narrow streets, while some looked on and shot videos of the clashes on their mobile phones as thick black smoke rose to the sky.

Hundreds of people from some towns located near the India-Nepal border had started marching toward Kathmandu to support the protesters, one of the protesters told Reuters by phone.

Agencies Via Xinhua