Kathmandu - The former prime minister, Mr Sher Bahadur Deuba, was sworn in as Nepal's new Premier yesterday and immediately declared the Maoist insurgency that has rocked the Himalayan kingdom as his number one priority.
Mr Deuba took over the reins from his Nepali Congress (NC) rival, Mr Girija Prasad Koirala, who last week was forced to stand down amid criticism of his handling of the five-year Maoist rebellion that has claimed 1,700 lives.