Nepal’s main political parties and Maoist insurgents have agreed to work together to end the rule of the king, who sacked the government and seized power in a coup nine months ago. In a clear attempt to isolate the monarchy, the left-wing guerrillas said they will disarm under ”international” supervision.

Iran’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was propelled into a crisis on Wednesday after MPs rejected his third nominee as oil minister, the most strategically sensitive post in his government, amid a rising chorus of domestic criticism of the president’s confrontational style.

East Africa’s most stable democracy was plunged into political crisis on Wednesday night when Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki sacked his entire Cabinet after suffering a defeat in a referendum on a new Constitution. Voters called for a new Constitution to limit the Presidency’s powers.

A river of toxic water was coursing towards one of China’s biggest cities on Wednesday night, threatening to contaminate local pipes and forcing millions of residents to prepare frantically for four days without water supplies. In Harbin, local media said crowds were fleeing the city through the railway station and airport.