Kathmandu, Oct. 8 -- Three months afterassuming office for the fifth time, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Friday finally expanded his Cabinet after reaching a power-sharing agreement with his coalition partners.

Sixteen new ministers and two new state ministers were inducted to be later sworn in by President Bidya Devi Bhandari. Theappointments were delayedby haggling over important ministerial portfolios between four of the five members of the coalition, and between factions within individual parties.

The Cabinet expansion triggered a widening controversy this week as news emerged that Chief Justice Cholendra SJB Rana wanted two of his nominees to also be given ministries. This raised objections from a cross-section of the media ...