Authorities in Nepal have confirmed that at least 40 policemen were killed by Maoist rebels in a series of overnight attacks. It was the worst violence in the troubled Himalayan kingdom since last month's massacre of almost the entire royal family by the Crown Prince, who then shot himself.
Officials said that the attacks were carried out on security posts late on Friday night or early today by suspected members of the Maoist Communist Party of Nepal which is pledged to overthrow the Himalayan kingdom's constitutional monarchy.
Police also suspect the rebels of being behind a bomb explosion on Wednesday near the homes of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and the Justice of Nepal's Supreme Court, Keshav Prasad Updhyaya, who headed last month's investigation into the palace killings. Maoist rebels have stepped up their violent campaign in the wake of last month's massacre. Today is new King Gyanendra's 55th birthday.
