The troubled mountain kingdom of Nepal has once again been hit by violence, with the mayor of a key tourist town being assassinated and 12 police officers being killed in a raid by Maoist rebels.
The BBC News website reports that the mayor of Pokhara, Harka Bahadur Gurung, was shot as he drove to his office on Friday.
The killing is seen as significant because Pokhara has long been a popular destination for western tourists, being recognised as the gateway to the famous Annapurna mountain range.
In a separate incident in the south of the country, 12 police officers and a civilian were reportedly killed in an ambush, with rebels opening fire on a police vehicle after detonating a mine.
At least 9,000 people are known to have died in the country’s Maoist uprising, which began in 1996.
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad
