'14 Maoists killed in Nepal'

The authorities in Nepal say security forces have shot dead 14 Maoist rebels in overnight clashes.

Twelve of them were killed in west Nepal, the Maoist stronghold.

The authorities said arms and ammunition were also recovered.

There has been no independent confirmation as rebels rarely confirm or deny government statements.

Four-thousand people have lost their lives since the Maoists started a violent campaign in 1996 to overthrow Nepal's constitutional monarchy.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service