Nepalese soldiers killed by rebels

The Defence Ministry in Nepal has said that Maoist rebels have killed two soldiers who were kidnapped as they slept in their homes.

A statement said the pair Dil Bahadur Beeka and Parasuram Beeka were shot at point blank range in the Surkhet area in the far west of the Himalayan kingdom.

The ministry also said that a Maoist was killed by the army in a separate incident about 50 kilometres away in the Kalikote district.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service