Maoist rebels warn of major attack

Maoist rebels fighting to overthrow Nepal's monarchy warned Sunday of a major attack after a rare bombing on a passenger bus in the capital Kathmandu left one dead and 25 injured.
A rebel leader defended the abduction of an estimated 1,400 students and teachers over the past week from four war-torn districts, saying the hostages were being readied for battle.
"The Maoists have been giving armed combat training and revolutionary education to the abductees to absorb them in the (rebel) army before the Maoists launch a nation-wide attack," Bam Dev Kshetri, a Maoist central committee member, told AFP.
Kshetri declined to give details of the attack. The Maoists are known for massive night-time raids on isolated police posts in their bid to wrest the Himalayan kingdom's countryside from government control.
Attacks have been relatively infrequent in Kathmandu, where the rebels have focused on planting small bombs in government buildings and assassinating officials.