Maoist rebels in Nepal on Wednesday demanded an independent probe into allegations of widespread human rights abuses by government troops, who have stepped up their fight against the guerrillas since the king’s power grab two months ago. Traffic on highways was thin Wednesday as a rebel-called general strike entered into its fifth day, while the government said tourism – a key sector in the impoverished Himalayan country – had plummeted during the peak climbing season because of spiraling violence and political instability. Full Story