Nepal’s rebel Maoists have announced a unilateral ceasefire in Kathmandu ahead of a planned mass pro-democracy protest this week. “We have decided to stop our military offensive in the capital until further notice to expose the claims of the autocratic regime that we were planning to infiltrate the seven-party protest programme,” Maoist leader Prachanda said in an e-mail statement on Monday. Nepal’s political parties reached an agreement with the rebels on March 19 to hold mass protests this week against King Gyanendra who seized power 13 months ago. Full Story