Communist rebels in Nepal have freed the son of a former prime minister today after family members agreed to pay money he apparently owed to local sugar cane farmers, a negotiator said.

A helicopter that was flying to pick up climbers in the Mount Everest area crashed near the base camp today, killing a Nepalese flight attendant and injuring six other people.

Edmund Hillary and a Sherpa from his 1953 Everest expedition led a colourful procession through the Nepalese capital today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their conquest of the world’s tallest mountain.

Thousands of demonstrators staging a protest against Nepal’s king were beaten back by police to in the capital Katmandu in clashes that injured about 60 protesters, police and witnesses said.