Nepal remains cut off after king seizes power

Nepal remained virtually cut off from the rest of the world today following King Gyanendra’s seizure of power, as authorities kept phone service and Internet connections shut down and imposed strict censorship of the media.

Local phone service came back on for a few hours late yesterday, but was switched off again within two hours. International phone lines and all cellular service has remained cut since the king dismissed the government and assumed dictatorial powers on Tuesday, citing the government’s inability to halt a Maoist insurgency or call parliamentary elections.