Nepal detains 50 journalists

Members of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists, which organised the protest, were prevented by police from marching toward a restricted area near the royal palace in the city centre.

The journalists, who had shouted slogans and carried banners, briefly scuffled with police before being bundled into buses and taken away.

"This fight against press oppression will continue until press freedom is reinstated," said Tara Nath Dahal, a former president of the federation and one of the protestors.

The federation wants King Gyanendra to lift media restrictions imposed when he sacked the government and seized absolute power on February 1.

It has organised several protests since the takeover calling for press freedom and an end to harassment and arrests.

Last week 48 journalists from the federation were arrested near the same location for protesting a continued ban on FM radio news broadcasts.

The federation said more than 2,000 reporters had lost their jobs since the takeover because several news outlets had been shut down or because of financial problems under a state of emergency that included press censorship.

Gyanendra lifted the state of emergency at the end of April but has continued to restrict press freedom and the right to protest.

The Vienna-based International Press Institute in late May placed Nepal on an international watchlist of countries where press freedom is in danger and urged Gyanendra to lift restrictions on news outlets.

The king said his takeover was necessary to end an increasingly bloody Maoist revolt.