Nepal's speaker resigns over rape claims

Nepal's parliamentary speaker has resigned from his post after a government worker accused him of raping her in her apartment in the capital Kathmandu, according to an official statement.

Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who was elected the speaker of House of Representative last year, faced allegations of rape by a woman who claimed that Mahara sexually assaulted her at her apartment on Sunday night.

Mahara initially denied the allegations, but on Tuesday he issued a statement saying that he was stepping down "to facilitate an impartial and fair investigation into the allegations".

His resignation followed an emergency meeting of top leaders of the ruling Nepal Communist Party, which urged him to step down as speaker and member of parliament.

The 61-year-old veteran politician was elected from Dang district in mid-western Nepal in parliamentary polls held two years ago.