Nepal king to revive Parliament

Yielding to unrelenting pressure from pro-democracy movement, King Gyanendra of Nepal tonight met a key demand of the seven-party alliance by announcing that Parliament, which he had dissolved in 2002, would be revived.

The embattled king said in a televised address to the nation that Parliament would meet on Friday.

Meanwhile, former foreign minister K Natwar Singh today criticised the government, led by his own party, for showing "masterly inactivity" on Nepal and said India had let the people of Nepal down.

In a criticism of the government's Nepal policy, which was partly drafted by him, Singh said, "We have let the people of Nepal down, lost the goodwill of the seven parties, earned the annoyance of the Maoists and received no kudos from King Gyanendra."