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Nepal's state of emergency ends
King Gyanendra of Nepal has lifted a state of emergency he imposed after taking direct control of the country three months ago. A brief statement in Kathmandu said only he had done so in accordance with the constitution.
The king dismissed the government after accusing it of failing to deal with an insurgency by Maoist guerrillas, which has killed 11,000 people. Civil liberties were also suspended, provoking international condemnation.
Hundreds of politicians were jailed, and protests were banned. The Indian Foreign Minister, Natwar Singh, has welcomed the lifting of the state of emergency.
Opposition groups within Nepal have also applauded the move, but called for the Royal Commission for Corruption Control (RCCC), set up a fortnight after the emergency was imposed, to be disbanded.
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