Nepal: 'Until last week, Nepal had a lively and relatively free press often critical of the government, but when King Gyanendra seized absolute power last week he declared a state of emergency and "suspended" freedom of speech. A six-month ban has been announced on news reports, interviews and commentaries that are deemed to be against the "letter and spirit" of the King's proclamation that he was seizing power. But the evidence is that while Nepal's press may have been shorn of its freedom it has not lost its sense of humour and it can still bite.' (Independent)