Nepal's king promises return to democracy

Nepal’s King Gyanendra today vowed to bring multiparty democracy back to his Himalayan nation, 14 months after he seized control and set off a bloody political crisis that has engulfed the country.

But he fell short of granting a key opposition demand – the creation of a special assembly to write a new constitution – and it appeared unlikely he would mollify his political opponents, who have filled the streets of the kingdom with tens of thousands of protesters for days on end.