Nepal earthquake: 'Now we have 601 kings, and none of them help us'

For a man who was once worshipped as an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, Gyanendra Shah of Nepal has come down in the world. Gone are his sumptuous royal palaces and fleets of luxury cars; when he went on a brief walkabout in earthquake-ravaged Kathmandu this week, his majesty wore a blue shell suit top instead of his royal robes.

The 67-year-old aristocrat was stripped of his title as king eight years ago, as part of a peace deal between the government and Nepal's Maoist guerrillas, ending an insurgency that had claimed 15,000 lives.

With his face erased from Nepal's currency and his divine authority removed, the hope was that his elected replacements would pull Nepal out of poverty faster than centuries of royal rule had achieved.

Now, after Nepal's worst earthquake in 80 years, some Nepalis are wondering whether Gyanendra's reign was actually all that bad. Mounting frustration over the pace of the relief efforts has led to riots in Kathmandu, with politicians criticised for failing to visit quake-stricken areas. Full story...

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