Crown Prince Dipendra of Nepal reportedly shot and killed most of the royal family, including his mother, Queen Aiswarya, and his father, King Birendra Bir Birkram Shah Dev (who as king was thought to be an incarnation of Vishnu, the Hindu god). Prince Dipendra then shot himself through the temple; he was crowned king as he lay unconscious in a hospital, and promptly died. Prince Gyanendra, his uncle, ascended to the throne and claimed that the royal deaths were the result of the “accidental firing of an automatic weapon.” Riots ensued.

Weekly Review

By Roger D. Hodge

DECEMBER 2008

JUSTICE AFTER BUSH
Prosecuting an Outlaw Administration
By Scott Horton

MANDELA’S SMILE
Notes on South Africa’s Failed Revolution
By Breyten Breytenbach

WHITE-BREAD JESUS
A story by Robert Coover

Also: Francine Prose and Michel Houellebecq

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