Calm has returned to Kathmandu after riots and a general strike sparked by disparaging comments allegedly made by a young Indian movie star. The anti-Nepal slurs, which were denied by the star and the producers of the TV program on which he supposedly made them, underscored Nepal’s deep sensitivity to opinions from its giant neighbor to the south. Four people were killed and nearly 200 injured, but just days later hundreds of people peacefully lined the streets near the royal palace to wish King Birendra a happy birthday.
