Bloomberg.com: India & Pakistan

May 29 (Bloomberg) — Nepalese lawmakers voted to abolish the nation’s 240-year-old monarchy, concluding a more than decade-long struggle by communist former rebels to install a republic in the Himalayan country. Members of the Constituent Assembly cheered and applauded as the motion to proclaim a republic was backed by 560 votes to 4 late yesterday, the United Nations Mission in Nepal said.

It will be interesting to see how the balance of power fluctuates where religion is concerned, as well.