AP Off with his crown!  AT 6.15pm the fountains were switched
on. The water danced. The white-clad military band stood to
attention. And waited. And waited. After 239 years of rule by
the Shah royal dynasty, perhaps it was inevitable that the last
few hours of waiting for the monarchy to be abolished and a
republic set up should also be long and drawn-out. When the
announcement came, it was greeted with cheers. Three bombs had
gone off earlier in the day. Yet all things considered, the
decision, momentous as it was, sparked neither bitter complaint
nor intense celebration.  Perhaps the long period of violence
and uncertainty beforehand had something to do with it. Nepal
has seen a decade-long civil war; two postponed elections; a
massacre of the royal family; the grabbing of absolute power by
the king and the handing back of it again; and most recently,
victory in elections by Maoist former guerrillas. Nepalis could
be forgiven for being uncertain of what lies in store.  The
country's constituent assembly vot