Breaking news from Nepalnews.com His Majesty King Gyanendra is to address the nation at 9 a. m. on Wednesday (Feb. 1), an official announcement said. The state-run Nepal Television (NTV) quoted the press secretariat to HM the King as saying that the monarch would address the nation tomorrow morning. The proclamation will be aired over the NTV at 9:00 in the morning, the state-run TV said. No details were provided. His Majesty is addressing the nation upon the completion of the first year of his direct rule. There are reports of hundreds of arrests across the country today as the opposition parties and rights groups plan to observe Wednesday as a “Black Day.” Through a royal proclamation in the morning of February 1, last year, King Gyanendra had dismissed a coalition government led by Sher Bahadur Deuba, jailed hundreds of activists across the country, state of emergency was declared and harsh press censorship was introduced. Though the state of emergency was lifted after three months, critics say civil liberties and press freedom are still curtailed. Authorities don’t agree. They say Nepali media is one of the freest in the world and certain restrictions on the civil liberties are only temporary in nature "to return towards a democratic process including civic polls." Municipal polls are scheduled to take place on February 8, this year. nepalnews.com by Jan 31 06