BRIEFS (Spotlight Weekly)

THE GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN HAS provided the state-owned Nepal Television (NTV) Corporation with dubbing equipment worth US$ 460,000. Japanese ambassador, Mitsuaki Kojima, handed over the equipment to general manager of NTV, Tapanath Shukla. With the dubbing studio in operation, NTV would be able to dub any foreign serials into Nepali language.

THE GOVERNMENT HAS BLACKLISTED 43 foreign employment companies for allegedly violating the norms set by the government. The government has canceled licenses of 29 foreign companies and has filed cases against 14 other companies. Meanwhile, the government has made special provision for the Department of Labor to provide identity cards to the individuals going abroad for employment.

THE GOVERNMENT HAS CONSTITUTED a task force in order to study the feasibility of setting up of an armed police service within Nepal Police. The task force, headed by former Home Secretary Khem Raj Regmi, will submit its report within 45 days, RSS news agency reported. According to the spokesman at the Home Ministry, the task force has been mandated to collect suggestions from experts concerned regarding the proposed service's organizational structure, terms and conditions of service and facilities, its jurisdiction, and updating of the existing legislation concerning Nepal Police. The special meeting of the Cabinet on Monday took this decision after the briefing by senior police and intelligence officials.

THE FIVE-DAY LONG INTERNATIONAL conference on poverty alleviation in South Asian mountain regions through the sustainable use and management of natural resources kicked off here last week. Organized jointly by ICIMOD and German Foundation for International Development (DSE), the conference aims at identifying appropriate strategies and agendas for sustainable use and management of natural resources in the fragile ecosystems of the mountain areas. A total of 80 experts and professionals from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, China and Germany are taking part in the conference.

THE SIXTH NEPAL INFORMATION Technology Show (INFOTECH) and Conference 2000 concluded here last week. The five-day long event (Jan. 27-31) drew more than 11,000 visitors, most of them young people. Some 50 exhibitors including hardware traders, software developers and Internet Service Providers took part in the show organized by Computer Association of Nepal (CAN). Meanwhile, CAN, in partnership with the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), is organizing the Summit 2000, a mega conference of IT (information technology) professionals and experts, in the capital with a view to promote IT Nepal. The conference is expected to bring together nearly 600 people from more than 50 countries of the world.

HOTEL ASSOCIATION OF NEPAL (HAN) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a London-based organization 'Friends of Britain and Nepal (FBNNTO)' to promote Nepal as an exotic tourist destination. As per the agreement, HAN will provide tourism promotional materials to FBNNTO whereas the latter has agreed to work as a facilitator and liaison for tourism promotion activities including cultural programs, food festivals and exchange of tour and travel operators.

SNV/NEPAL, THE NETHERLANDS DEVELOPMENT Organization, has been awarded Climate Technology award for making outstanding contributions in the protection of environment. About 60,000 biogas plants have been built and are in operation in Nepal. According to Biogas Support Program, a joint venture between Nepal government, SNV and GTZ, nearly 50 companies aim at installing 100,000 biogas plants within the next six years. The biogas plants installed so far have saved 142,500 tons of fuelwood and 25,000 tons of dried cow dung a year.

Crown Prince Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev watching the display of drama "Kunjini" written by late poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota