BRIEFS (Spotlight Weekly)

THE SECOND SOUTH ASIA PRINT Congress concluded here on Saturday deciding to set up the South Asian Print Federation. The proposed Federation will have its headquarters in Kathmandu. The Congress showcased latest available printing technologies in the region and discussed various issues related to the printing industry. A total of 250 printers from 18 countries had participated in the four-day Congress.

PRIME MINISTER K. P. BHATTARAI has constituted a three-member committee under the convenorship of Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel in order to take necessary measures on behalf of the government in connection with the current political perspective as well as on the national issues raised by the opposition in the current session of the parliament, RSS news agency reported. According to the Prime Ministerís private secretariat, other members of the committee include Minister for Local Development and Women and Social Welfare Chiranjivi Wagle and Minister for Agriculture Chakra Prasad Bastola.

THE DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT Abuse Investigation Commission has recommended nine different ways to the government to stop the practice of misuse of diplomatic passports. The suggestions provided by the Commission include taking immediate initiative for the use of computerized photos and description of the passport holders, formulate a policy by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with separate criteria for passports for high level officials and for delegations members and their families. The Commission has also recommended action against those who have acquired the ëdiplomaticí passports in contravention of the existing regulations. The government had formed a Commission in December last year under the chairmanship of former judge Jhulendra Prasad Regmi to recommend ways to stop the practice of misuse of diplomatic passports.

THE CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY of Nepal (CAAN) has said that it would investigate into reports of a possible mid-air collision of three domestic airliners on Tuesday. According to reports, a Necon Air Avro that had just left Kathmandu for Nepalgunj averted a near collision with two other approaching aircraftóone of them a Necon Avro arriving from Pokhara and a Cosmic Air Dornear plane arriving from Bharatpur. Officials at the Control Tower were accused for negligence during the episode.

THE STATE-OWNED ROYAL NEPAL Airlines Corporation (RNAC) has canceled all five tender bids that it had received for the supply of Boeing 767 aircraft. A senior official with the RNAC said that the tenders had been canceled as none of them fulfilled the set criteria. The national flag carrier had called for bids last month to lease purchase a wide-body Boeing 767-300 ER for a period of two years. Five international companiesóRoyal Brunei Airlines, AerFi Group, Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services, Pigasus Aviation Consultant and Europacific Aviationóhad participated in the bid. The RNAC has again published a re-tender bid today offering a period of one week only.

NEPAL HAS BEEN ELECTED AS CHAIR of the annual meet of the United Nations Commission for Human Rights scheduled to be held next month, officials said. The rotating chair, which moves to Asia this year, will officially be handed over to Nepal on March 20. Nepalís elevation to the coveted chair will enhance the nationís profile in the international community and help the country lobby on human rights issues from a high ground, officials said. Meanwhile, Amnesty International, a human rights watch dog, has said that it is going to launch a three-month long campaign known as ìNepal Actionî to gather international pressure as well as pressurize the government against drafting draconian laws that contradict with international convention on human rights.

SOCIAL WELFARE COUNCIL and a French non-governmental organization, Handicap International, have entered into a five-year agreement on implementation of various development programs in Nepal. Under the agreement, the French organization is to provide Nepal US$ 50,000 a year to the minimum. Member secretary at the SWC, Dr. Tika Pokhrel and regional director of Handicap International, Thierre Agagliate, signed an agreement to this effect.

DURING THE FIRST HALF OF the current fiscal year 1999/2000, higher budgetary deficit has been observed as a consequence of low resources mobilization in relation to expenditure, a communiquÈ issued by Nepal Rastra Bank said. According to the Bank, the rate of inflation on point to point basis has come down to a single digit from two digits because of improvement in the prices of good and beverages group. During the review period, government expenditure has increased by more than 22 percent amounting to Rs 23,251.2 million as compared to a growth of 8.4 percent last year. On the external front, exports have increased by nearly 42 percent to Rs 23,517.8 million and imports also have gone up by 35.5 percent to Rs 51,783.2 million.

THE GOVERNMENT HAS CONSTITUTED a task force under the convenorship of former deputy attorney general Balaram K. C. to prepare necessary legal criteria and take action accordingly on the points raised on revenue leakage as pointed out by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) concerning revenue leakage. According to the Ministry of Finance, the task force will extend cooperation to prepare necessary papers and legal bases so that action can be taken against the guilty within the next four months, RSS news agency reported. The 337-page long report, submitted in the last session of the parliament, has given names of 130 persons allegedly involved in smuggling and other financial irregularities. The JPC had also studied about corruption, leakage and smuggling at ten customs points in the country including the Tribhuvan International Airport.

THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT HAS agreed to provide a financial assistance of more than Rs six million for the construction project of a multipurpose community ground in Dhulikhel and procurement support for the establishment of five self-sustaining public libraries in remote schools of Kavrepalanchok district. The aid is being provided under the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Development Projects scheme of the government of Japan, the Japanese embassy said.