BRIEFS (Spotlight Weekly)

KING GYANENDRA HAS THANKED all persons and institutions within the country and abroad for extending condolences at the demise of King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and other members of the royal family on June 1. The King has also urged all the organizations and institutions to send the condolence books that they had put in different parts of the country to Narayanhity royal palace. Meanwhile, the government on Friday has formed a secretary-level committee to study the investigation report submitted to King Gyanendra regarding the incident at the royal palace on June 1 and recommend further action. The committee, comprising secretaries from concerned ministries, will have to present its report within five days.

THE 13TH DAY PURIFICATION rituals of late King Birendra, late Queen Aishwarya, late King Dipendra and other members of the royal family were performed at the Narayanhity royal palace Saturday in accordance with Vedic traditions. Different organizations paid their last respects to the late King and Queen and other members of the royal family on the 13th day of their death. There were reports of religious ceremonies performed all over the country wishing peaceful heavenly abode to the late royal family members.

QUEEN KOMAL UNDERWENT an operation for chest injuries at the Birendra Military hospital at Chhauni on June 18. Her Majesty’s health condition is satisfactory, doctors said. Her Majesty had been hit by two bullets in the left armpit in the tragic incident that took place at the Narayanhity royal palace on June 1, RSS news agency reported.

A SENIOR LEADER OF THE Nepali Congress, Shailaja Acharya, has said the royal palace killings have weakened the power of the king as well as that of the people, thereby strengthening the hands external forces in the domestic affairs of Nepal. The first leader of the ruling party to discuss the role of external forces in the aftermath of the royal palace tragedy, Acharya, did not indicate who those forces were. In a statement, the former deputy prime minister and former vice chair of the ruling party said as anarchy and instability rise, the country’s existence and identity would be in peril. The nationalist forces of Nepal have been weakened by the mysterious killings inside the royal palace. Along with the institution of monarchy, Acharya said, the constitution of 1990 is also in danger. The demand for interim and national government and the demand for amendment to the constitution by Maoists and other parties have to be viewed in this context, she said.

THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF Nepal (Maoist) has said it will not allow the national census to take place in the districts where it has formed ‘people’s government.’ The announcement has come at a time when the government has postponed the weeklong census (that kicked off on June 10) in nearly 35 districts because of national mourning. Janadesh weekly, believed to be close to the underground Maoist party, quoted Bhakta Bahadur Shah, chief of the ‘people’s government’ in the mid-western district of Jajarkot, as saying that the decision had been taken with a view to bringing to a halt all the policies and programs being implemented by the Girija Prasad Koirala government. The underground party has already declared what it calls ‘people’s governments’ in eight out of 75 districts of the country, namely Rukum, Rolpa, Salyan, Jajarkot, Jumla, Kalikot, Achham and Bajura.

SNV NEPAL AND WWF NEPAL PROGRAM signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) here Thursday to assist the Nepalese government and the people of Nepal to conserve biodiversity with emphasis on productive and sustainable use of resources for poverty reduction. The two organizations will mobilize their global network resources to build the capacities of partner organizations for this objective. SNV Nepal and WWF Nepal Program will work toward complementing each other’s expertise to assist the planning, implementation and facilitation of programs and projects in Dolpa district, Kanchenjunga complex, terai and Churia range, and the Terai Arc landscape, reports said.

THE NEPAL STOCK EXCHANGE (NEPSE) Index fell by 3.26 points as the market opened on Tuesday after 10 days. Altogether 3,748 units of shares were traded for a total value of Rs 3.39 million recording 88 transactions of 17 listed companies. Despite the marginal fall, the transactions at the NEPSE floor ended confusions and fears of bigger price falls as predicted initially, analysts said. Even before the national mourning, the stock market had a sluggish week (May 28-June 1) because of the three-day long general strike called by six left parties.

THE BALANCE OF PAYMENTS (BoP) situation in the country has declined by around 45 percent to remain at Rs 6.18 billion, reports said. According to Nepal Rastra Bank, the country’s central bank, the trade deficit — one of the important components of BoP — narrowed by 7.6 percent in the first seven months of the current fiscal year compared to the same period last year. Total imports rose by just 6.8 percent during this period, whereas exports surged by 25.4 percent, touching the Rs 33.76 billion mark. The grant receipt of the government tumbled by 22 percent to remain at 5.43 billion, which is only 45 percent of the budgetary target of grant for the current fiscal year, the bank said.