Briefs (Spotlight Weekly)

A lady dancing in temple during the Teej festival

THE THIRD ALL-PARTY meeting convened by the Election Commission on Thursday to discuss provisions of security during the forthcoming elections remained inconclusive due to differences between the government and other political parties. During the meeting, Minister of State for Home, Devendra Raj Kandel, said that the government was considering holding elections in at least eight phases, that too with a gap of 20 days each, keeping in mind the present security situation in the country. He said in the aftermath of the recent Maoist attacks at Sindhuli and Arghakhanchi, the government had "changed" its position of holding elections in five to six phases. All the political parties, however, rejected outright the government's proposition. According to Gangalal Tuladhar, a UML delegate, the parties demanded that the elections should be held in as less phases as possible that too with a gap of not more than one week. EC officials said the all-party meeting will continue next week.

MARKING THE FIRST anniversary of the terrorist strike in the US on 9/11, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has termed terrorism as a global problem. Saying that Nepal too had become victim of terrorism, the premier said it was not any one country's fight. In memory of September 11 victims, premier Deuba and US Ambassador to Nepal, Michael E Malinowski, planted tree saplings at Sheshnarayan VDC in Pharping on Wednesday. Speaking on the occasion, ambassador Malinowski said nobody and no nation was safe from international terror. He said we experience terrorism even here, in Nepal, everyday. He thanked the government and people of Nepal for denouncing last year's terror strikes on his country and expressing solidarity with the US in its fight against terror.

THE NEPAL STOCK Exchange (NEPSE) index continued to slide for third straight week reflecting the eroding investors' confidence. The overall index of the market tumbled to 223.03 point on Friday against 223.92 point recorded last Monday. According to NEPSE, the index had slid by 0.84 point and 2.66 point previous weeks. Except for the development bank group, major groups' indices tumbled during the week. Dwindling price of shares coupled with increased selling pressure resulted downfall in the commercial bank group's index, which slid by over 1 point. Likewise, the index of the insurance group, tumbled by over 3 points, while the index of the finance group declined marginally. Indices of the insurance and the finance group slid to 296.79 point and 253.11 point from 299.91 point and 253.13 point during the week respectively.

THE GOVERNMENT IS setting tough measures for those wanting to be employed as school teachers, through new licensing procedures, officials said. The on-going teachers' certification process requires that every teacher needs to undergo training from an accredited training centre. "The on-going teachers' licensing would ultimately restrict an untrained teacher from entering into the profession, but it will be effective after five years," said Biswa Nath Sapkota, chairman of the National Teachers' Service Commission. He said that within the next five years all recruits to the teaching profession must complete formal training to be eligible for a teaching permit. He said that anyone employed as a teacher without training would be barred from teaching once this five-year period expires. The intended policy of the government is to bring about quality education through the recruitment of professionally qualified teachers, officials said.

THE JAPANESE GOVT. has agreed to provide an assistance worth Rs. 75.8 million as part of its debt relief program to Nepal. This is the second installment of the debt relief package granted to Nepal by the Japanese government this year. According to Finance Ministry, the money will be used for procurement of petroleum products and to finance other development works. Finance Secretary Dr. Bimal Koirala and Japanese Ambassador Zenzi Kaminaga signed on an agreement to this effect at the Finance Ministry Tuesday.