Briefs (Spotlight Weekly)

King Gyanendra and Queen Komal return after completing visit to India

AFTER COMPLETING THEIR pilgrimage tour to India, King Gyanendra and Queen Komal returned to the capital on Sunday (March 30). The royal couple had left for India on March 20. They visited various sacred places in India including Rameshwaram, Dwarika, Tirupati and Jagannath Puri. King Gyanendra also met with the Indian President as well as the Indian Prime Minister during the visit.

NINE PEOPLE DIED AND at least sixteen were injured after a bus they were traveling fell down 250 feet from the road. The packed bus coming from Kaldhunga to Banepa fell near Kusundedanda in the Banepa-Bardibas highway. The site of the accident is some 15 kilometer south of Dhulikhel city. The injured have been dispatched to different hospitals in Dhulikhel as well as Kathmandu.

THE FEDERATION OF NEPALESE Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) is engaged in homework to present the concerns of the private sector at the roundtable conference. "The FNCCI is doing its homework to project the private sector's concerns and issues at the roundtable since the Maoists, too, have hinted that they would embrace the open economic system," said Rajendra Kumar Khetan, spokesperson of the federation. Krishna Bahadur Mahara, a member of Maoist negotiating team, had said that the party was not against open economy and private sector's participation, in an interaction with FNCCI officials last week.

THE NEPAL OIL CORPORATION (NOC) has decided not to allow same petrol pump to sell kerosene along with petrol and diesel beginning the next fiscal year in mid-July 2003. The NOC made the decision to stop the adulteration of petrol and diesel (wisth kerosene) as there is still a significant difference in their prices. Earlier, NOC had decided to tinge the kerosene with blue coloration to discourage adulteration.

A RALLY WAS ORGANIZED in the capital on March 31 to protest the ongoing war in Iraq. The rally organized by the Joint Campaign Against US-led Attack on Iraq, a body of Nepalese peace supporters, handed over protest letters addressed to US President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to the respective embassies. Around 20 organizations participated in the rally including 11 leftist parties. Members of Maoists negotiating team Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Matrika Yadav also took part in the rally.

THE LEADERS OF THE MAOISTS and the Unified Marxist Leninist have stated that they would work united-ly against the regression. The members of the Maoist negotiating team headed by Dr. Baburam Bhattarai met with the general secretary of the UML Madhav Kumar Nepal at the latter's residence on Monday (March 31)to discuss the present political crisis in the country. During the meeting the Maoist leaders asked Nepal to shed away the differences and seek a common political ground. The leaders also agreed to narrow down the differences and probe into the past incidents to not repeat any grave mistakes in the coming days. The UML leaders had been criticizing the Maoists for targeting its cadres and local leaders.

A TOTAL OF SIXTEEN TEAMS from various corporate houses participated in the Pepsi Icy Blue Double Wicket Tournament. The tournament was organized by the Hotel Yak & Yeti at the cricket grounds in Tribhuwan University, Kirtipur. The cricket team of the Kantipur Publications won the final of the two-day tournament.

A CIVIC COMMITTEE HAS BEEN FORMED for facilitating the peace talks between the government and the Maoists with Dr. Sundarmani Dixit as the convener. Representatives from different social organizations are included in the committee including Rajeshwor Acharya, Khagendra Bhattarai, Hiranya Lal Shrestha, Dr. Surya Lal Amatya, Dr. Surendra K.C. , Rajendra Kumar Khetan, Dev Prakash Tripathi, Bishnu Pukar Shrestha, Chattyang Master, Chandra Bhandari, Dr. B.K. Thapa, Sushil Chandra Amatya and Shanti Chadha. The committee will work towards bringing about lasting peace in the country.