Briefs (Spotlight Weekly)

IN AN OMINOUS DEVELOPMENT, THE MALARIA has killed two people in recent days in Terai region of the country. The disease has affected thousands of people in the region. With the onset of monsoon, the malaria disease is creating havoc in districts like Jhapa in the east and Kanchanpur in the far west. One person died of the disease in Mahendranagar of Kanchanpur district, according to doctors of the Mahakali zonal hospital. According to the Public Health Office of Jhapa district, the disease, which had affected 574 people last year, has already affected 814 this year.

CALIFORNIAN SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN HAS assured the Nepalese foreign secretary Madhu Raman Acharya that she would re-introduce the bill proposing the duty and quota free access to Nepalese garments. The delegation led by Acharya is currently making rounds in the Washington with the view to revive the bill that could give a strong boost to Nepalese garment sector. Senator Feinstein, who had earlier introduced the bill, withdrew it two months ago to protest the decision by Nepalese government to deport Tibetan asylum-seekers to China. Subsequently, Nepal has already stated that it would continue its earlier policy of handing over Tibetans to UNHCR. Meanwhile, after meeting with Acharya, Senator Feinstein has agreed to revive the bill but only on the condition that similar incidents do not happen in future.

TWO CONJOINED FEMALE TWINS DIED TWO HOURS after their birth in Maternity Hospital, Kathmandu on Thursday (July 24). The twin daughters born to Raj Kumari Thakuri and Arjun Thakuri of Parsa district, shared a common heart and were joined at chest. The ultrasound had revealed what the Thakuri couple had in store some two months ago. But the parents were hoping that the results of ultrasound may not be true.

MADHAV KUMAR NEPAL, GENERAL SECRETARY of the Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) has said that there will be no resolution of the Maoist problem until and unless there is a constitutional government in place. Speaking at a program in Pokhara, Nepal came down hard on the Maoists for continuing to abduct the political workers. "The Maoists must stop targeting political workers and they must stop extorting from people," he said. Nepal also warned that the joint agitation of the five parties against the political regression would enter into stern and stormy phase next month.

THE US ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR South Asian Affairs Christina Rocca has asked both the Nepalese and Bhutanese government to involve United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in resolving the issue of Bhutanese refugees. Rocca told this to the visiting Nepalese foreign secretary Madhu Raman Acharya. She said that the attention of the US has been drawn over the confusion in refugee problem (arising out of JVT report). Rocca even asked Nepal not to thoughtlessly toe the Bhutanese line.

THE PRICES OF MOST OF THE ITEMS FROM consumer goods to luxury goods will increase because of increase on tax on imports, say economists. The coconuts, cashew nuts, which used to be imposed 5 percent duty, will now attract 10 percent. The duties on beers and other alcoholic beverages, too, have been increased. Likewise, the import duty on cement, cigarette, leather goods and sundry other items, too, have been increased by the budget. This is expected to trigger further inflation.

PRIME MINISTER SURYA BAHADUR THAPA SAID that the government would soon fill the vacant positions of ambassadors in Nepalese embassies in France, Germany and Japan. Likewise, the government is planning to depute someone to take over the Nepalese mission in the Washington D.C. as the Nepalese ambassador Jai Pratap Rana has been hospitalized for last couple of months. "All these countries are very important and we should not let these positions remain vacant for too long," said PM Thapa. Likewise, the government is also preparing to appoint chiefs in various constitutional bodies whose current incumbents' tenures are expiring shortly. The position of chief election commissioner, commissioners at the CIAA and members of Public Service Commission are going to become vacant soon. These positions can be filled only with the recommendation of the Constitutional Council. But there is vacancy for two members even in this council.

THE ELECTRICITY-DRIVEN THREE WHEELERS, Safa Tempo (clean tempo) as they are popularly known, will now adopt uniform color so that passengers can identify them as pollution-free and zero emission vehicles. According to Electric Vehicles Association of Nepal (EVAN) general secretary Shankar Prasad Pokharel, "Because the Safa tempo are identical in their structure and color with other three wheelers, people are often confused and they take other tempos as Safa tempos. Even the traffic police are confused and ask for the green stickers, which is mandatory for all fuel-consuming vehicles plying in the valley streets." All Safa tempos will be painted white with a long horizontal stripe on the middle of the body.

A REVOLVING FUND HAS BEEN SET UP BY SENIOR journalist Dhruba Hari Adhikari in memory of his father Nandan Hari Adhikari 'Okhaldhunge' and mother Sharada Devi Upadhyaya. The interest from the fund of Rs 100,000 will be used to honor the best letter to the editor piece in the daily, weekly, fortnightly and monthly newspapers and newsmagazines on issues related to education, health, culture, tourism, environment, foreign affairs, peace and security and other issues of public concern. The honor will be awarded thrice a year. The fund will be managed by Antarrastriya Manch, and a selection committee consisting of journalist Adhikari as convenor, and senior journalist Bhairab Risal, as coordinator has been formed.