Briefs (Spotlight Weekly)

Crown Princess Himani distributing clothes to needy people on the occasion of 33rd Birthday of Crown Prince Paras

NEPAL HAS ASKED OTHER SAARC COUNTRIES to waive the visa fees to the visiting nationals of the regional member states. Nepalese officials made this request at the SAARC program committee meeting in Islamabad. Nepal has already provided this facility to the people of SAARC countries.

SENIOR ADVOCATE ANUP RAJ SHARMA has been appointed as a Justice at the Supreme Court by the King. Sharma has been practicing law for the last three decades. He is a well-known corporate lawyer. Even after his appointment, there are still two vacancies of permanent justices in the Supreme Court.

THE ARMED POLICE FORCE (APF) HAS SACKED two of its security personnel who were charged of raping an adolescent Tharu girl. The two personnel were working at the APF camp in Kusum of Banke district. They had raped the Tharu girl by threatening to kill her.

GOVINDA RAJ JOSHI, FORMER MINISTER AND LEADER of Nepali Congress, who is currently facing graft charges has also been slapped with charges of possessing illegal weapons. The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has slapped new charges against him after it recovered weapons like rifle while conducting raid at Joshi’s residence. Meanwhile, Joshi’s lawyer Upendra Keshari Neupane has ridiculed the CIAA’s action saying that the commission has slapped new charges because its earlier charges on corruption were weak. He also said that the weapons were not illegally possessed.

AFTER A HIATUS OF TWO YEARS, THE Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) resumed its Kathmandu-Karachi operation on Sunday (January 4). The PIA arrived to Kathmandu on Sunday carrying 27 passengers. At present, the PIA will conduct flights twice a week. The flight had been suspended after tensions between India and Pakistan rose and both the countries denied over-flight rights to air carriers of each other. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf had to come via China to take part in January 2002 SAARC Summit in Kathmandu whereas Nepalese Prime Minister recently left for Islamabad via Bangkok due to the suspension of direct flights.

DUE TO THE CONTROVERSY REGARDING the contract of Ramp bus, the domestic flight operators have threatened to halt all their flights beginning next week. The controversy erupted after the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) awarded the contract to operate the Ramp Bus to two private sector companies. However, the flight operators have contended that they cannot allow outsiders to operate Ramp Bus because as per their contract with passengers, they will have to be responsible for transporting them since the time of awarding boarding pass till they get off their plane. At present, the flight operators themselves had been operating the Ramp Bus. The government has said that it would be working to end the controversy within a week.

THE PREPARATIONS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED TO include 36 Village Development Committees (VDCs) located in the outskirts of the city into the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC). According to mayor Keshav Sthapit, the area of the KMC will expand once the Metropolitan Act, which is being drafted, comes into force. “We have completed our part. The VDCs with necessary infrastructure and those with dense population will be included into the metropolitan,” he said. At present there are 58 VDCs in Kathmandu district. Based on the KMC’s report, Local Development Ministry is expected to give the final decision on this issue.

GENERAL BALANANDA SHARMA OF THE Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) has been appointed as a Force Commander of the United Nation’s Peace-keeping force. He is the third Nepalese military officer to be appointed as force commander. Sharma would be leading a peace-keeping force that comprise of soldiers from half a dozen countries, which would monitor peace process in Israel and Syria. His tenure would be of one year. Meanwhile, the RNA has formed a new infantry brigade at Dang district. Named 19-Brigade, it will control part of the areas that 4-Brigade has been covering. A brigade usually consists of 3000-4000 soldiers.

ACCORDING TO THE REPORT OF NEPAL RASTRA BANK (NRB), the exports increased by 12.1 percent in the first three months of the current fiscal year 2003/04 compared to the same period last fiscal year. This rise was triggered by growth in the exports of pulses, handicraft, refined leather, woolen carpet and Lokta paper. The exports of pulses increased by 633 percent, handicraft by 263 percent and refined leather by 60 percent in the review period. The total exports in this period were worth Rs 11.69 billion. On the other hand, the imports have also risen. The imports in this period increased by 19.3 percent to reach Rs 32.32 billion.

THE COLD WAVE THAT IS SWEEPING THE TERAI REGION of the country for the past couple of days is expected to linger on for more days, said weather experts (on January 3). The cold wave has affected lives in cities like Nepalgunj, Bhairahawa, Bigunj and Janakpur. “The maximum temperature in Terai has dipped substantially,” said Mani Ratna Shakya, an expert at the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology. In these cities the maximum temperature was recorded below 12 while the minimum temperature hovered around 10 degree Celsius. The experts say that the cold wave will disappear if there is a rainfall.