WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR

Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXVIII No. 282 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 26.8 C -2.0 C Thursday, December 10, 2020 | 25-08-2077 Biratnagar Jumla Poor to miss out Chand party’s killing on inoculation as rich nations have of school principal is hoarded vaccines a grim reminder of Amnesty and other groups urge action to ensure that intellectual property of the Maoist conflict vaccines is shared widely. Analysts say the government appears to be failing in its REUTERS PARIS, DEC 9 approach to deal with the Communist Party of Nepal,

Rich countries have secured enough which has been involved in violent activities for long. coronavirus vaccines to protect their populations nearly three times over by BINOD GHIMIRE The Mechi-Koshi bureau of the out- the end of 2021, Amnesty International KATHMANDU, DEC 9 fit had abducted Shrestha from his and other groups said on Wednesday, home in Miklajung Rural Munici- possibly depriving billions of people The brutal killing of a school teacher pality-1 before killing him on Tuesday. in poorer areas. in Morang after abduction by the Shrestha was working as the princi- Britain approved Pfizer’s Covid-19 Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist pal of Saraswati Basic School in vaccine this month, raising hopes that Party of Nepal has raised the spectre Ramite of the rural municipality. the tide could soon turn against a of a renewed conflict in the country. “A group of four to five unidentified virus that has killed nearly 1.5 million The Chand outfit is a splinter of the people abducted Shrestha from his globally, hammered the world econo- Maoist party that led a decade-long house, took him about a kilometre my and upended normal life. war against the state, leaving over away before killing him and fled,” said Amnesty and other organisations 13,000 dead, 1,333 disappeared and Deputy Inspector General Ishwar including Frontline AIDS, Global hundreds of thousands displaced by Babu Karki, the Province 1 police Justice Now and Oxfam, urged govern- the time it ended in 2006. chief. “Shrestha’s hands were tied. ments and the pharmaceutical indus- The KP Sharma Oli administration His body was found in a nearby forest try to take action to ensure intellectual in March last year had branded the with a slit throat.” property of vaccines is shared widely. Chand-led party a criminal outfit and Issuing a statement on Tuesday The World Health Organisation has banned its activities. The move fol- night, the party’s Mechi-Koshi bureau also called on governments repeatedly lowed two blasts in the Capital and the said that the party “took action” this year to make a vaccine protecting death of a person. against Shrestha “for working as an against Covid-19 a “public good”. The Four people lost their lives when informant” for the police. WHO has backed a global vaccine pro- bombs planted by the party went off Analysts and former security offi- gramme scheme known as COVAX, in five places in Kathmandu and cials say people had taken some blasts which seeks to ensure equitable distri- Lalitpur on May 26, 2019. and violent acts by the Chand-led bution of vaccines and 189 countries Though the Oli government had party as isolated incidents but have joined. But some countries such invited the Chand-led party for talks, Tuesday’s killing of a school principal as the United States have not signed the outfit refused, demanding that the has unleashed terror and generated up, having secured bilateral deals. ban be lifted first and it be recognised fear if the country is going back to the COVAX hopes to deliver some 2 bil- as a political party. era of the armed conflict. lion doses by the end of 2021 but that The outfit’s act to brutally kill “A political force doesn’t kill an would still only represent about 20% Rajendra Kumar Shrestha, 54, “in individual in such a brutal manner,” of the populations of countries that retaliation”, however, has raised a said Hemant Malla, a former deputy are part of the mechanism. POST PHOTO: DEEPAK KC question over its claim that it is a inspector general. >> Continued on page 6 A young cyclist practises stunt on an empty road at Manahara in the Capital on Wednesday. political force. >> Continued on page 2 Europeans not impressed by Nepal’s efforts to improve aviation safety yet Breaking up the civil aviation authority is a prerequisite to getting the country removed from the European Union’s Air blacklist, which runs into the eighth straight year.

SANGAM PRASAIN “It would be key for this legislation Kasthamandap had been revoked, and KATHMANDU, DEC 9 to be adopted by Parliament and sub- that new carriers Heli Everest and sequently implemented,” said the Kailash Helicopter Services had been While the European Union applauded Delegation of the European Union to certified. the Nepal government’s firm commit- Nepal in a statement. “This would “They also reported that Muktinath ment to improving its air safety mech- allow the Commission to advance with Airlines had changed its name to anism, the lawmaking body—the the process of eventually removing Prabhu Helicopters,” according to the European Commission—has ques- Nepal from the EU Air Safety List.” EU’s official journal. tioned the issuance of air operator Based on this announcement, “Since the Civil Aviation Authority certificates to new Nepali carriers Tourism Minister Yogesh Bhattarai of Nepal has not demonstrated a suffi- without sufficient compliance with was quick to say that Nepali carriers cient ability to implement and enforce international safety standards. will soon be removed from the EU Air the relevant safety standards, the issu- The ban on airlines from Nepal Safety List as there has been progress ance of air operator certificates to from flying to Europe for their failure in splitting the Civil Aviation those new air carriers does not guar- to adhere to safety standards has Authority of Nepal into two entities– antee sufficient compliance with entered its eighth year. regulator and service provider. international safety standards,” the journal stated. “In accordance with the common criteria set out in the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 2111/2005, the Commission, therefore, considers that with respect to air carriers from Nepal the list of air carriers which are sub- ject to an operating ban within the Union should be amended to include Heli Everest and Kailash Helicopter Services in Annex A to Regulation (EC) No 474/2006 and to remove Air Kasthamandap from that Annex.” At least two sources at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said they were unaware of the developments. The European Commission has con- tinued its ban on Nepali airlines for eight consecutive years through an updated EU Air Safety List published on December 2. On December 5, 2013, the Commission had imposed a blanket ban on all airlines from Nepal from POST FILE PHOTO flying into the EU. On December 5, 2013, the European Commission imposed a blanket ban on all airlines from Raj Kumar Chettri, spokesperson Nepal from flying into the European Union. for the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, said they were not aware of the On December 7, coinciding with Nepal has yet to fulfil its commit- June report, but that there had been International Civil Aviation Day, the ment to breaking up the civil aviation significant progress on the safety EU said that the Commission was body, a prerequisite to getting the front. “We are confident of being aware of the efforts made by Nepal, country removed from the EU Air removed from the air safety list within notably with regard to a new aviation Safety List. a few months,” he said. bill before Parliament. On June 2, the Commission had The European Commission had questioned the ability of Nepal’s asked that Nepal’s civil aviation body aviation regulatory body to be fragmented with a clear demarca- enforce sufficient safety compli- tion of its powers and responsibilities ance. because its dual functions gave rise to It requested the Civil Aviation a conflict of interest. Authority of Nepal on April 22 to The Civil Aviation Authority of provide a list of all air operator Nepal Bill and the Air Service certificate holders certified in Authority of Nepal Bill, proposing to Nepal as part of its continuous separate the aviation body, were at the monitoring activities. final stages of being passed by the On May 3, the civil aviation National Assembly during the budget regulator informed the session of the federal parliament that Commission that the air opera- ended on July 2. tor certificate of Air >> Continued on page 2

C M Y K THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020 | 02 NATIONAL Chand party’s killing ... Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal claims >> Continued from page 1 But somehow, according to Malla, it has become apparent that the government failed to deal with the outfit in an effective manner. Chand had deserted the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led Maoist party in responsibility for murder of school principal 2012, along with Mohan Baidya and Ram Bahadur Thapa, saying that the party had left the “people’s war” halfway. Chand formed his own Communist Party of Nepal in 2014 to launch what he calls The party said it took action against Rajendra Kumar Shrestha for being an informant to police and helping them arrest its cadres. “unified people’s revolution” alleging that Dahal’s Maoist party abandoned the revolution after it joined mainstream politics in 2006. MADHAV GHIMIRE & BINOD BHANDARI Two years later, Chand parted ways with Baidya and Thapa; the BIRATNAGAR, DEC 9 latter returned to the Dahal’s Maoist party in 2016. In 2018, Thapa was appointed home minister in the Oli Cabinet. The Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Thapa has since taken a tough stance against Chand. The admin- Party of Nepal has claimed responsibility istration has so far arrested around 500 Chand-party members. for the murder of a school principal in Since its formation, the party has been involved in violent activi- Morang. ties, including attacks on some private companies, and extortions. According to DIG Ishwar Babu Karki, Immediately after the Chand outfit was branded a criminal police chief of Province 1, Rajendra group, it had vowed to retaliate. Kumar Shrestha, 54, was abducted from In May last year, Thapa said that the party had “four military his residence at Barkhe in Miklajung companies”. Rural Municipality-1 and subsequently Analysts say the government either underestimated the Chand- murdered on Tuesday. Shrestha was the led party or kept on using excessive force, rather than making principal of Saraswati Basic School in constant efforts to bring it to the talks table. On a couple of occa- Ramite of the rural municipality. sions, security personnel killed Chand-party cadres after arrests. “A group of four to five unidentified According to Geja Sharma Wagle, who writes on political and people abducted Shrestha from his house, security matters for the Post’s sister paper Kantipur, the govern- took him about a kilometre away and ment failed to make a proper assessment of the political and secu- killed him,” said Karki. “Shrestha’s hands rity dimensions of Chand’s party. were tied and throat slit when his body “If the government thought it could contain the outfit by force, was recovered in a nearby forest.” it should have mobilised security forces accordingly,” Wagle told Issuing a statement on Tuesday night, the Post. “It looks like the authorities completely lost the plot; it the party’s Mechi-Koshi bureau said that failed to devise a proper plan—neither politically nor securi- the party ‘took action’ against Shrestha as ty-wise—to find a solution to the problems posed by the group.” retaliation for being an informant to the Though Chand’s Communist Party of Nepal does not use the police and helping them in the arrest of “Maoist” tag anymore, its activities are similar to those of the party leaders and cadres. Maoist party that led the decade-long war. The party, in its statement, has accused Fourteen years after the peace deal, conflict victims are still Shrestha of being an informant to the awaiting justice, while none involved in committing serious crimes police for a long time and not heeding to during the war has been booked. There are now concerns if failure the warnings issued by the party. The to conclude the transitional justice process and to bring even a statement further says that Shrestha was PHOTO COURTESY: SAROJ POKHAREL single individual to book for war crimes is prompting the Chand- responsible for the arrest of two party Shrestha was abducted from his house in Miklajung Rural Municipality, Morang on Tuesday. He was later found murdered in a nearby forest. led party to resort to violence and killing. members on October 28. After Tuesday’s incident, Home Minister Thapa on Wednesday The statement, signed by Mechi-Koshi taken place if the government had lis- We are yet to ascertain the identity of the Shrestha had been living there with his called a meeting of the Security Committee which consists of the Bureau in-charge Pratap, claims that tened to us,” said Province 1 lawmaker people involved in the murder,” said wife, as he was the headteacher at a local chiefs of Nepal Police, the Armed Police Force and the National Shrestha was killed because he attacked Kul Prasad Limbu. Superintendent of Police Santosh community school. He is survived by a Intelligence Department. some party members who had reached his There are seven houses in Barkhe, a Khadka. According to him, security teams wife, a son and a daughter. According to officials, the meeting concluded that Chand’s activ- house to talk with a weapon. remote hill settlement in Morang that is from the provincial police office and the Shrestha’s son and daughter-in-law live ities are becoming serious. The Chand-led party has been active in yet to be connected with the national road district police office of Morang, Dhankuta, in Rachana of Tandi, which is about a “The committee directed the police to control the violence of Ramite, a remote area in Miklajung Rural network. The entire settlement is terror- Ilam and Panchthar have been mobilised five-hour walk from Ramite. According to Chand’s outfit but also to exercise restraint while doing so,” said Municipality that shares its borders with ised by Tuesday’s incident. to search for the culprits. “We have sealed Devi Acharya, chairman of the local unit, an official at the Home Ministry who wished to remain anonymous Ilam, Panchthar and Dhankuta districts, “Villagers are living in fear; they have off the Miklajung area and have initiated Shrestha’s wife Dhan Kumari moved to because he was not allowed to speak with the media. in recent times owing to its geographical not come out of their houses after a manhunt.” her son’s residence on Tuesday. Indrajit Rai, a security adviser to Home Minister Thapa, said the location and almost no presence of securi- Shrestha’s killing,” said Nar Bahadur SP Khadka admitted that there’s a poor Shreshta’s body was taken to Dharan- Chand-led outfit had so far been resorting to some violent acts, ty forces. The nearest security forces are Rai, the ward chief of Miklajung-1. security presence in the northern part of based BP Koirala Institute of Health prompting the government to ban its activities. stationed in Urlabari which is some 30 According to him, the villagers have Morang, including Ramite. “We are pre- Sciences on Tuesday for postmortem. “But Tuesday’s killing is a terrorist act,” Rai told the Post. “If kilometres from the rural municipality. been demanding that security personnel paring to set up a police post in the area,” “We are preparing to bring the body to such incidents continue, either the Cabinet or the prime minister “We have time and again asked the be deployed in the area. said Khadka. his son’s home by Wednesday night and should take a concrete step to deal with the outfit.” Home Ministry to set up a police station Meanwhile, police are still searching Miklajung Rural Municipality was perform his funeral rites at Nunsarighat Shrestha’s killing on Tuesday also comes as a reminder of one of in Ramite but our pleas have gone unheed- for the people responsible for the crime. formed by merging the then Remitekhola, in the Bakraha stream on Thursday,” said the most gruesome acts of violence carried out by the Maoist party ed. Tuesday’s incident would not have “Search for the culprits is underway. Madhumalla, Tandi and Jante VDCs. Acharya. when it killed Muktinath Adhikari, also a school teacher, in January 2002. The Oli administration in August 2018 had constituted a Political Dialogue Committee led by Nepal Communist Party (NCP) leader Som Prasad Pandey to hold dialogue with various disgruntled Europeans not groups, including the Chand-led party. Water supply projects in Sudurpaschim “But this group is divided; some leaders want dialogue and oth- ers do not,” Pandey told the Post. “I have not been in touch with this outfit lately, even though I had tried to establish contacts infor- impressed by Nepal’s ... mally for some time after the committee’s term ended.” left incomplete due to lack of funds The committee’s tenure ended in March last year. >> Continued from page 1 Pandey said during his talks with government officials and Over a hundred drinking water projects have not received additional budget. The bills had already been okayed by the Legislation Chand’s outfit—as the chair of the committee and after the com- Management Committee of the Assembly. But the gov- mittee’s term ended as well—he always stressed that dialogue was MOHAN BUDHAAIR these projects will take 20 more on its own. ernment’s abrupt decision to prorogue Parliament, the only solution. DHANGADHI, DEC 9 years,” said Kunwar. “The provincial government has which was largely guided by internal problems in the The formation of the dialogue committee, according to Malla, The government’s 15th plan to sup- been adding new projects every year ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), left the two bills the former police official, was a right step by the government. Construction works on dozens of ply drinking water to 40 percent of despite there being several incom- in limbo. “But after its term ended, no sincere initiatives were taken to drinking water projects in the province’s population does not plete projects on the pipeline,” said Officials at the civil aviation body said that the bring the Chand-led party to the negotiating table,” Malla told the Sudurpaschim Province have seem likely to happen, officials at the Kunwar, adding that the new projects Legislation Management Committee of the upper house Post. “Now the government seems to be lacking the strategy to deal remained incomplete for the past Drinking Water and Sanitation of the provincial government also had already passed the bills, so it will not take much with the problems posed by the outfit.” decade. Mohan Kunwar, chief engi- Division Office in Dhangadhi say. lack sufficient budget. time to register them at the lower house for deliberation The same month the term of the dialogue committee ended last neer at the Drinking Water and According to the Office, drinking The data of the Drinking Water and approval. The two pieces of legislation will become year, the Oli administration had signed a deal with CK Raut’s Sanitation Division Office in water projects in the province and Sanitation Division Office law after they are signed by the President. Alliance for Independent Madhesh. It was seen as a major feat of Dhangadhi, said works on most of have not gained momentum due showed that out of 59 drinking water The government has been working on the proposed the Oli government for being able to make Raut quit his secession- the projects have been delayed due to to limited budget allocation. projects of the provincial govern- legislation for the last 10 years, but it was plagued by ist campaign. Days later, the Oli government branded Chand-party a lack of budget. Minister for Physical Infrastructures ment, 22 are new ones. But the total bureaucracy at every step. a criminal outfit, in what looked like a coercive method to make it “Large scale projects don’t get Pathan Singh Bohara blames the budget allocation for such projects is Following pressure from a number of global aviation renounce its armed struggle. enough budget to continue with their federal government for being just Rs 230 million. watchdog groups, the Cabinet had given the go-ahead to Malla said there is no alternative to dialogue and the govern- work,” said Kunwar. negligent in overseeing the projects’ “Each of the projects costs Rs 50 to the Tourism Ministry in July last year to draft two sepa- ment should not give up on its efforts to bring the Chand-led party Over a hundred drinking water completion. Rs 100 million. In the current fiscal rate bills to split up the Civil Aviation Authority. to talks. projects that were handed over by the While the projects of the federal year, only five to 10 percent of the “We are hopeful that Parliament’s winter session will “There seems to be a lack of coordination between the Home federal government to the provincial government have remained incom- total projects can move forward,” begin this month, and that the bills will be passed by Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office,” Malla told the Post. “It’s government have not received addi- plete due to budget shortage, the pro- Kunwar said. “This is why these pro- both houses,” said Chettri, the spokesperson. “We expect ultimately the general public who will suffer if the government tional budget. vincial government has been initiat- jects will also take more than a dec- it will take at least 60 days for the two pieces of legisla- tries to contain the outfit with force.” “At this pace, the construction of ing separate drinking water projects ade to complete.” tion to be approved.” Ghunsa folk staying back this winter due to Covid-19 ANANDA GAUTAM TAPLEJUNG, DEC 9

Every year, Ghunsa residents migrate to warmer places to avoid the bitter cold during winter. But this year, around 75 percent of the total popula- tion have stayed back in their villages because of the Covid-19 pandemic and a lack of income. Sonam Sherpa of Phaktanglung Rural Municipality Ward No. 7 in Ghunsa, Taplejung, is not leaving the village this year. In the previ- ous years, he would go to Phungling, the district headquarters of Taplejung, or to Kathmandu to get away from the cold. But this year, he does not have the money to make the journey and to fund his stay in the cities. “The pandemic has affected every sector, espe- cially tourism,” said Sonam Sherpa. “We will have to survive this winter somehow.” POST PHOTO: ANANDA GAUTAM The temperature in Ghunsa has been recorded Villagers from high-altitude settlements migrate to warmer areas every winter to avoid the cold. between four to eight degree Celsius in the past few days, says Yangjom Sherpa, chairman of a room in Bouddha, Kathmandu. He is paying Rs village during the winter,” said Tashi Sherpa, a Ghunsa Foundation. 18,000 per month as rental for a one-bedroom flat. resident of Ghunsa. Ghunsa, a settlement that lies at an altitude of “My family stays in Kathmandu for three to Similarly, the local population of Mustang in 3,100 metres, is a picturesque area that attracts four months and the rest of the year we lock up Gandaki Province have decided to stay put in many tourists. Tourists make their way to the room. I plan to return to Ghunsa by mid-Feb- their villages due to Covid-19 fears. Most of them Kanchenjunga via Ghunsa, which allows the ruary since my brother is staying alone in the plan to spend the cold winter days preserving local population to earn their living through village,” he said. “I usually stay longer.” gumbas, chhorten and mani in the villages. tourism. This year, however, there was no tourist Until four years ago, all the houses in Ghunsa “Only those people who have houses in footfall and the local people could not earn much. would get padlocked from mid-December. But Pokhara and Kathmandu left the villages. All “The temperature is dipping by the day. The since the establishment of the Border Police other villagers have stayed back this winter,” streams have ice water and surviving the winter Office in Ghunsa, some of the families stay back. said Raju Bista, chairman of Loghekar looks difficult,” said Pembaphuti Sherpa of Last winter, 12 families had stayed in Ghunsa. Damodarkunda Rural Municipality. Phaktanglung. “We have had no income in the “This year, 30 to 32 families have stayed back. Most residents of Mustang descend to the past year. Tourists did not come to Ghunsa due to So far, five houses have migrated to warmer lower altitude for four months starting from the pandemic.” areas; another three to four families are prepar- November each year. But this winter, the global Most families in Ghunsa run homestays and ing to leave,” said Tansi Sherpa, a representative pandemic has made their yearly move infeasible. those who don’t rear chauris and yaks. “But this of the Kanchanjunga Conservation Area. “We used to descend to the lower altitude to year, we haven’t been able to sell either our live- Currently, there are 46 families in Ghunsa. avoid the cold and engage in mobile trading. We stock or dairy products since Tiptala Bhanjyang, According to the local residents, they have to could not do so this year due to the coronavirus the border with China, has been closed amid spend at least Rs 200,000 to Rs 300,000 for a two- pandemic,” said Namgyal Gurung of Covid-19 fears,” said Pembaphuti. month stay outside of Ghunsa. Lomanthang Rural Municipality Ward No 5. Pemba Chhembel Lama, chief at the gumba in “When we migrate, we have to factor in house Ghunsa, reached Kathmandu a few days ago. rent, food and other expenses. With no income Ghanashyam Khadka in Myagdi contributed Lama, who has five family members, has rented this year, we couldn’t afford to move out of the reporting.

C M Y K 03 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020 NATIONAL

BRIEFING Phase-III trial of

Sit-in protest demanding favipiravir starts resettlement, compensation GORKHA: Local residents affected by in Kathmandu Budhigandaki Hydropower Project in Gorkha have been staging a sit-in for the past one week demanding for and Pokhara their resettlement and release of compensation amount for their land ARJUN POUDEL acquired by the project. The protest- KATHMANDU, DEC 9 ing residents started the sit-in in front of the project’s office in Nepal Health Research Council has Siurentar under the banner of decided to test antiviral medicine favi- Budhigandaki Hydropower Project piravir on Covid-19 patients admitted National Concerned Committee from to hospitals in Kathmandu and December 2. “We have requested law- Pokhara. makers representing Gorkha and The drug, which is being adminis- Dhading to take the initiative to tered under a phase-III trial, will be address our demands. We will launch given to 600 patients with mild or mod- Kathmandu-centric protests if our erate symptoms of the contagious dis- demands are not addressed within ease. three weeks,” said Hareram Dhakal, “Yes the trial has started in the committee’s coordinator. Kathmandu and in Pokhara,” a doctor involved in the study, told the post, asking not to be named, Indian SSB men obstruct Favipiravir, originally made to treat culvert construction flu in Japan, is being manufactured by PARASI: Personnel from the Indian Deurali-Janta Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Shasatra Seema Bal have obstructed Ltd in Nepal. construction of a culvert in Ward No. “The Department of Drug 6 of Pratappur Rural Municipality in Administration has decided to allow Nawalparasi (West). The construction the use of the drug to treat patients work of Postal Highway has come to POST PHOTO: KABIN ADHIKARI infected with novel or re-emerging a halt since Monday due the obstruc- A man rides a scooter near a collapsed road section at Tarkeshwor Municipality, Kathmandu. The section was buit just a year ago. influenza infections,” Hari Bhakta tion of the SSB men. Deepak Thapa, a Sharma, executive director at Deurali- representative of the contractor com- Janta Pharmaceuticals, told the Post. pany, said, “The Indian security per- “But we have manufactured it for use sonnel did not allow us to continue in the treatment of the Covid patients our work citing that the culvert falls in Nepal.” on no-man’s-land.” According to Sharma, favipiravir Several holes in new foreign policy has shown significant activity against several RNA viruses for which effec- Electric buses to be operated tive treatment is yet to be found. Covid-19 is also an RNA virus. He said within nine months in Bagmati that the drug is already being used in HETAUDA: Bagmati provincial govern- document, leaders and experts say Japan, China, India, Turkey, ment has been prepared to operate Bangladesh, Canada,Thailand, electric buses in major cities of the Indonesia and other countries to treat province within nine months. The Policy should have been prepared with wider consultations to address pertinent global issues, observers point out. Covid-19 patients. Ministry of Physical Infrastructure “We started producing the drug Development has formed a board for after the outbreak of coronavirus in the operation and management of ANIL GIRI es?” asked Khadka. “What was the and track-two diplomacy to resolve between the US and China. Wuhan,” Sharma said. “Infected electric buses in the cities. KATHMANDU, DEC 9 urgent need to make it public?” disputes, amend bilateral treaties and “It, therefore, is a new document that patients need to be administered 122 Rameshwor Phuyal, Minister for According to two joint secretaries at collaborate with friendly nations to continues the traditional approach tablets for 14 days for them to fight the Physical Infrastructure Development, Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the pursue Nepal’s interests. Nepal has been adopting for centuries. infection.” said the electric buses will gradually unveiled the government’s new foreign idea of drafting a new foreign policy Commenting on the new policy, for- It is to some extent, a traditional, However, the drug is not free of con- replace other vehicles in the cities. policy on Sunday, more than a year was conceived after the national dia- mer foreign secretary Madhuraman incomplete, and abstract document troversy. after work on the document began. logue on foreign policy. Later, a team Acharya tweeted, “ It would have been with some political colour,” he added. Doctors say patients can fight coro- Even after preparing the document of joint secretaries headed by Ramkaji better to introduce [a] mechanism of The much-touted political slogan of navirus naturally in 14 days even if without consulting experts both with- Khadka was formed to complete it. integrating the foreign policy with Prime Minister Oli (“Prosperous they don’t take any medicine. That the in the government and in major polit- Before the Cabinet approved the national security and economic poli- Nepal, Happy Nepali”) is mentioned drug manufacturing company said ical parties, Gyawali said the dossier text on October 20, the policy draft was cies. Reference to “small” countries twice in the policy and this is ridicu- patients need to be administered the is a “consensus” document prepared sent to various ministries for their could have been avoided, as we don’t lous and bizarre, said Wagle. drug for 14 days sounds unconvincing, by major stakeholders. inputs. The ministry said it also con- merit that. Would be better to have [our Despite its shortcomings, the new they said. Party leaders and foreign policy sulted some former ambassadors and document envisions some policies, “Yes there is controversy surround- observers and experts say the new pol- experts. strategies and tactics to achieve its ing the use of the drug. That’s why we icy has several shortcomings and holes The ministry took into account Senior ruling party goal and objectives, Wagle told the are conducting the trial to test the and questioned the government’s whatever party representatives said Post. “But there is an absence of the effectiveness of the drug,” a doctor capacity to implement the policy. during the one-day seminar organised leader says they much-needed coherence among poli- involved in the clinical trial told the “We have former prime ministers in by the ministry last year, and did not cies, strategies and tactics as proposed Post. “The study should be taken posi- Mayadevi Temple in Lumbini the party and we have a separate for- consult even leaders from the ruling were not aware of in the document.” tively as we have not said the medicine opens for visitors eign affairs department. We have for- party. the policy document. The Oli administration has faced works perfectly.” LUMBINI: Mayadevi Temple, the birth mer foreign ministers as well as mem- Shadow foreign minister Khadka criticism for its lopsided foreign poli- He claimed that countries like India place of Lord Buddha, has been bers of Parliament,” said Former said that though the foreign minister cy, with critics saying it lacks orienta- and many others have been using the opened for visitors. Tourism Minister Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, claimed that the document is a con- tion. Nepal’s foreign policy has tradi- said medicine while treating infected Yogesh Bhattarai entered the historic who heads the ruling Nepal sensus policy document, the main eyes on the] post-LDC policy scenario.” tionally revolved around neighbours patients. site on Sunday and announced that Communist Party’s foreign affairs opposition Nepali Congress may not The Oli government is now halfway India and China. The drug can’t be used on pregnant the temple was open for devotees and department. “None of us was aware of own it. through its tenure. Analysts say While ties with Delhi were at a his- women, as it is known to have adverse- visitors. The government had closed the policy document.” “Why do we need such lengthy for- instead of strengthening its foreign toric low due to Nepal’s move to pub- ly affected the foetus. the temple on March 24 amid fears of While making the policy public on eign policy dossiers at a time when policy over the last two and a half lish a new political map by incorporat- Earlier, the medical council had Covid-19 spread. According to Sunday, foreign minister Gyawali had alliance between the US and India is years, it has left it in a disarray. With ing territories administered by India, conducted trials for another antiviral Lumbini Development Trust, visitors said that its fundamental objective is growing and there are attempts to the Foreign Ministry working on a Beijing has been making inroads into drug remdesivir. Contrary to the find- should follow health security protocol to protect and promote the country’s corner China? Where do we stand?” new foreign policy document, it’s a Nepal, observers say. The Oli govern- ings of Solidarity Trial, an interna- while entering the temple area. national interest. Nepal needs such a asked Khadka. good time to orient it towards meeting ment is also in a fix when it comes to tional clinical trial carried out by the policy that can define Nepal’s role in “Does the Foreign Ministry have domestic needs and promoting and its position on matters related to the World Health Organization, the coun- the changed geopolitical, regional and that profile or strength to cope up with defending the national interest. United States, largely because of the cil had claimed that remdesivir Four crushers in Gorkha global context, said the minister refer- these challenges? What are the The policy has touched upon a wide ways leaders in the ruling party look showed mixed results in Nepal and ring to conclusions from the National resources at its disposal?” questioned range of dimensions of foreign policy, at Washington. was effective in treatment of serious found operating illegally Dialogue on Foreign Policy organised the Congress leader. “The foreign min- including emerging issues of econom- Foreign policy or international rela- cases of Covid-19. GORKHA: Four crusher plants have last year by the ministry. istry has no role to play even when the ic diplomacy, public diplomacy, labour tions keep changing, so this policy will The UN health agency however, in been found to have been running Senior Nepali Congress leader and prime minister meets diplomats with- diplomacy, climate change, soft power change as time goes on, said Prof its interim result said that remdesivir, against government rules in Gorkha, shadow foreign minister Narayan out prior notice. So how can we believe and track-two diplomacy to make it Khadga KC, former head of the along with other three drugs, have a recent study by the District Khadka raised several questions the ministry is capable of dealing comprehensive, Geja Sharma Wagle, Department of International Relations ‘little or no effect’ on overall mortality, Administration Office shows. Devi about the new policy saying that the with the challenges ?” who writes on foreign policy and stra- at Tribhuvan University said. initiation of ventilation and duration Pandey Khatri, assistant chief dis- new policy sounds like an essay writ- The policy broadly talks about tegic issues for Kantipur Daily, the “Having a single and integrated pol- of hospital stay in the hospitalised trict officer, said they have sent the ten by a political science student. “It Nepal’s engagement with its neigh- Post sister’s publication said. icy is good. But besides holding one patients. details of the crushers to the has several holes and shortcomings,” bours, major powers and its commit- But the new policy lacks a substan- national dialogue on foreign policy, A doctor actively taking part in the Ministry of Home Affairs. On Sunday, he added. ment towards multilateral organisa- tive vision and ideas to deal with the the foreign ministry should have study told the Post that they have also the administration had also notified The document states Nepal faces tions such as the UN, Saarc and oth- multidimensional geopolitical and organised one more wider consulta- been assigned to compare the efficacy respective local governments to close around 20 foreign policy challenges. ers. daunting strategic challenges of the tion so that policy would get wider of the favipiravir with that of remde- illegal crusher plants. “But can we cope with those challeng- It has also emphasised economic 21st century vis-à-vis the face-off acceptance and ownership,” said KC. sivir. Authorities consider change in rules to check people leaving on visit visas to work

CHANDAN KUMAR MANDAL out the knowledge of English lan- on a visit visa must have an insurance Only recently, the Department of KATHMANDU, DEC 9 guage cannot travel abroad,” said scheme of Rs 2 million and prove their Foreign Employment raided several Jeevan Baniya, assistant director at relations with the relatives they are recruiting agencies and seized hun- To stem the illegal flow of Nepali Centre for the Study of Labour and visiting abroad. dreds of passports of aspirant migrant migrant workers to foreign countries Mobility. As of now, a person going abroad on workers who were reportedly being on visit visas, the government has He noted that it was against the a visit visa only needed a valid visa, sent to the Gulf countries on visit proposed some changes in its labour constitution to restrict an individual’s two-way tickets, accommodation visas. migration laws, which includes right to free movement. arrangements and currency equiva- While the incident may have English language communication “Telling someone not to travel lent to US$1,000 as travel expenses. spurred the Department of capacity for travellers. because they cannot communicate The immigration department is Immigration to propose changes in In the last several weeks, there has well in English is plain irrational.” currently deliberating on the changes the Immigration Procedures, 2008, been an unprecedented increase in the Ramesh Kumar KC, director gener- to be made in the Immigration labour migration experts say that number of Nepalis going abroad on al of Department of Immigration, Procedures, 2008 and it is expected to before proposing changes in the law, visit visas allegedly to stay there as said while they expected some level of be finalised within a couple of weeks. the concerned government agencies undocumented workers. English language fluency for passen- Labour migration experts say the should have investigated why many This trend caught the attention of gers visiting abroad, the English use of visit visas to send people abroad Nepali citizens are using visit visas to various law enforcement agencies and requirement law was not at all intend- for jobs is a practice that is by and go abroad for work and who is facili- raised alarm. ed to trample on an individual’s right large associated with foreign employ- tating their movement. The concerned government bodies to movement. ment agencies and that the govern- Baniya, the assistant director at the are now considering some changes in “We have been hearing that people ment should introduce laws to regu- Centre for the Study of Labour and the migration rules to discourage the have been flying abroad on visit visas POST FILE PHOTO late and monitor dishonest agencies Mobility, said many people are desper- people who try to leave the country for so that they could work there. We have Besides English language skills, the Department of Immigration has also proposed that rather than individuals. ate to go abroad for jobs due to the lack overseas jobs by dodging the labour been trying to make some changes in anyone going abroad on a visit visa must buy insurance worth Rs2 million. “The so-called airport setting, of employment opportunities at home migration laws. the laws to make the process stricter, where workers are sent abroad on and the situation has gone worse Among several changes proposed by safer and well-managed,” KC told the es in migration laws intended at cur- was not the only deciding factor. visit visas in collusion with immigra- because of the Covid-19 pandemic. the Department of Immigration in the Post. tailing the incidents of fraud and mal- “We only expect for a person to at tion officers, airport staff and recruit- “For several months, workers have labour migration laws is mandatory “In a difficult situation, the govern- practice still needed some finetuning. least say where they are going as it has ment agencies, is a known issue in the not been able to go on foreign employ- English language communication pro- ment can make some changes with the “The intention seems right. But if been found that several passengers foreign employment sector. ment and are now desperate to migrate ficiency, a rule that is already being view of protecting its citizens.” the government were to impose the didn’t even know about the destina- The government has formed task as labour migration has finally criticised by some labour migration KC added changes to the existing English language law, then only a few tion country,” KC told the Post. forces to investigate this issue and resumed. Even recruiting agencies experts. Immigration Procedures, 2008 have thousands might be able to go abroad,” “Knowledge of English is not a com- several lawmakers and ministers have are under financial pressure to do The proposed requirement for pas- been proposed in order to check the Nepal said. “Such a law could also pulsory rule. If a person who cannot talked on the record about the preva- their business, so in this rush, they sengers to exhibit some level of trend of people flying abroad on visit drive people to travel via India to communicate in English is travelling lence of this collusion,” said Nepal of are luring unwitting clients and try- English communication capacity visas with the intention of working reach the labour destination countries with a family member who can, then it the Equidem Research. “When these ing to send them abroad for jobs on might have been proposed with a sin- there. of their desire, which could invite does not mean that the person won’t cases are recorded, the government visit visas,” he said. cere intention but it lacks logic, and it Rameshwar Nepal, South Asia more problems.” be allowed to fly.” authorities should prosecute the con- Baniya added, “The government may not yield the expected results, director of Equidem Research, a KC, director general of the Besides English language skill, the cerned recruitment agencies who should rather effectively monitor experts say. UK-based human rights research Department of Immigration, however, Department of Immigration has also exploit innocent and desperate work- those agencies which facilitate such “The rule sounds as if those with- organisation, said the proposed chang- contended that English language skill proposed that anyone visiting abroad ers who could not find jobs at home.” illegal migration of workers.”

C M Y K THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020 | 04 OPINION EDITORIAL Language jingoism

Schools or lives The selective outrage of ruling Reopening schools requires a thorough party leaders on the use of assessment of the implications. English terms and letters shows their hypocrisy. As Nepal’s seroprevalence survey shows, 13 percent of the country’s population has been exposed to Covid-19 until September. According to officials, Province 2 tops the list at 23 DEEPAK THAPA percent followed by Bagmati at 13 percent. In the Kathmandu AS I LIKE Valley, 17 percent of those who participated in the survey had antibodies against the virus. These are alarming figures; epide- miologists warn that a lot more could have been infected by now. Results of seroprevalence surveys conducted in different countries show that their numbers are on the lower side—less I had made an allusion to the ever- than 10 percent. ready Nepali-language jingoism in my While the government is undecided whether to conduct a last column. As it turns out, it was not second round of seroprevalence survey, the number of Covid-19 one made too soon. I refer here to a cases, according to the Ministry of Health and Population, has recent intervention by Bedu Ram Bhusal, member of the National been low; but the number of tests has also taken a dip. As such, Assembly, during a parliamentary we do not know the true scale of the spread of the virus. This debate. It appears that the Honourable raises questions as to whether the decisions made by the gov- Bhusal was quite irked by the use of ernment stem from a rational decision-making process rooted English terms in an amendment bill to the Standard Measurement and Weight in science and vetted by epidemiologists. And this is also the Act, currently under deliberation at case for opening schools, with which the government is going the Assembly’s Legislation ahead sans extensive testing, tracing and quarantining. Management Committee of which he is Lives are still at stake, but the Oli administration is making a member. ‘There is an ongoing attempt to dis- reckless decisions, one after another, in contrast to what popu- place Nepali language through the law’, lar wisdom and science would suggest. While we do not have a thundered Bhusal, according to a news clear picture to what extent the public gatherings, festivals and report, before continuing rhetorically, public mobility that were unloosed after restrictions were ‘Why don’t we use Chinese from neigh- relaxed have contributed to the surge, what is clear is that there bouring China? Why not Hindi? Why does it always have to be English’. The is a complete lack of coordination between different tiers of focus of his ire were four words in the government to contain the pandemic. bill, namely, ‘kilogram’, ‘ampere’, ‘can- Following the cabinet decision last month, various schools dela’ and ‘Kelvin’. Bhusal demanded SHUTTERSTOCK across the country including in the Kathmandu Valley have that the Nepali forms of these four be found and inserted into the bill before since all it means is ‘1000 grams’, with treatment. The list is endless. This patently unfair rule, introduced restarted operations after months of closure. While schools it would be taken up. That seemingly the latter being simply a Greek-Latin- Actually, if Bhusal and like-minded ostensibly to curb human trafficking, and local governments claim they have the safety protocols in patriotic gesture apparently received French derivative for ‘small weight’. others are really serious about indige- has not seen any reaction so far even place, doctors have warned that reopening schools could be whole-hearted support from other MPs Delving into Sanskrit, a Nepali concoc- nising foreign terms, it is very simple. from something called the Nepali disastrous, especially for senior citizens because children who present, and the committee chair actu- tion that stands for ‘one thousand small Given that Hindi and Nepali share the Language Teachers Council. It is this weights’ is certainly possible but to same Sanskrit derivatives, all they have a relatively low risk of developing a severe form of infec- ally instructed the concerned ministry same council which had objected to the to not only find appropriate transla- what purpose. Even Hindi, a language have to do is borrow from Hindi since use of Roman letters and Arabic tion could act as a medium for the virus to pass on to their tions but also ferret out all other simi- in which translations are at a far more practically every English term used in numerals in the new standardised grandparents. larly offensive English words in the bill advanced stage than Nepali has not the humanities and the sciences, licence plates being issued for motor As of December 7, around 60 percent of people who died due and do likewise. gone so far as to translate measure- whether natural sciences or social, has vehicles in Nepal, going to the extent of to Covid-19 were above 60 years of age, and 27.5 percent of the With 50 of the 60 National Assembly ment units. Hence, ‘kilogram’ is still already been translated into the lan- calling it ‘a conspiracy against Nepali parliamentarians, including Bhusal, kilogram in Hindi as are a watt, a guage. But that would perhaps defeat language and culture’. Even Prime people who died of the infection fall in the 40 to 60 age group. If belonging to the ruling Nepal metre, or a second. The name of India’s the whole purpose of privileging Minister KP Oli got involved in this the government had paid any heed to what epidemiologists had Communist Party (NCP), one can be national TV channel may be Nepali over others, especially if it supposed debasement of Nepali, after long been warning, these deaths could have been prevented. We quite certain that like the chairperson Doordarshan (a literal translation of meant borrowing from Hindi, the use the chancellor of the Nepal Academy need to understand that our Covid-19 situation is fundamental- those supporting him were his party ‘television’) but everyone still calls the of which in Nepal generally drives our complained to him that the number colleagues. That a party which never idiot box ‘teevee’ in Hindi. The same is comrades into paroxysms of national- plates were going to sport non-Devana- ly different from countries which have been able to contain the misses an opportunity to associate the true for the telephone; no one uses the ist fervour. gari characters. That the country’s pandemic in layers and planned reopening of schools in stages. word ‘scientific’ with everything it pro- translation, doorbhas. The same news article cited above prime minister was unaware of an In Europe and the United States, new cases of infection have fesses to believe in is also home to a Bhusal, by the way, is not some run- had asked Nepali language grammari- issue that had done the round of the spiked after reopening of schools, forcing officials to shut them whole bevy of individuals with nary an of-the-mill, opportunist NCP politician. an Sharad Chandra Wasti his opinion courts and has been all over the papers again. Last month, district officials in Humla were forced to understanding of basic science is epic. He is a member of the powerful stand- on the National Assembly debate. says something about which world he Not one honourable member present ing committee and well respected with- While Wasti missed the opportunity to inhabits. In any case, as is his wont in close all educational institutions after 32 students at a school was seemingly capable of enlightening in party circles and without. He is also dismiss the clearly frivolous demand to his current pseudo-imperial avatar, Oli tested positive. Reopening schools, given our fragile situation, Bhusal and the chairperson on the fact someone with a zest for knowledge, translate standard units, he did point apparently gave the order to put a stop requires a thorough assessment of the implications. that the words that have them seeing having completed all his higher studies out the tendency of people to champion to it. Like most of his orders, it seems Congregating thousands of students and teachers for a pro- red are units of measurements that are while in jail and also evidenced by his the Nepali language on a whim and this one, too, has been quietly ignored universally known thus. That Nepal perseverance in striving for and receiv- then forget about it in a jiffy. He could and the process of distributing the longed period in classrooms is not safe. There is also little confi- adopted the same terms in those very ing a doctorate at the age of 66. That not be more right since just the other number plates has continued unhin- dence that safety protocols can be maintained in schools which forms under the act they were discuss- could be the reason why his fellow MPs day the government came up with a dered. But that is between him and the are usually crowded. These risks of transmission and a potential ing more than half a century ago. Or showed deference to him and his sup- new immigration provision that any- government agencies under him. outbreak shouldn’t be underestimated because we know by now that even if someone were to try it posed wisdom. It all seems to have been one going abroad on a ‘visit visa’ (as Worrying is that in a simple convention would not be possible to translate terms for effect though. Otherwise, Bhusal opposed to a ‘student visa’ or a ‘work common to practically the entire how dangerous the implications can be for all of us. such as ‘ampere’ and ‘Kelvin’, named should also have been banging his desk visa’) would either have to produce an world, language jingoists saw the If the World Health Organisation’s recommendations make as they were after scientists who con- to demand that Nepal Television be SLC certificate or be able to converse in handiwork of dark forces. Yet when any sense, we should hold back on reopening schools until the tributed to our understanding of the given a Nepali name. Next, he should English. So far, there has not been a the government led by Oli announces rate of positive test results is below 5 percent for two consecu- respective phenomena in which they be out calling for his own party’s name squeak from anyone, neither Bhusal a language test that would tive weeks. The positive test rates should guide the deci- are used. to be changed to Nepal Samyabadi Dal nor his comrades, over such an out- discriminate against Nepali-speakers, One could certainly attempt a trans- (NeSaDa). Then, leading a movement to right affront to speakers only of the there is silence. Talk of misplaced sion-making process. lation of something like ‘kilogram’ subject Nepal Telecom to the same Nepali language. priorities. Reflecting on the past years

have had more impact. Our political class should Why was unity so elusive when the needs were so common to us all? Why feel ashamed for having could we not set aside personal and party interests to fight for the com- let down the Nepali people mon good—an end to impunity? No one is safe. Not during the war, and for so long. not now, 14 years later. It might be the primary responsibility of the various governments, but was there really MOHNA ANSARI nothing more that civil society could have done? Remember, we still claim that it was civil society that ended the war, and brought the republic and democracy. Yet the processes that led to this peace are left incomplete.

Take a good look Coinciding with the end of my six Nepal’s international friends, too, years on the National Human Rights should take a look at the impact of all Commission, it is good to have some their funding on access to justice and time to reflect on the achievements other programmes around transition- and challenges of those years. Among al justice. Is there anything that they the many positive and critical aspects, can learn from the experience of the two things stand apart. past 14 years? I think that, in particu- Firstly, the harsh reality that five lar, they should review how they fund years into our new constitution, caste civil society groups. Some feel that and gender-based discrimination is as there is a tendency, unintended, to pervasive as ever. So is the discrimina- create an unhealthy competition tion against the poor and vulnerable. between the groups looking for funds. It almost seems like Nepal is deter- Supporting transitional justice is not mined to hang on to all the diverse easy. It is a delicate issue and there is ways of discrimination it has prac- resistance from groups who see their tised over the centuries. SHUTTERSTOCK interest in maintaining the status quo. Discrimination over citizenship when Nepal has its next Universal portrait of a nation stuck in injustice, people was to be made clear before the and international standards. No pro- But transparency is essential if trust seems to be the most discussed ele- Periodic Review at the UN in Geneva, where justice being denied is routine. monsoon of 2007. We are ending 2020, gress has been made so far. The report is to be built. An honest self-critique ment of the new constitution. There where all nations are invited to give an Unfortunately, we have become a coun- and no progress has been made so far. should make our political class feel a of the impact so far cannot be avoided has been no relief for excluded com- account of their progress on upholding try that is unable to learn the lessons No proper compensation has been pro- little ashamed for having let down the if progress is to be made. munities even after the Comprehensive rights over the previous four years. of a decade of disastrous conflict. vided to the relatives of the disap- Nepali people so much for so long, for It is time to assess coldly and take Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2006 prom- The other thing that jumps out at It is a well-researched report, but it peared who were left behind, except failing to give us justice and a police stock of what we have done with the ised to end all forms of discrimina- me is the plight of the victims of the is also depressing. Obviously, the bits of ‘interim relief ’ given in a system we deserve as a basic right. peace that cost us so much. It is time tion—caste, ethnicity, religion, region, conflict. Fourteen years after the CPA main focus is on how successive gov- tokenistic manner. The problem with the lockdown is to see if we can do better from now on. gender, sexual orientation. All those promised them truth, justice, repara- ernments since 2006 have failed to The same is true about the commit- that perhaps it has given us a bit too It is hoped that, in another 14 years, destined for the dustbin of history in tions and reforms to prevent repeti- deliver on their promises on justice. If ments to proper transitional justice much time for introspection, as I have this article will seem like the argu- 2006 are still alive and kicking in 2020. tion, the victims still have nothing I had to pick one of them, it is the more generally. It took our political also been thinking about what this ments of a distant past. Nepal and more than the empty words of the commitment to clarify the wherea- class eight years just to set up the says about the National Human Rights Nepalis should not continue to make What will we tell them? government. bouts of the more than 3,000 or so Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Commission, human rights non-gov- the same old mistakes. Let’s try and Ending any form of discrimination This was brought home to me again ‘disappeared’ Nepalis wrenched from Six years have passed since then with ernmental organisations, victims’ make the regrets mentioned here takes a long time, and legislation is this week with the publication by their homes and families, never to be no further progress. All this doesn’t groups and civil society in general. irrelevant—as soon as possible. only one part of the story. Still, it is Advocacy Forum and Human Rights seen again. The families are denied look accidental. In 2015, the Supreme Could we not have done more to bring disappointing to see that there are not Watch of No Law, No Justice, No State justice while the signatories to the Court ordered the government to about a satisfactory closure to transi- Ansari is a lawyer, human rights even any signs of an emerging momen- for Victims, a new report on the state of CPA had committed to revealing their amend the act creating the tional justice? I think that if we had advocate and former commissioner tum for implementing Nepal’s promis- transitional justice since 2006, an X-ray fate within 60 days. To be precise, Transitional Justice Commission to found a bit more unity around some of the National Human Rights es. I wonder how this will play out of our rule of law. This is, in fact, a sad what happened to all these innocent bring it in line with our constitution basic common demands, we could Commission.

C M Y K 05 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020 MONEY

FOREX

US Dollar 118.00 Lumbini starts entrepreneur Australia to make Euro 143.13 Pound Sterling 158.73 Facebook, Google pay Japanese Yen 11.34 development programme Chinese Yuan 18.07 news outlets for content Qatari Riyal 32.41 for unemployed people REUTERS pay $1 billion to publishers globally Australian Dollar 88.20 SYDNEY, DEC 9 for their news over the next three Malaysian Ringit 29.04 years. Beneficiaries will receive easy loans and grants to start their own businesses. Australia finalised plans on Tuesday The new product called Google Saudi Arab Riyal 31.45 to make Facebook Inc and Google pay News Showcase will launch first in Exchange rates fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank its media outlets for news content, a Germany, where it has signed up world-first move aimed at protecting German newspapers including Der independent journalism that has been Spiegel, Stern, Die Zeit, and in Brazil Shares strongly opposed by the internet with Folha de S.Paulo, Band and giants. Infobae. Nepse 1,955.75pts -1.98% Under laws to go to parliament this Google last month said it had also week, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said signed copyright agreements with six HIGHEST LOSERS the Big Tech firms must negotiate French newspapers and magazines, AHPC HURJA STC KPCL BBC SLBS -5.56% -5% -4.91% -4.85% -4.67% -4.52% payments for content that appears on including national dailies Le Monde their platforms with local publishers and Le Figaro. MODERATE LOSERS MLBL PRVU NRIC SHIVM NIBPO NADEP and broadcasters. If they can’t strike a “It’s both very ambitious and very -4.49% -4.15% -4.05% -3.99% -3.98% -3.89% deal, a government-appointed arbitra- necessary,” said Denis Muller, an

MODERATE GAINERS tor will decide for them. Honorary Fellow at University of NHDL SIFC MHNL LEC UNL RADHI “This is a huge reform, this is a Melbourne’s Centre for Advancing 2.1% 2.5% 2.99% 3.29% 3.3% 3.38% world first, and the world is watching Journalism, referring to the HIGHEST GAINERS what happens here in Australia,” Australian law. UPPER NLO PRVUPO RHPL SJCL NABBC Frydenberg told reporters in the capi- 4.56% 4.62% 7.14% 7.32% 9.89% 9.92% tal Canberra. “Our legislation will help ensure that the rules of the digital world mir- The law amounts ror the rules of the physical world ... to the strongest and ultimately sustain our media BULLION PRICE PER TOLA landscape.” check of the tech The law amounts to the strongest Fine Gold Rs 93,400 check of the tech giants’ market power giants’ market SHUTTERSTOCK globally, and follows three years of Silver Rs 1,215 A view of the Lumbini Gate in Bhairahawa. inquiry and consultation, ultimately power globally. spilling into a public row in August SOURCE: FENEGOSIDA AMRITA ANMOL programme. According to the agree- certificate of a business in the fiscal when the US companies warned it BUTWAL, DEC 9 ment, around Rs430 million will be year 2020-21, a recommendation from may stop them offering their services “Taking their news content without mobilised for the entrepreneur devel- the Cottage and Small Industries in Australia. paying for it, in exchange for a very GASOLINE WATCH The Lumbini provincial government opment programme in the province. Office, a self declaration citing they Facebook Australia managing questionable reward of ‘reach’, seems has started an entrepreneur develop- An agreement has also been made have not received a grant from any director Will Easton said the company to be a very unfair and uneven and ment programme for unemployed to submit Rs100 million to the government agency and a Nepali citi- would review the legislation and ultimately democratically damaging youths and recent returnees migrant bank through the Entrepreneur zenship certificate are necessary. The “engage through the upcoming parlia- arrangement.” workers affected by the Covid-19 Development Fund in the current fis- bank will provide loans after evaluat- mentary process with the goal of land- News Corp Australia executive pandemic. cal year. According to authorities, ing these documents. ing on a workable framework to sup- chairman Michael Miller said the law The provincial government has 1,300 individuals will benefit from the Pasang Dhwaj Sherpa, manager at port Australia’s news ecosystem”. was “a significant step forward in the declared that it will provide benefi- programme in the current fiscal year. the provincial office of Nepal Bank A representative for Google declined decade-long campaign to achieve fair- ciaries with easy loans and grants to As per the plan, the ministry will Limited, said the bank’s branch offic- to comment, saying the company had ness in the relationship between start their own businesses. provide Rs300,000 to Rs1 million as es in all districts of the province will yet to see the final version of the pro- Australian news media companies According to the Ministry of loan to aspiring entrepreneurs on the give out loans after inspecting and posed law. and the global tech giants”. In May, Industry, Tourism, Forest and basis of the businesses they establish. verifying the documents. Until recently, most countries have News Corp stopped printing more Environment, recent returnees from The ministry will also pay the loans of “The interest will be stagnant for stood by as advertisers redirect spend- than 100 Australian newspapers, cit- India and overseas who lost their jobs such amounts for three years. three years. Loans will be provided as ing to the world’s biggest social media ing declining advertising. due to the pandemic, disabled people, “We aim to utilise our labour force per the demand and need of the entre- website and search engine, starving In changes to draft legislation conflict victims, single women and in our own province and create preneurs,” Sherpa said. newsrooms of their main revenue announced earlier this year that people from marginalised communi- employment opportunities through Rajan KC, secretary of the source and bringing widespread shut- might favour the tech companies, the ties will be prioritised for the pro- the entrepreneur development pro- ministry, said, “Under the programme, downs and job losses. final version of the law would not gramme. gramme,” said Lila Giri, minister for a fund of Rs19.1 million has been But regulators are starting to test affect news content distributed on The ministry has said that it will Industry, Tourism, Forest and allocated for Rupandehi, Rs12.4 mil- their power to rein in the two Facebook’s Instagram subsidiary or provide the beneficiaries with loans Environment of the province. “The lion for Kaplivastu and Rs12 million mega-corporations, which take more Google’s Youtube. Facebook and and pay their interest for three years. ministry will add more funds in the for Dang district. Beneficiaries than four-fifths of Australian online Google would also be allowed to On Friday, the ministry and the pro- next fiscal year after evaluating the are going to be selected from the advertising spending between them, include in the negotiations the value vincial office of Nepal Bank Limited programme’s effectiveness.” bank itself rather than from the according to Frydenberg. of clicks their platforms directed to signed an agreement to implement the To receive the grant, a registration ministry.” Google said in October it plans to news websites. Boeing suffers more Ethiopia’s war risks leaving fledgling cancelled orders for manufacturing sector in tatters REUTERS shock from Covid and continued inse- ADDIS ABABA, DEC 9 curity in different parts of the coun- its 737 Max plane try, the Ethiopian economy showed When Bangladeshi textile firm DBL remarkable resilience,” Mamo ASSOCIATED PRESS set up shop in Ethiopia two years ago, Mihretu, senior policy adviser in the WASHINGTON, DEC 9 the African nation was the garment prime minister’s office, told Reuters. industry’s bright new frontier, boast- Ethiopia is a relatively small tex- Boeing Co reported more cancella- ing abundant cheap labour and a gov- tiles producer with exports in 2016 of tions for its 737 Max jet, which this ernment keen to woo companies with just $94 million compared with $29 week is scheduled to carry paying tax breaks and cheap loans. billion for Vietnam and $253 billion for passengers for the first time since the Last month, as fighting raged in the China in the same year, World Bank planes were grounded 21 months ago northern Tigray region, DBL’s com- trade data showed. Its top exports are after two deadly crashes. pound was rocked by an explosion agricultural, such as coffee, tea, spic- Boeing said orders for 88 of the that blasted out the factory’s es, oil seeds, plants and flowers. planes were cancelled in November, windows, radically altering its busi- But Ethiopia’s push into the pushing the total to 536 for the year. REUTERS ness calculus. textile industry over the past 10 years The company reported 27 orders for A Boeing 737 MAX 7 conducts an evaluation “All we could do was to pray out has been emblematic of its manufac- the plane, although 25 were a new flight at Boeing Field in Seattle, US. loud,” said Adbul Waseq, an official at turing ambitions. As fighting neared order by Virgin Australia that the company, which makes clothes Tigray’s regional capital, Mekelle, tex- replaced an earlier, larger order for 48 Shares of Chicago-based Boeing mainly for Swedish fashion giant tile companies began shutting down Max jets that was scrubbed, account- were down less than 1 percent in after- H&M and is one of at least three for- REUTERS and pulling out staff. ing for a majority of the month’s can- noon trading. They closed Monday eign garment makers to have suspend- A file photo shows workers sewing clothes inside the Indochine Apparel textile factory in “It seemed that the conflict was get- cellations. The November figures down 27 percent for the year to date, ed operations in Tigray. Hawassa Industrial Park in Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples region, Ethiopia. ting closer to the city, and our worry don’t include Irish carrier Ryanair’s but they have been rising since early “We could have died,” Waseq told was that we wouldn’t be able to leave,” announcement last week that it will November on expectation that the Reuters. sectors such as telecoms, fuelling spell trouble as the country’s manu- Cristiano Frati, an electrician evacu- order 75 more Max jets. Federal Aviation Administration For over a decade, Ethiopia has something akin to glasnost-era headi- facturing export push isn’t yet gener- ated from a factory run by Italian Boeing said it delivered seven com- would let the Max fly again. invested billions of dollars in infra- ness among investors. ating enough foreign currency either hosiery chain Calzedonia, told an mercial jets during November, mostly The FAA issued an ungrounding structure such as hydro-electric dams, But for two years Ethiopia has been to pay for all the country’s imports or Italian newspaper. cargo planes to UPS, FedEx, DHL and order on Nov. 18 that laid out required railways, roads as well as industrial pummelled by challenges: ethnic keep pace with rising debt service Calzedonia said on November 13 it others, bringing total deliveries in steps for airlines to resume using parks in an ambitious bid to trans- clashes, floods, locust swarms and costs. Even before the pandemic, the had suspended operations at the plant, 2020 to 118. European rival Airbus the plane, which was grounded in form the poor, mainly agrarian nation coronavirus lockdowns. International Monetary Fund (IMF) which employs about 2,000 people, due delivered 64 planes in November and March 2019 after two crashes that into a manufacturing powerhouse. Now, fighting which erupted on had warned that Ethiopia was at high to the conflict. It has declined to com- 477 for the year. killed 346 people. By 2017, it was the world’s fastest November 4 between the army and risk of debt distress. ment further. An analyst for financial-services On Wednesday, Brazilian airline Gol growing economy. forces loyal to Tigray’s former ruling Abiy’s government said that, amid DBL, meanwhile, has flown its for- firm Cowen, Cai von Rumohr, plans to operate the first flight on a A year later, Prime Minister Abiy party, and fears it could signal a peri- the crises it’s facing, Ethiopia was eign staff out of Ethiopia. called Boeing’s latest report on orders Max with paying passengers since the Ahmed took office, pledging to loosen od of prolonged unrest, have served pushing ahead with reforms that will “Everything has become uncer- and deliveries “weak on both sides grounding. American Airlines plans the state’s grip on an economy with investors with a harsh reality check. build the foundations for a modern tain,” its managing director M A of the ball.” the first US flight on December 29. over 100 million people and liberalise Any hesitation by investors could economy.“Despite the unprecedented Jabbar said. “When will the war end?”

Fears of chaotic Brexit rise as British PM Johnson heads for last supper in Brussels

REUTERS minister in Johnson’s government dealing with volatility jumped 25 percent to the highest since LONDON, DEC 9 Brexit issues, told Times Radio. late March. While Gove refused to give odds on a deal, he EU chief negotiator Barnier said on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson heads to said that often a one-on-one meeting between Tuesday he believed a ‘no-deal’ split in ties with Brussels on Wednesday for talks with European leaders could result in a breakthrough. Britain at the end of the year was now more Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a He said a compromise could be possible on likely than agreement on a trade pact, EU push to avoid a tumultuous Brexit without a fishing in British waters—one of the toughest sources said. trade deal in three weeks’ time. issues so fa r. A diplomat and an official in Brussels, speak- With growing fears of a chaotic no-deal German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Europe’s ing on condition of anonymity, said Barnier finale to the five-year Brexit crisis when most powerful leader, said there was still a made the remark at a meeting with the European the United Kingdom finally leaves the EU’s chance of a deal but that the integrity of the EU’s affairs ministers from the 27 EU states. Barnier orbit on December 31, the meeting over dinner market had to be preserved. added that it was time for the bloc to update its is being cast as a chance to unlock the stalled Failure to secure a deal would snarl borders, no-deal contingency plans, they said. trade talks. shock financial markets and sow chaos through Britain said on Tuesday it had clinched a deal A British government source said a deal may supply chains across Europe and beyond as the with the EU over how to manage the Ireland- not be possible, as did EU chief Brexit negotiator world faces the vast economic cost of the Covid- Northern Ireland border, and would now drop Michel Barnier. Ireland also signalled it was pes- 19 pandemic. clauses in draft domestic legislation that would simistic about the prospects. A measure of expected price swings in the have breached a Brexit withdrawal agreement “The EU has to move,” Michael Gove, a senior pounds known as overnight implied signed in January.

C M Y K THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020 | 06 WORLD BRIEFING US virus deaths hit record Emissions hit new high, put Ethiopia rejects independent world on track for 3 degrees probes into Tigray conflict NAIROBI: Ethiopia’s government is levels with the holidays ahead rejecting calls for independent inves- tigations into the deadly conflict in Virtually every state is reporting surges with per day infection cases at more than 200,000. Celsius warming, UN says its Tigray region. The declaration comes amid international calls for REUTERS large increase in forest fires. Total more transparency into the month- LONDON, DEC 9 2019 emissions of carbon dioxide long fighting between Ethiopian forc- equivalent (GtCO2e) hit a new record es and those of the fugitive Tigray Greenhouse gas emissions reached a of 59.1 gigatonnes. regional government that is thought new high last year, putting the world This year, there has been a tempo- to have killed thousands. A senior on track for an average temperature rary emissions dip as economies government official told reporters on rise of 3 degrees Celsius, a UN report slowed due to the coronavirus Tuesday that Ethiopia will invite oth- showed on Wednesday. pandemic. ers for assistance only if it feels that The report by the United Nations The resulting drop in travel, indus- “it failed to investigate.” Environment Programme (UNEP)— trial activity and electricity genera- the latest to suggest the world tion are likely to work out at a 7 per- Explosion damages Polish is hurtling toward extreme climate cent reduction in emissions, the change—follows a year of sobering report said. That translates to only store near Amsterdam weather extremes, including rapid ice a 0.01C reduction in global warming THE HAGUE: An explosion damaged a loss in the Arctic as well as record by 2050. Polish supermarket in a Dutch town heat waves and wildfires in Siberia Green investment under govern- near Amsterdam on early Wednesday and the US West. ment stimulus packages to pull econo- morning. Police said the explosion On Monday, researchers at Europe’s mies out of the pandemic-induced happened at a store in the town of Copernicus Climate Change Service slump could cut up to 25 percent off Beverwijk. Nobody was injured, but said last month was the hottest-ever emissions predicted in 2030. the store was badly damaged. Dutch November on record. Such packages could put emissions media reported that the owner of the “The year 2020 is on course to be one in 2030 at 44 GtCO2e - within the store also owns another Polish super- of the warmest on record, while wild- range that gives a 66 percent chance of market in Aalsmeer that was gutted fires, storms and droughts continue to holding temperature rises to below 2C, by an explosion and fire early wreak havoc,” said Inger Andersen, but still insufficient to achieve the Tuesday. The same night, another AP/RSS UNEP’s Executive Director. 1.5C goal. explosion hit a Polish supermarket Critical care nurses and respiratory therapists flip a Covid-19 patient upright at North Memorial Health Hospital in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. The annual “emissions gap” report The United Nations and Britain are in the town of Heeswijk-Dinther. measures the gap between anticipated holding an online event on Saturday to ASSOCIATED PRESS emissions and those consistent with mark the fifth anniversary of the IDAHO/WASHINGTON, DEC 9 UK warns people with serious allergies to avoid Pfizer vaccine limiting the global temperature rise Paris Agreement, and governments Johnson jets in to Brussels this century as agreed in the 2015 are under pressure to come forward in bid to save Brexit deal Deaths from Covid-19 in the US have LONDON: Britain’s medicine regulator associated with getting the shot. Paris Agreement. with tougher climate targets before soared to more than 2,200 a day on has advised that people with a history “As is common with new vaccines Under the global climate pact, the end of the year. LONDON: Prime Minister Boris average, matching the frightening of significant allergic reactions do not the MHRA (regulator) have advised on nations have committed to a long-term A growing number of countries Johnson was Brussels-bound on peak reached last April, and cases per get Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vac- a precautionary basis that people with goal of limiting the average tempera- have committed to net zero emissions Wednesday, with Britain’s fading day have eclipsed 200,000 on average cine after two people reported adverse a significant history of allergic ture rise to below 2 degrees Celsius by mid-century but these need to be hopes for a post-Brexit trade deal for the first time on record, with the effects on the first day of rollout. reactions do not receive this above pre-industrial levels and to translated into strong near-term poli- hanging on crisis talks with EU chief crisis all but certain to get worse Britain began mass vaccinating its vaccination, after two people with a pursue efforts to limit it even further cies and action, the UNEP report said. Ursula von der Leyen. Johnson’s dash because of the fallout from population on Tuesday, starting with history of significant allergic reac- to 1.5C. “The levels of ambition in the Paris back to the city where once he made his name as an EU-bashing newspa- Thanksgiving, Christmas and New the elderly and frontline workers tions responded adversely yesterday,” Emissions have, however, grown by Agreement still must be roughly tri- per reporter marks the last chance of Year’s. National Health Service medical Powis said.“Both are recovering well.” an average 1.4 percent per year since pled for the 2C pathway and increased a breakthrough before Britain leaves Virtually every state is reporting director Stephen Powis said the advice Pfizer UK and BioNTech were 2010, with a steeper increase of 2.6 at least fivefold for the 1.5C pathway,” the EU single market. Talks are surges just as a vaccine appears had been changed after two NHS work- not immediately available for percent last year due, partly due to a it added. blocked over the issue of fair compe- days away from getting the go-ahead ers reported anaphylactoid reactions comment. (REUTERS) tition, with Britain refusing to accept in the US a mechanism to allow the EU to retal- “What we do now literally will be a iate swiftly if the UK business regula- matter of life and death for many of text alert Tuesday telling millions held without the homeowner’s tions change in ways that put our citizens,” Washington Gov Jay about the rapid spread of the virus knowledge. European firms at a disadvantage. Inslee said on Tuesday as he extended and urging them to abide by the state’s Before his death Friday from com- restrictions on businesses and social stay-at-home orders. plications of Covid-19, 78-year-old for- gatherings, including a ban on indoor The virus is blamed for more than mer Alabama state Sen. Larry Russian citizen charged with dining and drinking at restaurants 285,000 deaths and 15 million Dixon asked his wife from his and bars. confirmed infections in the United hospital bed to relay a warning. espionage in Denmark While the impending arrival of the States. “Sweetheart, we messed up. We just COPENHAGEN: A Russian citizen vaccine is reason for hope, he said, “at Many Americans disregarded dropped our guard. ... We’ve got to tell residing in Denmark has been the moment, we have to face warnings not to travel over people this is real,” his friend Dr charged with espionage on suspicion reality, and the reality is that we are Thanksgiving and have ignored other David Thrasher, a pulmonologist, of having provided information suffering a very dire situation with safety precautions, whether out of quoted him as saying. about Danish energy technology to the pandemic.” stubbornness, ignorance or Although Dixon had been conscien- the Russian intelligence service, the Elsewhere around the country, complacency. On Saturday night, tious about masks and social Danish public prosecutor said on North Carolina’s governor imposed a police in Southern California distancing, he met up with friends at a Wednesday. The Russian has been 10 pm curfew, and authorities in arrested nearly 160 people, many of restaurant for what they called a REUTERS in custody since July 2020, the Southern California and the San them not wearing masks, at a “prayer meeting,” and three of them Meltwater from the Laohugou No 12 glacier, flows though the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol prosecutor said. (AGENCIES) Joaquin Valley sent a mass cellphone house party in Palmdale that was fell ill, Thrasher said. Autonomous County in Gansu province, China, in this photo taken on September 27.

Big data ‘turbocharged’ repression Poor to miss out on inoculation as rich in China’s Xinjiang: Rights group nations have ...

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE other mostly Muslim minorities which belonged to her sister. >> Continued from page 1 BEIJING, DEC 9 have been held in internment Researchers at the NGO spoke “Nearly 70 poor countries will only be camps. to the woman and learned that able to vaccinate one in ten people Muslims in China’s Xinjiang were China defends the camps as police had interrogated her sister against Covid-19 next year unless “arbitrarily” selected for arrest by vocational training centres in Xinjiang, but she has had no urgent action is taken,” Amnesty a computer programme that aimed at stamping out terrorism direct contact with her family in International said, based on recent flagged suspicious behaviour, and improving employment the province since. calculations. activists said on Wednesday, in a opportunities. The people were flagged using a “Updated data shows that rich report detailing big data’s role in Surveillance spending in programme called the Integrated nations representing just 14 percent repression in the restive province. Xinjiang has ballooned in recent Joint Operations Platform, which of the world’s population have bought The US-based NGO Human years, with facial recognition, iris collected data from surveillance up 53 percent of all the most promis- Rights Watch said leaked police scanners, DNA collection and arti- systems in Xinjiang, before offi- ing vaccines so far,” it said. data that listed over 2,000 detain- ficial intelligence deployed across cials decided whether to send Amnesty said Canada was the coun- ees from the Aksu prefecture was the province. them to camps, according to try that had bought the most shots further evidence of “how China’s Human Rights Watch said it Human Rights Watch. when considering the size of its popu- brutal repression of Xinjiang’s had obtained the list—which But the NGO said its informa- lation with enough doses to vaccinate Turkic Muslims is being turbo- detailed detentions from mid-2016 tion suggests the “vast majority” every Canadian five times. charged by technology.” to late 2018. of people were flagged to The organisation urged support for Beijing has come under intense The group gave an example of a authorities for legal behaviour, a proposal made by South Africa international criticism over its “Mrs T”—detained for “links with including phone calls to relatives and India to the World Trade policies in the resource-rich terri- sensitive countries” who was list- abroad, having no fixed address Organisation Council to waive intel- tory, where rights groups say as ed as having received a number or switching off their phone lectual property rights for Covid-19 many as one million Uighurs and of calls from a foreign number repeatedly. vaccines, tests and treatments. India government looks for ways to tweak new agriculture laws to mollify farmers

REUTERS sented to the over 30 farmer unions NEW DELHI, DEC 9 actively involved in the protests. Farmer leaders want the govern- Indian government officials looked ment to retain mandatory govern- for ways to tweak new laws liberal- ment purchases, and said that ising the agricultural sector on buyers at private markets should Wednesday, as they put off a second pay the same tax as at state-run day of talks with farmer organisa- markets. tions that have mobilised mass pro- Hannan Mollah, the general sec- tests, government officials said. retary of All India Kisan Sabha Farmers have been demonstrat- (All India Farmers’ Union), said ing since late last month over his members would discuss intensi- reforms enacted in September that fying resistance to the new laws. loosened rules around the sale, The protests, led by influential pricing and storage of farm farming groups from the grain-pro- produce, and had protected farm- ducing states of Haryana and ers from an unfettered free market Punjab, pose a major challenge to for decades. REUTERS Modi as he seeks to reform the vast Small growers, in particular, fear Farmers attend a protest during a nationwide strike against the newly passed farm bills agriculture sector, which makes up that they will be at the mercy of big at Singhu border near Delhi, India, on Tuesday. nearly 15% of India’s $2.9 trillion business if they are no longer economy and employs around half assured of floor prices for staples they mounted a nationwide strike. a complete withdrawal of the laws of its 1.3 billion people. such as wheat and rice sold In response, the government is just plain impossible,” said a Opposition parties have criti- at government-controlled whole- decided against rushing into a senior government official in the cised the reforms, saying they will sale markets. planned second day of talks with- agriculture ministry in New Delhi, benefit big business and be disas- Unhappy with Prime Minister out first coming up with some pro- who declined to be identified. trous for the rural economy, and Narendra Modi’s liberalisation, posals that could mollify the angry A second senior government offi- are due to meet President Ram farmers have set up protest camps farmers, a federal government cial said they were working on a Nath Kovind, the country’s ceremo- and blocked roads surrounding the spokesman said. fresh proposal to “fine tune” the nial head of state, to discuss the capital New Delhi, and on Tuesday “We’re open to amendments, but three laws, which would be pre- controversial laws.

C M Y K 07 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020 SPORTS | MEDLEY BRIEFING Man United exit as racism row interrupts PSG game CAF fines Aubameyang for social media outburst Requiring just a point to advance, the English giants trail 3-0 heading into the final quarter against Leipzig before losing the Champions League match 3-2. CAIRO: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang AGENCE FRANCE-PRESS almost mission impossible (to come has been fined $10,000 for social PARIS, DEC 9 top),” Ronaldo told Movistar. “It was a media posts that tarnished the “hon- difficult task but we played well. The our and image” of the Confederation Manchester United were knocked out key was to start the match well and of African Football after his Gabon of the Champions League after a 3-2 from there we saw it was possible.” team spent the night on an airport defeat by RB Leipzig on Tuesday, while Weston McKennie scored in between floor ahead of an African Cup of Paris Saint-Germain’s qualification Ronaldo’s two spot-kicks at the Camp Nations qualifier last month. for the last 16 was overshadowed by a Nou as Barca, off to their worst La Aubameyang and his team mates racism row involving a match official Liga start in 33 years, were denied a were stuck at the airport in the that caused their game against sixth win from six in Europe. Gambia after arriving for a qualify- Istanbul Basaksehir to be suspended “Frankly, I was surprised at how we ing game. They were not allowed to for 24 hours. started, as if we weren’t really hungry leave as officials argued over Covid-19 Cristiano Ronaldo scored two penal- to win the match,” said Koeman. testing. The Arsenal striker posted ties as Juventus blew away Lionel Denys Popov’s header earned pictures of players sleeping on the Messi’s struggling Barcelona 3-0 to Dynamo Kiev a 1-0 victory over their airport floor and wrote: “Nice job wrest first place in Group ‘G’ away former star Serhiy Rebrov and CAF, it’s as if we were back in the from the Spanish giants. Ferencvaros in the group’s other 1990s.” CAF’s disciplinary committee Lazio also secured a spot in the game, offering them a place in the said the content was offensive and knockout rounds for the first time in Europa League. degrading. African football’s govern- two decades following a tense 2-2 draw Borussia Dortmund striker ing body also fined Gambia’s FA at home to Club Brugge in the pouring Youssoufa Moukoko, aged 16 years $100,000, half of which was suspend- rain in Rome. and 18 days, became the youngest play- ed for 24 months. Requiring just a point to advance, er in Champions League history as he Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side fell came off the bench in a 2-1 victory behind to an Angelino goal inside two away to Zenit Saint Petersburg. Former Argentina coach minutes in Germany. Amadou Haidara Cameroon-born Moukoko, who Sabella dies aged 66 soon added a second and United and made his European debut as a BUENOS AIRES: Alejandro Sabella, the were trailing 3-0 heading into the final 58th-minute substitute in Russia, coach who took Argentina to the quarter after a Justin Kluivert strike. broke the previous record of Celestine World Cup final in 2014, has died aged Bruno Fernandes’s penalty and a Babayaro, who was 16 years and 87 66 after years of battling with cancer deflected Paul Pogba header gave days when he played for Anderlecht in and heart problems. Sabella’s death United a lifeline but Leipzig, who November 1994. came less than two weeks after the reached the semi-finals last term, held Dortmund, who had already quali- passing of Diego Maradona, who on to move top of Group ‘H’ on 12 AP/RSS fied for the last 16, equalised within played with Sabella for the Argentine points. Leipzig’s Justin Kluiver (left) scored the third goal as they beat Manchester United to advance into the knockout stage of the Champions League. minutes of Moukoko’s introduction, national side in the 1980s. Maradona “We started too late. We showed with Lukasz Piszczek cancelling out died from a heart attack in Buenos great spirit to come back again, but allegations of racism by fourth offi- furious Webo repeatedly asking why a “with a new team of match officials”. Sebastian Driussi’s first-half goal Aires on November 25, aged 60. He you can’t give a team a 3-0 lead and cial, in an unprecedented incident in racist term had been used to describe PSG, who advanced following before Axel Witsel scored the winner. became the manager of Argentine expect to come back,” said Solskjaer. Europe’s elite club competition. him. Turkish President Recep Tayyip United’s loss, will claim top spot with Jorginho spared Chelsea’s blushes club Estudiantes in 2009, leading the Leipzig must wait until Wednesday The row erupted after Basaksehir Erdogan said he “strongly” con- victory. as his penalty rescued a 1-1 draw provincial side with Juan Sebastian to find out whether they finish first or assistant coach Pierre Webo, the for- demned the incident, while UEFA Andrea Pirlo’s Juventus avenged a against Krasnodar in Group ‘E’ follow- Veron in midfield to their fourth second in the section, after the contest mer Cameroon international, was announced it would open a “thorough 2-0 home loss to Barcelona in October ing Remy Cabella’s opener in London. Copa Libertadores title. Sabella’s suc- between last season’s runners-up PSG shown a red card during a fierce row investigation”. when Ronaldo was sidelined with Frank Lampard’s side were already cess there led to a position as coach and Turkish champions Basaksehir on the touchline with staff from the In a statement, UEFA confirmed the Covid-19, edging their opponents on assured of finishing top, while goals of the national team in 2011. After was interrupted with the score 0-0 in Turkish club appearing to accuse the game would, “on an exceptional head-to-head record and heaping more from Jules Kounde and two Youssef losing 1-0 to Germany after extra time the 14th minute. official of using a racist term. basis”, restart from where it was pressure on Ronald Koeman. En-Nesyri eased Sevilla to a 3-1 victo- in the World Cup final in Rio de Players walked off in Paris amid Television microphones picked up a stopped on Wednesday at 1755 GMT, “We’re very happy. We knew it was ry at Rennes. Janeiro, Sabella retired and, increas- ingly beset by health problems, never returned to the sidelines.

Indian captain Kohli rules out South Africa to play Test, T20 series in Pakistan Ronaldo says ‘no rivalry’ with Messi

Pandya for Australia Tests REUTERS September 2019, while England recent- needs will be met, and that the wellbe- REUTERS 13, 14 years [I have been] sharing MELBOURNE: All-rounder Hardik CAPE TOWN, DEC 9 ly announced a short two-match ing of the team will be the top LONDON, DEC 9 prizes with him. I never saw him as Pandya will not be considered for 20-over series in October next year in priority.” a rival. He always tried the best for his India’s Test series against Australia South Africa will tour Pakistan next the build-up to the T20 World Cup in Pakistan captain Babar Azam said They defined the ‘El Clasico’ rivalry team, and I tried the best for mine. I starting next week despite starring month for the first time in 13 years to India. England’s recent One-Day that aside from the thrill of playing at between Real Madrid and Barcelona always got on well with him. I am with the bat in the white-ball series, play two Tests and three Twenty20 International series in the South home, the tour will also be a chance for the past decade but Cristiano sure he will say the same if you ask captain Virat Kohli said. Pandya was Internationals, officials confirmed on Africa tour was postponed owing to for his side to test their progress Ronaldo said he has always got on well him. But we know in football, people named man-of-the-series after the Wednesday. Covid-19 pandemic. across the two formats. with Lionel Messi and never saw him always look for a rivalry to create three Twenty20 matches and scored The five-day matches form part of “It’s pleasing to see so many coun- “I am delighted that South Africa as a rival. more excitement.” two half-centuries in the preceding the ICC Test Championship and will tries making a return to Pakistan – a have confirmed their tour to Pakistan Ronaldo, now playing for Juventus, Ronaldo is hoping the win could one-day series against the hosts. But be staged in Karachi (January 26-30) proud, cricket-loving nation,” South and look forward to captaining my scored two penalties to help the Italian provide an “injection of confidence” the explosive 27-year-old only bowled and Rawalpindi (February 4-8), before Africa’s director of cricket, Graeme country for the first time in a home champions secure a 3-0 win over for Juventus, who are currently fourth a handful of overs in the second ODI T20 fixtures at the same venues and Smith, said in a statement. Test,” Azam said in a media release Messi’s Barcelona in the Champions in the Italian Serie A standings. as he continues building to peak fit- Lahore, ending on February 14. “I would like to thank the Pakistan from the PCB. League on Tuesday. It was the first Barcelona are also looking to recover ness following back surgery last year. International cricket has returned Cricket Board (PCB) for the hospitali- “Looking at the calendar of interna- meeting between Ronaldo and Messi from a below-par start to their domes- Pandya was overlooked in India’s ini- to Pakistan in the past 15 months ty and transparency they showed our tional cricket in 2021, I am pleased we since the Portuguese forward left Real tic league campaign. tial squad for the four-Test series following a militant attack on the security contingent when they trav- are playing more against the sides Madrid for Juventus in 2018. Between “Messi is the same as ever [on the starting at Adelaide Oval next week, Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009 elled over there a few weeks ago. The which are ranked above us. This is them the pair have won the Ballon pitch],” Ronaldo said. “Barcelona are and Kohli said he would not be picked that killed six policemen and two report on their findings and recom- critical to not only our learning and d’Or in 11 of the past 12 years. in a difficult moment, but they are as a specialist batsman alone. The civilians. mendations gives us confidence as an development, but also an opportunity “I have always had a cordial rela- still Barca. I am sure they will come four match Test series will begin on The country has hosted Sri Lanka, organisation that all of our team’s to improve our rankings across all tionship with Messi,” Ronaldo told out of it. All teams have bad runs, but December 17. (AGENCIES) Bangladesh and Zimbabwe since security, playing and accommodation formats,” he added. Movistar. “As I have said before, for 12, Barcelona are a very good team.” HOROSCOPE ARIES (March 21-April 19) *** CANCER (June 22-July 22) *** LIBRA (September 23-October 22) ** CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) *** You are getting tighter with someone who really Going over your budget every once in a while is It’s good to keep your hopes high, but you also You’ll get the credit you deserve, although some- gets you all hot and bothered, which is wonderful fine, so don’t beat yourself up if a recent credit have to know when it’s time to admit the reality one else might be wondering why they weren’t and exciting. But things might be going too quick- card statement has you hyperventilating. After of a situation. It’s time for you to get real and singled out as well. While you might have sym- ly. Today, you should turn down the heat a little bit. all, you can’t avoid splurging every now and start putting your energy and thoughts toward pathy for their situation, you can’t take on this Resist the urge to spend every minute with them. then. It is okay to spend on yourself. something that’s more possible. battle for them.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) ***** LEO (July 23-August 22) **** SCORPIO (October 23-November 21) *** AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) *** When you encounter arrogance, you usually get Are you feeling a frosty chill from someone You’re working with a power player right now, Take a second before you act on any of your angry. But when you come across someone who who’s usually warm and sweet? Ask them if but guess what? They could say the same about impulses today. It’s not that your gut is telling thinks they invented the world, your first something is wrong, and if they tell you “noth- you. Try to understand that the rest of the world you something wrong; it’s just that if you act too response probably won’t be anger. It will be ing,” don’t push it. Respect their boundaries and sees you as a powerful person, too! It’s time to quickly right now, you could end up regretting it. amusement. Enjoy the fun. let them come talk to you when they want to. step into that role with more confidence. Things haven’t completely gelled just yet, wait.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) *** VIRGO (August 23-September 22) *** SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21) *** PISCES (February 19-March 20) *** Today, a jolt of new life could be injected into If a friend tells you that you need to learn to be Group travel is in your future, so start brain- In your professional life, it’s time for you to step one of your less pleasant relationships. You’ll more flexible, it’s probably just because they storming a few ideas about where you want to away from the corner and push yourself into the suddenly start to see this person in a new light, want you to do what they want to do. You are go (with everyone else’s input, of course). You forefront. Speak up and add your ideas to the and you might even discover that the two of you smart enough to know just how far to bend over can ask all your people and see what kind of an mix more often, starting today! Don’t worry that have something unique in common. backward without losing your credibility. adventure everyone’s in the mood for. your boss won’t like what you say. CROSSWORD SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION

C M Y K THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020 | 08 CULTURE & LIFESTYLE (C.R.P.D.) - 3/052/053 How this duo is boosting the creative sector—one recruitment at a time Established by Sampada Malla, a film writer, and Subhas Pradhan, a music artist, Srijana Sutra is a creative recruiting agency that has been able to find jobs for more than 100 people even during the pandemic.

ANKIT KHADGI in the current scenario,” says Malla. KATHMANDU At present, Srijana Sutra is associated with many renowned production houses, advertis- hen Shristi Khadgi was ing agencies, and corporate houses. From applying for a job as a graphic designers to content writers, actors, newsreader back in June, photographers, illustrators, screenplay writ- she was apprehensive. She ers, copywriters, models, the platform helps was not sure about the people from all creative fields to find jobs. credibility of the portal Currently, they have been receiving 1,000 appli- Wthrough which she had found the job vacancy, cants on average every month. she says. But their role isn’t limited to working as a “I had never applied for a job online. I mediator between employees and employers thought it was a hoax since the jobs we find only. When their associate partners approach through online aren’t always reliable. But I them, they not only post job openings but also was free at home, not involved in anything, and conduct interviews for them, shortlisting the so I applied,” says Khadgi, 24, who had found best applicants. the job through Facebook. She landed the job “We conduct several interviews with the and has been working as a newsreader at applicants, trying to understand them as well Dharma Television since. as building their morale by motivating them. “It was a completely new experience for me. For us, every applicant is important and we try Even if in the beginning I was doubtful, now I our best to find jobs even if they have been feel the experience was worth it, as I was able rejected in a few places,” says Pradhan. to get a job that I was interested in,” says For their service, Srijana Sutra charges Khadgi, who had experience working as an 10 percent of the first-month salary of the emcee at events. applicants. Khadgi is among the many people seeking to But to make it big in the creative industry in work in the creative sector, recruited through Nepal is not possible with only talent. Srijana Sutra, a Kathmandu-based job recruit- Connections and good networking are equally ment platform that solely focuses on helping important to survive in the creative field. And people like her who are interested to work in that’s an area Srijana Sutra aims to work in, the creative field. bridging the gap between the employers and Established in February this year, by those people who are interested to work in the Sampada Malla, a film writer, and Subhas creative field but have no formal connections. Pradhan, a music artist, Srijana Sutra has a simple plan: to create a space where creative enthusiasts can turn their passion into a job. “Our country lacks corporatisation of the “Our country lacks creative industry due which it isn’t systematic. That’s why we were very clear that we would corporatisation of the focus only on finding creative jobs, as we saw a lack of such platforms in Nepal,” says Malla. creative industry due Both Malla and Pradhan have devoted many which it isn’t systematic.” years to their respective creative fields. While movies and a television career in Mumbai kept Malla occupied, Pradhan was engaged in the music scene, where he worked as a singer, com- “Our creative industry still is connection poser, music video director and also a celebrity driven due to which newcomers and emerging manag e r. SHUTTERSTOCK talent don’t get a platform easily. That’s why But both of them shared a common vision— our main focus and vision is giving a common to build a platform where emerging creative embodied what we wanted to with our plat- but lack guidance about the prospects, they say. er recruitment agency that only catered the platform, where anyone would have equal talents could find jobs that could help them form—to create a space, where creativity finds “In our country, we don’t have people guid- service of helping creative people to find jobs,” access and get work based on their skills, even showcase their talent as well as earn money its connection.” ing artists about their careers, due to which says Malla. if they don’t know anyone beforehand or have and strengthen the creative industry. But establishing a company of this nature many people, even before starting their careers, Likewise, just a month later, the lockdown connections which eventually will uplift the “While we knew each other for years, it was came with challenges, and one of the biggest leave because they get pressured from their was announced, which severely affected the whole creative industry,” says Pradhan. during one workshop where we got to know challenges was to convince people that the cre- family members, who think there’s no money creative industry, as the gathering of masses And things have started to change, as more that we shared a common vision,” says ative industry was as lucrative as other fields in this field,” says Pradhan. were strictly prohibited due to which creative and more skilled based manpower are getting Pradhan. “And that’s when we decided to join like engineering, banking, and medicine. “This was one of the main reasons why we works had to take a backseat for a while since employed, receiving attractive paychecks, hands together and start a platform that could “People are so unaware of the scope that thought there was a dire need to start this plat- it needs collaboration of many people. making the founders believe that the future of support the creative enthusiasts and the creative jobs could offer that many parents form, so people could get jobs, which would Yet, the two from Srijana Sutra persevered their venture is promising. emerging talents,” he says. kill the passion of their children even before eventually help the creative industry to grow.” and in the nine months of its establishment, “Right now the biggest challenge we as a For six months, taking time out from their they try to make a career in the creative field,” With just an investment of Rs 25,000, they even during a pandemic, it has been able to company are facing is that we haven’t been busy schedules, the two of them started work- says Malla. “We wanted to dismantle such mis- started the company, operating through their find jobs for more than 100 people, with them able to fulfil the high demand, since many peo- ing on creating the platform, setting its goal conception.” website and social media accounts. However, getting salaries ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs ple are now interested to employ creative peo- and expanding its networking. But for Malla and Pradhan, starting Srijana even when they were clear about their vision 100,000, say the founders. ple. That’s why I believe it’s a golden age and “We wanted to give our platform a name that Sutra wasn’t just to fill the gap in the market and were experienced, they had their fair “Because of the pandemic, we expected the best time to be in the creative sector in could carry the essence of our goals and val- and create a niche platform that could help share of struggles. there would be no job opportunities. However, Nepal as people are investing more money ues,” says Malla. “That’s why we decided to go them earn money. They were rather driven “Registering the company was a chaotic we were surprised to find that the demand for than before, understanding its capabilities and for Srijana Sutra, which was suggested by my with the motive of helping people like them, experience, as it was difficult for us to explain jobs in the creative field was still the same, paying the creative people the price, they father, Ashesh Malla, a Nepali playwright, as it who are interested in joining the creative field, about our company since this was the first-ev- helping us to understand its significance even deserved, ” says Malla. Indian couple help traditional Christopher Nolan calls Warner’s streaming plan ‘a mess’ artisans get back to business Nolan, one of Warner Bros’ most important filmmakers, has With markets and exhibitions closed by the pandemic, many local, come out strongly against the company’s decision to traditional Indian artists had no way to reach customers. debut its films on HBO Max and in theatres in 2021. LINDSEY BAHR Rajasthani storytelling-box, or ‘Kavad’, NEW YORK depicting a Romanian folk story that was made to order by a local artisan for a German hristopher Nolan, one of Warner storyteller and teacher. Bros.’ most important filmmak- Direct Create does not profit from sales on ers, has come out strongly its platform, though 4-5 percent of the income against the company’s decision from each sale goes toward packaging, ship- to debut its films on HBO Max ping and providing online payment gateways and in theatres in 2021. The Tenet to craftsmen who usually are not adept at Cfilmmaker told The Associated Press Monday arranging online payments. that it’s not a good business decision and criti- It’s been a lifeline for papercutting artisan cised how the company handled it. Soni, who initially had to lay off all his work- “It’s a unilateral decision that the studio ers and even considered giving up his art. He took. They didn’t even tell the people involved,” now lists his paper cutting craft on the online Nolan said. “You have these great filmmakers platform and says it has helped him work on a who worked with passion and diligence for collaborative design project. years on projects that are intended to be feature “The thought behind Direct Create is very films with fantastic movie stars. And they’ve good for new artists,” said Soni, whose work all now been told that they’re a loss-leader for a has won him a national award and recogni- fledgling streaming service.” tion from UNESCO. “We get to earn money, The company announced last week that its but we also earn respect.” 2021 film slate, including the new Matrix movie, AP/RSS Sanjay Chitara, an expert of ‘Mata Ni Dune and In the Heights would debut on its Christopher Nolan. Pachedi’, or block and hand-painted pieces of streaming service and in theatres simultane- cloth that usually depict stories of Hindu gods ously in the US, rattling Hollywood and result- AP/RSS and goddesses, says Direct Create enabled ing in doomsday predictions about the future The company announced Ram Soni, a paper cutting artist, works at home in Alwar some 160 kilometres from New Delhi, India. him to restart his business after he shut down of the movie theatre. during the pandemic. “I’ve never seen everybody so upset about the new Matrix movie, RISHABH R JAIN & RISHI LEKHI for collaboration, displaying and selling “After I started displaying my work on the one particular decision,” Nolan said. NEW DELHI their works. websites, a lot of my old clients could view my AMC theatres chief Adam Aron condemned Dune and In the Heights The Lunkads set up a company called Direct current work,” said Chitara, who lives in the the move last week, but no in-house filmmaker Sanjhi’, the ancient Indian art of Create in 2015, aiming to bring down exorbi- western state of Gujarat. “It is beneficial has spoken out on the record until Nolan, one would debut on HBO Max. paper-cutting using nature-inspired tant prices for traditional Indian handicrafts because if they like our work, clients contact of the studio’s marquee names. Nolan has motifs, is how Ram Soni puts food on the by connecting artisans with buyers, cutting the artists directly.” worked with Warner Bros on every film since table. It’s also a carefully preserved skill out middlemen and swanky retailers. There’s another indirect benefit from the 2002’s Insomnia in a profitable and critically early September after they had been closed passed down through generations in his Most artisans live in far-flung parts of vast initiative. acclaimed run that’s included The Dark Knight for nearly six months because of the pandemic. family. India. With markets and exhibitions closed The shift toward shopping online to limit trilogy, Inception and Dunkirk. With major markets like Los Angeles and ‘Using special scissors given to him by his by the pandemic, many had no way to reach possible exposure to the coronavirus has “It’s not right. And it’s not a good business New York closed, domestic ticket sales fizzled, parents, who taught him the craft at an customers. Now they can register on the made people more curious and careful about decision,” Nolan said. “It’s all a bit of a mess.” and Warner Bros. and other studios responded early age, he patiently carves out intricate Direct Create platform to showcase their what they are buying and whether it is made The studio declined to comment. by delaying the year’s remaining major pieces from folded paper to create complex work. They can also collaborate to custom-de- sustainably, Sheela said. Tenet, his time-bending sci-fi thriller star- films. But internationally Tenet has made over stencils that stand out against contrasting sign products for their clients. The new online “Industrial products had flooded the ring John David Washington, is not following $300 million. coloured paper. platform now features works by more than market,” she said. “The pandemic and the suit and heading straight to HBO Max. It is “That sends a very optimistic message about Soni’s sales dipped to zero as India went 2,500 artisans. digital space has now allowed people to actual- being released on DVD, Blu-ray and digital when theatres can open, as long as there are into a prolonged lockdown earlier this year to “Because of Direct Create, we have been ly view products on their desktops and on December 15. Nolan said he’s “very glad” films for them to show, people are going to come try to contain the coronavirus pandemic. able to give them a whole lot of marketing phones. They can make a discerning choice his film “isn’t caught up in the mess that back,” Nolan said. “I think everybody in this The 49-year-old Soni is just the sort of arti- outreach and discoverability,” Sheela said. today. ‘Do I buy this industrial product from they’ve made.” business completely understands that long san New Delhi-based designer Sheela Lunkad “People have reached out to them asking for maybe Amazon or a couple of others, or do I “We will be accessible through Roku and term people are always going to want to go to and her architect husband, Rajeev Lunkad, various kinds of things which they have loved look at picking up small, interesting things Amazon Prime and iTunes and be everywhere the movies. I think that a lot of short-term aim to help with their ‘Shilp se Swavlamban’, and appreciated during this time.” which actually make a difference to the liveli- all at once for people to enjoy,” Nolan added. thinking is going on right now, which is maybe or ‘Empowerment through Craft’, campaign Collaborations can lead to fusions across hood and equitability of the craftsmen?’” Tenet was the first and only major blockbust- inevitable in such a terrible situation.” to provide craftspeople an online platform cultures, like a traditional, colourful — Associated Press er to test the waters opening in theatres in — Associated Press

Published and Printed by Kantipur Publications Pvt. Ltd., Central Business Park, Thapathali, Kathmandu, Nepal, P. B. No. 8559, Phone: 5135000, Fax: 977-1-5135057, e-mail: [email protected], Regd. No. 32/049/050, Chairman & Managing Director: Kailash Sirohiya, Director: Swastika Sirohiya, Editor: Sanjeev Satgainya