WI THOUT F EAR O R F A V O U R

Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXIX No. 187 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 33.5 C 14.5 C Tuesday, August 24, 2021 | 08-05-2078 Dipayal Jomsom Bureaucratic inertia delays report on Darchula missing youth probe Almost a month since Dhami fell into Mahakali trying to cross the river on a cable, the government is yet to share what exactly happened and its position on the incident.

ANIL GIRI sion, is also a reflection of how some KATHMANDU, AUG 23 pressing issues are not duly being taken care of by the ministry. On Monday, the Ministry of Home “Take for example the Darchula Affairs held an interaction with incident,” Kusum told the Post. former home secretaries, and former “Where is the report of the committee and present heads of security agen- formed to investigate the incident in cies like the Nepal Police, the Armed which a youth had fallen into Police Force and the National Mahakali from the tuin he was using Source: Health Ministry Intelligence Department. to cross the river?” Covid-19 daily cases over past two weeks in all provinces. With tests dwindling, the number of cases has come down, but as the festive season starts, experts have warned of a spike in infections. During the interaction, Nepal Police It has been more than three weeks presented a briefing, which attendees since Jaya Singh Dhami, 33, of said was comprehensive, about its Darchula fell into the Mahakali. operation and functions. The Armed The swollen river immediately Police Force that is mandated to look swept him away. Locals are still Culture & Lifestyle | 08 after border areas, apart from guard- searching for him. Deuba’s fifth term: Six weeks go by ing some vital installations and Initial reports, based on eyewitness- Revisiting some retro responding to disasters, barely had es’ accounts, suggested that the impro- PlayStation 2 games any role throughout the programme. vised cable crossing was dismantled A former home secretary present at by a member of India’s Sashastra with 17 ministries still under him the interaction said several par- Seema Bal. There was quite an uproar ticipants were surprised that the in Kathmandu after the Darchula inci- country’s primary security agen- dent. The issue was raised in cy that guards the national terri- Parliament where not only the main The prime minister has not been able to expand his Cabinet even in more than 40 days, tory was ignored. opposition, CPN-UML, but also some “It looks like the Home members of the ruling alliance came and observers say a lack of dedicated ministers hugely affects governance. Ministry is filled with the offi- down heavily on the Sher Bahadur cials who have no idea about the Deuba government. TIKA R PRADHAN are of importance with respect to the agency’s nature, its norms and A day after the incident, the Home KATHMANDU, AUG 23 nation and the public and they need values, and its primary objec- Ministry on August 1 formed a urgent addressal. And we need minis- tives,”said Govinda Kusum, a five-member team to probe into the In the last week of June, about a ters to take such proposals to the former home secretary, who also matter. It was initially given 10 days to month after then KP Sharma Oli gov- Cabinet,” said Khanal. attended the interaction. find the facts and submit the report. ernment dissolved the House of “Some decisions can be taken by the Kusum’s assessment, by exten- >> Continued on page 2 Representatives, the Supreme Court secretaries, but usually bureaucrats annulled appointments of 20 minis- refrain from doing so for various rea- ters—17 Cabinet ministers and three sons, including retribution.” ministers of state. When Deuba took charge, it was They were appointed by Oli in two apparent that he had a little over one phases—on June 4 and June 10. Oli’s year to lead the government. He was Cabinet was reduced to five members well aware of the handful of jobs to after the order. Since the Supreme Post file Photo accomplish—acquiring vaccines and Court had said a Cabinet expansion Sher Bahadur Deuba vaccinating as many people against was against the spirit of the constitu- Covid-19 as possible, fixing relations tion, the decision came as a big blow to state minister for health, inviting a with neighbours and other countries, Oli, but there were concerns about an fair share of criticism. bringing the constitutional process incomplete Council of Ministers in It has been six weeks since Deuba and the parliamentary system back on the midst of a pandemic. There were took over the reins and he is still run- track, and ultimately conducting elec- concerns about governance, as Oli ning the government with the same tions in a free and fair manner. was already facing criticism for poor four ministers and one state minister. Nepal was one of the first countries delivery as prime minister. Deuba himself is leading 17 ministries. in the world to launch a vaccination About three weeks later, the Rameshwor Khanal, a former drive but its inoculation campaign Supreme Court defenestrated Oli and finance secretary, says not having ded- faltered due to the failure to secure installed Nepali Congress President icated ministers adversely affects enough doses. After a second wave of Sher Bahadur Deuba in his place. overall governance and that a com- Covid-19 hit the country hard, cases Deuba took the oath of office as prime plete government becomes even more gradually declined, but the country is minister on July 13 and formed a necessary when the country is facing not out of the woods yet and experts five-member Cabinet. Later on July 25, a crisis, like the Covid-19 pandemic. have warned of a third wave. he appointed Umesh Shrestha as the “There are various proposals which >> Continued on page 2 Taliban warn of ‘consequences’ if US extends evacuation The United States is under pressure to extend the August 31 evacuation deadline, with the European Union and Britain saying it would be impossible to get everyone out by then.

showed no willingness to compromise on the US pullout. “If the US or UK were to seek additional time to continue evacua- tions—the answer is no. Or there would be consequences,” Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Sky News on Monday. Staying beyond the agreed deadline would be “extending occupation”, he added. Two Taliban sources meanwhile told AFP the group would not announce the makeup of its govern- ment or cabinet until the last US sol- dier has left the country. The rush to leave Kabul has sparked harrowing scenes and killed at least eight people, some crushed to death while at least one person died after falling from a moving plane. One Afghan was killed and three others AFP/rss were injured in a dawn firefight on People disembark at the arrival of a chartered Air Belgium plane carrying evacuated people Monday that according to the German from Afghanistan, at the military airport in Melsbroek, on Monday. military erupted between Afghan guards and unknown assailants. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE weeks before an August 31 deadline German and American troops “par- KABUL, AUG 23 for all troops to fully withdraw from ticipated in further exchange of fire”, the country. the German army said in a statement. The Taliban warned on Monday there To manage the chaotic airlifting of The Taliban, infamous for an ultra- would be “consequences” if the United foreigners and Afghans—many of strict interpretation of sharia law States and its allies extend their pres- whom fear reprisals for working with during their initial 1996-2001 rule, ence in Afghanistan beyond next Western nations—thousands of sol- have repeatedly vowed a softer version week, as chaos continued to over- diers have poured back into this time. whelm Kabul airport. Afghanistan, with pressure growing President Biden has insisted he The hardline Islamists’ takeover of on Washington to extend the deadline. wants to end the US military presence the country last weekend shocked But the Taliban, who have so far and the airlifts by August 31. Western nations, coming just two sought to strike a more moderate tone, >> Continued on page 6

C M Y K TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2021 | 02 National Bureaucratic inertia delays report on Darchula ...

>> Continued from page 1 Indian side based on some media Janardan Gautam, a joint-secretary reports?” said Acharya when asked if at the ministry, headed the investiga- he had spoken with the Indian side tion team. The team visited Darchula regarding the incident. district and held interaction with eye- Kusum, the former home secretary, witnesses and local residents about says it looks like the government does the incident. But after failing to meet not want to antagonise India. the deadline, it was given seven days “Otherwise, there is no reason to more. After it failed to submit the delay the publication of the report,” report within the extended deadline, Kusum told the Post. “But again, I see the ministry gave another seven days. a bigger problem. There is an institu- The latest deadline expires on tional crisis. There are hardly any Wednesday. people in the Home Ministry who real- Gautam said there were multiple ly understand what it is meant for.” factors that led to the delay in complet- This is not the first time that the ing the report on time. Home Ministry has made delays on “Out of five, one member left for issues and created confusion, ulti- India for treatment. Another member mately failing to deliver. left for Ilam after his father passed “In the last 30 years, several private away,” Gautam told the Post on and public organisations and corpora- Monday. “As you know, this issue is tions have changed their working quite sensitive. The area is also remote styles, introduced several reforms, but so it took time to complete the investi- the Home Ministry seems to have been gation. We have almost finalised the stuck in a time warp,” a former report.” joint-secretary who served at the min- When asked to share his team’s istry for seven years told the Post. findings, Gautam said they are yet to “There are several incidents related Source: Health Ministry “write the conclusion”. to natural calamities, cross-border Comparative numbers of Covid-19 patients in intensive care units across the country, those on ventilator support and deaths over the last two weeks. “As soon as the two members are issues and security related matters *Covid-19 fatalities include the number of deaths managed by Nepal Army on different dates. back, we will discuss the findings and where the ministry has utterly failed give our conclusion,” said Gautam. to complete its task by the deadline.” “Given the sensitivity of the issue, we According to the joint-secretary, have tried to examine every aspect there is no urgency among officials at meticulously. At this stage, I cannot the Home Ministry to address any share anything about our investiga- issue. Briefing tion with the media.” “The delay in completing the inves- Multiple landslides leave Kathmandu’s nonchalant attitude tigation reflects the inertia and lethar- when it comes to the plight of Nepalis gy of the ministry,” the joint-secretary Three family members found from remote and far-flung areas like told the Post. Darchula is not new though. Darchula Successive governments in dead in Jhapa is the district where the Kalapani area Kathmandu have, historically, taken a KAKARBHITTA: A couple and their Pyuthan’s Damri at high risk falls, which both Nepal and India half-hearted approach when it comes eight-month-old daughter were found claim to be their own. The KP Sharma to cross-border and territorial issues dead in their house in Kankai Oli government in May last year with India. Many say the rulers in Municipality-1, Jhapa on Monday Around 70 households are at risk and need immediate relocation, officials say. unveiled a new map of Nepal showing Kathmandu often try to maintain a morning. Police said the bodies of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura mild position when it comes to issues Rabin BK, 34, his wife Mina Basnet SHAMSHER BIKRAM GC within the Nepali territory. related with India. Though most of BK, 29, and their daughter were PYUTHAN, AUG 23 After the publication of the new the territorial disputes have largely discovered hanging in a room. Jimba map, Nepal and India were in a state been sorted out, two areas still contin- said the BK couple were in home iso- Ker Bahadur Thapa of Damri has of cartographic war. ue to be the source of friction between lation after they tested positive for been restless after a massive landslide With no road access to Darchula, the two countries—Kalapani and Covid-19 10 days ago. “Detailed inves- erupted just below his house in locals from here are forced to use such Susta. tigation into the incident is under- Naubahini Rural Municipality-5, cable crossings and rubber tubes to But Kathmandu failing to promptly way,” said Deputy Superintendent of Pyuthan, on Wednesday. His house has cross the mighty Mahakali river take up the disappearance of the Police Rakesh Thapa. developed cracks and can collapse any whenever they need to buy daily Darchula youth in an incident that moment now. All five members of his essentials, which are available only in can be easily termed criminal shows family are taking shelter in an animal the Indian market, or whenever they the state’s complete apathy for its citi- Flooded stream destroys two shed nearby. need to travel to Kathmandu. zens, some say. houses in Myagdi “It rains almost every day. The Dhami too was crossing the river to “I see an utter lack of seriousness threat of landslides is very high. We reach Kathmandu when he fell into on our side while dealing with the MYAGDI: Two houses were destroyed are terrified that our house will be the river. recent Darchula incident or other sim- by the flooded Dudhe stream in swept away,” said Thapa. According to Kalapani has remained a major irri- ilar issues,” said Chandi Shrestha, Bhakimli, Beni Municipality Ward him, the landslide swept away around tant in Nepal-India relations, but nei- also a former home secretary. “The No. 3 on Monday. According to the 20 ropanis of his land. “We cannot ther side has done enough to resolve incident could have been dealt with in District Police Office in Myagdi, return home due to fear of landslides the issue. After the erstwhile Oli gov- a more effective manner without vehicular movement along various and my land is gone. Where should I ernment unveiled the new Nepali affecting the Nepal-India ties.” road sections have also been obstruct- go now?” map, in response to India opening a According to Shrestha, there is no ed due to landslides and floods caused Besides Thapa’s house, around 70 Post Photo: Shumsher Bikram GC route via Lipulekh, New Delhi had not need to damage the two countries’ by incessant rainfall since Sunday. other houses of six settlements in the The landslides have also disrupted electricity supply and drinking water pipelines in Damri. hidden its displeasure. relations over a particular incident Shyam Kumar Rai, chief at the Damri area are at risk of landslides. With eyewitnesses implicating a and practical solutions should be District Police Office in Myagdi, said, Daljita Gharti, a resident of Damri, Around half a dozen villages, households in Damri that are at risk member of the Indian security force of sought to avoid repeating such inci- “The Beni-Baranja road and Beni- left her house after a landslide erupted including Thulodamri, Sanodamri of landslides. unfastening the cable crossing, leading dents in the future. Jomsom road have been damaged by in the area on Wednesday. Her family and Basel, at Damri in Naubahini “It would cause great destruction if to the fall of Dhami, the newly formed “If the Nepali side is holding back floods and landslides.” is taking shelter at a relative’s house Rural Municipality Ward No. 5 are at the relocation process is delayed, as Deuba government was under the report [of the Darchula incident] in the neighbouring settlement. risk of landslides. According to Pun, a the Damri area has been witnessing pressure to address the issue just to prevent any uproar or protests, Holding centre set up in a “We are taking refuge at a relative’s dozen families have already fled their continuous rainfall for several days,” promptly. When the incident it’s not a good policy,” Shrestha told house. We don’t know when the land- village fearing landslides. Ghartimagar said. happened, the Deuba government was the Post. “I see mistakes from both Salyan local unit slides will sweep our house away,” The landslides have also disrupted According to him, the ward office just 18 days old. sides. If the Indian side had apolo- SALYAN: A holding centre has been set said Gharti. “We have land plots in electricity supply and drinking water has been collecting details of the The Indian side has claimed that gised, the situation would have been up at Kapurkot Rural Municipality-3 Patlekhola and Pokhara. But these pipelines in Damri. destruction and information on the none of its security personnel was different.” in Salyan to quarantine people enter- places are also at risk of landslides. Taj Bahadur Pun, a resident of affected families. involved in the incident. Nepal, how- But for the truth to come out, the ing the district from India and other The government should relocate us to Damri, says the villagers are without “We have also requested the rural ever, has not been able to make any report must come out first. countries. Bhim Bahadur Sen, the safer locations.” electricity and drinking water for the municipal office for the families’ relo- concrete position on the incident. In A former chief of a security agency chairman of Kapurkot Rural Man Bahadur Pun, another local, past few days. cation and distribution of relief,” said an interview with ekantipur.com on said Nepal home administration’s Municipality, said that the 10-bed says all the residents of Damri have “On top of the risk of being swept Ghartimagar. Sunday, Nepal’s Ambassador to India working style has been lethargic for holding centre was established to pre- been affected by the landslides. away, we have to live without electrici- The residents of Dumri have also Nilamber Acharya also made it clear decades. “But in this particular vent the possible outbreak of Covid- “There’s no safe location around ty and drinking water. We are yet to been asked to stay on high alert, says that there has been no official govern- Darchula incident, the delay in mak- 19 infections. “The holding centre has our village. The school building is also receive help from the authorities. We Shivaraj Rijal, chairman of Naubahini ment position on the incident yet. ing the report public could be a delib- been set up with a Rs 2.5 million at risk of landslides. And there’s no have been left in a lurch,” he said. Rural Municipality. “As far as the Darchula incident is erate move,” said Devi Ram Sharma, budget provided by the Karnali one to take help from,” Pun said, urg- Meanwhile, Ana Bahadur “The rural municipality is yet to concerned, first there has to be an who headed the National Intelligence Provincial government. The centre ing the government authorities to Ghartimagar, chairman of Ward No. 5 receive the details of the destruction. official position of our government. Department from 2003 to 2007. currently has 10 beds with an oxygen relocate the at-risk settlements to of Naubahini Rural Municipality, has We will conduct a field inspection Isn’t it asking a bit too much from an “This incident is directly tied to two facility,” said Sen. safer places. underscored the need to relocate 70 soon,” he said. ambassador to lodge a protest with the countries.” Deuba’s fifth term: Six weeks go by ...

>> Continued from page 1 new party—CPN (Unified Socialist). The Nepal group With the start of the festival season, the risk has of the UML had played a crucial role in installing further increased. Deuba as prime minister. Once the party is registered, Experts have suggested scaling up vaccination. Deuba is likely to give some ministerial berths to the As of Sunday, a little over 16 percent of the 30 mil- Nepal faction. lion people have taken their first dose of vaccine and a Then there are the Communist Party of Nepal little over 12.82 percent have been fully vaccinated. (Maoist Centre) and the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) Nepal so far has received 13,227,590 doses of Covid- led by Upendra Yadav and Baburam Bhattarai. Deuba 19 vaccines from various sources, a big chunk of them needs to satisfy them as well. But the bigger challenge in grants. is managing his own party, as in Deuba’s Nepali Observers say Deuba should have immediately Congress also, there are factions with many aspirants appointed dedicated ministers at least at health and for ministerial positions. foreign ministries, two agencies that can play crucial Observers and former bureaucrats say given Nepal’s roles in exploring options to secure vaccine doses. As lethargic bureaucracy and politicians’ tendency to be Oli had left Nepal’s relations with neighbours in a vindictive, having ministers at all ministries is key to state of confusion, Deuba should have paid attention ensuring effective governance. to the appointment of foreign minister, according to “By nature our bureaucracy is not very proactive. A them. lack of ministers makes officials even more After the Taliban took control of Kabul at lightning lethargic,” said Kedar Bahadur Adhikari, a former speed, the South Asian region is set to see a geopoliti- secretary. cal flux and Nepal cannot remain untouched by the “So not having ministers definitely affects impact. The immediate focus is on evacuating Nepalis governance.” stranded in Afghanistan. Deuba does not have a for- When Deuba was appointed prime minister through eign minister—he himself is leading the ministry. To a court decree last month, observers were quick to say carry out that work, he has set up a committee of that he did not inspire hope, as he had already been bureaucrats. tried and tested four times before. “It’s the very nature of a coalition government,” Deuba himself had a chance to recoup his image on said Umesh Mainali, former home secretary and the heels of Oli’s misadventures that threatened the chairman of the Public Service Commission. “A constitutional system and democratic processes. prime minister leading a coalition government often He, however, is now receiving criticism for doing faces challenges when it comes to Cabinet exactly what the Oli government had been doing. The expansion, as there are too many aspirants from sup- ordinance to break a political party, issued a day after porting parties.” proroguing the House, is just an example. But, according to Mainali, governance should With Parliament prorogued, and over a dozen minis- not be hit. tries concentrated under Deuba, observers fear anom- “Without dedicated ministers, only regular and day- alies and corruption. to-day tasks can be performed. In extraordinary times, According to Khem Raj Regmi, former president of like at present when the country is facing a Covid-19 Transparency International Nepal, in the absence of crisis, it would be better for the prime minister to give dedicated ministers, there are chances people close to his government its full shape at the earliest,” said the prime minister could try to take undue advantage, Mainali. giving rise to corruption. Deuba is not likely to expand his Cabinet at least “For those with malafide intentions, absence of until Wednesday, the day the Election Commission is ministers at various ministries can be a good opportu- scheduled to examine the documents presented by the nity to exploit the situation,” said Regmi, also a for- post Photo: Deepak kc Madhav Nepal group of the CPN-UML to register a mer secretary. Workers load garbage onto a truck from a tractor at Kupondole, Lalitpur on Monday.

C M Y K 03 | TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2021 National Government working to introduce fail grade in school level exams Experts have long been recommending continuous assessment system to implement letter grading effectively. BINOD GHIMIRE KATHMANDU, AUG 23

Five years after adopting the letter grading system for the evaluation of school level exams, the govern- ment is preparing to revise the system by introduc- ing the “Non Graded” or “Fail” category. The government introduced the grading system of assessment in 2016 following the eighth amendment to the Education Act-1972 which restructured the education system, making Grade 12 the final school year and scrapping the School Leaving Certificate (SLC). The grading system was adopted so no student would fail their Secondary Education Examinations, the Grade 10 finals, which replaced the SLC. The system, however, has led to a deterioration in study among students, officials say. To address this issue, “Non Graded” category has been proposed in the exam results of grades 10, 11 and 12, which is equivalent to failure. A committee led by Usha Jha, former member of the National Planning Commission, has made a rec- ommendation to this effect. “The proposal has been forwarded to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology for endorse- ment,” Ganesh Bhattarai, spokesperson for the Curriculum Development Centre, told the Post. “The National Curriculum Development and Evaluation Council chaired by the Minister for Education has to endorse it.” The Education Ministry is without a minister at present. As per the recommendation, attaining 35 percent marks in theory and 40 percent in practical exams will be mandatory to pass the respective grades. Except in Mathematics, there are practical marks for all other seven subjects in the SEE. At present, the obtained marks in theory and prac- tical are added to ascertain the total marks a student has got in respective subjects. Once the new provi- sion is implemented, the obtained marks will be counted separately. Currently, the letter grading system of evaluation allows students to pursue higher education irrespec- tive of how badly they have performed in their exams. Those getting a GPA below 1.6 have to choose tech- nical courses while those willing to study Grade 11 Post Photo: ANGAD DHAKAL under the regular stream must score above 1.6 GPA. People gather at Bhaktapur Durbar Square for the Gaijatra festival on Monday. Authorities’ call to limit the number of participants and maintain social distance were not followed. “Non-Graded means failure. The provision was necessary because there are complaints about degra- dation in students’ study,” Jha told the Post. “We made the recommendation after studying the evalua- tion system in different countries.” Questions over the letter grading system have been raised ever since it was adopted five years ago. Influenza cases rising amid Covid-19 pandemic Some education experts argue that the letter grading system doesn’t apply in Nepal where the knowledge of students is tested through a three-hour examina- Health experts warn of increase in severity and fatality due to misdiagnosis and negligence. tion. At present, the teachers provide the marks to students in numbers which are then converted ARJUN POUDEL Organisation’s Global Influenza of influenza A virus—H1N1 and disease and if not treated in time, infected with both Covid-19 and into grades. KATHMANDU, AUG 23 Surveillance, over 240 influenza others. both cause severity and deaths,” Dr influenza at the same time, “ said Education experts have suggested that the govern- cases have been reported in Nepal Doctors say some of the symp- Prabhat Adhikari, an infectious Dr Pun. ment must shift to a continuous assessment system Last week, a man in his early 30s in the first and second weeks of toms of the flu and coronavirus disease and critical care expert, The WHO says that mortality for if letter grading is to be implemented effectively. reached the Sukraraj Tropical and August. Cases of influenza B infec- overlap with each other, which can told the Post. “But unlike Covid-19, Covid-19 appears higher than that Under continuous assessment, teachers evaluate Infectious Disease Hospital with tions have shot up significantly lead to misdiagnosis and cause con- treatment of influenza is available of influenza, especially seasonal the day-to-day performance of students and rate Covid-19-like symptoms. He told since the second week of August. fusions. In both infections (Covid- and early intervention can prevent influenza. them based on their overall performance in the the doctors that he suspected he Public health experts say the rise the severity of illness.” “For seasonal influenza, mortali- entire academic year. Under practical assessment, might have been infected with the in the number of influenza cases is Compared to influenza virus, the ty is usually below 0.1 percent,” students are asked what life skills they have learnt. coronavirus even though his test concerning at a time when the Doctors say people severity and death rate of Covid-19 reads a report of the WHO. The ongoing preparations to revise the grading results had come negative. country is dealing with the corona- is high. So far, 10,533 deaths have “However, mortality is to a large system show the inconsistency in our education eval- “Since his Covid test was nega- virus pandemic. They have warned can get infected been recorded since the start of the extent determined by access to and uation process, says Binay Kusiyait, a professor at tive, we recommend the patient get that chances of misdiagnosis and pandemic last year. In the last 24 quality of health care.” Tribhuvan University. an influenza test. It was confirmed negligence could be high during with Covid-19 hours, 24 people died from Covid- As the Health Ministry has asked “This inconsistency has arisen because the gov- he had contracted influenza,” Dr this time, which could lead to 19-related complications. Active all health workers serving through- ernment introduced the letter grading system with- Sher Bahadur Pun, chief of the delayed treatment and even deaths. and influenza cases stand at 38,351. out the country to focus on Covid- out proper study,” Kusiyait told the Post. “The evalu- Clinical Research Unit at the hospi- “Many people are not taking the The Ministry of Health and 19, risk of other ailments getting ation system wouldn’t have needed a revision had it tal, told the Post. influenza virus seriously,” said at the same time. Population said that 829,433 people ignored is high. not been introduced in a haste.” Pun says there has been a rise in Pun. “When a person tests negative have been infected with the “If a patient having Covid-19-like Education experts say if the government is look- the number of patients visiting the for Covid-19, he/she returns home coronavirus (748,981 in polymerase symptoms tests negative, he or she ing forward to changing the letter grading system, it hospital who are infected with believing that they are safe. But we 19 and influenza), patients suffer chain reaction tests and 80,462 in should also get an influenza test,” should also decide to adopt the continuous evalua- influenza A and B virus. should not forget that influenza from fever, cough, shortness of antigen tests) since the start of the said Adhikari, an infectious dis- tion system instead of making the students sit for a “It’s not just Covid-19 cases we virus is also highly contagious. It breath, fatigue, sore throat, runny pandemic. ease expert. “Timely detection of three-hour test. have to worry about at the moment. could cause pneumonia and if left or stuffy nose, headache, vomiting Doctors say people can also be the infection, whether it is from the “The present evaluation system needs an over- Influenza patients are also increas- untreated, even deaths.” and diarrhoea, and change in or infected with Covid-19 and influen- coronavirus or the influenza virus, haul,” Dhananjaya Sharma, a former principal at ing in recent times,” Pun said. Several deaths have been loss of taste or smell. za at the same time. helps health workers start treat- Gyanodaya School, Bafal, told the Post. “Merely add- According to the World Health recorded in Nepal from sub-lineage “Both viruses cause respiratory “I have seen at least two patients ment in time.” ing the Non-Graded category isn’t enough.” Final consignment of 1.6 million AstraZeneca doses arrives from Japan A total of 559,360 shots were delivered on Monday. On August 7, 8 and 21, Nepal had received 513,420, 333,900 and 208,060 doses.

ARJUN POUDEL of Covishield between March 7 and 15, Covishield vaccine under grant assis- KATHMANDU, AUG 23 were deprived of their second doses as tance and Nepal had purchased 1 mil- Nepal had failed to secure additional lion doses from the Serum Institute of Nepal on Monday received 559, 360 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine. India. doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from After Bhutan supplied 230,000 doses Bhutan provided 230,000 doses of Japan. and Japan supplied the first consign- AstraZeneca vaccine. This is the last batch of the total 1.6 ment of AstraZeneca vaccine, the gov- Meanwhile, the Health Ministry million doses the government of ernment started giving second doses said that additional doses of Vero Cell Japan had pledged to Nepal through to those who took their first doses in vaccine will be delivered in coming COVAX, a United Nations-backed March from August 9. days from China. Of the 6 million international vaccine-sharing scheme. The Health Ministry had started doses of Vero Cell purchases by the “We have received the final consign- inoculating people from other groups government, only 1.6 million doses ment of vaccines from Japan today,” in Kathmandu after all those who had have been delivered. China has also Upendra Dhungana, chief of the received first doses of AstraZeneca pledged to provide an additional 1.6 Logistic Management Division under did not seek second doses. million doses of Vero Cell under grant the Department of Health Services, College students, who have taken assistance. told the Post. exam admit cards, employees and The Health Ministry has said that it Earlier this month, a total of labourers working in the construction is working to manage funds to pur- 1,055,380 doses of AstraZeneca vac- of the new parliament building, chase an additional 6 million doses of cine manufactured in Japan were pro- migrant workers and students and Vero Cell from China. vided. On August 7 and 8, Nepal others who are going abroad, patients The government has already paid received 513,420 doses and 333,900 with renal conditions who have to for four million doses of the Moderna doses. Then on August 21, as many as undergo dialysis, those having organ vaccine through the World Bank to the 208,060 doses were supplied to Nepal. transplantation and cancer patients US manufacturer of the vaccine, and The government of Japan in July are on the priority list for the first delivery is expected by mid-February. had announced that it would provide dose of AstraZeneca vaccine. Also expected by mid-February is 1,614,740 doses of AstraZeneca vac- Those residing in rehabs and the the delivery of 11 million doses from cine through COVAX. staff serving there, workers serving in COVAX under a cost-sharing mecha- Officials at the Health Ministry said industrial areas, women and girls Post Photo: ANGAD DHAKAL nism, which means the government that these doses will be used to give sheltering at Maiti Nepal, family Boxes containing the AstraZeneca vaccine sent by the Japan government after they were unloaded at Kathmandu airport on Monday. will pay the vaccine-sharing scheme second doses to those who had taken members of security personnel and the amount equivalent to what the their first doses of Covishield, the those above 30 are also on the priority Janssen by Johnson and Johnson of Of them, 7.4 million doses of Vero gle-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine facility paid to the manufacturing AstraZeneca type of vaccine manufac- list for AstraZeneca vaccine. the United States of America to inocu- Cell (5.6 million doses bought and 1.8 through the COVAX facility company. tured by the Serum Institute of India, Nepal so far has used AstraZeneca late its population against the corona- million doses provided under grants) Apart from this, COVAX itself had As of Sunday, 4,942,250 people (16.47 in the second week of March. vaccine (manufactured in India, virus. have arrived in Nepal. supplied 348,000 doses of Covishield in percent) have taken their first dose of Around 1.4 million people aged 65 Japan, and Europe), Vero Cell, devel- So far, the country has received The United States of America in the first week of March. vaccine and 3,846,736 people( 12.82 per- and above, who had taken first doses oped by China’s Sinopharm, and 13,227,590 doses of vaccine. July provided 1,534,850 doses of sin- India has provided 1.1 million cent) have been fully immunised.

C M Y K TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2021 | 04 Opinion EDITORIAL Impose inheritance tax to change politics Garbage city For a lasting solution to our waste management problem, we need to rethink what constitutes waste.

Kathmandu Mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya is not known for making sense. Four years into his tenure, he is yet to do one major work that will fortify his position as a mayor that real- ly worked for the people. Instead, his aversion to art, culture and aesthetics, despite representing a city with a rich reper- toire of tangible and intangible cultures, is pretty well known. It pains the mayor to see a work of art created by socially responsible artists so much that he swiftly sends his crew to whitewash it. But it has been weeks since heaps of garbage have started to be strewn across the city, turning it into an installation art of garbage, and the mayor is nowhere to be seen. So much for his alacrity when it comes to remov- ing harmless art work while the city residents’ olfactory and aesthetic senses go for a toss. But of course, we cannot single out the Kathmandu mayor when we talk about our representatives failing to fulfil the most basic of their duties. The garbage management prob- lem is rampant across all municipalities across the country. Being the most densely populated place in the country, as well as the federal administrative centre, though, it is only natu- ral for Kathmandu Valley to be in the eye of the storm. What is frustrating is that the garbage problem has remained the most persistent issue for decades, with generations of admin- Shutterstock istrative officers and elected representatives failing to find a Family feuds generally live on the rental income. Would my It is rare to see a political party that has growth can be attributed to their 55 lasting solution. Every now and then, there are protests by siblings or I been as hardworking and not had such fights. Even the new ones percent and 50 percent inheritance tax push ourselves hard? Our society is one have fights as the leadership of the respectively as people do not wait for locals close to the landfill sites such as Sisdol and Okharpauwa revolve around ancestral where lives revolve around inher- party is seen as legitimate inheritance, their parents to die to inherit their who complain about their compensation claims and health assets in the form of land itance. Earlier, women were excluded which means that they are like family wealth. Of course, there has to be a concerns being sidelined. And this time, it is the road, built from inheriting parental property by members fighting over inheritance. threshold above which this should law. No wonder Nepali women are more If one has inherited a plot of land, apply. Further, making a will and regis- on a pile of garbage, that has been damaged by monsoon and property. hardworking than Nepali men as they especially in urban centres in Nepal, tering it with competent authorities rains, leaving garbage trucks unable to travel up to the are not sure they will inherit wealth the usual practice is to rent it out. With should be made mandatory for every- dumping site. from their parents or husbands. sky-rocketing land prices, there are one who owns assets, like we have to Sujeev Shakya many Nepali billionaires in terms of name a nominee for bank accounts and It’s a wonder that our mayors have failed to speak of a Weddings and funerals land value. There is no incentive to shares of companies in the event of “smart” garbage collection policy yet, given how obsessed THE OTHER Fights for family assets, especially become entrepreneurial. They start death. This will also reduce the number our administrators and elected representatives love to bring VIEW land, form part of every discussion at businesses because everyone is doing of litigation after the death of the asset large family gatherings. We remember it. They do not have to think hard as the owner. up the “smart” word in everything they do. But garbage man- weddings and funerals where there business is for identity; and if it folds In Nepal, a high inheritance tax can agement is one area where the authorities can be a little bit were showdowns between different up, it’s not your hard-earned money also lead to more open spaces. With smarter and bring about big changes. Change, of course, families. I have vivid memories of peo- that you have lost. Some ancestor more Nepalis settling abroad, the begins at home. The biggest problem facing our waste man- The splitting of political parties is ple fighting over who should light the earned it for you. Therefore, it is impor- assets in Nepal become just another being widely discussed in Nepal as if it funeral pyre at cremation ghats as soci- tant to tax inheritance in a big way so bonus for them. So if there is inher- agement system is our inability to inculcate in city residents is something alien to societal norms. ety determines family relations based that what comes to one is not guaran- itance tax, they would not mind if the the habit of segregating waste at home. As per experts, up to However, the way political parties on who attends funerals and lights the teed, and you have to work hard early local government takes over their 75 percent of the waste we produce is biodegradable, which behave is a reflection of the society we pyre. You will see warring brothers on in life like in many countries in the assets and gives them the money after live in. Our societies have always seen fighting for family wealth together as world. taxes. In Boulder, Colorado, the local means that it can be managed locally. Of the waste that family feuds, and they generally kriya putra (mourning sons) even People ask why second generation government buys such houses and dis- remains, 15 percent can be recycled while only 10 percent revolve around ancestral assets in the though they may not be on speaking Nepali children in the United States are mantles them, creates more open spac- needs to be dumped. Segregating dry waste from wet is the form of land and property—land being terms. It is not rare to see brothers who so successful, or some of the young es and increases the prices of houses in the biggest of them. It is rare to see a have had fist fights in front of hun- people who have started businesses in the neighbourhood, resulting in more simplest thing to do, but thanks to lack of awareness on the family where there has been no family dreds sitting together at death rituals. the ICT sector in Nepal have flour- taxes. In Patan, we see so many aban- part of city residents and the inaction of the authorities, we feud for assets in the past three genera- Family members fighting in court for ished, and the answer for the majority doned houses in clusters which are have failed to put into practice the most fundamental policy tions. We grew up learning how my decades can be seen posting large obit- would be the same. They started on mostly disputed. They can be taken grandfather’s family took away the uaries in the newspapers. They all do their own without inheritance or over to create open creative spaces that of waste management. family assets, and our dad and his that as there is inheritance to look for- moved away from their families to be can also generate revenue. And yet, here we are, residents of a cosmopolitan brothers were on their own. When it ward to. The disintegration of wealth independent. If we did a survey of It is important to look at this issue city, throwing our garbage out of the window onto happened again, we stopped speaking amongst Rana families, perhaps the women (daughters or daughters-in-law) deeply if we are to resolve our political to one of my uncles after he took away richest rulers in South Asia, can be below 30 years of age, many would say landscape in the next decade. We need the street in the middle of the night, and dodging the all the assets and left us with nothing. attributed to fights for assets across they would choose independent nucle- to have the next generation of political same garbage the next morning when we step out of our We siblings thought it was important different branches of the family. Only ar living instead of being in families leaders push the cause of inheritance homes. While the lack of space at, or the severance of access to start off on our own rather than those who chose to get professionals or where in exchange for inheritance, you taxes to secure their own political fight for the family assets, and now we kept family communications open and have to trade your independence. future. Otherwise, in the 22nd century, to, the dumping sites is part of the problem, we must begin do not think that was a bad idea. I am legal have survived. we will be talking about the 150 years rethinking what constitutes waste in the first place and mend not sure how my life would have been if This sense of fighting within fami- More open spaces of different party splits and unification our ways. I had assets I had inherited and could lies is reflected in our political parties. Japan and South Korea’s economic like in families. Food systems on the edge

more than three billion people. People go hungry not Scientists around the world have proposed future food systems that pro- because there is insufficient tect the health of both humans and the environment. The EAT-Lancet food in the world, but Commission, for example, has shown that it is feasible to provide a healthy because they are poor. diet for ten billion people by 2050 with- out destroying the planet. The panel advises doubling consumption of BARBARA UNMÜssIG fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, and reducing red-meat and sugar con- sumption by more than 50 percent. What is missing are political lead- ers who understand the urgency of the food-system crisis and initiate the necessary transformations. In doing so, they should stand up to powerful The Covid-19 pandemic has ruthlessly economic interests and focus on the exposed the global food system’s defi- needs of the most vulnerable. ciencies, and a massive escalating The pandemic has accelerated hunger crisis now looms. A quarter of demands for a more resilient, diverse humanity lacks secure access to food, model of farming and food produc- with one in ten people affected by tion. Grassroots initiatives based on severe food insecurity, and up to 811 community decisions and open-source million people hungry. Another quar- ideas can help to develop local food ter of the world’s population suffers systems that are free from corporate from various forms of malnutrition, capture, such as community kitchens, including obesity, with huge negative nutrition centers, and urban farming effects on health. initiatives. About 300 urban farms Both trends are on the rise, and both influenced dietary choices in are directly connected to injustice and Johannesburg, South Africa in 2020. poverty. No matter how much food the Unfortunately, the upcoming UN world produces, failure to address Food Systems Summit looks set to power imbalances in the global food entrench the status quo. The agenda system will mean that hunger persists gives little room to crucial structural and foodborne illnesses explode. issues rooted in power imbalances Many hope that the United Nations and the political economy. And the Food Systems Summit in September Shutterstock industrial agriculture lobby may well will be a catalyst for real change. But billion people. But agricultural prod- result, 155 million people across 55 who lack the basics for secure food selling unhealthy processed food and seek to water down discussion of the gathering is more likely to legiti- ucts go to those with the greatest countries suffered from severe hunger production: land, water, and regional- sugary drinks. After all, fat, sugar, and important scientific themes on the mise and cement the current inequita- capacity to pay—including in the feed in 2020, an increase of 20 million from ly rooted knowledge systems. carbohydrates mixed with a lot of salt agenda, including access to locally ble model of industrialised food pro- industry and the renewable-energy 2019. Meanwhile, nearly two billion peo- are the cheapest calories. In 2019, the adapted seeds, the consequences of duction. sector—and not to the most vulnera- Since the Green Revolution in the ple globally are now overweight or world’s five largest food and beverage highly hazardous pesticides, and land That would be bad news for the ble people. Market power trumps food 1960s and 1970s, we have continuously obese. Mexico, where about 73 percent companies—Nestlé, PepsiCo, and water regulation. world’s hungry people, the majority of sovereignty. heard that increasing agricultural of the population is overweight, is a Anheuser-Busch InBev, JBS, and What we need is a people’s Food whom—418 million—live in Asia. Violent conflict, extreme weather productivity is the key to fighting hun- particularly worrying case. If current Tyson Foods—had a combined reve- Systems Summit that aims to end hun- More than 282 million live in Africa, due to climate change, biodiversity ger and feeding the world’s popula- dietary habits persist, 45 percent of nue of $262.7 billion. ger and malnutrition, protect ecosys- where chronic hunger affects one in loss, and the economic turmoil caused tion. Today, global corporations like the world’s population could be over- Healthy diets are much more expen- tems, and provide small farmers with five people and is increasing faster by Covid-19 lockdowns have worsened Corteva (formerly the agricultural weight by 2050. This will result in sive, so obesity is often a result of a decent livelihood. Those most affect- than in any other region. the situation of vulnerable people. unit of DowDuPont), Bayer/Monsanto, exploding health-care costs, with poorer populations’ low purchasing ed by the negative consequences of Hunger is primarily a problem of And water becomes increasingly and ChemChina/Syngenta promote diet-related health costs linked to mor- power. The UN’s Food and Agriculture our current food systems should play accessibility. People go hungry not scarce for smaller farmers when big- productivity through the use of chem- tality and non-communicable diseases Organization estimated that a diet a vital part in discussing how to trans- because there is insufficient food in ger investors use it in intensive irriga- ical pesticides, artificial fertilisers, projected to exceed $1.3 trillion per with sufficient calories cost form them. the world, but because they are poor. tion schemes. and genetically modified or commer- year by 2030. $0.79 per day in 2017, whereas a diet Were it not for injustice and inequali- All these crises limit poorer peo- cially grown hybrid seeds that cannot Again, powerful economic interests with sufficient nutrition cost Barbara Unmüßig is president of the ty, the record global wheat production ple’s capacity to buy food or produce be reproduced. But such capital-inten- are fueling this trend. The food and $2.33 per day, and a healthy diet cost Heinrich Böll Foundation. in 2020-21 could in theory feed up to 14 enough to be self-sufficient. As a sive agriculture cannot serve those beverage industry profits greatly from $3.75—making it unaffordable for — Project Syndicate

C M Y K 05 | TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2021 Money Soaring shipping costs make Nepali products less competitive in US Nepal’s main exports to the US are woollen carpets, woollen felt goods, readymade garments, handicrafts and Himalayan dog chews.

KRISHANA PRASAIN year 2020-20. There were four invest- During the fifth virtual meeting on KATHMANDU, AUG 23 ment pledges valued at Rs4.53 billion the Trade and Investment Framework from the US in the fiscal year 2019-20. Agreement held in December last Shipping costs to the United States Saakha said that there was a huge year, the US had agreed to provide have more than tripled since the pan- potential market for woollen carpets technical support for capacity build- demic, taking away the ability of from Nepal in the US, but Nepal had ing of Nepali producers in order to Nepali products to compete with goods not been able to market them at major increase the volume of exportable from neighbouring countries in the platforms like big trade fairs. goods. American market, traders said. “Nepal needs to hold govern- The Trade and Investment Kiran Prakash Saakha, president of ment-to-government talks so that Framework Agreement signed in the Nepal-USA Chamber of Commerce Nepali products get exposure at big April 2011 between Nepal and the US and Industry, said that freight charges trade fairs in the US because export- is a bilateral pact aimed at expanding have increased at a faster rate than in ing is one of the main ways to bring trade, increasing investment and tech- other countries, making life hard for foreign exchange into the country,” he nical cooperation and strengthening domestic exporters. said. For Nepal to compete in the economic ties. “Because of the high costs, Nepali international market, technical assis- Due to disruptions caused by the products cannot compete with those tance from the US government could pandemic, many sectors including produced in neighbouring countries, be a huge support, the report said. small, medium, and large stakehold- so the government should closely However, it is the responsibility of the ers in Nepal-US trade have been affect- monitor the rates and look for solu- business community to conduct ed, the report said. tions to bring prices back to where research on what kind of technical Even domestic production has been they were before the pandemic,” he assistance Nepal can receive under hit with the transportation of raw said.Speaking at a virtual interaction the Trade and Investment Framework materials being compromised due to programme organised by the Nepal- Agreement (TIFA), and how it can be travel restrictions, and imports being USA Chamber of Commerce and used to make Nepal more competitive. stuck at the border or somewhere Industry, most exporters said they Although the US has granted prefer- between the border and the factory, were worried that if cargo costs ential treatment to 77 Nepali products, the report said. remained on the high side even like carpets, pashmina and travel The government should look into after the pandemic, it may become goods, Nepal has not been able to take the reasons behind Nepal’s raw mate- impossible for them to compete in the advantage of the facility. The country rial imports and cargo still being global market. has not been able to produce them on stuck at various border points like on “Online business is booming in the a large scale, properly market them, the Nepal-China border, and find the US, but domestic traders are not able enhance the quality and ensure assur- best way to clear customs and forward to make payments online for lack of ance of the standard of the products. consignments to their destinations at an international payment gateway. According to the Nepal-US Trade the earliest. This is one of the biggest obstacles to and Investment Framework The report suggested that it would trading with the US,” said Saakha, Agreement signed in 2011, Nepal is be best if the US Embassy brought who is also the executive director of SHUTTERSTOCK entitled to receive technical assis- better clarity in its communication Saakha Steel. According to the Trade and Export Promotion Centre, Nepal’s exports to the US in the last fiscal year 2020-21 were worth Rs13.79 billion, a tance. However, the Nepal government system targeted at the affected busi- Online shopping has taken off all 46.1 percent jump from Rs9.44 billion in the previous fiscal year. has not been able to explore the vari- nesses, and came up with a plan to over the world because of movement ous kinds of technical assistance it alleviate the problem of inadequate restrictions resulting from the pan- for 9.8 percent of Nepal’s total exports. icraft items and Himalayan dog chews US investors fear putting money in can receive from the US government. visa interview dates. demic, but this has not happened in Nepal had a trade deficit of Rs5.70 to the US. the country.” “It has been a decade since the deal “Overall exports to the US have Nepal because domestic sellers still billion with the US in fiscal 2020-21. “Foreign direct investment from the Saakha added, “American financi- was concluded, but Nepal has not been increased in recent years despite vari- cannot accept international online Imports from the US amounted to US in Nepal has been declining ers are also very particular about able to obtain technical assistance ous problems, but it is believed payments, the report of the virtual Rs19.50 billion in 2020-21, down 17.2 because of the lack of a compensation intellectual property rights, but the from experts which is intended to that they can swell even more if the interaction programme said. percent from Rs23.54 billion in 2019-20. law which is the number one priority government does not seem to be seri- increase exports to the US market. Trade and Export Promotion Centre According to the Trade and Export In the fiscal year 2018-19, Nepal for American investors,” Saakha said. ous about it, due to which they are not The Trade and Export Promotion and the government of Nepal serious- Promotion Centre, Nepal’s exports to bought Rs13.42 billion worth of goods “We even appealed to the govern- keen to invest in Nepal.” Centre and the Ministry of Industry, ly considers the above-mentioned the US in the last fiscal year 2020-21 from the US while exports were val- ment to pass a compensation law According to the Department of Commerce and Supply do not seem to problems and solutions provided by were worth Rs13.79 billion, a 46.1 per- ued at Rs10.84 billion. two years ago, but it did not listen Industry, Nepal received investment be doing anything to benefit from the the association heads of various cent jump from Rs9.44 billion in the Nepal sent woollen carpets, woollen to us,” he said. “As duplicate products commitments for seven projects worth facilities provided by the US,” Saakha export oriented businesses,” the previous fiscal year. The US accounted felt goods, readymade garments, hand- are easily available in the market, Rs1.67 billion from the US in the fiscal told the Post. report concluded.

FOREX Catepillar Foundation extends US Dollar 119.04 South Africa aims to bring carbon Euro 139.60 Pound Sterling 162.76 Covid-19 relief support to Nepal Japanese Yen 10.82 capture project online in 2023 Chinese Yuan 18.36 KATHMANDU: Caterpillar Foundation, the tors, ICU ventilators, patient monitors, Qatari Riyal 32.17 REUTERS lead to neglect of nature’s own pressed CO2 from major emitting philanthropic arm of Caterpillar Inc., nebulizers and related accessories to Australian Dollar 85.44 CAPE TOWN, AUG 23 carbon capture system, forests, sources such as Secunda directly recently announced a series of targeted four hospitals in Pokhara City and the sur- Malaysian Ringit 28.17 which also sustain biodiversity to the identified injection site that relief efforts to support countries struggling rounding area, reads the press release South Africa has started geologi- and rainfall. is overlain with an “impermeable with a significant rise in Covid-19 cases. As issued by the company. Recipients include Saudi Arab Riyal 31.74 cal mapping at the country’s first Others however see it as essen- rock cap”. part of this ongoing response and a commit- the Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences, Exchange rates fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank carbon capture and storage (CCS) tial to meeting the goal of a net “We will test the feasibility of ment to building stronger, more resilient Rupakot VDC Health Center, Syangja site, where it plans to inject vast carbon zero world economy by injecting between 10,000 to 50,000 communities, the Foundation is extending District Hospital and Sankramak Tatha Price Per tola quantities of CO2 deep under- 2050. Its most enthusiastic backer metric tons of CO2 (a year) to a support to Nepal. In partnership with Assist Saruwa Rog Aspatal. Scheer Memorial bullion ground from 2023, a senior Council is the global coal industry. depth of at least 1 km, with the International, Caterpillar Foundation pro- Hospital in Banepa and Kanti Ba Hospital for Geoscience official said. The South African government first injection seen late in 2023,” vided essential medical supplies including in Kathmandu also received medical Fine Gold Rs 91,100 The project will be based has repeatedly defended its right Khoza said. oxygen concentrators, non-invasive ventila- equipment. around the town of Leandra, to tap into abundant coal deposits South Africa has approximately Silver Rs 1,190 Mpumalanga province, in South even as the country increases its 150 gigatonnes of potential stor- Africa’s north east, a carbon emis- use of renewable energy. age capacity, mainly in offshore Source: FENEGOSIDA sions hotspot and home to several “South Africa will still be using basins on the east and west coast, coal-fired power stations as well coal for a very long time, so... we researchers said. as Sasol’s Secunda coal-to-liquids need to try and use it responsibly Sasol said it was working gasoline watch fuel plant, the world’s largest. to limit CO2 emissions,” David with the CGS, although it said Releasing around 470 million Khoza, the CGS executive manag- previous assessments showed the tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) a er running the project, said. The associated cost was very high and year, South Africa is the conti- deadline for tapping a $23 million sequestration may not be econom- nent’s biggest emitter of green- World Bank grant to fund the CCS ically viable. house gases, and coal provides the project was originally set for “Sasol remains intent to collab- bulk of its electricity. December this year, but has now orate with a view to learn more CCS is controversial, with envi- been pushed out to June 2023, a about the success factors for CO2 ronmentalists saying it risks bank spokesperson told Reuters. sequestration and explore part- becoming an excuse to continue Khoza said the project will link nerships for larger scale opportu- burning fossil fuels, and could a pipeline transporting com- nities,” a spokesperson said. Rising prices add to misery for Kabul India antitrust body fines Maruti REUTERS the city last Sunday, conditions had banks still closed, many people have Taliban. While traffic has restarted KABUL, AUG 23 been getting worse, with the insur- been unable to access their savings. over the main land borders into neigh- gents’ rapid advance through the pro- With Western Union offices also bouring Pakistan, severe drought Suzuki $27 million A week after the Taliban’s lightning vincial cities sending the value of the closed, remittances from overseas conditions across the country have seizure of Kabul, growing numbers of local afghani currency plunging have also dried up. exacerbated the hardships many face REUTERS people in the Afghan capital are facing against the dollar and pushing prices “Everything is because of the dollar and driven thousands to the cities to NEW DELHI, Aug 23 a daily struggle to get by with their of basic foodstuffs ever higher. situation. There are some food shops try to survive in tents and makeshift jobs gone, banks still shuttered and Prices of staples like flour, oil and open but the bazaars are empty,” said shelters. On Sunday, international aid India’s antitrust regulator has fined food prices soaring. rice have risen by as much as 10 per- one former government employee now groups said the suspension of com- Maruti Suzuki, the country’s biggest The thousands crowded outside the cent-20 percent in a few days and with in hiding for fear of reprisal by the mercial flights into Afghanistan carmaker, 2 billion rupees ($27 mil- China halts over airport entry points and fighting for meant there was no way of getting in lion) for anti-competitive practices seats on flights out of Kabul have pro- supplies of medicines and other aid. related to how it forced dealers to dis- vided the starkest image of the tur- count cars, the watchdog said in an 40 IPOs amid moil in the city since the Western- order on Monday. backed government collapsed. The Competition Commission of But as the days pass, everyday wor- Prices of staples India (CCI) in 2019 started looking into regulatory probe ries about food and rent are adding to like flour, oil allegations that Maruti forces its deal- the uncertainty in a country whose ers to limit the discounts they offer, REUTERS fragile economy has been crushed by and rice have effectively stifling competition among SHANGHAI, AUG 23 the disappearance of international them and harming consumers who support. risen by as much could have benefited from lower pric- Chinese bourses have halted more “I am totally lost, I don’t know what es if dealers operated freely. than 40 initial public offerings (IPOs) should I think about first, my safety as 20 percent. In an order, issued after an investi- in Shanghai and Shenzhen amid a and survival or feeding my kids and gation that began in July 2019, the CCI regulatory probe into several interme- family,” said a former policeman, now asked Maruti to “cease and desist” diaries in the deals, according to offi- in hiding who has lost the $260 a Now, the hardship is increasingly from indulging in such practices and cial exchange disclosures. month salary that used to support his reaching into the cities, hitting the asked the company to deposit the fine The Shenzhen Stock Exchange sus- wife and four children. lower middle classes who had seen an within 60 days. Maruti, which sells pended more than 30 IPOs, including Like many lower level government improvement in their standard of liv- one in every two cars in India and is public share sale plans by BYD Co’s employees, who have often gone long ing in the two decades since the majority-owned by Japan’s Suzuki chip unit, on August 18, according periods without being paid, for the Taliban were last in power. Motor Corp, did not immediately exchange filings. past two months he has not even “Everything is finished. It wasn’t respond to a request for comment. The Shanghai Stock Exchange received that. just the government that fell, it was Maruti, however, told the regulator has pressed the pause button on “I’m living in a rental apartment, I thousands of people like me whose during the probe that there was no eight IPOs targeting the city’s have not paid the owner for past three lives depended on a monthly salary of discount control policy that it imposed tech-focused STAR Market since months,” he said. around 15,000 afghanis ($200),” said a on dealers who were free to offer any August 19. During the week he said he tried to government employee who did not discounts they wished to their cus- The companies attribute the IPOs’ sell a couple of rings and a pair of want to be quoted by name. tomers, the order said. halt to an investigation by the China earrings belonging to his wife, but like “We are already in debt because the The CCI order, however, contained Securities Regulatory Commission many businesses, the gold market was government haven’t paid our salaries extracts of several emails exchanged (CSRC) into intermediaries including closed and he could not find a buyer. for the past two months,” he said. “My between dealers and Maruti officials, Beijing-based Tian Yuan Law Firm, “I am very helpless and don’t know elderly mother is sick, she needs med- which made it “evident that the China Dragon Securities Co and what to do.” REUTERS icine, and my children and family Discount Control Policy was con- CAREA Assets Appraisal Co. Even before the Taliban swept into A member of Taliban forces keeps watch at a checkpost in Kabul, Afghanistan. need food. God help us.” trolled” by Maruti and not its dealers.

C M Y K TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2021 | 06 world Briefing WHO head calls for two-month Quake survivors worry Indonesian ex-minister jailed for 12 years in virus graft case about children’s future JAKARTA: Indonesia’s ex-social affairs vaccine booster moratorium minister was jailed for 12 years on Monday after being convicted of tak- Of the 4.8 billion doses delivered globally till date, 75 percent have gone to 10 countries. ing $1.2 million in bribes linked to food aid for poor families hit by the ASSOCIATED PRESS coronavirus pandemic. A Jakarta BUDAPEST, AUG 23 court handed out the stiff sentence to US regulators give full approval Juliari Batubara following his The head of the World Health December arrest and a sting opera- Organization on Monday called for a to Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine tion that turned up suitcases, back- two-month moratorium on adminis- packs and envelopes stuffed with tering booster shots of Covid-19 WASHINGTON: The US gave full approv- ards for safety, effectiveness and cash. Batubara would take cash from vaccines as a means of reducing glob- al to Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine on manufacturing quality the FDA two contractors hired to supply basic al vaccine inequality and preventing Monday, a milestone that may help lift requires of an approved product,” food packages for Indonesians hit the emergence of new coronavirus public confidence in the shots as the said acting FDA Commissioner Janet hard by the health crisis, the court variants. nation battles the most contagious Woodcock. “Today’s milestone puts us heard earlier. WHO Director-General Tedros coronavirus mutant yet. one step closer to altering the course Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters The vaccine made by Pfizer and its of this pandemic in the US.” Villages evacuated as fresh in Hungary’s capital, Budapest, that partner BioNTech now carries the The US becomes the first country to REUTERS he was “really disappointed” with the strongest endorsement from the Food fully approve the shot, according to Lovely Jean, 24, looks at her 12 day-old newborn baby, Love Shaiska Alexandre in her house wildfires hit Greece scope of vaccine donations worldwide and Drug Administration, which has Pfizer, and CEO Albert Bourla affected by the 7.2 magnitude quake in the Camp Perrin neighbourhood in, Les Cayes, Haiti. ATHENS: Scores of firefighters battled as many countries struggle to provide never before had so much evidence to said in a statement he hoped the to contain two new wildfires in first and second doses to more than judge a shot’s safety. More than 200 decision “will help increase confi- REUTERS ning for Jean and her husband, a sub- Greece on Monday, as winds fanned small fractions of their populations million Pfizer doses already have been dence in our vaccine, as vaccination CAMP-PERRIN, HAITI, AUG 23 sistence farmer. the blazes and forced several villages while wealthier nations maintain administered in the US—and hun- remains the best tool we have to help Alexandre’s fields were buried by and neighbourhoods to be evacuated. growing vaccine stockpiles. dreds of millions more worldwide— protect lives.” Many survivors of the earthquake landslides during the earthquake and Both fires erupted not far from the Tedros called on countries offering since emergency use began in Just over half of the US population that killed more than 2,200 people in rain unleashed by Tropical Storm site of devastating wildfires that third vaccine doses “to share what can December. is fully vaccinated with one of the southern Haiti are growing worried Grace, which pummelled Haiti on swept parts of Greece earlier this be used for boosters with other coun- “The public can be very confident country’s three options, from Pfizer, about how they will provide for their Tuesday. His entire potato and yuca summer, forcing thousands from their tries so (they) can increase their first that this vaccine meets the high stand- Moderna or Johnson & Johnson. children, with more than half a mil- crop was unreachable, leaving the homes and destroying property, wild- and second vaccination coverage.” lion minors feared to be at risk from family with barely any food to eat. life and livestock. Scientists have Several countries including the the fallout. Meanwhile, Love Shaiska was strug- warned that extreme weather and United States, Israel, and Hungary, as The August 14 quake hammered gling to suckle, forcing her parents to fierce fires will become increasingly well as others in Europe, the Middle infrastructure, destroying or damag- pull together cash to buy formula. common due to man-made global East and Asia, are already offering or ing some 130,000 homes, cutting off “I don’t know what we’ll do,” said warming, and Greece’s prime minis- planning to offer their populations roads and pitching thousands of fami- Alexandre, 30. ter has linked the blazes to climate Covid-19 booster shots. lies in the Western Hemisphere’s More than a dozen other parents change. The first fire broke out in the In early August, Hungary became poorest country into an uncertain Reuters spoke to in the quake zone early hours of Monday on southern the first country in the 27-member future. expressed similar concerns about how Evia island, northeast of Athens, and European Union to allow residents to When the magnitude 7.2 quake they would cope. the Greek fire brigade said the blaze sign up for a third dose, and more than struck, homemaker Lovely Jean was Over half a million children were was largely contained at noon but 187,000 people have received a booster resting inside the general hospital of affected by the earthquake, the UN had not been brought under control. so far, according to government statis- the southern city of Les Cayes, while children’s agency UNICEF said. tics. Last week, US health officials her three-day-old baby, Love Shaiska, The temblor claimed the lives of at announced plans to dispense Covid-19 was in the neonatal ward being treat- least 2,207 people, injured 12,268 more Poland to build fence on booster shots to all Americans in an ed for an infection. and left 344 missing, according to effort to shore up protection against a Les Cayes was one of the areas Haitian authorities and followed an Belarus border to halt migrants surge in cases attributed to the delta worst hit by the quake, and as the hos- even more destructive earthquake in WARSAW: Poland will build a fence variant and signs that the vaccines’ pital walls trembled, Jean sent her 2010 which killed tens of thousands along its border with Belarus, the effectiveness is slipping. husband, Pierre Alexandre, to grab of Haitians. defence minister said on Monday, to Yet the UN health agency has the infant while she fled the building. Still, there are a few encouraging halt a flow of migrants the European repeatedly called for rich nations to do AP/rss “The earth was shaking and I was developments. Late on Sunday, civil Union says is being driven by more to help improve access to vac- In this March 2 file photo, a pharmacy technician loads a syringe with Pfizer’s Covid-19 crying, so scared of what was happen- protection authorities said 24 people Belarusian President Alexander cines in the developing world. On vaccine at the Portland Expo in Portland, Maine. ing,” the 24-year-old said, cradling her who had been reported missing, Lukashenko in retaliation for EU Monday, Tedros said that of the 4.8 child on the porch of their damaged including four children, had been sanctions. Poland and fellow EU billion vaccine doses delivered to date home in a tiny village outside the found and taken by helicopter to states Lithuania and Latvia globally, 75 percent have gone to only circulate in countries with low vacci- Covid-19 vaccine in storage, and that town of Camp-Perrin, northwest of Camp-Perrin to be looked after. have reported sharp increases in 10 countries while vaccine coverage in nation coverage, and the delta variant the Central European country has Les Cayes. Recovery efforts have been impeded migrants from countries such as Iraq Africa is at less than 2 percent. could evolve to become more virulent, donated more than 1.5 million doses to The three survived, though the hos- by the flooding and damage to roads, and Afghanistan trying to cross their “Vaccine injustice and vaccine and at the same time more potent var- other countries. pital suffered damage that forced feeding tensions in hard-hit areas. borders. The EU says Lukashenko nationalism” increase the risk of iants could also emerge,” he said. Tedros thanked Hungary for mak- some of its departments, including In the past few days, residents have is waging “hybrid warfare” with more contagious variants emerging, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter ing those donations, adding that “we the neonatal ward, to operate outside looted aid trucks in several towns migrants to exert pressure on Tedros said. Szijjarto told the news conference that hope that you will do more, because no for days after the disaster. across the south, stirring concerns the bloc. (AGENCIES) “The virus will get the chance to Hungary has 8 million doses of one is safe until everyone is safe.” But the problems are only begin- about security. Taliban warn of ‘consequences’ if US extends evacuation

>> Continued from page 1 there have been flickers of resistance But with the European Union and Britain against the Taliban. saying it would be impossible to get every- Some ex-government troops have gathered one out by then, Biden is under pressure to in the Panjshir Valley, north of the capital— extend the deadline. long known as an anti-Taliban bastion. Speaking at the White House on Sunday, The Taliban said Monday their fighters Biden said talks were under way to explore had surrounded resistance forces holed up the possibility of extending the deadline. in the valley, but were looking to negotiate He also acknowledged the tragic scenes at rather than take the fight to them. Taliban the airport, which have included babies and fighters “are stationed near Panjshir”, children being passed to soldiers over razor- spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted, wire fences and men clinging to the outside saying they had the area surrounded on of departing planes. But he said they were three sides. “The Islamic Emirate is trying part of the cost of departure. to resolve this issue peacefully,” he added. “There is no way to evacuate this many The announcement follows scattered people without pain and loss and heart- reports of clashes overnight, with pro-Talib- breaking images you see,” he said. an social media accounts claiming gunmen In the streets of the capital, the Taliban were massing, and Afghanistan’s former have enforced a calm of a kind, with their vice president Amrullah Saleh saying resist- armed forces patrolling the streets and man- ance forces were holding strong. ning checkpoints. Visually, they have also One of the leaders of the movement in been looking to stamp their authority, ensur- Panjshir, named the National Resistance ing the tri-coloured national flag is replaced Front, is the son of famed anti-Taliban com- with their white banner. mander Ahmad Shah Massoud. At a roadside in Kabul at the weekend, The NRF is prepared for a “long-term con- young men sold Taliban flags, which bear in flict” but is also still seeking to negotiate black text the Muslim proclamation of faith with the Taliban about an inclusive govern- AFP/rss and the regime’s formal name: “Islamic ment, its spokesman Ali Maisam Nazary Climate activists from the Extinction Rebellion group gather around a large pink table they set up in a road in central London on Monday as the group launched Emirate of Afghanistan”. told AFP in an interview on the weekend. its ‘Impossible Rebellion’ series of actions. “Our goal is to spread the flag of the “The conditions for a peace deal with the Islamic Emirate throughout Afghanistan,” Taliban are decentralisation, a system that said seller Ahmad Shakib, who studies ensures social justice, equality, rights, and economics at university. Outside of Kabul, freedom for all,” he said. Romania’s LGBT community sees gains

ASSOCIATED PRESS gender people, especially among festival. “This horrible cultural an appeal by the British BUCHAREST, AUG 23 young people. war which dominates Western Ambassador to Romania, Andrew “We live in a society that is ever societies is becoming very visible Noble, who joined a demonstration The last person jailed for being gay more polarised, in which the oppor- and real here as well.” outside Bucharest City Hall. in Romania walked free in 1998. tunities for real dialogue, for edu- Tension accompanied the plan- Before the pride march, about The country decriminalised cation or learning are very hard to ning of this year’s festival, Ion- 100 people held a counter-demon- homosexuality three years after create,” said Accept Association Rotaru said. The local government stration expressing their opposi- that, in 2001, while reforming its Executive Director Teodora Ion- originally denied the organisers tion to civil partnerships demon- laws to qualify for membership in Rotaru, whose LGBT rights group their usual venue. They reversed strated—and to the British ambas- the European Union. organises Bucharest’s annual pride the decision following protests and sador. The participants included The 20th anniversary of the abol- supporters of New Right, a politi- ishment of Article 200, which cal party whose slogan is authorised prison sentences of up “Orthodoxy and Nationalism.” to five years for same-sex relations, Romanian authorities have lim- was one cause for celebration dur- ited attendance at cultural and ing the gay pride parade and festi- sporting events due to the corona- val held in Romania’s capital this virus pandemic, with the pride fes- month. People danced, waved rain- tival, like protests, capped at 500 bow flags and watched performanc- people. Some festival supporters es at Bucharest Pride 2021, an event argued the limit was unfair since that would have been unimagina- religious gatherings do not have ble a generation earlier. such restrictions. Yet many members of Romania’s LGBT rights have come under LGBT community remain frustrat- attack recently elsewhere in ed by the Central European Central Europe. A new law that nation’s failure to go further and took effect in Hungary this sum- pass laws that would legalise same- mer banned the depiction of homo- sex unions or marriages. There are sexuality in films, books and other also fears of a conservative back- content intended for audiences lash to the gains achieved so far. under 18. Dozens of communities Some Romanians, influenced by in Poland have passed largely sym- the Orthodox church, reject the AP/rss bolic anti-LGBT resolutions amid a growing social acceptance of lesbi- Participants hold banners during the Bucharest Pride 2021 in Bucharest, Romania, on conservative backlash that began ans, gay men, bisexuals and trans- August 14. more than two years ago.

C M Y K 07 | TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2021 Sports | Medley Briefing Lukaku shows transformation Nepal national men cricket Bayern Munich beat Cologne team’s jersey unveiled BERLIN: Bayern Munich set a European scoring record as they with scoring return to Chelsea beat Cologne 3-2 for their first Bundesliga win under new coach Julian Nagelsmann on Sunday. The Belgian is more of a complete player than was last seen in England two years ago. Serge Gnabry scored twice and and so much to admire from the Robert Lewandowski got the other visitors from west London who so goal to ensure Bayern became the unexpectedly won the Champions only team among Europe’s top five League last season. leagues to have scored in 74 Even more terrifying for Chelsea’s consecutive games in all opponents is having Lukaku to supple- competitions. That run started after ment an attack previously lacking a a 0-0 draw with Leipzig in February focal point with a scoring touch. That 2020, when Nagelsmann was in was seen quickly in north London. charge of Leipzig. Bayern previously Lukaku held off centre back Pablo shared the record with Real Madrid. Mari before laying the ball off to Bayern were held 1-1 by Borussia Mateo Kovacic. As the ball was Monchengladbach in the league’s sprayed out to James on the right opening game last weekend. flank, Lukaku powered his way into the penalty area—brushing aside Vinicius saves Real Madrid Mari with ease—to find the pocket of space to receive the pass centrally and VALENCIA: Gareth Bale scored his tap in past goalkeeper Bernd Leno. Nepal national cricket team captain Gyanendra Malla (left) and head coach Dav Whatmore first goal in almost two years for “I wanted to add something differ- pose with the new national jersey on Monday. Real Madrid in La Liga on Sunday ent to the team and hopefully I did,” but substitute Vinicius Jr stole the Lukaku said. “The team adapted real- SPORTS BUREAU day international series against show with two late strikes to grab a ly well. They helped me a lot.” KATHMANDU, Aug 23 Papua New Guinea (PNG) besides Tri- 3-3 draw at Levante. Welshman Bale Fortressed by James firing in a goal Series matches of the ICC Cricket got Real off to a fine start in the fifth for himself in the 35th minute after Nepali national cricket team’s new World Cup League 2 involving the minute by stroking home a cut-back being teed up by Mason Mount, jersey was unveiled on Monday. USA and hosts Oman. The PNG series by Karim Benzema as Carlo Chelsea and Lukaku cruised to a sec- Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) will take place on September 5 and 8 Ancelotti’s side dominated the first ond straight win. Only Leno’s fine and national team’s jersey sponsor while the Tri-Series is scheduled from half. But they found themselves 2-1 finger-tip save denied Lukaku a sec- mySecond Teacher jointly unveiled September 14 to 20. down early in the second period at ond from a powerful late header. the jersey. The newly unveiled jersey engraves the renovated Ciutat de Valencia He’s providing the threat—lacking The jersey designed by Adarsha the colour of the national flag and stadium. Levante striker Roger at times from Timo Werner last sea- Pokahrel was picked among 500 moon and sun on the shoulders. The Marti beat Thibaut Courtois to level son—that could help Chelsea to a first different samples from open competi- front view of the jersey exhibits Mt just after the interval before Jose Premier League title since 2017. tion. Pokharel won Rs100,000 for the Everest, the tallest peak of the World, Campana put the hosts in front with a “He gives something to our game design. and a one-horned rhino whereas the sensational volley in the 57th. which we did not have so much, like to Nepal men’s cricket team will wear rear view portrays the nation’s cultur- Ancelotti took off Bale, Eden protect balls and to play very direct up the new outfit during their Oman tour, al and biological diversity, as well as Hazard and Isco moments after the front, to the last line,” Chelsea manag- where Nepal will play two-match one- national unity. goal and substitute Vinicius made the er Thomas Tuchel said. “You cannot difference, levelling in the 73rd start better than with a goal.” minute with a coolly taken finish. All it took for owner Roman Levante restored their lead in the Abramovich was committing $135 mil- 79th though Roger Pier following a lion for a striker who was offloaded in free kick. But Vinicius again came to 2014 after only playing 15 times in his Juventus held, Roma win Real’s rescue, levelling in the 85th three seasons at Chelsea, two of which minute with an audacious shot in off were spent on loan, without ever scor- Agence France-Presse Dybala cross flashed wide. And with the post from a tight angle. ing for the west London club. MILAN, Aug 23 just seconds left he wheeled away after At 28, Lukaku is more of a complete meeting Federico Chiesa’s pinpoint Wood out of Third India Test player than was last seen in the Cristiano Ronaldo was denied a last- cross with a trademark header, but his Premier League at Manchester United gasp winner to save Juventus after his winner was chalked off by VAR. LONDON: England fast bowler Mark two years ago, raising his game to stoppage-time header was ruled out At the Stadio Olimpico, Mourinho Wood has been ruled out of the lead Inter Milan to the Serie A title for offside in a dramatic 2-2 draw at was made happy by two assists from third Test against India with a last season. Udinese, while Jose Mourinho got off new signing Tammy Abraham. shoulder injury, the home side said The Belgian is now the most expen- to a winning start at Roma with a 3-1 With Fiorentina already down to 10 on Monday. Wood took five wickets sive player for combined transfers in victory over Fiorentina. men, in the 26th minute Abraham in the second Test at Lord’s but the history of the game at almost $400 Ronaldo started on the bench at the slipped through Henrikh Mkhitaryan jarred his right shoulder as India million, based on fees paid by Everton, Dacia Arena in Udine amid rumours whose neat finish was given as a goal went on to win by 151 runs to go 1-0 AP/RSS Manchester United, Inter Milan and he is looking for a way out of the after a long VAR check. up in the five-Test series. The A goal by Romelu Lukaku (pictured) and a strike by Reece James handed Arsenal a 2-0 defeat. now twice by Chelsea. Italian giants, but he almost snatched Nicolo Zaniolo’s second yellow card 31-year-old will be assessed at the end Arsenal, though, can hardly com- the three points deep into stoppage gave a brave Fiorentina side hope and of the Test match. Wood’s injury Associated Press technique Lukaku has finessed in his plain about having to face such a cost- time after Juve insisted he was going Nikola Milenkovic levelled the scores could force the team to blood Saqib LONDON, Aug 23 time away from Chelsea. ly player. Mikel Arteta has just bene- nowhere this term. on the hour mark. However great Mahmood, who came in as cover How to assess his return to the fited from $175 million of investment Juve looked to be cruising to victory work again from Abraham—who also after Stuart Broad suffered a calf Social distancing in the Arsenal Chelsea jersey? “Dominant,” the in summer signings—more than any when Paulo Dybala and Juan hit the bar—led to Roma retaking the muscle injury during the drawn defence was too inviting for Romelu 28-year-old striker responded. other team in Europe—but nine play- Cuadrado put them two ahead midway lead through Jordan Veretout four series opener in Trent Bridge that Lukaku. Never before in their history have ers are missing through injury and through the first half. But two sec- minutes later, the 23-year-old just ruled him out of rest of the series. Only 15 minutes into his second Arsenal opened a league campaign coronavirus infections. And next up ond-half blunders from Juve ‘keeper about staying onside before rolling a All-rounder Chris Woakes continues debut for Chelsea, Lukaku was gifted with two losses without scoring. Even in the Premier League on Saturday Wojciech Szczesny allowed Udinese to perfect low cross which allowed the to recover from a heal injury and is the space to run and sweep in the goal worse for Arsenal, the latest defeat is Manchester City away at the take a point through Roberto Pereyra’s French midfielder to slot home. not available for international cricket he’d waited almost a decade to score. came with pandemic capacity restric- champions. penalty and a Gerard Deulofeu strike. Veretout made sure Mourinho got yet. England are expected to retain It was an opener—in a 2-0 win over tions lifted at the Emirates Stadium “I want a team that wants to fight Ronaldo entered on the hour mark three points from his first match when seamers James Anderson, Ollie Arsenal in the Premier League on for the first time in almost 18 months. and face the challenge ahead,” with Juve leading 2-1 and he was he rolled home the third in the 79th Robinson and Sam Curran at Sunday—that exemplified the There was a lot for home fans to jeer Arteta said. “Hopefully things will unlucky not to restore their two-goal minute after collecting a brilliant Headingley. (AGENCIES) hold-up play, timing on the ball and their own side for—and boo they did— get better.” advantage when his header from a Eldor Shomurodov pass. HOROSCOPE ARIES (March 21-April 19) ** CANCER (June 22-July 22) *** LIBRA (September 23-October 22) *** CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) **** Tuesday’s skies might make it hard to see things Tuesday’s cosmic landscape is wonderfully aimless. Tuesday’s skies imbue the day with a deceptive, You’re likely to be longing for greener pastures today, clearly, Aries. Mental Mercury locks into a hard Your leading lady, transitions from spacey Pisces dream-like quality, Libra. Messenger Mercury falls Capricorn. Mental Mercury floats out to sea with aspect with daydreamy Neptune, creating a hazy fog into initiative-hungry Aries. Luna’s lack of connec- into a sleepy opposition with spaced-out Neptune. daydreamy Neptune. The day itself runs low on ener- around your workflow and job environment. This tions renders a slow, low-energy day. Healing conver- Despite your desire to be productive, this hazy con- gy, as the moon’s transition from sleepy Pisces into aspect creates fertile ground for miscommunication. sations win out over hard-and-fast reality. tact can make it hard to see things clearly. go-getter Aries.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) ** LEO (July 23-August 22) ** SCORPIO (October 23-November 21) ** AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) *** Fantasy reigns supreme beneath Tuesday’s skies, Be mindful of where you’re spending your money You’re not likely to be seeing your long term goals The quiet confines of your mind are summoning you Taurus. You’re likely to be lost in a romantic fog or today, Leo. It’s easy to pull the trigger on a purchase realistically under Tuesday’s skies, Scorpio. Mental inward today, Aquarius. Thought-provoking Mercury be drifting off into inspired visions for personal that may not be as realistically satisfying down the Mercury’s opposition with foggy Neptune creates a locks into an opposition with reality-dissolving creative projects, as messenger Mercury falls into an road, as messenger Mercury locks into a disorienting hazy fog around your creative ambitions, making it Neptune, creating a strong need to reflect on relation- opposition with spaced-out Neptune. opposition. difficult to fully believe in their potential. ship matters.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) ** VIRGO (August 23-September 22) *** SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21) *** PISCES (February 19-March 20) *** It’s out of character for you to spend time excavating The universe is warping your perception of reality This time of year highlights your highest career It’s easy to get swept up in a dreamworld. Fortunately, your past, Gemini. Yet, it’s been critical for your today, Virgo. Your ruling planet, expressive Mercury, aspirations. Yet, Tuesday’s skies require you to look you’re not a stranger to that mindset! Messenger growth. Tuesday’s skies momentarily point your, as wanders into a spaced-out opposition with dissolv- deep within at your shifting foundations before you Mercury falls into a disorienting opposition with your ruler, messenger Mercury, locks into an opposi- ing Neptune. This disorienting contact is likely to can cultivate forward growth. Use your energy to dreamy Neptune, creating confusing or overly ideal- tion with dreamy Neptune. create brain fog, and a strong need for fantasy. reflect on your home and family environment. ised circumstances around relationship matters. Crossword Sudoku

Yesterday’s Solution

C M Y K TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2021 | 08 Culture & Lifestyle (C.R.P.D.) - 3/052/053 Revisiting some retro PlayStation 2 games The PlayStation 2’s massive library of over 2,000 games had me curious for some hidden gems that I might have missed.

Prajesh Sjb Rana

cavenging through my store- The PlayStation 2 saw room last week, I came across my old PlayStation 2 (PS2) con- some great horror sole. Dusty, obsolete, and forgot- classics like ‘Silent ten today, the console had been one of my first introductions to Hill’ and the ‘Resident Shome gaming. While arcades were all the rave while I was a young nerd, the Evil’ series. PlayStation 2 was one of the first gaming consoles that I had at home. The old hard- ware brought back memories of playing classics like ‘Silent Hill’ and the ‘Resident Metal Gear Solid 2 and Final Fantasy X Evil’ series. While these games have gone (the two games we owned) on an incom- down in history as some of the best hor- patible old TV that worked only through a ror games, the PlayStation 2 also played VCR passthrough and displayed only in host to the ‘Fatal Frame’ series. black and white. Later, as the console mar- Considered some of the scariest games ket grew in Nepal, more and more games ever made, the ‘Fatal Frame’ series takes became available with mod chips helping place in creepy Japanese landscapes. The run ‘fake’ Maha Boudha disks, and my second iteration of the game, ‘Fatal library of PS2 games grew as well. Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly’ was the one I My discovery of my old PS2 then led me had and played as a kid. Unlike ‘Silent down a rabbit hole. Does this still work? Hill’ or ‘Resident Evil’, ‘Fatal Frame’ has Plugged it in, and it did! Can I plug it into a paranormal approach where you my monitor? Nope, RCA only. While the encounter spirits and hostile ghosts. The console did still work on TVs, I needed an only way you can defend yourself is with RCA input for it to work on my desktop. I Unsplash a camera with exorcism abilities which thought about emulation. I knew PS2 that you might want to revisit or discover. ridiculous, the game is an absolute delight regular run of the mill, evil dragon wakes means looking at these spirits head on emulation had its problems back when I There were truly some really good games to play. It also has some really good you and you, as the white wolf, have to while trying to snap the perfect picture as tried it in the past, but now, PCSX2 was for the PS2, and with the PCSX2 emulator, soundtracks that make rolling around a defeat it. However, the adventure is really they move towards you. surprisingly stable. It ran a lot of my nos- they don’t look half as bad as you remem- ball so much more fun. The game is quite charming with a diverse cast of characters ‘Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly’ is talgia games like ‘God of War’, ‘Metal ber them. PCSX2 is available for Windows, challenging as you have to try to maintain you meet along the way. The game is also set one of the scariest games I played as a Gear Solid 2’, and ‘Fatal Frame 2’ really Linux, and Mac. the roundness of the Katamari as it grows in a traditional Japanese mythological set- kid, and the game mechanics only help well. It also rendered games in a much with the objects you pick up. ting that gives the story a unique angle to deepen the horror aspect of the game. You higher resolution of 1080p and the games Katamari Damacy A high-definition version of the origi- the storytelling. can’t beat up the ghosts with bats or looked really great on modern monitors ‘Katamari Damacy’ is a weird game from nal PS2 game has also been released for The overall aesthetic of Okami also shoot them with guns. There are some as well. With modern emulator functions Japan. As the prince of the King of All Windows, Switch, PS4, and Xbox One plays into the game with the player being ghosts that you can’t even exorcise like save states and iso support, PCSX2 Cosmos, who in a drunken stupor destroys consoles. able to freeze the action on screen to paint and you just have to run around took over my attention and my PS2 went all celestial bodies, the player has to col- a brush stroke on the screen that trans- avoiding them! The story is also one of back to the storeroom. lect various objects around an extremely Okami lates to special attacks or puzzle-solving the best aspects of this game as twin sis- An emulator is a piece of software that adhesive ball. The game has you con- Hideki Kamiya is well-known today for mechanics within the game. While initial ters Mio and Mayu exploring an aban- emulates a game console’s original hard- structing massive balls (called Katamari) games like ‘Bayonetta’ and ‘Devil May Cry’. reception to Okami was poor, the game is doned village in the middle of a creepy ware, enabling the execution of game with objects ranging from thumbtacks to However, in 2006, as part of Clover Studio, now considered one of the greatest games ritual is one horrific experience to live code on completely different hardware, in dogs, humans, and even mountains. All he developed Okami for the PlayStation 2. of all time, and with the release of the through. this case, a computer. And while I enjoyed the material you collect will be used to In Okami, you play as the Shinto Sun-God, game in HD for Windows, PS3, PS4, Xbox The game was rereleased for the revisiting some retro PS2 games from my reconstruct the cosmos, so you, as the Amaterasu in the form of a white wolf. The One, and Switch, mainstream adoption PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii. childhood, the PlayStation 2’s massive prince, have to race against time to collect game is a hack-and-slash game similar to and love for the game has only grown. library of over 2,000 games had me curi- as many objects as you can into your the Zelda series but is drawn in a beautiful Rana is a Kathmandu-based tech writer ous for some hidden gems that I might ever-growing ball. watercolour shell shaded style that makes Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly who has been covering all things tech for have missed. So, here are a few PS2 games While the concept sounds entirely it look great even today. The story is your The PlayStation 2 saw some great horror the past decade.

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