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

Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXIX No. 169 | 10 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, , Bharatpur and 35.2 C 13.7 C Friday, August 06, 2021 | 22-04-2078 Nepalgunj Jomsom Digital divide could widen ’s vaccine divide Mandatory online registration may help address some issues, but it could deprive many of the jabs, experts say.

ARJUN POUDEL not wrong in itself, but there is a risk KATHMANDU, AUG 5 of creating a digital divide and it may rather hamper Nepal’s aim to inocu- Bikash Adhikari works as a carpenter late as many people at the earliest. in Kathmandu. His job entails visiting At a time when the government is houses for small repairs and fixing facing questions if it has been able to furniture. He is yet to get vaccinated. ensure equitable distribution of the Adhikari, 31, from Bidur, Nuwakot, vaccines, making online registration does not have a laptop. He owns a mandatory can further deprive many low-end android smartphone just to people without access to the internet— make calls. or knowledge of filling forms online. “I have heard that I have to fill a “We need to take into consideration form online. They say it should be the size of the population that done from a computer or a mobile still lacks access to the internet and phone,” said Adhikari, a school drop- whether everyone can fill the online out. “I don’t know how to do it.” forms,” said Dr Sharad Onta, a public People like Adhikari who cannot health expert. register their names online for “The decision to make online regis- vaccines or those who do not have tration mandatory is like creating a access to the internet could be condition for people for vaccines. This deprived of vaccines against Covid-19, may not help Nepal’s plan to inoculate as the government has decided to all eligible people on time.” make online registration mandatory According to the latest management to get vaccinated. and information report of the Nepal Rss The Health Ministry has asked Telecommunications Authority, inter- Cattle kept at the Stray Cattle Management Centre at Shuklaphanta Municipality in Kanchanpur being herded towards grazing grounds earlier this week. There are 500 stray cattle at the centre. everyone aged 18 and above to register net penetration in Nepal has reached online by logging on to its website. 90.56 percent of the total population The website was launched on with 65.47 percent mobile broadband May 13. Initially, the ministry users. The number of 4G users had had not made an online form reached 7.69 million as of mid-May, mandatory for getting vaccinat- including 2.68 million 4G subscribers Inside Ruling, opposition parties ed, as the country was still strug- of Nepal Telecom, 4.8 million sub- gling to secure jabs. scribers of and 206,393 subscrib- But with vaccine doses trick- ers of Smart Telecom. There are 11.95 Kodari Highway section near ling in, the government has million 3G users in the country. Tatopani caves in, disrupting on collision course after decided to make online forms So far, 1.4 million people have regis- mandatory to help run the vacci- tered themselves online for vaccines. vehicular movement nation campaign smoothly. The number is too low compared to SINDHUPALCHOK: Vehicular movement land commission scrapped Public health experts say the the number of people with access to between Bhotekoshi Rural decision to ask people to register the internet. Municipality in Sindhupalchok dis- themselves online for vaccines is >> Continued on page 2 trict and the border has been disrupted since past one week after More of the Oli government’s decisions will be scrapped, the road surface started caving in at places like Liping, Kodari and Ghatte. Congress leaders say. Analysts argue that all decisions The highway section was damaged by the rainfall in mid-June and was need not be overturned but there is no system in place. repaired a month later. But the repaired highway lasted only for a The government had on July 27, few days before the surface started to recalled the governors of Gandaki and omegawatches.com develop cracks and cave in. “Workers provinces and appointed and technicians are making efforts to Prithvi Man Gurung and Amik repair the damaged section of the Shrechan in their places. highway,” said Bijaya Kumar Mahato, Sherchan was earlier the chief at the Division Road Office in of but he had been Charikot. The road repair work, how- replaced by Oli in an attempt to save ever, has not made much progress the chief ministerial position of due to continuous rainfall and land- , a close aide of slides. (Details on Pg 2) his in the CPN-UML. The government has also scrapped the 11 ambassadorial appointments Nepal struggles to buy black made by the Oli government. fungus drug after lowest bidder But the scrapping of the Land- related Problems Resolution turns out to be an Indian firm Commission, headed by Devi Gyawali, KATHMANDU: The government’s effort has especially irked the CPN-UML. to purchase 10,000 vials of Liposomal Gyawali, a leader from Chitwan, was Amphotericin B, the main drug used narrowly defeated by Renu Dahal, to treat mucormycosis, a rare fungal daughter of Maoist Centre chair infection commonly known as ‘black Pushpa Dahal in the Bharatpur fungus’, has faced a roadblock after Metropolitan City mayoral race. The an Indian company emerged as the Maoist Centre had aligned with the lowest bidder amid an export ban on during the 2017 local the drug by . Officials at the elections. Department of Health Services said “Serious attention of the CPN-UML that three foreign companies--an has been drawn to the government’s Indian, a Chinese, and a decision to dissolve the commission,” Bangladeshi—have submitted bids to a statement issued by party spokes- supply the medicine for the disease, person, Pradeep Gyawali, on which is life-threatening and painful Post file Photo Wednesday said. for patients. More than a month and a Sher Bahadur Deuba looks set to overturn “The commission was formed as half since the bid was opened, the many of the Oli government’s decisions. per the constitutional obligations department has been unable to award including right to food (Article 36), the contract to the Indian bidder even ANIL GIRI right to housing (Article 37), rights of though the tender was issued on June KATHMANDU, AUG 5 the Dalits (Article 40), and rights to 15 to procure the medicine under the social justice (Article 42).” exceptional circumstances proce- The Sher Bahadur Deuba government On Thursday, the Youth Association dures as specified in Public continues to overturn the decisions Nepal, a youth wing of the CPN-UML, Procurement Act and Regulations. made by the erstwhile KP Sharma Oli started street protests demanding rev- Officials didn’t reveal the names of government. ocation of the decisions. the companies participating in the The latest in this series was the “The government played foul poli- tender bid. (Details on Pg 5) scrapping of the Land-related tics. It doesn’t want the continuation Problems Resolution Commission on of good work,” Gyawali, the chief of Tuesday. the commission, told the Post. “It was Delta variant challenges And there is more to come. wrong to dissolve the entire commis- China’s lockdown strategy According to leaders of the ruling sion. If the Deuba-government dis- RECORDING OLYMPIC DREAMS SINCE 1932 Nepali Congress party, one of the liked us it could have replaced us with BEIJING: The delta variant is tasks assigned to the seven-member a new team.” challenging China’s costly strategy of panel formed to come up with a com- The UML said that the government Every athlete has a dream. It lives in their heart and it pushes them towards isolating cities, prompting warnings mon minimum programme and rec- is prejudiced against the millions of that Chinese leaders who were confi- ommend names for government landless people and has assaulted victory. At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, these dreams will be given a stage. dent they could keep the coronavirus appointments is also to suggest which their rights and demanded that the This is the moment when inspiration meets performance, when ambition out of the country need a less disrup- of the hundreds of decisions the Oli government correct its decision. tive approach. As the highly conta- government made should be scrapped. With millions of landless in the meets precision, and when the Official Timekeeper OMEGA records it all. gious variant pushes leaders in the “Once the government receives the country, distributing land to them is , Australia and else- report of the panel formed by the rul- good political capital. where to renew restrictions, ing parties, the government is going to The Nepali Congress had opposed President Xi Jinping’s government is cancel or scrap hundreds of decisions the formation of the commission fighting the most serious outbreak made by the previous government,” a when it was formed following the since last year’s peak in Wuhan. The leader of the Nepali Congress told the amendment to the Land Act in August ruling Communist Party is reviving Post on condition of anonymity. 2019 saying that commission was tactics that shut down China: Access The panel led by Purna Bahadur formed to distribute land to party to a city of 1.5 million people has Khadka, a general secretary of the leaders and cadres in the name of been cut off, flights cancelled and Nepali Congress has Minendra Rijal landless people. mass testing ordered in some areas. and Ramesh Lekhak from the Nepali Even the faction opposed to Oli in AVAILABLE AT: That “zero tolerance” strategy of Congress, Barsha Man Pun and Dev the then REGENCY WATCH: Arcade, Durbar Marg quarantining every case and trying to Gurung of the Communist Party of (NCP) had been against the commis- 1 Durbar Mall, Thamsherku Center, Durbar Marg block new infections from abroad Nepal (Maoist Centre) and Rajendra sion with both Dahal and senior lead- MGA International Pvt Ltd helped to contain last year’s outbreak Shrestha and Mahendera Raya er Madhav Kumar Nepal averse to the and has kept China largely virus-free. of the Janata Samajbadi Party as commission. (Details on Pg 6) members. >> Continued on page 2

C M Y K FRIDAY, AUGUST 06, 2021 | 02 National Briefing School textbooks yet to reach Digital divide could widen ... >> Continued from page 1 epidemiologist, however, says if the Lumbini assembly member Dhana Bahadur Tamang sells food issue is mismanagement, there are accuses chief minister of items in a cart in the Gongabu area of multiple ways to address it. remote Karnali districts Kathmandu. Every evening, he serves “How can authorities bring a provi- holding her hostage dozens of people. He is highly vulner- sion that could create a divide between RUPANDEHI: A missing provincial able to the coronavirus but he is not those who can register online and who assembly member of Lumbini High airfare and disruption of road networks have delayed the transportation of textbooks. vaccinated. cannot?” Deuba told the Post. “We Province showed up after nearly a “My wife also has not got the vac- should not forget that a huge week on Thursday and claimed to the CHHAPAL LAMA cine yet,” said Tamang, 36, whose wife population resides in remote areas media that she had been held hostage HUMLA, AUG 5 also assists him in his business. who may not be able to register online by Chief Minister . His line of profession does not put for vaccines.” Bimala Oli Khatri had gone out of Community schools in Humla are yet him in any category that needs imme- The digital divide, if not addressed contact since Friday. She emerged to receive textbooks despite the start diate vaccination. But he is in a busi- immediately, could widen the vaccine before the press on Thursday and of the current academic year one and ness where he has to come in contact divide, which could hugely affect the accused Chief Minister Pokharel of a half months ago. with various people every day. country’s plan to protect itself from holding her hostage at his residence. Transportation of textbooks to “We have no idea how to get regis- Covid-19. As the number of cases are However, Bhumishwar Dhakal, chief Humla, a remote district in Karnali tered online for vaccines,” said rising, the country faces a threat of a whip of CPN-UML in that is yet to be connected Tamang. second wave peak, before it is hit by Province, dismissed the allegation with road networks, has been difficult The government has decided to the Delta variant. against Pokharel and said that Khatri due to expensive airfare, officials say. inoculate all eligible citizens within Cases of the super-contagious Delta had willingly stayed at the chief min- The federal government has subsi- mid-April next year and it has variant have already been confirmed ister’s residence until Wednesday. dised the transportation fare of school unveiled a plan to procure over 42 mil- in Nepal. This variant of the coronavi- Khatri was elected to the Provincial textbooks from Nepalgunj to Humla at lion doses of Covid-19 vaccines. So far, rus, which was first identified in Assembly on the Nepal Communist Rs34 per kg. But air cargo companies 4,359,277 (14.53 percent) have received India, is currently fuelling outbreaks Party (NCP) ticket from Dang are charging up to Rs120 per kg at their first doses and 2,130,900 worldwide, with countries like China Constituency 3 (B) in a by-election present. people (7.1 percent) have been fully and the United States struggling to held on November 30, 2019. “Air service has become irregular vaccinated. tame it. in the district owing to the risk of Experts say Nepali authorities have Nepal on Thursday reported 3,007 Covid-19. Companies have hiked fares a habit of bungling things, and if they new Covid-19 cases from 11,870 poly- Ward chairman arrested for not just on cargo but also on regular keep on creating barriers rather than merase chain reaction tests, and 931 beating teenager flights. We haven’t been able to trans- Post file Photo ensuring easy access to vaccines, the others tested positive in 6,538 antigen port textbooks to Humla because of Unavailability of textbooks has mostly affected students in remote areas. country will not be able to achieve its tests. The positivity rate stands at JAJARKOT: Police on Thursday arrest- the high airfare,” said Dhanajawa inoculation target. around 25 percent. ed Ram Bahadur Nepali, the ward Rokaya, the proprietor of Rokaya ing textbooks to the two rural munici- transported to Mugu, another remote “Authorities should encourage peo- The country’s current reproduction chairman of Junichande Rural Book Shop that was awarded the con- palities, he was unable to make the district of . Jayalaxmi ple who can easily register themselves number, or the number of people one Municipality-2 in , on tract to transport textbooks in Simkot books available on time due to the Stationery, which was awarded the con- online, as this registration will help infected person can pass on the virus charge of beating 18-year-old Sarpe Rural Municipality. obstruction of the Karnali Corridor at tract for transporting books across the the government maintain data,” said to, on an average, stands at 1 percent. Damai. Nepali was caught in a video Community schools in the rural Jitegada of . district, has been unable to complete Onta. “But it should not be made man- The case doubling time is 10 to 12 days. beating Damai who was tied to a pil- municipality need 5,145 sets of books He said 2,534 sets of textbooks were the delivery as of now. datory and the government should Experts say the best measure to lar. The video of the incident, which in total. But Rokaya Book Shop has stuck on the way to Chankheli due to “The textbooks meant for Mugu are find other ways to bring those without tame the virus is vaccinating the max- took place on July 30, was widely been able to deliver just 600 sets so far. road obstruction. It costs Rs15 to Rs20 stuck in Surkhet. The books could not access to the internet or who cannot imum number of people. shared on various social media plat- According to Rokaya, of the 600 sets to transport one kilogram of books by be transported, as vehicular move- register themselves within vaccina- Dr Binjwala Shrestha, a public forms. Police Inspector Khuma delivered, 317 have been supplied to road from Nepalgunj to Humla. ment has been disrupted in the area,” tion coverage.” health expert, said a lot of effort has to Nanda Pandey said Nepali was taken Mansarovar Secondary School and 283 Community schools in Tajakot said Jayalaxmi Bham, the proprietor According to Onta, it will be unfor- be put to make online registration to the district headquarters Khalanga to Balmandir Secondary School. Rural Municipality have also yet to of the stationery. tunate if people are deprived of vac- mandatory with a view to for investigation. Rokaya Book Shop is also responsi- receive textbooks. The unavailability of books in cines just because they cannot regis- streamlining and smoothening the ble for transporting and supplying “The rural municipality has recent- Karnali has greatly affected the stu- ter themselves online. vaccination drive. textbooks to the community schools ly decided to run physical classes. But dents. “Online registration should be “This is aimed at addressing most Three held with leopard hide of Namkha and Kharpunath rural the textbooks are yet to arrive,” said “Schools have remained closed for made optional,” he said. of the problems seen at vaccination PYUTHAN: Police seized a leopard municipalities. Surendra Bahadur Shahi, headmaster the past few months amid fears of Officials at the Health Ministry say centres and vaccination certification hide from Bagdula in Pyuthan Similarly, community schools in of Balkalyan Basic School in Tajakot. Covid-19. Making things worse, we that the decision to make online regis- centres,” Shrestha told the Post. Municipality-8 on Thursday. Acting Chankheli and Sarkegad rural munic- According to him, the school admin- don’t even have textbooks now. How tration mandatory for vaccines has “However, it’s true that not everyone on a tip-off, a joint security team ipalities are yet to receive textbooks istration has been running physical are we supposed to learn anything in been taken to manage the crowds at can register online. Authorities must of Lumbini Province Police and for this academic year. Textbooks are classes for the past few days by follow- this environment?” said Rajendra BK, immunisation centres and misman- consider setting up health desks, Area Police Office in Bijuwar seized generally transported to these two ing health security protocol. a ninth grader at Malika Secondary agement, as well as to ensure that mobilising volunteers and school the leopard hide from a local hotel places, which lie in the southern part “But it is difficult to teach students School in Kharpunath-1. people from priority groups get the teachers for online registration of in Bagdula. Police also arrested of the district, by road. without books. We have been running jabs without any hassles. those who cannot do it themselves.” three suspects in connection to According to Mandev Shahi, the classes using old textbooks,” he added. (Raj Bahadur Shahi contributed They hope that online registration A major concern is that the majori- the incident. contractor responsible for transport- School textbooks are also yet to be reporting from Mugu) would help lessen the crowds at immu- ty of the population in Nepal lives in nisation centres, which can in turn rural areas where people might not lead to the spread of the virus. have access to the internet or they “We believe a host of issues we have might not have proper devices like a encountered at immunisation centres laptop or a smartphone or they might including crowds will be addressed if not know how to do it. everyone registers for vaccines Nepal has a good track record when online,” said Dr Samir Kumar it comes to immunisation campaigns. Adhikari, joint spokesperson for the Vaccinating people against Covid-19 Health Ministry. “Those who can use should not be an issue, provided that the internet and have access can them- there are enough doses, as the country selves register their names and those has an impressive network of health who cannot use and do not have access workers and volunteers. can take help from others.” Experts say the government should, Adhikari, however, concedes that a instead of enforcing online registra- lot of people do not have access to the tion, find other ways to expand the internet and also cannot register vaccination coverage. online. “If the decision to make the online “But mandatory online registration registration mandatory, it could doesn’t mean those who do not have deprive hundreds of thousands of access to the internet or cannot use it people of the jabs,” said Deuba, the will be deprived of the vaccine,” said public health epidemiologist. “Failing Adhikari. “The government is to vaccinate people just because of committed to providing jabs for this digital divide could lead to nega- free to all.” tive health outcomes. We will never be Dr Keshab Deuba, a public health able to win over the virus.” Ruling, opposition parties ...

>> Continued from page 1 Shrestha. “Only bad decisions should According to Min Bishwakarma, a be scrapped.” Nepali Congress leader close to Prime There are other ways too for the Minister Deuba, the government was government to show its performance, under pressure from other parties of he said. the ruling alliance as well as the “The government has the luxury to (Maoist Centre) and UML faction led transfer bureaucrats and ambassa- by Nepal to scrap the commission. dors so it can perform easily,” “The Nepal faction was not particu- Shrestha told the Post. larly happy with the decision to form Prime Minister Deuba, meanwhile, the commission in the first place,” is yet to expand the Cabinet as there Post Photo: MANOJ PAUDEL Bishwakarma told the Post. “The are only four ministers and one minis- A woman wades through a waterlogged path as she returns home carrying cattle fodder at Ramnagar, Kapilvastu on Thursday. Gyawali-led commission was working ter of state besides him that is run- unilaterally and supporting only local ning the government. leaders and cadres of the Oli camp. While Shrestha said the decision to The Maoist Centre also had reserva- scrap the land commission was a bad tions about it.” one, another political analyst Hari Since its formation in last March, Roka welcomed the decision. Kodari Highway section near Tatopani border the commission had expanded to all 77 “The commission was formed to districts. It has signed agreements provide jobs for party leaders and cad- with 447 local units where 247,960 res and no real land less people will landless families and 922,801 informal join the protest against its scrapping,” collapses, disrupting vehicular movement settlers had already applied for land, said Roka. “Protests against the scrap- according to the UML statement. ping within the UML are only by those “The commission was dissolved who lost their jobs. There is a peas- With the highway section rendered impassable, dozens of container trucks have been stranded in the Miteripul area. because its very formation process ants’ association inside UML but it is was faulty and it was not following its silent.” ANISH TIWARI slides and erosion caused by rain-swol- objectives,” Gyanendra Bahadur But Roka stressed that there is a SINDHUPALCHOK, AUG 5 len Bhotekoshi river. Karki, government spokesperson and need to address the problems of the “The land keeps on caving in near Minister of Law, Justice and landless. Vehicular movement between Liping bridge and along the road in Parliamentary Affairs said on “The ruling parties should come up Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality in Kodari area. The Tatopani border Tuesday announcing the Cabinet with a proposal that is a clear alterna- Sindhupalchok district and the China point is also yet to come into operation decision. tive to the commission on how to border has been disrupted since past because the highway is not safe for Nepali Congress leaders said the address the issue of landless people, one week after the road surface start- vehicles,” said Dipendra Kumar new government has the prerogative issue of food security and moderniza- ed collapsing at places like Liping, Shrestha, the ward chairman of of bringing new faces to help it govern tion of ,” said Roka. Kodari and Ghatte. Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality-2. the country. And as far as the UML opposition to The highway section was damaged Narad Gautam, the officer at “We know the UML will not be the scrapping of the commission is by the rainfall in mid-June and was Tatopani Dry Port and Customs, said happy but the government wants to concerned, Roka does not see any seri- repaired a month later. But the that dozens of container trucks have create a positive environment for ous confrontation between the ruling been stranded in the Miteripul area as smooth governance,” the Nepali and opposition parties as UML does the highway section has been ren- Congress leader told the Post. “And if not hold that moral grounds to con- dered impassable. we continue to work with the same old front the government in the issue over Meanwhile, four families at faces appointed by Oli, how can the scrapping the land commission or any Syakhule settlement in Bhotekoshi government perform well? other decisions that the Deuba gov- Rural Municipality-4 have been dis- Furthermore it is a universal practice ernment takes. placed due to a landslide threat. to scrap appointments made by a pre- “Oli needs an agenda to protest Post Photo: ANISH TIWARI Around 30 households at vious government.” against the government and this time A damaged section of the Kodari Highway between Kodari and Tatopani. Lalbirchowk and Maklo Tamang Political analysts, however, say that he is using the scrapping of the com- Gaun of Kodari area are also at high rather than a blanket withdrawal of mission as one,” Roka told the Post. repaired highway lasted only for a few The road repair work, however, has risk, local residents say. decisions of the previous government, That politicians use different issues days before the surface started to not made much progress due to con- “The land above the settlement has decisions should be made on a case by as a matter of personal ego is a view develop cracks and collapse. tinuous rainfall and landslides. developed cracks and the road below case basis. that Shrestha shares. “Workers and technicians are mak- Mahato said rainfall and landslides the settlement is also sinking. The “Scrapping decisions and political “But such kind of ego in politics ing efforts to repair the damaged sec- have also put the settlements in Upper settlement is at high risk. We have appointments after the formation of does not work,” said Shrestha. “This is tion of the highway,” said Bijaya Kodari and Chauki Danda at risk. urged the authorities concerned to the new government has become a not politics of values and morals. This Kumar Mahato, chief at the Division Every monsoon season, the high- protect the residents,” said Phunu culture in Nepali politics which is not only happens when there is no system Road Office in Charikot. way section gets damaged by land- Sherpa, a resident of Kodari. good,” said political analyst Shyam or the system does not govern.”

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C M Y K FRIDAY, AUGUST 06, 2021 | 04 Opinion EDITORIAL In defence of secularism Going backwards A forgotten incident from The idea that reservation must be based the era tells on need, and not caste, is flawed. us why we must protect minority religions. In response to a petition by Binay Kumar Panjiyar, a medical student who sought the court’s intervention in allowing him to pursue MD under a government scholarship, a division AMISH RAJ MULMI bench of Justices Bishowambhar Prasad Shrestha and Ananda Mohan Bhattarai said reservation should be for one time only and should not be used by a person repeatedly, add- ing that children from the communities listed for reservation in the constitution, who are in high-level government and other positions, too aren’t eligible for the facility. The ruling Among the vacillations and opportun- also goes on to add that the reservation provisions need to be ism of post-2008 Nepali politics, one of revisited for affirmative action on the basis of need rather the constants has been Kamal Thapa than caste. It has also noted that some well-to-do groups in with his call for a return of the monar- the target communities have been taking advantage of the chy and the restoration of the Hindu provision, and that class and caste shouldn’t be taken as cri- state. One may disagree with his poli- teria for reservation. tics, but one must admire his commit- ment to his cause, unlike several con- “The expectation of the constitution can be met only if servatives who have recently crawled need is prioritised over caste or class for reservation,” reads out of the woodwork. the Supreme Court verdict, which raises several burning At first glance, various strands of questions: Who will define the need and the criteria that will right-wing conservatism seem to co-ex- decide who should or shouldn’t qualify for reservation? Is ist today in the country. The first are the royalists like Thapa, in whose there quantifiable data that shows a sizeable proportion of interpretation Nepal’s identity was beneficiaries have reaped benefits in the last 15 years? Has derived from its Hindu monarchy. The Arun Prakash Sharma/Wikicommons the progress of backward communities, especially the Dalit second strand emanates from the ritual responsibilities of the monarchy. The Panchayat government then monks from the country. But this for- people who are the most marginalised and at the receiving Madhes plains, where Hindutva from The Bhoto continues to be shown in the ordered security forces and hired goons gotten incident also tells us how, in a end of atrocities and injustices, improved by leaps and across the border has filtered in. The president’s presence; the Kumari to demolish the stupa and other build- non-secular state, minority religions third is the opportunistic conservative, blesses the office-holder, and the presi- ings under construction, such as a can be targets of political vendetta bounds and to an extent where the country needs revisions in the best example being KP Sharma Oli, dent observes Mahashivaratri at prayer hall. All the permissions had without inviting a broader backlash. reservations? Or is this yet another backlash against the and now former journalists-turned-pol- Pashupati annually (while the prime been granted for the construction, and Imagine the uproar if the Panchayat hard-won civil rights movements in Nepal that aims to eman- iticians. For this group, decrying feder- minister gives the temple a gold jalaha- as one author who recollected the inci- state had demolished a Hindu temple cipate the historically oppressed and denied? alism and secularism is an easy way to ri). A truly secular state would not dent in the souvenir magazine marking under construction! There is currently a 45 percent reservation in government shore up the support of those who are assign its head such explicitly religious the 10th anniversary of the stupa Secularism is not just about treating exhausted from the petty politicking in functions. (which is the source for this column) religions equally; it is also about ensur- jobs and scholarships for people from various cluster groups the new republic. Instead, I’d like to recall a forgotten wrote, ‘This was a prejudiced assault ing that minorities are not targeted as defined in the constitution. Still, despite these mandatory Here, one must note that Nepali con- incident from the 1970s to illustrate on .’ The Japanese monk based on their religion. The Nepali reservations for marginalised groups, data show that inclu- servatism straddles across class and why secularism, even if nominal, and Morioka Soni, a follower of Fujii, was state’s erstwhile Hindu character sive development has only been limited to political commit- ideologies. One can be a federalist and federalism are essential to Nepal. assaulted and thrown off the stupa for meant that other religions—including ment. Of the total applicants in the fiscal year 2019-20 for jobs yet root for a Hindu state, which seems The story begins in December 1972, protesting the demolition. As an eye- Buddhism, despite our fanciful boasts to be the trend in Madhes. Similarly, when the Japanese monk Nichidatsu witness wrote, ‘After the buildings and about Buddha being born here and its in the federal government, as many as 28 percent were one can ask for a Hindu state without Fujii arrived in Nepal to build peace the stupa were demolished, all the stat- syncretism with Hinduism—always got received from the hill Brahmin community, followed by the monarchy, as several members of stupas across the world. He first ues, documents and construction the shorter end of the stick. And while (17.94 percent) and Tharus (6.61 percent). According the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, the planned one in Lumbini, where he material were thrown about, and that many have issues with the multiple to the Public Service Commission, 45 percent of the jobs went international arm of the Rashtriya bought the land and 7 million bricks for beautiful religious site was converted holidays in a federal Nepal that to Brahmins, followed by Chhetris (12.83 percent), while 4.61 Swayamsevak Sangh, India’s premier the construction. However, in February into a desert.’ represent the religions of our many Hindutva body, had told me about a 1973, the royal palace decreed that he In Kathmandu, the incident was nationalities, we must remember that percent went to Tharus. If we analyse the Commission’s decade ago. And even the Kathmandu couldn’t build a new stupa in Lumbini framed in the usual national-versus-for- this is perhaps the first time in data for the years following the promulgation of the constitu- liberal elite isn’t too shy of holding but could renovate existing ones. Fujii eign narrative. Questions were asked modern Nepali history that many tion, we will find that the composition of the civil conservative beliefs, as seen in the then arrived in , where he met in the national assembly, and to save nationalities have been able to express service hasn’t changed as envisioned by the Civil Service recent Rabindra Mishra episode where with Anagarika Dharmashila, a face at the 1974 Asian Buddhist their religious identities so openly. Not Act 2007, and recruitment from the hill Brahmin community he rooted for the dissolution of federal- Buddhist nun who participated in the Conference, the government then per- too long ago, Tibetan-speaking ethnici- ism and a plebiscite on secularism. 1950 democratic revolution, and Min mitted a ‘15-feet’ stupa to be built by ties from the Himalayan region were continues to remain disproportionately high compared to What all of them have in common is Bahadur Gurung, a Nepali Congress in the Nepali style. But regarded as Tamangs or Gurungs per- their population. the belief that federalism and secular- activist. Remember, at this time, politi- Pokhara residents refused such a futile force and given such surnames in the The idea behind reservation provisions is that our society ism are both imposed upon the country cal parties were outlawed under the gesture. Fujii supposedly predicted Nepali census. must be founded on equality to ensure social order. It is a by outside institutions and machina- Panchayat. that although the stupa had been Federalism means that incidents hard-won right enshrined in Nepal’s constitution that tions. The irony, of course, is that Gurung then donated land at the demolished, another one would arise at such as the 1974 stupa demolition will requires the government to prepare laws to advance and pro- Nepali conservatism is predicated summit of Anadu hill, across from the spot in the future because one had hopefully not be repeated because of upon anti-Indian nationalism while Fewa Lake, for the stupa. Construction already been built in Pokhreli hearts. the multiple layers of government such tect the interest of those at the bottom of the economic and the ideology aligns itself with those began, and the stupa had risen to a Reconstruction of the stupa could a step would entail and the political social ladder. It wasn’t until 2015 when the new Constitution across the border who have called for a height of 35 feet when, on July 19, 1974, only begin in democratic Nepal almost backlash at each level of government of Nepal was promulgated following a bloody war and the return of the Hindu state, if not the the Panchayat government arrested 16 years later, under a government led from such actions. The conservative second people’s movement that a broader definition of reser- monarchy. Gurung under various security laws by Girija Prasad Koirala, who laid the argument that federalism and secular- vation provisions detailing the beneficiary groups was Conservatism preys on the base and on charges of illegal deforestation. foundation stone on May 21, 1992. The ism have weakened Nepal comes from a instincts of society, such as xenophobia Although his political activities were stupa was completed seven years later, feeling of loss and envy. Today, the explicitly spelt out in Article 18 (3). But six years on, the very and majoritarianism. One also must be said to be the cause, his son Krishna in October 1999. Today, it is one Hindu conservative is no longer given idea of inclusivity and representation to guarantee the liber- blind to a military emergency, the peak Bahadur Gurung, who was not an of Pokhara’s premier tourist sites, part the same importance as in Hindu mon- ation of the oppressed hinges on the latest verdict by the of the conflict, and the suspension of activist, was also arrested a few months of the nearly 80 peace pagodas that archy, which obviously has to hurt. But Supreme Court that defeats the underlying political necessi- basic fundamental rights if one remem- later. A vitiated environment was creat- spread the message of nonviolence if the majority of the population can ties of affirmative action in Nepal. bers King Gyanendra’s rule fondly. ed, according to local eyewitnesses, in across the world. feel more secure about their identity And, despite the declaration of secular- which Panchayat forces tried to com- The Panchayat government’s treat- and culture, then the conservative has If the people from marginalised communities have to face ism, Hinduism remains the Nepali munalise the stupa and said it posed ment of the religion parallels how the no option but to reimagine his place in discrimination each day of their lives, they cannot be told state’s religion. As the head of the security threats to the summer palace Nepali state viewed Buddhism under this modern world. If not, the tide of that the benefits of affirmative action can be taken only once. state, the president has taken over the on the shore. the Ranas when it expelled several history will leave them behind.

Why vaccination should be compulsory

They thought it was political. They I can’t recall when I last heard thought because they had a certain blood type or a certain skin color they someone demanding the wouldn’t get as sick. They thought it was ‘just the flu.’ But they were wrong. freedom to drive without And they wish they could go back. But they can’t.” wearing a seat belt. The same reason justifies making vaccination against Covid-19 compul- sory: otherwise, too many people Peter Singer make decisions that they later regret. One would have to be monstrously callous to say: “It’s their own fault, let them die.” In any case, in the Covid-19 era, making vaccination compulsory doesn’t violate Mill’s “harm to others” principle. Unvaccinated Olympic ath- I’m writing from Victoria, the letes impose risks on others, just as Australian state that became, in 1970, speeding down a busy street does. The the first jurisdiction in the world to only “personal choice” Ellison should make it compulsory to wear a seat belt have had was to get vaccinated or stay in a car. The legislation was attacked at home. If the International Olympic as a violation of individual freedom, Committee had said that only vacci- but Victorians accepted it because it nated athletes can compete, that would saved lives. Now most of the world have freed thousands of athletes from has similar legislation. I can’t recall a heightened risk of infection, and when I last heard someone demanding would have justified overriding the freedom to drive without wearing Ellison’s desire to compete without a seat belt. being vaccinated. Instead, we are now hearing For the same reason, rules demands for the freedom to be unvac- announced last month in France and cinated against the virus that causes Greece requiring that people going to Covid-19. Brady Ellison, a member of cinemas, bars, or traveling on a train the United States Olympic archery Unsplash show proof of vaccination are not a team, says his decision not to get vac- In the US, such laws are estimated to like homosexual relations between at protecting ourselves against very Cobia recently posted on Facebook the violation of anyone’s freedom. This cinated was “one hundred percent a have saved approximately 370,000 consenting adults or voluntary eutha- small risks of disaster. Each time we following account of her experiences past February, when the Indonesian personal choice,” insisting that “any- lives, and to have prevented nasia. But Mill had more confidence get into a car, the chance that we will working as a doctor in Birmingham, government became the first to make one that says otherwise is taking away many more serious injuries. in the ability of members of “civi- be involved in an accident serious Alabama: vaccination mandatory for all adults, people’s freedoms.” Nevertheless, these laws are paternal- lized” communities to make rational enough to cause injury, if we are not “I’m admitting young healthy peo- the real tragedy was not that it was The oddity, here, is that laws requir- istic. They coerce us to do something choices about their own interest than wearing a seat belt, is very small. ple to the hospital with very serious violating the freedom of its citizens, ing us to wear seat belts really are for our own good. They violate John we can justifiably have today. Nevertheless, given the negligible cost Covid-19 infections. One of the last but that richer countries did not quite straightforwardly infringing Stuart Mill’s famous principle: “the Before seat belts were made compul- of wearing a belt, a reasonable calcu- things they do before they’re intubat- donate the vaccines it needed to imple- on freedom, whereas laws requiring only purpose for which power can be sory, governments ran campaigns to lation of one’s own interests shows ed is beg me for the vaccine. I hold ment the law. As a result, Indonesia is people to be vaccinated if they are rightfully exercised over any member educate people about the risks of not that it is irrational not to wear one. their hand and tell them that I’m now the epicenter of the virus and going to be in places where they could of a civilized community, against his wearing them. These campaigns had Car crash survivors who were injured sorry, but it’s too late. A few days later tens of thousands of unvaccinated infect other people are restricting one will, is to prevent harm to others.” some effect, but the number of people because they were not wearing seat when I call time of death, I hug their Indonesians have died. kind of freedom in order to protect the The fact that the coercion is for the who wore seat belts came nowhere belts recognise and regret their irra- family members and I tell them the freedom of others to go about their individual’s own good is “not a suffi- near the 90% or more who wear them tionality—but only when it is too late, best way to honor their loved one is to Peter Singer is Professor of Bioethics business safely. cient warrant.” in the US today (with similar or high- as it always is for those who were go get vaccinated and encourage at Princeton University and Founder Don’t misunderstand me. I strongly There is a lot to be said for this prin- er figures in many other countries killed while sitting on their belts. everyone they know to do the same. of the non-profit organisation The Life support laws requiring drivers and ciple, especially when it is used to where not wearing them is an offense). We are now seeing a very similar They cry. And they tell me they didn’t You Can Save. passengers in cars to wear seat belts. oppose laws against victimless acts The reason is that we are not good situation with vaccination. Brytney know. They thought it was a hoax. —Project Syndicate

C M Y K 05 | FRIDAY, AUGUST 06, 2021 National City decides to suspend free Covid-19 treatment services citing fewer patients and high costs

ANUP OJHA KATHMANDU, AUG 5

At a time when doctors are warning of a devastating third Covid-19 wave hitting the country anytime soon, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City has decided to suspend free treatment of Covid-19 patients. The 67th working committee meeting of the City on Wednesday announced to sus- pend free treatment services at the Nardevi Ayurvedic Hospital and Chhetrapati Free Clinic Hospital purportedly to cut costs. Naradevi Ayurvedic Hospital had 130 beds dedicated to Covid-19 patients and a high flow oxygen facility. Similarly, Chhetrapati Free Clinic Hospital had over 30 beds and five ventilators. The City’s announcement has drawn strong reaction from doctors and public health experts. They have called the City’s announcement short-sighted. “The recent daily surge in Covid-19 cases shows that the situation could get severe anytime as hospital beds are already full with coronavirus patients,” said Dr Baburam Marasini, former director at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division. Post Photo: Anish Regmi “The City has enough budget and it’s not Sparks fly as a worker cuts grooves on an iron pipe at a metal workshop in Chysal, Lalitpur on Thursday. able to spend it. Instead of recruiting more health officials and opening more Covid-19 treatment centres, it has decided to sus- pend the services. It is unfortunate,” said Marasini. Ishwar Man Dangol, spokesper- son of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City said the meeting decided to suspend the Government starts accepting applications from services because there were not enough patients and the City was incurring a loss. “If the virus cases surge, we will resume the services,” said Ishwar Man Dangol, spokesperson of the Kathmandu migrant workers for QR-coded jab certificates Metropolitan City. But the cases are already surging. Nepal on Thursday reported 3,007 new Foreign job seekers will be issued certificates within a few days of filing an application, which can be done online or in person. coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours with 39 Covid-19 related fatalities. Likewise, CHANDAN KUMAR MANDAL migrant workers can submit applica- avoid possible online glitch after his their applications physically should Kathmandu for the document,” Kathmandu recorded 1,075 new KATHMANDU, AUG 5 tions online along with required doc- online application was not accepted visit the Ayurveda training centre at Yunush Malla, a Kuwait-bound infections in the past 24 hours. Of these, uments for QR coded-vaccination cer- in the first attempt on Wednesday. Kirtipur with an original passport, migrant worker, told the Post from 766 cases were confirmed in Kathmandu, After over two weeks of desperate tificates. “Around 70 workers, who have been original vaccination card, a pass- Chitwan. “But the declaration form 163 in Lalitpur and 146 in Bhaktapur. wait and struggle in Kathmandu, Besides, those who are unable to waiting for QR-coded vaccination port-size photo, photocopies of pass- makes things slightly difficult for Dr Anup Bastola, director at the Baburam Gurung heaved a sigh of apply online can submit their appli- certificates for more than two weeks, port and vaccination card as well as a those who are not educated or are not Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease relief on Wednesday afternoon. cations at the National Ayurveda also submitted their applications declaration from, which can be down- technology savvy. One has to go to the Hospital, Teku says all Covid-19 beds at the Gurung is among the hundreds of Research and Training Centre at physically at Kirtipur instead of loaded from the website. website, download the form, print it, hospital are occupied. Similar is the condi- Nepali outbound workers who have Kirtipur, the notice says. applying online. There were hun- Service seeker migrant workers fill it up with all the details including tion at Bir Hospital, Tribhuvan University been struggling for vaccination cer- “Despite all the hardship we went dreds of workers like me.” say submission of the declaration thumbprints and again upload it on Teaching Hospital and Patan Hospital. tificates with Quick Response (QR) through, I am happy that they While submitting an online form, which requires the applicant’s the website.” “This is a sign of the start of a third codes, which have been made manda- are finally issuing the QR-coded cer- application, a service seeker has to thumbprints, has made the online Workers like Gurung, who visited wave. All hospitals that have been treating tory by labour destination countries. tificates,” said Gurung. “It is even submit a scanned copy of passport, application process complicated the centre on Thursday, had faced the Covid-19 patients should prepare them- Gurung, 38, got vaccinated on July easier as the applications can be sub- a passport-size photo, a copy of vacci- for them. same issues. selves for a surge in cases,” said Bastola. 19, the day the government started mitted online.” nation card and a declaration form “For workers like me who are not They had downloaded the form and Hari Kunwar, chief of the Public Health administering the Johnson & But Gurung submitted his applica- confirming that the person has been in the at present, made copies of the declaration form Division of the City, said it costs Rs4.8 Johnson vaccine, received from the tion by visiting the Ayurveda train- fully vaccinated for Covid-19. online application is convenient as and shared among each other. “There million per month to run a 35-bed isolation US under the COVAX facility. ing centre at Kirtipur on Thursday to Likewise, those wishing to submit one does not need to travel to was confusion among workers as centre. “You can imagine how much Vaccination is a necessary condi- some of them were wrongly upload- money the City was losing by running all tion for foreign workers like Gurung ing the declaration forms. Kuwait- those facilities when there were not enough for visiting the labour destination bound workers like our group did not patients,” said Kunwar. countries in the Persian Gulf. Gurung have to stand in long queues as we Dr Marasini, however, says the City has works as a driver in Kuwait. were given priority over others,” said enough money and it should have instead But for two days after getting vacci- Gurung. “However, online applica- recruited more health professionals to mit- nated, he had to run here and there tions can be difficult for migrant igate the impending risks. for a vaccination card verified by a workers who are not tech-friendly. “Even the Chaurjahari Municipality in Health Ministry-mandated hospital This could be one of the reasons why Rukum has bought a PCR machine and it and its re-verification by the a large number of workers had has kept its health services on the standby, Department of Consular Services of reached Kirtipur.” but the Kathmandu Metropolitan City the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But even after filing their applica- which didn’t even set up an isolation or “No one can imagine the pain and tions the migrant workers will have quarantine centres has closed the facilities struggle we have been through over to wait for some more days for their when health workers are warning that the the last two weeks,” Gurung, origi- QR-coded vaccination certificates. situation could turn severe anytime soon,” nally from Basundhara, Kathmandu, They have been told that they would said Marasini. told the Post on Thursday afternoon. be provided the document online in a The City’s coronavirus report of August “But then we learnt that all that hard couple of days. 2 shows that a total of 72,058 residents are work was in vain as our vaccination Although their weeks of struggle infected with the virus and 3,104 people are document did not have QR codes as for the document appears to be final- in home isolation. The report put active asked by the Kuwaiti authorities. As ly over, they complained that the gov- cases at 3,284 and total fatalities at 510. a result, the verified vaccination cer- ernment put them through all the Dr Sher Bahadur Pun, chief of Clinical tificates were virtually of no use.” hassles for nothing. Research Unit at Sukraraj Tropical and The good news finally for Gurung According to Malla, only if the Infectious Disease Hospital, says the City’s and hundreds of workers like him government had made the online decision to suspend the free treatment ser- came on Wednesday afternoon after arrangement earlier, they would not vices is wrong. the Health Ministry published a have to go through the hardships. “The risk of the third Covid wave notice saying it would issue vaccina- Gurung echoes Malla. is only getting higher, so the City should tion certificates with QR codes to “Only after we came out protest- have continued the services even if there outbound migrant workers. Post file Photo ing, the government responded to our are fewer patients. We are passing through The Health Ministry said outbound An outbound worker joins a protest demanding Covid-19 vaccine certificates with quick response code. demands,” Gurung said. a critical time now,” said Pun. Struggle to buy black fungus drug after lowest bidder turns out to be an Indian firm India has banned the export of the drug since June 1. The price quoted by the second lowest bidder is nearly double the lowest bidder’s, putting Nepali officials in a fix.

PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA per vial. In contrast, the prices quoted on June 22. After the opening of the Since June-end, the country has the domestic market ever since India including the new one, with the medi- KATHMANDU, AUG 5 by the Chinese and Bangladeshi com- bids, it has been confirmed that there faced a shortage of Liposomal banned its export. cine after the government made panies exceed Rs22,000 per vial. are three bidders to supply the vital Amphotericin B after 1,000 vials of the Amid a shortage of the drug, the the drug available to us,” said Dr The government’s effort to purchase “The Chinese company has quoted medicine for mucormycosis but no drug provided by the World Health Department of Health Services on Pradhananga. According to him, a 10,000 vials of Liposomal the second-lowest price,” an official at decision has been taken as officials Organisation to the government were July 15 issued a tender for the supply patient needs six vials of Liposomal Amphotericin B, the main drug used the department said. feared to award a contract to the sec- used up by the end of June. of Liposomal Amphotericin B. The Amphotericin B a day, and the hospi- to treat mucormycosis, a rare fungal Officials said that despite partici- ond-lowest bidder whose quoted price Doctors used Deoxycholate and government is struggling to procure tal has received the drugs for four infection commonly known as ‘black pating in the bid, the Indian company is nearly double the lowest bidder’s. Posaconazole to treat the patients of the medicine at a time when Covid-19 days, with a commitment to more sup- fungus’, has faced a roadblock after an could not assure the supply of the Dr Bhim Sing Tinkari, director at mucormycosis. But, doctors said that cases are on the rise in recent days, plies. Krishna Prasad Paudel, spokes- Indian company emerged as the low- medicine citing the ban on the the management division under the Deoxycholate has many side effects with hospitals reporting an increased person for the Ministry of Health and est bidder amid an export ban on the export of the medicine by the Indian Department of Health Services, such as problems in the kidneys and flow of patients. Doctors and officials Population, said that the government drug by India. government. admitted that the prices quoted can cause hypersensitive reactions say that along with the rise in Covid- recently received some Liposomal Officials at the Department of “The Indian company says that it by the companies have created a while Posaconazole is the mainte- 19 cases, there is the risk that new Amphotericin B doses, which were Health Services said that three foreign will supply the medicine as soon as dilemma for us. nance dose that is usually given to cases of black fungus could emerge. distributed to government-run companies--an Indian, a Chinese, and India lifts the ban. But how long “As per the law, we have to award recovering patients. The Tribhuvan University Teaching hospitals. a Bangladeshi—have submitted bids should we wait for the Indian the contract to the lowest bidder,” said Doctors say that it is a dangerous Hospital, which had not reported new However, there are concerns about to supply the medicine for the disease, government to lift the ban?” asked the Tinkari. “So we will ask the Indian disease and mostly found among dia- patients of mucormycosis for around whether the government would which is life-threatening and painful official. company if it can supply the medicine betic Covid-19 patients. It affects the a month, received its new patient ear- be able to purchase this vital drug for patients. In a notification dated June 1, the within a few days. If it cannot supply brain, sinuses, and lungs and can be lier this week. which is also used to treat the patients More than a month and a half since Directorate General of Foreign Trade the medicine as per our requirement, life-threatening to diabetic or severely “We conducted a surgery on the of Kala-azar. the bid was opened, the department under India’s Commerce Ministry cat- we may scrap the current bids and immunocompromised individuals like new patient—a 41-year man from Dr Pradhananga said that even has been unable to award the contract egorised Amphotericin B under the issue a fresh tender.” cancer and HIV/AIDS patients. It Chitwan—on Tuesday,” said Dr though Mucormycosis cases have to the Indian bidder even though the restricted category for export with Since the second-lowest bidder, a causes blackening or discolouration Rabindra Pradhananga, coordinator gone down over the last month, a fresh tender was issued on June 15 to pro- immediate effect. The black fugus has Chinese firm, has quoted around dou- over the nose, blurred or double of the Mucormycosis Management surge in Covid-19 cases is concerning. cure the medicine under the excep- so far killed over 4,300 people while ble the price of the lowest bidder, vision, chest pain, breathing difficul- Committee at the hospital. “We cannot rule out a rise in tional circumstances procedures as over 45,000 people suffered from this Tinkari said he was not in favour of ties, and blood in the cough. Now the hospital is treating four Mucormycosis cases one again,” he specified in Public Procurement Act rare disease in India, according to a awarding the contract to the Chinese Indiscriminate use of steroids for patients of Mucormycosis. It has so said. On Thursday, the Health Ministry and Regulations. report on CNN in late July. company. “I will not take the risk of some Covid-19 patients could be linked far treated 19 such patients, a majority reported 3,007 new coronavirus cases Officials didn’t reveal the names of Amid rising cases of mucormycosis awarding the contract to the second to mucormycosis or other fungal of whom were admitted to the hospital in the last 24 hours, taking the nation- the companies participating in the along with a surge in Covid-19 infec- lowest bidder because it has quoted infections, doctors say. in May and June. wide infection tally to 708,079. tender bid. Still, two officials involved tions, the government on June 15 had almost double the price than the low- Despite the seriousness of the case, But, the good news is that the hospi- According to the ministry, around in the procurement process told the invited bids by giving just a seven-day est bidder,” he said. “Instead, I will neither the government currently has tal got Liposomal Amphotericin B two dozen cases of Mucormycosis Post that the Indian company had deadline to the interested companies. scrap the bid and ask hospitals to pro- any significant stock of Liposomal from the government to treat two have been identified so far in the coun- quoted the price at around Rs11,000 The bids were supposed to be opened cure the drugs themselves.” Amphotericin B nor is it available in patients. “We are treating two patients, try after they started to appear in May.

C M Y K FRIDAY, AUGUST 06, 2021 | 06 world Briefing Delta variant challenges China’s costly lockdown strategy Suspected rape and killing of Indian girl triggers protests China’s controls will be tested when thousands of athletes, reporters and others arrive for the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February. NEW DELHI: Angry villagers in the China pledges two billion Indian capital held a protest ASSOCIATED PRESS Thursday outside a crematorium BEIJING, AUG 5 vaccine doses to world where they say a nine-year-old girl was raped and killed earlier this The Delta variant is challenging BEIJING: China will “strive to provide” week. The protesters, sitting on a China’s costly strategy of isolating two billion Covid-19 vaccine doses to makeshift stage, held placards cities, prompting warnings that the world this year and donate $100 demanding justice for the girl, who Chinese leaders who were confident million to the international vaccine lived nearby. The case has revived they could keep the coronavirus out of distribution system known as COVAX, outrage over the number of the country need a less disruptive President Xi Jinping said on Thursday. gruesome sexual crimes against approach. The pledge came in a written mes- women in India as well the treatment As the highly contagious variant sage by Xi to a video forum on vaccine of those on the lowest rung of the pushes leaders in the United States, cooperation as China battles a fresh country’s rigid caste system, from Australia and elsewhere to renew outbreak fuelled by the highly conta- which the girl hailed. Four men sus- restrictions, President Xi Jinping’s gious Delta variant. pected in the crime, all of them government is fighting the most seri- Delta has now been detected in workers at the crematorium, have ous outbreak since last year’s peak in parts of China, prompting mass test- been arrested but have yet to be Wuhan. The ruling Communist Party ing and sending the number of daily charged, said police officer Ingit is reviving tactics that shut down cases to their highest in months. Pratap Singh. China: Access to a city of 1.5 million “For the whole of this year, China people has been cut off, flights can- will strive to provide two billion doses

celled and mass testing ordered in of vaccine to the world,” Xi said in Biden offers temporary ‘safe some areas. remarks reported by state broadcaster haven’ to residents That “zero tolerance” strategy of CCTV. quarantining every case and trying to China has also promised to donate WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden on block new infections from abroad $100 million to Covax, he added, for Thursday offered temporary “safe helped to contain last year’s outbreak the distribution of vaccines to devel- haven” to Hong Kong residents in the and has kept China largely virus-free. oping countries. United States, allowing potentially But its impact on work and life for The announcement comes weeks thousands of people to extend their millions of people is prompting warn- after Xi promised $3 billion in aid to stay in the country in response to ings that China needs to learn to con- developing countries to fight Covid-19 Beijing’s crackdown on democracy in trol the virus without repeatedly shut- at an unprecedented emergency the Chinese territory. In a signed ting down the economy and society. online meeting of APEC heads of memo, Biden directed the Zhang Wenhong, a Shanghai doctor state. (AFP) Department of Homeland Security to who became prominent during the implement a “deferral of removal” Wuhan outbreak, suggested in a social for up to 18 months for Hong Kong media post that China’s strategy could Australia expands lockdowns residents currently in the United change. “We will definitely learn AP/Rss as virus fight falters States, citing “compelling foreign pol- more” from the ongoing outbreak, he Residents line up to be tested for Covid-19 in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei province, on Tuesday. icy reasons”. said, calling it a stress test for the SYDNEY: Almost two-thirds of nation. have jolted global financial markets, Disease Control Bureau, said at a checkpoints to test drivers. The gov- Australia’s 25 million people were in Israel launches airstrikes on “The world needs to learn how to which worry Beijing’s response might news conference on Saturday. ernment called on people in Beijing lockdown on Thursday, as the coexist with this virus,” wrote Zhang, disrupt manufacturing and supply The year’s biggest outbreak has ten- and the southern province of country’s faltering bid to bring a Lebanon in response to rockets who has 3 million followers on the chains. tatively been traced to airport employ- Guangzhou not to leave those areas if virulent Delta outbreak to heel TEL AVIV: Israel on Thursday escalated widely used Sina Weibo platform. China needs to shift to creating bar- ees who cleaned a Russian airliner on possible. prompted a new wave of restrictions. its response to rocket attacks this China’s controls will be tested when riers to infection within communities July 10 in Nanjing, northwest of In Yangzhou, children at two tutor- The country’s two largest cities week by launching rare airstrikes thousands of athletes, reporters and by stepping up vaccinations and Shanghai in Jiangsu province, accord- ing centres were quarantined after a received a double blow in their on Lebanon, the army and Lebanese others arrive for the Winter Olympics quickly treating infected people while ing to health officials. classmate tested positive, according to efforts to retain “Covid Zero” status, officials said. The Israeli army said in Beijing in February. And the ruling allowing business and travel to go Some travellers flew through Zhou Xiaoxiao, a university student with authorities reporting a record in a statement that jets struck the party faces a politically sensitive ahead, said Xi Chen, a health econo- Nanjing to Zhangjiajie, a popular tour- there. She said some parts of the city number of new coronavirus infec- launch sites from which rockets change of leadership in late 2022, for mist at the Yale School of Public ist spot southwest of Shanghai in were sealed. tions in Sydney and imposing a sixth had been fired over the previous day, which leaders want upbeat economic Health. He said country needs access Hunan province, turning that city into The 1,142 infections reported since lockdown for virus-weary Melbourne. as well as an additional target used conditions. to the full range of vaccines, including a centre for the virus’s spread. The mid-July, many linked to Nanjing, are In total, about 60 percent of the to attack Israel in the past. The IDF Last year, China shut down much of allowing in the shot developed by disease was carried to Beijing and modest compared with tens of thou- population—in cities from Brisbane blamed the state of Lebanon for the the world’s second-biggest economy Germany’s BioNTech. other cities in more than 10 provinces. sands of new daily infections in India to Ballarat—are now being told to stay shelling and warned “against further and cut off almost all access to cities “I don’t think ‘zero tolerance’ can be On Tuesday, the government of or the United States. But they jolted at home. Until now, Australia has attempts to harm Israeli civilians with a total of 60 million people—tac- sustained,” said Chen. “Even if you Zhangjiajie announced no one was leaders in China, which hasn’t record- dodged the worst ravages of the and Israel’s sovereignty.” The over- tics imitated on a smaller scale by can lock down all the regions in China, allowed to leave the city, imitating ed a fatality since early February. pandemic through a strategy of night airstrikes in southern Lebanon governments from Asia to the people might still die, and more might controls imposed on Wuhan, where The outbreak poses “serious chal- closing borders, lockdowns, mandato- were a marked escalation at a Americas. That caused China’s most die due to hunger or loss of jobs.” the first virus cases were identified, lenges to the country’s hard-won vic- ry travel quarantine, and aggressive politically sensitive time. Israel’s new painful economic contraction in five But Beijing has shown no sign of and other cities last year. tory in the epidemic battle,” said the testing and tracing. eight-party governing coalition is decades, but Beijing was able to allow abandoning its tactics. Flights to Nanjing and Yangzhou, a newspaper The Global Times, which But those tools appear blunted trying to keep peace under a fragile business and domestic travel to Disease controls must “be even fast- nearby city with 94 cases, were sus- is published by the ruling party’s in the face of the highly transmissible cease fire that ended an 11-day war resume in March 2020. er, more firm, stricter, more expansive pended. Trains from those cities and People’s Daily. Delta variant that is now threatening with Hamas’ militant rulers in The new infections, many in people and ready,” He Qinghua, an official of 21 others to Beijing were cancelled. China has reported 4,636 deaths out one of the world’s last havens Gaza in May. (AGENCIES) who have already been vaccinated, the National Health Commission’s Jiangsu province set up highway of about 93,000 confirmed cases. from Covid-19. (AFP) Airstrikes pummel Taliban in south; insurgents gain ground in north

ASSOCIATED PRESS heavy bombing near the government north remains under a three-month KABUL, AUG 5 radio and television station, which is Taliban attack. The stronghold of under Taliban control. Several wed- Marshal Rashid Dostum, an Uzbek The Afghan air force carried out more ding halls and a guesthouse of the warlord, it has lost eight out of ten airstrikes against Taliban positions in provincial governor are located near districts to the insurgents, who con- southern Afghanistan on Thursday, as the radio and television station. tinue to advance on the capital, the insurgent force made additional The fighting has driven thousands Shibirghan city. gains in the country’s north. of people from Kandahar and The Taliban onslaught seems to The European Union, United Helmand provinces in the south to have intensified with the start of the Nations and Human Rights Watch seek refuge in Kandahar city, which is final withdrawal of US and NATO urged both sides to avoid causing civil- under siege by the Taliban. troops in late April. As attacks intensi- ian casualties as the fighting rages on. Government forces control only three fy, Afghan security forces and govern- The Taliban has been on the offensive of Kandahar province’s 17 districts. ment troops have retaliated with in recent months, as US and NATO The battle for the city remains at increasing air strikes, aided by the forces complete their pullout from the stalemate despite days of ground and United States. This has raised grow- war-torn country. They have taken air operations. Most of the markets ing concerns about civilian casualties vast swaths of land and have now are closed, and people in the four dis- across the country. turned their guns on larger urban placement camps lack proper access “We can tell you that we are deeply centres. to under a scorching sun. concerned about the safety and protec- A defence ministry statement said In northern Afghanistan, the tion of people in Lashkar Gah, in the air strikes were carried out across the Taliban have taken control of most of south, where tens of thousands of country, including in the southern the provincial capital of Sar-e-Pul, the people could be trapped by fighting,” Helmand province, where the provin- head of its council, Mohammad Noor Stephane Dujarric, the United Nations cial capital of Lashkar Gah is being Rahmani said. In recent months, the spokesman said on Wednesday. fiercely contested. The Taliban con- group has gained control of dozens of “We, along with our humanitarian trol of nine of the city’s 10 police dis- districts across several provinces in partners in Afghanistan, are assess- AFP/Rss tricts. the north. ing needs and responding in the south, People wade through a waterlogged street in the flood-hit city of Amta in West Bengal, India on Thursday. Residents in Lashkar Gah reported Meanwhile, Jawzjan province in the as access allows,” he said. Security tight in Indian Kashmir for ‘black day’ anniversary

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE unknown rebels fired at police as unleashed & gross injustice heaped SRINAGAR, AUG 5 authorities tried to force shopkeepers there is no other choice but to resist to observing the shutdown to open their exist,” she tweeted. Hundreds of extra police and troops doors, an officer told AFP. District Bashir Ahmad, a shopkeeper in were deployed in Indian-administered police denied the incident took place downtown Srinagar, said that since Kashmir on Thursday as separatist however in a post on Twitter. the “injustice” of what happened in groups called for a shutdown to mark Top separatist leader Syed Ali 2019, people no longer feel “safe and a “black day” on the second anniversa- Geelani, 90, had called for a general secure”. ry of New Delhi imposing direct rule. shutdown to mark a “black day” in “Anyone who speaks up is being Kashmir has been divided between protest at “India’s naked aggression”, crushed without reason,” he told AFP. India and Pakistan since 1947 with in a Twitter statement by his Pakistan- Government minister Jitendra both claiming the territory in full. based representative. Singh said in an editorial in the Indian Fighting in the past two decades in the The call was supported by several Express daily that Kashmir was now Indian-controlled part has left tens of smaller separatist groups who also moving toward “deepening democra- thousands dead, mostly civilians. challenge India’s rule over Kashmir. cy, fulfilling people’s aspirations, (and) Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s One group headed by Kashmir’s increasing economic growth”. government scrapped the Muslim- incarcerated chief cleric and politi- About 1,000 people marched in majority region’s partial autonomy on cian Mirwaiz Umar Farooq appealed Muzaffarabad—the capital of August 5, 2019, and split it into two to “citizens of India and the world at Pakistan-administered Kashmir— federal territories. Thousands were large” to see how India’s actions two where protesters chanted anti-Indian arrested, scores of whom remain years ago “complicated” the dispute slogans and burnt the country’s flags, behind bars two years on. over the territory further. according to an AFP reporter. Ahead of the second anniversary, On Thursday most shops remained In Islamabad Pakistan’s president security forces erected numerous new closed in Srinagar and there were few and foreign minister led a rally of checkpoints and barricades across cars on the road, but police in the cap- AFP/Rss about 500 people while traffic was halt- Srinagar, with personnel in bullet- ital city were seen asking shopkeepers Activists of the ‘Youth Forum for Kashmir’ group carry placards to show solidarity with Kashmiri people during a rally in Lahore on Thursday. ed for a minute’s silence in other proof gear checking vehicles and to open. major cities. frisking residents. Many businessmen, without wish- shops when police officers arrived and towns in the volatile southern ens of other local politicians spent “Today India is destroying regional Suspected rebels fired live shots in ing to be named, told AFP that police took my photos while I was working Kashmir valley also told AFP that months incarcerated after being stability through its rogue actions & the air in the heart of the congested had threatened them. Local reporters and accused myself and journalists of police were threatening and forcing arrested in the 2019 clampdown, led a state sponsored terrorism in contra- old town Srinagar where a low intensi- said officers were breaking locks on instigating a shutdown,” photojour- shopkeepers to open their stores. protest in Srinagar that police stopped vention of all international laws & ty explosive device also went off, wit- shutters. nalist Umer Asif told AFP. Former Kashmir chief minister from marching to the city centre. norms,” Pakistani Prime Minister nesses said. In the Sopore area “I was recording video of shuttered Witnesses and traders in three Mehbooba Mufti, who along with doz- “When unbridled oppression is Imran Khan tweeted.

C M Y K 07 | FRIDAY, AUGUST 06, 2021 Money

FOREX

US Dollar 118.97 Sarbottam Cement ‘outside Securities Board’s purview’ Euro 140.91

Pound Sterling 165.62 Insider trading allegations started flying after revelations of share purchases at less than the expected IPO price.

Japanese Yen 10.87 PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA launching of the company’s IPO, the had been on a prolonged leave. The Chinese Yuan 18.41 KATHMANDU, AUG 5 relatives of Dhungana and Saud promoters of Sarbottam Cement have appear to have taken advantage of been publicly saying that they hope to Qatari Riyal 32.68 The Securities Board of Nepal has insider information about the poten- see the IPO offer price to be set at over Australian Dollar 88.11 responded to the Finance Ministry’s tial price. According to a SEBON offi- Rs750 per share, but the proposed query regarding allegations of insider cial, Sarbottam Cement had asked the price is yet to be approved by the Malaysian Ringit 28.21 trades of shares in Sarbottam Cement board to facilitate the launching of its SEBON. The regulator of the stock that the company is outside its regula- IPO through the book building meth- market needs to make an evaluation Saudi Arab Riyal 31.72 tory purview. od two months before the completion of investor demand and give its okay Exchange rates fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank Last week, the Finance Ministry of the fiscal year after the company to set the issue price before the compa- had asked the Securities Board of was registered as a public limited ny can make the IPO. Nepal and the Nepal Stock Exchange company. Former chairperson of the board Shares to submit clarifications about the Even though the board has insisted Surbir Poudyal said that as the stock alleged involvement of SEBON in a letter to the Finance Ministry that market regulator had not yet approved Nepse 3,107.45pts -0.51% Chairperson Bhisma Raj Dhungana the company has not come under its the proposed prices of Sarbottam’s and NEPSE CEO Chandra Singh regulatory process, a senior board shares, no influence of the board’s highest losers Saud in insider trading after their official said that it could not detach chairperson is visible in the pricing of UPCL BARUN RHPC SSHL UMHL GHL -6.79% -5.32% -5.13% -5.07% -5.04% -5.02% relatives bought promoter shares of itself from its regulatory responsibili- the company’s public shares. Sarbottam Cement. ty after the company applied for facili- “But given that his daughter has moderate losers UNHPL LEC PMHPL GLH SJCL HDHPC The company is preparing to make tation for issuing the shares. already purchased shares of the com- -4.91% -4.91% -4.9% -4.86% -4.65% -4.64% a Rs6 million initial public offering “Even when the company signed a pany, we cannot rule out the potential

moderate gainers (IPO) under the book building mecha- Memorandum of Understanding with influence of the board’s chairperson GRDBL FOWAD MDB BPCL SAPDBL KKHC nism. Book building is the process by Global IME to work as issue manager, in determining the inflated price of 3.2% 3.28% 3.53% 4.09% 4.45% 5.42% which an underwriter attempts to the board’s representative was pres- Sarbottam’s shares for the IPO,” he highest gainers determine the price at which an IPO ent,” the official said. “If the board said. “It is a matter of intention.” JFL FMDBL ULI KRBL NFS JBLB will be priced. chair himself gets involved in an Poudyal said that he could not cate- 5.89% 8.2% 9.98% 10% 10% 10% A controversy arose after it was ‘unethical practice’, its ability to regu- gorise the purchase of shares by revealed that Dhungana’s daughter POST FILE PHOTO late insider trading done by others is Dhungana’s daughter as insider trad- Rebika Dhungana and Saud’s wife The promoters of Sarbottam Cement have been publicly saying that they hope to see the IPO undermined.” ing since she has not been found to Sushila Kumari Bohora had each pur- price to be set at over Rs750 per share, but the proposed price is yet to be approved. As per the Code of Conduct for the have taken undue advantage as the Price Per tola chased 11,911 shares of Sarbottam Board Members of the Securities IPO offer price is yet to be approved by bullion Cement at a price less than what the Post that his daughter had bought the or notice that are unpublished, com- Board of Nepal 2017, a board member the board. underwriter was expected to set for shares for Rs250 apiece while municates any information or notice should not engage in activities to In an interview with the Post early Fine Gold Rs 92,000 the IPO. Sarbottam Cement has publicly stated known to such a person in the course benefit himself or herself or family this week, Dhungana defended the “We wrote to the Finance Ministry that the IPO offer price will be at least of the discharge of his or her duties in members by using his or her position purchase of Sarbottam’s shares by his Silver Rs 1,275 that the company’s IPO had not been Rs750 per share. a manner likely to affect the price of in the transactions of listed compa- daughter as her independent decision. approved, and that its shares were not Dhungana and Saud have been securities, such individual shall be nies and securities traders licensed by “As my daughter is married and no Source: FENEGOSIDA listed on NEPSE, and that it was out- accused of insider trading as they deemed to have been committed the board. longer belongs to my own family, her side our regulatory purview,” said a were informed about the potential an insider trading in securities, Dirgha Raj Mainali, chief of the decision to buy shares does not fall senior SEBON official. “So, we have price of Sarbottam shares. If any per- according to Section 91 of the financial sector management and cor- under the category of insider trad- gasoline watch stated that whatever has been report- son deals in securities or causes any Securities Act 2007. poration coordination division at the ing,” Dhungana claimed. “There has ed in the media is just a rumour.” other person to deal in securities on After Sarbottam Cement sought the Finance Ministry, said that he was yet been no violation of laws when she Early this week, Dhungana told the the basis of any insider information board’s assistance in facilitating the to see the response of the board as he purchased those shares.” Expats wait anxiously as mulls reopening India’s July gold imports surge to REUTERS ment, losing thousands of dollars in SINGAPORE, AUG 5 deposit. “We are in limbo—whether to stay three-month high For months, Briton Jamie Pierre has in Turkey and try to come back to been trying to get approval to travel to Singapore. Or just forget it,” said Ural, REUTERS Singapore for his new job there. But who is Turkish-American. MUMBAI, Aug 5 after repeated checks online plus mul- Pierre has been working remotely tiple emails and messages, he is frus- until he’s allowed to enter Singapore. India’s gold imports in July more than trated, confused, and still without an He has spent months in Airbnbs and doubled from a year earlier to their entry permit. temporary accommodation in the UK highest level in three months as Now, as Singapore says it may ease with his wife and toddler. demand improved after states lifted Covid-19 quarantines in September “I have to essentially work irregular lockdown restrictions, allowing retail for vaccinated people, he hardly dares hours to be able to keep communica- consumers to make purchases for wed- feel optimistic. tion with the region,” said Pierre, dings, a government source said. “It does give me some hope,” said calling the situation “stressful”. Higher imports by the world’s sec- Pierre, 32, who works for a marketing Singapore’s government said ond-biggest bullion consumer could procurement platform. approvals are based on Covid-19 risk support benchmark gold prices, “But ... I’m kind of tempering that levels of the countries applicants are which have corrected nearly 13 per- Numbers low in hope” with worry of more delays, he coming from, and it prioritises more cent from an all-time high of $2,072 in added. critical travellers. August 2020. The pandemic has disrupted global Singapore’s tentative reopening The surge in imports could increase ’s Phuket mobility on a scale that hasn’t been was considering quarantine-free trav- holders have needed special permits moves are being closely watched—not India’s trade deficit and pressure seen since World War Two. el for people fully vaccinated against to enter Singapore. The city-state only by anxious expatriates but also the rupee. Governments in the Asia-Pacific Covid-19 starting in September, when largely stopped accepting new applica- by other countries that are further India imported 74 tonnes of gold in tourism revival bid, region, including Australia, China, 80 percent of the population should be tions from most countries in May after behind in vaccinations. July, compared to 32 tonnes a year Thailand and Hong Kong, have main- inoculated. It also plans to review a surge in coronavirus cases globally. “Other countries currently pursing earlier, the government source said on tained quarantine and entry require- some virus restrictions in early Although many workers have suc- zero-Covid strategies, such as China, Thursday, requesting to remain anon- official says ments. August, when two-thirds are on track cessfully entered, others have been Hong Kong, Australia, and Taiwan, ymous as he is not authorised to speak Singapore—long known as a global to be inoculated. The pandemic has frustrated. A Facebook group with will be keeping a keen eye on to the media. REUTERS financial hub for highly mobile for- forced Singapore to weigh its reputa- 18,000 members features accounts of Singapore’s progress,” said Gareth In value terms, July imports surged BANGKOK, AUG 5 eign professionals—has had especial- tion as one of the world’s most accessi- navigating an opaque permit system. Leather at Capital Economics. to $4.2 billion from $1.78 billion a year ly strict border controls, quarantine ble business climates against its There is no official data on how A decrease in the number of for- ago, he said. Visitors to Thailand’s resort island of and contact tracing. It has been one of efforts to control the virus. many foreign workers are stranded, eigners last year pushed Singapore’s “Imports were far lower than nor- Phuket in July were at just 1 percent the most successful countries in curb- “As a small economy, Singapore but an online petition seeking entry population down 0.3 percent to 5.69 mal during May and June due to lock- of pre-pandemic levels, an official told ing Covid-19, with only 39 deaths. must and will remain open and con- for vaccinated passholders from India million, the first drop since 2003.The down restrictions. They jumped in Reuters, as a bid to revive tourism to But for its legions of foreign work- nected to the world,” the manpower has nearly 5,000 signatories, many of number of employment passholders, July as states started relaxing lock- the Southeast Asian country gets off ers—who make up one-fifth of the 5.7 and trade ministries told Reuters in a whom share tales of families separat- defined as professionals earning at down restrictions from June,” said a to a slow start amid its biggest Covid- million population—the restrictions written reply to questions. ed for months on end. least S$4,500 a month, dropped 8.6 per- Mumbai-based dealer with a bullion 19 outbreak yet. have been a nightmare, with many “We cannot afford nor do we have Singapore-based business owner cent to 177,100 in 2020.For now, expa- importing bank. The island re-opened last month stranded abroad despite having jobs any intention to close ourselves off to Yigit Ali Ural travelled to Turkey last triates who have not seen their fami- Indian authorities had imposed under the “Phuket Sandbox” pro- and visas, and others afraid to leave the world for longer than necessary,” month for a family emergency. lies since the pandemic began are localised lockdowns in the June quar- gramme to fully-vaccinated tourists for fear of not being allowed to return. it added. Uncertain of getting approval to keeping a close watch on the ter as new Covid-19 infections surged who could skip Thailand’s mandatory The government recently said it Since last year, foreign work visa return, he gave up his rented apart- September plan. to a record high. two week quarantine provided they remained on Phuket, where tourism accounts for 90 percent of the local economy. Nearly 15,000 people visited the island from overseas in July, Phuket Tourist Association president China-US container shipping rates Bhummikitti Ruktaengam told Reuters, equivalent to just over 450 foreign arrivals a day. sail past $20,000 to record “In the past, we were looking at 43,000 daily arrivals, so what we got was 1 percent of normality,” he said. “extreme rates” to last until “1 percent in business terms is not ok, Chinese New Year in 2022. but 1 percent also gives hope,” he The spot price per container on added. “We’re seeing the light. It’s the China-US East coast route— encouraging.” one of the world’s busiest contain- er lanes—has climbed over 500 per- cent from a year ago to $20,804 this Nearly 15,000 week, freight-tracking firm Freightos said. That compares to people visited just under $11,000 on July 27. The cost from China to the US the island from west coast is a little below $20,000, while the latest China-Europe rate overseas in July. is nearly $14,000, Freightos’ data shows. Ding Li, president of China’s port association, told Tourism before the pandemic was a Reuters the spike followed a key driver of Thailand’s economy, rebound in Covid-19 cases in other accounting for 12 percent of GDP. In REUTERS countries, which has slowed turno- 2019, the country welcomed 40 million A file photo shows shipping containers stacked for storage at Wando Welch Terminal ver at some major foreign ports to foreign arrivals, of which 10 million in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, US. around 7-8 days. visited Phuket. The Finance Ministry The surging container rates recently slashed its forecast for for- REUTERS the crisis gripping the world’s have fed through to higher charter eign arrivals to 300,000, down from an SINGAPORE/BEIJING, Aug 5 most important method for mov- rates for container vessels, which earlier prediction of 2 million. ing everything from gym equip- has forced shipping firms to prior- Phuket has kept infections low with Container shipping rates from ment and furniture to car parts itise service on the most lucrative a 7-day average of 35 cases compared China to the United States have and electronics. routes. “Ships can only be profita- with the national average of 18,400. scaled fresh highs above $20,000 “These factors have turned glob- bly operated in the trades where However, the number of people with per 40-foot box as rising retailer al container shipping into a highly freight rates are higher, and that is bookings for August stood at just orders ahead of the peak US shop- disrupted, under-supplied seller’s why capacity is shifting mostly to 9,000 so far, Bhummikitti said, as ping season add strain to global market, in which shipping compa- the US,” said Tan Hua Joo, execu- Thailand grapples with a surge in supply chains. nies can charge four to ten times tive consultant at research consul- Covid-19 cases. On Wednesday, the The acceleration in Delta- the normal price to move cargoes,” tancy Alphaliner. health ministry reported 20,200 new variant Covid-19 outbreaks in sev- Philip Damas, Managing Director Some shippers have reduced vol- coronavirus cases and 188 additional eral counties has slowed global at maritime consultancy firm umes in less profitable routes, deaths, both of which were record container turnaround rates. Drewry, said. such as the transatlantic and highs. “People looking from overseas Typhoons off China’s busy “We have not seen this in ship- intra-Asia, said Damas. will see that the numbers are scary,” southern coast in late July and ping for more than 30 years,” he “This means that rates on the Bhummikitti said. this week have also contributed to said, adding he expected the latter are now increasing fast.”

C M Y K FRIDAY, AUGUST 06, 2021 | 08 Sports Briefing US women beat Australia 4-3 to win football bronze Grealish completes medical ahead of Manchester City move Rapinoe and Lloyd both scores twice for the 2019 World Cup winners and four-time gold medallists to deny the Australians their first Olympic medal. LONDON: Jack Grealish has reportedly Associated Press completed his medical at Manchester KASHIMA, Aug 5 City as the Aston Villa midfielder moves closer to joining the Premier Although the colour of their medal League champions in a British record wasn’t what they wanted, the mettle £100 million ($139 million) transfer. of the team came through in the end. Grealish was pictured being driven The United States salvaged a rocky out of City’s Etihad training head- tournament by winning bronze in quarters in a black van following his women’s football at the Tokyo medical on Wednesday. The 25-year- Olympics on Thursday. Megan old will become the most expensive Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd scored English player of all-time when City two goals each in a 4-3 win over officially finalise the blockbuster Australia after opening the Tokyo swoop. The fee will shatter the British Games with an uncharacteristic 3-0 record of £89 million paid by loss to . Manchester United to sign Paul “It’s very satisfying. I think we all Pogba from Juventus in 2016. City are realised we didn’t play the best this reported to have activated a clause in entire tournament,” US captain Becky Grealish’s contract that compelled Sauerbrunn said. “So to have the Villa to accept their offer when it response that we did after a very dis- reached £100 million. appointing semi-final, to show the US mentality and the resiliency, to put the Leicester’s Fofana breaks leg performance in that we wanted to be playing the entire time, and to LONDON: Leicester City’s French finally find it in a game like that — defender Wesley Fofana broke his leg very satisfying.” in a friendly against Villarreal on The loss spoiled the Australians’ Wednesday, 10 days before the start of first-ever trip to the medal round at the Premier League season. “I will the Olympics. No Australian football give you news as soon as I have a team, men or women, have ever won a final diagnosis but we already know medal. that I have a fibula fracture,” the The Matildas were the underdogs 20-year-old said on Instagram after against the US, the top-ranked team in being carried off on a stretcher dur- the world and the defending World ing the second half. He had received Cup champions who came to treatment on the pitch after a chal- vying for gold. But the Americans lenge by Fernando Nino. FA Cup win- struggled at times, including in a 1-0 ners Leicester, who play Premier loss to Canada in the semi-finals. The League champions Manchester City Canadians hadn’t defeated their North in the Community Shield at Wembley American counterparts since 2001. on Saturday, won 3-2 at the King The US team that came out Power Stadium. They open their sea- against Australia looked completely ap/rss son at home to Wolves on August 14. different. The United States’ Carli Lloyd (centre) celebrates her goal against Australia. Lloyd has scored a US record 10 career Olympic goals and is also the first American woman to score in four Olympics. “That was the US mentality,” Lloyd said. “We played well, we strung some the US team’s semi-final loss to four Olympics. Kerr sat alone on the field for a long tory over New Zealand came the score- Archer out of World Cup, Ashes really good sequences together, scored Canada. Lloyd made her 312th appearance time after the final whistle. “Being so less draw with Australia. In the quar- NOTTINGHAM: England fast bowler some great goals. And I’m extremely Just 27, Kerr became the all-time for the national team in the match, close and really taking it to one of the ter-finals, the US got past Jofra Archer will miss both the proud of the way we persevered, they leading scorer for the Australians passing Christie Rampone for second top teams in the world, and out-play- the in a penalty shootout. Twenty20 World Cup and the Ashes way we turned things around. We’re with 48 goals. She led all scorers on the all-time list. Kristine Lilly leads ing them at times and getting so close But they were thwarted in a quest series in Australia after the England going home with a medal, and there’s remaining in the tournament with six the career appearances list with 354. to scoring in certain moments, it just to become the first team to win an and Wales Cricket Board announced no greater feeling than that.” goals. Lloyd is 39 and likely playing in her feels like we were right there and it’s Olympics after a World Cup title by on Thursday he had been ruled out Rapinoe scored directly from a cor- Rapinoe’s second goal came on a last major tournament. When she was been snatched from us,” Australia their Canadian rivals. Jessie Fleming for the rest of the year with an elbow ner kick in the eighth minute to give stunning volley in the 21st, and it replaced in the 81st minute, team- defender Steph Catley said. “It’s defi- scored on a penalty kick in the 74th injury. The ECB said in a statement the Americans an early lead. It was became obvious that the Australians mates ran over to offer handshakes nitely tough to take.” minute for the game’s lone goal. that scans last week on the currently the second time Rapinoe has scored an were missing defender Ellie Carpenter, and high-fives, and the bench gave her The Australians had already met The US have reached the gold medal sidelined 26-year-old’s right elbow Olimpico, as goals from corners are who was handed a red card late in a standing ovation. the US at the Tokyo Olympics, holding match at the Olympics five times. The had revealed he had suffered a recur- known: She also had one in the semi-fi- the Matildas’ 1-0 semi-final loss to Lloyd said afterward that she had the Americans to a scoreless draw in Americans have four gold medals, rence of a stress fracture. “In nals of the 2012 Olympics against Sweden. not made a decision about her future the final game of the group stage. more than any other team since wom- response to these findings, he has Canada. Lloyd made it 3-1 in first-half stop- just yet. Australia were also the only team in en’s football became an Olympic sport been ruled out for the rest of the year Sam Kerr pulled the Australians page time when her left-footed shot got Caitlin Foord kept the Australians the group to score on the Swedes, who in 1996. and will miss the current LV= even with a goal in the 17th minute past Australia goalkeeper Teagan in the game with a goal in the 54th are headed for the gold medal match But it is the second Olympics Insurance Test series against India, that got past US goalkeeper Adrianna Micah. She added another on a break minute before Emily Gielnik scored to Friday against Canada. they have failed to reach the gold the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 Franch. Franch got her first start in a in the 51st minute, giving her a US narrow it further in the 90th, but ulti- The US team’s tournament-opening medal match. They were beaten by and the Ashes series in Australia,” major tournament in place of Alyssa record 10 career Olympic goals. She is mately the Matildas couldn’t make up loss to Sweden snapped a 44-match Sweden in the quarter-finals five years the ECB statement added. (AGENCIES) Naeher, who injured her right knee in the first American woman to score in the difference. unbeaten streak. After a rebound vic- ago in Brazil. New Zealand cricket team to Anderson drags Belarusian sprinter Tsimanouskaya England back decided to defect on way to airport tour Pakistan after 18 years into contest Agence France-Presse security fears. Reuters Reuters KARACHI, Aug 5 However, the rapid improvement in NOTTINGHAM, Aug 5 WARSAW, Aug 5 security in recent years has gradually New Zealand will tour Pakistan for seen the return of international crick- James Anderson struck twice in two Olympic sprinter Krystsina the first time in 18 years to play three et to Pakistan. balls, including the prize wicket of Tsimanouskaya decided to defect as one-day internationals and five Rawalpindi’s Pindi cricket stadium India captain Virat Kohli, to lead she was being driven to a Tokyo air- Twenty20s, both countries said on will host the ODIs between September England’s fightback before bad light port because her grandmother told Thursday. 17 and 21, while Lahore’s Gaddafi forced early tea on day two of the her that it was not safe to return home Pakistan has made steady strides in Stadium will stage all five T20s, start- opening Test on Friday. to Belarus. restoring its image as a safe venue for ing on September 25 the PCB said. The tourists, cruising at 97 for no In an exclusive interview with international matches, after success- Kane Williamson’s side is currently loss, slumped to 125-4 when play was Reuters in Warsaw on Thursday, she fully hosting Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, ranked number one in Tests and ODIs. halted and rain followed. said her family feared she would be the West Indies, and South Africa in New Zealand Cricket’s chief execu- KL Rahul was batting on 57, while sent to a psychiatric ward if she went recent years. tive David White said the country was Rishabh Pant was on seven in the first back to Belarus, and that her grand- The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) looking forward to the upcoming tour. match of the five-Test series which mother had called her to tell her not to said New Zealand will tour “Pakistan “New Zealand was the first country marks the beginning of a new World return. for the first time since 2003” starting outside India to (ever) tour Pakistan Test Championship cycle. “I have always been far from poli- September 17, with all matches split and we share a close relationship with Resuming on 21 for no loss in reply tics, I didn’t sign any letters or go to between the central cities of Lahore the PCB,” White added. to England’s first innings total of 183, any protests, I didn’t say anything and Rawalpindi. “It’s great that, after such a difficult India had a near-perfect morning ses- against the Belarusian government,” “The 2019 World Cup finalists, who time for Pakistan, international crick- sion. The partnership between their she said. “I’m a sportsperson and I are also the World Test champions and et is again being played in the coun- openers was inching towards the cen- didn’t understand anything in politi- ranked third in T20Is, will draw tre- try.” The three one-day internationals tury mark when Ollie Robinson cal life. I try not to do anything other mendous attraction and interest from are part of the ODI League, a qualifi- bounced out Rohit Sharma for 36 with than a sport in my life and I try my the local fans, and will reinforce cation process for the men’s Cricket the final delivery before lunch. best to not be distracted by politics.” Pakistan’s status as a safe and secure World Cup in 2023 to be held in India. Anderson returned after the break “It may sound cruel because of all AFP/RSS country,” PCB Chief Executive Wasim New Zealand will be the first side to to wreck India’s top order, dismissing the terrible things that happened in Krystsina Tsimanouskaya had refused her team’s order to return to her homeland fearing Khan said in a statement. visit Pakistan in what the PCB has Cheteshwar Pujara and Kohli in suc- Belarus last summer but I was trying reprisals after publicly criticising her team coaches and had sought protection from A bomb blast outside the New called a “bumper 2021-22 season”. cessive deliveries with Jos Buttler tak- to keep away from it, but all I have Japanese police before flying to Poland, which has granted her a humanitarian visa. Zealand team’s hotel in Karachi in Following New Zealand’s tour, ing both the catches. Pujara made four wanted is to go to the Olympics and do 2002 cut short the Black Caps’ last England’s men’s and women’s sides and Kohli fell for a golden duck. my best,” she said, referring to pro- sanctions after a crackdown on oppo- “I am not of those people who are Test tour of Pakistan, but they are set to play white-ball matches in Ajinkya Rahane denied Anderson a tests last year against President nents since last year. scared. I am always staying for truth. I visited again for an ODI series the Pakistan in October. hat-trick but did not last long and ran Alexander Lukashenko that led to a The sprinter, who had criticised respect myself. I respect my work. And following year. The West Indies are also expected to himself out after making five. police crackdown. negligence by her team coaches, spent I also want other people to respect After a deadly 2009 attack on the Sri arrive in Karachi in December for England have opted for a seam-only “I wanted to be in the final and com- two nights in Poland’s embassy in themselves, to respect their work and Lanka team bus in Lahore, most of three ODIs and three T20s. And later, attack, while India have all-rounder pete for medals.” Japan before flying to Vienna and stop being afraid and start speaking Pakistan’s international matches have Australia is scheduled to undertake a Ravindra Jadeja as their lone spin Lukashenko’s spokesperson did not then Warsaw on Wednesday. She also openly about what worries them.” been hosted outside the country over full tour in February-March 2022. option. immediately respond to a request for held a news conference in the Polish Before going to Tokyo, comment after Tsimanouskaya’s capital on Thursday. Tsimanouskaya was not among the interview. The Belarus National Olympic few Belarusian Olympians who pub- The 24-year-old athlete caused a Committee had said coaches withdrew licly voiced support for the opposition furore on Sunday when she said Tsimanouskaya from the Games on to Lukashenko. coaches angry at her criticism had doctors’ advice about her emotional Opposition figures have been prose- PSG look to reclaim title from Lille ordered her to fly home from Tokyo. and psychological state. It did not cuted, jailed or fled since mass pro- After seeking protection from immediately respond to requests for tests against Lukashenko began last Agence France-Presse Emmanuel Macron, anyone attending euros to sign flying full-back Achraf Japanese police, she flew on additional comment on Thursday. year, even before he won a sixth presi- PARIS, Aug 5 games will have to provide proof of Hakimi from Inter Milan. Wednesday to Poland instead of Tsimanouskaya said she had told dential term in an election that full vaccination, a negative coronavi- Coach Mauricio Pochettino has Belarus. her coach on Sunday that she was observers and critics say was rigged. A heavily reinforced Paris Saint- rus test or proof of having recently extended his contract until 2023 but Poland, which has long been critical ready to run in the 200 metres, but he He denies electoral fraud. Germain will attempt to wrestle back recovered from the virus. one man who has not extended is of Lukashenko’s authoritarian rule then went to make a call. Sports play a high profile role in the Ligue 1 title from surprise champi- Local authorities will still have the Kylian Mbappe — his contract is now and harboured many activists from “And in couple of hours the head Belarusian politics under Lukashenko, ons Lille when the new season begins power to impose restrictions on in its final year. Belarus, has granted Tsimanouskaya coach came to me with the team repre- who headed the Belarus Olympic com- this weekend in France with support- crowds as France fights a surge in Lille’s triumph last season means a and her husband humanitarian visas. sentative and they said there was a mittee until he was replaced by his ers set to return en masse. cases caused by the Delta variant but PSG title success cannot be taken for Her grandmother remains back home. decision made to send me home, we son this year. Ligue 1 kicks off on Friday when the promise of a return of supporters granted, but the contenders are hardly “Grandmother called me when they are not the ones who made the deci- The International Olympic Monaco play Nantes, a week before in large numbers points to more lining up. Lille have lost their brilliant were already driving me to the air- sion, we are only executing it. You Committee has started an investiga- any of the continent’s other leading uplifting times ahead. coach Christophe Galtier to Nice port,” the athlete said. “Literally, I had have 40 minutes. You have to pack tion into Tsimanouskaya’s case and competitions. PSG, with the backing of , are while goalkeeper Mike Maignan has some 10 seconds. She called me, all your things and go to the airport,” she said it would hear from the two Lille’s title triumph in May was of course an exception as they look to gone to AC Milan. that she told me was: ‘Please do not said. The decision, she said, came Belarusian officials allegedly remarkable and they deserved better reclaim a crown they won seven times Galtier’s replacement Jocelyn come back to Belarus, it’s not safe’.” from “high up”. involved. than to win the league in an empty in eight years before last season. Gourvennec was an underwhelming “That’s it, she hung up,” she said. “I At the airport in Tokyo, the coaches “This is a very turbulent period of stadium, but last season in Ligue 1 They have signed veteran Real choice for many supporters. would want to return to Belarus. I love were taken by surprise, the athlete my life. But I hope it will soon be over. was played out almost entirely behind Madrid centre-back Sergio Ramos, Lyon have a new coach in Dutchman my country. I did not betray it and I said. “They did not expect that in the That I can continue my career,” closed doors. This time full-capacity, Liverpool and Netherlands midfield Peter Bosz and have lost star player hope I will be able to return.” airport I can approach the police. Tsimanouskaya said. “And I also think maskless crowds will be allowed in star Georginio Wijnaldum and Italy Memphis Depay to Barcelona. Tsimanouskaya’s saga, reminiscent They think that we are scared to make that I really want to help people like from the opening weekend. goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma — Monaco will hope to build on last of Cold War sporting defections, a move, that we are afraid to speak, myself. If they have any kind of pres- However, with the introduction in the best player at Euro 2020 — on free season’s third place under Niko Kovac threatens to further isolate afraid to tell the truth to the whole sure on them, I am ready to help France of a Covid health pass, transfers. while along the road Galtier could Lukashenko, who is under Western world. But I am not afraid,” she said. them.” announced last month by President They also paid a reported 60 million make ambitious Nice real challengers.

C M Y K 09 | FRIDAY, AUGUST 06, 2021 Sports | Medley US slump on the track in Tokyo What’s in a name? A bit of aquatic Jamaica’s Parchment outguns America’s Holloway in men’s 110 m hurdles. US men’s relay confusion at the Olympics team miss out on final. Centrowitz finishes outside the qualifying spots in 1500 m. Associated Press cial part of the Olympics since the where true athleticism and artistry TOKYO, Aug 5 1984 Los Angeles Games, but it still meet.” fights an ongoing battle to be taken No matter the name, Romashina Marathon swimming or open water? seriously. said it’s important to showcase what Artistic swimming or synchronised? Martin Short hilariously mocked an amazing sport it is. There’s a bit of aquatic confusion at synchro in a 1980s skit on Saturday “It is not a big difference,” she said. the Olympics, where two of the disci- Night Live—he wore a life jacket while “The best thing that we can do is love plines are referred to by conflicting conceding “I’m not that strong a swim- synchro, love artistic swimming, and names. mer”—and many still view the sport try to show people that it’s beautiful.” Officially, there’s marathon swim- as nothing but thick globs of hair gel, Open water remains the go-to name ming [that was a pair of 10-kilometre elaborate suits and over-the-top deck- for long-distance swimming races held races at Tokyo Bay for men and work. in oceans, rivers and lakes, but that’s women] and artistic swimming [that’s In an attempt to bolster the sport’s not what it’s called at the Olympics. the women-only event in which duets popularity and expand its appeal to Since the 10k was added to the and teams perform intricate, synchro- potential sponsors and television part- program at the 2008 Beijing Games, nised routines accompanied by dra- ners, FINA changed the name to artis- it has been known officially as the matic music at the Olympic pool]. tic swimming after the 2016 Rio de marathon. Try telling that to those who actual- Janeiro Olympics. That seems appropriate for what is ly compete. Many athletes objected to the new by far the most gruelling swimming “I call it open water,” said American moniker. They believe it actually race—nearly seven times the distance Haley Anderson, who the record book demeans the amazing skills of those of the longest pool event, the 1,500- will show finished sixth in women’s who perform precise, gruelling metre freestyle, with random factors marathon swimming. “I mean, it is the moves—often while upside down and such as the weather and marine life marathon of swimming, so I guess holding their breath—by rekindling often playing a huge factor. that’s OK. But I still call it open water.” the sport’s origins as water But nearly all the swimmers who Russia’s Svetlana Romashina, who ballet, which was more show than competed this week in Tokyo referred set a record with a her sixth gold competition. to the sport by its best-known name. medal in synchro—uhh, make that But the change seems to be gaining “I always call it open water,” said artistic swimming—noted the confu- grudging acceptance. Ashley Twichell of the US, who fin- sion that still prevails four years after Last year, US Synchro officially ished seventh in the women’s Ap/Rss world governing body FINA pushed changed its name to US Artistic marathon after leading a good chunk Hansle Parchment (7), the 2012 London Games bronze medallist, clocked 13.04 seconds to win gold in the 110 m hurdles. through a name change in her sport. Swimming. And now we have the first of the race. “Of course, in the world, we call it Olympics with artistic swimming, not “It’s just what I kind of knew,” she Agence France-Presse the first day. artistic swimming,” Romashina said synchro. added. “When I first entered the sport, TOKYO, Aug 5 TOKYO 2020 Medal Count At the Ariake Urban Sports Park, after claiming her record-setting sixth “The name change offers us an I just considered it open water. That’s 18-year-old Palmer wrapped up the career gold medal in the duet competi- opportunity to showcase how the what I was told it was.” The US suffered deep disappointment Rank Team/NOC G S B Total Olympics’ inaugural skateboarding tion. “But I can say that in our coun- sport has evolved,” US Artistic So, what’s in a name? on the track at the Tokyo Olympics on 1 China 34 24 16 74 programme with a brilliant gold try, our federation, it is still synchro- Swimming executive director Adam In the end, that’s not a major con- Thursday while Australian teen 2 USA 29 35 27 91 medal in the men’s park event. nised swimming.” Andrasko said when the organisation cern to those who compete. Keegan Palmer flew to a stunning 3 Japan 22 10 14 46 The sport formerly known as syn- announced its name change. “Gone They’re more focused on gold, silver skateboarding gold medal. 4 Australia 17 5 19 41 US beat Boomers chronised swimming has been an offi- are the days of water ballet. This is and bronze. The US men’s basketball team beat 5 ROC 16 22 20 58 In basketball, Durant scored 23 points Australia 97-78 thanks to 23 points and Devin Booker added 20 as the US 6 Great Britain 16 18 17 51 from Kevin Durant to reach a fourth stormed back to beat Australia after consecutive final where they will face 7 Germany 9 9 16 34 trailing by three points at half-time. France, who stunned the Americans 8 France 7 11 9 27 The defending champions will go in their opening match. 9 Italy 7 10 18 35 head-to-head with France who booked struck double gold in sports 10 Netherlands 7 9 10 26 their place in the final with a nail-bit- making their Olympics debut. Sandra ing 90-89 win against Luka Doncic’s Sanchez Jaime won the inaugural Katie Nageotte, who cleared 4.90 m Slovenia. karate title at the spiritual home of to win a low-key women’s pole vault America’s Nelly Korda took control martial arts, the Nippon Budokan, competition. of the women’s golf when she fired a while Alberto Gines Lopez took the nine-under 62 in round two—after first sport climbing honours. ‘Total embarrassment’ coming close to carding only the sec- The US’s poor day on the track Perhaps the biggest shock for Team ond 59 in women’s professional golf. began with a stunning flop in the US was their men’s relay team, the Korda, needing a birdie on the last men’s 4x100 metres relay heats, and world champions and pre-Games hole for a magical 59, took double-bo- extended to red-hot favourite Grant favourites, who finished a desultory gey but she still has a four-shot cush- Holloway’s defeat to 31-year-old Hansle sixth in their heat to miss out on the ion at halfway at par-71 Kasumigaseki Parchment in the 110 m hurdles. final. Country Club. Things did not improve in the Sprint legend Carl Lewis called it a Quan Hongchan, 14 and the young- evening session when not a single US “total embarrassment” as Trayvon est member of China’s team, produced runner got among the men’s 400 m Bromell, Fred Kerley, Ronnie Baker three maximum scores to win the medals in a race won by Steven and Cravon Gillespie became the first women’s 10m platform and secure Gardiner of the Bahamas. US quartet to fail to make the final China’s sixth gold medal out seven Colombia’s Anthony Jose Zambrano from a completed heat. diving events so far. took silver in 44.08sec and nine years Portuguese triple jumper Pedro And India, a one-time hockey super- after he won in London, Grenada’s Pichardo leapt 17.98 m—the seventh power, celebrated their first medal in Kirani James won bronze in 44.19sec. longest in history—to win gold and the sport in 41 years when their men’s The US’s defending 1500 m champi- veteran decathlete Damian Warner of team beat Germany 5-4 to win bronze. on Matthew Centrowitz finished out- Canada produced two days of consist- The men’s 20-kilometre walk was side the qualifying spots for Saturday’s ent excellence to win gold. moved to Sapporo in a bid to avoid final. In the heptathlon, Belgium’s Tokyo’s punishing summer heat, but Some American pride was restored Nafissatou Thiam successfully defend- it was 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees AP/rss by shot putter Ryan Crouser, who ed her title, helped by the withdrawal Fahrenheit) during the afternoon In this combo picture, Florian Wellbrock (left) of Germany competes in the men’s marathon swimming event and Svetlana Romashina (right) hurled an Olympic record 23.30 metres due to injury of British world champi- race. Italy’s Massimo Santo conquered of Russian Olympic Committee participates in the duet free routine final at Tokyo Olympics 2020. Officially called marathon swimming and to retain his title, and pole vaulter on Katarina Johnson-Thompson on the conditions to win. artistic swimming, the two disciplines of the Olympics are referred to by conflicting names: open water and synchronised swimming. HOROSCOPE ARIES (March 21-April 19) *** CANCER (June 22-July 22) *** LIBRA (September 23-October 22) *** CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) *** The universe has been relentless when it comes The universe has been pushing you to be clear *** Lean into the electric energy in the air today, to changing up how you make a living, Aries. about your goals, Cancer. Have you been answer- It’s no surprise to you that your intimate life is Capricorn. Change is the name of the game, as Friday’s skies highlight the next chapter in this ing that call or are you still slipping by without changing, Libra. The universe has actively been the life-giving sun clashes with authenticity-de- narrative, as the illuminating sun squares off clarity? working to help you break out of old emotional manding Uranus. with rebellious Uranus. ruts and heal old relationship wounds.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) *** LEO (July 23-August 22) *** SCORPIO (October 23-November 21) *** AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) ** This time of year sends all of your attention The universe is sending you a jolt of electric *** The very foundation stones of your life have towards your home life, Taurus. You’ve likely energy to take advantage of today, Leo. Your There’s no denying that your relationships have started cracking beneath your feet, Aquarius. been steeped in nostalgic thinking, reviewing ruling planet, the life-giving sun, locks into an been in a state of deep transformation, Scorpio. While it sounds frightening, try to look at it as ancient family history, and unpacking unfin- unsettling square with rebellious Uranus. The universe is pushing you to embrace chang- enlivening. ished emotional business. es in that arena.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) *** VIRGO (August 23-September 22) **** SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21) **** PISCES (February 19-March 20) *** Leo season has you exploring the nature of your Important changes are underway, Virgo. You’re The current cosmic landscape has been pushing You’re ready to tell your story, Pisces. Though communication style and mental health in new in the midst of letting go and embracing renew- you to form a more meaningful connection with you’re prone to hold your tongue or drift off into ways, Gemini. Friday’s skies work to bring your al in the outgrown elements of your life, which your work/life balance, Sagittarius. This ongo- another world, something deep within is attention to what needs changing on an internal is far from a comfortable process. ing story is given fresh life today, as the illumi- prompting you to speak up without fear. level. nating sun squares off with innovative Uranus. Crossword Sudoku

Yesterday’s Solution

C M Y K FRIDAY, AUGUST 06, 2021 | 10 Culture & Lifestyle (C.R.P.D.) - 3/052/053 Shattered by blast, landmark Beirut ‘Annette,’ an eccentric, museum tries to rebuild tortured pop opera The movie has a way of taking up residence in The museum aims to reopen in the spring of 2022, though the economic and security conditions remain unpredictable. your mind, whether you like it or not. SARAH EL DEEB & FAY ABUELGASIM BEIRUT LINDSEY BAHR extraordinary talent that manifests after a tragic night on a boat. The artist meticulously cuts small nnette’ is a film There’s another character, too— pieces of yellow and red glass, then that’s likely best maybe the only truly likable charac- lays them in a pattern to recreate the experienced rather ter—in Simon Helberg’s funny and stained-glass windows that were the than described. heartsick accompanist-turned-con- trademark of Beirut’s Sursock Anyone familiar ductor who provides some reliable Museum, shattered in last year’s port with the work of levity amid all the tumult. explosion. ‘AFrench director Leos Carax, best Even though Cotillard (magnifi- Conservators, hunched over with known for the surreal Denis Lavant cent, as always) is certainly the magnifying glasses, fill lines of paint fantasy ‘Holy Motors,’ probably co-lead, this is very much Driver’s loss caused by the explosion with their already knew that. But tack on the fact show and he is breathtaking. Is there a brushes and weave together tears that the script and music was written more disarming actor working today? thread by thread under microscope. by Sparks duo Ron and Russell Mael, Here he fully embraces his animalis- Other workers delicately piece back known for their sophisticated, theatri- tic physicality to create an imposing together broken shards of ceramics. cal and irreverent songs, and ‘Annette,’ and dangerous character who you can “It has been very hard to see my starring Adam Driver and Marion only really love when seen through work of 30 years on the ground, back Cotillard, adds up to something that Ann’s eyes. This becomes a bit of a to being sand. But it is important to defies explanation. This postmodern problem later on for reasons I won’t rebuild the museum,” said Maya pop opera is wildly unique, often mad- get into, but even if you don’t like Hussaini, the artist who worked on dening and sometimes even illuminat- Henry McHenry, you can’t take your the stained-glass windows during a ing. Oh, and there’s a little wooden eyes off of him. major renovation at the museum that puppet baby who can sing, but we’ll finished in 2015 and is back rebuilding get to that later. them now, While I can’t say I have anything Annette “I had to go back to my archive to resembling a grasp on ‘Annette’ or Starring: Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Simon Helberg dig out my designs to bring it back to that I even enjoyed most of the jour- Director: Leos Carax how it was,” she said. ney, it’s also something that has lin- Perched on the hills of the Achrafieh gered. And the more distance I have neighborhood hundreds of metres AP/Rss from ‘Annette,’ the more I admire its from the Beirut Port, the 60-year-old was also wrecked in the blast. ised treatment. So, the museum raised funds abroad unabashedly grand oddness. ‘Annette’ is mostly sung, by the way. Sursock was the beating heart of The massive explosion, which dev- A year later, builders have installed to be able to secure supplies and basic The Los Angeles-set story is And although the music doesn’t sound Beirut’s creative scene. The country’s astated Beirut, also caused a gaping windows, ceilings and doors and are material. Management still had to fig- centred on an artistic couple and their like an opera, its spirit more closely only modern art museum, it boasts a wound to the thriving creative scene now reinstalling dividers and lights. ure out how to secure funds domesti- passionate, volatile relationship. resembles that form than a musical. collection of Lebanese art dating back for which the Mediterranean city had There was broad and swift support cally. Just like the rest of the country, Driver is Henry McHenry, a caustic Like other Sparks and Carax crea- to the late 1800s. been famous. Many of the independ- to bring the museum back to life. the museum is struggling to secure and provocative stand-up and tions, it’s just its own thing. The artifi- It has long provided a rare public ent, small art spaces are in the cosmo- The museum raised nearly 80 per- fuel for its air conditioners, necessary performance artist in a green boxer’s ciality and winking sarcasm can even and free space for art, not even closing politan districts hardest hit by the cent of the estimated $3 million resto- for storage areas and restoration robe, who, despite his intellectual be grating at times, which, you get the throughout Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil blast. ration budget through the French and workshops. superiority and disdain for most sense, is the point. What the filmmak- war. A number of galleries and private Italian governments, the International The museum aims to reopen in the everything, does seem to have a loyal ers have called the project’s “multilay- Restorers and artists have been studios were destroyed. Some, already Alliance for the Protection of Heritage spring of 2022, though the economic fan base who genuinely enjoys his ered irony” can be challenging and working to revive that role after the suffering from a growing economic in Conflict Areas, UNESCO, private and security conditions remain unpre- hostile comedy. And he does like one alienating. And yet there are moments museum was decimated by the August crisis, have shut down for good. donors and local groups. dictable. In recent weeks, the museum thing, it turns out: Cotillard’s Ann of breathtaking transcendence in 4, 2020 port explosion. For the Sursock Museum, the blow It was a major feat for a country has hosted concerts and dance shows Defrasnoux, an opera singer who he’s both the filmmaking and music, along- The explosion ripped through the was even harder because it had just grappling with the explosion, a finan- in its garden. recently started dating. side extraordinary acting and puppet- three-storey building, unhinging the finished in 2015 a nearly decade-long cial crisis and coronavirus restric- For many artists, like other strug- They’re a mismatched pair. She is ry work. doors, wrecking everything down to project of modernisation and expan- tions. gling professionals, the explosion was graceful, saving her audience every Will you exit with any sort of elevat- the fourth underground level. sion. The economic crisis has been a the final straw, pushing them to leave night. He’s the devil who kills his. But ed understanding of artists or love or Windows shattered, including the “At the beginning we were over- major hurdle. for opportunities abroad. they’re in love and in lust and togeth- tragedy? Maybe not, but, again, this stained-glass windows of its façade. whelmed with the reality and the “It really has been two years that Arida said the exodus creates a new er they become a media sensation on thing called ‘Annette’ has a way of The art collection was badly hit. extent of the damage.” said Zeina were very stressful, and the kind of responsibility: the need for new pro- par with Ben Affleck and Jennifer taking up residence in your mind, At least 57 of the 130 pieces on dis- Arida, the museum’s director. challenges we are facing are evolving,” grammes and funds to retain those Lopez, whose every move is covered whether you like it or not. If you’re play were either broken or torn, For three months, teams cleaned said Arida. Before the blast, she had to who stayed. by the winkingly cheap Showbizz even the slightest bit intrigued, you including Dutch artist Kees Von dust and chemical particles off reduce the museum’s working days to “We need to rebuild the whole sec- News. And soon, they’ve welcomed a should let Carax and the Maels take Dongen’s portrait of Nicolas Sursock, everything in the museum. Then came save money as the economy fell apart. tor. The museum without the other child, baby Annette, who has large you on this bizarre journey. after whom the museum is named. the art restoration. Everything was Since late 2019, banks have limited organisations, without... the sur- ears and a wooden frame. Yet for all But don’t get me wrong: ‘Annette’ is The nearby 19th-century landmark restored in Beirut, except for the depositors’ access to dollar accounts rounding heritage buildings would her artificiality, baby Annette is also a conundrum. And maybe that’s good Sursock Palace, one of the most sto- Nicolas Sursock portrait and two and restricted withdrawals from never be the same,” she said. disarmingly infant-like in her move- enough. ried buildings in the Lebanese capital, other pieces, flown to Paris for special- national currency ones. — Associated Press ments. And baby Annette has an — Associated Press

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