WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR

Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXVIII No. 203 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 35.5 C 13.7 C Monday, September 14, 2020 | 29-05-2077 Dhangadi Jomsom Thirty months of poor governance and a weak opposition Despite a huge mandate, the ruling Nepal Communist Party has failed to deliver on many fronts and the main opposition Nepali Congress has been a mute spectator.

TIKA R PRADHAN In the federal parliament, the KATHMANDU, SEPT 13 Congress party won just 63 seats— against the communists’ 174 seats. When Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli Analysts say democracy and good took reins two and a half years ago, governance function well only if there hopes ran high. He led a powerful gov- is a strong government and an aggres- ernment, courtesy the alliance of his sive opposition. In Nepal’s case, there CPN-UML and the Maoist Centre was a strong government which which had swept the elections. As the lacked vision but was arrogant and a leader of the Nepal Communist Party, weak opposition which could hardly the strongest communist force in the question the government’s actions. country, Oli had the electoral mandate Geja Sharma Wagle, a political com- to run the government for the full five- mentator and columnist for Kantipur, year term, something that had never the Post’s sister paper, said the main happened in the country for more opposition initially gave the ruling than two and a half decades. party the benefit of the doubt, but But the Oli administration failed— later it failed to present itself strongly. almost on all fronts. Despite “Subsequently, it failed to make the “Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali” government accountable to its promise, his administration failed to actions,” Wagle told the Post. connect with the people. In the initial days after the govern- Even in the face of growing criti- ment was formed in February 2018, POST PHOTO: ELITE JOSHI cism, Oli refused to admit that his Oli’s braggadocio had no bounds. The A stretcher isolation chamber built at the Nepal Innovation Centre, Kirtipur that helps health workers safely handle people infected with the coronavirus. According to the centre, it can be used administration was failing, rather he Oli administration started with quite while transferring patients on an ambulance or a helicopter as it filters the air exhaled by a Covid-19 patient. kept on boasting how his government some unusual moves—from banning was performing well. protests in places like Maitighar to As the Nepal Communist Party gov- bringing various agencies like the ernment enters the midway of its ten- Department of Money Laundering ure, disenchantment continues to grow. Investigation under the Prime “Half-way through of the strongest Minister’s Office—in a clear indication Anti-graft body had relied on inconclusive video evidence to government the country ever had, peo- that it was trying to centralise power. ple are now questioning if a two-thirds But as days passed by, there was not majority for a single party is good for much for the Oli administration to file case against a junior civil servant who committed suicide democracy,” said Rajendra Maharjan, show on the governance front. Prime a political analyst. “I don’t see any Minister KP Sharma Oli kept on mak- change and difference in the ways this ing big promises though—from trans- The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority did not produce any witnesses in court though it had stable and previous unstable govern- boundary China-Nepal trains to a ship ments performed.” with Nepali flag on international claimed in the chargesheet that witnesses had vouched Rs 1,000 had changed hands. What again has fuelled poor govern- waters. ance is a weak opposition, many say. At home, criticism grew with peo- PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA On the third page of the charge- The Nepali Congress, often called ple questioning the Oli administra- KATHMANDU, SEPT 13 sheet, the commission had claimed the country’s grand old party that has tion’s failure to manage city roads and there were witnesses who saw Ghimire ruled the country for a considerable the dust emanating from them. The video image showed Krishna giving the amount to Subedi. share of the last three decades, faced a Unaware of the ground reality, Oli Prasad Ghimire put his hand inside The court verdict, however, said the spectacular loss in the 2017 elections. went on to make a sweeping statement the trouser pocket of Ramhari Subedi, commission failed to produce any wit- The party was relegated to third posi- that Nepalis don’t have to wear masks a non-gazetted officer at the Land nesses who confirmed in writing that tion, as at that time the UML and the to protect themselves from the plumes Revenue Office, Kalanki, Kathmandu. there had in fact been an exchange of Maoist Centre had fought the elec- of dust, inviting censure from the That was all the evidence that the money between the two. tions by forging an alliance but they members of the public. Commission for Investigation of The Special Court ruled that there were yet to merge. >> Continued on page 2 Abuse of Authority produced in court appeared to be some “give and take”, in a corruption case filed against the according to the CCTV footage, but it two claiming that Ghimire had put all was inconclusive if Ghimire had of Rs1,000 in Subedi’s pocket. given Rs1,000 to Subedi. Ghimire had According to the charge-sheet filed told the court he had given Subedi just on September 16, 2019, Ghimire, a POST PHOTO Rs500 to get documents photocopied. The commission charges lower level officials while sparing those with political connections. Ghimire even produced a witness— Tanka Raj Sapkota—who said Ghimire paralegal who prepares docu- the non-gazetted civil servant. didn’t give any bribe to Subedi. ments during land deals, had He committed suicide on September “Therefore, based on Ghimire’s gone to the Land Revenue Office 23, 2019, a week after the case was filed. statement that he had given Rs500 to with regard to some work related The commission had filed the case, Subedi for the purpose of photocopy- to his own property, and to expe- more than 40 days after Subedi had ing documents, the defendants cannot dite the work he had given been taken into custody on charges of be convicted for a serious crime like Subedi Rs1,000. corruption. corruption,” the court verdict says. Ten months after the case was The anti-corruption watchdog had The Special Court has also referred filed, the Special Court on July 14 produced statements from Subedi and to the principle the Supreme Court ruled that the evidence was insuf- Ghimire admitting that money had established to convict somebody for ficient to convict either of them. A exchanged hands but in court the two corruption. POST FILE PHOTO full-text verdict was too late for defendants denied this charge. >> Continued on page 2 An arrogant government and a weak opposition is a deadly mix for democracy, analysts say.

C M Y K MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | 02 NATIONAL Massive landslide in Sindhupalchok kills at least 11 people Twenty villagers have gone missing in Sunday morning’s disaster that injured six people and displaced around 58 families, police say.

ANISH TIWARI is often flooded during the rainy season and SINDHUPALCHOK, SEPT 13 is prone to dry landslides during winter. “The debris from a dry landslide last year At least 11 people died and 20 others have had accumulated in the rivulet which was gone missing when a landslide caused by swept into the settlements by the heavy rain- heavy rainfall struck Ghumthang in fall last night,” said Khadka of Ghumthang. Bahrabise Municipality Ward No 7, There are around 200 houses at Bhirkharka, Sindhupalchok, on Sunday. Nagpure and Newar Tol settlements in The massive landslide erupted from a frag- Ghumthang village. The locals had sensed ile landmass—weakened by the 2015 earth- the risk of landslide at Nagpuje settlement quake and its powerful aftershocks—above and had informed the people’s representa- Ghumthang village and swept away tives about it. Bhirkharka, Nagpuje and Dandagaun settle- “The villagers had informed the people’s ments at around 3:30 am. The landslide swept representatives but they didn’t do anything away 22 houses and emptied in the Bhotekoshi about it. The tragedy could have been avert- river some three kilometres below. The area ed if they had paid attention to the locals,” had been witnessing incessant rainfall since said Sun Kumari Tamang, who was prepar- Saturday evening. ing to shift to a safe location after she lost her “We never thought such a massive land- house to the landslide on Sunday. slide would occur,” said Surya Bahadur According to Min Bahadur Shrestha, the Khadka, 70, of Ghumthang. “We knew the chairman of Ward No. 7 of the local unit, the landmass had weakened after the people’s representatives had held a discus- earthquakes in 2015 but neither the local gov- sion a week ago about a possible landslide ernment nor the villagers took the threat threat in the Nagpuje area and had informed POST PHOTO: KESHAV THAPA seriously. ” the district administration office and the Farmers are seen walking to their fields at Shera Phant in Bungamati, Lalitpur, on Sunday. The Kathmandu-Nijgadh expressway, which is being built by the Nepal Army, is set Security personnel from the Area Police district office of National Reconstruction to pass through the area. Office in Bahrabise, with the help of locals, Authority. rescued the victims who were trapped in the “We urged the authorities repeatedly to landslide debris. address the issue but the National According to Deputy Superintendent of Reconstruction Authority did not listen to us. Police Prakash Sapkota, security personnel We were tired of requesting them,” said have recovered 11 bodies so far while the Shrestha. Thirty months of poor governance and a weak ... search for the missing victims is underway. According to him, as many as 58 families He said nine bodies were recovered from the have shifted to the lower region of the settle- >> Continued from page 1 their calls have been lost in the din of Oli’s fan- mired in its own internal conflict as the party incident site while one each was found in the ment where the threat of landslides is mini- All the while, Oli’s ruling party was embroiled faronade which is often followed by a thunder of heads for its general convention scheduled for Sunkoshi and Bhotekoshi rivers. mal. “The displaced families are living in in internal conflict, which too hamstrung gov- ruling party leaders’ claps. February 19-22 next year. Six villagers were injured in the landslide. tents right now. Some of them are taking ernance. Opposition leaders also admit that they have “I wonder if the Nepali Congress has any They were taken to Sindhu Sadabahar shelter in their relatives’ houses.” The main opposition, which was still licking not been able to put a check on the government character to prove it is the main opposition. The Hospital in Khandichaur. One of the injured Sindhupalchok continues to get battered its wounds and was struggling to get back on its as much as they could have because of a lack of party has lost its way,” said Maharjan, the polit- villagers who was in a critical condition has by natural disasters this year. In August, a feet, barely held the government accountable— support from the top leadership. ical commentator. “To play the role of opposi- been referred to Kathmandu for treatment, massive landslide had struck Lidi village, neither from Parliament nor the streets. Ram Chandra Poudel, a senior Nepali tion, its leaders cannot have any deal with the said police. destroying 17 houses and damaging 37 others. Analysts say the way the ruling party is func- Congress leader, said party President Sher ruling party and its leaders.” According to locals, there is a rivulet near As many as 39 villagers perished and 135 tioning and the opposition is responding could Bahadur Deuba has not taken a strong stand Wagle, the analyst, said that in the govern- the settlements named Taksare khola, which families were displaced in the disaster. jeopardise the hard-earned system. against the government—neither in Parliament ment’s failure, Oli is to blame but the leader of According to Maharjan, the ruling party nor from other platforms. the opposition needs to take the equal blame. seems to be promoting middlemen and the oppo- “We are also seeking answers [from the party “The main opposition may have fewer seats in sition is failing to question this, which could president] why we as the opposition have failed Parliament but that’s not the only reason,” have a dangerous outcome. to hold the government to account,” Poudel told Wagle told the Post. “The main reason why the “Even when the ruling party is trampling the Post. “We are yet to figure out if our party opposition has failed to play a critical and con- upon the constitution, the opposition seems to president has any weaknesses that have forced structive role is Congress President Deuba’s be silent,” said Maharjan. “All these go against him to keep quiet despite the Oli government dealings with the ruling party on constitutional democratic principles.” making so many mistakes.” positions.” It’s an irony that what Oli said once about Many say Deuba, despite being the leader of According to Wagle, the Oli government’s people’s need to wear masks has come back to the opposition, has emerged as Oli’s biggest ally. failure to perform may be an immediate con- hound him today: amid the Covid-19 pandemic, According to insiders in both the ruling and cern but the more concerning issue is that the masks, which people used to wear to protect opposition parties, Deuba has been in constant ruling and opposition parties are working hand themselves from dust, have become a must. negotiations with Oli as well as Pushpa Kamal in glove, depriving people of good governance, But the Oli administration’s response to the Dahal, the other chair of the ruling communist justice and service delivery. Covid-19 pandemic has been lacklustre. party, to win some posts and positions for “his “With the government failing to deliver Even his ministers have been dragged into men”. and ensure good governance and the main corruption controversy. While Oli has failed to “That makes him weak when it comes to opposition failing to play the role of the initiate action, the opposition Congress has opposing the Oli government’s actions,” said a watchdog, the democratic system is now failed to question. Congress leader. “Once in a while he comments at stake,” said Wagle. Some youth leaders including Gagan Thapa on the government’s functioning, but these are “This will ultimately erode people’s trust in and Bishwo Prakash Sharma of the Nepali just cosmetic statements which are made for political parties and the government. That will Congress have tried to raise their voice against public consumption.” be even more dangerous. It looks like the coun- the government response to the pandemic. But Amid the pandemic, the Congress is now try is on a slippery slope.”

POST PHOTO: ANISH TIWARI The landslide swept away 22 houses in Bhirkharka, Nagpuje and Dandagaun settlements of Ghumthang village at around 3:30 am. Anti-graft body had relied ...

>> Continued from page 1 “In many large-scale corruption cases, the This principle states, “There must be commission has either not taken the accused direct, result-oriented and reliable evidence into custody or taken them in custody for that proves that the defendant has benefited only a short period of time and this is evi- oneself or any other person illegally, in a dence that its misguided focus is to threaten manner beyond doubt.” lower level government staff,” said Aryal. In its charge-sheet, the commission had The suicide of a civil servant charged with claimed that Ghimire had stated during the taking a bribe of Rs1,000 and subsequent commission’s inquiry that he had bribed acquittal by the court comes at a time when Subedi so that he would look at the voices are being raised that the anti-corrup- related documents regarding his property at tion commission has been lenient on cases the earliest. involving politicians while its spends its time The court verdict, however, says that the and energy on petty cases involving small anti-graft body failed to produce any evi- amounts. dence from the Land Revenue Office that “The commission cannot prove its signifi- there had been any sale or purchase of land cance by only increasing the number of cases that involved Ghimire, as claimed by the every year while just focusing on small ones,” commission. said Srihari Aryal, a senior advocate and “Therefore there is no situation where former chairperson of the Nepal chapter of Ghimire was required to pay a bribe to Transparency International, an anti-corrup- Subedi,” the verdict says. tion advocacy group headquartered in Berlin. As per Section 3 (3) of the Corruption “It will be judged based on whether it takes Prevention Act-2002, there should be evi- any action on big cases that are politically dence that Subedi had taken money from connected.” Ghimire for performing some work designed The commission has been criticised for to favour Ghimire, which according to the recently ignoring scandals involving Gokul court verdict, has not been proved. Baskota, former minister for communica- Citing these factors, the court acquitted tions and information technology, and land both Ghimire and Subedi. purchase deals by the Nepal Oil Corporation. In the case of Subedi, the court Baskota was caught on tape negotiating also scrapped the case against him after Rs700 million bribe with a local agent of an Subedi’s wife provided evidence that he had international firm attempting to set up a already died. security printing press in Nepal while he was As per 133 (1) of the Criminal Procedure a minister. Baskota resigned after the tape (Code) Act-2017, any case against a defendant was leaked. who dies before the court verdict, must be According to a report by Kantipur, the scrapped. Post’s sister paper, the commission is prepar- “This case shows that the commission has ing to exonerate Baskota, a close confidante misused its power disproportionately against of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. Subedi by taking him in custody for so many There have also been reports of the com- days and eventually filing the corruption mission suspending its investigation on a case which led to his suicide,” said Om multi-million rupee land purchase Prakash Aryal, an advocate who played a deal, where officials were accused of crucial role in bringing down the reign of purchasing land at highly inflated prices in Lok Man Singh Karki in the anti-graft body. different parts of the country to build oil Lok Man Singh Karki was appointed chief storage facilities. commissioner of the Commission for “Due to the commission’s disproportionate Investigation of Abuse of Authority in 2013 action against lower level government despite protests, with the support of all polit- employees and lenient attitude towards large- ical parties even as he lacked the qualifica- scale corruption scandals involving political tions required to head the constitutional leaders, questions of legitimacy of the com- body. The Supreme Court eventually disqual- mission have arisen,” said Aryal. “This may ified Karki as the anti-graft agency chief lead to civil disobedience in the future after Aryal petitioned the court. against the commission.”

C M Y K 03 | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 NATIONAL As revenue dips, provincial and local governments worry about funds from centre Federal government can reduce the promised funds but this would jeopardise projects.

PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA the amounts depending on future government was Rs210.71 billion. The KATHMANDU, SEPT 13 revenues. other 20 percent was received from “The existing ratio fiscal transfer respective provincial governments. Tilagufa Municipality in Kalikot dis- allocated to provincial and local gov- Due to the coronavirus pandemic, trict is implementing several projects ernments is already very low,” said all three tiers of the government are related to health, road, drinking water Angbo, referring to the fixed propor- struggling to collect the revenue as and small hydropower this fiscal year. tion of 15 percent of value added tax per the target. In previous years, the One of them is building a 14-km and excise duty. federal government usually met the road between Chhapre and Balichaur While the amounts received under revenue target. linking three villages in the rural the fiscal equalisation grant is fixed, In the last fiscal year, revenue municipality and a budget of Rs50 the other three grants are not. collections remained far less than ini- million has been allocated for it. Conditional grants are given to pro- tially targeted due to the lockdown For the road project, the municipal- vincial and local governments to imposed to prevent the coronavirus ity expects Rs30 million from the fed- implement set programmes of the fed- spread. While the government’s target eral government as part of the eral government including paying the was to collect Rs1.11 trillion in the last fiscal equalisation grant that provin- centre’s liabilities such as salaries to fiscal year, it revised the collection cial and local governments are legally the government staff, special grants target to Rs827 billion during the entitled to. are given for programmes which are mid-term review in early 2020. At the POST PHOTO: SANJOG MANANDHAR But with the federal government of the provincial and local govern- end it collected revenue of merely Children receive meals from volunteers in Tankeshwor, Kathmandu, on Sunday. Homeless and needy people have been relying on handout meals struggling to raise revenue as expect- ments but are part of the federal gov- Rs793 billion. to survive amid the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions as the government has no system to support the less fortunate members of society. ed, they may not get the promised fis- ernment policies, and supplementary But total collection reached Rs841 cal transfer. grants are based on proposals on billion with unutilised monies from “We will have to reduce the fiscal infrastructure development. Revenue various funds. equalisation grant to the provincial sharing is fixed and the source is the “As the COVID-19 pandemic is and local governments if the revenue revenue from natural resources with- spreading, we cannot rule out reduced decreases by more than 10 percent of in the province or the municipality revenue collection,” said Sharma of First batch of Nepalis returning the target,” said Dhaniram Sharma, territory. the Finance Ministry. chief of budget division at the Finance Provincial governments can raise Ministry. internal loans to meet the shortfall of In the first month of the current Local governments resources to implement their pro- from Lebanon after months of wait fiscal year, revenue collection came grammes. As per guidelines issued by down by 12 percent to Rs58 billion heavily rely on the the National Natural Resources and compared Rs67 billion collected in the Fiscal Commission, they can raise Nepalis in Lebanon want the government to continue the repatriation flights. same period last fiscal year, according centre for their international debt as much as 12.5 to the Finance Ministry. percent of their last fiscal’s revenue CHANDAN KUMAR MANDAL Non-Resident Nepali Association, the eral months without jobs. They were Under the fiscal equalisation grant, annual expenditure. collection. KATHMANDU, SEPT 13 number of Nepali migrant workers living in scarcity and even suffering one of the five ways that the federal But, Minister Angbo said that the returning home on the Qatar Airways for food and accommodation.” government transfers funds to provin- federal government has failed to pre- After months-long wait, the Nepali flight, would go up as ticket booking is The Honorary Consulate of Nepal cial and local governments, the feder- According to Angbo, in the fiscal pare federal law on how the provincial migrant workers stranded in the cri- still open. and other welfare organisations al government transfers 15 percent of year 2019-20, because of reduced reve- governments could raise debt and sis-stricken Lebanon are finally For a long time, Nepali migrant have paid for the PCR tests for most the value added tax and 15 percent of nue, the provincial governments without it they are helpless in this returning home this week. The first workers living and working in of the Nepalis taking Tuesday’s flight. excise duty to provincial governments received only 60 percent of the prom- regard. batch of workers will land in Lebanon have been waiting to return It is estimated that Lebanon hosts and to local governments, according ised amount under the revenue shar- “Provincial laws and rules are pre- Kathmandu on Wednesday. home as the country has been hit by nearly 5,000 Nepali workers, including to the Intergovernmental Fiscal ing mechanism. pared based on federal laws and rules Until last week, Manju had little numerous crises in the last few 2,000-3,000 women working as Transfer Act 2016. Provincial and local governments and the federal government has not hope of returning home after she had months. housemaids. The federal government’s biggest heavily rely on the federal govern- yet prepared its own law to guide the gone through numerous rescheduling Since last year the West Asian coun- With the economic slowdown and source of revenue is the value-added ment for much of their annual expend- provincial government,” said the of flights. Now, her hopes of flying try has been undergoing the worst then the pandemic, the women Nepali tax with 36 percent of the total reve- iture. For example, in the fiscal year minister. back home have once again got wings economic crisis in its history. The workers have been affected the most nue of the current fiscal year coming 2018-19, the seven provincial govern- Local governments which are heav- with the latest development. country already reeling with hyperin- as their host families have been una- from it. ments received a total of Rs110.46 bil- ily dependent on the centre for grant “We are finally coming home,” flation and job losses was caught in ble to pay them. Provincial and local governments lion from the centre while they were are also worried about possible reduc- Manju told the Post from Beirut over the grips of the Covid-19 pandemic The Nepalis living in Lebanon want had prepared their plans and pro- able to generate only Rs68.72 billion, tion in funding. the phone. “I cannot express how when it was hit by the August 4 explo- the government to conduct regular grammes for the fiscal year taking according to Financial Comptroller ‘We award contracts for various pro- happy it feels to be returning home sion in the capital city that killed flight service to evacuate those who into account the grant that they would General Office, which keeps record of jects assuming that the central gov- after several months of struggle.” hundreds of people. are in trouble. receive from the centre. the income and expenditure of the ernment will provide the promised The joy of Rai, another migrant Hundreds of Nepali migrant work- According to Thapa, nearly 80 per- “It will be difficult for both provin- three tiers of the government. budget,” said Ashok Byanju Shrestha, worker who wished to be identified ers who were caught amid all these cent of Nepalis in Lebanon want to cial and local governments to imple- The local governments rely even president of Municipal Association only by her last name, also knows no crises wanted to return home. But return home as they have been affect- ment their development programmes more on fiscal transfer from federal Nepal. “How can we pay the contrac- bounds upon learning that the flight with no help forthcoming from the ed with the recent turn of events in without receiving the promised and provincial governments. In the tor without getting promised resourc- service was finally going to restart. Nepal government, the workers were the country. budget,” said Indra Bahadur Angbo, fiscal year 2018-19, local governments es from the federal government?” “Like everyone, I am so glad to learn in a situation of helplessness and for- “More people will be buying tickets minister for economic affairs and were dependent on nearly three quar- Not getting the promised funds that I will be returning home soon,” gotten in a foreign land for several in the coming weeks for Nepal. This is planning at Province 1. ters of their budgets from the federal would mean Tilagufa Municipality said Rai, has been living in the West months. just the beginning of a significant But, according to the Appropriation and provincial governments, accord- may not be able to finance a drinking Asian country since 2009. “The flight could finally be arranged number of Nepalis returning home,” Act 2020, the federal government can ing to the Financial Comptroller water project in Baidhunga which The special repatriation flight will after regular efforts of the Honorary said Thapa. reduce the promised fiscal transfer if General Office. would serve around 300 families. be flying home more than 34 Nepalis. Consulate of Nepal in Lebanon, Nepal “This should not be the last flight revenue collection remains lower than In total, from the federal govern- “Without the central government’s Most of them are women migrant Embassy in Cairo and frequent media from Lebanon to Nepal. If not many, at targeted. ment they received 55 percent of their funding, it will be difficult to imple- workers who had reached Lebanon to reporting about the plights of Nepali least one repatriation flight should be It provides these funds in four resources. Of the total budget of ment the important project,” said work as domestic help. workers in Lebanon,” said Thapa. allowed from Lebanon. These workers instalments and with the first instal- Rs382.6 billion of the 753 local govern- Ratna Bahadur Shahi, mayor of the According to Ashok Thapa, the “Nepalis going on the scheduled must return home as they have ment already sent it can still adjust ments, the contribution of the federal municipality. president of the Lebanon chapter of flights were languishing here for sev- no jobs.”

BRIEFING Coronavirus pandemic offers hope for cycling future 400 houses waterlogged More bicycles on the streets will mean the pressure on the government to invest on cycling-friendly infrastructure including repairing potholes will grow. NAWALPARASI (EAST): Rainwaters have inundated around 400 houses at ANUP OJHA him for not making a single Wards 2 and 4 of Gaidakot in KATHMANDU, SEPT 13 cycle-friendly lane in his three years Nawalparasi (East). The rainfall of tenure. the past two days has waterlogged the One of the first things Yogendra “Announcements are only limited houses north from the East-West Ranjitkar did after Nepal went into in plans and seminars,” said Shrestha. Highway due to the lack of a proper lockdown on March 24 was he dusted He, however, is optimistic about the water outlet. The local people com- off his bicycle. “It had remained future of cycling as a culture, as more plained that they had been enduring unused in the corner of the dark store- and more urban youths have adopted the flooding problem for the past two room,” said the 46-year-old music cycling culture in the Valley and other decades but the concerned teacher from Maitidevi. “I stopped cities like Chitwan, Pokhara, Dharan authorities have done nothing to riding the bicycle when I was 25. I find and other major city areas. address the issue. Kathmandu a very dangerous place Besides the lack of cycle lanes, for bicycle users. I never thought I there is also the problem of roads would be pedalling around the city being unsafe for cyclists. Journalists protest attack again.” The death of cyclist Shyam Sundar DHANGADHI: The Dhangadhi-based Since the beginning of Covid-19 Shreshta, 38, on October 27, 2018, after journalists staged a demonstration on crisis in March, the humble bicycle his bicycle fell into an open sewer in Sunday, demanding strong action has become a boon for the Ranjitkar Kirtipur made headlines. Nine years against the persons involved in beat- family. PHOTO COURTESY: RATNA SHRESTHA ago, Prahlad Yonzon, one of Nepal’s ing media persons. They took out a Ranjitkar has also bought a new Yogendra Ranjitkar and his daughter Sasu ride together in Nakkhu, Lalitpur. leading conservationists, was killed in protest rally that converged into a bicycle for his 11-year-old daughter, a hit-and-run accident while cycling corner meet in front of the District Sasu. It cost him Rs 45,000. “This is an ideal time to promote added benefit of safety. Doctors say there are no cycling lanes on on the Ring Road, near Kalanki. Administration Office in Kailali. A “I couldn’t find any cheaper bicycle cycling in Nepal,” said environmental- commuting on cycle could play an the Valleys roads and they are full of The powerful beam of headlights of group of around 20 people barged as there is such a demand and there- ist Bhusan Tuladhar, who himself has important role in breaking the corona- potholes . vehicles at night also makes cycling into Dinesh Media House on Friday fore a shortage in the market,” said been promoting and pressuring the virus transmission chain. Ratna Shrestha, founder and presi- dangerous. and thrashed a journalist and misbe- Ranjitkar. government to construct cycle friend- “Commuting on public vehicles is dent of the Nepal Cycle Society, said “The number of cyclists has haved with others. Search is on to nab A growing number of people in ly infrastructure in the country. very dangerous at a time of Covid-19. that it is the right time for the govern- increased but our roads are not safe,” the people involved in the incident, Kathmandu are using bicycles as an “Cycling has been taken up through- You can’t maintain social distancing ment and local bodies of Kathmandu said SSP Bhim Prasad Dhakal, chief said police. alternative to public transportation out the globe due to the global Covid- but cycling helps one to remain safe Valley to invest in cycle lanes. of the Metropolitan Traffic Police with the spread of Covid-19. 19 pandemic.” from infection,” said Dr. Sher Bahadur He says on average a person com- Division. “Unlike motorbikes and four Bicycles have long been popular in The 2011 census data shows 32.38 Pun, a virologist at the Sukraraj mutes around 10 km in a day in wheelers, we hardly get reports of Province 1 Assembly member Nepal’s plains. But with the pandemic percent of households have bicycles. Tropical and Infectious Disease Kathmandu Valley and the distance is cyclists being involved in accidents, suspended for three months and disruption in public transporta- In urban areas 29.95 percent people Hospital, Teku. “Unlike motorbikes ideal for cycling which has an average but we have been getting complaints TAPLEJUNG: The district committee of tion with the odd-even rule for motor- own bicycles. and cars one cannot give a lift on a speed 14km an hour. from cyclists falling in drains and Nepal Communist Party has suspend- ised transport, its popularity has “People from all economic classes bicycle.” There have indeed been some efforts open manholes at night.” ed its leader Hom Kumari Sanwa, soared elsewhere. can afford to buy bicycles, and the Around the country, cycling has by local governments to make their Despite the government’s indiffer- who is also the member of Province 1 “I had no option but to buy a bicycle trend is up, this is really good for the become popular for a few years now. cities bicycle friendly. But Shrestha ence, cycle activists have not given Assembly, for three months. The NCP as even during lockdown my office environment,” said Tuladhar. Since India’s economic blockade in and many other people who have long up hope. district committee meeting held on remained open,” said Ram Hari Karki, Although cycling may have been 2015 that caused a crippling shortage been into promoting cycles say it’s not “With the pandemic, people have Sunday took the decision after Sanwa 33, who works in an insurance compa- seen as a poor man’s transport, that is of petroleum products, there has been adequate. taken to cycling for health concerns, was caught verbally abusing a woman ny in New Baneshwor, who cycles to not the case now. a steady increase in bicycle use. Lalitpur Metropolitan City made and slowly this will become a habit on social media. work from his home at Samakhusi “I have a car and motorcycle at According to the Department of the Valley’s first dedicated cycle lanes among people,” said Shreshta. “Such a every day. home but I have hardly been using Customs, Nepal imported bikes worth from Kupondole to Mangal Bazar in development will put pressure on the According to Nepal Cycle Society, a them since the pandemic. I cycle much Rs801.3 million in the fiscal year 2015- November 2019, a distance of 4.7 kilo- government to work on cycle-friendly 16 Nepal Army soldiers among cycling advocacy organisation, over more now,” said Dr Pawan Sharma, 59, 16. In the fiscal year 2018-19, this fig- metres. The city also tried to pass New infrastructure.” 45,000 new cyclists have been added a gynaecologist at Patan Academy of ure stood at Rs 1.5 billion. Cycle Law 2020 to guarantee cyclists’ Professional musician Ranjitkar 27 infected in Lamjung in Kathmandu after the lockdown Health Sciences. Laxmi Shrestha, 51, a freelance pho- welfare but it failed. knows that the Covid-19 has hit all LAMJUNG: Sixteen Nepal Army sol- started in March and there are now “Besides health benefits, cyclists tojournalist from Mangal Bazar, has Kathmandu Metropolitan City too hard and there are problems for easy diers are among the 27 people who over 100,000 cyclists in Kathmandu are also contributing to a cleaner envi- been cycling for the past two years. announced plans to make a cycle lane and safe mobility. tested positive for the coronavirus Valley now. ronment. All those who ride on four More than 20 women in my locality on the 3.1 kilometre stretch from “One thing will surely change infection in Lamjung district on Cycling enthusiasts are excited wheels and motorcycles should respect recently bought cycles after the pan- Maitighar to Tinkune but nothing has because many people will now start to Sunday. All the infected soldiers were about this sudden rise in the number cyclists for this contribution,” said demic started,” she said. “Ten of them come of it. In June Mayor Bidya ride bicycles as this is the safest mode from the Agriculture and Vocational of cycle users that they hope this Sharma , who is also an active mem- work at the same office and they cycle Sundar Shakya, as part of his annual of transportation in these unsafe Training Centre in Sundar Bazaar. A could be instrumental in forcing the ber of the cycle club in the Patan in a group to work.” plans and policy, announced subsidies times, “ he said. “But the government total 334 people have been infected government to spend on infrastruc- Hospital. But she has a complaint that is for his staff to buy bicycles. now must think of making roads safe with the virus in Lamjung so far. ture to promote cycling. Amid the pandemic there is the familiar among bicycle enthusiasts— But cycling enthusiasts criticised for cyclists.”

C M Y K MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | 04 OPINION EDITORIAL With the disease comes added debt Net the ‘big fish’ In many ways, developing The CIAA must begin cracking down on large-scale countries can be likened to corruption issues with a system-based approach. upstart companies with a lot of growth potential. It’s been almost a year since Ramhari Subedi, a non-gazetted official at the Kalanki Land Revenue Office, committed sui- cide after spending 42 days in custody after the Commission PABAN RAJ PANDEY for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) accused him of taking Rs1,000 in bribe from a service seeker. Subedi was acquitted posthumously by the Special Court on July 14, a fact that came to light only last week. Having driven a public servant to self-destruction, the commission, on its part, failed to even furnish adequate evidence to support its accusation. All it had to say was that Subedi was caught on CCTV taking The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown a curveball to the global economy in the the money. Subedi’s suicide and the acquittal that followed most unexpected fashion. Trade, travel, epitomise the modus operandi of the CIAA over the years, tourism, you name it, have all been hounding people accused of petty crimes and passing over adversely impacted. Well-heeled busi- the crimes of the mighty. nesses have suddenly ceased to operate, The man under whose leadership the CIAA incarcerated an people’s livelihoods have been thrown into disarray and the government’s innocent official on fake charges retired on Sunday. If any- revenue sources have taken a hit on thing, Nabin Ghimire’s stint as the chief commissioner was multiple fronts. Rich countries, poor unremarkable, even controversial. Under Ghimire, the com- countries—no one is spared. Fiscal mission continued to lose its independence as a constitution- deficit has become the norm, even as al body mandated to be a corruption watchdog and turned governments whose accounts were into a government lapdog instead. There is no dearth of already awash in red ink are having to run a bigger deficit. It is a double Chinese whispers among Kathmandu politicos and intelli- whammy—receipts are down while gentsia that Ghimire played along as cabals within the ruling expenditures are up. The resulting mis- Nepal Communist Party used the commission as a weapon to match is forcing many governments silence rabble-rousers within the party itself. But he was into a budgetary juggling act. Nepal is nowhere to be seen when the time came to investigate large- not an exception. Last fiscal, the KP Oli government POST FILE PHOTO scale corruption cases including the purchase of wide-body initially aimed at growing the economy higher. In recent years, reliance on debt over 250 percent and holds the world come. In recent years, countries such aircraft and security printing press among others. at 8.5 percent. As the year progressed, has gone up meaningfully. As of record, while in the US it exceeds 100 as Austria, Mexico and Argentina, and To be fair to him, Ghimire is not a lone wolf when it comes this was already proving ambitious. mid-July this year, the outstanding gov- percent. But these are also developed companies like Walt Disney and Coca- to commissioners denting the public image of the anti-graft Then the pandemic hit. Now, the econo- ernment debt stood at Rs1,420 billion— countries that are capable of printing Cola, have issued 100-year bonds. Nepal body; he belongs to the league of the heavyweights who sys- my is expected to have grown at a pace with the country owing Rs806 billion their own money, with the US, in par- lacks a developed fixed income market. tematically corroded its legitimacy. Lokman Singh Karki, of 2.3 percent. In the current fiscal externally and Rs614 billion internally. ticular, enjoying the benefit of more Multilaterals such as the World Bank year, the government—once again— A year before that, the government than three-fifths of the world’s reserves and the Asian Development Bank make arguably the most controversial in the commission’s history, has set itself a lofty goal of 7 percent owed Rs1,048 billion. Five years ago, in being held in US dollars. Nepal does not up nearly 90 percent of the total funds had to be unseated from the position of the chief commis- growth, which obviously assumes 2014-15, debt totalled Rs545 billion, of have this luxury. Hence the importance coming from outside Nepal; being a sioner by the Supreme Court in 2017 as he did not hold the growth will pick back up in short order. which Rs343 billion was external and of how a rupee borrowed gets spent or, least developed country, Nepal receives ‘high moral character’ required to lead the CIAA and did not Two months into the year, the virus is Rs202 billion internal. Thus, within better yet, invested. Of the proposed concessional loans. Private foreign meet the criteria set to head the constitutional body. Raj still going strong. Daily lives continue five years, the debt load jumped 161 Rs1,475-billion budget, Rs949 billion is investors, on the other hand, tend to be to get disrupted. If the growth target percent, with external rising 135 per- earmarked for recurrent expenditures, fickle and leave at the slightest signs of Narayan Pathak, who faced a corruption case and had to step proves unrealistic—and it probably cent and domestic debt 204 percent. As Rs353 billion for capital expenditures trouble. Plus, the share of internal debt down for taking a bribe of Rs7.8 million to settle a dispute will—this will have adverse repercus- of mid-July, as a percent of the GDP, and Rs173 billion for financial manage- is high. One reason why Japan’s debt over ownership of the Changunarayan-based Nepal sions for the government’s revenue debt made up 40 percent, which is not ment—respectively 35 percent, 48 per- bubble has not popped is that most of it Engineering College. Deep Basnyat faced corruption charges objectives. prohibitively high. But, given the cent and 31 percent over 2019-20. is held within the country. over his role in transferring the land at Lalita Niwas in recent trend, it does need to be watched The problem is that the government The Oli government’s increased bor- Baluwatar as well as amassing properties illegally, and Debt-to-GDP ratio not prohibitive closely. routinely fails to spend the allocated rowing has put upward pressure on the In late May, the federal government In the early 2000s, when the Maoist budget. In the last fiscal year, Rs239 debt-to-GDP ratio. But what is impor- money laundering, and letting go of several high-profile peo- presented a budget of Rs1,475 billion. insurgency was taking a heavy toll on billion was spent in capital expendi- tant to monitor at this stage is the cost ple who were facing various charges. This compares with the initial alloca- the economy, Nepal’s debt-to-GDP ratio tures, versus the initial planned outlay of capital. Debt service burden becomes Officials of the commission, including the new chief com- tion of Rs1,533 billion in the last fiscal exceeded 60 percent. That conflict of Rs408 billion. Presently, one major acute when scarce resources are divert- missioner who takes over in the days to come, have a lot of year. This fiscal, the budget plans to ended in 2006, and the ratio gradually way the government could ease the ed toward principal and interest pay- work to do before they salvage its public image. They must raise Rs950 billion in revenue, includ- headed back down. Besides, there is no pain wrought by Covid-19 is by increas- ments. The likes of Nigeria and Angola ing Rs60 billion in grants. The result- optimal debt-to-GDP ratio, which essen- ing investments in infrastructure. This dedicate upwards of 40 percent of gov- ensure that they help the commission fulfil its mandate rath- ing deficit of Rs525 billion will be tially measures a country’s ability to will not only add to the nation’s capital ernment revenue to interest payments, er than work for the political masters who appoint them. bridged by borrowing, made up of pay back its debts. Simplistically, the stock but also create jobs during a diffi- which is not on a sustainable path. In There is no end to the current regime trying to use the com- Rs300 billion raised externally and lower this ratio, the better. At the same cult time. The new budget has set aside Nepal, in the last fiscal, out of total mission to serve its political interests rather than let it do its Rs225 billion internally. In the 2019-20 time, there is good debt and there is bad Rs125 billion for road and bridge con- interest payment of Rs26 billion, Rs5.2 constitutionally mandated work. As things stand today, the fiscal year, the budget deficit totalled debt. If an entity—be it an individual, struction, up from Rs81 billion in the billion was paid to external creditors. commission is certain to come under a fresh controversy as Rs267 billion, so the red will have risen company or government—takes out a last fiscal year. Even if we assume the At least until it graduates to develop- significantly this year. The current loan at, say, 5 percent and earns a allocated amount is spent in its entire- ing-nation status, the policymakers’ the government once again pushes for the third amendment plan is to raise Rs913 billion in taxes, return of 7 percent on that loan, it does ty, this is probably not aggressive focus should be on these loans. Nepal to the CIAA Act which proposes allowing the anti-corruption which will have risen substantially make sense to leverage. In many ways, enough considering the current need. has room to borrow, and it should, pro- watchdog to investigate wrongdoings in the private sector. from Rs750 billion in the last fiscal year. developing countries can be likened to Of Rs125 billion, Rs67 billion will be vided the majority goes toward capital Meanwhile, the public must continue to remain vigilant so Hence the importance of growth upstart companies with a lot of growth sourced from abroad. expenditures and not toward recurrent that the commission begins cracking down corruption issues assumptions built into this year’s potential. Debt can help, if exercised expenditures. budget. judiciously. Cost of capital an important factor with a system-based approach rather than on the whims of If growth and revenue targets fall In other words, the debt-to-GDP ratio Interest rates are low worldwide; they Pandey talks markets, money and mac- those at the helm of power. short, borrowing is likely to go even is not the be-all and end-all. Japan’s is will probably stay low for some time to roeconomics on hedgopia.com.

India’s silenced parliament

ineptitude with a variety of public-re- The legislature risks being lations stunts, including a bizarre recent photo-shoot of Modi feeding reduced to a noticeboard peacocks in his garden. The official response to failure is denial, as with for the decisions of the Modi’s recent claim that India had lost no territory to China, despite satellite government. pictures and evidence on the ground that clearly indicate otherwise. China has gleefully seized on this SHASHI THAROOR statement to deny that it has encroached on over a thousand square kilometres (386 square miles) of land. China’s leaders are not the first to realise that they can get away with anything with this Indian govern- ment, as long as Modi can claim victo- ry at home. After a nearly six-month hiatus, the Parliament, therefore, has a vital Indian parliament will reconvene in job on its hands, but many MPs fear mid-September at a time of deepening that it will be unable to do it. The gov- national crisis. But I fear that it may ernment will use its crushing majori- be unable to hold the country’s failing ty to pass the bills it wants, particular- government to account. ly those converting a dozen ordinanc- Parliament is obliged to meet now, es or executive orders issued during because India’s constitution limits the the last six months into law, while gap between sessions to six months, sidestepping debate on the issues that and the Covid-19 pandemic has forced matter. all sessions to be suspended since The government’s tendency to use March. With 4.5 million cases to date, its parliamentary majority as a rub- India is now the world’s second ber stamp was already apparent in worst-affected country, surpassing previous sessions. And this session Brazil and Russia and behind only the could be cut short at any sign of United States. Covid-19—one MP has died from it Moreover, infection rates are rising, SAIKAT PAUL/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM since March. especially in rural areas where testing ing the lockdown have found them- drawals, and both sides have sent rein- es without a Covid-negative certificate provide written answers.) The visible measures necessitated had not been adequately extended ear- selves no better off in their home vil- forcements to the tenuous Line of from a test administered within three Suspending Question Hour is typi- by the pandemic—face masks, greater lier. Fortunately, the Covid-19 mortali- lages’ stagnant economies. Actual Control that divides their forc- days of the session. Inside, social dis- cal of a government that abhors being distance between MPs, and plastic ty rate remains relatively low, at 55 per Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s es. This week, the two countries’ for- tancing will apply in the usually questioned. Modi has not held a single partition screens—may not be all that million people, representing just 1 per- government seems utterly helpless to eign ministers announced a new cramped chambers, with MPs distrib- press conference in India in his six is different about this parliamentary cent of deaths from all causes. stop the economic meltdown, as if agreement to disengage, although it uted throughout the upper and lower years in office, and is notorious for session. I fear that our democracy’s But if lives have not ended, liveli- paralysed by the plummeting indica- remains to be seen whether this will houses and the visitors’ galleries. granting interviews only when the highest legislative body will be hoods have, owing to draconian but tors in every sector. A much-hyped be realised. As a result, the two houses will take questions are pre-approved. Protesters reduced to a noticeboard for govern- ineffective lockdowns introduced in fiscal stimulus turned out to be less Meanwhile, Pakistan has stepped up turns meeting for a half-day each in questioning the government in the ment decisions. There is a genuine March. GDP collapsed by 23.9 percent than one-tenth of the size that Modi its cross-border militancy in Kashmir, sessions lasting four hours instead of streets are charged with sedition, and risk that while India will honour the year on year in April-June, making had claimed, and failed to alleviate which is seething with unrest follow- the usual six, and on all seven days of critics are denounced as anti-national. outward forms of parliamentary pro- India the world’s worst-performing nationwide distress. The budget ing last year’s clampdown by Modi’s the week rather than the traditional A prominent lawyer who tweeted his cess, the spirit of debate, discussion, major economy. Unemployment is adopted just before the lockdowns is government. Many increasingly fear five. Worse, the government and the objections to recent Supreme Court disagreement, and deliberation will rife—some 21 million salaried jobs in tatters, its every assumption ren- that India may be facing a two-front presiding officers have decided that, decisions was convicted of criminal be missing. have been lost during the pandemic, dered irrelevant. war before the year is out. given the shorter sessions, they will contempt. And the mainstream news and millions more in the informal As if all this weren’t bad enough, a All this should normally make for a dispense with Question Hour, the only media, far from interrogating the gov- Tharoor, a former UN under-secre- sector, especially among day labour- major crisis has erupted on the coun- lively parliamentary session. But the opportunity for MPs to demand ernment’s performance, has recently tary-general and former Indian ers, who are now unable to make ends try’s disputed border with China, legislature will itself meet in abnor- unscripted answers from ministers on been fixated on the lurid details of a Minister of State for External Affairs meet. Small and micro enterprises are where 20 Indian soldiers were brutally mal and straitened circumstances, a variety of subjects. (In response to Bollywood actor’s suicide and the con- and Minister of State for Human being shuttered throughout the coun- killed in June in the icy Himalayan reflected in the extraordinary meas- the outcry, the government has agreed spiracy theories swirling around it. Resource Development, is an MP for try. And the millions of migrant work- heights of Ladakh. Talk of disengage- ures announced in advance of the to accept written questions two weeks In the meantime, the government the Indian National Congress. ers who trudged home in despair dur- ment has failed to translate into with- session. No MP may enter the premis- in advance, to which ministers will stumbles on and tries to mask its —Project Syndicate

C M Y K 05 | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 MONEY Solu corridor transmission line project Japan’s Suga says deadline extended for the fourth time no limit to bonds Promoters of private hydropower projects warn that delays by the power utility in executing the power line project would government can issue cause more electricity spillage from hydel plants operating in the area and incur losses amounting to millions of rupees. REUTERS TOKYO, SEPT 13 POST REPORT tricts. “Still, 98 pylons are yet to be He also said that KATHMANDU, SEPT 13 erected,” he said. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Lack of a proper transmission Yoshihide Suga, who is set to become the government has The state-owned power utility Nepal infrastructure had worried the pro- prime minister this week, said on enough resources Electricity Authority has decided to moters of under-construction inde- Sunday there was no limit to the give more time for the completion of pendent hydel plants in Solukhumbu amount of bonds the government can to tap for a third the Solu corridor transmission line over possible spillage of electricity. issue to support an economy hit by the project in the wake of the ongoing The promoters complained that delays coronavirus pandemic. extra budget. restrictions to fight Covid-19. by the power utility in executing the He also indicated he could look However, the private power produc- project in the stipulated time would to a third extra budget to fight the ers said that while the project contrac- translate into losses amounting to mil- downturn caused by the Covid-19 Finance Minister Taro Aso told sup- tor agreeing to complete the transmis- lions of rupees. pandemic if needed, adding the gov- porters in eastern Japan on Sunday sion line project by December was Tower construction works have not ernment had enough resources to tap that Suga’s cabinet may be criticised good, it does not look realistic and that begun in Udaypur district owing to at present. for not having a popular mandate and could make things more uncertain. obstruction by locals of Maruwa Harit “Only when we have economic that in that case, “imminent” snap The 132 kV transmission line pro- Community Forest in Katari. The pro- growth can we push through fiscal elections could be possible, the Nikkei ject completion deadline has been ject has planned to install 12 transmis- reform. What’s most important is to daily said. extended until December 30, the sion pylons in the community forest create jobs and protect businesses,” LDP junior coalition partner fourth extension so far, since work on area. “The mayor of Udaipur had Suga said on a television programme. Komeito has spoken against snap elec- the project started in 2016. assured us that all issues would be “I don’t think so,” he said, when tions anytime soon. Suga has been The Independent Power Producers’ cleared. It has been two years asked if there was a limit to bond issu- vague on the subject. Association Nepal said that the pro- since the assurance was made but ance. “What’s important now is to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said last ject cannot be completed in the four so far nothing has been sorted out,” improve current [economic] condi- month he would resign due to ill months given the current situation said Gautam. tions,” he added. health. The winner of the party vote is and also the upcoming festive seasons. The country experienced an acute Suga made the remarks on a pro- virtually assured to become prime “It’s an important project and energy crisis at the beginning of 2010, gramme where he appeared alongside minister because of the LDP’s parlia- should be completed on time but there with daily power cuts lasting almost his two rivals in the ruling Liberal mentary majority. should not be uncertainties to the pro- 16 hours, and this continued to be a Democratic Party’s (LDP) leadership Suga also told a separate pro- ject which has already been delayed,” major problem in the following year. election, to be held on Monday. gramme on Sunday that he could said Ashish Garg, vice-president of This prompted the government to Speculation is mounting that Suga, consider another stimulus budget if the association. “It’s not a realistic announce an ‘energy emergency’ who has seen his popularity rise in necessary. extension. Frequent changes in the which lasted four and a half years. opinion polls since announcing his “Japan’s GDP suffered its biggest deadline will make things uncertain. At that time, the government had bid for the top job, may call a general postwar contraction in the second The electricity authority should have planned to generate 2,500 megawatts. election as early as next month to quarter, so we need to do whatever it come up with a realistic extension The private sector was tasked to gen- improve his chances of winning a full takes to support growth. We have deadline.” erate electricity through six hydro- three-year term as LDP leader in a reserves set aside, so we can of course The extension will force the Upper power projects, named the Super Six, party election that must be held in tap that. But if additional steps are Solu Hydroelectric Project in on the Solu River, which together September 2021. necessary, we would act,” he said. Solukhumbu district developed by pri- would produce 217 megawatts. vate power producers to incur more SHUTTERSTOCK The Nepal Electricity Authority losses as around 23.5 megawatts of The project envisages building 302 transmission towers and installing 132 kV double circuit signed power purchase agreements energy it churns out is going to waste cables to evacuate power from hydropower plants in Solukhumbu and the surrounding region with the Super Six and five of them— due to a lack of transmission line con- to eastern Nepal and the national grid. 82 MW Lower Solu, 23.5 MW Upper necting it to consumers. The project Solu, 18 megawatt Beni Hydropower had started to generate energy on only disrupted the supply chain of the completion deadline set for March Project, 86 MW Solu Khola (Dudhkoshi) February 20. components used in projects but has 24, 2019. The project deadline, howev- and another 5 MW project—will As per the power purchase agree- also impacted the availability of the er, was extended by 10 months until require power evacuation from the ment, the electricity authority has to workforce,” said Gautam. January 2020. It was again extended Solu corridor transmission line into pay fines amounting to 45 percent of “It’s a tight deadline given the diffi- by 4 months until May and another 45 the national grid through a new trans- total losses caused by spillage of culties to mobilize workers.” Recently, days until mid-July. mission line. power from those projects in absence the project contractor brought 31 The project envisages building 302 “All issues need to be sorted out as of transmission infrastructure. “But workers but there is a requirement for transmission towers and installing soon as possible, otherwise private unfortunately, the Nepal Electricity 200 staff. “The contractors need to 132 kV double circuit cables to evacu- producers will incur massive losses,” Authority has not compensated the conduct PCR tests on workers and put ate power from hydropower plants in said Garg, who is also the director of producer,” said Garg. “It’s a failed them in quarantine for 14 days after Solukhumbu and the surrounding Lower Solu project. “However, the for- promise.” they are brought to the project site.” region to eastern Nepal and the est issue in Udaypur has still not been Janardan Gautam, chief of the Solu The project is funded through gov- national grid. sorted out.” corridor project, admits that the ernment investment and a concession- The contractor has so far finished “Our project [Lower Solu] is 90 per- December deadline still looks uncer- al loan from Export-Import Bank of foundation works of 285 towers out of cent complete. The completion date tain. He said that a mid-April deadline India. The Nepal Electricity Authority 302 transmission towers. According to was set for December but due to Covid- for next year was more realistic. “But had awarded the contract to the Indian Gautam, 204 pylons are upright along 19, it has been delayed,” he said, add- we are doing our best to finish the contractor Mohan Energy in March the 90-km-long route of the distribu- ing that early completion of the trans- project on time.” 2016. The 30-month project became tion infrastructure in Siraha, Udaipur, mission project will assure investors REUTERS “The spread of coronavirus has not effective on September 25, 2016 with Okhaldhunga and Solukhumbu dis- that their energy will not go to waste. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.

FOREX Chinese investment to European governments must continue US Dollar 117.96 Euro 139.75 Australia halved in 2019 Pound Sterling 150.94 spending to aid recovery, says Lagarde REUTERS Chinese investment fell sharply in Japanese Yen 11.11 MELBOURNE, SEPT 13 mining, real estate and commercial REUTERS in a speech. “Continued expansionary the European Union’s 750 billion euro Chinese Yuan 17.26 property, manufacturing and agricul- FRANKFURT, SEPT 13 fiscal policies are vital to avoid exces- recovery fund, which is still under Chinese investment to Australia ture, while there were modest gains in sive job shedding and support house- negotiation and subject to political Qatari Riyal 32.39 roughly halved in 2019 on a shift construction, education and finance, Euro zone governments must keep hold incomes until the economic bickering. Australian Dollar 85.92 toward investment in emerging mar- the report found. spending heavily to aid the bloc’s recovery is more robust.” For its part, the ECB is ready to kets and negative perceptions in The ANU report is broadly in line recovery from its historic pandem- Employment subsidy schemes have adjust all of its instruments as needed Malaysian Ringit 28.40 China of doing business with with estimates by KPMG and the ic-induced recession, complementing already been extended in several since there is no place for complacen- Australia, a report said on Sunday. University of Sydney, which showed already super-easy monetary policy, countries but some are advocating cy, Lagarde said, largely repeating the Saudi Arab Riyal 31.45 Investment dropped some 47 per- investment in Australia fell by more European Central Bank President longer, one- or two-year extensions to bank’s standing message. Exchange rates fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank cent to A$2.5 billion ($1.8 billion) from than half in 2019 was set for further Christine Lagarde said on Sunday. bolster confidence while the bloc The ECB has eased policy several A$4.8 billion in 2018, the third straight declines this year due to the pandemic With debt levels blowing past 100 recovers from recession that could times this year and now estimates that Shares decline from a 2016 peak of A$15.8 bil- and heightened Australian scrutiny percent of GDP this year, concerns are slash 8 percent from output this year. its measures will add 1.3 percentage lion, according to the Australian of Chinese investment. rising that politicians will struggle to “Keeping job support schemes in points to growth and 0.8 percentage Nepse 1,537.25pts 1.09% National University’s Chinese Australia’s relations with China, its push through more support and some place is critical to avoid a sharp point to inflation through 2022. Investment in Australia database. main trading partner, have worsened subsidies, raising the risk that increase in unemployment later in the Lagarde also repeated her com- HIGHEST GAINERS “The 2019 decline in investment steadily this year. employment and income schemes year,” she added in a speech to the ments from Thursday that the ECB RLI NLBSL NRN RADHI AHPC IGI 9.97% 9.95% 9.76% 9.63% 9.24% 8.13% coincides with lower flows of Chinese Beijing vowed trade reprisals could abruptly end. Annual Meeting of the Council of would “carefully” assess incoming investment abroad, but the fall in after Canberra called for an interna- “Confidence in the private sector Governors of the Arab Central Banks data, including the euro’s strengthen- MODERATE GAINERS flows to Australia was sharper,” the tional inquiry into the source of the rests to a very large extent on confi- and Monetary Authorities. ing, which risked dampening both MHNL SPDL UNHPL PIC NHDL API 7.86% 7.63% 7.57% 7.51% 7.5% 6.97% report says. Covid-19. dence in fiscal policies,” Lagarde said Lagarde also urged a final deal on growth and inflation.

MODERATE LOSERS NEF BFC STC PROFL BBC ALBSL -2.7% -2.8% -2.81% -2.83% -2.9% -3.01%

HIGHEST LOSERS CFCL USLB CIT AKJCL DHPL NBF2 -3.17% -4.04% -4.11% -4.54% -5.17% -9.26% With airline fleets grounded, plane recyclers bet on parts boom

PRICE PER TOLA REUTERS ly 400 to 500 planes a year since 2016, maintenance at the company’s repair BULLION MONTREAL, SEPT 13 according to data firm Cirium. business, chief executive Abdol Naveo estimates 60 percent of glob- Moabery said. Fine Gold Rs 96,500 As Covid-19 grounds swaths of airline al passenger and cargo fleets are cur- The pandemic, which is expected fleets, companies that profit off the rently flying. result in a 55 percent drop in 2020 pas- Silver Rs 1,310 dismantling and trade of aircraft In 2020, Naveo expects 2,000 aircraft senger numbers, has prompted early parts are seeing early signs of an will be retired, or parked and not retirements of older planes, including SOURCE: FENEGOSIDA expected rebound in activity as carri- returned to service, up from 680 in the grounding of B747 jets by British ers accelerate plane retirements. 2019. But those planes would not all be Airways, some of which are headed to While companies that store, dis- immediately dismantled, as some car- Air Salvage. GASOLINE WATCH mantle, and buy and sell used aircraft riers wait in case market conditions Fewer twin-aisle planes flying inter- parts see opportunity in parked improve, Managing Director Richard nationally means less demand for planes, a sudden increase in the sup- Brown says. their parts, with the exception of cer- ply of used parts risks depressing Indeed, UK-based Air Salvage tain aircraft used to transport cargo. prices in the estimated $3 billion a International, which normally dis- Gregory said Air Salvage was year industry, despite demand from mantles between 40 and 50 aircraft a approached by an aircraft leasing airlines seeking to lower maintenance year, has parked more planes without company about dismantling several costs, executives and analysts say. a buyer for their parts since the Covid- A380s, but with only about 5 percent Even as aviation remains in a slump 19 outbreak. Founder Mark Gregory of the jumbo jets still active according because of the pandemic, the head of expects most will eventually be dis- to Naveo, demand is slim for their US commercial aerospace company mantled. parts. GA Telesis was made aware of five REUTERS Before the pandemic, planes arrived Airlines are looking for narrow- airlines calling for offers to dismantle An Airbus A310 airplane with its engine removed sits on the tarmac at airplane recycling at Air Salvage with a buyer, reflecting body parts, since around 64 percent of planes. company Aerocycle in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada. healthy demand for coveted parts that single-aisle aircraft type are Across the border, Canada’s like engines. active, flying domestic routes. Aerocycle is bidding to buy grounded Wyman forecasting “a tsunami of said he has avoided buying parts, fear- Airlines seek viable used parts from James Benfield, a UK partner with planes for the first time to dismantle demand” for such parts, as airlines ing a slump if too many planes are retired aircraft for their younger Baird Capital, expects increased and resell for parts, instead of just seek to lower costs. dismantled. planes that are due for heavy demand for disassembly services for recycling aircraft on consignment Used materials could compete with “I think we’re going to see a rapid maintenance. That allowed airlines to single-aisle B737 and A320 aircraft, from carriers, its CEO said. new parts and defer immediate airline decrease in pricing,” said the execu- avoid costly repairs and keep their after the private equity company The fate of the world’s pool of demand for “aftermarket” spend, tive, speaking on condition of ano- aircraft flying. acquired a disassembler in August. grounded planes is being closely referring to the maintenance, repair nymity. GA Telesis, which counts Tokyo While maintenance companies and watched by players in the market for and overhaul sector, now estimated by The number of planes dismantled Century Corp as its largest sharehold- new engine producers also deal in used-serviceable material, with one Naveo Consultancy at $50 billion. for parts or scrap could double to 1,000 er, has seen airlines use spare parts used materials, a parts surplus could report from consultants Oliver As a result, one industry executive annually through 2023, up from rough- from their grounded aircraft to put off weigh on their sales.

C M Y K MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | 06 WORLD BRIEFING Russia holds regional Protesters set government building on fire in eastern Libya polls in shadow of BENGHAZI: Protesters set fire to the government’s headquarters in the Libyan city of Benghazi, as rare demonstrations over living condi- Navalny’s poisoning tions and corruption continued in the east of the country for a third day. The protests late on Saturday also erupted in Al-Bayda, where the gov- Vote is seen as a key test of the Kremlin’s control of local ernment was previously based, in Sabha in the south, and for the first politics as the ruling United Russia sees drop in popularity. time in Al-Marj, a stronghold of east- ern based commander Khalifa Haftar, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Sunday is the main polling day. witnesses said. Libya has been split MOSCOW, SEPT 13 Several regions recorded large turn- into rival camps with parallel institu- outs in two days of early voting, with tions in the east and west since 2014. Russians on Sunday voted in regional over 50 percent of the electorate cast- Eastern Libya and much of the south elections overshadowed by the poison- ing ballots early in the far eastern is controlled by Haftar’s Libyan ing of the main opposition leader Jewish Autonomous Region and in National Army, which is aligned with Alexei Navalny, who had urged sup- Tatarstan. a government and a rump parliament porters to vote tactically to push out The opposition has warned the also based in the east. the ruling party backing President measure allows the authorities to Vladimir Putin. organise mass vote-rigging, while In 41 of the country’s 85 regions, Pamfilova decried “unobjective and Philippines deports US Marine Russians are voting for regional gov- mean” accusations. in transgender killing ernors and lawmakers in regional and “Currently we do not see that many MANILA: A US Marine convicted of city legislatures as well as in several violations,” she said. killing a Filipino transgender woman REUTERS by-elections for national MPs. The controversial three-day system was deported on Sunday after a presi- Law enforcement officers scuffle with demonstrators during a rally against police brutality following protests to reject the presidential election Voters went to the polls on Sunday was first used this summer for a dential pardon cut short his detention results in Minsk, Belarus, on Sunday. morning, wearing compulsory masks national vote on constitutional amend- in a case that renewed outrage over a and gloves and undergoing tempera- ments that made it possible for Putin pact governing American military ture checks to protect against corona- to stay in power until 2036. presence in the Philippines. Lance virus infection, AFP journalists saw In what some observers believe is Cpl Joseph Scott Pemberton said he in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk. another Kremlin ploy to dilute the was “extremely grateful” to Rodrigo The vote is seen as a key test of the opposition vote, candidates are also Duterte for pardoning him and Kremlin’s control of local politics as standing for four little-known new Afghan forces, Taliban continue the United Russia ruling party has parties. expressed “most sincere sympathy” to family of Jennifer Laude, who he seen a drop in popularity amid sim- One of the highest-profile cam- was convicted of killing in 2014 after mering public anger over falling paigns is taking place in Novosibirsk, finding out that she was a transgen- incomes and economic woes. Russia’s third largest city. der in a motel northwest of Manila. to clash even as peace talks start One voter in Novosibirsk, 57-year- The head of Navalny’s office in the old retired army officer Vladimir city, Sergei Boiko, has created an oppo- REUTERS Representatives from a number of had met the Qatari Emir. Semyonov, told AFP that he had voted sition alliance to counter United Israeli minister resigns to KABUL, SEPT 13 countries who spoke at the inaugura- Aman said that, on Friday, the eve for an opposition candidate, “not one Russia and the Communist Party. tion of the peace talks called on the of the inauguration of the talks, the of those they always offer us, to His “Novosibirsk 2020” coalition protest expected virus lockdown Taliban and Afghan government forc- Taliban to announce an immediate Taliban had carried out 18 attacks change something, so we don’t have has put forward around 30 candidates JERUSALEM: A prominent Israeli min- es clashed across Afghanistan hours ceasefire before negotiators sat down against government forces and instal- stagnation.” for the city legislature and cam- ister resigned on Sunday in protest after the start of long-awaited to find a way to end decades of war in lations across the country, inflicting The poisoning of Navalny, Russia’s paigned with the help of volunteers over an expected government deci- peace talks in Doha on Saturday, Afghanistan. heavy casualties. most prominent opposition figure, from Navalny’s Anti-Corruption sion to impose a nationwide lock- officials said, underscoring the The Taliban did not say anything “We don’t have exact information could also influence voters. Fund. down this week ahead of the Jewish uphill challenge of settling a 19-year about a possible ceasefire at the about Taliban attacks on Saturday, but After he was evacuated from Siberia “This is an opportunity to show the New Year due to rising coronavirus insurgency. ceremony. I can say the number of attacks has to Berlin, German doctors said whole of Russia that democratic forc- cases. Housing Minister Yaakov Talks between the two sides were to Achieving a significant reduction increased instead of decreased”. Navalny had been poisoned with a es can unite,” Boiko told AFP as he Litzman, who served as health minis- begin shortly after a US-Taliban in violence and how to get to a perma- Taliban attacks on Saturday night Novichok nerve agent. voted Sunday. ter during the initial outbreak of the agreement in February, but began nent ceasefire would be among the were confirmed by officials in the His associates believe the use of the He said his supporters had recorded virus in Israel, criticized the antici- only over the weekend after months of first issues the sides would discuss provinces of Kapsia and Kunduz. banned chemical weapon shows only some 50 violations, including an pated lockdown measure as extreme delays, caused in part by continuing when they meet on Sunday, the head Taliban spokesman Zabihullah the Russian state could be responsible. attempt to illegally remove observers and said it would cause undue suffer- Taliban offensives in the war-torn of Afghanistan’s peace council, Mujahid said in a statement that the Navalny has sought to promote tac- from his alliance while a safe contain- ing to the public. Litzman, who heads country. Abdullah Abdullah, told Reuters on insurgent group attacked a convoy of tical voting, urging his supporters to ing early votes at one polling station an influential ultra-Orthodox faction “With the start of intra-Afghan Saturday. Afghan forces that had arrived to back whichever is the strongest candi- had its seals broken. in the coalition government, talks we were expecting the Taliban to No meeting between the two has launch an operation along a key high- date to defeat the ruling party. Navalny’s team has urged Russians expressed particular ire toward reduce the number of their attacks, been reported by either side in Doha way in Kunduz. He had been in Siberia to promote to vote the ruling party out of power, restrictions that will limit observant but unfortunately their attacks are on Sunday, but Qatar’s state He added that security forces car- his “smart voting” campaign when he arguing: “Any deputy is better than a Jews from attending communal still going in high numbers,” Fawad news agency reported teams led by ried out air and artillery strikes on fell ill. member of United Russia” and point- prayers at synagogues during the Aman, a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban’s political chief Mullah Saturday night in the provinces of Elections in the country are for the ing to electoral successes in places upcoming holidays. (AGENCIES) defence ministry, said. Abdul Ghani Baradar and Abdullah Baghlan and Jowzjan. first time being held over three days such as the far eastern city of and some polling stations for early Khabarovsk. voting were open-air. Tens of thousands have taken to the Election commission chief Ella streets there for the past two months Pamfilova at a briefing on Sunday over the arrest of a popular governor angrily denied a report that voters who defeated an incumbent from the India reports over 94,000 new cases, 1,000 more deaths had been casting ballots on a car boot ruling party in 2018. but said open-air voting suited rural The case of the former Khabarovsk voters. governor and the protest movement in South Korea eases social distancing for two weeks ahead of major holiday. “For some people it’s more conven- Russia’s neighbour Belarus have both ient to come and sit at a street-stand, sparked small-scale demonstrations in REUTERS tors are banned from sporting events. that’s their right,” she said. solidarity in Russian cities, suggest- MUMBAI/SEOUL, SEPT 13 Health authorities said the easing Early voting began on Friday and ing there is potential for a protest vote. would contribute toward a reopening India reported 94,372 new cases of of the economy, before returning to the novel coronavirus on Sunday, tak- tougher guidelines for two weeks ing total cases past 4.7 million, as again from Sept. 28 during the infection numbers rose in several Chuseok holiday. states amid a gradual opening up of “After a comprehensive review of businesses. the recent situation and expert opin- The number of deaths rose to 78,586, ion, the government intends to adjust with 1,114 new deaths, health ministry social distancing to phase two in the data showed. Seoul area for two weeks,” Prime While several states showed a rise Minister Chung Sye-kyun told a tele- in infections, including the capital vised meeting of government officials. New Delhi and the central Infection numbers fell steadily to Chhattisgarh state, the highest num- the low 100s after the government bers were from the India’s biggest and imposed unprecedented social dis- richest state, Maharashtra, which tancing curbs in late August, but reported 8,204 fresh cases. surged last week as small clusters Maharashtra’s Chief Minister REUTERS emerged. Uddhav Thackeray in a news briefing A woman rides down an escalator at a shopping mall in Seoul, South Korea. “The number of daily infections on Sunday urged residents to wear is still not dropping to double-digits masks and maintain social distancing, home to the densely-packed financial The government has lifted a ban on and it isn’t yet a situation where amid growing fatigue over a drawn- capital Mumbai, has pushed up infec- onsite dining after 9 p.m. though still measures can be significantly out lockdown that has made many lax tion numbers in India, which is likely requires restaurants and cafes to relaxed, as one out of four people’s about taking precautions. to hit 5 million cases in coming days, restrict seating and record patrons’ path of transmission is untraceable,” The western state recorded its mil- behind only to the United States. names and contact details. Chung said. lionth coronavirus infection on Friday, South Korea on Sunday eased its While leisure facilities such as The Korea Center for Disease putting it on par with Russia in tough social distancing policy for the gyms and internet cafes are also Control and Prevention (KCDC) the pandemic and stifling India’s next two weeks in the densely populat- allowed to reopen, under so-called reported 121 new cases of novel coro- attempts to turn around the plummet- ed Seoul metropolitan area, with new phase two restrictions, indoor gather- navirus infection as of midnight on ing economy. daily novel coronavirus cases hover- ings are limited to 50 people and out- Saturday, bringing total infections to The state of 130 million people, ing stubbornly within triple digits. door gatherings to 100, while specta- 22,176, with 358 deaths. REUTERS People vote during local elections in the Siberian city of Tomsk, Russia. Thailand seeks to stop students’ calls for monarchy reform

REUTERS over previous protests before being said the government would not try to BANGKOK, SEPT 13 released on bail. stop the protests, but authorities would Some groups have A letter to one university reviewed by enforce the law and did not want “escala- Thai authorities have summoned the heads listed demands to curb Reuters said: “There are concerns about tion or clashes”. of universities to tell them to stop students the behaviour of some groups taking part Most Thai universities are sponsored by demanding reform of the monarchy, warn- the powers of King in the protest that are inappropriate, for the state. ing that such calls could lead to violence, a example those that want to topple the mon- Anusorn Unno, a lecturer at Thammasat member of the military-appointed Senate Maha Vajiralongkorn’s archy and those that demand voiding University, who joined over 100 academics said on Sunday. Article 112 of the criminal code.” in a statement supporting students’ free- Thailand has faced near daily protests Royal Palace. Article 112 refers to Thailand’s lese dom of expression in August, said such since mid-July calling for the departure of majeste laws, which sets a jail term of up orders were not unusual. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a for- to 15 years for insulting the king. “The only difference this time is that mer junta leader, and for a new constitu- “We did not tell the governors to block “This is a sensitive matter that could some evidence has leaked,” he said. tion and elections. the protests but we want them to create lead to violence,” the letter says - referring Prime Minister Prayuth, a former junta Some groups have also listed 10 understanding with university officials, specifically to incidents in 1976 and 1992, leader who rejects accusations that last demands to curb the powers of King Maha especially on the 10 demands for the mon- when security forces killed scores of year’s elections were unfair, has said pro- Vajiralongkorn’s Royal Palace, breaking a archy.” anti-government protesters. tests should be allowed but not criticism of long-standing taboo in the Southeast Asian An interior ministry official confirmed It said police would take legal action the monarc h y. country. that such letters had been sent and said it against anyone behaving inappropriately The Senate helped in assuring Prayuth’s Senator Somchai Sawangkarn told was standard procedure. The Palace did at protests while the digital ministry would position as prime minister after the Reuters that letters had been sent by not respond to requests for comment. take legal action against anyone using 2019 election. It was appointed by state-appointed provincial governors to Student leader Panusaya “Rung” social media “to distort and defame the Prayuth’s previous military government university heads, summoning them to Sithijirawattanakul, 21, who was the first monarchy” or to incite protests. and protesters want it scrapped under a meetings ahead of protests planned on to read out the list of 10 demands for palace A participant at one meeting said new constitution. Sept. 19 in Bangkok and elsewhere. reform, told Reuters it amounted to “des- authorities asked his university to draw up Among the 10 reforms sought to the “University administrators should cre- perate tactics”. a list of potential troublemakers. monarchy by some student groups are a ate understanding with the students on “They are using this tactic to try to sup- Government spokesman Anucha reduction in the king’s constitutional pow- this and should put a stop to the demands press and threaten people,” said Panusaya, Burapachaisri said he was not aware of ers as well as his personal control of the on the monarchy,” he said. one of more than a dozen activists arrested the letters from the interior ministry. He royal fortune and some units of the army.

C M Y K 07 | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 SPORTS | MEDLEY BRIEFING Osaka beats Azarenka to claim second US Open title Atletico coach Simeone tests positive for coronavirus The Japanese sees off her unseeded opponent of Belarus 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 becoming the first Asian player to win three Grand Slams overtaking China’s Li Na. MADRID: Atletico Madrid coach Diego AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE safely,” Osaka said. Simeone has tested positive for Covid- NEW YORK, SEPT 13 The match was watched by just a 19, his club said in a statement on few dozen people, mostly officials, Saturday, meaning the team could be Japan’s Naomi Osaka came from a set journalists and event staff after the without their manager when they down to beat Victoria Azarenka of coronavirus pandemic forced the tour- start the La Liga campaign in two Belarus to claim her second US Open nament to be held behind closed doors. weeks’ time. Atleti’s statement said championship on Saturday and clinch Osaka was the first woman to win the Argentine was asymptomatic and her third Grand Slam title. the US Open singles final from a set was currently isolating in his home Osaka, the fourth seed, overcame down since 1994 and rises to third in after undergoing a test on Friday dur- her unseeded opponent 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 the WTA rankings. She also becomes ing the team’s pre-season training inside a near-empty Arthur Ashe the first Asian player to win three camp. The La Liga season started on Stadium at Flushing Meadows. It Grand Slams, overtaking China’s Li Saturday but Atletico are missing the brought 22-year-old Osaka’s haul of Na on two. first two weekends due to their par- tennis major trophies to three after Osaka had walked onto the court ticipation in last month’s Champions her victories at the 2018 US Open and wearing a mask bearing the name of League ‘Final Eight’ tournament. 2019 Australian Open. “I didn’t really Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old African- They play their first game of the cam- enjoy that. It was a really tough match American boy who was shot dead by a paign at home to Granada on for me,” Osaka said following her 1hr white police officer in Cleveland, Ohio September 27. 53min victory that delivers her prize in 2014. Osaka, of Japanese and money of $3 million. Haitian heritage, wore different Azarenka, 31, sprinted to the first masks honoring victims of racial Serena pulls out of Italian Open set in just 26 minutes, dominating injustice and police brutality in each NEW YORK: Serena Williams has pulled Osaka with an 88 percent success rate round of the tournament. She also out of the Italian Open starting on on her first serve. The Japanese was donned face coverings bearing the Monday due to an Achilles injury, the uncharacteristically sloppy, hitting a names of Breonna Taylor, Elijah former world number one confirmed whopping 13 unforced errors. McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon on Saturday. Williams’ bid for a Azarenka then went 2-0 ahead in the Martin, George Floyd and Philando record-equalling 24th Grand Slam sin- second set before Osaka fought back to Castile. gles title ended with a defeat to break her opponent’s serve twice and Azarenka, a two-time Grand Slam Victoria Azarenka at the US Open on take a 4-3 lead. champion, was playing in her first Thursday, a match in which she took The momentum had quickly swung major final since losing the 2013 US a medical timeout to have her left in Osaka’s favor and she broke a third Open to Serena Williams. The last few ankle re-taped due to the Achilles time to push the match to a deciding years of the former world number problem. “I regretfully must with- set. “I just thought it would be very one’s career have been disrupted, draw from The Internazionali BNL embarrassing to lose this in under an firstly by injury then by a custody d’Italia due to an Achilles strain,” hour so I just have to try as hard as I battle over her son, born in December Williams, a four-times winner in can and stop having a really bad atti- 2016. But she enjoyed a fairytale run Rome, said in a statement. Double tude,” said Osaka, explaining the AP/RSS in New York, clinching the Western & Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, turnaround. Naomi Osaka holds the US Open tennis championships trophy after defeating Victoria Azarenka in the singles final in New York on Saturday. Southern title before reaching 2019 US Open champion Bianca Osaka enjoyed the first break- Saturday’s US Open final, where she Andreescu and top-ranked Ash Barty through of set three in game four for a 4-1 lead. Azarenka saved four Azarenka pushed a forehand wide to opponent, Osaka lay down in the lost for the third time. have also pulled out of the tourna- when she broke Azarenka’s serve to break points to make it 4-2 as she bat- leave herself the opportunity of serv- middle of the court and looked up at “I want to thank my team for stick- ment. Dominic Thiem and Alexander take a 3-1 lead. Azarenka then blew a tled to keep the contest alive. ing for the match and title. On Osaka’s the sky in celebration. “I always see ing with me, for believing in me,” Zverev have withdrawn from the golden opportunity to get back into When she broke Osaka in game second championship point, Azarenka everyone sort of collapse after match Azarenka said. “It’s been a long road event, the organisers said in a the match, wasting three break points seven, the set was back on serve. But found the net. point. But I always think you may of getting here, but this was fun,” statement. (AGENCIES) as Osaka recovered from 0-40 to hold Osaka immediately broke back after After touching racquets with her injure yourself so I wanted to do it she added. Promoted Leeds make a statement despite Liverpool defeat Leicester off to flying start REUTERS Leeds’ approach to the game. “Leeds are ing Liverpool away from their usual tactic “They’ve made a real statement,” said REUTERS LIVERPOOL, SEPT 13 special,” said Klopp. “I congratulated every of a high-press and leaving them needing former Liverpool player and manager WEST BROMWICH, SEPT 13 one of their team, what a team they are. to operate deeper. “We cannot just Graeme Souness, now a pundit on Sky Leeds United waited 16 years to get back Unbelievable. I will watch them quite often press them in their own box always Sports television. Jamie Vardy converted two penalties to help Leicester City get into the Premier League in order to com- during the season.” because that’s where they play out, it’s “You can say that Liverpool were not at off to a winning start in the Premier League season with a 3-0 pete with the best and while they suffered a Beilsa’s side defended with a deep line impossible... so we needed a compact for- their best but they were not allowed to be at victory at promoted West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. 4-3 loss to Liverpool, it was clear but while other teams who have adopted mation,” said Klopp. their best. Leeds hunted them down for a Vardy, the league’s top scorer last season, and Dennis Praet from Saturday’s showing that Marcelo that approach at Anfield have bunkered Such has been the focus on Argentine large part of that game. I don’t think they both had drilled efforts well saved by West Brom goalkeeper Bielsa’s side are an exciting addition to the down for a long day of defending, Leeds Bielsa and his demanding system that the enjoyed the experience. Liverpool normal- Sam Johnstone in bright sunshine at the Hawthorns, with the top flight. took the game to Liverpool. It is an individual quality in the Leeds side, which ly do that to teams that they play. They hosts offering little in attack in the first half. The promoted club came back three approach which stretches the field, creat- won the Championship title last season, is normally put teams under pressure and The visitors continued to dominate after the break and took times to equalise against the champions, ing open areas in midfield which can be often underplayed. But while they ulti- outwork them. Tonight, Liverpool were the lead in the 56th minute through debutant Timothy they enjoyed the majority of possession very risky against a team of Liverpool’s mately paid the price for defensive errors, outworked,” he said. Castagne—a summer signing from Italian side Atalanta— and played with a relentless verve and quality. there were some excellent performances Bielsa was not joining in the praise of when the full back headed home a Praet cross. Vardy was energy and without the slightest hint of But it worked, for the most part, because from a team making their bow in the top his team, however. “I can never be happy in fouled by Kyle Bartley in the penalty area 17 minutes from stage-fright. The only pity was that this Leeds covered so much ground with their flight. defeat,” said the former Athletic Bilbao time, and the striker stroked home the spot-kick to score for pulsating encounter took place, like every impressive work-rate and because they had Full-back Luke Ayling powered up and and Chile coach, who highlighted his the fifth successive trip to West Brom as a Leicester player. other game this weekend, in an empty sta- the skill and organisation to move the ball down the right flank and Polish interna- team’s defensive errors and felt the cham- Leicester were able to give substitute James Maddison his dium—this was exactly the kind of clash swiftly through the lines. “I said before the tional Mateusz Klich added a well-taken pions had deserved their win. “There were first minutes since March after undergoing hip surgery, before that would have had Anfield on its feet. game, we will all struggle against them, goal to an outstanding all-round midfield periods when Liverpool dominated. There Vardy made the win more comprehensive six minutes from It can often come across as patronising 100%, because the way they play is just display. Jack Harrison’s brilliant solo goal were loads of periods when the game was time with another penalty. The visitors, looking to forget their when a winning manager praises defeated uncomfortable. It is different to all the capped an excellent performance of inven- even. In some moments we were able to be poor end to last season that cost them a place in the Champions opponents but Juergen Klopp’s post-match other teams,” said Klopp. tiveness combined with aggressive press- superior. On the whole though Liverpool League, were much too sharp for West Brom on their Premier comments were a sincere appreciation of It was an approach which worked - forc- ing that epitomised Leeds’ approach. were superior.” League return. HOROSCOPE ARIES (March 21-April 19) *** CANCER (June 22-July 22) **** LIBRA (September 23-October 22) *** CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) **** Use your warm personality to help melt the cold Your communication could be misinterpreted today If one of your relationships is suffering because one It looks like a flighty friend is finally getting their act shoulder you’ve been getting from someone you work because you have an awful lot on your mind. If you person isn’t making enough time for the other, it’s together. But before you go back to treating them with. It’s a fun challenge for which you are perfectly want to keep all your favorite people happy with you, time to talk about new things the two of you can do with unquestioning trust, you need to clearly com- ready right now! Send them a sweet e-mail that offers then you need to take a moment before you send your together. You both need to expand your horizons and municate what kind of behavior you will or won’t some genuine compliments. message. get out of the rut you’ve been in. accept from them.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) *** LEO (July 23-August 22) **** SCORPIO (October 23-November 21) **** AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) **** Today is a good day to have a serious talk with a You have a great deal of patience today, which will People are easy for you to deal with, numbers Someone you love has been filled with self-doubt latel. friend who has been acting out of character lately. help you tolerate some pretty controversial people no not so much! If you are dealing with any contracts or A lot of mutual friends have noticed, and they all Casually ask about what is new in their life and see one else can stand. You can help people see each oth- other types of documents with a lot of detail think you’re in the best position to deliver the win- what they say. Whatever you do, don’t accuse them of er’s point of view more clearly and come to better today, you need to be twice as meticulous as you usu- ning pep talk that will put this person back on the anything or push them to reveal things. decisions more quickly. ally are. track to positive self-esteem.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) **** VIRGO (August 23-September 22) **** SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21) *** PISCES (February 19-March 20) *** Some totally flirtatious energy could blow into your Even if you have a big deadline looming, you need to People are easy for you to deal with, numbers not so You need to try to keep things simple today. If you life like a thunderstorm today. All this flirting will do your best to slow down and avoid rushing. It’s much! If you are dealing with any contracts or toss too many details into the mix, you are bound to light a fire under you that no social situation can time for you to reach out for help from the people other types of documents with a lot of detail today, get overwhelmed. This day has a lot of potential to be contain! No one will be able to resist your cute who are always offering their time or brainpower you need to be twice as meticulous as you very enjoyable, so it would be a shame to stress your- remarks and your sassy one-liners. whenever you need it. usually are. self out. CROSSWORD SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION

C M Y K MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | 08 CULTURE & LIFESTYLE (C.R.P.D.) - 3/052/053 Being a photojournalist in a pandemic The coronavirus has challenged reporters to find new ways to work while staying safe. But that’s easier said than done for photojournalists.

SHASHWAT PANT types of business, the media industry KATHMANDU included. Because of financial restric- tions, many have stopped publication, verytime Skanda Gautam many have laid off employees and made leaves his house for an assign- pay cuts. ment, he gets anxious. Anxious “Most of us haven’t been paid for near- that he might contract the ly five months. But we still do it because virus, anxious about transmit- this is what we like doing. Documenting ting the virus to his family things because we are passionate about Emembers and his infant daughter. it,” says Gautam. Gautam, who is a photojournalist at The Besides financial stress, a more stress- Himalayan Times, always tries to stay ful problem that photographers say needs safe while on assignment. He always puts immediate addressing is the lack of safe- on a mask and regularly sanitizes his ty measures. The organisations for whom hands. many photojournalists work for have When he returns home, before meeting been giving them little to no assistance his family, he changes his clothes in his when it comes to providing them safety store room below the house, washes it, equipment, such as personal protective takes a shower and then goes to meet his gear (PPE), gloves, face shields, even family. The life of many photojournalists masks. The photojournalists have to get like Gautam has drastically changed ever the tests done on their own expenses and since the pandemic and there’s not much media houses are also not providing them they can do except adapt. any insurance money. Many say that the “I know there are risks but being a pho- workplace hasn’t been too demanding of tojournalist is what I like to do,” says their work, but they have not received any Gautam. “It is my responsibility to be in help from the organisation. the know and show people what is “The only help we’ve got is from within going on.” the community. The PJ Club The pandemic has brought the world to (Photojournalists’ Club) has provided a scary place. Infection rates are increas- members Covid-19 insurance of up to Rs ing by the day: today the total number of 100,000. It’s not a lot but this kind of help cases in the Kathmandu valley has goes a long way,” says Mathema. reached over 11,500. And while many have With such little precautions, families been working from home, there are some of these photojournalists are afraid and for who working from home is not a possi- apprehensive about letting their family bility. Photojournalists have to go where members go out in the field. Malla says the stories take them and thus risk being that she sometimes has to lie to her fami- exposed to the virus is more. ly members when they ask her where “Of course I do not feel safe,” says she’s been. Gautam, who has taken four PCR tests so “Sometimes I tell them I went to far. “Right now you never know who has Basantapur instead of telling them I went the virus and who doesn’t. Whenever I go SHUTTERSTOCK to Teku or to cover a festival,” says Malla. to a crowded place, I get concerned. I try best shots of the pandemic. The picture ficult for us otherwise I feel there are a lot “They worry a lot, but I understand why to keep safe, but it’s not as simple as peo- made it to the front page of the Post’s sis- of things we can capture on our lenses they worry which is why I don’t tell ple think it is.” ter publication, Kantipur. “A man, carry- The months-long right now.” them.” Angad Dhakal, a photojournalist at ing his child, both without masks, was But there are others, like Gautam, who Mathema shares that tensions run high Kantipur Media Group, says that he too walking beside a quarantine camp. I felt it lockdown has deeply says he takes this as a challenge. “I try to in his family too when they know he is in was scared in the beginning and didn’t showed how even though one part of the jolted all types of make sure I click something different and a crowded place for a story. “Sometimes get out of his house until absolutely nec- population was panicking, there was interesting. Sure content is scarce, but my wife sees me at some event on essary. He would check his temperature another which couldn’t live with the fear business, the media there are things we can capture and tell Facebook live and calls me asking me to every hour or so, paranoid that he would as they needed to work to get food on stories about,” he says. The work he does not be near such crowds. I understand her get infected. However after going to plate. It was a very humbling experience,” industry included. now will also go down as historical docu- concern and I try to respect her request,” Province 5, the hotspot of Covid-19 cases says Dhakal. mentation of the pandemic in the valley, says Mathema. in the country in the initial days of the His thoughts are echoed by Prakash he says. The fear of catching the virus is high lockdown, to cover a story and seeing so Mathema, a photojournalist associated there is little activity happening for pho- He gives the example of his work where among photojournalists and it will always many people, many with little means to with Agence France-Presse, who tojournalists to cover, they say. he did a photo story on how the army be there, says Dhakal, especially because buy protective gear, having to deal with says that the fear of contracting the Assignments have thus dried up. handles the body of a deceased Covid-19 time and again news surfaces of journal- the virus head-on, he says his fear subsid- virus is a major challenge he’s been fac- Monica Malla, a photojournalist at patient. “I knew the risks I was subjecting ists being infected. This is why he has ed a little bit. ing. “I do everything in my power Nagarik News Network, says that what myself and my family to by doing the undergone the PCR test three times and “There were people without masks on, to keep safe, but I know that it’s not in my makes the current situation harder is the story, but I was really proud of the work I tries his best to keep distance while tak- walking barefoot in quarantine areas hands sometimes,” says Mathema, who uncertainty. While before they knew what did there,” says Gautam, who says this ing photographs. But the job has to be without fear or awareness. They had no says he even sanitises his camera was going to happen on a particular day, type of work is what makes him do what done, he says. choice. At that point I realised that sooner every day. now everything is up in the air. he does: bring stories that need to be “I haven’t been too close to people at or later the virus will make its way every- While safety is one of their biggest con- “Take the whole issue with Rato shown to people who are unaware. He home for months now. They’ve been where, and instead of being paranoid, we cerns, another challenge photojournal- Machhindranath last week. No one could keeps doing this despite the risks and understanding so far as they know this is all had to find a way to be smart and care- ists have been facing is finding new sto- have guessed that the incident would despite being unpaid. what I do. But I know that they are wor- ful and learn how to live with it.” ries. With much of the country under escalate like it did,” she says. The months of lockdown (and ried, but this is what I love to do,” says While he was there, he took one of his lockdown still and life at a standstill, “This uncertainty is what makes it dif- prohibitory orders) has deeply jolted all Dhakal.

Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland wins top prize at Venice Film Fest Zhao and actor Frances McDormand appear by video from the United States to accept the award.

LOUISE DIXON & NICOLE WINFIELD and we were pretty sure about that, but VENICE you never know.” Hong Kong director Ann Hui almost hloe Zhao’s Nomadland, a didn’t make it after she couldn’t get on recession-era road trip her flight because of virus border restric- drama starring Frances tions. In the end, she arrived to collect her McDormand, won the Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Golden Lion for best film Award and to see her out-of-competition Saturday at a slimmed- film Love After Love make its world Cdown Venice Film Festival, which was premiere. held against the backdrop of the corona- Movie lovers applauded Venice’s effort virus pandemic. and the symbolic significance of the Zhao and McDormand appeared by world’s oldest film festival charting the video from the United States to accept the path forward. award, given virus-related travel restric- “It’s a moment of rebirth for everyone, tions made reaching the Lido in the for the whole world,” said Emma Dante, Italian lagoon city difficult if not impossi- the Italian director of the in-competition ble for many Hollywood filmmakers and film The Macaluso Sisters. “This festival actors. is really an important moment of encoun- “Thank you so much for letting us ter, of beginning to dream again and be come to your festival in this weird, together again, even with the norms and weird world and way!” McDormand told following all the safety protocols.” the masked audience as the Italian mar- Film writer Emma Jones said aside keting team for the film actually accepted from “a few teething problems” with the the award. “But we’re really glad you online reservation system, the festival let us come! And we’ll see you down went off better than she expected. the road!” “It feels safe in there, it feels socially A favourite going into the awards distanced,” she said of the venues. season, Nomadland is screening at all Jones noted that the lineup of films the major fall film festivals in a lacked the usual Hollywood blockbust- pandemic-forged alliance involving the ers—think La La Land, and The Venice, Toronto, New York and Telluride Shape of Water—that have used Venice as festivals. a springboard to Oscar fame. While the Britain’s Vanessa Kirby won best lead festival featured films from Iran, India, actress for Pieces of a Woman, a harrow- Australia and beyond, it was heavily ing drama about the emotional fallout of European. a couple after their baby dies during a “This is a Covid-19 festival. There’s no home birth. Italy’s Pierfrancesco Fabino use pretending anything else,” Jones won best lead actor for Padrenostro, (Our AP/RSS said. Father), an Italian coming-of-age story Disney’s marketing director for Italy Davide Romani (Centre) holds the Golden Lion Best Film award for Nomadland, at the closing ceremony of 77th edition But she added: “It would feel really off- that takes place after a terrorist attack in of the Venice Film Festival, in Venice. note, I think, to have had a red the 1970s. carpet with screaming fans and celebri- “It’s the greatest honour of my life,” while Chaitanya Tamhane won best out. Reservations for all were required in ties walking down it and people talking Kirby said afterwards from the red car- screenplay for The Disciple, about an advance, with theater capacity set at less about who wore what. Twenty-twenty is pet, admitting that her knees were still Indian man’s pursuit to be a classical Japanese director than half. The public was barred from the not the year for those kinds of discus- shaking. “Cinema is everything to me, vocalist. Kiyoshi Kurosawa red carpet and paparazzi, who would nor- sions.” and so the fact that we’re all together, That the 10-day Venice festival took mally chase after stars in rented boats, Instead, she said, Venice focused on the everybody, to support it and honour it is place at all was something of a miracle, wins the Silver Lion were given socially distanced positions integrity of the films and the diversity of all I can ask for.” given that northern Italy in late February on land. the countries represented. Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa became ground zero for Europe’s corona- for best director for While it’s too soon to say if the meas- “We were lucky to receive a lot of sub- won the Silver Lion for best director virus outbreak. The Cannes Film Festival ures worked, there were no immediate missions from all over the world, for Wife of a Spy, while the Silver Lion was cancelled and other big international Wife of a Spy. reports of infections among festival-goers and apart from a few missing titles grand jury prize went to Mexico’s Michel festivals in Toronto and New York opted and compliance with mask mandates and from the Hollywood major film studios, Franco for his dystopian drama Nuevo to go mostly online. social distancing appeared to be high. most of the countries are represented in Orden. But after Italy managed to tame its ously been unthinkable for a festival that “We were a little bit worried at the Venice and the quality of the lineup is The Russian film Dear Comrades! infections with a strict 10-week lockdown, has prided itself on spectacular visuals beginning, of course,” said festival direc- really very high,” said festival director about a 1960s era massacre in the former Venice decided to go ahead, albeit under and glamorous clientele. tor Alberto Barbera. “We knew that we Barbera. Soviet Union, won a special jury prize safety protocols that would have previ- Face masks were required indoors and had a very strict plan of safety measures —Associated Press

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