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

Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXIX No. 156 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 37.0 C 16.2 C Saturday, July 24, 2021 | 09-04-2078 Dipayal Jumla From vaccines to a balancing act, Deuba faces tough foreign policy challenges It is not just about India and China anymore. With the changes in international rivalries, Nepal needs to tread carefully while safeguarding its interests, observers say.

ANIL GIRI KATHMANDU, JULY 23

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has his plate full. And there are a cou- ple issues he needs to address immedi- ately—the sooner the better. Besides calibrating Nepal’s foreign policy, particularly vis-a-vis India and China, a perennial challenge for every government in Nepal given its geopolitical location, there is an added task for Deuba—securing Covid-19 vaccines. That the pandemic is trig- gering a huge geopolitical flux is something the 10-day-old prime minis- ter cannot ignore. Then there is clearing up the mess that his predecessor KP Sharma Oli Post file Photo created in Nepal’s handling of its for- Sher Bahadur Deuba AFP/RSS eign relations. An overview shows performers and athlete delegations taking part in the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Olympic “Obviously he faces some chal- While taking the vote of confidence Stadium in Tokyo on Friday. lenges in the changing regional on Sunday, Prime Minister Deuba and global scenarios in the gave some indications of his foreign post-Covid world,” said a policy when he said its priority will joint-secretary at the Ministry of begin with neighbouring countries Foreign Affairs. “Earning the and then go on to include the region, Tokyo Olympics begins—with muted trust and goodwill of India, the major powers of the United States China, the United States, the and Europe and others. European Union and other pow- “There are no permanent friends ers as well as balancing their and enemies in foreign policy and ceremony and empty stadium interests such that it is compati- international relations but there is ble with our own foreign policy always a permanent interest,” he said. objectives is the key.” >> Continued on page 2 Athletes march into the stadium in usual parade, waving to thousands of empty seats and to a world hungry to watch them compete but surely wondering what to make of it all.

Associated Press portray that the Games—and their Organisers held a moment of TOKYO, July 23 spirit—are going on. silence for those who had died of Early on, an ethereal blue light Covid; as it ticked off and the music Belated and beleaguered, the virus-de- bathed the empty seats as loud music paused, the sounds of the protests omegawatches.com layed Tokyo Summer Olympics finally muted the shouts of scattered protest- echoed in the distance. opened on Friday night with cascading ers outside calling for the Games to be Protesters’ shouts from outside the fireworks and made-for-TV choreogra- cancelled—a widespread sentiment arena gave voice to a fundamental phy that unfolded in a near-empty sta- here. A single stage held an octagon question about these Games as Japan, dium, a colourful but strangely sub- shape meant to resemble the country’s and large parts of the world, reel from dued ceremony that set a striking tone fabled Mount Fuji. Later, an orches- the continuing gut punch of a pan- to match a unique pandemic Games. tral medley of songs from iconic demic that is stretching well into its As their opening played out, devoid Japanese video games served as the second year, with cases in Tokyo of the usual crowd energy, the soundtrack for athletes’ entrances. approaching record highs this week: Olympics convened amid simmering Athletes marched into the stadium Will the deep, intrinsic human attach- anger and disbelief in much of the in their usual parade, waving enthusi- ment to the spectacle of sporting com- host country, but with hopes from astically to thousands of empty seats petition at the highest possible level organisers that the excitement of the and to a world hungry to watch them be enough to salvage these Games? sports to follow would offset the wide- compete but surely wondering what to Time and again, previous opening spread opposition. make of it all. Some athletes marched ceremonies have pulled off something Trepidations throughout Japan socially distanced, while others clus- that approaches magic. Scandals— have threatened for months to drown tered in ways utterly contrary to bribery in Salt Lake City, censorship out the usual carefully packaged glitz organisers’ hopes. The Czech Republic and pollution in Beijing, doping in of the opening. Inside the stadium entered with other countries even Sochi—fade into the background after dusk on Friday, however, a pre- though its delegation has had several when the sports begin. cisely calibrated ceremony sought to positive Covid tests since arriving. >> Continued on page 6 At Covid-19 call centre, most of the queries of late are about vaccines Operators say though they are troubled by some prank calls, the overwhelming number of people asking about jabs is an encouraging sign that Nepalis are up for the shots.

nation with the World Health Organisation to disseminate informa- tion about the coronavirus. In the ini- tial days, it was operated from Jawalakhel and the government had outsourced the service. But a month later it was shifted to Teku. The hotline number 1115 is open from 6am to 10pm, and a total of 12 RECORDING OLYMPIC DREAMS SINCE 1932 staff run the call centre in two shifts. “Over the past three days, most of the calls are from vaccinated people Every athlete has a dream. It lives in their heart and it pushes them towards who want to know how to get the immunisation certification,” Dhakal victory. At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, these dreams will be given a stage. told the Post on Thursday afternoon, This is the moment when inspiration meets performance, when ambition as hundreds of Nepali migrant work- ers were jostling in queues to get the meets precision, and when the Official Timekeeper OMEGA records it all. vaccination certification braving a heavy July rain. Post Photo: Drishna Sthapit According to the operators, in the Call operators at the EDCD call centre handling public queries regarding Covid-19. The 1115 initial days, people used to call to hotline number receives around 700 calls a day on average. know about the coronavirus and ways to be safe. But after the government’s ANUP OJHA was launched in late January, over 60 vaccination campaign faced a hitch KATHMANDU, JULY 23 percent of our callers have been ask- for a lack of vaccines, the number of ing when and where they can get the calls suddenly grew, with people ask- At the coronavirus call centre set up vaccine,” said Amrit Dhakal, 30, who ing when they could get vaccinated. on the second floor of the Epidemiology has been working at the call centre for When vaccines started to arrive, AVAILABLE AT: and Disease Control Division at Teku, the past one year. people now want to know where REGENCY WATCH: Annapurna Arcade, Durbar Marg phones ring constantly. From six in On an average, he handles over and when vaccines are being adminis- 1 Durbar Mall, Thamsherku Center, Durbar Marg the morning to ten at night, operators 80 calls from across the country daily, tered and which types of vaccines MGA International Pvt Ltd deal with a flurry of questions, mostly he said. are being given to the people, a call regarding Covid-19 vaccines. The government established the call operator said. “Ever since the immunisation drive centre on March 13 last year in coordi- >> Continued on page 2

C M Y K SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2021 | 02 National Infections soar in Sudurpaschim as restrictions are lifted The number of Covid-19 patients suffering from diarrhoea, fatigue, loss of appetite and bloating, among other symptoms, has increased, health workers say.

ARJUN SHAH Out of 1,531 PCR tests conducted DHANGADHI, JULY 23 between July 9 and July 15 in Sudurpaschim, 224 tested positive for The relaxation of prohibitory orders Covid-19. Between July 16 and July 22, and complacency among the general 207 out of 567 swab samples reported public have contributed to the rise in positive results, the data of the health the number of Covid-19 cases in directorate showed. Sudurpaschim Province, health According to the Ministry of Health workers say. and Population, Sudurpaschim has Social gatherings and crowding in the highest infection rate in the coun- public places have further worsened try followed by Gandaki, Karnali and the situation, with the virus rapidly other provinces. Province 2 has the spreading in settlements across vari- lowest infection rate, with only 144 out ous districts of the province. of 2,517 swab samples testing positive Prohibitory orders were imposed in between July 16 and July 22, the record various districts of Sudurpaschim of the ministry showed. Province April 29 onwards. The pro- In Sudurpaschim Province, PCR vincial government started introduc- tests are being conducted at Seti ing gradual relaxations from July 11 Hospital in Dhangadhi, Mahakali in various districts. Hospital in Mahendranagar and in Businesses including hotels, restau- other facilities in Dadeldhura, rants and transportation have Doti, Bajhang, Baitadi and Achham resumed services in all districts of the districts. province. “Between July 16 and July 22, Covid- post photo: Deepak kc Bimal Khadka, a resident of 19 cases have increased in Dhangadhi, Workers prepare cotton to make a quilt at an open space in Teku, Kathmandu on Friday. Dhangadhi Ward 4, says she has been Mahendranagar, Dadeldhura and witnessing free public movement and Baitadi districts. The data showed large gatherings akin to pre-pandemic that the Covid-19 infection rate has days in her area. doubled in Sudurpaschim Province,” “We can see crowds in the bazaar said Dr Gunaraj Awasthi, director at area and in shops. Traffic jams and the Sudurpaschim Health Directorate. From vaccines to a balancing act, Deuba faces ... vehicular congestion in Dhangadhi Another leading factor for the surge reflect the carelessness of both the in coronavirus cases in the province is >> Continued from page 1 partners, ratification of the Nepal’s foreign policy,” said Paudyal. take India into confidence. Winning authorities and the public. People the movement of migrant workers in “Securing vaccines will be my first Millennium Challenge Corporation As far as India is concerned, Nepal its confidence is the key,” said Karki. have even stopped wearing face masks and out of the country through vari- and foremost foreign policy priority.” compact under which the US is pro- published a political map incorporat- As far as China is concerned, Deuba these days,” he said. ous border points. A large number of This is Deuba’s fifth stint as the viding a grant of $500 million for two ing Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and has to be careful not to step on its toes, Doctors at the Seti Provincial migrant workers from various dis- country’s prime minister and he is infrastructure projects to Nepal could Kalapani as part of Nepal, although according to Paudyal, the former Hospital in Dhangadhi say tricts of Sudurpaschim Province work well aware of Nepal’s challenges. be a bone of contention. the territory is claimed by India. The ambassador to China. Sudurpaschim is seeing an uptick in in India. “Deuba is an old and experienced Deuba’s Nepali Congress as well as two countries decided to resolve the “Once Deuba became embroiled in a coronavirus cases with patients suf- “Implementation of health safety hand in the foreign policy arena,” said Janata Samajbadi Party, the other coa- issue through talks but nothing con- controversy while participating in a fering from symptoms different than measures at the border points and the joint-secretary on condition of lition partner, are on the same page crete has happened, as India contin- Tibetan function in Goa, India,” previously reported. monitoring of incoming and outgoing anonymity. regarding its ratification from ues to build a road through the disput- Paudyal said. “The Chinese took his Dr Nirajan Datta Sharma Paudel, a traffic must be prioritised to check the But he leads a coalition government Parliament but the Maoist Centre has ed territory to Manasarovar, a holy participation very seriously. consultant physician at the hospital, spread of the virus,” said Awasthi. and how he deals with the challenges reservations over it and wants to rati- Hindu pilgrimage site in Tibet, China. Therefore, we have to be careful where said the number of coronavirus Gauriphanta border point in Kailali in front of him also depends on how fy the compact only after amending Many see India as Nepal’s major the sentiments of our neighbouring patients suffering from diarrhoea, and Gaddachowki border point in much leeway his coalition partners some of the provisions of the MCC. foreign policy pillar and managing countries may be hurt.” fatigue, loss of appetite and abdomi- Kanchanpur are the two main border will give him to conduct his foreign But there have been no talks among Nepal’s ties with India would be He also pointed out how, as a good- nal bloating and fullness among oth- points in the province. policy, the official added. the coalition partners over its among the major foreign policy will gesture, as soon as Deuba became ers has increased. According to the Ministry of Social One bone of contention that will ratification, according to a Maoist challenges. prime minister, Chinese Ambassador “I was suffering from diarrhoea for Development, a holding centre with a come to the fore is how he deals with Centre leader who did not want to be Among them is Ram Karki, a mem- Hou Yanqi announced the donation of the last two days. I visited the hospital capacity of 1,000 beds is being con- the Belt and Road Initiative led by identified. ber of the Foreign Affairs Department 1.6 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines and got tested for coronavirus. The structed at both the border points. China, the Indo-Pacific Strategy led by of the Communist Party of Nepal to Nepal. result came positive,” said a 21-year- “In the coming days, we will only the US and B3W, a new concept formu- (Maoist Centre). Karki is also a law- Besides having good relations with old man from Dhangadhi who is allow people who have undergone lated by the G-7 nations, according to This is Deuba’s fifth maker from the party. India, China, the US and others, receiving treatment for Covid-19 at the antigen tests to enter Nepal from observers. “Deuba himself is the doyen of experts have also suggested that some Seti Provincial Hospital. “I didn’t India. Until now, we are only perform- “In such a pressing situation and if stint as country’s Nepal’s foreign policy but his success changes are needed on the domestic know I was infected, as I was not ing antigen tests on coronavirus sus- Nepal has to takes sides in any major and failure will depend largely on how front. showing any symptoms of fever, cold pects,” said Lal Bahadur Khadka, power rivalry, then we should say that prime minister and he manages the ties with India,” Karki The institutionalisation and and headache as is expected in infect- minister of Social Development in our primary focus is to fight Covid told the Post. “Those who tried to strengthening of the Ministry of ed individuals.” Sudurpaschim Province. and we do not want to be in the pocket he is well aware of appease India in the past have failed Foreign Affairs, implementation of According to the data of the According to the data of the of any nation,” said Durga Bhattarai, Nepal’s challenges. domestically.” the diplomatic code of conduct, doing Sudurpaschim Health Directorate, 567 Ministry of Social Development, an former foreign secretary and Nepal’s Oli, who was seen as a prime minis- away with the practice of speaking patients have died of coronavirus in estimated 300,000-400,000 individuals Permanent Representative to the ter tilting more towards the north through multiple organs when the Sudurpaschim Province. in foreign employment had returned United Nations. “There have been no talks and dis- after his election as prime minister on issue of foreign policy is concerned, The coronavirus infection rate in to Sudurpaschim Province during the Bhattarai was Deuba’s foreign poli- cussion inside the ruling alliance on the nationalist plank, lately was try- uneven policy of ambassadorial Sudurpaschim stood at 15 percent in first wave of the pandemic. Among cy adviser when he was prime minis- how to ratify the MCC,” the Maoist ing to mend fences with Delhi. In appointments, and uplifting Nepal’s the second week of July, which esca- them, over 150,000 were from India ter between 2017 and 2018. But the Centre leader said. “There are two political circles, it was believed that image are some key challenges that lated up to 37 percent by the third alone. prime minister has not announced his options currently discussed at the sen- Oli had the full support of the south, Deuba needs to sort out on the domes- week. The infection rate in The Ministry estimates more than a team of advisers for his latest innings, ior level. One is finding a common and that theory was gaining tic front, according to observers. Sudurpaschim is higher compared to million Nepalis from the province go including one on foreign policy. ground on MCC between the alliance traction also because of his meeting A Nepali Congress leader told the the other six provinces of the country, to various places in India for work “In that case, we should pursue a partners before tabling it in the House with Samant Kumar Goel, the Post on condition of anonymity that according to the health directorate. annually. non-alignment policy,” Bhattarai told two, allowing the House to discuss it chief of India’s spy wing, in October in the post-pandemic scenario, the the Post. “A pragmatic foreign policy and seek some changes on MCC or last year. role of Foreign Ministry needs to be suitable for a small country like clarifications from the US.” When there was a government expanded so it may be given the task to Nepal.” Observers also point out that Deuba change in Kathmandu, immediate oversee Nepal’s international trade, Nepal signed the framework on the has to clear Oli’s mess. concerns were how Delhi would react, business and investment. Belt and Road Initiative with China in “The Oli government damaged our with some even questioning why India But Bhattarai, the former foreign 2017 when Deuba’s trusted lieutenant foreign policy and international rela- was not prompt to congratulate Deuba policy adviser to Deuba, is confident and Nepali Congress joint general sec- tions that used to be balanced and after his appointment as prime minis- that Deuba will not conduct his for- retary Prakash Sharan Mahat was the nuanced,” said Leela Mani Poudyal, a ter on July 13. eign policy on the basis of ultra-na- foreign minister. But in the last four former chief secretary and former But minutes after Deuba won the tionalism, the way the previous gov- years, Nepal has not been able to final- ambassador to China. vote of confidence on July 18, Indian ernment did. ise and implement even a single pro- Paudyal was prematurely Prime Minister Narendra Modi con- “However, there is a trust deficit ject under it. recalled by the Oli government in gratulated him on Twitter. In a tele- when it comes to Nepal and its neigh- On the other hand, the concept of February end. phone conversation the next day, Modi bouring countries as well as other US-led Indo-Pacific Strategy was He was referring to how Oli could discussed cooperation between the major powers. So Deuba’s foremost major foreign policy headache for not balance Nepal’s relations with two countries and assured Nepal challenge will be to restore the trust Nepal when Oli was the prime minis- China and how the Belt and Road of the resumption of supply of and goodwill in Nepal’s favour,” said ter with his foreign minister and Initiative could not move forward Covid-19 jabs. Bhattarai. trusted lieutenant Pradeep Gyawali despite Nepal signing up to the Indian Defence Minister Rajnath “Quietly dealing with the geopoliti- claiming Nepal is not part of strategy Chinese flagship project in March Singh, Chief Minister of Uttar cal challenges of the US-China rivalry but US officials saying Nepal is indeed 2017. Pradesh Yogi Adityanath as well as as well as India-China rivalry, geopo- part of the US policy and is involved The same was the case with the Vijay Chauthaiwale, the ruling litical challenges of the South Asia, in it. United States as the Millennium Bharatiya Janata Party foreign seeking support and cooperation from Meanwhile, Nepal has not made any Challenge Corporation, a Washington- department chief, among others had immediate neighbours, international official position on B3W, the new initi- led programme under which Nepal is called Deuba and congratulated him and the donor community for the eco- ative of G-7 nations with the aim of to receive $500 million under grants, as soon as he was appointed prime nomic transformation of the country checking China’s rise. could not be ratified despite Oli’s minister. and securing vaccines to protect the With the Nepal Communist Party repeated reassurances. “The problem with our successive lives of the people are the key chal- Post Photo: ARJUN SHAH (Maoist Centre) as one of the coalition “Therefore he lost the coherence in prime ministers is that they could not lenges for Deuba.” Sudurpaschim has the highest infection rate in the country, according to the Health Ministry. At Covid-19 call centre, most of the queries of late are about vaccines

>> Continued from page 1 ine, as people ask if pregnant women posters and pamphlets and videos can lion population have been fully by the United States of America, from vent their ire randomly for no particu- “The overwhelming number of can be vaccinated, if two different be made for awareness campaigns. vaccinated. Monday, people started inquiring lar reason.” calls from people asking where they types of vaccines can be mixed and if Dr Basudev Pandey, former director A research conducted by the Centre about the criteria to get the vaccine. Dhakal says at times it does get frus- can get vaccinated shows their accept- people below 18 years can be vaccinat- of the Epidemiology and Disease for the Study of Labour and Mobility, Data from the Epidemiology and trating but everyone knows what their ance of the jabs,” said the 27-year-old ed,” Regmi told the Post. “We provide Control Division, said that people’s in collaboration with the US-based Disease Control Division show the call duty is so they don’t react to such who did not wish to be named. answers to our callers as per the World queries regarding vaccines as to when Yale University, shows that 97 percent centre has received 300,000 phone calls nuisance calls. In recent days, the call She said she has been working at Health Organisation’s guidelines and and where they can get inoculated is of Nepali population who are eligible so far. centre has also started blocking some the centre for the last three months. facts based on scientific research.” an encouraging sign, which shows for vaccines are ready to take the jabs. “In the past six months 7,100 calls repeat troublemakers who frequently After starting with Covishield, the The walls of their cubicles are cov- vaccine hesitancy is minimal in Even though the vaccination cam- were related to vaccines,” said Regmi, call for fun rather than for genuine AstraZeneca type vaccine manufac- ered with A4 sheets on which answers Nepal. paign has resumed with more doses the call centre in-charge. information. tured by the Serum Institute of India, to commonly asked questions are “If people are asking about safety, arriving in recent days, Nepal has not But all is not well in a day’s work for Regmi, the call centre in-charge, Nepal so far has used Vero Cell, manu- written to make it easier for them to that’s a given,” said Pandey. “We have been able to secure AstraZeneca jabs these operators. said some genuine calls, which are factured by China’s Sinopharm, and respond quickly. not developed or manufactured any to give booster doses to the over 65 age Some of the callers ask outrageous technical and whose answers the oper- the Janssen vaccine developed by the The operators are lab technicians, vaccine in Nepal and the jabs we are group who took their first shots in the questions, they say, like if drinking ators cannot provide, are forwarded to US firm Johnson & Johnson. public health graduates, health assis- using were brought from abroad. It’s second week of March. alcohol or cow urine or smearing 1156, the hotline number of the Nepal Ashesh Regmi, a senior public tants, nurses, and those with a back- natural for people to ask if these vac- “Everyday, we receive over a dozen one’s body with cow dung would help Medical Association. health officer at the Epidemiology and ground in microbiology. They take cines are safe. Our duty is to inform calls from people asking about the cure Covid-19. “The hotline number has been set Disease Control Division who is also details of every caller–name, address the people.” second dose,” said the nurse at the call “There are some bored callers who up to disseminate fact-based informa- the in-charge of the call centre, says and question asked–and feed the infor- Given Nepal’s high vaccine accept- centre, who did not wish to be named. call for fun,” said Dhakal, one of the tion to the public as misinformation is the calls they receive can be divided mation into the computer database. ance rate, most of the people would “People also ask if there are any side operators who is a lab technician. widespread these days,” said Regmi. into three categories–genuine con- Some common queries are then sent have been vaccinated by now if the effects of the vaccine.” “Everyday, I attend over a dozen prank “Our job is to provide accurate infor- cerns, rumours they have heard and to the National Health Education government had been able to arrange According to her, when the govern- calls, and some of them ask if we mation related to the coronavirus and prank calls. Information Communication Centre for enough vaccines. ment started administering the could top up their mobile phones. vaccines based on facts and WHO “Some concerns are indeed genu- under the Health Ministry so that So far, only 4 percent of the 30 mil- Johnson & Johnson vaccine provided There are some angry callers who guidelines.”

C M Y K 03 | SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2021 National Ban on long-route transport lifted amid virus concerns The virus will now travel to the remote places of Nepal where the numbers of Covid-19 cases are fewer, says Dr Pun of Teku Hospital.

SHUVAM DHUNGANA being overcharged.” KATHMANDU, JULY 23 Despite assurances by the authorities that health safety On Friday, the District protocols would be strictly Administration Office, enforced on long-route vehicles, Kathmandu issued a notice urg- there are concerns to the contra- ing public bus operators to make ry as the authorities have paid arrangements for the operation little attention to effectively of medium- and long-distance enforcing the restrictions. transport services by following As permission has been given health safety protocols. for the resumption of long-route The notice stated that as transport services, public health exams of the Tribhuvan experts have warned of a possi- University and the Public ble catastrophe as Nepal’s case Service Commission were going positivity rate is still too high to take place, the decision was and the percentage of fully taken to facilitate the movement immunised people against the of the examinees as well as the coronavirus is very low at four general public. percent. However, according to Chief The loosening of the restric- District Officer Kali Prasad tions has already increased Parajuli, the points mentioned crowds at public places and peo- in the notice are not the only ple are behaving as if the pan- reasons for allowing operation demic is over. of long-route vehicles. According to Dr Sher Bahadur “We have also received com- Pun, clinical research chief at plaints from the public that Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious despite the restrictions in place, Disease Hospital, with the Post Photo: SANJOG MANANDHAR some transporters were carry- resumption of long-route trans- People look at a taxi that had crashed into a shop at Bhadrakali, Kathmandu on Friday. Witnesses said a pedestrian was injured in the accident. ing passengers on long routes by port services, the virus will now charging them exorbitant fees,” travel to the remote places of said Parajuli. Nepal where the number of “As people were travelling to Covid-19 cases are fewer. their preferred destinations “Despite knowing that one Briefing UML claims Deuba doesn’t have anyhow by paying extra, we should observe basic health Sujita’s cousin arrested in connection to her death CHITWAN: The District Police Office in popular mandate. Experts disagree Chitwan has arrested the cousin of Sujita Bhandari, who was found dead in Ghamile forest of Bhandara Piple Political and constitutional experts say UML leaders are undermining the people’s mandate and in the district on July 4, on the charge of abetting her to commit suicide. promoting negativity against the judiciary by questioning Deuba’s appointment as prime minister. The man was arrested from Kathmandu on Thursday, police said. BINOD GHIMIRE Cholendra Shumsher Rana which on July “They should know that the parliament According to Indra Bahadur Rana, KATHMANDU, JULY 23 12 directed President Bidya Devi Bhandari determines the people’s mandate in a par- deputy superintendent of police in to appoint Deuba as prime minister as he liamentary democracy.” Chitwan, Sujita was in love with her Subas Nembang, deputy parliamentary had the backing of a majority of lawmak- The result of the vote of confidence has cousin. “Sujita had pressured him to party leader of the CPN-UML, walked up ers of the House of Representatives. While showed that the UML is spreading lies in get married but he refused. The to the lectern at the House of 149 lawmakers belonging to five parties Parliament and the streets and this will deceased had a telephone contact Representatives on Friday to make an had supported Deuba’s bid for prime min- further erode the people’s faith in the with the man before she committed address congratulating Sher Bahadur ister on May 21, three days later 146 of UML, said Shrestha. Post file Photo suicide,” said Rana. However, the Deuba, who was elected prime minister 10 them had moved the Supreme Court Experts say Oli had an overconfidence Authorities say they will strictly enforce health protocols on long-route vehicles. Chitwan Police has yet to receive the days ago. against the dissolution of the House and that he would continue to be in power at postmortem and viscera reports of However, Nembang’s congratulatory Bhandari’s move to invalidate his claim. least for five years. He is, therefore, find- allowed long-route vehicles to safety measures like wearing the deceased. address was full of satire and taunts The Constitutional Bench issued the ing it hard to accept the reality that his operate officially so that people masks and washing hands to against Deuba. He brought up several order stating that over 50 percent of the government has been toppled. do not have to pay hefty keep the virus away, people tend cases of alleged highhandedness by Deuba lawmakers in the 271-member strong Oli hasn’t been present in the House amounts.” to ignore these rules and contin- Landslides block from the time he was home minister in the lower house had extended their support to except during the voting on the confi- While long-route vehicles ue socialising thinking that Barpak-Laprak road Girija Prasad Koirala-led government in Deuba. dence motion. During the deliberations on remain garaged for nearly three their known persons or relatives 1991. On top of that he reiterated Deuba Political and constitutional experts say the vote of confidence Deuba had raised months due to the prohibitory are not infected,” said Pun. GORKHA: Vehicular movement along didn’t become prime minister from the the UML leaders are actually undermin- concerns over Oli’s absence. He said he orders, several reports suggest Pun believes that it will be the Barpak-Laprak road section has people’s mandate but by a court order. ing the people’s mandate and promoting was never absent from the House when that some unscrupulous opera- difficult to enforce health safety been obstructed due to multiple land- “This is the first time the country has negativity against the judiciary by argu- Oli, as prime minister, addressed it. tors of small vehicles have been protocols on long-route vehicles slides over the last two weeks, accord- got a prime minister not from the people ing that the Deuba government doesn’t Deuba said he was expecting Oli, as a serving long routes and charg- as people will eat dinners in ing to Raj Gurung, ward chairman of or the parliament but from a court order,” have the people’s mandate. leader of the opposition, to make his ing passengers up to four times groups compromising their Laprak in Dharche Rural he said. “There are different Articles and “The court ordered Deuba’s appoint- remarks. the normal fares. safety. Municipality Ward 4. He said the clauses in the constitution that envision ment as prime minister because he had Oli deputed Gyawali to speak on behalf Deputy Superintendent of “After a gap of some months, I Pyarikharka area has seen huge dam- the prime minister’s election. However, the support of a majority of the members of the party on July 18 and Nembang on Police Sunil Jung Shah at the personally have started getting age due to the landslides. The road the present prime minister didn’t get the of the lower house. That has been proved Friday. Hari Roka, a political economist, Traffic Police Division in calls again from my relatives has been blocked by landslides since position based on the constitutional provi- by July the 18 vote on the confidence said it is a mockery of democracy that Oli, Kathmandu also confirmed that and known people who are rein- July 1. It now takes at least six hours sions.” Nembang is not the first leader motion,” senior advocate Dinesh Tripathi, who has been in minority since December some people were carrying pas- fected. They ask me ways to deal to reach Laprak from Barpak on foot, from the main opposition party to claim who specialises on constitutional law, told last year, is talking about the people’s sengers in private vehicles by with it,” said Pun. local residents say. that Deuba doesn’t have the people’s the Post. mandate. “He wouldn’t have dissolved the charging expensive fares. Nepal on Friday reported mandate. As many as 165 members of the House of Representatives twice if he had “We have taken action against 1,982 new coronavirus cases tak- Construction of Surkhet UML chair and former Prime Minister 271-member lower house—60 percent— a majority,” he told the Post. “He stayed in over 100 people for illegally ing the nationwide infection KP Sharma Oli, while addressing party voted for Deuba in the floor test. power for over six months without having operating on long routes and tally to 676,708, according to the Medical College in limbo cadres at Balkoton on July 14, said Deuba Tripathi says the UML leaders must a majority.” fleecing passengers,” said Shah. Health Ministry. BIRENDRANAGAR: The construction was made prime minister through stop making a mockery of themselves by Oli dissolved the lower house on The notice issued by the Close to 1,000 people tested work of the Surkhet Medical College Paramadesh (a mandamus order) not talking about people’s mandate when December 20 last year for the first time. District Administration Office, positive in a total of 3,610 anti- in Surkhet has been left unattended through janadesh (popular mandate). Oli Deuba has already received support of an The Supreme Court on February 23 rein- Kathmandu also urges the pub- gen tests. for a long time. Hem Dhakal, chief at said the people’s mandate was with him overwhelming majority in parliament. stated it saying the dissolution was uncon- lic to buy tickets from official In its regular situation report, the Surkhet Medical College and his party. Even 22 lawmakers from the UML stitutional. Oli lost the confidence motion ticket counters only. the ministry did not mention the Infrastructure Development Office in Four days later addressing the House including eight from Oli camp voted for on May 10 where only 93 lawmakers stood According to Parajuli, they death toll over the past 24 hours. Kalungchok, Birendranagar, said, of Representatives prior to the vote on the Deuba in last week’s vote of confidence. for him. The UML alone has 121 members have instructed the traffic police It, however, reported 18 Covid- “The federal government had confidence motion, UML leader and Political experts say it is the parliament in the lower house. The July 18 vote on to monitor if the vehicles are 19-related fatalities, which decided to construct the medical spokesperson Pradeep Gyawali said where the people’s mandate is tested in a Deuba’s confidence motion showed Oli’s following the health safety included the number of deaths college three years ago. The earlier Deuba was made prime minister parliamentary democracy. strength had further eroded with just 83 measures. managed by Nepal Army on dif- detailed project report has not been by Shree Panch (King) and this time by “What kind of people’s mandate are Oli lawmakers standing with him. “There is “We will also ensure that the ferent dates. prepared and we are yet to fix the Shreeman Panch (five justices). and his camp talking about when just 83 no option left with Oli and his supporters long-route vehicles are carrying The nationwide death toll has location for the construction of He was referring to the five-member lawmakers are with them,” said Shyam other than accepting that Deuba has the passengers not more than what now reached 9,679. The number the medical college.” Constitutional Bench led by Chief Justice Shrestha, who follows left politics closely. people’s mandate,” said Roka. they can seat and they are not of active cases stands at 27,661. Nearly half a million Nepalis rescued from abroad since the start of pandemic According to the Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre, most of those rescued are from places including the Persian Gulf, Malaysia and India.

PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA CCMC. “With so many Nepalis was far lower with just 85,841 people board. “Their number stands between KATHMANDU, JULY 23 rescued from labour destinations, a returning home after July 31, 2020, 500 and 600 only.” significant number of migrant according to the calculation based on The board runs various welfare Nearly half a million Nepalis who workers may have lost their jobs due the figures of the National Planning schemes for migrant workers who get were stranded abroad due to the to Covid-19.” Commission and the latest update of injured abroad and have to be brought Covid-19 pandemic have been rescued But not all Nepalis who had to be the CCMC. back to the country. It also facilitates so far, according to the Covid-19 Crisis rescued from overseas were migrant The commission’s study stated that the repatriation of bodies of Nepali Management Centre. workers. Khatiwada said some of with a large number of migrant work- migrant workers who die in foreign As per the details released by the them were visiting the Gulf and other ers returning from abroad, pressure labour destinations. CCMC on Friday, a total of 489,418 countries on tourist visas. Besides, he has built on the domestic labour mar- The board also conducts skill train- Nepalis from 60 countries have so far added, individuals who were in deten- ket where over 700,000 people lost ing for workers who have returned been rescued. Most people were res- tion centres in foreign countries were their jobs due to the pandemic. home from abroad. cued from labour destinations includ- also brought home. The study concluded that Nepal According to Shrestha, the board ing the Persian Gulf states, Malaysia “The data do not cover the people needed to create 2.4 million jobs in a imparted skills training to around and India. who returned home under normal cir- year to accommodate all the people 3,400 returnee workers and 27 percent The highest number of Nepalis cumstances,” said Khatiwada. Post file Photo who had lost their jobs both at home of them were self-employed. were rescued from the United Arab After Covid-19 was first detected in From the UAE alone, 146,624 people were repatriated. and abroad, as well as those who were Despite the reduced number of Emirates with 146,624 people repatri- Wuhan, China in December 2019, the preparing to enter the labour market Nepalis going abroad for employment, ated from the country, followed by government rescued 175 Nepalis from centres, those whose close relatives Likewise, over 75,000 aspiring over- for the first time. there has not been a significant impact Qatar (117,408), Malaysia (51,459), the Chinese city. The government sent had died at home, those who had lost seas workers could not go to labour According to the Foreign on remittances. Saudi Arabia (45,186), and India a rescue flight to Wuhan in February their jobs, individuals with health destinations due to the shrinking glob- Employment Promotion Board, In the fiscal year 2019-20, remittanc- (39,541). last year to bring back the stranded problems other than Covid-19 and stu- al demand. though a large number of migrant es decreased by just 0.5 percent to A significant number of Nepalis Nepalis. dents who had completed their stud- According to the study, returnees workers returned after the Covid-19 Rs875 billion while in the first 11 were also rescued from Kuwait, The government started rescuing ies, among others, were rescued. overall numbered 366,153 from India pandemic, most of them did not months of the last fiscal year 2020-21, Turkey and Japan. migrant workers and other Nepalis According to a study conducted by and 37,424 from other countries by the require help. remittances grew 12.6 percent to Rs871 “The majority of Nepalis were res- from other countries only after a repa- the National Planning Commission end of July, 2020. A significant num- “We arranged transportation and billion, according to the central bank. cued with the government’s own triation plan was introduced in June last year, over 255,000 Nepali migrant ber of those returnees were migrant quarantine costs for Nepalis who were This, officials believe, may be due to efforts and cooperation from non-resi- last year. As per the plan, people who workers returned home from the workers. stranded abroad without money to the trend of sending remittances dent Nepalis,” said Nurahari were granted amnesty by foreign gov- beginning of the pandemic till the end By comparison, the number of return home,” said Rajan Prasad through formal channels instead of Khatiwada, spokesperson for the ernments, individuals in detention of July, 2020. returnees in the fiscal year 2020-21 Shrestha, executive director at the informal channels such as Hundi.

C M Y K SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2021 | 04 world

Briefing Protest breaks out at Landslides kill 44 in India, dozens missing prison in Myanmar’s US top diplomat Blinken Authorities have issued red alerts in Maharashtra, indicating that heavy rainfall will continue for the next few days. to visit India, Kuwait AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE biggest city WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State MUMBAI, JULY 23 Antony Blinken will travel to India REUTERS next week, the State Department said Forty-four people have been killed in YANGON, JULY 23 on Friday, in the top US diplomat’s landslides caused by monsoon rains in first visit to the world’s largest western India, authorities said Friday. A protest erupted at a prison in democracy and an important US ally As many as 38 others were missing Myanmar’s commercial capital of in Asia. Blinken will also visit after three separate landslides on Yangon on Friday against what Kuwait and meet senior officials Thursday evening in Maharashtra activists said was a worsening there at the end of the July 26-29 trip. state’s Raigad district, south of India’s Covid-19 outbreak at the jail, which is The US sees India as an important financial capital Mumbai. used to hold opponents of February’s partner in efforts to stand up to “Forty-two people have died due to military takeover. China’s increasingly assertive behav- landslides in Raigad district and 38 It was one of the first protests iour. Blinken’s trip will follow a visit people are still missing,” state govern- of its kind since the February 1 coup by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy ment spokesperson Anirudha in the Southeast Asian country, Sherman to China and coincide with Ashtaputre told AFP. where people across the country one to Southeast Asia by Defence “There have been six more land- demonstrate daily against military Secretary Lloyd Austin. slides in Satara district, where two rule. people have died”, he added. Protest chants in opposition to the Elsewhere in the state, up to 15 peo- ruling junta could be heard from Tajikistan says ready to take in ple were also missing. inside the colonial-era Insein Prison The Navy and Air Force joined res- early on Friday in videos recorded up to 100,000 Afghan refugees cue efforts after the downpour caused from outside the prison and posted by DUSHANBE: Tajikistan is preparing to floods that left thousands stranded, local residents to Facebook. take in up to 100,000 refugees from but their operations were hampered “End the dictatorship! Our cause! neighbouring Afghanistan where by landslides blocking roads, includ- Protest, protest! Start, start! fighting has escalated as the US-led ing the main highway between Revolution! Must prevail!” the troops withdraw, a senior Tajik offi- Mumbai and Goa. call-and-response chant went. cial said on Friday. Taliban insur- Water levels rose to 3.5 metres (12 The Thailand-based activist group, gents are gaining control of more and feet) in areas of Chiplun, a city 250 Assistance Association for Political more territory in Afghanistan, which kilometres (160 miles) from Mumbai, Prisoners (AAPP) said the protest the Pentagon estimates now extends following 24 hours of uninterrupted began in the women’s detention block to over half of Afghanistan’s district rain that caused the Vashishti river to AFP/rss and had been supported by some centres. Imomali Ibrohimzoda, depu- overflow, submerging roads and Civil authority workers gather near a collapsed building in Mumbai on Friday. prison staff members. Reuters could ty head of Tajikistan’s emergencies homes. not immediately verify the report. committee, said on Friday the former Maharashtra chief minister “A riot happened in the prison,” Soviet republic was already building Uddhav Thackeray said emergency Myanmar Prison Department’s two large warehouses to store sup- workers were struggling to reach cut- Villagers flee fresh floods in central China as typhoon approaches Deputy Director Chan Nyein Kyaw plies for refugees in the Khatlon and off neighbourhoods in Chiplun. told state-run news outlet Myawaddy. Gorno-Badakhshan provinces. “Roads and bridges have been dam- ZHENGZHOU: Villagers were evacuated The death toll is expected to rise, with worth of rainfall fell in just three “There was a negotiation and aged in the floods and the situation is over makeshift bridges Friday as provincial officials telling reporters days. Overnight, heavy rain saw floods accepted the prisoners’ demands worrying,” Thackeray told reporters. floods submerged swathes of central Friday that casualties were still being surge northwards to the city of and requests.” Haiti’s murdered president laid The Indian Navy deployed seven China following a historic deluge counted. Adding to the misery, Xinxiang and surrounding areas, AAPP said the military had entered to rest as tensions flare rescue teams equipped with rubber which claimed at least 51 lives -- while Typhoon In-Fa is forecast to bring where vast areas of farmland were the prison compound earlier on Friday boats, life jackets and lifebuoys to the an approaching typhoon threatened to further torrential downpours to parts inundated and the town cut off as the and confiscated staff weapons. CAP-HAITIEN, HAITI: Pallbearers in affected areas, along with specialist dump more rain on the stricken area. of Henan in the coming days, state Wei River burst its banks.”We were at Prison spokesperson Zaw Zaw did military attire carried late Haitian divers and a helicopter to airlift Millions have been affected by the media said. In the worst-hit city of my grandmother’s and then the not answer phone calls from Reuters President Jovenel Moise’s body in a marooned residents. floods in Henan province, which have Zhengzhou, firefighters Friday contin- water suddenly rose... the building seeking comment on Friday about closed wooden coffin as his funeral The Army said 15 teams would be trapped people for days without fresh ued to pump muddy water from tun- was surrounded by water,” said Sun the protest and the report that the got underway on Friday, two weeks stationed overnight in the worst-hit food or water, and pulverised roads as nels, including from a subway where Haocun in the town of Weihui, who military had intervened. He told after he was shot dead at home in districts to rescue stranded people and they breached embankments, caking at least a dozen people drowned inside was rescued in a dinghy by a team of local media the protest had been an assassination still shrouded in provide first aid. whole areas in thick ankle-deep mud. a train earlier in the week as a year’s volunteers. brought under control. Calls to junta mystery. A Roman Catholic priest A landslide in the town of Khed spokesperson Zaw Min Tun went blessed the coffin and a Haitian flag injured 10 people, according to a press unanswered. was unfurled. Foreign dignitaries release from the state government. September, which also often sees poor- purification complex last weekend, heavy rains caused a hill to cave in, Diplomats called for an end to the were flying to Cap-Haitien from Another “10 to 15 people are likely ly constructed buildings and walls disrupting supply “in most of the burying scores of villagers under mud standoff. around the Americas to pay their to be trapped under the rubble,” the buckling after days of non-stop rain. parts of Mumbai”, a megacity of 20 and debris. “We urge the relevant authorities to respects to Moise, joining mourners statement said. Four people died before dawn on million people, civic authorities said. Climate change is making India’s resolve the situation peacefully and who have taken part in a series of India’s meteorological department Friday when a building collapsed in a Last month, 12 people were killed monsoons stronger, according to a respect the basic right to proper commemorations in Haiti this week. has issued red alerts for several slum in Mumbai, authorities said. when a building collapsed in a report from the Potsdam Institute for healthcare for all those detained Moise was gunned down in his home regions in the state, indicating that The incident came less than a week Mumbai slum. And last September, 39 Climate Impact Research (PIK) pub- inside this and other prisons,” a in Port-au-Prince on the night of heavy rainfall will continue for the after at least 34 people lost their lives people died when a three-storey apart- lished in April. group of diplomatic missions July 6-7, setting off a political next few days. when several homes were crushed by ment block fell down in Bhiwandi The report warned of potentially including Australia, Canada, Britain, crisis in the Caribbean country Flooding and landslides are com- a collapsed wall and a landslide in near the financial capital. severe consequences for food, farming the United States and nine European already struggling with poverty mon during India’s treacherous mon- Mumbai. In 2014, more than 150 people lost and the economy affecting nearly a Union member states said in a and lawlessness. (AGENCIES) soon season between June and Rainwater also inundated a water their lives in Maharashtra when fifth of the world’s population. joint statement posted on Facebook. Xi Jinping visits Tibet amid rising controls over religion Modi rival demands India

ASSOCIATED PRESS Dharmsala, and accuses the Dalai BEIJING, JULY 23 Lama of seeking to separate Tibet inquiry into Pegasus claims from China. Meanwhile, domestic Chinese leader Xi Jinping has made a tourism has expanded massively in AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE minister have used this weapon rare visit to Tibet as authorities tight- the region during Xi’s nine years in NEW DELHI, JULY 23 against the Indian state and against en controls over the Himalayan office and new airports, rail lines and our institutions. The only word for region’s traditional Buddhist culture, highways constructed. Indian Prime Minister Narendra this is treason.... and this has to be accompanied by an accelerated drive China’s official Xinhua News Modi’s main political rival Rahul investigated.” for economic development and mod- Agency said that while in Lhasa on Gandhi on Friday demanded an The alleged database of phone num- ernised infrastructure. Thursday, Xi sought to “learn about inquiry into the Pegasus spyware bers included more than 1,000 in India, State media reported on Friday that the work on ethnic and religious scandal, accusing the government with the owners of 300 of them identi- Xi visited sites in the capital Lhasa, affairs, the conservation of the of “treason”. fied in the media reports. including the Drepung Monastery, ancient city, as well as the inheritance Gandhi is one of dozens of Indian It is not known how many of the Barkhor Street and the public square and protection of Tibetan culture.” politicians, journalists and govern- phones on the list were actually tar- at the base of the Potala Palace A day earlier, he visited the city ment critics on an alleged global data- geted for surveillance or how many that was home to the Dalai Lamas, of city of Nyingchi to inspect ecologi- base of 50,000 possible Pegasus spying attempts were successful. Tibet’s traditional spiritual and tem- cal preservation work on the basin targets that was revealed by an inter- But according to Indian news web- poral leaders. of the Yarlung Zangbo River, the national group of media outlets. site The Wire—one of the media out- Xi’s visit was previously unan- upper course of the Brahmaputra, on The Indian government has rejected lets given access to the database by nounced publicly and it wasn’t which China is building a controver- spying claims although critics note it two rights groups—mounting forensic clear whether he had already returned sial dam. has not said whether it is a client of evidence suggests one or more official to Beijing. He also visited a bridge and inspect- AP/rss NSO Group, the Israeli maker of the agency has been using the spyware. China has in recent years stepped ed a project to build a railway from A man holds a girl as they pose for a photo in front of a large mural depicting Chinese Pegasus spyware which effectively Other possible targets revealed in up controls over Buddhist monaster- southwestern China’s Sichuan prov- President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders in Lhasa, Tibet on June 1. captures a target’s cellphone. the reports on Thursday include aides ies and expanded education in the ince to Tibet before riding Tibet’s The claims have sparked uproar in to the Tibetan spiritual leader the Chinese rather than Tibetan language. first electrified rail line from Nyingchi It also comes amid deteriorating Modi to wish the Dalai Lama well on the Indian parliament, with one oppo- Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in Critics of such policies are routinely to Lhasa, which went into service relations between China and India, his birthday this month on Twitter sition MP—since suspended—on India, and businessman Anil Ambani. detained and can receive long prison last month. which share a lengthy but disputed and said he also spoke to him by Thursday snatching and ripping up Modi’s government has said terms, especially if they have been Xi’s visit may be timed to coincide border with Tibet. phone. That was the first time Modi the text of a statement on the subject that any covert surveillance—which convicted of association with the with the 70th anniversary of the 17 Deadly encounters last year has publicly confirmed speaking with being delivered by IT minister has a long history in India—is done 86-year-old Dalai Lama, who has lived Point Agreement, which firmly estab- between Indian and Chinese troops the Dalai Lama since becoming prime Ashwini Vaishnaw. in accordance with strict rules and in exile in India since fleeing Tibet lished Chinese control over Tibet, along their disputed high-altitude minister in 2014. “Pegasus is classified by the Israeli oversight. during an abortive uprising against which many Tibetans say had been border dramatically altered the In a statement, the advocacy group state as a weapon and that weapon is Ministers have said the release of Chinese rule in 1959. effectively independent for most of its already fraught relationship between International Campaign for Tibet supposed to be used against terror- the reports by the global media con- China doesn’t recognise the self-de- history. The Dalai Lama says he was the nuclear-armed neighbours. called Xi’s visit “an indication of how ists,” Gandhi, 51, told reporters in sortium was deliberately coordinated clared Tibetan government-in-exile forced into signing the document and That appears to have prompted high Tibet continues to figure in New Delhi. to coincide with the eve of the current based in the hillside town of has since repudiated it. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Chinese policy considerations.” “The prime minister and the home session of the Indian parliament.

With more LGBTQ athletes than ever, Games put focus on Japan

REUTERS tions and retired at 25. “I loved the sport German women’s hockey team, Nike TOKYO, JULY 23 of fencing, I didn’t feel I could find a Lorenz, will wear a captain’s armband in place for myself,” he said. rainbow colours to show solidarity with More than 160 openly lesbian, gay, bisex- While Japan is known for its strong LGBTQ communities at all of her match- ual, transgender and queer athletes are civil society and democracy, rights activ- es, the German Olympic Sports due to participate in the Tokyo 2020 ists say it has a long way to Confederation said. Olympics, making this year’s Games the go on addressing lesbian, gay, bisexual, It said the International Olympic most inclusive ever. transgender and queer (LGBTQ) issues. Committee had approved its request to That has put a focus on host nation The Olympic charter bans discrimina- allow Lorenz to don the armband, just Japan, which activists say is out of step tion and while Tokyo passed an anti-dis- like Germany’s Manuel Neuer, the cap- with much of the rest of the world, having crimination law three years ago, there tain of the national soccer team, did at not seen the same sweeping social change are not the same legal protections for Euro 2020 last month. that made same-sex marriage and greater much of the rest of the country. Rights “We are happy that we have found a inclusion a reality in many countries. activists hope to use the Games as an common path that makes it possible for Fumino Sugiyama, a 39-year-old for- opportunity to raise awareness and pub- the hockey team to make a socio-political mer fencer for the Japan national team lic support for LGBTQ issues. statement,” Alfons Hoermann, the presi- and a transgender activist, said he was “I think lots of people in the world dent of the confederation, said. delighted to see the progress in diversity think that Japan is the human rights Sugiyama, who also organises the at the Games. Sports were very different defender, but it’s opposite, because we city’s annual pride march, became the when he was younger, he said, and dis- don’t have any marriage equality, we first transgender person to be appointed criminatory language was common. don’t have any law to ban discrimination to the Japanese Olympic Committee. Sugiyama began fencing at the age of on sexual orientation or gender identity,” “Being excluded from the sports world 10, rising through the ranks and eventu- said Gon Matsunaka, founder of Japan’s is the same as being excluded from socie- ally competing internationally for the first LGBTQ centre, Pride House. ty, so I think it is important to take this REUTERS Japanese women’s team. He felt conflict- Foreign teams are also bringing the opportunity to firmly lead to having pos- People wearing protective face masks are seen outside of the Olympic Stadium. ed identifying as a woman in competi- message to Japan. The captain of the itive discussions,” he said.

C M Y K 05 | SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2021 Money

FOREX US Dollar 119.35 Paddy transplantation pace nearly as fast as last year Euro 140.39 Pound Sterling 163.84 Nepali farmers have transplanted paddy on 88.75 percent of 1.37 million hectares, Agriculture Department says. Japanese Yen 10.80 Chinese Yuan 18.43 SANGAM PRASAIN figure this year,” said Paudel. “But Qatari Riyal 32.78 KATHMANDU, JULY 23 production will depend on how the Australian Dollar 88.04 monsoon behaves. If there are no Malaysian Ringit 28.24 Nepali farmers have been transplant- floods and pest infection, the largest ing summer paddy almost at the same harvest is attainable.” Saudi Arab Riyal 31.82 rapid pace as last year due to abun- The department said that paddy Exchange rates fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank dant rainfall and reverse migration to transplantation may be completed on the villages, raising the prospect of 98 percent of the land this year in a Price Per tola yet another bumper harvest. few weeks. bullion Agricultural economists say it’s a This year, the monsoon entered good sign for the economy strangled Nepal’s skies from the east on June 11, Fine Gold Rs 92,100 by Covid-19. a day past the normal date, according According to the Department of to the Meteorological Forecasting Silver Rs 1,280 Agriculture, transplantation has been Division. completed on 88.75 percent of the 1.37 The department’s statistics show Source: FENEGOSIDA million hectares of land available for that paddy transplantation has been paddy cultivation as of Wednesday, completed on 87.16 percent of the courtesy of “above normal rainfall” 48,193 hectares of fields in the moun- gasoline watch which Nepal recorded for the first tain region. time in many years this monsoon. Transplantation in the hills and Experts say that the above normal Tarai has been completed on 85.35 rainfall forecast by the Nineteenth percent of 346,099 hectares and Session of the South Asian Climate 90.03 percent of 977,414 hectares Outlook Forum and the Climate respectively. Services Users Forum is good news. The Tarai, which is the largest The paddy transplantation rate was paddy producing region in the coun- slightly higher at 91.68 percent in the try, accounts for 71 percent of the same period last year. During the total rice acreage. The hills account last monsoon, Nepal had recorded for 25 percent and the mountain the fastest-ever transplantation in region 4 percent. many decades. In terms of provincial distribution, “The latest transplantation rate of Sudurpaschim province saw the high- paddy is encouraging. This year too, Post file Photo est transplantation rate of 96.74 per- the lockdown coincided with the The department said that paddy transplantation may be completed on 98 percent of the land this year in a few weeks. cent of 164,639 hectares of paddy transplantation period, and land, followed by Karnali province migrant workers returned home in The production of food grain, main- product, and is the major income production reached 5.62 million with 93.82 percent of 38,385 hectares, droves, particularly from India,” said ly rice, depends on the amount and source for more than half of the popu- tonnes, a record high for the fourth Lumbini province with 92.24 percent Mahadev Prasad Paudel, senior agri- distribution of monsoon rainfall over lation,” said Regmi who holds a doc- straight year due to “normal mon- of 303,593 hectares and Bagmati cultural economist at the department. the country. The monsoon rains also toral degree in food security. soon” rains and a plentiful supply of province with 90.34 percent of 115,295 Nepal’s economic wellbeing is inti- replenish ground water and reser- If the agriculture sector grows by farmhands, even though a severe hectares. mately linked with the rainy season. voirs critical for drinking and power 4-5 percent, the overall economy may shortage of chemical fertiliser during The transplantation rates in Water from the skies is the lifeblood of generation. grow by 4 percent this fiscal year. transplantation and top dressing had Province 2 and Gandaki province Nepal’s Rs4.26 trillion economy which “Monsoon rain is key for Nepal’s “The direct impact of paddy is big. spread worry among farmers. have been recorded at 88.14 percent of is farm-dependent, as nearly two- economy as it boosts agricultural pro- Indirectly, it boosts the manufacturing “With the abundant and timely 365,615 hectares and 87.64 percent thirds of the farmlands are rain-fed. duction,” said Hem Raj Regmi, deputy and service sectors as well.” rainfall activity and availability of of 108,278 hectares respectively. A large part of the country gets director general at the Central Bureau Paddy is transplanted in June and chemical fertilizer, we expect the Province 1 has the lowest paddy trans- All systems go for OMEGA’s nearly 80 percent of its annual rainfall of Statistics. harvested in October. paddy output to increase by 5-10 per- plantation record of 80.02 percent of timekeepers as Tokyo 2020 during the four months—June to “Paddy alone contributes around 7 During the last fiscal year 2020-21 cent to reach 6 million tonnes—which 275,901 hectares of land, according to September. percent to the national gross domestic ended mid-July, the country’s paddy will be an all-time high production the department. gets underway Tesla lobbies India for Car chip shortage to abate, phones much lower import taxes on could be next, industry execs say

electric vehicles: Sources say REUTERS BEIJING, JULY 23 REUTERS NEW DELHI, JULY 23 Just 5,000 of the The semiconductor shortage that has KATHMANDU: OMEGA will fulfil its gripped the world could last well into role as Official Timekeeper of the Tesla Inc has written to Indian minis- 2.4 million cars sold 2022 and hit smartphone production Olympic Games for the 29th time in tries seeking a big reduction in import next, foreshadowing deficient supply history, bringing almost 90 years of duties on electric vehicles (EVs), a in India last year for a range of appliances and industri- experience to Tokyo 2020. The Swiss move it says will boost demand and al equipment, industry executives and brand is in charge of time and will generate revenue for the government, were electric. an economist said. measure every race in microseconds two sources with knowledge of the The automotive sector has suffered and track all athletic performances matter said. the most this year but supply to the using state of the art motion sensor Its pitch, however, is likely to face respond to an email seeking sector could improve relatively soon, technology, reads the press release resistance from Prime Minister comment. Ministries that Tesla wrote with China taking up some produc- issued by the company. Omega is also Narendra Modi’s administration to included the transport and heavy tion demand that Taiwan could not bringing its wealth of timekeeping which has championed high import industries ministries, which did meet, ING Greater China chief econo- experience to the new Olympic taxes for many industries in a bid to not immediately respond to a request mist Iris Pang told Reuters Global Games sports including karate, sport boost local manufacturing. for comment. Markets Forum this week. climbing and surfing. The company is Other luxury automakers in India The Indian market for premium Taiwanese semiconductor compa- using expert timekeepers, dedicated have also lobbied the government in EVs, indeed for electric cars in gener- nies have boosted production in China volunteers and a mountain of tech- the past to lower taxes on imported al, is still very much in its infancy as blackouts and ongoing Covid-19 nology such as 400 tonnes of time- cars but have had little success due to with vehicles far too costly for the social distancing measures disrupted keeping equipment, 350 sport-specific opposition from rivals with domestic average consumer and very little factory output and port operations in scoreboards, 85 public scoreboards operations. charging infrastructure in place. Taiwan, she said. and 200km of cables and optical fibre Tesla, which aims to begin sales in Just 5,000 of the 2.4 million cars sold “China gained 5 percent on the chip to record Olympic dreams. India this year, said in a letter to min- in India last year were electric and shortage in terms of GDP—Taiwan istries and the country’s leading most were priced below $28,000. semiconductor companies have think-tank Niti Aayog that slashing Daimler’s Mercedes Benz began planned well and built large factories Buddha Air to operate federal taxes on imports of fully selling its EQC luxury EV in India last in mainland China,” Pang said, Pokhara-Nepalgunj flights assembled electric cars to 40 percent year for $136,000, and Audi launched predicting that smartphone makers REUTERS would be more appropriate, according three electric SUVs this week with will be the next segment to face Employees are seen working on the final assembly of ASML’s TWINSCAN NXE:3400B from August 1 to the sources. sticker tags that begin at around disruptions. semiconductor lithography tool with its panels removed, in Veldhoven, Netherlands. KATHMANDU: Private carrier Buddha That compares with current rates $133,000. While lower duties would “Taiwanese semiconductor compa- Air has announced operating direct of 60 percent for cars priced below give Tesla a better chance to test the nies are tailoring making chips for The broader supply crunch could one-off purchases to meet work-from- flights on the Pokhara-Nepalgunj $40,000 and 100 percent for those market, its plan to begin sales in India autos, so the chip shortage should be last until the second quarter of 2022, home needs and continuous demand route from August 1. A press state- above $40,000. does not hinge on a change in govern- solved for autos in a few weeks, but said Adam Khan, founder of AKHAN for smartphones and other electron- ment issued by the airline said it will “The argument is that at 40 percent ment policy, both sources said. other electronics’ chip shortage prob- Semiconductor, although he noted this ics, is expected to spur investment and operate three flights—on Sundays, import duty, electric cars can become Tesla registered a local company in lem persists,” Pang said, adding that timeline was “aspirational.” growth in the sector. The chips indus- Wednesdays and Fridays—between more affordable but the threshold is India in January and has ramped up could delay shipments of some new Andrew Feldman, CEO of chip try could grow between 21 percent to the two tourist cities. The airline has still high enough to compel companies local hiring while also scouting for model smartphones. startup Cerebras Systems, echoed that 25 percent in 2021, with “electronics planned to begin daily flights based to manufacture locally if demand showroom space. Companies across industries global- view, saying vendors were quoting having its best showing since 2010,” on demand. The airline said as picks up,” one of the sources said. The India’s transport minister Nitin ly have warned of an ongoing struggle lead times as long as 32 weeks for new said Dan Hutcheson, CEO of chips-fo- Nepalgunj is very close to Indian cit- sources declined to be identified as the Gadkari told Reuters in March to source chips. chips and components. cused VLSI Research. ies like Lucknow and Kanpur, it letter has not been made public. that India would be willing to offer ASML, one of the world’s biggest ING’s Pang said even crypto miners So far this year, the Philadelphia SE expects to increase the movement of According to Tesla’s US website, incentives to ensure Tesla’s cost of suppliers to semiconductor makers, are seeking ways to recycle “used” Semiconductor index has outpaced Indian travellers to Pokhara once the only one model—the Model 3 Standard production in the country is less than hiked its sales outlook this week on chips, which implies the shortage the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite flight is started. The carrier also Range Plus—is priced below $40,000. that in China, but only if it manufac- strong orders as chip giants such as wasn’t going away. with gains of over 16 percent versus unveiled holiday packages. Tesla and Niti Aayog did not tures locally. TSMC and Intel raced to boost output. Higher demand for chips, fuelled by 13 percent. Small businesses in US lifted by return of summer tourists

ASSOCIATED PRESS through the summer and booked room bed-and-breakfast in Cleveland, “Let’s just hope people are having NEW MEXICO, JULY 23 about 90 percent on average for the Ohio, near the Rock and Roll Hall of weddings in January,” she said. fall. That’s a welcome change from the Fame. She opened The House of Bise Many owners are pleasantly sur- Small businesses in the US that two or three guests the hotel had at Bespoke in 2019 and catered to inter- prised by the pickup in domestic tour- depend on tourism and vacationers one point as it stayed open during the national tourists, attracting guests ists, but still need to see corporate say business is bouncing back, as height of the pandemic. from New Zealand, Botswana, Eastern travellers and tourists from overseas Americans rebook postponed trips “It’s crazy busy, it’s wonderful, Europe and other far-off places. The before business is back to normal. and spend freely on food, entertain- everyone is happy,” she said. cancellations started in January That could take some time. While ment and souvenirs. The clientele is different than prior 2020 and she refunded guests thou- improved from 2020, the USTA esti- US states and cities have loosened to the pandemic: There are more fami- sands of dollars. mates that spending on business trav- many of their restrictions on crowd lies and people working remotely, So, Bise retooled her business model el this year will be less than half size and mask-wearing, a positive and they’re staying longer, an average and switched to renting out the whole of 2019’s $270 million and internation- sign for businesses that struggled or four or five nights compared to two house. Ohio lifted restrictions on mass al travel spending will total about for more than a year when theme or three. gatherings in March, and the Hall of one-third the $179 million spent two parks and other tourist attractions “Families want to come and stay Fame reopened in June. Business has years ago. were shuttered. longer and really vacation and see rebounded during the past two Martha Sheridan with the Greater Still, the return to a pre-pandemic more of the city and more of the months—so much so that she’s mak- Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau “normal” is a way off for most. There museums,” Kimball says. ing more than she was pre-pandemic. said the Boston tourism industry is are few business travellers and inter- Kimball’s biggest problem: A short- Demand is so strong she raised prices relying on “leisure visitors”—families national tourists. Many businesses age of workers in the restaurant, bar and switched from serving breakfast traveling to the city to take in attrac- are grappling with staff shortages and AP/RSS and kitchen. She urged vacationers to and dinner to just breakfast. tions, couples vacationing and women other challenges. And if a surge of the Heather Bise, owner of The House of Bise Bespoke, poses in the ‘Art’ bedroom, in Cleveland. have patience. But her guests are now all from the taking “girls weekends.” That means more contagious delta variant or “It’s very hard after such a horrible US, usually families meeting up for a weekend business is strong, but mid- another variant of the coronavirus tic travel spending will total $787 bil- rebound above 2019 levels until 2024. year to have the demand and not be reunion or wedding parties—which week business is still “significantly forces states to re-enact restrictions or lion in 2021. That’s up 22 percent from In Santa Fe, New Mexico, Jenny able to serve them, because we don’t now make up 60 percent of her busi- lower than what it would normally lockdowns, the progress might be lost. 2020 but still down 20 percent from Kimball, co-owner of the independent have 100 percent staffing back yet,” ness. She worries that the wedding be.” That could begin to change, she The US Travel Association, a travel 2019 levels. The association predicts hotel La Fonda on the Plaza, with 180 she says. business will evaporate after the sum- said, when conventions resume at the industry trade group, predicts domes- travel spending won’t completely rooms, said her hotel is sold out Heather Bise owns and runs a 7-bed- mer and fall. end of July.

C M Y K SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2021 | 06 Sports | Medley Briefing Tokyo Olympics ...

Algerian judoka quits to avoid Israeli opponent >> Continued from page 1 TOKYO: Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine has withdrawn But with people still falling ill and dying each day from from the Tokyo Olympics before competing after the draw the coronavirus, there’s a particular urgency to the ques- set him on course for a possible match-up against an tions about whether the Olympic flame can burn away the Israeli opponent. Nourine was set to face Sudanese judoka fear or provide a measure of catharsis—and even awe— Mohamed Abdalrasool on Monday for his first bout, and after a year of suffering and uncertainty in Japan and would have taken on Israeli Tohar Butbul in the next around the world. round. Speaking to an Algerian television station late Outside the stadium, hundreds of curious Tokyo resi- Thursday, Nourine said his political support for the dents lined a barricade that separated them from those Palestinian cause made it impossible for him to compete entering—but just barely: Some of those going in took against an Israeli. It is not the first time that Nourine has selfies with the onlookers across the barricades, and there withdrawn from competition to avoid facing an Israeli was an excited carnival feeling. Some pedestrians waved opponent, after he pulled out of the 2019 world champion- enthusiastically to approaching Olympic buses. ships in Tokyo. The sports have already begun—softball and soccer, for example—and some of the focus is turning toward the competition to come. Indonesia to launch bid to host 2036 Olympics Can the US women’s soccer team, for instance, even JAKARTA: Indonesia’s National Olympic Committee plans after an early, shocking loss to Sweden, become the first to to launch a bid to host the summer Olympics in 2036 after win an Olympics following a World Cup victory? Can losing out this week to a bid by Brisbane to hold the 2032 Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama win gold in golf after becom- Games, the head of the committee said. The Southeast ing the first Japanese player to win the Masters? Will Asian country had been a contender to host the 2032 Italy’s Simona Quadarella challenge American standout Games, alongside Hungary’s capital Budapest, China, Katie Ledecky in the 800- and 1,500-metre freestyle swim- Qatar’s Doha and Germany’s Ruhr valley region among ming races? others. Indonesia is trying to become only the fourth For now, however, it’s hard to miss how unusual these Asian country to host the Games after Japan, China and Games promise to be. The lovely national stadium can South Korea. Indonesia Southeast Asia’s biggest country seem like an isolated militarised zone, surrounded by launched its 2032 bid after successfully hosting the 2018 huge barricades. Roads around it have been sealed and Asian Games, which involved some 13,000 athletes from 45 businesses closed. national Olympic committees. Paris will stage the 2024 AFP/RSS Inside, the feeling of sanitised, locked-down quarantine Games while Los Angeles has been awarded the 2028 sum- Nepal’s delegation parade during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Friday. Swimmers Gaurika Singh and carries over. Fans, who would normally be screaming for mer Olympics. (AGENCIES) Alexander Shah, shooter Kalpana Pariyar, judoka Soniya Bhatta and sprinter Saraswati Chaudhary are representing Nepal in Tokyo. their countries and mixing with people from around the world, have been banned, leaving only a carefully screened contingent of journalists, officials, athletes and participants. Olympics often face opposition, but there’s also usually a pervasive feeling of national pride. Japan’s resentment centres on the belief that it was strong-armed into host- Tokyo 2020 through the lens of the 1964 Games ing—forced to pay billions and risk the health of a largely unvaccinated, deeply weary public—so the IOC can collect its billions in media revenue. The 1964 Tokyo Olympics highlighted Japan’s reemergence just 19 years after devastating defeat in World War II. Now Japan and Tokyo “Sometimes people ask why the Olympics exist, and there are at least two answers. One is they are a are on display again, attempting to stage the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the midst of a once-in-a century pandemic. peerless global showcase of the human spirit as it pertains to sport, and the other is they are a peerless global show- Associated Press gymnast wants to do it. Biles can. Maybe in Tokyo — the first to be shown interna- prised and shocked when they arrived in case of the human spirit as it pertains to aristocrats get- TOKYO, July, 23 Japan can, too,” Tomizawa said. tionally using communication satellites. Japan thinking it would be a backward ting luxurious hotel rooms and generous per diems,” Tomizawa’s book is titled “1964 — The The family connection and curiosity got economy.” Bruce Arthur, a sports columnist for the Toronto Star, Just 19 years after devastating defeat in Greatest Year in the History of Japan: How Tomizawa looking for a history in English They were also taken aback by the nature wrote recently. World War II, the 1964 Tokyo Olympics the Tokyo Olympics Symbolised Japan’s of those 1964 Games. He couldn’t find one, of the Japanese. “For the Canadians, the How did we get here? A quick review of the past year showcased the reemergence of an innova- Miraculous Rise from the Ashes.” so he wrote his own. Tomizawa, who has Australians, the Americans, the Brits — it and a half seems operatic in its twists and turns. tive country that was showing off bullet It came out last year, just months before the worked for 20 years in Japan, interviewed 70 was the brutal enemy,” Tomizawa said. A once-in-a-century pandemic forces the postponement trains, miniature transistor radios, and a postponed Olympics were to open. Tomizawa Olympians from 16 nations. “When they came, they were welcomed and of the 2020 version of the Games. A fusillade of scandals restored reputation. writes in the book about the massive effort Some were famous at the time: Australian given such help and support and cheering. (sexism and other discrimination and bribery claims, Japan’s resiliency is on display again, to be ready in ‘64: “Police were taking swimmer Dawn Fraser or American 10,000- It was a surprise to all of them.” overspending, ineptitude, bullying) unfolds. People in attempting to stage the postponed 2020 pickpockets off the streets and ensuring meter gold-medallist Billy Mills. Some made They also found what Tomizawa called Japan, meanwhile, watch bewildered as an Olympics con- Tokyo Olympics in the midst of a once-in-a bars in Tokyo were complying with other history, like Bulgarian teammates “operational excellence,” convincing doubt- sidered a bad idea by many scientists actually takes shape. century pandemic. The challenge is differ- directives to close down early… In fact, Nikolai Prodanov and Diana Yorgova, who ers about the country’s capabilities. The Japanese athletes, freed from onerous travel rules and ent, and this time there is widespread pub- every man, woman, and child in Japan was were married in Tokyo during the Olympics. current Tokyo organisers will need that able to train more normally, may indeed enjoy a nice boost lic opposition that has divided the country getting ready to welcome the world to their It was billed as the first Olympic wedding resiliency, although just getting through over their rivals in some cases, even without fans. Judo, a over the health hazards with nagging country.” and featured a Shinto priest, sake, tradition- these Olympics is sure to be portrayed as a sport that Japan is traditionally a powerhouse in, will questions about who benefits from staging This was the year that Cassius Clay won al Bulgarian dances, and an interpreter to success no matter the details and the finan- begin on Saturday, giving the host nation a chance for the Games. the heavyweight championship and became explain what was going on. cial costs. early gold. Roy Tomizawa, who documented the ‘64 Muhammad Ali. It was when Roy Emerson He said his favourite interview was with Japan is officially spending $15.4 billion Still, while it’s possible that “people may come out of Olympics in a recent book, described those of Australia and Maria Bueno of Brazil Jerry Shipp, a shooting guard on the on the Olympics, but government auditors the Olympics feeling good about themselves and about distant Games 57 years ago as the “Inclusion took the titles at Wimbledon, when Arnold American gold-medal winning basketball say the costs are much higher. All but $6.7 Japan having hosted the Games against all odds,” Games” in an email to The Associated Palmer claimed his fourth and final team coached by Hank Iba. It lasted for sev- billion is public money. The International Koichi Nakano, a political science professor at Sophia Press. He called the attempt this time the Masters, and when the Beatles arrived on a eral hours with Shipp recounting a tough Olympic Committee chips in about $1.5 University in Tokyo, believes that such a scenario “is way “Exclusion Games.” But he offered some Pan Am flight from London to play their childhood growing up in an Oklahoma billion, and some of this is payment-in-kind too optimistic”. hope. “Whether you agree or disagree with first concert in the United States. And it was orphanage. Shipp led the Americans in rather than cash. Its payoff is the $3 The reality, for now, is that the delta variant of the virus the Japanese government, the Games are later that same year in Tokyo when scoring ahead of Bill Bradley on a team that billion to $4 billion it earns in broadcasts is still rising, straining the Japanese medical system in going ahead in the face of significant risk,” Yoshinori Sakai — born on August 6, 1945, also included Larry Brown and Walt rights, much of which would be lost with a places, and raising fears of an avalanche of cases. Only a Tomizawa said. But he said these Games in Hiroshima, the day the atomic bomb was Hazzard. In addition to Shipp, Tomizawa cancellation. little over 20 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. might also be turned into “Inclusion dropped on the city — ignited the cauldron also interviewed Jeff Mullins, Mel Counts “Now with the world struggling to com- And there have been near daily reports of positive virus Games.” in the national stadium to open the 18th and Luke Jackson. bat the coronavirus, there is a question cases within the so-called Olympic bubble that’s meant to “With a high degree of difficulty,” he Olympic Games. “I think the Olympians tell more of the whether Japan can get ready for a global separate the Olympic participants from the worried, scep- added. “Organising an Olympics and Tomizawa grew up in New York, and his story of the Games themselves and competition within its borders. If it can, tical Japanese population. Paralympics during this pandemic is like father, Tom, a second-generation Japanese- their reaction to what they saw of Japan,” then Tokyo 2020 is an opportunity for Japan For a night, at least, the glamour and message of hope Simone Biles executing a Yurchenko Double American, was an editor who worked for Tomizawa said. “Some had been to Japan to show the world how resilient this nation, of the opening ceremonies may distract many global view- Pike, a vault so difficult no other female the television network NBC at the Olympics in ’50s and ’60s. I think everyone was sur- and the world can be.” ers from the surrounding anguish and anger. HOROSCOPE ARIES (March 21-April 19) **** CANCER (June 22-July 22) *** LIBRA (September 23-October 22) *** CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) **** Saturday’s skies offer up a strange dose of magic and Saturday’s skies may feel like something of a buzz- You’re tapping into some powerful visions on the Saturday’s skies make it easy to get down about your poten- reality, Aries. The composed Aquarius moon merges kill, Cancer. The moon’s union with responsible career front today, Libra. Messenger Mercury aligns tial, Capricorn. The heady Aquarius moon merges with with responsible Saturn, lowering energy levels and Saturn highlights the relationships stories that with inspired Neptune, offering up fertile grounds your ruler, disciplined Saturn. This aspect can make things increasing seriousness around goal achievement. you’ve been sinking your teeth into all year. for poetic imagery. Take a moment to jot down any all business and no play. Rather than sulk or get overly seri- imaginative ideas that emerge today. ous, aim to seek solutions that help you sharpen your skills.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) *** LEO (July 23-August 22) *** SCORPIO (October 23-November 21) *** AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) *** You’ve got a spark of magic in your voice today, Pay close attention to the dreams and subtle messag- Spend some time in the comfort of your home today, Tend to your body today, Aquarius. It’s all too easy for Taurus. It’s an ideal day to express yourself in any es emerging from the environment today, Leo. Your Scorpio. You’re not in any mood to be out gallivanting you to get lost in your head! The nurturing moon’s capacity that shares your unique style and story unconscious mind is running the show and around or engaging in socially-taxing situations. The presence in your sign encourages you to ground back (think: journaling, singing, or conversing meaning- helping you heal relationship issues with soulful calm Aquarius moon merges with steady Saturn, high- down and sync up with your own needs. fully among friends). conversations. lighting issues around family life that need addressing.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) **** VIRGO (August 23-September 22) **** SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21) *** PISCES (February 19-March 20) *** You’re dialed into the ether today, Gemini. Your rul- You’re slipping off into a dream world today, Virgo. A strange blend of energies are at play under It’s one of those weekends that honor “hermit mode,” ing planet, data-collecting Mercury, reaches out to Your ruling planet, quick-thinking Mercury, forms a Saturday’s cosmic landscape, Sagittarius. Messenger Pisces. The solution-seeking Aquarius moon spends dream-building Neptune today. This supportive pair- supportive alignment with visionary Neptune today. Mercury forms a sweet alliance with imaginative the day merged with serious Saturn, highlighting a ing makes it easy to communicate poetically and This pairing offers you a poetic and charismatic flow Neptune, helping create fertile grounds for healing reality check around what old mental clutter needs engage with otherworldly, creative visions. to your self-expression. relationships on the intimacy and family front. sorting or releasing. Crossword Sudoku

Yesterday’s Solution

C M Y K 07 | SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2021 Culture & Arts Autobiography of a former chief justice In this extensive book, Gopal Parajuli shares his personal and professional journey.

Madan Kumar Bhattarai Both Mishra and Parajuli hail from the Law College in Kathmandu after study- the writer faced during his tumultuous same district. They joined the Supreme ing in various parts of Nepal and India, tenure in the judicial service leading up opal Parajuli, Nepal’s 27th Court on the same day and reached the his forays into student politics, both to his resignation, an act that was chief justice, has brought highest judicial position, with the former before and after the National Referendum sparked by a letter issued by Nripa Dhoj out a very comprehensive staying as chief justice for some months called by King Birendra in 1979. He also Niraula, secretary of the judicial coun- autobiography narrating and Parajuli tendering his resignation writes of his close association with the cil, terminating the service of the fourth his experience with after what he calls a sustained and spirit- top Nepali Congress leaders including highest office holder of the land. In the remarkable clarity and ed campaign launched by a group of prime ministers. fourth chapter, going both within and Gflow. The book is titled ‘Sanyogka people with vested interests. Mishra The writer has also mentioned some beyond his areas of entrusted duty, the Paanaaharu (Aatmakathaa)’, and it is assesses Parajuli as a versatile person very personal aspects of his life in the author has talked of various subjects like divided into five chapters and four appen- endowed with wonderful judicial acumen book. Parajuli writes about his near-fatal national interest, poverty, farming sector, dices, the last of which has a good collec- and the capacity to draft judgments in a motorbike accident. Readers learn that do’s and don’ts of judiciary and journal- tion of photographs. simple and lucid manner. Parajuli’s pillion rider died on the spot ism, etc. Besides words of greetings from anoth- Calling the new book a tell-tale work to while he battled for his life for thirteen The fifth and concluding chapter is er former Chief Justice Om Prakash highlight the actual situation of Nepal’s days at a hospital’s intensive care unit. A more introspective and Parajuli Mishra, the book includes a longer pref- judiciary, Sangroula opines that the slan- section is dedicated to Parajuli’s trau- has not hesitated to cite his own weak- ace by Yubraj Sangroula, who is the for- der launched against Parajuli was not matic personal life. He divorced his first nesses. mer attorney general. It also has quite a merely a personal attack but a systematic wife, and his second wife succumbed to Despite some overlapping issues, the long note by Chandra Prakash Siwakoti plan to ultimately break the very fabric blood cancer. His third wife and one of book, in a nutshell, is a solid addition on behalf of publishers. of the judiciary. He also laments the his sons died in a vehicle accident, and that can be linked with autobiography In his foreword, Parajuli shares that he dearth of books by chief justices, justices Parajuli, who was driving the car, left and Nepali aspects of jurisprudence and hesitated for a long time on whether he and other judicial stalwarts in Nepal in him badly injured. juridical science. I congratulate the should write his autobiography. He did comparison with India, and Western The second chapter with eleven sec- author for his important contribution. write the first section of the book on the countries where there is a plethora of tions relates to the writer’s induction day of his resignation itself and didn’t such publications and a culture of shar- into the judiciary as an Appellate Court Bhattarai is a former foreign secretary take very long to complete the book. He, ing of experiences through books and judge. He gave judgements on some and author involved in the study of however, thought it prudent to bring the lectures at universities. From what I tions in upholding the dignity of the high-profile cases that attracted both pos- Nepal’s foreign relations from a matter to the correct perspective by shar- know, only four chief justices, which highest court of the land through their itive and negative reactions. In this con- historical perspective. He is available at ing his own thoughts on what he calls a includes Parajuli, Nayan Bahadur dedicated and impartial delivery of jus- nection, he accuses one former [email protected]. ceaseless campaign against him. In ana- Khatri, Meen Bahadur Rayamajhee and tice. Unfortunately, both of them didn’t chief justice of harbouring an lysing trials and tribulations he confront- Sushila Karki, have taken interest in write anything that could have shed light allegedly discriminatory attitude ed during his tumultuous life mixed with writing memoirs. Ironically, Parajuli has on the history and perspectives of the towards him in various manifestations Sanyogka Paanaaharu a saga of success and tragedy, Parajuli directly or indirectly attacked four chief judiciary during the critical periods they including prevention of his timely (Aatmakathaa) finds faults with deification and vilifica- justices in terms of their track records. served. appointment as chief judge of the tion, both of which are prevalent in our Siwakoti, an advocate himself, traces In the first chapter of the book, which Appellate Court and even his ascension society. He shares pragmatic thinking the history of Nepal’s judiciary that has has twenty sections, Parajuli writes to the Supreme Court. Author: Gopal Parajuli that humans, though the most conscious so far been served by 29 chief justices. He about his ancestors, parents, childhood Chapter three, which is divided into Publication: Pairabi Book House of the living beings, have dozens of good also points out late former Chief Justices and the struggle he had to face after nine sections, is the longest chapter and Pages: 514 and bad attributes and can never be per- Hari Prasad Pradhan and Bishwa Nath migrating to Tarai for better livelihood. constitutes the crux of the book as it Price: Rs 825 fect. Upadhyaya for their wonderful contribu- He deals at length about his entry into depicts the many trials and tribulations Best-sellers | New releases

Fiction

1. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman 2. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro 3. Whereabouts: A Novel by Jhumpa Lahiri 4. Find Me by Andre Aciman 5. The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel Source: Mandala Book Point Source:

Non-Fiction Nehru Tibet and China The Power of Geography The Shadow King Author: A S Bhasin Author: Tim Marshall Author: Maaza Mangiste 1. Caste: That Lies that Divide us by Publication: Viking Publication: Elliott & Thompson Publication: W W Norton & Company Isabel Wilderson Price: Rs 1118 Price: Rs 1118 Price: Rs 958 2. The God Equation: The Quest for a Writer Avtar Singh Bhasin writes about With the global bestseller of ‘Prisoners Maaza Mengiste’s second novel, ‘The Theory of Everything by Michio events critical to India-China relations of Geography’, Tim Marshall brings a Shadow King’, breathes life into com- Kaku that led to a painful war in 1962. Today, the revelatory book that explains global plicated characters on both sides of the 3. The Premonition: A Pandemic Story country time and again is still plagued by politics in a new age of great power battle line, shaping a heartrending, by Michael border disputes with China. Based on rivalry between 10 regions: Australia, indelible exploration of what it means years of archival research, Bhasin pre- Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Greece, to be a woman at war. The novel is set 4. Born a Muslim: Some Truths about sents details and analyses of events Turkey, the Sahel, Ethiopia, Spain and during Mussolini’s 1935 invasion of Islam in India by Ghazala Wahab extending from 1949 to the 1962 Indo- Space. Marshall’s book is lucid and Ethiopia and casts light on the women 5. A Functioning Anarchy?: Essays for China war. brings gripping information in his soldiers who were left out from histori- Ramchandra Guha edited by Srinath style—witty and insightful. cal documentation. Raghavan, Nandini Sundar Amazon’s mission: Getting a ‘key’ to your apartment building The service, dubbed ‘Key for Business’, is pitched as a way to cut down on stolen packages by making it easy to leave them in lobbies and not outside.

JOSEPH PISANI Business and signing up big landlords to NEW YORK install the device in their developments. But the push seems to have accelerated in mazon is tired of ringing the last year or so, with Amazon deploy- doorbells. ing salespeople nationwide. Recent job The online shopping postings in Miami and San Antonio say giant is pushing landlords Amazon salespeople can make $3,000 to around the country— $11,000 a month in bonuses and commis- sometimes with financial sions. Amazon won’t say how much it’s incentives—toA give its drivers the ability spending on the effort. to unlock apartment-building doors Not all Amazon packages can get themselves with a mobile device. through front doors. The company deliv- The service, dubbed Key for Business, ers about 60 percent of its own packages is pitched as a way to cut down on stolen itself, according to shopping data firm packages by making it easy to leave them Rakuten Intelligence; the rest come in lobbies and not outside. Amazon bene- through other delivery companies that fits because it enables delivery workers can’t let themselves in. to make their rounds faster. And fewer Philip T Evers, a logistics professor at stolen packages reduce costs and could the University of Maryland’s Robert H give Amazon an edge over competitors. Smith School of Business, said Amazon’s Those who have installed the device say desire to get the device into as many it reduces the constant buzzing by delivery buildings as possible maybe a way to people and is a safer alternative to giving keep competitors out. out codes to scores of delivery people. “The landlord may say, ‘You know, I’ll do But the Amazon program, first this for one company, but maybe we don’t announced in 2018, may stir security and want it for every delivery company that’s privacy concerns as it gains traction. The out there,’ “ he said. He added that Amazon company said that it does background could find other uses for the service, like checks on delivery people and that they Ap/rss having delivery people pick up returns left can unlock doors only when they have a A blue sticker with the Amazon logo is displayed on a buzzer system in the apartment building of Jason Goldberg, chief commerce in the lobby instead of making shoppers package in hand to scan. But tenants may strategy officer at marketing company Publicis Communications, in Chicago, US. schlep to the post office. Amazon declined not know that Amazon drivers have to share any future plans. access to their building’s front doors, number. It sometimes leaves a clue, plac- wanted access to the building where he declined to say why. The company says Jason Goldberg, chief commerce strat- since Amazon leaves it up to the building ing a round sticker with the Amazon lives in Oakland, California. Building customers can instead have their packag- egy officer at marketing company to notify them. smile logo on buzzers where the device management declined, and no device was es delivered to nearby grocery stores, dry Publicis Communications, said the Ashkan Soltani, a privacy researcher has been installed. On one New York City installed. cleaners or florists if they’re not home. device could save Amazon money, since who was a senior tech advisor to former street, the sticker was on three of 11 Amazon had better luck with Kenton FedEx declined to comment for this workers can drop off more packages dur- President Barack Obama, said that any buildings. In another neighbourhood, Girard. A Chicago landlord, Girard story. ing a shift and may have to offer fewer device connected to the internet could be two of seven buildings had the sticker. agreed to have the device installed in Amazon has wanted to walk through refunds to those whose packages were hacked, including the Amazon one, and Amazon salespeople have been fanning four of his buildings as a way to reduce people’s front doors for years. In 2017, it stolen. bad actors could try to unlock the doors. out to cities across the country to knock package theft, which was getting so bad launched a way for shoppers to let deliv- He heard about the program in “You’re essentially introducing a for- on doors, make cold calls or approach that he was considering building a pack- ery people come into their homes when December when a locksmith replacing eign internet-connected device into an building managers on the street to urge age drop box outside. they’re not there and leave packages in the buzzer system at his Chicago condo otherwise internal network,” said them to install the device. The company “I would have paid to have it done,” the foyer. Walmart did the same shortly building offered to install Amazon Key Soltani, who was also a former chief has even partnered with local locksmiths Girard said of the Amazon device. after, but its delivery people also for Business for free. Goldberg, who technologist at the US Federal Trade to push it on building managers while Currently, only the US Postal Service stocked the fridge with groceries. helps manage the building, later allowed Commission. they fix locks. Amazon installs the device has a way to enter apartment buildings Amazon and Walmart don’t say how Amazon salespeople—dangling a $100 Amazon didn’t respond to questions for free and sometimes throws in a $100 in order to get to mailboxes. UPS says it many people are using those services, Amazon gift card—to install the device. about potential hacking. Amazon gift card to whoever lets them in. has tested a way for its workers to enter but both have expanded them to more “They give it away for free because it The company has already installed the Soltani said he learned about Key for buildings without buzzing tenants, team- cities recently. benefits Amazon more than us,” Goldberg device in thousands of US apartment Business when he was approached by ing up with a smart-lock company in In 2018, Amazon set its sights on apart- said. buildings but declined to give a specific two Amazon salespeople in April who 2018. But that test ended, and UPS ment buildings, launching Key for — Associated Press

C M Y K SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2021 | 08 Culture & Lifestyle (C.R.P.D.) - 3/052/053 What I learned from writing workshops Participating in writing workshops made me aware of my many shortcomings as a writer.

Shuvangi Khadka up after some years? We plan for our life thinking it will flow in a linear way. But t started with dilly-dallying at a live life is never linear and circumstances are session organised by Word always changing. If we don’t create our Warriors, a spoken word poetry lives symbiotically exploring our talents group. A few months later, I found and circumstances, then we get accus- myself sitting in one of their writ- tomed to living within a box. Over time, ing workshops. We were given our obsession with this linear narrative Iprompts and we had to write about it prevents us from thinking outside the box without using clichés and overused meta- or realising possibilities beyond what phors. For me, this workshop model was we see. fairly comfortable as we did not have to I started my writing journey with poet- work vigorously perfecting a single poem ry. But now, I have realised visuals help but rather with short lines or paragraphs. me envision my idea better. Workshops I got out of the hangover of these work- gave me space where my learnings were shops thinking a finished product is not personalised. They provided me with the goal. Instead, it was finding unique hands-on writing experience, which of ways to say my truth. course was difficult. The journey taught The writing bug had bitten me. I me about my skills, passion and more thought I could do it ferociously as long as importantly, about myself. I was staying true to myself. With this Workshops introduced me to mediums basic idea, I started applying to every that I never considered to be suited for writing workshop I came across. me. I know I am never going to write a Since childhood, I have loved devouring song, but now I understand the journey stories. I thought writing them in a work- of a song, word choices and the interplay shop would be equally fun. But two weeks between lyrics and music. into an intensive fiction writing work- In all the workshops, even though there shop, I was not only questioning my story was a basic difference in their structure but my very interest in writing. and form, the idea was the same. The des- I still remember entering the Zoom link peration and effort were the same. It was on the first day of the writing workshop always about observing, noting down with my whole story idea mapped out. A ideas that appeal to you and questioning friend with whom I had shared the story those very ideas. The first thing you write idea had assured me that the story plot of is most probably (definitely) not going to a family living a nomadic life be a masterpiece. So, write freely, let your sounded promising. But as the facilitator unsplash hands wander. Come back after a few days prodded me with one question after the last workshop, I was hesitant mistakes was discouraged. and see if the logic still holds true—that another about my idea, I sat blankly star- when I saw a call for aspiring writers to Technically, it was also easy not to fail is, if you don’t cringe midway. And even ing at my computer screen questioning take part in a scriptwriting workshop. I With every workshop I in school. Because there are few instances if you do, know that writing is less about my story’s logic. enjoyed watching films but writing enrolled in, I was if at all where you have to think out of the writing and more about editing and Throughout the workshop, the facilita- for one was new territory. I didn’t know box. When I was in school, learning was rewriting. Keep on working and finding tor reminded us that the trick was to about all the different types of writing allowing myself to fail mostly memorising and regurgitating. that story that no one can say better never abandon our story no matter how genres but vaguely thought that writing But with every new workshop, I was hurl- than you. tough the process got. I will never forget stories and scripts were two different and to be vulnerable ing myself into unfamiliar territory However, I have to admit about the what he wrote in our last email exchange, things. where I had to rethink, reimagine, recon- place of privilege that allows me to par- “I know that the whole process can be One fine morning, an email informed again and again. nect and rebuild. Suddenly, there were no take in these workshops. I am part of disappointing at times because you get me that I had been selected for the work- notes or guide books I could solely rely groups where social media posts about sick of the story and just want it to be shop. However, my excitement was short- on. Suddenly, I was losing sleep trying to such workshops are circulated and I am a over. But that’s the thing about good art. It lived as I started thinking about my short- With every workshop I enrolled in, I figure out my character and my imagi- click away from applying to them. Not takes time and a lot of thinking and comings as a writer. was allowing myself to fail and to be vul- nary world. In the process, I think I came everyone has access to the internet, such reworking.” But I will also not forget how I changed my concept idea a total of nerable again and again. So much, that I to know about myself more than my groups and opportunities. So, for those I spent the last day of the workshop three times. As I pitched my second last reached a point where I started normalis- character. who become privy to such knowledge, I breaking down in my room. idea, the facilitators asked, “Do you think ing failure and asking silly questions and Failing is of course not limited to writ- think it is important to imbibe the lessons Of course, it is difficult in the begin- you’d be interested in watching this having no answer. ing. Whenever we try anything new, we and pass them along. ning. It is difficult to thicken your skin story?” Suddenly it dawned on me that I think part of my exasperation also know there are equal if not greater Just the other day, somebody sent me and to not take criticisms personally, and writing about my truth was not enough. came from how I approached learning in chances of failure. But the idea their piece of writing for feedback. “Why even if you do take them, to use it as fuel Now, I had to skillfully weave fact and school. How the right answer was always of failure should never prevent us from do you want to write this?” I asked after I that pushes you to do better. To be honest, fiction to write a story that stood aptly as put on a pedestal and how every exam doing it. As Sir Robinson famously said, finished reading. I might never success- it hasn’t been any easier until now. But I a metaphor for life. was a test of our ultimate calibre. We “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, fully complete a groundbreaking story or often look back at that night as hitting I dreaded going back the next day. But couldn’t afford to fall short, let alone fail. you’ll never come up with anything a script but I have definitely learnt to ask rock bottom. the fear of missing out on a class was The pressure to score perfect marks left original.” the right questions and I am going to for- Still recovering from my experience of even greater. little room to make mistakes and making Also, who knows where we might end ever take them with me.

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