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Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXVIII No. 150 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in , , Bharatpur and 34.5 C 13.7 C Friday, July 24, 2020 | 09-04-2077 Nepalgunj Jomsom Indecision over grade 12 final exams worries students and colleges Experts and school operators are against the nation-wide ban on schools when the Covid-19 threat is not uniform and as ‘unrecognised’ virtual classes restart.

BINOD GHIMIRE their internal evaluation. The schools KATHMANDU, JULY 21 have sent them to the board but it could still be a month before certifi- In normal times Sanskar Pandit, 18, cates are issued to the 482,219 students would have been waiting for his grade whose grades their schools sent. 12 results now. The high school exami- As for grade 11, the board on nations would have been held in April Tuesday endorsed a working proce- and the results out in the first week of dure, allowing respective schools to August. But it’s an uncertain time for evaluate their students. As in the case Pandit and around half a million oth- of SEE, the board will just validate the ers who were preparing for grade 12 internal evaluations made by the examinations when the lockdown was schools. announced in March. But grade 12 grades are much more “I am worried I might have to lose important than those of grades 10 and one year,” said Pandit. 11. With the letter grade system intro- While the government is preparing duced for SEE in 2015, it has been eas- to publish the results of Secondary ier for students to choose the subjects Education Examination (SEE) based they want to study in grades 11 and 12, on the candidates’ assessment by their the grade 12 final grades are impor- Post Photo: Beeju Maharjan own schools, and doing initial work on tant for what students take up in col- Morning yoga sessions resume at the Uma-Maheshwar temple premises in after the government lifted the coronavirus lockdown. the grade 11 results, no decision has lege. Subjects in high demand like been made on grade 12. medicine and engineering have a cer- Chandra Mani Poudel, chairperson tain threshold of grades to pursue. at the examination board, said he was Subham Shrestha, a twelfth grader not in a position to tell about the grade planning to studying engineering, 12 examinations. said, “If the government allows the Attorney general questions verdict on Koirala case “As of now we plan to hold the schools to send the marks based on the board exams for grade 12. However, internal exams, it will negatively this might change if the government affect the performance of the students Former justices worry about dignity of court as a wife murderer is released after sentence of lower court was commuted. decides otherwise,” he told the Post. like me, who have secured average The government decided to lift the marks in their internal exams but of life imprisonment with confisca- prison sentence as he has the respon- lockdown with restrictions starting who are working hard to secure better tion of his property. Dhakal’s body sibility to raise his children, who Wednesday but the board has no grades in the board examinations.” had been cut into pieces and burnt. have been without their parents for a schedule or concrete plan on how the “Whether I will be able to take up The decision had later been upheld long time. examinations will be held. engineering would depend on my final by the Patan Appellate Court. Koirala’s action had been a crime of On June 10, almost three months results because one has to secure at According to the Muluki Ain (coun- passion as he was then having an after the Cabinet decided to postpone least ‘C’ grade in aggregate in 11 and try code), life imprisonment sentence affair with another woman. The other the SEE, the government decided to 12. I am scared that the teachers could is equivalent to a 20-year sentence woman, Tara Regmi, who had served a cancel the examination and subse- be biased towards the students who although the new criminal code that one-year jail sentence for aiding and quently the Ministry of Education performed poorly in their internal came into effect in 2018 replacing the abetting the murder, received Koirala authorised respective schools to send tests,” he said. Muluki Ain has raised that to 25 years. outside the prison gate. the grades of their students based on >> Continued on page 3 Following the court’s verdict, The dignity of the judiciary has Koirala was released on Thursday been questioned with the latest ver- after serving eight-and-a-half years dict, according to Balaram KC, a for- jail term as that was what was left of mer Supreme Court justice. his sentence after the revision. KC said there are many errors in “We received the petition from the the decision. “It is the right of the attorney general late today,” said trial court to fix the quantum of pun- Bhadrakali Pokhrel, spokesperson for ishment,” KC told the Post. Post Photo: Anish Regmi the Supreme Court. >> Continued on page 5 Former Armed Police DIG Ranjan Koirala leaves the Dillibazaar prison premises on Thursday. According to an official at the Attorney General’s office, the TIKA R PRADHAN The petition comes as former petition has questioned the deci- KATHMANDU, JULY 23 Supreme Court judges, among other sion to reduce the jail-term using legal practitioners, decried the deci- an outdated law. The official said The Office of the Attorney General on sion of a bench comprising Chief it has also claimed that the seri- Thursday filed a petition at the Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana ousness of the crime does not Supreme Court seeking a review of its and Justice Tej Bahadur KC to shorten allow reduction of the punish- June 29 decision to shorten the prison the life imprisonment sentence ment and has claimed that the sentence handed to Ranjan Koirala, a ordered by a lower court by 11 years. top court made improper use of former deputy inspector general of Court had the existing legal provisions. the Armed Police Police Force, con- found Koirala guilty of pre-mediated The Supreme Court, in its victed for the murder of his wife murder of his wife Gita Dhakal in June 29 verdict, had said it had Post Photo eight-and-a-half years ago. January 2012 and handed a sentence decided to shorten Koirala’s As schools are late to reopen, a local unit in Lamjung has started classes in the community.

C M Y K FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020 | 02 Medley

Inside the Post Quote of the day

Indecision over grade 12 final exams worries National students and colleges, Page 1 Most of these vehicles have not been following the health and safety guidelines issued by the government, raising the risk of coronavirus spread, as cautioned by public health experts. “As of now we plan to hold the board exams for grade 12. However, this Opinion might change if the government Indigenous voices have said that Chepang homes were destroyed because they are ‘a soft target’ and are ‘poor and voiceless’. Indeed, the Chpeang community are decides otherwise.” among the most marginalised and poor ethnic groups in . Chandra Mani Poudel, chairman of the examination board, Money on holding the grade 12 finals. For more than two decades, Indian farmer Ravindra Kajal cultivated rice the way his forefathers had—every June he flooded his fields with water before hiring an army of farmhands to plant paddy seedlings.

World Most read online The city of Tokyo announced a record 366 new daily coronavirus cases on Thursday, exceeding 300 for the first time as Japan begins a four-day weekend Lockdown lifting was required, but Covid-19 threat is with many people joining a tourism promotion campaign that the government is pushing despite concerns of a new wave of infections nationwide. still high, public health experts warn The government on Tuesday said it had decided to lift the coronavirus lockdown starting Tuesday midnight, with some restrictions in place, signalling that Food & Travel Nepal is by and large open, but public health experts say the move was taken in When western mainstream media is not misrepresenting Asian food, it is often haste without proper consultations, as the Covid-19 threat level is still high. portraying non-European foods in a way that shows they have discovered and bettered it. Government decision to open tourism takes the sector by surprise Tuesday’s government announcement ending the four-month-long lockdown to, among other things, kickstart the tourism economy has taken tourism entrepre- neurs by surprise. “It all happened rather more swiftly than we had anticipat- News Quiz ed,” said Yogendra Shakya, who owns hotels around the country.

1. A landslide in which district d) Chepang Authorities have enforced an indefinite lockdown in Rajbiraj swept away 19 houses on Post PHOTO: SANJOG MANANDHAR Wednesday? 5. The Metropolitan Traffic A vendor displays hand painted posters of Naag, a serpent deity, for the upcoming Naag following a spike in coronavirus cases. a) Palpa Police Division on Wednesday Panchami festival in Basantapur, Kathmandu. Authorities have enforced an indefinite lockdown in Rajbiraj following a spike b) Lamjung announced that it was resum- in coronavirus cases. While Rajbiraj, the district headquarters, went under lock- c) Parbat ing which test? down from Wednesday, the rest of the district will remain under strict prohibito- d) Myagdi a) Drink driving ry orders from Thursday, officials said. b) Lane discipline 2. Hotels, restaurants as well as c) Rash driving On this day in history trekking and mountaineering d) Vehicle modification Health experts warn of coronavirus risk as traffic police activities have been allowed to announce resumption of drink driving test open from which date? 6. According to the annual report China accuses US of ‘trampling’ on textile agreement After the government’s official decision to lift the four-month-long coronavirus a) July 30 of the auditor general, how lockdown, Metropolitan Traffic Police Division on Wednesday announced that it b) August 30 much gigawatt hours of electric- BEIJING - Beijing accused Washington Friday of “trampling” on a bilateral agree- was resuming the drink driving test. The announcement has raised concern c) July 25 ity is produced by 18 private ment by unilaterally reducing China’s textile import quotas, warning the United among health experts who say it is a bad idea to start the test when the cases of d) August 25 hydropower companies? States of possible “adverse effects” on trade ties. coronavirus infection are increasing in . a) 91.65 GWh A Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation spokesman said a US 3. Who is the president of Trekking b) 96.52 GWh government decision to cut Beijing’s textile import quotas by 1.4 million dozen Agencies Association of Nepal? c) 95.61 GWh for fiscal 1994 had taken effect July 1, the China Daily said. a) Yogendra Shakya d) 92.65 GWh “The US government is trampling on the Sino-US bilateral agreement on tex- b) Suraj Baidhya tile trade by cutting quotas from China without presenting enough proof” of c) Khum Bahadur Subedi alleged illegal exports to the United States by Chinese firms, the spokesman Corrections d) Basanta Raj Mishra said. On the news, ‘Ongoing spell of rain could stay at least until Friday, predicts weather 4. Chitwan National Park authori- The Kathmandu Post office’ (Pg 1, July 22), the dates mentioned on the infographic should have been in ties torched and vandalised the July 24, 1994 July, instead of what was inadvertently published. huts belonging to which indige- If you believe we have got something wrong and it requires correction, please email nous group? us at [email protected] with “correction” in the subject line. a) Danuwar Answers to News Quiz: 1(b), 2(a), 3(c), 4(d), 5(a), 6(c) For the most recent corrections, visit kathmandupost.com/corrections. b) Majhi

c) Tharu Post Photo HOROSCOPE ARIES (March 21-April 19) CANCER (June 22-July 22) LIBRA (September 23-October 22) CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) **** **** *** *** You might have an unexpected (and perhaps So many people around you are clamoring for You will be feeling quite generous today, Keep your mind open today. You realise even a tad embarrassing) emotional reaction to the spotlight right now, the wiser move would be ready to use your ample flexibility whenever that someone is trying to change your opinion, something that is seemingly innocuous today, to be the quietest one in the room. Being subtle a compromise is called for. Someone needs but so what? Let them try. What they say but so what? Don’t suppress it. You need to let and subdued in your approach is the very best to cancel your date? No problem, these could make a lot of sense. And if that’s the case, your emotions come out in full force right now. way to stand apart from the rest of the group— things happen. Someone cuts you off in traffic? are you so stuck in your ways that you won’t Show people that it’s not such a bad thing to and get the undivided attention of someone you No biggie, you’d rather play it safe than get alter your positions for fear that it will make have human emotions. want to impress. road enraged. you look bad?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) LEO (July 23-August 22) SCORPIO (October 23-November 21) AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) *** *** **** *** Getting to where you need to be (when you need Have you been losing confidence in your intui- You have a great way with people, which will If you have been having money woes lately, they to be there) could become your biggest tive abilities? Have no fear—all of your faith is come in very handy today. Being tactful and probably have much less to do with saving than challenge today. Issues with your car or some- about to be restored. You’ll detect some monkey diplomatic is going to help you ease tensions they have to do with spending—you might be one else’s car will force you to change your business going on in a situation that everyone between two friends and help everyone in your focusing on fixing the wrong problem. plans and become reliant on others. Public else thinks is just peachy. They’ll think you are group get along much better. But when you step Take a look at where you money is going—are transportation is nothing to be afraid of, but it’s paranoid, but you should trust your gut one in to help your people have a civil conversation, you throwing it out the window, or investing not always feasible. more time. try not to control how they act. in things?

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) VIRGO (August 23-September 22) SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21) PISCES (February 19-March 20) *** *** **** *** Sharing is an important part of being a compas- If you are pressed for time today, the worst thing Your philosophy about life might not be some- When someone asks for your insight today, you sionate, good person. So today if someone needs you can do is hurry! If you spend all day thing that you can express in words, but it took shouldn’t hold back about how you really feel— something you have, share it. Have a friend rushing around, you’ll only end up missing out a lot of time and trial to get to—so respect it. Do but you might want to soften your harshest who’s hungry? Give them half your sandwich. on details. Or worse, putting yourself in danger not back down when what you think is chal- feelings. This person isn’t used to hearing the Meet someone who doesn’t have quarters for because you’re not concentrating on what lenged today. Just walk away from people who cold, harsh truth and it would be in your best parking? Pay for a half hour. These little you’re doing. Just relax, sort out what you need don’t respect your ideals. Trying to explain interests to gloss over your thoughts with a nice gestures means so much to someone else. to do, and create a plan. yourself is not going to be easy. thick coating of charm and diplomacy.

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C M Y K 03 | FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020 National Majority of public vehicles in the Valley Indecision over grade are not following health and safety rules 12 final exams worries ... >> Continued from page 1 Because parents of children are It is not only about individual stu- especially concerned, the school-going Experts have warned of the coronavirus risk if public vehicles do not follow the guidelines set by the government. dents. The uncertainty will affect the age population is much larger and the whole tertiary education. Government private school lobby is stronger, there and university officials as well as col- have been efforts at having virtual lege administrators say the delay in classes through radio, television and grade 12 examinations will have a rip- the internet. But that had come to a ple effect in the academic calendar in standstill as the government remained the university education at all levels. undecided over charging tuition fees. Devraj Adhikari, member-secretary Following a dialogue with guardian at the University Grants Commission, associations on Wednesday, schools said although the academic calendar resumed the virtual classes on would not suffer too much if the exam- Thursday. But the government did not ination board conducts and publishes have a role in any agreement they grade 12 results by November, but he reached. concedes there is little chance of this. While virtual classes at the moment College administrators agree with seem the only alternative, the Ministry Adhikari. They say adjusting a few of Education hasn’t recognised virtu- months will not be a problem; howev- al learning as formal schooling. It says er, if the grade 12 results are pushed conducting teaching-learning activi- beyond November, it would pose a ties through the virtual medium is challenge. just a means to engage the students in Lok Bhandari, general secretary of the learning process. Higher Institutions and Secondary Guardians too are concerned about Schools Association, said the govern- the learning in virtual classes. “My ment should validate the internal son’s school hardly runs class for a evaluations for grade 12 as it has done couple of hours a day and I doubt that for grades 10 and 11. can cover his course of study,” “We suggest not affecting the aca- Deependra Neupane, father to a sixth demic calendar in the name of hold- grader from a school in Lokanthali, ing nationwide board examinations,” told the Post. “It seems the online he told the Post. classes are just the medium for private “The entire calendar for tertiary schools to demand fees from the par- education will be affected if the gov- ents.” ernment fails to take a prompt and Despite the existing threat of Covid- right decision about grade 12.” 19, Private and Boarding Schools’ Meanwhile, universities and colleg- Organisation Nepal (PABSON) and es have more to worry about than the National Private and Boarding grade 12 results. Schools’ Association (NPABSAN), two Universities are wondering how lobby groups of private schools, want they will be able to hold examinations flexibility regarding the decision on for tens of thousands of students dur- running the classes with the physical ing the pandemic, especially for stu- presence of students where possible. dents studying management and “The ban is lifted on every other humanities given their numbers. sector but education. Why should only Dr Dharma Kant Banskota, we face this restriction?” asked Ritu vice-chancellor at Tribhuvan Raj Sapkota, NPABSAN chairperson. University (colleges affiliated to it He says rather than the federal gov- have 90 percent of the student popula- ernment, local governments should be tion), said he is hoping for the threat deciding on the reopening of schools Post Photo: KESHAV THAPA of the Covid-19 to subside so that it after assessing the possible threat of Buses have started plying the streets in Kathmandu but safety protocols are not always strictly adhered to. can hold the examinations. Covid-19 in particular areas. “There are plans in place to start Education experts have a similar ANUP OJHA and mandatory mask rules were not down was lifted, we are having diffi- “In normal times, we used to earn at the exams from next month. We aren’t view. They say since the local govern- KATHMANDU, JULY 23 being followed. culty controlling the traffic, particu- least Rs 7,000 from five trips between worried for the streams that have ments best know about their challeng- The number of coronavirus infec- larly during the rush hours, and we Balkot and Kalanki. Now we hardly smaller enrolment [like engineering es, they can make more informed deci- The number of public vehicles on the tion cases in Kathmandu Valley has cannot check every vehicle to make earn Rs 2,000,” said GC. and medicine]. The challenge is in the sions than the federal government. roads of Kathmandu Valley has been increasing by the day. sure that the health and safety rules Considering the profit loss of public case of streams with a large number The grants the increased after the government lifted On Thursday alone Kathmandu are being followed,” a traffic constable transport operators due to the passen- of students,” he said. local governments explicit authority the nationwide coronavirus lockdown Valley reported nine new cases of in Kalanki area told the Post on condi- ger limitation rule, the government The final year students from the to manage school education. after nearly four months on Tuesday. coronavirus infection. The Valley has tion of anonymity. has allowed them to charge a 50 per- bachelor’s level have been waiting for Professor Binay Kusiyait, a However, most of these vehicles so far witnessed a total of 383 cases— He said public vehicles plying the cent surcharge on normal fare. GC, more than three months for their researcher on educational issues, said have not been following the health and 255 in Kathmandu, 80 in Lalitpur and , Stungal and Nagdhunga however, said they still cannot reach examinations. In normal times they there might not be the same level of safety guidelines issued by the govern- 48 in Bhaktapur. from Kalanki routes in the evening break even because they were not get- were held in April. threat in Metropolitan City ment, raising the risk of coronavirus People who commute on public have been found breaching the rules, ting enough passengers during the Krishna Prasad Wagley, a final year and Suryabinayak Municipality, for spread, as cautioned by public health vehicles are also worried about vehi- but the traffic police cannot book day. SP Bam Dev Gautam, spokesper- bachelor’s student at Jaya Multiple instance. experts. cles not following the health and safe- every one of them. son for the Metropolitan Traffic Police Campus, affiliated with the Tribhuvan “The government report shows five A Cabinet meeting had made it ty guidelines. The Kalanki traffic police office had Division, public vehicle operators University, said the delay in the hold- districts don’t have a single active mandatory for public vehicles to limit “None of the buses I have travelled stopped 20 buses on Wednesday and 10 make any excuse for endangering the ing of exams for months has affected case. Why are they not given the the passenger numbers to half their so far since the lockdown relaxation on Thursday for breaching the health public health. him in many ways. “The university authority to decide on the resumption seating capacity, keep hand sanitisers has followed the rule of social distanc- and safety rules. “We will step up our monitoring has to give some way out. It either can of schools on their own?” he said. where passengers could easily access ing,” said Sahara Parajuli, 31, from “Neither the passengers nor the bus from Friday and book those vehicles validate the internal evaluations or The Education Ministry, mean- them and mask and glove rules for Satungal, who works for a travel agen- operators seem to be following the carrying passengers beyond the set conduct the tests in different shifts. If while, is still clueless on the modality drivers, among others. cy in New Road. “Since there are not rules. The passengers want to get to limit,” said Gautam. The division has not, it at least can assure I will not of reopening schools. Deepak Sharma, But when the Post visited various many public vehicles on my route, I their work or home in time while the set up a special team of 30 traffic have to lose one year to join the mas- spokesperson for the ministry, said it bus stations in Sahid Gate, Sundhara, have no choice but to take any bus or bus operators want to earn money,” officers to monitor and enforce health ter’s degree,” he told the Post. is still unsafe to start instruction with , Kalanki and New Bus van that comes along the way, even if said the constable. and safety rules in public vehicles. For schools with about seven mil- the physical presence of the students. Park on Wednesday evening, it was it is crowded.” Dipesh GC, a bus driver, said if pub- “In the past two days, we have lion students it is a different chal- “We have decided to allow admission evident that most of the public vehi- Meanwhile, the traffic authority lic transport operators were to limit booked 72 public vehicles for flouting lenge. The Cabinet on Tuesday said from next month but we still need to cles were not following the health and seems to be doing little to enforce the the passenger numbers to half the the rules. On Thursday alone, the the schools can start the admission be cautious about starting schools and safety rules. health and safety rules on public vehi- seating capacity, the money they earn team booked 16 buses, 14 micro buses process from August 18 but it did not colleges,” he told the Post. The most important safety meas- cles. “We cannot monitor every vehi- will only be enough to refuel the and one tempo were booked for say when the classes could be allowed Shuvam Dhungana contributed ures of limiting passenger numbers cle on the road. Ever since the lock- vehicles. breaching the rules,” said Gautam. to begin. reporting. Implementation of guidelines to bring So far seven vie for Congress top post back workers is fraught with challenges General convention is in February but federal structure of the party yet to be formed. CHANDAN KUMAR MANDAL Employment Board, by drafting a set did not receive air tickets and other ANIL GIRI to invigorate the , and KATHMANDU, JULY 23 of guidelines. expenses from the host government, KATHMANDU, JULY 23 they should step back and let a new Last week, the Cabinet approved the employer or the recruiting agency, crop compete for the top post. On July 15, the Nepali Embassy in guidelines paving the path for the will the board sponsor his/ her flight In a new twist in the Nepali Congress While under Deuba, the grand old Qatar posted a list of names of Nepalis repatriation of stranded Nepali work- to Nepal. “If the government doesn’t leadership race, Bimalendra Nidhi, a party of Nepali politics faced its selected to fly home on flights sched- ers, who had migrated with labour set up such stringent criteria, even confidant of party President Sher worst defeat in parliamentary elec- uled for July 17, 18 and 20, on its permits. those who can pay for their tickets will Bahadur Deuba, has expressed his tions held in 2017. Facebook page. Nabaraj Lamichhane, The guidelines say that workers apply to return on government sup- intent to contest the post of party While Deuba and Nidhi are in one a migrant worker, posted a comment who haven’t received air tickets and port. But there is a risk that the whole chief in the upcoming general conven- camp Poudel, the two Koiralas, Mahat on the post that reflects the plight for- other expenses from their host coun- process will turn problematic if not tion scheduled for February. and Singh are another camp. eign workers desperate to return try, employer, or recruiting agencies to monitored efficiently,” said Krishna Nidhi joins the race with other top According to two Nepali Congress home amid a global pandemic. return home, shall be entitled to finan- Neupane, a lawyer and general secre- leaders such as Ram Chandra Poudel, leaders close to the Deuba camp, there “I haven’t received my salary for the cial support from the government. tary at the National Network for Safe party General Secretary Dr Shashank is a section within the camp looking last four months, but my name is still However, labour migration experts Migration. Koirala, Shekhar Koirala, Ram Sharan for an alternative within the Deuba not on the list,” he commented. “We and labour rights activists say the “Even if one stakeholder does not Mahat and Prakash Man Singh. camp and have zeroed in on Nidhi. should have regular flights from Qatar guidelines and its implementation respond on time, the whole process None of them has officially But with five aspirants, the Poudel so that those who want to return on may further delay the prospects of gets delayed and workers are already expressed their intent to contest the camp is divided. their own expenses can return when- migrant workers returning home. in distress.” party’s top post, but are testing waters “I am determined and I will contest ever they want to,” Lamichhane said. “The government clearly issuing Researcher Nepal said that the by announcing their intent only with- the post of party president,” Shekhar “If the government repatriates only criteria for repatriation is a welcome guidelines add work to Nepali mis- in the party. Koirala told the Post but he faces a 150 in three days, I don’t know when I move,” said Rameshwar Nepal, a sions already under stress. “Nepalo Another senior party leader challenge from his cousin Shashank. can return home. The government labour migration researcher. embassies are under-resourced even Krishna Prasad Sitaula, who had con- Post file Photo Another aspirant Mahat has also and the embassy should do something “Likewise, provisions to provide reim- for normal times. With more work tested for leadership the last time Nidhi is the latest to join the fray. thrown his hat in the ring saying he is about it.” Four days ago, another bursement to those who meet the cri- burden and lengthy verification pro- round, has not yet revealed his intent. also eligible to become the party pres- migrant worker Sagar Malla lamented teria, but have already returned home cess, repatriation of stranded workers He has been vacillating between the The party has instructed all its dis- ident because he brings a lot of experi- on Facebook, “When will I fly back? I on their own, is also praiseworthy.” might go on for months.” Deuba and Poudel camps of late. trict committees to complete the for- ence working in the party and the don’t have a valid visa nor have I had Despite the encouraging provisions After the pandemic struck major “I have been meeting senior party mation of interim party structures in government. work for the last five months. When in the document, there’s doubt that labour destination countries, thou- leaders to discuss various issues and line with the federal set-up. But two “This is too early to make an official will my turn [to return home] come? the implementation of the guidelines sands of Nepali workers have lost where I have been sharing my dozen districts are yet to to form the bid but a lot of party leaders have There should be regular flights.” will be smooth and efficient, said their jobs and are trying to return thoughts with them, said Nidhi. party’s interim structure. asked me to contest the elections. I am Social media accounts of the Nepali Nepal, South Asia director at Equidem home. Several estimates have shown Deuba nominated Nidhi as party’s The party is yet to adopt a federal ready and capable to handle the Embassy in Qatar, other countries in Research, a UK-based human rights that up to 500,000 Nepali workers vice-president. Nidhi had earlier structure—it has to create organisa- responsibility. If needed I will fight,” the Persian Gulf and Malaysia, have research organisation. The main hur- might return home in the long run. supported Deuba in his bid for the tions and committees in the seven Mahat said. been flooded with such comments dle is likely to come from the process A total of 34,647 Nepalis, mostly presidency during the 13th general provinces, 165 federal constituencies, If Nidhi goes his own way, it will be from stranded Nepali migrant work- to verify the eligibility of migrant from the Gulf and Malaysia, have convention held in 2016, promising to 330 provincial electoral constituen- difficult for Deuba to win, leaders ers waiting for their turn to return workers to return home on a govern- returned home as of Wednesday on support him in turn during the 14th cies, 753 local units and over 6,000 from the Deuba camp said. home. ment-sponsored flight. 220 flights. convention. ward committees. “Time has not come to declare the Even after the government started The process, according to the guide- The government has not made clear But now Deuba himself wants to be Then the task of active membership candidacy officially. I will definitely bringing workers who could pay for lines, shall begin after stranded work- the timeline for the fresh repatria- the president for one last time, Nepali distribution, probe into the distribu- consult with Deuba and other senior their tickets themselves or get their ers file an application with Nepali tions that shall be bank-rolled by the Congress leaders say. tion of active membership issuance party leaders before the announce- employers to pay, a large number of missions abroad. The embassy is to fund. “The guidelines have come into Nidhi told the Post that he decided row, holding local conventions will ment.” Nidhi, son of the late Mahendra workers who have no means to pay for inform the recruiting agency con- the force. Now, the Nepali missions to contest the top post only with begin. Narayan Nidhi, a towering leader their flight home have been helplessly cerned to check their status. If the will start collecting details of those support from Deuba. After completing the process in all inside the party and champion for looking up to the government to worker concerned has not received who need to be repatriated,” said It is too early to say who the race provinces, districts, and constituen- raising the Madhesi issues inside the return home. his/her salary, facilities and air ticket Suman Ghimire, spokesperson for the will be between since it’s still months cies, it will pave the way for holding party, told the Post. The Supreme Court recently from the employer as per their con- Ministry of Labour, Employment and before the 14th convention scheduled the central general convention, Besides Sitaula, the preference of ordered the government to bring tract, Nepali missions abroad will Social Security. “Workers are already for 19-22 February 2021. In preparation according to the party statute. leaders like Minindra Rijal and Gagan workers home using money from the take the initiative to get them such returning home on their own too. Our for the convention, elections at lower There is a big section within the Thapa will have a say in the final deci- Migrant Workers’ Welfare Fund, facilities. main concern is that Nepalis should levels of the party’s structure yet to party that feels since Deuba, 74, and sion of the aspiring candidates for the maintained by the Foreign Only after ensuring that a worker not be left stranded abroad.” take place. his old nemesis Poudel, 75, have failed top post.

C M Y K FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020 | 04 Opinion EDITORIAL Why current conservation models are flawed Drive safe Authorities should educate the public on the hazards of drunk driving.

The Metropolitan Police Division on Wednesday said it was resum- ing drunk driving tests. Senior Superintendent of Police Bhim Prasad Dhakal claimed a safe distance would be maintained while doing such checks, adding that officers would not use breathalysers and instead observe the behaviour and attitude of motorists to deter- mine whether the latter are intoxicated. There is no questioning the effectiveness of drunk driving tests, as the country has seen a significant decrease in the number of inci- dents related to drunk driving in the past decade or so. So the inten- tion of the division can’t be faulted. Authorities seem to be keen to put the number of road fatalities under check now that the lockdown has been lifted. But good intentions must be accompanied by right action. Public health experts have warned repeatedly that the Covid-19 threat is still quite high. The World Health Organisation has empha- sised several times over in the past six months that the coronavirus transmits from one person to another through breathing and talk- ing. The precautions officers take while ascertaining whether a driver is drunk may not be enough to stop the transmission. With over 18,000 positive cases and 42 deaths, the situation in Nepal is nowhere close to subsiding anytime soon. And with no curve in sight in the immediate future, there is no breathing a sigh of relief right n o w. Post File Photo The biggest hindrance in the fight against the coronavirus the Top-heavy conservation appear. When the Nepalese government wont to say that the Rajah is Lord of ed in just 10 days. Now, local ecotour- world over has been the authorities’ failure to listen to public health dropped the case months later, the the cultivated country, as they are of ism models centred around the falcon models have little regard for charity declared it a victory in the fight the unredeemed waste’. itself have succeeded in reducing hunt- experts. Nepal is no exception in this regard. Officials at the Covid-19 against poaching’. As deplorable as the state’s vicious ing practices, and instead created a Crisis Management Centre have told the Post that the decision to lift locals. This has to change if This, then, is the background against treatment of the squatters is, especial- welcome partnership between locals the lockdown was taken without taking possible risk factors into which we must view the forced eviction ly during a pandemic and the rains, the and conservationists. The success of conservation is to succeed. of 10 Chepang households from response also follows in line with top- this model suggests local issues will account. Needless to say, authorities are following the same approach Chitwan National Park by park author- heavy conservation practices in Nepal require localised problems. while resuming drunk driving tests as well. ities and Army personnel. Two houses and across the world that pay little Unfortunately, such a vision does not In their attempt to avoid transmission, police authorities are argu- were burnt down, and eight others attention to traditional relationships seem to have proliferated among the Amish Raj Mulmi destroyed by using elephants—the between humans and animals, and rely authorities or conservation bodies pro- ably facilitating transmission thanks to their haphazard plans. As imagery recalls feudal practices at instead on neocolonial ideas built upon tecting our national parks here in Dr Sher Bahadur Pun, a virologist at the Shukraraj Tropical and their worst. Park authorities said the a distrust of the local. This goes beyond Nepal. Rather, the burning down of the Infectious Disease Hospital, says, the decision to conduct drunk Chepangs had encroached upon the just indigenous people. One of the most Chepang homes in Kusumkhola—a national park; if so, the question aris- famous examples in recent times comes ruthless act that is simply a display of driving tests will put the lives of traffic officers and motorists at risk. es, will the authorities now target the from the Kaziranga National Park in state power than anything else—con- The division’s decision to resume drunk driving tests at a time more-than-4,000 homes currently said Assam, India, whose rangers had shoot- veys the Nepali conservation model when cases of transmission are rising also shows how those at the to be encroaching upon the land? The on-sight orders upon encountering following the same social hierarchy higher echelons of power decide the fate of those at the lower rungs In a series of articles in 2018, author mayor of Madi has also alleged that poachers. Although a success story in that dominates the rest of Nepali socie- Shradha Ghale identified several key park authorities have obstructed the rhino conservation, the issue high- ty. Since the Chepang are politically of the bureaucratic ladder without so much as consulting them. issues with conservation practices in resettlement of households in the past. lighted the clear discord about the role insignificant, they can be treated with Rather than resuming an activity that puts its own personnel as well Nepal: that it is a centralised, top-heavy And finally, the displaced households of local people in conservation practic- disdain. as the public at risk of transmission, the division should be looking model with little regard for indigenous said they were ready to move, but were es. As anthropologist Radhika What if we could develop a model and local people; that the Army, waiting for the dry season. Govindrajan has recorded in the hills that is decentralised, and considers for ways to minimise human contact and find alternative ways to entrusted with protecting conservation Indigenous voices have said the of Kumaon where depredation by wild local issues at par with the necessity to control drunk driving. areas, has committed human rights Chepang homes were destroyed boars is common but colonial laws of protect animals? As of now, Ghale The resumption of the tests also exposes the limitations of the abuses in the name of anti-poaching because they are ‘a soft target’ and are conservation forbid villagers from kill- writes, ‘the National Parks and Wildlife and curbing wildlife crime; and ‘poor and voiceless’. Indeed, the ing the pigs, rural folk are imagined as Conservation Act allows the govern- rules related to driving under the influence. The moment the author- that imported models of conservation Chepang community are among the a savage predatory unit ‘declared ment to declare any site a protected ities stopped checking drunk driving due to the coronavirus pan- were implemented without much most marginalised and poor ethnic unworthy of trust’. This relates to sev- area, with no obligation to consult the demic, drivers began to take undue advantage of the lax rules by thought for traditional ways of living, groups in Nepal. The 2012 Nepal eral rural areas in Nepal where wild local and indigenous communities who and rural folk were instead blamed for Multidimensional Social Inclusion animal depredation is common, but few live in that area’. Perhaps those who beginning to drive drunk again. Old habits die hard, as they say. If deforestation and various environmen- Index listed them among the 10 ethnic solutions are devised that can allow are involved—from authorities to the attitude of the drivers about drunk driving has not changed after tal crises. groups with the lowest standard of liv- locals to view the animals beyond an international conservation bodies like almost a decade, there seems to be a fundamental problem in the idea In 2019, Buzzfeed News revealed in a ing. The 2011 census counted their pop- adversarial lens. the WWF—need to rethink this com- detailed investigation that, among ulation as just shy of 70,000, and almost This is not to suggest conservation is pletely. The belief that our jungles of imposing such a rule. other excesses across the world in the 80 percent of all Chepang households ill-intentioned; if anything, at a time belong only to the government is Apart from imposing strict rules on drunk driving, authorities name of conservation, the World were destroyed during the 2015 earth- when the earth is undergoing an a historic legacy of the Rana era should, therefore, focus on creating mass awareness about the haz- Wildlife Fund (WWF) helped cover up quake. The Chepangs’ semi-nomadic Anthropocene extinction, conservation built upon the monarchy’s turn towards the custodial death of Shikharam existence has long been a subject of practices are needed more than ever. conservation. As such, it is the locals ards of drunk driving. Unless the drivers themselves come to under- Chaudhary in 2006, who had been discussion; the British resident Brian But one-size-fits-all models are not the and the marginalised who bear the stand—or are educated well enough—that drunk driving tests are for accused of burying a rhino horn in his Hodgson in an 1857 article wrote: answer. One successful example in brunt of policies. But such a model their own benefit than that of the authorities, the former will always backyard (the horn wasn’t found). ‘“They toil not, neither do they spin:” recent times from our region is the inevitably creates deep social fissures find thief ’s ways to avoid being caught while driving drunk rather ‘WWF’s staff on the ground in Nepal they pay no taxes, acknowledge no alle- conservation of Amur Falcons in the that breed resentment, and further leaped into action—not to demand jus- giance, but, living entirely upon wild Indian state of Nagaland. At one point, endangers the goal of protecting the than take safe driving rules seriously. tice, but to lobby for the charges to dis- fruit and the produce of the chase, are a hundred thousand falcons were hunt- wilderness.

Economics and the culture war

ics is its valid claim to be colour- and Economics’ detachment gender-blind. The economist treats the individual only as a consumer, taking from culture can be his or her preferences and budgets as given, and ignoring what causes these regarded as a serious to be what they are. On the whole, this blindness also shortcoming. applies to business. Firms are not con- cerned with their customers’ colour, gender, or political beliefs; rather, they Robert Skidelsky respond to consumer demand at the point of actual or expected sale (although they also help to create the demand). Without a huge cultural blind spot, therefore, no accurate cal- culation of economic or business out- comes is possible. Yet, having conceded all this, I am I have long criticised economics for its still uneasy at the thought that my lack of realism, and for producing particular discipline protects me from ‘models’ of human behaviour that are the culture wars. For I can’t help feel- at best caricatures, and at worst paro- ing that what goes on in ‘the culture’ is dies of the real thing. In my recent actually more significant—for good or book What’s Wrong with Economics?, I ill—than what is happening in the argue that, in their attempt to estab- economy. lish universal laws, economists will- This is because humans do not live fully ignored the particularities of for bread alone. As the former histories and culture. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan The economist and sociologist Williams sagely remarked, monetary Thorstein Veblen brilliantly captured exchange is simply one of the things this blindness. In a 1908 article, Veblen humans do. They also want to feel ‘at imagined economists explaining the Shutterstock home in the world’. And ‘good eco- behaviour of ‘a gang of Aleutian ensures the equilibrium of markets. The virulence of the current out- resents a civilisational advance or ence today is what causes the gap nomics’, if by that one means Islanders slushing about in the wrack The authority of economics is based break of culture war partly reflects retreat, and in what proportions. between rich and poor within all coun- ever-greater consumption, is not nec- and surf with rakes and magical on the precision of its reasoning and the lack of alternative news: the Of course, the answers will depend tries to grow. Is it the superior talents essarily the best way to achieve this. incantations for the capture of shell- its emphasis on measurement. media cannot live off the pandemic on how the future turns out. But at the of the wealthy, or rather their cumula- Some economists may prefer to con- fish’ in terms of utility maximisation. Anything that can be counted should alone, and the normal business of moment, few educated people under tive socioeconomic advantages? centrate on the current economic situ- In the 18th century, practitioners of be, while anything that can’t is a mat- economics, politics, and international the age of, say, 30 have enough histori- These debates are fierce; they give ation while standing apart from cultur- economics—the study of how people ter of opinion, not knowledge. affairs is at a standstill. ‘Cancel cul- cal memory to challenge current rise to political movements of reac- al questions, or to say that the culture went about the ordinary business of (Scientists’ ongoing attempts to uncov- ture’ surely would not be gaining the standards of judgement. tion, reform, and revolution. But at war will recede as soon as the economy making a living—decided to align er the causes and progress of Covid-19 attention it has if there were more To be sure, economics is no more the intellectual level, they are gov- improves. But this is to abdicate their inquiries with the so-called are based on precisely this method.) (and more important) news. exempt from controversies than other erned by a protocol that participants responsibility, and to choose the easy ‘hard’ sciences, especially physics, as I still regard economics’ detach- More generally, the re-engineering fields. I am currently involved in one regard as binding: that better reason- road under cover of their discipline’s opposed to ‘human’ sciences like his- ment from culture as a serious short- of Western culture to make it more concerning the role of the state in ing and better evidence—in other neutrality. Jean-Paul Sartre would tory. Their ambition was to construct coming in understanding human acceptable to, and accepting of, other economic life—an unsettled question, words, better science—can in princi- have called this ‘bad faith’. Blunter a ‘physics’ of society in which social behaviour. But I now see considerable cultures has been gathering pace since going back to the start of economics, ple resolve these arguments. The pro- observers would call it cowardice. structures were just as subject to merit in this cultural neutrality, the 1960s. At some point in the future, pitting those who believe that state tagonists’ cultural biases are not invariant laws as natural structures. because it provides a ‘safe space’ for historians may still be free to debate intervention worsens economic per- weapons to be deployed in the battle of Skidelsky, a member of the British Thus the law of gravity, which thinking amid the culture wars that whether the voluntary dismantling of formance against those who believe economic ideas, because ad hominem House of Lords, is Professor Emeritus explains the orbit of the planets round currently convulse the non-scientific the iconography, language, and thought the opposite (with all the necessary or ad feminam arguments do not of Political Economy at Warwick the sun, found its economic counter- intelligentsia and about which jour- habits of Western imperialism, rac- qualifications on each side). Another advance the debate. University. part in the law of self-interest, which nalists love to pontificate. ism, patriarchy, sexism, and so on rep- unsettled question of particular sali- Another point in favour of econom- —Project Syndicate

C M Y K 05 | FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020 National ‘We want to be more than a development Chepang organisation partner. We want to be a political partner’ demands inquiry into

Nepal and the European Union share a long-standing friendship and part- Kusum Khola incident nership. The EU has been supporting Nepal financially and technically in RAMESH KUMAR PAUDEL “Photos of the arson and vandalism the different development efforts. It CHITWAN, JULY 23 which have been made public are also has significant support in the fake,” said Rupakheti. social sectors like education. This Nepal Chepang Sangh, an organisa- He added that the park employees week Veronica Cody, EU ambassador tion representing the indigenous had pulled down six huts and five to Nepal, is wrapping up her three Chepang community, has demanded guard posts in the settlement while years of tenure in Kathmandu and an inquiry into the recent incident of denying the allegation of setting leaving for Brussels on Saturday. enforced eviction of Chepang ablaze and using elephants to tear Binod Ghimire from the Post talked families from their settlement in down the huts. to Cody on different issues from the Chitwan district. Issuing a statement on Wednesday EU’s support, human rights and her On July 18, a group of people had evening, the park authority also said three years of stay in Nepal. Excerpts: torched and vandalised at least 10 that people from outside the Chepang huts in a Chepang settlement built in settlement were cultivating maize and How do you assess your tenure in Kusum Khola, Madi. The displaced constructing huts in the Kusum Khola Nepal? families have claimed that their area by taking advantage of the coro- homes were destroyed by the employ- navirus lockdown. In this respect, I don’t want to be ees of Chitwan National Park. “Maize was grown in around eight overmodest or over self-congratulato- On Thursday, representatives of the katthas of land and 11 thatched-roof ry. We have been able to enhance bilat- Nepal Chepang Sangh in Bagmati huts were constructed to guard the eral dialogue, which is an extremely Province and the Chitwan working maize crops. Only those huts and important step. Second, is the support committee of the Sangh submitted a crops were cleared from Kusum Khola to the government’s priorities in rural memorandum of appeal to Narayan on Saturday,” the park said in the development, agriculture and educa- Prasad Bhattarai, chief district officer statement. tion. We have been successful in of Chitwan, demanding investigation CDO Bhattarai said the park had increasing access to education both into the incident and legal action informed the local administration for the girls and boys. What we need to post photo against the people responsible. They about clearing the encroached land do more is enhance the quality of edu- Veronica Cody, EU ambassador to Nepal, leaves for Brussels on Saturday after completing her three-year tenure. also demanded immediate dismissal where maize was being cultivated. cation, increase student’s retention of the park officials involved in the “I was busy with landslide manage- rate, train the teachers and enhance democracy. development, it’s a huge challenge. which is a big step forward. We have incident. ment when the incident happened. I the curriculum. Still a lot has been done towards been told that the legislation will be The organisation has warned of am yet to come across other details,” I arrived at an interesting time in You have travelled across Nepal decentralising the financial and endorsed by the upcoming session of protests if their demands are not met. he said. “There, however, has been no the history of the country when it was meeting the most marginalised com- human resources. Even in my country, the parliament. Then probably there The park administration has been discussion with the park officials having three tiers of general elec- munities. Do you think enough meas- Ireland, centralisation is a problem. will be the visit of the experts from refuting the allegation that it had about the eviction of the 10 families tions. The merged ruling party ures have been taken to uplift these So, I am not shocked to see the prac- both the sides to discuss the way for- sanctioned the eviction of the left in Kusum Khola.” achieved a big success, and Nepal, communities? tice in Nepal. Federalism is an evolv- ward. It will be followed by the train- Chepang families. According to Bhattarai, the park after a long span of time, got a stable ing process and it takes time for its ing of the officials from the regulating On Wednesday, a team from the officials have also extended the same government. I take this as a very posi- I visited three different communities full implementation. agencies. I hope I come back to Nepal Sangh had inspected the incident site. claim about not destroying people’s tive step for the country, as stable gov- and I had very mixed feelings. I met next time on European flight. According to the park officials, the huts in Kusum Khola. ernment allows for better long-term the people from Tharu community, Nepal has achieved remarkable area where the settlement was built Earlier, Amnesty International planning. Stability means a greater which was extremely positive because progress in social sectors where the How have you found Nepal’s human falls under the park’s territory. Over Nepal had condemned the eviction of prospect to look at the economic these have been the people who once EU has supported for a long time. But rights situation during your stay? the last few years, around 160 Chepang the Chepang families from their settle- growth. The Nepal government has were bonded labours. They were freed there is fear that the pandemic could families, except 10, have left the settle- ment by the Chitwan National Park announced that it will graduate from but without resources. We got togeth- take away the progress made so far. Nepal has a very progressive constitu- ment in Kusum Khola and migrated to authority. the Least Development Nation by 2022. er with local partners to implement Has the EU assessed the impact tion. The provision about 33 percent an area adjacent to Bharatpur Madi Kamal Pathak, the coordinator of It seems like Nepal is in the beginning ‘right to earn a living project’ that Covid-19 could leave? women representations in all the state Thori Postal Highway with the help of the committee formed by the National of a road to prosperity towards the supplies the community with poultry, machineries is very important while Madi Municipality. Human Rights Commission to moni- goal of ‘Prosperous Nepal, Happy supports in organic farming, tailor There are many surveys being under- the Nepal government too has taken Narayan Prasad Rupakheti, chief tor anti-human rights activities dur- Nepali’. Similarly, projected economic working, stone carving, mobile and taken on the socio-economic effects of different measures to address the con- conservation officer at the park, ing the lockdown in Chitwan, said: growth too is very optimistic. electronics repairing. Those from the Covid-19. It is very clear that the most cerns of the marginalised communi- claimed that they were forced to evict “It’s an act against human rights. We I think what was very nice about my Tharu community were doing well. vulnerable people are going to suffer ties. However, problems do exit. The the encroachers from the park’s land, came to know that there were no earli- stay was, we have been able to enhance The Badi and Kusunda communities the most. Those working in the infor- discrimination and violence against as some of the people (who had moved er discussions with concerned stake- the political dialogue with Nepal. For were less secure because they were mal sector are laid off from their jobs. women persist and the caste-based away from Kusum Khola) had holders regarding the eviction. In this instance, before I came we would have extremely poor. I noticed these com- The women have suffered more than discrimination is still prevalent returned to resettle in the area. case, it’s a wrong move.” high-level political meetings every munities were mainly composed of the men, as more women are engaged despite legislation in place. I would two years. We have accelerated it and older men and women and there were in the informal working sector. We like to see more women representa- now we meet annually. That is very less younger people who would actual- have already announced a package of tion in the business, public arena and important because Nepal is changing ly earn and contribute to the commu- $75 million to boost the economy that in government agencies. very much and developing so quickly nity. These communities need more will go in agriculture and tourism that we would miss many things meet- help in accessing the local service with due focus to women and margin- What is your assessment regarding ing every two years. delivery as many of them are ill-in- alised communities. Nepal’s transitional justice process? That is also important because we formed about the facilities the govern- want to be more than a development ment provides. The Nepal government has request- Some steps have been taken by the partner of Nepal. We have been a ed the EU to lift its air safety ban on government but more needs to be strong development partner and will There have been complaints from Nepal. How has the EU been respond- done. I think it is a sensitive issue. It continue to be but we also want more the provincial and local governments ing to Nepal government request? has historical and political roots and than that. We want to be a political that the federal government is work- social factors come attached. There partner. We want to see Nepal becom- ing with a very much centralised The progress has been made and are different pillars to the transitional ing a regional actor, becoming a world mindset. What is your view? Nepal is heading towards a positive justice process and the entire process actor. direction. Nepal recently drafted new is very time consuming. If you take We also believe there are many Implementing federalism would be a legislation to split the Civil Aviation examples from different countries, issues that concern Nepal and also very big challenging task even for Authority of Nepal into two struc- you will see it takes time to conclude concern us. Climate change is one. very developed nations, as it is tures, one will be looking at the admin- the transitional justice process. Nepal’s vulnerability to climate extremely difficult to satisfy the entire istrative works while other will man- However, it is very important to pro- change is particular. Another issue is nation. For a country like the size of age the service delivery. This has been vide justice to the victims and recog- Post Photo: Ramesh Kumar Paudel human rights and increasing focus on Nepal and its position in terms of our one of the recommendations nise that justice needs to be done. Ten Chepang families lost their homes in the incident that took place on July 18. Attorney general questions verdict ...

>> Continued from page 1 be high as the crime seems to have his high authority to kill his wife.” According to KC, the higher court is been committed without a mens rea— At least two senior advocates have supposed to correct wrong decisions intention to kill. termed this murder as a ‘severe passed by lower courts, but in the case Number 188 of the Muluki Ain gives cold-blooded’ crime. of Koirala, it’s just the opposite. “It discretionary power to the judges to “Number 188 cannot be used in a shows that the Supreme Court was in determine the quantum of punish- case in which the body of the victim is a hurry to release Koirala,” he said. ment in a given case. But it has been not recovered and the family doesn’t Gauri Bahadur Karki, former chief misused here, legal practitioners get to complete the last rites. The pro- of the Special Court, said that the ver- argue. “There are certain circum- vision can only be used in cases where dict is faulty as it cited number 188 of stances under which such discretion- the defendant files a plea bargain own- the [erstwhile] Muluki Ain to decrease ary rights could be used—for example ing up the crime,” said a senior advo- not only the quantum of the punish- when a girl aborts her child illegally cate requesting anonymity. ment, but also used the new prevailing due to the fear of society,” said Karki. He also questioned the principle legal provision to ensure that Koirala’s “In the case of Koirala, the evidence used to reduce the punishment of 20 property is not confiscated, therefore against him suggests that he misused years to eight-and-a-half years. basing its decision on two legal provisions which were not active when the crime was committed. While the old Muluki Ain had provisions to allow the government to confiscate the property of convicts in grave criminal cases, the provision has been done away with in the new criminal code. If the Supreme Court accepts the attorney’s peti- tion, it will now be presented before the full bench of the court, which will exclude Chief Justice Cholendra Sumsher Rana and Justice Tej Bahadur KC since they had passed this verdict. Employing number 188 of the Muluki Ain (chapter on court management), the two justices decided that the quan- tum of punishment seemed to

C M Y K FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020 | 06 Money

FOREX Gold steadies near US Dollar 119.92 Vegetable prices rise sharply in the Euro 138.96 nine-year peak on Pound Sterling 152.54 Japanese Yen 11.19 Valley as Tarai floods slash supply Sino-US row, Chinese Yuan 17.13 stimulus bets Qatari Riyal 32.93 Traders say prices would likely remain on the high side until the next harvest due in about three months.

Australian Dollar 85.48 REUTERS KRISHANA PRASAIN NEW YORK, JULY 23 Malaysian Ringit 28.16 KATHMANDU, JULY 23 Gold steadied near a nine-year peak Saudi Arab Riyal 31.98 Vegetable prices increased sharply in on Thursday as an escalation in Exchange rates fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank the Kathmandu Valley on reduced US-China tensions bolstered its deliveries as furious floods following safe-haven appeal, with investors nonstop rain ravaged key producing also looking for a hedge against Price Per tola areas, damaging crops and disrupting possible inflation as more stimulus is bullion transportation. rolled out to support pandemic-hit The jump in prices has dealt anoth- economies. Fine Gold Rs 94,500 er blow to consumers already having a Spot gold was up 0.1 percent at hard time managing household $1,874.21 per ounce by 0646 GMT, after Silver Rs 1,145 finances due to lost earnings from the declining earlier in the session on Covid-19 lockdown. mild profit-booking after prices hit SoG urce: FENE OSIDA According to traders, vegetable their highest since September 2011 at prices have swelled by 25-110 percent. $1,876.16. US gold futures rose 0.6 per- Shares The wholesale price of tomato, potato, cent to $1,875.50. onion, cabbage local, cauliflower local, “With tension between the United Nepse 1442.61pts 0.71% eggplant, cowpea long, French bean States and China rising, US bond long and hybrid, soybean green, yields continuing to edge lower, and a highest gainers pointed gourd local, snake gourd, weaker dollar very much in evidence, MMFDB TRH OHL KMCDB MLBBL BFC 10% 10% 9.91% 9.88% 9.43% 7% smooth gourd, sponge gourd and okra the case for higher gold prices remains has soared by up to 105 percent over strong,” said Jeffrey Halley, a senior moderate gainers the week. market analyst at OANDA. SICL GGBSL SIL GLBSL NIL PIC 6.70% 5.56% 5.19% 4.26% 4.23% 3.92% Traders said prices would likely Hopes for another round of US stim- remain on the high side until the next ulus measures also helped gold, con- moderate losers KRBL SFCL BBC SBL AKJCL NHDL harvest due in about three months. sidered a hedge against inflation and -1.88% -1.88% -1.92% -2.18% -2.24% -2.30% The southern Tarai plains are cur- fears of currency debasement.

highest losers rently covered with paddy fields. Most Hitting risk sentiment, the United NICBF SAND2085 JOSHI SINDU HURJA MPFL vegetable items cost more than Rs100 States gave China until Friday to close -3.24% -3.3% -3.75% -4.58% -5.10% -5.35% per kg, sellers said. its consulate in Houston amid accusa- According to the Kalimati Fruits tions of spying. and Vegetable Market Development The resultant boost to demand for Board, the price of potato (red) rose to safety may help both gold and the dol- gasoline watch Rs69 per kg on Thursday, up 35 percent lar, said DailyFx strategist Margaret compared to last week. Potato from Yang, adding technical corrections Mude, Sindhupalchok has become were unlikely to change the metal’s dearer by 34 percent and now costs uptrend “in the mid- to long-term.” Rs59 per kg. POST FILE PHOTO The Sino-US spat also lifted rival During this time of the year when A vendor inspects sacks of onions at a market in Kathmandu. safe haven dollar off milestone lows, supply is low, the country’s potato capping gold’s upside. requirement is fulfilled by Indian than 600 tonnes before the rains price of local cabbage jumped 111 per- kg, sponge gourd went up 77 percent to Coronavirus cases continued to imports, and shipments from the began. Normally, vegetable prices cent within a week to Rs38 per kg. The Rs85 per kg. The price of okra has surge in the United States, while more southern neighbour have also dropped remain high until the price of cauliflower local has reached increased by 63 percent to Rs62 per kg. than 15.01 million people have been this week. festival in October as it is the paddy Rs115 per kg. The Kathmandu Valley gets most of infected globally. Resham Tamang, administrator at growing season. The monsoon also Similarly, the price of tomato small its vegetables from Kabhre, Sarlahi, Elsewhere, silver retreated 1.1 per- the Balkhu Agriculture Vegetable ends by the third week of September, has increased by 50 percent to Rs18 Bara, Chitwan, Dhading and cent to $22.79 per ounce, after having Market, said that the retail price of said Shrestha. per kg. The wholesale price of egg- Makwanpur districts. rallied to a near seven-year high, most vegetables had crossed Rs100 in The potatoes being sold in the mar- plant has gone up by 29 percent to Rs62 According to a preliminary report helped by hopes for a revival in indus- the valley due to short supply. ket were left over from the last har- per kg. The price of cowpea has issued by the Ministry of Agriculture trial activity. Platinum eased 0.1 per- According to him, the Balkhu mar- vest, and there have been no imports reached Rs65 per kg, up 96 percent. and Livestock Development, incessant cent to $920.40, while palladium rose ket has been receiving around 350 from India in recent days, said The price of French beans has rain in the last few days inundated 0.2 percent to $2,150.68. tonnes of vegetables daily as against Shrestha. increased 105 percent to Rs78 per kg. 88,677 hectares of land across the “We see demand contracting for 600 tonnes at other times. India has announced restrictions on Pointed gourd local costs Rs98 per country. both palladium and platinum, flipping Binaya Shrestha, deputy director at the export of key food items as the kg, up 78 percent from last week. The Provinces 1 and 2, the platinum market balance to posi- the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Covid-19 pandemic may put pressure price of snake gourd has increased 26 and Gandaki Province may receive tive, while narrowing the palladium Market Development Board, said they on supply as it has a large population percent to Rs48 per kg. more heavy rain in the coming days, deficit,” ANZ analysts said in a note, were receiving 300 tonnes of vegeta- to feed. While the price of smooth gourd resulting in floods and landslides, adding weaker auto sales would be a bles in recent days compared to more According to traders, the wholesale has gone up by 37 percent to Rs48 per weathermen said. drag this year. Surge in eating at home Signs of farm ‘revolution’ in India cushions virus hit as Covid-19 prompts change

REUTERS for Unilever RAIPUR JATTAN, India/SINGAPORE, JULY 23 REUTERS ly. “Things are starting to get into the For more than two decades, Indian R otterdam (NETHERLANDS), JULY 23 toughest phase in Latin America and farmer Ravindra Kajal cultivated rice Africa,” he said, adding a surge in the way his forefathers had—every Second-quarter sales at Unilever fell gang-related violence in Mexico was June he flooded his fields with water much less than expected as a pickup making business difficult there. before hiring an army of farmhands in eating at home during coronavirus Highlighting the huge disruptions to plant paddy seedlings. lockdowns boosted demand for prod- caused by the pandemic, Unilever said But a scarcity of workers this year ucts such as Knorr soups and Breyers food service sales declined by nearly because of the coronavirus forced ice cream. 40 percent and out of home ice cream Kajal to change. He irrigated the Shares in the consumer goods giant by nearly 30 percent in the first field just enough to moisten the soil jumped as much as 8.7 percent in early half. E-commerce sales, however, leapt and leased a drilling machine to Thursday trading, as the Anglo-Dutch 49 percent. directly sow seeds on his 9-acre group surprised analysts who had Unilever also said that after explor- (3.6-hectare) plot. expected a much bigger hit to sales ing options for its 3 billion euro ($3.5 “Since I was more than comfortable from the closure of restaurants, billion) a year tea business, it had with the tried-and-tested way of grow- schools, cinemas and outside venues. decided to keep its operations in India ing rice, I opted for the new method “Overall, Unilever’s strong perfor- and Indonesia and its ready-to-drink with some trepidation,” said Kajal, 46, mance in the period and an increas- joint venture with PepsiCo. looking over his field, green with rice ingly focused strategy has led to a sigh The rest of the tea business, which saplings, in Raipur Jattan village in of overdue relief from investors,” said sells Pukka Herb and PG Tips and Haryana. Richard Hunter, head of markets at made 2 billion euros of revenues in “But I’ve already saved around 7,500 interactive investors. 2019, will be separated into an inde- rupees ($100) per acre because I hardly Underlying sales fell 0.3 percent in pendent entity, a process the company spent on water and workers this year,” the three months ended June 30, com- expects to conclude by the end of 2021. he said. pared with analysts’ mean forecast for Some analysts think Unilever could India is the world’s biggest exporter a 4.3 percent drop. That was still the ultimately be more exposed to the pan- of rice and the world’s second-biggest first decline in quarterly sales since demic than rivals such as Procter & producer after China. Across the the third quarter of 2004, according to Gamble and Nestle due to its country’s grain bowl states of reuters Jefferies analysts. higher reliance on emerging markets, Haryana and neighbouring Punjab, A man walks in a filed covered with rice saplings at a village in Kashmir’s Ganderbal district. Underlying sales in North America where it makes about 60 percent of thousands of farmers like Kajal have jumped 7.3 percent in the first half, annual sales. been forced by the coronavirus to so promising that the entire 2.7 mil- and plant straight into fields. with volumes up as much as 20 per- Brazil, India and Russia—respec- mechanise planting. lion hectares of Punjab’s rice area Water conservation is another key cent in some categories, Chief tively the countries with the second, They are still wary of the technolo- could come under it next year, which Farmers have been attribute of DSR, which is crucial in a Financial Officer Graeme Pitkethly third and fourth most Covid-19 cases— gy and overturning the time-honoured will be a watershed for India’s rice forced by Covid-19 mostly dry, monsoon dependent coun- told a media call. The United States is are key emerging markets for Unilever. use of manual labour. production,” he said. try like India. Unilever’s biggest market by revenue. Underlying sales in developed mar- But Kahan Singh Pannu, Punjab’s Avinash Kishore, a research fellow to mechanise farm Under the conventional method, Breyers, Magnum and Klondike ice- kets rose 2.4 percent in the first half, agriculture secretary, is convinced a at the Washington-based International 3,000 to 5,000 litres of water is used in cream, along with Hellmann’s mayon- while they declined 1.9 percent in historic change is underway that Food Policy Research Institute work due to a India to produce 1 kg of rice—the naise and Knorr soups, were strong emerging markets. could dramatically increase India’s (IFPRI), said if this year’s crop was most water-thirsty crop—and DSR performers in food, while Suave In China—where the virus first rice output, which in turn could good, DSR would be the way forward. scarcity of workers. allows growers to cut water use by at beauty products did well in hygiene, emerged and was first brought under impact world markets. “The scale of this year’s shift to the least 50 percent to 60 percent, farmers he said. control—sales returned to mid-single “It is no less than a revolution in DSR is a momentous change in rice and government officials said. However, Pitkethly injected a note digit growth in the second quarter, Indian agriculture,” he told Reuters. cultivation in India,” he said. Farm wages have gone up by 1,500 The main challenge for farmers of caution, noting a rapid rise in coro- although food service remained chal- Government officials say the Sudhanshu Singh, a senior agrono- rupees an acre to about 4,500 rupees using direct seeding machines is man- navirus cases in some regions recent- lenging, the company said. so-called direct seeding of rice (DSR) mist at the International Rice this year, and growers need around aging weeds, which require the spray- method could increase yields by about Research Institute in the Philippines, half a dozen workers to transplant ing of herbicides through the season. one-third and slash costs on workers said the shift to DSR was “one of the rice paddy on a one acre plot. Still, even factoring in the extra and water. rare positive fallouts from Covid.” In comparison, farmers can hire costs of these applications, the overall The DSR machines allow farmers to None of the world’s major rice planting machines for 5,000 to 6,000 cost of cultivation is substantially grow more than 30 saplings per square exporting nations—India, Vietnam rupees per acre, which can cover 25 to lower under DSR, said Kajal, the farm- metre against the usual 15 to 18 seed- and Thailand—makes significant use 30 acres in a day, rice growers said. er in Haryana. lings, said Naresh Gulati, a state gov- of seeding machines. “Other than helping us save on Another drawback will be that if ernment farm official in Punjab. They have come into play in a big major overheads such as water and the method is adopted across the farm Punjab is the home of the 1960s way in India this year because hun- labour, DSR is swift, unlike the old belt, there will be huge unemployment Green Revolution that led to a spike in dreds of thousands of migrant labour- method which was tedious and in the eastern states next year. crop yields. ers from Bihar and Jharkhand states time-consuming,” said Devinder But farmers say they will wait to This year, farmers there have used in the east did not arrive in the north- Singh Gill, a farmer in Punjab’s Moga see the harvest in October before seed drilling machines to sow rice ern grain belt for the 2020 planting district, well known for its aromatic deciding whether to stick with the on more than half a million hectares, season due to the coronavirus lock- basmati rice. technology next year. a big increase compared with down. That pushed up the price of The conventional method requires “The new technology leads to a lot less than 50,000 hectares in 2019, grow- local workers and made it more eco- farmers to sow seeds in nurseries and of saving on account of water ers and government officials said. nomical for farmers to lease rice then wait for 20 to 30 days before man- and labour, but the real test lies in Pannu expects DSR use to jump again planting machines rather than pay for ually transplanting the seedlings into productivity and farmers will not be reuters next year. hired help, said Jaskaran Singh plantation fields that are ankle-deep fully convinced unless they see some Boxes of Miko Carte d’or ice cream, part of the Unilever group, are prepared at the factory in “More and more farmers are using Mahal, a director at the Punjab in water. Seeding machines allow rise in their yields,” said Ashok Singh, Saint-Dizier, France. the DSR technology which seems to be Agricultural University. farmers to bypass the nursery stage a rice farmer.

C M Y K 07 | FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020 world Violence, protests, Bahrain and Qatar have arrival of agents put Tokyo sets coronavirus case Chicago on edge record as holiday begins world’s top virus rates Associated Press Associated Press Dubai, July 23 Chicago, July 23 A two-day complete lockdown also started on Thursday in India’s West Bengal. The small, neighbouring sheikhdoms Amid a surge in gun violence and pro- of Bahrain and Qatar have the world’s tests sparked by the death of George or considering lockdowns. Late on highest per capita rates of coronavi- Floyd, the nation’s third-largest city is Wednesday, Kashmir announced a rus infections. In the two Mideast on edge, awaiting possible greater ten- complete five-day lockdown in areas countries, Covid-19 epidemics initial- sion in the form of a plan by President where infections are spiking. ly swept undetected through camps Donald Trump to dispatch dozens of A two-day complete lockdown also housing healthy and young foreign federal agents to Chicago. started on Thursday in the eastern labourers, studies now show. The White House plan emerged state of West Bengal. In Qatar, a new study found that days after a downtown protest over a Wearing masks became compulsory nearly 60 percent of those testing pos- statue of Christopher Columbus in Australia’s second-largest city, itive showed no symptoms at all, call- devolved into a chaotic scene of police Melbourne, as hot spot Victoria state ing into question the usefulness of swinging batons and demonstrators posted 403 new cases and five deaths. mass temperature checks meant to hurling frozen water bottles, fireworks Much of the spread is blamed on sick stop the infected from mingling with and other projectiles at officers. Then, workers who do not take time off from others. In Bahrain, authorities put AP on Tuesday in another neighbour- their jobs while they wait for corona- the asymptomatic figure even higher, The Corniche waterfront promenade in hood, a spray of bullets from a car virus test results. The wait for those at 68 percent. Doha, Qatar, in May 2019. passing a gang member’s funeral results has usually been two days. The These results reflect both the wider wounded 15 people and sent dozens state government announced on problems faced by Gulf Arab coun- hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup. running for their lives. Thursday that workers who do not tries reliant on cheap foreign In Qatar, nearly 30 percent of Tension in the city has climbed to a have sick leave will be eligible for a labour and their relative success in those found infected were from level that, if not unprecedented, has one-time support payment of 300 tracking their Covid-19 epidemics, India, while 18 percent were Nepalis not been felt in a long time. Australian dollars ($213) while they given their oil wealth and authoritari- and 14 percent were Bangladeshis, “I’ve never seen things worse in this Ap/rss await test results. an governments. according to a study by Abu-Raddad city than they are right now,” said the A woman wears a face mask to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus past a mural at Hong Kong’s daily coronavirus Aggressive testing boosted the num- and others. Rev. Michael Pfleger, a Roman Catholic Rawa Pasung village in Bekasi on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday. cases hit a record high of 118 on ber of confirmed cases as health offi- Of the over 6,000 contact trace cases priest and longtime activist on the Thursday in a renewed wave of infec- cials in Bahrain and Qatar targeted that Bahrain published, more than city’s South Side. Associated Press Economy Minister Yasutoshi tions that has hit the city since the vulnerable labour camps and neigh- 2,600 involved Indian nationals, while Much of the strain stems from the Tokyo, July 23 Nishimura defended the tourism cam- beginning of the month. Of the new bourhoods, where migrant workers 1,310 were Bahrainis and 1,260 were fact that it remains unclear exactly paign. He said travel itself did not infections, 111 were locally transmit- from Asia sleep, eat and live up to Bangladeshi. More than 400 came what the federal officers will do here. The city of Tokyo announced a record increase the risk of infections as long ted, of which authorities unable to dozen people per room. from Pakistan, with a similar number The plan seems to be a repeat of what 366 new daily coronavirus cases on as basic safety measures were taken trace the source of 51. “This is why globally we failed from Nepal. happened in Kansas City, Missouri, Thursday, exceeding 300 for the first such as wearing masks and washing Hong Kong now has a total of 2,250 to control, I think, the infection Those figures in Bahrain and Qatar where the administration sent officers time as Japan begins a four-day week- hands. confirmed infections, including 14 because simply the response has been likely track across the wider Gulf to help quell violence after the shoot- end with many people joining a tour- “Please do not go out if you cannot deaths. To combat the spread in the focused on trying to find cases and Cooperation Council, the regional ing death of a young boy. ism promotion campaign that the take these measures,” he said. community, the Hong Kong govern- isolate them and quarantine their con- bloc that also includes Kuwait, Oman, Mayor Lori Lightfoot sought to government is pushing despite con- Until recently, officials have said ment has made masks compulsory tacts,” said Laith Abu-Raddad, a dis- Saudi Arabia and the United Arab tamp down fear that the surge will cerns of a new wave of infections most cases were limited to younger on public transport and in public ease researcher at Weill Cornell Emirates, all of which rely on a vast resemble the kind of scene that nationwide. people linked to nightlife entertain- indoor areas. Medicine—Qatar. foreign labour pool already sickened unfolded in Portland, Oregon, where The number of daily cases in Tokyo ment districts, but experts at a Tokyo Health officials have urged people “Now, if most people getting the and trapped by the virus. unidentified agents in camouflage had fallen to just several in late May task force meeting on Wednesday said to stay home as much as possible, infection are actually spreading the Though other GCC nations haven’t have beaten unarmed protesters and after the government ended a national infections have spread to older people especially the elderly and those with infection without even knowing it, broken down coronavirus cases by stuffed some of them into unmarked state of emergency but have climbed and to regular homes, workplaces and underlying conditions. this really does not actually work.” nationalities, a recently published vehicles. steadily since late June, with the num- restaurants. Social distancing measures have The island kingdom of Bahrain and article in the Oman Medical Journal Lightfoot said she has been told the ber tripling in the first three weeks of India added 1,129 deaths to its coro- also been tightened, with gatherings the energy-rich peninsular nation of said that of the sultanate’s first 1,304 US Attorney’s Office will supervise July. Tokyo now has 10,420 confirmed navirus toll after including a southern of more than four people banned. Qatar have been locked in a years-long cases of the virus, 29 percent of the additional agents supporting the cases, including 327 deaths. state’s unreported fatalities. India has Gyms and amusement parks are shut- political dispute that’s ended travel patients were Indian, 20 percent were Chicago offices of the FBI, the Drug “Please be mindful of your actions the seventh-most confirmed deaths in tered, and restaurants can only oper- and trade between two countries only Bangladeshi and 10 percent were Enforcement Agency and the Bureau and do your utmost not to get infected, the world with 29,861. Health experts ate at limited capacity. kilometres apart. Pakistani. of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and and not to infect others,” Tokyo Gov. have warned that India likely has Malaysia will make wearing masks Yet similarities abound in these Their living conditions likely make Explosives. But given the longstand- Yuriko Koike said Thursday. more deaths than reported because mandatory in crowded public areas US-allied nations—Bahrain hosts the them more at risk of contracting the ing animosity between city officials Koike on Wednesday asked resi- some states used varying criteria to and on public transportation from US Navy’s 5th Fleet while Qatar hosts virus, as Bahrainis and Qataris usual- and Trump, leaders from the mayor on dents to stay home as much as possi- categorize deaths. August to prevent flareups in corona- the forward headquarters of the US ly live in single-family homes. The down worry that those promises will ble during the long weekend, even Thursday’s increase includes 444 virus infections. Defense Minister military’s Central Command at its spread mirrors the contagion seen in not hold up. though Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s previously unreported fatalities in Ismail Sabri Yaakob said Thursday sprawling Al-Udeid Air Base. boarding schools and other places City officials will be on guard for government has gone ahead with a Tamil Nadu, as well as 685 deaths that those who fail to comply will face Both rely heavily on foreign labour, where people live together in commu- any “steps out of line,” particularly “Go To” tourism promotion campaign nationwide reported in the last 24 fines of 1,000 ringgit ($235). He said whether white-collar workers in nal spaces. Bahrain said its govern- from agents with the Homeland that excludes Tokyo for now to help hours. The Health Ministry also virus cases appear to be creeping banks or blue-collar labourers scaling ment’s “pre-emptive testing strategy Security Department, and they will the badly hit tourism industry. reported a record 45,720 new cases, higher, with many people and busi- scaffolding on construction sites. means that the vast majority of cases not hesitate “to take the president to Though he said he was “increasing- taking total confirmed infections to nesses lax in observing social distanc- Qatar in particular embarked on a are identified prior to the develop- court,” Lightfoot said. ly alarmed” by the spike in cases, 1,238,635. Many states are reimposing ing and health safety measures. massive construction boom ahead of ment of symptoms.”

Briefing China cites ‘malicious

Johnson dismisses independence for Scotland slander’ as Houston LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised the “strength of the consulate closes union” on Thursday, using a visit to Scotland to dismiss the possibility of a new independence referendum for a Associated Press Donald Trump steers blame and puni- nation that is increasingly at odds Beijing, July 23 tive measures against China ahead of with his government. With some polls the November US election. Beijing has suggesting a slim majority of people China said “malicious slander” is said it would take action in response, in Scotland now support independ- behind an order by the US govern- although Wang gave no details on ence from the rest of the United ment to close its consulate in Houston, Thursday. Kingdom, Johnson was keen to press Texas, and maintained on Thursday Relations between the sides have the case for the whole country work- that its officials have never operated nose-dived in recent months over the ing together to tackle the coronavirus outside ordinary diplomatic norms. conronavirus pandemic as well as dis- and economic crisis. The pandemic Foreign ministry spokesperson putes over trade, human rights, Hong and Brexit have badly strained the Wang Wenbin said the order to close Kong and Chinese assertiveness in the ties that bind the kingdom’s constitu- the consulate “violates international South China Sea. ent parts - England, Scotland, Wales law and basic norms governing inter- In its statement on the closing of and Northern Ireland. national relations,” and “seriously the consulate, the State Department undermines China-US relations.” alleged that Chinese agents have tried “This is breaking down the bridge to steal data from facilities in Texas, Mayor tear gassed by of friendship between the Chinese including the Texas A&M medical federal agents and American people,” Wang told system statewide and The University PORTLAND: The mayor of Portland, reporters at a daily briefing. of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Oregon, was tear gassed by the US The order this week to close the in Houston. government late on Wednesday as he consulate, one of China’s six missions Wang said there was no basis to that stood at a fence guarding a federal in the United States, is seen as escalat- claim. Ap/rss courthouse during another night of ing tensions between the world’s two “This is completely malicious slan- In this photo released by China’s Xinhua news agency, spectators watch as a Long March-5 rocket carrying the Tianwen-1 Mars probe lifts off protest against the presence of feder- largest economies while President der,” Wang said. from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China’s Hainan Province, on Thursday. al agents sent by President Donald Trump to quell unrest in the city. Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, said it was the first time he’d been tear gassed and appeared slightly dazed and coughed as he put on a pair of In struggle against pandemic, populist leaders fare poorly goggles someone handed him and drank water. He didn’t leave his spot at the front, however, and contin- Associated Press mised the disease. These four coun- Modi addressed the disease aggres- ued to take gas. Around Wheeler, the Washington, July 23 tries account for half of the 618,000 sively in terms of closures and protest raged, with demonstrators Covid-19 deaths worldwide so far, lock-downs but also argued over facts lighting a large fire in the space The countries that top the rankings according to statistics tracked by with his government’s own statisti- between the fence and the Mark O of Covid-19 deaths globally are not Johns Hopkins University. India, cians, controlled information and at Hatfield Federal Courthouse and necessarily the poorest, the richest or meanwhile, is coming on strong. It times promoted homoeopathic and the pop-pop-pop of federal agents even the most densely populated. But just passed the mark of 1.2 million folk cures. deploying tear gas and stun grenades they do have one thing in common: confirmed cases. When it comes to the coronavirus, into the crowd. They are led by populist, mould-break- “The pandemic and the economic Jishnu Das, an economics professor ing leaders. crisis reveals the price of incompe- at Georgetown University, sees com- Populism in politics means pushing tence, and that this actually matters,” mon strands between India and the Polish opposition seeks re-run policies that are popular with “the said political scientist Thomas Wright United States, the world’s two largest people,” not the elites and the experts. of the Brookings Institution. democracies. of presidential election The United States’ Donald Trump, Wright, who directs the think tank’s “What the virus looks for is any WARSAW: Poland’s biggest opposition Britain’s Boris Johnson and Brazil’s Center on the United States and weakness in our system. And it hones party, the centrist Civic Platform(PO), Jair Bolsonaro, as well as India’s AP/rss Europe, said the disease “hits every into it and pries it open,” says Das, said on Thursday it had petitioned Narendra Modi and Mexico’s Andrés US President Donald Trump, left, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Mexican President blind spot that the populists have” and who studies health and has been the Supreme Court to declare the Manuel López Obrador, have surged to Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro. The countries atop the discredits a core piece of their propo- working with two state governments recent presidential election unfair to power in democratic countries, chal- rankings of Covid-19 deaths globally are led by populist, mould-breaking leaders. sition to voters. in India to tailor their pandemic trigger an annulment and re-run. The lenging the old order by promising In the US and Brazil, Trump and responses. He says the virus nationalist incumbent Andrzej Duda, social benefits to the masses and institutions like the World Health Washington-based think tank. He was Bolsonaro at times have minimised exposed in both countries a distrust an ally of the ruling Law and Justice rejecting the establishment. Organization and seemed to have discussing Brazil, where at least 81,000 the disease, touted unproven remedies of science and data, the systematic (PiS) party, won the July 12 vote But it turns out that when it comes triumphed in the Cold War three dec- people have died. and sparred with and sidelined scien- weakening of key institutions against PO candidate Rafal to battling a new disease like Covid-19, ades ago—can muster the stuff to take “Brazil has a wealth of expertise tists and health officials. Instead of and a lack of legitimacy of state Trzaskowski by 51 percent to 49 per- the disruptive policies of populists are on the new populism and address com- and the US does, too,” Shifter says. framing and implementing a consist- institutions. cent. But the opposition believes the faring poorly compared to liberal dem- plex 21st-century challenges. Covid-19 “But the problem is, the populist poli- ent Covid strategy for their nations, The questioning of accepted facts is government broke rules by too much ocratic models in countries like has crystallized that dilemma. tics makes it very difficult to imple- they often have seen state and local one characteristic of populist leaders. campaign participation from the state Germany, France and Iceland in “This is a public health crisis that ment rational policies that really leaders leading the fight. Another is to risk alienating their administration and public broadcast- Europe, or South Korea and Japan requires expertise and science to resolve the issue—or at least manage In Britain, Johnson was slow to bases—such as by telling people to er TVP, said PO spokesman Jan in Asia. resolve. Populists by nature ... have a the crisis more effectively.” order closures when the disease was stay at home or to wear masks in pub- Grabiec. “The scale was comparable Academics have been fretting about disdain for experts and science The United States, Brazil, the raging on the European continent. But lic. A third characteristic is the sow- to campaigning in Belarus and whether liberal democracy—the polit- that are seen as part of the establish- United Kingdom and Mexico all are he became much more serious about ing of division to gain power along Russia,” he told Reuters, confirming ical system that helped defeat fascism ment,” says Michael Shifter, president led by leaders who have been sceptical fighting it after his own serious illness ethnic and national lines or against the legal challenge. (Agencies) in World War II, set up international of the Inter-American Dialogue, a of scientists and who initially mini- left him fighting to breathe. In India, those deemed elite.

C M Y K FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020 | 08 food & travel (C.R.P.D.) - 3/052/053 The taste of whiteness A food writer’s take on the white gaze: how western media and chefs appropriate and de-contextualise Asian food.

Prashanta Khanal new flavours. Appropriating recipes from a cul- ast month, Bon Appétit, an ture, supposedly to upgrade it or make American food magazine, it more palatable for a western or apologised to its readers White-American palate, is sheer disre- and pledged to address spect. It’s not that one can’t play with issues of cultural appropri- recipes, but what is the intent and ation, cultural de-contextu- mindset behind the tampering are Lalisation, the white gaze, and tokeni- questions that need clear answers. sation that are present—consciously Also, acknowledging the culture where or unconsciously—in the magazine’s the recipe originated from is a must. content. The apology was issued after With constant indoctrination by a racially discriminatory image of the western media and white celebrity magazine’s editor-in-chief surfaced on chefs on what’s delicious and what’s social media, bringing to the fore such palatable, we have started questioning underlying issues. our own taste and culinary culture. For While the magazine has promised to instance, the notion that olive oil is bet- make efforts to be inclusive and ter than mustard oil is a result of that. open-minded, it is unfortunate that it We tend to incorporate European reci- took the magazine such an incident to pes into our traditional ways of living; come out and acknowledge that their in fact, many restaurants in Kathmandu content and many of their in-house shutterstock tone down the spices (not just the heat work practices weren’t just improper in a way that shows they have discov- found, locals love the seasonal treat, white (usually male) celebrity chef magazines) as something to frown of chilli) in an effort to make dishes but also deeply problematic, cultural- ered and bettered it. It is as if until the and consume it as a vegetable when goes to some rural area in a country in upon. For many Nepalis, eating a big more palatable for tourists. ly insensitive and discriminatory. west knows about it, food is not discov- young and as fruit when ripe. Asia and shows locals how to cook lump of meat (steak) and that too bare- The food you eat is a major part of What was more unfortunate was the ered yet; and until they appropriate it, Hundreds of tons of Indian jackfruit better, appropriating the local ingredi- ly cooked is unusual. What looks the culture you grew up in or associ- fact the said events unfolded only after it’s not palatable. are transported to western countries ents and recipes to their comfort. This unpalatable, what tastes bad, and what ate yourself with. They are somehow the magazine’s non-white assistant While such news about the maga- every season, yet the writer—at least is how many food travel shows are smells unpleasant are subjective. Asian your identity. And when your identity editor Sohla El-Waylly raised those zine erupted, I couldn’t help but in the piece—seemed unaware of the typically curated. In fact, many of the foods are commonly associated by is questioned and lampooned, senti- concerns, even though the magazine remember a Guardian article on jack- fruit’s culinary significance. She did dishes they cook are culturally appro- westerners as spicy. White people fre- ments get hurt. claimed in an email that it was not the fruits published last year. The writer not give a recipe nor did she mention priated or white-washed. And the quently asking if the food (mostly What people like or not is a con- first time they have discussed those Zoe Williams, who encountered jack- that ripened jackfruit seeds can be humble locals pretend to like the food. Asian) is spicy before tasting is—frank- struct. But this white-centric narra- issues internally. fruit for the first time in a Starbucks consumed, perhaps she did not know. In such media, mostly owned and held ly—a bit annoying, even offensive. tive of food culture is deeply trou- It is no secret that mainstream west- wrap, described jackfruit as ‘a spectac- And this is why much of main- by whites, this is the standard that is Chillies are not used just for heat but to bling. And this needs to be disman- ern media has often described foods ularly ugly, smelly, unfarmed, un-har- stream food writing is white-centric: used over and over again. bring out added flavour and texture. tled. For, to truly enjoy different cul- from their white lens. In a recent New vested pest-plant native to India’. In people with little understanding about But bigger questions remain: Who Taste is acquired. If you didn’t tures, it is important you learn to York Times article on Thailand’s the piece, the writer goes on to say: “In the food or culture are given the space gets the space in these media with grow-up in the culture of eating explore new food cultures, and accept fruits, the writer Hannah Beech India, some people ate it, but only if to write about it, and that too without global outreach and influence? Who padeak (Lao fermented fish sauce) or them as they are and not how you’d described rambutan as ‘resembling they had nothing better to eat.” Such cultural appraisal. The bigger prob- decides who and what gets the space? kinema (Nepali fermented soybeans), like them to be. I didn’t grow up eating coronavirus’, durian as ‘stinks of remarks do not only reflect ignorance, lem is how a certain race exerts their Who gets to set the food narrative— you may not like them at first. You durian, padeak or kinema, but today, I death and whiff of skunk’, and dragon but show us how deeply embedded the hegemony and indoctrinates a certain what’s delicious, what’s palatable, and may find it pungent or find the act of love them. Of course, they all took fruit as ‘bland mush with tiny seeds notion of supremacy is in the west. culture. The writer’s delusional per- what’s pretty? ‘Bizarre’, ‘ugly’, ‘deli- eating something so alien offensive, time to like. that can require floss to dislodge’, The jackfruit, a native vegetable to ception that “western veganism is cious’—for whom? Who defines the but for the people who have grown up descriptions that callously disparaged South Asia and South East Asia, is going to save the ‘pest-plant’ jackfruit” standard? eating them, the same flavours give Khanal is a food writer, and is current- the country’s prized fruits. ingrained in the region’s culinary cul- is associated with a deep-running Different cultures have their own them comfort; they revel in it. ly working on a book on Nepali recipes, When western mainstream media is ture—be it Indonesian sweet gudeg or mindset of supremacy and a white tastes. Consuming innards, which is a Everything you taste in this world is food culture, and history. He writes on not misrepresenting Asian food, it is Nepali and Indian spice-rich curry. In saviour complexity. part of the Asian culture, is often an acquired taste. And you have to Nepali food culture and recipes on his often portraying non-European foods these countries where the jackfruit is For example, in food travel shows, a depicted by western food shows (and train your palate to be accepting of food blog ‘Gundruk’. culture & arts Strip-club stimulus reveals lingering uncertainties over US small-business aid Like many businesses, cabarets and gentlemen’s clubs hoped a $660 billion Small Business Administration loan programme would help them weather the lockdown. But things have not gone to plan.

banks despite the ban. All totalled, these com- panies saved 2,548 jobs, according to the govern- ment data. An SBA representative did not directly respond to questions about the discrepancies surrounding the loans. One of Shafer’s clients, John Meehan, said he Members of 1974 AD have expressed their excitement over working with the international duo. does not expect a straight answer from the SBA anytime soon. Meehan owns three combination sports bar- strip clubs, all called Cheerleaders, in 1974 AD to collaborate with The Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Gloucester, New Jersey. They were hit by state and local shut- down orders for the hospitality industry. To Chainsmokers for Tuborg Open keep employees paid while he and his partners poured up to $50,000 into cleaning and safety improvements like installing UV-light purifica- tion systems in the air ducts, he turned to the The popular Nepali rock band will be releasing a new track SBA for funding. His bank in Philadelphia denied the loan, with the American duo as part of the campaign. citing SBA rules. When Meehan applied in Pittsburgh with PNC Bank for a different club, Post Report sible for artists from the opposite sides of though, he was approved for a loan of between Kathmandu the world to connect with each other, some- $150,000 and $350,000. thing that otherwise might’ve been really “I wasn’t complaining, but I was scratching he Turbog Open campaign offi- difficult for either of us to do. I think that’s my head,” he said. cially opened on July 19, really cool and I’m excited to see what hap- Reuters A spokeswoman for PNC declined to com- announcing that this time, the pens next—plus now we can come to Nepal MB Pell & Chris Prentice borrowers without clear financial need, incon- ment on specific loans, but said the bank sought drive will be led by Grammy and hang out with people!” PHILADELPHIA/WASHINGTON sistent data—the strip-club uncertainties are to process all applications in accordance with Award-winning artists The Tuborg Open uses music as a platform to yet another example of confusion surrounding SBA guidelines. Chainsmokers. The interna- encourage people to stay “open to more” by acklights off, music quiet and poles an initiative that pushed hundreds of billions “Under those guidelines, applicants were Ttional music duo will be joined by popular bringing together artists around the world bare, strip clubs across the United of dollars out the door. responsible for certifying that they met applica- Nepali rock band 1974 AD to bring new who are from different cultures and back- States closed earlier this year in the Will the SBA allow clubs that have not won a ble SBA eligibility requirements, and lenders music to fans across Nepal. grounds. face of Covid-19 social-distancing court order to participate? And for those that were not required to independently verify such The Chainsmokers, who are among the measures that precluded the received loans, either through court order or eligibility,” she said. world’s hottest recording artists, are work- up-close nature of the exotic danc- from banks that apparently took a broad On a hot Friday afternoon in July, Jordan ing with Tuborg Open to make ‘music dis- ‘Tuborg is making it Bing industry. Like many businesses, these caba- interpretation of the law, will the Lawrence got a few shout-outs from the audi- covery’ more fun and enjoyable than ever rets, lounges and gentlemen’s clubs hoped a government forgive the loans, as it does for ence as she fell into a split. After her big finish, before by inviting fans to join the campaign possible for artists $660 billion Small Business Administration other borrowers? she collected tips from men sipping drinks, her alongside the legendary 1974 AD. (SBA) loan program would help them weather “The ball is in the SBA’s court right now,” long blond ponytail tickling the dollar bills in Producer duo Alex Pall and Drew Taggart from the opposite sides the lockdown. said Brad Shafer, an attorney who convinced a her costume. reached international stardom in 2016 with But nearly four months since the launch of federal judge in the US District Court for the Lawrence lost her job in insurance during their breakthrough hits ‘Don’t Let Me of the world to connect the loan initiative known as the Paycheck Eastern District of Michigan to issue a ruling the pandemic and returned to her former pro- Down’ featuring Daya and ‘Closer’ featur- with each other.’ Protection Program (PPP), it is still unclear in May ordering the SBA to work with more fession as a dancer a few weeks ago. Even ing Halsey. In December 2018, The whether the SBA can make it rain for them. The than 50 strip clubs. “We still don’t know the end though she had saved up for years, she strug- Chainsmokers released their Sick Trump administration has barred companies of this story.” gled to pay her bills without her old job. Boy, which has accumulated over 1 billion that “present live performances of a prurient Using loan data released by the SBA earlier Lawrence said she is frustrated the SBA is worldwide streams to date. Releasing a joint statement in regards to sexual nature” from participating. Clubs sued, this month, Reuters identified 36 organisations squeezing her industry just as she is getting Speaking about collaborating with 1974 their collaboration, 1974 AD said, ‘’This is a and two federal judges rebuked the SBA for representing dozens of strip clubs across the back on her feet and the stage. AD, Alex Pall said: “It’s really exciting to completely new experience for us, and we excluding the establishments from receiving country that were approved for between $11.15 “These people need to come out here and know that we are going to be working with think we have pushed ourselves to think the forgiveable loans meant to protect jobs amid million and $27.95 million worth of loans from interact with people like me because they are artists who are super successful in the beyond our style. To be working with The the health crisis. the small business pandemic aid program. interfering with our livelihood,” she said. “We region. It is what the whole project is all Chainsmokers is a great pleasure for us and For a government loan program that has Some of the businesses received the funds after have bills to pay too.” about.” we are sure our fans will be very happy to been plagued by criticism—duplicate loans, the court decision; others got the money from —Reuters He then added: “Tuborg is making it pos- hear the result of the project.’’

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