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Vol XXV No 341 | 12+4 Pages N E PA L’ S L A R G E S T S E L L I N G E N G L I S H D A I LY Tuesday,January 30, 2018 (16-10-2074)

page 9
Life & style
page 5
world
page 12
sports money
‘Abstract play’ Bhagwat Tole Syria peace talks Messi strikes late NAC’s losses piling up as
ma Bholaram at Mandala begin in Russia to pip Alaves Airbus remains grounded

TJ bodies place
demands before
extending term
POST REPORT a meeting in a couple of days
KATHMANDU, JAN 29 Tenures of the Truth and to decide on tenure exten-

Nine days before the end of

their three-year tenure, the
transitional justice (TJ) bod-
ies are seeking political com-
mitment from the major par-
ties to the investigation pro-
cess before requesting the
government for another
extension of their term.
The three-year term of the
Truth and Reconciliation
Commission (TRC) and the
Commission of Investigation
on Enforced Disappeared
Reconciliation Commission
and Commission of
Investigation on Enforced
Disappeared Persons
expire on February 7
date to spend, coupled with
inadequate staff and non-co-
operation from political par-
ties, are the reasons the com-
missions have cited for failing
to investigate into a single
sion,” said Manchala Jha, a
member of the TRC. Both the
commissions will seek a one-
year extension while request-
ing the government to clear
the hurdles to probe.
The CIEDP has begun
detailed investigation into
hardly 207 cases among
the 3,093 filed to it while the
Truth and Reconciliation
Commission, which received
60,298 cases, has completed n A view of Kathmandu Valley seen from Nagarjun Municipality on Sunday. Air pollution has given the Capital a hazy look. POST PHOTO: KESHAV THAPA
preliminary probe into 827
cases only.

Govt decides to scrap National Trading Limited

Persons (CIEDP) expires on
February 7.
The ordinance authenticat-
ed by the President last week
to amend the Acts governing
the two commissions for
extending their tenure
requires the transitional jus-
tice bodies to write to the gov-
ernment for formalising a
new one-year term.
Both the commissions have
blamed non-cooperation from
the government and the politi-
cal parties for their poor per-
case completely since their
formation in February 2015.
“This is why we are seeking
the commitment from the
major parties before deciding
on term extension,” said IB
Gurung, a member of the
CIEDP. Commission officials
met Prime Minister and
Nepali Congress President
Sher Bahadur Deuba on
Sunday and CPN-UML
Chairman KP Sharma Oli on
Monday while they are calling
on CPN (Maoist Centre) Chair
The conflict victims are in
no mood to let the TRC and the
CIEDP off the hook easily.
They state that these commis-
sions have not performed ade-
quately even within the remit
that has been offered to them,
pointing to the extremely slow
progress in investigations.
They are also concerned
about some of the decisions
taken. Most recently, they
opposed the CIEDP’s decision
to classify 400 cases of disap-
peared persons as cases
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, JAN 29
The government on Monday
decided to scrap the National
Trading Limited claiming
that the public sector compa-
ny continues to bleed the
state’s treasury.
The NTL was established in
March 1962 under Nepal
Company Act to channelise
commodity aids from China
and the erstwhile USSR with a
view to meeting the local cost
of development projects initi-
ated by these countries
through the sale of goods in
the domestic market.
A Cabinet meeting on
Monday evening also decided
to amend the online media
directives for the second time,
and to allow national priority
projects including Rani
Jamara Kulariya Irrigation
Project, Nilgiri Hydropower
Project, Shivam Cements
Factory and Dhadkhola
Hydropower Project to use
their forest areas. According
to Information Minister
Mohan Bahadur Basnet, the
government has also finalised
the hierarchy of the people’s
representatives at the federal,
provincial and local levels
besides the chief ministers.
The caretaker government
led by Sher Bahadur Deuba
also decided to declare more
people as martyrs. They
include Dewan Singh Rana,
Dev Bahadur Khawas, Bishnu
Bahadur Chand, Min Bahadur
Baniya Chhetri, Netra
Narayan Bhandari and Rana
Bahadur Gurung, who were
killed during the Maoist
insurgency.

formance in looking into the
war-era cases of human rights
violations.
Conflict victims also say
that further extension is
meaningless without an
amendment to the legislation
that would incorporate the
Supreme Court’s 2015 order to
remove amnesty provisions.
The two transitional justice
bodies have not managed to
undertake much work,
besides collecting around
63,000 complaints from con-
flict victims.
Lack of resources and man-
Pushpa Kamal Dahal on
Tuesday.
Gurung said Deuba and Oli
have assured them of “every
support necessary for investi-
gation”. “We will make a final
decision after listening to
Dahal,” he added.
Gurung said it was impossi-
ble for the commissions to
function unless three major
parties come together in sup-
port of the two commissions.
A decision on tenure exten-
sion is expected within a cou-
ple of days.
“We are most likely to hold
Bhusal pulls
of killing without any investi-
gation. The Conflict Victims
Common Platform is now
demanding that the TRC and
the CIEDP prepare progress
reports to demonstrate what
out of race in
has been accomplished so far.
TRC Chairman Surya
Kiran Gurung warned recent-
favour of Thapa
ly Nepal cannot avoid inter-
vention from international
humanitarian organisations
including the United Nations
if the transitional justice pro-
cess does not adhere to the
international standards of n Bhusal n Thapa
investigation.
TIKA R PRADHAN
KATHMANDU, JAN 29

20 more Nepali workers

CPN-UML leader Beduram
Bhusal has withdrawn his
candidacy from the National
Assembly election in order to

rescued from Kuwait

n Rescued Nepali workers at the Nepali Embassy in Kuwait. 
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, JAN 29
The Nepali Embassy in
Kuwait has repatriated 20
more workers stranded in
the Gulf country due to the
blatant labour and human
rights violations by their
employer Kharafi National
Company.
The embassy said a group
of 20 Nepalis was sent back
home on Saturday night
after rescuing them from
their deplorable condition.
The embassy did the lat-
est rescue operation in coor-
dination with the company
and the Foreign Employment
Promotion Board (FEPB).
The embassy paid for the
air-tickets of these 20
Nepalis with the money sent
by the board. However, the
embassy did not have to pay
fines for these rescued work-
ers as they still had valid
residency permits.
According to unofficial
estimates, Kharafi National
left nearly 300 Nepali work-
ers to fend for themselves.
From these, 94 workers
approached the embassy for
help after their company
stopped giving them work
and wages.
With this latest rescue act,
the number of rescued
Nepalis, working on differ-
ent sites of Kharafi National
Company has reached 61.
Hundreds of workers
from Nepal have struggled to
live in Kuwait because their
employer did not pay wages
for months and did not
renew their resident per-
mits which made their sta-
tus illegal.
Earlier, the embassy had
rescued 17 Nepali workers
whose residence permits
had become invalid. Of the
17 workers supported by the
Kuwaiti government, a
group of 15 Nepalis was sent
back on January 18. Two
other Nepalis returned
home after Nepali welfare
clubs in Kuwait paid their
airfare and penalty for over-
staying without valid visa.
Last December, the first
batch of 21 Nepalis was res-
cued jointly by the embassy
and the recruiting agency.
The SOS Manpower Pvt
Ltd, which had supplied
workers to the company,
paid for the whole rescue
operation.
“Efforts for resolving
problems of other stranded
Nepali workers and sending
them back to Nepal are still
on,” the embassy said in a
press statement.
According to the press
note, the embassy will issue
Travel Document to those
workers without valid pass-
port if they visit the embas-
sy with required documents.
“Run Away Cases, or
those Nepalis who don’t
report to their company or
domestic employers, can
visit the embassy with origi-
nal or even duplicate copies
of identity documents like
passports or citizenship
cards, for starting the
process to return to
Nepal. Those with no docu-
ments will also be helped to
return to Nepal,” the
embassy statement added.
bolster the chances of CPN
(Maoist Centre) leader Ram
Bahadur Thapa, who has been
fielded as a common candi-
date of the left alliance in the
open category of Province 3.
The move on Monday fol-
lows fears that the planned
merger between the two par-
ties could be affected if the
senior Maoist leader lost the
vote. Thapa’s chance of win-
ning could be slim if UML
voters accorded him the third
priority, after UML candidates
Bhusal and Balram Baskota.
Fringe forces such as the
Nepal Majdoor Kisan Party
and the Bibeksheel Sajha
Party have decided to vote for
Nepali Congress candidates.
According to some Maoist
Centre leaders, they had a
hunch that Nepali Congress
members could also vote for
UML candidates to make
Thapa lose, with an aim to put
left unity in trouble.
“I withdrew my candidacy
so that the party unification
process won’t be affected,”
Bhusal told the Post. UML
Chairman KP Sharma Oli had
telephoned Bhusal, a leader of
the Madhav Nepal camp in the
party, saying that Thapa
would withdraw his candida-
cy if Bhusal refused to do so.
Oli also warned that this
could seriously affect the
party unification process.
After Thapa’s threat, Oli
and Maoist Centre Chairman
Dahal had an emergency
meeting at Singha Durbar to
convince Nepal, who was
against the idea. The meeting
was attended by Narayan Kaji
Shrestha, Dahal and Thapa
from the Maoist Centre and
Subas Nembang, Oli and
Nepal from the UML.
The left alliance has mooted
Thapa as the chairman of the
National Assembly, if he wins.

C M Y K
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
news digest
Talks underway
with UML: Dahal
KAILALI: CPN (Maoist
Centre) Chairman
Pushpa Kamal Dahal has
said that his party is
holding talks with the
CPN-UML regarding
National Assembly elec-
tion, formation of the
provincial governments
and the party unifica-
tion. Talking to reporters
after inaugurating
Bhajani Trade Fair in
Kailali on Monday, the
Maoist Centre chief said
the next government
would focus on develop-
ment and prosperity.
When asked about the
formation of the federal
government, Dahal said
everything would be
done in accordance with
the people’s mandate
without going into
details. (PR)
Province 1
guv summons
meeting
BIRATNAGAR: Governor
of Province 1 Govinda
Bahadur Tumbahang has
summoned the first ses-
sion of the Provincial
Assembly on February 5.
Organising a press meet
at his residence on
Monday, the provincial
chief scheduled the
historic session at
the meeting hall of
District Coordination
Committee,
Morang. (PR)
Study on
Hanumandhoka,
Swoyambhu
heritage trail
Rastriya Samachar Samiti
Kathmandu, Jan 29
People’s representatives from
the Hanumandhoka and
Swoyambhu areas and repre-
sentatives from Unesco have
conducted an on-site study on
the prospects of developing a
heritage trail from
H a nu m a n d h o k a to
Swoyambhu.
Hanumandhoka and
Swoyambhu are the Unesco
world heritage sites.
The study team was led by
the House of Representatives
member Jeevan Ram
Shrestha. It comprised of
Province Assembly member
Rajesh Shakya, representa-
tives of the local level and the
Unesco Nepal representative
Christian Manhart. The team
carried out the study on
Sunday.
The locals and heritage
experts had apprised the team
about the various temples and
shrines, traditional stone
spouts and other heritages
along the 3-kmg
Hanumandhoka- Swoyambhu
heritage trail. Lawmaker
Shrestha said that home work
would be carried out for devel-
oping a heritage trail and a
policy on the same after study-
ing the ancient heritages from
H a nu m a n d h o k a to
Swoyambhu.
n Pedestrians cross the Bishnumati using a temporary bamboo bridge constructed over the river at Chamati near Balaju in Kathmandu on Monday. Though the construction of a steel bridge had been started before the rainy season, it has not been
completed yet. The construction company installed the steel frame only 17 days ago but it has not yet completed the flooring works as yet, according to local people. 
Valley’s youths come out in force
to protest worsening traffic jams
ANUP OJHA
KATHMANDU, JAN 29
In a bid to mount pressure on
the authorities concerned to
resolve the worsening traffic
congestions in Kathmandu
Valley, various youths organi-
sations have launched a cam-
paign named ‘Public
Demonstration to make
Traffic Jam free city.’
Youth activists affiliated to
13 different organisaitons
staged a joint rally in the
Capital on Monday, putting
forth a 12-point demand for
curbing traffic jams in
Kathmandu Valley.
They have demanded that
the government complete the
road repair works soon,
ensure effective implementa-
tion of traffic rules, build
pedestrian-friendly footpaths,
enough zebra crossing, con-
struct enough overhead bridg-
es, allocate separate road for
two wheelers, promote the
environment friendly vehi-
n Youths affiliated to various organisations take out a rally at Maitighar in Kathmandu on Monday.
cles, make enough investment
on public vehicles and make
an alternative route for
VVIPS.
According to a report pre-
sented by the Metropolitan
Traffic Police Division
(MTPD) the total length of
news
the vehicles operating in the
Kathmandu Valley is greater
than the length of the roads.
The length of the road is 4.5
million feet, whereas the
length of the vehicles has
increased more than 7.2 mil-
lion feet.
Martyrs’ Week begins, 17 held on charges
but data still missing of practising
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, Jan 29
Several institutions and
groups observed Nepal
Martyrs’ Day on Monday all
over the country to honour its
heroes fallen in the quest for
justice and democracy.
Nepal observers Martyrs’
Week starting the 16th day of
the month of Magh [Bikram
Sambat] or January 29 accord-
ing to Gregorian calendar, in
commemoration of all known
and unknown people who sac-
rificed their lives for the wel-
fare of the nation.
Nepal observes this day for
the past 60 years, but “official
data on martyrs is still miss-
ing”, according to a National
News Committee (Rastriya
Samachar Samiti) report
today.
“Shukraraj Shastri,
Dharma Bhakta Mathema,
Gangalal Shrestha and
Dashrath Chand who were
executed by the tyrannical
Rana regime in the month of
Magh in 1997 BS for raising
the pitch for democracy, are
revered as the ‘Four Great
Martyrs’ in the country.
Lakhan Thapa is respected as
the ‘First Martyr’ of Nepal,”
the RSS report said.
“It’s high time that we pres-
sured the government as the
traffic problem is getting
chronic each passing day,”
said President of Youth
Advocacy Nepal Narendra
Khatiwada.
Taking a swipe at political
The Rana Regime reigned
supreme in the Kingdom of
Nepal from 1846 to 1951.
According to the Home
Ministry, the government has
provided financial assistance
of Rs 100,000 each to the fami-
lies of 19 people who attained
martyrdom during the 1990’s
people’s movement launched
to restore democracy in the
country.
Twenty-six other people
were honoured with ‘martyr
status’. These people were
killed during the second peo-
ple’s movement in 2006.
Although the government
announced many people were
killed during these pro democ-
racy movements post 2006, the
exact number of martyrs is
not known at the official-level.
The government declared
190 people as martyrs on
January 17. Home Ministry’s
joint spokesperson Umesh
Dhakal announced this.
“Though the Ministry has
started maintaining martyrs’
records, it cannot give the
exact number now,” the RSS
quoted Dhakal as saying.
Ministry of Peace and
Reconstruction’s Relief and
Statistics Department Under-
Secretary Mira Acharya said,
“The government, on the min-
the kathmandu post 02
leaders’ tall poll promises of
making the country prosper-
ous, he asked, “How can we
imagine a prosperous country
when thousands of people are
forced to spend so much of
their time negotiating traffic
congestions?”
According to the
Department of Transport
Management (DoTM), out of
the total 2.78 million vehicles
registered in the country, 1.04
million are in Bagmati zone. A
total of 119,956 vehicles were
registered in the Bagmati
zone in the last fiscal alone.
“We will go to the DoTM
of fi ce, Kath ma nd u
Metropolitan City, and MTPD
and press them to resolve the
issue,” said Dharma Raj
Ghimire, general secretary at
YUWA, an organisation that
is working in empowering
youths in Nepal.
The ever increasing traffic
jams, disfunctional traffic
lights, inadequate zebra cross-
ings and overhead bridges
istry’s recommendation, had
declared 1,619 people as mar-
tyrs on June 23, 2010.
Similarly, the government
had on December 24, 2008
declared 6,344 people as mar-
tyrs, but there is no official
data, the report added.
The government has no
accurate data regarding the
number of martyrs. Many
people killed in the Tarai-
Madhes agitations as well as
various movements that took
place in the country have been
declared martyrs.
Families of the martyrs
complained that the trend of
exerting pressure to declare
any person killed in any
movement as martyr and
seeking one million rupees as
financial aid in the country
has hurt the sentiments of the
real martyrs.
Wife of martyr Pradyumna
Khadka, Prabha Khadka said,
“The sentiments of the fami-
lies of real martyrs are hurt
by the trend of declaring any
random person as martyr
without verifying criteria.”
The government had
formed two commissions after
the people’s movement 2062/63
to prepare criteria to define a
martyr, the reports have not
been implemented yet.
mean people are at risk while
crossing the roads in the
Valley. Hardly half a dozen
out of 365 traffic lights in the
Valley are in proper working
order, according to the MTPD.
In June last year, a school
teacher died when she was hit
by a bus while crossing the
road from zebra crossing in
Basudhara. A former govern-
ment secretary was also killed
under similar circumstances
after being hit by a two-wheel-
er at Anamnagar.
“The paints of zebra cross-
ings have faded beyond recog-
nition at a number of places
across the Valley. With the
number of traffic growing
each day, crossing the roads
are tantamount to going to a
battlefield. said Anusha
Shrestha, a student of
Premier College, who was one
of the participants in the cam-
paign. “Now it’s high time
that all of us raised our voice
for resolving the issue of traf-
fic jams.”
medicine illegally
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, JAN 29
Nepal Police on Monday
arrested 17 persons on charg-
es of practising medicine ille-
gally in the country. The
“quacks” and owners of five
hospitals, including Apollo
Hospital Thamel, were arrest-
ed by Central Investigation
Bureau of Nepal Police. The
CIB conducted the raid in
coordination with the Nepal
Medical Council (NMC) and
the Forum for Protection of
Consumer Rights Nepal
(FPCRN).
The CIB made the raids fol-
lowing a complaint from the
FPCRN that quacks had been
examining patients in these
hospitals. Dr Dharma Kanta
Banskota, chairperson of the
NMC, said the CIB also raided
on China Great Wall Hospital,
Chuchepati; China Dental
Hospital Boudha and CIWEC
Hospital and Travel Medicine
Center, Lainchour.
Superintendent of Police
Jiwan Shrestha, spokesper-
son for the CIB, confirmed the
raid. “We have arrested 17 per-
sons. A majority of them are
Post Photo
Psycho-social
centre to open
at Nakhkhu
jail
Rastriya Samachar Samiti
Lalitpur, Jan 29
A ‘psycho-social hospital’ is to
be set up inside the premises
of Nakhkhu Prison.
Since construction is in the
final stage, the hospital will
come into operation within
some months. This would be a
first hospital of its kind to be
set up inside a prison in the
country.
“Some 200 out of the 800 or
so inmates are mental
patients. Other prisons also
transfer inmates who have
mental problems to Nakhkhu
Jail as the country’s main psy-
chiatric hospital is also locat-
ed in Lagankhel of Lalitpur,”
said Jailor Tek Bahadur KC.
KC said they need to take
inmates suffering from seri-
ous mental problems fre-
quently to the psychiatric hos-
pital. The prison is overcrowd-
ed with inmates having men-
tal problems but it lacks facil-
ities and personnel to treat
them. KC hopes operation of
the unit would greatly allevi-
ate their problem.
Chinese who were practicing
medicine without registering
themselves with the NMC.
The investigation is under
way,” said SP Shrestha.
The CIB has already writ-
ten to the NMC to verify the
details of the persons who
were arrested. The CIB has
not revealed the identity of
the arrestees claiming that
investigations are under way.
“Anybody, be it Nepalis or for-
eigners with a medical degree,
found practicing medicine
without registering them-
selves with the NMC are liable
for a three-year imprisonment
or a fine of Rs3,000 fine or
both,” said Dr Banskota.
“Recently, we were flooded by
Chinese people claiming to be
health professionals. We have
a long list of such people prac-
ticing illegally who will soon
be booked.”
The saga of the so-called
“fake doctors” began in
February 2016 when around 12
doctors were rounded up.
Most of the arrestees had a
counterfeit higher education
certificate that was used to
pursue medicine in their
undergraduate.
CM Y K
 03 the kathmandu post news Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Oli ‘eager to work with 56th national nursing day

Indian government’
ANIL GIRI
KATHMANDU, JAN 29
In a bid to reach out to the
Indian establishment ahead
of government formation,
CPN-UML Chairman KP
Sharma Oli, who is widely
seen as the new prime minis-
ter, has written to Indian PM
Narendra Modi saying that he
was eager to work with the
Indian government.
Oli, who skipped the
Republic Day function organ-
ised inside the Indian
Embassy on January 26, wrote
a letter to Modi to congratu-
late the Indian people on their
we are learning by your expe-
rience and are in a process to
implement our constitution.
As the first step towards this
direction, we have nearly com-
pleted elections of all three
levels,” Oli said in the letter.
Foreign policy not to be
based on old practices
Kathmandu: CPN-UML
Chairman KP Sharma Oli,
who is tipped to be the new
prime minister, has hinted at
changing Nepal’s relations
n UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli with Indian Ambassador to Nepal with immediate neighbours
Manjeev Singh Puri at a function in the Capital on Saturday.  India and China on the
basis of necessity and new
his relations with India on a “Our leadership has been principles instead of the past n Nurses observe 56th National Nursing Day at Maitighar Mandala in Kathmandu on Monday under the theme ‘Unite for Nursing

day. Oli, however, attended a new basis as some UML lead- writing to the heads of state practices. Speaking at a pro- Professionalism’.  POST PHOTO: KESHAV THAPA
cultural event organised by ers have publicly said that a and governments of major gramme organised to felici-
the embassy at the Army “thaw in relations between powers through their respec- tate the newly elected Nepal
Officers’ Club next evening. Oli and the Indian establish- tive diplomatic missions dur- Chamber of Commerce work-

Anti-graft panel slaps new case on

“As one of the recently ment” is near. ing such important occa- ing committee at the party’s
elected people’s representa- Relations between Oli and sions,” said UML leader Rajan central office in Dhumbarahi
tives and leader of the largest the Indian establishment Bhattarai. “In this context, on Monday, Oli said there
party in the federal parlia- are often described as our chairman wrote to Modi should be a departure from

absconding revenue chief Sharma

ment, I’m eager to work
together with Excellency and
your government for the bet-
terment of our two coun-
tries,” Oli said in the letter
dispatched to Modi.
“On this happy occasion, I
take an opportunity to extend
my best wishes for every suc-
cess and I expect closer coop-
eration between our two coun-
tries and people,” he wrote.
The correspondence clearly
shows that Oli wants to renew
“patchy” and “acrimonious”
where Oli has been a vocal
critic of New Delhi’s policy on
Nepal particularly after his
government was toppled in
July 2016.
Oli opposed the Indian
blockade of Nepal in
September 2015 and won the
recent elections on the plank
of ‘nationalism’ with a prom-
ise to maintain “balanced”
relations between immediate
neighbours India and China.
congratulating him on India’s
Republic Day.”
“We are clear that the sta-
tus and course of Nepal-India
relations should be changed,”
said Bhattarai, who is also a
member of the Nepal-India
Eminent Persons Group
formed to review and suggest
changes on bilateral relations
and treaties. “It should move
ahead with new vigour, ener-
gy and direction.”
“I’m delighted to note that
colonial-era foreign relations
practices in today’s world
with respect for sovereignty
of independent states, the
Rastriya Samachar Samiti
reported.
Calling on the Nepalis to
feel proud of their independ-
ence and sovereignty, Oli
stressed that the modern
era is of co-existence among
all states, big or small in
size, as per the United Nations
charter. (PR)
PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA dubious ways. In the fresh spend maximum jail term of whereabouts are not known.”
KATHMANDU, JAN 29 case filed Monday, the two years beside confiscation Earlier too, Sharma did not
CIAA stated Sharma has been of illegally earned property co-operate with the CIAA dur-
The Commission for found to have earned Rs36.37 and fine equivalent to that ing the interrogation, accord-
Investigation of Abuse of million legally out of Rs79.32 property as per the clause 20 ing to CIAA officials.
Authority (CIAA) on Monday million properties. This (2) of the Corruption As Sharma was not present-
filed corruption case at the means, the source of property Prevention Act-2002. ed to the court, the court will
Special Court against worth Rs42.95 million The CIAA board decided on now issue summons in
absconding Chudamani could not be established, the Thursday to file corruption Sharma’s name. “The sum-
Sharma, the suspended CIAA said. case against Sharma, but, the mons should reach Sharma or
Director General of the The CIAA has made anti-graft body could not pres- it should be put at his home

CPN-UML to finalise list of candidates

POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, JAN 29
The CPN-UML’s standing
committee meeting on
Tuesday will finalise the can-
didates of provincial govern-
ments and assemblies.
Left alliance aspirants have
started lobbying with their
leadership and the voters to
ensure their seats.
The two parties have decid-
ed to share the provincial gov-
ernments and the assemblies
on a 70:30 ratio with four chief
ministers, four speakers and
two deputy speakers for the
UML and two chief ministers,
two speakers and four deputy
speakers for the Maoist Centre.
They also decided to share the
cabinet members in all prov-
inces on the same ratio.
The standing committee
will try to pick the candidates
through consensus, UML lead-
ers said, but if that could not
happen the meeting on
Tuesday will finalise a crite-
ria and let the respective par-
liamentary party to reach a
decision on their leader.
“As leaders were in favour
of allowing the parliamentary
party to decide their leaders,
most probably the panel will
decide on criteria and let the
parliamentary party select
their leader and the speaker,”
said UML senior leader
Jhalanath Khanal.
In Province 1, three leaders--
Bhim Acharya, Sherdhan Rai
and Jeevan Ghimire --have
started lobbying even before
the decision of the task force
and intensified their activities.
Party Secretary and
Province 1 in-charge Acharya,
politburo member and joint
in-charge Rai and central
member Ghimire have started
canvassing for votes.
Vice-chairperson Asta
Laxmi Shakya, Rajendra
Pandey and Keshav Sthapit
are vying for CM of Province
3, Secretary Prithvi Subba
Gurung and standing commit-
tee member Kiran Gurung are
in the Province 4 race, while
Shanker Pokhrel is the lone
contender in Province 5.
Inland Revenue Department,
charging him of illegally
amassing Rs42.95 million
worth of property.
This second corruption
case filed against Sharma
makes him one of the few pub-
lic officials to face two consec-
utive lawsuits.
On July 16, 2017, the CIAA,
in one of the largest ever cor-
ruption cases, charged
Sharma and other two mem-
bers of the Tax Settlement
Commission (TSC) - Lumba
Dhwoj Mahat and Umesh
Dhakal - with embezzling
revenues worth Rs10.02 bil-
lion each while exempting
enterprises from taxes in
Sharma and his wife Kalpana
Upreti Sharma defendant stat-
ing that the wife had owned
‘illegally earned’ properties,
according to a press statement
of the anti-graft body.
“Sharma and his family
members are living high
standard life against their
capacity with legal income,
illegally earned cash deposit-
ed in his wife and sons’ bank
accounts, invested in shares
of various financial institu-
tions and companies, pur-
chased vehicles and various
other movable and immovable
goods,” the CIAA said.
If the charge is proved in
court, Sharma will have to
ent him in court saying “he
has been at large”.
According to a source at the
CIAA, Sharma last attended
CIAA inquiry on December
18, 2017. He was to present
himself at the anti-graft
body for interrogation on
December 31, last year but he
did not come.
“After he failed to attend for
further interrogation despite
our repeated summons, we
wrote a letter on January 14 to
the Police Office in
Budhanilkantha asking them
to arrest him and hand him
over to us,” said the CIAA
source. “Budhanilkantha
Police informed us that his
within 15 days. Then, he will
have another 15 days to pres-
ent himself to the court,” said
Special Court Spokesperson
Nagendra Pokharel.
According to Pokharel, the
Special Court would put him
on trail on the fresh corrup-
tion case if he attends the
court on February 14, the date
given by court to attend at the
court concerning the previous
corruption case.
“He has to present himself
to the court on February 14.
Otherwise, the bail amount of
Rs10 million he had put at the
court to be released on
November 28 last year, will be
retained,” said Pokharel.

C M Y K
Tuesday, January 30, 2018 news the kathmandu post 04
news digest NA candidates
Security guard
killed in Capital
get election
KATHMANDU: A security
guard was murdered at
symbols
POST REPORT
Machchhebahal in
KATHMANDU, JAN 29
Kathmandu on Sunday
night. Tul Bahadur
The Election Commission on
Tamang, a native of
Monday provided election
Mawapauwa-2 in
symbols to National Assembly
Dolakha district, was
candidates, enabling them to
found in an unconscious
launch their campaigns.
state with deep cut inju-
With 24 members elected
ries in his head. He died
unopposed from the seven
at the Bir Hospital
provinces, 52 candidates will
Trauma Centre, police
contest for 32 posts in the
said. Tamang was
Upper House, the EC said
employed by East
in a statement.
West Securities.
In the 59-member Assembly,
Police said they have
56 are elected by an electoral
launched a manhunt to
college consisting of
catch the assailants
Provincial Assembly mem-
who were caught in
bers and chiefs and
the CCTV footage
deputy chiefs of the local
obtained from the crime
governments.
scene. (RSS)
Three are appointed by the
Trader shot at president on the government’s
in Rautahat recommendation. Each prov-
ince elects eight members
RAUTAHAT: An unidenti- including three from the open
fied gunman shot at category, three women, one
Shekh Safiula, a local Dalit and one from the disa-
trader of Baluwaghat in bled or minority community.
Rajapur Municipality, According to the EC, six
Rautahat, on Monday. candidates in Province 1,
Police said Safiula, who all eight candidates in
is seriously injured in Province 2, one candidate in
the incident, was admit- Province 4, three candidates
ted to National Medical in Province 5 and six candi-
College in Birgunj. dates in Province 7 were
Police are searching for n A dust cloud envelopes the Balkhu-Kalanki section of Ring Road where expansion works are under way. The ongoing Ring Road improvement works and installation of pipeline for the Melamchi Water Supply elected unopposed. Polling
the shooter. (PR) Project in the inner city areas are major contributors to the deteriorating air quality of Kathmandu Valley. A recent global Environmental Performance Index (EPI) by Yale University and Columbia University in will be held on February 7 for
Man held for collaboration with the World Economic Forum had ranked Kathmandu’s air quality as the worst in the world.  Post Photo: Shaligram Tiwari all the eight seats in province
3 and 6 each.
wife’s death
BIRATNAGAR: Police on

Govt offices cannot find new Citizens hail

Sunday arrested a man
from Arjundhara
Municipality-4 of Jhapa
on charge of murdering
his wife. Kishwor

opening of
Danuwar, 55, is being

buildings as shifting day nears

investigated behind the
death of his wife
Domani, 52, police

Tamor corridor
said. Kishwor had alleg-
edly hit his wife with a
firewood in a drunken
rage. (PR) MADHAV DHUNGANA The office building of the
Upper Tamakoshi BHAIRAHAWA, JAN 29 department has been pro-
posed as the official residence POST REPORT Dhanukuta giving relief
engineer killed Several government offices in of chief minister. The con- Dhankuta, Jan 29 to people residing in these
in accident Butwal are struggling to find cerned offices have already places.
DOLAKHA: A Chinese new office buildings with been instructed to vacate the Citizens have hailed the open- Many vehicles en route to
engineer working for their old addresses being buildings. The moving day ing of the Tamor Corridor Panchthar district headquar-
Upper Tamakoshi taken up by provincial gov- approaches near and they are Track (TCT) that will now be ters Phidim from various
Hydropower Project in ernment agencies. still undecided where to set up the shortest route to the hills Tarai districts and vice-versa
Dolakha died after he After Butwal, the district their operations. and Tarai region. are seen regularly on the cor-
was hit by a boulder on headquarters of Rupandehi, “Finding a suitable build- The TCT comes under the ridor these days. A hotel
Monday. Police said was designated the temporary ing alone will not do. We also north-south highway project. business has started along
49-year-old Sun Linglong capital of Province 5, the have to make sure that they It connects the north from the corridor with the opera-
was struck by the boul- buildings hitherto used by are conveniently located Tibet, China, to Jogbani, India tion of track.
der while he was work- Revenue Investigation for service seekers,” said in the south via Dhankuta, Over three dozens of small
ing at a dam construc- Department, Educational n Butwal has been named the temporary capital of Province 5. Rumlal Puri of the District Panchthar, Taplejung and hotels are already doing
tion site. (PR) Training Centre, Women and Labour Office. Tehrathum, the eastern hilly business there along the corri-
Children Office, Office of vincial government offices. Investigation Department, building in Butwal. Our daily Chief District Officer Hari districts, according to a dor, said a hotel owner from
Silver ornaments, Food Technology and Quality Moving out, however, has said they have been looking operations have been affected Prasad Mainali said they have Rastriya Samachar Samiti the area.
idol stolen from Control, and Department of proven to be a headache for for a suitable building for the because most of the time our been on location scouting for (RSS) report Monday. TCT Project Chief Kuber
Transport Management are the sitting tenants. Narendra past one week, but to no avail. minds are occupied about weeks on end without much The operation of a 52-kilo- Nepali has said work is in
Banepa temple going to be replaced by pro- Pandey, the chief of Revenue “It is hard to find a proper finding a new place,” he said. luck so far. meter corridor’s section from progress to complete the cor-
BANEPA: Silver orna- Mulghat in Dhankuta to ridor that would link Mulghat
ments worth nearly Sawakhola in Panchthar ben- with Tibet, China via

Elephant behind
Rs 200,000 were stolen efits citizens in many ways. Majhitar, Panchthar, Suketar

India digs trench along

from the Karunamai “It reduces travel time and and Olangchunggola,
temple at Ugrachandi in makes movement of local Taplejung. Suwang,
Banepa-4, Kavre, on agricultural produce to mar- Panchthar and Chatara,

six deaths gets

Sunday night. Police ket easy,” said resident Sunsari will be linked by a

no man’s land in Banke

said also missing from Narendra Yakhya. 140-km route and the contract
the temple is Other people residing near agreement for this is likely to
the idol of Annadev, a the bank of Tamor River in be signed within a month, the

radio collar
deity worshipped by Dhankuta said vehicles now RSS report said.
the local Newar commu- pass near their settlement The Mulghat (Dhankuta)-
nity. The stolen silver which they had never Tibet section will have the
ornaments were offered imagined earlier. total length of 18o km, while
by worshippers. Police Vehicles have already start- the section stretching from
Inspector Sunil Jung BNP, officials from the ed moving across the corridor Ranibhansar in Morang to
Shah of the Area Police National Trust of Nature stretching from Phidim Tibet via Taplejung will be 270
Office in Banepa said Conservation and Nepal Bazaar, Panchthar to Mulghat, km long.
they are investigating Army were involved in install-
into the case. (RSS) ing the radio collar. The pach-

Deputy mayor
yderm was later released in
the BNP forest.
The BNP administration
weather watch are planning to install the

throws tantrum
radio collar on another wild
Forecast: Partly cloudy in the western KAMAL PANTHI elephant believed to have
hill region. Fog likely to continue at some GULARIYA, JAN 29 entered the human settle-
areas in the terai regions till afternoon.
ments. The wild elephants

Max MIN Rainfall The Bardiya National Park
Places
Temp (0C) Temp (0C) (mm) (BNP) has installed a radio
Kathmandu 17.7 2.0 0.0 collar to a marauding
wild elephant in a bid to track
Dipayal 25.0 2.4 0.0
its movement and prevent it
Dadeldhura 16.2 4.9 0.0 from entering the human set-
Dhangadi 14.5 7.2 0.0 tlements.
Birendranagar 23.5 2.5 0.0 The BNP team on Sunday
fixed the GPS-equipped collar
Nepalgunj 18.8 6.4 0.0
on the wild tusker named
Jumla 20.4 -5.6 0.0 Jangali that killed six persons
Dang 20.0 3.5 0.0 in Bardiya last year.
Pokhara 16.9 9.2 0.0 “The constant emission of
Bhairahawa 16.0 5.5 0.0 radio signals from the device
will enable us to track the
Simara 19.5 3.5 0.0 animal’s movement. It helps
Okhaldhunga 14.8 2.9 0.0 to chase away the tusker
Taplejung 14.5 0.5 0.0 immediately after it strays out
Dhankuta 18.0 5.8 0.0 of the park forest,” said acting
Chief Conservation Officer
Biratnagar 22.2 6.3 0.0
Ashok Kumar Bhandari.
Jomsom 13.5 -2.2 0.0* The BNP team darted the
Dharan 22.0 10.9 0.0* elephant as it entered Dakela
Source: Meteorological forecasting Division, Department of village in the buffer zone of
Hydrology and Meteorology, Kathmandu
the BNP. Rangers from the
from the BNP and
Katar niaghat Wildlife
Sanctuary of India had
entered the settlements in
Thakurbaba and Barbardiya
municipalities and wreaked
havoc a month ago. They
destroyed more than two
dozen houses and damaged
wheat planted in hectares of
land in the area.
Local people complain that
the authorities concerned
paid no heed to their repeated
requests for stopping the
recurring menace of wild ani-
mals. They have been demand-
ing that an electric fence be
installed to prevent the wild
elephants from entering the
settlements.
As per the data available at
the BNP, 36 people were killed
by wild elephants in Bardiya
district in the past 18 years.
n A Radhapur resident stands next to a mound of soil dug out to build the trench along the Nepal-India
border in Banke district. 
THAKUR SINGH THARU
NEPALGUNJ, JAN 29
India has dug a trench along
the no man’s land just off
the border in Janaki Rural
Municipality and Khajura
Rural Municipality of
Banke district.
According to local residents,
the trench is being dug
for the purpose of con-
trolling contraband traffick-
ing and illegal logging.
Authorities on Nepal’s side
were not notified about this
undertaking.
Chief District Officer
Ramesh KC said they were
unaware about the Indian
authorities digging the
trench along the no man’s
land. “We have informed the
central government. The
issue must be settled at the
government level,” he said.
The residents of Saigaun
village in Janaki Rural
Municipality and Radahpur
village in Khajura Rural
Municipality have urged the
government to take up the
issue with the Indian gov-
ernment at the earliest.
“The soil dug out for the
trench have been deposited
near the border. If they are
not removed immediately,
our homes could get inun-
dated during monsoon,” said
Tofiq Ahmed Sain, a Saigaun
resident.
POST PHOTO: THAKUR SINGH THARU
Villagers claim that the
district administration has
failed to act despite several
international boundary vio-
lations committed by India.
Before this, they said,
India had constructed a road
by encroaching upon the
Nepali territory near
Narainapura that caused a
mass displacement of fami-
lies living in Matehiya,
Sonbarsha and Gangapur
villages of Rapti Sonari
Municipality.
The Indian authorities
have also built a 22.5 km
embankment by allegedly
breaching the international
boundary near Holiya area
in Banke.
demanding car
SANTOSH SINGH
DHANUSHA, JAN 29
A municipal deputy mayor in
Dhanusha district ripped the
minute book during Sunday’s
executive meeting after her
demand to have an official car
was not entertained.
Meena Kumari Yadav,
the deputy mayor of
Ganeshman Char nath
Municipality, was apparently
not having any of it
when mayor Ram Babu Yadav
tried to reason with her by
saying that they did not have n Meena Kumari Yadav
sufficient budget to provide
her a car. behaviour has become a cause
Dik Bahadur Karki, the for concern for the municipal
administrative officer of the officials just when they are
municipality, said the deputy preparing to hold the munici-
mayor was upset because her pal council meeting.
demand was not incorporated “The budget we have
in the meeting that had been right now can barely
convened to plan the munici- fulfil our daily operational
pal council meeting scheduled needs. We cannot blow our
for next week. budget on a car,” said mayor
“She tore the minute book Ram Babu.
when I tried to take her signa- Deputy mayor Meena
ture and stormed out of the Kumari admitted to tearing
room,” said Karki. the minute book because she
Mayor Ram Babu said his did not like the attitude of the
deputy was given a scooter mayor and the municipal
two months ago when she administrative officer.
made a request for transporta- “They have been taking
tion facility for official works. unilateral decisions and do
Meena Kumari’s shocking not listen to me,” she said.

C M Y K
 world
kathmandu post
the

PG 05 | Tuesday,January30,2018 kathmandupost.ekantipur.com

‘Putin ordered doping programme’
Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, the source of
revelations about Moscow’s state-sponsored doping,
claims in a German TV report on Monday that President
Vladimir Putin ordered the conspiracy. “Of course it
came all the way from the top, from the president,”
Rodchenkov told German public broadcaster ARD in a
phone interview, says a report on the station’s website.
Plastics raise risk of coral reef disease ‘Iran wants Lebanon to be missile site’
When coral reefs come in contact with plastic trash Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused
in the ocean, their risk of becoming diseased skyrockets, Iran of wanting “to turn Lebanon into one giant missile
said an international study. Researchers examined site” and warned of the consequences as he left
more than 120,000 corals on 159 reefs—some polluted Monday for talks in Moscow. Netanyahu has held a
with plastic, others not—from Indonesia, Australia, series of discussions with President Vladimir Putin
Myanmar and Thailand for the study in the journal in recent months on Iran’s influence in war-torn
Science. Syria and in Lebanon.

news digest
90,000 flee
out on a chilly morning ride
Syria peace talks
begin in Russia
Philippine
volcano
LEGAZPI (Philippines):
The number of Filipinos
fleeing from the erupting
Mayon volcano to safe
zones has swelled to
nearly 90,000, officials
said on Monday, worsen- Opposition boycott tempers dialogue expectations
ing a sanitation crisis in
Agence France-Presse
the already stretched
SOCHI (Russia), Jan 29
relief camps. President
Rodrigo Duterte flew to
Delegates on Monday arrived
the central city of
for the first Syria peace con-
Legazpi on Monday to
gress in Russia, but expecta-
assess the disaster zone,
tions for the dialogue were
some two weeks after the
tempered after the war-torn
country’s most active
country’s main opposition
volcano began belching
group said it would boycott
spectacular but poten-
the event.
tially lethal ash columns,
Regime-backer Moscow has
lava and rocks.
invited 1,600 people to the
Authorities have thrown
talks in the Black Sea resort
a nine kilometre (5.6
of Sochi as part of a broader
mile) no-go zone around
push to consolidate its influ-
the mountain with the
ence in the region and start
vast majority of those
hammering out a path to a n Syrian men unloading sacks of potatoes left on an abandoned truck
living in its shadow now
political solution to end the following airstrikes by government forces in the town of Saraqeb in
safely outside that radi-
bloody conflict. Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib. AFP/RSS
us. But sanitary condi-
Only a fraction of the
tions in the safe-zones
invitees are set to participate its Russian backers of contin- out a settlement that strength-
are far from ideal. Al
n A horse-drawn carriage is pictured on a street in Dragomiresti, Dambovita county, Romania.  REUTERS in the event, however, accord- uing to rely on military ens its ally Assad.
Francis Bichara, the gov-
ing to a list of participants might—and showing no will- But a spokesman for UN
ernor of Albay province,
seen by AFP which has about ingness to enter into honest Secretary-General Antonio
said authorities expect
350 people on it. negotiations—as the war in Guterres said at the weekend

UN: 100k in grave danger

the evacuees will need to
stay at the camps for at
least a month. 11 Afghan The aim of the Tuesday
congress is to bring Syria clos-
er to creating a post-war con-
which more than 340,000 peo-
ple have already died
approaches its seventh year.
he would send his Syria peace
negotiator to Sochi after
receiving assurances the con-
‘Kim Jong-nam
soldiers stitution, after two days of More than three dozen ference would not seek to side-
met American
from monsoon rains
separate UN-backed talks in other Syrian rebel groups, line the organisation’s own

days before his

assassination’
SHAH ALAM (Malaysia):
The half-brother of
North Korean leader
Kim Jong-un met an uni-
dentified American on a
tourist island in
Malaysia four days
before he was assassinat-
ed in a Cold War-style
hit, a court heard
Monday. Kim Jong-nam
met the man at a hotel in
Langkawi on February 9,
a witness told the trial of
two women accused of
the killing that stunned
the world. Indonesian
Siti Aisyah and
Vietnamese Doan Thi
Huong allegedly rubbed
VX nerve agent on Kim’s
face at Kuala Lumpur
International Airport on
February 13 as he waited
to board a flight to
Macau. Kim died in
agony shortly afterwards
and the women were
arrested days later. The
pair, who face death by
hanging if convicted,
have pleaded not guilty
Reuters
GENEVA, Jan 29
More than 100,000 Rohingya
refugees huddled in squalid,
muddy camps in Bangladesh
will be in grave danger from
landslides when the mid-year
monsoon season begins, a UN
humanitarian report said.
There are now more than
900,000 Rohingyas in the Cox’s
Bazar area of Bangladesh,
after 688,000 fled violence in
Myanmar that flared up in
late August. Aid workers say
the camps sheltering the new
arrivals are completely inade-
quate.
“Landslide and flood risk
hazard mapping reveal that at
least 100,000 people are in
grave danger from these risks
and require relocation to new
areas or within the neighbor-
hoods that they live in,” the
UN report said. “The lack of
space remains the main chal-
lenge for the sector as sites are
highly congested leading to
extremely hard living condi-
tions with no space for service
provisions and facilities. In
rohingya refugees
break currently escalating in
most of the sites.”
Although a rapid vaccina-
tion programme appears to
have staved off the risk of
cholera, 4,865 have confirmed,
probable or suspected diph-
theria, and 35 have died.
The World Health
Organization has vaccinated
over 500,000 Rohingyas
against diphtheria and on
Saturday health workers
began giving 350,000 children
a second dose. The WHO also
has 2,500 doses of anti-toxin,
which is in short supply glob-
report said there had been an
increase in cases in the past
few weeks, and Rohingya refu-
gees and host communities
had never been vaccinated
against the highly contagious
disease, which is rarely fatal
but can cause complications
such as meningitis.
Most of the Rohingya refu-
gees - almost 585,000 - are in an
overcrowded area called
Kutupalong-Balukhali.
“A high percentage of the
land is unsuitable for human
settlement as risks of flooding
and landslides are high and
killed in Kabul
Reuters
kabul, Jan 29
Militants on Monday raided a
military academy in Kabul,
the Afghan capital, killing 11
soldiers, the fourth major
attack in a spate of violence
over the past nine days that is
putting a new, more aggres-
sive U.S. strategy under the
spotlight.
Five gunmen attacked an
army outpost near one of
Afghanistan’s main military
academies on Monday and 11
soldiers were killed and 15
wounded before the attackers
were subdued, the defence
ministry said.
Islamic State claimed
responsibility for the attack
near the Marshal Fahim mili-
tary academy on the city’s
western outskirts, in which
four of the gunmen were
killed and one captured.
It came two days after an
ambulance bomb in the
city centre killed more than
100 people and just over a
week after another attack on
the Hotel Intercontinental,
Vienna last week closed with-
out any sign the warring sides
had met face-to-face to discuss
the groundwork for the docu-
ment.
The Kremlin has down-
played expectations of the
event, with presidential
spokesman Dmitry Peskov
telling journalists Monday
that “breakthroughs in the
task of political regulation in
Syria are hardly possible.”
He added however that
under-representation will not
“disrupt this congress or
undermine its importance,”
calling the Sochi talks a
“very important” step toward
peace.
The Syrian Negotiation
Commission (SNC), the coun-
try’s main opposition group,
said following the talks in
Vienna on Thursday and
Friday that it would not attend
the Sochi congress.
The SNC accused President
Bashar al-Assad’s regime and
Indian man killed
after being sucked
including influential
Islamists, previously said
they would not come to Sochi.
And authorities from
Syria’s Kurdish autonomous
region said Sunday they
would not participate because
of an ongoing offensive on the
Kurdish enclave of Afrin by
Turkey, which supports
Syrian rebels and is co-spon-
soring the congress along
with regime-backer Iran.
- Suspicion from the West -
Moscow, which has spear-
headed rounds of talks from
the start of last year in
Kazakhstan’s Astana, initially
hoped to convene the congress
in Sochi last November but
those efforts collapsed follow-
ing a lack of agreement
among co-sponsors.
Western powers have
viewed the Russian peace ini-
tiative with suspicion, worry-
ing that Moscow is seeking to
undermine the UN-backed
talks with a view to carving
talks.
Staffan de Mistura arrived
in Sochi Monday, Russian
agencies reported.
Russia has long sought UN
participation in the Sochi con-
gress to lend credibility to its
diplomatic efforts, and is
reportedly hoping to establish
a committee to create a consti-
tution with UN-backing.
Breakthrough
unlikely: France’s FM
TOKYO: France’s foreign min-
ister said on Monday he was
sceptical of any breakthrough
at upcoming talks hosted by
Russia and aimed at ending
Syria’s bitter civil war.
Moscow, which has helped
turn the war in favour of its
ally Bashar al-Assad, has
invited 1,600 people to the
Black Sea resort of Sochi to
begin hammering out a new
constitution for post-war
Syria, with talks set to start
Tuesday.
Maldives oppn
seeks court

help to oust
and said they were addition, congestion brings ally, to treat the deadly effects are further aggravated by the also in Kabul, killed more
tricked into believing increased protections risks of the disease. congestion and extensive ter- than 20.

into MRI machine

they were part of a

prank reality TV show,
with their lawyers blam-
ing North Korean agents.
president
and favors disease outbreak But a new health concern racing of the hills,” the UN Both of those attacks were
such as the diphtheria out- has arisen - mumps. The UN report said. claimed by the Taliban.

German SPD leader dampens

South Korea also has Agence France-Presse death, adding CCTV footage Agence France-Presse
accused North Korea of MUMBAI, Jan 29 of the incident had been COLOMBO, Jan 29
ordering the murder, an handed over to police.
allegation it denies. An Indian man died after The victim’s uncle said Opposition leaders in the
Seine peaks as

hopes for quick coalition deal

waterlogged
Paris eyes
clean-up
PARIS: The swollen Seine
peaked on Monday at
more than four metres
above its normal level,
leaving a lengthy mop-up
job for Parisians after
days of rising waters
that have put the soggy
city on alert. The river
rose to 5.85 metres (19.2
feet) early Monday, caus-
ing continued headaches
for commuters as well as
people living near its
overflowing banks. The
Vigicrues flooding agen-
cy said the river would
stay at its current level
throughout the day
before beginning to
recede Tuesday. “It’s
been a gradual rise, so
you can’t really call it a
‘peak’—we prefer to say
it has plateaued,” said
Rachel Puechberty, a
spokeswoman for the
agency. Light rain is fore-
cast for Monday
but it is not expected to
push the Seine higher,
though water levels are
likely to stay high for at
least a week, Puechberty
said.  (Agencies)
Reuters
BERLIN, Jan 29
The leader of Germany’s
Social Democrats (SPD)
played down hopes on Monday
for swift progress in coalition
talks with Chancellor Angela
Merkel’s conservatives, an
SPD source said, amid contin-
ued disagreement over sever-
al issues including refugees.
Four months after both
Merkel’s party and the SPD
performed worse than expect-
ed in a federal election, they
are trying to iron out policy
differences and form a ‘grand
coalition’ like the one that led
Germany from 2013 to 2017.
Merkel, who failed to form a
government in talks with two
smaller parties late last year,
needs the talks with the SPD
to succeed in order to secure a
fourth term as chancellor.
In meetings with his party
leadership on Monday, SPD
leader Martin Schulz
expressed scepticism about
the first round of coalition
talks with the conservatives
and highlighted the main con-
troversial issues, the SPD
source said.
Those include family reun-
ions for refugees allowed to
n Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Martin Schulz
stay in Germany, health insur-
ance and employment policy.
Schulz said it was unclear
what kind of compromises or
agreements could be made in
those areas, the source said.
The family reunion issue is
particularly sensitive after
the previous Merkel-led
‘grand coalition’ agreed in
2015 to take in more than one
million migrants and refu-
gees, many fleeing conflicts in
the Middle East.
The SPD favours a more
lenient approach towards
those refugees seeking to
bring to Germany family
members whom they left
behind in places like Syria
and Iraq.
But the conservatives are
keen to present a tougher line
on immigration to avoid los-
ing more votes to the far-right
Alternative for Germany
(AfD), which surged into par-
liament for the first time after
last September’s election.
Although the talks on fami-
ly reunions broke off over-
night without agreement, SPD
deputy leader Malu Dreyer
had earlier sounded a more
optimistic note than Schulz,
saying the parties were in the
“final stages” of clinching an
accord on this issue.
Dreyer told
Deutschlandfunk radio there
was a will among the negotia-
tors “that we really reach an
agreement today”.
Representatives of the SPD
and conservatives told Reuters
that suggestions to include a
pledge in the coalition deal to
introduce a levy on petrol, gas
and heating oil had met with
strong resistance during talks
on Sunday.
The idea had been to use
the extra revenues to reduce
the cost of electricity or pro-
mote environmentally-friend-
ly fuels but the Christian
Social Union (CSU) - the
Bavarian sister party of
Merkel’s conservatives - was
especially concerned that
higher prices for heating oil
could harm their chances in
Bavaria’s regional election
this year, the sources said.
They said negotiations in
the working group that focus-
es on the environment and
energy had otherwise been
constructive. The group
backed an extra paragraph on
energy efficiency to be added
to the coalition blueprint,
which would also ensure that
building renovations were
tax-deductible.
being sucked into an MRI Maru had been asked to Maldives including two for-
machine while visiting a carry the cylinder by the mer heads of state have asked
relative at a hospital in junior staff member who the Supreme Court to remove
Mumbai, police said on assured him the machine the president and investigate
Monday.
Rajesh Maru, 32, was
was switched off.
“The ward boy who was
corruption allegations against
him.
yanked towards the supposed to prevent such The opposition Maldivian
machine by its magnetic incidents told my family Democratic Party (MDP) said
force after he entered the members to go inside when Monday that the leaders had
room carrying an oxygen the machine was turned on. signed the petition asking the
cylinder, the We are top court to suspend President
city’s police
said in a
The incident occurred shocked and
devastated,”
Abdulla Yameen. It was filed
on Sunday after attempts to
statement. on Saturday night at J i t e n d r a topple Yameen through a vote
“We have in parliament failed when the
arrested a
Nair Hospital in Mumbai Maru AFP.
told
president deployed the mili-
doctor and The state tary, before unleashing a fresh
another junior staff mem- government of Maharashtra, crackdown against dissidents.
ber under section 304 of the of which Mumbai is the cap- Almost all key opposition
Indian penal code for caus- ital, announced compensa- leaders and a number of rul-
ing death due to negli- tion of 500,000 rupees ($7,870) ing party dissidents have
gence,” Mumbai police for the victim’s family. MRI, either been jailed or gone into
spokesman Deepak Deoraj or magnetic resonance imag- exile in the Maldives, denting
told AFP. ing, machines use a powerful the atoll nation’s popular
The incident occurred on magnetic field to produce image as an upmarket holiday
Saturday night at the images of the body’s organs. paradise. “The joint opposi-
Indian financial capital’s Metallic objects are pulled tion petitioned the Supreme
Nair Hospital. towards it and must not be Court as the parliament,
Police said preliminary carried into the room. In 2014 which has the power to
reports suggested that the two hospital workers sus- remove a president from
man had died from inhaling tained injuries when they office, has ceased to function
liquid oxygen that leaked were pinned between an since President Yameen
from the cylinder. MRI machine and a metal ordered the military to storm
It is thought the cylinder oxygen tank for four hours the legislature (early last
was damaged after hitting at a hospital in New Delhi. year),” the MDP said.
the machine. In 2001, a six-year-old boy The signatories include the
Ramesh Bharmal, the undergoing an MRI scan in country’s first democratically
dean of the hospital, told New York was killed when a elected leader Mohamed
AFP that an investigation metal oxygen tank flew Nasheed, who lives in exile
had been launched to deter- towards the machine and since he was jailed on terror-
mine the exact cause of crushed his skull. ism charges in a case widely
seen as politically motivated.

C M Y K
Tuesday, January 30, 2018 editorial the kathmandu post 06

Since 1993
Democracy as a way of life
ED I T OR I A L Democratic schools must be established to cultivate skills for a new federal Nepal
Bleeding state coffers dry of Americans received high school degrees.
Methods were mostly rote, even authoritar-
It is high time political parties stop competing ian. The curriculum stressed the high-
handed cultural “Americanisation” of
with each other to introduce populist policies immigrants. In Chicago, where Dewey

L
lived, corruption and patronage crippled
ast week, Cabinet revised the eligibility criteri- the schools.
on for elderly allowance. With this, anyone who TOM ROBERTSON “When you think of the thousands and

I
is 65 has become eligible for a monthly allow-
ance of Rs2,000. Earlier, this age bar was fixed n these days of elections and change in
at 70, except for dalits and residents of the erst- Nepal, I wish we’d hear a lot more about
while Karnali Zone who are eligible for the grant schools. Few institutions have as much
after they turn 60. power to foster real, long-lasting democ-
The decision made by the outgoing prime min- racy in Nepal’s many towns and villag-
ister and ministers, whose countdown for depar- es—or, sadly, to block it.
ture from the government has started, has lifted Federalism brings a real chance for
remaking schools as engines of inclusive
the spirit of those in the age group of 65 to 69. But
growth and broad-based democracy, but it
it has also added a financial burden of around won’t be easy. Similar turning points in the
Rs15 billion per year on the state, as there are past have been squandered.
over 636,000 people aged 65 to 69 according to the Recently I was talking with a friend, a
estimates of the Central Bureau of Statistics. newly elected ward chairman in a rural dis-
The government should no doubt ensure the trict. Because he’s someone with a long his-
wellbeing of elderly citizens, who had made sig- tory of thoughtful democratic advocacy, I
nificant contributions to the state when they was curious to hear his thoughts. What he
were young and active. However, what is also true wanted to discuss, it turned out, was schools.
is that many people aged 65 to 69 are capable of He asked my advice because in the 1990s,
working these days and making contributions to at another moment of democratic restruc-
the economy. But the government appears to be turing in Nepal, I had worked as a teacher
encouraging them to drop out of the labour market, trainer in Nepali schools. And, as a histori-
an of Nepal and the US, I could discuss the
which does not make much sense.
political evolution of both countries.
Advancements in medical science and availa-
bility of better diet have played a crucial role in A different culture
keeping people healthy and extending longevity One thought that immediately came to
throughout the world. Nepal is not an exception mind was New England. Because the reli-
in this case, as it has seen average life expectancy gious dissidents who settled this part of
jump from 54 years in 1991 to 70 years today. This north America four hundred years ago
change in life span of average Nepalis has trig- believed strongly that each individual
gered discussions on increasing the official retire- should have an unmediated connection to
ment age from 58 to 60 or above. God, rather than depend upon church offi-
So, the decision to reduce the age bar for elder- cials, they taught their children—boys and
ly allowance is ill-thought-out, as healthier elder- girls, rich and poor—to read the Bible. A
ly people who can earn a living on their own are century and a half later, in the years lead-
likely to be subject to government grants. The ing up to the American Revolution, this
widespread literacy became fertile soil for
country probably would achieve better returns if
the spread of anti-monarchial republican
the money is used to provide scholarships to
sentiment. Meanwhile, in the US South,
needy students or improve conditions of health there was no such tradition of literacy, and
centres across the country. education standards there lagged behind
Governments in Nepal have made populist for many years, with dire consequences.
decisions that appeal to a cohort but bleed state Literacy had a different history in Nepal.
coffers dry many a time. Earlier, the Communist Here, in order to keep political control, the
Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN- Ranas had prevented schools. Religious
UML) used to be at the forefront of introducing writings were the province of the few, not
such populist policies. It is unfortunate that such the right of the many. In 1951, few Nepalis
a populist decision has now been made by the could read or write except for a priest or
government led by the Nepali Congress (NC), a shopkeeper here and there.
political party which has long opposed CPN- In thinking about my friend’s query,
UML’s tactic of pleasing the electorate by making besides New England’s Bible readers, my
thoughts also turned to John Dewey,
inefficient use of taxpayers’ money.
It is high time political parties stop competing
America’s most significant twentieth-cen-
tury political thinker and greatest educa-
tional innovator. Dewey linked democracy
and schools in a way I knew my friend
would find important.
I also knew he’d be intrigued by Dewey’s
influence on BR Ambedkar, India’s great
Dalit activist and father of its constitution,
who had studied under Dewey at Columbia
University. The Dewey-Ambedkar connec-
tion is one of two big links between the US
and India’s “founding generation.” (The
other is Henry David Thoreau’s influence
on Mahatma Gandhi.)
Dewey lived and worked in the late nine-
teenth and early twentieth century, a
moment in American political history not
completely unlike where Nepal now finds
itself. At its break with Britain a century
earlier, the US was not a true democracy
but rather a republic run by traditional
elites. Despite their other virtues, the
founding generation had hesitated to grant
ordinary people real power. Only white
males with property could vote. The
Electoral College and the US Senate were
representative but not broadly democratic.
Hence, in the 1860s, the need for Lincoln’s
famous call for expanded democracy—gov-
ernment “of the people, for the people, by
the people.” Dewey came of age a couple
decades later, years when vast wealth ine-
quality and immigration made elites newly
fearful of “the masses.”
Dewey’s big insight: democracy required
far more than elections, it had to be a “way
of life.” Democratic norms of self-rule
should guide not just elections and policy-
making but the workplace, the town
square, and family life. “To say democracy
is only a form of government,” Dewey
wrote, “is to say home is a more or less
geometrical arrangement of bricks and
mortar; that the church is a building with
pews, pulpit, and spire. It is true; they cer-
tainly are so much. But it is false; they are
so infinitely more.” Real democracy
demanded not just voting, but a collection
of habits and attitudes pervading everyday
life. Not just democratic machinery, but a
democratic culture.
Representation by elites—the old sys-
tem—was not enough. Direct participation
was needed. More people from more walks
of life had to take part in decision-making,
to have a say. This reasoning fuelled the
long American march for workers’ rights,
immigrant rights, women’s rights, and
African American rights. This thinking
inspired Ambedkar.
But for ordinary people to have a say—to
self-govern, the core concept of democra-
cy—they required the skills to do so. And
that’s why schools mattered so much.
Knowledge-making
Schools, Dewey know, could prop up hier-
archy, or remake society anew. They could
reproduce the status quo, or re-form social
relations. For the most part, nine-
teenth-century American schools strength-
ened elite power, privileging certain races,
ethnic groups, economic classes, and gen-
ders above others. Fewer than 10 percent
thousands of young ones who are practically
ruined...in the Chicago schools every year,”
Dewey wrote, “it is enough to make you go
out and howl on the street corners.”
With this, I could see my Nepali friend
getting excited. He saw the connections.
For years, Nepali schools have been unac-
countable, un-transparent job-banks for
the political parties, outside of community
influence. Teaching has stressed memori-
sation, not critical thinking—docility, not
independence. Cheating had taught cor-
ruption. Americanisation reminded of the
Panchayat era one-size-fits-all cultural
engineering. Of course many Nepali teach-
ers, administrators, and government offi-
cials strive tirelessly for their students.
But too often, Nepali schools reinforce
hierarchy, not democracy.
Dewey’s vision was different. Schools
didn’t have to reproduce hierarchy. They
could serve diverse populations and foster
a real culture of democracy. How? By
replacing recitation with reflection, memo-
rization with meaning, competition with
collaboration, and passiveness with partic-
ipation. By stressing creative, cooperative
inquiry and scientific investigation.
Schools should not be inert museums of
“ready-made knowledge” but active “labo-
ratories of knowledge-making.” Truth was
not the inherited property of the few but
the continually re-invented toolkit of the
many. If schools promoted agile thinking,
not textbook parroting, they could give
citizens the “power of self-direction” and
the “ability to assume positions of respon-
sibility.”
Today, American schools and its democ-
racy are very far from perfect. But Dewey’s
ideals still pull in the right direction:
toward critical thinking, pluralism, and
democracy “as a way of life.”
Nepal has a historically large generation
of young people. Most study in government
schools. Will they acquire the skills needed
to make Nepal a democracy not just on
election day, but every day?
Robertson, PhD, is an historian and
the executive director of Fulbright-Nepal;
his views are his own and don’t reflect
Fulbright programme policy

Don’t call us names

with each other to introduce populist policies
that create undue pressure on taxpayers. This
will not benefit a country whose government cur-
rently cannot generate adequate resources to cover
recurrent expenditure because of a rampant hike
in disbursement of grants.
The Nepali people deserve answers from the government and respect from others
Embassy did not answer questions about supported it. Instead of announcing a

w orld v ie w this subject. Nevertheless, there are

three possible reasons that could have pro-
voked the notion that Trump meant to dis-
swift aid cut, his frustration could have
been reflected in vulgar words.

Teach the rules

comfit us too. Hard silence
Since 1951, Nepal has received more than
Nepal fits the mould $1 billion in aid from the US. The US has
LEKHANATH PANDEY The first and obvious reason is Nepal’s given Nepal another $500 million through
Build relations between tourists and locals @PandeyLekhanath inclusion in the TPS list following lobby- the Millenium Challenge Corporation

T
ing by the Nepali community and embas- grant for the next five years to finance

I
t is necessary to exercise wisdom regarding
how to form good relations with visitors to
Japan from countries whose customs and
cultures differ from our own. The number of
foreign tourists to Japan stood at 28.69 million
last year, up 19 percent from a year earlier. The
government has said it is aiming to raise the
figure to 40 million by 2020, when the Tokyo
Olympics will be held. The amount of money
spent by foreign tourists for such purposes as
shopping and accommodations last year
reached ¥4.4 trillion. Its scale compares
favorably with the value of car exports to the
United States. The growth in the number of
foreign visitors to Japan is underpinning con-
sumption at a time when society is undergo-
ing a population decrease, and is also contrib-
uting to regional revitalization. But it is wor-
rying that the increase in foreign tourists is
beginning to pose a problem for the lives of
residents in some sightseeing areas.
The central government should
consider measures to reduce the burden on
local communities in cooperation with their
local governments. The housing and accom-
modation business law will go into effect in
June, lifting a ban on minpaku, or using unoc-
cupied rooms at condominiums and other pri-
vate residences to temporarily accommodate
lodgers for a fee. Many local governments are
receiving complaints from local residents,
who say they are concerned about unknown
foreign visitors going in and out of condomin-
iums, for example. Minpaku business opera-
tors must explain to customers about such
matters as troublesome behavior they should
avoid and sanitation.
he world was enraged after United
States president Donald Trump insult-
ed some impoverished nations by call-
ing them ‘shithole’ countries whose
citizens were living in the US with
Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The
US media and the intelligentsia criticised
his statement as being ‘anti-American’
while South Africa and Botswana
denounced his comments as being racist.
The Economist wrote a report questioning
whether the US president was mentally
sound or in the early stage of dementia.
Trump has refuted all allegations against
him and the White House has stated that
the US leader is in the best of health. As
an aid-dependent country, Nepal seems to
be clueless about how to respond to such
humiliation. President Trump is not a big
fan of immigration. Since the very outset
of his election campaign, he was quite
vocal against the liberal immigration poli-
cies of his predecessors, especially those
of Barack Obama. He campaigned for
erecting a wall all along the US-Mexico
border, and sending millions of undocu-
mented immigrants back home, mainly
those who came from Islamic countries.
The US was the second country, after
the United Kingdom, to establish diplo-
matic ties with Nepal. The two countries
were coming to the end of a year-long cele-
bration commemorating the 70th year of
diplomatic relations a week before Trump’s
‘shithole’ remarks. Foreign Ministry offi-
cials claimed that Nepal was not a prime
target of Trump’s invective, and the US
sy after the 2015 earthquakes. The US
Homeland Security Department desig-
nates countries in the TPS list where safe
return of their citizens is not possible due
to ongoing armed conflict, natural calami-
ties or other extraordinary circumstances.
El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti, Nepal,
Syria, Nicaragua, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia
and South Sudan are in the TPS list. As
many as 8,950 Nepalis are residing in the
US with a TPS visa, making them the
fourth highest population among the 10
TPS countries, according to the US
Embassy in Kathmandu.
Of course, the last two decades were a
bad time for Nepal because of an armed
conflict which was followed by a tumultu-
ous transition, two earthquakes and an
Indian economic blockade. Despite all
these adverse situations, Nepal was never
inhospitable towards its own citizens.
Relative peace was restored in 2006 when
the Maoists formally shunned violence
and joined mainstream politics. Though
the quakes took the lives of more than
9,000 people and shattered hundreds of
thousands of homes and public infrastruc-
ture, the circumstances were never hostile
to anyone in Nepal.
The second reason is the swelling
Nepali community in the US. Hundreds of
Nepalis enter the US in pursuit of quality
education, better standard of living and
job opportunities. Their numbers were
further increased by the Diversity Visa
lottery programme. The US Embassy
issued 3,451 diversity visas to Nepalis
between October 2016 and September 2017,
the second highest number in the world.
Furthermore, over 90,000 Nepali-speaking
Bhutanese refugees have been resettled in
the US who may be mistaken for Nepalis.
As journalist Becky Little has written,
the DV programme was not intended to
promote cultural and racial diversity in
the US when Congress introduced it in
1986. It was primarily designed to attract
whites, Irish and Europeans to the US.
Later, it was opened to non-white Asians,
Africans and Latinos too. With the immi-
grant population increasing and starting
to change US demographics and election
outcomes, many conservative white
Americans are anxious about their
supremacy.
The third reason that could have incited
Trump’s remark may be Nepal’s recent
vote in favour of a UN resolution rejecting
his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s
capital. Before the UN vote on December
22, Trump had publicly warned about tak-
ing strong measures, including withhold-
ing US aid, against countries supporting
the resolution. All TPS countries except
Honduras voted for the UN resolution.
Nepal was among the 128 countries that
infrastructure building and socio-econom-
ic development. Despite all that aid, Nepal
refused to heed the US leader’s warning.
This was widely interpreted as ‘self-stand-
ing’ at global forums. Where has such a
stand gone now when the country has
been humiliated? The whole of Nepali
society—the government, political parties,
intelligentsia, media and civil society—
has kept mum on this issue as if nothing
has happened. There are two factors that
have discouraged all of them from speak-
ing up. One, we depend on aid so we hesi-
tate to speak our mind. Two, the Nepali
mission helped to get TPS visas for some
self-oriented Nepalis who wanted to
extend their US stay by saying that it was
not safe to return to Nepal.
The prevailing silence and absolute
indifference towards the disrespect will
not help anyone except spread negative
sentiments and rumours. The Foreign
Ministry could at least express its reserva-
tion, seek clarification from the US
Embassy and inquire of its own mission
in the US and have a clear understanding
of the matter. Regrettably, the Nepali mis-
sion has reportedly been lobbying hard to
further extend the TPS term for Nepalis,
despite the Trump’s remarks. This doesn’t
promote the country’s image, but only helps
to tarnish it. We deserve answers from the
government and respect from others.
Pandey is an assistant professor at
Tribhuvan University and writes on
geopolitics and international relations

Voice Of The People

Kantipur Publications Pvt. Ltd., Central Business Park, Thapathali, P. B. No. 8559, Kathmandu; Nepal
the dominant power geometry,
hope of an egalitarian society—a
prerequisite for development
write to us

Phone: 5135000, Fax: 977-1-5135057, e-mail: kpost@kmg.com.np and equitable growth—remains

UNNECESSARY FUSS
The reintroduction of the ‘National
Unification Day’ shows that Nepal
is still far from overcoming the
deeply hierarchical structure of its
society. ‘History is written by the
victors’ is a quote commonly
known. Although this quote is being
questioned, one can assume that
there is some truth to it, at least in
Nepal’s case (‘Padmaavat and
Prithvi Narayan Shah’, January
26, Page 6). A constitution has
been implemented which, in theory,
represents a major stride towards
something that can be referred to as
a nation being constituted of multi-
ple identities. Yet, instances such as
the restoration of the ‘National
Unification Day’ come across as
attempts to nip the feeling of ‘unity
in diversity’ from budding.
Strengthening one identity over oth-
ers indicates a lack of trust. It dis-
plays a fear, in fact, of other minori-
ty groups having a say, or even a
stake in important matters.
However, there is a risk that if some
groups continue to be excluded from
beyond reach. We can act in concert We value your
to overcome challenges effectively
only if it is realised that we all face
words. Send us
your
the same problems. Otherwise it articles, opinions
will continue to be a fight of one
identity versus the other with
and letters for the
possibly dire consequences. op-ed pages
Letting people have a stake and (pages 6 and 7) to
have their voices heard may work
wonders, especially when it comes
to writing history. tkpoped@kmg.com.np
Pavitra Rai, via e-mail tkpoped@gmail.com

C M Y K
07 the kathmandu post
SUJEEV SHAKYA
T
he city of Jaipur was built in 1727,
about 50 years before Prithvi
Narayan Shah carved out the
Nepali nation state. Jaipur has
been one of the key tourist desti-
nations in India and forms a gold-
en triangle with Agra and Delhi.
With a population of 3 million people,
it also receives 1.5 million out of the 8
million foreign tourists that visit India
every year and is bursting at the
seams. The Rajasthan government
tourism website claims that
33 million domestic tourists visit the
state each year. Well preserved forts,
good accommodation and the local cui-
sine provided with royal service
makes this city attractive. I visited
this city for the first time 20 years ago,
and since then, like many other Indian
cities, the construction of structures
with contemporary South Asian char-
acter has increased. This means that
less importance is given to aesthetics,
and there is now less open space and
more built up areas. The difference
between Jaipur and Delhi is that
Jaipur is cleaner, less congested, and
the air is still clean; there are many
young trees and the roads look as
though they have been built better and
are managed well. But South Asian
road rage, honking and the desire to
break all rules make commuting a
challenge.
Lessons on commuting
In India, apart from the cities with
metro systems, it used to be a
Inaccessible justice
Persons with disabilities, in addition to facing barriers in enjoying
human rights, also face hurdles accessing justice
DEV DATTA JOSHI
dev_datta08@yahoo.com
A
ccess to justice is a fundamental
human right and has long been a
concern for persons with disabili-
ties. As long as persons with disa-
bilities face barriers to participat-
ing in the justice system, they will be
unable to assume their full responsi-
bilities as members of society. For this
reason, it is critical that barriers be
removed so that persons with disabili-
ties can enjoy equal opportunities to
carry out their duties as witnesses,
lawyers, prosecutors, judges, arbitra-
tors, and other participants in the
administration of justice. It is also
important for persons with disabili-
ties to have the benefit of all the other
rights as enshrined in the Convention
on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (CRPD).
The capacity of persons with disa-
bilities to enjoy other human rights
can also positively or negatively
impact their ability to avail of justice.
Accessibility of transportation may
determine whether or not a person
with disabilities is able to travel to a
police station, courthouse, or other
place where justice is administered.
Obstacles on the way
A wide range of barriers operate to
prevent disabled people from access-
ing justice on an equal basis with oth-
ers, including inadequate information
or advice, insufficient resources, inac-
cessible architectural design, inacces-
sible information or communication
methods, and inadequate protection
from subsequent victimisation.
The exact nature of the barriers
faced by persons with disabilities in
accessing justice are likely to differ
significantly depending on the
type of impairment and on the
The India-Nepal relationship should be reinvigorated by focusing on people-to-people connections
nightmare getting taxis. You had to
take metered taxis, and the only
alternatives were to take three wheel-
ers or dish out a lot of cash to hire cars
by the day. But now, ride hailing sites
like Uber and Ola have changed
everything. Now, there are no prob-
lems in getting rides late after dinner,
and customers feel a sense of security
because they no longer feel as though
they are being fleeced.
This could be a big lesson for Nepal,
as apart from urban centres such as
Pokhara and Kathmandu, we do not
have a good system of taxis. The
absence of taxis has forced people in
many cities to buy vehicles even if
they do not use them regularly. If
urban centres are to have better trans-
portation systems, and if congestion is
to be reduced, services such as
Uber, Ola, and the newly established
Nepali service, Tootle, could be the
answer. I met many people in Jaipur
who told me that they stopped buying
cars once Ola and Uber started offer-
ing their services.
Jaipur Literary Festival
In 2006, Namita Gokhale and William
Dalrymple decided to start a festival at
the Diggi Palace in Jaipur with 30
writers attending. This festival has
now become the Woodstock of litera-
ture and readings. This year, the
organisers shared that there were
close to 400,000 footfalls in the five days
over which the festival was held, with
over 100,000 unique visitors. With con-
troversy over the release of the film
Padmaavat in India, there were fears
of disruption, but the festival went
smoothly. With more than 600 volun-
teers and 550 police personnel, securi-
ty was further strengthened through
facial recognition software, and prop-
er headcounts were ensured with the
intersection between disability and
other identities. For example, women
with intellectual disabilities are
extremely vulnerable when it comes to
accessing justice. And so are the elder-
ly, children and people from marginal-
ised communities.
Persons with intellectual disabili-
ties in particular may have problems
with notions such as time, quantity
and space. This may cause problems in
court. They may also have problems
quantifying, i.e. determining the num-
ber of times something took place. If
an incident occurred on more than
one occasion, the victim may be asked
to identify and separate each occasion.
Access to justice was first formally
referenced in the formative human
rights document, the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR);
although the term “access to justice”
was not specifically used to label this
right therein. Article 8 states that all
have the right to an effective remedy,
and this article further expressed the
basic right of the individual to a fair
trial in both civil and criminal pro-
ceedings.
The United Nations Convention
for the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
recognises that without access to jus-
tice there is no remedy for women to
address gender based violence.
Guidelines in place
The CRPD enumerates many general
obligations that state parties must
adhere to. For example, state parties
have to enforce these rights, they have
to ensure that laws and practices do
not discriminate against persons with
disabilities, and they have to make
sure to change those laws that do so
discriminate against persons with dis-
abilities. The CRPD also incorporates
the dynamic, intersecting, and
over-arching rights of “equality before
the law” such as the importance of
eliminating stereotypes of persons
with disabilities, accessibility, and
equal recognition before the law”, and
the concept of “access to justice” for
persons with disabilities.
op-ed
Jaipur musings
use of scanners. Proper evacuations
plans were also in place in case of
emergency. The Jaipur Literary
Festival is now the largest literary
festival in the world.
Himalayan arc at Jaipur
The best part of being at the Jaipur
Literary Festival is that you not only
get to hear speeches on an array of
topics, you also get to interact with
great minds. I was involved in two ses-
sions: the launch of the Himalayan
arc, and conversations on an antholo-
gy on the Himalayas. This anthology
edited by Namita Gokhale has more
than 30 contributions from Nepali
authors, many of whom have been
published globally. With the geo-politi-
Article 13 of CRPD is, in short, an
innovative provision in an innovative
treaty which, taken as a whole, has the
potential to operate as a powerful lever
for improving access to justice for dis-
abled people world-wide and for inspir-
ing analogous developments in the
context of other marginalised groups.
In the Nepali context, persons with
disabilities—especially persons with
psycho-social disabilities, intellectual
disabilities, the deaf and persons with
visual impairment—are incapable of
accessing justice on a level equal to
their non-disabled peers.
The constitution of Nepal has creat-
ed space to ensure access to justice for
all and the provision has captured the
spirit of the CRPD. Currently, Nepal is
in the process of state restructuring
and new laws and policies are being
developed, which is an opportunity to
materialise the ‘access to justice’ for
persons with disabilities in line with
the CRPD. However, the existing laws,
policies and judicial institutions—as
well as the knowledge, skill, capacity
and attitude of persons engaged in the
justice mechanism—are unable to mit-
igate the gap between theory and prac-
tice in ensuring access.
Nepal is further committed to
achieve the targets of the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). Goal 16
sets a target of promoting the rule of
law at the national and international
levels and ensuring equal access to
justice for all.
Thus, persons with disabilities
often face numerous barriers to effec-
tively participate in the justice sys-
tem. This is often the result of the
interaction between a particular limi-
tation related to disability and an
unresponsive criminal justice process
which fails to take into account the
impact of disability.
The Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities, which Nepal
has ratified, unequivocally calls for
improving access to justice for per-
sons with disabilities, including other
marginalised groups.
Joshi is a disability rights lawyer
cal discourse shifting back to Asia, the
Himalayan arc is gaining importance
in discussions as it separates as well
as connects many nations in the
region. Like in the 50s and 60s, the
strategic importance of the Himalayas
is being rediscovered, along with sto-
ries about its art, culture and people.
More writings, discussions and dis-
course will emerge on the multiple
initiatives that are being undertaken.
People next door
Sitting in on a session about India’s
neighbourhood is always a challenge,
as old lenses never show new views.
However, this time, the session moder-
ated by former diplomat and author
TCA Raghavan was the most refresh-
Give Trump credit for the economy
Let’s be perfectly honest: could the economy be any rosier?
STEPHEN MOORE
I
f you can, put aside for a moment
your opinion of Donald Trump’s
words and actions and let’s be
perfectly honest: One year into his
presidency, could the economy be
any rosier?
The economy grew at a rate of
about 3 percent in the last three
quarters, something that economists
said was very unlikely just a year ago.
The more than 40 percent increase in
the Dow Jones industrial average
since Election Day means a nearly $7
trillion jump in wealth. That has ben-
efited the rich, yes, but every one of
the 55 million Americans with a
401(k) plan, the 20 million with IRAs
and the millions more with public
and private pension plans have bene-
fited, too. I would argue that investors
are turning lower business tax rates
on profits and the administration’s
rollback of regulations into higher
stock valuations.
The job market improved impres-
sively under Barack Obama’s presi-
dency after the Great Recession, when
millions of jobs vanished seemingly
overnight. But the past year’s contin-
ued decline in joblessness is impres-
sive as well. In recent weeks, the num-
ber of new unemployment insurance
claims and the unemployment rate
for blacks and Hispanics have been at
or near their lowest levels in more
than four decades.
Then there is the cheerful news for
the Rust Belt areas of the country:
Blue-collar manufacturing, construc-
tion and mining jobs have risen by
almost half a million in just one year.
All of this is punctuated by the
daily news of more jobs, higher pay
and fresh investment in America just
one month into the Trump tax cut.
Apple’s plan to bring some $250
ing session on the issues of neigh-
bours that I have participated in over
the past ten years. There was no dis-
cussion on how Nepal has sold out to
India or how Nepal is a safe haven for
Pakistani terrorists. Also, post demon-
etisation, the issues of Nepal being
used for printing fake currency
notes is gone. The discussions focused
on people-to-people relationships.
What is not really understood is
that the borders should be the
centre of discourse between neigh-
bours, not capital cities. I shared the
information that while Nepali remit-
tances from India is around $2 billion,
the remittances from Nepal to India
stands at $3.5 billion. So we have to
understand that both sides benefit
billion in profits back to America,
create 20,000 jobs, open a new busi-
ness campus and pay $38 billion in
taxes to the Treasury Department is
just the kind of response we hoped
for from lowering corporate and repa-
triation taxes.
Fiat Chrysler has announced it is
moving an auto factory to Michigan
with 2,500 jobs. After decades of out-
sourcing jobs from America, compa-
nies are creating jobs here. In recent
days, we have seen similar announce-
ments of worker bonuses or new hir-
ing from Disney, Home Depot,
JPMorgan Chase, FedEx and other
companies. A new Quinnipiac poll
finds that two-thirds of U.S. voters
now rate the economy as good or
great, the highest number since the
question was first asked 17 years ago.
Admittedly, these are short-term
trends, based on just one year of
Trump’s term. If I’ve learned any-
thing as an economic analyst, it is
that the stock market and economic
winds can shift by the hour. But for
now, it’s hard to see many dark clouds
on the horizon. They will come, of
course, as they do for almost every
president. But few presidents can
claim to have presided over the kind
of economy the United States is
enjoying now. And surely the primal
screams from both the right and left
that Trump would ruin the economy
now seem hysterical.
So who gets the credit for this
surge? Most voters say Obama—and,
sure, he gets some because corporate
balance sheets were healthy when
Trump entered office. But there are
several holes in this theory. For one,
the economy was decelerating at the
end of the Obama presidency, with
the annual growth rate falling to an
anemic 1.6 percent in 2016, and many
economists warned of a recession.
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
from the open border.
Further, the relationship between
the youth of the two countries seems
non-existent, as the number of Nepalis
travelling to India for their education
is decreasing, and fewer young Indians
are visiting neighbouring countries. If
you do not visit, you do not have a
sense of connection. It is extremely
important to have cultural and visitor
exchanges. Tourists should be have
fun and enjoy lovely sites, not discuss
politics.
Perhaps the Jaipur Literary Festival
organisers should explore how they
can create a South Asian festival in
each of the countries.
www.sujeevshakya.com
If Trump had continued Obama’s
policies, one might not credit him for
today’s strong economy. But Trump
has begun to systematically overturn
Obama policies on taxes, regulations,
energy, climate change, net neutrality,
budget priorities and health care—as
well as replacing Janet Yellen as
chairwoman of the Federal Reserve.
Trumponomics is Obamanomics
in reverse.
In the first 18 months of the Reagan
presidency, the economy plummeted
and the president’s liberal critics tri-
umphantly declared Reaganomics a
failure. But by late 1982, with
Reagan’s phased-in tax cuts finally
kicking in, the economy exploded and
quarterly growth rates hit 8 percent,
job creation soared and Reagan won
re-election in a 49-state landslide.
If the economy had nose-dived in
2017, there’s no doubt the media
would have pounced on Trump poli-
cies as disgraceful failures. But with
the economy red-hot, he gets little
credit. That’s a double standard.
Ultimately, the most important sta-
tistical indicator for Trump will be
wages for middle-income workers.
They’ve been flat in real terms for 15
years, which more than anything
explains the populist rebellion in
2016. So far, wages and salaries hav-
en’t bumped up much, but we are bet-
ting that the tax cut will bring
increased investment and a super-
tight job market with intense compe-
tition for workers leading to higher
pay. This is already starting to happen
at Walmart and other companies, and
in fast-growing cities like Nashville,
Tennessee, and San Francisco.
If those wages go up, Trump may
not get credit from the news media or
Democrats, but it’s a good bet he will
get re-elected.
—©2018 The New York Times
C M Y K
 et cetera
kathmandu post
the

PG 08 | Tuesday,January 30, 2018 kathmandupost.ekantipur.com

Translations from the margins Enhancing performance Mondays are funny
This year’s Nepal Reads will feature La.Lit 8: Women LEAD Nepal, in partnership with the Every Monday, up and coming standup
Translations from the Margins. The first event in Academy of Executive Coaching, is organising a comedians are welcome to test out their routine
the series will be held at Quixote’s Cove (QC) six-month programme in Executive Coaching. with an audience in Mondays are Funny: Standup
premises on Tuesday, 3 pm onwards. Throughout The part-time Practitioner Diploma will run from comedy open mic. Each performer gets 3-5 mins
2018, Nepal Reads will host conversations and March to August 2018 in the Capital. The on stage. The programme goes from 5:30 to 8pm.
discussions on the literatures, narratives, and application deadline is January 31, 2018. To apply The event is free of cost and takes place at
voices of Nepal. contact info@women-lead.org or 9818553355. Bikalpa Art Center, Pulchowk.

Catch them, if you

Anuj Bhandary
CAN
Five head turners at the CAN Infotech 2018
event features 222 stalls altogether and distributors of mobile phones under one roof, making it

No-go
Dear Aunt,
I am a 31-year-old teacher. I have
been teaching for a couple of years
now, and never have I found myself
in such a confusing situation. I have
recently developed feelings for an
18-year-old student. I feel that my feel-
ings for her are genuine, and maybe
agonyaunt
T
age gap are secondary problems
here. You are the teacher, she’s your
student. And ethical boundaries
should be your primary concern.
Even if it were to work, you are talk-
ing about a teenager who still has to
figure out who she is and what she
wants out of life. You on the other
hand are an adult with responsibili-
ties, so you might as well behave like
he 24th iteration of CAN
Infotech, an annual mega event
of Nepal’s Information and
Communication Technology
sector (ICT), commenced
from the January 25 and will be
drawing to a close today. The mega
exhibiting various ICT products and accessories, power solution
and services. companies, telecom firms, ISPs,
The CAN Infotech this year, like ICT colleges and training
previous years, showcases differ- institutes, software solution pro-
ent companies featuring their prod- viders, innovative ICT startups,
ucts, both old and new. Here you among the others. As always,
will find various computer hard- CAN Infotech 2018 brings
ware and sales companies, dealers together all the ICT stakeholders
Huawei Mate
10 Pro
The Huawei Mate 10 Pro was the first
device I laid my hands on in the CAN
a perfect space for buying,
selling, product promotion and
knowledge sharing.
While there are several exciting
products and startups on show
at the CAN Infotech this year,
here are my top five picks from
the event:
My Lockey
The hassle of remembering multiple
passwords is tiresome. Usually, the
longer the password, the better and
more secure your data is. While
smartphones operate under various
unlock technologies, PC’s don’t have

even that the attraction is mutual. But
there are too many challenges that are
keeping me from telling her about my
feelings. Firstly, I am afraid of the
rejection. Secondly, the stakes are
high, if the word gets out, I could lose
my job. And then of course, even if
everything works well for us, there is
the age gap. How do I deal with this
situation? I have been emotionally
disturbed for some time now. All I
want to do is pour my heart out to
her and see where this goes.
—Mr T
Dear Mr T,
It is possible to become attracted to
anybody of any age, at any place.
But there’s also a time and place for
everything. The rejection and the
one. All you need to do about the sit- Infotech 2018. The smartphone is Huawei’s
uation is absolutely nothing. Don’t much-awaited flagship smartphone in
make any move. Don’t dream of a Nepal and was launched at the event itself.
future together. Don’t pour your The major attractions of this device are its
heart out to the girl. It is going to be camera’s Artificial Intelligence, the
a disaster. You are definitely going to Huawei Desktop Mode, its water resist-
lose your job, and destroy the life ance capability and the Android Oreo
you have worked so hard to build. Operating System. The other wow factors
What you feel for her could be fleet- include, a combination of 6 GB RAM and
ing and it is definitely not worth 128 GB of Internal storage, Huawei
pursuing. After all, you only feel Kirin 970 Octa- core 10 nm processor, 20+12
what you allow yourself to feel. You MP f/1.6 dual cameras with Leica
need to know that what you feel and Summilux- H lenses accompanied by dual
what you do about your feelings is LED flash, among the others. As far as the
absolutely under your control. So, cameras are concerned, there is also a
for now, sort your feelings out, find laser autofocus technology inbuilt
more productive preoccupations, and in the cameras, making the device more
let go. Love will find its way to you, attractive to potential buyers. Similarly,
this is not love; this is a disaster the device is backed by 4000mAh
waiting to happen. battery giving it a very long life to match
its performance.
such functionalities till date. As a
solution, there is this device called
My Lockey. My Lockey is a
Fingerprint Recognition and encryp-
tion Dongle for PCs. The new PQI My
Lockey is the ideal solution for ulti-
mate personal security solution.
While reinforcing data security,
My Lockey has simplified the
process of personal identification in
the form of this new innovation. The
device is compatible with the
Windows 10 Operating System. The
reason why other operating systems
cannot use it is because of the
lack of biometric recognition hard-
ware. To use the device, all you need
to do is plug it into a device running
Windows 10, follow the intuitive
setup guide and viola, you have your
own biometric recognition and iden-
tification system that reacts within
0.15 seconds.

smartphone sports a 5.0- inch

Sony Xperia X
The Sony Xperia X was
introduced to the Nepal market
last year. As cameras have
always been the stronghold of
Sony smartphones, this model
also follows suit. The device
packs an impressive 23 MP
rear-facing camera with f/2.0
aperture, Exmor RS sensor,
Predective Hybrid sensor and
LED flash and at front it has a 13
MP selfie shooter with an aper-
ture of f/2.0, wide- angle f/2.0
lens, Exmor RS sensor, etc. Also,
the seamless metallic back is
hard to miss. Similarly, the
Full HD IPS LCD 1080p display,
with a 400 ppi pixel density. The
device is held up by a
Snapdragon 650 SoC, supported
by Adreno 510 GPU.
Similarly, the storage
department is taken up by a
combination of 3 GB RAM and
64 GB od Internal memory. The
device is backed up by a 2,630
mAh battery life supported
by Qnovo’s Adaptive Charging
technology. What’s more excit-
ing is that the device is soon to
receive an Android Oreo update.
It also has 4G LTE enabled and
has NFC.

theater grade picture and sound. The

Growth pangs
Dear Aunt,
I have an adolescent sister who is
going to appear in the SEE exams at
the end of this year. I love her, care
for her a lot, and being the elder
brother, I feel responsible for her.
Since she started grade 10, I have
noticed some marked changes in her
behavioural pattern. While she
should be focusing on her academics,
she seems more concerned about
what she wears, and how she looks.
She has suddenly become a social
butterfly who’s out and about all the
time. She spends most of her week-
days hanging out with her friends.
She has also been very aloof at home.
And if we intervene, she creates a
fiasco at home. She is turning into a
brat and we are increasingly feeling
that it is getting difficult to deal with
her. I know this comes with the age.
But I also know she is vulnerable and
prone to making mistakes that could
ruin her life. I am just worried that
somebody might exploit her inno-
cence. Can you tell me if there’s a
way that I can communicate my con-
cerns to my
sister and keep her safe?
—Dimple
Dear Dimple,
Your sister is at the peak of her teen-
age years. And you are right, this is a
tough age to be in emotionally. Your
concerns are valid too. At 16 or 17
youngsters are both vola-
tile and vulnera-
ble. It is great
that you are con-
cerned about
her and want to
keep her safe, write top aduvicse? Is
ationshi
but the key here Need some relr career in a jam? Send
your life or youions and the Agony Aunt
might be trust. us your questthem like only she can.
If you want to will answer
keep her safe,
km g.co m .n
ag on ya un t@
give her a sense
Anker dual 10 W speakers are equipped with
JBL’s advanced audio technology.
of confidence. When you are dealing products Similarly, the SoundcorePro
with her, don’t treat her like a child. Bluetooth speaker was one impres-
Treat her like an adult who is capable Outside Nepal, Anker is an estab- sive device with an audio output of 25
of making decisions and who is lished brand that produces power W, a playback time of 18 hours and a
responsible for the decisions she banks and speakers. This year’s CAN battery capacity of 8000 mAh. In a
makes. The more you treat her like a Infotech marks the commencement similar fashion, the tiny Soundcore
poor young lady who needs saving, of distribution of Anker products in Nano is an impressive device for its
the more she will want to break out Nepal as well. Among the products on price range. In the powerbank side,
of the shell and go on testing her display by Anker were, Anker Anker has introduced the candy bar
boundaries. The more you treat her Soundcore Pro, Nebula JBL Mars, sized Anker Astro, which is a power-
like a naïve person, the higher the Anker Powercore, Sound core Nano, house of an ultra-compact portable
chances are that she’ll do everything Anker Powercore charger, Anker charger. Anker Power core is another
to prove you wrong. Don’t tell her Astro, etc. The Nebula JBL Mars is one on display at CAN, with a 10400
what to do or not do. Just tell her that the world’s first portable cinema with mAh charging capacity
she is mature enough to look after
herself but if she ever needs some-
one to fall back on, you’re there for
her. Tell her that she is old enough to
decide where she wants to go and
who she wants to hang out with, but,
if she ever finds herself in a difficult
situation you’re there to give her any
support she needs. At this age, she
doesn’t need an authoritative elder
brother, she needs an understanding
friend. This is also an age where the
teenagers don’t get along with their
parents, so you want to make
her feel that you’re on her
side at all times. This way,
at least one person in the
family will know what’s
going on in
her life.
generating hype among the users as is an activity based co- curricular taxi services in Nepal. Khalti, a
Startups well potential users. Similarly, program designed by educators at digital wallet service is another
there is Sajoli Marmat Sewa, a one Karkhana with a focus on deliver- that has been able to stand out in
Also featured at the event were var- stop maintenance solution for ing classes and activities within the the ICT world. It is a digital service
ious impressive ICT startups that households and businesses operat- school for students, teachers and for instant, secure and hassle free
impressed everyone. For starters ing in Kathmandu. The service administrators. In the same way, online payments in Nepal. Lastly,
there is Sagoon App, a social media includes maintenance and installa- Sarathi Cab app, a mobile applica- among the dazzling startups was,
application from Nepal. The app tion of services like plumbing, tion that helps you book a cab Foodmario, which is a unique
has exciting features like the repairs, electrics, etc, providing a whenever required at a reasonable online platform that connects home
Dashboard, Me Page, Mood Talk, single solution to all maintenance price is also marking its presence at cooks with customers, creating a
p My Day, Open Secret, Private related problems. BeeCreative, CAN 2018. The startup is working to more social platform for food
Secret, Story Traction, etc, that is another innovative startup which promote comfortable and reliable enthusiasts to empower each other.

C M Y K

Indiana Jones V to film from 2019
Filmmaker Steven Spielberg is reportedly planning to
film Indiana Jones V before working on the new
adaptation of the Broadway musical West Side Story.
The Academy Award-winning director plans to shoot
the fifth installment of the action, adventure film
franchise in 2019, with a goal of having it released in
2020, reports a source.
B A
Toronto
Int’l Film
Fest in May
Post Report
Kathmandu, Jan 29
T
he ninth edition of the annual
Toronto Nepali Film Festival
(TNFF) will be held on May this
year, the organisers announced
on Monday. The organisers also
made a call for submissions for the
films to be screened at the fest.
“TNFF showcases films that per-
tain to Nepal or Nepali(s) by film-
makers from around the world. The
festival accepts films of all genres
life&style
PG 09 | Tuesday,January30,2018
‘Abstract play’ Bhagwat Tole Late Panna Kaji
ma Bholaram at Mandala commemorated
Post Report
Kathmandu, Jan 29
hagwat Tole ma Bholaram, an
“abstract play” where a single
character is played by four differ-
ent actors, is currently on stage at
Mandala Theatre in Anamnagar.
The play is written and directed by
Bijay Bisfot.
In the opening moments of the
play, the audiences witness a deceased
man, left unattended. Enter the ‘sin-
gle-choric’ commentator, who says
that one ought to go into flashback to
know how all that came to happen.
What ensues is the staging of the lead
and lengths with English subtitles,”
Sangam Pulami Magar, co-ordinator
of the fest, said. “All films screened in
the festival are paid an honorarium
depending on the length of the film.
An Audience Choice and a Jury
Choice award is presented at the end
of the festival carrying monetary val-
ues of CAD $1500 and CAD $500
respectively.”
TIFF is organised every year by a
group of expat Nepali film enthusi-
asts living in Canada, with an “aim to
encourage contemporary indie film-
makers from the country and provide
a platform for filmmakers to share
ideas about filmmaking and culture.”
The 2017 iteration of the fest fea-
tured 14 films, out of which Dadyaa—
The Woodpeckers of Rotha—directed
by Bibhusan Basnet and Pooja
Gurung, was honoured with the Jury
Choice Award, while Heaven is Black,
directed by Rajkumar Rai, bagged the
Public Choice Award.
The 2018 edition of TIFF is slated to
take place at Innis Town Hall, in the
University of Toronto, on May 19.
kathmandu post
the
kathmandupost.ekantipur.com
BORN TODAY
Welsh actor Christian Bale is 44
American actor Gene Hackman is 88
English footballer Peter Crouch is 37
American actor Wilmer Valderrama is 38
English singer Phil Collins is 67
character’s life before he is dead. though they themselves might not be
The play’s title character, aware of the repercussions of their
Bholaram, is a poet, who is played by advice. One such advice leads the
four different actors—Roshan man to death.”
Subedi, Dilip Khadka, Anil Karki and Even though the play, conceptual-
Dipesh Kaphle. This kind of unusual ised by Bisfot himself, doesn’t have
narrative strategy is applied, accord- an elaborate setting, the characters
ing to the play’s assistant director allude to several settings in and
Anuja Adhikari, to highlight the around Kathmandu—such
peculiar condition—a sort of an iden- Sohrakhutte and Pashupati—where
tity crisis—that the character goes the shamans and “pichas” roam.
through. Bhagwat Tole ma Bholaram fea-
Adhikari said that the play, in its tures a total of 14 actors, including
essence, is about how “there are so Pushkar Karki, Norchen Lama, Rosni
many ‘doctors’—or rather “sallah Karki, and Jyoti Rai, among others.
siromani”—around us who are The play is on stage every day at 5
experts at advising people even pm and will run through Feb 4.
Bruno Mars
surprises with
Grammy sweep
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
NEW YORK, JAN 29
B
runo Mars, who has revived retro
funk and R&B for a new generation,
on Sunday, swept the Grammy
Awards in a surprise snub for the
hip-hop world, which had hoped for a
major breakthrough on the music
industry’s biggest night.
The industry seized on its annual gala
to rally on behalf of the growing women’s
movement against sexual harassment,
with pop singer Kesha delivering a fierce
performance about her own abuse story.
But for the awards, the feel-good Mars
carried the night. He won the top prize,
Album of the Year, for his album 24K
Magic, as well as Record of the Year, which
recognises the top tune, for the title track—a
tale of good times with beautiful women set
to 1980s-style synths and rhythms. The
Recording Academy, the body of 13,000
music professionals, also gave him Song
of the Year, which awards songwriting,
for another track on the album—That’s
What I Like. The 32-year-old singer, sport-
ing a bright smile and sunglasses, recalled
how he first performed as a child for tour-
ists in his native Hawaii.
“I remember seeing it firsthand—peo-
ple dancing that had never met each other
from two sides of the globe, dancing with
each other, toasting with each other, cele-
brating together,” he said.
“All I wanted to do with this album was
that,” he told thousands of industry players
at Madison Square Garden in New York,
where the Grammys temporarily shifted
after 15 years in Los Angeles. Mars won all
‘Let Padmaavat breathe’
Director Rohit Shetty says let Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s
directorial Padmaavat breathe for God’s sake. On Sunday,
actor Swara Bhaskar called Bhansali for glorifiying
jauhar in his film in an open letter. “I’d like to request
everyone that after so much troubles and
struggles the film Padmaavat has released, please
let it run in peace,” said Shetty.
Post Report
Kathmandu, Jan 29
n anthology of songs by the ven-
erated late singer Panna Kaji
Shakya, titled Swarnim
Gitilahari: Swar Haruma
Pannakaji, was released amid a
as function held in the Capital, marking
the singer’s first death anniversary.
The mayor of Kathmandu,
Bidasundar Shakya as well as
veteran musicians, Ratna
Samsher Thapa and Yadav
Kharel were guests of hon-
our at the function, where
Mayor Shakya went on to
eulogise the singer, stating
that Panna Kaji’s songs
would live on.
The book is comprised of
music, lyrics, as well as the storied
background behind each of the
songs. Of the over 400 songs by the
singer, 44 are included in the book,
including popular numbers such as
Tiriri Murali Bajyo Banai ma, Kina
Kina Timro Tasbir, Lolayeka Ti Thula,
Ama timilai, and Ma hu Sarabi.
Musical scores for the book were
done by Raju Simha, the background
to each of the songs was written by
Satosh Parajuli, and Hem Bhandari
had served as editor. Panna Kaji’s son
as well as publisher of the book,
Pratim Man Shakya, said that it had
been his father’s wish to compile his
various songs and lyrics in a single
book. “As he does not get much air-
play anymore, we have included the
Fire and Fury over Hil ary’s Grammy cameo
BBC
NEW YORK, JAN 29
M
embers of President Trump’s
team have voiced their disap-
proval of a Grammy Awards
sketch featuring a cameo by
Hillary Clinton.
The video showed Clinton and sev-
eral famous musicians, including
Cher and Snoop Dogg, reading
extracts from Michael Wolff ’s Fire
and Fury. Grammy host James
Corden explained they were hoping
to win the award for best spoken
word album. But Donald Trump Jr
mocked the sketch, calling Wolff ’s
book “fake news”.
The segment, which aired during
the Grammys ceremony on Sunday
night, saw Clinton reading a notori-
ous passage about President Trump’s
love of fast food. “He had a longtime
of the awards for which he was in the run-
ning on what was expected to be a major
night for hip-hop, which for the first time
dominated nominations for the major cat-
egories. But the industry either preferred
Mars, or the vote for rappers split.
Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, who had led with
eight nominations, ended the night emp-
ty-handed. Kendrick Lamar for the second
time swept all rap categories but failed to
win the general prizes. His five awards
included Best Rap Album for DAMN., a
turn to a classic hip-hop sound.
Lamar opened the televised gala with a
frenetic show, spitting out his verses as he
A
was joined by U2 frontman Bono amid a
sea of kungfu dancers who later fell to the
ground as if struck by bullets. Alessia
Cara, who rose from making YouTube
videos in her bedroom to becoming a
socially conscious pop singer, won the
closely watched award of Best New Artist.
Amid rising attention to gender dis-
crimination in the entertainment indus-
try following revelations of sexual mis-
conduct by Harvey Weinstein, top stars—
notably Lady Gaga—walked the red car-
pet wearing white roses in solidarity with
abuse victims.
Kesha—whose pleas to break a deal
with her producer, whom she accused of
rape, initially fell on deaf ears in the
industry—brought some audience mem-
bers to tears with her deeply personal
song Praying.
Rapper Logic added his own voice later
on stage, telling women: “Stand tall and
crush all predators under the weight of
your heart that is full of the love they will
never take away from you.”
musical scores to his songs in an
effort to introduce his music to the
youth,” Shakya added. Panna Kaji
died last year at the age of 83 and had
been a part of the nationally-syndi-
cated radio station, Radio Nepal,
between 2008 BS and 2040 BS.
Musician and a son of Panna
Kaji’s, Prawesh Man Shakya, remi-
nisced about how his father had
always stressed on the impor-
tance of studying music as
well as gaining an education
aside from it, as an income
based on music had always
been meagre in the past.
According to his sons,
Panna Kaji’s interest in cul-
ture extended to painting as
well as theatre. He was also an
avid WWE fan who continued to
watch wrestling till his dying day.
In his youth, Shakya had been
interested in bodybuilding. Founding
member of Praja Parishad Party and
professional bodybuilder and martyr
Dharma Bhakta Mathema had been
‘Guru’ to him. Politics had been anoth-
er early interest of Shakya’s, and dur-
ing the Rana era he had been an affili-
ate of the Nepali Congress Party. “He
was even arrested once and had shared
a jail cell with (author) Diamond
Samsher,” Prawesh Man recalled at
the event. Though once an affiliate of
Congress, Panna Kaji later became a
favourite of King Mahendra’s and had
enjoyed the king’s patronage. He
even lent his voice to many of
Mahendra’s songs.
fear of being poisoned,” she said.
“One reason why he liked to eat at
McDonalds. No one knew he was
coming and the food was safely pre-
made.” Her appearance was cheered
by the audience in Madison Square
Garden but Nikki Haley, the US
ambassador to the United Nations,
was less enthusiastic. Donald Trump
Jr used the opportunity to take a shot
at Clinton’s election loss.
President Trump’s supporters will
have found much to dislike during
the three-hour Grammy ceremony.
Pop star Camila Cabello made an
impassioned defence of immi-
grants—in particular the “dreamers”
—as she introduced a performance
by U2. U2 then performed Get Out of
Your Own Way, which addresses the
threat of racism and far-right poli-
tics, from a barge in front of the
Statue of Liberty.
Alec
Baldwin
Baldwin
criticises Woody
Allen claims
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES, JAN 29
ctor Alec Baldwin is once again
using Twitter to question Dylan
Farrow’s allegations of sexual
abuse from her adoptive father
Woody Allen.
Baldwin on Sunday compared
Farrow to the To Kill a Mockingbird
novel character Mayella Ewell, who
falsely accuses a man of rape.
Earlier this month, Baldwin said
Farrow’s renunciation of Allen and
his work is “unfair and sad.”
Farrow has said Allen molested
her in an attic in 1992 when she was 7
years old. Allen has long denied the
allegations and was investigated but
not charged.
Farrow in January gave her first
on-camera interview to CBS This
Morning about her longstanding
abuse allegations against the 82-year-
old filmmaker.
Baldwin in his tweet credited
Farrow for having “persistence of
emotion” but did not explain what he
meant by that.
C M Y K
Tuesday, January 30, 2018 variety the kathmandu post 10
TODAY’SHOROSCOPE
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Yesterday’s Solution
**
Your financial accounts have become rather tangled recently, so
s
don’t pretend to yourself that everything is just peachy. Blindly
ignoring the issues just makes things worse for you, but if you roll u
up your sleeves, you have the chance to get back on the road.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
***
d
You know you’ve still got it. It’s actually possible that you might
have been doing just that because some recent flare-up has left o
you feeling that your charm might be in decline. Fortunately, you
can rid yourself of that attitude.
k
GEMINI (May 21-June 21)
**
A bit of haziness may be clouding your mind, but it’s nothing that
u
a little rest and relaxation can’t take care of. Focus on yourself. If
you work yourself to the point of exhaustion, you do nothing but c
hurt yourself, so walk off the job and get right again.
CANCER (June 22-July 22) r
****
You need to jump right in and take on any major tasks at work or
at home that you’ve been putting off for too long, because when
o
you feel the need to. Enjoy playtime with a clean conscience by
making sure everything is where it should be. s GRAFFITI WORD GAME
LEO (July 23-August 22)
**** s
You’re on fire now. It’s all quite dramatic, and you should feel no
shame in enjoying it thoroughly. At the same time, try not to rub
it in anyone’s face! Remember to use your power wisely, or it
w
could all go south before you realise what’s happening.
VIRGO (August 23-September 22) o
******
Someone who was barely visible until now triggers an intense
wave of interest in you. Who could have known that they were so
r
talented. Follow up on this new link and make sure to tell this
person how you’re feeling. d
LIBRA (September 23-October 22)
***
Could you be ignoring your primary relationships in favor of your
career? A few of your people certainly think so! It’s way too easy
to get snagged by key projects, but it’s called the rat race for a
reason. Make sure you pay attention to what’s really essential.
SCORPIO (October 23-November 21)
***
If people are spinning off on crazy tangents? You need to give up
trying to drag them back to reality. Let them indulge in erratic
behaviour and just tend to your own business. All this madness
may be a golden opportunity, if you can get yourself moving.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21)

***
Don’t save pennies if it just means wasting dollars! Making your
own lunch all week doesn’t mean anything if you end up blowing
your cash on one huge, fancy dinner. Observe your spending
habits carefully, especially if your emotions are high-strung.
CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19)
****
Changes are coming soon, and you may feel as if you’re just
about to start a new chapter in your life. You should be excited,
but you might also feel a bit queasy. Transitions are hard for you. DILBERT RIPLEY’S BELIEVE IT OR NOT
If you try to foresee problems, you just make yourself crazy.
AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18)
***
Relations centred around trust are impossible to beat. You and
someone close have been through a tough emotional event
together, but now, you’re proud of the fact that you’re together by
choice. It keeps growing and getting better, too!
PISCES (February 19-March 20)
*****
Some wonderful times lie ahead, so keep smiling, even if you feel
like Eeyore right now. Take a break from stressing out, no matter
how big the stress is, and let yourself wallow in something you
love. It could mean a cup of chai or a brisk walk around the lake.

Q: What do you get when you cross fish and an elephant?

L S PEARLS BEFORE SWINE
A
A: Swimming trunks.
U T
G
H nnn R
O
U
A prisoner is finally released, after many years in jail. He stands at the
I
T
L P
O pavement, yelling, “I’m free! I’m free!”
U S
D
A little kid walks up to him happily and joins, “I’m four! I’m four!”
GARFIELD
Time Program 11:00 Kantipur News 20:00 Kantipur Samachar
K 5:00 Shuvarambha/ 11:30 M&S Trend a Logy 21:00 Sarokar
A Bhaktisur 12:00 Kantipur Samachar 22:00 Das Baje
N 5:30 Radhe Radhe 12:30 K Aaja Ghar Mai 22:30 Kantipur News
6:00 Jeevan Bigyan 13:30 What The Flop 23:00 M&S The Review
T 6:30 Vastu Manthan 14:30 Kantipur Samachar Show
I 6:40 Good Morning 15:00 Fireside 23:30 Kantipur Samachar
P Nepal 16:00 Kantipur News 12:00 Call Kantipur
U 7:00 Kantipur Samachar 16:30 Das Baje 1:00 Kantipur News
8:00 Good Morning 17:00 Call Kantipur 1:30 M&S The Review
R Nepal Reloaded Show
T 8:30 Kantipur News 18:00 Kantipur Samachar 2:00 Kantipur Samachar
V 9:00 Fireside 18:30 M&S The Review 2:30 Risani Maff
10:00 Kantipur Samachar Show 3:30 Kantipur Samachar
10:30 Das Baje 19:00 Risani Maff 4:00 K Aja Ghar Mai
PADMAAVAT
QFX LABIM Mall: 08:00/08:30/11:30/12:30/
15:00/16:00/18:00/18:30/19:30
05:00: Bhakti Anusthan 11:05: Malai Mann Parchha Diary
K 06:30: Kantipur Diary 12:00: Kantipur Diary 20:05: Loud
QFX Civil Mall: 08:15/08:45/11:45/12:15/
A 07:00: The Headliners 12:10: Filmy Parade 21.00: Kantipur Diary F 14:45/15:15/15:45/18:15/18:45/19:30
07:30: Kanuni Bahas Ra 13:00: District Diary 21:25: Newsmaker of the QFX Kumari: 08:45/11:45/12:15/
N
T
Paramarsha
08:00: Development and
13:05: Ke Chha Nepal
14:00: International Diary
Day I 15:15/18:30/19:00
QFX Jai Nepal: 08:30/12:00/15:30/19:15
21:30: Indreni
Economics Diary 15:00: Kantipur Diary
I 08:05: The Good Morning 15:15: Shreejana Ka
22:00: Kaljayi Geet Sangeet
L …
23:00: Sanchai Hunu hunch-
P Show Samjhana Haru
ha?
MR JHOLAY
U 09:00: Kantipur Diary
09:10: Traffic Update
16:00: Health and Education
Diary 00:00: Filmi Parade M QFX Civil Mall: 12:00
QFX LABIM Mall: 14:45
R 09:15: National Songs 16:05: Health Hotline 01:00: Kaljayi Geet Sangeet
QFX Kumari: 15:45
F 09:20: The Good Morning 17:00: District Diary 02:00: Non Stop Nepali
Songs
S …
Show 17:05: Sangalo
M 10:00: Sports Diary 18:00: Nepalaya 03:00: Non Stop Hindi JUMANJI: WELCOME
10:05: Gazaab Cha Ba 18:30: Kantipur Diary Songs
11:00: Art and Entertainment 19:00: Show Time 05:00: Non Stop Bhajan TO THE JUNGLE
Diary 20:00: Security and Crime Songs QFX LABIM Mall: 12:00

Savour the cardamom and saffron spice,
slow-cooked kebabs and kormas at Indian
restaurant serving Awadhi cuisine.
contact: 427399, at Soaltee Crowne Plaza
E
Krishnarpan—a specialty Nepali Restaurant China Garden offers delectable dishes from
V at Dwarika’s, 6 courses to 22 courses Nepali
meal served. Opening Time: 6 pm-11 pm. Prior
across Asia, including Japanese, Korean,
Vietnamese and Chinese. Timings: Lunch:
reservations required, contact: 4479448 1230-1445 hrs, Dinner: 1900-2245 hrs,
E contact: 427399 at Soaltee Crowne Plaza
The Italian restaurant serves authentic
N Italian cuisines in an elegant ambience for
Garden Terrace offers an authentic world
cuisine, providing diners with the unique
both lunch and dinner. Timings: Lunch: experience of observing their selected dish-
T 1230-1445 hrs, Dinner: 1900-2245 hrs, es being prepared by chefs. Contact:
Contact: 427399, at Soaltee Crowne Plaza 427399 at Soaltee Crowne Plaza
O Every Friday evening enjoy Starry Night
Kaiser Cafe Restaurant & Bar at The
BBQ from 7 pm onwards at Shambala Garden of Dreams, opening time: 9 am till 9
G Garden Café at Hotel Shangri La with live pm, offers an international cafe menu serv-
musical performance by Ciney Gurung. ing breakfast, lunch, dinner, specialty tea’s,
R Contact: 4412999 coffees and pastries, contact: 4425341
Embers Bar, Pulchowk, in all its sophistica-
A Enjoy Bubbly Brunch every Saturday from 11
am to 3 pm at Shambala Gardena and Club tion and glory is happy to announce
Sundhara. Contact: 4412999 Happy Hours every 6-7pm. It will be
P hosting a Barbeque night every Friday from
6:30-9:30pm
H Experience The Last Resort, the perfect
place for family fun adventure and relaxation.
Special packages for residents. Contact:
4700525/ 4701247 or mail us at
info@thelastresort.com.np
Dining Park Restaurant & Lounge bar with
a Coffee and Bakery Hub and Bar and Fine
Dining. Boasting facilities including Private
VIP Lounges, a conference hall and a terrace
garden. Open 6am-10 pm. Mid-Baneshor.
Relax and Unwind this summer at
Waterfront Resort, Sedi Height, Pokhara @
Rs. 6000 Nett per night on Bed & Breakfast
basis. Contact: 9801133378 / 9849143552
Mako’s offers traditional Japanese food
served. Don’t miss out on Mako’s special
Tempuras, and green tea ice cream, Time: 11:
30-14:30 & 19:00-22:00, contact: 4479448
Manny’s Eatery and bar introduces a spe-
cial lunch package that is affordable, tasty,
nutritious and quick enough to fit your lunch
break, Jawalakhel, Shaligram complex,
5536919
The Toran, an ideal location for all day loung-
ing and informal dining offers multi-cuisines.
Contact: Dwarika’s Hotel, 4479488
Asia World Travel Pvt Ltd presents fascinat-
ing luxury escapades to amazing destinations:
Prague, Ladakh, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala
Lumpur, Mount Kailash and Panchpokhari in
North East Nepal. Contact: 6222604
Weekends brunch @ Hyatt Regency—treat
yourself with a lavish buffet lunch, splash by
the swimming pool or laze around outdoor,
Jacuzzi, all for just Rs 2300 plus taxes per
person. Contact: 4491234
We serve nothing but the finest Arabica
coffees at great value prices at Barista
Lavazza Coffee Restaurant, Lazimpat,
Contact: 4005123/4005124
Bourbon Room, Lal Durbar Marg is open for
lunch from 12 noon. Enjoy affordable and deli-
cious meals starting from Rs 99! We are cur-
rently offering Indian & chinese combos along
with momos. Call: 4441703
Enjoy a Barbecue Buffet at the Radisson
Hotel, wide selection of mixed fresh grills and
vegetables together with a choice of salads and
a delicious dessert buffet at a rate of Rs. 1,350
plus taxes per person. Contact: 4411818
Latin—Gypsy Jazz at The Corner Bar,
Radisson Hotel, Kathmandu with Hari
Maharjan feat Monsif Mzibiri, 7 pm onwards,
Wednesdays & Fridays. Contact: 4411818
Jungle Safari Lodge, Sauraha Chitwan
offers 2 Nights 3 Days package only for Rs
6500 per person. Suman 9851008399
Sandwich and Crepes: Taste the sandwich-
es and crepes at The Lounge from 11 am to 6
pm everyday. For further details call Hyatt
Regency at 4491234.
Rosemary Kitchen and Coffee shop,
Thamel, opening hours: 7:00 am to 10:00
pm offers an International cuisine in reason-
able prices. Contact 01-4267554
Out-of-Africa Lunch amid rural splendor:
Sat & Sun from 1130 to 1630 hours at The
Watering Hole, Indrawati River Valley.
For prior reservation contact: indrawatire-
sort@gmail.com
Make your weekend more exciting with
family and friends with sumptuous Satey,
Dimsums, Mangolian Barbecue and Pasta at
The Cafe from 12:30 noon to 4:00 pm. Call:
Hyatt Regency, at 4491234
The most delightfully awesome chicken
momos & yummy rich chocolate cake on this
part of the planet @ Just Baked Bakery &
Cafe, Battisputali, offering much more spe-
cialties at affordable price.
Much needed getaway—1 night/2 day package
@ Hyatt Regency. Enjoy luxury stay of a five
star hotel for a couple with breakfast and
access to spa facilities for just Rs 9999 plus
taxes per person only. Contact: 4491234
Enjoy snacks and drinks from 4:00 pm to
11:00 pm every day and nightly live music
from “The Corner Band” except Tuesday and
Saturday from 7 pm to 11:00 pm at Corner
Bar, Radisson Hotel. Contact: 4411818
Every Friday BBQ from 7:00 pm at Fusion
Bar & Pool side at Dwarika’s Hotel with live
band “Dinesh Rai and Sound of Mind”. Price Rs
1600/ includes BBQ dinner and a can of beer
or a soft drink. Contact: 4479448
Hotel Narayani Complex, Pulchowk, Lalitpur
presents Shabnam & Cannabiz Band every
Wednesday and Rashmi & Kitcha Band every
Friday, 7:30 PM onwards @ Absolute bar P Ltd;
Contact: 5521408
Starry Night BBQ—every Friday Evening from
7:00 pm at Shambala Garden Café, Hotel,
Shangri~La only @ Rs 1799 net per person
and live performance by Ciney Gurung.
Contact: 4412999
Experience the Gyakok @ Shambala
Garden, Hotel Shangri~la only @ Nrs.1700
Nett per person and Nrs.3000 Nett for cou-
ple. For more details and reservation:
4412999
Enjoy live DJ nights, on every Sunday chill out/
ambient, Wednesday tech/ funk house & Friday
psy/ proggy/ full on from 6:00 pm to 10 pm at
garden and 7:00 pm onwards at club at Funky
Buddha Resturant & Bar, contact: 4700091
Set within the historic Garden of Dreams, the
Kaiser Cafe Restaurant and Bar, Thamel, offers
a continental menu and serves as an atmospheric
venue for anything from a quiet coffee or intimate
meal. Contact: 442534
Trisara offers food and drinks along
with good music and great times. Sunday- Live
Music by Barbeque Night, Monday, Wednesday-
by Positive vibes, Tuesday, Saturday-By Jyovan
Bhuju, Friday-Live Music by Dexterous
Revolution Cafe, AmritMarg, Thamel, away
from busy crowed street, offers great
music, fast wi-fi and wide menu with rea-
sonable prices. Operation hours: 7 am to 10
pm, contact: 4433630
Enjoy Gourmet Saturday Brunch with
your family and friends at the Sunrise
Restaurant , Hotel Yak & Yeti from 12-7 pm
every Saturday. Contact: 4248999
Tranquility Spa at Hotel Radisson, now
offering Body Scrubs for Rs 3,000 (50 per-
cent discoun for members). Opening hour
8.00 am-8.00 pm. Contact Number:
01-4423888, 01-6200086
Jasmine Fitness Club and Spa, Fully
equipped gym and spa; Zumba, aerobics and
cardio classes; therapeutic massage; beauty
parlour and men’s salon. Tripureshwor;
Contact: 4117120
Ayurveda Health Home has been providing
ayurvedic treatments/ massages,
sirodhara & counseling for stress, detox &
rehabilitation. Dhapasi, Kathmandu:
01-4358761, Lakeside Pokhara 061-463205
Learn cardio, gym, aerobics, zumba, spa,
boxing, kick-boxing, b-boying, bollywood
dance at Oyster Spa and Fitness Club,
Sinamangal. Time: Sunday to Friday from 5
am to 8 pm. Contact: 4110554
Escape, relax and get in shape @ Hyatt
Regency. Embark on a personal well-being at
Club Oasis. Remember us for Tennis, sauna,
Jacuzzi, swimming, fitness centre and Beauty
Salon. Contact: 4491234

C M Y K

sports digest
Bimala Shrestha
confirms bronze
KATHMANDU: Nepali
boxer Bimala Shrestha
confirmed at least a
bronze medal in the
India Open International
Boxing Championships
in New Delhi late on
Sunday. The Nepal Army
boxer Shrestha beat
Fardiya Samiyeva of
Tajikistan in the wom-
en’s 54kg quarter-final
bout under RSC (referee
stops the contest) basis.
Shrestha next plays
against India’s Manisha
in the semi-finals on
Tuesday. Two other
Nepali boxers Lalita
Maharjan and Sangita
Sunar lost their bouts.
Maharjan lost to Enziva
Veronica of Kenya in the
women’s 48kg match,
while Sunar went down
against Pimwilai
Lawapim of Thailand in
the women’s 60kg weight
division. However,
Bishnu Parasd Ghale
made it to the men’s 69kg
quarter-finals with 3-2
win over Wasuddin of
Afghanistan. Boxers
from 23 countries are
taking part in the tour-
nament. (PR)
Krohn-Dehli joins
Deportivo
MADRID: Danish interna-
tional Michael Krohn-
Dehli has joined
Deportivo La Coruna
from Sevilla, the two La
Liga sides said on
Monday. The 34-year-old
midfielder has signed an
18-month contract.
Krohn-Delhi won the
Europa League with
Sevilla in 2016 but spent
a year out due to a suc-
cession of knee injuries.
After nine goals in 68
matches for the
Andalusians, he had
found himself out of
favour with Sevilla coach
Vincenzo Montella. (AFP)
West Ham’s
Sakho joins
Rennes
RENNES: Senegalese cen-
tre-forward Diafra Sakho
has returned to France,
leaving West Ham United
after four years for Ligue
1 side Rennes, the
Brittany-based side said
on Monday. Rennes, sit-
ting mid-table in France,
hope to give Sakho his
debut against leaders
Paris Saint-Germain on
Tuesday, if the 28-year-
old’s papers are pro-
cessed in time. “I’m
ready to play, maybe not
to start the game but to
play some part,” Sakho
said. No fee was men-
tioned by either club for
the man who scored 18
goals in 62 appearances
for the Londoners after
signing from Metz in
2014, but the deal is for
two and a half seasons
and is said to have cost
Rennes $14 million. (AFP)
Milan rekindle push for Europe
Agence France-Presse
MILAN, Jan 29
AC Milan rekindled their
push for Europe with a 2-1 win
over Lazio while Dries
Mertens scored a double as
Napoli reclaimed top spot in
Serie A ahead of Juventus
with a 3-1 win over Bologna on
Sunday.
Gennaro Gattuso’s AC
Milan moved into seventh
after claiming a third consec-
utive win for the first time
this season. “I don’t like this
constant talk of every game
being a turning point for
Milan,” said Gattuso. “The
club spent a lot of money to
invest in this squad, there
were some difficulties, but
now we are in good shape psy-
chologically.” Patrick Cutrone
opened for Milan after 15 min-
utes, nodding in a free-kick
which looked as if it was
deflected in off his arm, with
Giacomo Bonaventura getting
Tevez ‘feels alive again’ at Boca
Carlos Tevez said he felt “alive again” after marking
the start of his third spell with Boca Juniors by set-
ting up a goal in his team’s 2-0 win over Colon de
Santa Fe. The former Manchester United and
Juventus striker—who turns 34 next week—is back
at his childhood club after a miserable brief spell
with Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua.
Three Star shoot APF out
n Buddha Chemjong (left) of Three Star Club and Anjan Bista of APF Club vie for the ball during their Aaha-Rara Gold Cup match in Pokhara on Monday. 
Deepak Pariyar
Pokhara, Jan 29
Three Star Club made it to the
semi-finals of the Aaha-Rara
Gold Cup football tournament
after seeing off Nepal Armed
Police Force (APF) Club 5-3 in
penalty shootout on Monday.
The match was decided
through spots kicks after a
goalless deadlock in the 90
minutes of regulation time as
well as the 20 minutes of extra
time. Ranjit Dhimal, Nirajan
Khadka, Sunil Bal, Bikram
Lama and Bijay Dhimal all
converted from the spot,
while only Anjan Bista, Nabin
Leverkusen win, go second Man City on course for quadruple
Agence France-Presse
BERLIN, Jan 29
Winger Leon Bailey showed
why Arsenal and Chelsea are
reportedly tracking him with
another stunning goal in
Bayern Leverkusen’s 2-0 win
over Mainz on Sunday in the
Bundesliga.
Bailey, 20, gave Leverkusen
the lead at the BayArena three
minutes into the second half
when he hit the back of the
net from 20 metres with a
left-footed strike. There was
nothing on when Bailey
looked up outside the area,
but his shot across goal gave
Mainz goalkeeper Robin
Zentner no chance. After also
scoring last weekend with an
audacious backheel, it was his
eighth league goal this season.
“It’s crazy how well the boy is
playing from week to week,”
said Leverkusen’s director of
sport Rudi Voeller.
Leverkusen could ask
their second before the break.
It was Lazio’s first defeat in
nearly two months.
Napoli restored their one-
point advantage over champi-
ons Juventus who had moved
top after Sami Khedira and
Gonzalo Higuain scored in a
2-0 win at nine-man Chievo on
Saturday. The championship
battle looks increasingly like
a two-horse race as behind the
leaders Lazio—10 points off
Juventus in third—Inter
Milan and Roma all failed to
win. “I think this battle with
Napoli will last for the whole
season,” said Germany inter-
national Khedira. “We worked
hard during the break, the
season is long and we’re still
in the running in all competi-
tions—we want to be there til
the end in every one.”
In Naples, it proved to be a
battle with Rodrigo Palacio
nodding Bologna ahead after
25 seconds before an Ibrahima
Mbaye own goal four minutes
sports
PG 11
Veteran Razzak gets Test recall
Bangladesh included veteran spinner Abdur Razzak in
place of injured Shakib Al Hasan for the first Test
against Sri Lanka. Shakib was ruled out of the Test
starting on Wednesday in Chittagong after injuring a
little finger. The 35-year-old Razzak was recalled to the
side four years after he played his last Test against the
West Indies in 2014.
Lama and Ranjan Bista scored
for APF.
Three Star, who lifted the
Itahari Gold Cup title on
Saturday with a 1-0 win over
Manang Marshyangdi Club
(MMC) in the final, were una-
ble to field three of their for-
eign recruits Peter Segun,
Ajaji Martin and Lawol
Olelekan for not being able to
produce “work permit” paper-
works. All three players, how-
ever, were allowed to play dur-
ing their triumphant Itahari
Gold Cup campaign.
In the early exchanges,
Yuvraj Khadka called Three
Star custodian Alan Neupane
Bundesliga results
Leverkusen 2-0 Mainz
Hanover 0-1 Wolfsburg
Chelsea or Arsenal for double
the 13.5 million euros they
paid Belgian club Genk for
Bailey in January 2017.
However, the player ruled out
leaving in January’s transfer
window and the Jamaican is
under contract until June
2022. “That was a nice goal,”
Bailey said. “I can promise I’ll
stay here for the rest of the
season. I feel very comfortable
in Leverkusen and the chem-
istry in the team is good. We
have a great team that can do
a lot this season.”
It was the latest eye-catch-
ing display from Bailey who
scored and made a goal in last
weekend’s 4-1 thrashing of
Hoffenheim. “He was the can
opener for us today—the
impetus came from Leon,”
Results
Milan 2-1 Lazio
Roma 0-1 Sampdoria
SPAL 1-1 Inter
Napoli 3-1 Bologna
Torino 3-0 Benevento
Crotone 1-1 Cagliari
Genoa 0-1 Udinese
Fiorentina 1-4 Verona
later pulled the hosts back.
Mertens edged Napoli ahead
on 37 minutes with a penalty
and the Belgian then claimed
his 13th goal of the season
with a spectacular curling
effort on 59 minutes.
Maurizio Sarri’s side have
57 points from 22 games, one
more than Juventus. Lazio
stay two points ahead of Inter
Milan in fourth after a frus-
trating 1-1 draw at promoted
SPAL. Roma remain fifth after
Duvan Zapata scored 10 min-
utes from time to give
Sampdoria all three points in
kathmandu post
the
TUESDAY,JANUARY30,2018
aaha-rara gold cup
into action and at the other
end Nirajan was also denied
by AFP goalkeeper Amrit
Kumar Chaudhary. APF also
came close to scoring in the
20th minute when Ranjan
fire inches wide of the target
and 10 minutes later his team-
mate Top Bahadur Bista was
denied by Three Star goalie
Neupane. Luck deserted
Three Star twice as both
Nirajan and Jivan Gurung
found the woodwork. The
four-time Aaha-Rara champi-
ons Three Star will now play
Uttar Baridhara SC of
said Leverkusen’s Germany
winger Julian Brandt.
Leverkusen made sure of the
three points against strug-
glers Mainz when Brazilian
left-back Wendell converted a
68th-minute penalty, after
defender Giulio Donati
brought down striker Lucas
Alario. The win sees
Leverkusen climb to second,
16 points behind runaway
league leaders Bayern
Munich, who thrashed
Hoffenheim 5-2 on Saturday.
Leverkusen are above
Schalke on goal difference,
with Eintracht Frankfurt a
point behind in fourth and
Borussia Dortmund sixth.
Turkey midfielder Yunus
Malli hit Wolfsburg’s sec-
ond-half winner from 22
metres out to seal their 1-0 win
at Hanover 96. It was only
Wolfsburg’s third win in their
last nine league games to
leave them 13th while Hanover
96 are 10th.
the Stadio Olympico.
Alessandro Florenzi missed a
penalty for the Romans who
are now just four points ahead
of Sampdoria.
Earlier Alberto Paloschi
headed in a last-gasp equalis-
er to grab a precious point for
SPAL after defender
Francesco Vicari’s own goal
had given Inter the lead.
Spalletti introduced on-loan
Barcelona midfielder Rafinha
for the final minutes but the
Brazilian failed to lift his
team against a SPAL side still
in the relegation zone. “When
you concede a goal like that in
stoppage time, it leaves a bit-
ter taste in the mouth,” said
Inter coach Luciano Spalletti
after his side, who had been
unbeaten until December 16,
notched up a seventh consecu-
tive game without a win.
Struggling Verona shocked
Fiorentina 4-1 in Tuscany to
end a run of four consecutive
defeats.
kathmandupost.ekantipur.com
Bangladesh in the semi-finals
on Wednesday.
APF coach Ratnakaji
Maharjan blamed the defeat
to the lack of coordination in
the first half. “We improved
on that in the latter half but
again rushing for goals result-
ed in missing out on the
opportunities that came our
way,” added Maharjan, who
team had made it to the quar-
ter-finals after defeating
Sankata Club in the previous
round. APF’s best run in the
tournament the final appear-
ance in the sixth edition when
n Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne (centre) in action against Cardiff City’s Sean Morrison during their FA Cup fourth round match at the
Cardiff City Stadium in Britain on Sunday. 
Agence France-Presse
LONDON, Jan 29
Kevin De Bruyne starred as
Manchester City stayed on
course for an unprecedented
quadruple as a 2-0 win at
Cardiff on Sunday put the
runaway Premier League
leaders into the last 16 of the
FA Cup.
City, 12 points clear at the
summit of English football,
are bidding to bring the
Premier League, FA Cup,
League Cup and Champions
League titles to the Etihad.
They made short work of sec-
ond-tier Cardiff, with Belgian
star De Bruyne putting them
ahead in just eight minutes
when he deceived the home
side with a brilliant freekick
that he struck under, rather
than over, the defensive wall.
Bernardo Silva appeared to
have doubled the visitors’ lead
with a thunderous 26th-min-
ute shot but his goal was ruled
out because the officials
deemed Leroy Sane to be off-
side and interfering with play.
Buffon undecided over retirement
Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who has said he
plans to retire this summer, is undecided over his
future and will meet with club president Andrea Agnelli
to talk things through, he said on Sunday. Buffon’s con-
tract runs until the end of the season and he had
planned to retire following this year’s World Cup in
Russia but Italy failed to qualify.
Post Photo: Deepak Pariyar
they lost to Nepal Police Club.
Three Star coach Megh Raj
KC said he hopes the trio of
his foreign recruits will be
able to play in the semi-finals.
“Organisers had asked for
their paperworks but the
delay by the Ministry of
Labour resulted into them not
getting the work permit.
Hopefully, we will get it in
time for them to feature in the
semi-finals,” said KC adding
that the performance will also
improve given that they will
have enough time to rest.
NPC will take on MMC in
the last quarter-final match
on Tuesday.
It appeared a harsh call but,
with the controversial video
assistant referee system that
is being trialled in some
English Cup ties this season
not in use for this match,
there was no way of review-
ing the decision.
But the second goal Pep
Guardiola’s men had threat-
ened arrived in the 37th min-
ute when Silva’s superb curl-
ing cross from the left was
glanced in by Raheem
Sterling. Sane was the victim
of a bad tackle by Joe Bennett
in first-half stoppage time and
was replaced at the break by
Sergio Aguero. Cardiff
defender Bennett was sent off
in injury time at the end of
the match when he received a
second yellow card for
another poor challenge, on
Brahim Diaz.
De Bruyne said there had
been nothing complicated
regarding his goal, telling the
BBC: “The wall was not nine
metres away from me and so
they were very close and it
was easy to put it under.” But
khukuri challenger t20
Great Himalaya in
quarter-finals
Post Report
Kathmandu, Jan 29
Great Himalaya Cricket
Academy (GHCA) secured a
quarter-final berth in the
Khukuri Challenger Twenty20
cricket tournament with
five-wicket win over
Tribhuvan Army Club in
Mulpani on Sunday.
GHCA were indebted to
their bowlers to restrict TAC
for a lowly 83-9 before scamp-
ering to victory for the loss of
five wickets in the 19th over.
The third successive win in
Group ‘C’ ensure GHCA a
place in the last eight with a
game to spare. Naresh
Budhayer top scored for the
Army team with 35, his 49-ball
knock included four hits to
the fence. GHCA made Army
batsmen struggle for runs as
Bhupendra Thapa (11) was
their next best contributor.
Man-of-the-match Sagar
Dhakar took 4-10 in his magi-
cal four-over spell, while
Kamal Singh Airee also
grabbed three and Rupesh
Shrivastav took two wickets
for GHCA.
Despite chasing the seem-
ing small total, GHCA were
themselves made to grind for
the runs. GHCA lost two quick
wickets of opener Abishek
Basnet (2) and No 3 batsman
Ishan Pandey (6) but Pradeep
Airee remained calm to score
a 45-ball 22 runs. Airee also
combined with Ayushman
Bam, who scored run-a-ball 22
before being run out, to add
invaluable 40 runs for the
third wicket to steady their
ship.
Kamal Singh Airee, who
scored an unbeaten 13, and
Shrivastav, who remained not
out on 10, completed the chase
in 18.4 overs. Chandra Saud,
FA Cup results
Cardiff 0-2 Man City
Chelsea 3-0 Newcastle
he was slightly bemused by
the tactics employed by a
Cardiff side pushing for pro-
motion to the Premier League.
“They played man against
man all over the pitch—it was
a little bit weird,” De Bruyne
said. “It left a lot of space.”
Earlier, Michy Batshuayi
scored twice as Chelsea beat
Premier League rivals
Newcastle 3-0 to also advance
into the fifth round.
Batshuayi’s goals in the 31st
and 44th minutes and a
Marcos Alonso freekick 18
minutes from time were
enough for league champions
Chelsea to see off Rafael
Benitez’s struggling side.
The Belgian’s striker’s first
was the result of a neat team
move, Pedro’s superb through
ball splitting the Newcastle
defence and leading to Eden
Hazard slipping a pass inside
n Sagar Dhakal
Avinash Bohara, Sagar Pun
and Rajesh Pulami took one
wicket each for the Army
club.
In another Group ‘C’ match,
Oasis recorded their first win
with an 18-run defeat of IOC
Pulchowk. Batting first, Oasis
scored 131-8 in their allotted 20
overs. IOC, who also have
three points from one win,
were bowled out for 113 in 18.2
overs. Top order all contribut-
ed in Oasis total with Susan
Karki making run-a-ball 38.
Roshan Pulami Magar (24),
Sachin Sharma (18) and
Bishnu Limbu (15) all chipped
in what turned out to be the
valuable runs. Sagar Thapa
Chhetri took three and Sushil
Bhatta claimed two wickets
for IOE.
IOE were left ruing for not
capitalising on good starts
made by as many as four
top-order batsmen—Aadiya
Poudel (18) Achyut Thapa
Magar (14), Sagar Thapa (17)
and Amit Kushwaha 13). A
late 14-run cameo from Bhatta
only helped narrow the defeat
margin. Bhatta struck two
sixes in his four-ball 14. Man-
of-the-match Nitesh Thapa
grabbed 4-19 and Sachin
Sharma took 2-16 for Oasis.
Reuters
to Alonso, who set up
Batshuayi for a finish from
eight yards out. The Belgian
forward scored his second
goal shortly before half-time
when his shot took a huge
deflection off Newcastle’s
Jamaal Lascelles. Alonso
sealed victory with a well-
struck freekick.
Following their League Cup
semi-final loss to Arsenal, the
FA Cup offers Chelsea their
best chance of a domestic tro-
phy this season. By contrast,
Premier League survival is
the priority for a Newcastle
side that are currently one
point above the relegation
zone. Newcastle manager
Benitez, asked if he would be
able to bring in a new striker
before the transfer window
shuts, replied: “I don’t think
so but we will see. We will try
to do something.”
Benitez’s former club
Liverpool have also missed
out on the last 16 after a 3-2
defeat by top-flight strugglers
West Brom at Anfield on
Saturday.
C M Y K
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
sports digest
Alonso satisfied
after Daytona
outing
MIAMI: Fernando Alonso
believes he has gained
vital experience for a
future crack at the
Le Mans 24 Hours after
finishing 38th in the
Daytona endurance
race on Sunday. The
Spanish former Formula
One (F1) world champi-
on’s campaign in Florida
was derailed by mechani-
cal problems that includ-
ed two brake failures in
his United Autosports
Ligier JS P217. The
36-year-old admitted how-
ever he had been
unnerved by the experi-
ence. The McLaren driv-
er took to the track in
Florida this weekend to
gain experience for rac-
ing Le Mans. (AFP)
Poyet gets off
to perfect
Bordeaux start
PARIS: Gustavo Poyet got
off to a flying start as
Girondins de Bordeaux
coach when his team
upset visiting Lyon 3-1 in
Ligue 1 on Sunday.
Bordeaux, who under
previous coach Jocelyn
Gourvennec had lost
their three previous
home games, prevailed
through a Nicolas de
Preville goal and penal-
ties by Malcom and
Gaetan Laborde, all in
the first half. Lyon, who
beat Monaco and Paris St
Germain in their two
previous outings,
reduced the arrears
before the break through
Marcelo. The result left
Lyon in second place on
48 points from 23 games
while Bordeaux jumped
up to ninth on 29.
(REUTERS)
Leicester loan
out Ulloa to
Brighton
LONDON: Brighton and
Hove Albion have signed
striker Leonardo Ulloa
on loan from Leicester
City until the end of the
season, the Premier
League clubs said on
Monday. The 31-year-old
Messi strikes late to pip Alaves
Agence France-Presse
MADRID, Jan 29
Barcelona escaped a scare on
Philippe Coutinho’s first start
as Lionel Messi struck with a
trademark freekick to drag
the Spanish League leaders
back from a goal down to beat
Alaves 2-1 and restore their
11-point lead at the top.
spanish league
Messi whipped home a
beautiful freekick six
minutes from the end to
down resilient Alaves,
who are just two points from
the drop zone in 17th despite
John Guidetti silencing the
Nou Camp with a shock break-
away opener in the 23rd min-
ute. Luis Suarez had broken
the away side’s tough resist-
ence with a sweet volley from
Andres Iniesta’s cross 18 min-
utes from the end, setting the
stage for Messi’s dramatic and
stylish winner.
The Argentine’s strike
ensures that Barca stay
unbeaten in the league, and
keep Atletico Madrid 11
Results
Sevilla 1-1 Getafe
Atletico 3-0 Las Palmas
Leganes 3-2 Espanyol
Barca 2-1 Alaves
standings
Teams P W D L GF GA PTS
Barca 21 18 3 0 59 10 57
Atletico 21 13 7 1 32 9 46
Valencia 21 12 4 5 42 25 40
Real 20 11 5 4 43 19 38
Villarreal 21 11 4 6 32 24 37
Sevilla 21 10 3 8 27 29 33
Eibar 21 8 5 8 26 33 29
Celta 20 8 4 8 35 28 28
Getafe 21 7 7 7 26 26 28
Girona 21 7 7 7 29 29 28
Leganes 20 8 4 8 20 21 28
Bilbao 21 6 9 6 24 23 27
Betis 20 8 3 9 33 41 27
Espanyol 21 6 6 9 18 28 24
Sociedad 21 6 5 10 36 40 23
Levante 21 3 10 8 18 30 19
Alaves 21 6 1 14 17 31 19
Depor 21 4 5 12 24 46 17
Las Palmas 21 4 2 15 16 50 14
Malaga 21 3 4 14 14 34 13
n Barcelona forward Lionel Messi (right) and Alaves midfielder Alvaro Medran vie for the ball during their Spanish League match in Barcelona on Sunday. 
points back despite their 3-0
hammering of Las Palmas
earlier. Barca coach Ernesto
Valverdes said he was happy
with Coutinho who had start-
ed Thursday’s Copa del Rey
clash with Valencia on the
bench before making a sec-
ond-half appearance. “Players
are not machines who can fit
in at once, like a new part,”
said Valverde. “He did well, he
wanted the ball. This is one
more step for him. The other
day, he played 25 minutes, this
time a little more, he will inte-
sports
grate little by little.”
With Diego Costa out
injured, Atletico took a while
to get going and had to wait
until the 61st minute to open
the scoring, Antoine
Griezmann latching on to
Juanfran’s fine ball down the
right flank before dinking
neatly over Las Palmas stop-
per Leandro Chichizola. “The
first half was not very good
but the coach gave us a good
talking to at half-time, and we
responded well,” said
Griezmann, whose goal was
(C.R.P.D.) - 3/052/053
just his seventh in the league
this season but his fourth in
league and Cup since the turn
of the year. “I feel good, I’ve
started the year well and I
hope to continue the goals and
assists.”
Frenchman Griezmann
started the move that led to
Atletico’s second, intercept-
ing a loose pass and setting
Angel Correa free to scamper
down the pitch and feed
Fernando Torres, who shifted
the ball onto his right foot and
lashed home just his second
the kathmandu post
goal of the season, the 600th
scored by Atletico in all com-
petitions during Diego
Simeone’s seven-year reign as
coach. An easy tap-in from
Thomas Partey after great
work from Yannick Carrasco
two minutes from time com-
pleted the second-half rout of
a desperate Las Palmas, who
remain second from bottom
and five points from safety.
Sevilla were denied the
chance to close within three
points of Real Madrid and the
Champions league places
AFP/rss
after Angel Rodriguez scored
a controversial equaliser deep
in stoppage time to snatch a
1-1 draw for Getafe at the
Roman Sanchez Pizjaun stadi-
um. Luis Muriel had slid in a
72nd-minute opener for hosts
but with seconds to spare
Juan Cala challenged Sevilla
goalkeeper Sergio Rico for a
hopeful high ball, and with
the Sevilla fans and players
clamouring for a freekick,
Angel lashed home the level-
ler and celebrated under a
hail of whistles and boos.
12
Aubameyang
close to
Arsenal move:
Reports
n Aubameyang
Agence France-Presse
LONDON, Jan 29
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
is closing on a switch from
Borussia Dortmund to
Arsenal as Arsene Wenger
looks to boost his forward
options, reports in Germany
and Britain said on Monday.
German magazine Kicker
reported the clubs had agreed
on a 63-million-euro ($78 mil-
lion) fee for the player and
that as part of the deal
Arsenal forward Olivier
Giroud could move to
Germany on loan until the
end of the season. But the
report said Giroud was still
dragging his feet and would
prefer to stay in England and
move to Premier League side
Chelsea.
The BBC also reported that
the move was close, quoting a
figure of £60 million but said
the deal would not go through
until the German club had a
replacement lined up. The
Bundesliga club turned down
a bid of 50 million euros from
Arsenal last week, the BBC
reported. Gabon international
Aubameyang, 28, played for
Dortmund in their 2-2 draw
against Freiburg on Saturday
but did not score.
Arsenal lost forward Alexis
Sanchez to Manchester United
last week with Henrikh
Mkhitaryan travelling in the
opposite direction in a swap
deal but Wenger remains
short of options up front.

Aussies end Afghan run, reach final Federer mulls return to

Argentine returns to
Brighton, three-and-a-
half-years after leaving
to join Leicester in 2014.

Melbourne next year

In his first spell at the
Amex Stadium after
arriving from Spanish
club Almeria in 2013,
Ulloa netted 26 goals in
58 games. Ulloa scored 20
goals for Leicester,
including six during the
club’s Premier League
title-winning campaign
in 2015-16. (REUTERS)
US, Bosnia play
goalless draw
LOS ANGELES: The US
national team continued
rebuilding after their
World Cup failure by
drawing 0-0 with Bosnia-
Herzegovina in their
opening game of 2018 on
Sunday. Just 11 weeks
after a humiliating quali-
fying round defeat to last
place Trinidad and
Tobago, the Americans
fielded a young inexperi-
enced squad for the exhi-
bition match at the
StubHub Center stadium
in Los Angeles. Both
teams were missing
many of their top play-
ers as the US squad had
just two national team
veterans, Gyasi Zardes
and Jordan Morris.
Bosnia-Herzegovina also
failed to get into the
World Cup. (AFP)
Agence France-Presse
CHRISTCHURCH, Jan 29
Australia cruised into the
final of the ICC Under-19
World Cup with an easy
six-wicket win over
Afghanistan at Hagley Oval in
Christchurch on Thursday.
Summary
Australia 182-4 in 37.3 overs (J
Edwards 72, P Uppal 32*; Q Ahmad
2-35, N Ul-Haq 1-46) beat Afghanistan
181 in (IA Khil 80; J Merlo 4-24, Z Evans
2-26) by six wickets
Man-of-the-match: J Edwards (AUS)
The three-time champions
chased down Afghanistan’s
target of 182 at a canter, losing
just four wickets as they
reached it with more than 12
overs remaining. Australian
allrounder Jonathan Merlo
took 4-24 with the ball before
opening batsman Jack
Edwards smashed 72 in a man-
of the-match knock. They will
play the winner of Tuesday’s
semi-final between India and
Pakistan in the tournament
decider on Saturday.
Afghanistan have had a
dream run at this year’s tour-
nament, defeating Pakistan
and Sri Lanka in the group
stages, then thrashing hosts
New Zealand by 202 runs to
make the final four for the
n Australia’s Jack Edwards plays a stroke as Afghanistan wicketkeeper Ikram Ali Khil looks on during their
semi-final match at the ICC World Cup at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Monday. 
icc u-19 world cup
first time. But their batsmen
failed to fire against Australia,
leaving a spin-heavy attack lit-
tle to defend. “We did a bit of
research on their spinners
and thought it’d be a good idea
to take the game to them,”
Edwards said. “Try to get
them before they get us. The
pitch was pretty slow, proba-
bly gave us a bit of time to
read the spin, which helped.”
Afghanistan made a slow
start after losing opener
Ibraham Zadran early. Ikram
Ali Khil brought up his half
AFP/rss
century off 80 balls. But he
played a lone hand and could
not find a partner at the other
end as regular dismissals pre-
vented the Afghans from
building any momentum.
They struggled to 86-4 at the
halfway mark and hopes of a
significant total ended when
Khil departed on 80.
Reuters
MELBOURNE, Jan 29
Australian Open champion
Roger Federer is set to contin-
ue defying Father Time after
announcing he will return to
defend his title next year, the
Swiss said on Monday.
The 36-year-old notched up
his 20th Grand Slam title and
sixth at Melbourne Park on
Sunday with a 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3,
3-6, 6-1 victory over Croatia’s
Marin Cilic, but initially for-
got to say whether or not he
planned to defend the title.
“Yeah, I’d love to come back. I
know I forgot to say that after
the match,” a bleary-eyed
Federer said on Monday. “But
I hope I come back again next
year.”
Federer equalled the record
of six Australian Open men’s
titles, held by Novak Djokovic
and Roy Emerson, and emu-
lated Ken Rosewall’s feat of
claiming three Grand Slam
titles after the age of 35. His
longevity has in part been put
down to the careful manage-
ment of his playing schedule.
Despite being fully fit, he
skipped the entire claycourt
season last year to concen-
n Roger Federer
trate on Wimbledon, a deci-
sion that paid off with his
eighth title on the southwest
London grass courts.
He reiterated on Monday
that he would continue to
manage his schedule tightly
and despite being within sight
of the world’s top ranking, a
decision on whether or not his
next tournament would be in
Dubai in late February had
yet to be made. “We were in
talks with them (Dubai organ-
isers) but when the
(Australian Open) tourna-
ment started, I just said ‘look,
if it’s okay, I’d like to decide
after the tournament’,” he
said. “That’s an ideal scenario
for me. After the tournament,
I’ll know how I feel... did I
come out injured or not? So
now we know what the situa-
tion is. I also have to decide on
the claycourt season so all
these things are kind of inter-
linked. But it’s possible I’ll
play something, but it’s also
possible that maybe I just
don’t play anything (for a
while).”
Federer said he would make
the decision about his sched-
ule after spending some time
with family at home in
Switzerland, where he hoped
the fact he had won the
Australian Open title again
would finally sink in. “This
year seems more surreal, I
can’t believe I was able to
defend my title after all these
years, that I could do it again,”
he said. “To reach number 20,
number six here, it’s just a lot
trying to take it in. Last year
was a lot more straightfor-
ward, just disbelief that I won
and there I was waking up
with the trophy. But, I don’t
know, this year feels more sur-
real. I can’t believe that I was
able to defend my title... It’s
super special.”

i n d i a n p r e m i e r l e agu e

Major talking points from lucrative domestic cricket auction

Agence France-Presse
BANGALORE, Jan 29
The eight teams in the cash-rich
Indian Premier League (IPL)
spent almost $70 million at an
auction for players ahead of the
Twenty20 tournament, which
starts in April. The results
showed a marked shift away from
purchasing big-name foreign
stars, in favour of up-and-coming
players from India and elsewhere.
Root gets the boot
While there were no bidders for
England’s Test and one-day cap-
tains Joe Root and Eoin Morgan,
Kings XI Punjab paid $628,000 for
Mujeeb Zadran, a 16-year-old
spinner from Afghanistan.
Mujeeb, the youngest player to be
signed by an IPL team, was spot-
ted by Indian scouts at the U-19
Asian Cup in Kuala Lumpur last
November. Nepal will also get
their first IPL player after 17-year-
old leg-spinner Sandeep
Lamichhane landed a $31,446 deal
with Delhi Daredevils. One rea-
son for the signings could be a
desire to expand the IPL’s fanbase
in other South Asian countries.
“We will have some new fans for
IPL... I hope this will start a crick-
et revolution in Nepal,” Delhi
chief executive Hemant Dua said.
Royals comeback
Rajasthan Royals and Chennai
Super Kings are returning from
two-year bans for illegal gam-
bling. The Royals, who won the
first IPL in 2008 under Shane
Warne, turned out to be big
spenders, shelling out $10.3 mil-
who may not perform well on lion for the allrounder from featured more than 300 players in
Nepal get their first IPL player after leg-spinner Sandeep Indian pitches. Batsmen Manish Barbados who is seeking to quali- a one-day auction, compared to
Lamichhane landed a $31,446 deal with Delhi Daredevils. One Pandey and Lokesh Rahul came fy for England, and has already 581 over two days this year. Next
third and fourth in the rankings, made a name for himself with year could see a shift to transfers
reason for the signings could be a desire to expand IPL’s fanbase both costing about $1.7 million. English county Sussex and for between teams, and new signings
Players with no experience in the Hobart Hurricanes in Australia’s within current limits of eight
lion for 23 players including the teams will be in the spotlight on national team also featured prom- Big Bash League. He has bowled overseas players. IPL officials are
top two buys, Ben Stokes ($1.96m) their return from scandal. inently: the Royals spent almost at up to 150 kilometres an hour also considering introducing a
and Jaydev Unadkat ($1.8m). $1 million on uncapped off-spin- and made scintillating run-outs draft system. “This time we had
Homegrown talent
They will be relying on the big ner Krishnappa Gowtham, and in the field. Archer, only 22, will this big auction after four years
names to lift their less exalted Jaydev Unadkat is not with the Krunal Pandya became the costli- not be eligible to play for England because we had two suspended
teammates to success. But the Indian Test or one day team tour- est uncapped buy when he went until 2022, ruling him out of the teams for two years. So we
conservative Super Kings, twice ing South Africa, but he is one of to Mumbai Indians for $1.38 mil- 2019 World Cup. But he is set to extended the player regulations
IPL champions, spent just $6.4 the hottest T20 bowlers on the lion. TV pundit Dean Jones said: compete for the spotlight with by one year and had this auc-
million in two days and did not planet. Unadkat, player of the “They (the teams) all started to Ben Stokes and the rest of the tion,” IPL chief operating officer
make any of the top 10 purchases. series in India’s recent T20 games tell these (established) players star-studded Royals team. Hemang Amin told The Hindu
Mahendra Singh Dhoni was against Sri Lanka, went for $1.8 that enough is enough. They are newspaper.
Likely the last big auction
retained as captain ahead of the million to Royals, making the looking for the younger player.” “Going forward the thinking is
auction. Their top buy, Kedar 26-year-old the second most The weekend IPL auction, with that we will not have this mega
Archer: bolt from the blue
Jadav, who cost $1.2 million, could expensive player behind Ben 169 players bought for nearly $70 auction but will consider having
be a smart buy for his explosive Stokes. Unadkat’s deal also high- Jofra Archer was one of the IPL million, was the biggest in four a draft system for the new players
batting and surprising off-spin. lighted a tendency to pick Indian auction sensations. The years—and could be the last. The which acts as a feeder system for
With reputations to restore, both talent rather than foreign stars Rajasthan Royals paid $1.1 mil- previous three years witnessed the teams.”

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