W I T H O U T F E A R
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Strengthening constitutionalism strengthens
democracy, analysts say
Experts stress wider discourse on constitutionalism amid incidents in which those
tasked with implementing the constitution have been brazenly trampling upon it.
BINOD GHIMIRE
KATHMANDU, OCT 31
Amid tensions in Karnali Province
after a group of provincial members
moved a no-confidence motion
against Chief Minister Mahendra
Bahadur Shahi, the Nepal Communist
Party central leadership intervened,
instructing leaders to settle the
dispute.
Prime Minister and party chair
KP Sharma Oli then made a statement
that provinces are “administrative
units” under the federal government.
This was the second time Oli made
such a reference to provincial govern-
ments.
Oli’s statement quickly raised ques-
tions if he is still discarding federal-
ism, which was guaranteed by the
constitution adopted in 2015.
Nepal’s constitution that declared
Nepal a democratic federal republic
turned five last month. Observers,
however, say over the years, many of
the key agencies, most notably the
federal government, and political
leaders in Kathmandu have taken so
many actions that undermine the spir-
it of the constitution.
According to them, the fundamental
problem is Nepali leaders who drafted
the constitution themselves have
failed to comprehend what constitu-
tionalism means.
Experts on constitutional and polit-
ical affairs say sovereignty vested in
the people, limited government, the
principle of separation of powers,
independent judiciary, human rights
and fundamental rights and inclusive
governance system are the compo-
nents of constitutionalism.
The breach of any of these compo-
nents means an attack on constitu-
tionalism.
Vijay Kant Karna, a professor of
political science at Tribhuvan
University, said the very concept of
constitutionalism is strengthening
the institutions and prioritising insti-
tutional governance.
“I see a huge gap between the con-
stitutional order and political pro-
cess,” Karna told the Post. “The major
concern is Oli, who was never for fed-
eralism, has been given the task of
O R F A V O U R
The constitution ensures three elected governments at the federal, provincial and local levels.
implementing the constitution. How
can we expect constitutionalism to
strengthen under him.”
According to Britannica, constitu-
tionalism refers to efforts to prevent
arbitrary government. At its most
generic level, arbitrariness consists
in the capacity of rulers to govern
wilfully—that is, with complete dis-
cretion—and to serve their own inter-
ests rather than those of the ruled, the
encyclopedia defines.
Constitutionalism attempts to avoid
these dangers by designing mecha-
nisms that determine who can rule,
how, and for what purposes. But how?
That’s where the principle of sepa-
ration of powers is quite important,
say experts.
Nepal’s constitution provides for
checks and balances by dividing
the government into three parts
—the executive, the legislative and the
judiciary.
According to senior advocate
Surendra Bhandari, any of the
branches overriding another
results in a breach of the princi-
ple of separation of powers,
thereby crushing the very idea
of constitutionalism.
Oftentimes, says Bhandari,
the judiciary appears to be tak-
ing a position not to antagonise
the executive.
“This is because meritocracy
has often been compromised
while picking judges and justic-
es,” Bhandari told the Post. “We
can’t expect constitutionalism to
Vol XXVIII No. 245 | 8 pages | Rs.5
Sunday, November 01, 2020 | 16-07-2077
35.6O C 2.0O C
Janakpur Jumla
Oli is in a tight spot,
again, of his own
making, insiders say
Dahal and Nepal have ignored his overtures and are pressing
for a Secretariat meeting to discuss all outstanding issues.
TIKA R PRADHAN
KATHMANDU, OCT 31
After Prime Minister and party chair
KP Sharma Oli’s “unilateral” moves
despite agreeing to take decisions on
the basis of consultation and consen-
sus, the faction led by the other chair,
Pushpa Kamal Dahal, is once again
building pressure on him.
Over the last few days, Dahal
ignored Oli’s overtures. More than
half a dozen leaders close to Oli have
made rounds of Dahal’s residence in
Khumaltar.
According to sources, Oli and
Dahal, who used to have a meeting
almost every day, had not met for
the last 11 days. On Saturday, Dahal
reached Baluwatar and held a file photo
meeting for around two hours. Dahal KP Sharma Oli
is now seeking a meeting of the party
Secretariat, according to leaders conflict in the party. The decision said
close to him. the prime minister will take decisions
Insiders say the current situation in on major issues in consultation with
the party arose because of Oli himself, the other chair and the party
as he refused to abide by the party’s Secretariat.
decisions. “But Oli failed to do so,” said the
Post photo: Deepak KC “Oli must comply with the deci- Standing Committee member, also a
sions taken by the party’s September member of the task force. “Oli will
11 Standing Committee. Or else he will face a tough time if he refuses to abide
have to face the consequences,” said a by party decisions.”
Standing Committee member who did After the September 11 decision, the
not wish to be named. seven-week-long tug-of-war was said
The Standing Committee had to have ended. Some insiders, howev-
endorsed a 15-point decision drafted er, had told the Post that they won-
by a six-member task force which was dered how long the truce will last.
formed to resolve the months-long >> Continued on page 2
Post Illustration: KrishnaGopal Shrestha
become strong when the judiciary is
weak.”
According to him, democratic prin-
ciples, federalism, republicanism, sec-
ularism and inclusion—the pillars of
the constitution—have come under
attack in several instances.
“There seems to be a lack of under-
standing about constitutionalism,”
said Bhandari.
Raju Prasad Chapagain, chairper-
son of the Constitutional Lawyers’
Forum, said in the simplest form, con-
stitutionalism is adherence to a con-
stitutional system of government.
Actions of the executive, the legisla-
tive function of parliament, the judici-
ary’s role and constitutional bodies’
constant watch to ensure proper
checks and balances as well as media
and civil society’s call for accountabil-
ity are necessary to strengthen consti-
tutionalism, according to him.
“However, except the media and
civil society, to some extent, no other
agency has performed their expected
roles, thereby weakening constitution-
alism,” said Chapagain.
Experts say public frustration will
grow if the state machinery fails to
function effectively and independent-
ly which will ultimately increase dis-
trust in the constitution.
The present constitution is the sev-
enth introduced in a span of as many
decades in Nepal.
“Strengthening constitutionalism
is necessary to ensure that the present
constitution lasts long and becomes
more effective,” said Chapagain.
C M Y K

National
Private hospitals in
Biratnagar are
charging Covid-19
patients exorbitantly
Private hospitals are demanding a deposit of Rs 100,000
to Rs 300,000 from each Covid-19 patient, locals say.
BINOD BHANDARI
BIRATNAGAR, OCT 31
Forty-five-year-old Naramaya Magar
of Katnuwa in Ratuwamai
Muncipality Ward No. 10 committed
suicide on Monday night. She
had tested positive for Covid-19 the
same day.
According to Magar’s family, she
was taken to Biratnagar-based Nobel
Medical College for treatment after
her PCR report came positive.
However, the hospital demanded a
deposit of Rs 100,000 for her to get
admitted at the hospital.
“We could not deposit the amount
so we took her back home. She com-
mitted suicide the same night,” said
Sujan Magar, the deceased’s relative.
This is just a case that shows how
difficult—and expensive—it is for
Covid-19 patients to receive treatment
in Biratnagar.
A week ago, the federal government
had announced to discontinue free
test and treatment of Covid-19
patients, except for certain groups
including the helpless, impoverished
and disabled. Since then, private hos-
pitals in Biratnagar have been charg-
ing exorbitant amounts to Covid-19
patients. According to locals, private
hospitals are demanding a deposit of
Rs 100,000 to Rs 300,000 from each
Covid-19 patient before starting their
treatment. The hospitals charge Rs
5,000 to Rs 25,000 per Covid-19 patient
a day, they say.
In Biratnagar, three private hospi-
tals—Nobel Medical College, Birat
Medical College and Neuro Hospital—
are providing treatment to Covid-19
patients. The Biratnagar Metropolitan
City committee of Nepali Congress
has also spoken out against the pri-
vate hospitals fleecing Covid-19
patients. The committee recently
organised a press meet and requested
hospital operators not to charge exor-
bitant amounts to Covid-19 patients.
As per the ceiling fixed by the gov-
ernment, private hospitals cannot
charge more than Rs 3,500 to normal
 Post file photo
Nobel Medical College is one of the three private hospitals in Biratnagar that treat Covid-19
patients.
Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development
Water Supply and Sanitation Division No. 4
Invitation for Bid (IFB)
First date of publication: 1, November 2020 (Kartik 16, 2077)
Water Supply and Sanitation Division No.4, Ramechhap, Nepal invites only electronic bids from qualified/
eligible Bidders for the Constructon/Supply of following water Supply Project’s works/Goods under National
Competitive Bidding; Single Stage, single Envelope Bidding Procedures. A complete set of Bidding Documents
can be downloaded from PPMO’s website : www.bolpatra.gov.np/egp.
S.N. Contract /IFB No.
1. 01/077/078 Ramechhap
2. 02/077/078 Ramechhap
3. 03/077/078 Ramechhap
4. 04/077/078 Ramechhap
5. 05/077/078 Ramechhap
patients, Rs 7,000 to patients with mod-
erate ailments and Rs 15,000 for criti-
cal care services a day.
Nobel Medical College charges Rs
5,000 per day for patients in general
ward, Rs 15,000 per day for patients in
ICU facility without ventilator facili-
ties and Rs 18,000 to patients in ICU
with ventilator facility. The hospital
also demands Rs 100,000 deposit from
each Covid-19 patient before taking
admission.
However, Narayan Dahal, manager
at the hospital, said, “We are only tak-
ing deposits that equals the charge of
a day. We are not taking Rs 100,000
from a Covid-19 patient.”
Currently, there are 85 Covid-19
patients in the hospital. According to
Dahal, 37 patients are in the general
ward, nine are in the ICU with a venti-
lator facility and the remaining others
are in the ICU facility.
Likewise, Birat Medical College has
been demanding a deposit of Rs
300,000 from each Covid-19 patient in
the ICU with charges ranging from Rs
25,000 per day for ventilator service
and Rs 15,000 without it. According to
the hospital sources, the health facili-
ty takes Rs 100,000 deposit and Rs 8,000
per day from those staying in the gen-
eral bed. Currently, there are 65 Covid-
19 patients in the hospital. Among
them, 18 are in the ICU facility.
Neuro Hospital in Biratnagar also
takes Rs 100,000 deposit and a daily
charge of Rs 15,000 if a Covid-19
patient has to be admitted to the ICU
facility. For those in the general
ward, the deposit cost is Rs 50,000.
Currently, there are 24 Covid-19
patients in the hospital.
Meanwhile, Chief District Officer
in Morang Kosh Hari Niraula said,
“We have formed an inspection com-
mittee led by the commerce office and
started inspecting the hospitals from
Friday after receiving complaints
from all quarters. The inspection com-
mittee will submit a report to the local
administration soon. We will take
action as per the evaluation made by
the committee’s report.”
Province Government
Ramechhap, Bagamati Province
Name of work/Project Estimated Amount NRS. Bid Fee. (Nrs.)
Procurement of HDPE
(Without VAT)
PIPE(PE 100) for
Different W/S Project of
Dolakha district
Procurement of HDPE
PIPE(PE 100) for
Different W/S Project of
Ramechhap district
Procurement of HDPE
PIPE(PE 100) for
Different W/S Project of
Sindhuli district
Construction of Civil
works for Salmekhola
Water Quality
Improvement Project,
Ramechhap
Construction of Deep tube
well boring work for
Range Lift WS Project
Women wash their hair and do the laundry at a natural water source near Chappal Karkhana in Kathmandu. With the onset of the dry season, such springs serve thousands of
people in the water-scarce Valley.
Traffic police plant 1,500 saplings of an
unproven herb to fight against coronavirus
ANUP OJHA
KATHMANDU, OCT 31
In an effort to boost the immunity of
traffic policemen, the Metropolitan
Traffic Police on Saturday morning
planted 1,500 saplings of gurjo (tino-
spora cordifolia) on the barren land at
Tinkune park.
The plantation of gurjo saplings,
said Senior Superintendent of Police
Bhim Prasad Dhakal, would help the
traffic police increase their immunity
as they come in contact with a lot
of people. So far, over 400 traffic
police have already been infected with
coronavirus.
“The plant increases the immunity
power so we have planted gurjo in the
open space and all our offices in
Kathmandu Valley to promote this
plant,” said Dhakal.
The gurjo saplings were handed to
the traffic office by the Inland Revenue
Department and National Planning
Commission.
Although the herb is used in tradi-
tional ayurvedic medicine, it has not
been clinically proven to be effective
against the coronavirus.
Virologists are reluctant to talk
3000.00
3000.00
3000.00
3000.00
3048854.69
2317591.16 3000.00
Division Chief
about or encourage having gurjo.
“There is no clinical evidence of cur-
ing Covid-19 by having gurjo. I guess
ayurveda and alternative medicine
practitioners can better explain it,”
said Dr Sher Bahadur Pun, a virolo-
gist at the Sukraraj Tropical and
Infectious Disease Hospital, Teku.
But even the government’s ayurve-
dic experts do not vouch for the herb
against Covid-19.
Dr Basudev Upadhyay, director gen-
eral at the Department of Ayurveda
and Alternative Medicine, agreed that
none of those homemade or home-
grown remedies have clinical proof
and said that the herb does not come
under the Ministry of Health and
Population’s protocols and guidelines.
It was India’s celebrated yoga guru
Baba Ramdev who advocated that
yoga and ayurvedic medicines can
prevent and cure the Covid-19.
“But gurjo has great medical signif-
icance and can help develop immuni-
ty. It should not be taken without doc-
tors’ prescription,” said Upadhyay.
However, he also said that over con-
sumption and taking it without a doc-
tor’s prescription have caused many
side effects among people. “So people
should be conscious of consuming it,”
said Upadhyay.
It’s not only Dhakal, even Prime
Minister KP Sharma Oli has been
vocal about eating home remedies like
garlic, ginger and turmeric and sneez-
ing it can take away Covid-19 that
earned ridicule in social media.
The traffic division office has also
announced plans to plant four gurjo
plants in its 44 different units all
across the Valley.
As of Saturday, the country report-
ed 17 Covid-19-related fatalities, taking
the death toll to 937. The country also
recorded 2,508 new cases, pushing the
national infection tally to 170,743.
Since the start of the Covid-19 pan-
demic, gurjo, a vine plant, has become
Oli is in a tight spot, again, of his own ...
>> Continued from page 1
“I have been saying all along that the
ceasefire was just for a temporary
period; conflict has surfaced yet
again,” said Raghuji Pant, also a
Standing Committee member who is
considered close to senior leader
Madhav Kumar Nepal. “Dahal appears
to be extremely concerned after Oli
went on to make unilateral decisions
against the party’s decisions.”
Leaders say the reemergence of
conflict in the party is a cause
for grave concern, as the country is
faced with multiple crises caused by
the pandemic.
According to Dahal’s private secre-
tariat, the chairman during Saturday’s
meeting with Oli called for holding a
meeting of the party Secretariat to
discuss all contemporary issues,
including the Karnali conflict, Oli’s
meeting with Indian spy chief, the
killing of a former Maoist leader in a
clash, Cabinet reshuffle and the Covid-
19 pandemic.
Dahal has been suspicious if the
move to file a no-confidence motion
against Karnali Chief Minister
Mahendra Bahadur Shahi was insti-
gated by Oli. As many as 18 provincial
assembly members, 15 of them repre-
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2020 | 02
a household name. The vine plant in
recent time has become wildly popu-
lar in the market. Once a highly
neglected plant that was just limited
in the wilderness, gurjo has been
widely popularised as a medicine for
coronavirus and the plantation, sale
and consumption of gurjo has
increased across the country.
The traffic police department’s
efforts to grow gurjo has also been
questioned for the wherewithal it has
to take care of the saplings.
“This is just nonsense and a public-
ity stunt. Who will keep tabs of those
plants?” said Binod Shrestha, 43, a
local businessman in Tinkune. “Since
the gurjo is a vine plant, it needs
trees or some support. So how is it
going to grow here? Also, as many
people know its medicinal benefits,
none of those plants will remain
there intact.”
 Post Photo: Anish Regmi
The traffic police believe that the plantation of gurjo plants would help them increase their
immunity.
senting the former CPN-UML, had on
October 11 filed a no-confidence
motion against Shahi, who represents
the former Maoist party. Though the
issue has been settled now, the inci-
dent has sown the seeds of discord in
the party.
The death of Mukesh Chaurasiya, a
former Maoist leader from Parsa,
after he was injured in a clash between
supporters of Oli and Dahal too
has added to the conflict in the
party. Chaurasiya, who was severely
injured during the clash on October
21, had died during treatment the next
morning.
Leaders from the Dahal and Madhav
Nepal camps have also taken excep-
tion to Oli’s meeting with Samant
Goel, chief of India’s foreign intelli-
gence agency, on October 21, without
the party’s prior knowledge.
According to leaders close to Dahal,
the chairman wants all these issues to
be addressed through a Secretariat
meeting.
Earlier, on October 17 and again on
October 25, party spokesperson
Narayan Kaji Shrestha had written to
the party chairmen demanding that
all outstanding issues be resolved
through a party Secretariat meeting.
Post Photo: KABIN ADHIKARI
The Tinkune Park has been neglect-
ed for over a decade due to disputes
over its ownership and compensation.
It has been beautified occasionally to
impress important visitors. Last year
in October, during the Chinese
President Xi Jinping’s visit in
Kathmandu, the Kathmandu
Metropolitan City had planted flow-
ers, plants and pieces of grass carpet
making the embankments, but as Xi
departed Kathmandu, those beautifi-
cation materials were stolen.
Earlier, the metropolitan city office
had made numerous failed plans to
maintain the park but it has long been
a dumping place. And after last year’s
beautification, the Tinkune ‘park’ has
become a safe haven for drug users,
prostitution and hooligans, according
to Tinkune police. But after six
months of lockdown, the park is now
filled with bushes.
Oli’s proposal to Nepal to join
hands also failed to get the desired
response, making it even more diffi-
cult for him, say insiders. Dahal
agreed to hold a meeting with Oli after
a gap of 11 days after consultations
with Nepal. Leaders say that Dahal,
who had refused to meet Oli saying he
was not interested in meaningless
talks, went to Baluwatar after
Nepal suggested that he demand a
Secretariat meeting.
Leaders said Oli’s fate now will
depend on how Dahal makes his
moves, as he continues to have Nepal’s
backing.
“It’s now up to Dahal and how
Oli responds,” said Pant. “But if we
want a lasting solution to deep-rooted
problems in the party, we need to find
a political solution. Addressing some
technical issues does not help.”
Leaders close to Oli, however, say
the prime minister is for continuing
one-on-one meetings with Dahal so as
to address the outstanding issues.
“Now the two chairs will continue
meetings and discuss ways to imple-
ment the party decision,” said Subas
Nembang, a Standing Committee
member. “Secretariat meetings will
take place on an as-needed basis.”
C M Y K
03 | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2020

National

Rs50 billion relief

package roll-out delay
worries businesses
Change in the leadership of the Ministry of Finance and
transfer of secretaries behind the delay, officials say.
PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA
KATHMANDU, OCT 31
Manika Kayastha, a Bhaktapur-based
entrepreneur, is waiting for govern-
ment support to continue running her
woodcarving business badly affected
by Covid-19 pandemic.
Before the pandemic, she used to
sell products worth over Rs3.5 million
each year to Nepalis and foreign
tourists, and also export merchandise
by air.
As the domestic market reopened
after months-long lockdown and inter-
national flights also resumed last
month, she expected things to get back
to normal. But she now faces a finan-
cial crunch to get her business back
on its feet. “Due to the coronavirus
pandemic, Nepalis are not buying
woodcraft, and foreign tourists are not
coming,” said Kayastha.
“I am waiting for the government’s
support. But that hasn’t been forth-
coming,” said Kayastha.
Post Photo: Anish Regmi It has been five months since the
government announced the creation
Youths play cricket at a ground in Tinkune, Kathmandu on Saturday. Despite the attempts of Kathmandu Metropolitan City to turn the space into a park, disputes over ownership of the land have
meant the land has not been utilised properly and is covered mostly with bushes. of a Rs50 billion rehabilitation fund
through its budget for the current fis-
cal year (2020-21) to provide subsidised
loan to the pandemic-affected cottage,
According to a finance ministry offi-
cial, a draft of the working procedure
is currently with the economic and
infrastructure committee of the
Cabinet.
“It has remained pending there
although we had sent the draft more
than a month ago,” said Jhakka
Acharya, joint secretary at the
Ministry of Finance. “Part of the
reason behind the delay, according
to Acharya, is the change of finance
minister and transfer of secretaries
from the Prime Minister’s Office.”
As per the proposed working proce-
dure, the government plans to provide
up to Rs50 million to mildly affected
enterprises while up to Rs70 million
will be made available to enterprises
that faced medium level of impact and
the worst-affected enterprises will get
up to Rs100 million.
The government
also faces challenge
to raise the amount
needed for the fund.

Remdesivir shows mixed

small and medium industries and

Briefing tourism enterprises.

However, as the government is yet
to come up with a working procedure,
it is uncertain when many enterprises
The government plans to disburse
half of the fund to help businesses pay
salaries to their staffers and the other
half to be used as working capital.

results in Nepal, experts say

Three gamblers held with cash
MAHOTTARI: Police detained three gam-
blers from Manara Siswa
Municipality-7 in Mahottari district
on Saturday. Police said Binod Kumar
Sah, Saroj Kumar Sah and Santosh
Kumar Sah were held while they were
gambling in a bamboo clump near to
the settlement. The security person-
nel seized Rs 332,960 cash and cowries
from the suspects. Detailed investiga-
tion is underway into the case,
said police.
Declare Myagdi disaster-hit
district, Gandaki urges centre
POKHARA: The Gandaki Provincial
government has urged the federal
government to declare Myagdi a natu-
ral disaster-hit district. A meeting of
the provincial executive held recently
decided to make the recommendation.
According to the provincial Ministry
of Internal Affairs and Law, 31 people
have died, five others have gone miss-
ing and 636 families have been dis-
placed in separate incidents of land-
slides and floods in Myagdi this year.
The federal government has already
declared Sindhupalchok and Baglung
disaster-hit districts.
Construction of bus park starts
BAGLUNG: Dhorpatan Municipality
has started the construction of a new
bus park in Ward No. 1 of the munici-
pality. Dev Kumar Nepali, mayor of
the municipality, said, “We have pre-
pared a DPR to construct the new bus
park in Khapatribang. The munici-
pality has purchased five ropanis of
land to construct the bus park, as the
old buspark cannot accommodate all
vehicles due to the increasing num-
ber of public vehicles.” Every day,
vehicles leave for Kathmandu and
other parts of the country.
The medication cut hospital stay of serious patients, lessened symptoms of Covid-19.
ARJUN POUDEL
KATHMANDU, OCT 31
Contrary to the findings of Solidarity,
an international clinical trial carried
out by the World Health Organization,
antiviral medication remdesivir
showed mixed results in Nepal.
According to the Nepal Health
Research Council, which has been
overseeing the effects of remdesivir
on patients, the antiviral medication
was found to be effective in the treat-
ment of serious Covid-19 cases.
“Yes, our study shows the antiviral
medicine [remdesivir] reduced hospi-
tal stay, lessened symptoms and
reduced deaths also,” Dr Janak
Koirala, clinical trial consultant at the
council, told the Post.
The study was performed on 1,200
moderately and seriously ill patients,
who were given oxygen therapy due to
low oxygen saturation, admitted to
intensive care units or placed on ven-
tilator support.
Solidarity, one of largest interna-
tional randomised trials for Covid-19,
involved 12,000 patients admitted in
500 hospital sites of over 30 countries,
according to the UN health agency.
Apart from remdesivir, hydroxy-
chloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir and
interferon were also used in the WHO
study. The trial evaluated effects of
the drugs on three important out-
comes in Covid-19 patients: mortality,
need for assisted ventilation and dura-
tion of hospital stay.
“It found that all four treatments
[remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine,
lopinavir/ritonavir and interferon]
Retuers
had little or no effect on overall mor-
tality, initiation of ventilation and
duration of hospital stay in hospital-
ised patients,” WHO said in its inter-
im results published on October 15.
When asked about the WHO’s inter-
im report, Dr Pradip Gyanwali, execu-
tive chief of Nepal Health Research
Council, said that the WHO’s interim
report is yet to be peer- reviewed,
which means the report should be
scrutinised by experts from the same
field to ensure its scientific quality.
“A final report with data is yet to be
completed but our preliminary reports
show mixed results,” Dr Gyanwali
told the Post. “We will conclude this
study within a week and publish
the results.”
The council said that a preliminary
report was prepared on the basis of
data of 345 patients involved in the
study.
The Department of Drug
Administration, the national regula-
tor of the drug market, in September
had authorised the import and usage
of remdesivir for treatment of Covid-
19 patients, as a study drug and dele-
gated authority to the council to over-
see its use.
After the report of the council is
unveiled, the administration could
permit traders to import it like other
drugs and sell it in the market.
On October 22, the US Food and
Drug Administration approved rem-
desivir for use in adults and pediatric
patients 12 years of age and older and
weighting at least 40 kilograms for the
treatment of Covid-19 requiring
hospitalisation.
The UN health agency, however,
cautioned against physicians and
medical associations recommending
or administering unproven treat-
ments to patients of Covid-19 or peo-
ple self-medicating with them.
With exponential rise in new infec-
tions, a number of symptomatic and
serious cases have also been rising
throughout the country. Hospitals des-
ignated for Covid-19 treatment have
been overwhelmed and thousands of
infected patients have been deprived
of treatment.
As of Saturday, 170,743 people across
Nepal have been infected, with 937
deaths. In the last 24 hours, 2,508 peo-
ple tested positive including 1,357 in
Kathmandu Valley. The Health
Ministry said there were 38,584 active
cases on Saturday.
affected by the pandemic will get
money from the fund.
According to the government, the
fund, to be set up at the Nepal Rastra
Bank, will be used to inject working
capital into affected businesses to help
them pay their employees and run
their business. As per government
provisions, pandemic-affected sectors
will get finance at five percent interest
rate while any interest rate above the
cut-off rate will be borne by the gov-
ernment.
Hotels, as a part of the tourism
industry, are one one of the targeted
beneficiaries of this rehabilitation
fund. But hoteliers say most of them
are waiting for the funds from the gov-
ernment to pay their employees given
the lack of cash flow.
“We have agreed to pay our workers
who have been sent home due to lack
of work Rs4300 to Rs10,000 by
December,” said Binayak Shah, first
vice-president of Hotel Association of
Nepal, a grouping of hoteliers. “But,
many of us have failed to pay them the
agreed amount with the government
not making available the subsidised
money.”
He said that an agreement was
signed with the trade unions after
assurances from the government that
it would provide funds to pay the
workers. “With the government’s
delay, we feel the money won’t help
us when we need it the most,” said
Shah.
According to him, they have
approached both the government and
the central bank to mobilise the
announced fund. “Central bank offi-
cials told us that they can’t provide
money from the rehabilitation fund as
the government is yet to provide funds
for the purpose,” said Shah.
The government has so far allocated
Rs1 billion to the fund, but it is yet to
come up with working procedure
regarding the disbursement.
Pandemic-affected sectors will get the
funds for two years, according to the
finance ministry. The government is,
however, facing problems generating
resources for the fund as revenue col-
lection is drying up.
However, Acharya said that the gov-
ernment has the option of collecting
funds as the various government enti-
ties have funds which can be made
available at cheaper interest rates.
The government also plans to mobi-
lise resources from donors for the
purpose.
As the pandemic mostly affected
micro, small and medium enterprises,
this fund is important for them.
During the lockdown, 61 percent of
the enterprises surveyed by Nepal
Rastra Bank were closed completely,
35 percent were partially operating
and only four percent of the indus-
tries were operating fully.
Among the different sectors of
economy, 91 percent of hotels and res-
taurants were closed completely, 89
percent of real estate and rental ser-
vices, 76 percent of transport and stor-
age services were also completely
closed, making them the most affected
sectors.
In terms of size of industries, the
worst affected industries are—cottage
and small industries with capital
upto Rs150 million, according to the
central bank survey. The relief fund is
expected to help the most affected
sectors.
Over 80 percent of micro, small and
medium enterprises suffered from a
slump in sales amid the COVID-19
pandemic, a survey of the
International Finance Corporation
released in late September revealed.
While the government announced
rehabilitation fund is yet to be uti-
lised, Nepal Rastra Bank has, howev-
er, started providing refinance facili-
ties it had in its monetary policy for
the current fiscal year.

Six Nepalis deprived of pay and work for six months rescued in Malaysia
The victims working as security guards tell Malaysian immigration authorities that their employer refused to even meet them despite their numerous requests to do so.
CHANDAN KUMAR MANDAL
KATHMANDU, OCT 31
Without work and money for months,
six Nepali migrants have been res-
cued from what looked like forced
labour conditions in Malaysia.
The Malaysian authorities on
Friday rescued the Nepalis, who had
been working as security guards in
the Southeast Asian country, after
investigations by the Immigration
Department showed they had been
exploited.
The Star, a local English newspaper,
reported that the six men, aged
between 30 and 40, were rescued in an
operation by the local authorities.
“Based on information gathered
and surveillance, an inspection was
conducted at a worker’s hostel,” the
newspaper quoted Immigration direc-
tor-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee
Daud as saying. “Six Nepalese men
were found inside, with the hostel in a
decrepit and uncomfortable state.”
The immigration authority found
that they were neither paid nor given
work for nearly six months. The work-
ers alleged that their employer had
also not given them any money to
meet their daily needs, according to
the local media.
ILO Forced Labour Convention,
1930 (No. 29) defines forced or compul-
sory labour as “all work or service
which is exacted from any person
under the threat of a penalty and for
which the person has not offered him-
self or herself voluntarily”.
The UN agency differentiates forced
labour from substandard or exploita-
tive working conditions. Various ILO
indicators like restrictions on work-
ers’ freedom of movement, withhold-
ing of wages or identity documents,
physical or sexual violence, threats
and intimidation or fraudulent debt
from which workers cannot escape
determine when a situation amounts
to forced labour.
The exploitation of Nepali workers
by employers in Malaysia and Persian
Gulf countries has been going on for
several years. Tens of thousands of
workers go without pay and jobs and
are forced to do work different from
what they were promised in the hiring
phase.
“Nepali workers’ exploitation in
labour destinations is not even a new
thing anymore. Nepali workers in the
latest case faced wage theft, which is
an element of forced labour,” Swarna
Kumar Jha, a labour migration expert,
told the Post.
“Such issues were hidden before,
despite there being frequent reports
of such incidents in labour destina-
tion countries including Malaysia.
The Covid-19 pandemic brought these
issues to the fore like never before
after workers’ contracts were termi-
nated arbitrarily and they were sent
The six men, aged between 30 and 40, after they were rescued by local authorities.
home unpaid.”
Covid-19 hit tens of thousands of
Nepalis abroad as they faced reduced
working hours, endured drop in regu-
lar incomes, and many had to return
home, most of them bearing the cost
of expensive air tickets themselves.
According to Jha, Friday’s rescue
of six Nepalis from forced labour
shows the problem prevails in
Malaysia as well despite both coun-
tries signing a landmark labour agree-
photo courtesy: the star
ment in 2018.
“There could be more workers who
are going through forced labour situa-
tions,” said Jha, who is also a coordi-
nator at the National Network for Safe
Migration, a grouping of organisa-
tions working to promote safer migra-
tion and rights of migrant workers.
“The Malaysian authority saying
these workers were victims of forced
labour proves it further.”
The victims had told the Malaysian
authorities that their employer had
refused to meet them despite numer-
ous requests to do so.
“They have been given protection
and placed in a safe house. The
employer and company owner have
been called to give their statement,”
said Khairul. “The case is being inves-
tigated under Section 12 of the Anti-
Trafficking In Persons and Anti-
Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 for
human trafficking.”
Many Malaysian companies, main-
ly glove manufacturing firms, have
started reimbursing all the costs and
related fees paid by migrant workers
to ensure zero cost jobs and to meet
international standards against
forced labour and modern-day slavery.
The Malaysian authority’ recent
action could be a signal towards
the local government and employers
trying to revamp their image, accord-
ing to Jha.
“They must be trying to give out a
message that they are committed to
safeguarding rights of migrant work-
ers,” said Jha.
“After all, they also need a cheap
labour force which comes from
countries like Nepal.”

C M Y K

Opinion
Due to the youth and energy
of new writers, we are
becoming known for more
than Mount Everest.
GRETA RANA
The last 30 years have seen literary
endeavours blossom in Nepal. Mainly
this is due to the youth and energy of
new writers. We have ex-pat writers
published by world-class publishers.
Manjushree Thapa and Samrat
Upadhyay are flying the flag abroad.
We are becoming known for more than
Everest. Globally, interest in South
Asian literature has grown, not totally
because of but certainly encouraged
by the West’s revived interest in Lord
Buddha. People tired of materialism
began to travel here on spiritual
quests to discover whether the Light
of Asia could brighten up their lives.
Prakash A Raj writes extensively on
Khadga Shumsher who uncovered the
relics that marked the birthplace of
Lord Buddha in Lumbini, contribut-
ing not only in a historical sense, but
also in a way providing scholars of the
world with much literary material.
Khadga’s great-grandson Deepak
Shumsher, sometimes writing as
Ranabhumi, writes today factual work
on high-altitude hunting and fiction
that is weird and wonderful, creating
lands in other astral zones.
Literary criticism
A very meaningful contribution is
that of Saguna Shah who founded
‘bOOkahOlics’. Reading and literary
criticism has flourished because of
her dedication and commitment. She
is also a fine translator and recently
her translation of Sheeba Shah’s
novel about the Junior Queen made
infamous by the Kot Massacre is
appreciated because of the fine Nepali
and skills, not only of a translator, but
a born writer.
Whereas the novel, earlier promot-
ed by Dhruba Chandra Gautam, earli-
er still by Parijat and Diamond
Shumsher, has flourished during this
period, poetry too has grown in scope.
Usha Sherchan, Toya Gurung and
Manju Kanchuli are female poets I
admire for their work. Usha has
boundless energy and a wide subject
range. Among male poets, Manjul
stands out. Viplob Pratik produces
world-class poetry. Murari Raj Sigdel
African governments
must make data-driven
choices to save lives and
livelihoods.
John Agyekum Kufuor
An African proverb says, ‘When the
music changes, so does the dance’. As
governments around the world strive
to protect their populations from the
Covid-19 pandemic’s health and eco-
nomic effects, the role of decisive lead-
ership has never been more impor-
tant—not least in the area of nutrition.
When we established African
Leaders for Nutrition four years ago,
our aim was to highlight revolution-
ary thinking in addressing malnutri-
tion across the continent. None of our
g roup’s founders—African
Development Bank President
Akinwumi A Adesina, the late former
United Nations secretary-general Kofi
A Annan, and I—could ever have
imagined the burden that the pandem-
ic would impose on the global develop-
ment agenda.
The threat posed by this new virus
requires us to tackle malnutrition in
new ways. Covid-19 has revealed inef-
ficiencies and inequities in all of our
efforts to achieve robust and long-last-
ing improvements in nutrition.
Africa’s rising number of Covid-19
cases threatens to increase hunger
and malnutrition further, and has
brought into focus how our thinking
must change.
African leaders have a particular
duty to mitigate the economic crisis.
We must act urgently to safeguard and
develop our health and food systems,
as well as our social safety nets, in
order to slow down the cycle of inter-
generational poverty. Only integrated
efforts will enable us to coordinate
nutrition-related investments and
improvements to social protection,
and then to examine their impact.
Our task is huge: The 2020 State of
Food Security and Nutrition in the
World (SOFI) report and recent
Nepal’s blossoming literary scene
too writes fine poetry and has ven-
tured into the Haiku form. Slam poet-
ry has taken hold, particularly among
younger writers.
In the area of satirical takes on life,
Ram Kumar Panday, current president
of PEN Nepal, stands out with his My
Father’s Marriage. Skilfully written in
Nepali, it is well worth a read. Kanak
Mani Dixit has been prolific with both
children’s and adult stories. One won-
ders where he gets all his energy! He
delights all ages with his ‘Tales of a
Nepali Frog’, now going into a second
edition. He and his brother Kunda
Dixit have continued their family role
in promoting literature in Nepal. By
producing a world-class monthly, they
reach out beyond Nepal’s borders.
They maintain a library useful for
orientalists and continue the legacy
of the Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya
and the prize that shares its name.
Maya Thakuri has emerged as a
Nutrition leadership during a pandemic
research published in The Lancet on
the impact of Covid-19 on childhood
malnutrition make for grim reading.
After decades of progress in reducing
all forms of malnutrition, the trend is
reversing, owing to insufficient invest-
ment in promoting good nutrition,
climate shocks, violent conflict, and
now the effects of the Covid-19 crisis.
Africa has the highest prevalence of
queen of the short story. Her collec-
tion translated into English as Of A
Lesser God throws thought-provoking
light on the average person’s life. Back
to poetry again, Manjul, on a trip to
Finland, pointed a poetic finger at the
rising obsession with mobile phones.
To no avail as we now communicate
more with our phones than we do with
people!
One quite remarkable happening is
the number of child writers we now
have. In the West, parents tend to urge
their children with talent to display it;
the children of Nepal are doing it of
their own volition. Not to sound nepo-
tistic, my granddaughter, Devasri
Rana, published a collection put
together when she was seven years old
entitled In My Write and launched it.
Later that year, her cousin, my grand-
daughter Shreya Rana, living in
Michigan, published a story entitled
The Magic Lunchbox. I begin to won-
malnutrition of any region, and may
soon overtake Asia in terms of the
number of hungry and undernour-
ished people. Among children younger
than five, the economic impact of
Covid-19 is projected to increase the
incidence of wasting, which results
from severe weight loss due to starva-
tion and diseases associated with
acute malnutrition. This, combined
der whether writing is in the genes. I
am thinking of Padma Devkota, son
of Laxmi Prasad; and Benju Sharma
and Manchu Kanchuli, daughters of
Bhim Nidhi Tiwari. Blood really is
thicker than water.
South Asian literature truly thrives
here, and it is time for Nepal to have a
new persona. Our critical essayists
have published widely about the devel-
opment scenario. Foremost among
them today is author Atul K Thakur.
Yubaraj Ghimire, Sudheer Sharma
and Akhilesh Upadhyay have given
journalism in Nepal a bright spot.
Narayan Wagle and Pranaya SJB Rana
have done well with pure literary fic-
tion and essay writing. My late hus-
band Madhukar SJB Rana contribut-
ed articles on various development
paradigms. His forthcoming book
shall be a valuable resource for
Nepal’s policymakers. Bihari Krishna
Shrestha is an important name in our
with reduced access to health and
nutrition services, is expected to
result in more than 128,000 additional
deaths globally in 2020 among under-
fives, with more than half of these
occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa.
But the data also offer glimmers of
hope, and point to three ways in which
we can reimagine African leadership
on nutrition. First, we have an oppor-
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2020 | 04
public life. Let me not forget a literary
critic and writer who has fed the
flames of Nepal studies not only in
literature but in other fields as well,
Professor Abhi Subedi. He has been a
host and advisor to many ex-pat Nepal
scholars, notably Michael Hutt and
John Whelpton, and is himself a
scholar, playwright and literary histo-
rian.
Thirty years ago, I wrote my mag-
num opus A Place Beneath the Pipal
Tree. The novel is about three genera-
tions of Sherpa women, and the place
beneath the pipal tree is Nepal. It first
saw the light of day as Im Schatten des
heiligen Baumes (In the Shadow of
the Holy Tree), a German edition. It is
now in its fourth edition, and is doing
the rounds of German book clubs.
Fantasy land
Then there’s my fantasy land,
Lapalistan. I’ve lived in it for 30 years.
shutterstock
tunity to transform the economics of
health and hunger. By 2030, global
diet-related health costs are projected
to reach $1.3 trillion per year. But
shifting to healthy diets could reduce
these costs by up to 97 percent, accord-
ing to the SOFI report.
Second, nutrition must feature
prominently in our Covid-19 response.
The World Health Organisation esti-
shutterstock
Guests in This Country, the first
novel in a trilogy, points a satirical
finger at ‘colonisation by development
aid’. A long-promised sequel, Ghosts
in the Bamboo, is shortly to be
published. The final one Picking Up
The Pieces, was written during the
lockdown. I’ll leave Lapalistan after
this, but hope readers will continue
with the story in their own imagina-
tions. That is what good literary fic-
tion should do, and Nepal has plenty
of it.
It’s time for PEN Nepal to invite the
PEN International Congress here.
PEN International has always been
interested in coming to Nepal. In 2000,
we held the international Writers in
Prison Committee meeting here, and
many delegates stayed on and enjoyed
what Nepal has to offer. We must bring
the world to our home.
Rana is a writer based in Kathmandu.
mates that investments in nutrition
could save 3.7 million lives globally by
2025. Our leaders, therefore, must
meet the challenge of providing ade-
quate resources for the highest-impact
interventions. These include exclu-
sive breastfeeding, targeted comple-
mentary feeding, micronutrient sup-
plementation, and food fortification.
Third, a strong nutrition compo-
nent in pandemic-related social-pro-
tection programmes is vital to ensure
that Africa no longer trails other
regions in this regard. Weaknesses in
the continent’s social-security pro-
grammes may prove disastrous for
people already suffering from hunger
or malnutrition. With disruptions to
food systems and supply chains com-
pounded by riding prices, social-pro-
tection programmes need to focus on
broadening access to affordable and
nutritious diets.
African Leaders for Nutrition’s focus
remains the same: to amplify the voices
of the continent’s leaders in order to
support Africa’s policy conversations—
including by facilitating high-level
political engagement. Through our
African Leaders for Nutrition
Champion, King Letsie III of Lesotho,
we are calling on heads of state and
government of the African Union
Assembly, the continent’s premier polit-
ical institution, to ensure that nutrition
features prominently in their Covid-19
response and recovery plans.
At the same time, our advocacy
tools, such as the Continental
Nutrition Accountability Scorecard,
compile hard data on African coun-
tries’ progress on improving nutri-
tion, services, governance, and socio-
economic outcomes. African govern-
ments must make data-driven choices
to save lives and livelihoods during
the pandemic and beyond, and such
tools aim to guide them toward allo-
cating financial resources and other
support to achieve the greatest impact.
Above all, African countries must
respond in concert to the challenges
they face. That means fighting the
pandemic in the framework of a
longer-term strategy to end malnutri-
tion and boost Africa’s collective prob-
lem-solving capacity. By uniting and
amplifying the voices of Africa’s lead-
ers, we can change the dance.
Kufuor, a former president of Ghana
(2001-09), is a co-founder of the African
Leaders for Nutrition initiative.
—Project Syndicate
C M Y K
05 | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2020

Money

Unscrupulous activities continue to rise Global travel and

despite an uptick in market inspections tourism projected to
In current fiscal year alone, from mid-July to October end, the department has fined 197 firms a total of Rs9 million.
KRISHANA PRASAIN
shed 174 million jobs
KATHMANDU, OCT 31 ASSOCIATED PRESS

Despite the increase in the number of

market inspections by the Department
of Commerce, Supply and Consumer
Protection, consumers are yet to feel
it’s impact, as the number of unscru-
pulous activities in the market contin-
ue to rise.
In the current fiscal year alone,
from mid-July to October end, the
department has fined Rs9 million
from 197 firms (by inspecting a total of
954 firms). Last year, the department
had fined Rs3.53 million from 208
firms by inspecting a total of 584 firms
from mid-July to mid-November.
Netra Prasad Subedi, director gen-
eral at the department, admitted that
consumers are not being able to feel
the outcome of the market inspection.
“The department has been conducting
market inspection on a regular
basis but consumers have not been
able to feel its impact in the market
due to traders’ unscrupulous inten-
tion,” he said. Such behaviour, howev-
er, can be lessened with continued
market inspection but that will take
time, he added.
Laxman Babu Aryal, a consumer
from Kuleshower, said that the prices
on goods are going up but the quality
is declining. In the last month, when-
ever Aryal has gone out to purchase
food items like rice, lentils, edible oil
among others he has noticed the pric-
es going up by a few rupees.
“The price of goods did not increase
at this pace compared to what it was a
decade ago,” Aryal, 48, said. “I have
been hearing that the government is
conducting market inspection but
have not been able to feel its impact
neither price-wise nor quality and
quantity wise,” he added.
Despite having the Consumer
Protection Act in place, consumers
are feeling dissatisfied and cheated.
“The Consumer Protection Act is
directed more towards charging a fine.
However, it does not have provision to
increase the fine amount as per the
 POST FILE PHOTO
Officials inspect a stall at a vegetable market in Kathmandu.
flaw of the traders,” Subedi told the
Post. “The government should be
ready to improve some articles and
sub-articles strictly to make the Act
strong so that a healthy market can be
set and traders can be held responsi-
ble for their doings,” he said. For
instance, the Act currently allows a
fine of up to Rs600,000 and two-three
years of imprisonment for offences
that put consumers’ health and money
at risk. The punishment for offences
that put consumer health at risk
should be increased, say officials.
Only recently, the police and the
department raided tonnes of expired
branded foods and other items that
were relabeled with a new date and
ready to be sent to the market at the
beginning of October.
The case is currently being investi-
gated by the department and has taken
two people in custody in relation to it.
“There is no such pressure from an
upper level to take action,” he said.
Similarly, to protect consumers,
Market Monitoring Procedure 2020
and Market Monitoring Team’s Code
of Conduct 2020 that the department
prepared and submitted to the
Ministry of Industry, Commerce and
Supplies has been approved and came
into implementation from October 20.
The Market Monitoring Procedure
2020 has come into implementation
aiming to protect consumers and
require businesses to follow certain
quality standards. The procedure has
provisions that are not included
in the Consumer Protection Act 2018.
The procedure is expected to make
market regulation more manageable
and effective.
The new regulation requires man-
datory quality checks and Nepal
Standard certification for goods. The
packaging label should also clearly
mention what is inside the package,
its quantity and the symbol number
of the product that the department
has given.
However, given the past perfor-
mances of the department and rise in
the number of unscrupulous activi-
ties in the market area, consumer
right activists are not hopeful the new
procedure will provide relief to con-
sumers. Unless strict action is taken
against market anomalies, consumers
will continue to be cheated, said con-
sumer right activists. They also stress
on the need of a tool of market inter-
vention to regulate the prices on daily
essential goods.
Prem Lal Maharjan, president of
National Consumer Forum, said mar-
ket anomalies are on the rise as trad-
ers think they can go beyond the law,
because law implementing bodies
work on political pressure and
intervention which has never been
able to go according to consumer
expectation.
Market inspection is also dependent
on the mood of the people’s represent-
ative more than the consumers, he
said. “This is why the market has not
become consumer-focused in Nepal
yet, and why consumers are continual-
ly being cheated on quality of goods
and price,” he said.
LONDON, OCT 31
The global travel and tourism indus-
try is on course to lose 174 million jobs
this year if current restrictions to
curb the spread of the coronavirus
remain in place, a leading industry
group warned on Friday.
While alarming, the projection from
the World Travel & Tourism Council
was lower than previously expected,
largely because of a strong recovery
in domestic travel in China and
rebounds in other countries. In June,
the council warned that there could be
197 million job losses worldwide in a
sector that many nations are hugely
reliant on economically.
Restrictions on travel imposed
when the pandemic erupted this year
effectively banned flights from abroad
and closed down the hospitality sec-
tors in many countries.
China, where Covid-19 first
emerged, has since managed to con-
tain the virus better than most nations
and has reopened large parts of its
economy, helped in part by widespread
virus testing at airports alongside
health and hygiene protocols.
Lockdown restrictions have been
eased around the world, but the num-
ber of travellers is way down, partly
REUTERS
A man sells cookies on the beach in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria, Spain.
There are fears
that the resurgence
of the coronavirus
will further hit
the sector.
because many countries require visi-
tors to quarantine themselves for a
number of days upon arrival.
There are fears that the resurgence
of the virus, particularly in Europe,
will further hit the sector.
The World Travel & Tourism
Council said prolonged travel restric-
tions could eliminate $4.7 trillion in
the sector’s contribution to global
GDP this year, a 53 percent reduction
from 2019.
“The sector’s recovery will be
delayed even further, with more jobs
lost, unless quarantines are replaced
with rapid, cost-effective testing at
airports on departure, and air corri-
dors,” WTTC President and CEO
Gloria Guevara said.
“The longer we wait, the more the
ailing travel and tourism sector faces
total collapse,” she added.

FOREX
US Dollar 118.87
Federal judge postpones China’s factory activity expands at
Euro 138.79

Pound Sterling 153.53 Trump’s TikTok ban in a slightly slower pace in October
suit brought by users
Japanese Yen 11.39

Chinese Yuan 17.74 REUTERS The data, particularly new export focuses on big and state-owned firms,
BEIJING, OCT 31 orders, indicates October’s trade fig- showed overall new orders remained
Qatari Riyal 32.65 ures should stay strong, Zhou Maohua, steady at 52.8, while new export orders
Australian Dollar 83.43 ASSOCIATED PRESS China’s factory activity expanded at a an analyst at China Everbright Bank, rose to 51.0, improving from 50.8 a

Malaysian Ringit 28.57

WASHINGTON, OCT 31
Saudi Arab Riyal 31.70
A federal judge has postponed
President Donald Trump’s threatened
Exchange rates fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank shutdown of the popular short-form
video app TikTok, siding with a
Pennsylvania comedian and two
other TikTok creators who say
bullion Price Per tola
Trump’s order hampers their free
speech.
Fine Gold Rs 94,500 US District Judge Wendy
Beetlestone on Friday blocked an
Silver Rs 1,180 upcoming Commerce Department
action that would have effectively
Source: FENEGOSIDA banned TikTok in the US by
cutting it off from vital technical
services.
gasoline watch The Trump administration has said
TikTok is a security threat, citing its
Chinese owner, ByteDance, and the
possibility that the Chinese govern-
ment could spy on users. Trump’s
executive order was set to take effect
November 12, but is now on hold as the
lawsuit proceeds.
This is not the first court challenge
to Trump’s attempted crackdown on
TikTok. Another federal judge in
September postponed a Trump
administration order that would
have banned TikTok from smartphone
app stores.
In that case, lawyers for TikTok
argued that the administration’s app-
store ban would infringe on First
Amendment rights and do irreparable
harm to the business.
But Beetlestone’s case in the
Eastern District of Pennsylvania was
brought forth not by the company, but
three of its users who’ve built a fol-
lowing on the app: Douglas Marland, a
Trump’s executive
order was set
to take effect on
November 12, but
is now on hold.
comedian from Pennsylvania’s Bucks
County, along with Southern
California fashion designer Cosette
Rinab and Connecticut musician Alec
Chambers.
“We are pleased that the judge has
halted this ban, which exceeds the
President’s authority under the
International Emergency Economic
Powers Act, namely portions of the
Act that reflect our nation’s deep com-
mitment to free speech,” said their
lawyer, Ambika Kumar Doran, in a
prepared statement.
The Commerce Department
and White House didn’t immediately
return requests for comment.
The administration has said it
is exercising Trump’s emergency
authority under the 1977 law
enabling a president to regulate
international commerce to address
unusual threats.
TikTok said in a statement
Friday that it is “deeply moved
by the outpouring of support from our
creators, who have worked to protect
their rights to expression, their
careers, and to helping small
businesses, particularly during the
pandemic.”
slightly slower pace in October but
was slightly above analysts’ expecta-
tions, suggesting a continuing eco-
nomic recovery as the country
rebounds from the coronavirus shock.
The official manufacturing
Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI)
fell to 51.4 in October from 51.5 in
September, data from the National
Bureau of Statistics showed on
Saturday, remaining above the
50-point mark that separates growth
from contraction.
Analysts had expected it to slip
slightly to 51.3 but said a broader
recovery still appeared to be solidly
on track.
REUTERS
Employees work on a production line manufacturing metal parts for furniture at a factory in
Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China.
said in a note. However, the epidemic’s
spread overseas could increase uncer-
tainties for China’s exports over the
next few months, said Zhou.
China’s vast industrial sector is
steadily returning to the levels seen
before the pandemic paralysed huge
swathes of the economy.
Pent-up demand, stimulus-driven
infrastructure expansion and surpris-
ingly resilient exports are propelling
the rebound, though the global out-
look is dimming as many Western
countries battle renewed surges in the
virus that causes Covid-19, with some
going back into virus lockdowns.
The official PMI, which largely
month earlier.
But smaller firms continued
to struggle. A sub-index for those com-
panies stood at 49.4 in October, slip-
ping back into contraction from
September’s 50.1.
Companies also shed jobs for a sixth
month in a row, and at a faster pace. A
sub-index for employment fell to 49.3
from September’s 49.6.
“The manufacturing industry over-
all continues to pick up,” said NBS
official Zhao Qinghe, while noting
that small companies face weak mar-
ket demand.
Some companies reported that
the resurgence of the epidemic over-
seas had lengthened procurement
periods for imports of raw materials
and increased transport costs,
Zhao said in a statement released with
the data.
China’s economy grew a weak-
er-than-expected 4.9 percent in the
third quarter year-on-year. It is expect-
ed to expand around 2 percent for the
full year—the weakest in over three
decades but still much stronger than
other major economies.
The pandemic has been largely con-
trolled in China, with daily life in
much of the country returning to nor-
mal, although an outbreak emerged
recently in the western region of
Xinjiang.
A sister survey on the services sec-
tor showed activity expanded for the
eighth straight month, hitting the
highest level since October 2013, as the
removal of restrictions on public
gatherings and movement bolstered
consumer demand.

Brace for take-off: Berlin’s much-delayed airport to open in industry crisis

REUTERS
BERLIN, OCT 31
After 14 years of construction and
six delayed openings, Berlin’s new air-
port is due to welcome its first passen-
gers on Saturday. But the timing could
not be worse.
The Covid-19 pandemic has
plunged the global aviation industry
into its deepest ever crisis, and recov-
ery is not expected for at least a couple
of years.
That has left the new airport, origi-
nally called Berlin Brandenburg
Airport but now known by its code
BER, looking for extra funds to help
pay its debts.
AP/RSS Built on the site of Schoenefeld air-
People walk through the Terminal 1 of the new Berlin-Brandenburg-Airport ‘Willy Brandt’ near port in former East Berlin, BER has
Berlin in Schoenefeld, Germany. been beset by problems. The construc-
tion planning company went bank-
rupt; fire doors, cabling and sprin-
klers had faults; and costs ballooned
to 6 billion euros ($7.1 billion) from an
initial budget of 2 billion.
The setbacks further dented
Germany’s reputation for efficiency
following long delays on other
high-profile projects, such as the
Elbphilharmonie concert hall in
Hamburg.
Economists have come to describe
Berlin’s state-owned airport operator,
Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH
(FBB), as a financial black hole.
“The FBB will not be able to earn
the money it needs to pay its debt in
the foreseeable future,” said Hansrudi
Lenz of Wuerzburg University.
At the end of 2019, FBB owed banks
and its owners—the German federal
government and the states of Berlin
and Brandenburg—4.1 billion euros.
That compares with 416 million
euros of revenues in 2019 from
Schoenefeld and Tegel, Berlin’s exist-
ing two airports.
Even before the pandemic, BER
wasn’t expected to deliver a big reve-
nue boost, as it mainly replaces the
two older airports.
But because of the Covid-19 crisis,
BER Chief Executive Engelbert
Luetke Daldrup expects just 10 million
passengers at Berlin’s airports this
year, compared with 36 million
last year and BER’s current capacity
of 40 million.
“We have a serious situation,” FBB
supervisory board chief Rainer
Bretschneider said this week,
adding the group was in talks with
its owners about fresh financial
support.
Economists say FBB will need
grants, restructuring, a strategic
investor, equity from its owners—or a
combination of these—to put it on a
solid financial footing.
Finding investors could be tough,
though, as Berlin is not an interna-
tional hub and other airport opera-
tors, also hammered by the crisis, are
not in a position to think about deals,
said Mainfirst analyst Johannes
Braun said.
FBB’s Bretschneider said the prior-
ity for now was getting through the
pandemic.
“We need to get out of the crisis and
need to ... dress up the bride, then we
can talk about a sale or a stake sale,”
he said.

C M Y K

world
Kashmir shut down
to protest India’s
new land laws
Associated Press
Srinagar, Oct 31
Shops and businesses were shut in
several parts of Indian-controlled
Kashmir on Saturday as separatists
challenging Indian rule called for a
general strike to denounce new laws
that allow any Indians to buy land in
the disputed region.
Government forces in riot gear
patrolled streets in Kashmir’s main
city of Srinagar in anticipation of
anti-India protests. Public transport
also stayed off the roads.
Kashmir’s main separatist group-
ing called the strike to protest new
land laws that India enacted on
Monday, allowing any of its nationals
to buy or its military to directly
acquire land in the region.
Pro-India politicians in Kashmir
have also criticised the laws and
accused India of putting the region’s
land up for sale.
The new legislation ended or modi-
fied most laws that governed local
land rights. It also abolished
1950s land reform laws that redistrib-
uted large patches of land to landless
farmers.
The move has exacerbated concerns
of Kashmiris and rights groups who
see such measures as a settler-colonial
project to change the Muslim-majority
region’s demography. They are liken-
ing the new arrangement to the West
Bank or Tibet, with settlers living in
guarded compounds among disenfran-
chised locals.
They say the changes will reduce
the region to a colony.
Until last year, Indians were not
allowed to buy property in the region.
But in August 2019, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s government
scrapped Kashmir’s special status,
annulled its separate constitution,
split the region into two federal
territories—Ladakh and Jammu-
Kashmir—and removed inherited pro-
tections on land and jobs.
The move triggered widespread
anger and economic ruin amid a
harsh security clampdown and com-
munications blackout.
Since then, India has brought in a
slew of changes through new laws.
They are often drafted by bureau-
crats without any democratic bear-
ings and much to the resentment and
anger of the region’s people, many of
whom want independence from India
or unification with Pakistan.
Briefing
Armenia, Azerbaijan trade
fresh accusations
YEREVAN/BAKU: Armenia and
Azerbaijan once more accused each
other of bombing residential areas on
Saturday, in defiance of a pact to
avoid the deliberate targeting of civil-
ians in and around the mountain
enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Shelling was reported by both sides
within hours of the latest agreement
to defuse the conflict, reached after
talks in Geneva between the two
countries’ foreign ministers and
envoys from France, Russia and the
United States. The agreement with
the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group fell short of what would have
been a fourth ceasefire since fighting
began on Sept. 27. The death toll in
the worst fighting in the South
Caucasus for more than 25 years
has surpassed 1,000 and is possibly
much higher.
Sri Lanka sends waste
back to United Kingdom
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has started ship-
ping 242 containers of hazardous
waste, including body parts from
mortuaries, back to Britain after a
two-year court battle by an environ-
ment watchdog, officials said on
Saturday. Several Asian countries in
recent years have been pushing back
against an onslaught of international
refuse from wealthier nations and
have started turning back the
unwanted shipments as they battle
against being used as the world’s
trash dump. The first 20 containers of
medical waste, which included body
parts from mortuaries, were loaded
on the MV Texas Triumph on Friday
and another 65 will be sent within a
week, Sri Lankan customs spokesman
Sunil Jayaratne said. “The balance
will be shipped as soon as another
vessel is available,” he said.
More than 150 evacuated from
coronavirus hospital after fire
MOSCOW: More than 150 patients were
evacuated on Saturday from a make-
shift coronavirus hospital in the
Russian city of Chelyabinsk in the
southern Urals following an oxygen
explosion and fire, the Emergency
Ministry said. The ministry said the
fire broke out following an explosion
in an “oxygen booth” in a dormitory
that was being used as a temporary
hospital. It said 158 people had been
evacuated and admitted to other hos-
pitals in the city. No one was injured,
according to preliminary informa-
tion, it said. The Healthcare Ministry
also said that 158 patients were being
treated in other clinics.  (AGENCIES)
US reports world record of more than
100,000 Covid-19 cases in single day
Ahead of presidential elections, it crosses 9 million cumulative cases, representing nearly 3 percent of the population.
Reuters
Washington, Oct 31
The United States set a new all-time
high for coronavirus cases confirmed
in a single 24-hour period on Friday,
reporting just over 100,000 new infec-
tions to surpass the record total of
91,000 posted a day earlier, according
to a Reuters tally.
The daily caseload of 100,233 is also
a world record for the global pandem-
ic, surpassing the 97,894 cases report-
ed by India on a single day in
September.
Five times over past ten days, the
United States has exceeded its previ-
ous single-day record of 77,299 cases
registered in July. The number of
daily infections reported during past
two days indicates that the nation is
now reporting more than one new
case every second.
The country is now
reporting one new
case of Covid-19
every second, recent
data shows.
The spike comes just four days
ahead of the US presidential election
on Tuesday. The Covid-19 pandemic,
which has killed nearly 230,000 people
in the United States, has dominated
the final stretch of the campaign.
The United States crossed 9 million
cumulative cases on Friday, represent-
ing nearly 3 percent of the population,
according to a Reuters tally of public-
ly reported data.
On Friday, 16 US states reported
their highest one-day coronavirus
infections while thirteen states were
at record levels of hospitalised Covid-
19 patients.
So far in October, 31 states have set
records for increases in new cases,
including five considered key in the
November 3 presidential election:
Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina,
Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
President Donald Trump and
Democratic rival Joe Biden held ral-
Turkish rescue workers scour rubble for survivors
as death toll from earthquake climbs to 27
Reuters
Izmir, Oct 31
Turkish rescue workers searched
through rubble for survivors on
Saturday, as the death toll from a pow-
erful earthquake that hit the Aegean
Sea the previous afternoon rose to 27.
Officials in the city of Izmir said 25
people were killed in coastal areas in
Turkey’s west, while two teenagers (a
boy and a girl) died on the Greek
island of Samos after a wall collapsed
on them.
At least 20 buildings in the city were
destroyed, authorities said, and the
rescue work was punctuated by fre-
quent aftershocks.
Bulldozers were removing debris
from collapsed buildings, and rescu-
ers were dismantling walls to reach
those stuck under the rubble, televi-
sion images and videos showed.
Environment Minister Murat
Kurum said some 100 people had been
rescued so far.
More than 800 people were injured
in Turkey, and the area had been hit
by some 470 aftershocks, the country’s
disaster agency said.
In central Izmir, rescuers were seek-
ing to save a mother and her four
children from the remains of a build-
Actor Sean Connery, the ‘original’ James Bond, dies at 90
Associated Press
londonn, Oct 31
Scottish actor Sean Connery, the first
actor to play James Bond on film and
for many fans the best, has died. He
was 90.
Bond producers EON Productions
confirmed his death, first reported by
the BBC. Producers Michael G. Wilson
and Barbara Broccoli said they were
“devastated by the news.”
“He was and shall always be remem-
bered as the original James Bond
whose indelible entrance into cinema
history began when he announced
those unforgettable words—‘The
name’s Bond... James Bond,’” they
said in a statement. The producers
said Connery’s “gritty and witty por-
trayal of the sexy and charismatic
secret agent” was largely responsible
for the success of the series.
The Scottish actor rose to interna-
tional superstardom as the suave and
fearless secret agent, first playing
Bond in “Dr No” in 1962. After a fur-
ther four films, he abandoned the role,
before being enticed back to play him
Reuters
A healthcare worker at a drive-through Covid-19 testing site at the Sanford Sports Complex Clinic, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, US.
India’s virus tally reaches 8.1 million with 120,000 deaths
NEW DELHI: India has registered 48,268
new confirmed coronavirus cases in
the past 24 hours.
The Health Ministry on Saturday
also reported 551 additional deaths,
taking total fatalities up to 121,641.
The figure raises the country’s total
virus tally to over 8.1 million, behind
lies in Florida on Thursday, showcas-
ing their contrasting approaches to
the pandemic.
The nationwide surge in cases seen
in the past week is pushing the United
States towards the grim mark of
100,000 daily cases. India holds the
record of most number of daily coro-
AP/rss
This drone photo shows rescue workers trying to save residents trapped in the debris of a
collapsed building in Izmir, Turkey, on Saturday.
ing. Relatives waited outside another
collapsed building.
One Izmir resident, who didn’t want
to be named, said both her parents
were still trapped. “I couldn’t get any
twice more, finally in 1983’s “Never
Say Never Again.”
While he will be most remembered
for his portrayal of Bond, Connery
enjoyed a varied career, which includ-
ed the best supporting actor Oscar for
his portrayal of a tough Irish street
cop in the 1987 movie “The
Untouchables.”
He also had major roles in films
including “Indiana Jones and the Last
Crusade,” “Highlander” and “The
Hunt for Red October.”
Scottish First Minister Nicola
Sturgeon said she was “heartbroken”
at the news.
“Our nation today mourns one of
her best loved sons,” she said.
He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth
II in 2000 for services to film drama
and in 2005 he was chosen for a life-
time achievement award by the
American Film Institute.
Thomas Sean Connery was born
Aug. 25, 1930, in Edinburgh, Scotland,
the first of two sons of a long-distance
truck driver and a domestic worker.
He left school at age 13 during World
War II to help support his family.
only the US. Over 7.4 million people
have recovered. The slowdown in
daily infections has held for more
than a month with fewer than 60,000
cases for nearly two weeks.
Some experts say the trend suggests
the virus may have finally reached a
plateau in India but others question
navirus cases—97,894 cases, it report-
ed on September 17. For every 10,000
people in the United States, over 272
coronavirus cases have been reported
and about seven people have died,
according to a Reuters analysis. In
Europe there have been 127 cases and
four deaths per 10,000 residents.
news. I couldn’t get any news,” the
woman told Reuters, when asked
about attempts to reach them.
Search and rescue operations were
complete in eight buildings, while
“I was a milkman, laborer, steel
bender, cement mixer—virtually any-
thing,” he said.
Weary of day labor, he joined the
British navy and was medically dis-
charged after three years. The ail-
ment: stomach ulcers.
Back in Edinburgh, he lifted weights
to build his body and compete in the
Mr Universe contest. He came in third,
briefly considered becoming a profes-
sional soccer player, but chose acting
because he reasoned his career would
last longer. He got his first big break
singing and dancing to “There is
Nothing Like a Dame” in “South
Pacific” on the London stage and in a
road production before going on to act
in repertory, television and B movies.
He went to Hollywood for two early
films, Disney’s “Darby O’Gill and the
Little People” and “Tarzan’s Greatest
Adventure.”
When he decided to become an
actor, he was told that Thomas Sean
Connery wouldn’t fit on a theater mar-
quee so he dropped his first name.
Then came the audition that
changed his life. American producers
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2020 | 06
the testing methods and warn a major
festival due in a few weeks and the
winter season could result in a new
surge. The capital of New Delhi,
which recently became the worst-hit
city in India, is already witnessing
high air pollution levels, making the
coronavirus fight complicated. (AP)
More than 1,000 people died of the
virus on Thursday, marking the third
time in October that milestone has
been passed in a single day. The num-
ber of patients hospitalised with
Covid-19 has risen more than 50 per-
cent in October to 46,000, the highest
figure since mid-August.
operations continued in nine others,
officials said.
The leaders of Turkey and Greece -
caught up in a bitter dispute over
exploration rights in the eastern
Mediterranean - spoke by phone late
on Friday.
In a rare show of warmth between
the two countries, Turkish and
Greek leaders exchanged solidarity
messages.
“I just called President (Tayyip
Erdogan) to offer my condolences for
the tragic loss of life from the earth-
quake that struck both our countries.
Whatever our differences, these are
times when our people need to stand
together,” Greek Prime Minister
Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted.
Erdogan responded in a tweet:
“I offer my condolences to all
of Greece on behalf of myself and
the Turkish people. Turkey, too, is
always ready to help Greece heal
its wounds. That two neighbours
show solidarity in difficult times
is more valuable than many things
in life.”
Turkey is crossed by fault lines and
is prone to earthquakes. Cooperation
between the two countries after a dev-
astating earthquake in 1999 led to a
period of warmer ties between them.
Ap/rss
In this Jan 23, 1987 file photo, actor Sean Connery holds a rose in his hand as he talks about
his new movie ‘The Name of the Rose’ at a news conference in London.
Albert “Cubby” Broccoli and Harry
Saltzman had bought the film rights to
a string of post-World War II spy
adventure novels by Ian Fleming.
France tightens
security after attack,
protests flare in parts
of Muslim world
Reuters
Paris/ Nice, Oct 31
France has stepped up security nation-
wide to guard against Islamist
attacks after the fatal stabbings at a
church in Nice, while protests flared
in parts of the Middle East, Asia
and Africa over French caricatures of
the Prophet Mohammad.
President Emmanuel Macron
deployed thousands of soldiers to pro-
tect sites including places of worship
and schools, and the nation was at its
highest level of security alert after the
second deadly knife attack in its cities
in two weeks.
Police were holding a 21-year-old
Tunisian migrant, identified by a
French police source and Tunisian
officials as Brahim al-Aouissaoui,
over the attack in which a man shout-
ing “Allahu Akbar” (God is Greatest)
decapitated a woman and killed two
other people in Notre Dame Basilica
in Nice on Thursday.
The attack took place at a time of
growing anger among Muslims in
many countries over the issue of
French cartoons of the Prophet
Mohammad, which they deem insult-
ing and blasphemous.
It occurred almost two weeks after
Samuel Paty, a school teacher in a
Paris suburb, was beheaded by an
18-year-old Chechen. Paty had shown
his pupils such cartoons in a class on
freedom of expression.
Protests have taken
place in Bangladesh,
Lebanon, Pakistan,
India and Somalia,
among others.
France, home to Europe’s largest
Muslim community and hit by a string
of militant attacks in recent years,
has defended the right to publish such
cartoons. Macron has insisted France
will not compromise on its basic free-
doms of belief and expression.
In Pakistan, Bangladesh and the
Palestinian territories, tens of thou-
sands of Muslims staged anti-French
protests after Friday prayers.
In Islamabad, police briefly fired
tear gas at protesters who broke
through security blockades in a failed
attempt to demonstrate at the French
embassy.
In Bangladesh, marchers in the cap-
ital Dhaka chanted “Boycott French
products” and carried banners calling
Macron “the world’s biggest terror-
ist”. Some burned effigies of the
French president.
“Macron is leading Islamophobia,”
said Dhaka demonstrator Akramul
Haq. “The Muslim world will not let
this go in vain. We’ll rise and stand in
solidarity against him.”
Protests also took place in various
parts of India, Lebanon and Somalia,
among others.
The leader of Lebanon’s Iranian-
backed Hezbollah movement, Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah, said the cartoons
were an aggression.
He condemned the Nice stabbings,
but said Western leaders also bore
responsibility for such crimes because
of their roles in Middle East conflicts.
Interior Minister Gerald Damarnin
said France was engaged in a war
against Islamist ideology and more
attacks on its soil were likely.
“We are in a war against an enemy
that is both inside and outside,” he
told RTL radio.
Nice Police Chief Richard Gianotti
said any symbol of the republic or
Christianity was a potential target.
“We have to be vigilant, we have to be
attentive,” he told Reuters.
French embassies arond the world
were also told to step up security,
authorities said.
Connery was not their first choice
for “Dr. No.” The producers had looked
to Cary Grant, but decided they want-
ed an actor would commit to a series.
C M Y K
07 | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2020

Sports | Medley

Briefing
Flick urges defender David
Alaba to extend Bayern deal
MUNICH: Bayern Munich coach Hansi
Flick on Friday urged defender
David Alaba to quit stalling over his
contract extension and commit to the
European champions, despite reports
linking him to the Premier League.
The 28-year-old Alaba is out of
contract at the end of the season
and is reportedly insisting on a huge
pay rise. He has repeatedly been
linked to English giants Manchester
United and Manchester City. Alaba
was a key part of the Bayern
squad which won the treble of
Champions League, Bundesliga and
German Cup titles last season and
Flick says extension talks have not
affected the Austrian’s play. “He does
his job well and my experience of
him is just as it was last season -
there is no difference,” said Flick. “I
still hope that he will sign with
Bayern because he knows what
kind of situation he currently
has in Munich.”
PSG forward Neymar sidelined
until mid-November
PARIS: Paris St Germain’s Brazil for-
ward Neymar will be sidelined until
after the international break in
mid-November following his injury
against Istanbul Basaksehir in the
Champions League, the French club’s
coach Thomas Tuchel said on Friday.
Neymar came off with a thigh muscle
problem in the 26th minute of
Wednesday’s 2-0 win over the Turkish
side. “Neymar should be back after
the international break,” Tuchel said.
The break in domestic action runs
from November 11 to November 17
when international matches will be
played. Brazil play World Cup
qualifiers at home to Venezuela and
away to Uruguay on November 13 and
17 respectively. (AGENCIES)
Walker gives Man City 1-0 win at Sheffield
Pep Guardiola’s side reach seventh in the Premier League standings after third win, two points behind leaders Everton.
REUTERS
SHEFFIELD, Oct 31
Manchester City beat Sheffield United
1-0 at Bramall Lane on Saturday with
Kyle Walker scoring against his boy-
hood club to extend the home side’s
winless start to the Premier League
season to seven games.
Walker, who was raised in Sheffield
and came through the Blades’ youth
system, marked his 100th league
appearance for City with a goal in the
first half and refused to celebrate. The
30-year-old full back collected the ball
outside the box and let loose an angled
low drive into the bottom corner that
skidded across the wet turf and beat
the outstretched hand of Blades goal-
keeper Aaron Ramsdale.
“I’m happy to get on the score-
sheet... United are well drilled and it’s
a tough team to come and break down
but luckily I came up with a goal,
through the bodies,” Walker told BT
Sport. “My mum and dad live here, so
if I celebrated I’d probably get a lot of
stick. I’m a Sheffield United fan, so I
couldn’t.”
Ferran Torres, leading the City line
in the absence of Sergio Aguero and
Gabriel Jesus, had the opportunity to
double the lead from long range when
Ramsdale came racing off his line but
his effort was hit straight at the goal-
keeper. But despite their domination,
City could not make their numerous
chances count.
United nearly levelled in the 70th
minute when Sander Berge shrugged
off two defenders in a mazy run to the
byline before a pull-back into the box,
only for John Lundstram to fire his
shot over the crossbar.
The result moved City up to
seventh in the standings, two points
behind league leaders Everton, while
United languish in 19th with just
one point.
position now, two games before an
international break.”
Wolves edge Palace to climb third
Wolverhampton Wanderers moved up
to third in the Premier League after
beating Crystal Palace 2-0 on Friday
thanks to goals from on-loan teenage
wingback Rayan Ait-Nouri and Daniel
Podence.
France under-21 international Ait-
Nouri gave the hosts the lead in the
18th minute after latching on to a
clearance and driving a bouncing shot
into the far corner for his first goal in
senior football on his Premier League
debut. Wolves midfielder Leander
Dendoncker then hit the post with a
powerful shot before Portuguese wing-
er Podence made it 2-0, meeting Pedro
Neto’s cross from the right with a
superb cushioned volley in the 27th
minute.
Palace had several VAR decisions go
against them, with a Michy Batshuayi
goal disallowed and a penalty award
overturned, both for offside.
Wolves substitute Adama Traore
had a great chance to put the game out
of reach in the 83rd minute but he
fired a powerful shot straight at Palace
keeper Vicente Guaita who parried it
away to safety. Palace suffered a fur-
ther setback when Luka Milivojevic
was given his marching orders in the
87th minute after a review showed a
nasty foul on Joao Moutinho.
The win puts Wolves on 13 points
from seven games. They trail leaders
Everton and second-placed Liverpool
on goal difference. Palace are ninth on
10 points.
AP/RSS Podence, whose only other league
Manchester City’s Kyle Walker (front) scored the winning goal against his boyhood club goal for Wolves also came at home to
Sheffield United in their Premier League match at Bramall Lane in Sheffield on Saturday. Palace, praised fellow scorer Ait-
Nouri, 19, who joined on a season-long
“We played very well. We struggled “They had one clear chance, no more loan, with the Midlands club having
for goals given the chances we creat- than that. It was our third game away an option to buy, from Ligue 1 Angers
ed,” City boss Pep Guardiola said. in seven days, so we are in a better earlier this month.
Real’s Hazard ends
scoring drought
Associated Press
MADRID, Oct 31
Eden Hazard scored his first goal in
over a year for Real Madrid in his first
start of the season to lead a 4-1 win
over Huesca in the Spanish league on
Saturday.
Hazard took advantage of the start-
ing nod by blasting home a strike to
set Madrid on its way to ending a two-
game home losing streak. Karim
Benzema scored two more for Madrid
and set up another goal.
Ravaged by a series of injuries,
including a foot fracture, Hazard has
struggled since making his club-re-
cord 100 million euros move from
Chelsea in 2019. His only previous goal
for Zinedine Zidane’s side was on
October 5, 2019.
The Belgium forward broke his
scoring drought in the 40th minute
when he received the ball, spun to fend
off a defender, and unleashed a
left-footed shot from outside the area
that swerved into the corner of
the net.
Hazard had missed the first seven
games of the campaign before playing
his first minutes since July on
Tuesday as a late substitute in a 2-2
draw at Borussia Monchengladbach in
the Champions League.
Benzema doubled the lead before
halftime when he controlled Lucas
Vázquez’s cross to the far post and
fired past goalkeeper Andrés
Fernández. The French striker found
Federico Valverde to put the result
beyond doubt in the 54th. David
Ferreiro scored Huesca’s goal in the
74th before Benzema rounded off the
victory with a header.
Madrid moved to the top of the
standings with 16 points, with a post-
poned game still to make up. Real
Sociedad and Cadiz are two points
behind. The promoted Huesca
remained winless since its return to
the topflight.

Mumbai Indians confirm top-two finish
AGENCIES
DUBAI, Oct 31
Mumbai Indians ensured a top-two
finish in the Indian Premier League
table with a clinical nine-wicket deci-
mation of an already battered Delhi
Capitals, who wilted under relentless
pressure from Trent Boult and Jasprit
Bumrah.
While Boult (3-21 in 4 overs) dealt
telling opening blows, Jasprit Bumrah
(3-17 in 4 overs) broke the backbone of
the Delhi middle-order, choking them
to 110-9. The defending champions
coasted to victory in 14.2 overs, taking
their points tally to 18 and will have
two shots in the play-offs to get into
the final.
Delhi, who had won seven out of
their first nine games, have now lost
four on the bounce and with a match
left are in danger of missing out on
the play-offs with an ever deteriorat-
ing net-run-rate of minus 0.159. While
batting, Delhi consumed 62 dot balls,
which effectively meant that more
than half of their stipulated 20 overs
had gone without scoring.
A target of 111 can’t be defended
nine out of 10 times and the pocket
dynamo Ishan Kishan scored 72 not
out off 43 balls to make the chase look
like a walk in the park. Not for once
did Delhi looked like being in control
as they made the Dubai strip and the
Mumbai bowling attack look doubly
menacing.
Boult was brilliant upfront remov-
ing openers Shikhar Dhawan (0) and
Prithvi Shaw (10 off 11 balls) in the
powerplay. Captain Shreyas Iyer (25
off 29 balls) and Rishabh Pant (21 off
24 balls) then compounded their
team’s worries as they failed to regain
the lost momentum.
The duo looked like playing for
themselves and the intent was miss-
ing which affected the morale of the
batsmen coming down the order.
Quinton de Kock effected a ‘MS Dhoni-
esque’ stumping off Rahul Chahar to
see Iyer’s return to the hut after which
came Bumrah’s two-over spell.
Pant’s misery ended when Bumrah
came round the wicket and fired one
from wide off the crease that came in
with the angle to trap him leg before.
He then tormented Harshal Patel, who
played and missed a few before being
adjudged leg-before, a decision that
couldn’t be reviewed as Pant had con-
sumed it during his dismissal.
Ronaldo recovers but virus hits other teams
Agence France-Presse
TURIN, Oct 31
Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo has
tested negative for coronavirus after
nearly three weeks but Serie A clubs
Atalanta, Sassuolo, Crotone and
Parma on Friday revealed new cases.
Ronaldo first tested positive for
Covid-19 on October 13 while playing
with Portugal. “Ronaldo carried out a
check with a diagnostic test for Covid-
19. The exam provided a negative
result,” the Italian champions said in
a statement. “The player has, there-
fore, recovered after 19 days and is no
longer subjected to home isolation.”
Juventus next play at promoted Spezia
on Sunday, with all matches now
behind closed doors.
Serie A leaders AC Milan also
announced that defender Matteo
Gabbia, goalkeeper Gianluigi
Donnarumma and striker Jens Petter
Hauge have all tested negative.
Donnarumma and Hauge “are author-
ised to return to training” before
unbeaten Milan travel to Udinese on
Sunday, with Gabbia “undergoing
medical screening” on Saturday.
In Bergamo, Atalanta coach Gian
Piero Gasperini’s pre-match press
conference Friday before this week-
end’s game at Crotone was cancelled
after a positive case among the coach-
ing staff.
Sassuolo, who travel to Napoli, have
three new cases, one a player, while
Parma who play at Inter Milan,
revealed two players had become
infected for a second time. Lazio are
awaiting tests results after players
including star striker Ciro Immobile
and Luis Alberto missed their
Champions League draw at Club
Brugge as a precautionary measure.
The Rome club are scheduled to travel
to Torino on Sunday before hosting
Juventus the following weekend.
Serie A are applying UEFA rules
whereby a match can take place as
long as a side have 13 healthy players,
including a goalkeeper. The only pos-
sible exemption would be a club which
has an active outbreak of Covid-19
with more than 10 new positive cases
in a week. In that case the club can
request a postponement, but only once
in the season, which was the case of
Genoa’s game against against Torino
earlier this month.
That match has been rescheduled
for next Wednesday.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) ****
The stars award you a free pass of sorts today. It’s
basically a license to act in any darned way you want
to for 24 hours. The funny thing is if anyone is com-
fortable in their own skin to start with, it’s you. This
should be good.
HOROSCOPE
CANCER (June 22-July 22) ***
You’re so nice that people expect you to be sweet even
when you’re unhappy. That doesn’t mean you’re a
phony, though. It simply means that you’d never
knowingly hurt anyone’s feelings, and there’s noth-
ing wrong with that.
LIBRA (September 23-October 22) ***
You and someone important need to have a serious
talk, and fast. You know it and they know it. The
good news is that you can both arrange it, no matter
how last-minute the requests. If you choose just the
right moment, turn on the charm and ask nicely.
CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) ****
A loved one has been trying to talk you into making
a great big change and do it suddenly. You’re not fond
of that sort of thing, especially if you’re not calling
the shots, but now, you’re not thinking of reasons
why you shouldn’t act.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) ***
Surprises aren’t on your list of favourite things.
Never have been, never will be. But when it comes to
dealing with the unpredictable, you’re better
equipped than most to do just that. You’re a rock, as
stable and sturdy as anyone could be.
LEO (July 23-August 22) ***
You know how hypnotic and unpredictable fire is,
right? Well, you’re a fire sign, so you possess both
those qualities. They’ll be running on high now, and
they’ll come in handy, too, since there’s absolutely no
way to predict what might happen.
SCORPIO (October 23-November 21) ***
At the moment, you’re feeling torn between doing
what comes naturally (keeping to your schedule
without any question) or breaking your routine and
shocking at least one of your dearest friends. No, it
won’t be an easy decision.
AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) ***
You’re more fond of just doing it and letting the chips
fall where they may. So now, when you’re faced with
not even a single second to sit down and think this
through before you go for it, you will not worry about
the outcome.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) ****
You’ve always loved surprises. You’re extremely
sharp, however, so arranging them isn’t easy for
other people. You’re especially appreciative and fond
of the surprises you can look back on and honestly
say caught you completely off guard.
VIRGO (August 23-September 22) ****
You have something on your mind, and you’re not at
all willing to bury it. Your best bet is to talk with the
person and, without pulling any punches or trying to
sugarcoat it, let them know exactly what you expect
from them.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21) ***
Patience is definitely not your virtue. It’s also not
something that anyone who knows and loves you
would ever expect to see you demonstrate. That said,
your natural temperament will fit in just perfectly
with today’s astrological menu.
PISCES (February 19-March 20) ***
It’s not your imagination. You certainly have been
singled out by the powers that be, but not for the
reasons you think. They’ve been watching you all
right, but only because they’re considering you for a
raise, promotion, or bonus.

Crossword Sudoku

Yesterday’s Solution

C M Y K
 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2020 | 08

blackboard
(C.R.P.D.) - 3/052/053

Challenges facing teenagers Resurrection

Dikshya Saud
They dwell in the ‘unalterable’ past or become anxious about the ‘unpredictable’ future,
thereby partially or completely ignoring the present moment. Rising from the grave
She has the spirit of a phoenix
That comes to life from her own ashes
To pave a new path for herself.
Quivering to quench the thirst of joy
Chastised for its search in the deserted land
Where lucidity has been replaced by insanity
And humanity banished from the ocean of foy.
The place which is ruled by greed and cruelty
And brutality engraved in human’s heart
Where generosity drowns in a sea of illicit
Letting boundary command liberty.
Agonised from anguish and pain
She should wake up from her deathbed
To console the wretched soul entrapped in fragility
And for love and peace to regain.

Saud is a bachelor’s student at the Agriculture College

of Natural Resource Management, Pokhara.

shutterstock
Sanjog Karki with past or future events or irrational thoughts ising songs of The Rolling Stones says it all,

I
n the midst of a meteoric rise in techno-
logical advancements, teenagers nowa-
days have been facing multifarious issues.
Many are facing an ‘identity crisis’. But as
far as my experience counts, it’s okay to
struggle at this vulnerable age of life.
At times, life offers us legions of happy
moments and good experiences. The irony of
life is that good times are transient but bad
times often feel like they will last forever. But
that’s not to say life is all doom and gloom. As
the saying goes, “It takes both rain and sunshine
to make a rainbow.” Also, remember that it’s the
crack where the light gets in.
The next irony of life is that many people just
fail to enjoy the present moment or live their
lives to the fullest. They dwell in the ‘unaltera-
ble’ past or become anxious about the ‘unpre-
dictable’ future, thereby partially or completely
ignoring the present moment.
What we need to understand is that we only
have control over our present. Being preoccupied
is pure hogwash—it leads us to nowhere. Best
utilisation of present is the only way out.
It takes both rain
and sunshine to
make a rainbow.
Don’t be too harsh on yourself. Make peace
with yourself. Come to terms with yourself. It’s
okay to feel sad, anxious, dejected and broken, at
times. What you need to accept is that life isn’t
always a bed of roses. Human beings need to
pass through different phases of life, irrespec-
tive of their cornucopia of wishes and yearn-
ings. It goes without saying that life is full of
problems and difficulties. But life is also full of
opportunities. No matter how much effort we
put into something we want or crave for, some-
times it’s all for nothing. As one of the mesmer-
“You can’t always get what you want.”
My humble advice for the perplexed teenagers
out there is: “As far as unravelling the purpose
of your existence is concerned, it would be futile
to get that far at such a tender age of yours.
Since it’s next to impossible for me to meet each
of you personally, I don’t really know what sort
of trauma you’ve been battling every single day.
But one thing I can rest assured is that I can only
empathize with what you are going through and
what’s going on inside your head.
Each one of us is a genius in our own way and
can defy all the odds that will take us a long way
in life. As the old adage goes, “There’s no com-
parison between the Sun and the Moon—both of
them shine in their own time.”
Believe in yourself and muster the courage to
beat self-doubt. As long as you trust your
instincts and follow your intuition, everything
will be alright.
Karki is a bachelor’s student at Tribhuvan
University, Kirtipur.
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fiction park

A voyage through time

Although he had walked this road daily for a year, today he was conscious of a strange change.
His instincts were screaming at him. Holding his breath, he paused and looked around.
Pratik Mainali

A
s Prajwal Kharel walked in the dark,
dusty street of Naghpokhari, he felt a
niggling sense of unease. He sensed
something unusual, like he was walk-
ing through a different town.
Something had changed. But he
couldn’t put his finger on as to what had. Prajwal
walked unsteadily; he was still disoriented from the
long nap he had just taken. He had a habit of going
for an evening walk before his evening meal.
Although he had walked this road daily for a year,
today he was conscious of a strange change. His
instincts were screaming at him. Holding his breath,
he paused and looked around. The old Newari houses
that looked old and worn out looked strong and brand
new. The government must’ve fixed the historical
houses, he thought. He scratched his head: but how
did they do it in one night?

He shook his head violently:

I’ve got to get a grip upon
myself, he whispered.
As he stepped onto the pavements of Narayanhiti,
he felt like something had exploded in his chest. Like
a dead man being stirred violently into pulsing life,
he felt life seep into him. The cloud of sleep evaporat-
ed. He looked around. The pavement was deserted.
Strange, he had always jostled through a crowd of
people. Maybe he came out a little late today. He
looked at his watch, it was 6:30. The days were getting
shorter. He examined the pavement closely; they
seemed to have been made of tiny pebbles. In the blue
darkness, the houses had a ghostly presence. The
place seemed to have gone through a bewildering
transformation.
He shook his head violently: I’ve got to get a grip
upon myself he whispered. I’ve overslept today, that’s
what it is. Taking a deep breath, he moved steadily
towards Narayanhiti. The mist had covered the whole
place and darkness was deepening. When he reached
halfway through the palace, he placed his hands on
his knees and panted.
Suddenly, the streets were illuminated by a fiery
light from a distance. He looked ahead, gaped with
wonder. Strength flooded into his soul and he ambled
confidently. A loud crashing sound echoed and a long
shadow slipped into the street, lengthened and rose
into the houses on the other side of the road. Prajwal
froze on his tracks. Loud noise rang like a peal of
thunder: “Catch him, catch that bastard”, and three
other shadows trembled on the wall. A solitary figure
emerged from the darkness into the street and ran
violently towards Prajwal. Prajwol looked at him in
stunned amazement. The man wore clothes he had
only seen in social studies books—a black daura
suruwal—and he was clutching a red, bulging bag to
his chest. Two other figures lurched into the scene
and began chasing the man. Prajwals jaw dropped:
they were wearing old Gorkha uniforms. A black
daura suruwal with a white cloth around the waist,
and a turban with a round silver badge on the head.
As the men rushed past him, they turned their eyes
and gave him an unwelcome stare. As the thrill sub-
sided, he felt sick and missed home.
Feeling unmanned, Prajwa hurried for his home in
Thamel. As he passed through the palace, he decided
to give the palace one last, longing gaze. What he saw
stopped him dead on his tracks. The Narayanhithi
palace was gone. He squinted his eyes shut, rubbed
them hard and opened. The palace had been replaced
by a big, white colonial building. It was the most mag-
nificent thing he’d ever seen, but it wasn’t the palace.
“Hey” a hoarse voice boomed and the guard flung
himself at Prajwal with frightening fury and seized
him by his shirt.
“What are you doing in the Narayanhiti gate at this
time at night? And what the hell are you wearing?
Are you a foreigner? Do you work for the Firangis?
Where the hell are you from?”
Prajwol looked at him in feverish confusion. The
guard shook him viciously. The language that the
guard used was archaic Nepali. It took time for the
guards’ words to sink in Prajwals head.
“Whaaaat… what year is this?” he managed feebly.
The guard left his shirt. “You know Nepali? But
what accent is that? Are you an easterner?”
“I’m from Kathmandu. From here.” He managed.
“Kathmandu? Where is that?” The guard was
annoyed.
“Kasthamandap. I live in Kasthamandap.” His
voice was choked.
“Then where the hell did you pick that accent? Are
you a spy from the British Raj? Who are you?”
“What year is this?”
“It’s Bikram Sambat 1895. You must be a peasant. I
don’t understand you or your beastly garments. What
kind of beggarly clothes are you wearing? Go home
and put on some decent clothes. I don’t want to see
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you around in these beastly things.” He pointed at
Prajwol’s shirt.
“Now go, you beast,’ the guard pushed him, and
Prajwal sprang towards the darkness in blind terror.
He was now engulfed in the darkness, and as he ran
wildly, his foot struck a stray rock and he fell face
first into the floor, losing consciousness.
He woke up to the sound of fluttering birds. He
turned his head to the heavens. Hundreds of pigeons
were sailing in the grey, morning sky. As the faint
morning sunlight broke, the pavement’s memory
came rushing back to Prajwal Kharel. A brutal,
throbbing pain came to his head, as he looked around.
A Maruti taxi wheezed past him and Prajwal breathed
a sigh of relief. It was all a dream, a frightful night-
mare. He had fainted on the street and had imagined
it all. Stroking his hurt forehead and consoling him
with these explanations, Prajwol walked slowly to his
home. At the back of his mind the horrible, haunting
memories clung firmly like a tight and sweaty sock.
Mainali is a bachelor’s student at Herald College,
Kathmandu

Published and Printed by Kantipur Publications Pvt. Ltd., Central Business Park, Thapathali, Kathmandu, Nepal, P. B. No. 8559, Phone: 5135000, Fax: 977-1-5135057, e-mail: kpost@kmg.com.np, Regd. No. 32/049/050, Chairman & Managing Director: Kailash Sirohiya, Director: Swastika Sirohiya, Editor: Sanjeev Satgainya