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Vol. XX No. 5 s Kathmandu, Sunday, November 28, 2021, Mangsir 12, 2078, Nepal Sambat 1142 T I M E S Jomsom and beyond)

s3(/244!+%3
).4%2.!4)/.!,
197 new cases of
Hong Kong film
nominated
coronavirus reported
Himalayan News Service
TAIPEI: Taiwan’s annual Golden Horse
Awards kicked off on Saturday with a Hong
Kathmandu, November 27 Two succumb
Kong drama receiving the most nominations Health authorities today di-
for the Asian equivalent of the Academy agnosed 197 cases of coro- to COVID
Awards. The Golden Horse Awards, which navirus infection in the KATHMANDU: Ac-
began in 1962, is considered one of the most country, including 121 from cording to the health
prestigious awards for Chinese-language Kathmandu valley. ministry, three COVID
films. This year, the Hong Kong film ‘Drifting’, With this, Nepal’s COVID deaths were reported
which is based on a 2012 court case involving c a s e l o a d h a s re a c h e d in the past 24 hours.
homeless people in the working neighbour- 820,724, including 802,047 With the recent addi-
hood of Sham Shui Po, received 12 nomina- recoveries, 7,156 active cas- tions the number of
tions including for Best Director, Best Lead- es, and 11,521 deaths. people who have suc-
ing Actor and Best Cinematography. Two Tai- Of those testing positive cumbed to the respira-
wanese movies, titled ‘The Soul,’ ‘The Falls’ for the contagion in Kath- tory infection has ad-
and ‘Till We Meet Again’ received 11 nomina- mandu valley today, 94 are vanced to 11,521. The
tions each. ‘The Falls’ won Best Original from Kathmandu, 20 from case fatality rate is 1.4
Screenplay, while ‘Drifting’ won Best Adapt- Lalitpur, and seven from per cent. — HNS
ed Screenplay. ‘Revolution of Our Times,’ a Bhaktapur.
documentary about the Hong Kong political Of the others diagnosed
unrest in 2019 by Hong Kong director Kiwi with the disease today, eight from health centres after re-
Chow, won Best Documentary Feature. are from Jhapa, seven from covering from the infection.
(Details on Page 3) Rupandehi, six from Mo- The recovery rate stands at
rang, five from Sunsari, four 97.7 per cent.
‘Russia planning coup’ each from Chitwan, Dang, Kathmandu valley has al-
and Kailali and three each together 1,711 cases of infec-
KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelen- from Dhanusha, Saptari, Sir- tion — 684 in Kathmandu,
skyy on Friday claimed that his country’s in- aha, Makawanpur, and 480 in Bhaktapur and 547
telligence service had uncovered plans for a Nawalparasi East. in Lalitpur.
Russia-backed coup d’etat in the country set Skanda Gautam /THT
Similarly, two persons The health ministry said
for next week that allegedly involves one of People warming themselves near a fire along a street on a cold winter day in Kathmandu, on Saturday. each from Ilam, Mahottari, 178 people were in intensive
Ukraine’s richest oligarchs. Both the oligarch S a r l a h i , My a g d i , a n d care — 32 in Province 1, one
and the Russian government rejected the al- Surkhet, and one each from in Province 2, 107 in Bagma-

Independent mechanism sought

legations. In Nantucket, Massachusetts, US
President Joe Biden expressed concern at the
coup talk. (Details on Page 4)
Ram Kumar Kamat
NEPAL COUNT Kathmandu, November 27
Government agencies always
say they are committed to pro-
tecting human rights, but
they have failed to prevent cus-
todial deaths.
Mohmmed Hakim Shah of
Sunsari, who had been detained
on the charge of indecent be-
haviour, was found dead in po-
lice custody in October. Ladai
Sah, who had been serving jail
Updated COVID-19 figures sentence in Rautahat District
Prison, was found dead in the
on Saturday second week of November.
Confirmed cases 820,724 While police and government
authorities said both victims
Total tests (PCR) 4,604,396 committed suicide, the victims’
families have accused police of
New Tests 4,907 foul play.
Project Manager of Advocacy
In Quarantine 98 Forum Bikash Basnet and Direc-
tor of Amnesty International,
In Isolation 7,156 Nepal Nirajan Thapaliya said an
Recovered 802,047 independent and impartial
mechanism was needed to
Deaths 11,521 probe custodial deaths.
“Police are always blamed for
(Source: MoHP)
custodial death and the existing
laws require the victim’s family
to file an FIR at the same police
station which creates a situation
of conflict of interest. This prob-
lem can be resolved only
through a fair and impartial
investigation mechanism,” Bas-
net argued.
Thapaliya said impartial in-
vestigation mechanism should
be considered for all deaths oc-
curring in prison. He said that
often people from marginalised
&/2%8 communities were found dead
CURRENCY UNIT BUYING (in Rs) SELLING (in Rs) in mysterious circumstances in
Indian Rs 100 160.00 160.15 police custody. “If police custody
US Dollar 1 119.50 120.10 cannot be safe for detainees, an-
Euro 1 134.59 135.27 ybody who is taken into police
Pound Sterling 1 159.10 159.90 custody for questioning or probe
Swiss Franc 1 128.94 129.59 could lose their lives,” he said.
Japanese Yen 10 10.47 10.52 Detainees who are supposed
Chinese Yuan 1 18.70 18.80 to be safe in state custody are
The foreign exchange rates are fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank
sometimes found dead in mys-
terious circumstances, Basnet
Parsa, Bara, Kavrepalan- ti, 15 in Gandaki, 21 in
chowk, Dhading, Sindhupal- Lumbini, and two in Sudur-
chowk, Gorkha, Lamjung, paschim.
Syangja, Arghakhanchi, Similarly, a statement is-
Kapilvastu, Bardia, Banke, sued by the health ministry
carrying out investigation. and Kanchanpur tested said there were 30 people on
s#534/$)!,$%!4(302/"% “As far as what type of cases positive for the respiratory ventilator support — 11 in
the police wanted to file in re- contagion. Province 1, 17 in Bagmati,
said and added that cases of cus- Spokesperson for Nepal lation to the alleged custodial As many as sixteen people and one each in Gandaki
todial death were rising mainly Police Basanta Bahadur Kun- death is concerned, it de- tested positive for antigens and Lumbini.
for two reasons: Those responsi- war said that in recent cases pends on the investigation in the past 24 hours. Kathmandu and Lalitpur
ble for custodial deaths are nei- of custodial death, independ- report,” Kunwar said and According to the Ministry districts have more than 500
ther investigated nor punished ent committees comprising added that police was trying of Health and Population, active cases of coronavirus
and rights organisations are not home ministry officials were prevent custodial death . 325 people were discharged infection.
allowed to visit custodies.
Human rights lawyer Mohan
Kumar Karna said that all deaths
where the victims’ families ac-
cused police of negligence or
torture should be investigated.
“Sometimes a detainee may die
of natural causes in police custo-
dy, but when a detainee dies due
to torture or police negligence,
then such incidents should be
investigated by a fair and impar-
tial mechanism,” Karna argued.
Associate Professor of law Bal-
ram Prasad Raut said, “Police in-
flict psychological and physical
torture on the detainees and
sometimes that leads to death.”
Raut added that although the
cops took detainees to health
centres for check-up, the pro-
cess was a mere ritual. “Police do
not want to hear the word ‘no’
from detainees. They want to
force detainees to admit their
crime and therefore they inflict
physical and mental torture on
them or their family members,”
Raut said and added that under
the existing laws, inflicting phys-
ical or mental pain on detainees
or their families was a crime and
the perpetrators of such crime
were liable to punishment. They
also have to provide compensa-
tion to the victim’s family. He
said none of the custodial deaths
had been impartially and inde-
pendently investigated so far.
Member of National Human
Rights Commission Surya
Dhungel said his office had been
trying to investigate custodial
deaths, but NHRC investigation
could take some time due to a
number of factors.

Omicron: How worried should we be?

Reuters cron, as a SARS-CoV-2 ‘var-
California, November 27 iant of concern,’ saying it
may spread more quickly
The new Omicron corona- than other forms of coro-
virus variant, identified navirus. The new variant
first in South Africa, but has over 30 mutations in
also detected in Europe the part of the virus that
and Asia, is raising concern current vaccines target.
worldwide given the num- The mutations are likely to
ber of mutations, which render certain COVID-19
might help it spread or treatments ineffective, said
even evade antibodies Dr David Ho, professor of
from prior infection or vac- microbiology and immu-
cination. nology at Columbia Uni-
News of the variant versity.
prompted countries to an- Experimental antiviral
nounce new travel restric- pills such as Pfizer Inc’s
tions and sent drugmakers Paxlovid and Merck & Co
scrambling to see if their Inc’s molnupiravir target
COVID-19 vaccines remain parts of the virus that are
protective. not changed in Omicron,
The World Health Organ- and these could become
isation classified the important if vaccine-in-
B.1.1.529 variant, or Omi- duced and natural immu-
nity are threatened.
Scientists say it could be
several weeks before they
can define the type of dis-
ease caused by the variant,
determine how contagious
it is and identify how far it
has already spread.
The biggest question is
whether protection from
COVID-19 vaccines will
hold up. And, will people
previously infected with
the coronavirus be im-
mune to Omicron?
Experts also don’t yet
know whether Omicron
will cause more or less se-
vere COVID-19 compared
to other coronavir us
strains.
Even without the new
variant, US COVID-19 rates
have increased as people
move indoors to avoid win-
ter weather.
Beyond government re-
strictions such as travel
curbs, individuals should
still assess their own vul-
nerability to COVID and
tolerance for risk as they
make travel decisions for
the winter holidays.
Vaccination should re-
main a priority despite
questions about effective-
ness against Omicro.
Everyone should also
continue to wear masks,
avoid crowds, ventilate
rooms, and wash hands.
“We have all those tools
that will work against any
variant,” said Dr Eric Topol,
director of the Scripps Re-
search Translational Insti-
tute in La Jolla, California.
 CMYK
PAGE 2 www.thehimalayantimes.com THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2021

NATIONAL

Mercury starts dipping as winter closes in

Himalayan News Service
Kathmandu, November 27
The mercury has dropped due
to the influence of various
seasonal impacts and local
phenomenon as a few more
days are left for the official
onset of the winter season in
the country.
Winter is said to enter the
country from December 1, but
people living in Kathmandu
valley have already experi-
enced comparatively cold
temperature in the past cou-
ple of days. The minimum
temperature in Kathmandu
has decreased by almost one
degree Celsius with each pass-
ing day in the past few days, as
per meteorologists. Yesterday,
the minimum temperature
was recorded at 7.6 degrees
Celsius in Kathmandu while
meteorologists unofficially
said that temperature was be-
low 6.5 degree Celsius this
morning. On Thursday, the
minimum temperature was at
8.8 degrees Celsius.
But unlike in the core winter
days, the maximum tempera-
ture has remained at around
20 degree Celsius. Yesterday,
Kathmandu recorded maxi-
mum temperature at 19.6 de-
grees Celsius. Meteorologists
say that people’s perception of
winter is normally high when
the minimum temperature
dips suddenly while maxi-
mum temperature drops
down gradually.
“Similar conditions are seen
in Kathmandu these days,”
said Raju Pradhananga, senior
Divisional Meteorologist of
Meteorological Forecasting
Division. “The minimum tem-
perature has dropped swiftly
compared to the maximum
temperature which has made
people feel the chilling cold in
the past couple of days,”
Pradhananga added.
He further said cloudy
weather in Kathmandu in the
past couple of days also result-
ed in the swift decline in the
temperature. This is because
of the low-pressure system
created around the northern
part of Bangladesh that is
flowing moisture filled cold
wind inside the country. This
will continue to create cloudy
weather in Province 1, Bagma-
ti, and Gandaki for the next
two days.
Light rainfall is also likely in
the mountainous region of
these provinces. Likewise,
Tarai region is also likely to
witness fog for the next few
days, as per MFD.
Winter occurs in the coun-
try as the sun shifts towards
the southern hemisphere and
far from the Earth, thereby
bringing cold temperature.
Also, days becomes shorter
and nights longer in the winter
while the land surface be-
comes cold.
Similarly, the north-western
wind flowing in winter brings
in chill air from the Himalayan
ranges, thereby further de-
creasing the temperature in
Nepal.
The MFD has called every-
one to become extra cautious
and keep themselves warm as
sudden cold can affect health
in different ways.
s/.#%/6 %2
Health worker dies
RAJBIRAJ: A health worker committed
suicide by jumping into the
Saptakoshi River on Saturday. A resi-
dent of Jhapa’s Damak Municipality-,
Suvash Nepal, 45, jumped into sluice
no 52 of Saptakoshi barrage and killed
himself at Hanumannagar Kankalini
Municipality at around 11:45am, ac-
cording to police. He was working as
AHW at Morang District Health Of-
fice. The cause of the suicide is not
known. Locals had reported to the po-
lice after they saw Nepal jump into
sluice No 52 of Koshi barrage. Police
recovered the body after two hours,
said DSP Madhav Prasad Kafle. The

Maoist Centre’s body has been sent to a hospital for

post-mortem. — HNS

Accident claims two

local-level RUPANDEHI: A person and his son
died when a Belahiya-bound truck hit
the motorcycle they were riding at

conventions held Barmeli Chowk of Bhairahawa along

Rastriya Samachar Samiti
Kathmandu, November 27
The CPN-Maoist Centre
conducted its local level
conventions across the
country today.
Party Chairman Pushpa
Kamal Dahal inaugurated
the conventions virtually
from Kathmandu.
The party’s Central Office
Secretary Shreeram Dhakal
said that processes were ini-
tiated for the selection of
new leadership after com-
pleting the inaugural session
in most of the local levels.
According to him, the
leadership has been elected
unopposed in most of the
districts’ local levels while
some local levels conducted
election to choose the new
leadership.
Dhakal stated that the
RSS
leadership in all local
A view of the increased number of tourists enjoying boat ride on the Fewa Lake in Pokhara, on Saturday. levels would be selected by
tomorrow.
Processes for the selection
Need of Oli to choose UML office-bearers of new leadership have been
initiated in Kathmandu val-
ley as well.
the Siddhartha Highway on Saturday.
The deceased have been identified as
Gita Nath Khanal, 53, of Chapakot
conventions in Lalitpur, said Municipality, Syangja, and his
that a new wave had been 13-year-old son Sudip. Both of them
died at Universal College of Medical
seen in favour of the party.
Secretary Dhakal also at- Sciences in Bhairahawa, said the po-
tended conventions in two lice. The truck driver and the truck
local levels in the district of have been taken under control. — RSS
Tanahun while the party’s
central election commis- Public welfare
sion’s Chief Bishnu Pukar
LALITPUR: Chairperson of CPN-Uni-
Shrestha was present in
fied Socialist Madhav Kumar Nepal
the convention of Nilkantha
has said his party was for people’s
Municipality in Dhading
welfare. At a programme organised to
district.
announce Godawari municipal com-
Party leader and Minister
mittee of the party here on Saturday,
of Land Reforms, Coopera-
Nepal asserted that the party he was
tive and Poverty Alleviation
leading was against injustice and an-
Shashi Shrestha took part in
archy. “CPN-Unified Socialist
the party’s convention in
emerged out of revolt. It unites all
Madhyapur Thimi.
progressive forces and communist
Finance Minister and
parties and advocates for poor peo-
Maoist leader Janardan
ple.” Party standing committee mem-
Sharma visited Athbiskot
ber and Minister of Health and Popu-
Municipality and Baphikot
lation Birodh Khatiwada accused the
Rural Municipality in Ru-
UML of giving up thoughts and com-
kum district to participate in
mitment. — RSS
the local-level conventions
of the party there and
pledged to make the Maoist Toilets go unused
Centre the single largest par- BAJURA: Public toilets have gone use-
ty in the election. less at Bajura headquarters. Bajura
The party yesterday held
776 local-level conventions,
including 753 local levels,
was declared open defecation free
district seven years ago. The head-
quarters is littered with urine and fae-

capable Rastriya Samachar Samiti

Sauraha, November 27
The closed-door session of
leadership in the ongoing 10th National
Congress of the CPN-UML
has given responsibility to
man Bhim Rawal announced
his candidacy during the
closed-door session while
challenging the proposal that
gives authority to Oli to select
the entire new team.
Chairman Oli will also pro-
UML’s assistant General
Secretary Bishnu Prasad Pou-
del said different clusters, in-
cluding women, indigenous,
Muslim, Tharu, backward so-
ciety and others, would be
represented in the 301-mem-
Maoist leaders attending
the conventions in the local
levels said that they were
party’s liaison coordination
committees and special
committees.
ces. Due to the concerned authorities’
apathy, some latrines are dilapidated,
while some have not come into use.
elated after witnessing active From the conventions, the
participation of leaders, cad-
res and citizens in the party’s
gatherings. Likewise, leaders
Maoist Centre also picked
representatives for the par-
ty’s province conference to
Traders, local people and others are
bearing the brunt. — HNS

NC stressed party Chairman KP Sharma

Rastriya Samachar Samiti
Kathmandu, November 27
Oli to present the name-list of
office-bearers and central
committee members.
However, party Vice-chair-
pose the members of central
accounts commission and
central discipline commis-
sion. Both the commissions
will have 25 members each.
ber central committee.
In today’s closed-door ses-
sion, Oli urged the entire par-
ty rank and file to make the
UML united.
of the Maoist Centre also at-
tended the conventions in
different districts.
Pampha Bhusal, who took
part in different local levels’
be held on December 11.
The Maoist Centre is
organising its national con-
ference from December EMERGENCY
NUMBERS
26 to 28.

Nepali Congress leader Prakash-

man Singh has pointed out
the need for capable leadership
in the party to make it strong and
effective.
Singh said this at a programme
organised to announce candidacy
of the panel of the presidential
candidate of the NC, Kathmandu,
Krishna (Sabuj) Baniya.
“Such leadership is required
from the 14th General Conven-
tion in order to run the party in an
institutional manner and as per
the rule and regulation,” he
shared. He mentioned that the NC
would move ahead as per the wish
of the people after the 14th Gener-
al Convention.
The NC should seriously ana-
lyse why the party was defeated in
the three-tier election, added the
NC leader. Saying top leaders
should be the guardians for taking
the party ahead in a systematic
way, NC central committee mem-
ber Gagan Kumar Thapa said that
the 14th GC should elect a leader-
ship that gives hope and trust to
the people.
Thapa urged all to cast their
vote in a prudent manner.
Similarly, NC Kathmandu Presi-
dent candidate, Krishna (Sabuj)
Baniya, said that he was going to
file his candidacy for the post of
president for the second term in
order to make the NC organisa-
tion stronger.
10 persons held with
sandalwood essential oil
Himalayan News Service
Kathmandu, November 27
Police arrested 10 people with 35
litres of red sandalwood essen-
tial oil from Tilganga, Kathman-
du Metropolitan City.
A special team of Metropoli-
tan Police Crime Division raided
a room and took them into cus-
tody. The suspects include Hem
Kumar Shrestha of Sindhuli,
Mangal Singh Lho of Makawan-
pur, Karsang Lama of Bhaktapur,
Ghanashyam Ale Magar and
Jeevan Thapa of Khotang,
Sudeep Thadrai of Tanahun and
Ikram Shrestha, Madan Pode,
Anila Charan Shrestha and Anup
Kumar Shrestha of Kathmandu.
They were arrested in the act
of trading in the aromatic oil for
Rs 500,000 per litre yesterday.
The red sandalwood essential
oil was stored in jerry cans inside
the room. The oil is mainly used
for aromatic therapy, body mas-
sage and to cure skin diseases.
After police stepped up crack-
down on smuggling of red san-
dalwood logs, racketeers have
started smuggling and trading in
the form of powder and prayer
beads.
The oil is distilled from the
wood of an entire tree, including
stump and roots. It is also used
in Ayurvedic medicine for treat-
ment of both somatic and men-
tal disorders, including common
cold, bronchitis, fever, urinary
tract infections, and inflamma-
tion.
Red sandalwood is an aromat-
ic tropical hardwood tree en-
demic to southern India. It does
not grow naturally in Nepal.
It is listed under Appendix II of
Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora, to which
Nepal is a party.
Thus, Nepal is obliged to out-
law transportation, possession,
sale and distribution of the rare
wood and its extracts.
Meanwhile, the arrestees have
been handed over to The Divi-
sion Forest Office, Kathmandu
for further investigation and le-
gal action under the existing For-
est Act.
Jorpati-Gokarna road section being black-topped, in Kathmandu, on Saturday.
‘Stay alert for new COVID variant’
Rastriya Samachar Samiti
Kathmandu, November 27
In the wake of the new COVID-19 variant
reported lately in South Africa, the Minis-
try of Health and Population has urged
people to remain cautious and follow the
health protocols.
The variant classified as B 1.1.529 could
spread to Nepal as well. So people visiting
Nepal through South Africa should com-
pulsorily stay in a week-long quarantine
facility, said the ministry.
Nepal is at risk when a virus variant is
OFFICE
RSS
reported anywhere across the globe, said
Joint Secretary at the ministry Dr Samir
Kumar Adhikari. So caution is necessary,
he added. The World Health Organisation
has classified the variant as ‘of concern’.
“Following this, we have stepped up vigil
on people visiting Nepal through South
Africa,” he said.
There is no need to worry as the variant
has not been reported in Nepal. But cau-
tion is necessary, he said. “At present, the
number of COVID-19 cases is decreasing.
But the risks still persist. So there is a need
to follow health protocols.”
PHONE NO.
Police Control Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Traffic Police Control Room . . . . . . . . 103
Fire Fighters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Traffic Jam Information (SMS) . . . JAM 4321
Emergency Police Service . . . . . . . 4228435
Crime Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4412748
Child Missing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Nepal Electricity Authority . . . . . . . 4153164
Blood Bank, Pradarshani Marg. . . . . 4225344
Nepal Red Cross Society, Teku . . . . 4270650
Bhaktapur Red Cross . . . . . . . . . . . 6611661
Army Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4271940
Bir Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4221988
Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital . . . . . . 6611532
Chirayu National Hospital. . . . . . . . 5905888
Kanti Children Hospital. . . . . . . . . . 4411550
Norvic Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4258554
Police Hospital. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4412430
Patan Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5522295
Om Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4476225
Star Hospital, Sanepa . . . . . . . . . . . 5550197
Teaching Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4412505
Grande Hospital. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5159266
Dr. Iwamura Memorial Hospital . . . 6612695
Tilganga Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5970048
Hearse (Shav Vahan). . . . . . . . . . . . . 6612266

Making Nepal a middle-income developing nation: Opportunities and challenges

Rastriya Samachar Samiti
Kathmandu, November 27
The 40th plenary meeting of the
76th Session of the United
Nations General Assembly unan-
imously adopted a resolution
on Thursday endorsing the grad-
uation of Nepal from the Least
Developed Country category
with the preparatory period
of five years.
With the unanimous adoption
of the proposal, it has become in-
evitable to focus the vision of all
political players on the activities
of national income generation,
and maintain political stability
for the next five years.
The meeting approved Nepal’s
proposal on the basis of Gross
National Income, Human Asset
and Economic and Environmen-
tal Vulnerability, in view of the
unwavering plan of the Govern-
ment of Nepal to realise the na-
tional aspiration of ‘Prosperous
Nepal, Happy Nepali’ reflected in
the 15th Periodic Plan.
It is a matter of pride for all Ne-
palis that Nepal, which has been
a victim of poverty and back-
wardness for more than five dec-
ades, is moving towards transfor-
mation into a middle-income
developing country. Not only has
the country’s uplift been a sign of
progress, but it has also sent a
positive message to the world
community about Nepal’s devel-
opment prospects.
Although the challenge for Ne-
pal is to increase the income of
every Nepali, free them from the
vicious cycle of poverty and keep
them busy in sustainable income
generation, upgrading can be
marketed as an attractive desti-
nation for foreign direct invest-
ment and there is ample oppor-
tunity to increase domestic pri-
vate sector investment for
smooth upgradation. There is no
alternative to moving forward for
sustainable and irreversible de-
velopment by gradually devising
development strategies, expedit-
ing policy and procedural re-
forms and adjustments in coop-
eration with Nepal’s develop-
ment and trade partners, and
creating a conducive environ-
ment for investment.
It has become imperative for
the country’s political leadership
to immediately engage in dia-
logue with Nepal’s bilateral and
multilateral development and
trade partners to ensure that the
common ‘agenda’ of national de-
velopment remains the same,
despite political differences. For
that, strong will and sincerity
must be demonstrated.
Nepal’s political leadership,
which has been able to resolve
the a decade-long armed conflict
peacefully, once again should
take advantage of the opportuni-
ty to exhibit that they are not di-
vided on the question of remov-
ing Nepal from the list of poor
countries and restoring its lost
image to the world community.
Even though Nepal, as a least
developed country, will continue
receiving favour, facilities, con-
cessions and assistance from the
international community till De-
cember 2026, it will be reduced
thereafter. In order to work with a
clear action plan focusing on the
country’s abundant water re-
sources, commercialisation of
agriculture, optimum utilisation
of forest and forest products, in-
cluding herbal medicine and
tourism sectors, it has become
imperative to formulate a na-
tional transition strategy of up-
grading in collaboration with bi-
lateral, regional and multilateral
development and trade partners,
including the UN system.
The five-year preparatory peri-
od is provided for a smooth tran-
sition, recognising the effect of
the COVID-19 pandemic and the
resulting need to implement pol-
icies and strategies to reverse the
pandemic’s damage to the eco-
nomic and social sectors. The
five-year transition period is pro-
vided on an exceptional basis
mainly in the context of the COV-
ID-19 pandemic, which would
normally be for three years.
The resolution has mandated
the Committee on Development
Policy, a subsidiary body of the
Economic and Social Council, to
analyse the adequacy of the pre-
paratory period at its 2024 trien-
nial review and recommend fur-
ther extension if necessary. The
resolution also invites Nepal and
the other two graduating coun-
tries to prepare smooth national
transition strategies, with the
support of the UN system and in
cooperation with their bilateral,
regional, and multilateral devel-
opment and trading partners.
After the adoption of the reso-
lution, Nepal has reiterated its
commitment to making all-out
efforts for smooth graduation
with the enhanced level of sup-
port from development partners,
including the UN system.
 CMYK
THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2021 www.thehimalayantimes.com PAGE 3

NEIGHBOURS

Modi orders review of

reopening on Omicron
COVID concerns
Reuters
New Delhi, November 27
Indian Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi told officials to-
day to review plans to ease
travel restrictions as con-
cerns rise over the new Omi-
cron variant of COVID-19.
The world’s second-worst
affected country by the pan-
demic had only yesterday
decided to resume interna-
tional passenger flights from
countries deemed ‘at risk’ of
the coronavirus, while or-
dering tightened border
screening.
But after the World Health
Organisation declared the
new variant to be ‘of con-
cern’, Modi highlighted the
need for monitoring all in-
ternational arrivals, their
testing as per guidelines,
with a specific focus on
countries identified ‘at risk’,
the government said in a
statement after he met
with officials to review the
COVID-19 and vaccination
situation.
The WHO said Omicron,
initially detected in South
Africa, may spread more
quickly than other forms.
This week, India posted
the smallest rise in new cas-
es in one-and-a-half years,
due to increased vaccina-
tions and antibodies in a
large section of its popula-
tion from previous infec-
tions. The nation’s daily
caseload has halved since
September. It reported 8,318
new cases in the last 24
hours.
But the new variant, with a
spike protein dramatically
different from the one
existing coronavirus that
vaccines are based on,
has raised global alarms
and frightened financial
markets.
Modi said people must be
more cautious and take
proper precautions, such as
wearing masks and social
distancing. He ‘spoke about
the need to be proactive
in light of the new variant,’
the statement said. “He di-
rected that intensive con-
tainment and active surveil-
lance should continue in
clusters reporting higher
cases and required technical
support be provided to
states which are reporting
higher cases presently.”
Modi told officials to ac-
Reuters
celerate second-dose cover-
age, it said. People taking pictures of a Christmas decorated tree during sunset at Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, on Saturday.

China urges US Afghan girls appear for entrance exams United States, others concerned
to stop official for Turkish-run schools in Kabul about Myanmar military offensive
interaction Reuters
Kabul, November 27
seized power in August. “We want
all girls to be educated. This is our
ban say they are still working on a
national system.
Reuters
Washington, November 27
statement, the nations ex-
pressed their ‘grave concern’
ployment of thousands of
troops accompanying what

with Taiwan Hundreds of Afghan girls took en-

Xinhua
Beijing, November 27
A foreign ministry spokesperson
of China yesterday urged the Unit-
ed States to earnestly abide by the
one-China principle and the three
China-US Joint Communiqués,
and immediately stop all forms of
official interaction with Taiwan.
The visit to Taiwan by certain
US lawmakers gravely violates the
one-China principle and stipula-
tions of the three China-US Joint
Communiqués and sends a seri-
ously wrong signal that the US is
supporting the ‘Taiwan independ-
ence’ separatist forces, spokesper-
son Zhao Lijian said at a daily
press briefing. “China strongly de-
plores and firmly rejects this and
has lodged solemn representation
with the US side,” he said.
Noting that China’s reunifica-
tion is an unstoppable trend of
history, Zhao said the clumsy
show put up by certain US politi-
cians and the Taiwan authorities
is only to be overwhelmed by Chi-
na’s reunification process and can
never change the unbreakable
landscape where 180 countries in
the world are committed to the
one-China principle. “A stern
warning to the Taiwan authorities:
Attempting to solicit foreign sup-
port and rely on the United States
to seek independence will prove a
dead end,” he said.
trance exams yesterday for a Turkish
foundation in Kabul that runs some
of Afghanistan’s most highly regard-
ed schools, despite a delay by the
Taliban in allowing the 13-year-olds
to return to the classroom.
Some 3,500 students sat the high-
ly competitive exams for the Af-
ghan-Turk school system, with girls
making up almost 40 per cent of
candidates, Reza Parsa, a school of-
ficial, said.
The move came despite the Talib-
an government’s delay in authoris-
ing girls above grade 7 - aged about
13 - to return to school following a
ban imposed when the movement
Sri Lanka bans travellers from
six African nations
Reuters
Mumbai, November 27
Sri Lanka today said that it was barring
travellers from six Southern African
countries with effect from Monday
over concerns about the new Omicron
variant of the coronavirus that has
originated from South Africa and has
spread quickly in African countries.
From Monday, travellers will not be
allowed into the country from South
Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namib-
ia, Lesotho and Eswatini, the Sri Lan-
president’s and our government’s
wish and that of Afghans,” the Edu-
cational Councillor at Kabul’s Turk-
ish Embassy, Changez Idmir, said at
a news conference to mark the
holding of the entrance tests.
Facing mounting global pressure,
the Taliban have said they will allow
older girls to resume classes once
arrangements are made to ensure
they can do so in conformity with
what the movement considers
proper Islamic standards.
Afghan-Turk schools are regarded
among the top schools in Afghani-
stan and admission is highly com-
petitive. Unofficially, many parts of
the country have seen older girls re-
start classes, while officially the Tali-
kan government said in a statement.
Travellers who arrived from these
six countries over the past two days
will have to undergo mandatory 14
days of quarantine.
The World Health Organisation
yesterday declared the new coronavi-
rus variant to be “of concern” as it
spreads very fast
It was first reported to the World
Health Organisation from South
Africa on Wednesday and has been
identified in Botswana, Belgium, Hong
Kong and Israel.
An official of the Taliban-led edu-
cation ministry, Ehsan Khateb, also
attended the ceremony and
thanked the Turkish government.
Afghan-Turk schools have had to
make changes to their curriculum,
shutting music, theatre and dance
departments at the request of Talib-
an officials, the head of the Turkish
educational foundation, Salleh
Saghar, told Reuters. The founda-
tion respected the rules and culture
of the host country, he said.
“Like the music, theatre and
dancing department ... based on
Taliban requests we closed the de-
partments,” he said, and it was for
the Taliban government to decide if
they would reopen.
The United States issued a
joint statement along with
Australia, Canada, New Zea-
land, Norway, South Korea
and Britain expressing con-
cern over a military offensive
in Myanmar that they say is
disproportionately harming
civilians.
Washington and other na-
tions have repeatedly de-
nounced a February 1 coup
that threw the Southeast
Asian country into turmoil,
with regional militias taking
up arms after the military at-
tempted to crush wide-
spread protests. In their joint
over reports of abuses, in-
cluding sexual violence and
torture, especially in the
northwestern area that com-
prises Chin State and the re-
gions of Sagaing and Magwe,
where at least 50,000 people
are reported to have been
displaced. They called for
the junta, which has been
accused of destroying
homes and churches, to im-
mediately end the violence.
“We are concerned about
allegations of weapons
stockpiling and attacks by
the military, including shell-
ing and airstrikes, use of
heavy weapons, and the de-
security forces assert are
counter-terrorism opera-
tions, which are dispropor-
tionately impacting civil-
ians,” the countries said.
The UN Security Council
on November 10 issued a
statement expressing con-
cern and calling for the ces-
sation of violence.
The seven nations went
further, calling for countries
to ‘suspend all operational
support to the military, and
to cease the transfer of arms,
materiel, dual-use equip-
ment, and technical assis-
tance to the military and its
representatives.”

Reuters

A Taliban fighter searching a car as he guards a checkpoint in Kabul, on Saturday.

HK drama shine at Golden Horse Awards

Associated Press
Taipei, November 27
Taiwan’s annual Golden Horse
Awards kicked off today with a Hong
Kong drama receiving the most nomi-
nations for the Asian equivalent of the
Academy Awards.
The Golden Horse Awards, which
began in 1962, is considered one of
the most prestigious awards for Chi-
nese-language films.
This year, the Hong Kong film
‘Drifting’, which is based on a 2012
court case involving homeless people
in the working neighbourhood
of Sham Shui Po, received 12 nomina-
tions including for Best Director,
Best Leading Actor and Best Cine-
matography.
Two Taiwanese movies, titled ‘The
Soul,’ ‘The Falls’ and ‘Till We Meet
Again’ received 11 nominations each.
‘The Falls’ won Best Original
Screenplay, while ‘Drifting’ won Best
Adapted Screenplay. ‘Revolution of
Our Times,’ a documentary about the
Hong Kong political unrest in 2019 by
Hong Kong director Kiwi Chow, won
Best Documentary Feature.
The film was a controversial topic
in Hong Kong and Chow was accused
of flouting coronavirus rules after
authorities raided a private screening
of the documentary in Hong Kong.
Under Hong Kong laws, private
gatherings are not limited by corona-
virus restrictions.
Chow has since sold the copyright
of the documentary to a European
distributor and disposed of all his
footage, in light of risks from a
sweeping national security law
implemented in the city following the
political unrest.
 CMYK
PAGE 4
5KRAINELEADERALLEGES
2USSIA
BACKEDCOUP
PLANNEDNEXTWEEK
The Associated Press
Kyiv, November 27
Ukrainian President Volody-
myr Zelenskyy yesterday
claimed that his country’s in-
telligence service has uncov-
ered plans for a Russia-backed
coup d’etat in the country set
for next week that allegedly
involves one of Ukraine’s rich-
est oligarchs.
Both the oligarch and the
Russian government rejected
the allegations. In Nantucket,
Massachusetts, where he is
spending a holiday weekend,
US President Joe Biden ex-
pressed concern at the coup
talk and renewed US support
for Ukraine’s sovereignty and
self-government.
At a news conference in
Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital,
Zelenskyy said he received
information that a coup was
being planned for next
Wednesday or Thursday. He
did not give many details to
back up his allegation, but
pointed to a suspected role of
Ukraine’s richest oligarch,
Rinat Akhmetov.
The president said that
Ukrainian intelligence has au-
dio recordings of an alleged
meeting between Russian
and Ukrainian officials dis-
cussing a plan for a coup al-
legedly funded by Akhmetov,
whose fortune is estimated at
$7.5 billion.
Zelenskyy refused to dis-
close further details about
the alleged coup, saying
only that he doesn’t plan to
flee the country.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry
Peskov rejected the allega-
tions in comments to journal-
ists in Moscow yesterday.
“Russia had no plans to
get involved,” Peskov said.
“Russia never does such
things at all.”
Akhmetov called Zelen-
skyy’s allegations ‘an absolute
lie.’ “I am outraged by the
spread of this lie, no matter
what the president’s motives
are,” Akhmetov said in a state-
ment, relayed to the Associat-
ed Press by his spokeswoman
Anna Terekhova.
Asked about the alleged
coup plans, the US State De-
partment’s top official for
European and Eurasian af-
fairs, Karen Donfried, said:
“We are in touch with the
Ukrainian government to dis-
cuss this further, and we’re
100 pc of
population
received one
COVID jab: UAE
Agence France Presse
Abu Dhabi, November 27
One hundred per cent of the United
Arab Emirates’ population has re-
ceived at least one dose of a vaccine
against COVID-19, the health min-
istry has said.
The announcement late yester-
day came amid growing global con-
cern over a new COVID variant
dubbed Omicron that was first de-
tected by South Africa.
The World Health Organisation
said the new variant is more infec-
tious than the dominant, highly
transmissible Delta strain, and sev-
eral countries, including the UAE,
have restricted travel from a num-
ber of south African countries.
According to the UAE health min-
istry, ‘a total of 21,802,032 doses’ of
COVID vaccine have been adminis-
tered in the Gulf Arab nation.
“One hundred per cent (of the
population) have received one
dose” while “90.18 percent are fully
vaccinated”.
The UAE — a federation of seven
emirates — is home to around 10
million people, a majority of whom
are expats. The energy-rich Arab
country was considered as far back
as July a leader in terms of popula-
tion in inoculating people against
COVID.
In October, the UAE declared it
had overcome the coronavirus crisis
after recording its lowest number
of infections that month. The UAE
has so far recorded more than
741,000 cases of Covid-19, including
2,145 deaths.
‘Ukraine invasion plan
malicious US propaganda’
Reuters
Moscow, November 27
Russia has no plans to in-
vade Ukraine and sugges-
tions to the contrary are
malicious US propaganda,
Moscow’s foreign intelli-
gence chief said today.
US, NATO and Ukraini-
an officials have raised the
alarm in recent weeks over
what they say are unusual
Russian troop movements
near the border with
Ukraine, suggesting that
Moscow may be poised to
launch an attack.
Russia has repeatedly
said it is free to move its
troops on its own territory
and that such movements
should not be a cause for
concern.
“I need to reassure
everyone. Nothing like this
is going to happen,” Sergei
Naryshkin, head of Russia’s
foreign intelligence agen-
working to obtain additional
information.”
Biden told US reporters he
expected to talk to Putin and
Zelenskyy, ‘in all probability.’
Volodymyr Fesenko, a Ky-
iv-based political analyst
and head of the Penta Centre
think tank, told the AP that
Zelenskyy targeted Akhmetov
after a ‘proper information
war’ was waged against the
president over the last two
months on TV channels the
oligarch owns.
A mass protest in front
of the president’s office is
also being planned for De-
cember 1.
The analyst pointed to great
discontent among Ukrainian
oligarchs, including
Akhmetov, over a law pushed
by Zelenskyy that limits their
influence on politics.
Fesenko called Zelenskyy’s
reference to Akhmetov in con-
nection with the alleged coup
‘a pre-emptive signal’ for the
oligarch not to get in involved
in risky political ventures,
cross the red lines and negoti-
ate with Moscow.”
In recent weeks, Ukrainian
Protesters demonstrating against migrant deaths, in London, on Saturday.
0OLICEFIRETEARGASATPROTESTERSIN)RANSCITYOF)SFAHAN
Associated Press
Dubai, November 27
Police fired tear gas and bird-
shot while fighting protesters
with batons yesterday in a
central Iranian city that has
seen days of demonstrations
demanding government action
over a drought, online videos
show.
The social media videos and
others from activists show
police and protesters clashing
cy, said in an interview
broadcast on state televi-
sion, referring to com-
ments on Russia’s alleged
invasion plans.
“Everything that is hap-
pening around this topic
right now is of course mali-
cious propaganda by the
US State Department.”
Naryshkin spoke a day
after the State Depart-
ment’s top US diplomat for
European affairs said all
options were on the table
in how to respond to Rus-
sia’s troop buildup near
Ukraine’s border and that
NATO would decide on the
next move after consulta-
tions next week.
While US officials have
voiced concerns about a
possible Russian attack on
Ukraine, Moscow has ac-
cused Washington, Kyiv
and NATO of provocative
and irresponsible behav-
iour near its borders.
and Western officials have
expressed concern that a Rus-
sian military buildup near
Ukraine could signal plans
by Moscow to invade its
ex-Soviet neighbour. The
Kremlin insists it has no such
intention and has accused
Ukraine and its Western back-
ers of making the claims to
cover up their own allegedly
aggressive designs.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine has
full control of its borders and
is ready for any escalation of
the conflict with Russia. But
he noted that the media are
engaged in fearmongering
over the possibility of such a
conflict. He also said that the
head of his office, Andriy Yer-
mak, will soon be in contact
with the Russian authorities at
the request of the European
Council President Charles
Michel and German Chancel-
lor Angela Merkel.
“They want contacts be-
tween our administration and
the Russian administration. I
think that in the near future
Yermak will contact them. We
are absolutely not against
this,” Zelenskyy said.
in the dry bed of the Zayan-
dehrud River in the city of Isfa-
han. The videos correspond to
reporting by The Associated
Press and satellite images of the
area, as well as some semioffi-
cial Iranian news agency ac-
counts of the unrest.
Videos from Human Rights
Activists in Iran show demon-
strators throwing stones at po-
lice, while others depict blood-
ied protesters, including one
man who appeared to have
www.thehimalayantimes.com THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2021
INTERNATIONAL
Reuters
Gulls flying at sunset at Bang Pu seaside resort in Samut Prakan province on the outskirts of Bangkok, on Saturday.
Japan prime minister vows to step s4(%7/2,$/6%2
up defence amid China, NK threats Two killed in Niger
NIAMEY: At least two people were
Associated Press Kishida, who took office in on power. He now advocates killed and 16 others injured in west-
October, served as top com- increasing Japanese military ern Niger on Saturday when protest-
Tokyo, November 27 ers clashed with a French military
mander for the first time at to- capability and spending.
Japanese Prime Minister Fu- day’s Self-Defence Force troop Yesterday, Kishida’s Cabinet convoy they blocked after it crossed
mio Kishida, at his first troop review held at the main army approved a 770 billion yen the border from Burkina Faso, the lo-
review today, renewed his base Camp Asaka, north of To- ($6.8 billion) request for an ex- cal mayor said. The armoured vehi-
pledge to consider ‘all op- kyo. “The security environ- tra defence budget through cles and logistics trucks had crossed
tions,’ including acquiring ment surrounding Japan has March to expedite the pur- the border on Friday after being
enemy base strike capability, been rapidly changing at an chase of missiles, anti-subma- blocked in Burkina Faso for a week by
and vowed to create a stronger unprecedented speed. Things rine rockets and other weap- demonstrations there against French
Self-Defence Force to protect that used to happen only in ons amid rising concern over forces’ failure to stop mounting vio-
the country amid growing science-fiction novels are to- the escalation of military ac- lence by Islamist militants. Anger
threats from China and North day’s reality,” Kishida said. He tivities by China, Russia and about France’s military presence in its
Korea. said his government will lead North Korea. former colonies has been rising in Ni-
Kishida said the security sit- ‘calm and realistic’ discus- The request, still pending ger, Burkina Faso and other countries
uation around Japan is rapidly sions to determine what is parliamentary approval, is a in West Africa’s Sahel region where
changing and that ‘the reality needed to protect people’s record for an extra defence France has thousands of troops to
is severer than ever,’ with lives and gain their under- budget and will bring Japan’s fight local affiliates of al Qaeda and Is-
North Korea continuing to standing. military spending for the cur- lamic State. Last weekend, hundreds
test-fire ballistic missiles while The possibility of possess- rent year to a new high of of people in the Burkinabe city of
advancing its capability, and ing so-called enemy base more than 6.1 trillion yen Kaya blocked the French convoy,
China pursuing a military strike capability has been a di- ($53.2 billion), up 15 per cent which is on its way from Ivory Coast
buildup and increasingly as- visive issue because oppo- from 5.31 trillion yen in 2020. to Mali. It was able to leave Burkina
sertive activity in the region. nents say it violates Japan’s The combined budget for Faso on Friday but ran into new pro-
“I will consider all options, war-renouncing Constitution. 2021 will be just over 1 per tests on Saturday morning less than
including possessing so-called Kishida has shifted his dov- cent of Japan’s GDP, keeping 30 km across the border in the west-
enemy base strike capability, ish stance to a more hawkish its customary cap. ern Niger town of Tera, where it had
to pursue strengthening of de- one, apparently to please in- Kishida has said he is open stopped to spend the night. Hamma
fence power that is necessary,” fluential leaders within his to doubling Japan’s military Mamoudou, the mayor of Tera, told
Kishida said in an address to governing party, including for- spending to cope with Reuters that two of the protesters
hundreds of Ground Self-De- mer Prime Minister Shinzo the worsening security envi- were killed and 16 others injured dur-
fence Force members. Abe, and to strengthen his grip ronment. ing the standoff. — Reuters
Travel controls
4HAILANDBANSTRAVELLERS BUDAPEST: Hungary will impose re-
strictions on travellers from Botswa-
FROMEIGHT!FRICAN na, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique,
Namibia, South Africa and Zimba-
bwe, the government said on Satur-
COUNTRIESOVER/MICRON
day after a new coronavirus variant
Agence France Presse From today they will be
was detected in South Africa. Hunga-
ry said it was joining a European
Union move to curb air travel from
Bangkok, November 27
Thailand said today it would
unable to register to enter
the country. “Those that
have already been approved
southern Africa and that its measures
would be published in a government
decree later in the day. On Friday,
ban travellers from eight to enter the country from all 27 EU member states ‘agreed on
southern African countries these eight countries will be the need to activate the emergency
brake & impose temporary restric-
where a new COVID-19 ordered to undergo an addi-
strain has emerged. tional 14-day mandatory tions on all travel into EU from
The World Health Organi- quarantine, starting now,” southern Africa”, the current Sloveni-
sation has named the new department director general an presidency of the EU said on
‘variant of concern’ Omi- Opas Karnkawinpong told Twitter. — Reuters
cron, and scientists are rac- reporters.
ing to understand it and People from other African Flights suspended
whether vaccines need ad- countries who have already
NAIROBI: Mauritius will suspend all
justments. The variant has secured approval to visit
commercial passenger flights from
already reached Asia and Eu- Thailand will be subject to
South Africa from November 28 due
rope with one case in Hong 14 days in hotel quarantine.
to the new coronavirus variant Omi-
Kong and a confirmed infec- Opas noted that no African
cron, its foreign affairs ministry said
tion in Belgium. countries are on a list of 63
on Saturday. A ministry statement
Thailand’s disease control nations eligible for quaran-
also said any passengers who have
department said people tine-free travel to Thailand
been physically present in South
from Botswana, Eswatini, which started this month.
Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana,
Lesotho, Malawi, Mozam- Thailand has recorded
Eswatini and Zimbabwe will be de-
bique, Namibia, South more than 2.1 million COV-
nied entry or transit through Mauri-
Africa, and Zimbabwe would ID infections, the lion’s share
Reuters tius. — Reuters
be barred entr y from since the Delta variant took
December. off in April.
wounds in his back from bird- water from Isfahan to other government-set gasoline prices and Agriculture Organisation.
shot. They also show similar provinces Thursday night. Some that Amnesty International says The Iran Meteorological Organi-
unrest in nearby streets in Isfa- people in Isfahan later reported saw over 300 people killed. sation says that an estimated 97
han, which is 340 kilometres that mobile internet service was Farmers reportedly ended a per cent of the country now fac-
south of Tehran. disrupted in the city. The group long protest in the area on es some level of drought.
The Iranian semiofficial Fars NetBlocks reported an outage in Thursday after authorities The farming area around Isfa-
news agency said a heavy pres- recent days that also affected promised to compensate them han was once well supplied
ence of security forces brought the southwestern city of Ahvaz for losses suffered in by the Zayandehrud River, but
the gathering of some 500 peo- amid water protests there. drought-stricken areas of cen- nearby factories have increas-
ple in Isfahan to an end. A sepa- Iran in the past has shut down tral Iran. ingly drawn on it over the years.
rate report carried by the semi- both mobile and landline inter- Drought has been a problem The river once flowed under
official Tasnim agency said un- net to halt protests. That includ- in Iran for some 30 years, but it historic bridges in Isfahan’s
known perpetrators had dam- ed a nationwide shutdown dur- has worsened over the past dec- city centre, but is now a barren
aged a pipeline that transfers ing 2019 protests over rising ade, according to the UN’s Food strip of dirt.
 CMYK
THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, NOVEMBER 28, 2021
Tony Bennett
Grammys 2022:
A quick look
W
ith new rules in
place this year and
a promise to re-
gain trust among
its members, the
Recording Acade-
my released its nominations on No-
vember 22 for its 64th Grammy
Awards. Here are some facts about this
year’s nominees:
A RETIREE
REVOLUTION
Certainly pop music tends to cater
to young teens, but this year’s record of
the year category nominees range
from ages 95 to 18, with names that
multi-generational families will all rec-
ognise. Tony Bennett, the oldest of the
bunch and packing 18 Grammy wins
under his belt, is nominated with Lady
Gaga for their version of I Get a Kick
Out of You. But Swedish pop icons
ABBA aren’t resting on their laurels ei-
ther. The four Scandinavian septuage-
narians are up for their first ever
Grammy nomination for their come-
back song I Still Have Faith In You.
Perhaps grandparents and grandchil-
dren will have something to bond over
at this year’s Grammy Awards.
SNUBS
Country star Morgan Wallen’s com-
mercial highs came at the same time of
his own personal lows. Wallen was
caught on camera using a racial slur
earlier this year, but, despite that, his
album Dangerous: The Double Album
was one of the biggest selling albums
of the year, spending 10 weeks on top
of Billboard 200 albums chart. Wallen
was disqualified or limited from
several music award shows this year
and the Recording Academy gave him
no nominations this year.
The general record of the year and
song of the year categories also left out
some major singles that dominated
both social media and the charts. Kali
Uchis found an audience for her mixed
language hit Telepatía on TikTok, while
Cardi B extended her reign with her
No 1 hit Up, which is nominated only
for best rap performance. But a more
surprising snub is BTS’s Butter, a meg-
With 83 nods, Jay-Z is most-nominated artiste for Grammys
L
OS ANGELES:
Ra p p e r- p r o d u c e r
Jay-Z has become
the most-nominated
artiste in Grammy Awards
histor y, with his three
2022 nominations pushing
him to 83.
He had previously been
tied with legendary produc-
er/composer Quincy Jones
at 80, reports variety.com.
Jay-Z, who last released an
album in 2017, is nominated
for guest appearances with
rapper Kanye West and the
late DMX. He currently has
23 wins. Paul McCartney,
previously tied for second
place with Beyonce, gains
two nods in the rock catego-
ry and passes her and Jones
for sole possession of the
No 2 spot with 81.
Neither Jones nor Beyonce
The Himalayan
Lady Gaga
Louis CK
ahit of the summer from the Korean
band, but their only Grammy nod this
year came in the best pop duo/group
performance category.
SILK SONIC SURPRISE
New duo Silk Sonic made their TV
debut on the last Grammy Awards
show and now they return as nomi-
nees, although they only released a
small number of songs in the eligibility
period. Of course, when the duo is
11-time Grammy winner Bruno Mars
and four-time Grammy winner Ander-
son .Paak, special attention must be
paid. The duo earned four nomina-
tions including record of the year, song
of the year, best R&B song and best
R&B performance.
COMEDY COMEBACK
Comedian Louis CK is nominated
for best comedy album for Sincerely
Louis CK, a comeback after acknowl-
edging sexual misconduct allegations
made against him by several women in
2017. The album came from a film that
CK released on his website last year.
Dave Chappelle is also nominated
this year for best spoken word album
for 8:46, a special he released last year
after the killing of George Floyd. The
JAY-Z
are nominated for 2022 Jay-Z made his Grammy
awards, although Q did bow in 1999 with three nods,
write the liner notes for two from his classic Vol 2
top nominee Jon Batiste’s Hard Knock Life album and
We Are album. one for his tag-team with
www.thehimalayantimes.com
ON S U N D
Pop Smoke
Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars
Morgan Wallen
nomination comes as the comedian
deals with backlash from his most
recent Netflix special and his
anti-transgender remarks.
BLURRING GENRES
While the Recording Academy’s new
rules this year meant ditching the
anonymous selection committees,
some artistes still found themselves in
categories they didn’t want to be in.
Six-time Grammy winner Brandi Car-
lile is nominated for song of the year
and record of the year for her single
Right On Time, which also got a nomi-
nation in the best pop solo perfor-
mance. But Carlile posted on social
media last month that she was disap-
pointed by the academy’s decision to
Jermaine Dupri, Money Ain’t
a Thang.
He won but did not attend
the awards, later saying he
“boycotted” them because
fellow New Yorker DMX
had not been nominated
despite racking up two No 1
albums in a year.
Jay, who turns 52 next
month, has been nominated
in 18 of the 22 Grammy
years since then, even
though his release schedule
has slowed considerably over
the past decade.
The Brooklyn native’s
biggest Grammy-winning
years were 2009, 2010 and
AP
2012, when he took home
three each.
Ironically, he won no tro-
phies in his most-nominated
year, 2017, when his 4:44
album and related singles
A Y
Chick Corea
J
Photos: AP
move the song into the pop category,
instead of American roots where it was
initially submitted.
POSTHUMOUS NOMS
Rapper Pop Smoke, who was killed
in 2020, earned another posthumous
Grammy nomination, this time
as a contributor on Kanye West’s
Donda, which is nominated for album
of the year. DMX earned a Grammy
nomination for best rap song for
Bath Salts, featuring Jay-Z and Nas,
which was released after his death ear-
lier this year. And jazz pianist Chick
Corea has four nominations this year
in the jazz, Latin jazz and classical cat-
egories. Corea died earlier this year
due to cancer. — AP
and video received eight
total nods.
This did not improve his
complicated relationship
with the Grammys, and Jay-Z
stated his opinion on the
matter unequivocally
in Apesh**, released the fol-
lowing year on his duet
album with wife Beyonce,
Jon Batiste
Everything Is Love.
The first of McCartney’s 18
wins came in 1964 with two
as a member of the Beatles,
who took Best New Artist as
well as one for the song A
Hard Day’s Night.
Next in line after Jones and
Beyonce are Stevie Wonder
and late classical conductor
Georg Solti, tied with 74; and
film-music maestros Henry
Mancini and John Williams,
tied with 72, none of whom
have 2022 nominations. — IANS
DM
An acknowledgement of
the excellence of music
on Batiste might be the Grammys
biggest surprise: The multi-genre
performer and recent Oscar winner
made such an impression on
voters that he scored the most
nominations with 11 on November 22.
Batiste earned an album of the year nod
for We Are along with record of the year
with Freedom, a feel-good ode to the city of
New Orleans. His nominations span several
genres including R&B, jazz, American roots
music, classical and music video.
“Oh my goodness. I’m still in a state of
astonishment and shock,” Batiste told
The Associated Press moments after
learning of the nominations. “I’m just
really happy that we were able to make
something in complete artistic integrity
and have it be recognised.”
Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and H.E.R.
each came away with the second-most
nominations with eight by the time the
Recording Academy was done announcing
its nominees for its January 31, 2022
show. Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo both
had seven nods.
Along with Batiste’s surprise domination,
another shock was The Weeknd nabbing
three nominations after the pop star
claimed he would not allow his label to
submit his music. Earlier this year, he
angrily slammed the Grammys, calling
them “corrupt” after he received zero
nominations despite 2020’s biggest single,
Blinding Lights.
Even though The Weeknd said he would
boycott future Grammys, he still became a
nominee for his work on album of the year
projects, including Doja Cat’s deluxe edition
Planet Her and Kanye West’s Donda. His
third nomination was for his appearance
on West’s single Hurricane, which also
features Lil Baby.
“What I like is the fact that no one is
thinking about what happened before, what
was the controversy, what was the noise, or
where was this artiste making music last
year,” said Harvey Mason Jr, the Recording
Academy’s CEO. He said voters focussed
on the “excellence of music” while consid-
ering nominees like Batiste and Kacey
Musgraves, whose work also crosses over
into different categories.
“The voters are truly evaluating music
and not getting caught up in the reputations
of any other outside noise or any history of
artistes,” he continued. “With that in mind, I
think they’re voting for things that they are
acknowledging as excellence.”
Mason said he was pleased with the
new peer-driven voting system after seeing
the list of nominees. He instituted the 10-3
initiative — which allows the academy’s
more than 11,000 members to vote for up
to 10 categories
PAGE 5
Brandi Carlile
in three genres. All voters can vote for the
top four awards.
The new system replaced the anony-
mous nominations review committee — a
group that determined the contenders for
key awards. Some claimed committee
members favoured projects based on per-
sonal relationships and promoted projects
they favoured and worked on.
Mason knows the new voting system
might not be perfect at first, but he believes
the initiative will produce fair results in the
long run.
“I know we didn’t get every single one
perfect,” Mason said. “I know there will
be some people that feel left out or that
we missed a nomination here or there.
That makes me sad because I don’t
want anybody to have that feeling. But I do
feel like we’re heading in the right direction.
I’m pleased with the way our voters did
the work.”
Batiste credited the changes to his nom-
inations: “I really just want to give props to
the Grammys. They tried this year to make
the process more inclusive and be about
the music first. Other creators listened to
the music and decided to give me these
nominations and I’m so grateful for that.”
For the first time, the academy expanded
the number of nominees in the general field
categories from eight to 10. The change
impacts categories such as record, album,
song of the year and best new artiste.
Mason said the academy increased slots
in the general field categories after seeing
an uptick voting participation over the past
year along with the acceptance of new
membership invitations and a high number
of more than 21,730 entries submitted for
Grammy consideration.
“We thought the timing was right,” he
said. “We saw an opportunity to do what
the academy does — which is to highlight
music, highlight the industry and highlight
excellence in a bigger way. With the change
in our voting structure, we don’t have the
nomination review committee. This gives
our voters an opportunity to have their voice
heard, but also gives them a chance to
have a bigger pool to draw from when it
comes time to that one winner that takes
home the Grammy.”
Other album of the year nominees in-
clude: Bieber’s Justice (Triple Chucks De-
luxe), Eilish’s Happier Than Ever, West’s
Donda, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’s Love
for Sale, Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour, Taylor Swift’s
evermore and Lil Nas X’s MONTERO.
Batiste, the bandleader of The Late
Show with Stephen Colbert, picked up a
bid in the best score soundtrack for
visual media category for his work on
Pixar’s Soul, which won him an Oscar for
best score earlier this year. Coming into
November 22, he had three Grammy
nominations but no wins yet.
Batiste will compete for record of the
year against a bevy of candidates including
Bennett and Gaga’s I Get a Kick Out of You,
ABBA’s I Still Have Faith in You, Bieber’s
Peaches featuring Daniel Caesar and Gi-
veon, Brandi Carlile’s Right on Time, Doja
Cat’s Kiss Me More with SZA, Lil Nas X’s
MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name), Rodri-
go’s drivers license, Eilish’s Happier Than
Ever and Leave The Door Open by Silk
Sonic — the super duo of Bruno Mars
and Anderson .Paak.
— AP
AP
 CMYK
PAGE 6
B
roadway composer and
lyricist Stephen Sond-
heim, who helped Amer-
ican musical theatre
evolve beyond pure entertain-
ment and reach new artistic
heights died on November 26 at
the age of 91.
The musical great died at his
home in Roxbury, Connecticut,
spokesperson Kathryn Zucker-
man said. His eight Tony Awards
for lyrics and music surpassed
total of any other composer. In
2008 he also won a Special Tony
Award for Lifetime Achievement.
He started early, learning the
art of musical theatre when he
was a teenager from his mentor
Oscar Hammerstein II. Hamil-
ton creator Lin-Manuel Miran-
da, who was in turn mentored by
Sondheim, has called him musi-
cal theatre’s greatest lyricist.
Sondheim’s most successful
works included Into the Woods,
which opened on Broadway in
1987; the 1979 thriller Sweeney
Todd, and 1962’s A Funny Thing
Happened on the Way to the Fo-
rum. He also wrote the lyrics to
Leonard Bernstein’s score for
West Side Story, and collaborated
with fellow composer Jule Styne
as lyricist for Gypsy.
“I love the theatre as much as
music, and the idea of getting
across to an audience and mak-
ing them laugh, making them
cry — just making them feel — is
GARFIELD Jim Davis
CALVIN AND HOBBES Waterson
Himalayan Double Crossword — 8414
Broadway legend
Sondheim dies at 91
paramount to me,” Sondheim brated for their sharp wit and in-
said in a 2013 interview. sight into modern life and for
Several of his hit musicals giving voice to complex charac-
were turned into movies, includ- ters, but few of them made the
ing the 2014 film Into the Woods, pop charts. He scored a hit, how-
and the 2007 Sweeney Todd. A ever, and one of three Grammys
new film version of West Side of his career, with Send in the
Story, directed by Stephen Spiel- Clowns from his 1973 musical A
berg opens next month. Little Night Music. It was record-
Sondheim’s songs were cele- ed by Frank Sinatra, Sarah
POTPOURRI
Quick Clues
Across: 1 Stagger or sway (4) - 3
Set on fire; enkindled passions in ?
(8) - 9 The type of card to send to a
sick friend ? (3,4) - 10 Man’s name
(5) - 11 The runners take off from
here ? (8,4) - 14 Quality character-
istic of person or thing (9) - 17
Bringing out; developing good or
bad qualities ? (7,5) - 22 Former
French coin (5) - 23 Bird of prey (7)
- 24 Musical performances (8) - 25
Increases the number of rotations
per minute (4).
Down: 1 Formal or official list of
items, names, etc. (8) - 2 ___ cover
: position on the cricket field ? (5) -
4 “Inception” director (5) - 5 Re-
ceive enthusiastically ? (3,2) - 6 Fa-
mous French artist (7) - 7 Fish for a
small boat (4) - 8 Seven for music
(6) - 12 The speaker’s gift (3) - 13
Illuminated boats? (8) - 14 Old Se-
mitic language (7) - 15 Radio Direc-
tion Indicator, acronym (3) - 16 Re-
veal or disclose in words; explain
(6) - 18 Legal or valid (5) - 19 Kind
www.thehimalayantimes.com THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2021
MIXED FARE
Madonna slams Instagram
Vaughan and Judy Collins,
among others. Sondheim earned
a best-song Academy Award in
1991 for Sooner or Later (I Always
Get My Man), sung by Madonna
in the Dick Tracy movie.
for removing her pictures
In 2015, US President Barack As if that is the only part media website ahead
Obama presented him the Presi- of a woman’s anatomy of Thanksgiving.
dential Medal of Freedom. that could be sexualised,” Referencing the same, Ma-
One of Sondheim’s greatest Madonna wrote. donna said she is thankful to
triumphs was the Pulitzer Prize The photographs were first have managed to maintain
he shared with composure posted by the Material Girl “my sanity through four dec-
James Lapine for the 1984 musi- singer earlier this week, and ades of censorship, sexism,
cal Sunday in the Park with were removed by the social ageism and misogyny”. — PTI
AP
George. As Sondheim collected
P
accolades, New York City’s op star Madonna said she is
Broadway theatre industry un- thankful to have maintained her
derwent changes. It had a key sanity “through four decades of”
role in American culture through censorship, sexism, ageism and mi- YOUR LUCK
the 1950s, with many Broadway sogyny as she blasted social media
AP
songs making the pop charts, platform Instagram for removing her HAPPY BIRTHDAY: You are ambitious, confident and generous. Basically,
you’re an adventurous optimist. You are charismatic and popular with others.
but lost significance as rock mu-
sic gained a hold on the public
starting in the 1960s. Increasing-
ly, musicals borrowed material
photographs from her official page
without any warning.
Reposting the 10 pictures which
were removed by the photosharing
Many of you have a strong love for animals. This is a strong year for you, be-
cause it’s a time of recognition and acknowledgement for you. You might get
a raise, a promotion, kudos or awards. People will admire and respect you.
Moon Alert: Avoid shopping or making important decisions after 7:00 pm
from television and movies, in-
stead of the other way around.
Sondheim said Broadway had
experienced decline, expressing
it repeatedly in interviews. But
platform for allegedly violating its
nudity policy, the 63-year-old music
icon said it is “astounding” to her that
a culture which commodifies
women’s bodies is having issues with
EST today (4:00 pm PST). The moon is in Virgo.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): You will initiate conversations
with people who are different from you. You will enjoy ex-
ploring ideas with people from different backgrounds. You
Broadway musicals also became a little expose. want to know more!
more artistic, and Sondheim “I’m reposting photographs Insta- Tonight: Work.
played a key role in their evolu- gram took down without warning on This Week: Bosses favour you. ✹✹✹
tion, critics said. He explored notification. The reason they gave my TAURUS (April 20-May 20): This is a good day to examine
such weighty topics as political management that does not handle your relationship to the wealth of others. This includes debt
violence, the human need my account was that a small portion that you share as well as shared property and jointly held
for family and the pull of dys- of my nipple was exposed. It is still assets. How do you come off in these relationships?
f u n c t i o n a l re l a t i o n s h i p s , astounding to me that we live in a Tonight: Socialise!
This Week: Travel for pleasure. ✹✹✹✹✹
social inequality, and Western culture that allows every inch of wom-
imperialism in the plays. — Reuters an’s body to be shown except a nipple. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): This is an interesting day. You
have many conversations with others. In part, this will hap-
pen because you will attract talkative people to you! Call this
a yakety-yak day. “Take out the papers and the trash …”
Tonight: Cocoon at home.
This Week: Money and gifts come to you! ✹✹✹
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Today the Sun is lined up with
THE LOCKHORNS Bunny Hoest & John Reiner Mercury, which gives you a clear mind and a strong focus.
That makes this the perfect day to do routine paperwork.
Knuckle down and get this stuff out of the way, because
you’ll make great progress!
Tonight: Get busy.
This Week: Cosy times with others. ✹✹✹✹
LEO (July 23-Aug 22): Today you’re full of wonderful,
creative ideas! Enjoy any involvement in the arts or creative
projects. You especially will be effective talking to younger
people. In fact, your conversations with others might
inadvertently educate you in some way. You will learn more
about something.
Tonight: Be generous.
This Week: Work hard; party hard. ✹✹✹✹
VIRGO (Aug 23-Sept 22): Family discussions, especially
with a parent or an older relative, will be lively! This is an ex-
cellent day to sit down with someone and decide how to
tackle home repairs or make improvements either at home
or within the family.
THE BETTER HALF Glasbergen Tonight: Things go your way.
This Week: Romance and fun times. ✹✹✹✹✹
LIBRA (Sept 23-Oct 22): Let’s face it, today you’re talking a
lot! You’ve got something to say and you intend to say it.
You’re an observant sign, and you often see relationships
between events and situations that others miss.
Tonight: Quiet time.
This Week: Redecorate and entertain. ✹✹✹
SCORPIO (Oct 23-Nov 21): Write down your moneymaking
ideas today, because you’re on fire! The Sun and
Mercury are causing your mind to be full of ideas about fi-
nances, earnings, cash flow and anything to do with
your possessions.
Tonight: Time with friends.
This Week: Appreciate your surroundings. ✹✹✹
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22-Dec 21): You couldn’t pick a better
day to start new things or initiate new projects. Furthermore,
you are motivated to reach out to others by mail or in person
and do whatever is necessary to get things rolling.
Tonight: Listen.
This Week: You are favoured! ✹✹✹✹
sFASCINATING FACTS CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19): This is a great day to do re-
search of any kind, because your mind is focused and very
What is the azimuth? clear. Furthermore, you are interested in behind-the-scenes
information or anything that is hidden and hard to access.
Tonight: Explore!
This Week: Shop for wardrobe items. ✹✹✹✹✹
AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Feb 18): This is the perfect day to sit
down with someone and bounce your ideas off them regard-
ing your plans for the future, because their feedback will
help you. Even if you’re talking to yourself in your own head,
think about your future plans.
Tonight: Check your assets.
This Week: Your ambition is aroused! ✹✹✹
PISCES (Feb 19-March 20): Lively discussions will take
place today between you and bosses, parents, teachers or
VIPs. They have something to say, and so do you. Fortunate-
ly, you will express yourself with such clarity and focus that
they will sit up and listen. Nevertheless, be smart and listen
as well.
Tonight: Cooperate.
This Week: Enjoy friends. ✹✹
Used in navigation and in reporting the position of stars,
planets, and other celestial bodies, the azimuth is the Born today: Actor Ed Harris (1950), actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead (1984),
TV host Jon Stewart (1962) By Georgia Nicols
number of degrees between the direction of North (0°)
The Stars Show the Kind of Day You’ll Have: 5-Dynamic; 4-Positive; 3-Average; 2-So-so; 1-Difficult
and the direction in which the object is viewed from the
perspective of the observer. In more mathematical terms,
it is the angle between two vertical planes, one formed
between the observer and the object observed, and the
other formed by the observer and true North.
SUDOKU-4473
of orange - “elvan” anagram ? (5) - seen over one’s shoulders in heavy Another girl is about to prohibit her
20 Employ again (5) - 21 Certainly traffic hurrying home (5) - 4 Con- comeback (7) - 15 Doctor in form
not close at hand ! (4). fused about the right singer to take over short appearance ! (3) - 16
(5) - 5 Put back outstanding piece Cowardly way to voice pain (6) -
Cryptic Clues of bone (5) - 6 Single line about 18 Rod and Edward like some
Across: 1 Raise a means of trans- learned man’s illustrative effects apartment complexes (5) - 19 Do
port (4) - 3 What a reformed drink- (7) - 7 They tell us to look for an In- cattle salute at the river-bend? (5)
er does ? (8) - 9 I admit it, I sinned dian (4) - 8 Went after fresh detail - 20 Last character in fever, raving
in Rome (7) - 10 One may be fired (6) - 12 Fall behind in providing in- mad with this on his wound ? (5) -
if there’s a space that may need sulation (3) - 13 Vulgarity which 21 Improvised jazz is enough to
filling (5) - 11 Ringer, glassy eyed makes one pull a face (3,5) - 14 send anyone away (4).
and insulated from the cold (6,6) -
14 Dan or possibly Ginny say? SOLUTION FOR 8413
Signs of both (9) - 17 Creating fa-
vourable impression in a satisfac-
tory answer to clue (2,1,4,5) - 22 YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION
Seaman in bed, a famous seaman
(5) - 23 A strong accent on incipi-
HOW TO SOLVE:
ent simplicity evident in the shoes
Every number from 1 to 9
(7) - 24 Be patronising in speech
must appear in each of the
and overbearing in argument (4,4)
9 vertical columns, in
- 25 Wine finally giving double vi-
each of the 9 horizontal
sion going through Peterborough rows and in each of the 9
(4). boxes
Down: 1 Girl on the line having
been given the run-around by a
man of stone (8) - 2 It might be QUICK CRYPTIC
 CMYK
THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2021 www.thehimalayantimes.com PAGE 7

Business
s"):"2)%&3 "LACK&RIDAYDRAWS53SHOPPERS MARKET UPDATES
NOVEMBER 21 - 26

BUTMANYSHUNSTORESFORONLINE
NEPSE INDEX FELL BY 37.35 POINTS OR 1.35 PER CENT
WEEK-ON-WEEK TO 2,731.78 POINTS
SUNDAY OPENING
MONDAY CLOSING
2769.13
2765.44
Reuters
SUNDAY CLOSING
Chicago, November 27
Bargain hunters ventured out in
chilly weather to buy Christmas
Debt fears mount as Britons go on 2757.53 WEDNESDAY CLOSING

2735.01
Sensitive: 515.64
gifts on Black Friday only to dis-
cover that many US retailers of-
fered smaller price markdowns
this year amid tight supplies.
buy-now-pay-later spree Float: 188.35
TUESDAY CLOSING

2733.12
THURSDAY CLOSING

2731.78

"!.+).'  ./. ,)&%).352!.#% 

AP
A farmer drying rice during the rice
harvest season in Kampong Speu
province, Cambodia, on Saturday.
Khalti bags award
KATHMANDU: At the ‘NewBiz Start-
up Summit’, Khalti received special
recognition by bagging the ‘Start-up
Success’ award. In its five-year jour-
ney, Khalti has grown from a start-up
to a big corporate name. Since its es-
tablishment, the company has ex-
panded with 230-plus employees,
COVID fears and fewer ‘door-
buster’ sales thinned crowds the
day after the US Thanksgiving
holiday, which kicks off the year-
end holiday shopping season.
On the same day, the World
Health Organisation named the
newly identified omicron variant
of the coronavirus as a ‘variant of
concern’, triggering worldwide
alarm and a selloff in the US stock
market.
Stores on Black Friday had the
lowest level of clearance goods
for sale in five years or more,
Cowen analysts said in a note.
Many shoppers chose to pick up
merchandise curbside rather
Reuters than they can afford,” parlia- She warned people risked
-!.5&!#452).'  &).!.#% 
London, November 27 mentarian Stella Creasy told amassing unmanageable debts
the Thomson Reuters Founda- as retailers encourage them to $%6%,/0-%.4"!.+3 
(/4%,34/52)3- 
As British shoppers gear up for tion, accusing lenders of ‘pred- go all out for Christmas after -)#2/&).!.#% 
/4(%23 
a multibillion-pound Black Fri- atory’ behaviour. axing of last year’s celebrations ,)&%).352!.#% 
day and Christmas splurge, Black Friday kicks off Christ- due to soaring COVID-19 cases. (9$2/0/7%2  -545!,&5.$3 
lawmakers have called for ur- mas shopping season when re- Lawmakers, who debated the 42!$).'  ).6%34-%.4 
gent regulation of ‘buy now, pay tailers offer big discounts on issue in parliament this week,
later’ fintech services, which everything from toys to TVs. urged the government to publi- 4/0#/-0!.)%3
AS PER MARKET CAPITALISATION
they say lead many people to Almost 10 per cent of Britons cise risks of borrowing mecha- WEEKLY TURNOVER
.%0!,4%,%#/- 2SBN
spend beyond their means. are planning to use ‘buy now, nism ahead of festive season. .!"),"!.+ 2SBN
Rs 20.46 billion
Britain has seen an explosion pay later’ (BNPL) options for Critics say the platforms risk .%0!,2%).352!.#%
of online platforms such as Christmas shopping, according normalising and glamourising #/,4$ 2SBN MARKET
Klarna, Clearpay and Laybuy, to consumer charity Citizens debt — charges strongly refut- .%0!,,)&% CAPITALISATION
which let consumers buy goods Advice. ed by Klarna and other lenders. ).352!.#%#/ 2SBN
interest free and spread out But Creasy said the combina- A Klarna spokesperson said #)4):%.).6%3442534 2SBN
Rs 3.83 trillion
payments. tion of Black Friday promotions consumers were switching to
MONDAY
“I’m really worried how and ‘pay later’ platforms was BNPL because credit cards 93,900

GOLD (RS/1.1664 GRAMS)

60,000-plus merchants, and over two
million registered users throughout
the country, as per a media release.
Khalti has been a young, trendy, and
innovative brand in the fintech in-
dustry of Nepal. Currently, millions of
people regularly use Khalti them-
selves and also through its wide-
spread agents network. — HNS
Starlink in soup
than venturing inside stores.
Black Friday retail sales are up
29.8 per cent versus 2020 through
3:00pm ET, according to Master-
Card SpendingPulse.
Consumers spent $6.6 billion
up until 9:00pm ET on Friday, ac-
cording to Adobe Digital Econo-
my Index, which expected total
spending of between $8.8 billion
and $9.2 billion for the day.
many people will get into debt
this Christmas as these compa-
nies push them to spend more
ings of up to $60 on Apple Watch-
es and AirPods.
Several retailers — including
Walmart, Target and Best Buy —
are expected to post lower
fourth-quarter profit margins
‘like pouring petrol on fire’, es- charged extortionate interest
pecially for those struggling fi- rates and used ‘dirty tricks’ to SUNDAY
nancially due to the pandemic. trap people in debt. 93,700
TUESDAY
92,300 FRIDAY
WEDNESDAY
ings from multiple rounds of gov- Economy Index. The National Re- 91,800 91,900
ernment pandemic relief and tail Federation has forecast com- THURSDAY
double-digit wage increases as bined brick-and-mortar and on- 91,700
businesses compete for workers. line holiday sales to reach be- Source: Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association (FeNeGoSiDA)
Yet retailers had lured shoppers tween $843.4 billion and $859 bil-
to make holiday purchases as lion, 8.5 to 10.5 per cent higher
MONDAY
1,270

SILVER (RS/1.1664 GRAMS)

NEW DELHI: The Indian government
has asked Starlink Internet Services
of Elon Musk’s SpaceX aerospace
company to comply with country’s
regulatory framework before offering
its satellite-based internet services. A
Communications Ministry statement
late Friday said that because Starlink
is not the holder of a licence, the pub-
Walmart and Target stood to
outperform other retailers in part
because of their buy-online-pick-
up-at-store services, Cowen said.
Target added more than 18,000
‘drive-up’ parking spaces, more
than doubling spots versus last
year. The company said its most
popular Black Friday deals in-
cluded $219.99 for a KitchenAid
due to tight inventory and higher
costs for raw materials, freight
and labour. “Though holiday sea-
son should be okay from sales
standpoint — as retailers are dis-
counting less — margins won’t
necessarily be higher because of
inflation,” said Forrester Research
analyst Sucharita Kodali.
US consumers are entering the
early as September this year, as than last year. TUESDAY
supply chain logjam has prevent- Elver Gomez, a 21-year-old stu-
1,255
ed them from quickly replenish- dent in Chicago, said he didn’t SUNDAY
ing year-end merchandise. find the Apple and Microsoft lap- 1,260
A Deloitte survey showed peo- tops he wanted while shopping at THURSDAY
ple had spent 80 to 85 per cent of a Best Buy store Friday morning. 1,230
their holiday gift budgets even ‘It seems like this year it’s either
before Black Friday. For Novem- out of stock’ or for sale at what he WEDNESDAY FRIDAY
ber and December, online sales said was ‘not that great of a price’. 1,225 1,225
are estimated to hit a record $207 Best Buy added a message to its Source: Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association (FeNeGoSiDA)

lic is advised not to subscribe to Star- professional stand mixer that reg- holiday season flush with cash billion, up 10 per cent from last website warning of ‘limited quali- FRIDAY
CURRENCY US vs RS

link services that are being adver- ularly sells for $429.99, and sav- thanks to a still-hefty pile of sav- year, according to Adobe Digital ties’ and ‘no rainchecks’.
119.51
WEDNESDAY
tised. “The same is also evident from
119.38
the website of Starlink wherein satel-
lite-based internet services can be
booked by users in Indian territory,”
it said. There was no immediate com-
Police to look into SUNDAY
TUESDAY
119.34
THURSDAY
119.34
119.08
ment from Musk’s company. Media
reports said Musk’s SpaceX has been
accepting pre-orders for the beta ver-
claim of beating of MONDAY
119.08
sion of the service for a fully refunda-
ble deposit of INR 7,400 ($99). — AP ATA whistleblower Source: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)

WTO delays meeting

GENEVA: The World Trade Organisa-
tion is postponing its conference of
government ministers set to open
Tuesday after Switzerland initiated
new travel restrictions following the
emergence of a worrying new coro-
navirus variant, officials said. The
MC12 conference at WTO headquar-
ters in Geneva was set to take up key
issues like a long-awaited agreement
on subsidies for fisheries, seen as a
major way to prevent overfishing in
the world’s seas, and an effort to
waive patent and other intellectual
Reuters
Kuala Lumpur, November 27
Malaysian police said today it will look into a
Macao detains
claim a factory worker of Dyson supplier ATA
IMS Bhd was beaten at its station but that it
had not received any formal complaints.
Suncity boss on
British home appliance maker Dyson told
Reuters that it was ending its contract with
ATA after an audit of the company’s labour
practices and allegations by a whistleblower.
China gambling
Dhan Kumar Limbu, a former ATA worker,
told Reuters on Thursday that ATA officials
took him to a police station in June, where he
allegations
was questioned about sharing information Associated Press
about conditions at the factory with activists
Reuters

property protections linked to COV-
ID-19 vaccines. Ambassadors from
the WTO’s 164 member states agreed
on Friday to delay the four-day con-
ference after new Swiss travel restric-
tions meant all participants wouldn’t
be able to attend in person. — AP
and then beaten by police.
The police department in the southern Jo-
hor state, where ATA’s factory is located, said
it has not received any reports on the matter.
“Johor police takes note of the issue that
was reported and will conduct an investiga-
A file photo of tourists watching sunset aboard sailboats, near the holiday island Boracay. Beijing, November 27
The Philippines will reopen its borders to tourists from some countries on a trial basis Macao police today detained the head of Macao’s
from December 1, its government said on Friday, as part of efforts to rebuild an economy biggest casino junket organiser and others
hit hard by the pandemic. after Chinese authorities issued an arrest warrant
for them over accusations that they ran an illegal
cross-border gambling syndicate.

Travel payment rules

tion if what was reported exists,” it said in a
statement on Facebook.
ATA said on Friday it had appointed con-
2ARECOINMINTEDIN#OLONIAL.EW The arrests in the gambling enclave came after
prosecutors in Wenzhou, in the eastern province
of Zhejiang, on Friday accused Suncity Group
BUENOS AIRES: Argentina’s govern-
ment launched measures on Friday
to discourage foreign travel as a way
sultants to review findings of forced labour in
an audit summary it received from Dyson
and claims of physical abuse raised by a for-
to protect the country’s thin dollar re-
serves ahead of heavy debt pay-
ments. The central bank banned use
of credit card instalment payments
for airline flights and other tourist
services abroad. While Argentines
pay those in pesos, the local agencies
must pay for most of those services
by transferring dollars abroad. The
Argentine peso has fallen to historic
lows against the dollar recently, ag-
gravating the nation’s persistent in-
flation. — AP
mer worker. The manufacturer said it had
hired a law firm in Malaysia to conduct an in-
dependent review of the allegations of physi-
cal abuse by the former worker, and a de-
tailed report would be finalised soon.
Malaysia’s human resources minister said
the ministry will investigate Dyson’s decision
to sever ties with ATA IMS.
In interviews with Reuters, seven current
and former ATA employees said they had
worked overtime in excess of limits under
Malaysian law and paid recruitment fees in
their home countries to labour brokers, a
practice activists have criticised as a form of
debt bondage.
%NGLANDSELLSFORMORETHAN
Associated Press
Boston, November 27
One of the first coins minted
in Colonial New England,
which was recently found
among other coins in a can-
dy tin, has sold at auction for
over $350,000, more than it
was expected to get, the auc-
tioneer said on Friday.
The one shilling silver coin
made in Boston in 1652 —
considered the finest exam-
ple of just a few dozen such
coins known to still exist —
was sold to an anonymous
online bidder from the US,
London-based Morton &
Eden Ltd said in a statement.
The auctioneer had ex-
pected it to sell for $300,000.
“I am not surprised at
the amount of interest this
exceptional coin attracted,”
coin specialist James Morton
said in a statement.
“The price paid, which was
above estimate, reflects its
extraordinary historic signifi-
CEO Alvin Chau and another person, Zhang
cance and outstanding
original state of preserva-
tion.”
Before 1652, coins from
England, the Netherlands,
the Spanish Empire and oth-
er nations were used as cur-
rency in New England.
But a shortage of coinage
prompted the Massachusetts
General Court to appoint
John Hull as Boston mint-
master, responsible for
producing North America’s
first silver coins.
Ningning, of leading cross-border gambling
operations and setting up casinos across China.
Casinos and most forms of gambling are illegal
in mainland China, and semi-autonomous
Macao is the only Chinese city allowed to operate a
casino. Mainland visitors are able to travel to
Macao to gamble but are required to obtain a visa.
“Based on evidence obtained from previous
criminal investigations, the (Macao) police
brought the criminal suspect Chau and other
persons involved back to the police station for
investigation in accordance with the law
this morning,” Macao’s government said in a state-
ment today.
Authorities said they had been investigating
the case since July last year. They said that the
gambling syndicate has 199 shareholder represent-
atives, over 12,000 agents that promoted its
gambling operations and more than 80,000 gam-

RBI sidesteps proposal on corporate ownership of banks blers in its network.

Reuters
Mumbai, November 27
India’s central bank said on
Friday it would reform rules
on the structure of private
sector banks but a source fa-
miliar with the matter said
the changes would not in-
clude allowing industrial
groups to own lenders.
Under the new rules signifi-
cant shareholders in a non-
state bank, known as bank
promoters, must only reduce
their stake to 26 per cent stake
after 15 years, the central
bank said, rather than to the
current limit of 15 per cent
within that timeframe.
Bank promoters currently
do not include industrial
groups whose holdings in a
bank are capped at 10 per
cent.
A year ago a Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) working group
recommended that banking
regulations be amended to al-
low large industrial groups to
act as bank promoters and
own big stakes in a lender.
Such a move could transform
the country’s banking land-
scape but is something the
central bank has strongly re-
sisted in the past.
Bajaj Group, Piramal Group
and Reliance Industries are
well-positioned to expand
into banking, an investment
banker who did not wish to be
named said last year when
the working group made its
recommendations.
A source familiar with the
matter said on Friday, howev-
er, that the RBI had decided
against allowing corporates
to own banks.
The RBI said it was accept-
ing 21 of 33 recommenda-
tions made by working group
and had made some partial
modifications where it con-
sidered them to be necessary.
“The remaining recom-
mendations are under exami-
nation,” the RBI said.
The central bank said pay-
ments banks must operate for
at least five years before ap-
plying to become small fi-
nance banks, longer than
group’s recommendation of
three years of operations.
On new rule concerning di-
lution of promoters’ stakes,
RBI said: “This stipulation
should be uniform for all
types of promoters and would
not mean promoters, who
have already diluted their
holdings to below 26 per cent,
will not be permitted to raise
it to 26 per cent of paid-up
voting equity share capital of
the bank.”
The syndicate also set up asset management
firms to assist gamblers with cross-border fund
transfers and to recover debts they owed, authori-
ties said,
In 2019, China’s official Xinhua news agency ac-
cused Suncity of targeting mainland gamblers with
online gambling and proxy-betting operations
based in Cambodia and the Philippines. Suncity
denied the allegations.
Authorities said the syndicate ‘severely damaged
the social order of the country’ and on Friday urged
Chau to turn himself in in exchange for a more le-
nient punishment.
Hong Kong-listed Suncity Group could not be
reached for comment by phone and did not imme-
diately reply to e-mail inquiries.
 CMYK
PAGE 8 www.thehimalayantimes.com THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2021

Sports
s4)-%/54
Women’s World Cup
-ANANG#HYASAL
qualifiers cancelled
JOHANNESBURG: The women’s
cricket World Cup qualifying tourna-
ment in Zimbabwe has been aban-
RECORDVICTORIES
Himalayan News Service defending deeply and we had to go
Kathmandu, November 27 through air to find the back of the
doned after the discovery of a new
nets,” he added. “We were able to
COVID-19 variant in South Africa
Manang Marshyangdi Club and score as the opponents looked
that prompted travel curbs, the
Chyasal Youth Club registered vic- tired in the latter stage of the
sport’s governing body (ICC) said on
tories in the Qatar Airways Martyrs match.”
Saturday. The detection of the new
Memorial A Division League here Himalayan Sherpa coach the
coronavirus variant called Omicron
at the Dasharath Stadium today. team was on track. “We can pro-
in South Africa forced a number of
MMC defeated Himalayan Sher- duce desired results if we continue
countries to tighten border controls
pa Club 1-0 riding on solitary goal playing like today,” said Rai. “We
and impose curbs on travel from sev-
from Afeez Olawale Oladipo. The are playing according to a plan and
eral southern African countries, in-
match was heading towards a draw most importantly the players are
cluding Zimbabwe. The ICC took the
before Oladipo produced a mo- disciplined. We have some prob-
decision after Saturday’s game be-
ment of brilliance to seal all three lems in scoring and we need to im-
tween the West Indies and Sri Lanka
points his side. prove on that front,” he added.
was called off when a member of the
Pujan Uperkoti took a short cor- In another match, Chyasal Youth
Sri Lankan support staff tested posi-
ner passing the ball to Nishan Lim- Club defeated Nepal APF Club 1-0.
tive for COVID-19. Bangladesh, Paki-
bu, who centred it for Oladipo to After a goalless first half, Rumesh
stan and the West Indies will progress
head home in the 84th minute. Bartaula put Chyasal ahead in the
to next year’s World Cup in New Zea-
MMC had earned the corner after 49th minute. Bartaula slammed
land by virtue of their rankings, the
Himalayan Sherpa goalkeeper home a spectacular goal following
ICC said. They will join hosts New
punched out Deepak Rai’s header a pass from Kamal Shrestha. APF
Zealand, Australia, India, England
on a cross from Nishan Limbu. goalkeeper Raju Yogi rescued his
and South Africa. — Reuters
Earlier, MMC defender Dinesh side in the 17th minute when he
AP
Rajbanshi saved his side from go- blocked Ajit Gurung’s attempt.
Holder rested ing down when he cleared Ulrich APF’s Rajan Gurung made a goal- Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka (right) scores his side’s opening goal against Newcastle United during their English Premier
Siewe’s header in rebound after line clearance to deny Bikash League match at the Emirates Stadium in London on Saturday.
CHAGUARAMAS: West Indies
all-rounder Jason Holder has been Himalayan Sherpa skipper Bishwo Meraglia in the 41st minute, while
rested for next month’s white-ball
tour to Pakistan while Evin Lewis,
Shimron Hetmyer and Andre Russell
have been left out for personal rea-
Limbu struck against the bar with a
free kick in the 41st minute. MMC’s
Adelaja Somide headed wide fol-
lowing a pass from Dayananda
Susan Lama’s shot in rebound was
saved by Sanish Shrestha.
Chyasal coach Bal Gopal Sa-
hukhala lauded his youth players
Arsenal stroll past rock-bottom Magpies
sons, the country’s cricket board Singh Elangbam in the 55th min- for good performance. “We have Reuters had new manager Eddie dominated the opening was denied by the wood-
(CWI) said on Friday. The selectors ute, while MMC striker put the ball given chance to youth players and London, November 27 Howe on the touchline for half with Pierre-Emerick work in the first half but
also omitted all-rounder Fabian into the nets but his goal was ruled the win has boosted the team’s mo- the first time after he was Aubameyang missing a once they went behind, a
Allen and paceman Obed McCoy offside a minute later. Himalayan rale,” said Sahukhala. “We had Arsenal returned to winning forced to isolate due to a sitter. 17th defeat in 18 league
due to injury. West Indies have Sherpa’s Mutamba Pistone Vunyoli seen problems in set pieces in the ways and deepened New- positive COVID-19 test, but But their patience was re- games against Arsenal
picked several uncapped players in missed a chance in the 71st minute previous match and the team castle United’s relegation they were well beaten in the warded as Saka finished su- looked inevitable. Arsenal
the two 15-man squads, including when he failed to beat MMC goal- seemed comfortable on that front worries as goals by Bukayo end and remain without a perbly in the 56th minute stayed fifth in the table, lev-
batsmen Justin Greaves and Shamarh keeper Bishal Sunar in one-on-one in the match,” he added. Saka and Gabriel Martinelli league win after 13 games. before substitute Martinelli el on points with fourth-
Brooks, spinner Gudakesh Motie situation and shot over the bar. APF coach Kumar Thapa said his sealed a comfortable 2-0 Arsenal, whose 10-game volleyed the second 10 min- placed West Ham United.
and all-rounder Odean Smith. “There MMC coach Rajendra Tamang side badly needed the services of Premier League win on unbeaten run in all compe- utes later with his first touch Newcastle have six points
are a number of talented newcomers said his side succeeded in scoring foreign players. “We have already Saturday. titions came to a juddering of the game. and are five behind 17th-
in each format that will have the in the second half after the team lost six points and the team is weak Bottom club Newcastle halt at Liverpool last week, Newcastle’s Jonjo Shelvey placed Leeds United.
opportunity to show what they changed the strategy. “Himalayan in finishing,” he said. “I have al-
Sherpa was looking for a point and ready talked with my club and I be-

are capable of,” said lead selector
Roger Harper. — Reuters they had not been able to put pres-
sure on us,” he said. “It was hard to
penetrate as the opponents were
0ATELHELPS)NDIAGRAB
lieve four foreign players can make
huge difference,” added the former
star midfielder.

Mixed-gender football to end violence HANDYLEADAGAINST.:

Himalayan News Service
Kathmandu, November 27
The teams from Nepal
Sports Journalists Forum
(NSJF) and Association of
the Nepalese Alumni from
Australia (ANAA) played a
mixed-gender friendly foot-
ball match at the ANFA
Complex grounds today.
The match was organised
by Sathi, a nongovernment
organisation in association
with ANAA, NSJF, All Nepal
Football Association and
Australian Embassy, to mark
16-day of activism against
gender-based violence and
to celebrate the Internation-
al Day for the elimination of
violence against women,
with the theme of Orange
the World: End Violence
against Women Now.
Australia’s Ambassador to
Nepal, Felicity Volk said the
women and girls in general
norities, where they are mi-
grants or refugees and when
they are living through natu-
ral and other humanitarian
crises,” Volk said. Volk called
on the journalists, partici-
pants and audience to in-
tensify their efforts to pro-
mote women in sports and
shift gender stereotypes, as
well as harness sport as a
tool to fight against gen-
der-based discrimination.
Member of the Commit-
tee of the Convention on the
Elimination of Discrimina-
tion Against Women (CE-
DAW ) Bandana Rana said
Photo Courtesy: hamrokhelkud
football could influence a
CEDAW Member Bandana Rana handing over certificate large audience, especially
to NSJF’s Dil Tamang after the mixed-gender friendly youth, men and boys. “This
football match against ANAA at the ANFA Complex mixed-gender fr iendly
grounds in Lalitpur on Saturday. match can score a common
goal for ending all discrimi-
were vulnerable to gen- lesbian, bisexual, transgen- nation against women and
der-based violence. “This der or intersex, when they girls and building a society
vulnerability is compound- live with disabilities, are in- where no rights are violated,
ed when women identify as digenous or from ethnic mi- and no one is left behind.”
AP
India’s Axar Patel bowls against New
Zealand on the third day of their first Test
match in Kanpur, India on Saturday.
Reuters
New Delhi, November 27
Left-arm spinner Axar Patel
claimed figures of 5-62 to help In-
dia grab a handy 49-run first-in-
nings lead in the opening Test
against New Zealand on Saturday.
The home side suffered a set-
back, however, with Shubman
Gill’s late dismissal as they finished
day three on 14-1 at Kanpur’s
Green Park Stadium. Kyle Jamie-
son bowled Gill for one and trou-
bled Cheteshwar Pujara who re-
mained unbeaten on nine.
Opener Mayank Agarwal was on
four not out with India 63 ahead in
the first match of the two-test se-
ries. “This is the kind of pitch
where you can’t expect wickets all
the time,” Patel said after register-
ing his fifth five-wicket haul in sev-
en innings. “You have to be con-
sistent with your line and length.
The odd ball turned and occasion-
ally it kept low. I think the wicket
will slow down further.”
Earlier, after inducing several
edges that fell agonisingly short of
fielders, Ravichandran Ashwin
ended India’s 66-over wait for a
first wicket by ending a 151-run
opening stand between Tom
Latham and Will Young. Young,
having made a career-best 89,
edged Ashwin and substitute wick-
etkeeper KS Bharat — replacing
Wriddhiman Saha who was being
treated for a stiff neck — grabbed a
low catch.
Young was initially ruled not out,
but India reviewed that decision,
which had to be overturned after
replays confirmed the edge. Reply-
ing to India’s first-innings total of
345, New Zealand were cruising at
197-1 in the morning session with
Latham approaching his hundred
and skipper Kane Williamson in
the middle. Soon after India took
the second new ball, however,
seamer Umesh Yadav trapped Wil-
liamson lbw on the stroke of lunch.
Williamson, who made 18, re-
viewed the decision, but replays
confirmed the ball would have hit
the top of his middle stump.

+#WINS7ARSTEINER'OLF4OURNAMENT Pakistan make strong reply against

Himalayan News Service
Kathmandu, November 27
Sangam KC won the title of the Warsteiner
Golf Tournament here at the Royal Nepal Golf
Club today.
Played under stableford 3/4 handicap format,
KC accumulated 41 points to finish first. Sanjeev
Tiwari came second on count back after he was
tied on 38 points with Lt Gen Victory SJB Rana,
Hari Thapa and SSP Ashok Singh.
Hari Thapa won the gross section trophy with
33 points. Gita Gurung was the winner in wom-
en’s section with 29 points, while Arshiya Banu
was second with 27 points. Lt Gen Victory SJB
Rana won the senior category title with 38
points, while Maj Gen Vijay Moktan came sec-
ond with 36 points. Lt Col Ishwor Budhathoki
was the winner among guests with 39 points.
Mithun Rai won the most birdies award with
four birdies, while Phursang Lama and Bhai
Raja Pandey bagged the longest drive and clos-
est-to-the-pin awards respectively. Tej Bahadur
Rai bagged the best sportsmanship trophy.
A total of 69 players took part in the tourna-
ment sponsored by Jawalakhel Group of Indus-
tries. JGI Chief of Sales and Marketing Prabin
Nath, Chief of the Army Staff Prajwalla SJB Rana,
RNGC President Prachandra Bahadur Shrestha,
Captain Rajendra Man Sherchan, former Presi-
dent Madhukar Yakthumba and former NGA
President Pradeep Kumar Shrestha handed over
the prizes to the winners.
B’desh on Day-II of opening Test
Associated Press
Chattogram, November 27
Pakistan made a strong reply and
reached 145 for no loss after
fast bowler Hasan Ali claimed 5-51
to dismiss Bangladesh for 330
on day two of the opening Test
on Saturday.
Openers Abid Ali and debutant
Abdullah Shafique played out the
second and third sessions com-
fortably in a good batting track to
cut the deficit to 185 runs. Abid,
who reached the 1,000-run mark in
his 15th Test, closed in on his
fourth century, remaining unbeat-
en on 93 at stumps, owing to bad
light. Shafique overcame a nervy
start to finish the day on 52 not out.
Abid struck the first three
boundaries when Shafique strug-
gled to get off the mark. Shafique
flicked through midwicket for four
off pacer Abu Jayed and grew with
THT
confidence.
RNGC President Prachanda Bahadur Shrestha handing over the trophy to Abid was fluent in his approach
Sangam KC (left) after the Warsteiner Golf Tournament at the Royal Nepal Golf and glanced offspinner Mehidy
Club in Kathmandu on Saturday. Hasan for a couple to reach his
third half-century off 84 balls.
Shafique brought up his half-cen-
tury in style, clubbing occasional
bowler Mominul Haque for the
maximum.
Bangladesh’s hope of racking up
a substantial total was dashed by
fast bowler Hasan Ali earlier. Ali
broke Bangladesh’s resistance in
the first session as the home side
resumed on 253-4. He alone took
four wickets on day two with Bang-
ladesh adding just 77 runs for the
rest of the six wickets.
Ali’s sixth five-for was well-com-
plemented by his new ball partner
Shaheen Shah Afridi who returned
figures of 2-70 and medium pacer
Faheem Ashraf, 2-54.
For Bangladesh, Liton Das top-
scored with 114 after hitting his
maiden century and Mushfiqur
Rahim added 91. Mehidy Hasan
was not out on 38.
Liton, starting the day with 113,
added just one run before Ali had
him leg-before, which the umpire
disagreed, only for the decision be
overturned on review. Debutant
Yasir Ali spent some nervy mo-
ments in the crease and survived a
leg-before review by Pakistan.
However, he got off the mark in
international cricket with a cov-
er-drive four off Afridi on the 14th
ball he faced. But Ali tested him
with short balls and finally rattled
him stump with a delivery that jag-
ged in sharply.
Bangladesh relied on overnight
unbeaten Mushfiqur to take
the side to safety and he grew with
confidence, hitting Afridi for a
boundary through backward
point. Medium pacer Ashraf
moved the ball nicely to coax
an edge from him as Mushfiqur,
who reviewed the decision in
vain, fell nine runs short of his
eighth century.
After losing three wickets for just
23 runs, the much-needed resist-
ance came from Mehidy Hasan
who guided lower order amid
the well directed short ball barrage
of Afridi and Ali. Hasan Ali cleaned
up the tail to bring an end to the
innings.

Published by: International Media Network Nepal (Pvt) Ltd, APCA House, Baidya Khana Road, Anamnagar, Kathmandu, Nepal, PO Box 11651 Phone: 4770358, E-mail: editorial@thehimalayantimes.com Regd No 143/051/052 Postal Regd. 62/072/73 Printed at: Sama Printers (Pvt) Ltd, Sainbu, Lalitpur. Acting Editor: Rajan Pokhrel