Onlineparasi.com: June 2020

Tuesday 30 June 2020

बेटी इरा के लाइव वर्कआउट सेशन के बीच आए आमिर, ट्रेनर से की मजेदार बातें

इरा खान के हाल ही में हुए वर्कआउट सेशन में उनके पिता आमिर खान ने दस्तक दी है. आमिर खान...

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बहन के साथ हुए रेप का तिहाड़ में बदला, धारदार हथियार से की हत्या

साल 2014 में दिल्ली के आंबेडकर नगर इलाके में रहने वाले जाकिर की नाबालिग बहन के साथ मेहताब नाम के...

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सेल्फ क्वारनटीन में माधुरी के 100 दिन, बताया लॉकडाउन से क्या सीखा?

माधुरी दीक्षित ने अपने पति के साथ एक तस्वीर शेयर की और लिखा- राम के हेयरस्टाइल के साथ प्रयोग कर...

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US coronavirus cases rise by 47,000, biggest one-day spike of pandemic

WASHINGTON: New US COVID-19 cases rose by more than 47,000 on Tuesday according to a Reuters tally, the biggest one-day spike since the start of the pandemic, as the government’s top infectious disease expert warned that number could soon double.

California, Texas and Arizona have emerged as new US epicenters of the pandemic, reporting record increases in COVID-19 cases.

“Clearly we are not in total control right now,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a US Senate committee. “I am very concerned because it could get very bad.”

Fauci said the daily increase in new cases could reach 100,000 unless a nationwide push was made to tamp down the resurgent virus.

“We can’t just focus on those areas that are having the surge. It puts the entire country at risk,” he said.

Fauci said there was no guarantee of a vaccine, although early data had been promising: “Hopefully there will be doses available by the beginning of next year,” he said.

COVID-19 cases more than doubled in June in at least 10 states, including Texas and Florida, a Reuters tally showed. In parts of Texas and Arizona, hospital intensive care beds for COVID-19 patients are in short supply.

More than 126,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and millions have lost their jobs as states and major cities ordered residents to stay home and businesses closed. The economy contracted sharply in the first quarter and is expected to crater in the second.

‘TRUMP FAILED US’

The European Union has excluded Americans from its “safe list” of countries from which the bloc will allow non-essential travel beginning on Wednesday.

The fresh rise in cases and hospitalizations has dimmed hopes that the worst of the human and economic pain had passed, prompting renewed criticism of US President Donald Trump as he seeks re-election on Nov. 3.

His rival, Democrat Joe Biden, on Tuesday said that Trump’s “historic mismanagement” of the pandemic cost lives and inflicted more damage than necessary to the US economy.

“It didn’t have to be this way. Donald Trump failed us,” the 77-year-old former vice president said in a speech in Delaware, where he unveiled an updated plan to tackle the pandemic calling for more testing and the hiring of 100,000 contract tracers.

In the past week California, Texas and Florida have moved to close recently reopened bars, which public health officials believe are likely one of the larger contributors to the recent spikes.

On Tuesday, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut added travelers from California and seven other states to those who must self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. Texas and Florida were named last week.

South Carolina also has also emerged as a hot spot, reporting a record single-day increase of 1,755 cases on Tuesday.

In Texas, where the number of new cases jumped to a one-day record of 6,975 on Tuesday, Houston hospitals said beds were quickly filling up with COVID-19 patients.

Dr. Marc Boom, chief executive of Houston Methodist Hospital, told CNN on Tuesday that his hospital beds have seen a “very significant” increase in COVID-19 patients, although the death rate has lowered.

Boom said he was worried about Independence Day celebrations this weekend, when Americans traditionally flock to beaches and campgrounds to watch fireworks displays.

“Frankly it scares me,” he said.

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Nayab Subbas stage protest against Federal Civil Service Bill

KATHMANDU, JUNE 30

Scores of Nayab Subbas (non-gazetted first class officers) staged a protest in Singha Durbar today, demanding revision of the Federal Civil Service Bill passed by the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the House of Representatives.

The bill was endorsed by the house panel yesterday.

Stating that the bill had done injustice to non-gazetted first class officers, they demanded that it be revised without further delay. They also displayed placards with emotional slogans such as “Honourable lawmakers, didn’t you see tears in our eyes?” The protesters said the provisions stipulated in the bill were deliberately designed to jeopardise career of more than 35,000 non-gazetted first class officers.

They have also launched ‘Save Nayab Subba Campaign’ to pressure the government to meet their six-point demand. The bill, which will replaces the Civil Service Act-1993, if passed by both the houses of the Federal Parliament, stipulates a provision that vacancy of section officers (gazetted third class officers) shall be filled through open competition (80 per cent) and promotion (20 per cent).

Nayab subbas alleged that this provision would obstruct their promotion to the post of section officer.

The bill has also determined the age bar of 40 years for Nayab Subbas to vie for the post of section officer through open competition.

There was no age bar for Nayab Subbas aspiring to be promoted to the post of section officer. A press release issued by the campaign demanded that the government make provision of filling vacancy at the section officer level through open competition (50 per cent), promotion (30 per cent) and internal competition (20 per cent). “If a Nayab Subba is not promoted for 12 years in a row, s/he should be deemed eligible for promotion automatically,” read the release. They have also demand that the provision of age bar for Nayab Subbas vying for the post of section officer be scrapped.

“If the government tables the bill in both the houses of the Federal Parliament for its passage with a conspiracy to lower the morale of non-gazetted first class officers by devaluing their contribution, we will be compelled to resort to stern protest,” the release warned.

Meanwhile, the Authorised Trade Union of Civil Servants today organised a press conference to announce a series of protest programmes against the bill.

As part of the programmes, the trade union led a silent protest in Maitighar Mandala this evening.

It is submitting a letter of attention to the prime minister and Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota tomorrow. It will also submit a memorandum to the provincial and district administrative offices on July 2, distribute pamphlets in all government offices on July 3, interact with experts and the trade union on July 4 and work in offices by posting the charter of demands on their chests from July 5 onwards.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 1, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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Dahal, other top NCP leaders ask PM to quit

KATHMANDU, JUNE 30

Two days after ranting against India, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli today earned the wrath of Standing Committee members of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) who sought his resignation from the post of PM, some even from the post of NCP co-chair.

Nepal Communist Party (NCP) leaders attending the party’s Standing Committee meeting at Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar, Kathmandu, on Tuesday, June 30, 2020. Photo: Rajan Kafle/PM’s Secretariat

Co-chair of the ruling NCP Pushpa Kamal Dahal and other senior leaders of the party Jhalanath Khanal and Vice-chair Bamdev Gautam were among those who asked Oli to step down as PM on the third day of the Standing Committee meeting.

Khanal told THT that he asked Oli to step down as PM as well as party co-chair for his ‘inefficiency in running the government and the party’.

Khanal said the PM promoted factional interests in the party and worked only to fulfil his personal interests.

He said the PM failed to bring sound policies and programmes and followed capitalist policies in the past three years, ignoring the goals of socialism that his party was committed to.

Standing Committee member Chakrapani Khanal told THT that party Co-chair Dahal objected to the PM’s remark that the Indian state machinery was plotting to remove Oli from prime-ministership, saying the PM’s remarks undermined sovereign Nepali people and the Parliament, which elected or removed the PM.

Most of the leaders who spoke today were of the view that Oli should resign as the PM, but there were some who sought his resignation from both the top posts, Khanal said.

The PM, on the other hand, told the Standing Committee that he had received information about meetings being held in hotels to remove him from the PM’s post. This prompted some leaders to ask Oli to take action against any diplomat if he had evidence of s/he violating diplomatic norms.

Another Standing Committee member, who preferred to remain anonymous, said Dahal sought clarification from Oli for unnecessarily ‘provoking’ India.

Dahal also sought to know if the PM had any role in an application filed at the Election Commission on Sunday to register a new CPN-UML. NCP was created out of merger between UML and CPN-Maoist Centre.

The Standing Committee members said leaders who spoke today strongly objected to Oli’s inflammatory remarks against India, saying the PM’s utterances reflected his poor understanding of diplomacy. “The message of leaders who spoke today was that if the PM antagonised India like this, he would complicate the solution to boundary disputes with India,” the Standing Committee member said.

On Sunday, the PM had said that the Indian state machinery was plotting his downfall for amending the constitution to redraw Nepal’s map, depicting Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani as Nepal’s territory, which India claims as its own.

Besides Dahal, Gautam and Jhalanath Khanal, Madhav Kumar Nepal, Surendra Pandey, Janardan Sharma, Pampha Bhusal and Gokarna Bista also spoke in today’s Standing Committee meeting.

Oli has fallen into minority in all key party bodies, including party Secretariat, Standing Committee and Central Committee.

Standing Committee members said Oli got the inkling of what was in store when NCP leaders made his India bashing remarks the agenda of today’s meeting, postponing a debate on the boundary dispute that had earlier been scheduled.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 1, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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कांग्रेस ने की चीनी कंपनी Huawei-ZTE को 5G ट्रायल की रेस से बाहर करने की मांग

कांग्रेस नेता और पूर्व केंद्रीय मंत्री मनीष तिवारी ने चीनी कंपनी Huawei को 5G ट्रायल की रेस में शामिल किए...

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भारत के बाद US ने दिया चीन को झटका, Huawei- ZTE को सुरक्षा के लिए बताया खतरा

भारत के द्वारा चीन की कई मोबाइल ऐप को बैन करने के बाद अमेरिका ने भी एक्शन लिया है. US...

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Horoscope Today, 1 जुलाई: जानें कैसा रहेगा आज आपका दिन?

किन राशि वालों का दिन बेहद अच्छा गुजरेगा, किसे चुनौतियों का सामना करना पड़ेगा और किस राशि में यात्रा...

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दिल्ली पुलिस के इंस्पेक्टर की कोरोना से मौत, 14 दिन से वेंटिलेटर पर थे

दिल्ली पुलिस के स्पेशल सेल के इंस्पेक्टर संजीव कुमार यादव की मंगलवार देर रात कोरोना से मौत हो गई. संजीव...

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मंदिर के पास सड़क किनारे बैठे थे लोग, तेज रफ्तार कार ने कुचला

दिल्ली के रोहिणी इलाके में एक तेज रफ्तार कार की चपेट में आकर दो लोगों की मौत हो गई....

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दिल्ली: मार्च में चोरी हुई जज की कार, 2 महीने बाद पुलिस ने भेजा चालान

दिल्ली में एक जज की कार मार्च के महीने में चोरी हो गई. कार चोरी होने के 2 महीने बाद...

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दिल्ली: 12 लाख बच्चों को मिड डे मील ना मिलने पर हाई कोर्ट नाराज

लॉकडाउन के बाद से दिल्ली के 12 लाख बच्चों को मिड डे मील मिलना बंद हो गया है. दिल्ली सरकार...

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दिल्ली में ठक ठक गैंग एक्टिव, पुलिस ने 2 आरोपियों को किया गिरफ्तार

दिल्ली में एक बार फिर कुख्यात ठक-ठक गैंग एक्टिव हो गया है. दिल्ली के मथुरा रोड पर इस गैंग ने...

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गाजियाबाद से गायब बिल्डर की कार मुजफ्फरनगर में मिली

उत्तर प्रदेश के गाजियाबाद से लापता हुए बिल्डर की इनोवा कार मुजफ्फरनगर में बरामद हुई है. कार के अंदर...

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पंजाब: चीन से तकरार के चलते फिर नहीं मिला युवाओं को स्मार्ट फोन

पंजाब में कैप्टन सरकार का एक चुनावी वादा चीन से तकरार के चलते एक बार फिर अटक गया. इस बार...

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दिल्ली में चीनी नागरिकों के लिए टैक्सी नहीं, एसोसिएशन ने किया बैन

दिल्ली के टूर एंड ट्रैवल एसोसिएशन ने चीनी नागरिकों को अपनी सेवाएं देने से इनकार कर दिया है. टैक्सी...

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Drivers protest demanding resumption of taxi service in Kathmandu valley

Kathmandu, June 30

Over 300 taxi drivers today staged a protest at Minbhawan of Kathmandu, demanding that taxi service, which has been halted since March 24, be allowed to resume.

Though coronavirus cases continue to grow across the country amidst the nationwide lockdown taxi drivers said they were ready to operate their cabs.

Their desperate action is followed by the stretched lockdown, which has choked their business making it difficult for them to earn their living.

The protesters said they would die from looming starvation due to the prolonged lockdown.

The government has allowed private cars, bikes and other private vehicles to ply within districts on the basis of odd-even rule. But, the government is yet to decide on how or when to allow public vehicles or taxis to operate.

Government’s decision on the third week of June to partially lift the lockdown has eased public life inside Kathmandu valley.

But, life in the valley is yet to be restored to normalcy in absence of pubic vehicles as a majority of the valley denizens depend on public vehicle.

Taxi drivers said they were ready to operate cabs by adopting safety measures.

Sanu Purbachhane Magar, chairman of Valley Taxi Entrepreneurs Committee under All Nepal Transportation Workers Organisation said since there was no telling on the time frame of the lockdown the time when the virus would be controlled they had no options but to resume their work.

“Taxis are not different from private cars. If people contract the virus while travelling in taxis so do they while travelling in private cars.

But, the government is least bothered about the grim situation facing us,” said Magar, adding, “We therefore demand that taxis should be allowed to operate by carrying maximum two passengers on the back seat and by adopting required safety measures.”

Magar added that taxi drivers were confident that the government would address their concern at the cabinet meeting yesterday as promised to them.

“But the government turned a deaf ear to our plight and extended the lockdown,” lamented Magar.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 1, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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In pictures: Crows prey on locusts

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Barca title bid on rocks as Atletico upstage Messi’s 700th goal

Draw handed more momentum to title rivals Real Madrid
Barca led twice through Costa own goal and Messi penalty
Saul cancelled out Barca’s goals with two converted spot kicks
Barca have drawn three of six games since season resumed

BARCELONA: Barcelona gave up more ground to Real Madrid in La Liga’s title race on Tuesday after being held to a 2-2 draw at home to third-placed Atletico Madrid as a late penalty from Saul Niguez cancelled out Lionel Messi’s 700th career goal.

The draw meant the Catalans stayed second in the standings on 70 points and leaders Real Madrid, who have 71, will go four points clear at the top with five games left if they beat Getafe at home on Thursday.

Barca went ahead at an empty Camp Nou in the 11th minute when Atletico striker Diego Costa knocked Messi’s delivery from a corner into his own net.

Saul levelled soon after from the spot after the referee ordered a re-take when Costa’s initial penalty was saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen who had strayed from his line.

Barcelona then earned a penalty soon after the interval which Argentine Messi coolly converted for a remarkable 700th strike for club and country, only for Saul to strike again from the spot in the 62nd to earn a share of the points.

“It’s a real shame and the league title is looking much harder for us with each game,” said Barca coach Quique Setien, whose side have drawn three of their six games since the campaign resumed after the coronavirus stoppage.

“Dropping these points in reality pushes us further away from the title but we have to keep on working hard.”

The Catalans desperately needed to win after twice throwing away the lead to draw 2-2 with Celta Vigo on Saturday but history repeated itself as Quique Setien’s side failed to sparkle against a determined Atletico who are unbeaten since the season resumed.

“It’s very hard to try and fight for the title when you drop points two matches in a row but we’ll keep going until the end,” said Barca midfielder Sergio Busquets.

As well as defending with their usual steel, Diego Simeone’s side caused Barca plenty of problems down the wings due to the pace of Yannick Carrasco and their man-of-the-moment Marcos Llorente, who is enjoying a new lease of life as a forward.

Belgian winger Carrasco won both penalties for Atletico, out-foxing Arturo Vidal in the first half and then proving too quick for Nelson Semedo.

Saul had sent Ter Stegen the wrong way to score his first equaliser but the German guessed the right way in their second duel from the spot. The ball, however, squirmed through his hands and crept in off post.

Barca coach Setien left former Atletico forward Antoine Griezmann out of his starting team for the second game in a row and turned to the 120-million-euro man in stoppage time, but the Frenchman had barely any time to provide the desired reaction.

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38 die in monsoon related natural disasters

Kathmandu, June 30

As many as 38 persons, including 15 females, have been killed in various natural disasters across the country since the onset of monsoon.

According to statistics updated by the Ministry of Home Affairs, at least 2009 households were directly affected by disasters which caused economic loss worth around Rs 133 million. The disasters, mainly the landslides, floods and inundation resulted in damage or destruction of 84 houses or huts.

Major disasters that claimed the lives include landslides, floods, lightning and fire, mainly in the Tarai and hilly districts.

The Meteorological Forecasting Division had officially announced the arrival of monsoon in Nepal on June 12, two days later than the normal onset date of the rainy season.

“Monsoon activity has gained momentum, leading to rain-induced disasters. Therefore, we appeal to everyone to take necessary precautions against disaster events,” Meteorological Forecasting Division advised. MFD has forecast light to heavy rain with thunder and lightning at many places of the country for the next three days.

“Monsoon trough line is now located close to Nepal, bringing more rain. Heavy rainfall may increase the water level in many rivers, leading to inundation and landslide. Therefore, we would like to appeal to all to maintain high alert against the possibility of natural disasters,” read a weather forecast bulletin released by MFD today. It has also forecast obstruction of air and road transport due to bad weather conditions.

More than 120 persons were killed and property worth tens of millions of rupees damaged in natural disasters last year.

The country receives an average of 80 per cent of annual rainfall during the monsoon. The average annual rainfall in Nepal is 1,600 mm, but it varies from place to place depending on climatic conditions.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 1, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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J-K: त्राल में सुरक्षाबलों और आतंकियों के बीच मुठभेड़, 2- 3 की संख्या में छिपे हैं दहशतगर्द

जम्मू और कश्मीर के पुलवामा जिले में एक बार फिर आतंकियों और सुरक्षाबलों के बीच मुठभेड़ की खबर है. त्राल...

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Fernandes double steers Man United to 3-0 win at Brighton

BRIGHTON: Bruno Fernandes capped a fine individual performance with two goals and Mason Greenwood added another as Manchester United won 3-0 at Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Tuesday to stay in the hunt for a top-four finish.

Having stretched their unbeaten run in all competitions to 15 games, United climbed back into fifth place on 52 points from 32 games, two behind fourth-placed Chelsea who have a game in hand and ahead of Wolverhampton Wanderers on goal difference.

The result and the performance pleased manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who praised his team after United celebrated their first league win at Brighton since 1982.

“It’s a joy to watch them when you see them express themselves like that,” the Norwegian told the BBC.

“The confidence comes from performances and knowing they’ve done the right things leading in to the restart. They worked hard during the lockdown and we know we have loads to play for.

“The third goal was a great team goal. To see so many players sprinting forward to get on the end of it was fantastic. A great finish by Bruno Fernandes.”

Solskjaer added to Sky Sports: “Mason’s first goal was brilliant and he played fantastically. He’s a special kid, we know when he gets faced up he looks dangerous. His link-up play was great today.”

United dominated from the start and Fernandes hit the post with a rasping first-time shot from 20 metres before 18-year-old Greenwood fired them ahead in the 16th minute from a jinking solo run capped by a crisp low shot inside the near post.

Fernandes made it 2-0 with a deflected effort in the 29th following a superb build-up, with Luke Shaw piercing through on the left flank before the ball eventually fell to the Portugal midfielder on the edge of the penalty area.

United scored a high-quality third goal shortly after the break as Nemanja Matic released Greenwood with a searching long ball and the forward delivered an inch-perfect cross for Fernandes to volley home superbly from 10 metres.

Substitute Daniel James missed a chance to score United‘s fourth in the 86th minute when he had only Mathew Ryan to beat but the home keeper did well to deny the Wales winger.

United are next at home to relegation-threatened Bournemouth while Brighton visit bottom team Norwich City on Saturday.

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Monday 29 June 2020

FNJ to stage protest for journalists’ job security, rights

KATHMANDU, JUNE 29

A meeting of the office-bearers and members of the Federation of Nepali Journalists in Kathmandu today decided to stage a massive protest at Babarmahal on July 3 calling for job security and the rights of working journalists.

The FNJ stated that this demonstration was being organised with reference to the warning with a deadline that it had submitted to media houses earlier.

The meeting was chaired by FNJ president Govinda Acharya. It made a serious assessment of the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic on the media industry and the professional security of working journalists. The meeting concluded that complicated problems were seen such as expulsion of working journalists, keeping them on unpaid leave, deducting their salary, denying working environment and not giving any job responsibility during the lockdown period.

The umbrella organisation of journalists had already decided earlier to wage a strong movement for the protection of the rights and interests of working journalists.

The schedule for protest programmes are: organising impromptu sit-in protest, picketing and installing black banners at media houses where such problems have been seen, beginning from July 4, states a press statement issued by FNJ General Secretary Ramesh Bista.

The FNJ has decided to urge the government, the Parliament, professional organisations, United Nations Organisations, International Federation of Journalists, International Labour Organisation and the international community for solidarity in their demand for job security of working journalists.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 30, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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MCC ratification deadline ends today

KATHMANDU, JUNE 29

A day before the deadline for parliamentary ratification of the Millennium Challenge Corporation agreement ends, the Embassy of United States in Nepal today issued a press release stating that delay in ratification of MCC’s Nepal compact had denied benefits of more jobs and increased economic growth for nearly 23 million Nepalis.

Accepting this grant is Nepal’s choice, but the availability of the funding is not open-ended, the US embassy said, adding that tangible, near-term steps in Nepal were necessary to ensure the continued viability of the programme.

“The United States is aware that Nepal’s Parliament has not yet ratified the MCC’s Nepal compact. Ratification is the next step needed to proceed with the $500 million grant, which the two countries signed in September 2017 and which Nepal committed to ratifying by September 2019,” US Embassy said in its release.

US Embassy said the Government of Nepal and MCC had worked together continuously since 2012 under multiple governments, representing all major political parties, to develop the compact programme.

“This compact will build electric transmission infrastructure and perform road maintenance activities and directly benefit 23 million Nepalis.

The projects funded by the compact are priorities identified by Nepal during the nearly three years of project design to benefit the people of Nepal,” the embassy added.

MCC is a committed partner having successfully partnered with nearly 30 countries worldwide on 37 grant agreements of several hundred million dollars, totaling $13 billion.

These grants have helped lift millions of people from poverty by catalysing investment and economic growth and have supported partner countries’ sovereignty, the US Embassy stated.

MCC’s transparency as a development partner is also recognised globally, and this year MCC was once again ranked the top bilateral donor in the Aid Transparency Index, the United States Embassy added.

The United States and Nepal share a 73-year partnership working together in many sectors.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 30, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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US Elections 2020: Google removes misleading ads related to voting, elections

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China passes security law for Hong Kong giving Beijing sweeping powers, Cable TV says

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Parliamentary panel passes Federal Civil Service Bill

KATHMANDU, JUNE 29

State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the House of Representatives has passed the Federal Civil Service Bill.

The bill was passed by the panel despite the note of dissent from some ruling party lawmakers. The bill has proposed new retirement age for government employees. As per the bill, the employees can work till 60 years of age. However, those who turn 59 by 2022, can take voluntary retirement.

Similarly, the bill proposes to change the existing provision of 55 per cent seats for open competition and 45 per cent seats for reservation quota in the civil service examinations by making it 51 per cent and 49 per cent respectively.

The bill has also proposed reservation for the Khas-Arya, Muslims and Tharus. The bill also has the provision for province chief secretary’ appointment by the federal civil service commission.

However, the province secretary and administrative officer of the local levels will be appointed by the province civil service commission.

The committee has rejected the government proposal to appoint province chief secretary, province secretary and executives of the local levels by the federal civil service commission.

Committee Chair Sashi Shrestha had put the bill for a decision after committee members put their views on the report prepared by the committee’s secretariat.

Pampha Bhusal, Yasoda Subedi, Janardan Sharma and Maheshwor Jung Gahatraj among other lawmakers seconded the entire report whereas some other members expressed their differences with some points and provisions of the report.

The bill also proposes performance agreement of employees and makes a provision for deducting salary equivalent to 10 days if the employees delay work and give trouble to service seekers.

Similarly, the bill proposes to stop contract-based appointment of employees except for subject experts.

Speaking at the meeting, Minister of Federal Affairs and General Administration Hridayesh Tripathi argued that the committee should listen to the government’s opinion on topics related to the appointment of province chief secretary, secretary and administrative officers of the local levels.

He said the ministry did not know about the report said to have been agreed upon. “The government respects parliamentary supremacy, but if the bill is moved ahead without agreement, it will merely be confined to intellectual pleasure,” the minister said.

The committee members said the government should accept the panel’s decision as the bill is the Parliament’s property.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 30, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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Nepal families face hunger, skip meals as pandemic hits remittances

KATHMANDU: Nepali housewife Shiba Kala Limbu grimaced as she recalled how she went hungry in order to feed her five-year-old daughter after the coronavirus pandemic cost her husband his job as a mason in the Gulf state of Qatar.

The 25-year-old said she had no money for rent after the payments from her husband, Ram Kumar, stopped.

“It is painful,” she said, as she peeled potatoes in a dimly lit kitchen that doubles as her bedroom in the Baniyatar locality of the Nepali capital.

“I skipped several evening meals to save whatever little food I had for my daughter.”

The spread of the deadly respiratory disease caused by the virus has choked economies worldwide and pitched millions of migrant workers out of jobs, leaving them unable to send money home.

More than 56 percent of Nepal’s estimated 5.4 million households receive remittances that are a vital lifeline for families that have no other source of income, official figures show.

Remittances totaled $8.1 billion last year, or more than a quarter of Nepal’s gross domestic product, but are likely to drop 14% in 2020 because of the global recession caused by the virus, as well as a fall in oil prices, the World Bank says.

Millions of Nepali migrants work in the oil-rich Gulf countries and Malaysia.

Remittances are crucial for lower-middle-class families that have moved to city centres and rely on them to pay for rent, groceries, school fees and utilities, said analyst Ganesh Gurung.

“Without remittances these families will get poorer and crimes like human trafficking and prostitution could rise,” said Gurung, an expert on migrant issues at the Nepal Institute of Development Studies think tank.

Limbu, the housewife, used to receive up to 20,000 Nepali rupees ($165) every month before the pandemic.

But in the last six months she has received only 40,000 Nepali rupees from her husband, most of it borrowed from his friends.

“That’s all he has managed to send this year,” she said. “I used some of it to pay for the rent and the rest to buy groceries.”

In the southwestern town of Gajedah, Radha Marasini said her husband, Indra Mani, lost his job as a security guard at a textile factory in India‘s northern city of Ludhiana after the outbreak.

As her income dried up, the 43-year-old had no option but to turn to a local lender and pay crippling interest rates to ensure she and her 15-year-old son can survive.

“If the corona (virus) situation does not improve, we’ll have to eat only one meal a day,” Marasini said.

The virus has caused 13,248 infections and 29 deaths in Nepal.

Some migrants, like Limbu’s husband Ram Kumar, are staying overseas despite the loss of their jobs, in hopes the situation will improve and they can resume work.

“It is traumatic to be away from the family,” Kumar said from Qatar, which plans a limited re-opening of restaurants, beaches and parks from July 1.

“If there was any hope for finding a job in Nepal, I would go.”

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‘No border dispute with China’

Kathmandu, June 29

Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali told the National Assembly that there was no boundary issue with China and pillar 37 and 38 were never erected between Nepal and China as the terrain of the place was very difficult.

Gyawali said that before boundary pillars were erected along the northern border, residents of Rui village and Samagaun used to frequently visit both places but when the border was marked and pillars erected in 1962, households of the two villages were told that Rui village became part of China and the residents were free to choose one of them.

Gyawali said 60 households chose to live in Rui village and 40 in Samagaun and even though they had land possession papers issued by Gorkha district, they never had any problem. He said no land was occupied by China in Gorkha district.

Gyawali said that a fake letter was circulated recently purportedly issued by the Survey Department of Nepal’s Agriculture Ministry, which the Agriculture Ministry and Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already refuted. He said the government was probing how the fake report was prepared and who were behind that. Gyawali said the guilty would be punished for circulating fake reports on the basis of which fake news was also reported saying Nepal’s land was encroached by China in seven districts.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 30, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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Talks with India uncertain after Oli rhetoric?

KATHMANDU, JUNE 29

Foreign policy experts and civil society members say that Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s allegation that India is plotting to remove him from prime ministership would seriously impair Nepal’s relations with the southern neighbour.

Nepal’s former ambassador to Denmark Vijay Kant Karna said the language that the PM used yesterday against the Indian government was not the kind of language that a friendly country uses against a friendly neighbour.

“In diplomacy, a country takes note of each word used by the head of government of another country,” he said. He added that the PM’s allegation against India didn’t augur well for bilateral relations which were already strained due to border dispute in the north-west.

This means that India might not be willing to sit for talks to resolve border issues. “If we cannot hold dialogue with India to enhance cooperation in other areas, such as trade, transit, security and river management, then that will be a disadvantage for both of us,” he said. He added that the PM’s latest remarks against India were consistent with his conscious effort to talk ill of India and appease China.

“The PM wants to appease a section of society that equates India-bashing with nationalism.

This was the only reason the prime minister had said that coronavirus coming from India was more lethal than the strain of virus coming from China or Italy,” he added.

Karna said the PM had been provoking India and was going out of the way to appease China, violating the principles of nonaligned movement that Nepal adhered to.

Nepal’s former permanent representative to the United Nations Dinesh Bhattarai said the PM had overstepped diplomatic norms by accusing the entire Indian machinery of conspiring to remove him from power. “We have border disputes with India but that does not mean that the PM, whose word is final on diplomatic issues, should make such inflammatory remarks against a neighbour,” said Bhattarai.

He added that the PM’s remarks could impair Nepal-India relations in the long run. He said the PM’s remarks proved Indian media’s charges of jingoism against the PM.

Former speaker Daman Nath Dhungana said the PM’s speeches reflected the country’s policies, but the remarks Oli made yesterday against India were unceremonious.

“We may have issues with our neighbours, but we cannot use such language to oppose our neighbours,” Dhungana said,adding, “Although we should treat both our neighbours equally, we cannot forget the fact that we have more interactions, as well as dependency for certain things, on India.”

He said the only reason he played the India card was to cling on to power, as he had failed on the governance front.

Senior journalist Kanak Mani Dixit tweeted, “PM KP Oli must be mindful of the need for verbal de-escalation with India, and of how his words will be carried, relayed and interpreted. This is essential from him for the sake of de-escalation on ground at Lipu Lek and mending the overall bilateral Nepal-India relationship.”

Security and foreign policy expert Shreedhar Khatri said Nepal had border dispute with China as well, since border pillars had not been erected in Lamabagar (Dolakha) and Lipulekh areas but the government chose to raise the dispute with India and kept mum on issues with China.

He said though India provoked Nepal to include Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani in the country’s map by ignoring Nepal’s call for dialogue, Nepal needed to show diplomatic maturity and seek negotiated settlement with India in a constructive manner.

“Passage of the constitution amendment bill by both houses was enough to give India the message of Nepal’s political resolve and national unity, but after the bill was passed by both houses, the government should not have proceeded to get it confirmed by the president. That would have given Nepal a chance to have dialogue with India,” Khatri said.

He added, “Dialogue is often held for compromise. But with the constitution already amended to include Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani in Nepal’s emblem, there is no room for dialogue.”

He said countries should avoid making their constitution an issue of bilateral negotiation.

Khatri does not think a dialogue will now happen with India on Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani issue.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 30, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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Mee heads Burnley up to eighth with win at Palace

LONDON: Burnley moved up to eighth in the Premier League after a header from captain Ben Mee earned them a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace on Monday.

Sean Dyche’s side move above Arsenal and Sheffield United and on to 45 points, level on points with Tottenham Hotspur, who have played a game less.

Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha shoots at goal, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Burnley, at Selhurst Park, in London, Britain, on June 29, 2020. Photo: Reuters

Despite being depleted by injuries and with another incomplete and inexperienced substitute bench, Burnley were well on top in the first half with Dwight McNeil influential in a central role.

Palace were stronger after the break but fell behind shortly after the hour mark when Mee launched himself at an Ashley Westwood free-kick and Palace keeper Vicente Guaita could only push the ball in off the post.

Roy Hodgson’s team piled on the pressure in the final minutes but Burnley, who have lost just once in the last ten games, hung on to secure the three points which will give them hope of a push towards possible Europa League qualification.

“There’s a long way to go because of how thin our squad is. There are no excuses though and the mentality is good, the physicality has to remain strong,” said Dyche.

The win was particularly impressive for Burnley who had one fit striker in Matej Vydra and had to bring on reserve centre half Kevin Long when midfielder Jack Cork went down injured.

Dyche has been critical of the club’s chairman Mike Garlick after three players left the club last week when their contracts ran out but he brushed off a question about his future.

“Everyone keeps talking about my future apart from me. I’m getting on with my job as I always do – I’m still here,” he said.

“We have a group that give everything and we saw that again tonight. When you think before lockdown, in the 100 days, the fabric of the club has changed somewhat. We have a group here who will never go under and we have some youngsters here who can see that.”

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