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Vol XXIV No 86 | 12+4 Pages
PAGE 5
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Features
Expression
International
rights groups
slam 9-pt deal
whither justice?
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, MAY 13
International human rights
groups have condemned a
deal between the ruling parties—the CPN-UML and
UCPN (Maoist)—to withdraw
war-era cases from court and
grant amnesty to those
involved in serious human
rights abuses.
and Amnesty International
said in a joint statement on
Friday. “Nepal’s leading political parties should not bargain
away justice for victims of
serious
human
rights
abuses as part of an agreement to form a new coalition
government.”
Against the backdrop of a
dramatic political development, Prime Minister and
Nepal’s leading political parties should not
bargain away justice for victims of serious
human rights abuses as part of an agreement
to form a new coalition government
“A new agreement between
the ruling parties threatens to
entrench impunity for those
who planned and carried out
killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and other
crimes in Nepal’s civil war,
just as the country’s long
delayed transitional justice
process is finally about to get
under way,” the International
Commission of Jurists (ICJ),
Human Rights Watch (HRW),
]
UML Chairman KP Sharma
Oli and UCPN (Maoist)
Chairman Pushpa Kamal
Dahal on May 5 signed a ninepoint deal in a bid to save the
coalition from falling apart,
which looked quite inevitable
till the previous day.
Provision 7 [of the ninepoint deal], which directs the
authorities to withdraw all
wartime cases before the
courts and to provide amnesty
Drag me to court,
Dahal challenges
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, MAY 13
Say agreement undermines transitional justice
[
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2016 (O1-O2-2073)
to alleged perpetrators, is particularly problematic, said the
rights group.
“This political deal between
the ruling parties is extremely
damaging to the credibility of
an already deeply politicised
and flawed transitional justice
process in the eyes of Nepal’s
victims,” said Sam Zarifi,
Asia-Pacific director at the
ICJ. “Moreover, it flies in the
face of Nepal’s international
human rights obligations and
the rulings of its own
Supreme Court by trying to
wash away the crimes of the
conflict by attempting to coopt
pending criminal cases and
provide blanket amnesty to
alleged perpetrators,” Zarifi
added. Stating that Nepal has
an obligation under international law to investigate and,
where sufficient evidence
exists, prosecute crimes
under international law,
including torture and other
ill-treatment, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial executions, war crimes, and crimes
against humanity, the rights
bodies have called on the
Nepal government to take
immediate steps to safeguard
victims’ rights to truth, justice and reparation through a
credible transitional justice
process that is free of any
political interference.
Conflict victims and rights
activists too have objected to
the nine-point deal reached
between the ruling parties.
n An elderly woman breaks into tears while talking about her kin who were disappeared during the
decade-long Maoist conflict, in Rolpa, on Friday. Though the transitional justice bodies have started
registering complaints, the progress has been slow, and conflict victims like her say they are
worried whether they will ever get justice.
POST PHOTO: KASHI RAM DANGI
Amid growing concerns of
conflict victims who have
been saying they are worried
about being deprived of justice, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman
Pushpa Kamal Dahal said on
Friday that court could drag
him to court and jail him on
charges of conflict-era cases.
Dahal’s remarks come hot
on the heels of a nine-point
deal he has signed with the
CPN-UML aiming to withdraw war-era cases from
courts and offer amnesty to
grave rights abuses committed during the decade-long
insurgency.
The
UCPN
(Maoist) has been demanding
that war-era cases be dealt
with by transitional justice
bodies and not by regular
courts.
The nine-point deal, which
has been opposed by national
rights activists and international rights groups, has
raised suspicion among conflict victims that it could rob
them of their right to justice.
Defending his party’s
stance, Dahal, at an interaction, argued that cases of
insurgency period should be
resolved politically. “As then
commander [of the Maoist
army], I am responsible for
[ ]
As then
commander [of the
Maoist army], I am
responsible for
every incident that
took place during
the decade-long
conflict
PUSHPA KAMAL DAHAL
every incident that took place
during the conflict,” said
Dahal. “If the conflict-era
cases are dealt with by regular courts, they should jail me
first.”
Dahal also accused lawyers
and human rights activists of
making a “huge fuss” about
the issue and conspiring to
“derail the peace process”.
>> CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
WRIT QUASHED
KATHMANDU: The Supreme
Court on Friday quashed a
writ petition that demanded
nullification of the nine-point
deal signed between the CPNUMl and UCPN (Maoist) on
May 5. A single bench of
Acting Chief Justice Sushila
Karki quashed the petition,
saying the agreement was a
political document which
did
not
need
judicial
intervention. (PR)
Federal alliance announces stir
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, MAY 13
Madhesi and Janajati forces,
which have formed the
Sanghiya Gathabandhan, or
federal alliance, to press the
government to address their
demands, have said they will
launch their Kathmanducentric protests from Saturday.
Upendra Yadav, chairman
of
Sanghiya
Samajbadi
Forum Nepal, who is also the
coordinator of the alliance,
made the announcement at a
press meet at his party office
in Tinkune, Kathmandu on
Friday.
The agitating forces’ protest announcement comes two
days after they spurned a government offer to resume talks.
The government on Monday
had written to the agitating
parties, inviting them to the
NCELL SUBJECT
TO CAPITAL
GAINS TAX: PM
KATHMANDU: Prime Minister
KP Sharma Oli said on Friday
that the recently accomplished Ncell deal was subject
to capital gains tax as per the
law of the land.
“According to the government’s point of view, the deal
was applicable to taxation and
the government has acted
accordingly,” said Oli. “Hence,
the deal was brought under
the tax bracket.” Defending
his Cabinet for maintaining
silence on the matter, PM Oli
said, “There is tax office and
there are tax officials, and tax
issues are discussed there, not
in the Cabinet and the Prime
Minister’s Office.” (PR)
negotiating table. Redrawing
provincial boundaries and
amending some provisions of
the constitution are their key
demands.
The agitating parties and
[
the government have not held
talks since February 18—the
day the government formed a
political mechanism in a bid
to address the agitating
parties concerns.
We held 36 rounds of talks with the
government, but to no avail. That’s why
we are forced to resort to agitation
UPENDRA YADAV
]
NHRC to monitor
KATHMANDU: The National
Human Rights Commission
(NHRC) has said it will
monitor the protests that an
alliance of
Madhesi and Janajati
forces are planning to
launch from Saturday. The
national rights body said
on Friday it decided to
monitor the protests after
holding separate discussions with local administration, Nepal Police, protesters and human rights
activists. (PR)
“We held 36 rounds of talks
with the government, but to
no avail,” said Yadav. “That’s
why we are forced to resort to
agitation.”
The federal alliance comprises 27 political parties,
including seven Madhesi forces, which have formed the
Samyukta
Loktantrik
Madhesi Morcha (SLMM).
“Our protests will be peaceful,” states a joint statement
signed by Yadav on behalf of
the alliance. “The country
could plunge into crisis and
civil war if the government
tried
to
suppress
the
protests. We warn that the
government should take
entire responsibility if such a
situation arises.”
The federal alliance has
decided to start their demonstration from Shanti Batika in
Ratnapark.
House votes to endorse
policies and programmes
BINOD GHIMIRE
KATHMANDU, MAY 13
Parliament on Friday voted to
endorse government’s policies and programmes, paving
the way for the government to
present its budget for fiscal
year 2016-17.
President Bidhya Devi
Bhandari on Sunday presented the government’s policies
and
programmes
in
Parliament.
The policies and programmes were put to vote on
Friday after Prime Minister
KP Sharman Oli responded
to queries raised by lawmak-
ers during the four-day-long
deliberations.
According to Parliament
Secretariat, a total of 180 lawmakers from different parties
had taken part in the deliberations, with those from the
opposition parties expressing
critical views, terming the
policies and programmes “a
temporary document by a
temporary government”.
Responding to the queries,
mainly those raised by lawmakers from the opposition
parties, PM Oli defended the
government’s document and
sought support from parties
for the implementation.
Responding to claims by the
Nepali Congress and key coalition partner UCPN (Maoist)
that local elections on government-announced
dates
(November/ December) are
not possible, PM Oli said, “It
is already too late. We cannot
let the local bodies remain
without elected representatives for long.”
With the endorsement of
the policies and programmes,
the government is preparing
to table the fiscal budget by
the end of this month, as envisioned in the new constitution. The new fiscal year 201617 starts in mid-July.
C M Y K
news
Saturday, May 14, 2016
NEWS DIGEST
thekathmandu post 02
There has been
no aid cut to
Nepal: India
have wheels, will travel
GPS collar fitted
on snow leopard
TAPLEJUNG: Technicians
from the National Trust
for Nature Conservation
and World Wildlife Fund
have successfully
installed a GPS tracking
collar on a third snow
leopard, a female, inside
the Kanchanjunga
National Park. The animal was trapped from
Olangchung VDC of
Taplejung with the help
of locals. Conservation
officer Hem Raj Acharya
said they can now keep
track of the snow leopard using GPS technology. On September 4, 2013,
the trust had given
approval to the park’s
authority to fit tracking
collars on four snow
leopards. (PR)
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, MAY 13
Lightning bolt
kills three people
BIRATNAGAR: At least
three people died in separate incidents of lightning in Morang and
Okhaldhunga districts
on Thursday. According
to the Eastern Regional
Police, the deceased have
been identified as
Bishnumaya Shrestha,
40, and Nir Bahadur
Shrestha, 60, of Kalika-5
in Okhaldhunga and
another Budharai Soren
of Darbesa-8 in Morang
district. Police informed
that Naiem Ansari of
Kadmaha was injured
when a lightning bolt hit
him in Morang. Ansari
has been undergoing
treatment at Biratnagar
based hospital. (PR)
Police deployed
at Tharuwan
protest in Kailali
TIKAPUR: The District
Security Committee of
Kailali (DSC) on Friday
mobilised around 500
security personnel in
Tikapur where the
Tharuhat Tharuwan
Protest Committee
(TTPC) announced a protest assembly. Deputy
Superintendent of Police
Gautam Mishra said
they have heightened the
security in Tikapur area
and other parts of the
district in view of the
week-long protest programme announced by
the TTPC. On Friday, the
group organised an
interaction with the
locals in Durgauli VDC.
Krishna Kumar
Chaudhary, TTPC coordinator, has said they will
organise Tharuhat
Jagaran Abhiyan from
May 15 to May 21 in the
district. (PR)
A group of friends has fun time riding a beat-up bicycyle at a village in Bhaktapur on Friday.
POST PHOTO: DIPEN SHRESTH
Experts call for geo-hazard
mapping, risk assessment
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, MAY 13
Experts have called for a
detailed mapping of geo-hazards and assessment of risks
from Gorkha Earthquake that
struck the country last year to
identify and implement mitigation and adaptation measures.
The findings of a new study
on the ‘Impact of Nepal’s 2015
Gorkha Earthquake-Induced
Geohazards’ prepared by a
team of national and international researchers, published
by the International Centre
for the Integrated Mountain
Development (Icimod), has
highlighted the need of a better understanding of science
related with disasters and
their impacts on lives and livelihoods.
The
main
geo-hazard
induced by the Gorkha
Earthquake and its aftershocks were landslides, river
channel constriction and
damming, and avalanches
with debris flow and air-burst.
The quakes triggered more
than 4,300 landslides and large
avalanches. Similarly, of the
total 489 glacial lakes surveyed by the two groups using
satellite images, only nine
quake preparedness
showed any evidence of
effects caused by the quake.
The report has said that the
earthquake and associated
aftershocks resulted in considerable loss of life, especially in some remote Himalayan
valleys, but the damage due to
landslides and glacier lake
outburst floods was less than
anticipated.
“The number of landslides
was large, but much less than
that induced elsewhere by
other earthquakes of similar
magnitude,” read the report.
The landslides occurred
mainly on steep slopes, in
areas with strong shaking,
near ridge crests, and in the
tectonically down dropped
blocks and were widespread
in the earthquake-affected districts with a greater number
in Dhading, Gorkha, Rasuwa,
and Sindhupalchok.
Icimod, in collaboration
with other experts, undertook
several studies including field
surveys, airborne observations, and remote sensing
mapping to assess the occurrence and impact of the
geo-hazard induced by the
earthquake and its aftershocks. “Damage from earthquake-induced geo-hazards
can be considerable, and there
is the need to treat geo-hazards separately since their
nature and effects and mitigation and adaptation options
are different,” said David
Molden, director general of
Icimod. He said that the findings and the recommendations provided in the study
will help policy and decision
makers in Nepal and other
regional member countries in
their efforts to prepare for
geo-hazard.
The Indian Embassy in
Kathmandu on Friday said
that its government has not
sanctioned any kind of aid cut
to Nepal, responding to some
media reports.
“The actual fund flow to
Nepal from Ministry of
External Affair’s Aid-to-Nepal
budget in 2014-15 was IRs 300
crores, or over USD 50 million.
While a good part of this aid
is routed through the Nepalese
Finance Ministry, a lot of
such aid is given directly to
the beneficiary. Such assistance includes granting of
scholarships, creating medical infrastructure, etc,” the
embassy said.
According to the embassy,
India’s aid to Nepal in 2014-15
and in other years normally
includes nearly 3,000 scholarships to Nepali students annually at a cost of IRs 50 crores;
bilaterally committed free
electricity supply and trainings for over 400 Nepalis persons from security, economic
and other organisations
accounting for IRs 50 crores;
about 20 Small Development
Projects, gifting of buses/
ambulances, over 1,000 shallow tube wells and supply of
iodised salt for IRs 50 crores;
and construction of river
training embankments for IRs
Embassy says Indian
government remains
committed to aiding
Nepal’s development
40 crores. Tarai Roads (of
which 90 kms have been built)
and Rail links, depending
upon
project
progress,
account for the rest, the
embassy said.
The statement also mentioned about the four Lines of
Credit totalling USD 1.65 billion available for utilisation,
of which only USD 150 million
has been disbursed since 2010.
Such financial support
translates into on-ground
socio-economic transformations in the form of spread of
educational facilities, building health infrastructure, providing livelihood support and
enhanced transport linkages
leading to an overall improvement in the standard of living, the embassy said.
“Being fully committed to
Nepal’s socio-economic development, India has continuously endeavoured to partake in
the development process in
Nepal. Any misrepresentation
of figures undermines the
quantum, scope and extant of
the nature of socio-economic
engagement between the two
nations.”
Three dead in
flash floods
KASHIRAM DANGI
ROLPA, MAY 13
Three persons died in two separate incidents of flash flood
in Rolpa and Surkhet districts
on Thursday night.
Sudden flood in a local river
swept away 70-year-old Tek
Bahadur Ghartimagar of
Jinabang-1 in Rolpa district.
According to the District
Police Office, Ghartimagar’s
body was found 7 kilometers
downsteream on Friday morning. Flood also swept away a
bus (Na 3 Kha 8142) and a
tractor (Lu 2 Ta 8445) parked
at Sukhaodar Bazaar.
Locals said around 31 local
shops and 12 houses were
affected by floodings. VDC
secretary of Jinabang said a
flood also destroyed the building of District Veterinary
Office. In Surkhet, a massive
flood at Kaphalkot VDC-3
swept away two young women,
Heema Budha, 19, and Bipana
Budha 20. Their bodies wee
taken to Jajarkot District
Hospital for postmortem.
Shops, streets
waterlogged in
Salyan
SALYAN: Floods triggered
by incessant rainfall on
Thursday night inundated streets, a dozen roadside shops, three motorcycles and 50 water mills
at Baphukhola-3 in
Salyan. A market place at
Dovan marketplace was
waterlogged in the incident. Some shops, houses, about 15 hectares of
of potato farm and an
irrigation system in the
area were also damaged
by the flood. The flood
also affected Suwaoral
village in neighoburing
Rolpa district.
Nepal Police and
Army personnel were
deployed for relief and
assistance, said Chief
District Officer Ramesh
Pandey. (PR)
Drag me to court,
Dahal challenges
TRUST SET UP
IN SHRESTHA’S
MEMORY
>> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
KATHMANDU: Jamuna-Bharat
Foundation, a non-profit trust,
was established on Friday to
commemorate the 75th birth
anniversary of late social
worker and businessman
Bharatlal Shrestha. The trust
will fund the education of
under-privileged children and
other social works. A blood-donation programme was also
organised in memory of
Shrestha on the premises of
Bishal Bazar at the joint initiatives of Kamana News
Publications Pvt. Ltd, The
Rolling Stones School, Blood
Donors Association Nepal,
Bishal
Bazar
Trade
Association, Lions and Leo
Club of
Bishal Bazar.
Shrestha, who passed away
three months ago, was honoured with various national
and international awards,
including the Gorkha Dakshin
Bahu, for his philanthrophic
works. (PR)
“They [lawyers and rights
activists] want instability in
the country so that they can
thrive,” he said. “Conspiracy
against former rebels to jail
them for conflict-era incidents
would never help settle conflict.”
Though Dahal talked about
“concluding the peace process”, he stopped short of saying how the concerns of conflict victims, many of them
are his own cadres also, could
be addressed, especially when
he has signed a deal with the
UML in a bid to save the coalition and take over the government leadership.
Rights activists Charan
Prasai and Sundar Mani Dixit
suggested that the Maoist
party should withdraw the
provisions related to war era
from the nine-point pact,
which they said would deny
justice to conflict victims.
The deal pledges, among
others, amending laws to
withdraw war-era cases
from courts and offer
clemency to perpetrators
Rights activists have been
objecting to points 3, 5 and 7
of the nine-point deal, which
pledge to amend laws to withdraw war-era cases from
courts, offer clemency and
legalise land transactions carried out during the conflict.
They suggested that the
Maoists should help to
strengthen transitional justice bodies, which have been
registering complaints from
conflict victims, to conclude
the peace process.
“We want transitional justice issues to be resolved,”
said Dixit. “But you are risking it by signing the deal.”
People participate in a blood donation programme on the premises
of Bishal Bazar in Kathmandu on Friday.
POST PHOTO
Kantipur Road Show
reaches Birgunj
PARSA:
“Kantipur
Road
Show”, a subscription campaign
of
Kantipur
Publications
(Kantipur
Karodpati Yojana), is taking
place in the town of Birgunj.
A team of eight persons from
the circulation department
are active in the campaign
aimed at increasing the readers of The Kathmandu Post
and its sister Nepali daily,
Kantipur.
Team
leader
Shankar Neupane said the
road show that started in the
town on Thursday has so far
succeeded in drawing a large
number of people. (PR)
C M Y K
03
thekathmandu post
news
Chinese minister,
KMG, CCTV sign framework
agreement for content exchange PM Oli discuss
bilateral issues
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, MAY 13
Visiting Chinese Minister for
State Administration for
Press, Publication, Radio,
Film and Television Cai
Fuchao called on Prime
Minister KP Sharma Oli in
Baluwatar on Friday.
Issues related to bilateral
ties, mutual benefit and cooperation were discussed in the
meeting. They also talked
about collaboration between
media houses of the two
countries and exchanges of
media persons and information technology.
According to PM’s foreign
affairs expert Gopal Khanal,
PM Oli expressed his hope
Kantipur Media Group Chairman Kailash Sirohiya (left) and Vice-president of China Central Television (CCTV) Wei Dichun sign an agreement for content exchange in
Kathmandu on Friday as Cai Fuchao (centre, right), China’s Minister of State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, and Kantipur Television Assistant
General Manager Bhusan Dahal (centre, left) look on. Also present are top KMG officials and Chinese delegation members.
POST PHOTO: HEMANTA SHRESTHA
n
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, MAY 13
Kantipur Media Group
(KMG) and China’s state television, CCTV, on Friday
signed a bilateral agreement,
which provides a framework
for
content
exchanges
between the leading media
houses in Nepal and China.
KMG Chairman Kailash
Sirohiya and Vice-president
of China Central Television
(CCTV) Wei Dichun signed
the agreement in the
presence of Cai Fuchao,
China’s Minister of State
Administration of Press,
Publication, Radio, Film and
NEWS DIGEST
Cargo movement
via Rasuwagadhi
increases
DHUNCHE: The movement
of container trucks via
the Rasuwagadhi trade
point on the Nepal-China
border is gaining
momentum with a gradual rise in shipment of
essential commodities.
The number of cargo
trucks travelling to and
from Kerung, China, has
shot up to 50 on a daily
basis, according to traffic
police. Apple tops the list
Television (SAPPRFT) and
senior members of the KMG.
Other members of the
Chinese delegation present
at the signing ceremony were
Ms Ma Li, Director-General
of International Cooperation
Department of SAPPRFT;
Zhang Xiaochen, Director of
General Office of SAPPRFT;
and Yang Yong, Director of
International Cooperation
Department of SAPPRFT.
Members of CCTV New
Delhi bureau and Chinese
Embassy
officials
also
attended the event.
At the ceremony, Chinese
Minister Cai stressed that
the exchange between two
major media houses in China
and Nepal will further
strengthen both the bilateral
and people-to-people relations, as the media play a
crucial role in mutual understanding. “After the earthquake [last year], our media
and CCTV had extensive coverage on the earthquake but
they also covered the grit and
determination demonstrated
by the Nepali people in times
of adversity. We hope to build
up on our Nepal coverage
further in order to promote
Nepal’s tourism.”
KMG Chairman Sirohiya
said that content exchange
will help deepen bilateral
ties and especially help
Nepal’s tourism sector.
“Since we have a strong tourism industry and China has
the great capacity to send
travellers to our country, the
media coverage will boost
our tourism industry.”
Sirohiya hoped that the
ties between the two media
houses and the peoples will
remain strong and both sides
can help each other with content sharing. The KMG
brings together Nepal’s two
major daily newspapers, a
news magazine, a weekly tabloid and a monthly magazine, in addition to a television network and a leading
private radio station.
The Chinese side stressed
that the singing was an
important milestone in bilateral ties and media exchanges between the two nations.
“Our cooperation should
be based on mutual understanding and trust,” said
CCTV Vice-president Wei.
In its 58th year, CCTV is
China’s leading TV company,
with 42 channels, of which 25
are open channels while the
rest are paid ones. It operates
its service in six languages
and has 70 bureaus across
the world, including its
South Asia headquarters in
New Delhi.
Lawmaker Lharkyal Lama suspended
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, MAY 13
The Legislature-Parliament
on Friday suspended UCPN
(Maoist) lawmaker Lharkyal
Lama after the Commission
for Investigation of Abuse of
Authority filed a case charging him with amassing property worth millions of rupees
through illegal means.
Speaker Onsari Gharti
informed the House about his
suspension as per the CIAA
Act-1991 and the Prevention
of Corruption Act-2002 until
the court delivers its final ver-
dict in the case. According
to the law, a lawmaker is
automatically suspended if
the anti-graft body files a
charge sheet against him in
the court.
1,040
ENGINEERS
IN QUAKE-HIT
DISTRICTS
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, MAY 13
As part of its efforts to construct earthquake-resistant
buildings, the Ministry of
Urban Development has
deployed 1,040 engineers in
the 14 affected districts.
Official said the National
Reconstruction
Authority
(NRA) still requires an additional 3,000 engineers for
reconstruction works, which
have yet to start a year
after the quakes devastated
central Nepal, killing nearly
9,000 people.
Unveiling
a
five-year
post-disaster recovery framework on Thursday, NRA Chief
Executive Officer Sushil
Gyewali said 4,000 engineers
would be required to reconstruct the damaged houses.
Each Village Development
Committee would have two
engineers and at least four
technical representatives.
Prime minister tells
visiting minister Nepal is
eagerly waiting for Chinese
President Xi Jinping to
visit Kathmandu
that the progress made
by China in information technology would benefit Nepal in
the sector.
On the occasion, Oli urged
the visiting minister to
encourage more Chinese to
visit Nepal. The PM said that
the recent optical fibre network
installation
has
strengthened connectivity
between the two countries. He
praised the Chinese support
to the earthquake survivors
and reconstruction projects
and expressed confidence that
the Chinese ‘One Belt One
Road’ initiative would benefit
neighbouring countries.
The PM said that Nepal was
eagerly waiting for the
Chinese president to visit
Kathmandu, according to a
statement issued by the PM’s
press adviser.
Chinese Minister Cai said
that his visit was also focussed
on implementing the bilateral
agreements and contracts
signed during PM Oli’s China
visit. He added that Oli’s meeting with President Xi Jinping
in Beijing had contributed to
strengthening bilateral ties.
India to attend
Buddha summit
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, MAY 13
India has said that it will
attend the upcoming Buddhist
Conference to be held in Nepal
at an “appropriate level”.
Officials said that India and
China, however, have yet to
convey the level of their participation at the conference
even as the government has
sent invitations to Indian
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, Chief Minister of Bihar
State of India Nitish Kumar
and Chinese President Xi
Jinping.
UN
Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon and
the heads of state from
Buddhist countries have also
been invited.
Diplomatic sources said
that Indian Ambassador to
Nepal Ranjit Rae is likely to
attend the meet. Responding
to queries in New Delhi on
Thursday, Vikas Swarup,
spokesperson for the Indian
Ministry of External Affairs,
said, “We have received an
invitation and I can assure
you India will be represented
at an appropriate level.”
Prem Kumar Rai, secretary
at the Ministry of Culture,
Tourism and Civil Aviation,
said that no official confirmation of participation had been
made from India and China.
Three individuals from India
had confirmed their participation. From China, a 25-member delegation representing
various monasteries had confirmed their participation,
said Rai.
There were reports in
Indian media that no official
representation would be made
at the conference due to
unspecified reasons.
The International Buddhist
Conference is to be organised
on May 20 and 21 in
Kathmandu and the 2560th
Buddha Jayanti in Lumbini
on May 21. The theme of
the event is ‘Lumbini, Nepal:
The Birthplace of Lord
Buddha and the Origin of
Buddhism’.
27 climbers scale Mt Everest
RASTRIYA SAMACHAR SAMITI
KATHMANDU, MAY 13
A total of 27 mountaineers,
including 13 Nepalis, made
it to the top of Mt Everest
on Friday.
They were recorded to have
reached the highest peak of
the world in the afternoon,
according to Gyanendra
Kumar Shrestha of the mountaineering section of the
Department of Tourism sta-
tioned at the Everest Base
Camp. On Thursday, three
Nepalis and as many foreigner climbers scaled the Everest,
up to 8,848 metres.
Nine Sherpa guides on
Wednesday became the first
group to reach the summit for
the first time in two years.
A deadly avalanche in 2014
forced a closure on Everest
expeditions, which were postponed again due to another
quake-triggered avalanche in
2015. According to records at
the Tourism Department, as
many as 34 teams, comprising
mountaineers from several
countries, are in bid to climb
Everest this season.
of goods coming into
Nepal from the northern
neighbour, followed by
garments, shoes and
electronic gadgets. Police
have been deployed
round the clock to facilitate traffic on the narrow
route, District Police
Chief Awadesh Bista
said, adding that the
Nuwakot-Gerkhu road
obstructed due to rains
has reopened for one-way
traffic. Chief Customs
Official Kedar Paneru
said revenue collection
since November 30 totals
Rs1.31 billion. Road
maintenance has begun
at Mulkharka and
Sanubharkhu to facilitate container movement. (RSS)
PM Oli vows to
rebuild Dharahara
KATHMANDU: Prime
Minister KP Oli has
pledged to rebuild the
Dharahara tower that
crumbled in last year’s
earthquake. Speaking at
a programme in
Baluwatar on Friday, Oli
said that after completion the new tower will
not only become the icon
of Kathmandu but also
serve as an earthquake
memorial. One hundred
and eighty people had
died when the tower
built in 1832 crumbled on
April 25 last year. The
PM said a plaque bearing
the names of victims
will also be built on
the site. (PR)
C M Y K
variety
AstralReflections
ARIES [March 21-April 19]
B
This is your last week of delay, false starts and indecision, Aries.
Continue to avoid new starts until May 22. Protect ongoing ventures,
and/or reprise past ones. The general accent remains on money,
earnings, buying/selling, possessions, memory, and sensual attractions.
Everything flows well—you’ll succeed even in tasks you felt uncertain
about. Your efforts bring money, especially if someone “good looking”
works beside you. Be eager to join, co-operative and diplomatic. You
could discover a valuable financial or investment secret or technique; or
you might feel drawn to someone who is already attached. In both cases,
don’t take a bite: wait, think, be ready to act.
I
G
S
TAURUS [April 20-May 20]
Your energy and charisma remain high, Taurus. But remember, use
that energy in the service of ongoing projects/relationships, or those
returning from the past. Don’t launch new ventures before May 22.
Romance waves its magic wand. Great interval for kids, embracing
the family, a family adventure, etc. Tackle chores and protect your
daily health. Eat, dress sensibly. Enjoy the sensation of fresh horizons, and keep your eye open for opportunities in business and
love—but wait until the weekend’s “revelations” before you act.
C
R
GEMINI [May 21-June 20]
This is your last week of weariness, solitude, and unexpected delays.
Don’t start any major ventures, purchases or relationships before
May 22. Do reprise old projects, or continue carefully with ongoing
ones. Romance, beauty, charming kids, risk-taking and adventure
meet with luck, when a long-standing problem might arise. If you get
past this, a sudden, surprising union might occur. You’ll succeed,
you’ll accomplish. Relationships and surprises are on their way. A
potential mate might wear a “friendship” disguise. Personal power,
clout, effectiveness, good timing, charisma and general good luck
comes your way. You’ll be the leader.
CANCER [June 21-July 22]
S
This is your last chance of revelry, celebration, and social whirling, so
dive in and have fun while you can. Remember, don’t start any major
project nor relationship before May 22—spend your time with
ongoing projects, or those that have returned from the past. Passion,
romance, creative urges charming kids, risks, beauty, “immediate”
pleasure are not only favoured—in some cases they might climax
now. Quietude, rest and recuperation approaches.
Captain America 3: Civil War
E
2
The Jungle Book
N
3
Mother’s Day
T
4
The Huntsman: Winter’s War
O
5
Keanu
P
6
Zootopia
7
Barbershop: The Next
E
R
R
I
You’ll enter a month of cheer, optimism and popularity after one last
push of hard work. Remember, start nothing new before May 22.
Until then, protect ongoing projects from delays and mistakes, and/
or reprise ventures from the past. Ditto for relationships. You’ll
impress the boss or another VIP during this easy, fortunate week.
Errands, communications, short trips, casual acquaintances and
paperwork fill. Hug the kids, garden, visit Mother Nature, upgrade
security, welcome a prodigal child—but DON’T invest. You’ll understand, almost as in a daydream, how your family has come to be
“this.” How the kids were influenced, how your parents shaped you,
too. Romance! Or at least a flirt. Happiness has begun.
1
P
T
LEO [July 23-August 22]
E
S
P
Cut
8
The Boss
9
Ratchet & Clank
10 Batman v Superman:
Dawn of Justice
S
(SOURCE: IMDB)
VIRGO [August 23-September 22]
Delays and snafus are slowly coming to an end—still, don’t start
anything before May 22. Spend your time protecting ongoing
ventures and/or reprising past ones. If you’re single and an old
flame appears, welcome him/her. But don’t start new projects nor
relationships, no matter how promising. Pay old bills, and collect
what’s due you. Shop routinely—nothing major. Intimacy might be
offered. It’s a pleasant, easy time. Make a list if “To Do’s” and march
through it. Do rest, deeply, because hard work, career pressures,
status and prestige concerns has just started. Rest for now, then
jump into the ambitious fray later on.
A
LIBRA [September 23-October 22]
The general accent remains on large finances, yearning, research
and investigation, secrets, underground forces, fate and “depths.”
Start nothing new, relationships nor projects, before May 22. Instead,
continue with ongoing projects or reprise past/old ones. Lie low, rest,
contemplate and finish any government-related or administrative. All
goes well—you could discover a valuable secret or “key.” Soothe
clients, pay and collect money owed. Your employment might yield a
money plum which brings errands, visits and calls—the “real start” to
a month of media, abstract thought, far travel and gentle love. To
succeed, wait a bit to plunge ahead.
I
R
W
A
V
SCORPIO [October 23-November 21]
Remember, no new ventures, relationships nor big purchases before
May 22, Scorpio. The general accent lies on relationships, public or
“aboveboard” dealings, litigation, negotiation, contracts and agreements, partnerships, opportunities, conditions at a distance and
similar matters. In all these, march forth to reprise the past but
launch nothing new. Examine your life thus far for clues to your future
direction. Be charitable, spiritual; handle management tasks. Your
energy and charisma soar and luck accompanies you. Romance will
virtually fall into your lap—but is this a lifetime romance, or even a
beneficial one? Perhaps not: think deeply. Mysteries, research, large
finances, medical events and romantic yearning may occur.
SAGITTARIUS [November 22-December 21]
Your work place continues to be pleasant and affectionate, setbacks
occur. Work and health concerns, and also your last week of indecision, delays and false starts to come to an end. So delay new starts
in projects, purchases and relationships until May 22 onward. For
now, uphold ongoing ventures, and/or reprise the past. Ambition,
career, and prestige relations are soon emphasised. Your recent
pleasant demeanor on the job might earn you some points now with
the boss. Popularity, social delights, flirtations and light romance,
entertainment, optimism and “nice luck” come—a great time, but
don’t sacrifice yourself on a money. Retreat—all is smooth, all is well.
Complete neglected chores, be charitable, spiritual. Your energy and
charisma—be assertive about love. If it causes a rebuff, so be it.
Ahead comes bring relationships, exciting prospects.
CAPRICORN [December 22-January 19]
Remember, Cap, start no new ventures before May 22. Stick with ongoing projects, or reprise the past. The general accent remains on creativity
romance, beauty, pleasure, risk-taking, and charming kids. An old flame,
if he/she hasn’t shown yet, might. You will be mellow, loving, wise—you
could decide you’re in love. Far travel, international affairs, philosophy,
intellectual pursuits and publishing/media is a good idea around this
time. Be ambitious (without starting anything new). Show your skills. All
lights are green, so charge ahead, mingle, issue and accept invitations.
You almost need to choose between light love and heavy romance—yet
just as you do, the choice is removed, or diminished. Rest as work will
soon work—but if you want to succeed more, start later.
E
T
O
K
A
N
T
I
P
U
R
T
V
5:00 Shuvprabhat
+Bhaktisur
5:30 Kundali+ Aatma
Gyan
6:30 Jyotish+
Manthan
6:40 Sky Shop
7:00 Kantipur
Samachar
8:00 Kantipur News
8:30 Rise N
Shine
9:00 Headline News
9:05 Quiz Mania 3
10:00 Kantipur
Samachar
10:30 Score Board
11:00 Headline News
11:05 Samakon 2
12:00 Kantipur
Samachar
12:30 Music Mela
1:00 Headline News
1:05 Ditha Sab
1:30 Frame By Frame
2:00 Movie
5:00 HeadlineNews
5:05 Call Kantipur
Reloaded
6:00 Kantipur News
6:30 Countdown
Kantipur (Pop)
7:00 Kantipur
Samachar
7:30 Infoplus
8:00 Kantipur
Samachar
9:00 Uddhyam
9:30 Pariwartan
10:30 Kantipur News
11:00 Kantipur
Samachar
11:30 Countdown
Kantipur (Pop)
12:00 Call Kantipur
REPEATED
1:00 Kantipur News
Repeated
1:30 Countdown
Kantipur (Pop)
2:00 Kantipur
Samachar Repeat
2:30 Uddhyam
3:00 Kantipur
Samachar Repeat
3:30 Pariwartan
4:30 Feature
K
A
N
T
I
P
U
R
F
M
F
I
L
M
The accent remains on errands, short trips, curiosity, media/news,
visits, communications and paperwork— busy stuff, but not important
stuff. Don’t start anything new, especially in these busy zones,
before May 22. Get out, mingle. A significant flirtation could occur.
Domesticity, rest, hibernation, family, garden, security and retirement
issues arise. But before that trend “settles in,” you have to do or face
something on the outside world, career, ambition and the day
following. Be assertive but not argumentative, about more money
for yourself.
O
G
R
A
P
H
P
P
E
R
S
(SOURCE: BILLBOARD)
S
QFX Civil Mall: 08:00/14:00/20:00
QFX LABIM Mall: 12:00
QFX Kumari: 12:30
QFX Jai Nepal: 15:15
3D CAPTAIN AMERICA 3:
CIVIL WAR
QFX Civil Mall: 08:45/12:00/15:45/19:15
QFX LABIM Mall: 08:45/11:30/12:15/15:45/18:00/19:
30
QFX Kumari: 09:00/12:15/15:30/18:45
CAPTAIN AMERICA 3: CIVIL WAR
QFX Civil Mall: 13:45
1920 LONDON
QFX Civil Mall: 11:15/20:15
QFX Kumari: 15:45
BAAGHI
QFX Jai Nepal: 12:00/18:30
3D THE JUNGLE BOOK
Savour the cardamom and saffron spice,
slow-cooked kebabs and kormas at Indian
restaurant serving Awadhi cuisine.
contact: 427399, at Soaltee Crowne Plaza
Mako’s offers traditional Japanese food
served. Don’t miss out on Mako’s special
Tempuras, and green tea ice cream, Time: 11:
30-14:30 & 19:00-22:00, contact: 4479448
We serve nothing but the finest Arabica
coffees at great value prices at Barista
Lavazza Coffee Restaurant, Lazimpat,
Contact: 4005123/4005124
Rosemary Kitchen and Coffee shop,
Thamel, opening hours: 7:00 am to 10:00
pm offers an International cuisine in reasonable prices. Contact 01-4267554
Krishnarpan—a specialty Nepali Restaurant
at Dwarika’s, 6 courses to 22 courses Nepali
meal served. Opening Time: 6 pm-11 pm. Prior
reservations required, contact: 4479448
China Garden offers delectable dishes from
across Asia, including Japanese, Korean,
Vietnamese and Chinese. Timings: Lunch:
1230-1445 hrs, Dinner: 1900-2245 hrs,
contact: 427399 at Soaltee Crowne Plaza
Manny’s Eatery and bar introduces a special lunch package that is affordable, tasty,
nutritious and quick enough to fit your lunch
break, Jawalakhel, Shaligram complex,
5536919
Bourbon Room, Lal Durbar Marg is open for
lunch from 12 noon. Enjoy affordable and delicious meals starting from Rs 99! We are currently offering Indian & chinese combos along
with momos. Call: 4441703
Out-of-Africa Lunch amid rural splendor:
Sat & Sun from 1130 to 1630 hours at The
Watering Hole, Indrawati River Valley.
For prior reservation contact: [email protected]
Enjoy snacks and drinks from 4:00 pm to
11:00 pm every day and nightly live music
from “The Corner Band” except Tuesday and
Saturday from 7 pm to 11:00 pm at Corner
Bar, Radisson Hotel. Contact: 4411818
Set within the historic Garden of Dreams, the
Kaiser Cafe Restaurant and Bar, Thamel, offers
a continental menu and serves as an atmospheric
venue for anything from a quiet coffee or intimate
meal. Contact: 442534
Jasmine Fitness Club and Spa, Fully
equipped gym and spa; Zumba, aerobics and
cardio classes; therapeutic massage; beauty
parlour and men’s salon. Tripureshwor;
Contact: 4117120
The Italian restaurant serves authentic
Italian cuisines in an elegant ambience for
both lunch and dinner. Timings: Lunch:
1230-1445 hrs, Dinner: 1900-2245 hrs,
Contact: 427399, at Soaltee Crowne Plaza
Garden Terrace offers an authentic world
cuisine, providing diners with the unique
experience of observing their selected dishes being prepared by chefs. Contact:
427399 at Soaltee Crowne Plaza
The Toran, an ideal location for all day lounging and informal dining offers multi-cuisines.
Contact: Dwarika’s Hotel, 4479488
Enjoy a Barbecue Buffet at the Radisson
Hotel, wide selection of mixed fresh grills and
vegetables together with a choice of salads and
a delicious dessert buffet at a rate of Rs. 1,350
plus taxes per person. Contact: 4411818
Tibetan Gyakok for Lunch & Dinner every
day at The Mandarin, The Everest Hotel ph:
4780100 ext: 7811
Every Friday BBQ from 7:00 pm at Fusion
Bar & Pool side at Dwarika’s Hotel with live
band “Dinesh Rai and Sound of Mind”. Price Rs
1600/ includes BBQ dinner and a can of beer
or a soft drink. Contact: 4479448
Trisara offers food and drinks along
with good music and great times. Sunday- Live
Music by Barbeque Night, Monday, Wednesdayby Positive vibes, Tuesday, Saturday-By Jyovan
Bhuju, Friday-Live Music by Dexterous
Ayurveda Health Home has been providing
ayurvedic treatments/ massages,
sirodhara & counseling for stress, detox &
rehabilitation. Dhapasi, Kathmandu:
01-4358761, Lakeside Pokhara 061-463205
Every Friday evening enjoy Starry Night
BBQ from 7 pm onwards at Shambala
Garden Café at Hotel Shangri La with live
musical performance by Ciney Gurung.
Contact: 4412999
Kaiser Cafe Restaurant & Bar at The
Garden of Dreams, opening time: 9 am till 9
pm, offers an international cafe menu serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, specialty tea’s,
coffees and pastries, contact: 4425341
Weekends brunch @ Hyatt Regency—treat
yourself with a lavish buffet lunch, splash by
the swimming pool or laze around outdoor,
Jacuzzi, all for just Rs 2300 plus taxes per
person. Contact: 4491234
Latin—Gypsy Jazz at The Corner Bar,
Radisson Hotel, Kathmandu with Hari
Maharjan feat Monsif Mzibiri, 7 pm onwards,
Wednesdays & Fridays. Contact: 4411818
Make your weekend more exciting with
family and friends with sumptuous Satey,
Dimsums, Mangolian Barbecue and Pasta at
The Cafe from 12:30 noon to 4:00 pm. Call:
Hyatt Regency, at 4491234
Hotel Narayani Complex, Pulchowk, Lalitpur
presents Shabnam & Cannabiz Band every
Wednesday and Rashmi & Kitcha Band every
Friday, 7:30 PM onwards @ Absolute bar P Ltd;
Contact: 5521408
Enjoy Bubbly Brunch every Saturday from 11
am to 3 pm at Shambala Gardena and Club
Sundhara. Contact: 4412999
Embers Bar, Pulchowk, in all its sophistication and glory is happy to announce
Happy Hours every 6-7pm. It will be
hosting a Barbeque night every Friday from
6:30-9:30pm
Special Saturday Brunch at The Café &
Garden, The Everest Hotel 1200-1600 hrs; Ph
4780100
Sandwich and Crepes: Taste the sandwiches and crepes at The Lounge from 11 am to 6
pm everyday. For further details call Hyatt
Regency at 4491234.
The most delightfully awesome chicken
momos & yummy rich chocolate cake on this
part of the planet @ Just Baked Bakery &
Cafe, Battisputali, offering much more specialties at affordable price.
Starry Night BBQ—every Friday Evening from
7:00 pm at Shambala Garden Café, Hotel,
Shangri~La only @ Rs 1799 net per person
and live performance by Ciney Gurung.
Contact: 4412999
Revolution Cafe, AmritMarg, Thamel, away
from busy crowed street, offers great
music, fast wi-fi and wide menu with reasonable prices. Operation hours: 7 am to 10
pm, contact: 4433630
Learn cardio, gym, aerobics, zumba, spa,
boxing, kick-boxing, b-boying, bollywood
dance at Oyster Spa and Fitness Club,
Sinamangal. Time: Sunday to Friday from 5
am to 8 pm. Contact: 4110554
Experience The Last Resort, the perfect
place for family fun adventure and relaxation.
Special packages for residents. Contact:
4700525/ 4701247 or mail us at
[email protected]
Asia World Travel Pvt Ltd presents fascinating luxury escapades to amazing destinations:
Prague, Ladakh, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala
Lumpur, Mount Kailash and Panchpokhari in
North East Nepal. Contact: 6222604
Jungle Safari Lodge, Sauraha Chitwan
offers 2 Nights 3 Days package only for Rs
6500 per person. Suman 9851008399
Much needed getaway—1 night/2 day package
@ Hyatt Regency. Enjoy luxury stay of a five
star hotel for a couple with breakfast and
access to spa facilities for just Rs 9999 plus
taxes per person only. Contact: 4491234
Experience the Gyakok @ Shambala
Garden, Hotel Shangri~la only @ Nrs.1700
Nett per person and Nrs.3000 Nett for couple. For more details and reservation:
4412999
Enjoy Gourmet Saturday Brunch with
your family and friends at the Sunrise
Restaurant , Hotel Yak & Yeti from 12-7 pm
every Saturday. Contact: 4248999
Escape, relax and get in shape @ Hyatt
Regency. Embark on a personal well-being at
Club Oasis. Remember us for Tennis, sauna,
Jacuzzi, swimming, fitness centre and Beauty
Salon. Contact: 4491234
E
T
14:00
14:05
15:00
15:15
16:00 Quick Fix
17:00 Kantipur Diary
17:05 Health
Hot Line
18:00 Maitiko Sandesh
(Maiti Nepal)
18:55 Khoj
19:00 Nep-Hop
20:05 Abhimat The
Vertic
21:30 Rum Pum Hello
Mithila
23:00 Rock Machine
KE MA TIMRO HAINA RA
PISCES [February 19-March 20]
N
11:00
11:05
12:00
12:10
13:00
13:05
Traffic Update
Basi Biyalo
Kantipur Diary
Pepsodent Games
People Play
Kantipur Diary
Hit List
Kantipur Diary
Celebraty Hour
Kantipur Diary
Century
Top Ten
Kantipur Diary
Postmortem
Kantipur Diary
The Game Show
AZHAR
The main accent continues to lie on your home, family, roots, security,
nutrition, stomach and soul. There have been some twists and turns in
this sector over the last few weeks, indecisions and false starts, unexpected little glitches. But an air of affection and hope has buoyed you,
too. Continue to avoid new starts. Handle neglected chores around the
home. Leap to take advantage of the past, if you can. Gentle love, wisdom, intellectual pursuits, higher learning, far travel, cultural and social
venues come. All lights are green, except in a background area of management at work, or with authorities.. Be ambitious (without starting any
new ventures). Show your stuff. Hopes, happiness, a holiday atmosphere
will arise. You might feel a surge of love toward someone soon.
E
09:10
09:15
10:00
10:05
One Dance, by Drake ft
WizKid and Kyla
2. Panda, by Desiigner
3. 7 Years, by Lukas Graham
4. I Took A Pill In Ibiza, by Mike
Posner
5. Work From Home, by Fifth
Harmony Featuring Ty Dolla
$ign
6. Work, by Rihanna Featuring
Drake
7. Don’t Let Me Down, by The
Chainsmokers featuring
Daya
8. Pillowtalk, by Zayn
9. This Is What You Came For,
by Calvin Harris featuring
Rihanna
10. Love Yourself, by Justin
Bieber
QFX Civil Mall: 08:15/17:00
QFX LABIM Mall: 09:00/15:30
QFX Kumari: 09:30/19:00
AQUARIUS [January 20-February 18]
V
00:00 Non – Stop Songs
01:00 Non – Stop Hindi
Songs
02:00 Non – Stop Nepali
Pop/Adhunik
Songs
04:00 Bhajan
05:00 Bhakti Anusthan
07:00 Bihani
07:30 Ica Door
Sikchha
08:05 Bigyan Prabidhi
08:30 Cyber Time
1.
Enjoy live DJ nights, on every Sunday chill out/
ambient, Wednesday tech/ funk house & Friday
psy/ proggy/ full on from 6:00 pm to 10 pm at
garden and 7:00 pm onwards at club at Funky
Buddha Resturant & Bar, contact: 4700091
Yoga detox and Ayurveda treatments and
retreats every day at Himalayan Peace &
Wellness Centre, Park Village Hotel. Get 10%
discount on all Ayurvedic treatments.
Contact: 980106661
C M Y K
onsaturday
PAGE 5 | SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2016 (01-02-2073)
TIME TRAVEL THROUGH PORTRAITS
Ravi Mohan Shrestha Collection.
At the Patan
Museum, with
images from a
bygone era, Nepal
Picture Library is
creating a portal to
a time when a
photographic
revolution was
taking seed
SUJAN G AMATYA
I
have always wanted to time travel,
and on May 12, I did.
That day, inside the intricate
archaic wooden doors of the Patan
Museum, photo.circle and Nepal
Picture Library inaugurated
Facing the Camera—A History of
Nepali Studio Photography exhibition (May 12 - August 12). There, photographs that had stood the test of
time were narrating untold tales captured in a hundredth of a second.
Reproduced photos of all sizes,
sourced from family albums, photo
studios, and personal and institutional collections from across the country, scaled the walls in the exhibit
supported by Danish Center for
Culture and Development (CKU), and
traced the history of Nepali studio
photography, all the while surrounded by a narrative of charming individualism of the different time periods which subtly, but gradually, magnified the social progression of a
population striving to preserve memories and self-identity.
Walking through the exhibition,
listening to bystanders and contributors describe the story behind each
photo, reminded me of the time when
my family used to huddle together to
look at old photo albums—rejoice in
nostalgia and share stories of our
great-grandparents. Reveling in a
pre-Photoshop and pre-Instagram
era, the exhibit presents slices of
Nepali history that thrived in sepia—
before sepia was cool, in vintage filters of today, before it was in vogue,
in tangible picture frames, before it
was solely used in photo editing software. These artistic relics are entry
points into dimensions when analog
was the norm, and they took me back
in time with aesthetical visions and
vantage points into the history of the
Nepali people.
Here, the early technicians become
the artists who have ended up tracing
pieces of history through their lenses
in their studios which became stylistic hubs—the sole source through
which memories could be tangibly
preserved. The people then had never
faced a camera. It was up to the photographer to make them comfortable
and guide them. Back then, the photographers really did make the picture.
NEPAL PICTURE LIBRARY
Bidhan Ratna Yami Collection.
Right off the start, the exhibit
evokes a very familiar scene. You can
see the deliberate curatorial treatment of the photographs by indulging the various traditional narrow,
black, wooden picture frames, alongside decorative silver ones, which
compliment the era of the artwork,
and display how similarly any ordinary Nepali home—from any
cross-section of the society—would
treat their photos. Minimal text compliment the photos and explain the
evolution of studio photography, in
Nepali and English, without clashing
for attention. The curatorial choice
of replacing brochures with collectible postcards and posters works not
only as a marketing strategy, but also
“encourages the practice of appreciating and collecting art”, said attendee Sanjeep Maharjan, visual artist
and art lecturer.
From the text, you learn how these
budding photographers were hired to
photograph official ceremonies of
the Rana aristocrats, and how Nepal’s
first private studios began with handed-down cameras in the 1920s.
You can see the birth of a photographing technique—just like today’s
fixation with exposure, white balance, shutter speed, and aperture—
and easily connect with the intentions of the photographer and their
subjects. “Mimicking the Shah and
Rana portraitures, you can see the
early photographers placing a strong
emphasis on symmetry,” explains
writer Pranaya Rana, who helped
research the photographs. “Then, the
early middle-class subjects copied the
postures and stoic expression adopted by the aristocrats and the royalty,”
says co-researcher Jebin Gautam, but
you could still notice the leeway
given to quirky experimentation.
Then came the 1950s, when photographs became mandatory for identity documents. Naturally, studios
became more commonplace and
through the pictures you can see people rushing to have their pictures
made wearing belly-bottom pants
while striking Bollywood-esque postures. This era, when the global pop
culture seeped into Kathmandu, is
plainly evident—a culture that was
Aata Hussain Sheikh Collection.
Amrit Bahadur Chitrakar Collection.
Even when you look at the edges of the
analog photos and notice the age spots—the watermarks
of time—every minute detail has a story to tell
Macha Kaji Dangol Collection.
Aata Hussain Sheikh Collection.
still mimicking, but evolving, nonetheless, forming a distinct identity.
The Dev Anands and the Mala Sinhas
mesmerised Nepali audiences, and
the women adorned themselves with
stylistic nuances while the men reenacted scenes from popular movies.
There was a democratic rebellion to
the symmetrical technique from the
20s; individualism proliferated. To
entice more customers, studios even
had catalogues of poses to choose
from, like from a hairstylist’s catalogue in salons today.
“This new generation prioritised
candid photographs, and broke away
from perfected techniques,” explains
attendee and photographer Sagar
Chettri, where the subjects didn’t
look at the camera; they smiled,
laughed, played with props (kimonos,
fedora hats, traditional garbs, and
even the camera itself), and strayed
away from group photos. The era also
embraced the advances in technology
available to the public where the subjects didn’t need to sit still for long
periods of time and new ideas of
experimentation flourished.
Gradually, you can sense narratives so personal and individualistic,
it still makes a powerful mark
today—a mark so powerful that when
you come to the conclusion of the
exhibit, the present state of studio
photography, presented in photos on
a constant loop on an iPad hung on
the wall, feels like an intrusion. The
contemporary studio photos are
brightly exposed, vivid in colours,
sharp in focus, and when placed
against these timeless relics of wonder, seem out of place like a fly in
your soup. The modern studio photographs seem clinical, formulaic, and
crude. Clicking pictures for the sake
of it, and not for the love of it, and the
exhibition questions if the studios
today are even relevant besides taking photos for your passport. Even
when you look at the edges of the
analog photos and notice the age
spots—the watermarks of time—
every minute detail has a story to tell.
It goes without saying that a photo
from the latest iPhone isn’t going to
look vintage, but these photos effortlessly are charming. No wonder vin-
Purna Studio Collection.
tage photography is so popular now
and people are trying to capture and
frame the purity of the unadulterated photo processes and nostalgia of a
different era.
At the very end, the exhibit also
elucidates the importance of tangible
archiving and documentation, but
also works as the perfect promotional
strategy for Nepal Picture Library
who are striving to document an
inclusive history and encouraging
families to contribute their photos
and stories to the archive, as “many
studio photographers have thrown
away their slides, negatives, and even
equipment, only keeping those with
sentimental value. It’s a pity!” concludes Bhushan Shilpakar, co-director of photo.circle, and he is correct:
there must be more relics—treasures
waiting to be discovered in Nepali
photo albums all over the nation.
“We’ve come a long way from the
time when people treated us with
suspicion when we asked them to
contribute photographs from their
private collections,” laughs off
curator of the show and co-founder
of photo.circle, Nayantara Gurung
Kakshapati, and by offering curated
exhibitions to the Patan Museum,
photo.circle is striving to continue its
collaborations with the government
and other cultural institutions to
offer a range of public programming
such as talks and guided tours for
schools in the next three months, and
even providing an alternative
approach to teaching history in public and private schools, with a series
of books, to bring an inclusive historical narrative into a wider public.
Indeed, this exhibit is an exemplification of those strong narratives.
Like navigating a primitive cave of
artworks or studying the hieroglyphics that is the subject’s postures, their
costumes, their Mona-Lisa smiles,
the exhibit serves more than a source
of amusement. In an era of pre-Photoshop, these adventurers, behind
and in front of the cameras, were
very progressive for their time. You
get to appreciate how much technology has evolved for contemporary photographers. Gradually, you can see
when photography jumped the border from the upper, elite class, into
the lives of the average citizenry,
when technologies evolved, and when
the public utilised the medium of
photography to record themselves
and convey their aspirations, desires,
and identity. These captured moments
would have been lost to time if it hadn’t
been for photo.circle’s initiative, and
the exhibit stands as an opposing testament to the tyranny of time and death,
and our vulnerable mortal state.
Is immortality achievable? Yes,
here it is.
These photos are now a part of our
Nepali artistic landscape. In a cultural kaleidoscope, it announces the
birth of an era where making a photograph was more important than
taking one. The timeless photographs
celebrate the everyday people, their
journey, the country’s journey, and
ends with an attestation that art can
manifest in anyone. v
Amatya is a Project Associate at
Siddhartha Arts Foundation
C M Y K
the arts
Thank goodness for directors
Anthony and Joe Russo who
understand that political debates
are not necessarily what we
come to superhero films looking
for: we need them to be fun
Man (Robert Downey Jr), despite his
otherwise nonconformist inclinations, is the first to acquiesce to the
deal, followed by Black Widow, the
War Machine (Don Cheadle) and the
rubber-faced cyborg they call Vision
(Paul Bettany). Captain America, on
the other hand, doesn’t think it’s
such a good idea to surrender their
autonomy so completely to an
organisation that could easily be led
astray, believing that the “safest
hands are still our own.” On his side
are Falcon, Scarlet Witch and his
BFF, the infamous Winter Soldier
Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan)—
who, you’ll remember from the last
film in the series, had just escaped
the terrorist organisation HYDRA,
where he had been bionically outfitted and brainwashed into playing
assassin for many years, and who,
now deprogrammed, is running from
the law after being framed for a terrorist act. And so, with alliances thus
defined, the stage is set for the titular
war in which our two lead heroes and
their respective posses—expanded
further with a couple of new and old
recruits—are to duke it out in style.
There isn’t really much in Civil
War that we haven’t already seen
before, where we find these
“enhanced individuals”weighing the
good that they do against the varied
harms they nearly alway send up
causing in the process. It slyly pretends to debate the ethics of vigilantism and the use of violence while
still relying heavily on stylised violent imagery—the commentary itself
is neither original nor all that convincing. Thank goodness then for
directors who understand that political debates—though certainly welcome if tackled smartly—are not necessarily what we come to superhero
films looking for: we need them to be
fun. If only more filmmakers in the
genre were more attuned to this fact,
there’d be a lot fewer of those grim,
joyless features, bogged down by
self-seriousness, that we’re forced to
slog through every year. This in
mind, screenwriters Christopher
Markus and Stephen McFeely (also
behind the first two Captain America
movies) plug much-appreciated doses
of humour into the proceedings—
whether it’s by having our burly protagonists packed and bickering in a
conspicuously tiny car, heroes themselves in a fan-boy tizzy upon meeting other heroes or the usual quips
courtesy of the snarktastic Mr Stark.
Civil War also features some seriously stunning action choreography,
skillfully avoiding the sort of overlong, incoherent pile-ups other such
films tend to peddle to exhausting
effect. One of the most inventive of
these involves a chase between three
characters on a busy road, a wonderfully intense, kinetic sequence that
will have you on the edge of your
seat. Another is the battle in the airport, one that goes on for quite a
while and could’ve been tedious, but
where potential monotony is leavened with humour, allowing for
enough breathing room between the
punches and crashes.
What’s more, despite featuring
such outlandish characters with such
complex mythologies, and the sprawling settings characteristic of the
“cinematic universe” they inhabit,
there is still a decisively intimate,
human focus to the script—on the
people under the costumes. Not to
give too much away, but even the sole
villain here is more small-scale and
relatable than any other we’ve come
across in recent years: no alien warlords or mutant reptiles or SHIELD
double agents here, let’s just put it at
that. And it doesn’t hurt that the cast
list features some wonderful talents
who bring real personality to their
roles. Indeed, this sort of balance
between blockbuster-esque action
and spectacle on one hand, and character development and emotion, on
the other—is increasingly proving to
be Marvel’s strong suit, certainly evident in its films, but more so inseminal (and far darker) TV series like
Daredevil and Jessica Jones.
Civil War is no way free of the
commercial ambition that defines
such properties these days, and grabs
at every opportunity to promote
upcoming projects. And it doesn’t
really offer much food for thought, so
that you’ll be hard-pressed to recall it
in much detail once you walk out the
theatre doors. But at least for as long
as we’re in those seats, it makes sure
we’re happy. And that’s really all
we’re asking for. v
cryptically towards the end of the
song, as the black and white frames
suddenly change to colour and the
protagonist looks suddenly delighted
as if out of the realisation that life
has to move on.
Though the song evokes a largely
folksy feel, vocalist Dahal says the
band aims to employ rock-based and
reggae tunes in the upcoming album
which the band aims to release by
late November.
These are heady days for the
Nepali music industry. The Bipul
Chhetris and the Bartika Rais have
already help set deep roots in the
virtual world for Nepali music, and
now, with this melodious new track
by Pahelo Batti Muni, it is obvious
that there is much a Nepali music
fan has to look forward to. v
THE GANG’S
ALL HERE
Captain America: Civil War stays very much
within the confines of superhero convention,
but even as it treads familiar ground, there is a
refreshing lightness of approach here that
makes for an enjoyable watch
PREENA SHRESTHA
A
degree of déjà vu is to be
expected when watching
superhero films of late—so
similar have genre offerings
become in their overall
themes, and even broad story
arcs to an extent, that they now feel
increasingly interchangeable. The
super-folk issue du jour, for instance,
appears to be the question of holding
these mega-beings accountable for
the collateral damage they causewhen running around rescuing the
world from the clutches of evil—generally of the nasty alien variety—and
whether they should continue to be
placed on pedestals or have their
powers checked and policed. Another
visible trend is the ensemble act,
where costumed crusaders are found
taking a break from their individual
franchises and assembling together,
either joining forces against a common enemy, or—as we’re seeing more
recently—railing against each other.
Marvel’s new Captain America: Civil
War, helmed by brothers Anthony
and Joe Russo, stays very much within the confines of these conventions,
but even as it treads familiar ground,
it manages to surpass most of its
contemporaries through the efforts
of a crackling cast and top-notch
visual work. Unlike the last Batman v
Superman, say, with which comparisons are inevitable given the many
parallels one could draw between the
two films, there is a refreshing lightness of approach here that makes for
a far, far more enjoyable watch.
It’s just another day at the office
for Captain America (Chris Evans)
and company—namely, Black Widow
(Scarlett Johansson), Scarlet Witch
(Elizabeth Olsen) and Falcon
(Anthony Mackie)—who are hot on
the heels of some terrorists, led by
Brock Rumlow (Frank Brillo), in
Lagos, Nigeria. Though our superfriends manage to stop the baddies
and secure the biological weapon
they had pilfered, their efforts leave
the usual destruction in their
wake—a building has been blown to
smithereens, many civilians killed,
among other damages. The incident
proves to be the straw that breaks the
camel’s (or in this case, the UN’s)
back: the US Secretary of State
(William Hurt) soon summons the
Avengers (minus Thor and the Hulk,
who are off doing god knows what)
and informs them that the governments of more than a hundred countries have had enough of their messy,
cityscape-flattening antics and are
now calling for them to sign an
accord submitting themselves to the
UN’s supervision.
Surprisingly, Tony Stark aka Iron
reel run
3/5
Captain America:
Civil War
Director: Joe and Anthony Russo
Actors: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr,
Scarlett Johansson
Genre: Superhero adventure
Everything is
illuminated
Pahelo Batti Muni’s
debut, Bari Lai, is
slated to become
the anthem and
benchmark for how
music is produced
and consumed in
our age
TIMOTHY ARYAL
scapes
T
he world of music and the
course of how it is sold and distributed has taken a detour in
the last decade; the advent of
YouTube, and the trend of
releasing music and videos via the
social network, has both pros and
cons for the artists--especially in the
context that the sale of physical
albums has been almost nullified
and for emerging artists, the virtual
network has proved to be a boon. It
has been interesting to witness how
Nepali artists, both emerging and
the well-seasoned, are adapting with
this modern trend.
The Nepali music scene, however
small and not particularly connected
to the outside world, has been thriv-
ing with this brave new world: There
has been a steady flow of great
music with tasteful presentation on
YouTube. Artists who fuse western-influenced instruments with
Nepali traditional bhakas have especially thrived of late. It’s easy to see
why most of Bipul Chhetri’s songs
are staples in Nepali playlists today.
A few months ago, when Bartika
Eam Rai took the internet by storm
(which has, so far, seen more than
391,000 hits on YouTube), it would be
right to note that it epitomised our
modern era of music.
There is a considerable number of
promising artists that are showcasing their craft in the Nepali music
scene; the band Pahelo Batti Muni, a
Kathmandu-based five-piece ensemble (with Bikram Bashyal and
Pravesh Thapa Magar on guitars,
Dipesh Kunwar on bass, Kiroj
Bajracharya on percussions, and
Rochak Dahal on vocals), being one
of them. If you are not already
familiar with the name, then it
seems highly likely that you will be
hearing their name often in the days
to come.
The band’s recent release, Bari
The band’s recent release,
Bari Lai, from their upcoming
album, has already been seen
18K hits within just two weeks
of its release on YouTube
Lai, from their upcoming album, has
already been seen 18K hits within
just two weeks of its release on
YouTube and it is easy to see why.
The single is a 4:36 long, guitar-based ballad, with folksy undertones. The lyrics, penned by Dahal
himself, is so personal that, as Dahal
puts it, recalls an episode of the
singer’s own life. But with a theme
so universal it is obvious why the
song is being received with such
excitement.
In the video, directed by
Shailendra Paudyal, right from the
onset as the protagonist moves
ahead, the world around him looks
like it is going backwards.
Accompanying it is a soothing melody with chords frolicking from A to
D. As Rochak Dahal enters with the
melodic vocals, “Chichchyayera
Bolau Bhane Swarai Sukisakyo”, it
starts to become obvious that the
song is about something in the past
that has been haunting the singer.
To be here now is the simplest and
the hardest thing, both at once.
There are episodes lodged inside the
manifold labyrinths inside our
minds that keep coming to the fore.
The song is all that--about a certain
past that has been lingering on in
the singer’s mind.
And that narrative is woven
expertly in the accompanying video:
Right from the start, as the camera
lingers on the protagonist who is
moving ahead, everyone around him
is going backwards, until it reverses
C M Y K
07
expression
thekathmandu post
I
“On these bikes, finding neutral is like finding Nirvana,” Craig Hembrow at the deepest gorge in the world, 7km
downstream from Tukuche.
TEXT: SANJIT PRADHANANGA, PHOTOS: MATHEW LYNN
n October, at the onset of the fuel-crisis that
would cripple the country for several months, 11
Australian riders embarked on an arduous trip
up to Muktinath on Royal Enfields. Pulling away
from Pokhara on a pleasant autumn morning,
the crew (from the Hearts and Tears Motorcycle
Club) had salvaged enough fuel to make it to the
revered shrine, one-way. Beyond that, they were
counting on the kindness of strangers and the hope
that the locals—hardened by the sheer remoteness
of the terrain—were well stocked with fuel for the
harsh winter just around the bend.
The trip, as it turned out, was as much a ride-ofa-lifetime as it was a frantic treasure hunt for
petrol—the crew scored four litres (packaged in one
litre water bottles) at Tatopani, five at Lete, three at
Marpha, then finally a jackpot of 35 liters at the
dubiously-named Eklo Bhatti (Lone Tavern), just
beyond Jomsom. If the group’s plan of forging
ahead with the trip despite the fuel embargo had
seemed obstinate at departure, by the end, it was,
if anything, emblematic of any trip to Nepal—a
bungle of chaos and uncertainty that somehow all
works out in the end.
As Nepal continues to recover from the several
natural and man-made disasters that strangled
the country in 2015, it would serve well to note that
epic tours like these are what will help locals to get
back on their feet. Foreign aid and voluntourism
will surely play a part in the years to come, but
ultimately it will be seemingly foolhardy journeys
into the heart of the Himalayas that will
continue to sustain the tourism industry, a life
blood of the economy, while pumping money
directly into local communities.
The road to recovery, like the dirt tracks of
Mustang, might be fraught with obstacles and precipitous drops, but with single-mindedness and
dash of good fortune, the destination is never
insurmountable.
The views, of course, aren’t too shabby either. v
Adam Wishney and Lisya Alalu take a tumble at the windy riverbed that snakes up to Kagbeni from Jomsom. The
already treacherous terrain becomes significantly more challenging as you navigate through frequent,
all-enveloping dust storms.
Chris Drury soaks in the desolate Mustang landscape during a pit stop at Jharkot, Mustang.
Tim Weller hugging a tight corner on the precipitous climb up to Muktinath from Kagbeni.
The crew take a breather en route to Tukuche.
The 500 cc Royal Enfields are built like tanks—a blessing and a curse on Mustang’s arduous trails.
Mark Richardson navigates his 350 cc Bullet over a rickety bridge under the gushing Rupse Chhahara, near Ghasa.
Matt Gardner on a suspension bridge near Baglung.
In Mustang, you share the precarious road with trekkers, cyclists, four-wheelers, trippers and
occasionally herds of changras being shepherded towards markets in Beni or Pokhara and beyond.
The flatlands beyond Kagbeni make for a picturesque stretch that finally allow riders to floor it on full throttle.
C M Y K
as it is
POST PARTUM
thekathmandu post
08
chiya charcha
BLUES OF A WRITER
How can you become
yourself? You are
already yourself.
Becoming is always
becoming somebody
else. And herein lies
all suffering
BHUSHITA VASISTHA
O
nce Rene Descartes walked into
a bar. The bartender asked the
philosopher if he would like a
glass of beer.
“I think not,” replied Descartes.
And poof! The philosopher vanished.
voices
Where Descartes evaporated is
where I wish to be. But the friend
who cracked this joke to me is skeptical of my lifestyle. She constantly
warns me that my pursuit of
no-mind is synonymous to non-becoming. I am sublimated into that
space of non-becoming every now
and then in the moments of deep
meditation. But the Baconian rationalism is such an intrinsic fabric of
my psyche that I am tricked into the
game of becoming again and again.
“But you are promising,” my
mother told me with biased maternal affection. “You will become
someone great if you wouldn’t waste
your intellectual skills with such
naïve skepticism.”
What does becoming great mean?
It meant I wasn’t enough the way I
was. My worth lies somewhere in
future. The price I pay for becoming
great is constantly remaining miserable in the present, constantly denying myself in the present. And that
future is slippery. None knows how
far that is. In fact, for most of the
truly great people that future was
only realised posthumously. Van
Gogh was so miserable that he killed
himself. He didn’t sell any painting
in his lifetime. But he became one of
the greatest painters of our century.
Becoming is so tricky. People often
say become yourself. But isn’t that
an oxymoron? How can you become
yourself ? You are already yourself.
Becoming is always becoming somebody else. And herein lies all suffering because none can ever become
somebody else. You cannot tell a rose
flower to become a rose flower. A
rose flower is.
Of course, I couldn’t help but
laugh because the joke is actually the
ultimate satire on our state of being.
I have been living in a commune,
where every year hundreds of young
people turn up from all over the
world in a state of frenzy because
they have forgotten how to log off
their mind. They think, therefore
they are. And yet that being is robbed
of all peace, rest and relaxation. If
Descartes was right and the moment
we stop thinking our whole existence comes to halt and we are
reduced to nobody, then is it possible
for anybody to attain peace, restfulness and relaxation?
I first felt the weight of “becoming” when I was seventeen. Until
then, I had taken a great pleasure in
reading, debating, disagreeing, proving, disproving and analysing
life. Everyday bettering myself,
everyday becoming more intelligent,
more well-read or whatever
you might want to call that.
I devoured Nietzsche, Camus and
Sartre till my eyes turned bloodshot
and my muscles became frigid and
knotted. Their voices hummed in my
head like an incessant commotion of
crickets on a dense forest. I had
thought by accumulating wisdom I
could become somebody, an individual. But gradually I started to realise
in that great commotion of wise
words I slowly lost touch with my
inner voice. I knew much and yet in
my heart, I knew nothing. I understood nothing. In the game of becoming I had lost my being.
I felt betrayed by words. I was
waiting to break free and the bondage grew heavier everyday. There
was a key, which could free me from
this bondage. Was it knowledge? Was
it love? Was it poetry? Was it the vulgar, lecherous animal in me? Was it
orgasm? Was it the dense perfume of
human flesh, redolent of a long forgotten, precious memory? Was it in
renunciation? In the dry humor of
an ascetic? Was it in denial, in lean,
malnourished body of a seeker,
What does becoming great
mean? It meant I wasn’t enough
the way I was and that my worth
lay somewhere in the future
through which the angry bones protruded in rejection?
There had to be an answer. I continued devouring books, which I was
told had the answer. But sadly, no
answer contained my quest. I continued making money, writing, chatting, singing, attending parties, and
debating the validity of Camus’
Higher Purpose. But none of these
engagements truly reflected me,
reflected the intensity or wholesomeness of my impulses. My body
became a zoo of domesticated
impulses and quests, which
retained the form of who they were
but like animals in the zoo,
were robbed of their instinctive
wilderness. I became an imitation.
Accepted,
appreciated
even,
but an imitation. A safe commodity.
That’s when I decided to become a
sanyasin, a transition from becoming to being. Being whoever I was
when stripped naked of all borrowed
thoughts. Foolish, wise, naïve, whoever must that be. Some of my
friends, the kind that are intellectually inclined, take the fact suspiciously. Asking me questions with
trepidation, as though it is some
kind of malaise or a phase, from
which they sooner or later expect me
to come out clean.
I had always wanted to become a
writer. That person. I would weave
my experiences into neat sentences,
stack them in paragraphs and
impregnate myself with the ideas so
darling that they diluted dreams in
my eyes. For nights together, I would
compose poems in my heads. But
when I had finished writing the melancholic figure of ever so familiar
postpartum blues would come visiting me. I had always wanted to
become a writer but now that I was
writing it was clearly not enough.
I remember one particular day
when I was inside my office and suddenly it started to rain. A friend of
mine asked me if we were meeting
that evening. “But its raining,” I said.
“Alas,” he said sarcastically, “I tend to
forget we are civilised.”
When he hung up, I caught a
glimpse of a flock of crows flying
across the sky. The barks of the trees
had become moist and glossy. It was
raining. They knew. They felt. For
me, it was just a mental experience.
Sheltered cosily inside the rather
ugly walls of my office, the rain
didn’t “touch” me the way it
“touched” them. It didn’t send shivers down my spine, it didn’t wet my
skin, it didn’t leave my hair limp. I
might as well have never been a part
of the world where rain had washed
everything and thunderstorms
filled air with unusual crispiness. I
had never known for myself the
moisture of a rain-washed bark or
the burden of wet wings. I realissed I
was living my life with the same
indifferent detachment as though I
was watching a movie. I interpreted,
never experienced. In this game of
becoming a writer, I had stopped
being. I wrote about beautiful, monsoon clouds and yet I didn’t know the
joy of rain-filled cloud. A few days
ago, I watched Utsav, an Indian
movie on the life of and Vasantasena,
a courtesan, who embodied and lived
the sensual. While prying into the
chambers of one of the courtesans
and scribbling her state of ecstasy
during the moment of copulation
Vatsayana mumbles to himself,
“Although I can describe the ecstasy
of sexual communion in the
most vivid terms, alas, being a
celibate how far away am I from tasting the nectar?”
When I had given up on most of
the trips of “becoming”, I could still
not let go the idea of becoming a
writer. When I heard Vatsayana say
so to himself, it suddenly dawned
upon me that to write about anything that didn’t come from my deepest experience was merely a dryhumph. I have promised myself that
I wouldn’t write anything until it
comes from my deepest being.
“But you mustn’t give up writing,”
wrote one of my friends on Facebook
chat, when I told him I didn’t intend
to force myself to write stories until
they came to me. “It is only through
constant perseverance one becomes
a good writer. Don’t you think so?”
“I think not,” I replied back and
remembered the joke and smiled to
myself. v
Fool us always!
Dear Nepal Government, please stop promising us stuff that
you cannot or know very well that you will not fulfill
GUFFADI
heads and tales
T
he Narcotics Control Bureau
(NCB) should carry out drug
tests on our corrupt clowns
and incompetent civil servants. Yes, these buffoons must
either be smoking something
out of this world or are either taking
pills imported straight from some medical labs in Amrika. Or if our Nepal
Police want to try their polygraph
thing to make sure it really works
then why not test it on our buffoons?
Maybe, we should have a compulsory
polygraph tests for those who receive
government funds in salaries or contracts or for free. Yes, you get free
cash for your medical treatment or
other kharcha if you happen to be the
dear and near ones of our netas!
How in the world do you come up
with such screwed-up policies and
hawadari programmes year in year
out and expect us to believe that we
will all finally prosper and be able to
live a decent life? No one in his or her
right mind can stand up and promise
things we know that will never come
true in this land of ours.
We are more likely to send one of
our stray dogs to Mars by 2026 than
generate 10,000 MW of electricity
within a decade. Yes, it is possible to
send ‘Kalu’ to the ‘Red Planet’ if we
can somehow convince our folks who
currently work for NASA to come
back and help us build some kind of
a capsule or a rocket that can transport a dog up there. But we cannot
expect to generate 10,000 MW of electricity with this current bunch of
corrupt political parties and inefficient bureaucracy.
Every kid in this country knows
that we have the capacity to generate
40,000 MW of electricity. It’s been
nearly eight years since we became a
Our netas are not going to
change. It is us who need to
change our attitude. Let us not
allow these clowns to rule over us
without accountability
Republic and if we had believed our
Emperor then, we would have at least
20,000 MW of electricity by now. But
of course, our Emperor is an emotional chap. One day, he will laugh at
you, the next day he will cry for you
and then next week, he will backstab
you and then next month, he will hug
you tight and kiss you. This guy seriously needs to visit a psychiatrist. Or
someone just get him some Prozac to
calm him down. We never know what
he will do next. He might just lease
the whole country to our chimekis
and collect rent and be happy.
Our dream of generating thousands of MW of electricity is just
becoming a big nightmare. We know
we can do it but the reason we have
not been able to do it is because of
our bribe seeking civil servants,
slimy contractors, local netas and
their mundreys. And some of that
dough somehow goes back to our
netas. Yes, get free vehicles, salaries
and perks and then loot the state
treasury as well as get free money
from contractors, civil servants and
any con artists who wants to make
Living in the age
of Anthropocene
Nothing done by our ancestors can even remotely match the indelible
marks we will be leaving behind for our descendents to see
ABHINAWA DEVKOTA
M
y earliest memories of
Kathmandu are that of a
rain-soaked bowel-shaped
town of sweeping paddy
fields and tightly clustered
settlements with balmy summers,
pleasant
springs
and
foggy
winters. During monsoon, the din
of raindrops hitting the tin roof of
our house would go on for days at
time and the surrounding fields
would erupt in greenery. In winters,
the Valley, wrapped in fog, would
look like a giant furry beast in
hibernation, patiently waiting for
spring to come.
But then things began to change.
The rainfall became more self-indulgent and erratic, summers became
hotter and winters became devoid of
the dewdrops that would once speckled the landscape like diamonds on a
tiara. Finally, springs and autumns
virtually disappeared, giving way to
a weather pattern that now just
swings between hot and cold.
What went wrong? Though some
might still attribute these to the tantrums nature throws in its backyard,
there is mounting evidence to suggest that the recent manifestations
of these changes in weather patterns
are largely man made. Scientists
have already reached a consensus
that human activities (like deforestation and over reliance of fossil fuels)
are the primary cause of the global
warming that has occurred over the
past 50 years. The average temperature of the planet has risen between
0.4 to 0.8 degrees Celsius over the
past 100 years, and going by the prediction of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, average
global temperatures could increase
between 1.4 and 5.8 degrees Celsius
by the year 2100.
Thus, even as Kathmandu has
easy money on the side while this
country goes down the drain.
And the most ironic thing of all is
that this land which is so rich in
water resources has to depend
instead on our Desi bhais to import
electricity from across the border.
Maybe, our incompetent government
should come up with another target.
How about promising us that we will
import another 1,000 MW of electricity this winter from India and bring
an end to load shedding in this land?
Now that is possible, if our clowns can
keep the Desis happy instead of trying
to piss them off every other week!
It seems that our politicians are
more like juvenile delinquents than
leaders. They have big egos
because they must be compensating for whatever is inadequate in them. They fight
over petty issues and agree
to disagree on everything,
except on how to divide the
loot from our state treasury.
You can’t just cancel our
President’s trip to India just
because you
are mad that
the Desis don’t
dole out free gift
hampers anymore. What do you
expect? You have been kissing
their behinds for so long
that even the recipients
must
have
sore bottoms
by now.
You
can’t
just recall our
Ambassador
in
Delhi just because
recently received the much-awaited
drizzles, places around the world are
experiencing record summer temperatures. Closer to home, in India,
more than 330 million people are
suffering from droughts. In Nepal,
cases of huge forest fires have been
reported in Tarai and in areas as
high as Dhorpatan, while reduced,
lower than average rainfall seems to
have become the norm. Not only has
this shattered the expectation of a
bountiful harvest this year but has
also led to the scarcity of drinking
water throughout the country.
Our greatest desire to move
away from hydrocarbons to
clean, renewable hydroelectricity
has yielded a little more than
a thousand megawatts,
deforestation is still endemic and
air, land and water pollution looks
nowhere close to an end
Experts even have a name for the
geological epoch that we are living
in: Anthropocene. Unlike the geologiocal
periods
preceding
it,
Anthropocene is marked by excessive human interference on nature,
leading to permanent, indelible
changes. It can be located in the way
we have polluted our rivers and air,
in the holes we have bored deep into
the earth in our search for hydrocarbons, in the changes we have induced
to the global weather pattern, in the
plastic that has made their way to all
corners of the planet (and will soon
exceed the number of fish in the
seas) and, most importantly, in the
ongoing mass extinction of species
we have triggered.
The hallmarks of Anthropocene
he is a Kangaroo. But of course, our
political parties have quotas on
everything. Yes, divide the vacant
positions amongst themselves from
to the Supreme Court to Ambassadors
to any government positions.
Send some byapari to represent our
land for a few Karod Rupees as
our Ambassadors. Yes, fill up the
Supreme Court with your Chamchas.
Dear Nepal Government, please
stop promising us stuff that you cannot or know very well that you will
not fulfill. We are surviving not
because we have a billionaire in the
Forbes List or because our NRNs are
building hospitals and hotels
and hydros. This country is
still alive and
kicking
because
of the mil-
can be found in places as remote as
the Arctic (where, thanks to us, the
ice cap is melting at an unprecedented rate) and as small as Kathmandu.
In fact, in its rapid, unplanned
sprawl of brick and mortar buildings, polluted, filthy rivers, increasing numbers of motor vehicles and
depletion of ground-water level, The
Valley has become a perfect tableau
of Anthropocene.
But despite the overwhelming
necessity to change things for the
better, very little has actually been
accomplished by way of work. The
government still lacks a proper
framework to fight climate change.
Our greatest desire to move away
from hydrocarbons to clean, renewable hydroelectricity has yielded a
little more than a thousand megawatts, deforestation is still endemic
and air, land and water pollution
looks nowhere close to an end.
Since the very beginning,
humans have always aspired to leave
their mark on the planet. Be it in the
forms of the ancient hand prints in
the Cave of the Castle, in Spain, or
the prehistoric tools of stone flakes
and bones found all over the world,
our ancestors have always left traces
of themselves. But nothing done by
our ancestors can even remotely
match the indelible marks we will be
leaving behind for our descendents.
Hopefully, we will realise soon that
we have become passengers in a
train hurtling towards destruction,
Maybe we will stop before it is too
late. There is still time for improvement. But maybe, we won’t. And in
case we don’t, our descendents will
curse us for all that we did rather
than looking at our achievements
with the same love and reverence
with which we look at the tools and
marks left behind by our ancestors.
But again, maybe, they won’t get that
chance at all. v
lions of young folks who work overseas for a few more Dinars, Riyals
and Ringgits.
Our netas are not going to change.
It is us who need to change our attitude. Let us not allow these clowns to
rule over us without accountability.
It’s been ten years since the Maoists
and the Morons got together and
signed their hawadari agreement.
Maybe, we need a new revolution, a
mother of all revolutions to end all
this natak once and for all! v
Guffadi is a grumpy old man
who blogs at guffadi.blogspot.com.
You may contact him at
[email protected]
C M Y K
books
NEW BOOKS
09 thekathmandu post
As she settles into motherhood and a
happy marriage, Lindsay Boxer thinks
she has found domestic bliss. But when a
beautiful blonde woman with links to the
CIA disappears from the scene of a brutal
murder at a downtown luxury hotel,
Lindsay’s life begins to unravel. Before
she can track down the woman for questioning, Lindsay’s husband Joe vanishes.
The deeper she digs, the more Lindsay
suspects that Joe shares a secret past with
the mystery blonde. Thrown into a tailspin and questioning everything she
thought she knew, Lindsay turns to the
Women’s Murder Club for help as she
tries to uncover the truth.
THE APARTMENT: A NOVEL
Author: Danielle Steel
Publisher: Random House
Publishing Group
They come together by chance in
the heart of New York City, four
young women at turning points in
their lives: Claire Kelly, an aspiring
shoe designer; Abby Williams, a
writer trying to make it on her
own; the ambitious Morgan Shelby;
and Sasha Hartman, a medical student. Unexpected opportunities
alter the course of each of their
lives, and as they meet the challenges, they face the bittersweet
reality that in time, they will inevitably move away from the place
where their dreams began.
15TH AFFAIR
Author: James Patterson, Maxine Paetro
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
VALIANT AMBITION
Author: Nathaniel Philbrick
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
In September 1776, the vulnerable Continental
Army under an unsure George Washington (who
had never commanded a large force in battle)
evacuates New York after a devastating defeat by
the British Army. Three weeks later, Benedict
Arnold miraculously succeeds in postponing the
British naval advance down Lake Champlain that
might have ended the war. Four years later, as the
book ends, Washington has vanquished his
demons and Arnold has fled to the enemy after a
foiled attempt to surrender the American fortress at West Point to the British. After four
years of war, America is forced to realise that the
real threat to its liberties might not come from
without but from within.
Art of Mithila: A living tradition
Bharati Dayal offers her creative repository to art enthusiasts through her book Madhubani Art
ATUL K THAKUR
M
adhubani painting, a representative form of Mithila
art, has its origin in the
great Indian sub-continental
epic Ramayana where it is
believed King Janaka of
Mithila hired local artists and
decorated the town of Janakpur with
this unique art form for the wedding
of his daughter Sita to Rama.
The Maithils are Shakti (mother
goddess) worshippers—and the
schools of Tantric rituals have been
flourishing in their surroundings,
giving spiritual traction to an
informal art form that soon became a
living tradition.
Bharati Dayal, a keen practitioner
of Madhubani painting, features
divine forms and narratives in her
works. She offers her creative repository to art enthusiasts through this
elegantly produced book. This book
showcases some of the best paintings
of Bharati Dayal and re-confirms
that she is an artist who has indeed
played a significant role in the
re-emergence and spread of this ethnic art form. Her paintings get completed in a diversely rich combination of graphic designs, tattoos, lines,
Today, when Mithila painting
as an art form is creating
livelihood opportunities across
the border of India and Nepal, it
becomes more imperative than
ever to unleash its true potential
concentric circles, motifs of flora and
fauna, spirits and animistic renderings—exuding figurative intents. The
beautiful collection of her paintings
in this book, which is a treasure trove
for art lovers, keeps supreme value in
the paintings’ geometric patterns
and divine imagery.
As reflected in the basic forms of
Mithila painting, artists have tried
chasing the effects of divinity in
their paintings; thus, gods and goddesses frequent artistic interpretation. This shaping of the distinct
style could be attributed to the intricacy of Maithil societies, in which,
until a few decades ago, women artists lived in small circles.
Initially, the different variants of
Mithila paintings were done on walls
coated with mud and cow dung, nevertheless, it never lacked precision in
bringing to fore the symbolic representation, which effectively gives it
its uniqueness.
Maintaining consistency, the different genres of Mithila painting
depicted an assembly of symbolic
images of the lotus plant, bamboo
groves, fish, birds and snakes in union.
These images particularly represent
fertility and longevity of life.
When technically evaluating,
Mithila paintings can be divided into
five distinctive styles: Bharni,
Katchni, Tantrik, Nepali and Gobar.
Until the 1960s, when Mithila paintings were not yet commercialised,
Bharni, Kachni and Tantrik style
were mainly done by Brahman and
Kayashth women, who are the upper
caste women in India and Nepal.
Their themes were mainly religious, but in the course of time, this
caste hierarchy was broken down
and participation became much
broader. With that, new dynamics
entered in Mithila painting—and
other aspects of life were included in
its fold. For example, the Godna and
Gobar style was made popular by the
Dalit artists.
Mithila painting, although preserved through customs, was largely
unknown to the outside world until
the deadly earthquake of 1934 that
ravaged the areas near India-Nepal
borders. The mode of livelihood that
was dependent upon local factors,
suddenly strained to cope with deep
humanitarian crisis in the aftermath
of the earthquake. In those testing
times while inspecting the damages,
William G Archer, then a British colonial officer posted in Madhubani
Sub-division (then under Darbhanga
district), came across the paintings
on the newly exposed interior walls
of local homes which had been
severely affected by the earthquake.
What he found remarkable in those
paintings was a striking similarity
with the work of modern Western
artists such as Picasso and Miro.
Archer was the first observer of
Mithila painting, who took pains to
take black and white photographs of
these folk paintings in the 1930s—
those are today the earliest images of
Mithila Painting.
He even wrote about the painting
in an article in the magazine Marg,
MADHUBANI ART
Bharati Dayal
Niyogi Books
an Indo-Nepal Art Journal, in the
year 1949. In the hardship that was
furthered on the locals by frequent
drought and famine, especially the
drought from 1966 to 1968, the agricultural economy of the region was
severely damaged. Amidst the odds, a
senior Congress leader and stalwart
of Maithil politics, Lalit Narayan
Mishra (then a Union Cabinet
Minister in India) put enormous
effort to heal the suffering of that
region by promoting Mithila paintings as commercial art.
In order to bring economic relief
to the region, Pupul Jayakar, the then
Director of the All India Handicrafts
Board, sent the Bombay-based artist
Bhaskar Kulkarni to Mithila to
encourage women there to replicate
their murals on paper which would
facilitate sales and provide a source
of income. Here started a commercial
movement in Mithila art; it was
now being seen as a source of
gainful engagement, especially for
women who had no other occupational entitlements.
It is worthwhile to recall the rich
contribution of foreign scholars in
promoting Mithila painting internationally. Yvesh Vequad, a French novelist and journalist, in the early 1970s
wrote a seminal book on the subject
The Art of Mithila: Ceremonial
Paintings
from
an
Ancient
Kingdom—and produced a film, titled
The Women Painters of Mithila.
His contemporary Erika Moser, a
German
anthropologist
and
film-maker, persuaded the marginalised ‘Dusadh Community’ to paint
and capture their oral history
(including of Raja Salhesh and
Rahu). Thus came in a new form of
Mithila painting, influenced with
bold compositions and figures, based
on tattoo patterns, locally called
Godna. This further flourished the
art scene in Mithila.
The livelihood of women artists
further strengthened through the
efforts put by Moser and Raymond
Lee Owens. In 1977, Gauri Mishra
took the lead to set up the Master
Craftsmen Association of Mithila,
working in collaboration with Ethnic
Arts Foundation of USA.
Viji Srinivasan, then a programme
officer with Ford Foundation, and
who later set up an organisation
Adithi, headquartered in Bihar and
worked on women’s issues including
livelihood through handicrafts, also
played a role in nurturing the
concepts of cluster. Since the
1990s, Japan has also shown a keen
interest in Mithila Paintings, mainly
because of the initiatives of Tokyo
Hasegawa, who set up the Mithila
Museum in Tokamachi, where
around 850 Madhubani paintings are
exhibited on a regular basis.
Among those Indian scholars, who
contributed to the stream of Mithila
Painting, are: Mulkraj Anand (a book
on Madhubani painting), Devaki Jain
(numbers of papers on Mithila art)
and Jyotindra Jain (a fine book on
legendary artist, Ganga Devi); they
traveled across the hinterlands of
Mithila to comprehend the artistic
genesis and the issues on ground.
Today, when Mithila painting as an
art form is creating livelihood opportunities across the border of India
and Nepal, it becomes more imperative than ever to unleash its true
potential. The further scope of its
exploration is immense, and as it is
globally
recognised
now,
its
expansion in the course of time will
make the women of Mithila drawn
towards art entrepreneurship. Much
is being done in this regard in
Janakpur in Nepal and in Madhubani
in India, to prepare for the next round
of commercialisation.
The dynamic changes in the
Mithila region are overtly transforming the ways to look on its
beautiful art tradition where today
the passion in art is being linked
with entrepreneurship. Remarkably,
women have a lead here. v
ex libris
Which is the best book about siblings?
It is the brotherly bond, more than any paternal one, that dominates Legends of the Fall
THOMAS MALLON
T
he late Jim Harrison’s Legends
of the Fall is itself a sort of
sibling, the title novella in a
volume containing two others.
Best ever? Hardly. But
sometimes ‘interesting’ can be
better than best, and this moody,
unstable story—full of shifts in
pacing and focus—stays with a reader well after it has concluded with the
burial of Tristan, the middle and
most magnetic of the three Ludlow
brothers created by its author.
We see them together in the book’s
opening pages, as they leave their
father’s Montana ranch for the
Western Front of World War I.
Distinct as brothers in a fairy tale,
the boys are partly characterised by
their father’s look around their
now-empty rooms: Alfred, the striver
and future politician, has left behind
“sentimental bric-a-brac, dumbbells,
self-help books”; Samuel, the gentle
and aspiring naturalist, will be separated from stuffed animals and
microscopes; the storage trunk of the
untamable Tristan contains “cartridges for a Sharps buffalo rifle, a
rusty handgun of unknown origin, a
jar of flint arrowheads, and a bear
claw necklace” that he probably got
from the Cheyenne named One Stab,
“whom Ludlow often felt was more
the boy’s father than he himself.”
We learn that the elder Ludlow has
“mismanaged” the “secondary life
lived through his sons,” but it is the
brotherly bond, more than any paternal one, that dominates the book,
uniting and strangling the three
young men. After Samuel is cut down
in France by gunfire and mustard
gas, Tristan cuts out his little brother’s heart (for burial under the Big
Sky of home) and then, deranged
with grief, scalps several German
soldiers, taking care to observe
a bit of technique that
Harrison passes on to the
reader: “You couldn’t scalp a
beheaded man because you
needed an anchor to gain a
good fulcrum.” Tristan’s
later wanderings and outlawry are awash in violence, and the novella
sometimes feels ready to
crumble beneath all its gunplay and
carnage and staginess.
And yet Harrison never lets go of
several different literary schemas—
Celtic, biblical and classical—that
seem to frame and discipline the
story. The Tristan of legend steals his
uncle’s intended bride for himself;
Harrison’s Tristan similarly provokes his brother’s jealousy by making off with Susannah, the girl
Alfred was supposed to marry,
although Tristan really desires
her only in order to create a
replacement child for the dead
Samuel. As in the Old
Testament, Susannah is
spied upon when she’s at
her bath, and just as
allusively, when One
Stab picks up the ill-fated Samuel’s
saddle, it is “as if he were picking up
doom herself, doom always owning
the furthest, darkest reaches of the
feminine gender. Pandora, Medusa,
the Bacchantes, the Furies. . . .”
The story’s narrative voice is arbitrary and godlike, always very distant but by turns lyrical and essayistic, superbly telling instead of showing: “Susannah’s character owed
more to the early 19th than the early
20th century.” When the narrator has
the future on his mind, he doesn’t
foreshadow what he can simply foretell: We learn that Tristan will die
“on a snowy hillside in Alberta late
in December in 1977 at the age of 84,”
nearly 50 pages and more than 50
years before it happens.
Harrison never lets go of several different literary
schemas—Celtic, biblical and classical—that
seem to frame and discipline the story
BEST-SELLER LIST
HARDCOVER FICTION
1
Not so much world-weary as
cosmically tired, Harrison’s storytelling is sometimes hushed and
sometime sonorous, rolling out on
waves of complicated syntax that are
averse to commas. This tale of brothers has so much on its mind that the
author’s choice of the compact novella form seems almost perverse, a
kind of stunt. A Tolstoyan view of
the world (“There is little to tell of
happiness—happiness is only itself,
placid, emotionally dormant”) must
also make room for “the Cheyenne
sense of fatality that what had
happened had already happened.”
By the time Legends of the Fall
is finished, it has the reader believing that life is little more than death’s
back story. v
Mallon’s eight novels include
Henry and Clara, Bandbox, Fellow
Travelers and Watergate, a finalist
for the PEN/Faulkner Award. He has
also published nonfiction about
plagiarism (Stolen Words), diaries
(A Book of One’s Own), letters
(Yours Ever) and the Kennedy
assassination (Mrs. Paine’s Garage),
as well as two books of essays. His
work appears in The New Yorker, The
Atlantic Monthly and other publications. A recipient of the Vursell prize
of the American Academy of Arts
and Letters, for distinguished
prose style, he is currently professor
of English at George
Washington University
—©2016The New York Times
Extreme Prey, by John
Sandford
2 The Last Mile, by David
Baldacci
3 The Obsession, by
Nora Roberts
4 The Girl On The Train,
by Paula Hawkins
5 The Nest, by Cynthia
D’Aprix Sweeney
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1
The Rainbow
Comes And Goes,
by Anderson
Cooper and Gloria
Vanderbilt
2 The Sleep Revolution, by Arianna
Huffington
3 Shoe Dog, by Phil
Knight
4 When Breath
Becomes Air, by
Paul Kalanithi
5 The Third Wave, by
Steve Case
For the week ending May 13
C M Y K
world
HOW PARIS IS STEPPING UP
ITS DRIVE AGAINST THE CAR
Paris is notorious
for snarled-up
traffic and cranky
drivers—but cars
are gradually being
edged out as the
city steps up a
life-or-death battle
to cut pollution
DAVID CHAZAN
A
stroll along the French
capital’s grandest boulevard,
the
ChampsElysees, has just become
possible without choking on exhaust fumes—
from May cars are banned on
the famous avenue one Sunday
every month. Pedestrians have
already reclaimed part of the picturesque Left Bank of the River Seine,
where traffic has been permanently
banned, allowing restaurants, cafes
and art exhibits to spring up.
A 3km (1.8-mile) section of the
Right Bank will also become car-free
from this summer, and plans are
afoot to pedestrianise some historic
central districts, with their narrow,
cobbled streets and breathtaking
architecture. These are just some
of the latest salvoes being fired by
the mayor, Anne Hidalgo, in her
campaign to clean up the toxic air
Parisians are forced to breathe.
A pollution spike last year led to
Paris briefly gaining the dubious distinction of having the world’s dirtiest
air—with 127 microgrammes of
PM10 particulates per cubic metre of
air—beating habitual offenders such
as Beijing and Shanghai.
On the day in March this measurement was taken Shanghai came in at
second place with 106 microgrammes,
while London, another European
capital renowned for poor air quality,
was some way behind on 91 microgrammes.
Levels of benzene, nitrogen oxide
and ozone are also routinely far too
high, according to Airparif, which
monitors the air Parisians breathe.
“Ninety per cent of people in Paris
are exposed daily to levels of
nitrogen oxides, the worst local pollutants, which are higher than the
limits set by the European Union,”
deputy mayor, Christophe Najdovski
told me. “This is a serious public
health issue. That’s what lies
behind the very strong action we
are taking against the causes of pollution, and in Paris, the main cause
is road traffic.”
The authorities reject the idea of
introducing a London-style congestion charge zone, where motorists
are charged for driving in the city
centre. “We see this as a form of
social discrimination, where those
who can afford to pay can continue to
use cars,” says Najdovski.
Instead, the city’s authorities have
introduced a low-emission zone, banning lorries on
weekdays.
Nine
new
routes
are
about to be
barred
to
traffic on
Last September, the
French capital held its first
“day without cars”, banning
vehicles from central parts of
the city, to the delight of
pedestrians and cyclists.
This year, on 25 September,
the authorities plan to extend
the ban on cars and lorries
to cover the entire city
Sundays and public holidays, bringing to 22 the number of permanent
and temporary road closures.
The restrictions have infuriated
many motorists, who complain that
they cause even worse traffic jams.
“It’s idiotic because cars are being
forced out altogether instead of sharing the space with pedestrians.
Banning cars on the banks of the
Seine makes no sense. In winter,
there will be no-one there,” says
Pierre Chasseray, head of the lobby
group, Forty Million Drivers.
The closures are aimed at pleasing
the more affluent residents of central areas, he
says, but discriminate
against lower-income
people living in
suburbs, many
thekathmandu post
of whom have to drive to work in
Paris proper.
He argues that the entire Ile de
France region surrounding the capital “should be given a say in these
measures because Paris doesn’t just
belong to Parisians”.
Pollution is exacerbated by the fact
that France has more diesel cars than
any of its European neighbours. Like
many other countries, France used to
encourage people to buy diesel as a
more environmentally friendly alternative to petrol. It reversed the policy
after it emerged that the fine particles and nitrogen oxide emitted by
diesel engines can penetrate deep
into the lungs and blood system,
potentially causing cancer and cardiovascular disease.
“Under our anti-pollution measures, we plan to abandon diesel in
Paris in the long term,” says deputy
mayor Christophe Najdovski. “For
now, we need to eliminate or very
significantly reduce fine particles, so
we’re going to drastically reduce the
number of diesel vehicles.”
Diesel and petrol lorries and buses
made before 1997 have already been
banned in Paris. From July, petrol
and diesel cars registered before 1997
will also be banned from 8am to 8pm
on weekdays. By 2020, only vehicles
made in or after 2011 will be allowed.
Last September, the French capital
held its first “day without cars”, banning vehicles from central parts of
the city, to the delight of pedestrians
and cyclists. This year, on 25
September, the authorities plan to
extend the ban on cars and lorries to
cover the entire city.
The mayor is also trying out more
innovative ways to encourage
Parisians to end their love affair with
fossil fuel guzzlers.
Holding a high-speed car race
through the heart of the capital may
seem like a strange way to achieve
that—but not if the cars are all
electric. Hidalgo recently gave the
green light for Formula E—the
electric equivalent of Formula One—
to be staged in Paris. Crowds turned
out to watch environmentallyfriendly racing cars whizzing past
Paris landmarks.
Some environmentalists were outraged, saying the race was more
10
about speed than curbing pollution.
But the mayor contended that such
events “will help to dramatically
improve the technology needed to
make better electric cars”.
Paris has already made big strides
when it comes to electric cars. Its
popular Autolib rental scheme allows
people to rent electric cars by the
hour and the distinctive small silver
vehicles are a common sight. The
network of charging points is rapidly
expanding, and there are expected to
be 1,000 by the end of the year. The
city also offers generous grants for
people to buy electric vehicles.
In addition, the authorities are
spending 150m euros ($170m; £117m)
to make Paris more bike-friendly,
with new cycling routes, lower speed
limits for cars—sometimes as low as
30km/h (18mph)—and
additional
parking
areas for bikes.
The struggle against
pollution has pitted the
mayor
against
the national government, notably the
environment minister, Segolene Royal,
who has been
more
reluctant
than the mayor to
introduce curbs on
drivers, saying she
wants to avoid “stigmatising” them.
She has also faced
criticism for backing down on a proposal to ban wood
fires and wood-fired
heating, which contribute substantially to pollution in
France. The U-turn
is described by
C h r i s t o p h e
Najdovski, the “pollution chief ” of
Paris, as a “populist and political
decision”.
“A ban may be
difficult at the
moment but we
must help people
fit filters to reduce
emissions. Saying
there’s no problem
is
hiding
the
truth,” he says.
“France hosted
the climate change
conference last
year, but we’re
still waiting
for President
F r a n c o i s
Hollande to
put the words
into action.
Unfortunately, he’s
delaying.” v
—©2016
BBC
Air pollution rising at an ‘alarming rate’ in world’s cities
Outdoor pollution
has risen 8 percent
in five years with
fast-growing cities in
the developing world
worst affected, WHO
data shows
JOHN VIDAL
O
utdoor air pollution has
grown 8 percent globally in
the past five years, with
billions of people around the
world now exposed to dangerous air, according to new
data from more than 3,000 cities
compiled by the World Health
Organisation (WHO).
While all regions are affected,
fast-growing cities in the Middle
East, south-east Asia and the western
Pacific are the most impacted with
many showing pollution levels at five
to 10 times above WHO recommended
levels. According to the new WHO
database, levels of ultra-fine particles
of less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5s) are
highest in India, which has 16 of the
world’s 30 most polluted cities.
China, which has been plagued by
air pollution, has improved its air
quality since 2011 and now has only
five cities in the top 30. Nine other
countries, including Pakistan and
Iran, have one city each in the worst
30. For the larger, but slightly less
dangerous PM10 particles, India has
eight cities in the world’s top 30.
Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan
each have two cities in the top 10. The
true figure for the growth in global
air pollution is likely to be worse
because only a handful of African
cities monitor their levels.
The most polluted city in the world,
according to the WHO data, is
Onitsha, a fast-growing port and
transit city in south-eastern Nigeria
that recorded levels of nearly 600
micrograms per cubic metre of
PM10s—around 30 times the WHO
recommended level of 20 micrograms
per cubic metre. Air pollution levels
were generally much lower for cities
in developed countries with Sydney,
New York and London registering
17, 16 and 22 micrograms per
cubic metre for PM10s respectively.
However, the data only includes
measurements for particulates and
does not include forms of air pollution such as NO2 and ozone.
leads to major chronic diseases and
to people ultimately dying,” she said.
The new data, drawn from city
and academic records, shows a rapid
deterioration in air quality as low-income cities grow unchecked and populations become unable to escape
clouds of smog and soot from transport, industry, construction sites,
farming and wood-burning in homes.
Outdoor air pollution causes more
than 3m deaths a year—more than
Outdoor air pollution causes more than 3m deaths a year—more than
malaria and HIV/Aids—and is now the biggest single killer in the world
“We have a public health emergency in many countries. Urban air pollution continues to rise at an alarming rate, wreaking havoc on human
health. It’s dramatic, one of the biggest problems we are facing globally,
with terrible future costs to society,”
said Dr Maria Neira, director of public health at the WHO in Geneva.
“The cost for countries is enormous. Air pollution affects economies and people’s quality of life. It
malaria and HIV/Aids—and is now
the biggest single killer in the world.
The toll is expected to double as
urban populations increase and car
numbers approach 2bn by 2050.
Air pollutants such as sulphates,
nitrates and black carbon penetrate
deep into the lungs and into the cardiovascular system, posing the greatest
risks to human health, says the UN.
“As urban air quality declines, the
risk of stroke, heart disease, lung can-
cer, and chronic and acute respiratory
diseases, including asthma, increases
for the people who live in them. When
dirty air blankets our cities the most
vulnerable urban populations - the
youngest, oldest and poorest - are the
most impacted,” said Flavia Bustreo,
WHO assistant director general.
Encouragingly, there is evidence
from the WHO data that many cities
are addressing air pollution. More
than half of the monitored cities in
high-income countries and more
than one-third of those in low- and
middle-income countries reduced
their air pollution levels by more
than 5% in five years. Delhi, one of
the most polluted cities in the world,
has banned large diesel cars from
going into the city centre.
Measures taken by cities include
reducing industrial smokestack
emissions, increasing the use of
renewable power sources like solar
and wind, and prioritising rapid
transit, walking and cycling networks
in cities. Many cities are also committed to reducing reducing car traffic and diesel vehicles in particular.
The UN’s third outdoor air pollu-
tion database suggests the cleanest
cities in the world are generally
small, wealthy and situated far from
industrial centres. Muonio in
Finland, a town above the Arctic circle, has the world’s purest recorded
urban air, recording just 2 micrograms per cubic metre of PM2.5 pollution and 4 micrograms per cubic
metre of PM10s. It is closely followed
by Norman Wells in Canada,
Campisábalos in Spain and Converse
County, Wyoming in the US.
Of 52 UK towns and cities included
in the UN database, Port Talbot in
south Wales, a hub for the UK steel
industry, is the most polluted, ahead
of London, Glasgow, Southampton
and Leeds. The cleanest UK city in
the WHO list is Inverness, followed
by Bournemouth, Newcastle and
Sunderland. The most polluted city
in Australia, according to the data, is
Geraldton, a major seaport on the
west coast, north of Perth. The most
polluted city in the United States is
the inland city of Visalia-Porterville
in California.
“More than 80 percent of people
living in urban areas that monitor air
pollution are exposed to air quality
levels that exceed the World Health
Organisation limits. While all
regions of the world are affected,
populations in low-income cities are
the most impacted; 98 percent of cities in low and middle income countries with more than 100,000 inhabitants do not meet WHO air quality
guidelines. However, in high income
countries, that percentage decreases
to 56 percent,” said the WHO.
“It is crucial for city and national
governments to make urban air quality a health and development priority,” said Dr Carlos Dora, co-ordinator
of the WHO’s Interventions for
Healthy Environment programme.
“When air quality improves, health
costs from air pollution related diseases shrink, worker productivity
expands and life expectancy grows.
Reducing air pollution also brings an
added climate bonus, which can
become a part of countries’ commitments to the climate treaty.” v
—©2016The Guardian
C M Y K
sports
kathmandu post
the
PG 11
SATURDAY,MAY14,2016
Martinez sacked after Everton slump
Bista named Chef de Mission
Everton have sacked manager Roberto Martinez, the
Premier League club announced on Thursday, confirming widespread reports in the British media. In place
since joining from Wigan Athletic in 2013, the 42-yearold Spaniard paid the price for a run of one win in 10
league games and an FA Cup semi-final defeat at the
hands of Manchester United.
Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) on Friday named the
National Sports Council (NSC) Member Secretary
Keshav Kumar Bista as the Chef de Mission of the
Nepali contingent for the 2016 summer Olympic
Games in Brazil. A board meeting of NOC had taken
the decision on Friday. The Olympics will be held
on August 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro.
rome masters
Djokovic
sets Nadal
showdown
Gatlin looks for mental edge
Controversial sprinter Justin Gatlin will work to sharpen his mental edge at the Shanghai Diamond League
on Saturday as he homes in on an Olympic showdown
with his great rival Usain Bolt. Gatlin, a two-time doping offender, was upstaged emphatically by Bolt at last
year’s Beijing World Championships and he said staying focused was his biggest goal this year.
Ranchi inflict first defeat on KCC Dravid, Jayawardene
LAXMI SAH
KALAIYA, MAY 13
Ranchi Cricket Club kept
their winning streak intact
with a convincing seven-wicket victory over Kalaiya
Cricket Club (KCC) in the
Sanshad Cup Twenty20 cricket tournament here on Friday.
While the victory was third
in succession for the touring
Indian team, KCC suffered
their first defeat in four
games. KCC still lead the fiveteam standings with six
points only ahead of net run
rate over Ranchi, who have
played a game less. In a match
reduced to 16-over a-side, KCC
could only muster 97-6 in their
allotted overs. Ranchi surpassed the total for the loss of
three wickets in 14.2 overs.
Aasif Sheikh played a lone
hand in KCC’s mediocre total,
his 32-ball 34 was studded
with three boundaries and a
six. Suraj Kurmi (14) and
Sunil Dhamala (12) were the
only other KCC batsman to
contribute in double figures.
Man-of-the-match
Monty
Singh was pick of the Ranchi
bowlers with figures of 3-20
from four overs.
In reply, opener Arpit
Soundik and Kamal Dubey
scored 29 runs each to ease the
Ranchi run chase. While
Soundik struck three boundaries in his unbeaten 35-ball
innings, Dubey played a more
aggressive knock, clobbering
four boundaries and a six in
his 18-ball stay in the crease.
Basanta Regmi, Rashid Khan
and Sushil Kandel claimed
one wicket each of the hosts.
In the day’s another match,
n
Arshalan Akhtar
Birat Cricket Society edged
New Horizon Cricket Club by
two runs in a match reduced
to 10-over per side due to wet
outfield condition. Birat were
bowled out for 66 runs in the
last ball of their innings but
defended the total by restricting New Horizon for 64-8.
Hasim Ansari top scored
for Birat with 12-ball 20 that
included two sixes, while
Puspa Thapa chipped in with
run-a-ball 16. Krishna Karki
took 4-18 and Dhiraj Shahi
took 3-5 for New Horizon.
Despite chasing a low score,
New Horizon were in a dire
straits at 19-4 by the sixth over.
A late cameo from Kushal
Bhurtel and Ganesh Gaudel
brought New Horizon back
into the game. But their dismissal meant, New Horizon
fell agonisingly three runs
short of their target.
Man-of-the-match Arshalan
Akhtar bowled a superb twoover spell that yielded three
wickets for just seven runs.
Shaddab
Akhtar,
Puspa
Thapa, Hasim Ansari and
Firdosh Ansari also picked up
one wicket apiece for Birat
Society. The table topper will
qualify for the title match,
while second and third-placed
teams will battle it out in the
playoff for another spot.
join ICC committee
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
NEW DELHI, MAY 13
Batting greats Rahul Dravid
of
India
and
Mahela
Jayawardene of Sri Lanka
joined the ICC’s cricket committee on Friday in the first
major appointments at the
game’s governing body since
India’s Shashank Manohar
was elected chairman.
Former Indian skipper
Dravid and retired Sri Lankan
strokemaker Jayawardene,
two of the biggest run-scorers
of all-time, will join the likes
of Australian coach Darren
Lehman and the umpire
Richard Kettleborough on a
body which has a crucial say
in playing matters.
The International Cricket
Council
(ICC)
said
Jayawardene and Dravid
had joined the committee
after Sri Lanka’s Kumar
Sangakkara and former India
leg-spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan completed their
three-year terms.
Anil Kumble, another former India leg-spinner, will
remain as chair of the committee after being re-elected
for a second stint, the
ICC added in a statement after
a meeting at their headquarters in Dubai.
The appointments come
a day after Manohar, a former
president of the Indian
cricket board, was unanimously elected as the first
independent chairman of the
world’s governing body.
n Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns to Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil during
their Rome Masters match in Rome on Thursday.
AP
ROME, MAY 13
Defending champion Novak
Djokovic overcame a first-set
scare to set up a Rome Masters
quarter-finals with Rafael
Nadal thanks to a 0-6, 6-3, 6-2
win over Tomaz Bellucci on
Thursday.
Fresh from win over British
rival Andy Murray in the
Madrid Masters last weekend,
Djokovic is looking unstoppable as he seeks to build form
for the tougher challenge of
the French Open at Roland
Garros later this month.
Earlier, Nadal, a seven-time
winner in Rome, overcame
losing the first set on tie break
to Australian Nick Kyrgios to
win their third round clash 6-7
(3/7), 6-2, 6-4. Both his and
Djokovic’s path to victory
have been cleared by the
absences of Swiss pair Roger
Federer, a four-time finalist,
and Stan Wawrinka.
A troublesome back injury
that forced him out of Madrid
last week meant Federer just
wasn’t in the game as he sunk
to a 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 third round
defeat to Austrian 13th seed
Dominic Thiem. Wawrinka,
the fourth seed who was
stunned in the second round
in Madrid last week by
Kyrgios, was ousted by
Argentina’s Juan Monaco 7-6
(7/5), 6-3, 6-3.
The 22-year-old Thiem now
meets Kei Nishikori after the
Japanese sixth seed swept
aside Frenchman Richard
Gasquet, the 11th seed, of
France 6-1, 6-4. Another top
name exited the tournament
in ninth seed David Ferrer, the
Spaniard’s campaign cut
short by lucky loser Lucas
Pouille of France. Pouille will
now meet Monaco for a place
in the semi-finals.
British second seed Murray,
meanwhile, swept aside
Frenchman Jeremy Chardy to
set up a quarter-final clash
with David Goffin after the
Belgian, the 12th seed, whitewashed the Czech eighth seed
Tomas Berdych 6-0, 6-0.
Serena Williams, meanwhile, overcame a tight first
set against compatriot and
qualifier Christina McHale to
prevail 7-6 (9/7), 6-1 and maintain her bid for a fourth crown
here. With only three other
seeds left in the competition,
she is not expected to fail.
corruption allegation
Olympic payments
legitimate: JOC
TOKYO, MAY 13
Japan’s Olympic chief insisted $2 million in payments
were “legitimate” on Friday
after French prosecutors
launched a probe, suspecting
they were aimed at winning
support for Tokyo’s successful
bid to host the 2020 Games.
Japanese
Olympic
Committee (JOC) president
Tsunakazu Takeda, who led
Tokyo’s bid, said the payments were for consulting
work and did not raise suspicions among the campaign
team at the time. “We would
like to reaffirm that the
Olympic Games 2020 were
awarded to Tokyo as the result
of a fair competition and as a
result of the contents of our
bid,” Takeda said in a statement. “The payments mentioned in the media were a
legitimate consultant’s fee.”
The payments to a bank
account in Singapore were
first revealed by Britain’s
Guardian newspaper, and
prompted French prosecutors
to launch a probe on Thursday.
Sources said investigators
suspected the money was
aimed at helping Tokyo secure
the 2020 Games. It follows earlier controversies surrounding the Tokyo Olympics,
which had to scrap its original
main stadium design due to
its eye-watering price tag, and
had to weather plagiarism
accusations over the logo.
Some 2.8 million Singapore
dollars (1.8 million euros)
were paid to a company owned
by a son of disgraced former
world athletics chief Lamine
Diack, French prosecutors
said on Thursday. Diack was
an International Olympic
Committee (IOC) member in
2013 when Tokyo beat Istanbul
and Madrid in the race to host
the 2020 Games. Diack and his
son already face corruption
charges in France.
But Takeda said the money
was for “professional services” for consultation work
including “the planning of the
bid, tutoring on presentation
practice, advice for international lobbying communications and service for information and media analysis”.
“All these services were
properly contracted using
accepted business practices,”
said Takeda.
C M Y K
sports
SPORTS DIGEST
Milan claim T20
Challenge Cup
KAKADVITTA: Milan
Cricket Club claimed the
Twenty20 Knockout
Challenge Cup cricket
tournament with a slim
one-wicket victory over
Lord Buddha Cricket
Academy. The winners
and runners-up got Rs
25,000 and Rs 15,000
respectively. Milan bundled out Lord Buddha,
who had elected to bat
first, for a paltry 61 in
12 overs after Biru
Shrestha and Raj
Barman picked up three
wickets each. Milan
reached the target in
19.2 overs for the loss of
nine wickets. Amit
Shrestha took four wickets for Lord Buddha.
Barman was named
the best player of the
tournament. (PR)
TAC clean sweep
National Hockey
KANCHANPUR: Tribhuvan
Army Club (TAC) clean
swept the National
Hockey Championships
on Friday. In the men’s
final, TAC defeated Farwestern Region 3-1
after Ram Shah struck
twice and Dipendra Aair
netted the other.
Niranjan Shah pulled
one back for the losing
side3. In the women’s
final, TAC overcame
Kanchanpur 2-0 on a
back of a goal each from
Sita Chaudhary and
Tankamaya Khapangi.
The men’s and women’s
winners won Rs 50,000
and Rs 25,000 respectively. The losing finalists in
the men’s and women’s
section got Rs 30,000 and
Rs 15,000. (PR)
LA LIGA STANDINGS
MADRID, MAY 13
Valley Public,
Odyssey triumph
BHAKTAPUR: Public Youth
Campus (PYC) and
Universal College won
their respective matches
of the Thames Intercollege BBA Cup
Twenty20 cricket tournament on Friday. PYC
defeated hosts Thames
International College by
20 runs in a match
reduced to 13 overs due
to rain. PYC made 98-5
before restricting
Thames to 78-8. In a
17-over game, Universal
eased to a 37-run victory
over Prime College.
Universal posted 136 all
out in 17 overs and bundled out Prime for 99 in
16.4 overs. (PR)
12
Barcelona stare at title Delhi see off
KATHMANDU: Lalitpur
District Boxing
Association is organising
the fourth Nationwide
Open Boxing
Championships and first
Nationwide Novice
Boxing Championships
from June 21. The organisers are expecting participation from at least
400 boxers from 26 district and three departmental regions. A total
of 17 weight categories –
10 in men’s and seven in
women’s section – are
included in the senior
event, while the junior
event will have seven
boys’ weight categories.
The five-day event carries an estimated budget
of Rs 2.5 million. (PR)
PYC, Universal
register wins
thekathmandu post
indian premier league
Nat’l Boxing set
for June 21 start
KATHMANDU: Valley
Public ‘A’ and Odyssey
International Academy
claimed the first BNA
Inter-school Basketball
Tournament titles on
Friday. In the senior
girls’ final, Valley Public
defeated Himalaya
Health Care Academy
32-24 with 13 points from
Nilam Sherpa. Odyssey
overcame Angels’ Heart
36-21 in the junior boys’
category on a back of 12
points from Sahil
Gurung. Sherpa and
Adarsha Shrestha of
Odyssey were named the
tournament MVPs. (PR)
(C.R.P.D.) - 3/052/053
n
A file photo of Luis Suarez during their La Liga match against Espanyol in Barcelona on May 8.
AFP/RSS
Barcelona have the upper
hand in a final day showdown
with Real Madrid for the
Spanish title on Saturday as
they know a victory at
Granada will ensure them a
24th Spanish League crown.
Real are a point behind and
have to stretch their winning
La Liga run to 12 games at
Deportivo la Coruna and hope
for a Barca slip up to land the
title. The battle between the
two richest clubs in the world
has come down to the final
day thanks to Barca’s incredible slump of three consecutive league defeats in April,
the first time in 13 years they
had gone on such a run.
However, they bounced back
with four straight wins by a
combined 21-0 scoreline to
take them to the brink of a
sixth Spanish League title in
eight seasons.
“It is essential for us to
keep a clean sheet because
we know from middle to
front we can make the difference,” Barca striker
Luis Suarez said on
Thursday. “Mentally we
have to be very strong
and be aware of the fact
that it is in our own
hands.”
Suarez has come
up big when
Barca most needed him with 11
goals in his last
four games to get
the Catalan giants
back on track. Moreover, the
Uruguayan is now well set to
become the first player other
than Lionel Messi and
Cristiano Ronaldo to win the
Pichichi award for La Liga’s
top scorer in seven seasons.
Suarez’s 37 La Liga goals as
part of a tally of 56 in all competitions this season is four
more than Ronaldo.
However,
the
former
Liverpool striker claimed that
individual glory will mean
nothing if it is not accompanied by his second La Liga
title. Crucially, Barca are facing a Granada side with nothing left to play for after they
sealed their survival with a 4-1
Teams
Barca
Real
Atletico
Villarreal
Celta
Bilbao
Sevilla
Malaga
Sociedad
Las Palmas
Valencia
Eibar
Depor
Betis
Espanyol
Granada
Getafe
Gijon
Rayo
Levante
P
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
W
28
27
27
18
17
17
14
11
12
12
11
11
8
10
11
10
9
9
8
8
D
4
6
4
10
9
8
10
12
9
8
11
10
18
12
7
9
9
9
11
8
L
5
4
6
9
11
12
13
14
16
17
15
16
11
15
19
18
19
19
18
21
GF GA PTS
109 29 88
108 34 87
61 18 85
44 33 64
51 57 60
55 44 59
50 47 52
34 34 45
44 48 45
44 49 44
46 47 44
47 57 43
45 59 42
32 51 42
36 72 40
46 66 39
36 65 36
38 62 36
49 72 35
36 67 32*
(Note: * Denotes: Relegated)
Fixtures
Depor vs Real (2045 NST)
Granada vs Barca (2045 NST)
Atletico vs Celta (2315 NST)
Bilbao vs Sevilla (2315 NST)
(All matches on Saturday)
win at Sevilla last weekend.
Despite looming Champions
League final against Atletico
Madrid, Real are set to recall
Gareth Bale and goalkeeper
Keylor Navas from injury
against a Deportivo side also
with nothing to play for. “I
don’t think they will go out on
the pitch relaxed,” said Real
defender Marcelo.
The situation at the bottom
is just as tight with Getafe,
Sporting Gijon and Rayo
Vallecano battling to avoid
joining Levante in being
relegated. Getafe have matters
in their own hands as
victory at Real Betis on
Sunday will secure their place
in the top flight for 13th
straight season.
Gijon are level on points
with Getafe but are in drop
zone due to their inferior
head-to-head record and need
to better the Real side’s result
hosting Villarreal. Rayo can
only be saved by bettering
both Getafe and Sporting’s
results at home to Levante.
Hyderabad
INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE
HYDERABAD, MAY 13
Delhi Daredevils rode on a
powerful batting performance
to defeat Sunrisers Hyderabad
by seven wickets in the Indian
Premier League (IPL) match
at
the
Rajiv
Gandhi
International Stadium here
on Thursday.
Chasing a target of 147
runs, Delhi did not face too
much difficulties from the
Hyderabad bowlers before
romping home with 11 balls to
spare. Despite the loss,
Hyderabad continue to sit at
the top of the IPL standings
with 14 points from 11 matches. They have the same number of points as second placed
Gujarat Lions but are ahead
due to superior run rate. The
hosts will however be disappointed with the fact that they
have suffered a heavy defeat
in their last home game. They
now face three away matches
on the trot. Delhi on the other
hand, climbed to third with 12
points from 10 matches.
The visitors were off to a
poor start with opener
Mayank Aggarwal departing
early. But Quinton de Kock
and Karun Nair (20) put
together a 55-run stand off 37
balls to build the foundation
of a successful run chase.
Paceman Moises Henriques
removed both Nair and de
Kock in 10th over. But Rishabh
Pant and Sanju Samson took
them to victory. Pant was
unbeaten on 39 off 26 deliveries. Samson remained unbeaten on 34 off 26 balls. Henriques
was pick of the Hyderabad
bowlers with figures of 2-19.
Earlier, Hyderabad squandered a brilliant start to finish
at 146-8 against a disciplined
Delhi bowling. The hosts were
once again off to a brilliant
start as the opening duo of
David Warner (46) and
Shikhar Dhawan (34) fired 51
runs in the powerplay to lay
the platform but lost the
momentum as the Delhi bowl-
n
Chris Morris
Summary
Delhi 150-3 in 18.1 overs (De Kock 44,
R Pant 39*, S Samson 34*; M
Henriques 2-19, A Nehra 1-23) beat
Hyderabad 146-8 in 20 overs (D
Warner 46, S Dhawan 34; Coulter-Nile
2-25, A Mishra 2-19, C Morris 1-19) by
seven wickets
Man-of-the-match: C Morris
STANDINGS
TEAMS
Hyderabad
Gujarat
Delhi
Kolkata
Mumbai
Bangalore
Pune
Punjab
M
11
11
10
10
11
10
11
10
W
7
7
6
6
6
4
3
3
L N-R Pts NRR
4 0 14 +0.417
4 0 14 -0.138
4 0 12 +0.376
4 0 12 +0.206
5 0 12 -0.346
6 0 8 -0.041
8 0 6 +0.087
7 0 6 -0.567
ers bounced back with some
brilliant efforts.
New Zealand skipper Kane
Williamson
(27)
joined
Dhawan but the duo could add
only 31 runs as leg-spinner
Amit Mishra sent the southpaw packing with Sanju
Samson latching on to a brilliant running catch at deep
midwicket. Dhawan’s 37-ball
knock was laced with three
hits to the fence.
Terry ponders new deal Ibra confirms PSG departure
LONDON, MAY 13
Chelsea captain John Terry
has been offered a new oneyear deal, the English Premier
League club said on Friday.
The 35-year-old centre-half,
who has spent his entire senior club career with the west
London side, is out of contract
at the end of the season. In
January, Terry--who has made
more than 700 Chelsea appearances since his debut in
October 1998--said he would
not be extending his time at
Stamford Bridge.
However, Chelsea countered that a new offer was
possible. And on Friday a
Chelsea spokesperson said:
n
John Terry
“(Director)
Marina
Granovskaia and (chairman)
Bruce Buck met with John
and his agent this week and
offered him a one-year extension. With it coming so late in
the season, this is a big deci-
sion for John and his family
and it is something that they
are now considering.”
There had been speculation
that last week’s loss at
Sunderland, where former
England defender Terry was
sent off, marked the end of his
Blues’ career as he is now
banned from Sunday’s final
game of the season at home to
Leicester City--Chelsea’s successors as Premier League
champions. The timing of
Chelsea’s statement also
appeared to reflect a desire on
the part of club officials to
avoid interim manager Guus
Hiddink’s final pre-match
press conference on Friday
being dominated by questions
over Terry’s future.
PARIS, MAY 13
Zlatan Ibrahimovic confirmed
on Friday that he will leave
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at
the end of this season, but the
French champions said the
Swedish star will eventually
return in a “management”
role.
“My last game tomorrow at
Parc des Princes. I came like a
king, left like a legend,” wrote
Ibrahimovic, ending speculation that he could extend his
contract with PSG beyond this
season. Ibrahimovic, whose
existing deal expires on June
30, will make his final home
appearance for the club in
their last Ligue 1 game of the
season against Nantes on
Saturday. However, he will
then run out in a PSG shirt
one more time when they face
Marseille in the French Cup
final on May 21 at the Stade de
France.
“After discussions between
PSG and the agent of Zlatan
Ibrahimovic, the club and the
player have mutually decided
not to renew his contract,”
PSG said. “They have
also agreed that once his
playing career is over, Ibra
will join the management of
the club in a position of
responsibility.”
In
the
meantime,
Ibrahimovic will make his
French swansong as a player
when he turns out for Sweden
n
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
at Euro 2016 in June. There
has been widespread speculation about the 34-year-old former Ajax, Juventus, Inter
Milan, Barcelona and AC
Milan star’s next destination.
He has been linked with a
move to the English Premier
League, while his agent
recently suggested he could
return to AC Milan and Major
League Soccer is another
potential destination.
Ibrahimovic, who last
weekend
was
crowned
France’s player of the year for
a record third time, has
enjoyed enormous domestic
success with PSG since moving to the Paris from Milan in
2012, winning the Ligue 1 title
in each of his four seasons. If
PSG win the French Cup next
week, they will have completed a clean sweep of the domestic honours for the second
year running and Ibrahimovic
will have won 12 trophies with
the club.
SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT
Hosts France leave out struggling Valbuena, Ben Arfa
PARIS, MAY 13
With just over four weeks to go
until the start of Euro 2016, the
build-up to the European
Championship continued on
Thursday as hosts France named
their squad, without Mathieu
Valbuena and Hatem Ben Arfa.
Valbuena’s season has been
overshadowed by the sextape
blackmail affair in which he has
been a victim and which has seen
star striker Karim Benzema of
Real Madrid dropped by his country. The Lyon midfielder has struggled for form and has unsurprisingly been left out of the hosts’
squad for the finals.
“Mathieu has had a very difficult season with injuries and his
level of performance has been
below what he is capable of
doing,” said coach Didier
Belgium sans Kompany
France Squad
n
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris, Steve Mandanda,
Benoit Costil
Defenders: Raphael Varane, Laurent
Koscielny, Eliaquim Mangala, Jeremy
Mathieu, Patrice Evra, Bacary Sagna, Lucas
Digne, Christophe Jallet
Midfielders: Paul Pogba, Blaise Matuidi,
Lassana Diarra, N’Golo Kante, Yohan Cabaye,
Moussa Sissoko
Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Dimitri Payet,
Anthony Martial, Kingsley Coman, Olivier
Giroud, Andre-Pierre Gignac
Hatem Ben Arfa
Deschamps, who announced his
squad live on television station
TF1’s evening news bulletin.
Valbuena, 31, reacted to his omission by admitting his “immense
disappointment” in a post on his
Facebook page.
Ben Arfa had been hopeful of
making the squad after relaunching his career at Nice but instead
has to settle for a place on the
standby list of eight. Liverpool
defender Mamadou Sakho was
also omitted after being suspended for 30 days by Uefa for failing a
drugs test.
Despite the absence of
Benzema, who has scored 27 goals
in 81 caps, France have great
strength in depth in attack.
Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud could
lead the line while Antoine
Griezmann is enjoying a superb
season with Atletico Madrid.
Anthony Martial and Dimitri
Payet have also enjoyed fine campaigns since moving to the
English Premier League and bookmakers in the UK have made
France one of the favourites to
n
Mathieu Valbuena
win the trophy on home soil.
Deschamps, who won the World
Cup as a player when France hosted the tournament in 1998, must
submit his definitive 23-man
squad by the Uefa deadline of May
31. France open Euro 2016 against
Romania on June 10 before also
facing Albania and Switzerland in
Group A.
Belgium, another of the fancied
nations to win the first 24-team
Euros, also announced their provisional squad on Thursday, with
coach Marc Wilmots deprived of
the services of captain Vincent
Kompany. The Manchester City
defender is ruled out with a groin
problem.
“I’m terribly disappointed by
Vincent Kompany’s absence, he’s
our leader and he won’t be there,”
said Wilmots. Belgium are in the
same group as Italy, Sweden and
the Republic of Ireland, whose
coach Martin O’Neill named a provisional list of 35 for the finals.
Record goal-scorer Robbie Keane,
35, made the list along with
Everton right-back Seamus
Coleman, despite the fact he has
not played since last month due to
a hamstring injury.
Published and Printed by Kantipur Publications Pvt. Ltd. Kantipur Complex, Subidhanagar, Kathmandu, Nepal, P. B. No. 8559, Phone: 5135000, Fax: 977-1-5135057, e-mail: [email protected], Regd. No. 32/048/049, Chairman & Managing Director : Kailash Sirohiya, Director : Swastika Sirohiya, Editor-in-Chief : Akhilesh Upadhyay
money
kathmandupost
the
FOREX
CROSS CURRENCY
NR
EUR
JPY
GBP
CHF
CAD
AUD
INR
107.1300
121.6100
9.8500
154.3400
110.3700
83.3500
78.0200
1.6015
96.167
68.685
51.7838
48.604
0.7147
0.5385
0.5054
INR
66.7705
75.764
0.6129
GBP
0.6941
0.7876
0.0064
JPY
108.81
123.58
EUR
0.881
USD
finance&economy
USD
1.1374
NR
0.6244
0.0104
0.0065
157.2500
112.03
84.46
79.2400
1.6316
0.1015
0.0080
1.2646
0.9074
0.6839
0.6413
0.0132
0.0082
0.0091
1.4385
1.0296
0.7771
0.7281
0.0150
0.0093
HOW TO READ THE TABLE
The chart shows the rates of nine world currencies. Move across the table to find rates of exchange between any two
currencies. One unit of the currency mentioned vertically is worth that amount in the currency mentioned horizontally.
US Dollar
107.13
Euro
121.61
Pound Sterling
154.34
Japanese Yen
9.85
Chinese Yuan
16.43
Qatari Riyal
29.43
Australian Dollar
78.02
Malaysian Ringit
26.59
Saudi Arab Riyal
28.57
Exchange rates fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2016 (01-02-2073) kathmandupost.ekantipur.com
Nerves rule before US retail numbers
INSIDE
Herbs principal source of
income for Rukum locals
Collecting herbs has become a major
source of income for locals of 13 village development committees in
upper Rukum. Farming is unproductive in Rukum, and the people rely on
herbs for their livelihood.
Yarsagumba, popularly known as
Himalayan Viagra, is the major herb
collected by locals in the highlands of
Rukum. People stay home for only two
months and spend the rest of the year
travelling in the highlands to search
for yarsagumba. The yarsagumba
picking season lasts till the end of
June when they return to their
homes. Barely a week later, they set
out again climbing to the mountain
regions in search of other herbs like
katuki, bhutle, orchid, red mushroom
and others.
Pg: II
IMF warns of economic
risks from Brexit
The International Monetary Fund on
Friday warned that Britain’s potential
exit from the European Union posed a
“significant downside risk” to the
economy. IMF boss Christine Lagarde,
unveiling the global lender’s latest
health check on the British economy
just six weeks before Britain votes on
whether to remain in the EU, added
that Brexit could push the country
into recession, echoing comments
from Bank of England (BoE) chief
Mark Carney.
Pg: III
Page II The dollar was set for a second week of gains on Friday while stock markets fell ahead of a handful of major US and Chinese data
releases which may do little to settle growing nerves over the outlook for the world’s two biggest economies.
PAC to probe tax issue
in sale of Ncell shares
POST REPORT
On May 8, Ncell paid Rs9.96 billion as TDS claiming the amount to
be 15 percent of the gains of
TeliaSonera arising from the sale
of shares of offshore company
Reynolds Holding, which owns 80
percent of Ncell, to Axiata.
The LTO is also yet to determine
if the amount declared by Ncell is
correct, and officials have said that
an investigation will be carried out
immediately.
Last April, Malaysia’s Axiata
bought Reynolds Holding, which
held a majority stake in Ncell, from
Swedish-Finnish
company
TeliaSonera at an enterprise value
of $1.03 billion in a record deal.
Reynolds
Holding
was
TeliaSonera’s wholly-owned subsidiary, registered at Saint Kitts
and Nevis, a tax haven. The tax
authorities moved to tax the transaction only after TeliaSonera had
left Nepal.
The LTO initially wrote to
TeliaSonera asking it to submit tax
details, but the company argued
that the deal was not taxable in
Nepal. Subsequently, the LTO
asked Ncell to file a tax return by
May 7. But the deadline was automatically postponed to Sunday as
it fell on Saturday, a public holiday.
KATHMANDU, MAY 13
The
parliamentary
Public
Accounts Committee (PAC) has
decided to open a formal investigation into the issue of capital gains
tax in the recent sale of Ncell
shares. The House panel said
Friday that it was preparing to
form a high-level technical probe
committee to look into the matter.
“We will proceed after receiving
a clear answer from the Finance
Ministry regarding their stance on
the Ncell deal,” said Janardan
Sharma, chairman of the committee. “During our previous meeting,
we had told the ministry to present
a written clarification regarding
the capital gains tax issue.” The
PAC is yet to receive an explanation from the ministry.
Lawmakers also criticized the
Finance Ministry for not providing
a clarification of the statement of
CEO Simon Perkins of Ncell, the
country’s largest private cell phone
service. During a recent press conference, Perkins had said that government officials had informed
Ncell that the deal was not subject
to capital gains tax.
“Ncell organized a press meet to
The House panel said on Friday that it was
preparing to form a high-level technical
committee to look into the matter
say that they thought they were not
liable to pay tax after consultations
with Finance Minister Bishnu
Poudel and officials of the Office
of the Prime Minister,” said lawmaker Dhan Raj Gurung. “We
must summon those officials for a
discussion.” He added that Ncell
should pay tax or it should be shut
down. The parliamentarian also
expressed doubts if previous ownership transfers of Ncell had come
under the tax bracket. “Before the
April 12 ownership transfer of
Ncell, we found that there had been
transfers of ownership on multiple
occasions,” lawmaker Minendra
Rijal said at the PAC’s Friday’s
meeting. “This gives us enough
room to suspect wrongdoing in
those deals, and we should take the
help of experts to probe the matter.” Lawmakers were also sceptical about the amount declared and
paid by Ncell to the Large
Taxpayers’ Office (LTO) as tax
deduction at source (TDS). “The
entire deal should be investigated
by experts to figure out if the
amount declared by Ncell is correct or not,” said lawmaker Dor
Prasad Upadhyay.
Informal insurance biz growing due to lack of laws
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, MAY 13
Lack of legal provisions has
led to an increase in informal
insurance raising the risk of
customers not getting compensation for damage to their
property, National Planning
Commission (NPC) ViceChairman Yubaraj Khatiwada
said Friday.
Speaking
at
the
International
Insurance
Conference, Khatiwada added
that many cooperatives had
been insuring crops and livestock illegally. A number of
these organizations have been
collecting insurance premiums from their members in
the name of risk sharing,
mainly in the farm sector.
However, such cooperatives
neither maintain an insurance fund nor have reinsurance coverage. They may be
unable to make compensation
payment if harvest and livestock losses are very high.
“This has made it difficult for
farmers to get compensation
for their losses,” Khatiwada
said.
According to him, the government has planned to bring
[
such activities of the cooperative business under a legal
framework through a new
Cooperative Act. However, the
proposed law has remained
pending at the Cabinet for the
last four months.
Khatiwada also pointed out
Many cooperatives had been insuring
crops and livestock illegally. A number of these
organisations have been collecting insurance
premiums from their members in the name of
risk sharing, mainly in the farm sector
NPC VICE-CHAIRMAN YUBARAJ KHATIWADA
the need for coordination
among regulators including
Nepal Rastra Bank, Insurance
Board, Securities Board of
Nepal and Office of the
Company Registrar to minimize systematic risks triggered by market phenomena.
]
Although the government has
formulated a financial sector
development strategy to
address the issue, it has been
ineffective due to lack of relevant laws.
“Because of this reason,
many loopholes in cross-cut-
ting issues have emerged,
resulting in a number of cases
of serious regulatory arbitrage,” Khatiwada said.
He also urged regional
cooperation among financial
sector regulators to address
cross-border insurance and
deal with spill-over effects
that could arise from a global
financial meltdown or natural
catastrophe.
According
to
him,
expansion of effective insurance business including micro
insurance can help to increase
financial
outreach
and
inclusion.
108 Nepali
products get
duty-free access
to Bangladesh
PARBAT PORTEL
KAKADBHITTA, MAY 13
Bangladesh has agreed to provide duty-free access to over
100 Nepali products.
A two-day bilateral trade
talks held in Dhaka on May
11-12 decided to form a secretary level mechanism to
enforce the provision, as per
which at least 108 Nepali products will have duty-free access
to Bangladesh.
A nine-member team led by
Commerce Secretary Naindra
Prasad Upadhyaya and a
Bangladeshi team led by
Senior Commerce Secretary
of Bangladesh Hedayetullah
Al Mamoon signed a memorandum of understanding to
this effect.
The Nepal-Bangladesh commerce secretary-level talks
also agreed to remove
Technical Barriers to Trade
(TBT) to expand trade volume
between the two countries.
Commerce
Secretary
Upadhyaya said the mechanism will propose the modality on implementation of the
agreement.
Nepal had been asking
Bangladesh to provide dutyfree access to cheese, honey,
rose, rhododendron and its
juice,
lentils,
cabbage,
strawberry, rice, pineapple,
edible oil and raw skin among
others.
Through the bilateral
agreement, Nepal will also be
providing preferential treatment to 50 Bangladeshi products that include fish and agro
products like tobacco, potato
chips, tomato sauce, readymade garments, battery, biscuits, cement and plastic products among others.
Upadhyaya said the two
Nepal will also be providing
preferential treatment to
50 Bangladeshi products
that include fish and agro
products
countries also agreed to take
initiative to implement a previous bilateral agreement. He
said the two countries also
discussed issues like promoting bilateral trade, trade facilitation, development of trade
related infrastructure and
removing non-tariff barriers.
An agreement was also
signed for harmonising sanitary and phytosanitary measures in agricultural products.
Similarly, both the sides
will now observe quality
certification procedures and
lab operations in both the
countries to address quality
related issues on the traded
goods.
Upadhyaya said that the
two countries also have
reached an understanding to
sign a memorandum of understanding on trading of agricultural goods in the next
meeting.
Simplifying visa and immigration procedures for the visitors from the countries, participating in the trade fairs,
and enhancing facility of land
customs offices were also
agreed upon during the bilateral talks.
promoting tourism
n
Participants of a rafting programme organised by the CPN-UML Sindhuli-Kathmandu Samparka Manch on the Khurkot-Baleni section of Sunkoshi River on Friday.
POST PHOTO: ANGAD DHAKAL
Apple invests $1 billion in China taxi app Didi
BEIJING, MAY 13
Apple said Friday it has
invested $1 billion in Chinese
ride hailing app Didi Chuxing,
the bitter rival of US-based
Uber, as the tech giant seeks to
better understand its second-biggest market.
The announcement comes
as Apple faces headwinds in
China, where it has seen huge
drops in sales of its popular
electronics, but is working to
expand its mobile payments
service and is even believed to
have ambitions for driverless
cars. Didi, formerly known as
Didi Kuaidi, is China’s largest
ridesharing service, and the
tie up may serve as a way for
Apple to get to know the
Chinese market ahead of a
long-rumoured
expansion
into the transportation sector.
“We decided to make the
investment for a number of
strategic reasons, including
the chance to learn more
about certain segments of the
China market”, chief executive Tim Cook told the official
news agency Xinhua.
Apple is thought to be one
of a number of tech compa-
nies, including Google and
Chinese search giant Baidu,
that are developing driverless
cars. The move may also be
intended to help Apple expand
its Apple Pay service, which
faces strong Chinese competition, analysts said. The twin
prospects may help soothe
investors nervous about
Apple’s prospects in the
Middle Kingdom.
The company’s shares have
dropped more than 13 percent
since April 26, when it reported its first ever fall in iPhone
sales, largely due to waning
interest from Chinese con-
sumers. On Thursday, the
stock closed down 2.4 percent,
losing its coveted spot as the
world’s biggest publicly traded company to Google parent
company Alphabet.
The fall from grace, blamed
on the company’s failure to
expand into the lower-priced
handsets popular in developing markets, came amid a
string of bad news from
China. Last month, authorities shut down Apple’s movie
and book services. Adding
insult to injury, it was revealed
to have lost a court case over
the use of its iPhone trade-
mark. Hoping for a turnaround, Cook will travel to
Beijing later this month to
lobby senior leaders. Didi,
which also has backing from
Chinese Internet behemoths
Tencent and Alibaba, likely
hopes to use the deal to strike
a death blow to US-based Uber,
its main competitor for the
Chinese ridesharing market.
Apple’s injection was the
“single largest investment the
company has ever received,”
said Didi, which dominates
the car-hailing sector in China
and says it has almost 90 percent of the market.
C M Y K
NEWS DIGEST
money
economy
Saturday, May 14, 2016 | thekathmandupost
Herbs principal
source of income
for Rukum locals
reconstruction works
European car
sales hit
MILAN: European carmakers recorded the
highest sales volumes
last month since just
before the economic crisis bottomed out the market. The European automakers association
ACEA said on Friday
that car sales rose 9 percent in April compared
to the previous year, for
1.27 million units. ACEA
says that the highest volume since April 2008.
Volkswagen brand sales
continued to lag in the
wake of the diesel scandal, up just 2.7 percent.
Sales for the VW group,
which includes also
Audi, Porsche and Skoda,
rose 5.4 percent. Fiat
Chrysler Automobiles,
boosted by Jeep, and
Toyota posted double-digit growth, along with
premium carmakers
BMW and Daimler. IHS
automotive says the
Western European
market is bolstered
by “reasonably strong
consumer confidence,
robust replacement
demand and competitive
financing.” (AFP)
KRISHNA PRASAD GAUTAM
RUKUM, MAY 13
Oil glut may ease
by 2017: Opec
VIENNA: Opec said Friday
a global crude glut that
has squeezed the market
and sent prices plunging
over the past year “may
be easing” as a result of
countries outside the oil
producing cartel dropping their production.
“There have been consistent signs of declines
in non-Opec production
which should likely flip
the global oil market into
a net deficit in 2017,” the
Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting
Countries noted in its
May report. Non-Opec
countries are expected to
lower their crude supply
by 740,000 barrels per day
(bpd) to average 56.40
million bpd. The drop is
mainly based on “lower
expectations for crude oil
production from China,
Brazil, India and
Vietnam, which outweighs total upward
revisions in the UK
and Russia”, the
cartel said. (AFP)
Hapag-Lloyd,
Asian giants
in alliance
BERLIN: Germany’s
Hapag-Lloyd Friday
announced a major shipping alliance with five
Asian giants, as the troubled industry seeks economies of scale at a time
of a major capacity glut.
The Hamburg-based
group said it was linking
up with South Korea’s
Hanjin, Taiwan’s Yang
Ming and Japan’s “K”
Line, Mitsui O.S.K Lines
and Nippon Yusen
Kaisha, to form a group
with an 18-percent share
of the global container
fleet capacity. The tie-up,
to be called THE
Alliance, makes up a
fleet of more than 620
ships and will begin
operation in 2017 with an
initial period of cooperation for five years. It will
offer a service that is
much like code-sharing
for airlines, and covers
“all East-West trade
lanes”. (AFP)
II
n Workers
reconstructing a temple damaged in last year’s massive earthquake at Patan Durbar Square in Lalitpur. The government on
Thursday unveiled a five-year work plan on post-quake reconstruction and rehabilitation. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli unveiled the plan
which provides outline on how reconstruction works would be carried out.
XINHUA
metalworking industry
German unions,
employers agree
4.8pc wage hike
FRANKFURT, MAY 13
Unions and employers in
Germany’s powerful metalworking industry agreed a
4.8-percent pay hike Friday in
a deal that will set the tone for
wage negotiations in most
other key sectors of Europe’s
biggest economy.
In a so-called pilot agreement for the regional state of
North Rhine-Westphalia—
which will serve as a benchmark for all 3.8 million workers in the sector nationwide—
employees will receive a oneoff payment of 150 euros
($170) for the period from
April to June 2016.
They will then see their pay
rise by 2.8 percent on July 1
and again by 2.0 percent in
April 2017, the mighty labour
union IG Metall said in a
statement.
The wage agreement,
struck in the early hours of
Friday, is valid for a period of
21 months. But it entails a
clause allowing companies in
financial difficulty to delay
the one-off payment and the
second stage of the increase,
IG Metall said.
The union insisted the pay
increase would “strengthen
consumer demand,” which is
currently one of the main pillars of economic recovery in
Germany.
“At the same time, this is an
agreement... which won’t
overstretch any firm,” IG
Metall said.
The head of the employers’
federation
Gesamtmetall,
Rainer Dulger, described the
pay deal as “just about affordable for companies.” The previous wage agreement between
the union and the employers’
federation
Gesamtmetall
expired in March.
Since then, both sides had
been negotiating to reach a
new deal for a sector that covers a wide range of engineering industries, from the automobile sector to machinetools and the electronics and
electrical goods industries.
Unions had staged a series
of so-called “warning strikes”,
or limited walkouts, recently
in a bid to turn up the pressure on the employers.
IG Metall had been demanding pay increases of five percent in view of the comfortable profit situation of many
companies in the sector, while
Gesamtmetall had offered of a
pay rise of 2.1 percent over a
two-year period. Wage negotiations in the metalworking
industry act as a benchmark
for most other sectors.
But with consumer spending also becoming an increasingly important pillar of
economic
recovery
in
Germany, economists hope
the rising wages will provide
additional momentum to
growth as households’ purchasing power increases.
Collecting herbs has become a
major source of income for
locals of 13 village development committees in upper
Rukum. Farming is unproductive in Rukum, and the
people rely on herbs for their
livelihood.
Yarsagumba,
popularly
known as Himalayan Viagra,
is the major herb collected by
locals in the highlands of
Rukum. People stay home for
only two months and spend
the rest of the year travelling
in the highlands to search for
yarsagumba.
The yarsagumba picking
season lasts till the end of
June when they return to
their homes. Barely a
week later, they set out again
climbing to the mountain
regions in search of other
herbs like katuki, bhutle,
orchid, red mushroom and
others. In the summer, they
dig atis and chhikum roots;
and in the winter, they dig
sarkeli roots.
“Many families go to collect
herbs by turns,” said Karma
Shahi Gharti, a local.
“Families in these remote
areas eke out a living by col-
ASSOCIATED PRESS
UNITED NATIONS, MAY 13
The United Nations lowered
its forecast for the world economy on Thursday, painting a
bleak picture of stagnating
growth with little prospect for
a turnaround this year.
The UN report on the World
Economic Situation and
Prospects as of mid-2016
forecasts
overall
global
growth of just 2.4 percent
this year, the same as last year.
It represents a significant
drop from the 2.9 percent
growth the UN forecast for
this year in its report last
December.
“The bleak state of the
world economy clearly poses
significant challenges for
member states around the
world,” Assistant SecretaryGeneral Lenni Montiel told a
news conference launching
the report.
He said forecasts for many
countries in Africa and Latin
America as well as for Russia
and many of the former
Soviet republics have been
revised downward over the
past few months.
The report blames a host of
factors for this year’s lackluster
economic
prospects
including persistent weak
demand in the major economies which remains a drag on
global growth, the low price
of oil and other commodities
which are hurting exporting
countries, severe weather-related shocks especially severe
drought related to El Nino,
political challenges, and large
capital outflows in many
developing regions.
Dawn Holland, a senior
economist
in
the
UN
Department of Economic and
Social Affairs, said the 2.4 percent growth predicted for this
year is 1 percent lower than
the average annual rate of
growth of 3.4 percent in the
decade leading up to the global financial crisis in 2008 and
2009. It reflects the weak global economy for most of the
last decade, she said.
For 2017, Monteil said,
“the global economy is projected to expand by 2.8 percent, marking a very modest
improvement—and possibly
reflecting the downturn bottoming out in some emerging
economies.”
But he stressed that for the
world economy to grow it
needs increased investment
and greater fiscal stimulus
coordinated by the major
economies who have relied for
REUTERS
LONDON, MAY 13
n Workers
go about their jobs at a construction site at Orly airport, outside Paris, on Friday.
REUTERS
KUALA LUMPUR, MAY 13
increased 5.3 percent from a year
earlier, an improvement on 4.9 percent in the previous quarter and
4.1 percent in July-September.
But by historical standards, the
increases are small for Malaysia.
Consumption has been crimped by
the government’s implementation
of a 6 percent goods and services
tax in April 2015. In January, the
government revised its 2016 growth
projection for Southeast Asia’s
third largest economy to 4.0-4.5 percent from the initial 4.0-5.0 percent,
on expectations of a sustained
slump in global crude prices.
The current account surplus
narrowed to 5 billion ringgit ($1.24
billion) in the first quarter from a
revised 10.5 billion ringgit for
October-December.
In the second quarter, the ringgit
has been Asia’s worst-performing
currency, shedding more than 3
percent against the dollar, which
analysts say partly stems for woes
of state-owned fund 1Malaysia
Development Berhad (1MDB),
which recently defaulted on a payment to bondholders.
But the ringgit remains the best
performing currency this year,
after strengthening 10 percent during the first quarter.
On Friday, Muhammad said concerns over 1MDB will not affect
investor confidence and the country’s sovereign rating.
“Because the government has
too long only on monetary
stimulus like interest rates.
Holland said so far there
are no proposals for coordinated fiscal stimulus measures, but the issue will be discussed at the upcoming summit of the Group of Seven
major industrial powers in
Japan on May 26-27.
The report highlights the
prolonged economic downturns in Brazil and Russia,
both with significant regional
spillovers.
In Russia, GDP is forecast
to contract by 1.9 percent in
2016 due to fiscal tightening,
further declines in private
consumption and investment,
and continuing international
sanctions, it said.
Nerves rule
before US
retail numbers
airport construction
AFP/RSS
Malaysia’s growth drops to slowest pace in 7 years
higher minimum wages”
Muhammad, who succeeded
highly-respected Zeti Akhtar Aziz,
also reminded Malaysians that
their country is an open economy
and how it fares depend on global
growth. “ We are not immune,” he
added.
Private section consumption
“Locals in the northern and
eastern regions are seeing a
rise in their economic status
because of the herbs,” said
Jagannath Prasad Jaiswal,
district forest officer. “The
income is enough for their
living expenses and buy property and educate their children.” Rukum, the largest
exporter of herbs in Rapti
zone, exports around 25
tonnes of various herbs, said
the District Forest Office.
Last year Rukum exported
28 kg of yarsagumba, 11,087 kg
of katu, 5,600 kg of pakhanbed,
1,700 kg of sughandhawala,
2,000 kg of kaladana, 4,500 kg
of satuwa, 47,600 kg of pashanved and 553 kg of chiraito.
The government collects
Rs2 million to Rs2.5 million
annually in taxes on herbs.
UN paints bleak picture of world economy
WEAK EXPORTS
Malaysia recorded its slowest economic growth in nearly seven
years in the first quarter, as weak
exports and tepid domestic demand
continue to hurt the trade-dependent nation.
In January-March, the economy
grew 4.2 percent from a year earlier, slightly beating the 4.1 percent
median forecast in a Reuters poll
but down from 4.5 percent in the
previous quarter.
The quarter was the fifth
straight of declining growth and
also had the slowest expansion
since the third quarter of 2009.
Muhammad Ibrahim, the newly-appointed governor of Bank
Negara Malaysia, indicated the
current quarter could bring further slowing.
The governor projected that
growth will improve in the second
half “driven by higher production
in manufacturing sector from
added capacity, improved commodities production after El Nino and
lecting medicinal plants.”
Collecting
herbs
has
allowed locals to enjoy a comparatively high standard of
living because the plants are
traded for a lot of money. As a
result, many have purchased
houses and land at the district
headquarters.
Normally, a family earns
Rs40,000 to Rs700,000 from yarsagumba and Rs200,000 from
other herbs annually.
Yarsagumba fetches Rs2
million to Rs2.2 million per
kg. Last year, it was traded at
Rs2.2
million.
Jangala,
Gurahang, Bhitriban and
Pupal of Maikot are known
for producing high quality
yarsagumba.
A dozen VDCs in eastern
Rukum have fertile land
where herbs are grown.
already said they will honour all
(its) debt obligations. The sovereign rating of Malaysia will not be
unduly affected, and I think the
ringgit has priced in the 1MDB
issue,” he said. The central bank
slapped a fine on the state fund last
month for failing to comply with
its rules, and added that it was ending its investigations into the fund.
Economists say improved
exports are essential for Malaysia,
to get its growth-rate back up. The
central bank said exports
decreased 0.5 percent in the first
quarter from a year earlier, a
reflection of their subdued
momentum.
ANZ Research said that lower oil
prices means that Malaysia “will
still be confronted with significant
growth and fiscal headwinds, with
residual concerns about 1MDB”.
Wellian Wiranto, economist at
OCBC in Singapore, said the
first-quarter GDP data is “not a
print that would spook Bank
Negara into trimming its policy
rate anytime soon, much less when
it meets next Thursday”.
The dollar was set for a second
week of gains on Friday while
stock markets fell ahead of a
handful of major US and
Chinese
data
releases
which may do little to settle
growing nerves over the outlook for the world’s two biggest economies.
A poor performance on
Wall Street on Thursday, driven by another big drop in
Apple shares, seeped into
Asian and European markets,
down around half a percent
across the board.
Doubts over growth in
Europe, the financial stability
of China and the US Federal
Reserve’s ability to raise
interest rates have dominated
the past month and US retail
sales and Chinese releases
over the next 24 hours will
be important new pieces of
the picture.
The dollar-whose strength
over the past three years is
broadly a reflection of how
the United States is outpacing
its peers-hit a two-week
high against a basket of currencies on Friday, posting its
best fortnightly performance
since February.
“Optimism from earlier
this year that policy stimulus
in China would provide more
support for economic growth
in Asia appears to be fading,”
said Lee Hardman, a currency
analyst with Bank of TokyoMitsubishi in London. “In
these circumstances, commodity-related and emerging
market currencies are coming
back under downward pressure against the dollar.”
Data at the end of the
Chinese trading day showed
banks extended just 555.6 billion yuan ($85.22 billion) in
net new yuan loans in April,
well below analysts’ expecta-
tions and less than half the
1,370 billion yuan reported in
March.
A strong reading of first
quarter growth from Germany
and a handful of other euro
zone economies did little to
brighten the mood.
While growth in Germany
doubled, Berlin’s economy
ministry warned it would
slow in the second quarter
and economists said weaker
exports to slowing emerging
markets like China would
eventually begin to tell on
demand. After a poorer set of
jobs numbers last week there
are also more doubts over how
robust the US economy will be
going forward.
Two Fed policymakers—
Eric Rosengren and Esther
George—both sounded optimistic on the chances of raising interest rates later this
year in comments late on
Thursday. But US interest rate
markets showed little sign of
wanting to believe them: pricing shows the chances of rates
being unmoved by the end of
this year have risen to around
40 percent.
Still, both are voters on the
US central bank’s policy committee this year and the comments by Boston Fed President
Rosengren, in the past a supporter of keeping rates low for
longer, point to the growing
pressure within the bank for a
hike this year.
Asian shares fell after the
rocky performance on Wall
Street, MSCI’s broadest index
of Asia-Pacific shares outside
Japan. MIAPJ0000PUS down
1.1 percent, and on track for
its third straight weekly
decline. The Nikkei .N225
closed down 1.4 percent while
Chinese shares fell by 0.3-0.5
percent. Chinese industrial
output,
investment
and
retail sales data are all due
on Saturday.
C M Y K
III
money
world
thekathmandupost | Saturday, May 14, 2016
IMF warns of
economic risks
from Brexit
business leaders meet
LONDON, MAY 13
n
Participants attend a session of the World Economic Forum on Africa in Kigali, Rwanda, on Thursday. The forum runs from May 11 to 13.
XINHUA
B’desh Bank heist similar to Sony
hack; 2nd bank hit by malware
REUTERS
NEW YORK/DHAKA, MAY 13
Investigators probing the
cyber heist of $81 million
from the Bangladesh central
bank connected it on Friday to
the hack at Sony Corp’s film
studio in 2014, while global
financial network SWIFT
disclosed
a
previously
unreported attack on a commercial bank.
SWIFT did not say which
commercial bank it was or
whether it had lost money, but
cyber-security firm BAE
Systems said a Vietnamese
bank, which it did not name,
had been a target. It was not
clear if they were referring to
the same attack and there was
no immediate comment from
authorities in Hanoi.
SWIFT, the linchpin of the
global financial system, said
forensic experts believed
the second case showed
that the Bangladesh heist was
not a single occurrence, but
part of a wider campaign targeting banks.
In both cases, SWIFT said,
insiders or cyber attackers
had succeeded in penetrating
the targeted banks’ systems,
obtaining user credentials
and submitting fraudulent
SWIFT messages that correspond with transfers of
money. The cooperative has
maintained that its core messaging service has not been
compromised. But confirmation of a second attack on a
bank will likely increase scrutiny on the security of a network used by 11,000 financial
institutions globally.
In Bangladesh, cyber-security experts hired by the central bank said in a report that
hackers were still inside the
bank’s network, monitoring
the investigation into one of
the biggest cyber heists in the
world. Reuters reviewed parts
of the report, but the source
who shared the document
declined to provide access to
its full contents, saying the
release of some details could
hamper a multinational effort
to catch the criminals.
Asked about the report, a
Bangladesh Bank spokesman
said: “We have engaged forensic experts to investigate the
whole thing, including this.”
He did not elaborate.
Investigators have determined that one team of hackers, dubbed Group Zero in the
report, was responsible for
the heist and remained inside
the network. Group Zero may
be seeking to monitor the
ongoing cyber investigations
or cause other damage, but is
unlikely to be able to order
fraudulent fund transfers, the
investigators wrote.
Two other groups are also
inside the bank’s network,
which is linked to the SWIFT
international transaction system, the report found. One of
the two is a “nation-state
actor” engaged in stealing
information in attacks that
are stealthy but “not known to
be destructive”, it said. A
spokeswoman for SWIFT said
she was unable to comment.
The report said investigators knew little about a third
group of hackers found inside
the network, referred to as
Group Two, except that they
were using mostly commodity,
or off-the-shelf, hacking tools.
The report, which was submitted earlier this month,
did not further identify any of
the groups.
BAE Systems, Europe’s
largest weapons maker, which
also has a large cyber-security
business, said it had uncovered evidence linking malicious software used in the
Bangladesh heist to the
high-profile attack on Sony’s
Hollywood studio in 2014 and
other cases.
“What initially looked to be
an isolated incident at one
Asian bank turned out to be
part of a wider campaign,”
BAE’s cyber-security team
said in a report it released on
Friday. BAE also said it uncovered malware that was recently used to target a Vietnamese
commercial bank using fraudulent messages on the SWIFT
money-transfer network. The
malware operated “in a similar fashion” to the Bangladesh
Bank hack, BAE said.
SWIFT also did not name
the victim, and neither firm
said whether any funds had
been stolen. Reuters was not
able to independently confirm
the findings of BAE’s determination about similarities
between the Bangladesh and
Sony attacks. The U.S. government has blamed North Korea
for the attack on Sony’s film
studio, a charge Pyongyang
has rejected.
BAE’s head of threat intelligence, Adrian Nish, told
Reuters that the company was
only focused on the technical
evidence that links the
attacks, not determining who
was behind them.
The International Monetary
Fund on Friday warned that
Britain’s potential exit from
the European Union posed a
“significant downside risk” to
the economy.
IMF
boss
Christine
Lagarde, unveiling the global
lender’s latest health check on
the British economy just six
weeks before Britain votes on
whether to remain in the EU,
added that Brexit could push
the country into recession,
echoing comments from Bank
of England (BoE) chief Mark
Carney.
The latest warning comes
as Prime Minister David
Cameron campaigns fervently
to keep Britain in the 28-nation
EU in a referendum on June
23. Leave supporters, which
hit out against Carney for his
and the BoE’s stance on
Thursday, also criticised the
IMF’s intervention.
“IMF has talked down the
UK’s economy before and has
been wrong in past forecasts
about the UK and other countries,” read a tweet from the
official Leave campaign.
Lagarde admitted Friday
that sometimes the IMF is
wrong. “We are one of the
very few institutions that
actually acknowledge when
we are wrong... but on that
particular one which relates
to the negative consequences
of Leave vote, we have looked
very carefully at the whole
range of existing opinions
(and) calculations.”
Opinion polls are showing
that the nation is still largely
undecided.
Lagarde, speaking at the
Treasury in central London,
told reporters that the IMF’s
findings were not politically
motivated.
“We’re not doing it out of
politics—this is not the job of
the IMF. “We are doing it
because it’s a significant
downside risk, number one.
Second, it’s not just a domestic issue... it’s an international
issue.
“I don’t think that in the
last six months I have visited
a country anywhere in the
world where I have not been
asked ‘what will be the economic
consequences
of
Brexit?’.”
The IMF meanwhile forecast the British economy
would rebound in the second
half of this year if the country stays in the EU.
“Assuming that... the UK
voters choose to remain... we
will expect growth to
rebound,” Lagarde said.
The report was published
one day after Carney warned
that Brexit could prompt a
technical recession, or two
straight quarters of economic
contraction. Questioned about
Carney’s comments, Lagarde
told reporters: “A technical
recession is one of the probabilities in the downside scenario in case of a Leave vote.”
The IMF added that Brexit
would spark fresh markets
volatility and a lengthy period
of uncertainty.
“A vote for exit would precipitate a protracted period of
heightened uncertainty, leading to financial market volatility and a hit to output,” the
report said.
And it added that global
market reaction was “expected to be negative and could be
severe” if Britain departs
from the bloc. British finance
minister George Osborne,
who spoke briefly alongside
Lagarde,
welcomed
the
IMF report.
C M Y K
BIZLINE
Micromax launches Canvas Q350
KATHMANDU: Micromax has launched
Canvas Q350 (Canvas Spark 2 Plus). The
Q350 is powered by 2000 mAh battery,
6.0 Marshmallow Operating System and
1.3 GHz Quad Core Processor and
boasts of a 5-inch FWVGA. The phone
has a 5MP primary camera and a 2 MP
front facing camera with features gravity and proximity sensors. The phone
has 1 GB DDR2 RAM and 8 GB ROM
expandable up to 32 GB. The phone has
been priced at Rs8250. (PR)
New Samsung outlet in Narayanghat
KATHMANDU: Him Electronics, the authorised distributor
of Samsung Electronics and Home Appliances, has
opened Samsung Digital Plaza in Shahid Chowk,
Narayanghat. According to the company, growing
demand from consumers for Samsung products prompted it to expand the network of existing Samsung Plazas.
The Samsung Digital Plaza will showcase all products of
Samsung including Curved TVs, LED TVs, Refrigerators,
Washing Machines, Microwave Ovens and Mobile
Phones. (PR)
Ncell scholarships distributed
KATHMANDU: Ncell handed over Ncell Scholarships and
Excellence Awards to the toppers of Bachelor of
Engineering (BE) Electrical, Electronics and
Communication, and Computer faculties of Central
Campus Pulchowk, Institute of Engineering (IoE) on
Friday. The scholarships and awards aim to promote academic excellence in technical education, as part of the
company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the
company said in a statement. Simon Perkins, managing
director of Ncell, handed over Ncell Scholarships to 12
toppers of BE Electronics, Electrical and
Communication, and Computer, amid a function held on
Friday. He also conferred Ncell Excellence Awards on
four other students who graduated from these faculties
securing highest marks. Each Ncell Scholarship and
Ncell Excellence Award carries a purse of Rs 100,000. (PR)
money IV
bazaar
Saturday, May 14, 2016 | the kathmandu post
Chicken prices jump
on slowed supply
MARKET WATCH
RETAIL PRICE
US presidential TV ad campaign soars
WASHINGTON: This year’s US presidential election campaigns are breaking new ground not only for the tone of
their messages but for how hard they’re trying to get
Americans to listen to them. The volume of television
advertising since January 2015 is up 122 percent from the
same period four years ago, according to a new study by
the Wesleyan Media Project released Thursday.
Presidential campaigns and outside groups have spent a
total of $408 million on 480,000 ad airings compared with
$120 million on fewer than 220,000 advertisements by this
point in 2012. Republicans are outspending Democrats,
having shelled out two-thirds of the total amount so far
from January 1, 2015 through May 8. (AFP)
China bank lending slumps in April
SHANGHAI: China’s bank lending fell sharply in April, the
central bank said on Friday, as the government refrained
from boosting credit amid concerns over growing risk.
Bank loans reached 555.6 billion yuan ($85.2 billion) in
April, down sharply from 1.37 trillion yuan in March, the
People’s Bank of China (PBoC) said. The latest figure
missed a median forecast of 1.3 trillion yuan in a
Bloomberg News survey. “Following signs of an upswing
in the economy, policymakers have refrained from further policy easing in recent months and appear to be
shifting their focus back to credit risks and structural
reform,” Capital Economics said in a research note after
the release of the data. (AFP)
Unit
Price (Rs)
Red Potato
Kg
Rs55
White Potato
Kg
Rs45
Onion (Indian)
Kg
Rs35
Tomato Small
Kg
Rs65
POST REPORT
Carrot
Kg
Rs65
KATHMANDU, MAY 13
Tomato Big
Kg
Rs55
Chicken prices in the Kathmandu
Valley have jumped 24 percent
over the past month largely due to
a slump in supplies amid growing
demand. The popular meat now
costs Rs310 per kg compared to
Rs250 a month ago, traders said.
Prices had reached Rs290 in midApril.
“Demand began to swell in midApril with the start of the wedding season, and it has not subsided,” said Shreeya Dhakal,
vice-president of the Chicken
Sellers Association.
“However, we expect prices to
drop with the beginning of the
monsoon.”
The April 25 earthquake and
subsequent trade embargo by the
southern neighbour significantly
affected the poultry industry.
“Chicken farmers are still struggling to recover,” said Dhakal.
According to the Nepal
Hatchery Association, production
shrank 50 percent during the
Tarai unrest. With an improvement in the situation, output has
started to increase since February.
However, with the arrival of the
summer season, production started to drop again.
Dhakal said that soaring temperatures in the Tarai had badly
affected chicken output besides
pushing up production costs.
Hot weather can have a severe
impact on poultry. Production effi-
Squash
Kg
Rs65
Cabbage
Kg
Rs45
Brinjal Long
kg
Rs55
Cow Pea
Kg
Rs55
Fruits
Unit
Price (Rs)
Apple
Kg
Rs115
Pomegranate
Kg
Rs215
Water Melon
Kg
Rs28
Sweet Orange
Kg
Rs165
Mango
kg
Rs155
Pineapple
1Pc
Rs165
Cucumber
Kg
Rs65
Pear
Kg
Rs135
Papaya
Kg
Rs93
Banana
Doz
Rs115
100 Pcs
Rs475
Lime
ciency can be affected long
before the temperature reaches a
level at which survival becomes a
concern.
The total consumption of
chicken meat in the Kathmandu
Valley amounts to 300-400 tonnes
per day. Most of the chicken
comes from poultry farms in
Kavre,
Dhading,
Nuwakot,
Lalitpur and other districts near
Kathmandu. Meanwhile, egg
prices have also increased
this month to Rs13 per unit
from Rs10 last month because of
a decline in production, the
Nepal Egg Producers’ Association
said.
“Production dries up during
the summer, and it has fallen by
15-20 percent this month,” said
Shiva Ram KC, president of the
association. “Hens eat less feed
and produce fewer eggs when the
temperature escalates.”
According to KC, the total supply of eggs throughout the country has fallen to 1.7 million units
per day from 2.1 million during
February.
Deliveries are expected to fall
further this month amid reports
of a decline in production.
clothing customisation
‘Russia behind cyber attacks in Germany’
BERLIN: Germany’s domestic secret service said Friday it
had evidence that Russia was behind a series of cyber
attacks, including one that targeted the German parliament last year. “One of the most active and aggressive
campaigns is the ‘Sofacy/APT 28’ campaign,” said the
BfV agency, adding that it “sees evidence of Russian
state control” in the operation that infected computers
with Trojan software. While Sofacy aimed at stealing
data, another campaign named “Sandworm” was also
designed to sabotage IT systems, the BfV said in a
statement. “Besides targeting government posts, it was
also aimed at telecommunications companies, energy
providers as well as higher education facilities,”
said the agency. (AFP)
Vegetables
DAILY COMMODITIES
Commodities
Unit
Price (Rs)
Pokhreli Rice
Kg
Rs65
Jeera Masino Rice
Kg
Rs70
Indian Basmati Rice
Kg
Rs100
Mansuli Rice
Kg
Rs55
Sona Rice
Kg
Rs45
Beaten Rice (Taichin) Kg
Rs120
Beaten Rice
Kg
Rs50
Big Mas
Kg
Rs270
Small Mas
Kg
Rs250
Big Mung
Kg
Rs220
Musuro (No 1)
Kg
Rs170
Musuro (No 2)
Kg
Rs160
Rahar
Kg
Rs240
Chana (Big)
Kg
Rs150
Chana (Small)
Kg
Rs140
Chilli Powder
Kg
Rs350
GASOLINE WATCH
n People enter a mobile clothing customisation bus for visit in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province, on Thursday. The Hongling Group displayed a
mobile clothing customisation bus during the 16th China (Qingdao) International Fashion Week on Thursday. The bus, which carries a 3D measuring
device that can get the size data of human body in two seconds and send data to clothing factory, actualises clothing customisation for customers.
People only have to download an APP on their cellphone and make a reservation for the service, and the customised clothing will be delivered to their
home after seven days.
XINHUA
Rally keeps gold buyers at bay
REUTERS
NEW DELHI, MAY 13
Gold demand in Asia was muted
this week as physical buyers
stayed off the market due to the
bullion’s recent rally, with a key
festival in India failing to lift
demand in the world’s second biggest consumer.
Gold has gained about 20 percent this year, touching a 15-month
high earlier in May. Though prices slipped from those highs this
week, consumers shied away from
making big purchases, and premiums in key markets remained low.
Indians bought a third less gold
than last year during the annual
Hindu and Jain holy festival of
Akshaya Tritiya this week, when
it is considered auspicious to buy
gold. “This week’s demand was
better than last week as consumers were making purchases for
Akshaya Tritiya. Year-on-year
basis demand was much lower
during the festival due to higher
prices,” said Aditya Pethe, a director at Waman Hari Pethe
Jewellers.
Demand in India was also hurt
by droughts that have hit the
earnings of millions of farmers.
Rural demand accounts for about
two-thirds of India’s total gold
consumption.
Dealers were offering discounts
of up to $15 an ounce to the global
spot benchmark this week, up
from a discount of up to $12 in the
previous week.
“Jewellers have slowed down
purchases. Retail demand is not
picking momentum despite various
promotional
schemes
launched by them,” said a
Mumbai-based bullion dealer
with a private bank.
India’s gold demand in the first
quarter slumped 39 percent from
a year ago due to a rally in gold
prices, jewellers’ strike and as
consumers had delayed purchases
hoping a cut in India’s 10 percent
import duty on gold in the national budget, the World Gold Council
said earlier this week.
Physical demand in other
major trading centres also
remained tepid. Premiums in
Singapore were quoted at 60-80
cents an ounce, lower than the
usual of $1-$1.20, while those in
Hong Kong ranged from 10 to 60
cents. Prices in Tokyo were at a
discount of $1 to $2 an ounce.
“Physical demand is not exceptional at the moment,” said Brian
Lan, managing director at
Singapore-based gold dealer
GoldSilver Central.
BULLION
PRICE PER TOLA
Hallmark Gold
Rs56,200
Tejabi Gold
Rs55,950
Silver
Rs785
SOURCE: FENEGOSIDA
ACQ U I S I T I O N P RO C ESS
Ghosn certain $2.2b deal for Mitsubishi is a bargain
ASSOCIATED PRESS
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN, MAY 13
Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn
is confident a 237 billion yen ($2.2 billion) investment in a controlling stake
in scandal-embroiled Mitsubishi
Motors will prove a bargain
when sheer size is critical in the
auto industry.
Japanese transport ministry officials
raided Mitsubishi Motors Corp.’s
Tokyo headquarters Friday, as part of
an investigation into inflated fuel-economy data for several models.
Ghosn was careful to stress the
acquisition won’t become final until he
sees the outcome of the Japanese regulators’ investigation, such as the scale
of the fraud, whether overseas markets
are affected and what the penalties
might be.
But scale is critical for developing
expensive technology such as low-emissions vehicles and autonomous driving.
So is the advantage of being in various
markets to balance ups and downs in
regional growth, he said.
“If you are small, you are going to be
vulnerable,” Ghosn told reporters at
Nissan Motor Co.’s Yokohama headquarters Friday, a day after he
announced the agreement.
Ghosn acknowledged he grabbed at
an opportunity as Mitsubishi shares
nose-dived after the latest scandal
surfaced.
Mitsubishi’s shares fell 43 percent
between April 19—the day before it
announced the fuel economy scandal—
and May 11. The stock cost 565 yen
($5.20) Friday, down 1.7 percent following a surge on the deal’s news.
Gaining Mitsubishi adds about
900,000 in annual vehicle sales to the
Nissan-Renault alliance, which already
is the fourth-largest automaker in the
world with about 8.5 million in sales.
The deal vaults the alliance into
competition for the top spot with the
world’s three biggest automakers,
Toyota Motor Corp., Volkswagen AG
and General Motors Co.
The plus for Nissan is the added
effective controlling stake and is somewhat opportunistic, as $2.2 billion is
not a huge sum for such a significant
chunk of the company and could be
seen as something of a bargain,” he
said in an email.
The deal vaults the alliance into
competition for the top spot with
the world’s three biggest
automakers, Toyota Motor,
Volkswagen and General Motors
economies of scale, such as sharing
auto parts, working together on
sport-utility vehicles, and gaining markets in Southeast Asia, where the
Mitsubishi brand is still strong, said
Paul Newton, an analyst with IHS.
“The purchase will give them an
The 34 percent stake is below the
threshold for which Nissan would be
liable for Mitsubishi’s debts under
Japanese law, Newton said.
Mitsubishi could face massive
expenses to compensate car owners for
the overstated mileage and pay government fines. But Mitsubishi has already
promised to compensate Nissan for lost
sales as well as any penalties and costs
from the scandal, Ghosn said.
Nissan found the faked mileage
tests because of a discrepancy with
its own tests on Mitsubishimanufactured minicar models with
tiny engines that had been sold under
the Nissan brand.
Ghosn stressed that regaining consumer trust is the No. 1 challenge for
Mitsubishi.
In the early 2000s, Mitsubishi disclosed a massive cover-up of defects
such as failing brakes, faulty clutches
and fuel tanks prone to falling off, dating back to the 1970s.
Mitsubishi has said its mileage rigging dates back 25 years, and may
involve all its models, including
discontinued ones.
Ghosn engineered the revival at
Nissan after being sent by Renault SA
of France in 1999. Nissan was in deep
debt and unprofitable then, but
Mitsubishi has 450 billion yen ($4 billion) in cash and is managing an operating profit, Ghosn noted.
“The financial situation of
Mitsubishi is not bad,” he said.
INT’L MARKET
Energy
Brent Crude Futr (Bbl)
Gas Oil Fut (Ice) (Mt)
Gasoline Rbob Fut (Gal)
Natural Gas Futr (Mmbtu)
Price (US$)
48.31
418.75
157.39
210
%Change
-0.84
1.40
-0.59
-0.37
Agriculture
Price (US$)
Cocoa Future (Mt)
Coffee ‘C’ Future (Lb)
Corn Future (Bu)
Cotton No. 2 Futr (Lb)
Rough Rice (Cbot) (Cwt)
Soybean Future (Bu)
Soybean Meal Futr (T)
Soybean Oil Futr (Lb)
Sugar #11 (World) (Lb)
Wheat Future (Cbt) (Bu)
2,977.00
129.25
388.5
61.24
11.54
1097.75
383.7
32.42
10.81
484
Industrial Metals
Price (US$) %Change
Copper Future (Lb)
207.85
%Change
-1.42
0.12
-0.13
1.09
0.44
-0.13
-0.19
-0.48
-1.00
1.09
0.10
Precious Metals
Price (US$) %Change
Gold 100 Oz Futr (T Oz)
Silver Future (T Oz)
1,207.50
17
-0.29
-0.80
C M Y K

- Epaper

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