CMYK

Government to decide on aid after assessing damage Page 5 Tourism board seeks technical expertise for TSA Page 9 Interpreting that itch Page 13
Nepal’s No. 1 Weather: Generally cloudy

The Himalayan
English Daily Max: 25-27oC Min: 09-11oC
www.thehimalayantimes.com Sunrise 05:54 Sunset 18:22

Printed simultaneously from

Kathmandu and Itahari

Late City ★★ 14 pages Rs 5

(Rs 2 additional air surcharge to
Vol. XVlII No. 131 • Kathmandu, Tuesday, April 2, 2019 Chaitra 19, 2075, Nepal Sambat 1139 T I M E S Jomsom and beyond)

• SHORT TAKES
Bara, Parsa yet to come to terms with tragedy
• Pheta Rural Municipality in Bara district the worst hit • Three villages completely damaged
Pushparaj Khatiwada
Bara, April 1
Houses have been reduced to
rubble. Trees, utility poles and
even underground water
pumps have been uprooted.
People are facing difficulty
finding food and drinking wa-
ter and crops have been dam-
aged, threatening people’s
livelihood.
This is a scene from Pheta
Rural Municipality in Bara,
which was worst hit by last
night’s devastating storm.
Three villages in the rural mu-
nicipality -- Purainiya, Bhar-
baliya and Bhaloni -- have
been completely damaged
with 200 out of 300 houses
Reuters
crumbling down to the
Ostavio, 5, from Guatemala, resting on the ground. At least 26 have died
shoulders of his brother Eduardo as they in the rural municipality with
walk through a field after illegally crossing a population of around 31,000,
the Rio Grande river into the US from while 343 have suffered inju-
Mexico in Penitas, Texas, on Sunday. ries. People from Prasauni Ru-
ral Municipality, Mahagadhi-
mai Municipality, Kalaiya
NEPAL Sub-metropolitan City, Subar-
n a Ru r a l Mu n i c i p a l i t y,
Rs 3 lakh for kin of victims Pachrauta Municipality and
Parwanipur Municipality have
of devastating storm also suffered injuries. These
places are located in Bara dis-
JANAKPURDHAM: Province 2 government trict. At least one human
has decided to give Rs 3 lakh as relief amount casualty was also reported in
to each of the families who have lost mem- Bhawanipur Rural Municipali-
bers in the devastating storm that struck Bara ty of Parsa district.
and Parsa districts on Sunday night. The Bara and Parsa districts
Province 2 Cabinet decided on Monday to have been witnessing gail-
provide the relief amount to the deceased
families immediately. The Cabinet also decid-
ed to bear treatment expenses of the injured
force winds since yesterday af-
ternoon. In the evening, thun-
derstorm and lightning were
and to take initiative to rehabilitate those who reported. Then a tornado-like
had lost their houses in the disaster. The prov- storm struck, creating a shape
ince government has also appealed for dona-
of a funnel, according to lo-
tion for the victims in the Chief Minister’s Re- cals. It was like a whirlwind,
lief Fund. — HNS they said, which razed rows of
buildings, trees and electricity
Sentence waiver on cards poles, blocking roads and ren-
dering villages without elec-
KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court ordered tricity and communications
district and high courts to take a call on the channel. Later, there was hail-
waiver of jail sentences of elderly prisoners storm.
who qualify for it. This was stated in a full text “We had never seen natural
of the verdict delivered in a habeas corpus disaster of this type and inten-
writ petition filed by 75-year-old Pemba Gu- sity before. This was unusual,”
rung, a resident of Manang district against said 59-year-old Mubarak
the government. The SC delivered its verdict Miya Ansari of Pheta Rural
on January 15, but prepared the full text on Municipality who suffered a
Monday. (Details on Page 2) major leg injury after his
Victims waiting for relief materials after a devastating storm hit Bara and Parsa districts on Sunday night, at Bhaluhi, Birgunj,
on Monday.
house collapsed.
The devastating natural dis-
aster was reported between
7:45pm and 8:15pm. So far, it
has killed 27 people, including
Huge industrial loss suspected, damage likely to run into billions
Arpana Ale Magar
Kathmandu, April 1
The windstorm last night is
likely to have inflicted a huge
industrial loss in Parsa.
Although there was no
casualty reported from the in-
dustrial corridor of Bara and
Parsa, industrial infrastructure
has been destroyed. According
to industrialists from the af-
fected districts, the industrial
corridors have seen huge loss
of infrastructure as well as
products.
Of the two, Parsa has seen
major losses. Anil Kumar
six children, and injured 668,
according to the home minis-
try. Of the injured, 284 have re-
turned home after undergoing
treatment. Nine who were crit-
Agrawal, vice-president of Bir-
gunj Chamber of Commerce
and Industry, said most of the
factory buildings in the indus-
trial area were damaged by the
windstorm. As the windstorm
blew away roofs of some in-
dustrial buildings, products
that were stored in buildings
have been destroyed by the
rain that followed the storm.
“Almost all the industrial
buildings have collapsed while
roofs of a few remaining build-
ings were ripped away,”
Agrawal said, adding, “All the
raw materials, machinery and
other equipment have also
• Related reports on Page 3
ically injured were airlifted to
Kathmandu this morning and
are receiving treatment at
Tribhuvan University Teach-
ing Hospital. The remaining
been destroyed by the storm.”
According to him, the food
industry, in particular, has
suffered a major share of the
loss, with buildings and prod-
ucts ruined.
“Almost all food factories
have been destroyed. The ce-
ment industry has also faced a
similar fate,” Agrawal said,
adding, “Trishakti Cement,
Kalash Cement and Bish-
w a k a r m a Ce m e n t h a v e
witnessed major loss due to
the storm.”
Besides, all the electricity
poles have been knocked
down due to which the affect-
Ram Saraff / THT
are undergoing treatment at
hospitals in Bara and Parsa,
according to a statement is-
sued by the home ministry.
Many of those left in the vil-
ed area does not have power
supply. It will be difficult to
restart factories without elec-
tricity.
“The industrial area may
have witnessed losses worth
billions of rupees,” he stated,
adding that the actual loss
can be calculated only after a
few weeks when the situation
normalises.
“We are busy with rescue
work and distribution of relief
materials. We are yet to calcu-
late the exact amount of loss,”
he said, adding, “More than a
dozen businesses have invest-
ed billions in their factories,
lages have moved to makeshift
camps and are relying on
handouts to survive. They are
living on biscuits, noodles and
bread donated by the govern-
ment and non-government
agencies.
“The storm has even up-
rooted underground water
pumps,” said Pheta Rural
Municipality Chairperson
Amiri Prasad.
“Locals are drinking bottled
water provided by organisa-
tions.”
The hailstorm has also dam-
aged stored grains and de-
stroyed crops planted in the
fields. This has left the locals
worried about their livelihood
in the coming days.
“We lost everything in the
blink of an eye. What shall
we eat? What shall we feed
our children?” asked Naresh
Sah, a resident of Pheta Rural
Municipality.
Later this afternoon, rural
municipality officials were
seen using bulldozers to clear
blocked roads. Personnel of
Nepali Army, Nepal Police and
Armed Police Force have been
deployed to conduct rescue
operation. They are also clear-
ing rubble from damaged
houses and other physical
structure.
hence the loss incurred could
be around that figure.”
Meanwhile, industrial areas
in Bara and Rautahat districts
have witnessed little damage.
“The windstorm affected
mostly villages in Bara,” said
Ram Ashish Shah, secretary of
Bara Chamber of Commerce
and Industry. He, however,
said damaged electricity poles
in the industrial area have af-
fected industries.
Likewise, in Rautahat a few
industrial workers were in-
jured within the industrial cor-
ridor, but no infrastructure
was damaged.

Type of disaster lost

even on met dept
Ujjwal Satyal
Kathmandu, April 1
The Department of Hy-
drology and Meteorology
today tried to join all the
dots to identify the type of
natural disaster that hit
Bara and Parsa districts last
night, but could not. A
statement issued by the de-
partment — which should
have predicted the loom-
ing disaster — late this
evening plainly said the
districts were hit by ‘a
storm along with rain’.
Minor thunderstorm
and light rain are common
during the months be-
tween mid-March to mid-
May. “But yesterday’s
weather condition was ex-
treme with wind travelling
at a speed of around 90 km
per hour,” said the state-
ment issued by the depart-
ment.
The disaster, according
to meteorologist Shanti
Kandel, is a culmination
of three weather patterns.
First, cold wind travelled
from Pokhara towards
Bara.
This wind collided with
hot air travelling from In-
dia’s Uttar Pradesh towards
Bara, triggering wind
storm. The collision of hot
and cold air and subse-
quent wind storm are nor-
mal, said Kandel.
“But something unusual
happened yesterday,” Kan-
del added.
“The heat generated in
areas around Bara follow-
ing pre-monsoon rainfall
also collided with hot air
and cold air that had trav-
elled from Pokhara and In-
dia. This is the reason why
the natural disaster was so
devastating.”
So, why did the depart-
ment fail to predict this
weather condition?
The National Weather
Forecasting Centre of India
had clearly warned that
‘thunderstorm accompa-
nied by squall with esti-
mated speed of 50 to 60
kmph’ would hit areas near
Nepal like Bihar, West Ben-
gal and Sikkim.
“We largely rely on satel-
lite images that show
changing weather pat-
terns. But these images do
not always give a clear pic-
ture. So, we have to tally
them with data that we col-
lect from specific areas
where weather changes
are taking place. This is
generally how we forecast
weather conditions,” said
senior meteorologist Sujan
Subedi.
“But we could not pre-
dict yesterday’s weather
condition because we did
not have adequate infor-
mation on developments
that were taking place.”
The department did not
have ‘adequate informa-
tion’ yesterday because of
‘lack of sophisticated tech-
nology and skilled man-
power’, claimed Subedi.
The statement issued to-
day by the department
also said that it lacked
‘skilled manpower and ad-
vanced technology, such
as weather forecast radar
and ensemble numerical
model, to forecast weather
conditions’.
 CMYK
PAGE 2 www.thehimalayantimes.com THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019

CAPITAL

SC issues directive on waiver of elders’ sentence

Ram Kumar Kamat
Kathmandu, April 1
The Supreme Court ordered
district and high courts to take
a call on the waiver of jail sen-
tences of elderly prisoners
who qualify for it.
This was stated in a full text
of the verdict delivered in a ha-
beas corpus writ petition filed
by 75-year-old Pemba Gu-
rung, a resident of Manang
district against the govern-
ment.
The SC delivered its verdict
on 15 January 2019, but pre-
pared the full text today. The
apex court said it was author-
ising district and high courts
to waive jail sentences of el-
derly prisoners as the govern-
ment had neither designated
the officers to take calls on the
waiver nor had it framed the
rules/manuals to govern the
process for the waiver of elder-
ly prisoners’ jail sentence.
Gurung, who had sought
waiver of his jail sentence on
grounds of his age and illness,
died while his case was subju-
dice at the SC.
Gurung had stated in his pe-
tition that he was 75 years old
and was suffering from cancer,
and as he had already served
80 per cent of his jail sentence,
he qualified for 50 per cent
waiver of the remaining jail
sentence as per section 12 (1)
Order likely to pressure govt to decide on Sobhraj
Himalayan News Service
Kathmandu, April 1
The Supreme Court’s direc-
tive on waiver of jail sentence
of elderly prisoners is likely
to put pressure on the gov-
ernment to take a call on
murder convict Charles
Sobhraj who is serving jail
sentence in Nepal.
On 24 February 2019, the
SC had issued a writ of man-
damus to the government,
asking it to take a decision
within three months on
whether Sobhraj qualified
for waiver of his remaining
jail sentence.
The Frenchman, who
of Senior Citizens Act.
The petitioner died on Oc-
tober 10, 2018, in Kathmandu
while undergoing treatment
for cancer.
Chitwan National Park Of-
fice had, on 26 November
2014, imposed a jail sentence
of 14 years and a fine of
Rs 100,000 on Gurung but
Hetauda Appellate Court
had on 14 July 2015 commut-
ed the convict’s sentence to
a jail term of 10 years and
earned the nickname ‘bikini
killer’ for allegedly commit-
ting serial murders through-
out Asia in the 1970s, was
convicted in Nepal in two
murder cases and has been
in jail here since 2003. In
2014, Sobhraj was sentenced
to 20 years in jail for the mur-
der of Canadian tourist Lau-
rent Carrierethe in 1975 in
Kathmandu. In 2004, he was
sentenced to life in Nepal for
murdering American tourist
Connie Jo Bronzich. Sobhraj,
75, underwent open-heart
surgery last year.
Spokesperson at the Office
of the Attorney General, San-
jeeb Raj Regmi, said the pro-
a fine of Rs 50,000.
Jail authorities had refused
to grant him a waiver saying
rules for the same had not
been formulated.
Gurung was sentenced to 10
years in prison for killing a rhi-
no and selling its horn.
The question raised by the
petitioner was of a serious na-
ture and while there was rea-
son for issuing the writ of ha-
beas corpus, it could not be is-
sued as the petitioner died
vision related to waiver of jail
term of elderly prisoners in
the Senior Citizens Act men-
tions the word ‘may’ which
means that the government
may or may not waive the
sentence of some elderly
prisoners depending on
whether the person in ques-
tion is a threat to society.
“Waiver is a favour, not a
right,” he said, adding that
the government might reject
an elderly prisoner’s plea for
waiver of the remaining sen-
tence if the crime he/she
committed fits the definition
of heinous crime.
Former Attorney General
Raman Kumar Shrestha said
during the adjudication pro-
cess, the SC observed in its
verdict.
The SC further said it was a
mockery of the fundamental
rights of the petitioner who
died while demanding waiver
of his remaining jail sentence,
which he qualified for.
The SC issued directive or-
der to the home ministry to
immediately designate an au-
thority who could decide on
the waiver of jail sentence of
that as per Section 37 of the
Criminal Offence (Punish-
ment Determination and Ex-
ecution) Act, a person who is
facing life term or has been
convicted of rape, corrup-
tion, human trafficking, ab-
duction and hostage taking,
drug offences, organised
crime, money laundering,
torture, inhuman and de-
grading treatment and
crimes against humanity
would not qualify for waiver.
He said a person convicted
of murder could also qualify
for waiver provided that he/
she has not been imposed a
life term for the crime of
murder.
elderly prisoners. It also or-
dered the government to im-
mediately prepare a manual
based on which the grounds
and percentage of waiver on
jail sentence could be pre-
pared. The apex court ordered
the Department of Prison
Management to prepare with-
in 15 days the percentage of
the waiver that elderly inmates
could qualify for and the re-
cords of crimes they had
committed. It further said
that failure to do so could lead
• IN BRIE F
to non-implementation of
fundamental rights of elderly
prisoners.
The SC also ordered all dis-
trict and high courts to visit
prisons under their jurisdic-
tion and order the release of
elderly prisoners within 15
days if deemed necessary giv-
en the elderly prisoners’ age,
RSS
physical and mental condition
and the nature of the crime Clay pots kept on sale in
committed. Bhedasingh, in Kathmandu,
The apex court also ordered on Monday.
district and high courts to
take a call on the waiver of
elderly prisoners’ sentence
while fixing the quantum of
NC donation for
punishment if they qualified storm victims
for the same.
The SC chided Chitwan Na- KATHMANDU: The main opposition
tional Park that exercised qua- Nepali Congress lawmakers have de-
si-judicial authority to convict cided to provide their two-day salary
Gurung in the rhino killing and allowance to the storm victims in
case saying that an authority Bara and Parsa districts. NC chief
which has the power to im- whip Balkrishna Khand shared this
pose sentence cannot say that information. The storm had de-
it does not have the power to stroyed houses, cowsheds and over-
waive the jail sentence. turned cars and trucks as it swept
SC’s ruling in Gurung’s case across the southern belt of the coun-
would also benefit some inter- try killing at least 27 people and leav-
national prisoners who are ing more than 600 injured. Nepal Po-
doing time in Nepal and lice, Armed Police Force and Nepali
have sought waiver of the re- Army personnel have been deployed
maining jail sentence on to the affected areas for rescue and re-
grounds of age. lief operations. — RSS
The verdict was delivered by
a division bench of Justices Ke- Effective relief sought
dar Prasad Chalise and Sapana
Pradhan Malla. KATHMANDU: Speaker of the House
of Representatives Krishna Bahadur
Mahara has made a special request to
the government and stakeholders to

Sub-panel formed to • BARA STORM

make rescue and relief works effec-
tive, without any delay in the after-
math of the natural disaster in Bara

prepare IT Bill and Parsa districts. Issuing a state-

It is not meant to control social
media but to regulate it, says
Minister Baskota
Jagdishor Panday
Kathmandu, April 1
The IT bill is crucial for con-
trolling cyber crime in the coun-
try said Gokul Baskota, minister
for Communications and Infor-
mation Technology at a meeting
of a sub-committee under the
House of Representatives today.
The minister was speaking at
the meeting of a sub-panel
formed under the parliamentary
Development and Technology
Committee to discuss the Infor-
mation Technology Bill.
The sub-panel will hold
clause-wise discussion with the
concerned stakeholders. More-
over, it will hold discussion
with lawmakers who had regis-
tered the motion of amend-
ments to the bill.
During the meeting, the min-
ister said the IT bill was brought
not to control social media but
to regulate it.
“The IT bill will look into the
misuse of social medial and the
issue of cyber crime,” he said ex-
plaining how people are misus-
ing social media to defame dig-
nitaries such as the president
and prime minister due to lack
of a strict regulation.
Citing police records he also
said that social media had be-
come bullying platforms and
that especially women were the
victims of such bullies. Besides
curbing criminal activities, the
bill will also facilitate the use of
digital signature and e-pay-
ments informed the minister.
Cyber crimes are on the rise
due to the misuse of social me-
dia and the culprits are going
scot-free due to lack of a cyber
law, said the minister.
Social media such as Face-
book, Twitter, or YouTube should
register themselves in Nepal as
companies, according to the
minister.
“They have undergone regis-
tration in many countries, so
why not in Nepal?” he ques-
tioned. He also clarified that so-
cial media users need not panic
as their registration won’t affect
users.
The bill is also pertinent be-
cause social media companies
are making billions in the coun-
try, but do not pay tax to the gov-
ernment.
“The companies can repatri-
ate the profit but they are
obliged to pay tax,” he said.
A total of 27 lawmakers have
registered for nine amendments
to the bill. The committee is ex-
pected to come up with a final
proposal within a month.
Gita Devi Patel, who was injured in the storm that wreaked havoc in Bara and was referred to Tribhuvan University
Teaching Hospital, being taken for CT scan before surgery, on Monday.
Toddler saves mother
Himalayan News Service three-year-old son. The house fell on
Kathmandu, April 1 us and then I woke up to a different
place,” said the grief-stricken Patel
The severe thunderstorm that swept from her bed at Tribhuvan University
through Pheta claimed around three Teaching Hospital here.
dozen people and changed the life of She said she did not know the
surviving victims for ever. whereabouts of her other family
Until the tragedy struck, life was members except for her husband
normal for Gita Devi Patel, 35 who and son. They are receiving treatment
hails from Bara district. As usual at the same hospital. “I am dying
she was busy preparing meal for her to see my two daughters,” said a tear-
five-member family. She was some- ful Patel.
what apprehensive about the heavy Patel, along with her husband
ment on Monday, he expressed sor-
row over the loss of life and property
in the incident, while urging the gov-
ernment to do the needful for treat-
ment of the injured. In a similar state-
ment, National Assembly Chairman
Ganesh Prasad Timalsena urged the
government to provide proper com-
pensation to the families of the de-
ceased and those affected. — RSS
EMERGENCY
NUMBERS
OFFICE PHONE NO.
Police Control Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Traffic Police Control Room . . . . . . . . 103
Fire Fighters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Traffic Jam Information (SMS) . . . JAM 4321
Emergency Police Service . . . . . . . 4228435
Crime Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4412748
THT Child Missing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Nepal Electricity Authority . . . . . . . 4153164
Blood Bank, Pradarshani Marg. . . . . 4225344
Nepal Red Cross Society, Teku . . . . 4270650
Bhaktapur Red Cross . . . . . . . . . . . 6611661
Army Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4271940
has cut injuries on his right ear Bir Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4221988
while the son has suffered injuries
on the right elbow and laceration of Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital . . . . . . 6611532
forehead tissues. Chirayu National Hospital. . . . . . . . 4382382
Interestingly, as revealed by her
brother Sona Lal Patel, the three-year- Kanti Children Hospital. . . . . . . . . . 4411550
old toddler had in fact saved his Norvic Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4258554
mother’s life. “She was unconscious.
She lay buried under the debris of the Police Hospital. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4412430
collapsed house. However, her child Patan Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5522295
started removing the debris and the
Om Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4476225
villagers spotted her and finally res-
cue her,” he said. Star Hospital, Sanepa . . . . . . . . . . . 5550197

Fun park operator wind accompanied by hailstorm, but

thought it would pass away in a while.
Suddenly, the strong storm hit
her small hut which then started
Suresh Patel and the three-year-old
son, Aman Patel was airlifted by the
Nepali Army.
According to doctors, Patel has sus-
Meanwhile, Minister of Education,
Science and Technology Giriraj
Mani Pokhrel, during his visit to
TUTH, informed that the government
Teaching Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4412505
Grande Hospital. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5159266
Tilganga Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4493775

Gurung bailed out collapsing.

“I ran out of my house carrying my
tained pelvis fracture and abdominal
injuries. Likewise, her husband
would provide medical support to all
storm victims. Hearse (Shav Vahan). . . . . . . . . . . . . 6612266

Himalayan News Service park at Bhrikuti Mandap. A

Kathmandu, April 1
The Special Court today freed
Rabindra Gurung, the main
operator of a fun park charged
with embezzling a huge sum,
after he posted a bail amount of
Rs 700,000.
The Commission for the In-
vestigation of Abuse of Authori-
ty, had, on February 4, filed a
graft case at the Special Court
against 14 persons, including
former minister of Women, Chil-
dren and Social Welfare and for-
mer chair of Social Welfare
Council Badri Prasad Neupane
for allegedly embezzling mil-
lions of rupees.
Other defendants include for-
mer vice-chair of Social Welfare
Council Pramod Mehata, former
treasurer of Social Welfare Coun-
cil Kunja Bihari Prasad Chaud-
hary, former members of Social
Welfare Council Hari Neupane,
Mohan Raj Sharma and Madan
Kumar Lal Karna, and former
member secretary of Social Wel-
fare Council Ravindra Kumar.
The Commission for the In-
vestigation of Abuse of Authority
accused the defendants of not
following legal procedure while
renting 60 ropani land to the fun
meeting of the Board of Direc-
tors of the council on 5 Septem-
ber 2012 had awarded the con-
tract to Rabindra Gurung to run
a fun park for a monthly rent of
Rs 555,000 (inclusive of all taxes)
for 15 years.
The anti-graft body had ac-
cused the defendants of renting
the fun park at a price much low-
er than the market rate. It has
sought to recoup Rs 315,217,675
from ex-minister Neupane, Me-
hata, Chaudhary, Sharma, Kar-
na, Hari Neupane, Tek Bahadur
Gurung (fun park operator) and
Rabindra Gurung (main opera-
tor of the park).
It has named former treasurer
of Social Welfare Council Ratna
Gaha Magar, former director of
Social Welfare Council Madan
Prasad Rimal, former deputy di-
rector of Social Welfare Council
Bal Bahadur Swar, former legal
advisers to Social Welfare Coun-
cil Prem Singh Dhami and Jaga-
dev Chaudhary, but has not
claimed any amount from them.
The defendants had first
awarded the contract on Sep-
tember 6, 2003, for a monthly
rent of Rs 9, 250 which was re-
newed and extended on Sep-
tember 5, 2012.
Call for treatment Nepal starts issuing five-year
of storm survivors multiple-entry visas for American citizens
Rastriya Samachar Samiti
Kathmandu, April 1 Himalayan News Service more Americans will have
the opportunity to study and
President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has drawn
Kathmandu, April 1
Nepali students will save research at Nepali academic
the attention of the authorities concerned to- Nepal today began issuing institutions and participate
wards making immediate arrangement for five-year, multiple-entry $200 on each visa due to in educational and cultural
the treatment of the people injured in the
massive storm in Bara and Parsa yesterday.
tourist visas to American
travellers. removal of visa issuance fee exchanges,” read the press
release.
Issuing a statement here today, she has also Consul of the US Embassy Reciprocal visa regimes
expressed profound sorrow over the loss of Mike Mussi joined Director between the US and Nepal
human life and property, and extended heart- General of Immigration Es- “Visa reciprocity is a stand- pal’s economy. Tourism will also bring significant
felt condolences to the members of the be- hor Poudel to witness the ard and long-standing prin- makes up a significant por- benefit to certain categories
reaved family. She has wished for speedy re- handover of the first five- ciple in visa policies world- tion of Nepal’s economy. of Nepali visa applicants. For
covery of those injured in the incident. year, multiple-entry tourist wide. The United States Gov- Over 90,000 US citizens visit- example, Nepali students
In her statement, the President has also visas issued by Nepal to ernment and the Govern- ed Nepal last year, an in- who plan to study in the US
emphasized on the need to adopt strong American citizen travellers, ment of Nepal have been crease of 15 per cent over fis- will soon save $200 on each
measures of disaster risk reduction and adopt according to a press release working towards establishing cal year 2017. As Americans visa — more than 50 per cent
precaution to minimize damages caused by issued by the US Embassy in reciprocity for all types of vi- receive reciprocal tourist vi- savings — due to the removal
natural calamities like floods, landslides, Kathmandu. sas since October 2017,” read sas — multiple-entry, five- of student visa issuance fees,
storm and fire. The United States has been the press release. year validity — they will be the press release stated.
In a similar statement, Vice-president Nan- issuing five-year visas to Ne- Establishing parity in the able to come to Nepal easily Speaking at the handover
da Bahadur Pun has also expressed the confi- pali travellers for many years. visa regimes between the US and more often, according to event, Mussi said, “Longer
dence that the government would give spe- With today’s handover, Nepal and Nepal provides an op- the press release. visa validity and lowered
cial attention to rescue and treatment of the has adopted the same visa portunity to increase the “Similarly, American stu- costs are good for both
injured, and provide relief and rehabilitation terms for American visitors, number and frequency of dents and scholars are eager America and Nepal. It will
to the survivors. He also expressed hope that greatly facilitating the closer American tourists and busi- to study and conduct re- increase economic activity
all Nepalis would provide support to the vic- and deeper linkages between ness representatives visiting search in Nepal. Parity in our and exchanges between our
tims of the natural disaster. the US and Nepal. Nepal, which will benefit Ne- visa regimes means that countries.”
 CMYK
THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019
Pheta
completely
ravaged
Prabhat Kumar Jha/Ram Sarraf
Bara, April 1
The devastating storm coupled with rains killed
four members of Ijahar Ansari’s family at Puraini-
ya of Pheta Rural Municipality, Bara, yesterday.
Aged 70 Ansari has no choice, but to accept the
painful truth.
Ansari’s wife Mina Khatun, 60, daughter-in-law
Sakima Khatun, 35, grand-daughters Samsida
Khatun, 12, and Roksar, 10, lost their lives to the
rage of the storm. The death of four family mem-
bers has affected Ansari mentally.
Ansari’s son Sahbudin Ansari aged 40 is critical-
ly injured and has lost consciousness. Sahbudin
is being treated at Narayani Sub-regional Hospi-
tal, Birgunj. Ansari’s nine-year-old grandson Sa-
heb Ansari is safe as he had gone to his maternal
uncle’s home in Ghughardiha, India.
When Saheb returned home today morning, he
could hardly recognise the place where his home
stood as houses, trees, and electricity poles were
uprooted. Saheb, who came home with his ma-
ternal aunt, has not been informed about the
death of family members.
The entire village of Pheta is in deep mourning.
More than 50 per cent of the 500 households in
wards 3 and 6 of Pheta village were destroyed and
all electricity poles were uprooted. The storm has
destroyed wheat and other crops in the field.
As the storm has turned Purainiya, Bhalohi and
Bharbaliya villages of Pheta into rubble, there is
no place left to shelter for the victims. Harvested
grains and crops were destroyed. The storm that
lasted for around 20 minutes has changed the
face of Pheta and caused unimaginable loss.
Three persons were killed at Bhaluhi Bharbali-
ya of Pheta Rural Municipality, while more than
200 locals were injured. Around 100 houses were
destroyed in the village. Ward Chair Jaya Prakash
Das said he had never ever imagined this kind of
storm in his life.
Pheta Rural Municipality Chair Amiri Prasad
said locals were living on empty stomachs ever
since the storm struck the area. “Neighbours and
security personnel arrived for rescue work imme-
diately after the incident which prevented further
human casualty,” Prasad stated. According to
him, a tipper has been deployed to deliver food to
victims, who have nothing, but what they are
wearing. He demanded that makeshift tents be
provided as early as possible.
• STORM HAVOC
(Clockwise from the top) An elderly citizen observing houses destroyed by the storm; victims eating amidst the destroyed structures
in Bhaluhi, Birgunj; a team of Nepali Army removing debris in Pheta Rural Municipality, Bara, on Monday.
Prime Minister Oli inspects storm-hit area
Himalayan News Service
Bara, April 1
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli
inspected Pheta Rural Munici-
pality, which was hit the hardest
by the severe storm last night
from a helicopter in Bara today.
Premier Oli inspected the
worst-hit Purainiya area of Pheta
www.thehimalayantimes.com
NATIONAL
Rural Municipality from a heli- for Physical Infrastructure
copter. Oli was accompanied by Raghubir Mahaseth, Urban
Deputy Prime Minister and Development Minister Moham-
Health Minister Upendra Yadav mad Istiyak Rai and chiefs of
and Home Minister Ram Baha- all three security organs had
dur Thapa in the NA chopper. gathered at the NA camp.
The chopper ferrying Oli had Oli had inquired about the
landed at Kalaiya-based Nepali damage caused by the storm,
Army camp after inspecting and rescue and relief efforts be-
the storm-ravaged area. Minister ing carried out. Bara CDO Rajesh
Photos: THT
Poudel had informed the prime
Minister about storm, and dev-
astation brought by it.
Oli visited Kalaiya Hospital
and Birgunj-based National
Medical College and inquired
about the injured undergoing
treatment. Oli directed that no
stone should be left unturned for
treatment of the injured.
PAGE 3
All but three of
the deceased
identified, 343
injured
Himalayan News Service
Bara, April 1
Of the 27 persons who died in last night’s storm
in Bara and Parsa, 24 have been identified so far.
Of the deceased, 12 are men, while the number
of women and children who died stand at 10
and five respectively.
Bara’s Pheta Rural Municipality was worst hit
with 13 lives lost there.
Those who died in Pheta from the storm are:
Hari Narayan Das, 60, Manorama Devi, 45, Ruhi
Devi, Nanda Patel, Bibima Khatun, 25, Mustaki-
ma Khatun, 50, Mina Khatun, 25, Sabanam
Khatun, 18, Alisa Khatun, 4, Sakiya Khatun, 40,
Noksar Miyan, 11, Samisada Khatun,13, and
Rubi Khatun, 12.
According to police, Indian nationals Rajesh
Mukhiya, 22, Awadhesh Pasawan, 23, Radhe La-
dhi, 41, and Hitlal Sahani, 40, workers at the lo-
cal kiln in Pheta, also died in the storm.
Further, Achchhalal Majhi, 55, of Prasauni
Rural Municipality; Tarifa Khatun, 30, Shree
Prasad Yadav, 80, and Suraj Majhi of Subarnapur
Rural Municipality; Koiri Devi, 75, of Mahaga-
dhimai Municipality; and Gadhima Devi, 50,
of Kalaiya sub-metropolis also died in the
natural disaster.
In Parsa, the devastating storm claimed the
life of Ram Majhi, 45, of Bhawanipur.
Of the deceased, 18 bodies have been kept at
Kalaiya Hospital for post-mortem, while five are
at Narayani Sub-regional Hospital and three are
at the National Medical College in Birgunj.
Bara Chief District Officer Rajesh Poudel
said the bodies would be handed over to the kin
after autopsy.
As for the more than 600 injured, 343 are un-
dergoing treatment in different hospitals in
Bara, Parsa and Kathmandu.
According to Bara CDO Poudel, eight persons
who were taken to Kathmandu for treatment via
a Nepal Army sky truck and a chopper are un-
dergoing treatment at TU Teaching Hospital.
According to him, 116 are receiving treatment at
Narayani Sub-regional Hospital, 100 at National
Medical College, 38 at Birgunj Health Care and
28 at Gandaki Hospital of Birgunj.
Others are receiving treatment at Kalaiya
Hospital and other health facilities.
In the wake of the storm, personnel of all
three security agencies have been mobilised for
rescue operation.
 CMYK
PAGE 4 www.thehimalayantimes.com THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019

POTPOURRI
BLONDIE Dean Young and Denis Lebrun DENNIS Hank Ketcham

HAGAR Chris Browne

BEETLE BAILEY Mort Walker HOCUS FOCUS Henry Boltinoff

BEAU PEEP Andrew Christine and Roger Kettle

• WHAT’S ON 1115 Kasautii Zindagii Kay 2315 Kick-Off!

Himalayan Double Crossword — 7830 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2015 Man vs. Wild
1215
1315
Dil Toh Happy Hai Ji
Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala
2345 Formula E 2019
Street Racers
2115 Man vs. Wild 1415 Ye Hai Mohabbatein
0815 Wildlife: Animal 2215 Himalayan Tsunami 1545 Krishna Chali London STARSPORTS
Fight Club 2315 Naked And Afraid: Most 1715 Nazar
0915 Science: Do or Die 0715 VIVO IPL 2019 HLs
Dangerous 1815 Kasautii Zindagii Kay
1045 Science: Street Genius 1015 Bundesliga Weekly 2
1845 Yeh Rishta Kya
1215 India: Great Indian STARWORLD 2018/19 HLs
Kehlata Hai
Railway Journeys 1915 Yeh Rishtey 1115 VIVO IPL 2019 HLs
1315 Adventure: Primal 0715 Empire Hain Pyaar Ke 1215 Bundesliga Weekly 2
Survivor China 0815 MasterChef Australia 1945 Dil Toh Happy Hai Ji 2018/19 HLs
1415 Adventure: 0915 Jimmy Kimmel Live 2015 Kasautii Zindagii Kay 1415 VIVO IPL 2019 HLs
Remote Survival 1015 MasterChef Australia 2045 Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala 1515 Bundesliga Weekly 2
1545 Science: Do or Die 1115 How I Met Your Mother 2145 Yeh Rishta 2018/19 HLs
1815 Science: Street Genius 1215 Modern Family Kya Kehlata Hai 1715 VIVO IPL 2019 HLs
1915 Science: Do or Die 1615 How I Met Your Mother 2215 Yeh Rishtey 1815 Bundesliga
1915 Fresh Off the Boat Hain Pyaar Ke Report 2018/19
1945 Science: Science
2045 New Girl 2245 Ye Hai Mohabbatein 1935 VIVO IPL 2019
of Stupid
2115 Jimmy Kimmel Live 2315 Nazar 2345 Premier League
2215 Adventure: Primal
2215 Game of Thrones 2345 Kasautii Zindagii Kay Matchday Pre Show
Survivor China
2018/19 Live
2315 Investigates: Airport COLORS
Security: Colombia MTV
HBO
0815 Ancient Healing 0615 Pump Up Mornings
DISCOVERY CHANNEL by Dr. Naram 0645 Hit & Hot MTV Trailers 0725 The Snowman
0915 Vish Ya Amrit Sitara 0715 Pump Up Mornings 0920 Green Zone
0815 Dual Survival
1015 Silsila Badalte 1115 Roadies Real Heroes 1115 Loving
0915 Man vs. Wild Rishton Ka 1315 Ocean’s Eleven
1015 Gold Rush 1215 Love School
1145 Shakti 1315 Roadies Real Heroes 1510 The Music of Silence
1115 Wild Frank 1215 Kesari Nandan 1705 Going in Style (2017)
1215 Ed Stafford: 1515 Love School
Quick Clues 1345 Shakti 1615 Roadies Real Heroes 1845 Jurassic World:
with grass (5) - 10 Thrust in Into the Unknown 1415 Roop Fallen Kingdom
1315 Man vs. Wild 1715 Love School
Across: 1 Given to continual which pig is sold? (4) - 11 1545 Vish Ya Amrit Sitara 1915 Roadies Real Heroes 2055 Game of Thrones
1415 Food Factory 1615 Kesari Nandan S6 03: Oathbreaker
talking, garrulous (10) - 8 Give Mark of careless handling (6) - 1515 Gold Rush 2015 Love School
14 Club one goes in without 1745 Udaan 2115 Roadies Real Heroes 2145 Game of Thrones S6 04:
off (4) - 9 Moon valley (5) - 10 1815 Man vs. Wild 1815 Ishq Mein Marjawa Book of the Stranger
the girl (3) - 15 Scope a for en- 1915 Body Hack 2.0 2215 The Anti Social Network
Japanese style of wrestling (4) 1845 Dastaan-e-mohabbat 2315 Love School 2245 The Snowman
- 11 Salutation in Islamic tertainment (4) - 17 I have in- Salim Anarkali
world (6) - 14 Turk VIP (3) - 15 vestigated first sudden drop 1915 Asian Magazine SONY TEN 1 CINEMAX
German river (4) - 17 Reck- (8) - 19 It might give one a 1945 Atn B C Horizons 0800 Escape To Victory
2015 Shakti 0845 Kick-Off!
lessly wasteful (8) - 19 Run- higher position in New York (8) 2045 Kesari Nandan 0915 La Liga 0955 Strike Back S6 10:
down apartments (8) - 21 - 21 Icelandic poems in the 1015 Gran Premio Motul De Episode 60
2145 Vish Ya Amrit Sitara 1055 Analyze This
Great achievement (4) - 22 end to supplement return (4) - 2215 Silsila Badalte La Republica Argentina
1115 UCL 2018/19 HLs 1235 The Lxd: Rise
Highest mountain in Crete 22 Mid-morning tea for cash? Rishton Ka of the Drifts
1215 WWE Raw
(3) - 23 Coiffure (6) - 26 Pore (3) - 23 Youngsters in strict 2245 Roop 1400 Fletch
1515 Kick-Off!
2315 Shakti 1540 Mighty Joe Young
over (4) - 28 Reach (3,2) - 29 training caught arranging 1545 Red Bull Air
Steals from (4) - 30 132 inch- dates (6) - 26 Ruth the pig (4) STARPLUS Race 2019 HLs 1735 The HBO Movie Show 06
1615 WWE Raw 1805 The Last Boyscout
es ? (6,4). - 28 It’s funny, you being emp- 0815 Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala 1915 Kick-Off! 1945 Camera Obscura
Down: 2 Russian secret police ty inside (5) - 29 Contest about 0945 Divya-Drishti 1945 Formula E 2019 2115 Against The Ropes
of the Communist era (4) - 3 power within (4) - 30 Standing 1045 Yeh Rishta Kya Street Racers 2310 The Ghost and
1945 ON CINEMAX Kehlata Hai 2015 WWE Raw the Darkness
State of commotion or loud in as a French parliamentari-
disturbance (6) - 4 Fall or an? (10).
crumple down like a house of Down: 2 Not a makeshift de- • FLIGHT SCHEDULE
cards ? (8) - 5 Is obliged to pay fence organisation (4) - 3
or repay (4) - 6 Exchange for
NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL
Shout about leaders of the re- FROM-TO DAYS DEPT/ARRV FLIGHT NO FROM-TO DAYS DEPT/ARRV FLIGHT NO
money (4) - 7 Aroused the bellion as a result of this (6) - 4
senses (10) - 10 They are used From the horse box (8) - 5 Part BUDDHA AIR AIR ARABIA
to carry sick or injured persons of the mystery consist of find- KTM-BDP-KTM DAILY 0930/1135 U4 951/U4 952 KTM-SHJ-KTM DAILY 1130/2150 G9530/G9531
(10) - 12 Append or join (3) - ing this genus of terrapins (4) - KTM-SHJ-KTM DAILY 1940/1050 G9538/G9539
KTM-BDP-KTM DAILY 1415/1620 U4 953/U4 954
13 To discuss or debate (5) - AIR INDIA
6 Demon of eclipses in extra
16 City in Vietnam (5) - 18 At hurry (4) - 7 Check one’s KTM-BWA-KTM DAILY 1350/0955 U4 853/U4 852 KTM-DEL-KTM DAILY 1025/0930 AI214/AI213

your full height, should we speed (10) - 10 Savoury little KTM-BWA-KTM DAILY 1615/1755 U4 855/U4 856 KTM-DEL-KTM DAILY 1535/1440 AI216/AI215

say ? (2,3-3) - 20 Wet, soft, rent! (10) - 12 Doughnut eaten KTM-NPJ-KTM DAILY 1700/1915 U4 403/U4 404
KTM-CCU-KTM MON,TUE, THU, SAT 1620/1530 AI248/AI247

sticky earth (3) - 21 Remote, BIMAN BANGLADESH AIRLINES

by me, one of the Stooges (3) -
some distance away (3-3) - 24 KTM-NPJ-KTM DAILY 0830/1045 U4 451/U4 452 KTM-DAC-KTM TUE,WED,THU,SAT 1300/1200 BG72/BG71
13 Terribly red, I’d dehydrated KTM-DAC-KTM MON, FRI 1415/1325 BG72/BG71
Burn to ground; destroy or de- (5) - 16 A director is at an ad- KTM-PKR-KTM DAILY 0700/0820 U4 605/U4 606
KTM-DAC-KTM SUN 1515/1415 BG72/BG71
molish completely (4) - 25 vantage (5) - 18 Faculty rais- KTM-PKR-KTM DAILY 1400/1525 U4 651/U4 652 ETIHAD AIRWAYS
Curved moulding (4) - 27 Hav- ing a question of substance
ing the capacity (4). NEPAL AIRLINES KTM-AUH-KTM DAILY 1710/1610 EY291/EY290
covering the head (5-3) - 20 HIMALAYA AIRLINES
KTM-PPL-KTM SUN, TUE, FRI 0645/0745 RA117/RA118
Cryptic Clues One of those that live under KTM-DMM-KTM MON,WED,SAT 2205/0905 H9559/H9560
the hill (3) - 21 The Ashes of KTM-TPJ-KTM MON,WED,FRI 0645/0930 RA129/RA130 KTM-DOH-KTM DAILY 1045/2145 H9555/H9556
Across: 1 Not suspected of a later months? (6) - 24 Potassi- KTM-BGL-KTM THU 1045/1240 RA157/RA158 KTM-DOH-KTM DAILY 2240/0940 H9563/H9564
thick soup drinking ? (2,3,5) - um in rising river increased (4) KTM-DXB-KTM DAILY 2335/0955 H9565/H9566
KTM-BHP-KTM DAILY 0845/1230 RA109/RA110
8 Trainee broke a tool making - 25 Distance easily walked (4) KTM-KUL-KTM DAILY 1035/2100 H9890/H9891
a spindle (4) - 9 Railway goes - 27 In France good about the KTM-RUK SUN 0630/0750 RA181 NEPAL AIRLINES
round ebbing river covered ring, which is a blessing (4). RUK-KTM MON 1340/1500 RA 182 KTM-DEL-KTM DAILY 0800/1240 RA205/RA206
KTM-DEL-KTM DAILY 1700/2140 RA217/RA 218
KTM-LUA-KTM TUE,FRI,SAT 0630/0825 RA131/RA132
YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION KTM-BLR-KTM TUE, THU, SAT 1400/2100 RA225/RA 226
YETI AIRLINES KTM-BOM-KTM SUN, WED, FRI 1325/2010 RA201/RA 202

KTM-PKR-KTM DAILY 0800/0845 NYT671/ NYT672 KTM-BKK-KTM MON, WED, FRI 1135/2000 RA401/RA402
KTM-HKG-KTM TUE, THU, SAT 0945/2105 RA409/RA410
KTM-PKR-KTM DAILY 1000/1045 NYT675/ NYT676
KTM-DOH-KTM DAILY 2320/1000 RA239/ RA 240
KTM-PKR-KTM DAILY 1220/1305 NYT679/ NYT680 KTM-DXB-KTM DAILY 2330/0940 RA229/ RA230

KTM-BIR-KTM DAILY 0830/0930 NYT787/ NYT788 KTM-KUL SUN, TUE, THU 2330/0620+1 RA415
KUL-KTM MON,WED,FRI 0805/1035 RA416
KTM-BIR-KTM DAILY 1045/1145 NYT791/ NYT792
TURKISH AIRLINES
KTM-BWA-KTM DAILY 0730/0825 NYT891/ NYT892 KTM-IST-KTM DAILY 1245/1115 TK727/TK726

KTM-BHR-KTM DAILY 1115/1155 NYT173/ NYT174

QATAR AIRWAYS
KTM-DOH-KTM DAILY 0210/0100 QR0649/QR0648
KTM-BHR-KTM DAILY 1530/1610 NYT175/ NYT176
KTM-DOH-KTM DAILY 1635/1535 QR0647/QR0646

QUICK CRYPTIC KTM-JKR-KTM DAILY 1045/1130 NYT571/ NYT572 KTM-DOH-KTM DAILY 2050/1030 QR0651/QR0652

**Please check with airlines for any change in schedule **Please check with airlines for any change in schedule
 CMYK
THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019 www.thehimalayantimes.com PAGE 5

NATIONAL

Government to decide on aid SEE exams

date for
Bheri-Babai multi-purpose project
to be completed before deadline
after assessing damage
Himalayan News Service ceased, said government signed the home ministry
Province 2 set
Himalayan News Service
Kathmandu, April 1
Himalayan News Service
Surkhet, April 1
Work related to construction
het’’s Bheriganga Municipal-
ity is being dug by using TBM
(Tunnel Boring Machine),
which has been used for the
Overseas Engineering Group
Limited is responsible for
tunnel construction work
that had started in October
Sp o k e s p e r s o n G o k u l to coordinate all relief and Office of the Controller of Ex- of a tunnel of Bheri-Babai first time in Nepal. of 2016.
Kathmandu, April 1
Baskota. He, however, did rescue works, said Baskota, NHRC aminations under the Na- Multi-purpose Project, a na- As per the project source, While the project is ex-
The government today de- not elaborate. who is also the Minister for tional Examinations Board tional glory project, is all set 11,944 metres of the 12,210 pected to produce 48MW
cided to ascertain the actu- The meet decided that Communications and In- concerned today published the new to be completed one year be- metre long tunnel has been electricity, it is also expected
al damage caused by the the government would formation Technology. KATHMANDU: The schedule for the Secondary fore the deadline. dug in 34 months since the to provide irrigation facility
hailstorm in Bara and Par- make necessary arrange- The Cabinet also ex- National Human Education Examination for The breakthrough of the construction work started. to 51,000 hectare land in
sa last evening, and then ments for treatment of pressed condolences on Rights Commission grade X students for eight dis- tunnel is expected to take “Digging work on the re- Banke and Bardia by chan-
take necessary decisions those injured, mobilise ad- the death of 27 people in drew the govern- tricts of Province 2. The SEE place by mid-April itself, maining 266 metres of the neling the water from the
related to rehabilitation of ditional medical workers the hailstorm in Bara last ment’s attention to will start from April 5. contrary to the stipulated tunnel will be completed by Bheri River to Babai.
those affected and recon- with adequate medicines, evening, and wished for the need to arrange The Board was forced to deadline for completion by mid-April,” said project Di- The expected cost of the
struction of damaged in- and take measures to avoid speedy recovery of the in- adequate medicines cancel regular examination March 2020. rector Sanjiv Baral. project is 33.19 billion ru-
frastructure. any possible epidemic in jured. It thanked those in- and doctors. It ap- after some question papers The tunnel based in Surk- Chinese company China pees.
A Cabinet meeting more the disaster-hit area. volved in rescue and relief pealed to the gov- were leaked through social
than 24 hours after the dis- The government will operations in the immedi- ernment to offer free media after examination of
aster decided that the gov- also direct authorities con- ate aftermath of the disas- treatment to injured three subjects were conduct-
ernment would make nec- cerned to act immediately ter, including security per- persons and com- ed. The students thus will not
essary arrangements for to restore electricity and sonnel, medical workers, pensation to the have to re-attend the exami-
the relief of the injured, drinking water supply and political parties, media, families of the de- nation of Nepali, English and
those rendered disabled, communications services. and other local organisa- ceased. It also ap- Mathematics, which they
and families of the de- The government has as- tions. Meanwhile, the pealed to all, includ- have already attended.
home ministry said in a ing civil society and The examination of Sci-
statement that the govern- national and inter- ence will be held on April 5.
Parties extend support ment had arranged free
treatment for the injured.
national organisa-
tions, to contribute
Similarly, examination of So-
cial Studies, Environment,
KATHMANDU: Political provide relief and com- Medical teams, including to rescue efforts, ac- Population And Health Stud-
parties have extended pensation to the fami- those from Nepal Police cording to a press re- ies; Optional Subject, First
support to rescue and lies of the deceased. He and Nepali Army have lease. — HNS Paper and Optional Subject,
relief works in the after- appealed to all NC been mobilised, while Second Paper will be held in
math of the disaster in members, including temporary centres for the subsequent days. Exami-
Bara and Parsa last sister organisations, to emergency medical treat- trucks containing 468 units nations of technical subjects
evening. be involved in rescue ment have been set up. of tent and tarpaulin and will be held from April 10 to
Prime Minister KP efforts. Food and other immedi- 4,138 units of clothes from 12. Examination Controller
Sharma Oli announced Rastriya Janata Par- ate relief materials have Kathmandu. Other relief Bishnu Prasad Adhikari of the
in a Twitter post that ty-Nepal announced been arranged at the local materials are on their way NEB said they had completed
lawmakers represent- contribution of Rs level. The home ministry to the disaster site, accord- all the preparations related to
ing the ruling Nepal 500,000 for relief and also dispatched three ing to the ministry. setting question papers.
C o m m u n i s t Pa r t y rescue work. The party
would contribute also directed its mem-
amounts equivalent to bers to raise additional
their one-day salary to funds.
the Prime Minister Nat- The Federal Socialist
ural Disaster Relief Forum-Nepal, which
Fund. The party also leads the Province 2
appealed to all its work- government, directed
ers and members to get the latter to ensure food
involved in rescue and and shelter to those
relief work. rendered homeless. It
The Nepali Congress also directed the pro-
announced its lawmak- vincial government to
ers would donate their address the problem of
two-day salary for relief shortage of blood, med-
and rescue operations. icine and medical
NC President Sher Ba- workers to ensure effec-
hadur Deuba requested tive treatment to those
the government to take injured. It appealed to
prompt measures for all party workers to be
rescue and treatment involved in rescue and
for those injured, and to relief work. — HNS
 CMYK

PAGE 6 www.thehimalayantimes.com THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019

TheHimalayan PUBG generation

T

A THOUGHT
I

FOR
M

T O D AY
E S
Help them become creative
Always do your best. What you plant now, BIRANCHI POUDYAL AND reward, which releases a great; do it again’. Such im- connection on their own
you will harvest later SAMIKSHYA THAPA brain chemical called ‘do- mediate excitement also terms. But it can also pre-
— Og Mandino pamine’ and also targets contributes to the release vent children from learning

A s we have experienced
in our childhood, re-
the same neuron involved
in addiction.
of endorphins - a natural
painkiller that relaxes you
social skills and coopera-
tive behaviour to assimilate

Let’s join hands sponsible parenting often

feels like an endless series
of saying ‘no’. No, you can’t
Research conducted by
California State University
found that computer gam-
for some moment.
The main reason behind
the popularity of this game
with diverse personalities.
In 2018, World Health Or-
ganisation declared that

N epal is no stranger to natural disasters, but the

storm that whipped the villages of Bara and Par-
sa districts in central Nepal late Sunday evening was
have junk food before
lunch. No, you can’t ride a
bicycle on the main road.
ing can have a similar effect
as drugs or alcoholism on a
child’s developing brain. It’s
is because it taps into our
behavioural neural net-
work. Like nicotine, video
impulsively engaging in
digital games is a mental
health condition, specify-
unprecedented, killing at least 29 people and injur- And now today’s younger because game makers work games can also cause ing these phenomena as
ing more than 600. Among the dead are men, women generation is going through hard to hook players to rapid brain dopamine re- “gaming disorder”. And the
and children, who happened to be sleeping at the the same old clichés: no, their digital world. Thus, lease. And the arousal ef- symptoms are actually
time. The death toll is likely to rise with many of you can’t sit around playing they use predictive algo- fects are so natural to the quite common: Increased
the injured in critical condition. The extent of PUBG all day. Our child- rithms and codes of behav- brain that they mostly oc- priority to gaming over oth-
the damage caused by the storm is yet to be assessed, hood has given us some ioural economics to make cur subconsciously. This is er activities and continua-
but the destruction has been massive, especially first-hand knowledge of the the game more addictive. why young teens with vul- tion of gaming despite the
in Pheta and Bhulahi Bharwaliya areas of Bara dis- digital world of games, During our research on nerable minds get addicted negative consequences.
trict. The hailstorm that lashed the area was so strong
that it even overturned a passenger bus, toppled
thanks to that old mercan-
tile machine. So we can tell
“g a m i n g b e h a v i o u r ”
among the lower second-
Despite the hype, gaming is not always to gaming.
Many researchers have
Despite the hype, gaming is
not always problematic for
electricity poles and uprooted trees. Tall standing all sorts of facts, like why ary level students of Kath- problematic for children, and in case of found that children playing children, and in case of
crops were destroyed, and hundreds of homes on the Dave wears a red cap or mandu we found that most violent games are more right selection, many
farms have been reduced to rubble after the roofs got why your eyes are fevicoled of the children were in- right selection, many games out there likely to have increased ag- games out there actually
blown away and the walls collapsed. Many people
could still be trapped inside the rubble of their
to a 5.6 inch screen while
playing ‘Candy crush’.
tensely indulged in playing
unknown battlegrounds.
benefit. What we suggest is, parents should gressive thoughts, behav-
iours and decreased sense
benefit. What we would
suggest is, parents should
homes. The Department of Hydrology and Meteorol- Every once in a while, a “My mother always scolds look out for games that nurture creativity of cooperation. Last year a look out for games that
ogy had forecast heavy rains for Sunday for the re- game appears that takes me for playing PUBG, but 19-year-old Indian named nurture creativity and in-
gion, but it could not predict the intensity of the the gaming world to the what can I do, I can’t resist, I and intelligence in a child’s brain Suraj Verma stabbed his fa- telligence in a child’s brain.
storm at this particular place. But even if the people next level of progress. This get irritated if I don’t get a ther and mother 26 times, Some chosen games that
had been cautioned, where could they possibly head time, it’s ‘Player Unknown chance to play,” said a 6th and sister seven times in celebrate mathematical
for if not their homes? Battlegrounds’, better grade player of Arunima case of an 11-year-old child the enemies could unex- aggression. He was report- problems, case solving, ar-
The injured are undergoing treatment in hospitals known by its acronym, Higher Secondary School. playing PUBG, it’s consid- pectedly jump to kill you. ed to be a PUBG addict. chitecting or word games
and in temporary health camps. The government has PUBG. Since the last dec- “His sleeping, eating and ered normal. The very idea The excitement aroused by Gaming will become are useful for developing
been quick to respond to the natural disaster, with ade, computer or mobile academic habits have of this game is somewhat killing and destruction is more problematic if it im- the brains. With such
the Prime Minister himself flying to the affected re- games have become the changed for the worse like people gathering to kill the core of PUBG! pedes other aspects of a games, small minds will
gion to take stock of the leading form of digital en- since he started playing each other and trying hard Explaining in a more sci- child’s life, including aca- learn to use their imagina-
situation after cancelling tertainment worldwide – this PUBG. He simply can’t to become the last one entific way, the excitement demic performance and tion or cognitive skills, and
Given the gravity t h e s c h e d u l e d p ro - especially after the gradual resist the impulse to play, standing. How could we let of killing enemies makes social involvement. And parents too need not worry
grammes in his home- decrease in the TV watch- and I’m tired of scolding a budding young mind to the child’s brain think such digital consumption that their child are not
of the situation, town, Jhapa. He has said ing culture. To begin with, him. Please do something indulge in such a gaming something great has hap- in bits and bytes even influ- playing chess or learning
it would be in that the government these games allow us to win babu,” his mother added. habit? The game is full of vi- pened, and it immediately ences a child’s behavioural new words.
and get onto the next level, When a 20-year-old son olence. Every second, the emits a brain chemical pattern, although some on-
everyone’s interest would leave no stone un-
turned to carry out rescue giving a celebrated sense of is caught red hand smoking virtual battleground en- called dopamine - a neuro- line gaming allows intro-
The authors are researchers
at Global Initiative for
to engage in the and relief efforts. The se- satisfaction. This achieve- marijuana, parents would counters potential danger. transmitter, which tells verts to enjoy human net- Vivid Empowerment,
curity agencies – Nepal ment is experienced as a react instantly, but in the You can’t relax, any instant your brain, ‘Hey! That was works and help to make a a Kathmandu-based NGO
rescue and relief Army, Armed Police Force
operation and not and the Nepal Police –
have been deployed in
bring politics in it the areas and are helping • TOPICS • THT 10 YEARS AGO
to bring life back to nor-
malcy. Since there is a big rush of the injured to the
hospitals, there are reports that they face a shortage
of medicines, equipment, beds and doctors to han-
dle them. So the government must see to it that there
Explore Nepal Gautam accuses
Maoists of cover-up
is no shortage of anything at this time of calamity. AAYUSH KARKI good on the ears, and the ambi- cost considerably more. To needs your help and support to
Sunday’s natural disaster is a national crisis, and ence was blissful. Days went by keep constant pace with the de- grow. Maybe the bureaucracy is Himalayan News Service
both the centre and the provincial government must
coordinate their activities to provide succor to the I still remember the excite-
ment I felt when, very late at
and turned into months. I set-
tled into the routine of my new
gree requirements, foreign stu-
dents must give up the desire to
awful, and things never work
out as expected. But they are
Kathmandu, April 1, 2009
people devastated by the storm. The Province 2 gov-
ernment has taken a decision to provide Rs 300,000
in assistance to each of the families that have lost a
night, my flight from Tribhuvan
International Airport touched
down at JFK. I moved here with
life. Gradually, my wallet suf-
fered like a person with malnu-
trition, getting thinner and
wake up late, party all the time
and toss footballs around.
Pressing schedules of not just
part of human nature.
After all, you face the same
things in other countries. Suc-
A cting Prime Minister and Home Min-
ister Bam Dev Gautam today hinted
that the Unified CPNMaoist were shield-
member and bear the treatment cost of those who two colossal suitcases, a car- thinner. I longed to go home. classes and activities, but also cess is a vehicle which moves ing the killer of CPN-UML cadre Pra-
were injured in the storm. For sure, the federal gov- ry-on and a dream. We from the It’s a tough life trying to make jobs contribute to distress in a on wheels named hard work, chanda Thaiba, who was shot dead on
ernment’s assistance will be even bigger. Given the little nation frequently long for friends when there is the com- foreign student’s life. Hence, but the journey is impossible March 26 in Butwal. Gautam, emerging
gravity of the situation, it would be in everyone’s in- the city, ache for its way of life, munication barrier. each adolescent must make a without the fuel of self-confi- from the seven-party meeting at the PM’s
terest to engage in the rescue and relief operation on its phenomenal chances, its Numerous times we suffer resolution: If I am prepared to dence. Therefore, a well-deter- office in Singha Durbar, claimed that
a war footing and not politicise the issue. Nepalis and feeling of being the centre of from memories of those blissful give my sweat and blood in a mined youth plays an essential while departing for Norway the PM had
Nepali organisations abroad have already started a the world. Furthermore, society family days, days spent with foreign land, why will I not do role in adapting to and possibly ordered the arrest of the murder accused.
campaign to raise funds for the victims of the Sunday rumour, that is, an American friends and relatives. Most sig- this for Nepal? even reshaping social norms. “But his party is not translating the words
storm. At times of crisis, the common people have visa simplifies career goals, vi- nificantly, the culinary habit in Personally, I believe we can Let’s stop dreaming about of its leader into action,” he said. “My
been more than willing to help with cash and kind, so talises my expectations and ex- foreign countries is completely pave the way for a bright future America and other countries party, while being underground for 30
any assistance for their fellow countrymen at this citement by leaps and bounds. different from the place we in our own country. Never settle of Europe. Every single individ- years, never let the then administration
hour would be more than welcome. Since the de- Once I landed, there was a grew up in. for anything less than your ual must act to explore, learn, arrest me,” he said, hinting that the Mao-
struction is akin to one caused by an earthquake, the sniffer dog and warning signs Public university fees are home country! This is where appreciate, respect, give back ists were also behaving in a similar fash-
government must sooner than later initiate a recon- everywhere. People’s accent felt high, and tuition-based schools you were born, and this country and share. ion in the Butwal incident. Home Minis-
struction and rehabilitation programme so that the ter Gautam wondered how the police
poor can have a roof over their head and something could intervene in the camps and offices
to get along with their life. of a political party at a time of such his-
• BLOG SURF • CARTOON toric transition. Gautam had called the
meeting in his capacity as acting prime

Work permit resumes
A fter a hiatus of ten months, the government has
decided to issue work permits from Monday to
Malaysia-bound Nepali workers, who have already
received their calling visas. The work permits will be
issued from all the labour offices. There are around
7,000 Malaysia-bound workers, who have received
the calling visas, which means they have received
confirmation from their employers. The government
had stopped issuing work permits to the Nepali
workers after they were charged hefty fees by agents.
As per the labour pact reached between Malaysia
and Nepal in October last year, the concerned em-
ployer will bear all the expenses, including round air
ticket and health insurance, of the Malaysia-bound
workers. However, a Nepal migrant worker needs to
meet the health requirements set by Malaysia’s
health standard guideline. The new pact will save a
lot of money of the migrant workers. Malaysia is one
of the attractive labour destinations for the Nepali
workers. The Malaysia government’s effort to protect
the rights of the migrant workers is laudable. The
new provision will prevent the local agents from
fleecing additional money from the aspirant workers,
who have helped keep the national economy afloat.
Green bond minister to elicit views of the leaders on
how to clear the hurdles in running the
parliamentary proceedings put off till
RUTH HUPART
Saturday. All the leaders who attended
the meeting criticised the Maoists’ vio-
“W e need to see people cracking open
this market like IFC did in 2013,” de-
clared Sean Kidney, CEO of the Climate
lent activities and government’s ineffi-
ciency to check impunity. “We will not let
the parliament function until the govern-
Bonds Initiative (CBI). He was referring to ment acts on our nine-point charter of
IFC’s issuance of two $1 billion green bonds demands and take action against the kill-
as he set the scene for announcing CBI’s er of UML cadre Prachanda Thaiba,” said
‘Green Bond Development Bank of 2018’ Ram Chandra Paudel after the meeting.
award to IFC at a ceremony on March 5, UML deputy leader Surendra Pandey
2019. IFC was recognized for its trailblazing said the party would not call off its deci-
work as issuer, investor and technical advi- sion to not let the parliament function
sor. IFC was also recognized for its partner- until the Maoists handed over to police
ship with Amundi in creating the Amundi their cadre Sujit, who was allegedly in-
Planet Emerging Green One Fund. This is fo- volved in Thaiba’s murder.
cused on green bonds in emerging markets
and is the largest green bond fund in the
world. “IFC has been issuing green bonds
since 2010, and we helped propel the growth Judges barred from
of the market in 2013 with two $1-billion
benchmark issuances that were the largest
at the time,” said Flora Chao, Global Head of
hobnobbing with
Funding, IFC Treasury. “The Amundi Planet
Emerging Green One Fund was years in the ministers, MPs
making,” said Jean-Marie... — blog.wb.org/blogs Himalayan News Service
Kathmandu, April 1, 2009

• LETTERS T he Code of Conduct of Judges adopt-

Take action
against guilty
Apropos the new stories “CIB
probe likely to hit snag” (THT,
March 31, Page 2), “Students
demonstrate against SEE post-
ponement” (THT, March 31,
Page 3) and other similar sto-
ries, it is regrettable that the ac-
tions of a handful of individu-
als have added to the stress of
this year’s SEE exams in Prov-
ince 2, affecting as many as
70,568 students from 262 exam
centres in eight districts of the
province. Though it is not the
first time that SEE has been
rocked by allegedly leaked
question papers, the back-to-
back leaks of the SEE question
papers on the social media in
the province speak volumes
about how the haphazard
functioning of the examina-
tions and incompetence on the
part of management and secu-
rity agencies have destroyed
the young souls. The credibility
of the SEE exam system is now
largely at stake. This is a mock-
ery of our education system
that the administrators them-
selves must have been in-
volved in such anomalies since
the question papers are print-
ed, sealed and stored in secret
places, and released to the au-
thorised officials with a win-
dow of a few hours. The secrecy
and security of all the question
papers are tightly maintained
by the security agencies. They
are also responsible for provid-
ing security to all the exam
centres, students and invigila-
tors. The probe panels formed
by the government must sin-
cerely investigate the matter
without making any excuses
and take legal action against
those found guilty of leaking
the question papers. Besides,
it is disheartening to learn that
the government has post-
poned the remaining examina-
tions in the wake of the alleg-
edly repeated paper leaks in
the province, and now which
has naturally triggered agita-
tion, frustration and anxiety
among thousands of students
as they must again make an-
other strenuous preparation
for the re-examinations. The
government, at the earliest,
should announce the dates for
fresh exams, ensure no stu-
dents will be advantaged or
disadvantaged in any way, that
students get fair results for
their hard work and exam per-
formance. Furthermore, stu-
dents should feel confident
that the issue does not affect
the grade boundaries. Learn-
ing lessons from this incident,
the examination board should
make a full proof security plan
for the next year.
Som Nath Ghimire, Kawasoti
SEE exams
It is ridiculous to learn that the
SEE exams have been can-
celled. It is better to mete out
harsh punishment to the cul-
prit who was responsible for
leaking the question paper of
the SEE exams. This kind of
cheap practice will diminish
the academic credibility of our
country globally. If this kind of
practice repeats in the future,
giant media networks, such as
CNN and BBC, will find
enough ground to make a doc-
umentary on our education
system like they did a few years
ago on how Bihar’s educational
institutes were responsible for
academic fraudulence and the
like. The authorities concerned
must be serious about such
matters so as to mitigate and
control the ongoing academic
malpractices that mostly take
part in the rural parts of the
country.
Shiva Neupane, Melbourne
Letters to this column should be addressed to
Letters C/o Edit Page Editor, The Himalayan Times,
Post Box 11651, APCA House,
Baidya Khana Road, Kathmandu, Nepal
email: edit@thehimalayantimes.com,
Fax 0977-1-4771959
ed today prohibits the judges from
getting pally with ministers, members of
Parliament and the lawyers. The con-
duct, however, allows judges to get mem-
bership of any organisation if that does
not reflect badly on their integrity. It also
lets them accept a prize, award or honour
if it does not show them as biased. The
judges can also hold government job and
be a part of any inquiry commission or
probe team set up by the government.
The judges’ national conference replaced
the Judges’ Code of Conduct-1998, mak-
ing their conduct compatible with Ban-
galore Principle of Judicial Conduct. The
nine-point code ensures that the judges
work for protecting the judicial inde-
pendence and they stay away from being
involved in irregularities. The judges
have to ensure that their judgments are
not influenced by their social relations
with the members of the executive and
the legislature and the lawyers. The judg-
es have to work freely and coordinate
with fellow judges while performing duty.
They have to work for the protection and
promotion of judicial independence.
 CMYK
THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019 www.thehimalayantimes.com PAGE 7
 CMYK
PAGE 8
Malaysia drops
murder charge in
Kim Jong Nam case
Vietnamese suspect in airport murder
escapes death penalty, family relieved
Reuters
Kuala Lumpur, April 1
A Vietnamese woman accused of killing
the half-brother of North Korean leader
Kim Jong Un escaped the death penalty
today, after Malaysian prosecutors
dropped a murder charge against her.
Doan Thi Huong, 30, was offered an
alternative charge of causing harm,
which she pleaded guilty to. A judge sen-
tenced her to more than three years in
prison, though her lawyers said she
could walk free as early as next month.
Huong and an Indonesian woman,
Siti Aisyah, were charged with killing
Kim Jong Nam by smearing his face with
VX poison, a lethal chemical weapon, at
Kuala Lumpur’s main airport in Febru-
ary 2017. Siti Aisyah walked free last
month after prosecutors dropped the
charge against her.
South Korean and American officials
have said the North Korean regime had
ordered the assassination of Kim Jong
Nam, who had been critical of his fami-
ly’s dynastic rule. Pyongyang has denied
the allegation.
Malaysia had come under criticism
for charging the two women with mur-
der - which carries a mandatory death
penalty in the country - when the key
perpetrators of the attack were believed
to be still at large.
Prosecutors today offered Huong an
alternative charge of ‘causing hurt by
dangerous weapons or means’. The re-
duced charge was offered after receiving
representations from the Vietnamese
embassy and the woman’s lawyers, they
said. Judge Azmi Ariffin sentenced
Huong to three years and four months
in prison for the reduced charge, adding
that Huong was “a very, very lucky per-
son indeed.” Vietnamese officials in
court broke into applause after the rul-
ing. Wearing a red baju kurung, a tradi-
tional Malay dress, and a headscarf,
Huong stood and nodded as the judge
delivered the sentencing.
She later told reporters after the ruling
that she would like to pursue singing
and acting after she’s freed.
“I’m very happy. I want to sing and
act,” she said, beaming at reporters
gathered around her.
Before her arrest, Huong was working
at an entertainment outlet, Malaysian
police have said. A woman bearing a
close resemblance to Huong sang on the
Vietnam Idol talent show in June 2016.
Speaking from her rural family home
in the Red River delta, 130 km from Ha-
noi, Huong’s stepmother Nguyen Thi Vy
said the family was most worried about
the death penalty.
“No death penalty is good enough for
now,” said Vy, who works as a cleaner at
a local market and raises ducks and
chickens for extra income.
Huong, who has already served two
years in jail, could be released by May 4
as Malaysia allows one-third remission
off all prison sentences, her lawyer
Hisyam Teh said.
He said Huong had been “naive and
gullible” but she was not a criminal.
Some of the North Korean suspects in
the case “exploited her weaknesses... to
carry out their evil design,” he said.
Defence lawyers have maintained the
women were pawns in an assassination
orchestrated by North Korean agents.
The women said they thought they were
part of a reality prank show and did not
know they were poisoning Kim.
Four North Korean men were also
charged, but they left Malaysia hours af-
ter the murder and remain at large.
Three other North Koreans wanted for
questioning in Malaysia were sent back
to Pyongyang in a swap-deal after North
Korea refused to release Malaysian dip-
lomats trapped in their embassy in
Pyongyang if they were not returned,
along with Kim Jong Nam’s body. Malay-
sia has not re-staffed its embassy.
Kim Jong Nam was living in exile in
Macau before the killing, having fled
his homeland after his half-brother
Kim Jong Un became North Korea’s
leader in 2011.
www.thehimalayantimes.com
INTERNATIONAL
Tightrope artistes balancing on a rope in front of the Emmaus Monastery on the sidelines
of a press conference by the Czech Minister of Health, supporting people with mental
illness, in Prague, on Monday.
UK House gets new chance to offer options on Brexit
Associated Press
London, April 1
Britain’s Parliament gets an-
other chance today to offer a
way forward on Britain’s
stalled divorce from the Euro-
pean Union, holding a series
of votes on Brexit alternatives
in an attempt to find the elu-
sive idea that can command a
majority.
With just 12 days until the
UK must come up with a new
plan or crash out of the bloc,
the House of Commons was
considering a variety of alter-
natives to Prime Minister
Theresa May’s unpopular
Brexit deal. Two ideas — stay-
ing in the EU customs union
or holding a second referen-
dum on Brexit — have
emerged as the most likely
plans to succeed.
May has ruled out both
those ideas. But the divorce
deal she negotiated with the
EU has been rejected by Par-
liament three times, leaving
Britain less than two weeks
from a no-deal Brexit that
could cause turmoil for peo-
ple and businesses on both
sides of the Channel.
The chief executive of in-
dustrial manufacturer Sie-
mens UK implored British
lawmakers to unite around a
compromise Brexit deal, say-
ing the country’s political
chaos was making the UK a
“laughing stock.”
Juergen Maier urged law-
makers to keep Britain in a
customs union with the EU,
saying that would allow fric-
tionless trade to continue. In
a letter published by the Polit-
ico website, Maier said
“where the UK used to be
beacon for stability, we are
now becoming a laughing
stock.”
May’s spokesman, James
Slack, said the prime minister
understood that “business
wants certainty,” and urged
lawmakers to support May’s
thrice-rejected Brexit deal.
AFP
May could try to bring her
Brexit agreement back for a
fourth time later this week.
Slack said the prime minister
“believes there is a majority in
the House for leaving in an or-
derly way with a deal,” and
her agreement was the best
on offer. Slack rejected specu-
lation that the government
could take drastic action,
such as asking Queen Eliza-
beth II to suspend Parliament
or getting her to refuse to sign
legislation. “We don’t have
any intention of involving the
queen,” he said.
Today’s votes in Parliament
follow an earlier round last
week in which none of the
eight Brexit options on offer
secured a majority.
Staying in the EU customs
union or holding a new Brexit
referendum were on the table
today, along with other “soft
Brexit” alternatives and a call
for a no-deal Brexit in which
Britain leaves the EU without
a deal on April 12.
THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019
30 firefighters die
battling forest fire
Agence France Presse
Beijing, April 1
Thirty firefighters died af-
ter they were sent to tackle
a forest blaze in remote
mountains in southwest
China’s Sichuan province
at the weekend, authori-
ties said today.
Nearly 700 firefighters
were deployed to battle
the fire, which broke out
on Saturday on steep ter-
rain at an altitude of
around 4,000 metres in
Muli County, the ministry
of emergency manage-
ment said.
Rescuers have found
the bodies of 30 firefight-
ers earlier listed as miss-
ing, the ministry said on
its official twitter-like Wei-
bo account.
Local authorities had
The range of choices, and
lack of consensus, reflect a
Parliament and a government
deeply divided over how —
and whether — to leave the
EU. Justice Secretary David
Gauke said leaving the bloc
without a deal was “not the
responsible thing for a gov-
ernment to do.”
But his Cabinet colleague
Liz Truss said it would be bet-
ter than a soft Brexit. “I think
that we are well prepared for
no deal,” Truss, who is chief
secretary to the Treasury, told
the BBC. “I don’t have any fear
of no deal.” The divisions
within May’s government
over what to do next have left
many Britons exasperated —
including Conservative Party
lawmakers.
Chief Whip Julian Smith,
whose job is to ensure that
Conservative legislators vote
for government-backed poli-
cies, called the public Cabinet
squabbling “the “worst exam-
ple of ill-discipline in British
lost contact with 30 fire-
fighters last afternoon af-
ter a sudden change in
wind direction ignited a
“huge fireball”, the minis-
try had said in an earlier
statement.
Footage aired by state
broadcaster CCTV showed
plumes of smoke coming
from the forested, moun-
tainous region.
A separate forest fire
that lasted two days in the
northern province of
Shanxi was brought under
control today, Xinhua re-
ported.
More than 9,000 people
were evacuated from their
homes due to that blaze,
which did not cause any
casualties. Nearly 3,000
firefighters doused anoth-
er forest fire on the out-
skirts of Beijing today.
political history.”
May has less than two
weeks to bridge the hostile di-
vide that separates those in
her government who want to
sever links with the EU and
those who want to keep the
ties that have bound Britain
to the bloc for almost 50 years.
EU leaders will hold a spe-
cial summit on April 10 to
consider any request from
Britain for a longer delay to
Brexit — or to make last-min-
ute preparations for Britain’s
departure without a deal two
days later.
European Commission
chief Jean-Claude Juncker
said today that it was time for
the British Parliament to spell
out what it wanted on Brexit.
“A sphinx is an open book
in direct comparison with the
British Parliament,” he told
the Saarland state legislature
in Saarbruecken, Germany.
“We must get the sphinx to
talk now. Enough of the long
silence.”
 CMYK
THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019 www.thehimalayantimes.com PAGE 9

• BIZ BRIEFS
Indian infrastructure
NEW DELHI: India’s infrastructure
output grew at 2.1 per cent in Febru-
ary from a year earlier, government
data showed on Monday. During
April-February, the output growth
rate came in at 4.3 per cent from the
year-ago period, according to the
data. Infrastructure output, which
comprises eight sectors — such as
coal, crude oil and electricity — ac-
counts for nearly 40 per cent of India’s
industrial output. — Reuters
Euro inflation slows
BRUSSELS: Inflation in the eurozone
slowed in March, data showed on
Monday, amid worries that the Euro-
pean economy is cooling as the ef-
fects of Brexit finally take a toll. The
slowdown of inflation comes as signs
are multiplying of slower economic
growth, especially in powerhouse
Germany and the bloc’s second-big-
gest economy, France. The rise in
consumer prices was less than ana-
lyst expectations and dipped away
from the European Central Bank’s
target of close to, but just below two
per cent. Closely tracked core infla-
tion, which strips out volatile energy
prices, dropped to 0.8 per cent. — AFP
Euribor rigging case
LONDON: Two former Barclays
bankers were sentenced on Monday
to a total of nine years in jail after they
were convicted of conspiring to rig
the Euribor global interest rate
benchmark. Colin Bermingham, 62, a
British former cash market expert
and senior rate submitter, was
sentenced to five years while
Anglo-Italian Carlo Palombo, a
40-year-old former derivatives trader,
received a four-year term. Sisse
Bohart, a Danish junior Barclays
trader and submitter, 41, was acquit-
ted last week. The three had faced a
re-trial after a previous jury was last
year unable to reach a verdict. The
men were convicted by a jury at
Southwark Crown Court. — Reuters
Business
Tourism board seeks technical expertise for TSA
Himalayan News Service
Kathmandu, April 1
In order to keep authentic data
related to the tourism indus-
try, the Ministry of Culture,
Tourism and Civil Aviation
(MoCTCA) had decided to set
up the tourism satellite ac-
count (TSA) in March last year.
The TSA is a standard statisti-
cal framework and tool to
measure the economic impact
of tourism. In course of setting
up TSA, Nepal Tourism Board
(NTB) has completed all the
preparatory works till date
with help from Nepal Rastra
Bank (NRB) and Central
Bureau of Statistics (CBS).
According to Kashi Raj
Greenpeace activists displaying a giant inflated pig in a cage and banners to call on European Parliament members to
vote against livestock factory farms in front of the European Parliament, in Brussels, on Monday. The activists staged the
protest a day before the agriculture committee is set to vote on the Common Agriculture Policy and factory farms.
Bhandari, senior director of
NTB, collection of required
documents has been complet-
ed so far. “We have compiled
required data from NRB and
CBS, however the data of
domestic tourism is difficult to
compile,” he said, adding, “As
we don’t have any mechanism
to keep records of domestic
tourism it is troubling us.”
Thus, to collect data of do-
mestic tourist movement and
income a sampling method
has to be utilised, for which,
NTB has completed all pre-
paratory works. Meanwhile,
due to lack of human resourc-
es and technical expertise it
has become difficult to carry
on with other works related to
TSA, Bhandari added. “It was
not difficult to collect data of
inbound and outbound tour-
ists as we already have records
of it. But we need the data of
domestic tourists for which
we are preparing to conduct
sampling survey,” he said.
Meanwhile, the government
has sought technical assis-
tance for setting up the
account from United Nations
World Tourism Organisation
(UNWTO). “As a member of
UNWTO we have sent a letter
to the world tourism body
requesting for technical assis-
tance,” he said, “The TSA is a
highly technical and also a
new system for Nepal so we
need some experts to guide
us.” The tourism ministry has said, adding, “We will conduct
said that it has been holding field visits as soon as the tech-
frequent conversations with nical experts arrive.”
UNWTO so the experts will be According to Bhandari, data
here in Nepal within a few required for the TSA needs to
days, as per Bhandari. be derived from 17 national
Similarly, newly appointed accounts of the country that
Tourism Secretary Mohan deal with various sectors like
Krishna Sapkota has called a agriculture, health, hotels and
meeting to have discussions restaurants, and transporta-
about TSA. Prior to this, a tion, among others. No coun-
committee led by the former try has an account called tour-
tourism secretary Krishna ism account among its nation-
Prasad Devkota had been al accounts. Hence, the tour-
formed for the purpose. Al- ism data has to be collected
though the late tourism minis- from those national accounts.
ter Rabindra Adhikari had de- Likewise, NTB also needs
clared to complete the works human resources to conduct
of TSA within a year it is likely survey. “Now we have to dele-
to take at least two years to gate human resources to col-
complete the work, Bhandari lect data and government has
Migrants can now lodge
complaints from abroad
Himalayan News Service
Kathmandu, April 1
With an aim to instantly address
the issues related to migrant
workers based in various
countries, the government has
established a call centre in
Kathmandu. The centre under
the Ministry of Labour, Employ-
ment and Social Security will be
well equipped with modern tele-
communication technologies.
Speaking at a programme to
launch the centre today, Minis-
ter for Labour, Employment and
Social Security Gokarna Bista,
stated that the centre will also
facilitate workers who need
AFP
immediate help during the
initial process when they are
applying for foreign jobs. “The
centre will deal with queries and
complaints and provide sugges-
tions to workers both in Nepal
to set up tourist information
centres in the border areas to
collect data of tourist arrivals
through land route,” he added.
The TSA compiles data of
all inbound, outbound and
domestic tourism. Likewise, it
will measure contribution of
tourism industry to national
G D P, t o u r i s m’s ra n k i n g
compared to other economic
sectors, number of jobs creat-
ed by the sector, the amount of
investment in the industry, tax
revenue generated by tourism
industry, tourism consump-
tion, tourism’s impact on
Nepal’s balance of payments,
among others.
The NTB has allocated
Rs eight million for TSA.
tions including email, Messen-
ger, Viber and Imo, according to
the ministry. They can access the
service at +97715970008. Like-
wise, workers within Nepal can
dial 1141 or toll free number
16600150005 to avail the service.
As per Minister Bista, the
centre will coordinate and help
resolve problems related to
instances when migrant workers
are stranded in the labour desti-
nation or when they die in the
workplace. The centre will also
provide assistance to workers
who have been jailed on fake
charges. Bista also mentioned
that workers who are employed
in countries that the govern-
ment has restricted for foreign
employment will also be able to
file complaints at the call centre.
The ministry said that at pres-
ent Nepal Telecom users will be
able to connect and access the

J&J baby shampoo

NEW DELHI: Johnson & Johnson’s
baby shampoo samples failed quality
tests conducted by the northwestern
Indian state of Rajasthan, according
to a public notice from the state’s
drugs watchdog, findings that were
rejected by the US drugmaker.
The Rajasthan Drugs Control
Organisation’s notice dated March 5
said that the samples of J&J’s baby
shampoo taken from two batches
had failed the quality test as they
contained ‘harmful ingredients’. It
did not elaborate. — Reuters
AFP
A Todan employee checking a
calendar bearing Japan’s next
imperial era name ‘Reiwa’ at a
factory, in Ibaraki, on Monday.
92,376 aspirants apply for Korean jobs and in destination countries.”
The centre will coordinate and
help resolve any complaint that
has been lodged at the Depart-
service of the centre for free and
users of Ncell and other carriers
will also soon be provided free
services. The centre will be open
Himalayan News Service ment had agreed to hire 10,050 Nepali selected to go to Korea for work under the ment of Foreign Employment, every day for 13 hours from 7am.
Kathmandu, April 1 migrant workers in 2020 under the EPS. EPS system can work there for four years Foreign Employment Promotion Earlier, the government had
As per Bhandari, 3,000 Nepali workers and 10 months. They can also take their Board, Prime Minister Employ- established a help desk at
A total of 92,376 aspirants have filed will be selected to go to Korea in the family members once during the period. ment Programme or the Social the Department of Foreign
their applications to attend the agriculture sector and 7,050 workers will The applicants who pass the language Security Fund. Employment to support Nepali
Korean language test this year. As of be employed in the manufacturing and test go through the second round of skills Wo r k e r s c a n f i l e t h e i r migrant workers in foreign
Sunday night (March 31) — final production sectors. and capacity assessment, before being complaints via telephone or destinations. However, it was
date to submit applications — 63,487 Bhandari added that Nepali youths selected to go to Korea for work. internet-based communica- largely ineffective.
aspirants have applied for jobs in the
production sector and 28,889 in the
agriculture sector, according to the
Employment Permit System (EPS)
Korea Section under the Department
of Foreign Employment.
In 2018, a total of 82,264 had
registered themselves for the
language test. Similarly, 68,383
people had applied for the test in
2017 and 60,626 in 2016.
As per Deputy Director of EPS
Section Sovakar Bhandari, aspirants
who have submitted documents that
are not as per the specifications like
improper size of photos and unclear
copies of passports will be allowed
to submit fresh documents till
April 5. Likewise, applicants will also
be allowed to make corrections if
their names have been spelt incor-
rectly or their date of birth has been
mentioned incorrectly. However, the
section will not entertain any new
applications.
The language test this year will be
conducted in the first week of June.
Earlier, the South Korean govern-

Storm affects electricity supply

Himalayan News Service
Kathmandu, April 1
Due to the heavy wind-
storm and lightening in the
Tarai region on Sunday
night, the electricity supply
in Bara and Parsa districts
has been heavily affected.
The storm had led to
power outage last night.
However, internet services
have partially resumed in
the affected districts.
According to Nepal Elec-
tricity Authority (NEA), the
transmission and distribu-
tion lines in Feta, Prasaun-
ni, Mahagadhimai and
Subarna Bhawanipur vil-
lage municipalities of Bara
and Parsa have been totally
affected while the Birgunj
sub-metropolitan city has
been partially affected.
“We are trying to resume
electricity supply in areas
where it is possible,” said
Prabal Adhikari, spokes-
person for NEA.
According to him, the
132 kVA Raxaul-Parwani-
pur transmission line that
transmits 50 megawatts of
electricity from India for
the Birgunj-Pathlaiya in-
dustrial corridor has been
totally affected and it has
been shut down. Likewise,
the 33 kVA Raxaul-Birgunj
transmission line has also
been affected.
Moreover, the 66 kVA
double circuit Parwani-
pur-Birgunj transmission
line and the 33 kVA
Birgunj-Kalaiya line have
also been totally affected
and shut down.
As per NEA, around
2,000 electricity poles
under the Kalaiya Power
Distribution Centre were
uprooted and hundreds of
electricity transformers
and also electricity cables
were damaged.
However, Kalaiya distri-
bution centre has been
charged through the Chan-
dranigahapur distribution
centre and power is being
supplied in possible areas.
According to NEA’s
initial findings, it has suf-
fered losses of over Rs 150
million to its property and
more than 3,000 house-
holds and industries have
been directly affected.
Adhikari further said
that the power utility is
committed to resolving the
problem as soon as possi-
ble. He said that NEA has
a l re a d y d e p l oye d i t s
h u m a n re s o u rc e s t o
rebuild the transmission
lines, distribution centres
and electricity cables in the
affected areas.
 CMYK
PAGE 10 www.thehimalayantimes.com THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019

BUSINESS
In a bid to ease the and they rank countries in six
process of attracting
foreign investment to
bridge the funding and
Nepal lags behind indicators. We also look into ease of
doing business but this does not
enter directly into our rating process
as ease of doing business is more a
qualitative factor. On public financ-

investment gap, the

government is
in structural and es, Nepal has a low public debt ratio
compared to other countries. At this
moment Nepal’s fiscal deficit and its
current account deficit are relatively
higher compared to other countries.
preparing to rope in
renowned internation-
al rating agencies to
governance If you look at countries like Vietnam,
they have been very successful in
their economic progress. Many
external factors are in direct control
of policy makers. Likewise, political
confirm the country’s
sovereign credit rating,
which will determine
indicators despite stability is vital as it creates a foun-
dation for macroeconomic stability.

So, is it an appropriate time

the risk of doing
business in Nepal. As
being good on
such rating reflects the
confidence of the
country’s business
macroeconomic front
environment, it is How do you find the business
crucial for a country environment in Nepal?
to have such rating, This is my second visit to Nepal. I
experts say. was here a year back to attend the
Blended Finance Conference and
Sujan Dhungana of this time I was interested to see what
the mood on the ground was in Ne-
The Himalayan Times pal, especially in terms of political
stability and other business-related
caught up with issues. I am encouraged to see the
Stephen Schwartz, increased enthusiasm among inves-
tors in the country. Political stability
head of Sovereign and macroeconomic stability are as-
Ratings Asia Pacific of
pects that should not be taken for
granted as they are vital for econom-
ic growth. I found that people were
Fitch Ratings, a global- ‘positive’ about improvement. A re-
cent report of the International
ly renowned credit Monetary Fund flagged the growing
state of Nepal’s economy. However,
rating agency, to know the report also carries some macroe-
about such credit conomic challenges. The IMF has
flagged the growing fiscal deficit of
ratings, its usages and the country but it is manageable. All
these are issues of macroeconomic
Nepal’s readiness for it. management that any fast growing
economy will face. So, it requires
Schwartz was here in careful monitoring from the regula-
tory agencies and the government.
Nepal to participate in Thus, Nepal is creating a buzz
the two-day Nepal among business communities
across the world.
Investment Summit,
What is the impact of not hav-
ing such a rating for a nation?
Sovereign rating is the assessment
of the credit worthiness of a govern-
ment and country to issue debts. Ne-
pal is not yet in the stage of issuing
its own bonds in the international
market. Developing countries have
access to concessional financing
from multilateral vendors. These
countries still do not have a strong
presence in the international bond
market. Nevertheless, sovereign rat-
ing is sometimes used by a country
to attract foreign investors by giving
investors a benchmark of how the
country’s credit worthiness com-
pares with other peer countries.
When countries are looking to invest
in other low-income nations they
want to know about the credit wor-
thiness of the concerned country.
This is where credit rating could be
useful but Nepal is not yet there.
Once Nepal is ready for conducting
the sovereign credit rating, credit
rating agencies like us will be ready
to provide a framework for assessing
the four pillars that we look at —
macroeconomic performance, pub-
lic finances, external finances and
structural factor.
• RENDEZVOUS
not done their sovereign
rating are initially reluctant to
carry out such ratings. Can
you share your experience on
why countries are reluctant to
have sovereign credit rating?
It is a mixed experience as not
every country is reluctant towards
going through sovereign rating. A
few years ago we had done the
sovereign credit rating of the Mal-
dives along with Uzbekistan, which
are developing countries and also
landlocked like Nepal and shares
economic features similar to Nepal.
But it is true that not every country is
ready for sovereign credit rating.
Naturally, a government wants to
know what its rating level would be
and we also encourage countries not
to rush into the credit rating process
and go for it only once they are ready.
This is because once a country gets a
rating they want to not only main-
tain the rating but want the rating
level to go up over time along with
growth in per capita income and as
the country becomes financially
stronger. Countries are reluctant
towards sovereign credit rating be-
THT
about budget policies. Investors like
to see credit rating because it is a
symbol of transparency and a gov-
ernment’s readiness and confidence
towards welcoming foreign invest-
ments and businesses.
You just mentioned about the
four matrices that Fitch
depends on while rating
countries. Can you say where
Nepal stands based on
these matrices?
We have not done any evaluation
of Nepal and are currently relying on
reports from third parties like IMF
and the World Bank. Fitch does not
have its own independent view on
Nepal’s position in the aforemen-
tioned four matrices for credit rat-
ing. But the recent assessment of the
World Bank, IMF and others and
from my two-day experience at the
Nepal Investment Summit, Nepal is
comparing relatively well with its
peers on macroeconomic indicators
like growth and inflation. Where Ne-
pal lags behind is in structural indi-
cators, meaning low level of per cap-
ita income, which will take a very
for Nepal to carry out a
sovereign country rating?
This is completely related to the
government. If it expresses its inter-
est, we are ready to engage in discus-
sion on how we do ratings and the
timeline. However, the government
should understand what is required
to go for sovereign credit rating
before actually going for it. Nepal
does not need to issue bonds in the
international market. From this
sense, such ratings will help Nepal to
draw foreign investment in the
future. While I mentioned that a
country should not rush for sover-
eign credit rating, I meant that a gov-
ernment needs to be confident that
it has data and information to share
with the outside world. Similarly, the
government should be ideally confi-
dent on maintaining the ratings.
As the government is wit-
nessing some pressure in the
external sector position lately,
how do you think can Nepal
balance the high-growth
trajectory and pressure?
If the government wants to see
economic growth at the pace that
it is aiming, it needs to work on sup-
ply-side constraints. When growth is
high, imports go up creating pres-
sure on the external sector. The gov-
ernment needs to find a sustainable
financing source. One of the healthy
elements of financing the current

which concluded on Nepal still does not have a Many countries, particularly cause they are not ready to enter into
this process. Sovereign credit
long time for Nepal to improve. Sim-
ilarly, Nepal also lags behind in gov-
account is foreign direct investment.
Instead of relying on short-term
March 30. Excerpts: sovereign country rating. developing ones, that have requires providing data, engaging in ernance indicators. We use the money flow, it is important for Nepal
dialogue and providing information World Bank’s governance indicator to draw investments.
 CMYK
THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019 www.thehimalayantimes.com PAGE 11

Sports
• TIME OUT
U-16 National Cricket
Reds beat Spurs, Special taekwondo training begins
Himalayan News Service

regain top spot

KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Youth
and Sports is organising the U-16 Na-
tional Cricket Tournament at the TU
Stadium from Tuesday. A total of sev-
en teams — one each from seven
provinces — are taking part in the
tournament which also serves as the
selection for the ACC U-16 Eastern
Region Tournament, informed the
organisers at a press meet on Mon-
day. The teams have been divided
into two pools and top two each from
both groups will make it to the
semi-finals. The winners and run-
ners-up will receive cricket kits worth
Rs 150,000 and Rs 75,000 respectively.
“We will select 25 players for the ACC
tournament in the first phase and will
trim that to final 14 in due course,”
said national team head coach Jagat
Tamatta. Madan Bhandari Sports
Academy will look after the manage-
ment aspect of the tournament
which is being held in coordination
with National Sports Council. — HNS
Basketball League
KATHMANDU: Play for Deprived
Children Nepal (PDCN) is organising
the second edition of the Nepal Bas-
ketball League from April 20. A total
of eight teams will take part in the
league which will run for 55 days,
making it the biggest and longest
basketball tournament of the coun-
try. The participating teams — Gold-
en Gate International Club, Tribhu-
van Army Club, Nepal Police Club,
Budhanilkantha Municipality, Royal
Basketball Club, Kirtipur Basketball
Club, Times International Club and
South Siders — will play against each
other in home-and-away format, in-
formed the organisers at a press meet
on Monday. After the double-leg
round robin league, top four teams
will make it to the playoffs. Top two
teams will receive Rs 200,000 and
Rs 100,000 respectively. — HNS
Agence France Presse
Liverpool, April 1
Liverpool moved back top of the
Premier League in dramatic
fashion as Toby Alderweireld’s
last minute own goal beat
Tottenham 2-1 at Anfield
on Sunday.
Jurgen Klopp’s side move two
points clear of Manchester City
once more at the top of the table,
but still need City to slip up in
their remaining seven games as
the champions have a game in
hand. Liverpool’s hopes of end-
ing a 29-year wait to win the title
looked set to be dealt a massive
blow as Lucas Moura’s strike 20
minutes from time cancelled out
Roberto Firmino’s early opener.
However, Hugo Lloris could
only palm Mohamed Salah’s
header into the path of the un-
fortunate Alderweireld to con-
demn Tottenham to a fourth de-
feat in five Premier League
games. “It is only positive,” said
Klopp. “I said there are 500 ways
to win a football game and today
was slightly ugly. Who cares?”
Spurs are now in serious dan-
ger of crashing out of the top
four as they remain level on
points with Manchester United
and could be usurped by north
London rivals Arsenal into
third should the Gunners beat
Newcastle.
And the visitors will be left to
regret Moussa Sissoko missing a
huge chance to inflict Liver-
pool’s first home league defeat in
nearly two years five minutes
from time. Instead, Mauricio
Pochettino’s men remain with-
out a Premier League win since
February 10.
“We were a little bit unlucky to
concede the second goal when
we should have been ahead be-
cause we dominated Liverpool,
who are a very good team,” said
Pochettino. “I was telling the
players in the changing room
we have seven games and we
are in top four and we need to
compete. It’s a mini-league
and, playing the way we played
today, I think we can achieve the
top four.”
Spurs started brightly, but
conceded with Liverpool’s first
significant attack when Firmino
headed home the opener on 16
minutes from a delightful Andy
Robertson cross. That was Rob-
ertson’s 12th assist of the season
from left-back and the Scotland
captain was involved again in a
flowing move moments later as
he forged down the left and neat
t o u c h e s f r o m Sa l a h a n d
Georginio Wijnaldum teed up
Sadio Mane to curl just wide.
Liverpool were thankful again
to Robertson at the other end as
he made a vital block to prevent
Christian Eriksen firing home on
the rebound after Alisson Becker
was forced into his first save of
the afternoon by Harry Kane.
When these two sides met at An-
field last season, Salah scored
one his many goal of the season
candidates amidst an incredible
44-goal campaign.
The Egyptian still has a re-
spectable 20 this season, but
only one of those has come in
the last 11 games and he passed
up a great chance to give Liver-
pool some breathing space
when his shot was blocked by Al-
derweireld with Mane better
placed and begging for a pass.
That missed opportunity looked
costly as Tottenham struck back.
Kane’s quick thinking and excel-
lent long-range pass picked out
Kieran Trippier, who fed Eriksen
and his scuffed shot fell perfectly
for Moura to turn home.
As Liverpool surged forward
in search of a winner, Spurs
could have picked them off as
Sissoko blazed over with just
Alisson to beat before Alli
clipped a shot inches wide. In-
stead, there was delirium in
front of the Kop end when Lloris
parried Salah’s header into Al-
derweireld and the ball rico-
cheted over the line to breathe
fresh life into Liverpool’s title
challenge.
Lalitpur, April 1
The five-day special taek-
wondo training, organised
by Nepal Taekwondo Associ-
ation under the auspices of
UK Sports, began here at the
Taekwondo Academy on
Monday.
A total of 50 participants
from seven provinces, three
departmental teams and
para-taekwondo are taking
part in the training which is
being conducted by coaches
and athletes from United
Kingdom.
Earlier, President of Nepal
Olympic Committee Jeevan
Ram Shrestha inaugurated
the training. UK Sports Presi-
dent and five-time Olympic
medallist Dame Katherine
Grainger was also present on
the occasion.
Meanwhile, British Em-
bassy in Kathmandu organ-
ised a reception in honour of
the members of the Great
UK Sports President and five-time Olympic Games medallist Dame Katherine Grainger
Britain team led by Grainger.
(left) and British Ambassador to Nepal Richard C Morris taking part in a wheelchair
The event involved a demon-
basketball game with para-taekwondo players of Nepal, during a programme in
stration from the Nepal Taek-
wondo Association with Kathmandu on Monday.
whom UK Sport has a part-
nership. British Ambassador “It is an honour to host the sion,” said Ambassador ment,” he added.
Richard C Morr is and first British woman to win Morris. “Sport is a fantastic The Nepal Taekwondo As-
Grainger also took part in a medals at five successive way for young people to sociation had organised a fe-
wheelchair basketball game Olympic Games, Dame Kath- learn about respecting licitation programme for the
with para-taekwondo play- erine Grainger, at an event to others, embracing diversity UK Sports officials and ath-
ers of Nepal. celebrate sport and inclu- and the power of commit- letes on Sunday.
Australia seal ODI series whitewash against Pak
Agence France Presse nal one-day international Maxwell to post 327-7 in 50 eighth consecutive one-day
Dubai, April 1 despite a brilliant hundred overs before Pakistan man- international win after win-
from Haris Sohail in Dubai aged 307-7 despite Haris So- ning the last three matches in
World champions Australia on Sunday. hail’s 130. For Pakistan Us- a 3-2 series win in India. It
completed a 5-0 whitewash Australia rode on a solid 98 man Shinwari took four gives them a sixth successive
over Pakistan with a clinical by Usman Khawaja and a wickets and Junaid Khan series win over Pakistan
20-run win in the fifth and fi- brisk 33-ball 70 by Glenn three. This is Australia’s since losing in 2002.

AFP
Real Madrid's Karim Benzema (centre) celebrates with
teammates after scoring a goal against SD Huesca during their La
Liga match in Madrid on Sunday.
Persistent Kings
defeat Royals
Agencies
Chennai, April 1
Chennai Super Kings registered their third
consecutive victory in the ongoing 12th edi-
tion of Indian Premier League (IPL) as they
thrashed Rajasthan Royals by eight runs here
on Sunday.
Chasing a total of 176, Rajasthan had a sub-
standard beginning as they gave away three
wickets swiftly on just 14 runs.
Steve Smith and Rahul Tripathi then pro-
vided succour to Rajasthan by forming a 61-
run partnership giving the host a bit of relief
after a puny start. Both the players later be-

Benzema saves Real came victims of Imran Tahir. Ben Stokes and
Krishnappa Gowtham then came out to bat
but Gowtham too was sent back to the pavil-
ion quickly, bringing Jofra Archer to the field.

blushes with late winner

Agence France Presse
Madrid, April 1
Karim Benzema stopped Real
Madrid’s underwhelming La Liga
season going from bad to worse
on Sunday after firing a last-min-
ute winner to hand the European
champions a barely-deserved
3-2 winner over bottom club
Huesca.
Humbled by Ajax in the Cham-
pions League and dumped out of
the Copa Del Rey by deadly rivals
Barca, third-placed Real showed
little signs of improvement in
Zinedine Zidane’s second game
in charge but Benzema, subject
to rumours he may leave Madrid
in the summer for Manchester
United, struck with a fine curling
finish the to snatch the three
points at a sparsely populated
Santiago Bernabeu.
Real move to within two points
of second-placed Atletico Ma-
drid, who hammered Champi-
ons League hopefuls Alaves 4-0
on Saturday in a match that saw
Diego Costa score for the first
time since November.
However Real still lag 12 points
behind leaders Barcelona, who
are 10 clear of Atletico and heavy
favourites to retain their La Liga
after Lionel Messi fired them to
their sixth league win on the
bounce, 2-0 at home to local ri-
vals Espanyol on Saturday, with a
brace that took the Argentine to
31 league goals this season.
Earlier Valencia maintained
their hopes of a place in next sea-
son’s Champions League after
Daniel Parejo’s penalty on the
stroke of half-time gave them a
vital 1-0 victory at Sevilla.
Parejo’s spot-kick, which came
after Ever Banega brought down
Jose Gaya, extended Valencia’s
unbeaten run to nine matches
and moves them up to sixth, level
on 43 points with Sevilla and just
three back from the final Cham-
pions League spot. That place is
occupied by Getafe, who fell 2-0
at home to mid-table Leganes on
Saturday and have to play the
league’s top three and Sevilla in
their final nine games.
Despite a slightly simpler
league fixture list Marcelino’s Va-
lencia however have an all-Span-
ish Europa League quarter-final
tie with Villarreal to contend
with, as well as the Copa Del Rey
final against Barcelona between
now and the end of the season.
Bravo bowled a stunning spell restricting the
hosts to 167 runs helping his side win the
match by eight runs.
Earlier, Rajasthan won the toss and decided
to bowl first. Chennai came to bat but espied
a very quick blow in the name of Ambati
Rayudu. Suresh Raina, then joined Shane
Watson but not for long as Watson too was
sent back to the pavilion by Ben Stokes.
Kedar Jadhav came out to bat but was im-
mediately dismissed by Dhawal Kulkarni.
Then Chennai’s skipper MS Dhoni formed a
decent partnership with Raina and both add-
ed 61 runs to the scoreboard before Jaydev
Unadkat dismissed Raina.
Dhoni remained constant on the on-end
and then formed a partnership with Dwayne
Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja of 56 and 31 runs
respectively. Dhoni smashed three sixes off
last three deliveries of the innings and scored
75 runs off just 46 balls helping his team post
a target of 176 for the visitors.
Rajasthan will now host Royal Challengers
Bangalore on April 2 while Chennai will be
hosted by Mumbai Indians on April 3.
Scott to replace Ngidi
NEW DELHI: New Zealand paceman Scott
Kuggeleijn will replace injured South African
Lungi Ngidi at Chennai Super Kings for the
rest of the IPL season, the franchise an-
nounced on Sunday. Kuggeleijn, a bowling
all-rounder who has played two one-day in-
ternationals and four T20s for the Kiwis so far,
is set to make his maiden appearance in the
world’s most popular T20 league. —AFP
 CMYK
PAGE 12 www.thehimalayantimes.com THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019

SCHOOL TIMES
He who laughs last
didn’t get the joke
— Charles de Gaulle

Informative food project Pros and cons of Internet tating the need to travel.
On the other hand, the In-
ternet has a considerable
measure of disadvantages. with Anu Garg
First and foremost, it has
brought with a new way of
criminal activities popularly erose
known as cyber crime. Another
most common problem of In- PRONUNCIATION:
ternet is its addiction. This ad- (i-ROS)
diction can be so great that peo-
ple become preoccupied with MEANING:
it, risking their responsibilities adjective: Irregularly notched
in real life. The Internet has led or jagged.
to moral decay among the
young generation by portraying ETYMOLOGY:
instances of nudity and por- From Latin erosus, past participle of
nography, drug abuse and pros- erodere (to gnaw off), from ex- (off) +
udemy.com
titution. Since, the youth spend rodere (to gnaw). Earliest document-

Photos: Courtesy Sampada Kafle
school canteen where our par-
ents were also invited. They
became so happy when they
saw us preparing delicious
Khajur, and enjoyed eating it.
They also made Aalu Paratha
and Yomari following the in-
structions provided to them by
our school.
During this project, we also
got an opportunity to know
about breakfast, lunch and
dinner of different countries.
We shared our project with
partner school — Army Public
School, Pakistan, and realised
both countries eat similar
types of foods for breakfast,
I
nternet has undoubtedly
become a huge part of our
lives. It is more popular to-
day than it was years ago. It
has been perhaps the most out-
standing innovation in the field
of communication. It is a pool
of information wherein you can
find information on any topic.
Apart from being a major
source of knowledge and infor-
mation, the utility of Internet in
the field of entertainment can-
not be undermined. One may
decide either to play an online
game or to join a chat room.
Festival of
T h e In t e r n e t h a s a l s o
changed the manner in which
business activities are carried
out. Nowadays, online banking
is practically the name. Prior to
online banking, you would have
to drive to your local bank and
wait in line for the teller to have
your transactions completed. It
has eased communication
across long distances. With the
aid of electronic mail, instant
messaging apps and social me-
dia networks, we can easily
communicate with people far
away from us without necessi-
lots of time on the Internet, they
quickly fall prey to these vices
either knowingly or unknow-
ingly out of peer pressure.
Presenting the cons of Inter-
net I’m not saying that
we should go back to how
things were before the Internet.
Absolutely not!
The Internet offers great op-
portunities. Its pros and cons
show us that connectivity is ei-
ther good or bad depending on
how it is used.
— Shibalika Sapkota,
Class X, GEMS
ed use: 1793.
USAGE:
“He looked to the west, a horizon as
defined as the erose scars left by the
shark.” — Rich Jackson; Guiding
Daniel; Xlibris; 2012
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
A musician must make music, an art-
ist must paint, a poet must write, if he
is to be ultimately at peace with him-
self. What one can be, one must be.
— Abraham Maslow, psychologist
(April 1, 1908-1970)
the other. And describes the im-
portance of time, patience, team-

M
y school conducts ed them on display board. As lunch and dinner. work, determination, energy,
various projects our chart paper work started, I came to know that friends self-confidence and passion. It is a
every year. Among
those projects In-
ternational School Award (ISA)
is one of them. As I am study-
we made charts of breakfast,
lunch, dinner, healthy food
plate and healthy food tree.
Due to this project, I have
from Pakistan don’t eat pork
and also let them know that we
don’t eat beef.
I enjoyed a lot while doing
the world digitalmarket.asia
festival which defines the real
meaning of hard work and cour-
age. It also develops cooperation,
mutual understanding, friendship

ing in Class II, the project as-
signed to us is ‘Healthy Food
For Wealthy Mind’.
This project is based on Sci-
ence and Social Studies les-
sons. In this project, we have
done various activities. Firstly,
we watched a video about
sources of food. After that we
collected different pictures of
food items, coloured and past-
changed my habit. Before, I
used to ignore eating vegeta-
bles but now I eat green vege-
tables, pulses, fruits and so on.
The best part of this project
was making Khajur — a type of
Afghani food. The idea was
shared by our partner school
— Sultan Gheyasuddin High
School, Afghanistan.
We prepared Khajur at our
F
this project. I learnt more IFA World Cup is a festival
about junk food, healthy that occurs once in four
eating habits, sources of years where there is no
food like foods from animals, specific religion or cul-
foods from plants et cetera. ture. Hindus, Muslims, Christians,
I also developed my leadership or any persons from any other reli-
skills as I am a key student gion, everyone celebrates this fes-
of this project. tival which brings excitement in
— Sampada Kafle, them. People across the globe
Class II, Reliance unite for the football’s world cup,
International Academy and cheer for their respective
country. A festival which is cele-
brated in America is also celebrat-
ed in Nepal and everywhere.
This is the festival where there
are no bounds or limits, where im-
possible things turn to be possi-
ble. People gather together put-
ting on jerseys of different colours
and share their feelings through
the game. It is a festival which
brings everyone together, even an
enemy becomes a friend.
It takes place in a particular
place but brings excitement
everywhere. A festival for which
people sacrifice their precious
time — whether a person has a job
interview or he is sick, he never
lets go of the chance to enjoy the
festival, even for a second.
But it is also a festival that brings
happiness to one and sadness to
and brotherhood, and is full of en-
ergy. There are no regrets and dis-
satisfaction among the people.
While people unite for it, it is
also a festival full of rivalries and
challenges where every moment
and every second matters. A festi-
val for all of us which we cheer and
wait for — the FIFA World Cup.
— Navodit Bhujel,
Class IX, Budhanilkantha School

Ways to manage stress in teens

share your secrets with people oth-
er than your best friends. Note that
your best friends ‘must’ be of dif-
ferent ages. By doing this, you’ll get
solutions to your problems from
different points of view. Looking at
things from different points of view
is very important to avoid prob-
lems in teenage.
Parents and teachers: Parents
and teachers are always a cause of
stress to teenagers though consid-
ered important agents of socialisa-
tion. Teenagers think that being at
Harshit Chhetri, Class II, Ujjwal Tara School Aaryan Karki, Class V, Little Angels’ School
a distance from parents and teach-
ers is the best way to minimise
stress. But, that is totally a wrong
perception. This will rather in-
crease our stress. Instead, we
should try to become close to our
thehindu.com
parents and teachers. Doing this,

T
eenage is that period of life
when a person faces social,
emotional, physical and educa-
tional stress. Being a teenager,
one has to tackle a series of tasks.
Though unavoidable, one can handle
them best through small efforts. A teen-
ager has to deal with many things every-
day — studies, homework, teachers,
parents, aim or ambitions, feelings, rep-
utation, love, society, belongings, clean-
liness, et cetera. To minimise stress,
teenagers can make the following efforts
in different areas:
Studies: We may feel that studying is a
compulsion for teens like us. Now we
cannot say “I don’t want to continue my
studies”, at least if we have any aim in
life. No one can. Just by giving a bit more
interest to studies, we can throw all our
stress away. Plus, homework, in my re-
gard, is very important in primary level.
But, as we move to higher classes, pre-
paring notes is better.
Friends: Teenagers often don’t know
what type of relation they must have
with their friends for avoiding troubles. I
categorise friends into ‘best friends’ and
‘just friends’. Best friends need to be of
different ages, as you require them for
your stress management. Best friends
are those with whom you can share all
your secrets, who know all your bad
faces and still accept you.
But, ‘just friend’ is just a friend. Never
they will start understanding us
and may support us in times when
we are in need.
Aim: In our teenage years, aims
keep changing. We are fascinated
by each and every profession. So, it
is very important to fix our aim. If
we are sure what we are going to
do in the future, it gives us encour-
agement to continue our works.
If we aim high, our aim pushes us
to work hard. So, we ‘must’ have
a great aim.
Positivity, tolerance and reputa-
tion: Handling stress in our teen-
age years is possible through posi-
tivity and tolerance. We face trou-
bles when we react and make deci-
Monika Magar, Class VI, Toran School Adhishree Rana, Class II, DPS School
sions too fast. If we respond to
problems calmly, a better solution
is identified. So, we must be posi-
tive and tolerate situations. In ad-
dition, we must not be over con-
scious of our reputation.
Sex: One of the main things that
teens are not able to share and get
stressed out of is related to sex.
Teens often think: “What if I’m
caught having sexual feelings?”
But, we need not worry about it. It
happens to everyone. Still, we shall
try to avoid them. Trying to go to
higher levels of sexual satisfaction
at this age may turn to be the big-
gest mistake in life. Watching filthy
videos is never a solution for this.
Being yourself: Share all your

Darticles,
O Sessays,
ENDartwork,
YOUpoemsR feelings with yourself. Accept all
your shortcomings in front of
yourself. Say, ‘Yes! I am what I am’.
And, try improving yourself. Be
to school@thehimalayantimes.com sure if what you are doing is actual-
or to Features, The Himalayan Times, ly what you want or not.
Anamnagar, Kathmandu, Nepal Aasrav Shrestha, Class III, GEMS Divyesh Sarawgi, Class V, Kaasthamandap Vidhyalaya
— Prabhakar Chalise, Class X,
Sainik Awasiya Mahavidyalaya
 CMYK
THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019 www.thehimalayantimes.com PAGE 13

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: This year, you head in a new direction, which,

to some people, might seem out of character. You express your
more secure, risk-taking personality. If single, you have your
choice: play the field or fall madly in love. If attached, you share a
deep friendship and love with your sweetie that deepens further
still. Be careful with AQUARIUS’ advice, especially about love.
A baby born today has a Sun in Aries and a Moon in Aquarius

ARIES (March 21-April 19): A more restrained

approach works better than impulsiveness.
Variety
Allow yourself to dream and consider your options.
Test out how challenging it could be to enact one of
your ideas. You might be surprised by what occurs.
Tonight: Vanish. ✹✹✹
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Be more direct in how you
Interpreting that itch
Y
deal with a friend. The end results will get better once ou might have an
you get over a hurdle. You will have an opportunity to itch that must be
succeed at that point. A friend inspires you to take a scratched. Or a
risk. Be careful. You might not be ready. Tonight: Hook tickle on your
up with friends. ✹✹✹✹ back that you
cannot reach. It’s often hard
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Take the lead in a project.
to pin down just what’s
Discover what suits your and others’ needs. You will
have far more support, increasing the likelihood of
causing it. It may be as sim-
success. Tap into your imagination to find the right ple as the clothes you wear.
answers. Tonight: A must appearance. ✹✹✹✹ But it can also be a symp-
tom of something more se-
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Allow a partner or dear rious, like an illness.
friend to take the lead. This person actually will land Start with the simplest
better than you. He or she is simply luckier than you solutions. Try a different
at this time. Rather, look at the long-term projection. fabric, take care of your skin,
Tonight: Be open to a suggestion that stems and avoid anything that also a cause of itchiness —
from caring. ✹✹✹✹ seems to trigger the itch. If one that may seem at first to
that doesn’t help, ask your be due to exposure to water.
LEO (July 23-Aug 22): If you can dream it, you can
make it happen. Tap into the power of your dreams doctor. Here are some rea-
through a partner or loved one. You will learn how to sons you may be feeling
itchy, even when there is no
cdn.orkin.com / mediaself.com / miamiherald.com
Dry skin
manifest that special thought. You discover suddenly
how verbal you can be, especially with the support of rash present. pruritus, is associated with drug. Speak with your doctor If you skin is dry, it will let
others. Tonight: Feel free to share. ✹✹✹ exposure to water of any if the onset of your itchiness you know with an itch. It can

VIRGO (Aug 23-Sept 22): Create more of what you

Exposures and
desire from a situation than you have in the past.
Flow with the moment. Others seem to be full of
reactions
ideas and suggestions. You might be full of dreams Allergens and irritants
and ideas. Think before you leap into action. Tonight: can produce itchiness with
Listen to suggestions. ✹✹✹✹✹ or without a rash, and
LIBRA (Sept 23-Oct 22): Make a project easy. The re- sometimes itchiness can
precede the development of
sponse you receive could be overwhelmingly posi-
tive. You can slowly add more information or details. a rash. Irritants such as a
More will be understood and accepted if you new soap, or a new perfume
approach others systematically. Tonight: If you want, or cologne may be to blame,
working late. ✹✹✹ and irritants often lead to a
SCORPIO (Oct 23-Nov 21): Your creativity surges to a
cycle of dry skin and itchi-
ness. Normal processes
new level. If you can, deal with issues and people such as pregnancy may be
with your ingenuity and imagination. You might be associated with itching, as
delighted by the response you receive. Schedule spe- the skin over the expanding
cial time with a friend or loved one. Tonight: Respond abdomen stretches. In addi-
to a friend’s subtle innuendo. ✹✹✹✹✹ tion, pregnant women oc-
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22-Dec 21): Stay centred, though casionally develop a liver
you might be prone to unusual flights of fantasy. You problem called cholestasis
might jot down some of your thoughts to test them that’s associated with itch-
out later. A discussion with a family member could be ing. A very rare type of itchi-
particularly enlightening. Tonight: Consider a change ness, termed aquagenic
in your home. ✹✹✹
CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19): Keep discussions ani-
mated and vital. No matter what you do, you will not
be able to change directions at the moment. Right
now, dream and brainstorm. You might be surprised
by how many ideas come up. Tonight: Share some of
these ideas with a loved one. ✹✹✹✹✹
AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Feb 18): Make an effort to make a
difference financially. You will feel more relaxed if you
take the conservative road, especially if unsure of
your path. Use your intuition, yet try to back up cer-
tain ideas with facts. Tonight: Treat a loved one to a
favourite dessert. ✹✹✹
PISCES (Feb 19-March 20): You might be a fount of
ideas and suggestions. You might want to jot down
some of your ideas, rather than act on them at this
time. Your intuition serves you well. Double-check
your change. Tonight: An idea could prove excellent.
Test it out on a friend. ✹✹✹✹✹
Born today: Writer Giovanni Giacomo Casanova (1725), singer/songwriter
Prep your skin
Emmylou Harris (1947), author Hans Christian Andersen (1805)
By Jacqueline Bigar
The Stars Show the Kind of Day You’ll Have: 5-Dynamic; 4-Positive; 3-Average; 2-So-so; 1-Difficult
for summer
N
Note: Bigar’s Stars is based on the degree of your sun at birth. The sign EW DELHI: The
name is simply a label astrologers put on a set of degrees for convenience. harsh summer
For best results, readers should refer to the dates following each sign. heat can spoil
your skin. Don’t
forget to moisturise and
keep yourself hydrated,
say experts.
Krishnan Venkatesh-
waran, Chief Scientist —
ITC Ltd R&D, Dermafique
and Sangeeta Velaskar,
Vice President and Head,
Medical Services & R & D
from Kaya Limited, have
shared tips to save your skin
this summer.
Don’t forget to moistur-
ise: You need to use a light
moistur iser when the
weather is warm.
Pick a non-greasy and
lightweight moisturiser
SUDOKU-3571 (pick one with SPF for day-
time use) that will help to
lock in the essential mois-
ture of your skin.
Tone your skin: Toners
are a must-have during the
summer months. A good
toner keeps your skin oil-
free and clean. It also reduc-
es the appearance of pores.
When applying toner, pay
attention to your T-zone as
YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION
temperature, alone. Some-
times an unexplained case
may correlate with a new
medication you’re taking.
be especially bad in the win-
ter and in places where the
of itchiness goes away and They can consider switching air is dry. As you get older, it
never surfaces again, while you to a different medica- becomes even more com-
other times, it continues tion, if it’s an option in your mon. Dry skin is an obvious
and eventually leads to the individual case. reason to be itchy. But the ap-
diagnosis of an underlying pearance of your skin when
process or systemic disease. Blood you feel itchy, before you
touch it and make it red by
Overactive or compounds scratching, can help you fig-
ure out if you’re dealing with
underactive Certain illnesses are asso- normal dry skin that really
ciated with changes in blood just craves moisture, or
thyroid gland chemistry, and these com- something else.
pounds are thought to be in- Typical (untouched) dry
Body itchiness is a well- volved in causing itchiness. skin tends to appear ashy.
known symptom related to How and why certain com- Now, if you are itchy in spots
hyperthyroidism and hypo- pounds promote itchiness is that do coincide with a visi-
thyroidism. Disorders of the still not completely under- ble rash, you may be dealing
thyroid gland — excess thy- stood. Urea is a compound with another skin issue, such
roid hormone, and less that is usually filtered out as psoriasis or contact der-
commonly insufficient thy- into the urine by the kidneys. matitis (which is when the
roid hormone levels — are When people have problems skin reacts after coming in
associated with itchiness. with both kidneys not func- contact with a substance that
But itchiness would likely occur in addition to other ter starting a new medica- tioning well, or renal failure, irritates it, like a detergent).
common thyroid-related tion, then that may be the the excessive urea is associat- If you have a rash that’s not
symptoms, including chang- culprit. Certain medications ed with itchiness. When going away, see your doctor,
es in weight and/or appetite like used for cholesterol, some one has a blockage of who can refer you to an
and fatigue. Your primary blood pressure-lowering the bile system in the liver, or allergist and/or dermatolo-
care physician or an endo- medications, and opioids are cholestasis, itch is a common gist if necessary.
crinologist can do a blood all known to naturally evoke symptom. Itch occurs in 80
test to check for any abnor-
mality of your thyroid func-
an itchy sensation that’s not
necessarily accompanied by
to 100 per cent of patients
with blocked bile flow and
Bugs
tion and possibly a physical any skin lesions. Some may yellow jaundice of the skin When you get bitten by a
examination of your thyroid make your skin itch, even and eyes. Deficiencies can mosquito or spider, you
gland to check for swelling with no signs of a rash or also result in itchiness: iron know it. Bites from bedbugs
or tenderness. irritation. Check with your deficiency, with or without and mites can be harder to
doctor if the itch becomes anemia can produce general- diagnose because they look
Medications too uncomfortable.
In some cases, the itchi-
ised itchiness. The excess of
hemoglobin and red blood
like rashes. Lice can cause a
crawling sensation in your
If you have noticed that ness will clear up spontane- cells seen in a condition scalp or pubic hair, along
your body itchiness began af- ously if you stop taking the called polycythemia vera is with an intense itch. — Compiled
beautyheaven.com.au / katehorodyski.com
it is the part of your face that
secretes the maximum oil
during summer.
Keep yourself hydrated:
Drink lots of water and don’t
forget to carry a water bottle
with you wherever you go.
Keep sipping from your bot-
tle. This is important to keep
your skin hydrated, flush
out toxins from your body,
and feel refreshed during
the hot summer days.
Exfoliate: Regular exfolia-
tion should be a part of the
skincare routine irrespec-
tive of the season.
Those with sensitive skin
need to be careful while ex-
foliating as compared to
those with a combination or
normal skin.
Minimal make-up: Bare
minimum make-up should
be preferred in summers, as
too much make-up would
clog the pores and result in
breakouts. Products with
SPF should be used.
Summer friendly lotion:
One needs to use a lotion
which absorbs fast into the ARCHITECTURAL ALUMINIUM AND GLASS SOLUTIONS
skin as compared to the
greasy body butters for win-
ter. Winter lotions would
provide the skin an oily look
therefore they need to be
changed with time.

HOW TO SOLVE:
Every number from 1 to 9
Since the sun can be ex-
tremely drying, keep them
soft and smooth by using a
ADD LIFE & SECURITY TO YOUR SPACE
must appear in each of the 9 rich lip balm with SPF 15 or
vertical columns, in each of higher. Use a bottle of mist
the 9 horizontal rows and in packed with a antioxidants
each of the 9 boxes and nutrients to soothe and Sky Light Pvt. Ltd.
hydrate the skin on your GLAZING THE ROOF OF THE WORLD
face and body, especially P.O. Box 4600
when you are outdoors and Naxal (Opp. Police Headquarter), Kathmandu, Nepal
in the sun. — IANS T: +977 1 4423851 / 4415209 I F: +977 1 4420789
METAL SUPPLY

E: info@skylight.com.np
APPROVED
FABRICATOR
EXCLUSIVE
DISTRIBUTOR www.skylight.com.np
 CMYK
PAGE 14 www.thehimalayantimes.com THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019

VARIETY

Rapper Nipsey Hussle

shot dead

miifotos.com

L
OS ANGELES: Nipsey Hussle, the
skilled and respected rapper who
earned a Grammy nomination
this year for his major-label debut
and was heavily respected in
South Los Angeles where he grew up, has
died, authorities said. He was 33.
The Los Angeles Crisis Response team
said on March 31 that “we lost a great musi-
cian” and support has been offered to Hus-
sle’s family. “Our prayers are with them and
all those who knew and loved Nipsey Hus-
sle,” the crisis team said.
Police said three men were shot on
March 31 and one of them was killed out-
side Marathon Clothing, the store Hussle
owns. Police said the other two men were in
stable condition.
A large crowd of fans and residents gath-
ered behind police lines as night fell. Detec-
tives were canvassing the area for witnesses
and looking to see if any surveillance video
captured the incident, police Lt Chris
Ramirez said.
LA Mayor Eric Garcetti tweeted his con-
dolences on March 31. “Our hearts are with
the loved ones of Nipsey Hussle and every-
one touched by this awful tragedy. LA is hurt
deeply each time a young life is lost to sense-
less gun violence,” Garcetti tweet-
ed. “My Crisis Response Team is as-
sisting the families coping with
shock and grief.”
Hussle, whose real name is Ermi-
as Asghedom, was born on August
15, 1985, in the Crenshaw neigh-
bourhood of south Los Angeles.
The Eritrean-American said his
first passion was music but getting
resources was tough since he left
his mother’s house at 14 to live with
his grandmother. Hussle said he
got involved in street life as he tried
to support himself, and he joined
the gang Rollin 60’s Neighbour-
hood Crips as a teenager.
“The culture of my area is the
gang culture ... so by being outside,
being involved with hustling, being
in the hood, doing things to try to
get money, being young, you know
riding your bike through the hood,
getting shot at, your loved ones and
homies that’s your age getting
killed, getting shot at ... it’s like, we
were just raised like if you with me
and something goes now, I’m in it,
whether I’m from the (expletive) or
not,” he said in a 2014 interview
with VladTV. “So after a while it just
be like you always in the middle of
some (expletive), you might as
well, you know what I mean ... be
part of it. Or don’t be a part of it and
get the (expletive) out the way.”
Music eventually happened for
Hussle. The proud West Coast rap-
per released a number of success-
ful mixtapes that he sold out of the
trunk of his car, helping him create
a buzz and gain respect from rap
purists and his peers. In 2010 he
placed on hip-hop magazine XXL’s
‘Freshman Class of 2010’ — a cov-
eted list for up-and-coming hip-
hop acts — alongside J Cole Big
Sean, Wiz Khalifa, Jay Rock and
others. Hussle continued to build
more hype for himself, and Jay-Z
even bought 100 copies of Hussle’s
2013 mixtape Crenshaw for $100
each, sending the budding rapper
a $10,000 cheque.
But Hussle, who was once signed
to Sony’s Epic Records, hit a new
peak with Victory Lap, his critically
acclaimed major-label debut al-
bum on Atlantic Records that
made several best-of lists last year,
from Billboard magazine to Com-

Fellow celebrities mourn plex. The album debuted at num-

ber four on Billboard’s 200 albums
charts and featured collaborations
with Kendrick Lamar, Diddy, Cee-

Hussle’s passing Lo Green and more.

At this year’s Grammy Awards,
Victory Lap was one of five nomi-
nees for best rap album in a year

T
he Grammy-nominated
rapper was highly revered
among his peers, and his
death triggered an outpouring of
tributes from hip hop royalty.
“Gone 2 soon,” rapper Snoop
Dogg posted on Instagram. “I’m so
sad right now I’ll just reflect on the
good times we had.”
NBA star Steph Curry tweeted,
“God please cover and restore @
NipseyHussle right now!!!”
“This doesn’t make any sense!
My spirit is shaken by this!,” Rihan-
na wrote on social media while
posting photos of Hussle with his
daughter and another with his fi-
ance. “Dear God may His spirit
Rest In Peace and May You grant
divine comfort to all his loved ones!
I’m so sorry this happened to you
@nipseyhussle.”
Rapper Nas mourned Hussle’s
death on Instagram and wrote, “It’s
dangerous to be an MC. Danger-
ous to be a b-ball player. It’s dan-
gerous to have money. Dangerous
To Be A Black Man.”
“So much hatred. We live like our
brothers and sisters in third world
countries live. Right in America,”
he continued. “It’s so deep rooted.
It’s not a easy fix. Hard to fix any-
thing when kids are still living in
poverty. I ain’t shutting up though,
Nipsey is a True voice. He will never
be silenced.”
“Watching Nipsey inspired me
to invest and own in our commu-
nities,” Emmy-nominated actress
Issa Rae, also from Los Angeles,
wrote on Twitter.
Megastar Drake also posted his
condolences, saying: “My whole
energy is just at a low right now
hearing this.”
“You were a real one to your peo-
ple and the rest of us,” Drake wrote.
“Rest easy my g.”
“Hussle had a vision of a neigh-
bourhood built for and by the sons
and daughters of South LA,” said
city councilman Marqueece Har-
ris-Dawson in a statement follow-
ing news of the rapper’s death.
“During his life, he moved from
shadows into the bright hope of
freedom and community revitali-
sation,” it added.
Hours before his death Hussle —
whose youth was intertwined with
Los Angeles gang culture — tweet-
ed: “Having strong enemies is a
blessing.” — Agencies
that hip-hop dominated the pop
charts and streaming services and
a number of top stars released
projects, including Drake, Eminem
and Kanye West.
“It’s my debut album so for my
first one (to be nominated) out the
gate, it’s like, it was overwhelming a
little bit. It was ... inspiring, hum-
bling,” he said in an interview with
the Recording Academy on the
2019 Grammys red carpet.
Outside of music, Hussle said he
wanted to provide hope and moti-
vation to those who grew up in
Crenshaw like him, and pay it for-
ward. Hussle was also a strong
businessman. In a story published
in February, Forbes wrote that the
rapper and business partner Dave
Gross purchased the Crenshaw
plaza where his Marathon Clothing
store is located, and had plans to
knock it down and “rebuild it as a
six-storey residential building atop
a commercial plaza where a re-
vamped Marathon store will be the
anchor tenant”.
In 2016, Hussle and rapper YG
released protest song FDT, short
for (Expletive) Donald Trump, criti-
cising the US President’s policies
when he was the Republican presi-
dential candidate. — AP

Goldfinger actress Mallet dies aged 77

The official James Bond
Twitter account con-
firmed her death on
March 31 saying: “We are
very sorry to hear that
Tania Mallet who played
Tilly Masterson in Gold-
finger has passed away.
Our thoughts are with her
family and friends at this
sad time.”
No further details have
been revealed about
her death, reports dead-
24sata.hr
line.com.
Tilly Masterson opposite would mark her only big
Sean Connery in the third screen acting role. In 1976,
James Bond film Goldfinger. she appeared in the TV show
In addition to continuing The New Avengers but would
her successful modelling ca- not appear in any acting
reer, she would go on to ap- roles after. She continued
pear on many talk shows and her modelling career, saying
James Bond specials. that it was a more comforta-
The James Bond film ble world for her. — IANS
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Not all things that happen in our life are pleasant — we
have to face many unpleasant things that sometimes

L
OS ANGELES: Brit-
ish model and ac-
tress Tania Mallet,
who is known for her
modelling career and her
role in the 1964 James
Bond film Goldfinger is
dead. She was 77.
Mallet was born in 1941.
She is the cousin of Acade-
my Award-winning ac-
tress Helen Mirren.
Despite being of Rus-
sian descent, she didn’t
land the role of Tatiana,
but would later appear as
make life depressing. What one incident in your life has
given you such bad memories? How did you handle that
situation, and what impact has it had in your life till date?
Send your replies in not more than 200 words by Friday,
April 5, 2:00 pm to Features, The Himalayan Times,
e-mail: features@thehimalayantimes.com

Published by: International Media Network Nepal (Pvt) Ltd, APCA House, Baidya Khana Road, Anamnagar, Kathmandu, Nepal, PO Box 11651 Phone: 4770358, E-mail: editorial@thehimalayantimes.com Regd No 62/72/73 Postal Regd. 143/051/052 Printed at: Sama Printers (Pvt) Ltd, Sainbu VDC, Lalitpur. Editor: Prakash Rimal