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Is India winning the race among India and China to bring a railway to Nepal?

Posted on by SAT News Desk

A race is between India and China to bring a railway to Nepal, which is nestled between the two Asian giants, has been ongoing for a while now. However, the competition to strengthen their influence on the traveller’s paradise is only benefiting tourists and adventure-seekers alike, reported Times Travel.

This came in the form of country’s first modern railway from India to Nepal, which will make travelling as easy as hopping on to a train to reach the tourism hotspot. According to reports in Financial Express, Indian government is looking to expedite the proposed railway project, linking Barhni in Uttar Pradesh to Kathmandu in Nepal, The Khaleej Times reported.

But for the project to kick-start, India is awaiting Nepal’s concurrence for the inter-governmental agreement. Recently, current minister for Railways of India, Suresh Angadi, told that the Ministry of External Affairs is following up with Nepal and is looking to expedite the process for the railway project. He added that the survey has been completed for the five kilometres of the line in the Indian territory.

While in their new Budget, Nepal said they are working on joining Kathmandu with Raxaul (on the Indian border) and with Keyrung (on the Chinese border), the work for which will start in the next two years. The project connecting Nepal to both India and China is part of the communist government’s bid to turn Nepal into a “vibrant economic bridge” between India and China, reported The Diplomat.

England face acid test in World Cup semi-final clash with Australia

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AFP — Four years of planning will be put on the line for England when they face holders Australia in a blockbuster Cricket World Cup semi-final at Edgbaston on Thursday.

England’s woeful first-round exit at the 2015 edition prompted a complete rethink of their approach to one-day internationals for a side that had long placed Test success above all other considerations.

Australian coach Trevor Bayliss was drafted in with the aim of guiding their bid for a first World Cup title.

The transformation has been impressive, with England climbing to number one in the ODI rankings under the astute captaincy of Eoin Morgan.

Their rise to the summit has been based on dynamic run-scoring, with in-form openers Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow leading the way.

But the stakes for hosts England are higher than simply the winning of a match that would see them into a final against either India or New Zealand at Lord’s on Sunday.

Satellite subscription host broadcaster Sky has said it will allow the final to be shown on free-to-air television in Britain — but only if England are involved in the showpiece match.

It would be the first time since 2005 that a major England men’s home match had emerged from behind a UK television paywall, with cricket having a chance to reconnect with a ‘lost’ audience in its birthplace.

Australia, however, have never lost any of their seven previous World Cup semi-finals — although they did tie with South Africa at Edgbaston 20 years ago before advancing into the final on superior net run-rate.

They landed a psychological blow in the group stage when they beat Ashes rivals England by 64 runs at Lord’s last month.

Australia left-arm quicks Jason Behrendorff and Mitchell Starc shared nine wickets between them in a match where Australia captain Aaron Finch made 100 after surviving a testing opening from England’s fast bowlers.

Roy, however, was missing with a torn hamstring and since his return, England have scored crucial wins over India and New Zealand that took them into the semi-finals.

‘Different animal’

By contrast Australia, who have not won in any format at Edgbaston since the 2001 Ashes Test, suffered a surprise 10-run defeat by South Africa at Old Trafford in their final group game.

England, as well as finding a way to cope with Starc, will have to contain the run-scoring threat of a powerful Australian top order.

David Warner has scored 638 runs this tournament following the left-handed opener’s return to international cricket after a 12-month ban for his role in a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.

But paceman Liam Plunkett insisted England could rise to the occasion.

“We’re a different sort of animal compared to our last teams,” he said. “We’ve played well for the past four years, we’re ranked number one.

“We feel on our day we can beat anyone in the world.”

The five-time world champions, will pitch late call-up Peter Handscomb straight into Thursday’s match after fellow batsman Usman Khawaja suffered a tournament-ending hamstring injury against South Africa.

Australia coach Justin Langer led his squad on a barefoot walkabout around Edgbaston on Monday before they shared stories on the outfield in a so-called “bonding circle”.

“Haydos (Matthew Hayden) and I used to do it as a bit of a ritual before every Test match,” former Australia opener Langer explained.

“If you go back 12 months there wasn’t much to be relaxed and chilled about in Australian cricket, was there? We went through a major crisis in our cricket. It didn’t just affect our cricket, it affected our country.

“We’ve got to work hard on being more humble in what we do and being focused on playing good cricket.”

MATCH PREDICTION

England has won 12 out of the last 15 matches against Australia. It is also in excellent form having won two knockout matches against the other two semi-finalists.

Australia is going to have to adapt to injuries at a crucial juncture and that is always an unknown. The advantage of playing in Birmingham also gives England the edge.

 

Two Nepal elephants cross UP border, wreck havoc, kill 4 people

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India’s open border with Nepal has led to some unexpected migrants coming over to this side.

Two wild elephants from Nepal, who lost their way and reached Uttar Pradesh, have become a menace in the region, the India today reported.

The havoc wreaked by the elephants is such that 150 experts from five states have been roped in by the Uttar Pradesh administration to help catch them.

In Bareilly, the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) has been deployed in nearly half a dozen villages.

To catch the wily tuskers, five female elephants from the Dudhwa National Park have been put on patrol duty. The female elephants have been entrusted with the task of welcoming their Nepalese neighbours into their herd and taking them off to the jungle.

But all efforts to tame the beasts have failed so far.

In India since June 27, both the elephants have planted themselves in Rohilkhand, Bareilly. Whenever they leave their forest abode and enter civilisation, they cause chaos.

FORNIGHT OF TERROR

Who knew people from Pilibhit were just as animal-loving as their MP Maneka Gandhi? When the elephants made an appearance in the UP town on the border of Nepal, selfie enthusiasts went wild.

However, the elephants were having none of it. On their way from Pilibhit to Bareilly, the mammoths trampled three people.

Meanwhile, a forest official lost his life trying to trap the two animals.

According to forest officials, this is the first time the wild elephants have strayed from peaceful forests and so, get triggered by the din of urban, city life.

Now, Rajesh Pandey, DIG Bareilly Range, has deployed the PAC to prevent commonfolk from venturing out to see the not-so-common visitors.

DIG Rajesh Pandey told Aajtak.in that the forest department is fully supporting the police in their efforts in securing the region. As a result, the PAC has been stationed in the villages of western Fatehganj.

150 EXPERTS ADDRESS ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

Faced with a mammoth task, the forest department has decided that tranquillisation is the only way to end the saga. Rajesh Pandey said that efforts are on to tranquilise the elephants once they near the highway as it will make their transportation easier.

Chief Conservator of Forests Lalit Verma said that experts from five states — Assam, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Rajasthan — have been called to aid the operation.

Indians earn more than white British employees in UK, says report

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Prasun Sonwalkar, Hindustan Times, London — Employees of Indian, Chinese and mixed or multiple ethnicity had higher median hourly pay than white British employees in 2018, while employees of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin had the lowest pay, figures released on Tuesday show.

The new analysis of ethnicity pay gaps in the UK by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) says that average employees from the Indian and Chinese groups have consistently earned more than the average white British employee since 2012, The Hindustan Times reported.

The three ethnic groups with higher median hourly pay than white British are Chinese, Indian and Mixed/Multiple with hourly earnings of £15.75, £13.47 and £12.33 respectively, in comparison to white British whose median pay was £12.03.

The ethnic group that had the lowest median hourly pay was Bangladeshi at £9.60 followed by Pakistani at £10.00, the analysis says.

Hugh Stickland, senior ONS analyst, said: “Overall, employees from certain ethnic groups such as Indian and Chinese, have higher average earnings than their white British counterparts.

“However, all other ethnic groups have average wages lower than for white British employees, with employees from the Bangladeshi ethnic group having the largest pay gap.

The analysis shows that the two ethnic groups with the highest proportion of employees in the highest quartile were Chinese (41.3%) and Indian (36.3%), reflecting pay gaps in which Chinese and Indian employees had positive gaps when compared with white British employees.

Conversely, the two ethnic groups that had the largest negative gaps, Pakistani and Bangladeshi, also had the largest proportions of employees in the first quartile”, it says.

However, the analysis also shows that Indian and Chinese groups have a larger difference in hourly earnings between men and women. Chinese men on average earned 19.1% more per hour than Chinese women, and Indian men earned 23.3% more per hour than Indian women.

The ONS analysis includes employees of Indian origin born in the UK as well as India-born professionals. Home Office immigration data shows that Indian professionals are granted more than 50 per cent of all work-related visas issued, reflecting the demand for their skills in the UK.

Sri Lanka has eliminated measles, WHO says

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London– The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that Sri Lanka has eliminated measles, interrupting transmission of the indigenous virus that causes the killer childhood disease.

“Sri Lanka’s achievement comes at a time when globally measles cases are increasing. The country’s success demonstrates its commitment, and the determination of its health workforce and parents to protect children against measles,” said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director WHO South-East Asia, congratulating the island nation.

 

An independent verification committee reviewed in detail all data and ongoing efforts for measles elimination in the island nation and concluded that Sri Lanka has stopped transmission of indigenous measles virus. The country reported its last case of measles caused by an indigenous virus in May 2016. Sporadic cases, reported in the last three years have all been importations that were quickly detected, investigated and rapidly responded to, the WHO said.

 

In 2017-18 Bhutan, Maldives, DPR Korea and Timor-Leste eliminated measles, according to the WHO.

 

Please visit this link to read the press statement issued by the WHO.

 

http://www.searo.who.int/mediacentre/releases/2019/1712/en/

 

Virendra Sharma MP joins Bolt Mobility, co-founded by Olympic Champion Usain Bolt, on calling on UK Government to introduce e-scooter legislation

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London — Virendra Sharma MP has joined micromobility company Bolt Mobility, co-founded by three-time Olympic Champion Usain Bolt, in calling on the Government to update legislation to allow new forms of micromobility technology, including e-scooters, on UK roads.

Attending a product showcase event hosted by US-based micromobility company Bolt Mobility – of which gold medallist sprinter Usain Bolt is a co-founder – in Parliament last week, Virendra Sharma MP had the opportunity to review and test-ride some of the most technologically advanced e-scooter products currently on the market.

Speaking after the event, Virendra Sharma MP said

“The use of e-scooters and other micromobility products is currently illegal on UK roads, with certain transport legislation dating back to the 1830s. Updates to the UK’s transport laws are long overdue, with the development of new, innovative, sustainable technology such as e-scooters heralding a new era in ‘last-mile’ travel. It was great to attend Bolt Mobility’s product showcase and see the next generation in micromobility transport technology. I have written to the Transport Secretary asking that he looks at updating transport laws so that the UK isn’t left behind other countries in harnessing this technology.” 

Speaking at the Parliamentary event, Dr. Sarah Haynes, Co-Founder, Co-CEO, & Chairwoman of Bolt Mobility, said,

“We’re excited to be in the UK, where we see an opportunity for micromobility solutions to deliver real change for both users and local communities by reducing reliance on personal vehicles. City Centres, suburban areas and public transport black spots could benefit from fast, equitable, efficient and affordable ‘last mile’ solutions.”

Speaking during Bolt Mobility’s launch in London last week, Usain Bolt commented:

“We are a witnessing a European technology race that the UK has an opportunity to lead. As an athlete who runs in cities across the world, I’ve seen first-hand the impact that polluted air and overcrowded transport systems have on people’s lives. The UK’s roads are some of the most congested in Europe – so we see huge potential for the UK to benefit from the micromobility technology that is taking other cities by storm.”

 

About Bolt mobility :

  • Bolt Mobility, the global micromobility company co-founded by Usain Bolt,announced this week its plan to set up a UK office.
  • Announcing its expansion to the UK, Executives from the business spent the week in London meeting with officials and showcasing their portfolio of products, which include innovatively designed e-scooters, e-bikes and the Bolt Nano, a prototype EV.
  • Bolt Mobility is expanding rapidly into the US and Europe, and launched its products on the street of Paris last month. It plans to expand into 20 European cities by 2020.
  • The company is planning to introduce its e-bike fleet to the UK and is currently engaged with local authorities on developing local schemes. E-scooters are currently illegal on the UK public highway so Bolt Mobility’s e-scooters are not yet available to consumers. The company is working collaboratively with officials and local authorities to help the UK develop responsible e-mobility legislation to alleviate traffic and parking congestion and reduce emissions with safe, sustainable, and equitable transportation alternatives
  • Bolt Mobility’s products are carefully engineered for maximum safety and sustainability. Its e-scooter models feature:
    • Swappable batteries which extend the lifecycle of Bolt Mobility’s scooters to 2 years, compared to the current industry standard of 2-3 months
    • Innovative design promoting greater balance and control (lower centre of gravity, specially designed forward-facing footrests, storage for shopping bags, backpacks, coffee cups)
    • Geofencing, allowing the speed and operation of the fleet to be controlled remotely
    • A 24/7 customer support service to ensure e-scooters are used and parked in a way that is considerate to the communities it operates in

Bolt Mobility is currently operational in Los Angeles, Chicago, Paris, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Alexandria, Arlington, Richmond, Dallas, Atlanta and Portland – and plans to expand into more than 40 markets through 2019. Bolt Mobility’s mission is to work with cities on a local level to solve traffic and parking congestion and reduce their carbon footprint with safe, sustainable, and equitable transport options. Its leadership team has deep experience developing sustainable transportation solutions and emerging technologies. A commitment to design ensures rider safety, convenience, and affordability.

Nepal Publishers Protest After Govt Announces 10% Duty on Indian-Imported Books

Posted on by SAT News Desk

IANS , New Delhi/Kathmandu: Even as Indian publishers are grappling with a budget proposal of 5 per cent customs duty on imported books, in neighbouring Nepal a 10 per cent duty on imported titles has left publishers, booksellers and students reeling, as Kathmandu imports over 80 per cent of its books from India.

A few days after the Nepal government on May 29 announced a 10 per cent duty on imported books, publishers stopped picking up books at the Nepal customs point in protest and have demanded that the move be rolled back. With no text books coming in to Nepal, the student community has been affected the most, say publishers.

“Around 80-90 per cent of books in Nepal are imported, and most of it from India. Now the students, including those in Classes 10 and 11, are not getting text books on time. The National Booksellers’ and Publishers’ Association of Nepal (NBPAN) has decided not to import any books in protest. We import 90-95 per cent of academic and text books from India,” a noted book seller in Kathmandu told IANS on phone, declining to be named.

According to Madhab Maharjan, Advisor to NBPAN and owner of Mandala Book Point in Kathmandu, the 10 per cent customs duty will attract other taxes, like the cost, insurance and freight tax and other charges, further pushing up the price of imported books.

Books all over the world are sold at the printed price. With the customs duty and the added charges, it is going to be difficult to sell imported books to academic institutions, libraries and students,” Maharjan told IANS over phone from Kathmandu.

He said they have requested the KP Sharma Oli government to remove the tax. “We have a long tradition of importing books from India. Religious books were imported from Benaras in the 20th century. Now the import of books is restricted to New Delhi,” said Maharjan, adding that scholars, academics and experts are raising their voices in protest against the move through the print and social media.

The 10 per cent tax will hamper the free flow of books and also affect the reading habit of students, says Maharjan. According to him, a Nepali journalist in an article in a local daily asked Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada, who is a PhD in economics, whether it was a theory of economics to impose the customs duty on books when the need was to improve the reading habits and culture of the people.

The reason for stopping the books at the customs point was because “as soon as we import we will have to increase the price, and secondly the old stocks have to be sold at the old price”.

“Thus there will be two prices of the book in one book store. This will create misunderstanding with students, readers, scholars, researchers and academics at large with whom we have to deal with everyday,” Maharjan said.

He added: “We do not want any one taking undue advantage of the situation, including politically motivating the students. Thus we have opted for this move not to import books till we come to a final decision.”

According to him, the onset of the digital era has hit book sellers and publishers. “There are not many book shops left, and with moves like this book sellers may not survive for long.”

Many Nepali publishers print their books in India and earlier would have to pay 15 per cent tax. “Now they are asked to pay 10 per cent duty on total imports. The earlier system was better to protect the local industry,” Maharjan said.

The number of students pursuing higher education in Nepal under Management, Humanities, Science and Education stands at around 400,000, and they would be directly hit by the duty on books imported from India.

According to Maharjan if India revokes the 5% duty on imported books the move “may help to revoke 10 per cent duty in Nepal too”.

KPR Nair, Managing Director Konark Publishers in Delhi, said Indian publishers are aware of the situation in Nepal and are trying to help. “They have asked for our help, and we are going to help them,” Nair, a veteran in the publishing industry, told IANS.

Canadian aid worker jailed for 16 years in Nepal for sex assault of boys

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The Canadian Press , TORONTO — A prominent Canadian aid worker convicted of sexually assaulting children in Nepal has been jailed for 16 years, one of his lawyers said on Monday.

In addition to the prison term, the court ordered Peter Dalglish to pay his victims the equivalent of US$5,000 each, Nader Hasan said.

We continue to be dismayed by the trial judge’s refusal to consider the overwhelming evidence of Peter’s innocence and the inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case,” Hasan told The Canadian Press. “Peter’s family stands by him unflinchingly.”

Dalglish, an Order of Canada recipient, was convicted last month after a police investigation and trial his lawyers described as a travesty of justice. His defence said it planned to challenge the decision and stiffer-than-expected sentence, although the judge has yet to release reasons

“We turn our attention to the appeal process in Nepal’s appellate courts,” Hassan said. “We remain confident that Peter will be exonerated.”

Originally from London, Ont., Dalglish, 62, has denied any wrongdoing.

Nepalese police arrested him in the early hours of April 8 last year in a raid on the mountain home he had built in the village of Kartike, east of the capital of Kathmandu. Police alleged he had raped two Nepalese boys aged 11 and 14, who were with him at the time.

Pushkar Karki, chief of the Central Investigation Bureau, accused Dalglish of luring children from poor families with promises of education, jobs and trips, then sexually abusing them. Karki said other foreign men in Nepal had also been arrested on suspicion of pedophilia.

There have been some instances where they were found working with charities,” Karki told the New York Times. “Our laws aren’t as strict as in foreign countries, and there is no social scrutiny like in developed countries.”

Dalglish’s lawyers see it differently. They have raised a host of objections, saying the police investigation and trial was “like watching a wrongful conviction unfold in real time.” At the very least, they said, there was reasonable doubt as to their client’s guilt.

The 16-year sentence is “tremendously long” even by Nepal standards, Hasan said.

According to his lawyers, the case appears to have originated with rumours at a school in Thailand where Dalglish had been a board member. They insist a probe found no evidence of misconduct but a complaint to the RCMP appears to have led to an Interpol “red flag,” prompting Nepalese police to open their own investigation.

The defence accuses Nepalese investigators of intimidation tactics and bribing the boys to testify against him. Both complainants gave damning testimony in court but Dalglish’s lawyers say the alleged victims gave several versions of their stories at different times.

Hasan has said the Nepalese legal system operates largely in secrecy, and the courts do not record proceedings or produce transcripts, leading to confusion about what witnesses actually said.

Dalglish, who co-founded a Canadian charity called Street Kids International in the late 1980s, had spent years doing humanitarian work in Nepal. He has also worked for several humanitarian agencies, including UN Habitat in Afghanistan and the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response in Liberia. He was named a member of the Order of Canada in late 2016.

Dalglish’s family — his ex-wife and daughter live in the Netherlands and his brothers in Ontario — and friends have been standing by him, Hasan has said.

South Asia Conclave to check Indian political issues

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Press Trust of India, New Delhi — The 3rd South Asia conclave will seek to examine the key issues affecting Indian politics, business, political finance and civil-military relations among others, announced Oxford University Press (OUP) here.

The conclave, to take place at the Shangri La on July 11, will have panel discussions on topics including “Line on Fire: Ceasefire Violations and India-Pakistan Escalation Dynamics”, “The Diary of Manu Gandhi” and “In Their Own Words: Understanding Lashkar-e-Tayyaba”. “Some of the themes explored during the last two year’s meeting have included Dalit political assertion, Special Economic Zones, political inclinations of the Indian diaspora in the US, civil-military relations in India, dynamics of political finance in the subcontinent, and state of healthcare, and we very much look forward to seeing where this year’s conversations lead,” said Niko PFund, Global publisher (Academic division) OUP.
Experts from different fields including policymakers, bureaucrats, academicians and journalists will join the conclave to discuss topics based on major books from the OUP — published or forthcoming.

Some of the speakers who have confirmed their participation for the discussions include Shashi Tharoor, Harsh Mander, Ashis Nandy, Niraja Gopal Jayal, Kanchan Chandra, Yamini Aiyar, C Christine Fair, and Barkha Dutt.

$33m project launched for people vulnerable to climate impacts

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Dhaka — The government and UNDP  jointly launched a project of $33 million that will benefit almost 7 lakh people, mostly women and adolescent girls, in climate vulnerable districts of Satkhira and Khulna, The Daily Star reported. 

A total of $25 million will come from Green Climate Fund (GCF), a global fund created by the UN member countries, while Bangladesh’s Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs is providing $8 million, according to a statement of the UNDP.

The six-year long project, launched at a workshop in a city hotel today, will aid women and girls to adopt resilient livelihoods, while ensuring reliable, safe drinking water through community-managed rainwater harvesting solutions.

It focuses on enhancing women’s access to markets and finance. In addition to training in business development, the project will link women’s producer groups to business via networking activities and will provide support to access credit from the financial sector.

Addressing the inception workshop, Kamrun Nahar, secretary of the Women and Children Affairs ministry, said, “The project will make a paradigm-shift in the way women will be empowered as ‘change-agents’ to plan, implement, and manage climate-resilient solutions to safeguard livelihoods and lives and help us to become a middle-income country.”

UNDP’s Resident Representative, Sudipto Mukerjee, said they are committed to leave no one behind in implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 with the government and partners like GCF.

However, he said, it cannot be achieved if the women remain ignored as they are more vulnerable to adverse impacts of climate change given the higher risks they face and bear greater burdens every single day.

“That’s why, through this project, we are specifically focusing on women and girls to help them adapt better to climate change in Bangladesh,” Sudipto further added.

Nepal is turning Everest trash into treasure

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Xinhua— In a bid to save Mount Everest from trash, Nepal conducted a month-long cleaning campaign and collected around 10,000 kg of rubbish from the region.

For the mega clean-up drive, government and non-government agencies, along with a dedicated Sherpa team, not only brought the litter down but also removed four dead bodies from the roof of the world, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.

Instead of sending the solid waste straight to the landfill near Kathmandy, the items were segregated, processed and recycled as raw materials for various products. “We segregated the collected materials in different categories such as plastic, glass, iron, aluminium and textile. Of the 10 tonnes of waste collected, two tonnes have been recycled. The remaining eight were soil mixed with wrappers and semi-burned items, which could not be recycled,” Nabin Bikash Maharjan, the head of Kathmandu-based Blue Waste to Value, a social enterprise, said.

Besides recycling the waste, Mr. Maharjan’s team is also working with municipalities, hospitals, hotels and different offices to maximise value from waste by recycling, reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills and by creating green jobs.

To make the campaign more effective, the company suggested authorities to set up an initial processing unit in the mountain area itself, so that waste can be segregated immediately and easily managed.

Selling products online

Though the company does not recycle the materials itself, it collaborates with another firm called Moware Designs to create up-cycled glass bottle products and to sell them online.

Ujen Wangmo Lepcha from Moware Designs said that glass products are trendy and useful for homes home, offices, restaurants and hotels. They are used as decorative items as a flower vase, candle cover, plates, travel cups, regular drinking glasses or as an accessory.

These products, which range from 350 Nepalese rupees to 2,000 Nepalese rupees ($3 to $18), are bacteria free as they are sterilized. These glass items have also been a means of livelihood for local women who shape them into trendy designs.

Nepal declines permission for Dalai Lama’s birthday celeb

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Kathmandu (AFP) : The Dalai Lama’s birthday celebrations in Nepal were cancelled Sunday after the government refused permission for the event to go ahead, officials said, in another sign of the growing influence of China over its Himalayan neighbour.

Nepal is home to around 20,000 exiled Tibetans, but under pressure from Beijing the current communist government has taken an increasingly hardline stance on their activities.

“Permission was not issued because there might be a problem in peace and security,” said Krishna Bahadur Katuwal, assistant chief district officer of Kathmandu.

“Nothing may happen, but we have to be cautious about chances of inappropriate activities or even self-immolations,” he told AFP.

There was a heavier presence of security personnel on Saturday in areas with Tibetan communities — including near a monastery where a celebration of the Dalai Lama’s 84th birthday had been planned.

“A lot of preparation was made but in the end we did not get permission. The government is becoming increasingly strict… what can we do,” a member of the organising committee said.

He said that families instead marked the birthday of their spiritual leader privately at home.

Thousands of Tibetan refugees fled over the border into Nepal after the March 10, 1959 uprising against Chinese rule, which forced the Dalai Lama into exile.

Once a safe haven for Tibetans, increased police crackdowns have discouraged protests and activities by the community, with Nepal repeatedly saying it is committed to one-China policy.

Last month, an American citizen of Tibetan origin was mistaken for a Tibetan official and denied entry into the country.

Three journalists from Nepal’s national news agency were investigated in May for translating and circulating a wire report about the Dalai Lama’s discharge from a hospital.

China is among the top development partners for impoverished Nepal, pumping in nearly $60 million in the last fiscal year into hydroelectricity, roads and other infrastructure projects.

In May 2017, Kathmandu signed up to Beijing’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, a massive infrastructure drive that critics say is at the centre of the Asian giant’s push to expand its global influence.

British Airways Fined $229 Million Over Customers’ Data Theft

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AFP , London:  British Airways has been fined more than 183 million pounds after computer hackers last year stole bank details from hundreds of thousands of passengers, its parent group IAG said Monday.

In a statement, IAG said the UK Information Commissioner’s Office intends to issue the airline with a penalty notice under the UK Data Protection Act, totalling 183.39 million pounds ($229.7 million, 205 million euros).

Farm workers could be brought in the UK from Nepal after Brexit

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WORKERS from Nepal could be brought in as seasonal farm staff to address a possible shortfall in agricultural labour post-Brexit, the president of the Jersey Farmers’ Union from The UK has revealed.

Peter Le Maistre said that due to the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, discussions were taking place with relevant authorities in an effort to bring up to 130 Nepalese over to Jersey to help with agricultural tasks once the UK leaves the EU, Jersey evening post reported.

Mr Le Maistre said: ‘We are close to tying up contracts with at least one, if not two, countries from outside of Europe to bring in [130] seasonal agricultural staff for 2020.

‘As a starting point we’re happy with that because we’ve got to see how it works.’

And he confirmed: ‘Nepal is one of the countries we are looking at.’

However, he said that the recruitment of overseas workers was not a simple science: ‘There’s a heck of a lot of red tape to get people out of a country, almost as much – if not more – than to get them in here.’

Over the past two decades, Jersey has sourced the majority of its seasonal farm staff from Poland and other Eastern European countries.

Following an appeal from the JFU last year in reaction to the industrywide labour shortage caused by uncertainty over Brexit, a weak pound and Poland’s improving economy, Home Affairs changed immigration policy to allow in 130 additional seasonal workers – with limits on how long they could stay – for a trial period of two years.

However, in January, a major escalation of the tensions between Russia and Ukraine scuppered the JFU’s plan to bring in non-EU seasonal staff from the Ukraine to work on Island farms.

A declaration of martial law in that country before Christmas, following an altercation between the country’s navy and Russian forces off the coast of Crimea, prevented young men of military age seeking outside work.

‘We ran into problems getting Ukrainian workers, then we started looking further overseas,’ Mr Le Maistre said.

Of the seasonal workers who have been brought in this year, he said ‘the number of returnee workers from Poland hasn’t been too bad.

‘We just about managed to get back the number of staff we wanted and we have seen bigger numbers [year on year] coming from Romania and a small number from Bulgaria.’

As for this year’s potato-growing season, he added: ‘I think this season is definitely going to be a better season for potatoes because last year was awful.

‘I expect that by the end of the season the figure for the exported tonnage of potatoes will be up compared to last year.’

JERSEY’S FRIENDLY RELATIONS WITH NEPAL

*Following the 2015 Nepal earthquake, Jersey Side by Side donated £12,000 to help deal with the earthquake devastation and disease, and has since raised tens of thousands of pounds more.

*Shovakhar Kandel, the head of the Nepal branch of a global leprosy charity that works in tandem with Jersey Side by Side, first visited Jersey in 2015 to thank Islanders for their generosity in helping to fund its efforts to fight the disease.

*The Gurkhas are soldiers of Nepalese nationality recruited for the British Army. The Gurkha Welfare Trust Jersey was formed in 2014 in anticipation of celebrations marking the Brigade of Gurkhas’ 200 years of loyal service to the British Crown (1815-2015). It was formed by six ex-British Army officers in Jersey who have all served with the Gurkhas.

*The Gurkha Welfare Trust Jersey has hosted numerous events to raise money for several community and building projects in Nepal, including a ‘Conquer the Castle’ event at Mont Orgueil in 2016 and the Gurkha Memorial Walk, organised by Jersey historian and former soldier Frank Falle.  Source : Jersey evening post

Nepal gives in to ‘Indian pressure,’ withdraws proposed pesticide tests on vegetable imports

Posted on by SAT News Desk

London— Nepali social media users have come hard against their own government amid reports that the Nepal government backed off from its decision to introduce pesticide tests on vegetables imported from India.

A huge row of trucks carrying fresh vegetables had lined up along with various Nepal-India border points after Nepali authorities asked for certificates that Indian vegetables were free of pesticides.

Later, Nepali authorities withdrew their decision saying that it might be reintroduced only after installing necessary infrastructure along the international border.

“During the Cabinet meeting held on Thursday, the ministry revoked its decision citing the lack of technical preparations and pressure from traders, as per the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies,” The Himalaya Times (THT) daily reported.

Nepal had introduced testing pesticides in imported vegetables from June 18.

The THT news report quoted a source at the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu as saying that  the National Plant Protection Organisations (NPPO) and the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) of India have been issuing phytosanitary certificates for export of such items to Nepal, that have been acceptable to Nepali authorities. Due to the re-testing requirement, vegetable trade had been halted.

The bilateral trade arrangements between Nepal and India have been in place for decades and import of items takes place on basis of phytosanitary certificates issued by designated authorities on both sides.

According to www.setopati.com– a Kathmandu-based news portal, India has two problems with the inspections: First is that vegetables and fruits rot due to the time taken for tests as Nepal lacks adequate equipment and human resources at the border points. The second is regarding reciprocity and it feels Nepal should not check Indian products for pesticides when India does not do so for Nepali fruits and vegetables imported by India.

“We are holding discussions with the finance and agriculture ministries about the matter. But no decision has been taken yet,” said Shobhakant Paudel, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies. He, however, claimed ignorance about the letter sent by the Indian Embassy.

Around 40 percent of fruits and vegetables currently coming to Kathmandu’s main fruits and vegetable market at Kalimati come from India, reports said.

 

Nepal to promote tourism opportunities in India

Posted on by SAT News Desk

ANI — In a bid to promote tourism, Nepal Tourism Board is organising a program “Visit Nepal 2020” here to highlight the country’s many tourist destinations.

The Indian market continues to be one of the most important contributors of international visitors into Nepal and last year, the Nepal Tourism Board recorded 200,438 visitors from India.

The Indian market continues to be one of the most important contributors of international visitors into Nepal and last year, the Nepal Tourism Board recorded 200,438 visitors from India.

The government of Nepal is working rigorously to ensure a successful tourism period till 2020, and the Tourism Board has set a target of two million tourist arrivals by the end of next year.

By 2020, the government plans to operate two new international airports – Pokhara and Lumbini – and introduce the Airbus 330-200 to provide airline services to the growing number of tourists.

The government also plans to run Tribhuvan International Airport for an additional three hours from the regular 18, to ensure continued availability of service to both incoming and outgoing tourists.

The private hotel sector, too, has planned to add 4000 rooms in the four and five-star categories in Kathmandu, Chitwan and Pokhara. A number of international hotel chains, including Hilton and Marriott, are expected to operate properties in Nepal in the coming years.