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Platinum Jubilee: UK celebrates Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne

London —  The Queen celebrates her Platinum Jubilee this year, marking 70 years since she ascended to the throne.

On significant anniversaries, celebrations take place across the UK and the Commonwealth. This year, street parties will be held, as well as public ceremonies such as the Trooping the Colour, which marks the Queen’s official birthday.

The celebrations have been released in stages. Street parties are being planned across the country, and official festivities include the Queen’s Green Canopy campaign and the Platinum Pudding Competition.

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee bank holiday take place on Friday 3 June 2022, and is being observed by all UK nations.

This is almost four months after Elizabeth II celebrated the 70th anniversary of her accession on 6 February 2022.

However, that also marked 70 years since the death of her father, King George VI, and was therefore not an occasion the monarch wished to celebrate.

The first week of June was chosen for the Platinum Jubilee weekend instead, just like the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilees, with the summer month offering a better chance of good weather.

To create the four-day weekend, the late May spring bank holiday has been moved to Thursday 2 June, with the additional day off following a day later.

The Queen’s coronation took place on June 2, 1953, at Westminster Abbey in London.

The major Platinum Jubilee celebrations therefore began on Thursday, June 2, 2022, and continue over the weekend until June 5.

Plans have also been confirmed to allow pubs and bars to serve alcohol until 1am on June 2, 3 and 4 as an alteration to the usual 11pm cut off. Home Office minister Kit Malthouse said the extension would allow people to ‘celebrate the longest-reigning monarch in the United Kingdom’, The Telegraph reported.

There are now more than 2,000 events listed on the official Platinum Jubilee website, taking place across the UK to celebrate the occasion.

British Asians honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List

London — Author Salman Rushdie and cricketer Moeen Ali are among a number of British Asians honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List published on Wednesday.

The honor list includes  13.3 per cent of recepants from an ethnic minority background.

Covid efforts recognised alongside philanthropists and community leaders British Asians named among them are:

ORDER OF THE COMPANIONS OF HONOUR:

Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie, author, for services to literature (London, Greater London)

KNIGHTHOODS

Rohinton Minoo Kalifa OBE, chair, Network International, for services to financial services, technology and public service (London, Greater London); Professor Aziz Sheikh OBE FRSE, chair, Primary Care Research and Development, University of Edinburgh, for services to Covid-19 research and policy (Lasswade, Edinburgh)

COMMANDERS OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE

Avnish Mitter Goyal, chair, Care England, for services to social care and philanthropy (Billericay, Essex); Navin Fakirchand Shah, lately London assembly member for Brent and Harrow, for political and public service (London, Greater London); Ramesh Kanji Vala OBE, consultant, Ince Group, for services to the community and Covid-19 response (London, Greater London)

OFFICERS OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE

Shahina Ahmad, principal, Eden Girls’ School, Waltham Forest, for services to education (London, Greater London); Osman Ahmed, senior officer, National Crime Agency, for services to law enforcement (London, Greater London); Professor Babak Akhga, director, Centre for Excellence in Terrorism, Resilience, Intelligence and Organised Crime Research, Sheffield Hallam University, for services to security research (Sheffield, South Yorkshire); Moeen Ali, for services to cricket (Birmingham, West Midlands); Dr Raghib Ali, consultant in acute medicine, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust and senior clinical research associate, epidemiology, University of Cambridge, for services to the NHS and Covid-19 response (High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire); Kishorkant Bhattessa (Vinu Bhattessa), managing director, Mandeville Hotel Group and trustee, BAPS Swaminarayan Temple, for charitable and voluntary services, particularly during Covid-19 (London, Greater London); Dr Shamil Chandaria, for services to science and technology, finance and philanthropy (Stanmore, Greater London); Afia Choudhury, foster carer, Tower Hamlets, for services to children (London, Greater London); Jasbir Singh Dhesi, principal and CEO, Cheshire College South and West, for services to education (Wrexham, Clwyd); Dr Noha Elsakka, consultant, medical microbiology and virology and service clinical director, NHS Grampian, for services to the NHS and Covid-19 response (Aberdeen); Abdul Hai, lately cabinet member for young people, equalities and cohesion, Camden, for services to young people and to the community in Camden and London (London, Greater London); Hifsa Haroon-Iqbal MBE DL, regional Prevent co-ordinator, Department for Education, for services to social cohesion (Staffordshire); Dr Azeem Ibrahim, director, New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, for services to the Union, diversity and foreign policy (Glasgow); Haroon Karim, chair, Balham and Tooting mosque and trustee, World Memon Organisation, for services to philanthropy and the community in south London and Pakistan (London, Greater London); Kamruddin Kothia, chair of trustees, Star Academies, for services to education (Blackburn, Lancashire); Shivani Lakhani, society team lead, Covid-19 Task force, Cabinet Office, for services to vulnerable communities during the Covid-19 response (London, Greater London); Sumeet Kaur Matharu, chief pharmacist, Defence Primary Healthcare, Ministry of Defence, for services to armed forces healthcare (Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands); Yasmine Joun Moezinia, deputy director, COP26 Private Finance Hub, Treasury, for services to climate finance (London, Greater London); Rohit Naik, headteacher, Hope School, Liverpool, for services to education (Liverpool, Merseyside); Professor Samia Nefti-Meziani, professor of artificial intelligence and robotics, and head, Centre for Autonomous Systems and Advanced Robotics, for services to robotics (Altrincham, Greater Manchester); Vippen Paul Sagoo, businessman, for services to the Asian community and diversity and inclusion (London, Greater London); Tariq Navid Shah, philanthropist, for services to charity (Doncaster, South Yorkshire); Professor Parveen Yaqoob, deputy vice-chancellor, University of Reading, for services to higher education (Reading, Berkshire); Dr Asim Yusuf, consultant psychiatrist and Islamic scholar, for services to the Muslim community (Wolverhampton, West Midlands); Dr Sabir Zazai FRSE, chief executive, Scottish Refugee Council, for services to refugees (Rutherglen, Lanarkshire)

MEMBERS OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE

Rozina Ahmed, principal policy officer, mayor of London’s office, for services to equality, diversity and inclusion in education, culture and sport (London, Greater London); Dr Rizwan Yahya Ahmed, consultant respiratory physician, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, for services to public health during Covid-19 (Bolton, Greater Manchester); Tariq Ali, for services to the community in Wolverhampton during Covid-19 (Wolverhampton, West Midlands); Mohammad Asad, imam and Muslim chaplain, for services to charitable fundraising and the NHS during Covid-19 (Walsall, West Midlands); Mohammed Sadiq Badat, for voluntary and charitable services in Leicester and abroad (Leicester, Leicestershire); Pranav Bhanot, councillor, Chigwell Parish Council, for services to the community in Chigwell, Essex (Chigwell, Essex); Dr Chila Kumari Singh Burman, artist, for services to visual art, particularly during Covid-19 (London, Greater London); Angela Chada, executive director, Springboard Opportunities, for services to children and young People in Northern Ireland (Belfast); Professor Indranil Chakravorty, chair, British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, Institute for Health Research and consultant physician, St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, for services to the healthcare sector (St Albans, Hertfordshire); Ghazain Choudhry, for services to wheelchair basketball (London, Greater London); Dr Umakant Ramchandra Dave, consultant physician, Swansea Bay University Health Board, for services to the NHS (Swansea, West Glamorgan); Sanjeevini Dutta, director, Kadam Dance, for services to dance (Luton, Bedfordshire); Devika Mihiri Anoja Fernando, research library manager, Department for Work and Pensions, for services to international librarianship (London, Greater London); Razia Tariq Hadait, founder and CEO, Himaya Haven CIC, for services to the community in Birmingham (Birmingham, West Midlands); Humera Haqqani, managing director, Let’s Talk, for services to business and the community in Rochdale (Rochdale, Greater Manchester); Safia Jama, CEO, Women’s Inclusive Team, for services to the voluntary and charitable sector (London, Greater London); Ameet Jogia, councillor, Harrow, and co-chair, Conservative Friends of India, for political and public service (London, Greater London); Dr Manojkumar Narottam Liladhar Joshi DL, volunteer, for voluntary services to the community in Bradford during Covid-19 (Bradford, West Yorkshire); Chunilal Odhavji Kakad, for services to the community in Brent (London, Greater London); Najma Khalid, founder, Women’s CHAI Project and lead organiser, Parent Power Oldham, for services to the community in Oldham (Oldham, Greater Manchester); Zamir Khan, community volunteer, for services to the Blackburn Muslim Burial Society and the community in Blackburn, particularly during Covid-19 (Blackburn, Lancashire); Barjinderpall Lall, head of skills, JGA Group, London, for services to apprenticeships and skills training (Greenford, Greater London); Nitin Natwarlal Madhavji (Nick Madhavji), founder and chief executive, Joskos Solutions, for services to education, business and charity (London, Greater London); Sandeep Mahal, lately director, Nottingham Unesco city of literature, for services to literature, the arts and culture in Nottingham (Walsall, West Midlands); Kiritkumar Jamnadas Modi (Kirit Modi), honorary president, National Kidney Federation and the National Black Asian and Minority Ethnic Transplant Alliance, for services to organ donation particularly in ethnic minority communities (London, Greater London); Professor Srimathi Rajagopalan Murali, consultant orthopaedic surgeon, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, for services to international doctors working in the NHS (Wigan, Greater Manchester); Professor Daljit Nagra, chair, Royal Society of Literature, for services to literature (London, Greater London); Badrun Nesa Pasha, co-founder, Bangladeshi Women’s Association, for services to the Bangladeshi community in the West Midlands (Birmingham, West Midlands); Sharan Pasricha, founder, Ennismore, for services to the hotel industry (London, Greater London); Kawan Deepakchandra Patel, lately deputy director, head of social contact, Cabinet Office and Covid-19 Directorate lead, Home Office, for services to the Covid-19 response (London, Greater London); Bhawana Ramanbhai Patel, human resources consultant, Defence Business Services, Ministry of Defence, for services to defence (London, Greater London); Bharat Patel, for services to the community in Greater London, particularly during Covid-19 (Watford, Hertfordshire); Dr Chithra Ramakrishnan, south Indian classical vocalist and dancer, and founder director, British Carnatic Choir, for services to the promotion of south Indian classical music and dance (Solihull, West Midlands); Raja Suleman Raza, founder and CEO, Spice Village, for services to business and philanthropy, particularly during Covid-19 (London, Greater London); Gurvinder Singh Sandher, CEO, Cohesion Plu, for services to the arts and the community in Kent (Longfield, Kent); Harshad Purshottam Saujani JP, community safety educator, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, for services to fire safety (Leicester, Leicestershire); Suman Raj Shrestha, professional lead, Royal College of Nursing and nurse consultant in critical care, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, for services to critical care nursing (Crowthorne, Berkshire); Anwar Uddin, fans, for diversity campaign manager, the Football Supporters’ Association, for services to Association football (London, Greater London); Sanjaykumar Jayantilal Vadera, CEO, The Fragrance Shop and Per-Scent, for services to international trade (Altrincham, Greater Manchester); Ameeta Virk, markets leader, Department for International Trade, for services to the economy (Bristol)

MEDALLISTS OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE

Mansoor Ahmad, for services to the community in Merton during Covid-19 (London, Greater London); Mohammed Tahir Ali, for services to the community in Preston during Covid-19 (Preston, Lancashire); Ibrar Ali, volunteer development manager, Bradford Moor Play and Support Service, for voluntary services to the community in Bradford (Bradford, West Yorkshire); Amjid Hussain, director, Bradford Moor Play and Support Service, for voluntary services to the community in Bradford (Leeds, West Yorkshire); Md Nazrul Islam, for services to the community in Tower Hamlets during Covid-19 (London, Greater London); Lakshmana Rao Kastala, founder and chair of trustees, DREAMSAI, for charitable services to the community in Milton Keynes (Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire); Angela Rosemary Khalil, patron and lately president, British Red Cross, Essex, for voluntary service (Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire); Abrar Khan, for services to the community in Ilford, Redbridge, particularly during Covid-19 (London, Greater London); Fazle Abbas Kinkhabwala, for services to the Indian and Pakistani communities in Birmingham and the schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham (Birmingham, West Midlands); Indraprasad Limbu, broadcast technician, British Forces Broadcasting Service, for services to the armed forces (Basingstoke, Hampshire); Yaser Hachem Martini, co-founder and trustee, Team Margot Foundation, for services to stem cell donation (London, Greater London); Rukeya Khanom Miah, deputy associate director of nursing and senior midwife, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, for services to maternity and healthcare education, particularly during Covid-19 (Keighley, West Yorkshire); Varsha Kumari Mistry, forensic practitioner, Metropolitan Police Service, for services to diversity and inclusion in policing and the Hindu Community (London, Greater London); Joanne Mohammed, registered nurse, Royal Bolton Hospital, for services to nursing and disability awareness (Blackburn, Lancashire); Md Oliur Rahman, for services to the community in Islington during Covid-19 (London, Greater London); Nafesa Salah-Ud-Din, civil service local delivery and engagement lead, Cabinet Office, for public service and services to diversity and inclusion (London, Greater London); Ashfaq Siddique, for services to the community in Barking and Dagenham during Covid-19 (London, Greater London); Jayesh Kumar Dayarambhai Solanki (Jay Kumar Solanki), for services to dance and to the community in Greater London (London, Greater London); Abdul Wakil, director, Islamic Integration Community Centre, for services to the Muslim community in Hounslow (London, Greater London); Thasan Yoganathan, care home manager, Ammanford, for services to people with dementia and the community in Ammanford, Wales (Llanelli, Carmarthenshire) – List expert from Eastern Eye

China: 14,427 affected after 6.1 magnitude earthquake jolts Sichuan

Sichuan — About 14,427 people were affected after a 6.1- magnitude earthquake jolted the city of Ya’an in Sichuan, South Western China,  reported local media citing preliminary statistics. Four people were confirmed dead and 41 others injured due to the earthquake that jolted the city on Wednesday afternoon, according to the city’s earthquake relief headquarters on Thursday.

Earlier, the city’s earthquake relief headquarters said that a total of 13,081 people in Ya’an were affected by the earthquake however as per the new statistics the number has increased significantly, reported Xinhua. The 6.1-magnitude earthquake rattled Lushan County of Ya’an in Sichuan, at 5 p.m. Wednesday Beijing Time, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

The epicentre, with a depth of 17 km, was monitored at 30.4 degrees north latitude and 102.9 degrees east longitude, the CENC said. Earlier, a level-III national emergency response was activated after a 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit southwest China’s Sichuan Province, the Ministry of Emergency Management.(ANI)

British government forms talks team to discuss demands of Gurkha veterans

London: The British government has formed a talks team to discuss the demands of former Gurkha soldiers.

Deputy Chief of Mission and Spokesperson at the Nepali Embassy in London Roshan Khanal said that the British government has informed the embassy regarding the formation of a talks team led by Minister for Defence People and Veterans Leo Docherty.

A meeting will be held within three weeks to discuss the modalities for talks,” Khanal told Nepal Live Today.

Earlier, the Nepal government had formed a talks team to hold dialogue with the United Kingdom regarding the demands of former Gurkha soldiers. A Cabinet meeting in March had formed a delegation led by Nepali Ambassador to the UK Gyan Chandra Acharya for talks.

Fast-unto-death

The British government had agreed to form a talks team to address the demands of former Gurkhas veterans after former Gurkha soldiers Gyan Raj Rai, Dhan Gurung, and Pushpa Rana Ghale, a member of the Gurkha family, staged a 13-day hunger strike near the British Prime Minister’s Office in London in August.

A British minister had written a letter to the then Nepali Ambassador Lokdarshan Regmi stating that the British government was ready to hold talks with the Nepali government on the demands of ex-Gurkha soldiers by December 2021.

Read more at Nepal Live Today

Nepal restarts selling electricity to India

KATHMANDU  — Nepal resumed selling surplus electricity to Indian buyers on Thursday through a power exchange market in India after a moratorium of nearly six months.

“We’re selling 37.7 megawatts (MW) of electricity to Indian buyers starting from Thursday,” Suresh Bhattarai, spokesperson for the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), told Xinhua.

“When the monsoon starts and Nepal’s hydropower plants, most of them run-of-the-river type, generate power as per their full capacity, we will be able to sell more power in the Indian market,” he noted.

India is facing an energy crisis now due to a global shortage of coal, on which most of the Indian power plants are running.

Nepal has got approval from the Indian authority to sell 364 MW of electricity in the Indian market through a bidding process, according to the NEA.

The NEA sold power to India from early November to the first week of December last year, but halted the export over a short supply of power at home during the dry season.

Nepal has been in a power deficit for a long time, but it started to produce surplus energy after the country’s largest 456 MW Upper Tamakoshi Hydroelectric Project started to generate electricity from July last year.

As the monsoon season is setting in, hydropower plants in Nepal are producing more power from the elevated water levels in the Himalayan rivers.

In early May, the NEA invited bids from Indian companies to buy its 200 MW surplus energy from July 1 to Nov. 29 under a long-term power purchase agreement. (Xinhua)

Nepal: Dead bodies of Tara Air plane crash victims handed over to families

Kathmandu: The dead bodies of the victims in the recent Tara Air Twin Otter crash have been handed to their families on Thursday, according to the officials.

According to the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, the dead bodies of all 22 who were killed in the crash were handed to their families as post-mortem examinations concluded on Wednesday night.

The last rites of four Indian killed in the crash were performed by Pashupati Aryaghat. The dead bodies of two German nationals who died in the crash will be taken to Germany.

The aircraft had gone missing on Sunday while it was en route to Jomsom of Mustang from Pokhara, Kaski. The aircraft was found crashed on a cliff at the base of Manapathi Peak at Thasang Rural Municipality-2 in Mustang the next day.

Tara Air aircraft crash: Dead bodies to be handed over to relatives today

Kathmandu: The dead bodies of the Tara Air aircraft crash victims will be handed over to relatives on Thursday.

According to the TU Teaching Hospital, the bodies will be handed over to respective relatives as the post-mortem of all 22 killed in the crash has been completed.

The Twin Otter with call sign 9N-AET had crashed in a mountain at Sanosare of Thasang Rural Municipality-2 in Mustang on Sunday, killing all 22 people on board, including three crew members.

Police say four killed in Oklahoma in new US gun rampage

United States: A man armed with a rifle and handgun opened fire inside a medical building in Oklahoma on Wednesday, killing four people, police said, the latest of a series of mass shootings in the United States.

The gunman also died, apparently of a self-inflicted wound, Tulsa’s deputy police chief Eric Dalgleish told reporters outside the St Francis Hospital.

Dalgleish said police were trying to determine the man’s identity, but said he was aged between 35 and 40.

The shooting comes eight days after an 18-year-old man armed with an automatic rifle burst into Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and killed 19 children and two teachers before being fatally shot himself and just more than two weeks after a shooting at a Buffalo supermarket by a white man who is accused of killing 10 Black people in a racist attack.

The site of the St Francis Hospital was sealed off on Wednesday afternoon when police learned of the attack at the Natalie Medical Building, which houses an outpatient surgery centre and a breast health centre.

Tulsa resident Nicholas O’Brien, whose mother was in a nearby building when the shooting occurred, told reporters that he rushed to the scene. Read the full story at Aljazeera

 

 

Sri Lanka court denies pardon for Gotabaya Rajapaksa loyalist

Colombo: In a momentous judgment, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended a presidential pardon for a murderer linked to the governing Rajapaksa family, ordering his immediate return to prison.

Duminda Silva, who was facing the death penalty for a 2011 murder but was released in June after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa granted him amnesty, was ordered to be arrested by a three-judge panel.

“The court set a new hearing for September 1,” a court official stated, “but asked the police to carry out the interim order of detaining Duminda Silva and returning him to jail.”

According to him, the decision was made in response to an extraordinary challenge to the president’s pardon.

US to supply modern rocket systems to Ukraine

President Biden declared that the United States will supply Ukraine with more modern rocket systems to aid in its defense.

The weaponry, which Ukraine has been requesting for a long time, will allow it to hit enemy forces more precisely from a greater distance.

The US had previously declined the request, citing concerns that the weapons may be used against Russian targets.

Mr. Biden, on the other hand, suggested on Wednesday that the deadly assistance will enhance Kyiv’s negotiation position against Russia and make a diplomatic settlement more possible.

“That is why I’ve decided that we will equip the Ukrainians with more advanced rocket systems and weapons that will enable them to more precisely strike vital targets on the battlefield in Ukraine,” he wrote in the New York Times.

Nepal Tightens Rules For Flights After Deadly Plane Crash

Kathmandu — Nepal on Tuesday tightened flight permit rules for airlines by making it mandatory to have clear weather throughout the route, after a preliminary investigation indicated that bad weather was the main cause of Sunday’s plane crash in the Himalayan nation’s mountainous Mustang district that killed all 22 people on board.

So far, Nepal’s aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), has been issuing permits to airlines if weather conditions at the source and destination airports are okay. But, from now onwards, the en-route weather conditions of the flight will also be looked into.

Nepal being a mountainous country, the weather condition is always fluctuating and it is difficult to operate a flight in the mountain region without proper weather forecasting mechanism.

The new provision is applicable to all flights following the Visual Flight Rules.

While submitting the flight plan, the airlines are required to submit weather forecasting information acquired from the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology regarding the weather of the flight destination and en route, according to the notice issued by CAAN.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the Canadian-built turboprop Twin Otter 9N-AET plane of Tara Air had crashed into the mountains after it swerved to the right, instead of turning to the left due to inclement weather.

The Canadian-built turboprop Twin Otter 9N-AET plane was carrying four Indians, two Germans and 13 Nepali passengers, besides a three-member Nepali crew when it crashed minutes after taking off from the tourist city of Pokhara on Sunday.

The government has formed a five-member commission of inquiry headed by senior aeronautical engineer Ratish Chandra Lal Suman to find out the cause of the Tara Air plane crash that killed 22 people, including four Indians and two Germans.

Nepal, a country often referred to as one of the world’s riskiest places to fly, has had a fraught record of aviation accidents, partly due to its sudden weather changes and airstrips located in mountainous terrain.

Fickle weather patterns are not the only problem for flight operations in Nepal. According to a 2019 safety report from CAAN, Nepal’s “hostile topography” is also part of the “huge challenge” faced by pilots.

In 2016, all 23 people aboard were killed when a plane of the same airline flying the same route crashed after takeoff.

In March 2018, a US-Bangla Air crash occurred at the Tribhuvan International Airport, killing 51 people on board.

A Sita Air flight crashed in September 2012 while making an emergency landing at the Tribhuvan International Airport, killing 19 people.

A plane flying from Pokhara to Jomsom crashed near Jomsom airport on May 14, 2012, killing 15 people. (PTI )

Sri Lankan police tear gas protestors

Colombo: Police in Sri Lanka used tear gas and water cannons Saturday to disperse demonstrators trying to approach the president’s office to demand he resign over the country’s ongoing economic crisis.

The demonstrators were rallying to mark the 50th day of protests in which they have camped outside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office. Police broke up the rally and briefly detained three people before releasing them.

Sri Lanka is nearly bankrupt, having defaulted on its foreign loans, and is battling acute shortages of essential goods like cooking gas, fuel and medicines. People have been forced to wait for hours in long lines to try to buy goods and many still go empty-handed. (Times of India)

‘People are going to die’: crisis-hit Sri Lanka runs out of medicine

Sri Lanka: Chandrapala Weerasuriya can’t remember when he last took his medication. The 67-year-old retired businessman, living in Sri Lanka’s Gampaha district, has always relied on a drug to keep at bay his hereditary nervous condition, which makes him dizzy and unable to walk.

But since his prescription recently ran out, he cannot get another supply. The drug is simply not available in Sri Lanka any more.

“I am afraid that I might become paralysed because there is no one to care for us,” he said fretfully. “My wife and I do everything alone. We split the household chores and manage it between ourselves. My wife has a knee problem and she can barely walk.” Read the full story at Guardian

 

Tara Air Twin Otter crash in Nepal: Bodies of all victims, black box retrieved

Kathmandu: The bodies of all 22 people, including three crew members who were killed in the Tara Air aircraft crash on Sunday at Sanusare, Thasang Rural Municipality-2 of Mustang have been found.

The Twin Otter aircraft with call sign 9-NAET had taken off for Jomsom, Mustang from Pokhara at 9:55 am and it was reported out of contact at 10:07 am. The wreckage of the plane was located on Monday morning, 19 hours after the plane went missing.

Chief District Officer (CDO) of Mustang, Netra Prasad Adhikari said the bodies of all the people on board the plane- 16 Nepali, four Indians, and two German nationals – have been found. According to him, 10 bodies were flown to Kathmandu on Monday itself while the remaining bodies have been airlifted to Kobang from the crash site.

CDO Sharma said the security personnel mobilized for the search and rescue have also returned after retrieving all the bodies of the victims and also the black box of the aircraft from the crash site.

Preparations have been made to send the 12 bodies brought to Kobang to Kathmandu by a Nepali Army helicopter.

It took much time to collect the bodies and their belongings lying scattered on a cliff face at an altitude of 4,200 meters from the sea level due to the difficult terrain, fog cover and frequent snow and rain.

The crash site is on the base of a mountain and is four hours trek from Kobang, the headquarters of Thasang Rural Municipality, Mustang district.

Nepali Army, the Armed Police Force, and Nepal Police personnel, Sherpas, and locals had reached the crash site and collected the mortal remains of the victims.

Bishal Gharti of Badigad rural municipality-7, Baglung district, who had gone to the base of the mountain for collecting yarchagumba (Cordyceps sinensis), a valuable herb, had spotted the crash site at 7 am on Monday and then informed the police about the same.

Sri Lanka PM invites protesting youth to join governance

Colombo: Sri Lanka’s prime minister said Sunday that protesting youth groups will be invited to be part of governance under political reforms he is proposing to solve the country’s political crisis triggered by an economic collapse.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that under proposed constitutional reforms, the powers of the president will be clipped and those of Parliament strengthened. In a televised statement to the nation, he said that governance will be broad-based through parliamentary committees where lawmakers, youth and experts will work together.

“The youth are calling for a change in the existing system. They also want to know the current issues. Therefore, I propose to appoint four youth representatives to each of these 15 committees,” Wickremesinghe said.

Nepal plane crash: bodies of 14 people found

Kathmandu  (RSS):  The bodies of 14 persons have been found at the site at Sansure, Thalang rural municipality-2 of Mustang district where a Tara Air plane crashed on Sunday.

The District administration Office Mustang said the security personnel and locals who reached the crash site found 13 bodies at 10.30 am.    

The administrative officer at the Office, Devendra Raj Pandey said the identity of the bodies pressed by the aircraft wreckage is being established.    

The team of army and police personnel and Sherpas who reached the crash site by helicopter and the locals who reached via the land route are retrieving the bodies and searching for the missing ones.    

A contingent of about 100 security personnel has reached close to the crash site which is at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters from the mean sea level.    

Administrative officer Pandey said sending additional security personnel and bringing the bodies back by helicopter has been difficult due to the fog cover at the crash site.    

There is a plan of bringing the bodies to Kobang via helicopter after search and rescue and the retrieved bodies are identified and a police report about this is prepared.    

A helicopter each of the Nepal Army, Fishtail Air, and Kailash Air had been mobilized for the search, said Chief District Officer, Mustang, Netra Prasad Sharma.    

    

A helicopter returned to Naurikot after transporting rescuers at the incident site when the weather was good, he said, adding that efforts were on to ferry more rescuers and collected bodies when the weather improves.    

The wreckage of the aircraft was recovered at the foot of Manapathi Mountain, around a four-hour walk from Kowang of Thasang Rural Municipality. A search effort for the plane throughout Sunday was affected by bad weather conditions.    

Yarchagumba pickers and shepherds in the area had heard a big bang probably caused by the plane crash into the mountain.    

A team of the Nepal Army from Kathmandu on Sunday reached the incident site along with the required materials for a rescue.   

 

The Twin Otter aircraft of Tara Air with 22 people including three crew members on board took off at 9:55 am from Pokhara for Jomsom and lost contact with the air control in Jomsom at 10:07 am.    

Being affected by bad weather conditions, the plane later turned through the Dhaulagiri and Manapathi Mountains towards Pokhara instead of flying to Jomsom, said, local people.    

The passengers included 12 Nepali people, four Indian, and two Germans, according to the Tara Air.