The Kathmandu Post - 08 Nov, 2024 (2024)

WASHINGTON,
Joe Biden’s name wasn’t on the ballot, but history will likely remember Kamala Harris’ resounding defeat as his loss too.
As Democrats pick up the pieces after President-elect Donald Trump’s decisive victory, some of the vice president’s backers are expressing frustration that Biden’s decision to seek reelection until this summer—despite long-standing voter concerns about his age and unease about post-pandemic inflation as well as the US-Mexico border—all but sealed his party’s surrender of the White House.
“The biggest onus of this loss is on President Biden,” said Andrew Yang, who ran against Biden in 2020 for the Democratic nomination and endorsed Harris’ unsuccessful run.
“If he had stepped down in January instead of July, we may be in a very different place.”
Biden will leave office after leading the United States out of the worst pandemic in a century, galvanising international support for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion and passing a $1 trillion infrastructure bill that will affect communities for years to come.
But having run four years ago against Trump to “restore the soul of the country,” Biden will make way after just one term for his immediate predecessor, who overcame two impeachments, a felony conviction and an insurrection launched by his supporters. Trump pledges to radically reshape the federal government and roll back many of Biden’s priorities.
“Maybe in 20 or 30 years, history will remember Biden for some of these achievements,” said Thom Reilly, co-director of the Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy at Arizona State University. “But in the shorter term, I don’t know he escapes the legacy of being the president who beat Donald Trump only to usher in another Donald Trump administration four years later.”
The president on Wednesday stayed out of sight for the second straight day, making congratulatory calls to Democratic lawmakers who won downballot races and to Trump. Biden invited Trump for a White House meeting, and the president-elect accepted. Biden is set to deliver a Rose Garden address on Thursday about the election. He issued a statement shortly after Harris delivered her concession speech Wednesday, praising Harris for running an “historic campaign” under “extraordinary circumstances.”
Some high-ranking Democrats, including three advisers to the Harris campaign, expressed deep frustration with Biden for failing to recognise earlier in the election cycle that he was not up to the challenge. The advisers spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly.
Biden, 81, ended his reelection campaign in July, weeks after an abysmal debate performance sent his party into a spiral and raised questions about whether he still had the mental acuity and stamina to serve as a credible nominee. But polling long beforehand showed that many Americans worried about his age. Some 77 percent of Americans said in August 2023 that Biden was too old to be effective for four more years, according to a poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs.
The president bowed out on July 21 after getting not-so-subtle nudges from Democratic Party powers, including former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California. Biden endorsed Harris and handed over his campaign operation to her. Yang argued that Democratic Party leaders also deserve blame for taking too long to push out Bident. With few exceptions, most notably Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, Democrats shied away talking publicly about Biden’s age.
“Why was this not coming from any Democratic leaders?” Yang said. “It’s a lack of courage and independence and an excess of careerism, if I just keep my mouth shut, we’ll just keep on trucking along.”
The campaign was also saddled by anger among some Arab American and young voters over its approach to Israel’s conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an ally of Biden and Harris, said in a statement that Democrats lost the thread on working class Americans’ concerns.
“Will the big money interests and well-paid consultants who control the Democratic Party learn any real lessons from this disastrous campaign?” the Vermont independent said. “Will they understand the pain and political alienation that tens of millions of Americans are experiencing?”
Harris managed to spur far greater enthusiasm than Biden was generating from the party’s base. But she struggled to distinguish how her administration would differ from Biden’s.
Appearing on ABC’s “The View” in September, Harris was not able to identify a decision where she would have separated herself from Biden. “There is not a thing that comes to mind,” Harris said, giving the Trump campaign a sound bite it replayed through Election Day.
The strategists advising the Harris campaign said the compressed campaign timetable made it even more difficult for Harris to differentiate herself from the president.
Had Biden stepped aside early in the year, they said, it would have given Democrats enough time to hold a primary. Going through the paces of an intraparty contest would have forced Harris or another eventual nominee to more aggressively stake out differences with Biden.
The strategists acknowledged that overcoming broad dissatisfaction among the American electorate about rising costs in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic and broad concerns about the US immigration system weighed heavy on the minds of voters in key states.
Still, they said that Biden had left Democrats in an untenable place.
Harris senior adviser David Plouffe in a posting on X called it a “devastating loss.” Plouffe did not assign blame and said the Harris campaign “dug out of a deep hole but not enough.”
At the vice president’s concession speech on Wednesday, some Harris supporters said they wished the vice president had had more time to make her pitch to American voters.
“I think that would have made a huge difference,” said Jerushatalla Pallay, a Howard University student who attended the speech at the centre of her campus.
Republicans are poised to control the White House and Senate.
Control of the House has yet to be determined.

KATHMANDU,
How big will the impact be as Nepal’s major international airport closes for ten hours starting Friday?
Economists say it’s too early to quantify, but the losses for the Nepali economy will be huge.
Nepal’s economic momentum has slowed down since the late September floods, and the government’s decision to close the key airport could stifle growth. “It will be a big setback for
the country’s ailing economy as it will hit tourism and business activities, including transport, hotels, restaurants, telecommunication and other sectors,” said Bishwambhar Pyakurel, a noted economist.
Pyakurel called it a deliberate “restriction” imposed by the government, despite it having many alternatives to carry out construction at the airport. Tickets prices are soaring, with most destinations, including Nepal’s labour markets, witnessing a fourfold price rise due to a widening gap between supply and demand.
A notice to airmen, popularly known as NOTAM, issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, states that the airport will be closed from 10pm to 8am from Friday for five months, until March 31, to expand the taxiways. The airport is currently closed from 2am to 6am.
Two parallel taxiway projects are ongoing at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. The extension of the parallel taxiway was initially planned in 2009.
Travel trade entrepreneurs said the civil aviation body’s mismanagement could shave off at least Rs50 billion in airline and tourism industry revenues, even as the government struggles with revenue generation.
The outlooks for 2024-2025 of the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the International Monetary Fund forecast economic recovery on the basis of improved tourist arrivals in Nepal.
Growth in food, transport, and accommodation sectors have been better than expected even as other economic indicators lag.
In September, the Asian Development Bank revised Nepal’s economic growth forecast upward to 4.9 percent for the current fiscal year beginning mid-July, based on projected agricultural and electricity output growth and buoyant tourist arrivals.
The National Statistics Office’s annual account estimated that accommodation and food service activities, which are linked to tourism, would see a robust growth of 21.84 percent, the highest among 18 economic compositions in the Nepali economy, in the last fiscal year ended mid-July.
According to the respective ministries, the late monsoon floods and landslides affected agriculture and electricity output, and now tourism has received a big jolt.
It will be more painful for domestic airlines as winter will bring more fog and pollution, curtailing flight frequencies.
“It’s an unplanned construction,” said Pyakurel. “Today, time is money. For trading, business and leisure, coming to Nepal will be a big challenge,” he said, adding that the airfares are so high that tourists and businessmen will think twice before flying. Hoteliers say that due to high ticket prices, key events planned in Kathmandu have either been postponed or cancelled. As part of the improvement plan, a 1,140-metre-long parallel taxiway is being built on the runway’s southern side, or the Koteshwar end. This will connect the existing international apron to the end of runway 02.
Similarly, another 450-metre-long parallel taxiway is being built at the northern end of the runway. Considering the planned infrastructure, the maximum runway capacity will see 42 aircraft movements per hour in mixed-mode operation, enabling 187,000 aircraft movements per year from the 128,449 flight movements last year.
In 2023, the Kathmandu airport recorded 8.7 million passengers—4.54 million international air travellers and 4.15 million domestic ones, according to statistics of the Tribhuvan International Airport.
Similarly, in terms of flight movement, the airport handled 128,449 flight movements—31,460 flights by international airlines and 96,989 by domestic carriers. Travel trade entrepreneurs say the ill-planned construction would take way too long, extending until another peak tourism season in spring (March).
“These will be painful months for travel trade entrepreneurs as the plan is being implemented in the peak tourism season. We, however, cannot oppose the airport’s infrastructure development,” said Sagar Pandey, president of the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal.
“On different occasions, we have suggested that the government and the civil aviation body find alternatives to such a long closure, such as incentivising airlines to fly from Bhairahawa and Pokhara international airports.”
However, international airlines are hesitant to connect to the new airports, which have remained idle for months due to the technical and financial issues of flying to them. Pandey said they might lose at least 40 percent of trekkers this year considering the flight cancellations.
Nepal Tourism Board has revised its 2024 tourist arrival forecast to 1.1 million from the projected 1.3 million. As of October, Nepal has received 900,000 tourists.
Some entrepreneurs say that five hours of construction time, as it used to be, was appropriate, but insiders suspect that a 10-hour closure would force many airlines to divert to Bhairahawa.
For instance, on October 27, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) took action against a Thai AirAsia flight, refusing to allow it to land at Kathmandu airport.
Media reports show that the flight was later permitted. However, after the plane landed, authorities temporarily suspended the airline and its general sales agent. Later the restrictions were lifted on the “condition” that the airline would fly from Bhairahawa as well. Airline officials say the “punitive measure” was not the aviation regulator’s first action.
On October 30, 2022, the CAAN cancelled Nepal Airlines’ scheduled flight to Delhi as punishment for defying instructions to move some of its international services to the newly-built Bhairahawa airport.
Nepal Airlines’ jet remained on the ground, and more than 500 passengers were affected by the last-minute cancellation.
“I would like to seriously draw the attention of the government that Tribhuvan International Airport is being closed for 10 hours daily from November 8 to March 31. It cannot be considered normal to close an international airport for 10 hours to build structures. Earlier, during the rehabilitation of the main runway, the airport was closed only for 5/7 hours at night,” lawmaker Udaya Shumsher Rana wrote on X on October 29.
“It is clear that closing the Kathmandu airport means diverting flights to Pokhara and Bhairahawa to show that those two airports are fine. There are technical reasons behind international airlines not being ready to fly to these two airports. Undoubtedly, the Civil Aviation Authority leadership is trying to hide its weaknesses by closing the Kathmandu airport for 10 hours.” Rana argued that if this decision is not revised, Nepal’s global image and tourism business would suffer.
The airport closure will also hit domestic flights. Buddha Air, Nepal’s largest domestic carrier, currently operates 180 daily flights. As the airline must reduce its flights to 135, there will be a substantial drop in its revenue and government’s taxes.
Some other domestic airlines have complained to the regulator that flight allocation is not proportionate under the new arrangement.

Kathmandu,
With Donald Trump returning to the White House, there are concerns over how his second term will shape the US foreign policy at large. And what will be its South Asia policy and by extension an outlook towards Nepal?
Trumps’ ‘America First’ policy is seen as Washington’s possible drift towards isolationism but his South Asia policy could be guided by his closeness and personal bond with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Strengthening strategic ties between New Delhi and Washington and the evolution of Beijing-Washington ties are other factors to watch out, observers say.
Former Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey said Nepal’s relations with the United States will remain unchanged irrespective of who enters the White House—a Republican or a Democrat.
Nepal and the United States forged diplomatic relations on April 25, 1947, becoming only the second country to do so after the UK. Nepal established its embassy in Washington DC on February 3, 1958, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On August 6, 1959, the American Embassy in Kathmandu was set up. A number of Nepal’s honorary consuls are stationed in various US cities and a large number of Nepali nationals now live and work in the country.
A Republican occupied the White House when Nepal and the US established diplomatic relations, said Pandey. Also, when Nepal opened its embassy in Washington DC and the US did so in Kathmandu, a Republican was at the helm.
“When King Mahendra addressed the joint session of US Congress in 1960, a Republican president was in power. Later, when he travelled to the United States in 1967, a Democratic president governed the country. Then, when King Birendra paid a state visit to the US in 1983, there was a Republican president,” said Pandey. “This suggests that the US policy towards Nepal has been stable and smooth.”
Though Nepal-US relations have been changing for the better, during Trump’s first presidency between January 20, 2017 and January 20, 2021, bilateral ties took a dip due to the controversy over accepting the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s $500 million grant.
The MCC became controversial in Nepal and stirred up debates.
After Washington’s repeated clarifications that MCC is not aligned with the US’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and introduction of the 12-point interpretive declaration, the US grant was ratified by the House of Representatives in February 2022. Nepal has also invested $197 million in the MCC projects.
During Trump’s first term as president, the American request for Nepal to join the Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) and State Partnership Program also caused unease in Nepal. Successive governments have clarified that Nepal does not intend to join these two US initiatives.
Nepal’s former permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva Sambhu Ram Simkhada hopes that relations between Nepal and the US will remain good in Trump’s second term. “But it is more important to see how relations between powerful countries evolve during Trump’s second term,” he said.
In Trump’s first term, some of his decisions like withdrawing from the Paris climate pact, the World
Health Organisation, ending US support for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and blocking abortion rights had an impact on Nepal as well.
Nepal is looking for compensation for the damages from adverse effects of climate change, which is triggered mainly by the greenhouse gases emitted by large industrial countries.
Nepal must tread carefully, said Pandey, especially with the US citizens electing a decisive president who wants no delays in action. Like Simkhada, former minister Pandey also believes that evolving ties between the US, India and China will shape Washington’s policy towards Kathmandu.
Nepal is on the strategic radars of India, China and the US, said Pandey. “Therefore, it should be careful while navigating its relations with these three powers. Nepal should maintain healthy relations with both India and China.”
Nepal should not be tempted to use its ties with one neighbour against the other, Pandey added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to issue a congratulatory message on Trump’s election but President Ramchandra Paudel and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli have congratulated the president-elect.
In his congratulatory message on Wednesday, Paudel expressed confidence that the Nepal-US relationship would be further strengthened during Trump’s second term.
Prime Minister Oli on Thursday stated that Trump’s return to the Oval Office is a historic chapter in American history. Oli also said that he looks forward to deepening Nepal-US relations, fostering mutual prosperity and cooperation under Trump’s leadership.
“It would be interesting to see how the US relations with India and China evolve,” said Simkhada. “That will have a big bearing on Nepal-US relations, perhaps as much as Nepal’s own relations with these three powers.”
Former Nepali ambassador to the United States Arjun Karki said that the US policy towards Nepal will remain unchanged despite changes in the US government as Kathmandu has already worked with the Trump administration. Karki served as Nepal’s ambassador to the United States during Trump’s first term. “But yes, some global policies he pursues might impact Nepal.”
“In his first term, Trump cut or downsized the US funds in areas like climate change, access to the abortion rights, health, and financial assistance to the World Health Organization. If he continues on the same path, Nepal will be affected,” said Karki, who served as Nepal’s US envoy from 2015 to 2021.
Karki believes the US policy towards Russia and Israel will change but not so much its outlook towards China. “Perhaps some of Trump’s interventionist policies might even be to Nepal’s benefit,” he adds.

CHITWAN,
One day in July, 1997, Mangal Bahadur Chidi Magar, a permanent resident of Balmiki Ashram area in Chitwan, was on his way to the Indian marketplace with two of his nephews through the dense forest when he had an encounter with a bear.
He swiftly helped his small nephews climb a nearby tree. But the bear, accompanied by its cubs, attacked him as he attempted to climb the tree.
“The bear clutched my back,” Mangal, then 30 years old, recalls. “I attempted to punch the bear’s nose with my left hand. But the bear bit my hand. Then I didn’t know what happened.”
Mangal regained consciousness on a hospital bed. Some Bolbam devotees had known about the incident and rushed him to the hospital where he stayed for three months. His left hand below the elbow had to be amputated.
Mangal’s hut is near the Balmiki Ashram, a famous Hindu shrine, in the western corner of Chitwan National Park. The place obviously has religious and historical significance but the area is surrounded by forests. It is very remote and so the threat of wild animals is high.
Ten families have been living near Balmiki Ashram over the past five decades.
According to the then king Mahendra Shah’s plan to set up settlement of the people of hilly origin near Nepal-India border in 1960s, some Magar families were brought to Balmiki Ashram from Tanahun district. Mangal’s parents, however, had come all the way from Palpa and settled there.
Legend has it that Balmiki, writer of the Hindu epic Ramayan, made his Ashram in the area and stayed there for several years. There are two temples in the area. Archaeologically important ruins including bricks, stone pillars, statues and other artistic structures are scattered on the temple premises. There is a stone pillar which is believed to have been used by Laba and Kusha, the twin sons of Goddess Sita, in tying a horse and various other religiously important places on the premises of Balmiki Ashram.
Both the Ashram area and the human settlement nearby are left neglected. The local people complained that the government is indifferent to the conservation of the Balmiki Ashram area. The area does not have electricity and drinking water facilities, said Ram Sharan Giri, priest of the temple situated in Balmiki Ashram.
“The local people living here for such a long time do not have land ownership certificates,” Giri added. He complained that the authorities concerned have paid no heed to the conservation of the religiously and historically important place and providing facilities to the local people.
Mangal, who lost his left hand in the bear attack, has faced a similar fate. The wild animals from Chitwan National Park and India’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve—which is around 300 metres away from Balmiki Ashram—frequently enter the settlement and attack people.
The local people are still dependent on the Indian town of Bhaisalotan Valmikinagar to buy essential commodities. One has to walk around a seven-kilometre-long road that passes through Valmiki Tiger Reserve forest on the Indian side. Besides the risks of wildlife, India’s Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB) personnel frequently harass them on various pretexts.
“Mangal lost his hand and the local people have to endure various hardships,” said Giri, the priest. “The government neither thinks about the hardships of the local people nor takes any concrete initiatives to preserve such an important site.”
Balmiki Ashram lies in ward 1 of Madi Municipality, Chitwan. The devotees and tourists who want to visit the Ashram have to travel through the Indian side. A foot bridge was built in Tribeni two years ago but it remains unused as there is no way to reach Balmiki Ashram through Chitwan National Park.

HETAUDA: A Nepal Army soldier died due to electric shock in Makwanpur district on Thursday. According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Shyam Aryal, Nepal Army lance corporal Padam Bahadur Diyal, a permanent resident of Ganyapdhura Rural Municipality-1 in Dadeldhura district, was electrocuted while working in under construction Kathmandu-Nijgadh Expressway in Bhimphedi Rural Municipality-8. The incident happened as he was burying communication equipment. The victim got electric shock as the equipment touched a high tension line, according to police.

DANG: Police on Thursday arrested Ganesh Kumal, 40, in possession of three muskets from his residence at Bangaun Hariyalitol of Lamahi Municipality-3, Dang. A police team raided Kumal’s house acting on a tip-off. According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Ishwor Thapa, the security personnel seized three muskets, two barrels used in making muskets, bullets and gunpowder from the house. Detailed investigation into the case is underway, police said.

KALIKOT: A Nepal Army team defused a bomb that was recovered on the bank of Tila river in Khandachakra Municipality-7, Kalikot, on Thursday. Local people saw the explosive on the river bank and immediately informed police. A Nepal Army team from Manma, the district headquarters of Kalikot, defused the bomb. It is suspected that the bomb was an explosive used during the Maoists’ decade-long armed insurgency.

KATHMANDU,
Nepal Police’s initial findings show that those who allegedly forged passports and went to Japan with Leela Ballav Adhikari, who resigned as the minister for internal affairs and law of Koshi Province on Wednesday, had paid Rs1 million each to attend an event in Tokyo.
Three Nepalis, who reportedly posed themselves as provincial ministry staff, had travelled to Japan with Adhikari, a provincial assembly member from the CPN-UML.
Adhikari, who was elected from Morang 2 (b), submitted his resignation to Koshi Chief Minister Hikmat Karki on Wednesday after he was accused of being involved in human trafficking.
He is also accused of visiting Japan without taking permission from the chief minister and notifying the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kathmandu.
“During an initial interrogation with the suspects, we found that they had paid Rs1 million to participate in the cultural event, which was to be held in Tokyo, Japan,” a Nepal Police official investigating the case told the Post. “After participating in the function, three of them were planning to stay there.”
The official, however, said it was yet to be ascertained who they gave the money to and whether lawmaker Adhikari was involved in the dealings.
According to the police official, they were deported from Tokyo airport and sent back to Kathmandu after the Japanese immigration officer suspected their motive behind visiting the country.
After deportation, the three people who had used forged passports were arrested when they landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport, a police officer said.
The police also arrested three other people from Kathmandu in suspicion of their involvement in the case based on the information provided by those caught in the airport. However, Adhikari has not been booked so far.
The District Police Range Kathmandu is investigating the case. “We are now investigating the case of travel documents forgery,” Nabaraj Adhikari, spokesperson for the Police Range, told the Post. “Further information will be revealed after the investigation is concluded.”
The police are also investigating if the former minister was also involved in forging documents to traffic Nepalis to Japan.
The group responsible for sending them to Japan apparently created fake documents and presented them at the airport before flight. However, the investigating officers said the details are yet to be dug out.
Chief Minister Hikmat Karki of Koshi said they had already taken action against Adhikari by making him resign from the ministerial position as he had not followed the due process before visiting Japan.
Karki also claimed that the party’s disciplinary committee had already taken note of the case, and further action would be taken against him if found guilty.
“The first action against him was his resignation from the ministerial position,” Karki told the Post. “A further action will be determined if the state agency finds him guilty.”
Chief Minister Karki said Adhikari had contacted him the day before he travelled to Japan and had described his trip as a personal visit.
“I had suggested he complete the due process before he set out,” Karki told the Post. “However, he didn’t give it a heed.”
Rajendra Gautam, head of the publicity department head of the UML, also said that the party will thoroughly look into Adhikari’s case and take definite action against him if he is found guilty.
After submitting his resignation on Wednesday, Adhikari held a press conference to claim that he was not guilty.
“I travelled alone to attend the function to be held in Tokyo Metropolitan City,” Adhikari told journalists.
“However, three Nepalis joined me in Hong Kong transit and were identified as staff from my office [ministry]. They were planning to hide in Japan after attending the cultural event. Thinking that being involved in such an act would be a betrayal to the country, I returned to Kathmandu soon after reaching Tokyo.”
Adhikari claimed that he had returned from Japan as it was impossible for him to return from Hong Kong transit and that he didn’t attend the event for it would have given other Nepali visitors a chance to hide there.

KATHMANDU,
At least 23 died, including one in Kathmandu Valley, and over 80 people have been infected with the Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus since June this year.
The number of reported cases could be just the tip of the iceberg, as tests were carried out only on those hospitalised patients after their conditions got severe, officials say.
“The death rate from the Japanese encephalitis infection is the highest among the vaccine-preventable diseases,” said Dr Bibek Kumar Lal, director of the Family Welfare Division. “Relevant health agencies have been taking all necessary measures to prevent infection and deaths from the virus.”
Cases of the deadly viral disease have been reported in 30 districts of six provinces except Karnali. What concerns health officials is the death rate rising alarmingly every year--around 29 percent in the current fiscal year. Fatality among children under 15 years is very high while complications from JE infection could cause permanent injuries to the brain and the nervous system.
Japanese encephalitis is a viral brain infection, endemic in Asia and parts of the Western Pacific. According to the World Health Organisation, it is a mosquito-borne flavivirus belonging to the same family as dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and West Nile viruses. The virus kills a third of those who fall ill and leaves up to a half of those who survive with severe life-long disabilities, according to the UN health body.
Data from the health ministry show that less than 50 percent of the infected patients were found inoculated with the vaccine. Doctors say the disease has no cure, so treatment focuses on managing symptoms. However, safe and effective vaccines have been developed to prevent infection. Health officials, however, said that their attempts to convince development partners, including the World Health Organisation, for a mass JE vaccination campaign have not succeeded.
“We have raised the issue several times with officials from the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunisation and requested their support,” said Lal. “But as of now, none of the agencies is convinced to support JE vaccination. Either the government has to decide and secure the funding source, or the aid agency should invest in the JE vaccination.”
The National Immunisation Advisory Committee, an expert panel, has also not recommended mass JE vaccination despite the high mortality rate.
“Vaccine does not help in controlling the ongoing epidemic,” said Dr Ramesh Kanta Adhikari, senior immunisation expert and a National Immunisation Advisory Committee member.
“We are ready to carry out a feasibility study, hold review meetings and discussions with the concerned experts and stakeholders to recommend the JE vaccination campaign if the government decides the same.”
In 2005, JE killed nearly 2,000 people in Nepal—mostly children from the Tarai districts. Nepal started administering the vaccine doses in 2006, eight years before the World Health Organisation officially issued prequalification certification, due to high rates of infection and deaths from the virus at the time.
In the first phase, all populations of the highly affected four districts—Banke, Bardiya, Dang, and Kailali—were given the JE vaccine. Later, the vaccination programme was expanded to 19 other affected districts, and children under 15 were inoculated.
The government integrated the JE vaccine into routine immunisation in 2015. Even then, people still die, and dozens get infected by the deadly virus every year.
The Ministry of Health and Population said its attention has been drawn to the spread of a deadly virus that has killed around two dozen people and infected scores of others.
“I have called a meeting of the officials concerned from the Family Welfare Division to discuss the issue on Friday,” said Pradip Paudel, minister for health and population. “We have taken the issue seriously and will make some decisions to prevent deaths and infections from the JE virus.”
Public health experts say this is the right time to vaccinate all those at risk. Even if the vaccine does not help in outbreak management, it provides immunity against future infections.
The JE virus is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected Culex mosquitoes. Pigs and ducks are considered natural reservoirs of the virus.
Doctors advise avoiding mosquito bites, such as by using mosquito repellents, wearing long-sleeved clothes, and getting vaccinated if one lives in or travels to disease-endemic areas. They also stress the importance of awareness and timely treatment to prevent infections and deaths.
An estimated 12.5 million people are thought to be at high risk of JE infection in Nepal.

People in 71 local units across 20 districts in Nepal were affected by rain-induced disasters in the last week of September. Landslides and floods triggered by incessant rains resulted in massive loss of human lives and infrastructure in Bagmati Province, including the Kathmandu Valley, as well as in the hilly districts of Koshi Province. Over 250 people died as several settlements were swept away. Altogether, around 391 people were killed nationwide in water-induced disasters in the monsoon season that started in the second week of June. The disaster victims were still struggling to come to terms with their losses when people across the country were celebrating Dashain and Tihar.
Now, a tougher time awaits disaster victims as the country heads into a chilly winter. The displaced people are staying under flimsy tents and tarpaulins, even as the authorities seem incapable of shifting them to temporary huts that could offer them some succour from the biting cold until their permanent houses are built. In his address to the country on October 23, nearly a month after the worst of monsoon disasters, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli directed the agencies concerned to prioritise the task of assessing damages and making temporary huts for the displaced people. In the same address, he conceded that government bodies hadn’t even assessed damages from the earthquakes that struck Jajarkot, Rukum West, Bajhang, Doti and Bajura a year ago, let alone carry out reconstruction work. The government had announced a total of Rs50,000 in two instalments to build temporary houses for those displaced in the quakes. According to the state-run newspaper The Rising Nepal, the people of Jajarkot district are yet to get the second instalment.
Last winter, elderly people, children, pregnant women and those with chronic health problems suffered a lot in Jajarkot as the quake survivors had to live under flimsy tents for months due to the delay in reconstruction and rehabilitation works. When the mountainous districts witnessed rains during the winter, cold-related ailments including pneumonia caused serious problems, especially for small kids and elderly people. Owing to what can only be described as government apathy, hundreds of those displaced by natural disasters years ago can be seen staying under makeshift huts on river banks or in forest areas in various parts of the country.
The problem is not always lack of resources. Mismanagement and the government’s failure to properly and timely mobilise available resources is also a reason behind the victims’ sorry plight. For instance, 77 institutional and individual donors have contributed over Rs1.87 billion to the Prime Minister’s Natural Disaster and Rescue Fund as of last week. Even in the past, disaster victims would be shivering under makeshift structures while the government would be sitting on the money donated in their name.
As Nepal is vulnerable to natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, floods, glacial lake outbursts and lightning, relevant agencies must be well equipped to help the needy people on time. The situation won’t improve unless there are mandatory provisions with strict timelines to accomplish vital tasks such as assessing damages, shifting the displaced people to temporary huts, distributing money to build permanent houses and for rehabilitation. In the process, the role and responsibility of provinces and local units can be broadened. Also, by coming to the help of the people in times of crisis, the provincial and local governments have an opportunity to prove their relevance as self-governing entities.

LONDON: The Bank of England on Thursday said it was cutting its key interest further after UK inflation hit a three-year low and signalled more reductions.
As widely expected, the BoE trimmed borrowing costs by 25 basis points to 4.75 percent at a regular policy meeting, its second reduction since August. The US Federal Reserve is set to reduce rates later in the day.
“We have been able to cut interest rates again” after UK annual inflation fell below the BoE’s target, the central bank’s governor Andrew Bailey said in a statement. The Consumer Prices Index in Britain stands at 1.7 percent, the lowest level since 2021 and below the two-percent target.
“We need to make sure inflation stays close to target, so we can’t cut interest rates too quickly or by too much,” Bailey cautioned. “But if the economy evolves as we expect it’s likely that interest rates will continue to fall gradually from here.” (afp)

GENEVA,
Climate change makes people ill and urgent action is a matter of life and death, the WHO said on Thursday, insisting health should be centre stage at this month’s international climate negotiations.
The World Health Organization highlighted in a new report published ahead of the November 11-22 COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan how extreme weather events were costing lives and fuelling disease.
There has been growing focus on the health impacts of global heating at the annual United Nations climate talks, with last year’s COP28 in Dubai for the first time including a day focused on health. The Baku summit will be the last UN climate summit before Donald Trump’s return as United States president in January.
Trump has long denounced climate change as a “hoax”.
During his 2017-2021 term as president, he withdrew from the landmark Paris Agreement on curbing global heating—and began pulling the United States out of the WHO, accusing the UN health agency of being a puppet of China. Trump has pledged to reverse the more climate-friendly policies of outgoing US President Joe Biden, under whom the US rejoined the Paris Agreement.
Trump’s threat to again walk away from this international effort to curb global heating adds to the sense of urgency for the UN summit to push through agreements before he becomes US president for a second time. The WHO report put the links between climate and health in abrupt language, citing recent disasters.
“Climate change is making us sick, and urgent action is a matter of life and death,” it said.
“From the direct effects of extreme weather and air pollution to the indirect consequences of ecosystem disruption and social instability, climate change threatens physical and mental health, well-being, and life itself.
“These impacts are not distant or abstract—they are felt now, through record-breaking temperatures in India, deadly floods in Kenya and Spain, megafires in the Amazon, and hurricanes in the United States.”

PARIS, France,
A Hakan Calhanoglu penalty gave Inter Milan a 1-0 victory over Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday, while a 93rd-minute winner ensured Atletico Madrid left Paris with all three points.
The Italian champions remain undefeated in the competition this season and sit fifth on 10 points at the midway point of the new league phase format.
Arsenal, on the other hand, experienced defeat for the first time in Europe this season and lie three points and seven places behind their opponents.
The match at the San Siro looked set to go into the break goalless until a penalty was signalled against Mikel Merino after Mehdi Taremi’s flick deviated the ball into the Arsenal player’s raised hand from close range.
Calhanoglu stroked home the resulting spot-kick three minutes into first-half injury time.
Yann Sommer and Denzel Dumfries combined on the line to deny Gabriel Magalhaes a leveller shortly before the hour.
Arsenal cranked up the pressure in the second half but were unable to break down Inter’s solid defensive block as the Premier League side fell to a second defeat in four days.
Barcelona beat Red Star Belgrade 5-2 in Serbia to claim sixth spot in the standings.
The Catalans took the lead on 13 minutes via a stooping header by defender Inigo Martinez.
But Red Star struck back just prior to the half-hour when Silas Mvumpa sprang the Barca offside trap and lifted the ball past Inaki Pena.
Robert Lewandowski effectively ensured Barca stayed in the automatic qualification spots with a quick-fire double either side of the break.
Raphinha and Fermin Lopez then netted, before Felicio Milson curled in a late consolation for the hosts.
Atletico stunned PSG 2-1 in the French capital as Angel Correa’s stoppage-time winner gave the Spaniards a second Champions League win this term.
The loss means the French champions sit in the elimination zone with one win and a draw from four, with matches against Manchester City and Bayern Munich to come.
Warren Zaire-Emery sent PSG ahead with a dinked finish past Jan Oblak on 14 minutes, before Nahuel Molina drilled in an equaliser four minutes later.
The home team pressed as the match wore on but left themselves exposed as Oblak’s throw found Antoine Griezmann on the break and the Frenchman’s pinpoint pass landed at the feet of Correa, who cut in and finished past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Jamal Musiala struck in the 67th minute to get Bayern Munich’s stuttering campaign back on course with a 1-0 win at home to Benfica.
The six-time winners’ record of two wins and two defeats leaves them mid-table with four matches remaining.
Aston Villa’s 100 percent record in the Champions League ended with a 1-0 defeat at Club Brugge, sparked by a bizarre penalty conceded by Tyrone Mings.
After making his debut in the competition in just his second match back after a long injury lay-off, the England centre-half gifted Brugge a penalty in the 51st minute after he picked up a short goal kick taken by Emiliano Martinez.
Hans Vanaken stroked home from 12 yards to drop Villa to eighth.
Brest continued their excellent start to life at European football’s top table, a 2-1 win at Sparta Prague taking them to fourth place.
Second-half strikes by Ademola Lookman and Nicolo Zaniolo gave Europa League champions Atalanta a 2-0 win at Stuttgart.
RB Leipzig picked up their first points of the campaign with a 3-1 victory in the Netherlands against 10-man Feyenoord.
Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine defeated Young Boys 2-1, condemning the Swiss side to a fourth consecutive defeat in the competition.

KATHMANDU,
Nepal continued their winning run in the ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier as they thumped Kuwait by 108 runs for their second victory in as many matches at the Sevens Stadium in Ajman, the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Nepal posted 130-8 from their 20 overs before bowling out Kuwait for just 22 runs inside 13 overs.
It was Kuwait’s second successive loss; they had lost their opening game against hosts United Arab Emirates by 106 runs on Wednesday. Nepal defeated Thailand by 67 runs in the opening game.
Puja Mahato top scored for Nepal with 34 runs off 38 balls, while opener Sana Praveen racked up 25 off 18 and Jyotsnika Marasini contributed 23 off 18.
Ayesha Iqbal Pewekar took two wickets for Kuwait.
In response, Nepal bowlers terrified the Kuwaiti batters from the first over, dismissing opener Pewekar and Candice Dias in the first over.
Nepal kept on rattling the wickets without showing mercy as six Kuwait batters departed without scoring.
Pewekar’s opening partner Zeefa Jilani provided the highest score for Kuwait with 12 runs off 17 balls.
Sarrah Jasvi, second highest scorer of the Kuwait innings, was not out on four. Rachanna Chaudhary, who
took a four-wicket haul against Thailand, picked two wickets in her two-over spell that featured a maiden and 11 dots.
Seema KC shone the brightest with the ball, pocketing two wickets without giving any runs in her magical two-over spell.
Mahato, Krishma Gurung, Manisha Upadhyay took a scalp each for Nepal.
Nepal now face an acid test against in-from and qualifier’s strongest side UAE in their next match on Saturday. And with only the group topper at the end of the double round-robin league winning their ticket to the 2025 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, Nepal should beat the hosts in order to keep their hopes to reach their maiden World Cup on track.
Hosts UAE also maintained their perfect record with a 74-run victory against Thailand later at the same venue.
The UAE posted 155-2 after electing to bat first, riding on an unbeaten half-century from Rinitha Rajith. Rajith smashed four boundaries and three sixes in her aggressive 28-ball 54 knock. Emily Thomas smashed 41 runs off 46 balls.
In reply, the UAE bundled out Thailand for 81, with Dharnidharka, Al Maseera Jahangir and Mehak Thakur taking two wickets each.
Rajith is the third UAE batter to score a half-century in this competition. Lavanya Keny (77 not out off 57) and Samaira Dharnidharka (58 off 57) had scored fifties against Kuwait on Wednesday.
In contrast, no Nepali batters have been able to complete a half-century, which is alarming.
The 2025 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025 is set to be held in Malaysia.
India won the inaugural edition by defeating England by seven wickets in the final in Potchefstroom, South Africa in January last year.
The winners of the Asia Qualifier will join the other four teams who have already secured their tickets to the World Cup through regional qualifiers. Nigeria qualified from Africa, Samoa from East Asia Pacific and Scotland from Europe. The United States automatically qualified from the Americas region—and for a second time in a row—as they were the only team in the region to meet the criteria required to enter the qualification pathway.
The 10 full-members teams from the 2023 U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup—Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies—have already received direct entry.
Malaysia qualified as hosts.