C M Y K

W I T H O U T F E A R O R F A V O U RNepal’s largest selling English dailyPrinted simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj

Vol XXVIII No. 249 | 8 pages | Rs.5Thursday, November 05, 2020 | 20-07-2077

31.7 C 1.0 CBhairahawa Jumla

O O

AMERICA 2020

Joe Biden Donald Trump

Down to the wire: Biden, Trump locked in tight race; US awaits nail-biting finish

REUTERSWILMINGTON, DEL/WASHINGTON, NOV 4

The excruciatingly close US presiden-tial election hung in the balance on Wednesday, with a handful of closely contested states set to decide the out-come in the coming hours or days, even as President Donald Trump false-ly claimed victory and made unsubstan-tiated allegations of electoral fraud.

Democratic challenger Joe Biden opened up narrow leads in Wisconsin and Michigan on Wednesday morn-

ing, according to Edison Research, as the two Midwestern battleground states that the Republican president won in 2016 continued to count mail-in ballots that surged amid the coronavi-rus pandemic.

Together with Nevada, another state where Biden held a small advan-tage with votes still left to be tallied, those states would deliver Biden the 270 votes needed in the state-by-state Electoral College to win the White House. But Trump still had a path to victory with those states officially

undecided.Opinion polls had given Biden

a strong lead nationwide for months, but had shown tighter races in battleground states, and the vote did not produce the over-whelming verdict against Trump that Democrats had wanted.

In the nationwide popular vote, Biden on Wednesday was comfortably ahead of Trump, with 2.6 million more votes. Trump won the 2016 election over Democrat Hillary Clinton

after winning crucial battleground states even though she drew about 3 million more votes nationwide.

Biden, 77, said in the early hours he was confident of winning once the votes are counted, and urged patience.

“We feel good about where we are,” Biden said in his home state of Delaware. “We believe we’re on track to win this election.”

Trump, 74, appeared at the White House soon after to declare victory.

“We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this elec-tion,” Trump said, before launching an extraordinary attack on the elec-toral process by a sitting president.

“This is a major fraud on our nation. We want the law to be used in a proper manner. So we’ll be going to the US Supreme Court. We want all voting to stop.”

Trump provided no evidence to back up his claim of fraud and did not explain how he would fight the results at the Supreme Court, which does not hear direct challenges.

>> Continued on page 6

POST PHOTO: ELITE JOSHI

Farmers pick marigold flowers at a field on the outskirts of Kathmandu on Wednesday. Marigold flowers are in high demand for garlands or worship during Tihar, the upcoming festival of lights.

Results suggest a tough contest in battleground states.

MAP COURTESY: NYT

President’s interest in party issues uncalled for, undermines high office, analysts sayBidya Devi Bhandari runs into controversy, once again, as she tries to ‘manage’ rising tensions in the ruling party.ANIL GIRIKATHMANDU, NOV 4

There is a lot going on in the ruling Nepal Communist Party. Leaders are baying for each others’ blood. Factional feud has reached a tipping point and the party is facing an immi-nent danger of a split. Leaders are making statements, holding meetings and attempting negotiations to keep the party unity intact. Amid all this, there is one person who has been working extra hours to save the party from splitting. That’s President Bidya Devi Bhandari.

Bhandari’s efforts, however, have met with severe criticism, as analysts and leaders from the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) call her involvement in party politics an action that undermines her high office.

Amid rising tensions in the ruling party, Bhandari on Tuesday met with vice-chair Bamdev Gautam and asked him to “play a constructive role” for party unity. Gautam’s private secre-tariat confirmed his meeting with the President.

Gautam can be crucial in the party as he is a key leader in the party’s nine-member Secretariat, which is divided between the factions led by Prime Minister and party chair KP Sharma Oli and the other chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Dahal has the

backing of senior leaders Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhala Nath Khanal and Narayan Kaji Shrestha in the Secretariat.

Hari Sharma, who served as a polit-ical and foreing relations adviser to Ram Baran Yadav, the first president of Nepal after the country became a federal republic, said that the involve-ment of the Office of the President in party politics, especially to help iron out an internal dispute in a particular party, is unfortunate.

“The President must avoid close consultations with party leaders to help resolve the conflict in a particular party,” Sharma told the Post.

Bhandari, wife of the late CPN-UML leader Madan Bhandari, was an active politician before she was elected the country’s President on October, 28, 2015.

>> Continued on page 2

POST ILLUSTRATION

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 05, 2020 | 02

NATIONAL

>> Continued from page 1The Office of the President is envisioned as

an impartial and non-partisan entity and the head of state is considered the guardian of the people, the country and the constitution.

But despite becoming the President, Bhandari in the past too was involved in the ruling party’s internal politics. Back in July, the President had gone beyond her brief to help settle rising tensions in the ruling party which was in a severe crisis, with Oli facing a tough challenge from the oppo-nents to resign both as party chair and prime minister.

“The President must stop her extra-consti-tutional exercises,” said Shree Krishna Aniruddh Gautam, a political analyst who also writes columns for the Post’s sister paper Kantipur. “It is not the job of the President to get involved when a particular party goes through some internal problems.”

In July, Bhandari held meetings with Oli and Dahal in an attempt to resolve internal disputes in the party. The Office of the President has in the past faced criticism also for not only giving undue advantage to the government but also for standing in its defence in situations where it was not at all required.

When the country was faced with an immi-nent crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the government was busy downplaying the coro-navirus. Amid the government’s chest-thump-ing, the President decided to address the nation and defended the government, saying the coronavirus had not affected Nepal because of the government’s prudent moves. Nepal reported its first Covid-19-related death on May 16, just a day after the President’s address.

Analysts say the problem is not that the President is meeting some party leaders but the concern is she is going all out when it comes to her former party—the UML—and its members.

The recent crisis in the ruling Nepal Communist Party arose after Oli himself told Dahal during a recent meeting that “it’s better to part ways.” Oli’s suggestion came in response to Dahal’s complaints that the for-mer was taking decisions unilaterally despite an agreement in September that all party and government decisions would be taken after consultation and consensus among the leadership.

According to leaders close to Dahal, Oli went on to say that he won’t abide by any deci-sions of the party committees and that even if any decision is taken through a majority vote, he would rather take a “big action”.

Many in the party believe Oli’s “big action” could entail some unprecedented moves, including a party split through an ordinance and House dissolution, which are not possible without the support of the President.

Back in April also, Oli had introduced ordi-nances, one related to party split, which were

swiftly approved by the Office of the President.As tensions rose in the party, Bhandari on

Tuesday called Gautam to her office to discuss the party issues. According to a Standing Committee member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Gautam was advised to “stand with Oli.”

Gautam is one of the five Secretariat mem-bers who were present at a meeting called by Dahal at his residence in Khumaltar on Sunday to brief about his meeting with Oli. At Sunday’s meeting Dahal had told the leaders that Oli had proposed splitting the party as he would not be compelled to abide by party decisions.

With Dahal, Nepal and Khanal banding together, Oli appears to be in the minority in the party. Despite that, Oli has not stopped issuing threats and insiders believe he must have a couple of cards up his sleeve that embolden him to threaten the opponents and make bold statements.

On Wednesday, speaking at a public func-tion in Kathmandu, Oli said there is no need for him to resign, just because “some leaders and people” are saying so and that his resignation would lead the country towards a disaster.

Many in the ruling party say the line between Baluwatar and Sheetal Niwas has been blurred and that the Office of the President is losing its honour and respect because the head of state is too much involved in petty party politics.

At least two senior leaders in the ruling party, who wished not to be named, said that the President seems to have become the leader of a camp in the party.

“Her concern does not seem to be the party per se; she is more concerned about Oli and his government,” said a leader. “It has become a trend that the President has always sided with one camp and worked for one camp which is led by Oli.”

Analysts say Nepal’s fledgling political sys-tem could be at risk if offices like the President’s fail to work impartially. Constitutionally, the President in Nepal nei-ther reigns nor governs but the head of state holds a crucial ceremonial position of dignity.

“The President is not an individual; the President is an institution,” said Chandra Kant Gyawali, who specialises on constitu-tional affairs. “Lest anyone forget, the President is the patron of the constitution, not a leader of a political party.”

According to Gyawali, the constitution envisions the President to be above partisan interest who serves as the guardian of the country and the people.

“The President is not allowed to be involved in any political activities,” said Gyawali. “The President is required to act on the advice of the Council of Ministers. The President’s involvement in political activities and political affairs undermines the dignity of the high office.”

President’s interest in party issues uncalled for ...

Mayor Shakya berates volunteers for distributing ‘unhygienic meals’

ANUP OJHAKATHMANDU, NOV 4

Following widespread criticism from the public and backlash on social media over Kathmandu Metropolitan City’s decision to bar volunteers from distributing free meals at Khula Manch, Mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya on Wednesday organised a press con-ference to clarify his stand on the issue.

During the conference at the City Hall, Shakya, who has been criticised for his failure to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the city, gave a long speech in which he berated the volunteers for serving unhygienic food haphazardly at Khula Manch. “Many are doing social work just to show that they are feeding the poor and asking for dona-tions showing their photos abroad”--a claim the volunteers rubbish.

Shakya, who was also infected with

Covid-19 but stayed in isolation at a five-star hotel with his family, said the city has distributed essentials to 150,000 families and fed 250,000 people during the lockdown. But the city doesn’t have data on where it fed the people.

Ishwor Man Dangol, spokesperson for the city, said Rs85 million was spent on relief packages in the first three months of nationwide lockdown that started from March 24.

Many working class families that needed to sustain themselves doing manual work said they simply didn’t get relief from the city because they didn’t have citizenship cards.

Kaila Tamang, who was at Khula Manch on Wednesday along with his wife and two kids to get a free meal, said his family survived the lockdown thanks to the free meals.

“I didn’t get any relief package from the city because they wanted to see my

citizenship card,” said Tamang, 65, a rickshaw driver now out of work.

Shakya said that there was no need to feed people in open spaces as each of the 32 wards of the city were feed-ing people and providing jobs to those who don’t have work. He added that providing free meals would make the people dependent on others.

Volunteers, who provide the free meals, quashed Shakya’s allegations that they were giving away food to get money from abroad. “This is a base-less statement,” said Bablu Gupta, who created a Facebook group (100 Group) with other like-minded people and volunteer organisations to pro-vide free meals to the needy. The group has been feeding free meals to 700 people twice a day.

“We don’t have any foreign donors. Seeing our work, people are voluntari-ly contributing food items. Some donate rice, pulses and vegetables on

their birthday, others do that in the name of their deceased family mem-bers. We also get rice from shopkeep-ers as a donation,” said Gupta.

He said after widespread criticism, the city has backtracked on its deci-sion to bar the distribution of free meals at Khula Manch. “It has given us permission to distribute free meals until Tihar. We are now looking for a party palace to feed the needy.”

Advocate Om Prakash Aryal said the city’s decision to bar volunteers from distributing free meals went against the people’s “right to life”.

“Because it’s not a normal situa-tion, the state should have facilitated free food for those facing hunger due to the Covid-9 pandemic. If a group provides food voluntarily, it should facilitate them, not stop them,” said Aryal.

In addition to this, the state should also have looked after the dignity of those people, he said. “Nobody likes to beg for food in an open space, they are doing so out of desperation,” said Aryal. But Shakya said that as the city has been declared “beggar-free”, “Those who are hungry should con-tact their ward representatives.”

“We also have Manav Sewa Ashram for the homeless,” said Shakya.

Although the city rescued over 300 homeless persons from the street in December, many have already returned to the streets complaining of an unconducive environment in the shelters.

Political analyst Rajendra Maharjan said the mayor’s decision to order vol-unteers to stop distributing free food is aimed at covering his own weak-nesses. “The mayor himself did noth-ing to prevent the spread of the dis-ease, neither did he set up isolation wards,” said Maharjan.

Shakya, who was elected the city’s mayor in 2017, has been at the centre of numerous controversies. Two months ago, he was criticised for going incommunicado when the city grappled with the pandemic. Last year, he sent police to arrest artists who painted flowers at the open theat-er as a part of the Occupy Tundikhel campaign.

He was also criticised for allowing Jaleshwor Swachhanda Bkoi Builders, the company assigned to build the Kathmandu View tower, to construct 52 illegal structures at Khula Manch.

Bhajani locals suffer in lack of bridge over Kandra RiverARJUN SHAHBHAJANI (KAILALI), NOV 4

Prem Bahadur Chaudhary of Kailari Rural Municipality was on his way to the municipal office of neighbouring Bhajani Municipality on Friday when he got stopped by some local youths near a makeshift bridge over Kandra River in Karmadebghat. Chaudhary was asked to pay them Rs 20 to cross the bridge.

Chaudhary, who was in a hurry to get to the municipal office, said he did not have even a single rupee on him.

“I pleaded with the youths to let me cross the river but they said I must pay the money to use the bridge. After my repeated requests, they jotted down my name and allowed me to cross the river on condition that I pay the amount on my way back home,” said Chaudhary.

It’s not only the people from neigh-bouring local units that have to pay to use the bridge. Even the locals of Bhajani Municipality are charged money to cross Kandra River. The con-tractor of the makeshift bridge in Karmadebghat charges Rs 10 to a bicy-cle, Rs 20 to a motorcycle and Rs 100 to an autorickshaw.

“We got the contract from the municipality on condition that we pro-vide it with Rs 350,000 for a year. So we have to charge people to manage the amount,” said Bam Bahadur Saud, who was awarded the contract for the makeshift bridge in Karmadebghat.

There is not a single concrete bridge across the Kandra River in the munic-ipality. Bhajani Municipality awards contracts to local people every year to provide boat services to cross the river during the monsoon.

The contract was to provide boat services during the rainy season. However, the contractors built the makeshift bridges in their own initia-tive after the rainy season and charged

people for crossing the river. According to Keshab Bahadur Budha, the chairman of Bhajani Municipality Ward No. 5, due to the absence of a concrete bridge in the area, local resi-dents are facing hardships and are getting fleeced by the contractors.

“The municipality is well aware about the contractors charging hefty amounts from the villagers to cross the river. But the local government is reluctant to monitor the contractors and take action against them,” said Chhaya Devkota, the deputy mayor of Bhajani Municipality. She, however, said that the municipality did not have any immediate plan to address the issue. The people’s representatives have received heavy criticism for ignoring the problems of the people.

“The municipality does not under-stand the hardships that the villagers are facing. It allows contractors to collect money from the locals to cross the river,” said Khushiram Chaudhary of Bhajani-5. He argued that the local unit should take responsibility for the bridge so that the locals could use it free of cost.

Kandra River is one of the major rivers that flow in Malawar region of Kailali district. The river inundates hundreds of houses and hectares of cultivable land in the Bhajani area every year.

“The river causes heavy damage during the rainy season. And we have to pay to use boat services in the mon-soon and the makeshift bridge during the winter to cross the river. The gov-ernment should construct a bridge in the area,” demanded Khusiram.

Nine years ago, the government had awarded a contract to Lama Sherpa Biruwa JV to construct a motorable bridge along the Postal Highway. The bridge’s construction was supposed to be completed within two years at the cost of Rs 40 million. But only 55 per-cent of the work has been completed.

Volunteers say mayor’s remark is baseless; rights activists call city’s ban on food distribution against people’s right to life.

POST PHOTO: SANJOG MANANDHAR

Volunteers from the Facebook group, 100 Group, distribute free food at Khula Manch in the Capital on Wednesday. The group has been serving free meals to 700 people twice a day.

Disaster management committee in Myagdi recommends relocation of 1,086 familiesThe committee has prepared a report after analysing data collected by the local units, the district police office and based on field reports of various individuals and organisations.GHANSHYAM KHADKAMYAGDI, NOV 4

The District Disaster Management Committee in Myagdi, one of the worst-hit districts by water-in-duced disasters, has recommend-ed the provincial and federal gov-ernments to relocate 1,086 families to safer locations.

The committee has prepared a report after analysing data collect-ed by the local units, the District Police Office and based on field reports of various individuals and organisations. The committee, headed by the chief district officer, said that 1,086 households of 81 different settlements in Myagdi should be shifted to safer locations at the earliest.

“We have recommended the relocation of the families after identifying the settlements at risk. The committee has included the experience of the victims as well as the local bodies in the report,” said Chief District Officer Umakanta Adhikari. The commit-tee’s meeting chaired by Adhikari on Sunday decided to send its report to the federal, provincial and local governments, recom-mending them to shift the settle-ments that are at high risk to safer locations.

The District Disaster Management Committee included in its report that 247 families whose houses were completely destroyed by this year’s landslides and floods and 821 other families at high risk in Dhaulagiri, Malika and Annapurna and other local units need to be shifted to safer locations.

However, the report fails to mention any modality to find safe locations for the resettlement and

rehabilitation of the affected fam-ilies. Adhikari claimed that the process of moving the settlements at risk would begin only after a team of geologists from the centre studies the area and identifies safer places for relocation.

According to the data available at the provincial Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law, a total of 31 people died, five others went missing and 636 families were dis-placed in separate incidents of landslides and floods in Myagdi this year.

Though the District Disaster Management Committee has rec-ommended that the government shift the settlements to safe loca-tions, the locals are reluctant to leave their old settlements. The villagers of Marang, a land-slide-affected settlement in

Dhaulagiri, said that they would not leave their village.

“How can we go elsewhere when our land is here? The government plans to build us houses some-where else but they will not give us land to work on,” said Bhim Prasad Jugjali of Marang, who lost his wife, two daughters and a daughter-in-law in the landslide in July.

“The affected people have urged us to resettle them near their old settlement without disturbing the cluster based on their settlements and ethnicity,” said Thamsara Pun, the chairperson of Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality.

In its report, the committee said that 209 houses of 15 settlements in Dhaulagiri, 375 houses of 22 settlements in Malika, 137 houses of eight settlements in Annapurna,

161 houses of 15 settlements in Raghuganga, 100 houses of nine settlements in Mangala and 86 houses of 12 settlements in Beni Municipality should be relocated to safer locations.

According to the committee, this year’s landslides and floods destroyed 84 drinking water pro-jects, 46 irrigation canals, 32 agri-cultural farms, 31 school build-ings, 17 micro-hydropower pro-jects, eight community buildings, seven health post buildings and one ward office building in the district.

The Gandaki provincial govern-ment last week urged the federal government to declare Myagdi a natural disaster-hit district. The federal government has already declared Sindhupalchok and Baglung as disaster-hit districts.

POST FILE PHOTO

A total of 31 people died, five went missing and 636 families were displaced in landslides and floods in Myagdi this monsoon.

POST PHOTO: ARJUN SHAH

During the monsoon, people have to pay for boat services to cross the river and in winter, they are charged money to use makeshift bridges.

Gandaki last week urged Kathmandu to declare Myagdi a disaster-hit district.

C M Y K

03 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 05, 2020 SPONSORED CONTENT

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 05, 2020 | 04

OPINION

This has been a year of death and fare-wells. This has been a season of mourn-ing. A period of counting the rising mortality statistics. The television tells me the latest numbers and Facebook gives me pictures of those that have been lost forever amongst those whom I had known growing up in my village. The social media experience is still virtual, but its effect is nonetheless immediate without the organic sur-roundings. My response to death announcements on Facebook has become limited to a ‘like’ or a ‘RIP’, or just silence.

These past weeks, two old-age deaths sent me down my memory lane. The first of Surya Narayan, whom we called Jimdar of Sungha, who, unlike many other landholding Rajbanshi men who were known for their exercise of power, was an unassuming vegetarian with the oldest private pond in the area. He had a concrete brick-and-cement build-ing made for the vegetarian sect, Santmat Satsang, whose monks came annually from the banks of the Ganges to preach nirgun (formless) devotion and meditation and ethical injunctions against falsehood, larceny, violence, intoxication and sexual misconduct. These formed my early lessons in dos and don’ts.

He also funded the annual all-night naach shows on festive occasions by drama troupes that came from across the Nepal-India border. When herding our family buffalo in the open expanse of the harvested fields near his village, I had nearly drowned in his pond but was rescued by my fellow herders. The bigger rescue occurred when my moth-er and I (both lapsed vegetarians) attended those weeklong sermons of monks at the monastery (Satsang Temple) across the road from Surya Narayan’s house. I had an uncle, Sampat Lal Rajbanshi, in the village with whom we stayed on these occa-sions.

But the most important rescue came from the staging of the epics, The Ramayana and The Mahabharata. Illiteracy reigned and books other than primary textbooks didn’t exist in my childhood. I had to throw tantrums, kick and scream, before my mother allowed me to walk those miles to attend those all-night shows about demons and gods. The annual staging of the epics gave me hope that good

eventually triumphs over evil and that there is a world beyond—more magical, more dramatic, more inspiring than my own reality. The death of Jimdar marked the end of an era for eastern Madhes in more ways than one.

While Surya Narayan represented the old order of epics and sermons, Sugan Lal ushered in the modern lifestyle—with romance and luxury—in the area. He was the first to bring a speaking wooden box in the area that we came to know as the radio. Dogs for us were only strays until he brought a poodle that shook hands or saluted when he asked it with a leather-tipped wand. He was the first in the area who had attended col-lege. And, by falling in love himself as a young man, he gave permission that love doesn’t have to come only after marriage. Despite some flaws due to his feudal background, he was a pioneer for us in more ways than one.

I did not know either of the men well, because their villages were miles away from mine. But this week, I also lost a close friend whom I had known since I was eight years old. I had met him first at the village Madrassa where my father sent me to learn Urdu, Arabic and Persian. Nazir drank buffa-lo milk and I could have only cow milk. He tended his buffalos while I looked after my cows. He was strong in body and I learnt the Arabic alphabet faster. On Muharram, I travelled with him with the Tazia, the paper temple, swing-ing sticks. In our wrestling bouts, he

always pinned me down. When we moved to the Muslim village perma-nently in my teens, he and I became thick as thieves. As teenagers, we shared stories, hopes and uncertain-ties. He was my eyes and ears into the private lives of the villagers because I was away for much of the year. Hindu and Muslim societies lived close togeth-er even when they were separate in manners, festivals and morals; but I had social relatives in both. For me, social relations were thicker than blood. Yet, no relation could match our friendship—those hours of intimate exchanges of gossip, the perennial themes of teenage talk. I was mostly the listener. He was the hero.

And then I left the village for longer periods, while he continued to stay there, helping his father in farming and grazing. He later married Mejbani Mausi’s daughter and became my brother-in-law. My mother’s sisterhood with Mejbani Mausi (Guest Aunt) made one half of the Muslim village my kin-folk. He later joined the then CPN-UML after I became its supporter and rose to be elected as Ward Chairman. During the 10-year Maoist insurgency, Maoists pushed hard to recruit him, but he never budged and remained devoted to non-violent politics. Some villagers falsely informed the Army against him, and they took him away and kept him at its eastern headquarters. The next time I was back in town, the Army had released him, but kept him on man-

datory appearance dates. I met the English-speaking Brigadier General and explained the harassment Nazir had faced from both sides of the politi-cal conflict and his name was struck off from the list of suspects.

For years I would have no contact with him. Then, when I visited, the years of non-communication would vanish and we became like before, exchanging stories—both good and bad. My last phone conversation with him three months ago was about the prison sentence of a Musahar man from the village who had earlier eloped with an underage Pahadi girl. And then came the call about his own sudden illness and death of lung infection on the 10th day of Dashain.

I processed the first two deaths intel-lectually, explaining their social and cultural import, marking epochal tran-sitions in my rural setting. But the death of this friend is personal. No scripture or platitudes about grief, death and mourning can immediately help the involuntary emotions because personal grief is a strange thing. Only time will slowly take away the sting. I have gone through it twice before—when I lost my parents within a decade of each other. I have realised that no material circumstance can steal from the sense of this finality of not having a friend next time I am in the village. And nobody can share this finality either, because one’s memories of the person lost are peculiarly one’s own.

Authoritarian political leaders in neighbouring Poland and Belarus have tested the limits of public toler-ance in recent months. In both coun-tries, they have provoked mass demon-strations. And in both cases, women have been in the front ranks of popu-lar opposition.

In a rigged election on August 9, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko gave himself 80 percent of the vote when a more plausible 55 percent would have sufficed. Poles fol-lowed the events in Belarus closely and with admiration, hoping for simi-lar mass opposition to the increasing-ly despotic Law and Justice (PiS) gov-ernment.

Then, on October 22, with Covid-19 infections rising exponentially, Poland’s de facto ruler, PiS leader Jarosław Kaczynski, effectively dared Polish citizens to take to the streets. Having stacked the country’s Constitutional Tribunal with PiS lack-eys, Kaczynski ordered the court to issue a ruling all but banning abor-tion.

For the past 27 years, Poland’s already restrictive abortion law allowed a woman to terminate a preg-nancy only when her life was at risk, the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape, or the fetus was damaged. The new ruling removes the last exception, meaning that women will be forced to bear children who have little or no chance of survival.

The subsequent mass protests—which have occurred both in large cit-

ies and small towns and villages—are unlike anything seen in Poland since PiS came to power in 2015. Some 100,000 people marched in Warsaw, and more than 500,000 nationwide. And, as in Belarus, women played the leading role.

That is no accident. In Poland, organisers have created a Consultative Council—a direct reference to the Belarusian opposition’s Coordination Council, and women protest leaders have been exchanging strategies with their counterparts across the border. One lesson from Belarus is that regu-lar organised action is crucial, so Poles have committed to blocking major intersections throughout the country every Monday.

Belarus’s experience has also shown that people will risk their health to protest against authoritari-an power grabs, especially given the authorities’ failure to manage the pan-demic, which is another major source of popular discontent. Poland’s infec-tion rate is now among the highest in the world, suggesting that the timing of Kaczynski’s decision to impose a highly controversial policy change may have been intended to distract attention from the PiS government’s pandemic-related failures.

In Poland’s most recent parliamen-tary elections, the extreme nationalist party Konfederacja won 11 seats in the Sejm (the lower chamber of parlia-ment). Kaczynski perceives this as a personal defeat, because he has always sought to be at the Polish parliament’s right-most extreme. Konfederacja is growing in strength, which is mobilis-ing the right-wing faction within Kaczynski’s camp associated with the justice minister, Zbigniew Ziobro. Without Ziobro’s 18 deputies, Kaczynski does not have a parliamen-tary majority.

Moreover, Ziobro is competing directly with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to position himself as Kaczynski’s eventual successor. When Kaczynski came in from the sidelines to become deputy prime minister in the current government this past September, it was so that he could keep closer tabs on Ziobro, whom he hopes to reconcile with Morawiecki.

Kaczynski’s sharp ideological shifts should thus be understood as part of a broader attempt to reclaim control over the far right.

In a special address responding to the protests, Kaczynski called on PiS members to fight those standing up for women’s rights. ‘In particular, we must defend Polish churches’, he declared:

‘We must defend them at any cost. I call on all members of PiS and all those who support us to take part in

the defense of the Church. ... Now is a time when we must say ‘no’ to everything that can destroy us. Everything depends on us. It depends on the state and its appara-tus, but above all on us, on our deter-mination, on our courage. Let’s defend Poland!’

Taking their cues from Kaczynski, far-right organisations are now organ-ising militias to attack women during demonstrations. After one hooligan with a criminal record assaulted a

Gazeta Wyborcza journalist, Ziobro stepped in to prevent the local prose-cutor’s office from arresting the assailant. Charges were, however, brought against a 14-year-old girl arrested during the protests. As Michał Wos, a deputy justice minister, explained, the authorities are directly threatening the organisers: ‘Prosecutors received guidelines to treat all organizers of illegal demon-strations as criminals, and appropri-ate charges are to be brought against

them, entailing up to eight years in prison’.

Both sides have learned from Belarus’s experience. The Polish gov-ernment has deployed hundreds of police and military personnel to tear-gas women protesting in front of Kaczynski’s house. But not all uni-formed personnel are willing to bru-talise demonstrators. Police Inspector General Jarosław Szymczak, for exam-ple, has threatened to resign. And in a recent open letter, 210 retired military, police, and security service generals warned that the abortion decision ‘has caused public opposition and mass street protests. Further escalation, incitement, and irrespon-sible behavior by politicians will lead to tragic and irreversible consequences’.

As matters stand, it appears that Kaczynski has blundered badly. In a recent poll, 73 percent of respondents said they are against the Tribunal’s ruling (including 60 percent who are strongly opposed). Even the PiS base is divided, with 37 percent supporting the judgment and 36 percent opposing it. As a result, PiS’s support overall has fallen sharply for the first time since it came to power. In a Kantar poll published on October 28, the party had just 26 percent support, compared to 24 percent for Civic Coalition (an alli-ance between Civic Platform and Modern). All told, PiS and its allies have just half the support of parties opposed to PiS.

As a result, there is growing disap-pointment with Kaczynski within PiS. While there still is no alternative lead-er, and the next scheduled general election is not until 2023, infighting within the ruling camp could eventu-ally lead to an early vote, as happened with the first PiS government in 2007. Like Lukashenko, Kaczynski clearly overplayed his hand. And, as in Belarus, women have been the first to smack it away.

Sierakowski, founder of the Krytyka Polityczna movement, is Director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Warsaw and Senior Fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations.

—Project Syndicate

Will women defeat Poland’s illiberal regime?Women protest leaders have been exchanging plans with their counterparts across the border.

Mourning is a personal experience since no two persons have the same memories of the deceased.

SŁAWOMIR SIERAKOWSKI

PRAMOD MISHRA

Death and mourningEDITORIAL

Flying in the face of fundamental safety protocols, some Nepal Airlines passengers carrying Covid-19 negative certificates have tested positive at destination airports. After facing a ban, twice, for carrying passengers who were were found to be infected upon arrival in Hong Kong, the national flag carrier has now come under the radar of the United Arab Emirates as the Gulf state has raised concerns about the authenticity of Covid-19 test certificates of the passengers. Nepal’s civil avia-tion regulatory body has said it has taken cognisance of these incidents.

Nepal Airlines has almost always struggled when it comes to its image as it is in the news for all the wrong reasons, includ-ing being a hotbed of corruption. The pandemic caused a major setback for the carrier as international flights remained sus-pended for months although it made do with some chartered flights. Regular flights have resumed in limited routes now, but the carrier has already run into controversy for carrying pas-sengers who test positive upon reaching destination countries. Nepal Airlines may not be at fault when it comes to the test results per se, but it seems to have failed to recognise the impor-tance of the safety protocol.

Although Nepal has implemented a stringent passenger safe-ty protocol, requiring all incoming passengers to present Covid-19 negative certificates, no mandatory provisions have been set for departing ones from the country’s sole internation-al airport. This is pretty much against health safety protocols.

After the United Arab Emirates officially reopened its air-space and permitted travellers to visit Dubai for tourism from July 7, it said all tourists must undergo a polymerase chain reaction test, not exceeding 96 hours before their scheduled departure to Dubai International Airport, at officially recog-nised testing centres at home. Travellers must present print copies of negative Covid-19 test results at the destination air-port. But Nepal Airlines seems to have failed to pay attention to what actually constitutes ‘officially recognised testing centres’.

The carrier surely asks passengers to bring Covid-19 nega-tive test certificates, but it accepts any negative test certificates from passengers, irrespective of where they are issued from. That’s where the catch lies. It’s not clear if passengers were given faulty test results or they deliberately acquired negative test certificates. Nor is there any evidence to put blame on the carrier. But since foreign governments have raised an alarm, the Nepali carrier may appear to be complicit.

Nepal Airlines officials admit that the incidents in Hong Kong and the recent alarm raised by Dubai are serious and that they do not bode well for the national flag carrier. They say if the government authorises labs for airline passengers, cases of fake negative certificates, if that is indeed the case, could be avoided. However, questions remain why Nepal Airlines itself has not taken any initiative on its own. The carrier could have coordinated with government agencies to ensure that it carries only those passengers who indeed have negative results. What has been reported so far suggests that either the kits at the labs where the passengers had tested negative were faulty or the labs were ‘selling’ fake negative certificates. In any case, any foreign government putting Nepal Airlines on the high-risk list does not do any good to the carrier’s reputation. And such inci-dents also tarnish the country’s image.

SHUTTERSTOCK

Turbulence ahead Nepal Airlines appearing on Covid-19 high-risk lists

will ruin the carrier’s reputation.

SHUTTERSTOCK

CROSSROADS

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05 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 05, 2020

MONEY

GASOLINE WATCH

FOREX

US Dollar 119.89Euro 139.95Pound Sterling 155.16Japanese Yen 11.42Chinese Yuan 17.84Qatari Riyal 32.93Australian Dollar 84.88Malaysian Ringit 28.76

Exchange rates fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank

BULLIONPRICE PER TOLA

SOURCE: FENEGOSIDA

Fine Gold Rs 96,300

Silver Rs 1,205

Nepse1,640.64pts

-0.15%

MHNL NICAD8283 GLBSL NIBPO MLBBL SAPDBL-1.98% -1.9% -1.89% -1.86% -1.83% -1.79%

SSHL RBCLPO KSBBL SMFDB RBCL NFS-5.17% -4.19% -3.78% -2.76% -2.54% -2.39%

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BFC HIDCL NICGF UNHPL API AKJCL2.08% 2.18% 2.22% 3.33% 3.37% 3.44%

SNLB NLO PPCL KPCL SGI BBC4.39% 4.52% 6.4% 6.95% 9.96% 9.99%

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Infrastructure development lagging behind trade growth in BhairahawaMADHAV DHUNGANABHAIRAHAWA, NOV 4

The once sleepy customs yard at Bhairahawa, where a few container trucks used to roll in occasionally, is now a scene of fast-paced action as the Tarai city explodes into an economic hub.

Home to Nepal’s second interna-tional airport and the centre of a spreading industrial heartland, Bhairahawa is expanding so fast the infrastructure cannot keep up.

According to traders, the column of container trucks waiting to enter Nepal through the Sunauli-Bhairahawa border point is usually 10 km long. After entering Nepal, there is no parking space until the customs clearance process is completed. Due to lack of a well-managed parking lot and infrastructure bottle-neck at Bhairahawa customs, traffic is backed up for 20-22 km during the rainy season.

The city is developing rapidly but the government has not come up with any plan to build new trade infrastruc-ture. The one-and-a-half-decade old customs yard has become outdated, making it more expensive for traders due to detention and demurrage charges.

Arun Goenka, managing director of the Goenka Group and vice-president of the Siddhartha Chamber of Industry and Commerce, said some traders had started re-routing their incoming shipments as it takes many days to import goods through the Sunauli-Bhairahawa point.

The point got traction in 2015 when the months-long Tarai protest in Birgunj, once the country’s leading trade route, affected imports and exports and traders started to re-route commerce through Bhairahawa. Within a short span of time, the infra-structure had become severely strained.

“I have been importing rice, wheat,

coal and other goods from the Suthauli customs checkpoint of Kapilvastu for the past two weeks,” said Goenka. “The cost goes up while importing industrial raw materials and other products from the Bhairahawa point. So I am looking for alternative routes,” he said.

The cost of imported goods increas-es when traders have to pay additional charges like demurrage and detention of the vehicles when cargo gets halted in the middle, said traders.

Sunil KC, vice-president of the Nepal-India Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the Bhairahawa customs point does not have an Integrated Check Post and warehouse capacity like at Birgunj. “As a result, the cost of conducting trade through the point has been increasing.”

As the top post at the Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Committee remained vacant for two years, infrastructure development work was also halted, said KC. “Problems will recur if they are not addressed in a timely manner.”

The parking lot built for cargo vehi-cles at the Bhairahawa customs office premises is old. An alternative park-ing lot located behind the customs

office can accommodate only 700 large vehicles.

The parking problem was more severe this year as all parking lots were occupied by imported automo-biles which remained unsold due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

More than a thousand new vehicles have been stranded in the parking area. The automobiles imported by leading automobile dealers have not cleared customs for the past six months.

Ashim Neupane, president of the Bhairahawa Customs Agents’ Association, said that the new parking lot, which has an area of about 4 bighas, was completely filled with new automobiles. “If that place were to be vacated, there would be no parking problem.”

He said that at the beginning of the lockdown, around 2,000 new automo-biles had arrived. Although some vehicles passed customs clearance during Dashain, about 1,000 automo-biles still remain at the customs yard.

Krishna Dulal, president of the Nepal Automobiles Dealers Association of Nepal, said that there were no sales during the lockdown, that’s why the vehicles were left at the

customs for months. He said that the vehicles would be removed from the customs premises in a few days as demand had been growing in the mar-ket of late.

The country imported 84,000 auto-mobiles worth around Rs19 billion in the first three months of the current fiscal year, Dulal told the Post. Auto sales were down 25 percent this festive season compared to last year due to a slowdown in the economy, and also due to the postponement of the big-gest automobile fair that used to hap-pen ahead of the festival, he said.

A few days ago, a delegation led by the Siddhartha Chamber of Commerce and Industry went to the customs administration to complain that it was inconvenient and expensive to import goods through Bhairahawa due to the parking problem.

According to Kul Prasad Neupane, president at the Siddhartha Chamber of Commerce and Industry, importing goods through Bhairahawa takes longer and is also more expensive due to additional charges.

“This problem arose because the government is focused on collecting revenue and does not pay attention to improving the infrastructure,” Neupane said.

Krishna Prasad Ghimire, a customs agent, said that container trucks approaching Bhairahawa were being intercepted 9 km from the border, and instructed to take a detour and enter Nepal through the Suthauli customs point in Kapilvastu.

The Department of Customs has handed over the management of the parking lot to the Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Committee, which has assigned different compa-nies to collect parking fees at various customs offices.

Kamal Kumar Bhattarai, chief of the Bhairahawa Customs Office, said that the parking problem would be resolved in a few days as many vehi-cles have been released.

The column of trucks waiting to enter Nepal through the Sunauli border is usually 10 km long, traders say.

POST PHOTO: MADHAV DHUNGANA

More than a thousand new vehicles are gathering dust in the parking area of Bhairahawa Customs Office.

Market ties between China, US set to grow regardless of who wins White HouseREUTERSSHANGHAI, NOV 4

As the world awaited definitive results from the US presidential election, Chinese investors betting on the re-election of Donald Trump sent shares of a Shenzhen-listed air traffic control soft-ware firm soaring on Wednesday.

Wisesoft Co Ltd, whose Chinese name sounds like “Trump’s big win”, saw its shares jump as much as 9.8 percent after early returns showed few signs of a conclusive Democratic victory in US polls, making the stock a rare clear winner on the day.

Analysts and investors widely expect a win by Trump, who launched a trade war with China that will soon enter its 28th month, to weigh on Chinese shares in the short term.

“With Trump, Chinese companies don’t know where the next hit is coming from and that makes it hard for them to make deci-sions about allocating capital,” said Will Malcolm, portfolio manager at Aviva Investors.

“With Biden, there would be ‘guardrails’ to the madness, so at least some idea of where the risks are, and companies can make decisions more easily. This would therefore benefit Chinese equi-ties.” Whatever the result of the election, ties between US and Chinese financial markets are only set to deepen, despite the trans-Pacific trade war and rocky diplomatic relations.

Amid talk of Sino-US financial decoupling, China has acceler-ated reforming its capital markets, giving foreigners easier access to its stocks and bonds while promoting international use of the yuan.

Overseas investors held Chinese equities worth 2.75 trillion yuan ($409.5 billion) at the end of September, according to the latest data from the People’s Bank of China, up nearly 1 trillion yuan from a year earlier, with the country’s robust economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic proving a strong draw.

The blue-chip CSI300 index has gained more than 16 percent since the end of 2019, compared with a 4.3 percent gain for the S&P 500.

A rising yuan, high yields and inclusion in major global index-es have also fuelled interest in Chinese government bonds, push-ing total foreign holdings of its interbank market bonds to near 3 trillion yuan.

China’s major stock indexes rose on Wednesday despite the election nail biter, though the onshore yuan hit its weakest point since October 13 as Trump’s odds of victory rose.

Even in the month before the election, amid widespread uncertainty about its outcome, major Wall Street institutions were intensively engaged with China, defying rising geopolitical risks in search of long-term growth opportunities.

Over three consecutive weekends, senior executives from US firms including BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, Fidelity, Warburg Pincus, Bridgewater and Fidelity International attended—virtu-ally and in person—a string of high-level Chinese financial conferences. Ben Zhou, Hong Kong-based managing director of Warburg Pincus, said Sino-US tensions have had little impact on the US firm’s China strategy or confidence in China.

“Instead, we hope to seize new opportunities, because under the current circumstances, China’s financial system is more open,” Zhou said.

China this year fully opened its giant financial industry, scrap-ping foreign ownership limits in futures, brokerage and mutual fund businesses as part of the interim Sino-US trade deal signed in January.

A top-level Sino-US financial roundtable was held on October 16 between Chinese officials and Wall Street banks with the aim of fostering goodwill and enhancing cooperation, two people with direct knowledge of the closed-door event said.

Participants included BlackRock, Vanguard, JPMorgan and Fidelity, the sources said.

BlackRock and Fidelity plan to set up mutual fund units in China, while US investment banks including JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs have bought control of their Chinese brokerage ventures.

India’s services activity expanded in October, survey showsREUTERSBENGALURU, NOV 4

Activity in India’s dominant services industry, expanded for the first time in eight months in October as demand surged, but pandemic-hit firms continued to cut jobs, a private survey showed on Wednesday.

The findings, coupled with a similar survey on Monday which found Indian manufacturing growth expanded at its fastest pace in over a decade, suggest a recovery in Asia’s third-largest economy is under way. The Nikkei/IHS Markit

Services Purchasing Managers’ Index climbed to 54.1 in October from September’s 49.8. It was the highest read-ing since February and comfortably above the 50-mark separating growth from contraction.

“It’s encouraging to see the Indian ser-vice sector joining its manufacturing counterpart and posting a recovery in economic conditions from the steep deteri-orations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic earlier in the year,” Pollyanna De Lima, economics associate director at IHS Markit, said in a release.

“Service providers signalled solid

expansions in new work and business activity during October. They were also more upbeat about the outlook, though hopes of output growth in the year ahead were pinned on a Covid-19 vaccine.”

A sub-index tracking overall demand showed it expanded for the first time since February but new export business remained firmly in contraction territory as restrictions imposed across the world due to the Covid-19 pandemic hammered foreign demand. That led firms to cut jobs for the eight straight month, the longest streak on record.

“Survey participants indicated that workers on leave had not returned and that a widespread fear of Covid-19 contam-ination continued to restrict staff supply,” De Lima added.

The composite PMI, which includes both manufacturing and services, rose to 58.0 last month, its highest since January 2012, from September’s 54.6.

Although service providers remained optimistic about the year ahead—opti-mism strengthened to a seven-month high last month—the expectations index remained well below the long-term average.

Former Amazon India CTO Saurabh Chandra joins Sastodeal.com board

KATHMANDU: Sastodeal announced that Saurabh Chandra, former Amazon India Chief Technology Officer has joined Sastodeal.com board in an advisory role effective immediately. Prior to joining Amazon India as their Chief Technology Officer, Chandra headed the technology for Flipkart in numerous role—as Flipkart’s Vice-President and also Chief Information Officer for Myntra, states the press release issued by the company. He was also the Global Vice President leading Engineering for JPMorgan Chase. Chandra is a graduate of the prestigious Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and Birla Institute of Technology.

Daraz set to launch 11.11 sale for the third year runningKATHMANDU: Daraz, Nepal’s leading online shopping platform, is all set to launch its annual 11.11 sale this November 11, 2020. Alibaba’s 11.11 has evolved from a China only ‘sin-gles day sale’ to now the largest ‘Global Shopping Festival’ celebrated in many countries across the world, reads the press statement. This year’s 11.11 sale in Nepal will host more than 6 thousand sellers, 160+ global and domestic brands and more than 500,000 products. The mega sale event will present customers with a number of opportunities to save via Mega Deals, Prepayment Discounts.

BIZLINE

C M Y K

BRIEFING

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 05, 2020 | 06

WORLD

China vows ‘proper’ response to US arms sale to TaiwanBEIJING: China vowed on Wednesday that it will make a “proper and neces-sary response” if the US proceeds with its latest planned arms sale to Taiwan. Foreign ministry spokesper-son Wang Wenbin said the sale of $600 million in armed drones to the island “brutally interferes in China’s internal affairs and seriously under-mines China’s sovereignty and secu-rity interests.” The US should cancel all such sales to Taiwan “so as to avoid further damage to China-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” Wang told report-ers at a daily briefing. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, will make a “proper and necessary response according to the develop-ment of the situation,” Wang said.

Palestinian officer fires at Israeli troops and is shot deadNABLUS: A Palestinian motorist fired a pistol at Israeli soldiers in the occu-pied West Bank on Wednesday and was killed by them, a military spokes-man said, and Palestinians identified the dead man as an officer in their security forces. There were no Israeli casualties in the incident at a road-side military position near the Palestinian city of Nablus. A Palestinian security official named the dead man as Bilal Rawajba, a Preventive Security Service officer and resident of a village outside Nablus.

Ethiopia nears war as PM orders military into defiant Tigray regionADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning prime minister on Wednesday ordered the military to confront the country’s Tigray region-al government after he accused it of carrying out a deadly attack on a mil-itary base, declaring “the last red line has been crossed” after months of alleged incitement. The statement by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office, and the reported overnight attack by the well-armed Tigray People’s Liberation Front, raised concerns that one of Africa’s most populous and powerful countries could plunge back into war. That would send a shock wave through one of the world’s most turbulent regions, the Horn of Africa. (AGENCIES)

Oxford Covid-19 vaccine results due next month, raising hopes of 2021 rollout

REUTERSLONDON, NOV 4

The University of Oxford hopes to present late-stage trial results on its Covid-19 vaccine candidate this year, raising hopes that Britain could start to roll out a successful vaccine in late December or early 2021.

A vaccine that works is seen as a game-changer in the battle against the coronavirus, which has killed more than 1.2 million people worldwide, shuttered swathes of the global econo-my and turned normal life upside down for billions of people.

“I’m optimistic that we could reach that point before the end of this year,” Oxford Vaccine Trial Chief Investigator Andrew Pollard told British lawmakers of presenting

trial results this year.Pollard said working out whether or

not the vaccine worked would likely come this year, after which the data would have to be carefully reviewed by regulators and then a political decision made on who should get the vaccine.

“Our bit—we are getting closer to but we are not there yet,” Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said.

Asked if he expected the vaccine would start to be deployed before Christmas, he said: “There is a small chance of that being possible but I just don’t know.”

The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is expected to be one of the first from big pharma to be submitted for regulatory approval, along with

Pfizer and BioNTech’s candidate.“If I put on my rose-tinted specs, I

would hope that we will see positive interim data from both Oxford and from Pfizer/BioNTech in early December and if we get that then I think we have got the possibility of deploying by the year end,” Kate Bingham, the chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce, told lawmakers.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there was the prospect of a vaccine in the first quarter of 2021.

Work began on the Oxford vaccine in January. Called AZD1222, or ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, the viral vector vaccine is made from a weakened ver-sion of a common cold virus that causes infections in chimpanzees.

The chimpanzee cold virus has been genetically changed to include the genetic sequence of the so-called spike protein which the coronavirus uses to gain entry to human cells. The hope is that the human body will then attack the novel coronavirus if it sees it again.

If Oxford’s vaccine works, it would eventually allow the world to return to some measure of normality after the tumult of the pandemic.

Asked what success looked like, he said: “I think good is having vaccines that have significant efficacy so whether, I mean, that is 50, 60, 70, 80 percent, whatever the figure is an enormous achievement.

“It means from a health system point of view, there are fewer people with Covid going into hospital, that people who develop cancer can have their operations of chemotherapy its a complete game changer and a success if we meet those efficacy end points.”

But Pollard, one of the world’s top experts on immunology, said the world might not return to normal immediately.

“...It takes time to roll out vaccines. Not everyone will take them,” he said. “We will still have people getting this virus because it is just too good at transmitting.”

Aegean quake toll rises to 116 as Turkey ends searchREUTERSISTANBUL, NOV 4

Turkey on Wednesday ended search and rescue efforts in the rubble of buildings that collapsed as a result of Friday’s strong earthquake in the Aegean Sea, after the death toll crept up to 116 in the western city of Izmir and a Greek island.

The quake, the deadliest to hit Turkey in nearly a decade, injured 1,035 people in Izmir and 137 were still being treated, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said. It said search and rescue efforts at 17 damaged or collapsed buildings had been completed and teams were clearing the rubble.

In addition to the 114 people killed in Turkey, two victims of the tremor were teenagers on the Greek island of Samos, authorities said.

Turkey is crossed by fault lines and is prone to earthquakes. More than 500 people were killed in a 2011 quake in the eastern city of Van.

Saudi to relax foreign workers’ sponsorship terms in March ’21REUTERSRIYADH, NOV 4

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday announced new plans to ease foreign workers’ contractual restrictions, improving a controversial seven-dec-ade-old sponsorship system known as kafala.

The plans, to take effect in March 2021, aim to make the Saudi labour market more attractive, the deputy minister for human resources said, by granting foreign workers the right to change jobs and leave the country without employers’ permission.

“Through this initiative we aim to build an attractive labour market and improve the working environment through three main services... available to all foreign workers in the private sector,” Abdullah bin Nasser Abuthunain told reporters.

Saudi Arabia, which chairs the Group of 20 major economies (G20)

this year, is seeking to boost its private sector, part of an ambitious plan to diversify its oil-dependent economy.

The move will help attract high-skilled workers and help achieve Vision 2030 objectives, Abuthunain added.

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 reform plan is a package of economic and social policies designed to free the kingdom from reliance on oil exports.

The currently applicable kafala sys-tem generally binds a migrant worker to one employer. Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have been calling on Saudi authorities to end that system which leaves work-ers vulnerable to abuses.

The new initiative will base the relation between employers and work-ers on a contract that should be certi-fied by the government, and will allow workers to apply directly for services via an e-government portal, instead of a mandatory employers’ approval.

Indian police arrest, charge firebrand TV station founderASSOCIATED PRESSNEW DELHI, NOV 4

Indian police on Wednesday said they arrested a firebrand television news anchor and charged him with abet-ment to suicide in connection with the 2018 deaths of an interior designer and the designer’s mother.

Senior Mumbai police officer Sanjay Mohite said the charges against Republic TV founder Arnab Goswami are linked to the deaths of interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother, which police determined to be suicide. A suicide note found by the police and determined to have been written by Naik said he took his life because Goswami and two others owed him a huge sum of money and had refused to pay it back.

Goswami has denied the allegation. Goswami is known aggressively

backing up Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his nationalist policies dur-ing his nightly shows, often shouting down opponents. Critics have accused Republic TV of pandering to Modi’s agenda at time when other media channels say press freedom is under threat.

Republic TV in a statement called Goswami’s arrest a “black day of India’s democracy” and alleged he was physically assaulted by the police. His channel showed video of Goswami being forced into a police van by the

officers outside his residence in Mumbai. Multiple senior leaders of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party were quick to condemn Goswami’s arrest.

“Blatant misuse of state power against Republic TV & Arnab Goswami is an attack on individual freedom and the 4th pillar of democra-cy,” tweeted India’s powerful Home Minister Amit Shah. “This attack on free press must be and WILL BE OPPOSED.”

Railway Minister, Piyush Goyal, called his arrest a “fascist move” and “a sign of undeclared emergency.”

“We must all stand up against this attack on India’s democracy,” Goyal tweeted. Another senior minister from the ruling party, Smriti Irani, tweeted: “You may not like him, you may not approve of him, you may despise his very existence but if you stay silent you support suppression.”

The Editors Guild of India, which represents the country’s news-papers, condemned Goswami’s arrest. In a statement, it called upon authorities to “ensure that Goswami is treated fairly and state power is not used against critical reporting by the media.”

Goswami is not new to controver-sies. Goswami has been charged in two other cases with inciting commu-nal tensions and promoting hatred between religious groups. He has denied the charges.

If Oxford’s vaccine works, it would eventually allow the world to return to some measure of normality after the tumult of the pandemic.

REUTERS

A medical worker holds a small bottle labelled with ‘Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine’ sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken on October 30.

AP/RSS

Indian TV news anchor Arnab Goswami sits inside a police vehicle after he was produced in a court following his arrest in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday.

>> Continued from page 1

Voting concluded as scheduled on Tuesday night, but many states rou-tinely take days to finish counting ballots. Huge numbers of people voted by mail because of the pandemic, making it likely the count will take longer than usual.

The close election underscored the political polarisation in the United States. The next president will take on a pandemic that has killed more than 231,000 Americans and left millions more jobless at a time not only of gap-ing political divisions but of racial tensions and differences between urban and rural Americans.

The trio of “blue wall” states that unexpectedly sent Trump to the White House in 2016 - Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin- remained too close to call. Officials in Nevada said they would not update the count until Thursday.

Two Southern states, Georgia and North Carolina, were also still in play; Trump held leads in both. A win for Biden in either one would narrow Trump’s chances considerably.

Biden’s victory in Arizona, which had previously voted for a Democratic presidential candidate only once in 72 years, so far remained the only state to flip from the 2016 results.

Trump’s most likely path requires him to win Pennsylvania as well as at least one Midwestern battleground and both Southern states.

Officials in Michigan and Georgia said on Wednesday they expected the states to complete their counts by day’s end. At the moment, Biden leads 224 to 213 over Trump in the Electoral College vote count, according to Edison Research, aiming to reach the needed 270 electoral votes, which are based in part on a state’s population.

Biden’s hopes of a decisive early victory were dashed on Tuesday evening when Trump won the battle-grounds of Florida, Ohio and Texas. But the former vice president said he was confident he could win by taking the three key Rust Belt states.

During the final days of the cam-paign, Trump had suggested he would claim victory if ahead on election night and seek to halt the count of additional ballots.

“The president’s statement tonight about trying to shut down the count-ing of duly cast ballots was outra-geous, unprecedented, and incorrect,” Biden’s campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement.

Biden campaign manager later told reporters the former vice president was on track to win election, while Trump’s campaign manager separate-ly predicted that the outstanding votes would eventually produce a victory for the president.

No incumbent US president has lost a re-election bid since George HW Bush in 1992.

Before his White House appearance, Trump slammed his opponent, saying in a tweet, “We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed!” Twitter swiftly tagged the tweet as possibly misleading.

“It’s not my place or Donald Trump’s place to declare the winner of this election. It’s the voters’ place,” Biden said on Twitter in response to the president.

It was not clear what Trump meant by saying he would ask the Supreme Court to halt “voting.” The high court does not hear direct challenges but instead reviews cases that have worked their way up from lower courts.

However, legal experts have said the election outcome could get bogged down in state-by-state litigation over a host of issues, including whether states can include late-arriving ballots that were mailed by Election Day.

Even before Tuesday, the 2020 cam-paign saw a historic number of law-suits across dozens of states, as the pandemic forced election officials to prepare for an election like no other. Both campaigns have marshalled teams of lawyers in preparation for any disputes.

The Supreme Court previously allowed Pennsylvania to move for-ward with a plan to count ballots mailed by Election Day that arrive up to three days later, but some conserva-tive justices suggested they would be willing to reconsider the matter. State officials planned to segregate those ballots as a precaution.

Ahead of the election, Trump had

said he wanted his latest US Supreme Court appointee, Amy Coney Barrett, confirmed by the Senate in case the court had to hear any electoral dispute. Democrats had criticised the president for appearing to suggest he expected Barrett to rule in his favour.

Trump has repeatedly said without evidence that widespread mail-in voting will lead to fraud, although US election experts say fraud is very rare.

In Pennsylvania, Democratic Governor Tom Wolf said the state still had to count more than a million mail-in ballots and called Trump’s remarks a partisan attack. According to Edison Research, more than 2.4 mil-lion early ballots were cast in the state, with 1.6 million by registered Democrats and about 555,000 by Republicans.

The election will also decide which party controls the US Congress for the next two years, and the Democratic drive to win control of the Senate appeared to be falling short. Democrats had flipped two Republican-held seats while losing one of their own, and six other races remained undecided- Alaska, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina and two in Georgia.

Trump’s strong performance in Florida, a must-win state for his re-election, was powered by his improved numbers with Latinos.

For months there had been complaints from Democratic Latino activists that Biden was ignor-ing Hispanic voters and lavishing attention instead on Black voters in big Midwestern cities.

Edison’s national exit poll showed that while Biden led Trump among nonwhite voters, Trump received a slightly higher proportion of the nonwhite votes than he did in 2016.

Down to the wire: Biden, Trump ...

REUTERS

Empty boxes from Milwaukee’s voting wards are seen the night of Election Day as absentee ballots are counted at Milwaukee Central Count in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

C M Y K

07 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 05, 2020

SPORTS | MEDLEY

BRIEFING

French midfielder Kondogbia joins Atletico from ValenciaMADRID: Atletico Madrid have signed French midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia from Valencia for an undisclosed fee, both La Liga clubs said on Tuesday. The 27-year-old has signed a four-year contract with Atletico and replaces Thomas Partey, who joined Arsenal just before the transfer window closed after the Premier League club activated his 50-million-euro release clause. La Liga rules allow clubs who have lost a player after their release clause was triggered to sign another player with-in a month provided they already play in Spain or are out of contract. “Atletico Madrid and Valencia CF have reached an agreement over the transfer of Geoffrey Kondogbia,” Atletico said in a statement.

Stefanos Tsitsipas unsure about ATP Finals defencePARIS: Stefanos Tsitsipas says he is unsure how his ATP Finals title defence will go later this month after the Greek suffered a recurrence of a leg injury during his second-round defeat at the Paris Masters on Tuesday. Seeded second at the last ATP Masters event of the year, world number six Tsitsipas bowed out after losing to Frenchman Ugo Humbert at an empty Bercy arena. “Right now, I don’t know. I really don’t know,” Tsitsipas told reporters when asked about his chances at The O2 in London, where the season-ending ATP Finals will be held without spec-tators from November 15-22. Tsitsipas said he had picked up a leg injury during his French Open semi-final against world number one Novak Djokovic earlier this month which hampered him in the fifth set.

Luke Ronchi named New Zealand batting coachWELLINGTON: Former international wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi has been named the New Zealand team’s new batting coach, replacing former Test batsman Peter Fulton who stepped down to become head coach of first class side Canterbury. Ronchi, who finished his international cricket career with New Zealand in 2017, had been working with the national team for the last two years concentrating on fielding and helping with the wick-etkeepers. Fulton stepped down in July after about a year with national team, having succeeded long-time bat-ting coach Craig McMillan. “I’m abso-lutely pumped,” Ronchi said of his appointment, which begins in two weeks ahead of New Zealand’s series against West Indies. “I’ve really enjoyed being back with the team in recent seasons.” New Zealand host West Indies in three Twenty20 match-es from November 27 before two-Test series begins on December 3. (AGENCIES)

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION

CROSSWORD

HOROSCOPE

SUDOKU

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) ***Now here’s a day you can live with. Everyone will be solid, practical, and responsible. This certainly could mean that you’ll be moved to make a business decision, even the one you’ve been putting off for a while now.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) ****

Clearly, you adore your family. And your friends are very, very special to you, too. They’re always there for you, and vice versa. Today, it’s all about these kindred spirits and trying to make them as happy as you possibly can.

PISCES (February 19-March 20) *****Each and every word you utter right now has a solid, grounded tone to it. So when you’re asked for your opinion (and even if you’re not), you’ll be more than happy to give it. Everyone’s ears are wide open and waiting for your words of wisdom.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) ****Patience has never been your strong suit. If there’s something out there you have a hanker-ing for, you won’t be willing to wait until it’s half price. And face it, when it comes to your taste, few things ever get discounted.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) *****

Speaking of making a move, if you don’t do it first, someone else will. Enough with thinking about it, mulling it over, and trying to decide which moment would be best. Use your instincts. Just do it.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) *****

Some quality time alone is definitely in order. And that means doing something that’s particu-larly tough for you: disconnecting the electronic devices. Yes, all of them. Don’t hesitate. You need this.

CANCER (June 22-July 22) ***A long-distance invitation could arrive from someone you haven’t seen in far too long. Will you be the one traveling? Not necessarily. As fond as you are of home, you can probably talk this loved one into making the trek instead.

LEO (July 23-August 22) ***

You have a dilemma. On the one hand, you want to keep playing. On the other, you’ve been struck by a strong dose of duty and responsibility, and you’re already starting to worry about work. Be wise in choosing.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22) ***Don’t hold back your feelings for a second longer. Everyone wants to hear all about them, especially the person who’s inspired your cur-rent happiness. Besides, you’re feeling so darned good that it’s written all over your face.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22) ***There’s a tender, affectionate energy in the heavens above you, the kind that’s tailor-made for an evening in. Order some rich, sinful take-out, open a nice bottle of wine, and stream some romantic movies.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21) ***

You may have superhuman abilities when it comes to focusing on the task at hand, but you also know when it’s time to quit. After days of pounding away at a project, it’s finally done. You may be tired, but you’re ready to move on.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21) ***You aren’t in the mood for any playing around today. Believe it or not, you could wake up in the mood to make lists and get things done. Sure, that doesn’t sound like your usual M.O., but who-ever said you were anything close to “usual”?

Jota’s form rids Liverpool manager of selection headacheAGENCE FRANCE-PRESSEBERGAMO, NOV 4

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insisted hat-trick hero Diogo Jota’s form does not give him a selection problem with Roberto Firmino rested ahead of the Manchester City clash.

Jota scored a stunning hat-trick in Liverpool’s 5-0 demolition of Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday. Jota scored a first half brace, complet-ing his hat-trick after 55 minutes in Bergamo after Salah and Mane added two more just after the break in north-ern Italy.

The 23-year-old Portugal forward has now scored in four consecutive games since his move from Wolves in September. He became just the second player to score on his first two starts in the Champions League for Liverpool since Robbie Keane 2008, after notch-ing the opener in a 2-0 win over Midtjylland last time out.

“Good performances never give me a headache,” said Klopp. “For tonight it was clear that it made more sense to use the good shape that Diogo is in and because of the way Atalanta plays in defence it made sense that the skillset of Diogo helps.”

“The world is sometimes a really bad place that in the moment when someone is shining we speak immedi-ately of a player who played for us it feels like 500 games in a row, and we would not be in the Champions League if Bobby Firmino would not be with us. For us it’s important that we have more than 11. Tonight Diogo played a super, super game but that says nothing about Bobby,” the German added.

With three wins from three, Liverpool are well on course to top Group ‘D’, with Ajax and Atalanta

both five points back. Ajax won 2-1 away to Midtjylland in Denmark, as Brazilian youngster Antony opened the scoring in the first minute and Dusan Tadic netted from an indirect free-kick inside the box soon after. Anders Dreyer got one back for the hosts, who remain pointless.

French forward Plea had earlier scored a hat-trick as Borussia

Moenchengladbach claimed a stun-ning 6-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in Kiev. The unfortunate Valeriy Bondar scored an own goal, with Ramy Bensebaini and Lars Stindl also scoring as Gladbach went top of Group ‘B’, a point clear of Shakhtar and Real Madrid.

Real Madrid ran out 3-2 winners in a dramatic encounter with Inter Milan

at the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium, as Vinicius Junior set up his fellow Brazilian substitute Rodrygo to lash in the decisive goal 10 minutes from time. Karim Benzema had put the hosts ahead and Sergio Ramos headed in his 100th Madrid goal in the 33rd minute, but Lautaro Martinez pulled one back shortly after. Inter were missing the injured Romelu Lukaku

but looked set to escape with a draw when Ivan Perisic equalised midway through the second half, only for Rodrygo to pounce and leave the Italians bottom of the group.

Reigning champions Bayern have now won a record-extending 14 consec-utive Champions League games after a 6-2 victory against Salzburg in Austria. German forward Mergim Berisha gave Salzburg an early lead only for Robert Lewandowski to level from the penalty spot, and a Rasmus Kristensen own goal put Bayern ahead before the break.

Japanese substitute Masaya Okugawa restored parity midway through the second half only for Bayern to run away with the game late on. Jerome Boateng headed them back in front, Leroy Sane got their fourth and Lewandowski strained to head in his 12th of the season, before Lucas Hernandez wrapped up their win.

Hansi Flick’s side are firmly in con-trol of Group ‘A’, five points ahead of Atletico Madrid, who drew 1-1 at Lokomotiv Moscow. Jose Maria Gimenez’s header for Atletico was cancelled out by Anton Miranchuk’s penalty.

Meanwhile Marseille’s 3-0 loss away to Porto saw them equal Anderlecht’s record of 12 consecutive Champions League defeats. Moussa Marega gave Porto an early lead before Dimitri Payet blazed a penalty over for Marseille. Sergio Oliveira then scored from the spot to make it 2-0 for Porto and Luis Diaz sealed the win for the home side in Group ‘C’.

Manchester City are firmly in con-trol of that section after Pep Guardiola’s side eased past Olympiakos 3-0, with Ferran Torres, Gabriel Jesus and Joao Cancelo netting.

Win against Mumbai a confidence-booster for Hyderabad, says Shahbaz NadeemAGENCIESSHARJAH, NOV 4

Sunrisers Hyderabad spinner Shahbaz Nadeem said despite an Indian Premier League play-offs berth at stake, his team treated the do-or-die game against the mighty Mumbai Indians like any other match and that is what helped the side pull off a stun-ning 10-wicket triumph.

The Sunrisers delivered under pres-sure in the must-win game to crush table toppers Mumbai Indians by 10 wickets and qualify for the play-offs on Tuesday. “We had a little bit of pressure because this was a crucial match for us. But we won our last

three matches and we have that momentum,” Nadeem said.

“So, we took it like just another match and if everyone does their thing it would be really easy for us to win...It really feels good when you beat such a good and strong team. It gives a lot of encouragement to our team,” he added.

Sunrisers won three games on the trot to finish the league stage at the third spot and set up a clash with Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday.

Nadeem delivered twin blows to Mumbai in the 12th over, removing the big-hitting Krunal Pandya and the in-form Suryakumar Yadav. The

31-year-old ended the game with the figures of 2/19 and was adjudged man-of-the-match for his efforts.

“It always feels good to perform for your team and that too, in a crucial match. To contribute during this stage of the tournament I felt very good,” Nadeem said.

Nadeem revealed that he has been working on his carrom ball for some time now and with several left-handed batsmen in the Mumbai Indians team, it was the right delivery to bowl.

“I have been working on the carrom ball for a couple of years and I thought it was the right time to bowl it because they have a lot of left-handers in their side,” he said.

Maradona recovering after successful brain surgeryREUTERSBUENOS AIRES, NOV 4

Argentine football great Diego Maradona was in recovery after suc-cessful surgery to treat a subdural hematoma, a blood clot on the brain, the former World Cup winner’s doctor said late on Tuesday.

The operation, after Maradona, 60, was admitted to hospital a day earlier, was to address the clot, often caused by a head injury, and which can put pressure on the brain.

“I was able to evacuate the hemato-ma successfully and Diego tolerated the surgery very well,” Leopoldo Luque, Maradona’s neurosurgeon and

personal physician, told reporters out-side the clinic where dozens of fans were gathered. “The steps now are observation, but it is controlled. It will depend on how he does. It is not highly complex, but it is still brain surgery,” Luque added, saying the procedure had taken around 80 minutes.

The intervention was potentially risky due to the ex-footballer’s deli-cate general health. Maradona was admitted to the Ipensa clinic in Argentina, on Monday for anemia and dehydration, before being transferred to Olivos Clinic in Buenos Aires prov-ince. Around 50 fans had gathered in front of the Olivos Clinic, in the sub-urbs of Buenos Aires.

AP/RSS

Liverpool’s 23-year-old forward Diogo Jota scored a hat-trick as they demolished Atalanta 5-0 in their Champions League match on Tuesday.

With three wins from as many matches, Liverpool are on course to top Group ‘D’ while Ajax and Atalanta are far behind with four points each.

REUTERSMARIB

W

hen Um Feras realised there were no leisure spaces for women in her city in Yemen, she founded her own cafe and hopes to change attitudes about wom-en-led businesses.

“There were no places for women to gather comfortably, no places belonging to the female com-munity: where the team from administration to the young-est employee is female,” she said from the Morning Icon cafe she set up in April last year in Marib, central Yemen.

Traditional, conservative attitudes held by many locally against women working outside the home mean her project is new and strange for some people, Um Feras said.

“The word ‘cafe’ can be associated with negative ideas and convictions ... Every new idea will have its support-ers and opponents,” she said, adding she wants to lead by example to show that women can run enterprises.

Wadad, a medical student and cafe customer, said she was drawn to the cafe’s internet connection: “There is space for women in general, amid the the poor internet network in Marib and the limited available spaces for female students.”

Marib boomed into a bustling city at the start of Yemen’s almost six-year war as people fled fighting else-where. Running a business is not easy in a country bat-

tered by conflict, disease and an increasingly severe eco-nomic crisis.

Um Feras imports most of her coffee and drinks. Maintaining quality amid rising prices and fluctuating cur-rency rates has been a real challenge, she said. But she aspires to expand into a larger leisure spot for women and children.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 05, 2020 | 08

CULTURE & LIFESTYLE

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Woman’s mission to honour Covid-19 victims

JIM SALTER ST LOUIS

I

t broke Jessica Murray’s heart that so many people in the St Louis area were dying from the coronavirus and that they were being remem-bered less for who they were than as statistics of the pandemic, so she

decided to do something about it.In June, Murray began the website

stlouiscovidmemorial.com to honour lives lost to Covid-19. She mostly relies on information she can glean online, includ-ing from obituaries and other news sto-ries about the dead. Her site and Facebook page serve as memorials to the area’s pandemic victims, providing glimpses into their lives and deaths.

Murray, 40, typically works a couple hours a night on her laptop at the dining room of her duplex in St Louis’ Dutchtown neighbourhood, often with her cockatoos Boo, Arthur and Misha providing comfort nearby when the stories overwhelm her.

“Just thinking about what the families are going through, it’s heartbreaking,” Murray said. “No person with Alzheimer’s or dementia or in a nursing home should have to die alone. Nobody should go into a hospital and never see their kids again.”

The St Louis region was an early hot spot. About half of Missouri’s more than 3,000 deaths have been in St Louis or its surrounding counties. And hundreds of others have died just across the Mississippi River in Illinois.

Murray was scrolling through her phone while waiting for her dinner to arrive in June when she saw a New York City website that was tracking lives lost to the virus. By the time her food arrived, she had purchased her domain name.

“I just thought that behind each of these numbers was somebody’s grandma or somebody’s sister or somebody’s mom,” Murray said.

Since then, Murray has posted mostly short life stories about more than 125 peo-

ple. Murray, who works in marketing and sales support for a construction company, said she’s never worked as a writer, but her stories are elegant and moving in their simplicity.

MaryCatherine Keene, a 94-year-old nursing home resident who died in May, worked as an airplane riveter during World War II and was “proud of being a woman that worked in her time allowing women to wear long pants.”

Rheumatologist Edward Rose, 74, who died in September, “loved a noisy home with children running around playing,” Murray wrote. “He loved hosting raucous

dinner parties with plenty of wine and comfort food, passionate disagreements, laughter, and story-telling. Ed taught his kids to play chess, water ski, follow through on commitments and the values of philanthropy, travel, and enjoying sim-ple pleasures.”

There are stories about married couples who died of Covid-19 in quick succession, such as Grace and Richard Maskell, who were married for 72 years and died nine days apart in May. Bill and Pat Olwig died in May just 40 minutes apart and only days before their 61st wedding anniversary.

Other stories offer haunting imagery

of the sad and lonely end that is so com-mon for Covid-19 victims.

Matthew Joseph Leake, who played Santa every year for 30 years, was just 60 years old when he died in August. “He was trying to beat cancer, but caught coronavirus and died alone in the hospi-tal,” Murray wrote.

Relatives of the dead often tell Murray how much her memorials mean to them.

“It really moves me,” Murray said of the feedback. “It motivates me to keep on doing this whenever I feel like I’m just posting into the void.”

Joyce “Lady J” Huston runs a Facebook

page called Black Corona Lives Matter that commemorates Black victims of the pandemic in the St Louis area and seeks to raise awareness about the racial dis-parities in Covid-19 deaths. Her cousin by marriage, Edward Hellm Jr, was initially misdiagnosed as having some other mala-dy and sent home. The 69-year-old veteran was eventually diagnosed with Covid-19. He died in April after fighting the disease for about a month.

Huston said she felt called to help Murray get the word out about how the disease is prematurely taking away good people like Hellm. Like Murray, she wants victims to be remembered for the people they were instead of just as part of the grim statistics that tell the pandemic’s bigger story.

“It’s tremendously important because you can’t just have numbers. You need to see the faces. You need to hear that these were living people who have lost their lives to a pandemic,” Huston said.

Murray said that moving forward, she’d like to work with other memorial sites around the country to perhaps start a national day of remembrance.

She funds her effort with her own money and has no plans to solicit dona-tions.

“I don’t know what I would do with it because there’s nothing that I need now except more time to tell better stories or put more faces behind these numbers,” she said.

— Associated Press

Masks good, ventilation better at cutting Covid risk at indoor events: Study

The study also found that reducing venue capacity, having multiple arena entrances and seating spectators can have a major impact on the number of contacts people accumulate.

CAROLINE COPLEYBERLIN

F

ace masks and limits on numbers are important, but good ventilation technology is the most essential ingre-dient of all in reducing the risk of the coronavirus

spreading at public events indoors, according to a German study.

And researchers say the study’s results have implications for contain-ing the epidemic among the broader population too.

Around 1,500 volunteers with face masks, hand sanitiser and proximity trackers attended an indoor pop-con-cert in Leipzig in August to assess how the virus spreads in large gatherings.

Researchers simulated three sce-narios with varying numbers of spec-tators and social-distancing stand-ards, and created a computer model of the arena to analyse the flow of aero-

sols from infected virtual spectators.“The most important finding for us

was understanding how crucial it is to have good ventilation technology. This is key to lowering the risk of infec-tion,” said Stefan Moritz, leader of the RESTART-19 study at the University Medical School in Halle.

The study also found that reducing venue capacity, having multiple arena entrances and seating spectators can have a major impact on the number of contacts people accumulate.

Its recommendations include only allowing food to be eaten at seats, open-air waiting areas, mask-wearing for the concert’s duration and employ-ing stewards to make sure people stick to hygiene rules.

Researchers also developed an epi-demiological model to analyse the impact of staging an event on the spread of the virus among the broader population.

They found hygiene measures such as mask-wearing and social-distanc-ing should remain in place as long as the pandemic persists, while seating plans and number of guests should be adjusted based on the incidence of the virus.

“Events have the potential to fuel the epidemic by spreading pathogens, but if a hygiene concept is stuck to then the risk is very low,” said Rafael Mikolajczyk, from Halle University’s Institute for Medical Epidemiology.

—Reuters

A cafe in Yemen run by women, for women

Jessica Murray, a resident of St Louis, began a site to serve as a memorial to the area’s pandemic victims, providing glimpses into their lives and deaths, for people to remember those who have passed as people rather than as statistics.

AP/RSS

Jessica Murray pauses to look at her phone with her cockatoo Misha on her shoulder while working on the website she started to honour lives lost to Covid-19 in St Louis.

REUTERS

Around 1,500 volunteers with face masks, hand sanitiser and proximity trackers attended an indoor pop-concert in Leipzig in August to assess how the virus spreads in large gatherings.

REUTERS

Women talk as they sit in the only all-female internet cafe in Marib, Yeme.

Since then, Murray has posted mostly short life stories about more than 125 people.

Research says steps such as mask-wearing and social-distancing should remain.

When Um Feras realised there were no leisure spaces for women in her city, she founded her own cafe and hopes to change attitudes about women-led businesses.

But running a business is not easy in a country battered by conflict and a severe economic crisis.