Nepal logs 206 new Covid-19 cases, three deaths on Friday
Nepal logged 206 new Covid-19 cases and three deaths on Friday. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 1, 595 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 134 returned positive. Likewise, 1, 274 people underwent antigen tests, of which 72 tested positive. The Ministry said that 398 infected people recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours. As of today, there are 2, 891 active cases in the country. The Ministry said that 2, 735 people are staying in home isolation while 156 are in institutionalized isolation and 41 are undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit.
Myanmar junta sentences Aung San Suu Kyi to jail for electoral fraud
Myanmar’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday was sentenced to three years in jail with hard labor after a court found her guilty of electoral fraud. Zabuthiri Township judge Maung Maung Khin handed down the sentence at a junta-controlled closed court in the Naypyitaw Detention Centre, News Agency, Myanmar Now reported. Apart from Suu Kyi, other two leaders (Win Myint and Min Thu) from the ousted civilian government, whose National League for Democracy (NLD) party won the 2020 election in a landslide, were accused of violating Section 130 (a) of the Penal Code by unfairly influencing the election commission. The military council’s allegations were based on the report of 2,000 double votes, found after one year of investigation carried out since the February 2011 coup. Some 75 percent of Myanmar’s more than 37 million registered voters participated in the 2020 general election, according to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems. However, the junta vowed to confront the alleged fraud with legal action against several NLD leaders and party members, as well as the more than 420 members of the previous Union Election Commission and nearly 2,500 members of local election commissions, reported Myanmar Now. Suu Kyi, 77, has already been sentenced to 17 years in prison for corruption and sedition charges. Recently, in August, she was handed a six-year sentence for four corruption charges after the military accused her of abusing her position as party leader to benefit a private foundation named after her mother, Daw Khin Kyi, as well as an affiliated project. Notably, the military detained Suu Kyi in February 2021 as it seized power in Myanmar. Myanmar’s military leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is the one who led a coup against an elected civilian government in 2021 and detained Aung San Suu Kyi over alleged election irregularities. In August last year, General Hlaing declared himself Prime Minister of a newly formed caretaker government. During an address to the nation on August 1, he repeated a pledge to hold elections by 2023. More than 1,000 civilians have been killed by Myanmar security forces with thousands of others arrested, according to the United Nations, amid a crackdown on strikes and protests which has derailed the country’s tentative democracy and prompted international condemnation. In a recent update, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said the conflict has intensified over the past month, with increased reports of army raids across Myanmar, especially in the northwest and southeast regions. (ANI)
Nepse plunges by 1. 67 points on Friday
The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index plunged by 1. 67 points to close at 1,970.62 points on Friday. Similarly, the sensitive index fell 0. 74 points to reach 383. 20 points. A total of 1,801,273 unit shares of 219 companies were traded for Rs 6.98 billion. Meanwhile, Support Microfinance Bittiya Sanstha Limited was the top gainer today with its price surging by 9. 80 percent. Likewise, Siddhartha Investment Growth Scheme-2 was the top loser with its price dropped by 6. 16 percent. At the end of the day, total market civilization stands at Rs 2. 82 trillion.
Seat sharing among coalition partners has almost been finalized: Dahal
CPN (Maoist Center) Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal said that seat sharing among the coalition partners for upcoming elections has almost been finalized. Dahal, who arrived at Birendranagar in Surkhet district today to address a training program organized by CPN (Maoist Center) Karnali Province Committee, said so while talking to the mediapersons at the Surkhet Airport. Dahal said that they will soon reach an agreement on seat sharing among the current five-party coalition by clearly determining the constituencies and Provinces. Stating that there was no consensus in the current coalition, he added, "We will forge a balanced electoral alliance for the Province Assembly and House of Representatives (HoR) elections this time." He ruled out any possibility of electoral alliance with the CPN-UML. Moreover, the former Prime Minister also assured that they will contest the upcoming elections by further strengthening the current coalition. According to him, preparations are underway to form his party's government in the Karnali Province. Dahal also reaffirmed that he will contest in the HoR election from constituency 3 in Chitwan district. It may be noted that Dahal was elected from the same constituency in the last HoR election in 2017. Furthermore, he said that his party was eager to merge with the CPN (Unified Socialist). The newest leftist party led by former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal was formed following a split from CPN-UML led by another former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. Dahal said that although CPN (Maoist Center) and CPN (Unified Socialist) have agreed to keep their respective election symbols while contesting the upcoming elections, they were mulling to bring out the same manifesto, said Dahal.
Gold price drops by Rs 100 per tola on Friday
The price of gold has dropped by Rs 100 per tola in the domestic market on Friday. According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow bullion is being traded at Rs 93, 000 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 93, 100 per tola on Thursday. Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 92, 500 per tola. Similarly, the price of silver is being traded at Rs 1, 105 per tola today.
Argentine president says man tried to shoot vice president
A man was detained Thursday night after he aimed a handgun at point-blank range toward Argentina’s politically powerful Vice President Cristina Fernández, and President Alberto Fernández said the assassination attempt failed because the gun did not fire, Associated Press reported.
“A man pointed a firearm at her head and pulled the trigger,” the president said in a national broadcast.
He called it “the most serious incident since we recovered democracy” in 1983 and urged political leaders, and society at large, to repudiate the incident.
Supporters of the vice president have been gathering in the streets surrounding her home since last week, when a prosecutor called for a 12-year sentence for Fernández as well as a life-long prohibition in holding public office as part of a case involving alleged corruption in public works during her 2007-2015 presidency. Fernández, who is not related to the current president, has denied all charges.
The president spoke shortly after video from the scene broadcast on local television channels showed Fernández exiting her vehicle surrounded by supporters outside her home when a man could be seen extending his hand with what looked like a pistol.
The vice president ducked as supporters surrounding the person appeared shocked at what was happening amid the commotion in the Recoleta neighborhood of Argentina’s capital.
The man, whose identity was not released by authorities, was detained seconds into the incident.
The president said the firearm had five bullets “and didn’t fire even though the trigger was pulled.”
There was no indication that the vice president suffered any harm. Her wheareabouts were unknown.
“A person who was identified by those who were close to him who had a gun was detained by (the vice president’s) security personnel,” Security Minister Aníbal Fernández told local cable news channel C5N, according to Associated Press.
The minister said he wanted to be careful in providing details until the investigation learned more.
Unverified video posted on social media shows the pistol almost touched Fernández’s face.
State-run news agency Télam identified the alleged gunman as Fernando Andrés Zabak, a Brazilian citizen. Officials had not confirmed the information.
Government officials were quick to describe the incident as an assassination attempt.
“When hate and violence are imposed over the debate of ideas, societies are destroyed and generate situations like the one seen today: an assassination attempt,” Economy Minister Sergio Massa said.
Ministers in President Alberto Fernández’s government issued a news release saying they “energetically condemn the attempted homicide” of the vice president. “What happened tonight is of extreme gravity and threatens democracy, institutions and the rule of law,” reads the release.
Former President Mauricio Macri also repudiated the attack. “This very serious event demands an immediate and profound clarification by the judiciary and security forces,” Macri wrote on Twitter.
Patricia Bullrich, president of the opposition Republican Proposal party, criticized the president, saying he is “playing with fire” because “instead of seriously investigating a serious incident, he accuses the opposition and the press, decreeing a national holiday to mobilize activists.”
Tensions have been running high in the upper class Recoleta neighborhood since the weekend, when the vice president’s supporters clashed with police in the streets surrounding her apartment amid an effort by law enforcement officers to clear the area. Following the clashes what had been a strong police presence around the vice president’s apartment was reduced, Associated Press reported.
When Fernández leaves her apartment every day at around noon, she greets supporters and signs autographs before getting in her vehicle to go to the Senate. She repeats the same routine every evening.
Following the incident, allies of the vice president quickly pointed the finger at the opposition for what they say is hateful speech that promotes violence. In recent days, several key officials have said opposition leaders were looking for a fatality.
CDC endorses updated COVID boosters, shots to begin soon
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday endorsed updated COIVD-19 boosters, opening the way for a fall vaccination campaign that could blunt a winter surge if enough Americans roll up their sleeves, Associated Press reported.
The new boosters targeting today’s most common omicron strains should begin arriving in pharmacies and clinics within days.
The decision by CDC Director Rochelle Walensky came shortly after the agency’s advisers voted in favor of the recommendation.
The shots “can help restore protection that has waned since previous vaccination and were designed to provide broader protection,” she said in a statement.
The tweaked shots made by Pfizer and rival Moderna offer Americans a chance to get the most up-to-date protection at yet another critical period in the pandemic. They’re combination or “bivalent” shots — half the original vaccine and half protection against the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron versions now causing nearly all COVID-19 infections.
The CDC’s advisers struggled with who should get the new boosters and when because only a similarly tweaked vaccine, not the exact recipe, has been studied in people so far.
But ultimately the panel deemed the updated injections the best option considering the U.S. still is experiencing tens of thousands of COVID-19 cases and about 500 deaths every day — even before an expected new winter wave. “I think they’re going to be an effective tool for disease prevention this fall and into the winter,” said CDC adviser Dr. Matthew Daley of Kaiser Permanente Colorado.
Comparing the tweak that has been studied in people and the one the U.S. actually will use, “it is the same scaffolding, part of the same roof, we’re just putting in some dormers and windows,” said Dr. Sarah Long of Drexel University, according to Associated Press.
The CDC recommendation was the last step before shots can begin. Pfizer said it expected to deliver 3 million doses to vaccination sites around the country by Tuesday.
The original COVID-19 vaccines still offer strong protection against severe illness and death, especially among younger and healthier people who’ve gotten at least one booster.
But those vaccines were designed to target the virus strain that circulated in early 2020. Effectiveness drops as new mutants emerge and more time passes since someone’s last shot. Since April, hospitalization rates in people over age 65 have jumped, the CDC said.
The updated shots are only for use as a booster, not for someone’s first-ever vaccinations. The Food and Drug Administration cleared Pfizer’s bivalent option for people 12 and older while Moderna’s is for adults only.
A big unknown: exactly how much benefit people will get from one of those extra shots.
The CDC said more than 1,400 people have been included in several studies of a prior tweak to the vaccine recipe targeting an earlier omicron strain named BA.1. That omicron-targeting combo shot proved safe and able to rev up virus-fighting antibodies, and European regulators on Thursday recommended using that type of booster, Associated Press reported.
In the U.S., the FDA wanted fall boosters to target the currently circulating omicron strains. Rather than waiting until possibly November for more human studies to be finished, the agency accepted mouse testing that showed the newer tweak sparked a similarly good immune response.
Unity for Sustainability: Working together is no longer optional, it’s a compulsion
Nepal is in the process of fast-track development and wants to achieve economic prosperity as earliest as possible. Media is the only platform from which in a small period of time we could amplify the message and communicate with larger communities to make awareness and educate on diverse issues. As a media social responsibility, Annapurna Media Network On 24th November 2021 declared its commitment to the climate change and sustainability agenda through the UNITY FOR SUSTAINABILITY- UFS program. This is a two-year campaign that will be working in a collaborative effort between AMN and climate stakeholders through green partnerships. The campaign’s aim is to enhance the meaningful dialogue among the stakeholders and foster interactions on critical climate change issues. UFS believes in a sustainable development framework that strikes a balance between development and environmental protection.
UFS mainly covers the four key areas that are Green partnership, Behavioral change communications, Audit and alert, and Climate stories. With adequate media spaces with additional editorial priority, each AMN member media working on a specialized theme: Climate Change & Policies, Climate Change & Youth, Climate Change & Local Government, Climate Change & Livelihood, Climate Change & Natural Disasters. Annapurna Media Network has announced the campaign to ‘lead the climate change dialogue’ working closely with all stakeholders particularly focusing on climate-change issues and its cross-cutting issues.
UFS is the first of its campaign in Nepal that aims to bring key climate stakeholders together to fight the effects of climate change and create sustainable development through media sensitization. Inaugurating the campaign, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba applauded AMN initiatives to create awareness of climate change issues. PM Deuba added that the media can play a vital role in highlighting issues of climate change and contribute to an enhanced dialogue. “I believe we can contribute to clean and green nature-based solutions to the prevailing climate change and environmental issues. I also strongly raised the issue in the recent COP26 Summit,” said PM Deuba. He was informed of the initiatives taken by the Nepal government to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Three former prime ministers—KP Sharma Oli, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and Madhav Kumar Nepal—through their video message appreciated the AMN initiation as well. They also underlined the need to work together to fight climate change.
AMN Chairman Capt. Rameshwar Thapa said the world was passing through a climate crisis so all stakeholders must unite and work in collaboration. “I am confident that this initiation will add one more brick towards green minds, thereby green behaviors,” Thapa said. Thapa added that as a media house it is AMN’s duty to make people aware and alarmed about this life-and-death issue. “The issue of climate change concerns me. This is the time to give back to the environment and society,” he said.
AMN’s Group Chief Executive Officer Mr. Sanat Neupane formally asked for more and more climate partners to support the UFS initiative. He said, “Join us or please make us join you, all that matters are a partnership and doing something more.” Neupane further added, “Climate change, we thought, was a distant ghost but now it is knocking on our doors.”
During the campaign, high-level government officials, climate activists, leaders of civil society, and national and international media representatives are continuously informed and are in touch in depth.
In spite of fighting climate change, individual steps are not enough and all stakeholders need to work together. AMN hopes to change this state of affairs by bringing together climate stakeholders and fostering meaningful interactions between them. It wants to highlight the issue of a sustainable development approach that takes care of the planet and addresses the challenges posed by the effects of climate change. So the core of the campaign is to unite all stakeholders to work on sustainability.
“For a country like Nepal, the awareness level is still not mature. Several focused campaigns and targeted programs are still necessary to elevate the general conscience. Broad participation from government, development agencies, the private sector, and civil society is necessary for a meaningful impact of this initiative. A Green Society is the next milestone of Human Evolution. It is just a matter of how slow or how fast. With joint intervention, we may reach there with less social pain. We are equally happy to let our wonderful ideas cross out the borders of the classroom and touch the general public.” - Dr. Biraj Singh Thapa Associate Professor, Kathmandu University, Nepal.
While providing interviews to the Annapurna Express on February 19 2022, as a Green Ambassador for our campaign, Erik Solheim is a well-known global leader in environment and development. He served as Norwegian Minister of Environment and International Development from 2005-12, and provided a specific message to Nepal and Nepali politicians on climate action. “Please focus on the positive. How agriculture in Tarai can give better yields to the farmers by going green. How the Nepali valleys can be hubs for hydro and solar energies, How the Himalayas can attract more tourists, but with less impact on vulnerable nature. I am so excited to be a part of this Unity for Sustainability campaign.”
“As a Green Partner of Unity for Sustainability Campaign, an initiative of Annapurna Media Partner working jointly against climate change issues, our efforts will be focused on generating and transferring scientific knowledge to the society on green growth and sustainable development for building a climate resilient country.”- Dr. Sunil Babu Shrestha, Vice Chancellor -Nepal Academy of Science and Technology
“Nepal is among the most vulnerable nations to climate change with the country’s fragile topography, climate-sensitive livelihoods of the people, and their limited adaptive capacity. As a Least Developed Country (LDC) with an insignificant contribution to past and current global emissions and limited financial resources, Nepal has suffered for ages from climate change.
AEPC greatly appreciates the effort of Annapurna Media Network (AMN) for the initiation and continuation of the campaign on Unity for Sustainability. Moreover, AEPC is happy to be a part of it. We have already signed MoU to work together in the campaign.”- Dr. Madhusudhan Adhikari, Executive Director, Alternative Energy Promotion Center
“We believe in Green Partnership to tackle climate change -Thank you for pouring in so much love and guidance towards our campaign that will help our campaign as well as to save our mother earth. Where it all began! So, in a climate action working together is no longer optional- It is a matter of compulsion. We are still confident that our green partnerships with the multi-stakeholders will definitely help us fight against climate change.” Chiranjibi Neupane, Program Manager, Unity for Sustainability.
