Editorial: Let 753 flowers bloom
With the announcement of single-phase local elections on May 13, the country has entered election mode. This is something to be celebrated. There was a lot of political uncertainty following the downfall of the KP Oli government. People had given a five-year mandate to the communist coalition of CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center), which eventually merged into the Nepal Communist Party (NCP). Yet the NCP split and the government it led fell after three years. Nepali Congress, distant-second in the last parliamentary elections, never had the mandate to lead the government—and yet it does now.
It is only right that the political logjam be cleared through elections. The Sher Bahadur Deuba-led government was vacillating over local polls in what was a purely political calculation. It even seemed ready to bend electoral laws and even the constitution to postpone polls. But continuous pressure from the Election Commission, the opposition parties, the media and the civil society paid off and the government was forced to announce a timely election date. This shows that despite the myriad deficiencies in the three organs of the state, it is still difficult to easily subvert Nepal’s democratic spirit.
Besides all the usual challenges for any elections in Nepal—including curbing sky-high campaign spending—there is also the added burden of holding such a vast mass-mobilization exercise during a deadly pandemic, which, despite its ebbs and flows, shows no sign of soon disappearing. The big challenge here will not be getting voters to maintain social distance or wear masks. It will rather be to convince political parties to resist from holding unnecessary rallies and gatherings: such reckless electoral campaigning was largely responsible for the troubling recent spurt of covid infections in the neighboring Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, and in West Bengal and Assam a year earlier.
It will be a tricky balancing act between continuing with a vital democratic exercise and safeguarding public health. But the announcement of local elections undoubtedly represents a rare silver lining in the otherwise gloomy Nepali political skies.
Oscar nominations 2022: See the full list of nominees
The nominations for the 94th Academy Awards were announced Tuesday and included films in a wide range of genres, CNN reported.
“The Power of the Dog” led among nominated films with 12 nods. The drama’s director, Jane Campion, made history by becoming the first woman to be nominated more than once for best director. (Her previous nod was for “The Piano.”)
Fellow directing nominee Steven Spielberg also set a new record. As producer of “West Side Story,” which earned a total of seven nominations, Spielberg has now produced 11 films nominated for best picture, a new record for the Oscars.
Denzel Washington extended the record he already holds as the most nominated Black actor, earning his tenth Oscar nomination for his performance in “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” (One of his nominations was for producing.)
The Academy Awards are set to take place on Sunday, March 27. See below for a full list of nominees.
BEST PICTURE
“Belfast”
“CODA”
“Don’t Look Up”
“Drive My Car”
“Dune”
“King Richard”
“Licorice Pizza”
“Nightmare Alley”
“The Power of the Dog”
“West Side Story”
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Jessie Buckley, “The Lost Daughter”
Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story”
Judi Dench, “Belfast”
Kirsten Dunst, “The Power of the Dog”
Aunjanue Ellis, “King Richard”
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Ciaran Hinds, “Belfast”
Troy Kotsur, “CODA”
Jesse Plemons, “The Power of the Dog”
J.K. Simmons, “Being the Ricardos”
Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Power of the Dog”
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
“Drive My Car”
“Flee”
“The Hand of God”
“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”
“The Worst Person in the World”
DOCUMENTARY (SHORT)
“Audible”
“Lead Me Home”
“The Queen of Basketball”
“Three Songs for Benazir”
“When We Were Bullies”
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“Ascension”
“Attica”
“Flee”
“Summer of Soul”
Writing with Fire”
ORIGINAL SONG
“King Richard”
“Encanto”
“Belfast”
“No Time to Die”
“Four Good Days”
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
“Encanto”
“Flee”
“Luca”
“The Mitchells vs. The Machine”
“Raya and the Last Dragon”
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“CODA”
“Drive My Car”
“Dune”
“The Lost Daughter”
“The Power of the Dog”
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Belfast”
“Don’t Look Up”
“King Richard”
“Licorice Pizza”
“The Worst Person in the World”
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Javier Bardem, “Being the Ricardos”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Power of the Dog”
Andrew Garfield, “Tick, Tick… Boom!”
Will Smith, “King Richard”
Denzel Washington, “The Tragedy of Macbeth”
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Jessica Chastain, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
Olivia Colman, “The Lost Daughter”
Penelope Cruz, “Parallel Mothers”
Nicole Kidman, “Being the Ricardos”
Kristen Stewart, “Spencer”
DIRECTOR
Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast”
Ryusuke Hamaguchi, “Drive My Car”
Paul Thomas Anderson, “Licorice Pizza”
Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog”
Steven Spielberg, “West Side Story”
PRODUCTION DESIGN
“Dune”
“Nightmare Alley”
“The Power of the Dog”
“The Tragedy of Macbeth”
“West Side Story”
CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Dune”
“Nightmare Alley”
“The Power of the Dog”
“The Tragedy of Macbeth”
“West Side Story”
COSTUME DESIGN
“Cruella”
“Cyrano”
“Dune”
“Nightmare Alley”
“Westside Story”
ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND
“Belfast”
“Dune”
“No Time to Die”
“The Power of the Dog”
“Westside Story”
ANIMATED SHORT FILE
“Affairs of the Art”
“Bestia”
“Boxballet”
“Robin Robin”
“The Windshield Wiper”
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
“Ala Kachuu — Take and Run”
“The Dress”
“The Long Goodbye”
“On My Mind”
“Please Hold”
ORIGINAL SCORE
“Don’t Look Up”
“Dune”
“Encanto”
“Parallel Mothers”
“The Power of the Dog”
VISUAL EFFECTS
“Dune”
“Free Guy”
“No Time to Die”
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”
“Spider-Man: No Way Home”
FILM EDITING
“Don’t Look Up”
“Dune”
“King Richard”
“The Power of the Dog”
“Tick, Tick… Boom!”
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
“Coming 2 America”
“Cruella”
“Dune”
“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
“House of Gucci”
PM Deuba prepares to table MCC even by breaking down the alliance
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is preparing to table the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact at the Parliament even by removing Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota.
According to a source, Prime Minister Deuba is planning to endorse the MCC from the Parliament even by looking a suitable alternative for Speaker Sapkota after coalition partners—CPN (Moiast Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal become a stumbling block in the MCC.
Speaker Sapkota on Tuesday evening postponed the meeting of the House of Representatives scheduled for today till February 14.
Leaders were preparing to hold discussions on tabling the MCC in the Parliament at a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee scheduled for today.
Prime Minister Deuba is planning to hold a decisive discussion at the meeting of the ruling coalition for one more time after the Speaker postponed the meeting by a week.
Speaker Sapkota postponed the meeting after the leaders failed to forge national consensus on the MCC.
Sapkota said that he postponed the meeting at the request of the government.
The $500 million Millennium Challenge Corporation Nepal Compact will easily be tabled in the Parliament if the parties forge a common ground by February 14.
“The Prime Minister will start the process to remove the Speaker if the parties failed to forge consensus within February 14,” a Nepali Congress leader said.
According to a source, the main opposition CPN-UML and Democratic Socialist Party have also expressed their commitment to help the Prime Minister to remove Sapkota from the post of Speaker.
The 10th session of the Federal Parliament had started on December 14.
But, the main opposition CPN-UML has been obstructing the House proceedings demanding that Speaker Sapkota relieve 14 of its lawmakers, who later went on to form the CPN (Unified Socialist), of their position.
Earlier on Tuesday, civil society members had urged the political parties to file an impeachment motion against Sapkota accusing him of not working transparently.
Issuing a statement, they said that Sapkota has studiously ignored the series of Supreme Court orders in relation to the murder case.
“Influencing the police administration by virtue of his position of power as Member of Parliament and minister in the cabinet and by remaining an absconder on the murder case of Arjun Lama, Agni Sapkota is responsible for obstructing justice in the particular case and contributing to the general weakening of the law and justice system in the country,” the statement further read.
“The political parties should take immediate steps to protect the values of the parliamentary system by taking decisions regarding the activities of Speaker Sapkota,” the civil society members said.
Earlier on Tuesday, UML politburo member and former minister Mahesh Basnet said that preparations are being made to file an impeachment motion against Sapkota.
Leader Basnet said that he along with 100 lawmakers are ready to sign a paper at any time to file the impeachment motion against Sapkota.
US Ambassador to Nepal Randy Berry also held a meeting with UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and discussed the MCC.
Later, Nepali Congress leader Shekhar Koirala reached Balkot, Bhaktpur to hold a meeting with Oli.
It has been learnt that the duo discussed MCC, future of ruling coalition and upcoming local level elections.
Macron: Putin told him Russia won’t escalate Ukraine crisis
French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin told him that Moscow would not further escalate the Ukraine crisis, Associated Press reported.
Macron also said it would take time to find a diplomatic solution to the rising tensions, which represent the biggest security crisis between Russia and the West since the Cold War.
His remarks on a visit to Kyiv came as the Kremlin denied reports that he and Putin struck a deal on de-escalating the crisis. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “in the current situation, Moscow and Paris can’t be reaching any deals.”
Macron met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid mounting fears of a Russian invasion. Moscow has massed over 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders, but insists it has no plans to attack.
The Kremlin wants guarantees from the West that NATO will not accept Ukraine and other former Soviet nations as members, that it halt weapon deployments there and roll back its forces from Eastern Europe — demands the U.S. and NATO reject as nonstarters.
At a news conference after meeting Zelenskyy, Macron said Putin told him during their more than five-hour session Monday that “he won’t be initiating an escalation. I think it is important.”
According to the French president, Putin also said there won’t be any Russian “permanent (military) base” or “deployment” in Belarus, where Russia had sent a large number of troops for war games.
Peskov said withdrawing Russian troops from Belarus after the maneuvers was the plan all along.
Zelenskyy said he would welcome concrete steps from Putin for de-escalation, adding he didn’t “trust words in general.”
Macron also sought to temper expectations.
“Let’s not be naive,” he said. “Since the beginning of the crisis, France hasn’t been inclined to exaggerate, but at the same time, I don’t believe this crisis can be settled in a few hours, through discussions”
Zelenskyy called his talks with Macron “very fruitful.”
“We have a common view with President Macron on threats and challenges to the security of Ukraine, of the whole of Europe, of the world in general,” Zelenskyy said.
He said France was giving 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) in financial aid to Ukraine and helping restore infrastructure in the war-ravaged east of the country.
Western leaders in recent weeks have engaged in high-level talks, and more are planned against the backdrop of military drills in Russia and Belarus. On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that six amphibious landing ships were moving from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea for exercises and two Tu-22M3 long-range nuclear capable bombers flew another patrol over Belarus.
Macron said he had not expected Putin to make any “gestures” Monday, saying his objective was to “prevent an escalation and open new perspectives. ... That objective is met.”
Macron said Putin “set a collective trap” by initiating the exchange of documents with the U.S. Moscow submitted its demands to Washington in the form of draft agreements that were made public, and insisted on a written response, which was then leaked.
“In the history of diplomacy, there was never a crisis that has been settled by exchanges of letters which are to be made public afterward,” he said, adding that’s why he decided to go to Moscow for direct talks.
Macron later flew to Berlin, where he briefed Polish President Andrzej Duda and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who said their stance was unified, with a joint goal “to prevent a war in Europe.”
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was pleased to see the high level of diplomatic activity, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. “The secretary‑general could not be clearer in the need to increase diplomatic activity to avoid any sort of escalation,” Dujarric said.
Putin said after Monday’s meeting that the U.S. and NATO ignored Moscow’s demands, but signaled readiness to continue talking. He also reiterated a warning that NATO membership for Ukraine could trigger a war between Russia and the alliance should Kyiv try to retake the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
NATO, U.S. and European leaders reject the demands that they say challenge NATO’s core principles, like shutting the door to Ukraine or other countries that might seek membership; but they have offered to discuss other Russian security concerns in Europe.
U.S. President Joe Biden has said any prospect of Ukraine entering NATO “in the near term is not very likely,” but he and other alliance members and NATO itself refuse to rule out Ukraine’s future entry.
Biden met Monday with Scholz, who also will travel to Kyiv and Moscow on Feb. 14-15. They threatened Russia with grave consequences if it invaded, and Biden vowed that the Nord Stream 2 Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline, which has been completed but is not yet operating, will be blocked. Such a move would hurt Russia economically but also cause energy supply problems for Germany.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in an article in the Times of London, also urged allies to finalize heavy economic sanctions that would take effect if Russia crosses into Ukraine. He said the U.K. is ready to bolster NATO forces in Latvia and Estonia as he prepared to meet the Lithuanian prime minister in London to show support for the Baltic nations.
Johnson said he was considering dispatching RAF Typhoon fighters and Royal Navy warships to southeastern Europe. Britain said Monday it is sending 350 troops to Poland to bolster NATO’s eastern flank. It already has sent anti-tank weapons to Ukraine.
More than 100 U.S. military personnel arrived in Romania ahead of a deployment of about 1,000 NATO troops expected in the country in the coming days, Romania’s Defense Minister Vasile Dincu said.
U.S. officials have said that about 1,000 alliance troops will be sent from Germany to Romania, a NATO member since 2004. Romania borders Ukraine to the north. About 1,700 U.S. soldiers from the 82nd Airborne are also going to Poland.
U.S. officials have portrayed the threat of an invasion of Ukraine as imminent — warnings Moscow has scoffed at, accusing Washington of fueling tensions.
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east of the country. The fighting between Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed over 14,000 people.
In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict. The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kyiv of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it would hurt Ukraine.
After meeting Macron, Putin said without elaboration that some of the French president’s proposals could serve as a basis for a settlement of the separatist conflict, adding that they agreed to speak by phone after Macron’s visit to Kyiv.
Peskov said such a call would take place “in the nearest future.”
Macron said both Putin and Zelenskyy confirmed they were willing to implement the Minsk agreements — “the only path allowing to build peace ... and find a sustainable political solution.”
Macron also said the presidential advisers of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine will meet Thursday in Berlin on the next steps. “It will take time to get results,” he said.
Zelenskyy was mum on where Ukraine stands on implementing the Minsk agreements and whether he assured Macron that Kyiv is committed to do so, saying only that his country views Thursday’s meeting “very positively” and hoped for a subsequent meeting by the four leaders.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, visiting the front line in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, said she wanted “to get an impression of what it means that we still have war in the middle of Europe.”
Germany has given Ukraine about 1.8 billion euros in aid since 2014, part of which is helping those displaced by fighting.
Shesh Narayan Paudel appointed Director General of Department of Foreign Employment
Joint Secretary Shesh Narayan Paudel has been appointed as the Director General of the Department of Foreign Employment.
Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security Krishna Kumar Shrestha making a ministerial level meeting appointed Paudel as the Director General of the Department of Foreign Employment on Tuesday.
Joint Secretary Deepak Kafle, who had been working as the Director General in the department, has been recalled to the ministry.
Kafle was given the responsibility of the department six months ago.
Speaker Sapkota postpones Parliament meeting till February 14
A meeting of the House of Representatives called for tomorrow has been postponed till February 14.
Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota had called the meeting 1 pm tomorrow.
Pasting a notice, the Parliament Secretariat said that the meeting has been postponed for some special reasons.
The meeting has been postponed at a time when Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has intensified efforts to forge a common ground on Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
Speaker Sapkota has called the next meeting for 1 pm on February 14, General Secretary of the Parliament Secretariat Bharat Raj Gautam said.
Earlier, the meeting called for January 30 was postponed by 10 days due to the MCC.
UML Chair Oli, US envoy to Nepal Berry hold meeting, discuss MCC
The main opposition CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and US Ambassador to Nepal Randy Berry held a meeting at the former's residence in Balkot, Bhaktapur on Tuesday.
During the meeting, the duo discussed Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and other contemporary political issues, a source said.
At a time when the MCC compact had reached a decisive point, Oli and Berry held a meeting for almost one hour.
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had asked time till February 28 for the parliamentary ratification of the MCC.
However, Speaker Agni Sapkota said that national consensus is necessary to table the MCC in the Parliament.
Similarly, Dahal and CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Nepal have been saying that the MCC cannot be endorsed in the existing form.
Nepali Congress central member Shekhar Koirala also reached Balkot to hold a meeting with Oli this evening.
Civil society members urge political parties to file impeachment motion against Speaker Sapkota
Civil society members have urged the political parties to file an impeachment motion against Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota.
Issuing a statement issued on Tuesday, they said that it is the institutional and legal duty of the Speaker to facilitate the placement of all bills presented by the Government of Nepal before the House for discussion.
They also said that it is to ensure the fair and smooth conduct of parliamentary proceedings that the person elevated to the post of Speaker is required to ipso facto sever all links to his/her political party.
This explains the tradition requiring the person elected Speaker to immediately resign from any and all positions linked to political parties, the statement read.
It is expected that the Speaker exhibits full neutrality in dealing with all political parties large or small. Our parliamentary system does not envisage an executive function for the Speaker, and the constitution and relevant laws regard the speaker as a facilitator to ensure the smooth functioning of the House of Representatives. Against these expectations, Agni Sapkota has continuously violated the responsibilities and expectations vested in him, the statement further read.
“The political parties should take immediate steps to protect the values of the parliamentary system by taking decisions regarding the activities of Speaker Sapkota,” the statement read.
“In the same order, Supreme Court justices Shah and Osti state: “The First Information Report in relation to the events of April-May 2005 is in the form of a murder case against six defendants including Agni Sapkota. The relevant court papers indicate that the District Police communicated to other police offices to conduct a search in order to produce the defendants, and also that the defendants could not be located.” The court order calls upon Agni Sapkota to exhibit personal morality and good judgment by assisting the investigation,” the civil society members said in the statement.
For more than a decade, Agni Sapkota has studiously ignored the series of Supreme Court orders in relation to the murder case. Influencing the police administration by virtue of his position of power as Member of Parliament and minister in the cabinet and by remaining an absconder on the murder case of Arjun Lama, Agni Sapkota is responsible for obstructing justice in the particular case and contributing to the general weakening of the law and justice system in the country,” the civil society members said, adding, “It is crystal clear that the police has been intimidated in conducting investigations against a person who has continuously occupied high positions from Member of Parliament to minister, and currently Speaker of the House of Representatives. Thus, on the one hand Agni Sapkota is misusing his position to obstruct justice, which itself is a punishable offense; on the other hand, he has violated Purnimaya Lama’s right to justice and in the process provided the worst example of impunity in the country.”
It has become clear from the events and facts listed above that Agni Sapkota is a morally bankrupt individual who for years has been absconding from the police whilst accused of murder and has been unable to show neutrality required of his current position. There could have been no expectation that a person of such character flaws would exhibit the high values required from the Speaker of Parliament, the statement read. As a result, the period since Agni Sapkota has occupied the Speaker’s chair has been marked by a serious deterioration in the workings of the House of Representatives.
The statement was signed by Purnimaya Lama, Badri Prasad Bhusal, Bhagiram Chaudhary, Indra Prasad Aryal, Kanak Mani Dixit, Kedar Narshing KC, Maina Karki, Manamunishwar Acharya, Rajan Kuikel, Sabitri Shrestha, Suman Adhikari, Surya Bahadur Adhikari, Sushil Pyakurel and Yagya Raj Thapa.
