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Responding swiftly to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order sending troops to separatist regions of Ukraine, world leaders hit back with non-military actions Tuesday in hopes of averting a full-blown war in Europe, Associated Press reported. 

Germany made the first big move, taking steps to halt certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia — a massive, lucrative deal long sought by Moscow but criticized by the U.S. for increasing Europe’s reliance on Russian energy supplies. 

And in Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden announced financial sanctions on banks and oligarchs as punishment for what he called “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.” He said the U.S. would impose “full blocking” on two large Russian financial institutions and “comprehensive sanctions” on Russian debt.

“That means we’ve cut off Russia’s government from Western finance,” Biden said. “It can no longer raise money from the West and cannot trade in its new debt on our markets or European markets either.”

Biden promised that more sanctions would be coming if Putin proceeds further.

The European Union announced sanctions taking aim at the 351 Duma legislators who voted in favor of recognizing separatist regions in Ukraine, as well as 27 other Russian officials and institutions from the defense and banking world. They also sought to limit Moscow’s access to EU capital and financial markets. 

“This package of sanctions … will hurt Russia and it will hurt a lot,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said after chairing a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Paris.

“We will make it as difficult as possible for the Kremlin to pursue its aggressive policies,” said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. 

Outside the EU, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson named five Russian banks and three wealthy individuals whom the UK hit with sanctions on Tuesday.

And if Putin pushes further into Ukraine, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg insisted, “there will be even stronger sanctions, even a higher price to pay.”

The U.S. and other Western nations have pressed daily for diplomatic efforts to head off a dangerous military confrontation. But the failure of that effort was underscored Tuesday as Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled plans for a Thursday meeting in Geneva with his Russian counterpart, saying Russia’s actions showed there was no point.

Western powers have long made clear the fate of Ukraine must not lead to a direct military confrontation with Russia and the potential of a world war, so sanctions were the limited option.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli held a meeting in Baluwatar on Tuesday.

During the meeting, the duo discussed Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and to end the House deadlock.

Nepali Congress Vice-President Purna Bahadur Khadka among other leaders accompanied Deuba in the meeting.

Similarly, senior Vice-Chairman Ishwor Pokharel, Vice-Chairman Bishnu Paudel and Deputy General Secretary Bishnu Rijal attended the meeting from the UML.

Leaders said that the meeting discussed the ways to endorse the $500 million grant agreement from the Parliament.

A Nepali Congress leader said that the UML unofficially agreed to help endorse the MCC.

Saying that the MCC was registered in the Parliament Secretariat during a government led by the UML, PM Deuba, who is also the President of the Nepali Congress, urged Oli to help ratify the compact.

In response, Oli said that they would continue obstructing the House until their demands are met. But the has agreed to create a conducive environment to pass the MCC amid the obstruction, a leader, who attended the meeting, said.

Divya’s Cake is a small eatery at Daubahal, Lalitpur, which serves a variety of bakery items like cakes and cookies. The place is popular for its delicious shake cake (a rich, creamy and sweet milkshake topped by a piece of cake). All items on the menu are reasonably priced and loved by the customers for their unique taste. For the sweet-toothed, Divya’s Cake is the place to be.

Chef’s Special:

• Red Velvet Shake Cake

• Choco-lava Cake

• Choco-vanilla Cookies

Opening hours: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Location: Daubahal, Lalitpur

Online pay: Yes

Card pay: No

Meal for 2: Rs 500

Contact:  9843335683

Rapper Ashish Rana aka Lahure has been released, 36 days after he was arrested with brown sugar, on Tuesday.

Rana was free after he posted bail amount of Rs 50,000 as per the order issued by the Special Court. 

Nil Paneru, information officer at the court, said that three others, who were arrested along with Lahure, have been remanded in custody for investigation. 

Dhruba Thapa (39) of Pokhara-21, Nabin Kumar Gurung (30) of Rupa Rural Municipality-7, Kaski and Susmita Gurung (22) of Pokhara-8 have been remanded to custody. 

Kasko police arrested them with 13 grams of brown sugar from New Road, Pokhara on December 29.

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Prem Ale has directed the concerned authorities to spare no effort in preparing for the Mahashivaratri festival.

Minister Ale directed the officials of the Pashupati Area Development Trust to manage all the facilities for religious tourists in the Pashupati area. He also drew the attention of the officials to clean the Pashupati area and make good arrangements for toilets.

Minister Ale said that Nepal-India friendship Pashupati Dharamsala would be properly managed

At a program organized by PADT today, it was shared that preparations are being made in full swing for the management of the upcoming Mahashivaratri festival.

A 251-member core committee has been formed under the chairmanship of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Ale, who is also the chair of the PADT management council.

This year, the Mahashivaratri festival is celebrated on March 1.

On Mahashivaratri, devotees from home and abroad flock to the Pashupati area. RSS

Russia’s parliament approved treaties with two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, opening the way for an immediate Russian troop deployment despite the threat of Western sanctions including the blocking of a major new pipeline, Associated Press reported.

The lower house’s approval of President Vladimir Putin’s decision to recognise the two regions’ independence increased Western fears of war that have rattled global financial markets, hit Russia’s rouble and pushed oil prices to a seven-year high.

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskiy said his country may sever diplomatic ties with Russia, and the United States and the European Union discussed new sanctions as Ukraine reported continued shelling in east Ukraine.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz put the certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany on ice, a measure widely considered the toughest Europe is likely to take against Moscow at this stage.

“We must reassess the situation, in particular regarding Nord Stream 2,” Scholz told a news conference with the Irish leader in Berlin. The pipe, built to bring gas from Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea, has been completed but has yet to win regulatory approval.

Tensions over a Russian troop build-up near Ukraine’s borders have risen sharply since Putin announced on Monday that he was recognising the independence of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions controlled since 2014 by pro-Russian separatists.

He also signed a decree on the deployment of Russian troops to “keep peace” there.

Exports have increased in the first seven months of the current fiscal year 2021/22 in Nepal.

According to the statistics unveiled by the Department of Customs here today, the export of domestically produced goods stood at 88.30 percent. The export during this period amounted to around Rs 131 billion against over Rs 69.91 billion in the previous fiscal year.

The country has recorded a rise in imports by 42.78 percent during the first seven month of the current fiscal year, the Department said. The import stood at Rs 1,147.46 billion against Rs 803 billion during the period.

Similarly, due to the rise in imports compared to exports, the trade deficit has increased too. There is a trade deficit over Rs 1,015 billion in the first seven months of the current fiscal year while it was Rs 733 billion during the same period of the previous fiscal year. Trade deficit has increased by 38.45 per cent.

Meanwhile, foreign trade has increased by 46.43 per cent in the first seven months of the current fiscal year. The country saw over Rs 1279. 12 billion transactions against Rs 873 billion transactions during the corresponding period of the previous year.

Nepal imported foreign goods from 145 countries amounting to over 1,147.46 billion. Major portion of the imports were recorded from India at Rs 696 billion followed by China at Rs 165.23 billion, shared the Department.

Nepal has a trade deficit of Rs 589 billion with India while Rs 164.74 billion with China. RSS

Nepal logged 476 new Covid-19 cases and three deaths on Tuesday. 

With this, the country's active caseload mounted to 1,114,721. Similarly, the death toll has climbed to 11,928. 

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 6,604 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 299 returned positive. Likewise, 2,820 people underwent antigen tests, of which 177 tested positive.

The Ministry said that 831 infected people recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours.

As of today, there are 1, 747 active cases in the country. 

The Ministry said that 10, 367 people are staying in home isolation while 380 are in institutionalized isolation.