3 Pakistan mission staffers caught spying, 2 of them expelled

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India expels two Pakistani envoys on charges of espionage

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Parineeti Chopra: If you haven’t gone through ups and downs, you have had a very boring life

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Chinese national held for misbehaving with girls

Kathmandu, May 31

Thamel police have taken Chinese national Chen Xi, 21, into custody after some locals caught a few Chinese men for allegedly misbehaving with some local girls in Chhetrapati area near Thamel, Kathmandu, yesterday.

Chhetrapati area was tense yesterday, after two Chinese men allegedly ‘groped’ and pulled two local girls aged between 14 to 16. The girls were moving towards their home from a relative’s home when the two Chinese men stopped them and started conversing with them using an application that translated Chinese into English.

Yadav Lal Kayestha, a local resident of Chhetrapati told THT that the girls had wanted to help the men. “However, after a few seconds, the Chinese men invited them for coffee. The girls refused and wanted to leave. But, one of the two Chinese pulled a girl towards him, groped and molested her,” Kayastha said.

The incident drew the attention of locals, including an elderly, who immediately came for their rescue.

The incident was reported to the nearby Sorhakhutte Police Circle where a heated argument took place. By the evening, scores of Chinese had gathered near the police circle to exert pressure on the police to dismiss the case. But the locals wanted the accused molesters to be arrested.

Today, police registered the first information report of the girls who accused one the men of misbehaving with them. After the FIR was registered, the Chinese national was arrested and presented to Kathmandu District Administration Office. He has been remanded to seven-day police custody, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police Deepak Khadka, head of Sorhakhutte Police Circle.

Kayastha also said the same Chinese men, had a few days ago, tried to misbehave with a married woman at the same place.

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A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 01, 2020 of The Himalayan Times.

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India expels two Pakistani officials for ‘espionage’

MUMBAI: India on Sunday expelled two officials working at the Pakistan embassy in New Delhi after they were held for espionage, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

“Two (Pakistani) officials were apprehended on Sunday by Indian law enforcement,” the ministry said, adding that the Indian government had declared them “persona non grata” for indulging in activities incompatible with their status as members of a diplomatic mission.

Both were expected to leave the country within 24 hours.

The Indian government also delivered a strong protest to the head of Pakistan’s Delhi embassy concerning the alleged espionage against Indian national security.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry condemned what it called the detention and torture of two diplomatic officials by Indian authorities.

“The Indian action has been accompanied by a negative pre-planned and orchestrated media campaign, which is a part of persistent anti-Pakistan propaganda,” the ministry said.

Indian and Pakistani troops in Kashmir were earlier this year engaged in some of the most intense cross-border fighting in at least two years.

India and Pakistan routinely accuse each other of using spies to gather intelligence through their diplomatic missions.

Last week, Indian police released a pigeon belonging to a Pakistani fisherman after an investigation found that the bird, which had flown across the contentious border between the nuclear-armed nations, was not engaged in spying.

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JSP-N registers private bill

KATHMANDU: The Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal is preparing to register a private constitution amendment bill at the Parliament Secretariat seeking to amend several provisions of the constitution to address the demands of Madhesis, Janajatis and other marginalised groups and communities.

Senior Advocate Mithilesh Kumar Singh, who is helping the JSP-N draft the bill said it would seek to introduce the presidential form of government modelled on the American system and fully proportional electoral system. Singh said the bill would also seek simplification of the current citizenship provisions so that poor Nepali citizens who do not own houses but live in Nepal would be able to get their citizenship without any hassle.

According to Singh, the bill would also seek incorporation of languages recommended by the Language Commission in the schedule of the constitution.

Singh said the JSP-N’s bill would also seek to create 11 provinces including one non-territorial province as recommended by the majority members of the erstwhile State Restructuring Commission.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 1, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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FNCCI calls for lockdown extension review

KATHMANDU, MAY 31

A day after the government decided to extend the nationwide lockdown for the seventh time till June 14, the private sector has urged the government to review its decision and modality of the lockdown.

Issuing a press statement today, the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry stated that the continuous lockdown without any plan to normalise business activities would only deteriorate the economy and urged the government to change the modality of the lockdown, allowing businesses and the market to gradually operate.

Stating that the lockdown is not the only solution to cope with the current crisis, a that fact has already been accepted by several countries, the private sector recommended that the government make the lockdown flexible and resume economic activities by adopting precautionary measures.

“The government is only extending the lockdown and doing nothing substantial to ramp up COVID-19 tests or normalise economic activities. Such a lockdown is sheer waste of time,” reads the FNCCI’s press statement.

It adds that more than two months of lockdown has resulted in significant economic loss — worth more than four per cent of the gross domestic product — and rendered thousands of people jobless.

Moreover, industries are on the verge of collapse, while the general public is facing hardships, states the release.

“Ignoring all this, the government has been continuously extending the lockdown without consulting the business community and other stakeholders of the economy.

It is high time the government reviewed its decision to extend the lockdown and adopt an effective modality to both contain the spread of the virus and resume business activities,” adds FNCCI.

It has also urged the government to ensure easy mobility of workers and raw materials during the lockdown period.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 1, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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Maharashtra to award average scores for final year University students, option to improve scores by appearing for exam later

Bringing relief to lakhs of students, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said final year university students will be awarded an average of their marks in previous semesters with an option to improve their grades by giving them an option to appear for exams when the situation improves.

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SRCC students start Entrepreneurship programme for school students

Students of SRCC have started an online Social Entrepreneurship Programme (SEIP) for school students of classes 11 and 12. The programme will provide entrepreneurship knowledge to the students and will be a two-week programme starting from June 8 and is open for students all across the country.

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Sancho hat-trick keeps Dortmund in title hunt

PADERBORN: England forward Jadon Sancho capped a blistering individual performance with a second-half hat-trick which helped Borussia Dortmund to a 6-1 win at Paderborn on Sunday and kept alive their slim Bundesliga title hopes.

The result left Dortmund second on 60 points from 29 games with five rounds of matches remaining, seven behind champions and league leaders Bayern Munich, while Paderborn remained rooted to the foot of the standings on 19 points.

With prolific 19-year-old Norway striker Erling Haaland sidelined by a knee injury, the visitors missed a string of chances in the first half but Sancho lit up the second as Dortmund ran riot.

Thorgan Hazard, who took Haaland’s place up front, gave Dortmund a 54th-minute lead from close range after keeper Leopold Zingerle, who had made a string of good saves, failed to deal with an Emre Can cross from the left.

Sancho made it 2-0 with a simple tap-in from two metres three minutes later thanks some good work from Julian Brandt before an Uwe Hunemeier penalty briefly rekindled Paderborn’s challenge in the 72nd minute.

It turned out to be a false dawn as Sancho scored Dortmund’s third two minutes later with a fine left-foot shot from inside the penalty area and Paderborn fell apart in the closing stages.

Achraf Hakimi drilled in the fourth in the 85th minute with a crisp shot into the far corner and Marcel Schmelzer added the fifth in the 89th from close range.

The unstoppable Sancho broke away at the halfway line barely 60 seconds later and with Paderborn throwing everybody forward for a corner, he had all the time and space to put the icing on the cake with a clinical finish.

Dortmund, the 1997 Champions League winners who last won the German title in 2012, are at home to ninth-placed Hertha Berlin in the next round on Saturday while Paderborn visit fifth-placed RB Leipzig.

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China cities aid Pokhara metropolis

Pokhara, May 31

Various cities of China have helped Pokhara metropolis with health materials worth 79,000 US Dollars.

Mayor Man Bahadur GC said the metropolis had established relationship of brotherhood with different cities of China. He said nine types of health materials had reached Pokhara from Lingzi, Kunming, Guangzhou, among other cities of China.

Metropolis Chief Secretary Laxman Timilsina said as many as 10,000 surgical masks, gloves, shoe covers, among other materials had arrived in the metropolis from China.

COVID-19 Disease Control and Treatment High Level Committee Coordinator of the metropolis Manju Devi Gurung said the health materials would also be provided to the rural municipalities and municipalities adjacent to Pokhara, among other cities of Nepal.

The materials were provided with the initiative of former chairman of Pokhara Chamber of Commerce and Industry Bishowshankar Palikhe.

Meanwhile, the metropolis has provided some health materials to Federation of Nepali Journalists, Kaski.

Mayor GC and Deputy Mayor Manju Gurung handed over surgical masks, thermal guns, among other materials to Federation of Nepali Journalists’ Kaski Chairman Dipendra Shrestha today.

Mayor GC said there was no alternative to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the health materials provided by the cities of China would be used properly.

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A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 01, 2020 of The Himalayan Times.

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Amendment bill to update emblem tabled

KATHMANDU, MAY 31

Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Shiva Maya Tumbahangphe tabled the Constitution Amendment Bill (second amendment) in the House of Representatives today seeking to update Nepal’s emblem by including the revised map of Nepal after amending Schedule 3 of the constitution.

On May 20, the government had issued the new administrative and political map of the country, depicting Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani as Nepal’s territories although India has administrative and political control over Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani and has counter claim over these territories.

The bill needs to be passed by two-thirds members of the House of Representatives present on the day of voting to amend the constitution.

Although the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) is short of two-thirds majority in the Parliament, the bill is likely to be passed as the main opposition Nepali Congress has decided to support it.

Senior Advocate Mithilesh Kumar Singh said the bill would have to complete the process mandated by Article 274 (4) of the constitution which meant that the government would have to seek the consent of Sudurpaschim Province to incorporate Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani in that province. He said a notice would have to be sent to Sudurpaschim Province within 30 days about the change in the boundary of the province.

“Our new map depicts Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani as the country’s territories, but the map does not show which local level these territories belong to.

The government should also inform the Election Commission about these territories.

The government has not done census and it has not earmarked budget for these areas,” Singh added.

Parliament Secretariat Secretary Gopinath Yogi told THT that a notice would be published in the Nepal Gazette and Gorkhapatra tomorrow to inform the public about the presentation of the constitution amendment bill in the HoR as per the House of Representatives Regulation. The HoR cannot move any process on the constitution amendment bill in the next seven days. After seven days, the HoR can debate the principles of the bill before giving 72 hours to lawmakers to present amendments against the provisions of the bill, if any. If amendments are registered against the bill, then there will be a deliberation on the amendments; if not, discussion will take place on the contents of the bill.

According to Yogi, the bill could be put to vote directly after lawmakers discuss it or a special committee can be formed before the bill is put to vote. Parliament Secretariat sources said chances of forming a special committee were slim, as there was only one issue — the revision of map — for the amendment.

Once the bill is passed by the HoR, it would be sent to the National Assembly, where a similar process would be followed. Yogi said the Upper House would be able to immediately conduct other proceedings as the seven-days public notice process would have been completed in the HoR.

Parliament sources said that if both the houses wanted to fast-track the passage time, they could do so by suspending House rules. Spokesperson for the Parliament Secretariat Rojnath Pandey said the House could shorten the time required to register amendments on the bill’s provisions. The HoR could pass the constitution amendment bill after three to four House meetings. “But if the House decides to hold two to three meetings in one day, then the bill could be passed within days,” Pandey said. He added that the bill would not be decided through voice voting.

Lawmakers will have to put their signatures to support or oppose the bill.

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NHRC deploys separate team to probe Soti incident

Kathmandu, May 31

The National Human Rights Commission has sent its own team to Jajarkot and Rukum West to probe the Soti incident where five people died and one went missing over an inter-caste marriage dispute.

The NHRC, issuing a press statement today, said the team would be led by Deputy Director Chandrakanta Chapagain. It added that the team would investigate the immediate reason behind the incident, state of caste discrimination in the area and the state of peace and security after the incident.

The rights watchdog has also said it will study the police and local government’s investigation of the case.

The constitutional body also urged all to not to instigate inhumane and criminal activities. It has asked the police, local representatives, political parties, human rights activities, civil society, and locals to support and help the investigation to instil justice and punish the guilty in the incident.

The NHRC also claimed that it had earlier conducted preliminary investigation into the incident with support from Nepal Bar Association, an umbrella organisation of lawyers, Federation of Nepali Journalists, similar organisations of Nepali journalists and the NGO Federation of Nepal.

On May 23, Nawaraj Biswokarma, 21, of Bheri Municipality, Jajarkot, along with his 18 friends, had gone to Soti village to escort a girl from the ‘Malla’ clan — the so called higher caste. The group, however, was confronted by the locals in Soti village, including ward chair Dambar Bahadur Malla and the girl’s family at 6:30pm that day. The boys were reportedly ‘beaten mercilessly’ and chased towards the Bheri River ‘forcing’ them to jump into it. Of the six youths, the bodies of five, including Nawaraj, were recovered in the past one week while one is still missing.

Meanwhile, a group of people led by leader of Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal and former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai staged a protest against the incident here in the capital today.

Nationwide protest were organised across the country on the ground that the incident was instigated on the basis of caste discrimination.

The incident has also drawn the attention of international communities.

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A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 01, 2020 of The Himalayan Times.

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Curfews, states of emergency across U.S. on sixth day of protests into George Floyd’s killing

Across the U.S., cities and counties imposed curfews, declared states of emergency and saw stores and highways close down as protests continued against last week’s police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man.

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Nissan teases new Toyota Supra rival

Nissan is going back to the future with its new Zed sports car.

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ACLU encourages protesters to use app to record police interactions

The American Civil Liberties Union is encouraging people participating in protests to download an app that documents police interactions.

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A tanker truck drove into a crowd of protesters blocking a road in Minneapolis on Sunday.

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Family attorney says Derek Chauvin knew George Floyd, calls for first-degree murder charges

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Game-show whistleblower Hal Stempel, who exposed TV fraud, dies age 93

Herb Stempel, who blew the lid off fraud in the earliest version of reality TV – the quiz show – has died. He was 93.

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Maha CM thanks Salman for donating sanitiser

Superstar Salman Khan has donated one lakh hand sanitisers to the Mumbai Police, who are at the frontline in the fight against coronavirus pandemic.

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The Louvre aiming for early July reopening date

The Louvre is expected to reopen July 6.

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Bobby Joe Morrow, 3-time gold medalist in 1956 Olympics, dies at 84

Track great Bobby Joe Morrow is dead at 84.

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NHRC concerned about CPN leader’s arrest

Kathmandu, May 30

The National Human Rights Commission has expressed serious concern about arbitrary and frequent arrests of Chakra Bahadur Khatri of Khotang district, a leader of the Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal.

Issuing a press statement today, the rights body said the government was responsible for making the condition of Khatri unknown even to his family, meting out inhumane treatment to him and refusing to abide by frequent orders of the Supreme Court.

The NHRC said that it had corresponded with the Ministry of Home Affairs seeking clarification on the issue within 24 hours.

According to the NHRC, Khatri was last arrested on May 28 from Khotang and taken to Siraha through Udayapur and Solukhumbu the following day. It was his sixth arrest in the past one year.

“Arbitrary arrest of a citizen perpetrated by the Government of Nepal, local administration and police is against the fundamental rights guaranteed by articles 17, 20 and 126 of the constitution.

It is also in contravention of legal rights enshrined in sections 10, 200 and 202 of the new penal code,” read the statement issued by the rights body.

The rights body has also called on the government to end the tendency of making arbitrary arrest of a citizen against the constitutional and legal provisions and orders of the apex court, while respecting human rights and guaranteeing the presence of law in the state.

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A version of this article appears in e-paper on May 31, 2020 of The Himalayan Times.

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Rajbiraj-based hospital to begin tests for coronavirus

Rajbiraj, May 30

Considering the increasing number of coronavirus patients in the province, Province 2 government has decided to set-up a laboratory for conducting tests for COVID-19 in Saptari headquarters Rajbiraj.

Rajbiraj-based Gajendra Narayan Singh Hospital is all set to begin the coronavirus tests. After providing a PCR machine to the hospital, the provincial government also provided Rs five million rupees for the manpower required to conduct lab-tests.

Handing over a cheque bearing Rs five million rupees to the hospital’s Medical Superintendent Dr Chumanlal Das today, Province 2 Social Development Minister Nawal Kishor Sah asked health workers present at the hospital to work with high morale. “The provincial government is committed to helping the hospital with necessary equipment and fund to control the pandemic and address the concerns of health workers. We want health workers to work without any worries,” he said.

Upon receiving the monetary assistance, Dr Das thanked the provincial government and vowed to start testing from tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Minister Sah today handed over a Rs 2.5 million cheque to Nepali Army’s Bhim Dal Battalion for construction and management of an isolation ward. Due to lack of an isolation facility, 22 COVID-19 infected persons have been kept in separate rooms of quarantine facilities set up at different schools in Rajbiraj, Bodebarsain and Dakneshwori.

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A version of this article appears in e-paper on May 31, 2020 of The Himalayan Times.

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OHCHR seeks independent probe into Soti incident

Kathmandu, May 30

Expressing concern over two separate incidents — death of five young Dalits and a 13-year-old Dalit girl’s rape and subsequent death — the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for independent investigation.

The OHCHR expressed concern about the Soti incident and murder of a girl in Devdaha of Rupandehi.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said, “It is distressing that caste-based prejudices remain deeply entrenched in our world in the 21st century, and I am filled with sadness for these two young people who held high hopes of building a life together despite the obstacles presented by their accident of birth,” in a press statement issued from Geneva.

On May 23, Nawaraj Biswokarma, 21, of Bheri Municipality of Jajarkot District along with his 18 friends had gone to Soti village to escort a girl from the so called ‘higher class’, to marry her. The girl and the boy were in love and had decided to elope.

The group however, was, confronted by the locals in Soti village, including ward Chair Dambar Bahadur Malla and the girl’s family at around 6:30pm that day. The boys were reportedly ‘beaten mercilessly’ and chased towards the Bheri River ‘forcing’ them to jump into it. Of them, the bodies of five youths, including that of Nawaraj, were found on the following days, while authorities are still struggling to recover the body of one missing youth.

A search team deployed by Nepal Police had found the body of Sandip Biswokarma,17, from the river on May 27. The body of Lokendra Sunar,18, was found on May 26. Bodies of Nawaraj and Tikaram Sunar were found the day after the incident while Ganesh Budha’s body was found two days later. Govinda Shahi,17, who had also jumped into the river is still missing. Everyone except Ganesh and Govinda are Dalits.

In another incident that took place in the Tarai region of eastern Nepal in Rupandehi district, 13-year-old Angira Pasi, a Dalit girl, who was allegedly raped on May 22, was found hanging from a tree the next day. Locals had forced the rapist to marry the girl on the day she was raped.

Bachelet in the statement stressed that Nepal was a state party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, one of the core international human rights treaties. “After its last review in May 2018, the Committee tasked with monitoring the treaty observed that despite abolition of untouchability in Nepal, Dalits continued to face deep-rooted discrimination,” read the statement.

The official added that the coronavirus pandemic has made the underprivileged communities more vulnerable.

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A version of this article appears in e-paper on May 31, 2020 of The Himalayan Times.

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Here are the newsmakers of the week

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NASA resumes human spaceflight from US soil with historic SpaceX launch

CAPE CANAVERAL: SpaceX, the private rocket company of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, launched two Americans into orbit from Florida on Saturday in a landmark mission marking the first spaceflight of NASA astronauts from US soil in nine years.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 3:22 p.m. EDT (1922 GMT), launching Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on a 19-hour ride aboard the company’s newly designed Crew Dragon capsule bound for the International Space Station.

Just before liftoff, Hurley said, “SpaceX, we’re go for launch. Let’s light this candle,” paraphrasing the famous comment uttered on the launch pad in 1961 by Alan Shepard, the first American flown into space.

Minutes after launch, the first-stage booster rocket of the Falcon 9 separated from the upper second-stage rocket and flew itself back to Earth to descend safely onto a landing platform floating in the Atlantic.

High above the Earth, the Crew Dragon jettisoned moments later from the second-stage rocket, sending the capsule on its way to the space station.

The exhilarating spectacle of the rocket soaring flawlessly into the heavens came as a welcome triumph for a nation gripped by racially-charged civil unrest as well as ongoing fear and economic upheaval from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Falcon 9 took off from the same launch pad used by NASA‘s final space shuttle flight, piloted by Hurley, in 2011. Since then, NASA astronauts have had to hitch rides into orbit aboard Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft.

“It’s incredible, the power, the technology,” said U.S. President Donald Trump, who was at Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in Florida for the launch. “That was a beautiful sight to see.”

The mission’s first launch attempt on Wednesday was called off with less than 17 minutes remaining on the countdown clock. Weather again threatened Saturday’s launch, but cleared in time to proceed with the mission.

SPACEFLIGHT MILESTONES

NASA chief Jim Bridenstine has said resuming launches of American astronauts on American-made rockets from U.S. soil is the space agency’s top priority.

“I’m breathing a sigh of relief, but I will also tell you I’m not gonna celebrate until Bob and Doug are home safely.” Bridenstine said.

For Musk, the launch represents another milestone for the reusable rockets his company pioneered to make spaceflight less costly and more frequent. And it marks the first time commercially developed space vehicles – owned and operated by a private entity rather than NASA – have carried Americans into orbit.

The last time NASA launched astronauts into space aboard a brand new vehicle was 40 years ago at the start of the space shuttle program.

Musk, the South African-born high-tech entrepreneur who made his fortune in Silicon Valley, is also chief executive of electric carmaker and battery manufacturer Tesla Inc. He founded Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies, in 2002.

Hurley, 53, and Behnken, 49, NASA employees under contract to fly with SpaceX, are expected to remain at the space station for several weeks, assisting a short-handed crew aboard the orbital laboratory.

Boeing Co, producing its own launch system in competition with SpaceX, is expected to fly its CST-100 Starliner vehicle with astronauts aboard for the first time next year. NASA has awarded nearly $8 billion combined to SpaceX and Boeing for development of their rival rockets.

Trump also hailed the launch as a major advance toward the goal of eventually sending humans to Mars.

He was joined at the viewing by Musk, as well as Vice President Mike Pence, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Florida congressman Matt Gaetz and Senator Rick Scott.

Earlier on Saturday, the crew bid goodbye to their families. Prior to climbing into a specially designed Tesla automobile for the ride to the launch site, Behnken told his young son, “Be good for mom. Make her life easy.”

During the drive, Behnken and Hurley passed former astronaut Garrett Reisman who held a sign saying, “Take me with you.”

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Five-star Bayern thrash Fortuna to close in on league title

MUNICH: Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski ended a personal jinx when he opened his account against Fortuna Duesseldorf by scoring twice in a 5-0 win on Saturday as the holders moved closer to a record-extending 30th Bundesliga title.

The thumping victory left leaders Bayern, who are chasing an eighth successive league title, top of the standings on 67 points from 29 games, 10 ahead of second-placed Borussia Dortmund who visit bottom team Paderborn on Sunday.

Lewandowski snapped his goal drought versus Fortuna when he scored for the first time against them to give Bayern a 3-0 lead in the first half after a Mathias Joergensen own goal and a Benjamin Pavard header opened the floodgates.

It also meant the Pole had netted against every current Bundesliga team, having failed to score in five league meetings versus Fortuna either with Bayern or his previous club Dortmund.

The prolific striker’s brace took his season’s tally in all competitions to 43 goals and equalled his personal best, which was set in the 2016/17 campaign.

Bayern coach Hansi Flick, who became the club’s first coach to win 22 of his opening 25 games in charge and surpassed Pep Guardiola’s record of 21, stressed he only cared about filling the trophy cabinet.

“I am not interested in statistics, it’s about being successful and it was important for us after the Dortmund game not to let up,” he said, referring to Bayern’s 1-0 win at their closest rivals on Tuesday.

Left back Alphonso Davies, who also got on the scoresheet witht he fifth goal, added: “After our game with Dortmund we wanted to go out and show the same attitude.”

LEWANDOWSKI SHINES

France defender Pavard took centre stage when his scuffed shot led to Joergensen’s own goal after 15 minutes before he made it 2-0 just before the half-hour with a header which keeper Florian Kastenmeier got a hand to but could not keep out.

It was Lewandowski’s turn to shine as he capped a flowing move with a clinical finish from the heart of the penalty area in the 43rd after a flowing move through the middle.

The Poland international made it 4-0 five minutes after the break with another predatory finish, steering the ball in at the near post with a superb back-heel from Serge Gnabry’s low cross.

Davies completed the rout two minutes later after weaving his way through three defenders and firing past Kastenmaier, who made several fine second-half saves to keep the score down.

Bayern became the first Bundesliga side to score 86 goals after 29 matches, breaking their own record of 84 in 1973/74.

The result left Fortuna in 16th place — the relegation playoff spot — with 27 points, one point behind Mainz 05 and two above Werder Bremen who have a game in hand.

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CDC coronavirus briefings return after almost 3-month absence

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Minneapolis, St. Paul mayors want all four cops held ‘accountable’ for George Floyd’s death

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Minnesota protesters defy new curfews to protest George Floyd killing

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Move to raise taxes on EVs draws flak

Kathmandu, May 29

At a time when the country is on the cusp of generating excess electricity, the government’s decision to raise taxes on import of electric vehicles is widely being criticised as counter-intuitive.

While unveiling the federal budget for fiscal 2020-21 yesterday, Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada announced imposition of 80 per cent customs duty on EVs, along with 40 per cent to 80 per cent excise duty, depending on the capacity of the vehicles. This will basically double the price of EVs in the market.

The move is in sharp contradiction to the government’s own policy to increase electricity consumption to 700 units per person within four years.

“While announcing the government’s policies and programmes for the next fiscal, the government had said EVs would be promoted to increase consumption of electricity. Then through the budget, taxes were levied on their import, which makes no sense,” said Bhes Bahadur Thapa, president of Sundar Yatayat, an electric bus transportation service.

On the one hand, the government has committed to promoting EVs and establishing more charging stations across the country, while on the other, it has severely dampened the appeal of EVs that used to invite only 10 per cent excise duty, 13 per cent value added tax and four per cent road maintenance charge until yesterday.

“Based on investment and benefits of EVs, the government should have subsidised them, but instead it has imposed taxes on EVs comparable to petrol/diesel vehicles,” Thapa said.

Anup Basnet, CEO of BYD Cimex, said the government’s decision to increase taxes on EVs was an emotional decision rather than a rational one. “Instead of supporting the industry, the government seems afraid to embrace the new technology,” he said, adding that the tariffs would simply kill the fledgling industry.

But more than anything, the government’s decision came as a shock to the private power developers already anxious about lack of market once the country starts generating surplus electricity throughout the year.

Shailendra Guragain, president of Independent Power Producers’ Association-Nepal, said, “Instead of promoting EVs and use of electric appliances to promote domestic consumption, the government seems more interested in widening the already ballooning trade deficit by encouraging import of fossil fuel and non-electric vehicles.”

However, addressing a postbudget discussion today, Khatiwada defended the decision to impose additional tariffs on import of EVs as the trend of importing expensive EVs had increased. “The increased tariffs are only applicable for ‘expensive’ EVs,” he said, without elaborating further.

It is not clear how the government plans to categorise EVs as being ‘expensive’.

Meanwhile, a meeting of NADA Automobiles Association of Nepal held today decided to either urge the government to withdraw its decision to raise taxes on EVs or launch a protest against the move.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on May 30, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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These posts broke the internet this week

This week again saw a flurry of activity in B-Town as it was Eid Ul Fitr on Monday and two birthdays during the week. While many celebrities sent their wishes to their fans, Sara’s Eid post stood out as she shared beautiful then-and-now pictures of herself. Apart from this, there were two birthdays, that of Shah Rukh Khan’s youngest son AbRam Khan and actor Kunal Kemmu which were celebrated with lovely posts by their families. These posts unsurprisingly did the rounds on the internet. To add to these, even Taimur Ali Khan and Tiger Shroff feature in this list of social media posts that set the internet on fire this week. Let’s take a look.

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Elon Musk: SpaceX prototype vehicle explodes during engine test

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Nepalis stranded abroad to be evacuated

Kathmandu, May 29

The government has finally decided to start evacuating vulnerable Nepalis, including migrant workers who have been stranded in countries other than India.

A meeting of the High-Level Coordination Committee for the Prevention and Control of COVID-19 today passed the working guideline on rescuing vulnerable Nepalis and decided to start bringing such citizens on priority basis as soon as possible, Narayan Prasad Bidari, member secretary of the committee, told THT.

“An action matrix on how to bring home stranded Nepalis from foreign countries was prepared and passed by the committee today and a decision was taken to soon start evacuating them,” added Bidari.

As per the guideline, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will collect details of the vulnerable Nepalis stranded abroad through Nepal’s embassies and missions in different nations within 10 days. Thereafter, the government will start evacuating them on priority basis.

Meanwhile, Canberra-based Nepal’s Embassy in Australia has started registration of stranded Nepalis in the country. However, the embassy said returnee Nepalis should bear the flight and quarantine cost on their own and submit documents that prove they are not infected with coronavirus.

The government plans to evacuate 25,000 vulnerable Nepalis stranded in foreign lands in the first phase, which is likely to begin in the third week of June.

According to Bidari, the government will evacuate such Nepalis via flights of Nepal Airlines, while aircraft of other Nepali airline companies and chartered flights of international airline companies will also be used, if necessary.

As per the working guideline, returnee Nepalis will be kept in quarantine in Kathmandu for two weeks. After that, they will be sent to their respective hometowns under supervision of the provincial and local governments.

Returnee Nepalis will get two quarantine options — hotel quarantine and public quarantine. While those who want to stay in hotels must book their rooms in Kathmandu in advance and fulfil all financial liabilities on their own, the government will bear the quarantine cost of all those preferring to stay in public quarantine.

The high-level committee has also set 20 specific entry points for Nepalis entering the country from India via land route. These entry points include Pashupatinagar, Kakadbhitta, Sunauli, Malangawa, Gaur, Birgunj, Belahiya, Krishnanagar, Gaurifanta and Jhulaghat.

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Evacuation on priority basis

Top priority will be given to evacuate Nepalis stranded abroad who are most vulnerable. They include:

• Those who have been granted amnesty
• Those whose visas have expired
• Those who have been staying in repatriation centres
• Those who have already received permission to return home
• Those who have lost relatives in Nepal or need to return for attending last rites and other such functions in the memory of the departed
• Those who have lost their jobs

A version of this article appears in e-paper on May 30, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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Saiee has 'run out of spots to click pictures'

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Ananya paints the poster of 'Khaali Peeli'

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Sonam and Anand pose for a cool selfie!

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George Floyd death: Priyanka calls for justice

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HBD Allu Sirish: Adorable family moments

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Riddhima posts pic with Rishi; 'One month'

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Lata Di pays tribute to lyricist Yogesh Gaur

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Texas police officer accidentally shoots fellow cop to death at investigation

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White House locked down with George Floyd protest outside

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Texas tavern bans mask-wearing customers during ‘ridiculous fearful times’

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Salman Vs SRK: Who scored the most 100 crores

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Musk’s billion dollar payday

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UN, AI demand impartial probe into Rukum incident

Kathmandu, May 28

The attention of United Nations in Nepal has been drawn to the incident in Rukum (west), where five Dalit youths lost their lives and two went missing when the Dalit youths were chased by a group of villagers. The Dalit youths had gone to the village to help their friend marry an ‘upper caste’ girl from Soti village.

The UN has demanded impartial investigation.

Valerie Julliand, the UN resident coordinator in Nepal, releasing a statement through her twitter handle today said the incident was, ‘yet another manifestation of the continued prevalence of caste-based discrimination in Nepal’.

Julliand, expressing her condolences to the families, said, “I … trust that the Government of Nepal will impartially investigate this incident maintaining zero tolerance in line with the rights guaranteed in the Constitution of Nepal and in Nepal’s international commitments.”

On Saturday evening, Nawaraj Biswokarma, 21, of Bheri Municipality of Jajarkot District, along with 18 of his friends, had gone to Soti village as he wanted to elope with a girl from the ‘Malla’ clan — the so called higher caste. The girl and the boy were in love and had mutually decided to get married.

The group were, however, confronted by locals of Soti village, including ward chair Dambar Bahadur Malla and the girl’s family at around 6:30pm that day. The boys were reportedly beaten mercilessly and chased towards the Bheri River forcing six of them to jump into the river.

Until now five bodies have been recovered, while two of them are still missing. The search team deployed by Nepal Police today found the body of Sandip Biswokarma, 17, from the river. Yesterday, police had found the body of Lokendra Sunar, 18, while police are still searching for Govinda Shahi, 17.

The bodies of Nawaraj and Tikaram Sunar were found the day after the incident while Ganesh Budha’s body was found two days later.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International Nepal Chapter has demanded immediate and effective investigation of the deaths of the Dalits, including the death of a 12-year-old girl who had been forcibly married to her rapist ‘from a dominant caste’, who was subsequently found dead the day after, hanging from a tree.

Nirajan Thapaliya, director of AI Nepal, in a press release today said, “These horrific deaths exemplify the discrimination and violence Dalits continue to face in Nepal, where laws and policies are inadequately enforced as affected communities lack protection.”

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A version of this article appears in e-paper on May 29, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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Italy’s Serie A gets green light for June 20 restart

• Sports minister Spadafora says top-flight soccer can resume
• Italian Cup matches could be staged before league restarts
• Serie A will be fourth of Europe’s top five leagues to return
• Juventus hold one point lead over Lazio with 12 games left

ROME: Italy’s top-flight Serie A soccer league has been given the go-ahead to restart on June 20 following the novel coronavirus stoppage, Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora said on Thursday.

He added that there was a possibility the resumption of the season, which was suspended on March 9, could be preceded by Italian Cup matches one week earlier. The head of Serie B said the second tier also hoped to restart on June 20.

“Italy is starting up again and it’s only right that football can also get going,” Spadafora told reporters after a conference call with the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).

Serie A will be the fourth of Europe’s top five domestic leagues to restart following the Bundesliga, which resumed on May 16, and La Liga and the English Premier League, which are also due to get under way again in June.

The French League ended the season last month with Paris St-Germain named Ligue 1 champions with 10 games left.

Spadafora said the Italian government approved health and safety measures suggested by the FIGC plus a backup plan in case the league had to be stopped again. “In the light of this we can say that the championship can start again on June 20,” he said.

The decision ended a tortuous two months of negotiations during which tempers frayed with Spadafora at one point complaining about millionaire salaries paid to players and saying that Serie A clubs lived in a bubble.

“We’ve had an extraordinary period, full of obstacles and pressures, with consistency, determination and spirit of service,” said Serie A president Paolo Dal Pino.

“For Serie A, the future must mean going back to being the most beautiful championship in the world.”

JUVENTUS LEAD

There are 12 rounds of matches still to play, plus four outstanding games from previous rounds.

Juventus, chasing a ninth successive Serie A title, lead that table with 63 points from 26 games, one point ahead of Lazio who are unbeaten in their last 21 league games.

Inter Milan are a further eight points behind in third with one game in hand.

The Italian Cup still has the second legs of the Napoli-Inter and Juve-AC Milan semi-finals to play plus the final.

Spadafora said one possibility was to play the semi-finals on June 13 and the final three days later.

One of the conditions of Serie A restarting was that the coronavirus testing it will entail “should not affect the general needs of all Italian citizens,” he added.

Spadafora added that if there are signs of a new increase in coronavirus cases in general the league may have to stop again.

“The restart of football is a message of hope for the whole country. I am happy and satisfied,” said FIGC president Gabriele Gravina, adding that he also hoped the lower tiers Serie B and C plus the women’s Serie A could also restart.

Serie B president Mauro Balata confirmed that it intended to resume on June 20.

“Starting up again is a wonderful thing,” he said.

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English Premier League announces June 17 restart

• League to resume season subject to safety requirements
• Starts with Villa v Sheffield Utd and Man City v Arsenal
• Full fixture list scheduled for weekend of June 19-21
• All of the remaining 92 fixtures to be broadcast live

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND: The Premier League season will restart on June 17 provided all safety requirements have been put in place, the league said on Thursday after meeting with all 20 clubs.

The season will get back under way on that Wednesday with Aston Villa v Sheffield United and Manchester City v Arsenal, which are both games in hand.

A full fixture list will then be played on the weekend of June 19-21. All games will be played without fans in attendance.

With the restrictions on the broadcasting of Saturday 3pm games lifted, the league said all 92 remaining matches will be broadcast live in the UK by its existing broadcast partners: Sky Sports, BT Sport, BBC Sport and Amazon Prime.

The BBC, normally limited to a highlights show, will broadcast Premier League matches live for the first time since the English top-flight broke away from the Football League in 1992. The licence-fee funded network will have four games.

Subscription-based Sky Sports will have 64 of the remaining games with 25 of those matches broadcast on free channels.

The Premier League was suspended on March 13 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic but teams returned to small group training last week and on Wednesday voted unanimously to return to contact training, including tackling.

“Today we have provisionally agreed to resume the Premier League on Wednesday 17 June. But this date cannot be confirmed until we have met all the safety requirements needed, as the health and welfare of all participants and supporters is our priority,” said Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters.

Failure to resume the season could cost the league around 750 million pounds ($921.75 million) in lost revenue from broadcasters according to British media estimates.

“Sadly, matches will have to take place without fans in stadiums, so we are pleased to have come up with a positive solution for supporters to be able to watch all the remaining 92 matches,” said Masters.

“The Premier League and our clubs are proud to have incredibly passionate and loyal supporters. It is important to ensure as many people as possible can watch the matches at home,” he added.

Given the additional number of live games on television, the league said kick-offs would “differ from the traditional times.”

Liverpool, bidding to lift their first league title in 30 years, lead the standings by 25 points.

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Amitabh asks Bhumi what 'Baller' means; read

Amitabh Bachchan shared a post reminiscing his days on the sets of 'Kabhi Kabhie'. The actor uploaded a picture of himself with a notebook which was clicked while he was shooting the film in 1976.

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Disha is obsessed over THESE anime characters

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Varun Dhawan is 'missing being on sets'!

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Richa shares a pic from her first 'portfolio'

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Texas towns change ordinances that had deemed abortion rights groups criminal organizations

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Mom charged with killing 4-year-old disabled girl found in drawer showed ‘no emotion.’ The woman’s boyfriend was also charged

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Protect rights of citizens residing in border areas: NHRC

Kathmandu, May 27

The National Human Rights Commission has made a 41-point recommendation to the federal and provincial governments to protect the human rights of citizens residing near the international borders.

The recommendations are based on the field study and monitoring conducted by a team of NHRC members comprising Mohna Ansari and Govinda Sharma Poudyal from 2015 to 2019 in 28 districts bordering with India and China.

The detailed monitoring report released yesterday focuses on the human rights situation of Nepali citizens residing on the borders.

The report has shown concerns about the situation of Nepali citizens residing in the border areas, while recommending that the federal and provincial governments protect their fundamental human rights. “They are deprived of fundamental human rights guaranteed by the constitution due to outstanding problems related to international boundary pillars, dams, roads, embankments and national parks. They have been facing problems also due to conservation activities in the border areas,” it stated.

The report, especially, focuses and makes public facts related to the status of citizens’ right to life, dignity, freedom, equality and security, and the discriminatory and inhuman treatment meted out to them. According to the report, citizens residing on the international border don’t have access to fair hearing, education, health, food and employment.

Other problems facing these citizens are related to poverty, development, displacement and consumer rights, among others.

The report has recommended that the federal government maintain trilateral border points among Nepal, India and China; provide compensation to the damage citizens residing in the border areas incur due to road, dam, embankment and other construction activities; create an environment for the citizens to proportionally benefit from the use of Koshi, Gandak and Sharada dams; and make public the whereabouts of citizens missing from the border areas.

The report also urges the federal government to make necessary arrangements ensuring their economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights. Citizens residing in border areas live under constant fear of wild animals entering human settlements from national parks and wildlife reserves from both Nepal and India and destroying property and lives, which has deprived them of the right to live peaceful life. The border areas are also grappling with gender-based violence, allegation of witchcraft, dowry system and child marriage.

The NHRC urged the federal and provincial governments to ensure the presence of Nepali security forces in the border areas to maintain law and order, control cross-border crimes and provide access to basic facilities.

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A version of this article appears in e-paper on May 28, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

The post Protect rights of citizens residing in border areas: NHRC appeared first on The Himalayan Times.

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Mumbai University conducts first online viva for an engineering student, more to follow

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Suspected Connecticut killer Peter Manfredonia caught in Maryland

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Weather postpones SpaceX’s first astronaut launch from Florida

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA: Stormy weather thwarted a landmark moment for private rocket company SpaceX and NASA on Wednesday, forcing launch directors in Florida to postpone what would have been the first flight of US astronauts into orbit from American soil in nine years.

The countdown, made especially suspenseful by shifting weather conditions, was halted just 16 minutes and 54 seconds before the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket had been due to launch astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on a 19-hour ride to the International Space Station.

SpaceX will make a second attempt on Saturday afternoon to launch the astronauts aboard its newly designed Dragon Crew capsule.

The presence of visiting dignitaries, including President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and billionaire SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk added to the high-pressure mood at the Kennedy Space Center.

In the end, it was an electrically charged atmosphere, literally, that prompted SpaceX and NASA to scrub the launch, even as the rocket was being loaded with fuel.

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LIGHTNING THREAT

“There wasn’t really a lightning storm, but there was a concern that if we did launch it could trigger lightning,” NASA chief Jim Bridenstine explained afterwards.

Launch director Mike Taylor cited a number of unspecified “weather violations” for halting the mission, capping a day of intermittent showers and a tornado warning.

Still, Bridenstine sounded an upbeat note, calling the aborted countdown a valuable “wet dress rehearsal.”

“This was an important milestone, just today,” he said on NASA TV. “We learn a lot every time we do these things.”

Hurley, 53, and Behnken, 49, had been strapped into their seats for a little over two hours before the launch was called off. NASA’s broadcast on the internet showed the two men seated side by side in helmeted white flight suits as the postponement was announced.

“Everybody did great today. It was a great practice, and we’ll do it again on Saturday,” Hurley said just before climbing out of the capsule.

Technicians in black suits and face masks then escorted the two astronauts back down the 265-foot-tall (80-meter) launch tower for the return trip to their quarantine holding facility.

The astronauts were to have blasted off from the same launch pad used in 2011 by NASA’s final space shuttle flight, which was piloted by Hurley. Since then, NASA astronauts have had to hitch rides into orbit aboard Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft.

For Musk, who is also CEO of electric carmaker Tesla Inc , the first manned SpaceX launch represents another milestone for the reusable rockets his company pioneered to make space flight less costly. SpaceX, founded by Musk in 2002 and formally known as Space Exploration Technologies, has never previously flown humans into orbit, only cargo.

It also would mark the first time commercially developed space vehicles – owned and operated by a private entity rather than NASA – have carried Americans into orbit.

NASA has awarded nearly $8 billion combined to SpaceX and Boeing Co for development of rival space launch systems.

The last time NASA launched astronauts into space aboard a brand new vehicle was four decades ago at the outset of the shuttle program.

The two astronauts are NASA employees under contract to fly with Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX. Plans call for them to remain at the space station for several weeks, assisting a short-handed crew aboard the orbital laboratory.

Wednesday’s outcome was a disappointment for Trump, who made the trip to Florida for what he hoped would showcase a triumphant moment for America as the nation battles the coronavirus pandemic.

The president left Cape Canaveral shortly after the countdown was halted but said he would return on Saturday.

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US coronavirus deaths top 100,000 as country reopens

The novel coronavirus has killed more than 100,000 people in the United States, according to a Reuters tally on Wednesday, even as the slowdown in deaths encouraged businesses to reopen and Americans to emerge from more than two months of lockdowns.

About 1,400 Americans have died on average each day in May, down from a peak of 2,000 in April, according to the tally of state and county data on COVID-19 deaths.

In about three months, more Americans have died from COVID-19 than during the Korean War, Vietnam War and the U.S. conflict in Iraq from 2003-2011 combined.

The new respiratory disease has also killed more people than the AIDS epidemic did from 1981 through 1989, and it is far deadlier than the seasonal flu has been in decades. The last time the flu killed as many people in the United States was in the 1957-1958 season, when 116,000 died.

Total U.S. coronavirus cases are over 1.7 million with some southern states seeing new cases rising in the past week, according to a Reuters analysis of data from The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer-run effort to track the outbreak.

(Open https://tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external browser for a Reuters interactive)

Globally, coronavirus cases have topped 5.6 million with over 350,000 deaths since the outbreak began in China late last year and then arrived in Europe and the United States. South America is now bearing the brunt of the outbreak, with Brazil having the second-highest number of cases in the world.

Of the top 20 most severely affected countries, the United States ranks eighth based on deaths per capita, according to a Reuters tally. The United States has three fatalities per 10,000 people. Belgium is first with eight deaths per 10,000, followed by Spain, the United Kingdom and Italy, according to the Reuters analysis.

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More PCR tests necessary for accurate diagnosis

Kathmandu, May 26

A woman, who tested positive for coronavirus infection and was undergoing treatment at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, tested negative twice in the rapid diagnostic test. However, she tested positive for the infection in the polymerase chain reaction test in the National Public Health Laboratory.

Three of the five persons, who were admitted to Seti Provincial Hospital, tested negative in the rapid diagnostic test, but later tested positive in the PCR test. All three have been discharged from the hospital after recovery.

A female who had recovered from the infection after she tested negative twice in the polymerase chain reaction test, tested negative in the RDT after recovery. “A person who tests negative after recovery will have his/her antibody positive. This has posed a question on the efficacy of the RDT test kit that we are using,” said a doctor on condition of anonymity.

“If we are to prevent the infection from spreading, the government must immediately check the validity of our testing kits,” said the doctor.

Health experts have been raising questions on the validity of the rapid diagnostic test the government has been using.

“In the sensitivity test conducted in a laboratory outside the Capital in samples that tested positive for antibodies in the RDT method, only five samples tested positive for the respiratory contagion. The rapid diagnostic test must be used for large samples to find out sensitivity. But such validation has not yet been done,” said another health expert on condition of anonymity.

The government has conducted 97,967 tests using rapid diagnostic testing kits while it has conducted 54,424 tests with the PCR method.

The government has been repeating the polymerase chain reaction method if a person tests positive in the rapid diagnostic test.

The government has decided that the public can undergo RDT test for coronavirus. Also, it has said that people entering Kathmandu must come up with negative RDT test result.

“Both the decisions of the government are useless. The RDT test kits we are using do not tell us about the phase of infection. We are missing positive cases. As many of our cases are asymptomatic, there are high chances of infection spread in the community if we rely on RDT test kits. The government should test a large number of people using the polymerase chain reaction method. The idea is to test, trace and treat people,” said Dr Ashesh Dhungana, head of chest unit Bir Hospital.

“The RDT should be used only for surveillance. People should undergo PCR test as it is more sensitive and accurate than RDT. Anyone who tests negative in the RDT method but has the coronavirus will spread the infection in community,” said Dr Shravan Kumar Mishra, virologist at National Public Health Laboratory.

“The RDT test kits give positive result only after the seventh day of infection. RDT should not be used for clinical decision and it is not a correct approach. Blanket testing of blood samples using RDT is not reasonable,” said Dr Dhungana.

Despite questions on the sensitivity of RDT kits, the government has decided to procure 121,000 rapid diagnostic test kits. “The procurement process has already started.

The kits will be available in a few days,” said Bhogendra Dotel, director Management Division, under the Department of Health Services.

“To conduct a PCR test we need skilled manpower, wellequipped laboratory and the test is expensive. It is not possible to conduct PCR tests everywhere across the country.

But RDT test kits are cheaper and can be used immediately to test a large number of people. The objective of RDT is to find out whether or not there are cases in the community,” said Dr Samir Kumar Adhikari, assistant spokesperson at Ministry of Health and Population.

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A version of this article appears in e-paper on May 27, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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