English News
Rohingya sue Facebook for $150bn over Myanmar hate speech
Sunakhari News/ Kathmandu - Dozens of Rohingya refugees in the UK and US have sued Facebook, accusing the social media giant of allowing hate speech against them to spread. They are demanding more than $150bn (£113bn) in compensation, claiming Facebook's platforms promoted violence against the persecuted minority. An estimated 10,000 Rohingya Muslims were killed during a military crackdown in Buddhist-majority Myanmar in 2017.Facebook, now called Meta, did not immediately respond to the alle....
Two provinces of Nepal equipped with increased oxygen generation capacity in preparation for potential COVID-19 surges
Sunakhari News/Kathmandu - Two new oxygen generation plants came into operation in Lumbini Provincial Hospital in Lumbini Province and Janakpur Provincial Hospital in Province 2 as of December 5, 2021. These plants financed by the World Bank are part of a long-term solution for augmenting Nepal’s capacities for a stronger response to the COVID-19 pandemic and boost self-reliance of provincial hospitals to meet the needs of therapeutic oxygen. The energy efficient, Pressure Swing A....
Omicron: Biden tightens travel rules amid new Omicron cases
Sunakhari News/ Kathmandu -President Joe Biden has unveiled stricter Covid-19 travel rules as the US confirmed a handful of cases of the Omicron variant from coast to coast. From next week,international travellers to the US,including Americans, must get a Covid test within one day of departure, regardless of vaccination status. Mask requirements on planes, trains and buses will be extended until mid-March.Millions of free and insurer-funded home tests will also be made avai....
Covid-19 flight bans amount to “travel apartheid,” : UN Secretary General
Sunakhari News/ Kathmandu - UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday described widespread travel bans imposed on southern African countries over fears of the Omicron variant as“unacceptable ”likening the restrictions to apartheid. “When we have now this virus everywhere,what is unacceptable is to have one part of the world that is one of the most vulnerable parts of the world economy condemned to a lockout,when they were the ones that revealed t....
Omicron virus : WHO warns of ‘high infection risk’ around globe
Sunakhari News/ Kathmandu - The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the Omicron coronavirus variant poses a high risk of infection surges around the globe. The head of the organisation, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, renewed a call for a global push to get vaccines to poorer nations. Covid-19 is "not done with us" yet he warned. The variant was detected in South Africa earlier this month with initial evidence suggesting it has a higher re-infection risk. South Afri....
Covid : Travel bans must be urgently lifted – SA PRESIDENT
sunakhari news/ kathmandu - South Africa's president has condemned travel bans enacted against his country and its neighbours over the new coronavirus variant Omicron. Cyril Ramaphosa said he was "deeply disappointed" by the action, which he described as unjustified, and called for the bans to be urgently lifted. The UK, EU and US are among those who have imposed travel bans.Omicron has been classed as a "variant of concern". Early evidence suggests it has a higher re....
Covid: Health Secretary Sajid Javid to detail new measures
sunakhari news/ kathmandu - The PM has announced mandatory face masks in shops and on public transport in England - and PCR tests will be required for all overseas arrivals. Arrivals from 10 new red list countries will need to quarantine for 10 days. Mr Javid is expected to provide more details when he appears on BBC One's Andrew Marr Show at 09:00 GMT.MPs will be given a subsequent vote in Parliament. But the measures - announced by Boris Johnson in a news conference on Satur....
Covid: New heavily mutated variant B.1.1.529 in South Africa raises concern
sunakhari news/ kathmandu - The latest is the most heavily mutated version discovered so far - and it has such a long list of mutations that it was described by one scientist as "horrific" while another told me it was the worst variant they'd seen. It is early days and the confirmed cases are still mostly concentrated in one province in South Africa,but there are hints it may have spread further. Immediately there are questions around how quickly the new variant spreads, its abil....
World Bank Approves $100 Million Additional Financing to Strengthen Nepal’s School and Health Sectors
Sunakhari News/ WASHINGTON- The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved two separate additional financing of $50 million each to support the implementation of the government’s flagship School Sector Development Program, and improve efficiency in the public resource management systems of Nepal’s health sector. “Strengthening Nepal’s school sector and building resilient health systems are critical for human capital development, particularly for poor and vuln....
South Asia Must Reform Debt-Accumulating State-Owned Banks and Enterprises to Avert Next Financial Crisis
Sunakhari News/ WASHINGTON - 2021—South Asia’s heavy reliance on state-owned commercial banks, state-owned enterprises, public-private partnerships and other national and sub-national public entities conceals its vulnerability to accumulating unsustainable levels of debt, according to a new World Bank report, Hidden Debt: Solutions to Avert the Next Financial Crisis in South Asia, released today. South Asia is more exposed to the risk of “hidden debt” from state-owned commer....