ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece will expand a night-time curfew on movement and shut restaurants and bars in the most populous areas of the country for one month from Nov. 3 to contain a resurgence in COVID-19 cases.



The country has reported less cases of the novel coronavirus than most in Europe, but has seen a gradual increase in infections since early October. Restaurants, bars, coffee houses, cinemas, museums and closed gyms will be shut from this coming Tuesday, Nov. 3, for a period of one month across northern Greece and Attica region, which includes the capital Athens.



A curfew on night-time movement, until now applicable to the hardest-hit areas, would be expanded across the country from midnight to 5.00 am.“These new rules.. are focussed on two sources which are, verifiably, conducive to the spread of the virus; entertainment and the movement of people,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in an public address.



He said authorities would introduce support measures, costing an estimated 1.5 billion euros, to the sectors impacted. Greece has already disbursed more than 14 billion euros to support the economic impact of the first wave of the virus.Retail businesses, industry and schools will remain open, along with service industries like hotels and hairdressing salons.



The regional lockdowns affect the most populous regions of the country; Attica has a population of 3.9 million and the northern regions about 1.5 million.Greece registered a new peak of 1,690 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, and five deaths bringing the number of victims since the onset of the virus in late February to 620.

Greece to shut most bars, restaurants in country for month from Tuesday

Chitwan(RSS) : Sauraha, which has been deserted for a long time, is suddenly bustling. Tourist activity has increased due to the holiday and the holiday after the ban. The number of domestic tourists has increased in the pubs on the banks of the river Rapti and hotel bookings are being made.



More tourists are coming to Sauraha than expected by businessmen. According to Deepak Bhattarai, president of the Regional Hotel Association Sauraha, 30 to 35 percent hotels are being booked. The hotel operator is managing the holiday by calling the employees who are on leave after the sudden arrival of tourists.



According to him, all the tourists are indigenous. He informed that there are more tourists from outside the district. According to Bhattarai, youths from Kathmandu, Pokhara, Birgunj, Butwal, Nepalgunj and other areas have come here as family and group members."It would have been better if it had continued. I don't know what will happen tomorrow," he said.



The hotels in Sauraha, which have been closed since March 26, have been open for some time but no tourists have come. There are 110 hotels in Sauraha out of which about 100 have started service.With the increase in tourist activity, restaurants have also opened. There is more business in restaurants than in hotels. There are some internal tourists of the district who return to the restaurant in the evening, while those from the outer districts stay in Sauraha in the evening.



According to Dipendra Khatiwada, president of Restaurant and Bar Association (Rewan) Sauraha, almost all of the 80 restaurants in Sauraha are open.He informed that the number of people enjoying in the pubs built on the banks of the Rapti River has increased from morning to evening.Daily jeep safari has started in Chitwan National Park and elephant safari has started in the local community forest.Tourist buses plying from Sauraha to Kathmandu have also come into operation. Suman Ghimire, manager of Jungle Safari Lodge, who is also the former president of the Regional Hotel Association Sauraha, said that they have been encouraged by the increase in the number of tourists.



Stating that the influx of domestic tourists has started, he informed that all the necessary security measures have been adopted to prevent the spread of covid infection."We have met the criteria set by the government of Nepal for the health security of the guests," he said. He said that all the entrepreneurs have taken precaution to prevent the spread of the infection.Due to the comfortable stay at home for the last seven months, domestic tourists have also preferred to visit. The park is famous for safaris.



Domestic and foreign tourists come here for jungle safaris. Tourists come to observe the rare one-horned rhino, tiger, crocodile, crocodile and other animals and birds.

More tourists than expected in Sauraha

Kathmandu (RSS): Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Lekhraj Bhatta has said that the construction of a dry port at Dodhara Chandni in Mahakali Municipality will move forward at war level.



Speaking at a meeting of party cadres at his residence in Godavari Municipality, Kailali today, he said that the construction work would be taken forward through bidding process after final discussions and signing with India. As reported on Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS), he said that India had agreed to build a dry port at Mayapuri as the forest area of India alone would cover 12 km for the construction of a dry port at Kanjbhoj in Dodhara Chandni. There is no need to remove the settlement. There is even a thousand bighas of land required for the construction of the port, this is the final decision for the construction of the port. He said that a port would be constructed in the area near the six-lane bridge on the Mahakali River.



He said that the goal was to develop the area connected to the dry port as a 'cross-border economic corridor'. He also mentioned that there is a plan to connect the region with the Asian Highway as it is close to New Delhi, India.The process for a dry port in the Gauri community forest area of ​​Mahakali Municipality-1 is in full swing after India provided connectivity through Chakrapur and Gadikot.



Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Bhatta also inspected the Gauri Community Forest.Meanwhile, Minister Bhatta said that the construction work would be expedited after the completion of the final study of the Daiji Chhela Industrial Area.He informed that drilling work of phosphorus mine has been completed in Dogadakedar village. He said that 12 to 27 percent phosphorus was found during the drilling. "Those with more than 15 percent phosphorus are considered good from a technical point of view," he said.Stating that the second drilling was done in Dogadakedar village municipality-5, he said that the amount of phosphorus was found satisfactorily.



He informed that other office bearers will be appointed soon as the Vice-Chancellor has been appointed in the Far Western University.He said that the work would be taken forward in a new way by analyzing the shortcomings of the university. ‘Under the ministry’s plan to build 753 industrial villages, it was planned to build 70 industrial villages last year. You have been able to build only 46 villages, ”he said.

Dry port to be built in Mahakali: Industry Minister Bhatt

Kathmandu: Video conferencing service Zoom is rapidly gaining commercial success during the Corona virus epidemic. The company is now more valuable than Exxon Mobil, one of the world's largest oil and gas producers. 



According to Forbes, the market value of Zoom is 139 billion US dollars while the market value of Exxon is 138.9 US dollars as of Friday. Zoom launched a market cap with $ 19 billion this year. Meanwhile, Eric Yuan, the founder of Zoom, has almost doubled his earning in the last three months.



His earning has almost doubled since July 2020, when he appeared on the Forbes 400 list of the richest people in the United States. His earning has risen from $ 11 billion to $21.3 billion. The fortunes of Yuan and Zum began to shine as soon as Kavid started. Zoom's business has grown rapidly during this period. 



When people are confined to their homes, they rely on video conferencing. According to Forbes, Zoom has managed to earn 600 percent more revenue than the same period last year.

Zoom's revenue increased by 600 percent

Kathmandu: Television distributors have said that the monthly fee paid by the customers will increase after the implementation of Clean Feed. They argues that the cost of watching television may increase as foreign channels provide separate clean feeds for Nepal.



It has been one week since the introduction of Clean Feed in foreign television broadcasts in Nepal. However, some channels have not been able to connect the equipment required for Clean Feed.



Television distributors have said that the cost of equipment used for clean feeds will be higher, operating costs and the cost of satellites will also increase.Dhruv Sharma, president of the Federation of Nepal Cable Television Entrepreneurs, says that the cost of clean feed has increased as television broadcasters have to invest heavily in technology. He said that the money paid by Nepal's television distributors to the broadcasters for taking clean fed channels will also increase and the burden will fall on the consumers.



"If the government does not fix the basic service fee for television and allow foreign channels to be seen in the package, the fee to be paid by the consumers will increase in the near future," Sharma said.He said that the current fee would be increased by 25 to 30 percent if only the favorite channels are not allowed to be watched on the channels other than the basic package.



In discussions with the government, the television distributors have proposed to give the facility to the customers to add channels as per their cluster by keeping the foreign channel optional by fixing the basic fee for the Nepali channel. The government has not allowed the minimum fee of Rs 250 to be added to the channel of the customer's choice.

Proposal to increase television charges by giving reasons to Clean Feed

Kathmandu: Some of the world's most influential newspapers and magazines have openly backed Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. On the eve of the election, The Economist, a popular London-based magazine, published an article in support of President Donald Trump's rival Joe Biden, explaining why Biden should be emphasized on the cover of the magazine.



The world's most influential economist favors economic liberalism and the open market economy. The magazine has been supporting one candidate in the US election since 1980.In 2016, the magazine backed Hillary Clinton. The newspaper said, "Biden is not magic, and winning the election will increase the prestige of the White House."Another influential newspaper, the New York Times, has already written an editorial in support of Biden. That newspaper is also considered to be an influential newspaper all over the world.



Supporting Biden, the newspaper said Biden would restore the spirit of the United States. The paper argues that Biden should win the election because the United States is weaker and more divided than it was four years ago.In 2016, the magazine backed Hillary Clinton. The newspaper said, "Biden is not magic, and winning the election will increase the prestige of the White House."



Another influential newspaper, the New York Times, has already written an editorial in support of Biden. That newspaper is also considered to be an influential newspaper all over the world.Supporting Biden, the newspaper said Biden would restore the spirit of the United States. The paper argues that Biden should win the election because the United States is weaker and more divided than it was four years ago.



The Washington Post has also published an editorial saying that the current president should be Biden. "Joe Biden is a very worthy candidate," the newspaper said in an editorial. He can handle the challenges of the next four years well.'Magazines such as USA Today and Los Angeles Times have also sided with Biden.

Influential media support for Trump's rival Biden

Dhaka/Islamabad (Reuters): Tens of thousands of Muslims protested in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Palestinian territories on Friday after killings in a French church prompted a vow from President Emmanuel Macron to stand firm against attacks on French values and freedom of belief. French Interior Minister Gerald Damarnin said France - home to Europe’s largest Muslim community and hit by a string of militant attacks in recent years - was engaged in a war against Islamist ideology and more attacks were likely. In Pakistan, police fired tear gas at thousands of demonstrators marching towards the French Embassy in Islamabad, with some protesters trying to break through police barricades, witnesses said. In Muslim-majority Bangladesh, tens of thousands marched through Dhaka, the capital, chanting “Boycott French products” and carrying banners calling Macron “the world’s biggest terrorist”. “Macron is leading Islamophobia,” said Dhaka demonstrator Akramul Haq. “He doesn’t know the power of Islam. The Muslim world will not let this go in vain. We’ll rise and stand in solidarity against him.” Some Bangladeshi demonstrators also burned effigies of Macron and carried cutouts of the president with a garland of shoes around his neck, a severe insult according to Islam. In a Muslim-majority district of India’s financial hub Mumbai, some 100 posters showing Macron with a boot on his face and calling him a “demon” were pasted on pavements and roads. In Lebanon, security forces fired tear gas to drive back some 300 protesters including supporters of a local Sunni Islamist party who marched from a mosque in the capital Beirut to the official residence of the French ambassador. Thousands of Palestinian worshippers rallied after Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, in Jerusalem’s walled Old City to condemn the republication of Mohammad cartoons in France. “A nation whose leader is Mohammad will not be defeated,” protesters chanted. “We hold the French president responsible for acts of chaos and violence that are taking place in France because of his comments against Islam and against Muslims,” said Ikrima Sabri, the preacher who delivered the sermon at al Aqsa. In Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinians trampled on a large French flag and burned other French flags. In Gaza, ruled by Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, hundreds of Palestinians took part in anti-France rallies, chanting: “With our souls and blood we will redeem the Prophet.” In Somalia, thousands turned up for Friday prayers in mosques where sermons were dominated by curses and condemnation of Macron and his government. A shopkeeper in Mogadishu, Abdirahman Hussein Mohamed, set aside all French products, including face wash, creams, perfumes and other cosmetics, with a large sign, “NOT FOR SALE”. “I will never sell those products…as long as France does not apologise. France insulted our Prophet,” Mohamed told Reuters. Some women shoppers agreed. “I used to be one of the consumers of French cosmetics. Now I will no longer buy,” said Anisa Ahmed, 22. “I will look for products of other countries.”



FRANCE RAISES SECURITY ALERT France raised its security alert to the highest level on Thursday after a knife-wielding man shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is Greatest) beheaded an elderly woman in a church and killed two more people before being shot and taken away by police. “We will not give any ground,” Macron said outside the church in the French Riviera city of Nice, promising to deploy thousands more soldiers to guard sites such as places of worship and schools. France had been attacked “over our values, for our taste for freedom, for the ability on our soil to have freedom of belief”, he added. The violence has come at a time of growing Muslim anger over France’s defence of the right to publish cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad, and protesters have denounced France in street rallies in several Muslim-majority countries. French investigators said the man suspected of carrying out the Nice attack was a Tunisian born in 1999 who had arrived in Europe on Sept. 20 on Lampedusa, an Italian island off Tunisia that is a main landing point for migrants from Africa.



AUSTRALIAN, INDIAN LEADERS BACK FRANCE Several leaders in Asia expressed support for France after the attacks on Thursday, the birthday of the prophet. “It is just the most callous and cowardly and vicious act of barbarism by terrorists and should be condemned in the strongest possible way,” said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Morrison had expressed his support to Macron, he told media on Friday. “We share values. We stand for the same things.” He also condemned as absurd comments by former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad that Muslims had a right to be angry and kill “millions of French people for the massacres of the past”. “Freedom of expression is a right, calling for violence is not,” the U.S. ambassador to Malaysia, Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir, said on Twitter in response to Mahathir’s comments. Mahathir said his comments were taken out of context, while a senior Malaysian government figure, Abdul Hadi Awang, said Macron’s comments could not be justified. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also voiced support for Macron’s position and condemned the violence. “I strongly condemn the recent terrorist attacks in France,” Modi tweeted on Thursday. “India stands with France in the fight against terrorism.”

Tens of thousands of Muslims protest over Macron remarks after killings in France

Istanbul (Reuters): A strong earthquake struck the Aegean Sea on Friday and was felt in both Greece and Turkey, where some buildings collapsed in the coastal province of Izmir, authorities said. People flooded onto the streets in the tourist city of Izmir, witnesses said, after the quake struck the region with a magnitude of up to 7.0. Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Twitter that six buildings had collapsed in two districts of Izmir province. He said there were no reports of casualties from six other provinces where the earthquake was felt but said there were small cracks in some buildings. As reported on Reuters, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD)put the magnitude of the earthquake at 6.6, while the U.S. Geological Survey said it was 7.0. It struck at around 1150 GMT and was felt along Turkey’s Aegean coast and the northwestern Marmara region, media said. The epicentre was some 17 km (11 miles) off the coast of the Izmir province, at a depth of 16 km, AFAD said. The U.S. Geological Survey said the depth was 10 km and that the epicentre was 33.5 km off Turkey’s coast. Residents of the Greek island of Samos, which has a population of about 45,000, were urged to stay away from coastal areas, Eftyhmios Lekkas, head of Greece’s organisation for anti-seismic planning, told Greece’s Skai TV. “It was a very big earthquake, it’s difficult to have a bigger one,” said Lekkas. Ali Yerlikaya, the governor of Istanbul, where the quake was also felt, said there were no negative reports.

Strong earthquake strikes Aegean Sea, shaking Turkey, Greece

Kathmandu: Nepali short film Ice Cream will be screened at 'Africa Film for Impact Festival'. Directed by Sangeeta Shrestha, the film will be screened on the first day of the festival, which will be held virtually from November 3 to 7. The film, which deals with child sexual abuse, tells the story of a girl begging on the street. The film starring Yogisha Khatri in the lead role is 9 minutes long. Sangita is the director of the film 'Katha Kathmandu'. 'Ice Cream' has been selected as the 'Best of Latin America Short Film Festival' in the US, 'First Time Filmmaker Sessions' in the UK, 'Intimate Film Festival' in Italy and 'Human Rights Film Festival 2020' in Nepal.

Nepali short film 'Ice Cream' to screen the African Festival

Kathmandu: Considering the increasing trend of travelling among Nepalese, private sector helicopter service providers have started bringing packages to attract the general public. According to Helicopter Society of Nepal, the helicopter service provider is making it possible to use helicopters not only for emergency purposes but also as a means of entertainment. Thus, chopper companies have come up with attractive packages targeting domestic tourists. The tourism sector, which has come to a standstill due to coronavirus infection, is on the verge of recovery. Although the airport, which was closed for risk prevention, has reopened after six months, tourist arrivals have stalled and the helicopter business has not been able to thrive due to lack of internal activities. According to the Helicopter Society of Nepal, there are 34 helicopters of 10 companies in Nepal. Of those, only 12 are in flight, while the remaining 22 helicopters are out of order. Most of these companies have started heli tour packages to survive commercially. The helicopters in flight include 2/2 of Simrik Air and Prabhu helicopters and 1/1 of Altitude, Heli Everest, Kailash, Mountain, Shree Air, Air Dynasty, Summit and Manang Air are in operation at this moment. Ten companies have at least two to six helicopters. Prabhu has six helicopters and Simrik has five choppers. The remaining eight companies have 23 helicopters, ranging from two to four. Depending on the tour package during difficult times Helicopter companies have operated tour packages as a means to survive in uncomfortable conditions. Due to the epidemic, the movement of foreign tourists has been stopped and even domestic tourists have not been able to walk freely. In this case, the helicopter companies have started bringing packages to sustain the business by attracting domestic tourists. The airline companies says that it has to operate cheap tour packages to sustain the company and reduce the debt burden of the bank and to keep the internal activities running. According to the operators, they are forced to run a cheap tour package to cover the operating expenses as there is a problem in paying the salaries of the employees. Heli Everest has made 15 packages for various destinations from Kathmandu. There are two-way heli tours from Kathmandu to Gosainkunda, Manakamana, Langtang, Kanjin Gumba, Helambu, Dhunche, Chumbhyali, Sauraha, Lumbini, Chitwan, Nagarkot, Chandragiri and Dakshinkali. There is a lot of interest in the tour packages for Gosaikunda, there is a package of Rs 19,000 per person for mixed passengers in case of coming from the same family or PCR check. The most expensive of such packages is Rs 250,000 from Kathmandu to Chum Valley and up to Rs 320,000 from Lumbini. The cheapest package is a heli tour from Kathmandu Airport to Dakshinkali, Chandragiri and Nagarkot. According to Kandel, Rs 10,000 per person has been earmarked for transportation to and from these destinations.&nbsp; According to the helicopter companies, the demand for Gosainkunda, Langtang, Chandragiri and Nagarkot has also increased. Employees working in corporate houses, university professors and young people with their own income have started showing interest in such packages. After Simrik Air has launched the tour package four years ago, other helicopters have also started to be attracted to it. Simrik has brought a package of Rs 20,000 per person from Shivpuri for Gosainkunda Tour. According to Simrik Air, only one person was allowed to take the package till last year, but this year, due to the corona epidemic, only one family member can take the package.&nbsp; The promotion of destinations including Gosainkunda has become easier as packages have come to make it accessible to Nepalis and others have also started offering heli tour services. Simrik has been operating heli tour packages from Kathmandu to Pathibhara, Dharan to Bhedetar and Pokhara to Muktinath. The airline has been rescuing Corona patients from two of its five helicopters, while the other three helicopters are on standby for emergency rescue packages. Prabhu Helicopters, which is providing service from six helicopters, has been operating a tour package to Gosainkunda since last year. According to Prabhu Helicopters, it is conducting two Gosainkunda helicopter tours daily.&nbsp;

Chopper companies offers tour packages targeting domestic tourists

Kathmandu: As the misunderstanding between the Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist) Chairman KP Sharma Oli and another Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' has increased, Oli has sent the leaders close to him to Khumaltar on a daily basis. Standing committee member Pradip Gyawali, who is also the foreign minister close to Prime Minister Oli, reached Khumaltar on Friday. It has been said that Foreign Minister Gyawali suggested that the two chairmans should go together during the meeting with Prachanda.Prachanda has not gone to Baluwatar expressing dissatisfaction over the Karnali issue, cabinet reshuffle, meeting with RAW chief, Parsa incident and other issues. Prime Minister Oli and Prachanda have not been able to meet since October 19. Prachanda did not want to go to Baluwatar even though Prime Minister Oli had called him since Tuesday. According to sources, Prachanda has replied that he will meet him only after 2-4 days. Earlier on Thursday, Lumbini Chief Minister Shankar Pokharel had met Prachanda. Similarly, Finance Minister and party general secretary Bishnu Poudel and parliamentary party deputy leader Subash Nemwang had separate meetings with Prachanda on Wednesday.

NCP leaders meeting chairman Prachanda

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden will rally supporters on Thursday in the battleground of Florida, visiting the same city hours apart and putting on full display their contrasting approaches to the resurgent coronavirus pandemic. Opinion polls show Biden with a significant edge nationally, but his lead is tighter in battleground states. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday showed Trump had essentially moved into a tie with Biden in Florida, with 49% saying they would vote for Biden and 47% for the president. With its 29 electoral votes, the state is a major prize in next Tuesday’s election. Trump will stage an outdoor rally in Tampa. Thousands of people have crowded together at recent Trump rallies, many eschewing masks despite public health recommendations. Biden, in contrast, will hold a drive-in rally later in Tampa where attendees will remain in their cars. He will host a similar event earlier in the day in Broward County in South Florida. In the days leading up to the election, the pandemic that has upended life across the United States this year, killing more than 227,000 people and causing millions of job losses, is roaring back. Trump this week has repeatedly dismissed the threat of the pandemic, claiming that his rivals and the news media would cease paying attention to it after the election, even as his counterparts in Europe scrambled to respond to the disease’s resurgence this fall. In the weeks leading up to the 2018 midterm congressional elections, Trump himself drummed up what he described as a national security crisis, fixating on caravans of migrants approaching the U.S.-Mexico border. He dropped the issue after a resounding Republican defeat that gave Democrats control of the House of Representatives. In the Reuters/Ipsos poll in Florida, 48% of likely voters said Biden would be better at handling the pandemic, while 42% said Trump would be better. Some 52% said Trump would be better at managing the economy, against 41% for Biden. Following his own bout with coronavirus, the president has conducted a hectic campaign schedule in the days leading up to the election, holding as many as three rallies a day in different states, while Biden has taken a more measured tack - even spending two days this week close to his home base of Delaware. More than 76.5 million people have cast early in-person and mail ballots, according to data compiled by the U.S. Elections Project at the University of Florida. That is a record-setting pace and more than 53% of the total 2016 turnout. In a significant setback for Republicans in two battleground states, the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to block extensions for receiving mail-in votes in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Trump has made unfounded claims that voting by mail, a common practice in U.S. elections, leads to widespread fraud.



RETURN TO MIDWEST Trump plans to return to the Midwest on Friday, campaigning in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. In all, he plans to visit 10 states in the last week of the campaign and will host 11 rallies in the final 48 hours, a campaign official said. After a briefing from public health officials on Wednesday, Biden slammed what he called the Trump administration’s disregard for safety and failure to develop a plan to contain COVID-19. “The longer he’s in charge the more reckless he gets,” Biden told reporters, before casting his own vote in Wilmington, Delaware. Trump, who continues to downplay the threat posed by the virus, has accused Biden of wanting to institute new lockdowns across the nation that would further damage the economy. In the battleground state of Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia prosecutor issued a stark warning for Trump campaign poll-watchers not to overstep their bounds as they search for voter fraud. The Trump campaign has said it is recruiting an “army” of 50,000 volunteers to monitor polling places, an effort Democrats say could suppress the vote. “Keep your Proud Boys, goon squads, and uncertified ‘poll watchers’ out of our city, Mr. President,” Democratic Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement. “Break the law here, and I’ve got something for you.” If Trump does appear to be interfering with vote counting or manipulating poll results after Election Day, dozens of activist groups who claim to represent millions of Americans from both political parties plan to hit the streets in protest. The "Protect the Results" coalition of over 130 groups, from Planned Parenthood to Republicans for the Rule of Law, has about 400 events protecttheresults.com planned to date. “We can’t assume that Donald Trump will respect the peaceful transfer of power,” said Sean Eldridge, the founder and president of Stand Up America.

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