फाल्गुन २१, २०७२- यी सबै कांग्रेसको १३ औं महाधिवेशनमा शुक्रबार देखिएका दृश्य हुन् । महाधिवेशनको दोस्रो दिनसम्म आइपुग्दा कांग्रेसका उम्मेदवारहरूले आफ्नो प्रचारमा लाखांै रुपैयाँ खर्च गरेको देखिन्छ । महाधिवेशनमा अहिले तीन प्यानल छन्, कार्यवाहक सभापति रामचन्द्र पौडेल, वरिष्ठ नेता शेरबहादुर देउवा र महामन्त्री कृष्णप्रसाद सिटौलाको । एक प्यानलले अर्को प्यानल र एक उम्मेदवारले अर्कोलाई पछि पार्न लाखौं खर्चेर प्रचारप्रचार गरिरहेको देखिन्छ । महाधिवेशनबाहेक निजी जीवनमा रम्ने कांग्रेसका नेताहरूले आफ्नो प्रचारप्रसार गर्दा भने बीपी कोइराला कसैले भुलेको देखिएन । बीपीको समाजवादलाई अघि सार्दै उनीहरूले ब्यानर, फ्लेक्स र भिजिटिङ कार्डको माथिल्लो भागमा सानो बीपीको फोटो र बीचमा आफ्नो ठूलो तस्बिर राखेर भोट मागिरहेका थिए । एक प्रतिनिधिले ठट्टा गर्दै भने, ‘सायद बीपी सबैभन्दा बढी छापिएको यो पटक नै होला । र, हाम्रा नेताहरूले सम्झेको पनि ।’ कुनै जात्रा, आन्दोलन, मेला वा सभा जस्तै थियो, भृकुटीमण्डपस्थित प्रदर्शनी मार्ग । मान्छेको घुइँचो । नारा लगाइरहेका ।
प्रदर्शनी मार्गमा एडभान्स इन्जिनियरिङ कलेजका विद्यार्थीले बनाएको रोबोटले युवा नेता प्रदीप पौडेलका लागि प्रचार गरिरहेको थियो । प्रतिनिधिहरू त्यो रोबोटको छेउमा पुगेपछि प्रदीपको उम्मेदवारीको बारे पम्प्लेट बाहिर निस्कन्थ्यो । स्टलबाट सित्तैमा जाकेट बाँडिरहेका । रोबोटले आफू नजिक आउने मान्छेलाई पर्चा बाँडिरहेको । ट्याक्सीमाथि राखिएको ठूलो स्पिकरबाट गीत बजिरहेको । सडकका दुवै भित्तामा पर्खाल र जाली देखिन्न फ्लेक्सले पूर्ण ढोकेको । भुइँमा कागजै–कागज । हिँडदा लच्किने । खचाखच रहेका मान्छेले अर्कोलाई भेट्नेबित्तिकै ‘ल है उहाँलाई सहयोग गर्नुपर्‍यो’ भन्दै अरूलाई पर्चा र भिजिटिङ कार्ड दिइरहेको । नारा लगाउँदै यता र उता गर्ने त कति हुन् कति ।

निर्वाचन समितिका अनुसार आइतबार निर्वाचन भएका कारण शनिबार प्रदर्शनी मार्गको दुवै भित्तामा रहेको ब्यानर र फ्लेक्सलाई हटाउन उम्मेदवारहरूलाई आग्रह गरिसकेको छ । कांग्रेसकै महाधिवेशनलाई पारेर किताब व्यवसायीहरूले बीपी कोइरालाको बारे र लेखेका किताबका बारेमा सडकछेउमै ल्याएर बिक्री गरिरहेका थिए ।

NASA’s scientific balloon experts are in Wanaka, New Zealand, prepping for the fourth flight of an 18.8 million-cubic-foot (532,000 cubic-meter) balloon, with the ambitious goal of achieving an ultra-long-duration flight of up to 100 days at mid-latitudes. After years of tests and development, NASA’s Balloon Program team is on the cusp of expanding the envelope in high-altitude, heavy-lift ballooning with its super pressure balloon (SPB) technology.
Launch of the pumpkin-shaped, football stadium-size balloon is scheduled for sometime after April 1, 2016, from Wanaka Airport, pending final checkouts and flight readiness of the balloon and supporting systems.

Once launched, the SPB, which is made from 22-acres of polyethylene film – similar to a sandwich bag, but stronger and more durable – will ascend to a nearly constant float altitude of 110,000 feet (33.5 km). The balloon will travel eastward carrying a 2,260-pound (1,025 kg) payload consisting of tracking, communications and scientific instruments. NASA expects the SPB to circumnavigate the globe once every one to three weeks, depending on wind speeds in the stratosphere.Up to a hundred days at float could shatter the current SPB flight duration record of 54 days, which occurred over Antarctica in 2009. To achieve this goal flying at mid-latitudes, where the balloon endures pressure changes due to the heating and cooling of the day-night cycle, the SPB flight must do what no other balloon has accomplished before.
Longer-duration flights enable longer observations of scientific phenomena, the ability to survey more sources, and more time to observe weak or subtle sources. In addition, mid-latitude flights are essential for making observations at night, a requirement for certain types of scientific investigations. These two aspects greatly enhance the return on science, and combined with the relatively low-cost of balloon missions, SPB could become a competitive platform for a number of scientific investigations that would otherwise need to launch into orbit.

Anchor: The representatives of Thailand tourism recently met with their Chinese counterparts in Beijing in a bid to further tap the market potential in China. According to a visiting Thai tourism official, one of their priorities for this year’s promotion is a rehabilitation tour to Thailand. Xu Fei has the details.Representatives from a total of 61 Thai hotels, travel companies, airline companies, theme parks and other recreational venues have gathered in Beijing for a new tourism project titled “amazing Thailand”. Runjuan Tongrut, Executive Director of East Asia Region, with the Tourism Authority of Thailand, has pointed out an obvious advantage for a rehabilitation tour in her country.
They aim to promote four tourism products to Chinese travelers, including high-end luxury tour, medical tourism, honeymoon romantic tour and a golf tour. “One of the most importances is affordable price. If you compare the costs for medical treatment with that in the U.S. and Europe, same standard, same treatment, Thai’s price is cheaper, lower than other countries two to three times.”

The International Olympic Committee stipulates that the cauldron should be placed so that it is easy to see for spectators. Designers had considered placing the cauldron outside the stadium, but this was met with opposition from Japan’s Olympics committee. The Olympic flame is lit in Olympia, Greece, before travelling across the world in a torch relay.
The lighting of the Olympic cauldron by the final torchbearer marks the start of the Games. The wooden interior of the new design means installing an internal cauldron could violate Japanese fire codes. The stadium has been hit by delays and controversy over the cost of an earlier design by Zaha Hadid. A cheaper design, by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, was chosen in December last year. The International Olympic Committee deadline for completion is January 2020, ahead of the Games’ start in July that year.

Mr Tusk visited Greece and Turkey on Thursday to discuss ways to reduce the flow of migrants travelling west.
More than 25,000 migrants have been left stranded in Greece by a tightening of border controls to the north, raising fears of a humanitarian crisis.
On Thursday, a group of migrants blocked a railway line on the Greek side of the border with Macedonia to protest at the restrictions. They were imposed after several Balkan countries decided only to allow Syrian and Iraqi migrants across their frontiers. Austria also decided to limit numbers.
The move effectively barred passage to thousands of people seeking to reach western Europe, including Afghans as well as some more likely to be regarded as economic migrants.
Separately, UK Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande discussed security and migration issues in the French city of Amiens, including conditions at the French port of Calais, where thousands of migrants hoping to enter the UK have been living rough.
After the talks Mr Hollande warned of “consequences” for management of migrants heading to Britain if the UK Mr Davutoglu repeated that they expected the opening of new chapters for Turkey’s longstanding EU membership bid and progress on visa-free travel to the EU for Turkish citizens.
Turkey has already offered to sign readmission agreements with 14 countries, a move that could enable it to take back migrants rejected by the EU more efficiently.
Turkish officials also say they have managed to prevent almost 25,000 migrants from travelling to Europe this year. But almost 130,000 have made their way to Greek islands during the same period.
In the EU summit in Brussels next week, there will be calls on Turkey to do more to reduce the numbers of migrants.

२० फागुन, काठमाडौं । एमाओवादी अध्यक्ष प्रचण्डले भारतीय जनता पार्टीका नेता भगतसिंह कोशियारीलाई सम्बोधन गर्दै खुल्लामञ्चबाटै प्रश्न गरेका छन्- हामीले के गल्ती गरेका थियौं र नेपालमाथि नाकाबन्दी गरेको ?’ प्रचण्डले अब इतिहासमा यस्तो घटना नहोस् भन्दा कोसियारीले ध्यानपूर्वक सुनेका थिए । बेलाबेलामा उनले नमस्कार शैलीमा हात उठाएका थिए । नेपाली कांग्रेसको महाधिवेशन उदघाटन समारोहमा सहभागी भएका बीजेपी नेता कोशियारीको नाम लिँदै प्रचण्डले भने- ‘कोशियारीजी बोलेर जान लाग्नुभएको थियो, मैले भनें पख्नोस् तपाईलाई नै सुनाएर मैले केही बोल्नुपर्नेछ, हामीले के गल्ती गरेका थियौं र हामीमाथि नाकाबन्दी गर्नुभयो ?’

अरु नेताहरु जस्तै आफूलाई पनि बोलेर जाउँ कि जस्तो लागेको तर, नेताहरुले के भन्छन्, र कार्यकर्ताले के रेस्पोन्स गर्छन् भनेर हेर्न बसेको उनले बताए । संविधान कार्यान्वयन चुनौतीपूर्ण रहेको भन्दै उनले भने, ‘कांग्रेसले कस्तो बाटो लिन्छ हेर्नुछ ।’