OSOGBO – Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun has called on trade unions in the state to sensitise residents on the need to protect their votes during the Aug. 9 gubernatorial election.
Aregbesola made the call on Wednesday while receiving members of the Nigerian Union of Tailors (NUT) who paid him a courtesy visit.
The union had earlier endorsed the governor for a second term.
The governor said that the endorsement was an indication that the people of the state understood the vision of his administration.
“Please don’t stop at the endorsement but continue to tell our people to jealously protect their votes and ensure that their votes count,” Aregbesola said.
Earlier, the state Chairman of the union, Alhaji Olayiwola Akinloye, said members of the union in the state had converged in the state capital to demonstrate their support for the administration.
Akinloye said the state government created employment for more than 3,000 tailors with the establishment of Omoluabi Garment Factory in Osogbo. (NAN)


Palestinian brings #Metoo to West Bank
(MENAFN) Selling T-shirts, hoodies and denim jackets with the slogan "Not Your Habibti (darling)", a young Palestinian-American is the driving force behind a nascent #MeToo movement in the West Bank of the occupied Palestine.
She also writes down women's complaints from her perch in a West Bank square.
Yasmeen Mjalli wants to encourage Palestinian society to face sexual harassment, a largely taboo subject.
Although some say that fighting Israel's occupation is the priority for Palestinians, the 21-year-old seems to think from a different perspective.
Mjalli's parents, who grew up in a Palestinian farming town, immigrated to the United States and returned to the West Bank five years ago, weren't pleased, either.
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Iran is all set for a just deal to revitalize 2015 nuclear agreement
(MENAFN) The head of the political office of the Iranian presidency has stated Iran is all set for a just deal to revitalize the 2015 nuclear agreement if the United States assures that it will not break a promise on the agreement again and gives assurances that it will commit itself to its obligations.
“If the other side gives guarantee that it will not repeat its past behaviors and remain committed to its obligations, Iran is ready for access to a fair deal,” Mohammad Jamshidi commented.
He as well declared in his address to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, President Ebrahim Raisi uttered Iran’s logical behavior and approach in the nuclear talks.
“The president clearly said that our main issue in the negotiations is that if the other side shows seriousness in honoring its commitments, the way is open for achieving a fair agreement,” Jamshidi went on to clarify.
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Since Tuesday night, people have been terrified as a leopard was spotted in Kurseong, sub-division of Darjeeling district. The local people have told that the said leopard was spotted on Pankhabari Road for the past few days.
When the above mentioned leopard was seen again on Thursday night, the local people informed the forest officials who came to the rescue. They searched the area, until evening, but couldn’t find any trace whatsoever and returned. The forest officials have assured the local people that they will continue searching and will also fetch a cage to catch the leopard.


ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) Exective Director Dr Karamat Ali has urged the government to take strict measures for the protection of child labourers across the country.
Talking to APP, Dr Karamat said that it was imperative that the government should strictly ban child labour at all forums in the country.
“The government should immediately determine the minimum wages for labourers to define terms of their employment and ratify the ILO Convention C-189 that talks about the labour rights welfare,” he added.
Karamat said that the government had the mandate to work for the welfare of low income industrial workers and child labour. He urged the government to align national labour laws with Pakistan’s international obligations on labour standards.
Labour rights activist Zehra Khan said that the basic rights should have been given to these workers as per the Constitution of the country and different international labour conventions and standards were being denied.
A senior official of Ministry of Overseas Pakistani and Human Resource Development said that the federal government was on one page with with the provincial governments to revive new industrial workers and employment laws which were on its top priority and legislative list.


Minister for Animal Husbandry, Sheep and Fisheries Abdul Gani Kohli has directed the civil and Police administration Reasi to inquire into the recent incident in the district and take action against the culprits.
The Minister said no such incident can be tolerated in a civilized society and that tough action will be taken against the culprits so that no such incident takes place in future.
He said the law enforcing agencies are there to check illegal transportation of bovines and nobody should be and can be allowed to take the law in his/her own hands.
The Minister said the government will act tough against the elements who try to vitiate the atmosphere. He said the state government is custodian of the security of the people and every step will be taken to ensure security of the peace loving citizens of the state.


The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to draft a Bill called the National Intelligence Act to protect the duties, responsibilities, provide immunity and legal powers to State Intelligence Officers.
According to Co-Cabinet Spokesman Bandula Gunawardena, the decision was taken by the cabinet to protect Intelligence officers being targets of political vendettas.
He told the regular Cabinet Press briefing today Jan 15, that there were instances during the Yahapalana government’s rule when Intelligence officers were held in custody for longe periods and their salaries cut.
The Minister said Intelligence officers had rendered invaluable service to the country, sacrificing their lives to provide vital information to win the 30-year separatist war.
He added that the new Act will give powers for these officers to protect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the country while preventing threats from extremists and identifying specific threats to communities in the country in advance.
Legal experts RepublicNext spoke to were of the opinion that providing such immunity would violate Article 12 of the Constitution and the Bill would need a two-thirds majority in Parliament to become an Act and even require a Referendum.
Gunewardene also said that Cabinet also decided to amend the Mahapola Higher Education Scholarship Trust Fund Act based on a recommendation of the Chief Justice.
Gunawardena said that the Chief Justice has informed the government that there is a conflict of interest in hearing cases against the Mahapola scholarship in courts as the CJ Chairs the Mahapola Trust Fund Board.
He added that the Act will be amended to appoint a Supreme Court judge or another individual in the judicial system to chair the board, and said that the amendment will be brought before Parliament shortly.
Further, the Minister said that the Higher Education Ministry in the discussions with the university students who were protesting, demanding an increase in the Mahapola scholarship had said that the current government does not have the power to increase these payments it as its expenditure is limited to the vote on account.
Gunawardena also said that although the previous government increased Mahapola scholarship to Rs 5,000, only half of it was given from the trust fund while the remaining Rs 2,500 was paid by the Treasury, which cost the government Rs 2 billion annually.


Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Working President Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has denied praising Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao during the all-party meeting on SC, ST Sub-Plans.
Addressing a press conference, along with MP Nandi Yellaiah and MLAs Dr. J. Geetha Reddy and A. Sampath Kumar, at Gandhi Bhavan on Monday, Bhatti said that the Congress leaders did not praise the Chief Minister and instead they condemned the State Government for improper implementation of SC/ST Sub-Plan.
He said that the government failed to answer several questions raised by the Congress party during the recently concluded winter session of Legislative Assembly. Similar issues were raised during the all-party meeting.
However, he said that the Chief Minister’s Office and ruling party leaders were wrongly claiming that the Congress leaders appreciated the Chief Minister’s initiatives.
Bhatti alleged that nearly 95% of funds meant for SC/ST Sub-Plans were diverted to other projects for commissions and kickbacks.
He demanded that the government release all the pending arrears and ensure full utilisations of SC/ST Sub-Plan for the current financial year 2016-17. (INN)


“You Can’t Find Single Corruption Case On ADMK” Said Edappadi !! People Thrashing Him Like Never Before !!
Taking a dig at DMK, Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami said that it was the only party that had to step down from power on charges of corruption. Speaking to media persons at Madurai airport on Saturday night, Palaniswami said that DMK president M K Stalin was making vague allegations against the government and that “DMK-led government was the only one that was dissolved on the charges of corruption in the past,” he said.
The chief minister said that decency should be maintained by the persons who are involved in the public life. “A few persons forget this and behave disgustingly,” he said, adding that the law would take its own course on such persons.
He further said that AIADMK would win the by-elections of Tiruparankundram and Thiruvarur by a huge margin and that the government was already successful in implementing the schemes brought about by former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. Palaniswami also said that the AIADMK government was ready to implement the new schemes for the welfare of the people.
The Chief Minister stated that all preparatory works were being done from the part of State government to establish All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Thoppur.


Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon Christopher Tufton, has confirmed that one of the 46 deportees who recently returned has tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The deportees arrived in the island last Tuesday (April 21), from the United States of America.
Dr. Tufton, when asked about the health status of the deportees during a virtual press conference on Monday (April 27), at the Office of the Prime Minister Media Centre in Kingston, said the Ministry is still awaiting some additional information on the others, and “as soon as we have it, we will provide it”.
In the meantime, Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, said the standard protocols are being observed to prevent any spread of the virus among the deportees, who are being quarantined in an area where they have their own room and bathroom.
He, however, indicated that the location where the deportees are being quarantined would not be disclosed nor will their identities, as there is an Order in place for the identity of persons who have tested positive or are being tested for the virus to remain confidential.


"The government will announce the measures for the social dividend over the next few days," Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said on Saturday in an interview with Skai TV.
"The excessive surplus will be distributed to unemployed and other vulnerable groups," he added.
"Our volition is to reduce taxes on households and businesses," the Finance Minister underlined.
He also said that the social security contribution will be reduced earlier than 2021 and left open the possibility of a further ENFIA reduction. Staikouras stressed that citizens' 2020 income will be higher than 2019.


(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) BAGHDAD, Sept 2 (KUNA) -- Lt.-Gen. Staff Abdul-Amir Rashid Yarallah, commander of the operation "We are coming Tal Afar," said Saturday the so-called Islamic State suffered more than 2,000 deaths in the northern city of Tal Afar.
"The Iraqi forces will never negotiate with terrorists who have no choice other than surrender or be killed," Yarallah said in a press release here, citing the instructions of Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi.
The military operation to liberate Tal Afar resulted in the killing of over 2,000 IS militants - including 50 suicide attackers, and the destruction of 77 booby-trapped vehicles, 46 motorbikes and 25 mortar launchers.
During nearly two weeks of the operation, 990 explosive devises were defused, 71 homes were demined, 66 tunnels were destroyed and large quantities of munitions were seized, he revealed.
The principle set by the Prime Minister in ruling out any talks with terrorists, will be applicable in the coming fighters in other cities such as Al-Hwaija, Al-Shirqat and Al-Anbar, Yarallah added.
On Thursday, August 31, Al-Abadi, the supreme commander of the Armed Forces, announced the success of the US-backed operation to retake Tal Afar from the IS that started on August 20. (end) ahh.gb
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Dubai Future Foundation: 'One Million Arab Coders' receive 250,000 applicants
(MENAFN) Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) declared its programme "One Million Arab Coders" to have received 250,000 applications from people who wish to be among the 100,000 participants.
The foundation explained the applicants to be sorted into eight annual rounds, as each round includes four academic courses: data analysis, smart applications development, smart website design, and website programming.
UAE's Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence and deputy managing director of DFF Omar bin Sultan Al Olama stated "the 'One Million Arab Coders' is a landmark initiative to empower Arab youth and help them acquire the skills of the future."
He continued "this embodies the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in developing the knowledge and skills of young people in the Arab region [and] keeping the up to speed with the rapidly changing demands of the labor market of the future."
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After the recent claims of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President Saif-ud-din Soz that congress will be the single largest party of the state in the forthcoming polls, National Conference (NC) Saturday claimed that NC will sweep the 2014 assembly elections in the state.
Talking to a local news agency, KNS, NC’s senior leader Ali Mohammad Sagar said that the people of the state bear witness to the fact that the regime of National Conference has benefited the state most and that the people will vote for NC across the state in the next assembly elections. “National Conference will be on number 1st and we have worked hard during the past years to make our party the strongest one in the state.”
Sagar further stated that the Cadre of NC is strong as compared to other parties and that the people of the state have full ‘faith’ in NC’s leadership. “People here identity with us; we have been with them since decades.”
Sagar stated that the masses are well informed that NC has worked for the employment of youth and strengthening of the democratic institutions in the state. “We have worked for development of all the three regions of the state and the response that we are getting from the people confirms our triumph in the coming polls.”
Commenting over the joining of some prominent leaders in congress camp, Sagar said that his party has never forced anyone to leave or to join. “Party men have their own will, we have never forced anyone to join our party neither will we be saddened if any one leaves.”


KARACHI: Sindh Governor Imran Ismail on Monday said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was taking keen interest in the
KARACHI: Sindh Governor Imran Ismail on Monday said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was taking keen interest in the progress and development of Karachi.
During his visit to K-IV water supply project at Keenjhar Lake, Imran Ismail said that the incumbent government was working round the clock for the completion of projects of mass transit, drainage of sewerage water and other development schemes, according to a statement.
The Governor said that the K-IV project would be completed soon, as the officers concerned were putting their best efforts for its completion. He said that the K-IV project would overcome water scarcity in Karachi.
Imran Ismail, who was flanked by Federal Minister for Planning and Development Khusro Bakhtiyar and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, was briefed in detail by the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) Director General about the K-IV project.


Former MP and Congress leader Ponnam Prabhakar alleged that several irregularities were taking place in the Telangana voter list, and said that he had already taken the issue to the notice of the Election Commission several times.
Ponnam said while there were 15,50,834 voters in the Karimnagar Parliamentary constituency in 2014, the number had now come down to to 13,23,433. He said that the names of over 2.20 lakh voters were thus missing from the electoral rolls in the Karimnagar Parliamentary constituency alone, and asked the Election Commission who would take the responsibility for it.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday at Gandhi Bhavan, Ponnam that said that the names of more 90,000 voters were missing in the Karimnagar Assembly constituency. The situation was the same everywhere across the state, he claimed, and demanded that the Election Commission respond seriously on the issue.
Ponnam also found fault with the state government for not providing buses to the candidates appearing for the VRO examination. The former MP pointed out that the same government had provided lakhs of buses for the public meeting at Kongara Kalan. Some VRO examination invigilators had also insulted women by making them remove their mangala sutras at several places, he said. He asked the government to initiate action against the officials who had done that.


(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
France on Friday urged Iran to take advantage of a visit by
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to try and
conclude a nuclear deal, while it remained possible, Trend reports citing
'We are ready to reach a conclusion on this deal and we urge
Iran to take advantage of this diplomatic opportunity to conclude
it now, while it still remains possible,' said a statement from the
French foreign affairs ministry.
EU politician Borrell will visit Iran from Friday to Saturday to
try to urge Tehran to seal an agreement to revive the nuclear deal
with world powers signed in 2015, which the United States withdrew
from but is now seeking to save.
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Neither the province nor the country is run by the incompetents: Raja Pervez Ashraf
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Central Punjab President Raja Pervez Ashraf has said that the province is being run by incompetents and neither the country nor the people are suffering.
In a statement issued from Lahore, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Central Punjab President Raja Pervez Ashraf said that it was the mission of the PPP to form a government in Punjab.
He said that the workers of Punjab should be ready and mobilized to win the local body elections.
The President of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Central Punjab further said that only PPP can eradicate inflation and unemployment from the country.
Raja Pervez Ashraf has also said that he will mobilize the angry people by bringing them back. Only the PPP has the capacity to take the country out of the crisis.


The Chief Minister said Mahesh would be remembered in history as the one who sacrificed his life for the country. He said that the state government would stand by and support the family.
The Chief Minister announced financial assistance of Rs 50 lakh for the family.
He said the government job will be granted to one member of the family based on the qualification. He said the location of the house will also be allocated to the Mahesh family. (INN)


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Health authorities in the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese District of the Central Region have intensified education to minimize the spread of cholera cases at Moree, a fishing community near Cape Coast.
Reported cases have increased from 45 to 55 in less than two days.
So far two people are reported dead. The staff of the hospital has been beefed up to fight the menace.
The Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese District Director of Health Services, Gifty Ankrah says health education in the area has been intensified.
She said the officials are decontaminating vehicles that enter that town while drivers are also being educated on the outbreak and how to prevent it.


New signage, new beginning
If all goes according to plans, there will be a new tenant in the former Dakota Heartland facility that has been sitting vacant for several years on the north side of 13th Avenue East, west of 6th Street East.
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Out of the Past
100 years ago
RICHMOND — Among sanitarians it is held that diphtheria is more prevalent in years of decreased rainfall, and on this basis the state would have reason to fear a wide-spread prevalence…
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The core content of this article deals with Political Analysis of the India; the present day; political situation in India. This has become very important for the growth of the Indian economy. And so, the results of these political polls that are conducted on a daily basis are considered to be very significant for the general growth of the Indian economy. Political figures of different political parties are also considered here.
In the poll arena, various political parties get voted for and therefore each of them wins its seats. After the election process, these parties have to form a government and form a government according to the policy that was prepared by the government of the day.
Based on the latest Indian Politics Statistics, the story is as follows. There are three political parties in India; Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, and Indian National Congress (INC).
On the basis of the latest poll data for the year 2020, it has been seen that the BJP has emerged as the most popular political party in India. It has been seen that the Congress has emerged as the second most popular political party in India. On the contrary, the INC has been seen to have the least popularity in the poll field of India.
For the vote based parties, their leaderships are considered to be the main and vital factors for the growth of the India. It is seen that there are many qualities that these leaders must have in order to lead the government of India to a better position. These qualities include the ability to be honest, the ability to be ruthless, the ability to be innovative, and the ability to be persistent in winning the hearts of the people.
Based on the recent US Politics Statistics, it has been seen that the Congress is very popular among the Indian people. As a result of the efficiency of the Congress, the Indian economy has been able to grow well. However, the growth rate of the Indian economy in the past few years has not been too great.
It has been seen that the recent Government of the BJP has been known to be efficient in leading the economy of India. It has been seen that the last eight years of the BJP rule has resulted in the most prosperity for the Indian people. These were the two leading political parties in India that were viewed to be important and prominent.
On the other hand, the recent Indian Election Result of the recently held elections have been seen to be very important for the growth of the economy of India. These results have shown that the present ruling party has been able to sustain its lead over the years. Also, the results of the recent Indian Political Parties Polls were seen to be quite important for the growth of the Indian economy.
Based on the latest US Politics Statistics, it has been seen that the INC has had the lowest popularity in the recent poll arena. It is seen that the BJP has been able to give a great boost to the popularity of the INC. Also, the main reason for the popularity of the INC is because of the combination of its young and dynamic leadership with the achievements of the economy of India.
It has been seen that the Modi Government of the BJP has been able to introduce many changes in the Indian economy of India. And thus, the growing popularity of the BJP has been seen to be as a great blessing for the Indian people. The popularity of the Indian president has also been viewed to be quite important for the development of the economy of India.
According to the latest US Politics Polls, the BJP has been seen to have won the majority of the seats. Also, the Congress has lost its lead over the INC.Thus, both the ruling parties have shown that they have been able to maintain their lead over the years.
Based on the recent US Politics Polls, it has been seen that the Congress is being considered to be the most popular party of the Indian people. It has been seen that the BJP has been able to sustain its lead over the INC. and has been considered to be the most popular among the political parties of India.


KARACHI: Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in Karachi on Saturday to unveil a massive Rs1,100bn, three-year development plan for the city, a week after torrential rains inundated roads and triggered power outages in the metropolis for more than 48 hours.
Addressing a news conference at the Governor House, the prime minister said that the ‘historic’ Rs1,100bn Karachi development package will cater to the city’s diverse problems ranging from water, transport and solid waste management.
PM Imran said that he would have arrived in Karachi earlier but it was important to decide on a structure to fix the city’s problems first before he could visit the metropolis.
“We have been put to another test,” he said, referring to the devastation in the city brought about by the recent rains. The prime minister said that the floods have ravaged Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Swat and interior Sindh.
He said that the government will focus on Karachi and also tackle the problems being faced by other provinces alongside.
Delving into how the government had dealt with the coronavirus situation, PM Imran said that following the same formula, his government had decided to constitute the Provincial Coordination and Implementation Committee (PCIC) which will report to the chief minister Sindh.
“It [PCIC] will include all stakeholders,” said the prime minister.
‘Different entities have jurisdiction in Karachi’
PM Imran spoke about the problems of implementing plans in Karachi.
“It is important that different entities have jurisdiction in Karachi,” he said. “Implementation of the plans was difficult before but now, through the PCIC, it will be easy as the federal and provincial governments and the army will be monitoring it,” he added.
The prime minister stressed on reforming the transport system in Karachi, adding that the Green Line and various BRT lines were included in the plan.
“The government will decide about the transport and roads’ issue today,” he said.
PM Imran said that one of the major problems of Karachi is solid waste management and that it will also be resolved.
Speaking about the devastation caused by the recent floods in the province, PM Imran said that he had been informed about the extent of damage caused in interior Sindh in particular.
The premier said that the government was making a plan concerned with the rehabilitation of people who had been affected by the floods and that he had spoken to Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan about the problem as well.
He said that the government will also provide help to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Chitral and Swat who have suffered due to the floods.
PM Imran praised the government for handling the COVID-19 pandemic well, saying that very few countries in the world had handled the problems associated with the virus like Pakistan had done.
Going back to the development package, the premier said that it will be a three-year plan with the first phase of the plan to take a year while the rest will be implemented in two years.
PM Imran arrives in Karachi
Earlier when he arrived, the premier was accompanied by information minister Shibli Faraz and MNA Amir Kayani on his one-day visit to the city. He is expected to preside over a meeting shortly to discuss the Karachi Transformation Plan.
The meeting of the Karachi Committee was held with the prime minister in the chair and was attended by federal ministers Asad Umar, Ali Zaidi, Senator Shibli Faraz, Amin-ul-Haq, governor and chief minister Sindh among others.
The premier is also expected to hold a meeting with businessmen and industrialists after which he will address a press conference at the Governor House to announce the development plan for Karachi.
Before wrapping up his one-day Karachi visit, PM Imran is expected to meet members of the PTI-led government’s coalition partners, the Grand Democratic Alliance and the Muttahida Quami Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).
Afterwards, he will pay a visit to the Pakistan Stock Exchange before departing from the city.
As per documents seen by The News, the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) — worth Rs300 billion — has been included as one of the projects under the Rs802 billion KTP’s mass transit systems. China will provide Rs250 billion whereas the Government of Sindh will add Rs50 billion to the project.
Six mass transit system projects worth Rs447.43 billion are expected to be announced under the KTP. Among the development projects are eight sewerage projects, four solid waste management projects, two water drainage projects, and various road construction and repair projects costing Rs162.60 billion, Rs14.86 billion, Rs4.70 billion, and Rs62.30 billion, respectively.
It was reported that Rs723.25 billion more are needed for the completion of the transformation plan while Rs32 billion have already been allocated to the development projects in the current year’s budget while Rs47.18 billion have been spent so far.


Health care law will allow patients to compare options
Consumers and employers will have the health care information they need to make more informed choices about their care, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced in a final rule.
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The Police Command in Ebonyi has confirmed the killing of its three operatives by gunmen in Abakaliki, the state capital.
The command’s Spokesperson, DSP Loveth Odah, told newsmen on Thursday that the deceased were shot dead at a checkpoint on Onuebonyi/Nwezenyi Road, Abakaliki on Wednesday night.
Odah said that the assailants, who pretended to be holding a burial rite, drove round the area in a tricycle before opening fire on the policemen.
“Right now, investigation is ongoing and we are committed to bringing the perpetrators to book,” she said.
She appealed to the public to support the fight against crime by providing useful information to the police and other security agencies in the state.


There were four resolved COVID-19 cases and three new confirmed in the Oxford and Elgin counties region, according to Southwestern public health.
There were four resolved and three new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Oxford and Elgin counties region, Southwestern public health reported.
Aylmer and Woodstock each had two recoveries. Aylmer had one new case confirmed while Woodstock had two, the health unit said.
The lone case at Chartwell Aylmer that was declared on October 17 is now resolved, public health confirmed. There was one employee at the long-term care home who had tested positive.
Woodstock now has 12 active cases while Aylmer has three confirmed ongoing cases. Tillsonburg has one case.
The new and resolved cases drop the regional total to 16 ongoing cases in Oxford and Elgin counties.
There have been 320 cumulative confirmed cases in the health authority’s region since the pandemic was declared. Of those, 299 have been resolved and five have died.


BANGOR – Congressman Jared Golden has been all over the state of Maine speaking with people in their communities during his seven months in office.
With the recent mass shootings and discussions of gun control, Golden said Tuesday that people have voiced their concerns.
Golden said he believes there are proposals and laws that could be put in place to give the tools to the right individuals to take action when needed but that more needs to be done.
“That’s not going to be enough. It’s also going to be cultural and it’s going to be about, I think, working the communities to try to address the underlying problems that drive people to violence and I think it’s going to take a concerted effort that brings all of these things together,” the 2nd Congressional District Democrat said.
Golden said it is important to give calm and thoughtful leadership and to listen to people, especially on these type of topics.


Srinagar, Jan 12: Expressing concern over the growing cases of Omicron cases in the valley, the private tour operators of the Jammu Kashmir Association of Haj and Umrah Companies (JKAHUC) Wednesday said that the sector’s business is on the decline since the inception of the pandemic.
As per the Jammu Kashmir Association of Haj and Umrah Companies (JKAHUC), the annual turnover of the sector used to be Rs 900 crore every year up to 2020 March.
The tour operators said that since consecutive COVID-19 lockdown, every activity had come to a halt, including Umrah, which impacted the sector catering to aforesaid services in the Kashmir valley.
The association said that the turnover over the past decade has grown from Rs 300 crore to 900 crore annually.
Umrah for India was not allowed by the Saudi government earlier while the services was resumed recently that has not only ignited hopes among the intending Pilgrim’s but also among private tour operators of Jammu and Kashmir who expected a good business after more than a year of halt.
Talking to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) Pervaiz Ahmad Bhat, Vice President of Jammu Kashmir Association of Haj and Umrah Companies (JKAHUC) said that the sector is on the decline since the COVID-19 pandemic, and everyone associated has been affected badly since March 2020.
“When the industry was closed due to COVID-19 the business turnover was already 900 crore and it was a gradually growing process,” he said. “Private sectors hold great significance in Kashmir valley and more than 3000 pilgrims used to avail services of PTO’s every year but since the pandemic, the entire industry is incurring losses.”
About Omicorn threat, he said that pilgrim’s from Bengaluru, Andhra Pradesh, and Hyderabad in recent days left for Umrah but still there is nothing such related, and those pilgrims who have received both the jabs of Covishield vaccines don’t have to remain under quarantine in Saudi Arabia while those with the Covaxin vaccine may have to remain under institutional quarantine for three days.
He stated that so far there are no afresh guidelines related to Omicron nor India has been banned from performing Umrah but this variant has impacted the minds of clients given the position across the globe due to the virus.
He also said that the sector is suffering since the COVID-19 pandemic and the business is on the decline from March 2020.
Talking about the recent development of redemption of services, he informed that people showed an overwhelming response and a huge number of clients had approached them and everyone was happy.
“Everyone is uncertain about the recent spike in Omicron cases in India and no one is sure about what new guidelines will be issued since people want to avoid traveling when such amount of fear is looming due to the virus. —(KNO)


The federal government of Nigeria has reacted to the military coup in Burkina Faso which has seen soldiers take over the government of the West African nation.
The soldiers who took over power are also said to have detained the country’s President, Roch Marc Kabore.
It will be recalled Naija News reported on Monday that mutinying soldiers executed a coup in the country and detained President Kabore.
The Burkina Faso President was detained after reports of gunfire around his residence on Sunday night in the capital of Ouagadougou.
The government on Sunday had denied that the military had taken over power.
But the soldiers of the country later on Monday confirmed they have taken over power and deposed President Roch Kabore.
The army went further to dissolve the government and parliament, suspending the constitution and shuttering the country’s borders.
The coup was announced on state television by Captain Sidsore Kader Ouedraogo, who said the “ongoing degradation of the security situation” in the country forced the military to step in.
During the broadcast, Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, a senior military officer was introduced to the people as their new leader.
Reacting to the development, the spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Francisca Omayuli, in a statement said the Nigerian government condemns the coup in all ramifications and calls for immediate restoration of democratic rule.
The statement also called for the release of the detained President and other government officials in the custody of the coup plotters.
“This unfortunate development not only subverts the constitutional order of the country, but also seeks to further destabilize the peace efforts in the ECOWAS sub-region. Nigeria, therefore, calls for the immediate release of President Marc Christian Kabore and other members of his government being detained, as well as an immediate return to the status quo ante,” the statement reads.
In recent times, similar military coups have seen the army take over in the African countries of Mali, Guinea and Chad.
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(MENAFN- Trend News Agency ) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 7
Azerbaijani and Turkish Air Forces continue "TurAz Falcon - 2021" Joint Flight-Tactical Exercises held in Turkish Konya, Trend reports on Sept.7 referring to Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry.
According to the plan of the exercises, military pilots of the two countries carried out combat flights in the daylight hours.
The flights were preceded by a briefing on the operation plan, weather conditions, and other technical issues.
Within a joint operation, the Azerbaijani and Turkish pilots successfully fulfilled the task of destroying the simulated enemy's air defense systems, strategic facilities, and aircraft ensuring the defense of these facilities.
The Azerbaijani military pilots are participating in the exercises on Su-25 attack aircraft and MiG-29 jet fighters.
The exercises will last until September 17.
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(MENAFN- Khaama Press)
The Pakistani government has announced that Prime Minister Imran Khan is willing to send to Afghanistan professional and trained manpower.
PM Imran Khan has directed relevant government authorities to explore bilateral cooperation with Afghanistan by sending qualified and trained manpower especially in medical, IT, Finance, and accounting.
It comes as thousands of trained, qualified, and university graduates in Afghanistan are unemployed and seek jobs whether in the government or private sector.
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has not reacted to the willingness of Imran Khan yet.
Common people, social media activists, and former Afghan officials have furiously reacted to the statements of Imran Khan and have asked the IEA not to endorse the demand.
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At least 100 more officers are needed to investigate the Rotherham child abuse scandal, the head of the operation has said, as he revealed that only around 17 percent of victims have been interviewed so far.
Paul Williamson, the senior investigating officer on Operation Stovewood, said the scale of the task meant his team was struggling to cope up with demand and vulnerable victims were being let down.
The National Crime Agency, which has been investigating historic abuse in the South Yorkshire town for the last three years, has now applied for another 100 specially trained detectives to continue the investigation.
More than 1,500 potential victims and 110 suspects, have so far been identified but those figures are expected to rise.
Mr Williamson, told The Guardian that only around 17 per cent of the victims had been interviewed by his team.
He added that the investigation was now at a crucial stage as officers were preparing to go after grooming gangs rather than lone individuals.
He said: “It’s a really specialist area, engaging and interviewing vulnerable victims. A lot of our victims were children when they were abused but they’re now adults and have associated problems as a result of that abuse, including suicidal tendencies, mental health issues, drug and alcohol addiction.
“It’s really complex. The progress will necessarily be influenced by the number of officers we’ve got on the team and we can see that.”
There are currently 144 officers on Operation Stovewood but the NCA has applied to increase that to 200-250, which was supported by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMIC).
Operation Stovewood was launched in 2015, two years after a report by Professor Alexis Jay, revealed that at least 1,400 children in Rotherham had been sexually exploited by mainly British Pakistani men.
The operation, which is thought to have cost £10m to date, has led to four men being convicted and jailed for a total of more than 30 years.
Mr Williamson said the investigation was comparable in scale and complexity to Operation Resolve, the criminal investigation into the Hillsborough disaster, which he said had more than 200 officers.
He added: “I’m naturally impatient because there should rightly be a high degree of public expectation around the operation and we need to deliver on public expectation. We’re seeing that – we’ve got six trials coming through this year, it’s not insignificant – but we can do more and more quickly.”


Pipeline leak did not reach Little Missouri
MARMARTH – Last week’s pipeline leak that spilled 17,000 barrels of saltwater near the Montana-North Dakota state line has not affected the Little Missouri River, the North Dakota Department of Health said Monday.
Cleanup on the North Dakota area affected by the spill is complete but the department will continue to monitor the site, said Dennis Fewless, director of the health department’s Division of Water Quality.
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Bollywood legend Naseeruddin Shah has reacted to the blasphemous statement of the spokesperson of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
According to Indian media reports, Naseeruddin Shah addressed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Mudi and asked him to go ahead and stop this poison.
He further said that steps need to be taken by Narendra Mudi to stop the spread of this poison.
The Bollywood legend also said that those who talk about peace and unity are sent to jail while those who talk about genocide are only slapped.
He said that television and social media were responsible for spreading hatred in India


(MENAFN- UkrinForm) In Hryhorivka, Odesa region, people rescued a dog that was sailing on a board in the sea in the middle of garbage.
"A dog on a board washed ashore in Hryhorivka, Odesa region," the Animal SOS Odesa organization reports .
The volunteers report that the rescued dog is being treated at a clinic in Odesa. Read also: hous es from flooded kherson region float in sea in odesa region
As reported, houses and a large amount of wreckage and debris from the flooded Kherson region are spotted in the sea near Yuzhne town in Odesa region.
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Kerala will be denied ration if NPR not implemented, says BJP
Kozhikode: BJP spokesperson B Gopalakrishnan said that those who threaten Hindus will have to go to Pakistan. He also added that Pinarayi Vijayan himself will have to implement NPR in Kerala, if not the state will be denied ration.
Gopalakrishnan also hit out against Arundhati Roy, who asked people to lie during census, saying that the Booker prize winning author should be called a political 'mandara'.
Muslim League is letting religious minorities off the hook. Some Hindus living in the Gulf countries are being threatened. Those who threaten Hindus will have to go to Pakistan, B Gopalakrishnan said in a press conference.
He also alleged that director Kamal is an extremist, adding that decent people will not take part in the protest organised by the cinema fraternity.


ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday reported 4,856 new Covid-19 cases, the National Command and Operation Center said on Wednesday.
The NCOC, a department leading campaign against the pandemic, said that the number of overall confirmed cases had risen to 1,080,360, including 972,098 recoveries.
The number of active cases has dropped to 84,177 who are under treatment across the country, including 4,513 critical patients.
According to the NCOC, the pandemic killed 81 people on Tuesday, increasing the overall death toll to 24,085.
Sindh is the most affected province of the country in terms of the number of cases with 403,964 infections followed by Punjab which has reported 367,054 cases.
The post NCOC daily update: 4,856 new cases, 81 deaths from Covid-19 appeared first on Pakistan Today.


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MELBOURNE, Jan 19 — Two Australian Open players tested positive for coronavirus, health officials announced Tuesday, taking the cluster of cases associated with the Grand Slam tennis tournament to seven.
The Victoria state health department said a total of nine people have tested positive while in quarantine ahead of the event in Melbourne, but two cases were deemed to be historical infections on Tuesday.
Positive cases on three charter flights have left 72 players confined to their hotel rooms, but health officials said none had yet been cleared to return to training as a result of the cases being reclassified. — AFP


PM lauds ‘new era of medical education in J&K’
Modi Govt has strengthened health infrastructure in J&K: Chugh
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lauded the “new era of medical education in Jammu & Kashmir”, a PIB press release informed Wednesday.
It said the Prime Minister hailed the government’s decision to grant 265 DNB Post-Graduate medical seats across 20 district government hospitals and said that it is an important effort aimed at empowering the youth and furthering medical infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sharing a tweet by Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Mansukh Mandaviya, the Prime Minister tweeted: “This is an important effort aimed at empowering the youth and furthering medical infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir!”
Meanwhile, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh has hailed the decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow 265 DNB-PG seats in government hospitals in J&K.
Chugh also welcomed the Prime Minister’s decision to reserve seats in the medical colleges for children from the militancy-affected families. He said this would go a long way in providing relief to wards of the unfortunate families.
He said unlike the past governments of Abdullahs and Muftis the Modi government had been persistently looking after the health concerns of the people of J&K.
“Ever since the Modi government has taken over the administration of the Union territory two AIIMS have been earmarked for Jammu and Kashmir regions while two cancer institutes have been set up in the two regions as well,” he said.
While the Jammu region has got four new medical colleges, two have been opened in the Kashmir region which would be a big leap forward in providing medical education to the children of J&K, he added.
The Prime Minister’s various health schemes have been also providing service to the people in the far-flung pockets in J&K which is proving to be a boon for the people, the BJP leader said.


New Delhi, Jan 30: An estimated 70 percent polling was recorded in Punjab and 65 percent in Uttarakhand in assembly elections in the two states, the Election Commission said here Monday, and added that the figure would rise as many people were waiting in queues to cast their ballot.
The poll panel also indicated that the polling percentage in the two states will cross the final polling percentage figures in 2007 polls.
Deputy Election Commissioner Alok Shukla said Punjab had recorded “70 percent polling till 5 p.m.” and the final percentage was expected to go up to at least 77 percent.
Shukla, who briefed reporters about the polling in Punjab, said the polling percentage was 75.3 percent in 2007.
Deputy Election Commissioner Sudhir Tripathi, who briefed reporters about polling in Uttarakhand, said the hill state had recorded 65 percent polling till 5 p.m. The state was expected to record about 70 percent voting, he said. Uttarakhand had recorded 63.9 percent vote in 2007 polls.
Election Commission officials said the rules permit voters who queue up outside the booths before 5 p.m. to cast their vote and polling hours are extended beyond the closing time. They said long queues were witnessed at several places in the two states in the evening.


Montrose Community Council has defended the handling of its response to GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) application for two wind turbines at the company’s local factory.
At last week’s meeting recently co-opted member Sandy Munro challenged fellow community councillors to explain a private meeting, which followed a public meeting in March, during which they decided on their official submission to Angus Council.
The community council, as a statutory consultee in the planning process, organised the open meeting to help gauge the Montrose community’s opinions on the scheme as a foundation for its own response to GSK’s planning application.
A written statement issued after its closed discussion stated that after “detailed discussion” members felt that they were unable to make a representation to support or make an objection to the application as they had concluded that public opinion was “equally divided” on this issue.
Mr Munro said: “At the last meeting I had asked if there was a minute of this confidential meeting that had taken place to determine the public view after the public meeting.
“In the minute taken at the public meeting, there were two comments of support, a few neutral and six negative comments expressed from the floor. I was told the community council was taking soundings from within the community but other community councillors were in office while that was going on and while they weren’t at the meeting, they were apparently excluded from the deliberations.
“It seems like a conflict of procedure. If people weren’t able to turn up at the public meeting their opinion as people living in the community was discounted and that’s something I’d like to query. It should be open and transparent.”
Acting chairman Tommy Stewart said that members had also taken personally taken soundings from members of the public but questioned how someone could form an accurate opinion on public feeling if they had not attending the meeting in the academy.
He also said the community council’s subsequent handling of the issue had been decided after taking advice from Angus Council.
Mr Stewart said: “We took guidance from the council and were told that it didn’t need to be minuted, written or otherwise.”
Councillor Bill Duff also said that he felt the closed meeting was “a bit irregular”.
He added: “I feel the community council shouldn’t have meetings in secret. It wasn’t discussing anything confidential. It’s not contracts we’re talking about, it’s community opinion and how can that be secret?
“I just think it’s bad practice.”
Mr Stewart said that although nothing could now be done about it, there are “lessons to be learned.”
He added: “We took our direction from Angus Council and if we don’t know the way to do something we have to go with the way Angus Council tells us it has to be done. That’s what we go by.”
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(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Oscar Trading and Technical Services, a leading provider of commercial kitchen and supermarket equipment, has opened its latest showroom in Barwa Village, a statement said. Safari Group of Companies chairman Aboobackar Madappat and managing director Shaheen Backer, along with Oscar managing partners, Karim K T K and Sabit Ali, inaugurated the new showroom on September 18. Other management representatives from Safari Group were also present. With many years of experience in commercial kitchen and supermarket equipment sales, Oscar provides excellent service in Qatar, it was explained. The world-class brands of commercial kitchen, refrigeration, and supermarket equipment, along with spare parts, are also available at Oscar, the management representatives added.
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Lahore: Al-Qaeda and TTP groups could carry out attacks on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Punjab said the intelligence agencies to the authorities concerned.
The intelligence reports warned the authorities about the threat and have recommended increasing the security of CPEC projects Punjab and restricting their movements at night.
Al-Qaeda (Ilyas Kashmiri Group), TTP (Tariq Geedar Group) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi are the main terrorist organizations which can launch the attacks on those working on the CPEC.
It was added that all these mentioned groups are said to be operating with the aid and abetment of Indian intelligence agency, RAW, and Afghan security service, NDS, from Kandahar, Spin Boldak, Nangarhar, Kunar, Paktia, Paktika, Nooristan and Helmand.
It was said that India would try to antagonize Pakistan in an unconventional warfare which would increase terror operations through its proxies which are operating from Afghanistan to calm the sentiments of their people who have falsely been told that Pakistan was involved in the Uri attack that took place in Indian occupied Kashmir.


More government funds to prevent AIDS
China will allocate more government funds for HIV/AIDS prevention, especially for targeted groups, Premier Li Keqiang said.
Li said government investment will continue to increase and will help the most vulnerable groups, particularly gays, to prevent the disease from spreading.
Technologies that can prevent mothers from transmitting HIV to their fetuses during pregnancy will be promoted across the country in 2015 to reduce the number of sufferers among newborns.
Li said that although the rise of HIV infections has been contained in the country, the situation in China remains complex and difficult.
The number of reported HIV/ AIDS patients in Beijing reached 18,635 by the end of October, and 74 percent of them were infected through sex. (Photo 2)


Akyem Oda, Nov. 30, GNA - Ms Ophelia Koomson, the Birim Central Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), has said the Municipality was moving forward in the right direction since the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government assumed power in 2009.
She said the Municipality was lagging behind in development projects over the years but the NDC government úis moving forward in the right directionĚ to ensure that people in the area are not denied the needed infrastructure development to make life more meaningful to them.
Ms Koomson, who was inaugurating the rehabilitated Akyem Oda Lorry Park on Friday, assured the people that the government would not deny them their share of the national cake.
Ms Koomson said the government would not renege on its campaign promises and appealed to the electorate to renew the mandate of the NDC.
She said the NDC had a track record of bringing development and urged the electorate to vote for a leader who is credible and had good record to move the nation forward.
Ms Koomson said the election was not about war and appealed to Ghanaians to tolerate each otherôs views.
úLet us search diligently for peace that leads to development, progress and prosperity,Ě she said, stressing that there is the need for unity in the country since disunity often leads to serious consequences.
Obrempong Gyemfi Sarfo 11, the Krontihene of the Akyem Kotoku Traditional Area, commended the MCE on her good leadership qualities which had enabled the Municipality to see much improvement in the provision of basic amenities.
He appealed to the people to put the past behind them and to unite towards the speedy development of the area.
A cross section of drivers and traders told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that they were happy about the new outlook of the lorry park.
They noted that hitherto it was difficult for them to ply their trade at the station anytime it rained but now with the rehabilitation they could do business at anytime.
They therefore thanked the MCE and the Municipal Assembly for their foresight in rehabilitation the park and urged them not to rest on their oars.


Kerala has begun flattening the COVID-19 infection curve, with very few positive cases reported over the last week and more people recovering from the disease. Kerala, which at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, had the second -highest number of COVID-19 cases, has managed to contain the virus spread and limit positive cases to just two cases and over 36 people recovering in a single day. Overall, the state has 376 confirmed cases, among which 179 people have recovered. Around 194 people are under treatment in the state presently.
Kerala becomes first state to flatten the COVID-19 curve
Current Affairs Calender


Egypt's Mintra, Kenya to invest USD100m in paper factories
(MENAFN) Mintra, Egypt's Misr for Industry and Trade, is set to enter into partnership with a number of Kenyan firms to build new paper factories in Kenya, Amwal Alghad reported.
The new planned factories in Kenya will be established with total investments estimated approximately at USD100 million, according to Mintra's general manager.
The general manager said that the factories will be specialized in paper production, packing and wrapping. Mintra is set to build 100 new factories through the partnership.
AFREXIM Bank, the African Export Import Bank, announced its eagerness to finance the Egyptian export companies to African markets with USD500 million.
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The capture of Mungono by Boko Haram insurgents have displaced about five thousand people, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) disclosed on Monday.
This was disclosed by the emergency agency’s Spokesman for the Northeast zone, Abdulkadir Ibrahim who added that an almost completed housing estate has been donated by Borno state government to house the IDPs.
Ibrahim said many more people are still being expected to find their way into the town, stating that 2,000 persons got to Maiduguri on Sunday while the remaining 3,000 arrived on Monday.
He said: “At the moment we have registered the 5000 persons and we are expecting more. We have put the needed materials that will enable them settle to their lives at the camp.”
The housing estate volunteered by the government is situated along Gubio road on the outskirts of Maiduguri.


Dr NEVERS Mumba has suggested that the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) should disqualify the PF from contesting the August 12 general elections due to what he sees as “numerous pre-election vote buying tricks across the country”.
The opposition MMD leader contends that the lack of reactiveness on the part of ECZ was allowing the PF to totally disregard the electoral code of conduct and the COVID-19 guidelines by going flat out across Zambia to campaign.
He also noted that the outbreak of donations of money and other material things by the PF and government officials should interest the ECZ and other stakeholders and question the sources of the money being donated.
Dr Mumba observed that the PF had gone flat out to campaign and the situation was already uneven because other political parties were denied to gather and campaign which was not fair for the opposition.
Dr Mumba added that the donations of money and other material things were tantamount to corruption and taking advantage of the poverty and hunger among citizens just to maintain the grip on power.


Immigration reform has support
A survey by three business advocacy organizations shows strong support for immigration reform among voters in Minnesota and across the nation.
The survey was sponsored by the Partnership for a New American Economy, the Business Roundtable and the National Association of Manufacturers.
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(MENAFN- Colombo Gazette)
Over 100 people have been arrested in Sialkot after a mob of factory workers and others killed and burned the body of a Sri Lankan national over alleged blasphemy allegations.
The police have formed ten teams to identify and arrest the persons involving in the lynching of the Sri Lankan national.
The Sri Lankan national was working as a senior manager at a leading Sialkot factory that manufactures and exports sports products. The factory is located at the Wazirabad Road.
Details of the incident began to emerge hours after graphic lynching videos went viral on social media.
District Police Officer (DPO) Sialkot Umar Saeed Malik has issued a statement giving the following sequence of the events.
- At 11:30am, the police received information about a brawl and torture of a worker in a factory located at the Wazirabad Road. Ugoki Police Station SHO arrived at the scene by 11:50am and found that some incensed people had set a person on fire. The Police doused the flames.
- After getting the report of the unfortunate incident, the DPO Sialkot and other police officials arrived at the scene and controlled the situation.
- The police have registered an FIR No. 1412 under sections 431, 427, 149, 147, 297, 201, 302, and 7ATA at Ugoki Police station against unidentified people and have launched an investigation.
- At least ten investigation teams have been formed under the DPO and they are carrying out raids to arrest the accused who are being identified from the [viral] videos.
Punjab Government Spokesman Hasaan Khawar told journalists that over 50 people have been arrested and more were being identified through CCTV footage.
Punjab police later said the number of arrests had increased to over 100.
The Police tweeted two photos of an accused, named Farhan Idrees, who earlier appeared on one of the viral videos and supported the violence against the Sri Lankan national. One of the photo tweeted by the Police shows him behind bars while the other is from the viral video.
The tweet said Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) was overseeing the investigation and and raids were being carried out to arrest other suspects.
Hasaan Khawar earlier said that action will be taken against each and every individual involved in the attack.“We have begun an impartial investigation and justice will be served in this incident,” he said. (Courtesy SAMAA TV)
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Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said BNP continues its mischievous attempts to make the country’s election system questionable to conceal its failures and isolation from people.
He came up with the remark while speaking at a press briefing on contemporary issues at his official residence on Tuesday.
Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said the BNP’s politics is just an exhibition of contradictions behind its statements.
He said BNP is carrying out the destruction of public properties and anti-state propaganda at home and abroad. Besides, he said, the party is also talking about strengthening the state structure, which is nothing but its double standard policy.
Responding to an allegation of BNP leaders that the Awami League is changing state structures to establish its absolute rule in the country, the AL general secretary said their allegation is imaginary and fabricated, which has no relation to reality.
Mentioning that the state and the government run as per the constitutional rules, he said the role of opposition is very important in the democratic system.


YEREVAN. – President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan received on Friday the U.S. Senator Richard Durbin.
The President welcomed the guest and stressed the importance of the activity of Armenia’s friends in the U.S. Senate. He also emphasized that the senators’ support to Armenia and its people is of great importance in contributing to the country’s development and preservation of stability in the region.
Sargsyan said that United States have provided Armenia with financial, humanitarian and technical support and he is grateful to the U.S. people, government and legislatives. Sargsyan also thanked Durbin, who has been the co-author of the resolution on the Armenian Genocide submitted in the Senate in 2007 as well as for constant attention towards the issues referring the Armenians in the Senate.
The President and the Senator also discussed development of bilateral relations, issues on current regional problems and challenges.


December 5th nbc news reported a funny news. According to the report, a health official in Wyoming, who personally participated in the epidemic prevention work, put forward a conspiracy theory in public, saying that the COVID-19 pandemic and the development of a COVID-19 vaccine are a conspiracy between China and Russia to spread communism around the world.
The health official who put forward this conspiracy theory is Igor Shepherd, an employee of the Wyoming Department of Health. Shepard also said that the COVID-19 vaccine was developed as a biological weapon, which will reprogram the body’s immune system.
Shepard has been at the state health department since 2013 and is part of the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, although he did not hold a leadership role in the team, according to a Wyoming Department of Health spokesperson.
Interestingly, Shepard’s speech can’t even watch NBC News. In the article, NBC News said that Sheppard’s statement was unfounded and unsubstantiated, undermining Wyoming’s public health efforts to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus and plans to distribute a vaccine for the novel coronavirus in the coming months.
NBC News also said Wyoming Gov. Gordon called people who don’t take the coronavirus seriously “dumbs” in a recent press conference. Gordon has also said that the COVID-19 vaccine is something to look forward to.
According to the report, researchers have been worried that this politicized suspicion of the COVID-19 vaccine will damage the efficacy of the vaccine, because if most people are vaccinated, the protective effect of the vaccine will be more obvious.


(MENAFN- Gulf Times)
International Yoga Day was celebrated at Podar Pearl School with great enthusiasm and zeal. An inter-house competition featured students of Tagore, Einstein, Aryabhata and Kalam houses presenting various yoga asanas under the guidance of physical education teachers Sreesha and Afsal. Principal Manjari Recriwal addressed the students highlighting the importance of yoga and its contribution to mental and physical well being. Kalam House secured the first position followed by Einstein House in the second position.
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We believe that it’s time for a new way to look at Automotive. Not just the car itself, but everything that goes along with it. We believe that the people who build the cars are as important as the people who drive the cars. We believe that the people who modify the cars are as important as those who race and as those who show their cars. We believe that cars themselves have become an integral part of our life and these cars, this world of automotive, deserve a better viewing medium on the internet.


Yankton municipal government is moving forward with an initiative called Be Yankton aimed at helping people address the emotional and mental toll that the combination of winter weather and the COVID 19 pandemic can potentially take on the community.
Yankton Mayor Nathan Johnson says it’s important to provide people with the opportunity to come together as a community.
Johnson says events such as the Halloween fireworks display gives people the opportunity to come together safely while sharing a sense of community.
Johnson says the Holiday Festival of Lights early next month is another event that people can participate in.
Johnson says with the increase in COVID 19 cases throughout the region, wearing facemasks while in public and taking other precautions against spreading the coronavirus are more important than ever.


New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that it is time to end the Kumbh Mela. The Prime Minister’s call comes in the wake of the Covid expansion.
The Prime Minister directed that the Kumbh Mela be held symbolically. He said the decision to end the Kumbh Mela would be a model for the country in the event of a Covid outbreak. The Prime Minister’s response was via Twitter.
Covid confirmed to more than a thousand people who attended the Kumbh Mela that a monk had died. In the wake of this, a section of the monastic community came to the scene and made it clear that they were ready to reduce the Kumbh Mela. But the Uttarakhand government has made it clear that the Kumbh Mela will continue.


Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Jun 9:
The Odisha government today initiated action on the recommendation of the special task force on allotment of plots and houses under the discretionary quota (DQ).
In the first phase, show cause notices have been served to over 50 beneficiaries who have availed single allotment under the quota, vice chairman of Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) Kishan Kumar said.
“The beneficiaries have been asked to give their opinion on the allotment within 30 days”, he added.
He also informed that the BDA would serve show cause notices to other beneficiaries who have transferred the allotted land to others.
Kumar also said the BDA will also take action against those who have availed multiple allotments under DQ.
“There are 312 such cases in the first phase which have been handed over to the Vigilance for investigation,” Kumar pointed out.


(MENAFN- KNN India) Lucknow, Nov 20 (KNN) With the aim to connect the proposed Bulk Drugs Park in Lalitpur with technology along with research and innovation to provide high-quality and affordable medicines and medical devices, the Uttar Pradesh government has joined hands with multiple organisations.
As per reports, the chief minister Yogi Adityanath government has linked big institutions of the Government of India like the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) with the Bulk Drug Park and made them its knowledge partners.
The Bulk Drugs Park in the state is being prepared as per international standards so that not only India but 196 countries worldwide can benefit from it and have access to affordable medicines and medical devices, reported Daily Guardian.
Moreover, the Yogi government has organised an Investors Connect webinar and signed an MOU with around 1,500 stakeholders to make the state a hub for the medical sector with the latest technology.
The bulk drug park is being set up at the cost of Rs 1,000 crore. It would accommodate 60-70 production units that would work to manufacture 452 medicines and 23 starting materials.
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The AFC is currently examining a preliminary report on the verification of the statements of polls (SOPs) released by the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom).
The party along with APNU has been carrying out a comparative analysis of the scanned copies of the documents against its own data collected on elections day.
AFC leader Raphael Trotman noted yesterday at a media briefing that the party has received a preliminary report from its pollsters on the verification exercise but he noted that the report is being perused by the party. He said that he could not disclose the contents of the preliminary report since “things can change between preliminary and final.”
He said that the party is also prepared to share copies of the SOPs with the press, since he noted that they are public documents. He said that the party has encouraged Gecom to place the information on its website, citing transparency and democracy as pivotal goals in the Guyanese society.
APNU is expected to release its findings on that party’s verification of the SOPs today.
A party official told this newspaper on Monday that the process was being undertaken to ensure accuracy and as a result the persons carrying out the verification process were given time to do their work. The coalition had expressed concern about the format in which the documents were released by GECOM and noted that it would press for the original copies of the documents to be made available to the party.


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Story | Mar 4, 2009As the NHL's regular season enters its final stretch, the Blackhawks are going to keep running into teams desperate for points. Tuesday night, it was the Anaheim Ducks hitting town clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference...


(MENAFN) Reliance Industries, the Indian giant led by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, announced a 42 percent acceleration in financial third quarter net profit as the corporation registered improvement across all of its businesses, while stronger demands for oil goods aided the corporation's fundamental chemicals-to-oil sector.
The corporation's net profit contributed to its stakeholders jumped by USD2.5 billion, 185.5 billion rupees, in the last quarter of 2021, compared to the same quarter the previous year, the corporation stated on Friday. Analysts polled by a news agency predicted a profit of USD2,05 billion, 152.6 billion rupees, on median. Operational revenue soared by roughly 54 percent annually to USD25.7 billion.
Mr Ambani, Reliance Industries’ chairman and managing director stated that, “Reliance has posted best-ever quarterly performance in Q3 FY22 with strong contribution from all our businesses. Our consumer businesses, retail and digital services have recorded highest ever revenues and Ebitda [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation].”
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City officials change tune on new apartment plans
WINCHESTER — From a land-use perspective, 2013 could wind up being remembered here as The Year of the Apartment.
The City Council approved two rezonings that could result in as many as 272 new units…
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The meeting will be an opportunity to help the National Transitional Council on the path to establishing a free, democratic and inclusive Libya.
A Downing Street spokesperson said:
Following the PM’s discussions with the Chairman of the National Transitional Council (NTC), Abdul Jalil, and other international partners, the Prime Minister and President Sarkozy have invited the NTC to attend an international conference in Paris next week.
This will be an opportunity for the NTC to set out how the international community can help them on the path to establishing a free, democratic and inclusive Libya and for all those who wish to support Libya to discuss the role that they can play to support this.
We have stood firmly by the Libyan people since their uprisings began six months ago and we will continue to lead international efforts to help them achieve their aspirations in the weeks and months ahead.


(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM))
YAWUNDE, 13th January, 2022 (WAM) -- Cameroon on Thursday thrashed Ethiopia 4-1 to book their place in the round of 16 of the African Cup of Nations tournament.
The host country becomes the first team to make it to the next round having won two games with six goals.
Ethiopia took the lead barely four minutes into the game as Hotessa Dukele fired in an opener before the Lions levelled up four minutes later as Toko Ekambi fired in an equaliser.
At the latter half of the game, the host nation scored three goals.
In the meantime, Liverpool duo Sadio Mane of Senegal and Naby Keita of Guinea come face to face in a top-of-the-table showdown in Bafoussam on Friday with the winners virtually guaranteed a last-16 slot.
Ghana, whose last of four Cup of Nations triumphs came 40 years ago, tackle Gabon on Friday in a Yaounde clash set to decide who finishes second behind likely section winners Morocco.
Tomorrow as well, Morocco are likely to follow up a win over Ghana by securing three more points at the expense of the Comorans.
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Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said that the recent act of US Senators proved that Iran’s lack of trust in America was quite justified.
Larijani made the remark in the Sunday session of Parliament and said what they [US Senators] included in the letter was harshly against international norms and dealt a serious blow to their country’s legal image.
He said that the move was inspired by the fact that the US Congress suffered much from making hollow investments in the meaningless claims of the Zionist regime’s prime minister, something which was met with total indifference by the world public opinion.
He also said the letter was just an indication to prove that the financial support of Zionist lobbies has caused a political recklessness in America.
In their relations with the US, Larijani added, countries are now wondering whether they are dealing with a government which has deceitfully assumed global leadership and has absolute power or one which is literally nothing inside.
He renewed the support of the Iranian Parliament for the nuclear negotiation team and advised them to be more tactful in their future moves.
The top MP also condemned the physical attack on a member of parliament [Ali Motahari] during his Shiraz visit and went on to stress that such hooliganism will certainly work against the interests of the country, especially because of its foreign reflections.


(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 21
Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called on the local business circles to start working together on building a new economic policy, Trend reports via Kazinform.
“We need to turn the page and start working together on building a new economic policy that should become the basis of a new Kazakhstan,” Tokayev said during a meeting with the business representatives.
He stressed that the main principles of the new economic policy should be fair competition, transparency of decisions made, predictability of state policy, tax fairness of business, and social responsibility of entrepreneurs.
“I'm absolutely sure that namely the big business, our bourgeoisie, is interested in the successful implementation of socio-economic reforms because namely the business elite of the country has something to lose. At the same time, there are good opportunities for further expansion of their business,” added the president.
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Bigg Boss 11 has been witnessing high voltage drama these days. While the contestants have been getting embroiled in contestant tiffs and heated arguments, there have been some emotional moments on the show as well.
Yes! It's true.
Vikas, who was seen criticising Shilpa in the beginning of the show will now kiss the actress on national television.
In fact, in the recently release promo, Vikas, who has been in the kaal-kothari for a while, will kiss Shilpa as he apologises with her for his behaviour.
Notably, the two have been bullying each other since the first day and were always seen embroiling in heated arguments.
However, its been recently that the two saw a change in track where the Shilpa and Vikas were seen been the new friends of Bigg Boss house.
Well, going by the recent trend, we wonder if there is something cooking between the two.


Minister of Defence, Brig-Gen Mansur Mohammed Dan-Ali has explained why the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) was tagged as a terrorist group.
According to the Defence Minister, one of the characteristics of a terror group was hate speech, which Kanu and his co-agitators had been making against Nigerians and Nigeria.
The minister, while speaking during a courtesy call on the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, in New York, the United States of America, Prof Tijjani Bande, insisted that the international community cannot determine the nation’s internal security problem.
“There are many indices that make a group terrorist. One of them that has been mentioned in the country is that any group that is fond of making hate speeches, making provocative statements, becoming a security challenge to the country, then that group has to be registered as a terrorist group,” Dan-Ali said.
He further added that the international community needed to look at what was going on in the country and know what IPOB was doing.
Speaking earlier, Bande thanked Dan-Ali for the visit, and said a lot of important persons come around, but are hardly seen in the Mission.
He said the fact that the minister created time to visit the Permanent Mission was something extremely important to the Mission.


Column | Apr 10, 2012 | 8:41 PM
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Story | Aug 18, 2014 | 10:05 AMJessica Hernandez and the Deltas "Secret Evil"
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A list of upcoming concerts across the Southland, with on-sale dates in parentheses.


Stay together for the kids.” That’s the common advice for married parents who are struggling. But these days, more people are coming forward, sharing how they wish their parents would’ve gotten divorced sooner rather than later.
Of course, the percentage of children who want their parents divorced is a drop in the bucket compared to those who want their parents to stay together. But what about the children who want their parents divorced?
Source: Mediation and Counseling Blog


ISLAMABAD – Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz has said that instead of responding to the serious corruption allegations leveled against him, Shehbaz Sharif has demanded new elections. He said that Shehbaz Sharif wants to avoid accountability, however, this time he will not be allowed to flee.
In a briefing to the media after the federal cabinet meeting, he said that the sugar inquiry would soon be concluded and its report will be presented by next Tuesday. Answering a question, he said that there was no similarity between the sugar export and drug scandals and Shehbaz Sharif’s crimes.
He also said that a report on illegal recruitments made in the past was submitted during the cabinet meeting while the non-reporting ministries have been given a week’s tiem.
Shibli Faraz said that the Prime Minister has directed to pay media dues before Eid-ul-Fitr while a special committee on outsourcing of airports has also been formed. The legal issues regarding outsourcing will be resolved by June 30, he added.
The Minister said that the meeting also approved special packages for the board members of Islamabad Healthcare Commission and citizens living on Line of Control (LoC) while a package of Rs50 billion has been approved for the agriculture sector.-UNS


Lucknow: Surcharge on power for farmers has been waived off with immediate effect, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced on Thursday evening.
Spending the night at a village in Amroha under the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Gram Swarajya outreach to villagers, he urged the farmers to cooperate with the state government and in turn get the best from it.
Also announcing the one-time settlement scheme for farmers, the Chief Minister also detailed various schemes of the Central and state BJP governments aimed at benefitting the villages and farmers.
Adding that mass marriages will be conducted by the state government across the state, he also said that the state government was working on an action plan under which closed factories, projects and industries would be revived so that they can usher in development and create employment.
At a point, during his address, some youths carrying placards demanded that Urdu teachers be regularized. While police and officials got jitters at this sudden protest, the Chief Minister himself handled the matter, assuring the youth that he was here to address their problems only and hence there was no need to protest. The youth then withdrew their protest.
Pointing out the commitment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to develop villages, Adityanath said that since his government was taken over, many works had been initiated in this direction.
Underlining how he had given free hand to police to bring criminals to justice and to ensure safety and security to the people, he said that the rule of law had been established in the state and that all-round prosperity would soon be seen by the people.
The Chief Minister also assured the youth present in the gathering that the state government would soon enroll 1.62 lakh people in the police and 1.32 lakh teachers will also be recruited. He announced that the crackdown on graft and corrupt officials will continue and added that properties and assets of such corrupt officials and government employees will be confiscated.


(MENAFN) Agreements signed between the Real Estate Development Fund (REDF) of Saudi Arabia and Bank Albilad and Saudi Awwal Bank are set to expand access to easy financing solutions for Saudi citizens, facilitating their journey towards homeownership. These partnerships are specifically aimed at supporting beneficiaries of the Kingdom's housing program, Sakani, which is designed to enable Saudi families to own their first homes.
Sakani plays a crucial role in increasing the proportion of housing ownership for Saudi families to 70 percent by the year 2030. With the signing of these new agreements, the housing program takes a significant step closer to achieving its ambitious goal. The collaborations with Bank Albilad and Saudi Awwal Bank are intended to diversify the options available for Sakani beneficiaries in terms of housing support. One such option includes the provision of up to SR150,000 (USD39,999) for specific housing choices, such as ready-made units.
Mansour bin Madi, the CEO of REDF, emphasized that these agreements are part of a broader strategy of forming strategic partnerships with banks and real estate financing institutions. By forging such alliances, the aim is to enhance and expand the scope of housing support for Saudi citizens.
In April, Saudi families received further assistance in their pursuit of homeownership when an amount of SR933 million was deposited into their Sakani accounts. This deposit was made possible through the joint efforts of REDF, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, and was allocated to support various housing support contracts, as outlined by Bin Madi.
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.


Saudi Arabia’s non-oil shipments including reexports increase by 13.1 percent
(MENAFN) According to a report from the General Authority for Statistics, also known as GASTAT, Saudi Arabia's non-oil exports, including reexports, increased by 13.1 percent in the third quarter to SR78.4 billion (USD20.86 billion) from SR69.4 billion in the same period last year.
Nevertheless, when comparing quarter to quarter, the Kingdom's non-oil exports fell by SR8.4 billion (9.6 percent) in the third quarter compared to the second.
From SR273.6 billion in the third quarter of last year, total merchandise exports rose by 46.1 percent to SR399.7 billion in the current quarter.
According to a GASTAT report, chemical and related industries accounted for 36.8 percent of Saudi Arabia's non-oil merchandise exports in the second quarter.
The Kingdom's imports of goods increased by 25.1 percent year over year in the third quarter, reaching SR181.1 billion. Comparing this to the second quarter of the current year, we see an increase of 4.8 percent.
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.


Perham parents air grievances against high school basketball coach at school board meeting
PERHAM -- Disgruntled parents of student-athletes aired their grievances during the "open forum" segment of the Perham School Board meeting Jan. 20.
At issue was the boys basketball program.
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Community bulletin board — support groups and health events
Benefit for John Wisecarver Jr.
A benefit concert with two bands will be held from 8 p.m. to midnight today at the VFW in Kernstown. Donations accepted for John Wisecarver Jr. who has lung…
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