Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan says the provincial government is taking effective steps for elimination of environmental pollution in the province.
In a statement on the occasion of “World Environment Day” being celebrated, the Chief Minister said the provincial government has successfully completed the target of the Billion Trees Project.
He said one billion saplings have been planted for the last five years which were highly appreciated by the world community.
Mahmood Khan said one billion more saplings will be planted in the province under the federal government project of ten billion Trees Tsunami Project in the country.
The Chief Minister urged the general public and representatives of civil societies to actively participate in the tree plantation campaign to tackle environmental challenges in a befitting manner.
Source: Radio Pakistan


(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 25
By Maryana Akhmedova – Trend:
Personal presence at the trials of Georgian ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili is important both under Georgian law and the European Convention on Human Rights, EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell said, Trend reports via Georgian media.
“Saakashvili's personal presence at court sessions is important, as it is required not only by Georgian legislation but also by the European Convention on Human Rights. I hope that the current momentum of developments will allow all parties to think about maintaining this momentum for moving forward,” Hartzell said.
“We continue to monitor the observance of his fundamental rights, including the right to privacy and dignity. We will also monitor the legal processes,” the Ambassador added.
Meanwhile, the Georgian government accused Mikheil Saakashvili of illegal crossing of the Georgian border and several criminal offenses such as the violent dispersal of anti-government mass protests in 2007, raiding of Imedi TV channel by riot police, illegal take-over of the property, and other crimes, which led to his arrest in Tbilisi on October 1.
Follow the author on Twitter: @mariiiakhm
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Finance Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo has pledged to deliver a record budget that is focused on economic growth, strengthening the country's budgetary position and ensuring that Solomon Islands can stand as a strong independent nation.Minister Lilo said this at the recent opening of the consultations for the 2011 National Budget.
Mr Lilo said that the 2011 Budget will undergo a vigorous process to ensure that it reflects the real needs of the country.
"The government is re-establishing these consultations, which are an important part of any robust budget process," said Mr Lilo.
Mr Lilo said these consultations will enable Ministries to engage on the budget strategy and provides an opportunity for stakeholders to speak on issues of importance that could than be reflected in the budget.
Mr Lilo said that such an approach will ensure that the budget achieves its dual objectives of delivering a budget that focuses on economic growth and prosperity while strengthening the budgetary position, ensuring a strong and economic independent Solomon Islands.
Minister Lilo said despite the negative effects on the country by the recent global financial crisis, strong economic performance has translated into stronger than anticipated revenues towards the end of last year.


The officers were injured while attempting to escort a police motorcyclist through the area at around 12.30pm on Saturday, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
Video footage from the protest posted on social media shows shoving between police and protesters.
Later at around 3pm a group of protesters stopped outside a shop on Regents Street police said.
They began “directing abuse” at people inside and egging the shop until police intervened, ending the incident.
No injuries were reported.
A further incident occurred at around 4pm when beer cans a flare were thrown at officers on Whitehall
The force said that their officers were also subjected to “abuse and physical violence” elsewhere on Whitehall – leading to several more officers sustaining minor injuries.
The Met added that no arrests have been made.


FIVE MPs from the Meru county have accused the Jubilee government of sidelining the Nyambene region from state appointments.
Led by Igembe Central MP Mithika Linturi, they said Nyambene has been given a row deal by the government at the expense of Imenti region.
He said Igembe has been ignored in matters of security which has resulted in livestock theft.
Tigania East MP Mpuru Aburi, Igembe Central's MP Kubai Kiringo, Tigania West MP David Karithi and Igembe North'S MP Joseph M'Eruaki shared the same sentiments.
They were speaking in Mailitatu town yesterday.
Linturi said the Igembe and Tigania subcommunities will seek their own identity and recognition as Nyambene people.
He said the community has close to 800,000 people as compared to the Imenti subcommunity which has slightly over 500,000 people.
Linturi said Imenti has beneffited from the government despite its smaller population.
"When it comes to appointments, we got only one position whereas they carried more than twenty six slots, we have to demand what is rightfully ours", he said.


The Ashanti Regional Health Directorate has stepped up stakeholder engagements to encourage the public to accept and participate in the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination exercise as the festive season approaches.
The Directorate has been engaging traditional and religious leaders as a strategy to reach out to the larger population due to their influence in society.
It has consequently met the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs to solicit the support of the House on the ongoing National COVID-19 Vaccination exercise which is set to end on December 18.
Religious leaders drawn from both the Christian and Muslim communities have also been engaged on the importance of the vaccination exercise in the fight against the disease.
The stakeholder engagements which is being supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other partners, forms part of the social mobilisation drive to address vaccine hesitancy.
The goal is to achieve herd immunity and also protect as many people as possible ahead of the yuletide to prevent another wave after the festivities.
Dr Emmanuel Tinkorang, Regional Director of Health Services,
at a meeting with religious leaders in Kumasi, reminded the participants that the fight against COVID-19 was not over.
He said the engagement was necessary because the transmission of the disease thrived on human-to-human activities which was most likely to increase during the Christmas and New Year period.
The trend of the disease, he said, shows that the country recorded a new wave every six months and called for a concerted effort to eliminate the disease completely.
The Regional Director said the target of the Directorate was to achieve herd immunity by vaccinating at least 70 per cent of the population in the Region, disclosing that only 48 per cent had been fully vaccinated.
He said 68 per cent had taken the first dose and urged such people to voluntarily go for the second dose in the interest of public health.
Dr Tinkorang also advised organisers of public events during the festive season to insist on safety protocols as a civic responsibility towards the protection of lives.
Madam Charity Nikoi, Social Behaviour Change Communication Specialist, UNICEF, underlined the need for the participants to lead the campaign as leaders for the collective good of society.
She said vaccination was the surest way for protection against COVID-19 and urged the religious leaders to be ambassadors against vaccine hesitancy.


Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on November 22 informed that after the Assam Police firing incident at Mukroh village, wherein six persons were killed, the ongoing border talks would not be the same again.
“We need confidence building. What kinds of action as we move forward, what steps will be taken and how we are able to make sure that justice is done. All these will determine the future course of action,” Sangma informed.
The Chief Minister also informed that the Meghalaya expects the government of India and Assam will take necessary steps to ensure justice is done and based on those situations and those demands and actions taken the state will discuss the further course of action.
He also informed that Meghalaya Police were present in the area but the numbers were small.
“The numbers were less than Assam’s counterparts because the situation was unexpected,” Sangma said.
He also informed that the recent sanctioning of the Borato outpost was supposed to be inaugurated on November 25 but the incident happened.
The Chief Minister said that knowing the sensitivity of the location they had sanctioned the outpost.
“For the precise situation that such tension is always there in that area,” Sangma said.
He also informed that the firing was unprovoked. The Chief Minister also informed that Mukroh village was not a disputed area between Meghalaya and Assam and it is within the state.
Sangma also informed that he has spoken to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in the morning on the incident.
“He has assured that whatever can be done from the Assam government side and cooperation required for any kind of steps to be taken or any inquiry done he will support,” the Chief Minister informed.
Sangma informed that the Meghalaya government will be going to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and would place their demands to the centre for necessary action.


Premier League matches called off
Today's Premier League matches have been called off because of the weather.
Rabat had been due to face Mosta while Hibs were due to face neighbours Tarxien. Both matches were to have been played at the Hibs ground.
They will now be played tomorrow at the Centenary Stadium.


LAHORE: The economic pressure has increased due to floods, said Finance Minister Miftah Ismail.
“Difficult decisions have been taken to save the country from bankruptcy. The economic pressure has increased owing to recent floods,” the minister said during his meeting with Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman on Monday.
The economic conditions of the country and the flood situation were discussed.
The minister further said efforts were being made to improve the situation. He said the country’s economy was now heading in the right direction because of the prudent policies of the government.
He said the import of auto parts for tractors would be facilitated to boost the local tractor industry.
The governor said that in this difficult time we had to give hope to the nation and not spread despair. Commenting on the economic situation, he said the situation was difficult, but indicators were improving.
The governor said the federal and provincial governments were on the same page for the help and rehabilitation of the flood victims.
He said as a chancellor of all public and private sector universities he had mobilised the vice-chancellors, faculty members and students to play an active role in flood relief operations.
Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2022


Falling case numbers and the highest daily vaccination total have given cause of optimism in the latest official figures, announced today (Thursday).
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the test positivity rate had fallen beneath five per cent for the first time in more than a month.
Shetland’s case numbers are also down on recent weeks.
Ms Sturgeon said: “We should allow ourselves to reflect on these small rays of sunshine when they appear.”
The number of people in hospital and intensive care was also down on previous days.
Ms Sturgeon said almost 700,000 people had now received their first dose of the vaccination – including 45,000 yesterday alone. It is the highest figure in the vaccination rollout so far,
She said 98 per cent of care home residents had received their first dose, and 89 per cent of care home staff.
“These are quite extraordinary uptake numbers,” she said.
However, to maintain the positive progress she said it was essential that folk continue to follow the rules.


(MENAFN- UkrinForm)The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has left its forecast for the growth of the country's real gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021–2023 unchanged at about 4%, NBU Governor Kyrylo Shevchenko has said.
He said this at a briefing on Thursday, July 22, the NBU's press service reported.
"Steady consumer demand and favorable conditions for foreign trade compensate for Ukraine's economic losses caused by tightened quarantine last winter and spring. In view of this, the National Bank has kept its forecast for real GDP growth in 2021 unchanged at 3.8%," Shevchenko said.
In the future, according to him, the Ukrainian economy will grow by about 4% annually.
"Apart from high private consumption, this will be facilitated by significant demand for Ukrainian exports, as well as a revival of investment activities of enterprises," he said.
The Ukrainian Economy Ministry projected earlier that Ukraine's gross domestic product (GDP) would grow by 4.1% in 2021 and by 3.7% in 2022.
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During the last decade, the number of Hispanic-owned businesses doubled, growing from 1.6 million in 2002 to a projected 3.2 million in 2013, according to a recent study by Geoscape.
This year, the projected combined annual revenue of these businesses is over $468 billion – an increase of over $100 billion in the past six years, according to the study.
The report also showed that Hispanic business owners are 86 percent more likely to have household incomes between $100,000 and $149,000 and are three times more likely to have household incomes of $150,000 or more.
Hispanic-owned businesses in the South Atlantic Division, which comprises Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C., has grown by 52 percent to more than 866,000 in 2013.
You can find more information from the report here.


By Monday Ijeh
The Federal Government has reiterated its committed to tackle security challenges ravaging the country within the best legal framework.
Police Affairs Minister Muhammad Dingyadi, made this known during a courtesy visit by the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr James Christoff.
Dingyadi said security agencies in the country had recorded tremendous progress in suppressing the activities of criminals in the last one month.
He said that by the time security agencies sustain the current momentum in the next three to five months, the security situation in the country will improve greatly,
The minister said the government would continue to solicit support and understanding of countries like Canada to identify areas to work together in the fight against criminalities.
Dingyadi said the country would also continue to seek cooperation in the area of intelligence and information sharing to curb the activities of criminals.
“Our ministry is ever ready to partner with Canada in intelligence gathering, training, technology, education and many other areas,” he said.
The minister said the current security challenges facing Nigeria was peculiar to the country but also, affecting other West African countries,
He said the Federal Government was making tremendous efforts to address the security challenges before the 2023 general elections to facilitate a free, smooth and peaceful transition of government
In his remark, Christoff said Nigeria and Canada have had a long standing relationship that had promoted growth and development in both countries.
He commended the federal government for the successes recorded in ensuring accountability and transparency in the policing of the country.
“I want to extend our thanks on behalf of the mission for the support we have received from the Nigeria Police Force and will continue to promote the cordial relationship,” he said. (NAN)


President Mahama has announced that government will from next Academic Year introduce 120,000 students in Boarding Schools progressively fee-free SHS education.
The President was speaking at the inauguration of the community day Senior High school at Agona Abodom in the Central Region.
President Mahama said in line with the social democracy policy, government will continue to provide timely interventions to help alleviate the hardships of the citizenry.
For the Central Region, eight out of the 14 community day schools have been completed.
The intervention, meant to give each community a senior High day school is to accommodate children who will otherwise be out of school.
President Mahama has also directed the Minister of Education to populate all completed community day SHS before the academic year begins.
The Minister of Education, Prof Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang said government will continue to make secondary education accessible to all.
She said government priority on education is to help alleviate poverty and better the lot of the citizens.
Prof Naana Opoku Agyemang said before government took the decision to construct the community day schools all the necessary steps to ensure the sustenance of the projects were put in place and therefore the propaganda by some politicians that government failed to take steps to adequately resource the schools is false.


Panchkula: Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Friday that the state government has planned to open a medical college in each district.
He was speaking during the inauguration of 10 AYUSH Health and Welfare Centers in Haryana under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Khattar said that although the state has adequate health infrastructure, more doctors were needed to meet the demand. He said that 13,000 doctors were available against the requirement of 27,000 doctors.
He said that the number of MBBS seats in the state had increased from 700 in 2014 to 1,450 in 2019 and the target was 2,000 in the near future.
He thanked Modi for dedicating 10 centres to the people. The Chief Minister said that people can stop the disease without any side effects through yoga, proper eating and traditional medicine. He said that the state government is setting up ‘Vyayamshalas’ at the village level and instructors are being appointed to impart yoga training to the people.
AYUSH treats throat: PM to CM
In a mild vein, Prime Minister Narendra Modi advised Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to have a sore throat treated at a newly launched Ayush Center. Modi said Khattar was on a busy tour of villages across the state for the assembly elections, which could have an impact on his neck. Modi said that he has faced such a situation and has made full use of Yoga, Pranayama and Ayurveda.


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(MENAFN- Saudi Press Agency) Riyadh, March 19, 2023, SPA -- The General Directorate of Narcotics Control has arrested four citizens in the Riyadh Region in possession of 189,903 amphetamine pills, 141 pills used as medicines, hashish, three firearms and live bullets.
They were referred to the Public Prosecution.
11:43 LOCAL TIME 08:43 GMT
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Syria violence interrupts food distribution in some areas
(MENAFN- The Peninsula) BEIRUT:Syrian warplanes have struck rebel-held towns and villages in the country's northwest as the World Food Program says weekslong violence has hampered some of its activities in the area.
WFP said in a statement Tuesday that due to the latest wave of violence that broke out on April 30, the U.N. organization and its partners at times have had to "temporarily interrupt distributions in the southern parts of Idlib due to the conflict."
It added that since May, WFP has not been able to reach some 7,000 people in the area of Qalaat al-Madiq that witnessed intense fighting recently.
The opposition's Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Civil Defense, also known as White Helmets, reported airstrikes on different parts of Idlib province, Syria's last major rebel stronghold.
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(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) Britain has recorded another four coronavirus-related deaths, the lowest daily increase since early September last year, the official data showed Monday, Trend reports citing Xinhua .
It brings the total number of people who have died within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test to 127,274.
Another 2,963 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,390,783, according to official figures.
Meanwhile, nearly 33 million people in Britain have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, while the number of people who are fully vaccinated has exceeded 10 million.
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A collection of news and information related to Educational Development Corporation published by this site and its partners.
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Blog | Sep 23, 2009 | 4:24 PMby Mark Silva Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton have sort of danced around one another since that election in which, you know... But they joined this week at something which has become a personal matter for the former president,...


Government says it will request the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) and the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) to transform the debt owed to them by all public media institutions into equity capital.
Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Chishimba Kambwili says the development will enhance operations at the affected public media organisations namely Times of Zambia, Zambia Daily Mail and the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC).
Mr. Kambwili said his ministry has already begun the formulation process and it will soon take the matter to cabinet for approval.
He stated that the move to request ZRA and NAPSA to transform the debt into equity capital is among many measures government intends to use to recapitalise and resuscitate the public media institutions so that they can operate profitably.
The Minister further said the development will no doubt help the Times of Zambia which is mostly affected to go on the open market as their balance sheet will be greatly improved and enhanced.
Mr. Kambwili who was speaking during a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday, said government is committed to ensure that all public media institutions in the country are well sustained.


Inmates in Virginia's Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail are allowed to do community service to work off the debt that they rack up in fines and fees on their way through the court system, Stateline reports. Under the debt-relief program, developed by the City of Charlottesville and two surrounding counties, the inmates’ debt is . . .
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Srinagar 13 June: Newly appointed Spokesman of People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami on Sunday said that PAGD has never been against dialogue process but could they initiate dialogue in absence of offer from from centre.
He said that the decision taken by centre on August 5 2019 was taken without being taking the political leaders and people of Jammu and Kashmir on board.
“There was no demand regarding the revocation of article 370 and bifurcation of state from any group of people nor it was discussed here with the mainstream parties,” he said.
Criticising the demotion of J&K State into Union territory, Tarigami said that there has been examples wherein union territories have been demanding statehood but downgrading the Jammu and Kashmir state to Union Territory was neither demand from Kashmir nor from Jammu.
He also said that the mainstream parties of Jammu and Kashmir have never been against dialogue process “if there will be any call from centre regarding dialogue, we will welcome it as we have been committed to dialogues.”
Saying that PAGD members are committed to dialogue, he said,”There was somehow delay in chairing PAGD meeting but there were some issues especially the Covid pandemic which took it somehow long to call for a meeting but we are committed to the alliance agenda and there will be no compromise on it.”
He also said that the public outreach program has been paused due to the Covid pandemic as there has been a protocol issued by the Government to curb the virus.
“Once the pandemic will end, we will take all stakeholders on table to discuss the further strategy. We will resume public outreach programme once pandemic is over,” he said. kns


From The Babylon Bee:
NEW YORK CITY, NY—CNN’s hit show Reliable Sources has just released a blockbuster report on something Fox News reported regarding CNN’s recent reporting of a Fox News report.
Fox News later responded to Brian Stelter’s report about what Tucker Carlson stated about what CNN repeated about what was discussed on Fox & Friends about CNN.
“What Stelter said about what we said is completely untrue, and doesn’t even match with what he said the day before about what we said about what he said, about what we said, about what he said, about what we said, about what he said.”
“It’s no wonder CNN’s ratings are continuing to fall.”
According to sources, tonight Stelter will be offering his response to what Fox News said.


A collection of news and information related to Busch Gardens Tampa published by this site and its partners.
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Story | Mar 30, 2009Where do injury lawsuits originate? Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom and Universal Orlando's Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure generated the most personal-injury lawsuits during the past five years among the region's major theme parks and...


India vs NZ: Iyer, Jadeja put hosts in driving seat
(MENAFN- NewsBytes) A century stand by all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and debutant Shreyas Iyer put India in the driving seat on Day 1 of the first Test against New Zealand at Green Park, Kanpur. India fared well in the first session, with Shubman Gill registering a half-century. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane couldn't capitalize upon their starts. Meanwhile, Kyle Jamieson was the pick of New Zealand's bowlers.
Day 1 How did Day 1 pan out?
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Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers cancels distance learning requirement
(MENAFN- Trend News Agency ) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 22
Azerbaijan has canceled the requirement related to the distance learning and approved the process of transition to full-time education, Trend reports on Sept. 22 referring to the Cabinet of Ministers' explanation related to the resolution on changes to the "Temporary rules for organizing the educational process during the period of special quarantine regime in educational institutions in Azerbaijan".
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"To empower people to Discover, Develop and Display Jesus Christ in every area of their life.
Life in 3D: "DISCOVER, DEVELOP, DISPLAY"
We exist to help people DISCOVER the gospel, DISCOVER
a relationship with Christ and DISCOVER the gifts, talents and calling that God has on their lives.
We exist to help people DEVELOP their relationship with Christ (Discipleship), help them DEVELOP their gifts, talents and calling and DEVELOP practical life skills.
We exist to help people put Christ on DISPLAY through their everyday lives, through their unique gifts and talents and through serving others.


Alhaji Balarabe Salame, the member representing Gwadabawa/Illela Federal Constituency, has floated a foundation to provide skills training and jobs for youths in Sokoto State.
Salame, who is the Chairman House of Representative Committee on Poverty Alleviation, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Sokoto during a meeting with APC stakeholders from the 23 local government areas of the state.
He also said that the foundation would work for the development of the state and ensure better leadership for the APC in the state.
“We are so much disturbed with the situation of our party in Sokoto, where we have leaders that did not have the people on their minds.
“So our plan is, by 2023, we will continue to struggle to see that we have good leaders who have the people in their minds to take over the leadership.
“Moreover, the foundation will engage in developmental projects and humanitarian activities for our people, with the aim to continue even beyond the year 2023,” he said.
The lawmaker added that the foundation would continue to purrsue anything that will benefit the people of the state, including employment, skills training and admission for students, among others.
On the just concluded APC ward congresses in the state, Salame said that the system adopted by the leadership of the party had violated the national guidelines.
“The state party leaders did not respect the rules and regulations governing the APC and the guidelines of the National Headquarter of the party, which were 100 per cent violated.
“This is because, a certain group of people who are members of APC in the state and are qualified to contest in the party’s congresses were denied their rights and ignored during the whole process.
“In addition to that, the leadership has continued to consider only certain people in the party as stakeholders while ignoring others in their decision to adopt consensus during the ward congress.
“More so, the decision to adopt consensus option was taken at the personal residence of a member, excluding myself, the Speaker Sokoto State House of Assembly and many other stakeholders,” he added.
Salame said that the aggrieved members will forward a petition to the APC National headquarters to seek justice for those denied the right to participate in the ward congresses in the state. (NAN)


Lifeboat called to help two people drifting on inflatable off the coast of Portobello
and live on Freeview channel 276
The alarm was raised around 7:30pm by the Coastguard after reports that two people were drifting off the coast of Portobello, north of Joppa, in Edinburgh.
By the time the crew arrived on the scene, the people were safe and well.
Kinghorn RNLI said the inflatable was blowing eastwards in a strong wind.
There were two people on board.
A spokesman said: “The boat launched within ten minutes. It was confirmed that the people were back ashore, safe and well.
"The Coastguard confirmed the lifeboat crew was stood down after arriving on the scene.”


Businesses need to focus on corporate responsibility – Gormley
Irish businesses need to focus on corporate responsibility when looking at environmental issues, a Government minister has said.
Speaking at the recent Business in the Community Ireland Environment event, Mr John Gormley, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, said that businesses who addressed environmental concerns often found that their costs also fell.
However, he added: “Business needs to step up to the challenge and move beyond the bottom line to look at the whole issue of corporate responsibility and how it can contribute to society, community and the local environment.”
Minister Gormley said that there had been a shift in recent years, and that businesses were beginning to see that their goals and environmental protection efforts do not have to be in conflict.
During his speech, the minister outlined a number of specific key areas where business could have a positive input into environmentally sustainable practices. These included sustainable consumption and production, climate change mitigating practices, water conservation, waste prevention, more efficient use of energy and litter prevention.
He concluded by telling business leaders that consumers were increasingly expecting companies to actively look at how they can help the environment.
A recent study found that the Irish city of Dublin had a persistent litter problem which was putting businesses off operating in the capital.


(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 7 . Police officers
discovered ammunition in Azerbaijan's Gubadli, trend reports citing the
Barda regional group of the press service of the Ministry of
During the activities carried out by employees of the Gubadli
district police department in abandoned military positions in the
district, 8 anti-tank guided missile systems, 5 grenade launchers,
35 grenades, 66 different types of shells, and other ammunition
were found and handed over to relevant structures.
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(MENAFN- Colombo Gazette)
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has written to President Ranil Wickremesinghe with regards to the Draft National Women's Commission Bill, Draft Gender Equality Bill, and Draft Women's Empowerment Bill.
The HRCSL requested the President to consider amalgamating the Gender Equality Bill and the Women's Empowerment Bill into a single consolidated Bill.
It also urged the President to House the Gender Equality Council in the new department to which the Women's Bureau will be upgraded. Consider naming the said department the 'Department for Gender Equality' in view of such a change and also further strengthen the appointment process with respect to the National Women's Commission. Members of the Commission may be appointed on the recommendation of the Constitutional Council in a manner similar to the appointment of members of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka.
“The Commission observes that there are substantial similarities in the provisions and legislative intent behind the Bills. It is, therefore, recommended that the Gender Equality Bill and the Women's Empowerment Bill be amalgamated into a single consolidated Bill. With reference to the institution that will be established under these Bills, we recommend that the Gender Equality Council be housed in the new department to which the Women's Bureau will be upgraded. We recommend that such an amalgamation be considered to minimise overlap and resource wastage. We recommend that the naming of the department as the 'Department for Gender Equality' be considered in view of such a change,” HRCSL said.
HRCSL also urged the President to consider publishing the three Bills as soon as possible to enable meaningful public consultation on their substance. (Colombo Gazette)
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Five people have been arrested after a teenager was stabbed in the back.
The 16-year-old boy was stabbed in a cemetery in Market Deeping, according to police.
He was taken by air ambulance to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.
Police said the incident was reported to them at 5pm on Wednesday, July 19.
A spokesman said that the suspects left the scene but Northamptonshire Police have since arrested five people on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.
Lincolnshire Police are appealing for witnesses who have not already given them information to contact them on 101 or to call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.


Bill aims to make monument declaration process more public
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed legislation aimed at making presidential national monument declaration decisions open to public comment, according to Rep. Kevin Cramer’s office.
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Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay on Tuesday said that Turkey wants to increase production in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Speaking during a visit to the Anadolu News Agency, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said that major projects were in the pipeline for the TRNC.
“On the one hand we are working on major projects where we will be able to advance economic development and on the other political negotiations are continuing,” said Oktay.
Explaining that they wanted to establish production infrastructure in the TRNC, Oktay said that the country, like other places around the world, was experiencing difficulties due to the pandemic even though infrastructure for higher education and tourism existed.
“What we have discovered is that there are alternative service sectors in the TRNC and by strengthening these sectors we can create employment and take our rightful place in the international arena,” Oktay said.
The Turkish Vice President said that the TRNC had upgraded its status in the Eastern Mediterranean with Turkey’s support.
“Although there were many attempts to destroy the Turkish Cypriots until the peace operation was carried out in 1974, today we have a Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus that represents the Turkish Cypriot people,” he said.
Oktay pointed out that the TRNC was a sovereign state which exercised its own sovereign rights.
He added that Turkey’s position on the Cyprus Issue will be very clear when the two sides, the three guarantor countries and the UN meet in Geneva between April 27-29.


(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM))
CHARLOTTETOWN, 22nd December, 2017 (WAM) -- Hamad Abdul Raziq Al Awadhi, Acting Charge d'affaires at the UAE Embassy in Canada, today handed a cheque for US$20,000 to Autism Canada in Charlottetown, the capital city of Prince Edward Island, Canada.
The donation is part of the initiative of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan declaring 2017 as the "Year of Giving."
The cheque was donated during a reception hosted by Autism Canada, in collaboration with the UAE Embassy, which was attended by Senator Percy Downe, President of the Canada-United Arab Emirates Friendship Parliamentary Group, and James Aylward, Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island, as well as other senior officials.
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PUTRAJAYA: The nationwide crime index rate has dropped 70 per cent since the implementation of the movement control order (MCO) came into force on March 18.
Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said as such there is no reason for the public to worry over security issues during this period.
“To the people who always make comments on social media and raise concerns that crime will increase … police statistics show the crime index has dropped 70 per cent during the MCO period,” he told a press conference after chairing the meeting of the Special Ministerial Committee on the MCO here yesterday.
Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri who is also Defence Minister said a total of 6,451 people had been detained nationwide for defying the MCO as of Monday.
He said 403 individuals were detained Monday and of that total, 347 have been remanded while 56 others were allowed bail.
“Although the total number of arrests has dropped to 26 per cent compared to (554) on Sunday, the number is still high,” he said.
On the public sanitisation operation, Ismail Sabri said the Housing and Local Government Ministry had conducted 666 operations in 79 zones including 18 Red Zones.
The ministry had also sanitised government buildings and 24,077 housing units under the People’s Housing Projects, he added. — Bernama


ISLAMABAD, Aug 14 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Sunday said that the government was committed to protect minorities’ rights as they enjoyed equal rights as citizens of Pakistan.
The Prime Minister was talking to Dr Sham Sundar Advani, a
leader of PML-N Sindh chapter, who called on him and conveyed felicitation on the occasion of Independence Day.
The Prime Minister appreciated the sacrifices and effective
role played by the minorities for the national cause and progress.
He reiterated that protection of their rights was the
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Political Affairs
Dr Asif Kirmani was also present during the meeting, said a press release of the PM Office media wing.
Dr Sham Sundar said the Sindh minorities deeply appreciated
the Prime Minister’s agenda of development and steps to protect their rights.
During the meeting, political situation and organization issue
of the party were also discussed.


(MENAFN- The Peninsula) AA
KUALA LUMPUR: Three people died while thousands were evacuated when a heavy storm downpour hit Penang, a northern island in Malaysia home to some 1.75 million.
Heavy rain and gale-force winds overnight forced over 2,000 people to be moved to shelters due to flash floods, according to a statement from the Penang State Police Department.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng advised all Penang residents to remain home while those living in flood-prone areas were advised to move to higher ground.
He said flood water had risen to three to four meters, adding that the state government is mobilizing all resources with the assistance of the federal government to handle the situation.
Many residents fear the worse, as the state's meteorological department has issued a "red alert" over a forecast that more heavy rain is expected in the next two days.
About 50 flood relief centers have been opened and more victims are expected to be evacuated as the weather worsens, said the police statement.
"The Royal Malaysia Armed Forces has taken charge in deploying assets to rescue the people of Penang," it said.
The military was mobilized in the state following an appeal for the federal government's assistance from Lim.
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Mabuwe — Member of Parliament for Nkange, Mr Edwin Batshu says project delays in the constituency were a major setback.
This he said when addressing a kgotla meeting in Mabuwe on April 16.
Mr Batshu highlighted that Independent Electoral Commission office being built in Tutume at a cost of over P11 million was scheduled to have been completed by October 2017, but to date the project had not been completed.
It is 93 per cent complete.
He said the contractor being a Motswana had requested several extensions, which were granted.
However, he has failed to meet the schedule of extension.
In addition, he pointed out that another project in the constituency due to be handed over was the Maitengwe Police Station, which was scheduled to be handed over next month.
He said the project was 72 per cent complete instead of being at least 90 per cent complete.
This, he said was a serious concern because government worked according to plan and the expectation was that projects be done as per schedule so that others could take off as well.
He noted that having projects finishing on time gave those tasked to monitor them ample time to focus on new ones as per schedule instead of having to move back and forth making follow-ups on those that were left behind.
He nonetheless commended the company building the Botswana Housing Corporation fifty houses in Tutume, which he said was almost through, having covered 95 per cent of the job.
Twenty of the houses have been bought by Botswana Police Service while other government departments including education have shared the remaining 30.
He as such said the houses were going to address the burning issues of shortage of staff houses in the area.
Further, Mr Batshu said having companies finishing work on time gave the government and the beneficiaries confidence that such a company could be engaged on other works if need arose.
He therefore appealed to local contractors to pull up their socks and work as per the time frame agreed upon.
On other updates, he said a satellite police station had been completed in Nkange and the officers were waiting to be allocated a vehicle, which would ease their job.
He noted that the office was going to ease work on Tutume office and improve service delivery as it would serve other villages such as Senete, Changate as well as settlements and cattle posts within its vicinity.
In addition, he stated that an upgraded police station being a semi urban station was planned to be built in Tutume in the next financial year.
Meanwhile, MP Batshu expressed disappointment at the extent of damages caused on new developments around the constituency.
He noted that the P280-million Tutume infrastructure development project had a component of installing 1 200 street lights and to date 641 lights had been installed.
He however said some people had already started destroying the lights and stealing the solar panels.
He said such acts indicated that there was a market for such stolen items within the community, hence the perpetrators were destroying government property to serve their market.
He thus warned that causing damage to government property was punishable by law.
<i>Source : BOPA</i>


Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima on Saturday, June 27, 2015 said that the federal government has taken over the funding of the camp of Internally Displaced person (IDP).
He said: “Since Buhari took over affairs at the Presidency he has been working silently.
“Part of the work is that the Federal Government has now taken over most responsibilities in funding activities in the 22 IDP camps in Maiduguri.
“The state government fully shouldered the responsibilities under former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
“Since 2013 when we established IDP camps in Biu for the displaced people of Damboa, up till few days ago, the state government was solely bearing the burden of funding the camps.”
The governor further stated that the state government would now concentrate on repairing the areas destroyed by boko haram since the federal government has shouldered the responsibility of funding the camp.


Chief Minister of Punjab, Sardar Usman Buzdar has recently inaugurated the development project foundations in Chiniot that have billions of rupees worth.
The CM while speaking to media said that the government’s highest priority is to solve the problems of the public and that is why the development packages are also given to almost all the districts.
Cm also announced that a hospital with around 250 beds will be built in Chiniot in addition with the four main projects for the construction of roads. Buzdar said that the provincial government also wants an equal progress for the entire Punjab. However, it has also given a package of about Rs. 10 billion for the projects of Faisalabad and Chiniot.


ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office on Tuesday announced that the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran Dr. Javad Zarif will pay an official visit to Pakistan on 10-11 November 2020.
According to a press release issued on Tuesday, the foreign office said that the Iranian foreign minister will have delegation-level talks with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and have interaction with other dignitaries.
He will also call on Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Foreign Minister Javad Zarif’s visit to Pakistan forms part of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries. This is his fourth visit to Pakistan during the last two and a half years.
The foreign office said that Pakistan and Iran enjoy close, cordial relations founded on mutual trust and augmented by affinities of faith and culture.
“Bilateral collaboration between the two countries has been growing in diverse fields,” it said adding that the Iranian leadership has been vocal in its steadfast support on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
The visit of the Foreign Minister of Iran will help further deepen bilateral cooperation and enhance understanding on various regional issues, the FO said.


LAHORE: Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Saad Rizvi announced to participate in the next election.
In his statement, Allama Khalid Hussain Rizvi’s son Saad Rizvi said that he is also ready for the pre-election, adding that those who had claimed not to take loans from the IMF are now begging the financial institution to release funds.
He said that the rulers had ruined the country.
Hafiz Saad Hussain Rizvi further said that they are making preparations for the 2023 elections. We are even ready for the early elections, he said.
He said that the TLP will compete with all the parties and field candidates all over the country.
Saad Rizvi said that we will come upto the expectations of every citizen.


The incident took place before noon time close to Zorabad area of the city with the security sources saying at least three people were killed.
The sources further added that the blast has also at least two people wounded.
Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai confirmed the incident and said at least one person was killed and three others who had sustained injuries have been detained by the police on suspicion of preparing explosives for the attacks.
This comes as at least five people were wounded in a magnetic bomb explosion in the 5th police district of the city on Sunday.
The security officials said Sunday that a magnetic bomb planted in a police vehicle was detonated in the Company area of the city, leaving at least five people wounded.


Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday said that the government is trying to find ways to reopen schools in the national capital that have remained shut due to coronavirus pandemic since March last year.
He said that the reopening of schools will depend on when Covid-19 vaccine will be available for the public.
"Brainstorming is on for how early schools can be reopened in Delhi, especially for board classes as the dates for exams have already been announced," he said while addressing a press conference.
Sisodia also said that "our future strategy (on reopening schools) will depend on how early a COVID-19 vaccine is available for public after frontline workers are vaccinated".
While a few states have partially reopened schools, the Delhi government had announced that schools will not reopen till a vaccine is available.
Sisodia announced that the Delhi government is organising an international education conference from January 11 to 17 on how should the education sector be in a post-COVID world.
(With PTI inputs.)


The Mahavir Mandir Trust in Patna has donated Rs 1 crore to the Chief Minister Relief Fund to aid the state in its fight against the Coronavirus pandemic, Times of India has reported.
The trust manages a prominent temple in the city dedicated to Lord Hanuman.
The trust’s secretary Acharya Kishore Kunal was quoted as saying that their donation is aimed at strengthening the state in its efforts to contain the outbreak as well as providing food for the poor.
The temple trust has also assured that it is also ready to help the administration in other ways to ensure adequate for the poor and the needy.
Last year the temple trust had donated Rs 12 lakh to the Muzaffarpur administration for the supply of medicines and glucose among children during the coronavirus outbreak.


Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be meeting the state BJP leaders during his visit to the state on 9-10 May. This was announced on Friday by the State BJP. The state BJP leadership has decided to take up the issue of law and order in the state during the meeting with Modi. Earlier it was decided that the State BJP will be submitting a memorandum to the Prime Minister but on Friday it was decided that the leaders will be meeting Prime Minister Modi personally and talk about their grievances.
There are rumors in the political circles that Modi is visiting the state keeping in mind the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections. Hence the meeting of the BJP leaders with the PM holds a lot of significance.


Editorial: It’s time to work to solve this issue of immigration
The last time Congress tried a serious effort at immigration reform was in 2007, which failed. The issue has been debated now for more than a decade.
Border enforcement has improved with illegal border crossings down 80 percent over the past two decades, according to published reports. That is an improvement.
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(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) On April 04, the world will be celebrating the late actress Praveen Babi's birth anniversary.
Parveen Babi was a prominent Indian actress known for her work in Bollywood during the 1970s and 1980s.
While she was a private person and details about her personal life were not widely publicized during her lifetime, there were several reported affairs and relationships that gained media attention.
Parveen Babi and actor Amitabh Bachchan starred together in several films and were rumored to have been romantically involved. However, both Bachchan and Babi never publicly confirmed these rumors.
There were rumors of a relationship between Parveen Babi and actor Danny Denzongpa. However, details about the extent of their relationship remain unclear.
Parveen Babi was in a relationship with filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt during the early years of her career. Their relationship was tumultuous and reportedly ended due to various reasons, including Babi's struggles with mental health issues.
Parveen Babi was also romantically linked with actor Kabir Bedi. Their relationship was highly publicized and garnered media attention at the time.
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Electrician: Burned home had problems
WINCHESTER — Officials continue to investigate Thursday’s fire at a residence on North Kent Street, but are not labeling the blaze as suspicious.
Flames broke out around 6:50 p.m. at 320 N. Kent —…
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(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 25 . A
videoconference was held between the Russian Trade Representation
in Azerbaijan and business representatives of Russian Khabarovsk
region within the 'Hour with Trade Representative' project of the
Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia, trend reports on November
During the event, special attention was paid to participation in
specialized exhibition events held in Azerbaijan, as well as work
with Azerbaijani distributors.
Besides, Russian Trade Representative in the country Ruslan
Mirsayapov presented latest information on customs, logistics and
financial aspects of entering the Azerbaijani market, the needs of
Azerbaijani consumers and businesses in the current economic
situation, the possibilities of a trade mission to support the
export activities of Russian enterprises, and answered the
questions of Khabarovsk entrepreneurs.
Director of the Export Support Center of the Khabarovsk Region
Anastasiya Molokova who also took part in the conference spoke
about the foreign trade cooperation between the region and
Azerbaijan, the possibilities of Khabarovsk companies to expand the
range and increase the volume of export supplies.
The event was attended by representatives of seven enterprises
of the Khabarovsk region operating in the woodworking, food,
automotive, pharmaceutical and pulp industries, and tourism.
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.


Chandigarh reported 828 new COVID-19 positive cases on Friday, which is the highest so far. Three deaths due to COVID were also reported in the last 24 hours. The city was crossing ‘600’ mark consecutively for the last five days, but today, the number of infections were found even more than 800.
As per the information released by the health department, UT Chandigarh, the total number of active cases in Chandigarh stands at 4,622.
In the last 24 hours, the department has tested 4,062 samples. As per the figure, 430 deaths have been reported in Chandigarh due to COVID-19 to date.
Likewise, the total number of patients who have tested positive to date stands at 37,232


Three elected councilors from the Municipal Council (MC) Baramulla have been booked by the local police following a scuffle that allegedly erupted between employees and councilors.
A police official said that the incident took place on Tuesday, leading to the lodging of an FIR against the accused individuals.
“A case with FIR No 131/2023 has been registered at the Baramulla police station,” he said.
“The three councilors have been charged with damaging government property and using unparliamentary language against employees and the executive officer of MC Baramulla.”
Baramulla police said that they have initiated a thorough investigation into the matter.
Police said that the situation unfolded when the executive officer of MC Baramulla lodged a complaint with the police, alleging that the councilors forcibly entered the MC Baramulla office and subjected officials present to verbal abuse.
Furthermore, they reportedly caused damage to government property during the incident. The seriousness of these allegations prompted the police to take swift action.
It is worth noting that this incident occurred just a day after the former MC Baramulla President was removed from his position.
The former president faced a no-confidence motion and subsequently lost the floor test, leading to his ousting.


Runestone Electric Association hosts district meeting board nominations
District meetings were recently held to nominate one or more candidates for the office of director of Runestone Electric Association (REA).
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(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Reuters
BLANTYRE: Cholera has spread to 22 of Malawi's 28 districts, killing 110 people and infecting 3,891 people since March when the first case was reported, the health minister said on Tuesday.
The first case of the debilitating infection, which spreads mainly through contaminated food and water, was reported in March in the southern district of Machinga.
The disease has since then spread rapidly to other regions of the country, raising alarm that it could worsen at the onset of Malawi's rain season in November and December.
Malawi's health minister Khumbize Chiponda said in a statement that most of the deaths occurred because infected people came late for treatment at health facilities.
'The major factors associated with the cholera outbreak in the communities are poor food hygiene, lack of safe water and low latrines coverage and usage (open defecation),' Chiponda said.
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LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said on Saturday that the government allocated Rs200 million for the ‘Nai Zindagi’ program and the state will fulfill its responsibilities.
While addressing an event of Nai Zindagi initiative for medical and psychological rehabilitation of acid attack victims under Ehsaas programme, CM Usman Buzdar said that Punjab government has initially allocated Rs200 million and the program will be expanded to other districts besides creating employment for the affected persons.
He said that more steps were being taken for the development of human resources and a waste management programme was also initiated in nine districts. The government has prioritized the uplift of the unprivileged segment of society and more than 75,000 persons will be groomed for employment.
The chief minister said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is efficiently working for improving the health and education sector. Under the Nai Zindagi program, the victims of acid attacks will be provided medical facilities and interest-free loans.
‘Acid attack victims to get medical treatment, loans under Nai Zindagi program’


Knowledge & Understanding
Children should be taught to understand what their bodies can do and the impact of being active, as well as, health and fitness.
Ask children questions that will help them understand and work out what they are doing and what they are learning. This will also help them to understand what their bodies are doing. Give them time to reflect on activities and what they have achieved.
Children enjoy achieving what they set out to do.
It is important for children to be able to understand their own achievements.
Creating an enabling environment helps support all areas of learning.
The more adults develop their knowledge and understand what children need the more they can help them grow and be healthy.


Aam Olas Episode 268
In this episode of Aam Olas, Yousaf Jan Utmanzai visited Tanagay, Charsadda in Kpk, where recently an incident happened of harassment and kidnapping of trans genders nevertheless somehow police were informed and they took immediate action and rescued the Trans genders. Trans genders are the most vulnerable and most discriminated gender in our society and they are being harassed and raped, which needs to be stopped and the government, also the state should take some immediate actions against it.
However, in this case, the police took immediate action and arrested the culprits, and later on, Yousaf Jan Utmanzai was invited to take an interview with the Police officers and the culprits and to put forth the issue.
At first, Yousaf Jan Utmanzai asked for a conclusive statement from the Police officer, who in response said that these were four to five friends and they were trying to kidnap the trans genders but they started yelling and called for help and some calls were made to the Police and then the Police took immediate action.
The Police officer moreover said that the culprits started firing on the police and even didn’t stop at the check post. The police pursuit started and the culprits were arrested. The police have two of the culprits in their custody and are on the look for the absconders.
In response to the question asked by the Yousaf Jan Utmanzai from the culprits, they said that they were in Peshawar and their friends called them to come to Tanguay, Charrsadda so they did but were not aware of the scenario created by their friends.
Nonetheless, the police officer contradicts the culprit statements and said that both the two arrested culprits are as involved as the absconder’s because they were in the same vehicle when the Police pursuit and firing happened.


The vote on the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill will be held next week.
Seargent-at-Arms Narendra Fernando said Parliament sittings have been limited to two days next week.
He said the current coronavirus situation will be discussed during the Parliament session held on Tuesday (04).
Meanwhile, the debate and vote on the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill will be held on Wednesday (05).
Fernando said a decision was taken at the Party Leaders meeting to limit Parliament sittings to two days due to the prevalent coronavirus pandemic in the country.
However, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) leader MP Anura kumara Dissanayake has stated that the Government had disregarded Opposition requests with regard to the debate on the Port City Economic Commission Bill.
He further said the Government has instead taken a decision to limit the debate on the Port City Economic Commission Bill to one day. (NewsWire)


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By Sabina Mammadli
Azerbaijan strongly condemns the violation of international humanitarian law, Permanent Representative to the United Nations Yashar Aliyev has said.
He made the remarks at an open debate at the UN Headquarters during the UN Security Council meeting titled 'War in Cities: Civilian Protection.'
Aliyev emphasized the importance of the UN Security Council paying special attention to civilian protection, demanding that all parties to armed conflicts fully comply with international humanitarian law obligations.
'Conflicts and new crimes frequently reoccur, when offenders go unpunished,' the representative said.
The Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict
During the debate, it was brought up that the 30th anniversary of the genocide against Azerbaijani civilians in Khojaly will be commemorated in February.
“As a result of Armenia's attack on Khojaly and the capture of the city, hundreds of civilians, including women, children, and the elderly, were brutally killed, severely injured, taken hostage, and tortured while the city was destroyed,” he added.
He stressed that armed conflicts in cities cause significant damage to civilians and infrastructure.
'The devastating consequences of Armenia's aggression in the early 1990s had a significant impact on Azerbaijan,' the Azerbaijani permanent representative to the UN added.
He mentioned a number of attacks on Azerbaijani civilians and various settlements throughout the war.
The permanent representative emphasized that the conflict was resolved as a result of the 44-day second Karabakh war.
Aliyev drew attention to the lack of accurate information about the hundreds of thousands of mines planted on Azerbaijani territory by Armenia, which resulted in the deaths or injuries of hundreds of Azerbaijani civilians.
“Those who gave orders to attack the cities, settlements, and villages of Azerbaijan during the conflict still go unpunished. On the contrary, most of them are glorified in Armenia as so-called 'national heroes',' the representative stressed.
He stated that after the war, the state pays special attention to the issues of restoring liberated territories and ensuring the safe return of internally displaced people.
Moreover, during the debate, Aliyev emphasized that the world has developed a solid framework of legally binding rules to regulate the process of holding military operations in recent years.
According to him, international jurisprudence has contributed to the strengthening of international law by punishing criminal perpetrators, preventing such crimes from recurring, ensuring the rule of law, and restoring peace.
He went on to say that there are still major issues, such as the fact that armed conflicts continue to result in large civilian casualties, injury, psychological trauma, sexual violence, torture, the disappearance of people, and the damage and destruction of homes, schools, and hospitals.
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This week’s government meetings
Following are some of the area governmental meetings scheduled this week:
Community Policy Management Team strategic planning retreat, 8:30 a.m. today, Hunting Ridge Retreat, 1011 Hunting…
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(MENAFN- Colombo Gazette) The new Government in Sri Lanka, headed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has been accused of embarking on a strategy to "militarize and securatize" Sri Lanka unleashing a chilling process of repression targeting critics and human rights defenders.
Two human rights groups, the International Truth and Justice Project – Sri Lanka (ITJP) and Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS) said that with the help of activists in Sri Lanka who cannot be named for their own safety, the two groups documented 69 incidents of intimidation and threats both before and after the elections which have targetted journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers, plaintiffs, academics and opposition figures. In some cases the threats have been so serious the individuals have fled the country.
'What we are seeing is the dismantling of any attempts to address accountability and a
massive shrinking of the civic space in Sri Lanka with even more sophisticated and
intrusive surveillance,' said ITJP's Executive Director, Yasmin Sooka.
'The international community has to ensure the increased security assistance it is giving Sri Lanka after the Easter Sunday bombings is not being misused now to crack down on human rights defenders and journalists'.
The report also illustrates how Gotabaya Rajpaksa has spread his tentacles across the government by appointing many members of his former army regiment to positions of authority and has increasingly militarized the policing and intelligence functions. Those involved in investigating past crimes inlcuding fraud have been removed from their posts.
'Individuals previously accused of corruption or alleged to be involved in war crimes are now in office again - the 'deep state' is out in the open, occupying positions of authority,' said Bashana Abeywardene of JDS, adding that it's cast a pall of silence over once outspoken journalists, trades union activists and human rights activists.
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The re-establishment of the Zambian national airline will greatly contribute to the growth of the tourism sector in the country, a Kitwe-based entrepreneur has said.
Eagle Adventures and Tours managing director Crawford Mbulo said in Lusaka yesterday that the planned launch of national airline next year would support the tourism growth in Zambia and boost the industry in the region.
Mr Mbulo said the re-establishment of the national airline would further increase trade around the region in terms of imports and exports.
He said currently, it had been difficult for stakeholders in the industry to come up with complete packages which include air transport, hotel accommodation, game viewing and other land activities due to the lack of a national carrier.
Mr Mbulo said the tourism industry had been growing steadily, but that the challenge had been the lack of the national carrier.
Transport, Communications, Works and Supply Minister Yamfwa Mukanga, told Parliament on Tuesday that the government would re-establish the national carrier next year.


(MENAFN- Jordan Times) AMMAN - Minister of Industry, Trade, and Supply, and the Minister of Labour Yousef Shamali on Thursday met with the president and members of the board of directors of the Iraqi-Jordanian Company for Industry, which is jointly owned by the Jordanian and Iraqi governments and is responsible for implementing the Joint Economic Estate project between the two countries.
Shamali emphasised the importance of continuing to work with maximum effort to begin implementing the joint project, which aims to enhance economic cooperation between the two countries in various sectors and achieve both countries' developmental goals.
Shamali expressed his gratitude to the board of directors and management of the company for their efforts in completing the necessary work to implement the project and attract a developer for it.
The chairman of the company's board of directors, Yanal Al Birmaawi, stated that the board is committed to the set timeframe for inviting a developer to the project during the current year's first quarter, and said that the developer should commence the implementation phase on the ground as planned before the end of 2023.
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Sudanese journalists went on strike on Thursday (Dec 27) in the wake of deadly protests against a rise in bread prices that the government says have left 19 people dead, including two members of the security forces.
“Nineteen people lost their lives in the incidents including two from security forces” since the protests began on Dec 19, government spokesman Boshara Juma said on state television on Thursday.
Most were killed during “incidents of lootings”, while 219 people were wounded, he said. Nobody has been killed in the capital Khartoum, Juma said.
Sudanese authorities had previously said that eight people have been killed in clashes, while Amnesty International has put the death toll at 37.
The Sudanese Journalists’ Network said it was striking in solidarity with protesters, who have taken to the streets in Khartoum and a host of other cities.


Abbas Ganbay Read more
Open discussions on the theme Promoting the Defense of Peace
Through Common Development were held within the framework of the
agenda Protection of International Peace and Security under the
presidency of China in the UN Security Council, Azernews reports.
This is stated in the publication of the Permanent Mission of
Azerbaijan to the UN in social network X.
Speaking at the event, Azerbaijan's Permanent Representative to
the UN Yashar Aliyev said that as a result of the local anti-terror
measures carried out in September Azerbaijan managed to ensure
peace in Garabagh.
It should be noted that to ensure the implementation of
provisions of the Trilateral Statement, suppression of large-scale
provocations in the Garabagh economic region, disarmament and
withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the territories of
Azerbaijan, neutralization of their military infrastructure,
ensuring the safety of civilians returning to the territories
liberated from occupation, civil servants involved in construction,
restoration and reconstruction works and Azerbaijani military
personnel, as well as restoration of the constitutional order of
the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani authorities have taken
measures to ensure peace in Garabagh.
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NCP leader DC Tripathi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday. Tripathi, however, said the meeting has nothing to do with the stand-off between his party and the Congress and the issue was not discussed. He said his meeting with the Prime Minister was in the capacity as chairman of the Nepal Democracy Solidarity Committee India in which all political parties and civil society groups are represented.
Tripathi said he discussed the situation in Nepal with the Prime Minister.
"We discussed the situation in Nepal. The meeting has nothing to do with the crisis involving the Congress and NCP," he said.


Dozens of people drowned yesterday when their pleasure boat capsized on the River Tigris near Mosul.
More than 100 people were on the ferry, which was taking families across the river to a picnic area during a public holiday.
Some reports said that the river was running unusually fast and high after the flow of water from the nearby Mosul Dam had been increased.
The families were celebrating the Kurdish and Iranian festival of Newroz, the traditional new year or spring festival.
A spokesman for the Iraqi health ministry said that at least 94 people were believed to have died, including 33 women and 12 children. It added that 55 people had been rescued, including 19 children. Bodies were still being dragged out of the…


The President said that the handling of the national economy was in the hands of the UNP over the past two years.
However he says from this year the economy will be his responsibility.
The President said that the economy was under severe strain over the past three years.
“From this year I will be taking the leadership on managing the national economy,” the President said.
The President expressed these views at a Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) election rally in Kegalle today.
Sirisena said that he will look to bring down the cost of living and also protect local investors.
He urged local investors to put their money on Sri Lanka and not overseas and assured them his fullest support.
The President also said that in the Central Bank treasury bond scam, those accused are attempting to wash their hands.
However he says the whole nation knows who is responsible and he will not hesitate to take action against them. (Colombo Gazette)


lucknow: samajwadi party president mulayam singh yadav on monday said the prevention of terrorism ordinance (poto) had been drafted by the central government keeping in mind the uttar pradesh elections. he also said that the time had now come for india to withdraw from the wto. yadav announced that the fourth state convention of the party will be held in bareilly on november 24-25. addressing party office-bearers at the state working committee meeting, yadav said the promulgation of poto was done with the intent of creating a sense of terror amongst the sp workers. he said the bjp, bereft of development issues and weighed by its failure on all fronts, intended using this draconian law to divert the attention of the people from its non-performance in all spheres. but the coming elections would not only see the saffron party being wiped out, it would also ensure that poto never saw the light of the day, he said. he said the bjp was pursuing 'dange ki rajniti' and referred to the recent incidents in gonda, ayodhya. the meeting which was geared more towards the impending elections had the sp president telling the assemblage to take special interest in monitoring the voters' list and ensure that names were not deleted. he said complaints to this effect had been received from many quarters. he also exhorted the workers to be more vigilant on the issue of identity cards. yadav said the elections in the state would have its impact on the entire country and told the workers to pay special attention to the utterances of prime minister vajpayee, home minister lk advani and chief minister rajnath singh the emphasis of which had been 'destruction' of sp. yadav told the workers it was upto them to ensure that the party formed the government and asked them to work relentlessly for the victory of the candidates selected by the party. the sp president also said that india should leave the wto, as it did not stand to benefit in anyway.


Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri said that he is not happy with the way his team has been playing in pre-season and that he wants to see improvement from his players.
He believes that they can play better and that he wants to see them perform better on the pitch.
Maurizio Sarri said that he objective of the team is to challenge for the title and if they want to get closer to Juventus at the end of the season they will need to show improvement on the pitch. He said that their performance has far from being excellent and that the players will have to show more determination on the pitch.
Maurizio Sarri said that he has been preparing the team for the Champions league qualification game where they have been drawn against French side Nice. He said that they are still far from being ready, but it is important that they perform in this game.
The Napoli coach said that they have been fighting the whole of last season to qualify for the Champions League and it is now time to deliver the good. He feels that this is an exciting moment for the team and that the players should be ready for the fight.
He has told his players that he wants them to play at a higher tempo and that they need to show more determination on the pitch. He said that games in the Champions League are played at a high tempo and that they should be ready to cope with this if they want to qualify for the group stage.
Maurizio Sarri believes that he has a good squad to challenge for the Serie A title and he wants his players to believe that they can challenge for the title.


The 42 health centers of the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) that were closed in Maidan Wardak province have been reopened on Friday, the Ministry of Public Health said.
Wahidullah Mayar, a spokesman for the Health Ministry said in a tweet that the organization has resumed its normal activities on Friday.
Mayar said that the centers were reopened after mediation by the health council, tribal elders, Ministry of Public Health, and local residents in the province.
Meanwhile, SCA said in a statement that the local Taliban have also informed the organization’s office to reopen their health facilities to address the people’s problems.
“We have taken the initial steps to re-open health facilities,” the statement said adding that, “the staff of those health facilities that offer 24 hours services have been asked to be on duty as of today. Full re-opening will be in effect as of Saturday as the first working day of the week.”


(MENAFN- Nam News Network)
MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, Mar 18 (NNN-NAN) – Afghan security forces, raided hideouts of the Daesh terror group, in northern Balkh province last night, killing several insurgents, chief spokesman of the Afghan caretaker administration, Zabihullah Mujahid, said today.
The raid was conducted in Police Districts 5, 6 and 8 of Mazar-i-sharif city, the provincial capital of Afghanistan's northern Balkh province, according to the official.
Mujahid didn't specify the number of Daesh militants killed in the operations. He said, one security personnel was injured during the operations.
The security forces have also seized arms and ammunition during the operations.– NNN-ANA
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(MENAFN- UkrinForm) The Russian army shelled the territory of the Sumy region three times on Wednesday, November 29, with 15 explosions recorded.
This was reported by the Sumy Regional Military Administration on Telegram, as reported by Ukrinform.
"Throughout the day, the Russians conducted three shelling attacks on the border areas and settlements of the Sumy region. 15 explosions were recorded," the statement said.
The communities of Krasnopil, Esman, and Velyka Pysarivka in particular were subjected to shelling.
Specifically, in the Krasnopil community, the enemy attacked with a mortar (five explosions).
Enemy shells Sumy
region with multiple rocket launchers - three killed, including child
The Esman community was shelled by the Russians using a machine gun (ten bursts were recorded). Velyka Pysarivka was targeted with a grenade launcher (ten explosions).
As reported, last night, the Russians shelled three border areas and settlements in the Sumy region, with nine explosions recorded.
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Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has said that the US and other NATO countries are Pakistan’s enemies, and added that drone attacks were creating hatred against NATO forces, prompting arson attacks on trucks carrying food and ammunition supplies to Afghanistan.
According to The Dawn, Khan blamed the government for failing to halt the US drone attacks on Pakistan and added that the government was taking dictation from America and eventually lost its writ.
He further alleged that because of the poor policies of the government, the country was likely to face a severe economic crisis in near future.
He said the reluctance of other countries to give direct aid to Pakistan was ‘a slap in the face’ of the government, and claimed that the situation could only alter if the present leadership was changed.
Khan further asked for donations to help the flood-hit people overcome the bad phase of their lives.


Over 27 million children are at risk due to global flooding and in Nigeria, over 840,000 children have been displaced.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the overwhelming flooding has affected no less than 27.7 million children across 27 countries globally.
The UN agency stated that the number of children who are affected by flooding in Chad, Gambia, Pakistan, and northeast Bangladesh is the highest in over 30 years.
UNICEF, in a statement on Tuesday, said that a large majority of the children affected were among the most vulnerable.
It stated that rolling disasters were straining the ability of governments and the international community to respond, given the enormous scale of need.
UNICEF says that this year, floods have contributed to the increased spread of major killer diseases of children, such as malnutrition, malaria, cholera, and diarrhoea.
It also said that the aftermath of floods is often more deadly for children than the extreme weather events that caused the flooding.


(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) Oil prices rose on Monday, reclaiming some of the massive losses
they had suffered in the previous week, trend reports citing xinhua .
The West Texas Intermediate for April delivery increased 90
cents, or 1.35 percent, to settle at 67.64 U.S. dollars a barrel on
the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for May delivery
added 82 cents, or 1.12 percent, to close at 73.79 dollars a barrel
on the London ICE Futures Exchange.
Oil prices have been struggling recently as banking turbulence
in the United States and Europe amplified recession fears.
For the week ending Friday, the U.S. crude benchmark tumbled 13
percent, while Brent dropped 11.9 percent, based on the front-month
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(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA))
BRUSSELS, Nov 28 (KUNA) -- Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al Jubeir met European Commission's Executive Vice-President in charge of European Green Deal Frans Timmermans in Brussels on Monday to discuss energy relations and climate issues.
'Al-Jubeir is also the climate envoy of Saudi Arabia, so they are meeting in that capacity,' EC spokesperson for energy Tim McPhie told a news conference.
'It was a broad conversation on energy relations and climate issues on the back of the COP27 (held in Egypt) and looking ahead for potential cooperation for COP28 next year,' he said.
'There are several meetings taking place' with Al Jubeir in the European Commission, he noted.
The Saudi minister also met Margaritis Schinas - Vice-President of the European Commission and Ylva Johansson - European Commissioner for Interior Affairs. 'Very constructive meeting with H.E. Adel Al-Jubeir,' Schinas said on his twitter message.
'Together we must further people to people contacts and deepen our cooperation in areas of convergence such as climate, trade, mobility and security,' he added. (end) nk.gb
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‘Handling pandemic like law-and-order issue will derail containment efforts’
The government’s decision to hand over the bulk of COVID-19 containment activities, including technical tasks such as contact tracing which were so far being handled by the Health Department, to the police has invited flak from the medical fraternity and public health experts.
While the medical fraternity is aghast that the Health Department’s role in COVID-19 containment is being further reduced, public health experts point out that the handling of the pandemic like a law-and-order situation and in effect shifting the blame of disease transmission to the public can derail containment efforts.
“As it is, COVID-19 evokes a lot of fear, apprehension and stress amongst people, not to mention the stigma that comes along with it. Now that the government has taken the position that it is because of the laxity on the part of people that COVID-19 is spreading, the stigma is going to be very hard to shake off. Use of police force to do containment activities will drive people further away,” a public health expert said.
“The police do have a role in ensuring that the rules in a containment zone are maintained. The government should be instilling more confidence in the people and empowering them to take part in the containment efforts,” he said.
The massive human rights violations that are taking place during the pandemic and its control are something that is seldom spoken about. The police taking over the containment efforts is likely to generate more complaints.
The medical fraternity has been very vocal in their protest. The Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) and the Indian Medical Association have demanded that the police be involved only in law enforcement related to quarantine and that technical issues such as contact tracing be left to the Health Department.
The Joint Council of State Service Organisations said here that the government’s decision would only demoralise health-care workers.


Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh), April 16 (IANS) Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday held detailed discussions on the proposed Rs 20,000 crore defence corridor in Bundelkhand region and said that much headway had been made since its announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Investors Summit in Lucknow in February.
Sitharaman said that the blueprint of the ambitious project was made in just 20 days and asserted that once it becomes a reality, the entire impoverished Bundelkhand region will see unprecedented economic development and more jobs being created.
This will be the second defence corridor, after Chennai, where defence products will be manufactured, she added.
Sitharaman also said that she will hold stock-taking meetings about the progress in the project every week and even Modi was personally supervising the project.
The minister also said that the corridor will be a big boon for small entrepreneurs.
Union Minister Uma Bharati, who is the Jhansi MP, said that the defence corridor will be a game changer for the Bundelkhand region, while Adityanath assured all support and cooperation to the Central Government for realizing this project on ground.


(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed Nadhim Zahawi as
finance minister on Tuesday, replacing Rishi Sunak who earlier quit
in protest at Johnson's leadership, Trend reports citing Reuters .
Zahawi, 55, inherits an economy that is likely heading for a
sharp slowdown or even a recession, and will face immediate
pressure to do more to help struggling households and to lower
taxes which are on course to hit their highest level in decades.
Zahawi was previously education secretary. He was replaced as
education secretary by Michelle Donelan, previously a junior
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Diversification can help farmers improve their bottom line and the environment
Diversification can help farmers improve their bottom line and address climate change, according to Solutions from the Land President Ernie Shea.
“We really need to be revisiting how we manage risk,” he says. “Part of that is diversifying opportunities on farms to produce more than just singular commodity crops and thinking about ways that we can prepare for the shocking conditions that are becoming more common place.”
He tells Brownfield farmers should consider market opportunities to help manage risk.
“Market mechanisms that create new revenue streams—we’re in the early stages of carbon markets and water quality markets and these are important tools in the toolbox that are still evolving and can be a way to help manage risk,” he says.
Shea says research will also help farmers increase farm profitability and the environment.
“As much as we think we know about soil and the carbon cycle, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done so there is greater certainty in terms of investments that farmers will make in managing soil for agricultural outputs and simultaneously sinking carbon in the ground,” he says.
Solutions from the Land focuses on land-based solutions to global challenges.