ISLAMABAD: Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar has said that the government has achieved remarkable success in its three years tenure regarding economic growth rate of the country.
Talking to a private news channel, the energy minister said that every sector is showing positive results. He said the increase in remittances, exports and foreign reserves as well as improvement in stock exchange and agriculture sector are the results of prudent policies of the incumbent government.
Replying to a question, the minister said provision of gas to domestic consumers is the top most priority of the government. He said uninterrupted gas supply has been ensured to domestic and industry sectors for the last three years.
He expressed the hope that the country’s exports would not only cross $ 30 billion benchmark but that the foreign remittance would also remain above $30 billion during the current fiscal year. He said that $10-11 billion debt has also returned, besides curtailing flow of circular debt to Rs130 billion last year.
He said the PTI government not only achieved 5.37 percent growth during its third year of rule but also the current account deficit remained below $2 billion. The foreign remittance witnessed sharp increase and the revenue collection also registered a 35 percent increase during the last year, he added.
He said the government had to take “tough decisions” to stabilise the economy. Owing to the government’s prudent policies, the country’s reserves, exports witnessed an increase and international rating agencies upgraded Pakistan’s economic outlook, he added.
Hammad said the agriculture sector registered 3.5 percent, large scale industry 7.8 percent and services sector 5.8 percent increase during the said period. He said the PTI government inherited a fragile and weak economy. However, the incumbent government not only put the economy on the right track but also achieved all financial targets despite numerous challenges including Covid-19 pandemic.
The minister said uninterrupted gas supply is being provided to 1870 industrial units, fertilizers companies and power plants. He said there is a complete ban on new gas connections across the country.
The ban was not imposed for the first time; rather the PPP government had also banned new connections in 2011 and continued till 2017. However, the PML-N government lifted the ban during its last year on political grounds, he added.


Iraq denies pulling out from Kirkuk
(MENAFN) Media reports about the withdrawal of federal police forces from Kirkuk have been denounced by Iraq's Defense Ministry on Saturday.
In a statement, the ministry called the reports, which claimed that federal police forces had pulled out from the province amid reports about an imminent attack by the Daesh (ISIS) terrorist group, "fabricated".
"Security forces are continuing to do their duties," the ministry said. "There is no pull-out [from the province] as the presence of the security forces has been welcomed by residents," it added.
The federal police command referred to the reports as "part of a negative media campaign aimed to affect the public opinion in Kirkuk and weaken public confidence in state institutions and armed forces".
Kirkuk governor Rakan Jabour also dismissed the reports, saying the security situation was stable in the province.
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.


Popular singer Rookantha Gunathilaka was today appointed as the Dambadeniya organiser of the United National Party (UNP).
He received his appointment letter from UNP leader, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Gunathilaka was among six new UNP electoral organisers who were appointed today.
Speaking at the event Wickremesinghe said that the new appointments are part of moves by the UNP to fill some vacant electoral organiser posts.
Wickremesinghe said that the UNP led United National Front is set to form a new broad alliance.
He said that the new alliance, the Democratic National Front, will ensure the freedom of the judiciary and establish a free society. (Colombo Gazette)


(MENAFN - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) WASHINGTON, Jan 10 (KUNA) -- The US has changed how it classifies international travel advisories for its citizens with the creation of a one to four level ranking system, the State Department announced Wednesday.
Each country was given a ranking beginning with level one which instructs citizens to "exercise normal caution", two suggests "increased caution", three asks Americans to "reconsider travel", and level four means "do not travel," Managing Director of Overseas Citizens services Michelle Bernier-Toth told reporters in a conference call.
The change was made due to confusion cited from the previous travel alert and a travel warning system.
As recommended with the previous classification system, the level four "do not travel" countries include North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, Central African Republic, and Mali. (end) ak.msa
Legal Disclaimer: 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.


By Sabina Mammadli
The Silk Way customs post of the Baku Main Customs Department
has confiscated Armenia-made undeclared for customs check
construction materials, Azernews reports per the State Customs
Armenia-made goods that smugglers tried to smuggle in also
included food and alcohol, according to the information. The list
of goods included 24,820 containers for silicone products used in
construction and 1,050 empty cartons for packaging silicone
The goods with Armenian inscriptions were reportedly sent by an
Iranian company to an Azerbaijani man.
The matter is being investigated by the State Customs Committee
and the State Security Service.
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.


All India Congress Committee spokesperson Manish Tiwari alleged at a news conference that the NDA government was nervous about various opposition parties coming together for the presidential election on an anti-BJP platform and hence carrying out these raids on various opposition leaders. Not finding any other way to suppress the opposition parties the government is trying to divert the minds of the opposition leaders by conducting raids and searches over their premises and offices.
He further added that after a meeting of Mamata Banerjee with the Congress president, where she discussed the long list of names the government was trying to target because they were doing things that did not suit the government aptly describes the situation.
The Congress alleged ‘vendetta politics’ against the BJP government after the CBI raids on the former finance minister P Chidambaram and his son. It is also defending the RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is also facing the heat of CBI raids and searches. According to Manish Tiwari the timing of these raids by the government also shows its uneasiness towards the opposition parties coming together. The government is even more scared as, the former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav had played an important role along with the Congress president to form the UPA against BJP in the past, and therefore are conducting these raids to divert them from any such motive.
Manish Tiwari stated that despite of the governments actions against the opposition leaders, they will continue to meet to finalise their strategy for the presidential poll.


Islamabad: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has said that the opposition and the government will have to work together on a uniform agenda after leaving their fights.
Addressing the National Assembly Session, the Minister said that we have spent a lot on the businessmen and the investors and now it is time to spend money on our youth.
Fawad Chaudhry said that we have to join together to talk of reforms while the government and the opposition should agree on the least agenda adding that we should amend NFC award and the NAB laws
He informed the NA that the first consignment of domestically produced ventilators will be handed over to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) by Friday.
Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhary told the House that the price of domestic ventilators as well as protective gear and testing kits is far less than the imported ones.


(MENAFN- UkrinForm) The Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed two Russian drones in the Zaporizhzhia region on Sunday, September 24.
Ukraine's Air Command East said this in a post on Facebook , Ukrinform reports. Read also: Ukrainian kamikaze drones destroy three Russian boats in Kherson region
"As of 14:30, in the Zaporizhzhia region, a fighter jet destroyed two enemy UAVs that, based on preliminary data, were identified as ZALA and Orlan," the post reads.
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.


Russia’s gold output decreases marginally, silver production increases
(MENAFN) Russia’s Ministry of Finance stated that gold output in the country in the first half of the year fell by 1.9 percent against the corresponding period of 2020, reaching 135.51 tons.
The numbers are anchored in raw materials supply information from Russia’s refineries.
Output of mined gold in the cited period hit 112.61 tons, compared to 116.38 tons in the first six months of the past year, while output of by-product gold came in at 7.42 tons compared to 8.27 tons in 2020. Output of secondary gold in the first half of the year surged to 15.48 tons, against 13.45 tons this year.
In the meantime, silver output jumped in the reporting period by 1.8 percent, increasing to 445.18 tons, against 437.3 tons last year.
Legal Disclaimer: 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.


NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 4 – The government is in the process of reviewing the National Youth Policy, Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki has said.
Speaking during the Youth Summit at State House Nairobi on Monday, Kariuki indicated that the policy will seek to focus on major issues affecting the youth such as crime, insecurity and drug and substance abuse.
She further pointed out that focus will be on employment as an opportunity to turn the youth into economic contributors of this country.
“We are in the process of reviewing the National Youth Policy which is somewhat out of date so that we are able to bring in the conversations that we will be picking from you and anything else that we will be picking from the youth so that then we have the youth driving the youth agenda,” the Youth Affairs and Gender CS said.
Kariuki revealed that the Youth Enterprise Development Fund has already disbursed Sh11.7 billion and that more than 25,000 youths have been absorbed into the SGR project.
“Our focus is on employment as an opportunity to turn our youth into economic contributors of this country. Our agenda is to highlight what the government has done for the youth and what it is planning to do,” she said.
She also indicated that the government has initiated youth empowerment programs mainly headed by the National Youth Service.
“We will be focusing also on the implementation of the National Youth Empowerment Strategy whose special emphasis runs from issues of youth and leadership participation, skilled development and employment as well as talent identification and development of ICT especially the online jobs,” she stated.
At the same time, the Youth CS stated that other areas the government will focus on include major issues affecting the youth such as crime, insecurity and drug and substance abuse.
She explained that business avenues have also been reserved through cyber cafes that have been opened at Huduma Centres.
“There is continuous involvement of the youth in matters of decision making especially in the county level. We have thousands of youth that have been taken up the agriculture and jua kali sectors.”
The Youth CS stated that more emphasis will be put on promoting discipline, self-awareness and patriotism among the youth in the country. “We have conducted a sensitisation programme to reach out to the youth on how to access funds.”


The Lagos State government said it has released the sum of N10.8 billion to ensure completion of ongoing construction of 114 roads across the 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas in the state.
According to a statement signed by the commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Mr. Muslim Olohuntele Folami, the government said that the construction of the roads was made possible through tax payers’ money.
He said that the second stage payment of N5.5billon released on Monday represents 61 per cent of the total cost of the 114 roads at N17.85billion.
According to Folami, “The government again reiterates that as long as Lagosians continue to fulfill their civic responsibility and obligation, the government will continue to spend its resources wisely and the Lagosians will continue to enjoy the dividends of democracy.”
“We are using this medium to urge Lagosians to continue to pay their taxes, so as to be able to enjoy the dividends of democracy, the money they are paying is what the government is using to construct these roads across the length and breadth of the state,” the commissioner said.
He further stated that aside completed and ongoing road projects across the metropolis, the state government has also embarked on the Light Up Lagos Project which is fast spreading across major highways and streets as well as construction of bridges, flyovers as well as equipping the police and other security agencies.
“This government wants the people to know that the money they are paying is being well spent and so far as they continue to fulfill their part, the government will not relent in making the state safer and more habitable for the people,” he assured.


ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has said that the cases against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain are not political but judicial, and assured that requirements of justice will be fulfilled in any case.
Talking to media representatives in Islamabad on Tuesday, the minister said that the government has no enmity with Altaf Hussain and his party as the cases against him were registered in London.
Nisar said that both Pakistan and the United Kingdom are cooperating in Imran Farooq murder and money laundering cases.
On Saturday night, the MQM Chief in his speech again criticized Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies and invited NATO forces and India to interfere in Pakistan’s internal matters.
Later on Sunday in a press conference, the interior minister termed Altaf Hussain’s speech as tantamount to waging a war against the state of Pakistan. He said that the government has decided to take a legal action against Altaf Hussain over his objectionable speech against the state institutions.
Today, the interior minister told media persons that a legal reference is being prepared against the MQM chief for his provocative statements against state institutions. He said that the reference to be sent to the British government will envisage the element of criminality and its contents will be shared with the media.
The minister assured that any negativity on Pakistan’s security interests and dignity of its institutions will not be tolerated whether it comes from Altaf Hussain or others.
Earlier addressing a ceremony at Rawalpindi police lines, the interior minister said noose has been tightened around the terrorists.
Chaudhry Nisar said that overall situation has improved a lot in the last two years but the war on terror has yet not completed. He said that this war has entered a decisive phase in which police has to play an important role.
The federal interior minister said that the armed forces, civil armed forces, police and intelligence agencies will have to continue their coordination for successes in the war on terror.


Imran Khan showed people how 2018 vote was stolen, says Maryam
Visits Daska: Says PML-N ‘lions’ will not bow to vote thieves
“These people are not stand exposed. If we knew they will take two lives we would have handed over the Daska seat anyway,” Maryam said and added “This government will collapse very soon.”
The PML-N vice-president said Imran Khan has told the people how the 2018 elections were robbed and he was imposed on them. “They should know their standing in the public now as people of the four provinces have rejected them,” she added.
Praising the role of the Election Commission of Pakistan, Maryam said the presiding officers have refused to be bought.
Maryam was on her way to Daska where she will visit the house of PML-N candidate Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar. She will also visit the house party activist who was killed in the firing incident during voting in the by-election on Friday last.
Address to Daska gathering
Addressing a huge crowd in Daska, Maryam Nawaz said that the PTI government’s failure in holding by-election for NA-75 has made it clear that Nawaz Sharif's narrative is still popular across Pakistan. Maryam said that the people of the city proved that they would "not bow down to those who stole votes."
Speaking about PML-N worker Zeeshan who died due to firing in Daksa during the by-election, Maryam said that the police have registered a case against his brother for the unrest. "PML-N members are being punished for supporting the party," Maryam said, adding the PTI used every tactic under the sun to derail the election that day because the PML-N was winning and the ruling party felt threatened.
"The PTI knew that it was about to face humiliation in the NA-75 constituency, therefore, its workers not only created chaos in Daska but even went to Wazirabad and Nowshera to torture PML-N voters," she said. "However, the people of Pakistan know how to safeguard their votes. The party which steals votes should be ashamed of itself," Maryam said.
She said the firing incident in Daska took place under the noses of PTI candidates, adding the situation was created to terrorise the masses. "The people of Daska proved that they would not bow down to those who stole votes," she said. "Those who respect the sanctity of votes defeated fear and stood up to tyranny."
"There were long queues of people standing outside polling stations because the ruling party deliberately slowed down the process," she said, adding when asked about the reason for the undue delay, the PTI blamed it on the heavy fog.
The PML-N leader added that when the votes were recounted, 300 of them turned out to be fake votes. "I salute the intellectual abilities of Imran Khan, who came to power through stolen votes," she said. "His stupidity turned the Daska election into a countrywide election as people realised that the general elections of 2018 were also rigged."


The biggest question facing the global logistics industry is: How will Amazon be able to navigate the rapidly growing and rapidly evolving global logistics landscape?
For example, how will Amazon make its way into the lucrative logistics market that has seen prices surge to record highs?
Or how will the company expand its global footprint?
The company has already announced plans to move more than 4,000 warehouses across the globe, as well as the creation of a network of warehouses across Europe.
Amazon has also announced plans for its third major international logistics hub, the Amazon Prime Now hub in New York, which is set to open later this year.
But there is still much to be done for the global marketplace, and the company has yet to release an official timetable for its expansion.
The new hub will be the second major hub for the company, after the second hub in Seattle, which was unveiled last year.


2022: No official public holidays date yet – FG
The ministry of Interior has refuted a trending news in the media purportedly credited to the ministry on announcement of public holidays for the Yuletide.
The spokesman for the ministry, Afonja Ajibola, on Saturday in Abuja said the ministry had not issued any statement on public holiday for the yuletide.
The spokesman said that the trending media report was false, as the Federal Government had yet to formally declare a public holiday.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that some media outfits on Friday, carried reports that the Federal Government had declared December 26, 27 and January 2, 2023, as public holidays.
The ministry advised members of the public to disregard the trending news and await a formal public announcement on the issue in the next few days.


Jammu and Kashmir Lt. Governor, Girish Chandra Murmu has said that the present dispensation is making headway towards attracting investments to the Union Territory.
He was speaking after inaugurating J&K Office of Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, ASSOCHAM in Jammu.
The Lieutenant Governor said that through the upcoming Global Investors’ Summit, best sectors of J&K will be showcased to the world to open up the flow of investments to the Union Territory.
He said that the government is speeding up the development of various sectors and is also seeking private investments to make the Industry sector more vibrant.
Mr Murmu said that a robust employment policy, which also includes self-employment, is in the offing to boost the employment generation in J&K. He said that a comprehensive plan is also underway to develop J&K into a medical tourism destination.


Phaahla: Law enforcement needs to focus on vaccine fake news spreaders
He said anti-vaxxer messaging goes against the state of disaster regulations and those responsible could face being charged.
CAPE TOWN - Health Minister Joe Phaahla said law enforcement agencies needed to start focusing on those spreading fake news about the use of vaccines.
He said anti-vaxxer messaging went against the state of disaster regulations and those responsible could face charges.
Phaahla was on Tuesday briefing the National Council of Province’s about the country's vaccination programme.
The minister said some of the damaging fake news included those saying vaccines would kill those who took it after two years.
He said even healthcare workers were part of this organised fake news campaign against vaccines.
“There’s a very strong and fairly orchestrated, organised fake news campaign to discredit the vaccination and unfortunately, we have found it to be some people who are health professionals who are also part of this.”
Phaahla said it was high time that law enforcement agencies looked into these fake news.
“In the regulations, there is clearly provision, which says circulating fake news is actually a criminal offence.”
Phaahla said the department was working with government communications to counter the spread of fake news. So far, 12 million doses have been administered to South Africans.


Balochistan government has decided to set up a cancer hospital in the province as part of the Sheikh Zayed hospital. This is going to be the first ever cancer treating hospital in the province.
This announcement was made by the provincial government’s spokesperson Mir Liaquat Shahwani in a video statement. He said that the Baloch government has taken the decision following the people’s demand and to improve medical facilities in the province.
Shahwani further said that the project will be a part of the upcoming budget.
CM Jam Kamal Khan-led provincial government has been working on the preparation of the next financial budget while also initiating mega development projects for Balochistan for the coming years.
The spokesperson added that the funds will be dispersed among all 28 provincial departments as per their needs. He also lashed out at the previous governments, saying they initiated new projects instead of completing the ongoing ones.
Shahwani said that the current provincial government has released Rs. 32 billion out of Rs. 39 billion for over 300 development projects in Balochistan.
Speaking on the Balochistan High Court’s decision regarding the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP), he said that the government will release Rs. 5 billion in the next month and a half as per the court’s verdict.


Hyderabad: BJP general secretary Arun Singh on Sunday claimed that the people were ‘embarrassed’ about having elected the Telangana Rashtra Samiti to power, as he Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had forgotten all his campaign promises.
Speaking to mediapersons during a visit to the city on Sunday, Mr Singh said that the people do not trust the TRS and its chief anymore. “RTC employees are dying and the state government is ignoring the issue even after the High Court intervention.”
“The BJP will continue to support the fight of the RTC workers against the government till the legitimate demands are met and the 48,000 sacked employees are taken back. In BJP-ruled states, the government doesn’t suppress the workers and the RTC has not been privatised anywhere, unlike what is proposed in Telangana state,” he added.
Further, Mr Singh said the BJP would win the Haryana and Maharashtra polls with a full majority. In the next Assembly election, the BJP would come to power in Telangana state as well, as people are inclined towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s, popularity and his initiatives, he added.


The JVP says they are ready to take every measure to ensure the public expectations are fulfilled.
Speaking to media today Party Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the peoples struggle has won, when the public understand the true motives embedded within the protest movement.
He stressed that the peoples struggle is not only centred around the President and Prime Minister, but stretches beyond that.
MP Dissanayake said the people expect the country to look at better ways of managing an economy and developing the country, both of which the government has failed to do during their tenure.
He also called for a major change in Sri Lanka’s political culture which creates leaders who move with the people, and not above them.


No public recommendations added yet.
T S Subramanian
A successful well-established Criminal Defense Attorney at Cuddalore with a winning jury record trial. Brings fierce defense for people accused of criminal offenses. Been in business for over 25 years and handled a voluminous number of cases. Has developed strong relationships with District Attorneys and court staff to secure favorable dispositions to cases.
how to find T S SubramanianClick To View Location
Vote For T S Subramanian
The voting system is a way for customers of T S Subramanian to change its popularity at Start Local. You may vote for or against T S Subramanian and your vote will affect its score on Start Local.
If you vote positively for the business you may also choose to leave a public recommendation to tell other people about your great experience with the business.
Note: A negative vote will count against this business's score but will not be displayed publicly. Read here for more info on voting.
Have you already registered with us?
We just need to know if you've already registered with Start Local? If so you should have already selected a password and validated your email address. If not, don't worry it's easy and will take less than 40 seconds.


Twenty-six more Indian students from Ukraine reached Chennai airport last evening, after their repatriation under the ongoing Operation Ganga. They were received at the airport by the state government officials and the BJP leaders. Later, the students were sent back to their respective districts including Coimbatore, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, and Villupuram by the state government.
With yesterday’s arrival, 88 students have arrived in the state in the last four days from Ukraine that is facing the Russian offensive.
All the students who spoke to the media outside the airport expressed happiness at reaching home, though they expressed concerns about the safety of their friends who are still there. They also said there are uncertainties in completing their education in time.


Harsh Dev said that during the recent hearing on Article 370 and allied matters in the Supreme Court, the constitution bench had questioned the government over the denial of electoral democracy to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Accusing the Election Commission (EC) of scuttling the election process initiated for local bodies polls in J&K at the behest of the BJP, Panthers Party activists led by president and former minister Harsh Dev Singh on Monday staged a protest outside Nirvachan Bhawan here.
The protesters raised slogans demanding immediate conduct of municipal elections as per the original schedule. They further sought immediate holding of assembly polls in J&K which have been “denied to erstwhile state for the last five years”.
Speaking on the occasion, Harsh Dev Singh said that during the recent hearing on Article 370 and allied matters in the Supreme Court, the constitution bench had questioned the government over the denial of electoral democracy to the people of J&K.
“And the BJP government had categorically stated that the process for municipal elections had already been set in motion and that they were going to be held shortly. To ensure the implementation of its assurance to the SC, the state election body had issued the process and announced the reservation chart also for all the wards of the UT. But the said process seems to have died a quite death after BJP’s disagreement with the said proposal”, said Harsh.
He further maintained that the government had taken a stand through its attorney in the Supreme Court that it was all prepared for the assembly elections also and that the final call would be taken by the Election Commission.
“It was shocking that despite an unambiguous statement made before the Supreme Court, the elections were again being evaded only to address the political concerns of the ruling party”, Harsh claimed.
Urging the EC to proceed with its original schedule for timely municipal elections, he said that any postponement of the said elections would not only amount to contempt of Supreme Court but also erod


No public recommendations added yet.
Poultry Bazaar has a history of running the egg and poultry trading business across northern India for ages. Our family has been involved in the poultry farming, wholesale egg trading and related businesses for the last 30 years and more. To know about us, visit our website.
Vote For Poultry Bazaar
The voting system is a way for customers of Poultry Bazaar to change its popularity at Start Local. You may vote for or against Poultry Bazaar and your vote will affect its score on Start Local.


State budget director Robert Megna defended the Cuomo administration’s efforts to limit unfunded mandates on local governments, saying they have capped Medicaid costs and reformed the pension system.
During a two-hour panel discussion today, local government officials said the state’s efforts have been helpful, but more is needed.
“What we are seeing right now is governing by triage,” said Stephen Acquario, executive director for the state Association of Counties.
Acquario said that the state’s property-tax cap next year will limit counties to $114 million in new revenue. Their expenses are set to grow by $244 million, he said.
Megna said Gov. Andrew Cuomo this year agreed to have the state cap counties’ Medicaid costs at 3 percent a year; Medicaid is the largest state mandate of county budgets. Within five years, the state will take over all Medicaid costs from the counties, a total savings of $1.2 billion.
The state also implemented a new pension tier, Tier VI, that is estimated to save the state more than $80 billion over the next 30 years.
“We believe significant mandate relief, in taking over those costs, will over time provide a substantial local benefit,” Megna said.
Timothy Kremer, executive director of the state School Boards Association, said the state needs to reform the Triborough Amendment, the oft-critized law that allows union contracts to continue even after they expire.
He added that New York has more than 200 mandates on services for students in special-education programs.
Sen. Betty Little, R-Glen Falls, who was on the panel today, said a mandate relief panel formed by the Cuomo administration will hopefully find more ways to curb unfunded mandates.
“We have the tax cap, and the tax cap is bringing mandate relief to the fore,” she said.


Few hours to tomorrow, Saturday’s governorship election in Osun, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) say vote buyers and their customers risk being arrested and prosecuted.
This was contained in a statement issued by Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, in Abuja on Friday.
According to the statement, the decision was the outcome of a meeting between the two commissions at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.
The statement said that the INEC Chairman had led a team of National Commissioners to the meeting.
It said” the issue of vote buying and selling had become worrisome to the two commissions and therefore evolved measures to address the menace.”
He however, said the incidence of ballot box snatching and kidnapping of INEC officials had reduced significantly due to a number of strong reforms INEC had put in place to strengthen the electoral process.
The statement said the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu at the event noted that there was cause for concern over vote buying and selling.
“We have the mandate to monitor money transfers and we are collaborating with the banks,” he said.


|The Operation Linda Ugatuzi lobby group will take the government to court for failure to release the bulk of the health care budget to the counties, group leader, Professor Fred Ogola has said.
Prof. Ogola said it was ironical to have 65% of the health care budget retained at the national level while the health functions have been devolved.
Addressing the media in Siaya town, Prof. Ogola challenged President William Ruto to be sincere with Kenyans whether his administration was just offering lip service as far as devolution was concerned, and ensure that resources follow devolved functions.
“The national government has put 35% of the health budget to the counties yet health care is 100% devolved. How can the national government retain 65% of the budget?” he posed.
He said that the lobby group wants 80% of the health care budget pushed to the counties to enable ordinary citizens access quality care.
Prof Ogola said that should the government not heed to their call and the parliament passes the finance bill in its current form, Operation Linda Ugatuzi will move to court to challenge the bill.
He said that the lobby group has identified 50 illegalities in the finance bill that are violating the constitution.
“50 sections of the constitution have been violated by the finance bill, among them a section that calls for prudent allocation of resources,” said the professor who cited the allocation of sh. 350 billion shillings t projects that he alleged had been undertaken by the previous government.
He said that among such projects was the digitization of identity cards and huduma cards that, he added, had already been undertaken.


Column | Jun 25, 2014 | 1:15 PM
A collection of news and information related to Astrud Gilberto published by this site and its partners.
Top Astrud Gilberto Articles see all
Displaying items 1-3
Column | Jan 22, 2015 | 7:23 AM
Story | Sep 12, 2011
Buddy Holly got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last week, but still has no Grammy Awards. Holly and other pioneering rock and rollers have long been overlooked by Grammy voters.


No public recommendations added yet.
Delhi Career Group: Chandigarh
IAS coaching in Chandigarh provided by DCG is very result oriented, specially study notes that are made according to result oriented. We have highly experienced faculty members for each subject.
how to find Delhi Career Group: ChandigarhClick To View Location
Vote For Delhi Career Group: Chandigarh
The voting system is a way for customers of Delhi Career Group: Chandigarh to change its popularity at Start Local. You may vote for or against Delhi Career Group: Chandigarh and your vote will affect its score on Start Local.
If you vote positively for the business you may also choose to leave a public recommendation to tell other people about your great experience with the business.
Note: A negative vote will count against this business's score but will not be displayed publicly. Read here for more info on voting.
Have you already registered with us?
We just need to know if you've already registered with Start Local? If so you should have already selected a password and validated your email address. If not, don't worry it's easy and will take less than 40 seconds.


Concerned about the continued neglect and social inequality of internally displaced persons (IDPs), a non-governmental organization, the Youth Leadership Initiative for Social Justice has offered medical assistance to approximately 200 displaced people in Abuja.
The organization, which said it was one of many programs planned for the coming year, said its aim was to ensure that these displaced people had the necessary knowledge about their health and provide them with medical consumables.
At the event held in the Durumi IDP camp, the organization’s executive director, Chinenye Nwevo, said the NGO would also provide other needed items to the IDPs over the next year.
She said the medical awareness would focus on checking blood pressure, sugar levels, hypertension, diabetes, pregnancy and some prenatal care for women.
She explained that the organization would embark on a quarterly response and visits to different IDP camps in Abuja and appealed to Nigerians to offer their donations to the IDPs either individually or through any preferred organization.
Regarding funding and how the organization will support the program, Nwevo said that in addition to Ronnie Care Foundation International, which is a major partner, Leadway Assurance, and other volunteers are also supporting the group.


Siemens expands its service to operate Khormala power plant in Iraq
(MENAFN) Siemens has increased the firm's recent service agreement with KAR Group in Iraq in order to offer comprehensive operations and maintenance to add two new units at Khormala power plant.
Meanwhile, the 930MW natural gas-fired power plant meets almost 30 percent of the power demand aimed by the regional government, supplying more than 3mn people with reliable elect.
Accordingly, the recent power demand in Iraq reaches 21GW and is increasing faster than supply, while the local government aims to enhance capacity by building new power plants.
Recently, the firm managed almost 2.800MW across the MENA region and over 16.000MW globally.
Legal Disclaimer: 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.


PTI govt will remain intact under the leadership of Imran Khan: Fawad
ISLAMABAD ( Web News )
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhary Fawad Hussain expressed the confidence that their political opponents will fail in their every move against the Prime Minister as Imran Khan is the most popular leader in the country.
He was talking to media along with Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar in Islamabad on Saturday.
The Information Minister said the illegal moves of the opposition parties have exposed their hidden agenda and people of the country have strongly rejected it.
The Minister said that they wish to end the whole episode at the earliest to restore economic development in the country. He made it clear that PTI government will remain intact under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Speaking on this occasion Hammad Azhar said some dissident members of PTI have contacted them again and their doors are always open for those who regret over their mistakes.
He also expressed confidence that PTI will defeat opposition’s no confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.


2.2 million Pakistanis could lose jobs in two years, says Hafeez Pasha
Hafeez Pasha says one million Pakistanis lost jobs in 2019
Former finance minister Hafeez Ahmed Pasha has said he fears 2.2 million Pakistanis will lose their jobs in the next two years.
In an interview to a private news channel this week, Pasha said the number of people who lost their jobs last year is said to be one million. He said there are reports that more people would lose their jobs because the government has taken some decisions, which were never taken before.
Economist says government borrowed Rs3,000 billion from SBP last year
Pasha said the government did something last year that was never allowed and done in the past and consequences of this action will be seen soon. He said the government borrowed Rs3,000 billion from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) last year and Rs1,200 billion were borrowed in advance since the government knew that an IMF programme is coming and it clearly stated that the government would not borrow any money from the SBP. Therefore, money was borrowed from the SBP before the year ended, he said.
The former finance minister said the government misstated the GDP growth rate last year. According to the government, the GDP growth stood at 3.3 percent, but in fact it remained 1.9 percent in 2019, he said. He said that Pakistan’s GDP growth would decrease to 1.2 percent or 1.3 percent and this decrease would have an impact on the masses. Answering a question about the Pakistani currency, Pasha said it would remain stable for the next five months, but he could not say anything beyond this time period.


(MENAFN- Trend News Agency ) A plane carrying another batch of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines on Sunday arrived at the Noi Bai International Airport in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
A brief handover event was held at the airport, which was attended by Vietnam's Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long and Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo.
The Vietnamese government and people sincerely thank China for the donation of the vaccines, Long said at the event.
Vietnam pledges to quickly and safely administer the vaccines to those in need, including Chinese citizens in Vietnam, Vietnamese citizens looking to go to China for work and living, and residents in the localities near the Vietnam-China border, he said.
In his speech, Xiong said the donation was a concrete action in implementing the consensus reached by the leaders of the two parties and the two countries, and a vivid image of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between China and Vietnam.
"I believe this batch of vaccine will help with both Vietnam's epidemic prevention and control and its socioeconomic development," he said.
The handover of the vaccine came after Vietnam's Ministry of Health announced the approval of the vaccine for emergency use in the country on June 4.
The Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine was validated by the World Health Organization in early May for emergency use.
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.


British Energy bids send shares higher
The battle for British Energy, the UK’s main nuclear generator, has sprung back to life after the company said it was considering three offers, two of which have been priced higher than the company’s closing share price on Thursday of 680p a share.
Shares in British Energy climbed 5.5 per cent to 717.5p as the market absorbed the news that three proposals had been received from parties wishing to make a full offer for the company.
It is understood that the three proposals have been received in the last week. EDF is thought to be one of the parties that has bid higher than 680p. The third proposal is yet to have a price put on it.
British Energy has said that it will continue


Prime Minister Imran Khan makes a new pledge to fight terrorism
ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Pakistan will work with the international community to eradicate terrorism.
On the first International day to remember the victims of terrorism, the PM said that he salutes the brave people who have suffered the losses and continued the fight against terrorism, especially mentioning the security forces and the Pakistan Army.
The PM further said that Pakistan is one of those countries which has suffered the most at the behest of terrorism and thousands of civilians and security personnel have lost their lives in the ongoing fight against extremism.
He also remembered the victims of the APS attack and said that the 130 martyrs of the attack can never be forgotten.
PM Khan said that despite the losses, Pakistan’s resolve against terrorism remains determined and urged the international community to take measures to help the victims of terrorism.
He also cited the Pakistani government’s efforts to help the victims of terrorism.


The Jammu and Kashmir police will take help of DNA profiling to identify the bodies of two militants completely charred during a gunfight in Pinglish area of Tral last night.
An official said the bodies of two militants charred beyond recognition were recovered from the site of the gunfight last night. Locals said the house in which the militants were hiding was razed to the ground by the forces.
He said their DNA samples have been taken to identify them.
Locals said that the father of Jaish commander Mudasir Khan and another family from Marhama are waiting outside the police station Tral where the bodies have been kept.
Srinagar-based army spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia in a statement yesterday said that three militants have been killed in the encounter.
He said that the operation is in progress.
However, the police said that only two bodies have been recovered so far from the gunfight site. (GK).


(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Kuwait and the Philippines have signed an agreement regulating some working conditions for domestic workers in the Gulf State, Kuwait's state news agency KUNA reported on Saturday.
The deal may end a two-month crisis sparked by reports that abuse by employers in Kuwait had driven several Filipinos to suicide.
The Philippines stopped sending workers to Kuwait in January after a Filipino migrant worker was found dead in a freezer.
KUNA said a deal was signed in Manila on Friday after a meeting between a visiting Kuwaiti delegation and Filipino authorities.
"The deal will ensure the rights of both employers and employees," KUNA quoted Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Consulate Affairs Sami Al-Hamad as saying.
Al-Hamad said the two sides agreed that domestic workers from the Philippines will have the right to retain their passports as well as the right to refuse being transferred to other employers.
There was no immediate comment from the Philippines government.
The delegation asked that hiring domestic Filipino workers resume at Kuwaiti agencies, KUNA said.
There are more than 250,000 Filipinos in Kuwait, the Philippine foreign ministry estimates, with most working as domestic helpers.
Legal Disclaimer: 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.


Police ask for help finding two convicted sex offenders
WINCHESTER — City police are searching for two convicted sex offenders who failed to re-register.
They are asking for the public’s help in locating Taffare Lee Hamrick, 19, of the city, according to…
To See This and Every Local Story from The Winchester Star, Click Here to Become a Subscriber!
Login to view the full story


Column | Aug 1, 2014
A collection of news and information related to U.S. Department of Justice published by this site and its partners.
Top U.S. Department of Justice Articles see all
Displaying items 1-5
Story | Feb 4, 2014 | 10:41 AM
Story | Jul 31, 2014 | 7:07 PM
Column | Jul 31, 2014 | 8:30 PM
If we want to do something about sexual assault on college campuses, first we have to deal with the excuse makers. These are the people who belittle sexual assault as youthful hanky-panky taken a little too far, who dismiss statistics or personal...
Story | Jul 31, 2014 | 6:05 PM
WASHINGTON An internal CIA investigation confirmed allegations that agency personnel improperly intruded into a protected database used by Senate Intelligence Committee staff to compile a scathing report on the agency's detention and interrogation...


As the coronavirus outbreak continues, it’s important to stay well informed.
A national plan has been activated to manage the virus and support our community.
As more is learned about the virus and the way it spreads, the plan will be adapted, and we will let you know about the latest advice.
For up-to-date information, visit health.gov.au.
Together, we can help stop the spread and stay healthy.
Authorised by the Australian Government, Canberra.


Over 40 students and staff members attended the French Club’s candlelight vigil Monday night to commemorate the terrorist attack that killed 129 people in Paris over the weekend.
Sophomore secondary French and Spanish education major and French Club president Lindsay Westwood said the French Club chose to do a vigil because the club felt it was important to remember the lives lost, and those who were wounded in the Paris attacks. She said that the vigil was not solely focused on the Paris attacks, because the club wanted to be inclusive of all the tragedies that had happened.
“Instead of focusing solely on the attacks on Paris, we chose to include all the people that have lost their lives over the weekend due to ISIS activity in our thoughts and prayers,” Westwood explained. “Although, most of the testimonies and reactions that we read were of those from the Paris attacks.”
Music education major and vice president of the French club Katie Steele facilitated the vigil.
“What happened in Paris on Friday and the other attacks that happened along the world were all very tragic events, but tonight we are gathered not to discuss these events, but instead to remember those affected by these attacks,” Steele said at the the event. “Tonight, we are gathered to remember the people and to provide some support to those who need it.”
Steele said it is important to remember that these attacks could have happened to anyone.
“We may have also heard about the attacks that happened in places other than Paris,” Steele said. “There were a lot of lives lost and a lot of people to mourn.”
At the vigil, students read testimonies, a prayer was said and students decorated luminaries to show their support.
“The vigil was very successful for an event that was planned the day of and taking into consideration the smaller size of French Club,” Westwood said. “We were very happy with the turnout.”


Dozens of prison inmates and workers have tested positive for the coronavirus, California state officials reported Tuesday, marking a significant increase in cases since last week.
Prisoners infected: Eighteen inmates across the state have been infected, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reported Tuesday in a news release, up from just four confirmed cases last week.
Staff also infected: State officials said 40 more corrections workers have also tested positive since last week, bringing the total number of infections to 62.
What the authorities are doing: The department said it will implement a mandatory 14-day modified plan to minimize the spread of the virus, including physical distancing during inmates’ daily routines, and proper disinfecting.
Last week, California state corrections officials announced up to 3,500 inmates will be released early to prevent the spread of coronavirus in state prisons.
The state of California currently has more than 17,500 coronavirus cases, including at least 450 deaths.


(MENAFN- Saudi Press Agency)
Riyadh 20 Rajab1437 AH 27 April2016 SPA -- The Interior Ministers of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for Arab States and their accompanying delegations arrived in Riyadh to participate in the 17th consultative meeting of the GCC Ministers of Interior to be held later today.
They were received at King Salman Air Base Airport by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior.
They included Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the State of Qatar; Sheikh Mohammed Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of Kuwait; Lieutenant General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the United Arab Emirates; Lieutenant General Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa Minister of Interior of the Kingdom of Bahrain; and the Minister of Interior of the Sultanate of Oman Hamoud bin Faisal Al-Busaidi.
They were also received by GCC Secretary General Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Salem and a number of officials.
13:14 LOCAL TIME 10:14 GMT
Legal Disclaimer: 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.


DETROIT – Police are investigating a shooting that occurred Sunday night in Detroit.
Authorities said the victims were taken to hospitals privately and it is unclear how many people were shot during the incident.
Police said it happened at a family gathering and at least five people were shot, potentially six.
Police initially confirmed Sunday that at least one person was killed, two people were in critical condition and three were in serious condition.
This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Detroit Police Department at 313-596-1100 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak-Up.
More: Detroit crime news


No public recommendations added yet.
We at AV Overseas are engaged in cultivating and supplying a high grade export quality of roses, carnations, orchids, lilies, gerbera. Our wide collection meets the demands of horticulture and farming sector and is known for excellent flowering and used for decorative and other purposes.
how to find AV OverseasClick To View Location
Vote For AV Overseas
The voting system is a way for customers of AV Overseas to change its popularity at Start Local. You may vote for or against AV Overseas and your vote will affect its score on Start Local.
If you vote positively for the business you may also choose to leave a public recommendation to tell other people about your great experience with the business.
Note: A negative vote will count against this business's score but will not be displayed publicly. Read here for more info on voting.
Have you already registered with us?
We just need to know if you've already registered with Start Local? If so you should have already selected a password and validated your email address. If not, don't worry it's easy and will take less than 40 seconds.


COPAC says the issue of the traditional leaders in the Senate has been resolved in consensus after all parties agreed that chiefs will remain in the Upper House.
With the two MDCs reported to have sought to continue delaying the constitution-making process which has already raised the ire of many Zimbabweans, COPAC co-Chairperson, Cde Paul Mangwana told ZBC News that the issue of traditional leaders in Parliament has been resolved, resulting in the arrangement where they will remain in the Senate.
â€œWe have resolved the issue of traditional leaders and have agreed that they will remain in the Senate,â€ said Cde Mangwana.
Meanwhile, the COPAC Management Committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to review the so called outstanding issues.
ZBC News has it on good authority that the issues to be discussed include dual citizenship, the death sentence and devolution of powers.


Panaji: President of India Ram Nath Kovind will be attending the 60th Goa Liberation Day function scheduled to be held on December 19, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Friday.
Addressing a press conference after attending the meeting held to chalk out year long program to celebrate 60 years of Liberation, Sawant said that the President of India will be participating in the cultural program that is scheduled to be held on December 19, 2020 to mark the day.
He said that the program would be held in the evening of the Liberation Day while the formal function of flag hoisting would be held in the morning. Kovind will be present for the cultural event in the evening.
The President of India will be paying floral tributes to the freedom fighters at Azad Maidan before participating in the programme at Campal Ground, located two kilometers away.
Sawant was in New Delhi last week to invite the President of India for the Liberation Day.
The chief minister said that the initial draft for the year long celebration has been drawn during the meeting held on Friday, while subsequent follow up meetings would be held to finalise the programmes.
Sawant said that during the entire year, the stress would be given to make Goa “Swayampoorna” (self sufficient) and also highlight the uniqueness of the state.
He said that various freedom fighters who contributed for the Liberation movement would be felicitated during the year. “Those freedom fighters who are living outside Goa will also be felicitated by visiting their states,” Sawant said.
Sawant said that during the year, those who are engaged in the traditional occupations will also be felicitated as a part of the program.


Access to their homes has been the biggest headache for some Cattlewash residents for the past two weeks since the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) started work in the rural St Joseph community trying to fix a ten-inch ruptured water main.
However, they are pleased that several improvements, including one-lane access, were allowed since the work on the mains began last week.
Harry Roberts, who is renting a property along the popular East Coast strip, said he was not satisfied with the public relations aspect of the project when it first began. However, he said that it had improved and that water tankers were often spotted in the area.
Another resident, philanthropist Peter Boos, said he was not as inconvenienced as others since he had water tanks. (TG)
Subscribe now to our eNATION edition for the full story.


KUCHING, June 29 — Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas today said that the state government will engage the private sector in coming up with post-Covid-19 social economic policy and hopes to boost food production export.
He said the engagement is also to determine the scope of cooperation between the state government and the private sector.
“We will consult the private sector in pre-formulating this policy,” Uggah told reporters when visiting the Thian Yien Enterprise Sdn Bhd, a local company specialising in the production of different kinds of sauces and restaurant food products.
The company exports its sauces mostly to South-east Asian countries and Hong Kong.
Uggah, who is also the Minister of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development, said the state government would help local companies to penetrate more international markets.
He said this was to bring to fruition the vision of Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg for the state to be a net exporter of food and food products by the year 2030.
“When we can produce more food, including for export, we can reduce our future import deficit which in 2018 stood at RM3.6 billion,” he said adding that one of the big issues involved in boosting food production for export was deciding on the products which the state could produce.
“But we have big potential with the plenty of lands we have.
“We also enjoy this reputation for producing healthy food,” he said, adding that one of the potentials for the state was in the inland fishery.
He noted that the Thian Yen Enterprise had expressed its interest in crawfish rearing for export.
“We are working on how we can accommodate this interest for a win-win situation,” he added.
The company managing director Pooh Chee Ngee brought Uggah, who was accompanied by his ministry’s Permanent Secretary Edwin Abit and the state Agriculture Department director Dr Alvin Chai, for a tour of the company’s production activities.


Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe, Media Spokesperson of the Government Medical Officers’ Association stated that nearly five thousand more doctors will meet the necessary qualifications to go abroad.
He noted that once they go for that training, the medical shortage will further worsen.
The Ministry of Health says that steps have been taken to provide many facilities for the consultants who are rehired on contract basis.
Its Deputy Director General of Health Services, Dr. G. Wijesuriya said that about 400 consultant doctors have left the country in the past.
He also said that there are currently vacancies of nearly 500 consultant doctors.


Chennai: Tamil Nadu on Friday crossed the grim milestone of one lakh COVID-19 cases with the state reporting 4,329 fresh infections and 64 fatalities, pushing the death toll to 1,385.
The new cases took the state’s virus tally to 1,02,721, the health department said in its bulletin. Out of the 4,329 new cases, 2,082 were from Chennai alone and the number of positive cases in the state capital has reached 64,689. The total number of those who recovered rose to 58,378, with 2,357 people being discharged from health care institutions on Friday.
With the government ramping up testing, 35,028 samples were tested today, pushing the count to 12,70,720. According to the bulletin, there are 42,955 active cases in the state including those in isolation wards. Sixty-five people who tested positive today are returnees from various locations, according to the bulletin.


Thousands of visitors and locals alike are excited to have the 2010 Tulip Time festival underway in Pella, including the city’s mayor, Darrell Dobernecker.
“I think this year is going to be an especially exciting one, when you consider it’s the 75th one [Tulip Time],” said Dobernecker. “And I just can’t believe the amount of people who have registered to be a part of the dance record that’s going to be held Saturday morning.”
Participants are expected to shatter the existing record of 475 dancers in wooden shoes, as roughly 2,500 people – including Mayor Dobernecker – are registered to take part in the event, which will take place at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Registration for the event is being held from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday in front of the Vermeer Windmill.


(MENAFN- AzerNews) Lawyers who represented shareholders and made void Tesla Inc.
CEO Elon Musk's compensation plan valued at $56 billion have asked
on Friday to be paid in shares of the company worth almost $6
billion, Azernews reports, citing foreign
The lawyers on the winning side of the verdict asked for the
approval of the record-breaking payment of $5.6 billion in Tesla
stock in a filing with the Delaware Court of Chancery, stating that
while such an award would be "unprecedented" the size of the award
is in line "because the value of the benefit to Tesla that
plaintiff's counsel achieved was massive," the plaintiff's lead
attorney Greg Varallo wrote.
Delaware Chancery Court Chancellor Kathleen McCormick voided
Musk's compensation plan in January, siding with Tesla shareholder
Richard Tornetta who alleged that the Tesla board of directors
breached its fiduciary duties by awarding Musk with a $56 billion
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.


Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal today said that India and Sweden should work together to build a more resilient and strong partnership. Speaking at the CEO Forum of India-Sweden strategic business partnership, Mr Goyal said that the year 2020 has been a challenging year, but we should convert this crisis into an opportunity.
Talking about Atma Nirbhar Bharat, he said that under it, the government is encouraging import of high-tech products, encouraging people to bring technologies, skills, better qualities of healthcare and education to India.
Mr. Goyal said that the government will look for Sweden and European Union also opening its doors a little wider, removing some of the non-tariff barriers or standards, so that there is reciprocity in our trade with Sweden and Europe and expansion of business on both sides.
The Minister said that India, with 1.35 billion people, provides one of the world’s largest business opportunities. Mr Goyal said that he is sure that Swedish companies would like to work in India and explore better opportunities.


Maroof district residents are denied a vote due to ‘security threats.’
Nevertheless, the IEC chairwoman Hawa Alam Nuristani insists that the commission is fully committed to protecting the votes of the Afghan…
Majority of the registered complaints are aimed at the biggest campaigns
The IEC has dispatched more than 23,000 biometric devices to polling centers across the country.
Reports indicate that some of the polling stations that remained opened during last October’s parliamentary elections are now closed.
UNAMA recognizes the efforts of the Afghan electoral authorities, security forces and others, in preparing for elections.
Sediqqi says the peace efforts will be moved forward by the next government after the election.
Presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi says security situation will improve within the next 10 days.
Mr. Abdullah’s campaigners said they will resist those who will try to manipulate the election.
Critics said the government should focus on providing a safe environment for the elections.
Sign up to receive the best of Tolo News daily


By Easwaran Rutnam
A rapid rise in the number of coronavirus patients has been recorded at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) in Colombo.
Consultant physician at the National Hospital Dr. Upul Dissanayake said that there are currently 200 Covid infected patients at the NHSL.
He said that the number stood at 100 a week ago, down from 160 just before the travel restrictions were enforced.
“There has now been a rapid increase in the number of people infected,” Dr. Upul Dissanayake said at a media briefing in Colombo.
He said that of the 200 patients currently seeking treatment at the Colombo National Hospital, 100 are in need of oxygen.
“So, we see exactly 50 percent of these patients needing oxygen to survive,” he said.
Dr. Upul Dissanayake said it is still unclear what has caused the rapid increase in the number of Covid patients.
However, he noted that the public must take precautions to ensure the chances of the virus spreading are reduced.
Dr. Upul Dissanayake also said that the Delta variant is now seen as posing a bigger threat to the public.
He said that the variant now has the potential of being more life-threatening than it was in the early stages. (Colombo Gazette)


- Concludes five-day official visit to Morocco and Tunisia
new Delhi. 03 June 2016. The Vice President of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari has said that the terrorism should be addressed through international cooperation including through bilateral efforts. He was addressing a Press Conference Onboard Special Aircraft Air India on his way back from the official visit to Morocco and Tunisia, today. The Vice President further said that the visit to Morocco and Tunisia was satisfying and that had very good discussions with both countries on vast area of issues including terrorism.
With Tunisia, the Vice President said that both countries have agreed to rejuvenate the relationship and focus on areas which have been identified. There will be a sharper focus on these issues when the Tunisian Foreign Minister visits India later this year in a Joint Commission, he added. He further said that there excellent political understanding between the two sides and the Tunisians have been supportive of India in international fora.
The Vice President said that both countries are victims of terrorism and they were absolutely in agreement that this menace could be addressed with international cooperation for which they were willing to work bilaterally.
The Vice President said that during the visit, the focus was also on trade and technology. In both Morocco and Tunisia, some of our new initiatives in Africa have received attention and certain triangular tie-ups could take place. Overall, the reception was very warm and friendly, he added.
Reacting to a question on terrorism, the Vice President said that each country has to fight its own battle on terrorism because terrorism is ‘international’. Counter terrorism should also have its international dimensions and sharing the information on a timely basis is critical, he added.
On a question about high unemployment in Tunisia, the Vice President said that the Government there is very much aware of the problem. He further said that our contribution can be doing more business with them and thereby creating more employment and some Indian companies are already present there. There is also a great potential in developing tourism, he added.


Former Somali president launches new political party
MOGADISHU (HOL) – Somalia’s former president on Sunday launched a new political party that he intends to use for the next presidential election which is scheduled to take place in the country by 2020.
The Launch of the Union for Peace and Democracy (UPD) by Hassan Sheikh Mohamud who will serve as the party’s interim chairman for the next six month before its members elect a new chairman next year comes as the country’s political parties have already started their political campaigns, showcasing how people would benefit under their rules if elected.
Speaking at the launching ceremony festooned with party flags and posters, Mr. Mohamud who had served as the Somali president from 2012 to 2016 before he was defeated in the 2017 election by the incumbent president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo said that his party would serve to promote democracy and peace across the country, hinting his intention to run again.
Two years before the election, Somali political leaders are already well delved into their campaigns, signaling the possibility of a touch contest by parties seeking to lead the horn of Africa nation.
With 80 members of lawmakers under its umbrella, the UPD party is expected to challenge with the ruling party in the next election which is expected to draw multiple political parties vying for the country’s presidency.
However, the violence-weary Somalis still harboured misgivings about the ability of their politicians to deliver on their promises have cautiously welcomed the launch of the new political party which will join a list of dozens of parties eligible for the upcoming election.
Somalia is expected to hold presidential elections in 2020, with dozens of candidates have already registered to run for the country’s top seat.


The COVID Task force was placed at risk after Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena, who attended the meeting yesterday (Friday), was later found to be infected.
Daily Mirror learns Gunawardena had met Minister Dullas Alahapperuma, State Minister Sudarshini Fernandopulle and Principal Advisor to the President Lalith Weeratunga for tea just before the meeting.
Sources said that both Alahapperuma and Lalith Weeratunga have now self-quarantined as they had lowered their masks to have tea while Fernandopulle had reportedly not had tea and had her mask on.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and Army Commander General Shavendra Silva were among those who attended the Covid meeting.
Bandula Gunawardena was seen seated next to Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and Media Minister Dullas Alahapperuma.
When contacted by Daily Mirror, Rambukwella said that he took an antigen test today and the result was negative.
The Minister said that Health Secretary Dr. S.H. Munasinghe and others from the Health Ministry who attended the meeting also took antigen tests today.
Incidentally, the Health Minister also attended an event today to accept Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines donated by the US.
The U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Alaina Teplitz was among those who attended the event.


Portugal's prime minister has said that the EU will distribute the future anti-Covid-19 vaccine fairly and according to the population of each member state.
Portugal’s prime minister, António Costa, has said that the European Union will distribute the future anti-Covid-19 vaccine fairly and according to the population of each member state, with Portugal completing its national vaccination strategy in November.
This was one of the conclusions announced by António Costa at the end of the extraordinary European Council meeting on Thursday, which was held by videoconference, at a press conference where he also said that no country had advocated a border closure strategy to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“At the moment, three contracts are already signed and four are under negotiation [for the purchase of vaccines]. Each batch of vaccine will be distributed equally to all countries according to their population,” Costa said.
He went on to say that each member state will have to define its own strategy for prioritising how the vaccine will be applied to its population.
“We must have the national vaccination strategy ready next month,” he said.


New Delhi, May 7 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the Women's Reservation Bill was introduced in Parliament as there was a consensus among the UPA allies in the Union Cabinet.
Stressing that the UPA allies were, in principle, not opposed to the Bill, he said they had some reservations over the inclusion of backward class women in the quota.
''We have taken the first step and are trying to further build a consensus on the Bill,'' Dr Singh told reporters after the Defence investiture ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan this evening.
Asked about the consensus on the issue, he said the Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha only after there was a unanimity on it in the Union Cabinet.
''If there was no consensus, it would not have been put before the House,'' Dr Singh said and expressed the hope that the UPA allies and other political parties would rally around him on the Bill.
The Prime Minister also said that the Standing Committee would take care of the concerns raised by some members.
On inflation, he said it was a worldwide phenomenon and expressed optimism that the prices would come down in few months.
''Lets face it,'' Dr Singh said when asked about the growing inflationary trends which were leading to rising prices.
''In three months time, we will see some changes.'' On China's aggressive posturing vis-a-vis building of a major underground nuclear submarine base near the holiday resort of Sanya on southern China's Hainan island, the Prime Minister said: ''All the necessary steps were being taken to face the situation.'' UNI AN RR DB2140


Story | Oct 3, 2014 | 7:52 PM
A collection of news and information related to Travel Alerts published by this site and its partners.
Top Travel Alerts Articles see all
Displaying items 1-5
Story | Jul 31, 2014 | 7:01 PM
Story | Aug 26, 2014 | 1:53 PM
Story | Sep 6, 2014 | 10:41 AM
Story | Oct 13, 2014 | 7:43 PM
Mexican authorities said Monday that police shot and wounded a university student in Guerrero state, where residents have been protesting suspected police involvement in the deaths and disappearances of dozens of college students last month. Officers in...


AIZAWL, Nov 20 - Security measures have been tightened in Aizawl as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting the State on Thursday to launch an election rally.
Mizoram goes to poll on November 28 and the results will be declared on December 11. BJP leaders said that the Prime Minister will address a BJP rally at Assam Rifles Ground in Aizawl. Narendra Modi is likely to be accompanied by at least three Union Ministers and senior BJP leaders.
Meanwhile, the Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has threatened to stage a protest rally during the Prime Minister’s visit.
Congress spokesperson Lallianchhunga told reporters that the party would use all its resources to oppose the Prime Minister’s visit. He said that the Congress was not happy after the AICC president Rahul Gandhi was denied the Assam Rifles Ground for the public rally. The MPCC alleged that the BJP government at the Centre was responsible for the problem.
Lallianchhunga said that the State Congress party on Sunday had written to the Election Commission complaining about the “discriminatory policy” of 23 sector Assam Rifles in allotment of the Assam Rifles Ground in Aizawl. He also said that the Congress applied for the ground much before the BJP did.


Dialogue in democracy is the only way to move forward and People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) in a right move has decided to attend the meeting called by the Prime Minister regarding Jammu and Kashmir on June 24.
Mehbooba has told the media that restoration of statehood is the promise made by the Prime Minister himself and it would not be any favor for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. She told the media that the Gupkar Alliance has been formed for the restoration of what was taken away from us on August 5, 2019.
Mehbooba said that they cannot compromise on their stand regarding the article 370 and 35A and their stand is known to New Delhi and to the Prime Minister of the country.
In August 2019, the Centre ended the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and divided the state into two Union Territories Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The Centre is expected to discuss assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, as there is no elected government and the UT of Jammu and Kashmir is under the central rule from the past three years.
Local body polls in Jammu and Kashmir were held in December; the Gupkar Alliance won more than 100 seats and the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 74 seats, though the central government is now trying for the assembly elections so that an elected government is formed by the people with their votes.


President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said today that this is the term that has had the most projects done in Maldives’ history.
Speaking at the campaign rally in R. Fainu, President Solih said that while there were many projects done, they were not able to utilise the five years to the fullest extent.
“I can’t say that we got the whole five years. With the global pandemic of COVID-19, we all had to focus on the health of the people. To save the lives of the people,” he said.
President Solih further said that some projects had to be postponed and that that is the reason some projects did not proceed at the speed they had hoped.
The hope, however, is to finish those in the remaining days of his term, he said.
He also said that all these projects were made possible by avoiding differences of opinion and not getting involved in political turmoil.
He said that if he were to get involved in the turmoil, there would be no time to even think about the projects.
President Solih said the aim is to provide greater ease in transportation to the southern islands of the atoll with the airport that is built in Beriyan Faru.
“We decided on Beriyan Faru after many discussions,” he said.
He further said that while it was initially decided that the airport will be built in Fainu, he realised from the discussions that the most people will be benefited if the airport is in Beriyan Faru.
“Environmentalists might have some misgivings about this,” President Solih said while highlighting how little the impact on the environment will be.
President Solih said that protecting the environment means making the most of its resources in the most respectful way.
Projects planned for Fainu in President Solih’s second term:


Kaspersky: 63 percent of Hungarians relied on social media during pandemic
The survey of 1,003 adults conducted in May revealed that only 3 percent of Hungarians were not social media users, the company said on Tuesday.
Users spend an average one hour on social media every day, while Facebook users said they spent an average 2 hours on the platform daily.
Some 40 percent of respondents said they had turned to social media more often during the pandemic.
A total of 34 percent of Hungarians said social media was their main source of news during the pandemic.
The survey showed that the most popular social media platform in Hungary was Facebook, followed by YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and WhatsApp.
A total of 59 percent of Facebook users said they were posting at least once on the platform every week.
Asked about the social influence of social media, 29 percent of respondents said it had a negative effect and 21 percent found the opposite. More than half of respondents said they remembered cases when social media content had a negative influence on their mental wellbeing.


Bhubaneswar, May 14: The Odisha government on Thursday said that it has seen a rise of 86 new cases of COVID 19 in the state.
With the detection of 86 new cases, the total cases in the state touched 624. Majority of the cases of the viral disease were reported from Ganjam district.
The government also claimed that the majority of the cases were reported from Ganjam district alone which has in been past few weeks have seen a major spurt in the cases of the global pandemic.
Thw district again in their latest testing found rise of 52 new cases. Khurda district which had now not reported new cases of the disease for the last few days also reported three new cases.
Nine cases from Bhdrak, 17 cases from Jajpur and two cases from Sundergarh were also reported. Later in the day 13 more cases were reported from the Kendrapara district.
The government said that majority of the cases were reported from quarantine centre and containment zones and there was no need to worry.


Get Truthdig's headlines in your inbox!
The Mark of Terror
Bibi and Boehner
California Water Wars: Another Form of Asset Stripping?
Country Music, Tea Party 'Populism' and Ted Cruz
by John W. Dean
By Gore Vidal $16.00
Flickr / RambergMediaImages (CC-BY-SA)
Talk in Washington lately has been all about cutting deficits and balancing budgets, but not enough about what the American people are really worried about: unemployment and a rotting economy.
View the most popular tags overall?
Posted on Mar 28, 2015
A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion
Publisher Zuade Kaufman | Editor Robert Scheer
© 2015 Truthdig, LLC. All rights reserved.
Website development by Hop Studios


New Richmond U10 softball team competes at national tournament
Getting the opportunity to play at the national level was just part of the experience for the New Richmond U10 softball team that played in the U10 national softball tournament July 26-28 in Bloomington, Minn.
The New Richmond team had recently placed fifth among 22 teams in the Minnesota state tournament.
Are you a newspaper subscriber but you don't have a Digital Access account yet? https://secure.forumcomm.com/?publisher_ID=40&event=subscriber/lookup.
You will need your subscription account number and phone number. Not sure if you have an account? Email us at email@example.com and we can help you.


Srinagar, May 28 (IANS) Two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists were killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Saturday, police said.
'Killed terrorists identified as Ishfaq Ah Ganie R/O Chakwangund, Anantnag and Yawar Ayub Dar R/O Dogripora, Awantipora, affiliated with proscribed terror outfit HM. The duo were involved in several terror crimes,' Jammu and Kashmir Police tweeted, quoting Inspector General Police, Kashmir zone, Vijay Kumar.
The firefight took place after a joint team of security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation on the basis of specific information about presence of terrorists.
As security forces zeroed in on the spot where terrorists were hiding, they came under a heavy volume of fire and retaliated, triggering the encounter.
Legal Disclaimer: 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.


Zamfara State Government has said that Acting President Yemi Osinbajo is expected to inaugurate a handful of completed projects when he visits the state on Tuesday.
Osinbajo has been slated to visit Zamfara on Tuesday to inaugurate some projects, the Chairman, state government’s Seventh anniversary committee, Lawal Liman, has said.
Liman made this known on Friday while inspecting some of the projects to be inaugurated in Talata-Mafara and Bakura local government areas as part of activities to celebrate the seventh anniversary of Governor Abdul’aziz Yari’s administration.
Liman, who is also the state Chairman, All Progressive Congress, said that the projects to be inaugurated included Government Girls College, Talata-Mafara; Talata-Mafara Bypass road and Abubakar Tinau Special Primary School, Mafara.
Others are the Semi-Urban Water Project in Gamji town and the renovated General Hospital, Bakura.
According to him, over 100 completed projects have been listed to be inaugurated between now and November to celebrate the anniversary.
Liman said that President Muhammadu Buhari was also expected to visit the state in September to inaugurate some projects.
He urged the benefitting communities to assist government in maintaining the projects.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the committee also inspected the 61-km Kaura/Namoda-Birnin/Magaji-Dauran Road and the Birnin-Magaji General Hospital still under construction.


(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM))
KUWAIT, 9th February, 2018 (WAM) -- The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior said, on Friday, that it has prevented an attempt to hack its website, reported the Kuwait News Agency, KUNA.
Concerned security agencies managed to prevent the attempt but temporarily suspended the website as a precautionary measure, in line with a relevant strategy and plan to address such attempts, the Ministry's Public Relations Department said in a press release.
"The ministry's website was back to normal in record time, and its electronic systems and official database were not affected," it added.
Immediate investigations were carried out to identify the hacker and bring the person to accountability, it further added.
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.


Quaid-E-Azum University Islamabad administration has registered FIR against twenty five members of Baloch and Mehran councils in Islamabad Police Station.
According to the police, University administration has provided them the names of students who were involved in the clash that occurred between the two councils.
Police said fifteen members of Mehran Council and ten members of Baloch Council have been nominated in the FIR.
The sources said police would conduct search operation to arrest the students who were involved in creating anarchy in the university.
University administration said a hostel had been completely destroyed as a result of the clash that erupted between the Baloch and Sindhi students in the premises of Quaid-E-Azum University Islamabad.


West Fargo students Peterson, Ellenson earn Presidential Scholar honors
Two West Fargo High School students recently were named semifinalists in the 2011 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, and one was chosen as a finalist.
Are you a newspaper subscriber but you don't have a Digital Access account yet? https://secure.forumcomm.com/?publisher_ID=40&event=subscriber/lookup.
You will need your subscription account number and phone number. Not sure if you have an account? Email us at firstname.lastname@example.org and we can help you.


Vastavam web: Telangana BJP State president Dr K Laxman said that the verdict of Karnataka people is a slap on face of KCR and Chandrababu Naidu.Laxman said that the verdict of the people in the Karnataka State Assembly elections had made it clear that the Telugu people in that State did not toe the line of the Chief Ministers of the Telugu States.Terming that Karnataka is the ‘Gateway of South,’ he said it will have an impact on ensuing not only in the general elections in 2019 but, also have an impact on the assembly elections in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
While Naidu had asked people to support the Congress, K Chandrashekar Rao had asked the Telugu people to support JD(S). But, the results showed the Telugu people in Karnataka showed their place to the CMs of Telugu States, he added. This should also be an eye-opener for those who labelled the BJP as a North Indian party. He said that the party national president Amit Shah told him during his meeting on Wednesday that the party national leadership is now focusing on the general elections of 2019, besides, focusing on States of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Kerala.
Secunderabad MP Bandaru Dattatreya said that the Telugu people in Karnataka showed the Chief Ministers of AP and TS their place and extended their support to BJP. MLA G Kishan Reddy said the Goebbels campaign of Telugu Chief Minister did not work against BJP.


(MENAFN- The Post) MASERU – FROM tomorrow it will cost you more to keep the lights on. The Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC) is increasing power tariffs by a staggering 10.3 percent.
The tariffs have been approved by the Lesotho Electricity and Water Authority (Lewa).
The chairman of Lewa, Relebohile Mosito, told a press conference on Tuesday that the LEC has requested a 30.9 percent increase which it claimed would cover its M1.2 billion budget for this year.
Mosito said Lewa, however, had to strike a balance between the LEC's financial needs and the potential burden on the customers.
“In determining the LEC tariff application, Lewa considered several factors including, but not limited to, the prevailing socio-economic environment, sustainability of LEC, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and affordability of electricity tariffs by various customer categories in the country,” Mosito said.
He said the LEC has been struggling to keep up with the cost and demand of electricity because Lewa has not approved tariff increases for the past three years.
Mosito said Lesotho has to import power from South Africa and Mozambique which have increased their charges.
He said that the LEC would be allowed a revenue requirement of M1.07 billion instead of the M1.241 billion it requested.
Mosito however said the current charges for connection, wiring testing, wiring re-testing, survey, re-survey, licensing for wiring, meter testing, and house extension remain unchanged.
One of the board members of Lewa, Tlali Hlasa, said they were not convinced by the LEC's request for a 30.9 percent increase because the company did not submit a financial statement.
Hlasa said they approved the 10.3 percent increase to help the company remain stable and meet its obligations.
Moahloli Sekhantso, another Lewa board member, said they are working on some projects to improve local power generation and reduce imports.
The managing director of the LEC, Mohato Seleke, said they are satisfied with the new tariffs.
“This will enable them to fulfil their mandate and to buy electricity from abroad,” Seleke said.
Consumers are however unhappy about the tariffs.
The Executive Director of Consumer Protection Association (CPA), Nkareng Letsie, said the new tariffs are coming at a time when consumers are already struggling to make ends meet.
He said salaries have remained largely stagnant when the cost of basic commodities has increased in recent months.
The General Secretary of Lesotho Textile Exporters Association (LTEA), 'Malikhabiso Majara, said they expected an increment of at least five percent.
Majara said most textile factories are already on the brink of collapse due to lack of orders and increasing cost of production.
She said the new tariffs will make Lesotho's textiles more expensive, forcing buyers to look elsewhere for products.
Majara is worried that more factory workers will lose their jobs.
Like this:Like Loading...
Legal Disclaimer: 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.


There were services, kiddush and a communal seudah shlishit. Meals were delivered to those who did not feel comfortable participating in person.
Evaluation from Harvey Jacobs:
The deliveries were warmly received and those who were able to attend were pleased with the outcome.
“All was perfect.”


Prime Minister and United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe says former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has no chance of returning to power.
Speaking at an event in Kulliyapitiya today, Wickremesinghe said that some members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) have begun to work against President Maithripala Sirisena with the hope that Rajapaksa will return to power.
However Wickremesinghe said that Rajapaksa has no chance to win the next Parliament elections and so he urged the SLFP to work with President Sirisena.
The Prime Minister said that his minority Government was able to achieve a lot thanks to President Maithripala Sirisena.
He noted that President Sirisena continues to have talks with the SLFP members and cements their support for most of the work being done by the Government.
Wickremesinghe also said that while the UNP and the SLFP will contest the Parliament polls separately, he hopes both parties will work together after the election in a National Government. (Colombo Gazette)


The Managing Director/COE of Zeinth Bank Ghana, Mr Henry Oroh, has said that the recent recapitalisation exercise that has seen 23 banks increase their minimum stated capital to GH 400 million will increase competition in the industry which will subsequently drive interest rates down.
He said the recapitalisation exercise meant that every bank was now a big bank and ready to chase businesses that would ensure that their returns justisied the increase in capital.
“The capital increase is going to make the business more competitive going forward.
What it means now is that every bank is a big bank and the assumption is that we are all really well capitalised,” he stated.
“This is good for the consumer because the capital will have to chase an economy size that has not increased commensurately.
When you increase capital from GH₵120 million to GH₵400 million in such a short space and there are over 20 banks, then that is a lot of funds injected in the market. Capital has increased by almost 300 per cent and this will lead to competition for space which will benefit the consumer,” he explained.
He said it meant that the industry would have access to more lendable funds and invest more to create wealth and employment.


The Sindh Rangers, during a press conference on Sunday, shared footage of the September 3 attack on MQM Pakistan leader Khawaja Izharul Hassan, which took place in Karachi’s Buffer Zone area, and said that the attack was a “grave conspiracy to discredit police and law enforcement agencies”.
Addressing the press conference, Col Faisal Arif said that after the attack on Hassan, intelligence-based operations were conducted.
In the footage that was shown, Col Faisal said that one of the attackers was seen wearing a police uniform while other, Sarosh, was seen wearing a T-shirt. He said that at the time of the attack, police were performing their duty at a nearby imambargah and had run out after they heard the firing.
“The policemen were running on foot to catch the attackers,” Col Faisal said, adding that it was discovered that three of the attackers belonged to Ansarul Shariah Pakistan (ASP).
“The attackers had tried to show that the police or the government was involved in the attack on the MQM leader,” he added, terming the attack a “grave conspiracy to discredit the police and law enforcement agencies”.
He said that various intelligence information and evidence regarding the ASP came forward after the incident.