With senior IPS officer Rajeev Kumar not responding to the summons issued by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the specials teams set up by the central agency visited various places in the city on Wednesday. CBI officials made multiple trips between the Nizam Palace, agency’s headquarters in the State, and the Central Government Officers (CGO) complex in Salt Lake. While the CBI refused to share the details of the special teams at their movement, it was learnt that about a dozen officers have been included in the teams who went around on a reconnaissance to different parts of the city.“There are no fresh developments as far as CBI is concerned today. There were reports of CBI searching Mr. Kumar’s residence which are no true,” a senior CBI officer told The Hindu. A number of police personnel in plain clothes were deployed at 34 Park Street, the official residence of Mr. Kumar.According to sources, Rajeev Kumar, who is posted as Additional Director General West Bengal Police (CID), has referred to this address where he could be contacted. The IPS officer remains on leave from September 9 to 25. Kumar’s lawyers approach Alipore CourtThe legal tussle involving Mr. Kumar and CBI moved to Alipore District Court, with the counsels representing Mr. Kumar approaching the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate seeking that they also be heard when the central agency moves their petition seeking a non bailable warrant against their petitioner.“It has been said in an open court that if the CBI issues a warrant without giving reasonable opportunity or giving an analogous hearing of the petition nothing will be passed,” Mr. Kumar’s counsel’s Gopal Halder told journalists.On Tuesday the District Court in Barasat in Kolkata heard both sides and said that the matter was not maintainable before the Court. The Court in Barasat pointed out the case that appeal have originated from Alipore District Court in South 24 Parganas where charge sheets relating to the case have been filed. Trouble for Mr. Kumar, started on September 13, when Calcutta High Court vacated interim order providing protection to Mr. Kumar from appearing before the Court.
Category: fgmighzbnyup
Pakistan’s tainted pacer Mohammad Asif has claimed to be the best exponent of the new ball in Test cricket.Insisting that none of the current pace bowlers in the national side know the art of using the new ball, Asif said his strength had always been causing maximum damage with the shiny red cherry.”If you waste the new ball than you are asking for trouble. In Test cricket in particular, no matter what the opposition or conditions, you have to make the new ball count.No one knows the art of exploiting the new ball better than me,” Asif told reporters here. (Nothing special about current Pakistan pace attack: Asif)Asif, who has served a five-year ban for spot-fixing, picked up 4 for 29, including three with the new ball, on the first day of the day and night Quaid-Azam Trophy final at the National stadium here yesterday.Asif, who turns 34 this month, said he is ever ready to do national duty. He said no issue should be made about his age or fitness.”All this talk about fitness and age I don’t believe in that particularly when you have a 40-plus player in the national Test side and some in the late thirties.””People say spinners mature with age and I believe it is the same with pace bowlers, they also become better and more lethal with age and experience,” he said.”You can’t even play in domestic cricket if you are not fit.”Pakistan’s Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq is 42, while senior batsman Younis Khan is close to 38.advertisement
PARIS (AP) — Two-time champion Maria Sharapova has not been given a wild-card entry for the French Open.Announcing the decision on a live Facebook broadcast on Tuesday, French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli said he informed Sharapova of the decision in person that it was not possible.Sharapova, who has titles at all four majors, won at Roland Garros in 2012 and 2014.Her ranking, outside the top 200 this week, won’t be good enough to even make the qualifying field at Roland Garros.The tournament begins May 28.She has played three tournaments thanks to wild cards since her return from a 15-month drug ban last month.TweetPinShare0 Shares
Kithara Software will be exhibiting at this year’s All About Automation in Leipzig. The focus areas of the trade show, system solutions, components, software as well as engineering for industrial automation and industrial communication, are also some of the main fields of application of the Kithara real-time system.Kithara will present the latest developments for software-based real-time solutions. Emphasis will be especially on functions of Kithara RealTime Suite for automation with EtherCAT, real-time image capturing and image processing as well as connection with automotive interfaces. At the Kithara booth, visitors are offered visual demonstrations of the real-time system as well as comprehensive information and personal consultation for individual solutions.Share this:TwitterFacebookLinkedInMoreRedditTumblrPinterestWhatsAppSkypePocketTelegram Tags: Tools & Software Continue Reading Previous Maxim’s healthcare sensors for ultra-small size wearablesNext emtrion introduces new core module emSTAMP-Argon
Story Highlights High school administrators urged to carefully analyze the strengths and weaknesses of their new students Principals and other high school administrators urged to ensure that literacy or numeracy challenges are addressed Concerted efforts must be made to improve the standard of English and Mathematics Education Minister, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, is urging principals and other high school administrators to ensure that literacy or numeracy challenges which new students entering their institutions may have, are addressed as a matter of priority.“When you go in with the grade seven students in September…spend the time to get to know them and if there are weaknesses in literacy and numeracy, stop and curb those before you rush on to the five, seven, or nine other subjects,” he emphasizes.The Minister made this appeal while addressing Friday’s (August 9) awards ceremony for students who successfully completed the TEACH Caribbean summer school programme, at the Mile Gully High School in Manchester.Rev. Thwaites said based on this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination results, particular attention and concerted efforts must be made to improve the standard of English and Mathematics in all schools.He pointed out that in analyzing the results “frankly (they)… aren’t what we want them to be”. He noted that even though the English scores were better this year, “they still aren’t what they were the year before and the year before that.”“Mathematics results aren’t good either. More than half of those who took the subject did not pass and only about a half who ought to be taking the subject actually do. So our standard of Mathematics in Jamaica is not adequate a foundation for the development that we all seek to be able to have the jobs, (and) to be able to have the professions that are going to make us prosperous,” he bemoaned.Against this background, Rev. Thwaites said the Ministry is placing tremendous emphasis on early education, to ensure students will have a solid foundation on which to chart their future academic success.He urged high school administrators to carefully analyze the strengths and weaknesses of their new students, as outlined in their Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) scores profiles, and develop individual learning patterns which will assist in addressing any shortcomings arising.TEACH Caribbean is a non-profit educational organization, initiated by a group of Jamaican Rhodes Scholars, which aims to improve the quality of and access to educational resources for high school students, through innovative methods and curricula.The entity administers a five-week summer programme at high schools in rural Jamaica each year, during which students are taught Mathematics and English Language. Special focus is placed on addressing problem areas arising from the preceding school year, in preparing the students for the upcoming academic year.Students begin the programme during the summer after completing the 7th Grade and return each summer, thereafter, until Grade 11.A total of 78 students from May Day and Mile Gully High Schools participated in this year’s programme.
Story Highlights “On average, we pump water to customers for eight hours daily, but if the weather condition persists, we can increase these hours,” he added. “The NIC has been experiencing a reduction in the flow of surface water due to the current dry weather condition. However, we are still able to supply our customers with water. The NIC has a mitigation strategy, and part of our strategy is the extension of pumping hours,” Director of Engineering and Technical Services at the NIC, Rohan Stewart, told JIS News in an interview. The National Irrigation Commission (NIC) says strategies are in place to serve customers facing disruption during the current dry spell.“The NIC has been experiencing a reduction in the flow of surface water due to the current dry weather condition. However, we are still able to supply our customers with water. The NIC has a mitigation strategy, and part of our strategy is the extension of pumping hours,” Director of Engineering and Technical Services at the NIC, Rohan Stewart, told JIS News in an interview.“On average, we pump water to customers for eight hours daily, but if the weather condition persists, we can increase these hours,” he added.Mr. Stewart informed that the NIC provides water to the agricultural sector using surface water and wells.He highlighted that other mitigation strategies in the Commission’s plan include increasing water storage facilities to match service demand.“We have wells that are not being operated, so if the need arises we can bring those systems on board,” Mr. Stewart said.Meanwhile, the NIC is urging customers to practise water conservation during the current dry spell, and has advised that the execution of mitigation strategies would come at no extra cost to customers.The NIC is an agency of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries. It is mandated, under the Irrigation Act, to manage, operate, maintain and expand existing and future irrigation schemes and systems established by the Government of Jamaica.The agency provides irrigation services primarily to the agricultural sector as well as to some industrial and commercial users. The National Irrigation Commission (NIC) says strategies are in place to serve customers facing disruption during the current dry spell.
London: Australia coach Justin Langer says he won’t be surprised if wearing a neck guard on the helmet becomes mandatory in the future after star batsman Steve Smith was felled by a bouncer in the second Ashes Test against England at Lord’s. Smith was batting on 80 on the fourth day on Saturday when he was struck by a bouncer from fast bowler Jofra Archer, timed at 92.4 mph (148.7 kph) on the (unprotected) back of his neck. He fell prostrate on the ground for a while, took time to regather himself and was initially withdrawn by the team doctor Richard Saw for precautionary concussion testing. Also Read – Puducherry on top after 8-wkt win over ChandigarhThere was widespread surprise when Smith re-emerged less than a hour later at the fall of Peter Siddle’s wicket but was finally out for 92 when he shouldered arms to a straight ball from Chris Woakes That dismissal denied Smith his third hundred in as many Ashes innings after he marked his comeback Test following a 12-month ball-tampering ban, with scores of 144 and 142 in Australia’s 251-run win at Edgbaston. Significantly, Smith was wearing a helmet without the additional stem guard neck protection introduced following the death of Phillip Hughes after his former Australia team-mate was hit by a bouncer in a 2014 domestic Sheffield Shield match in Sydney. Also Read – Vijender’s next fight on Nov 22, opponent to be announced later”You never like seeing your players get hit like that, no doubt about that. It was obviously some pretty rough memories of a blow like that, so there’s no fun in it,” Langer said later. Asked whether he thought neck guards should be made mandatory for the players, Langer said, “It might be my error but I didn’t realise they weren’t mandatory until today. At the moment the players have a choice, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they become mandatory in the future.” The former Australia opener feels that Smith will have to wear a neck guard on his helmet in future whether he likes it or not. “I think Steve wrote in his book he just doesn’t like or feel comfortable (with a stem guard). He’s got all these idiosyncrasies everyone’s talking about — he doesn’t like having shoelaces he can see, doesn’t like his shoes being dirty, so it’s the same, it just doesn’t feel right,” the coach said. “I’m sure after today it will get talked about again, I know they came in after the tragedy of Hughesy. So I’m sure it will get talked about, and he might rethink it now after seeing what happened today, but you would have to ask him that.” Langer also revealed that Smith insisted on going back to bat after he retired following the blow on the back of his back, protesting that he needed to be given the chance to make a century at the home of cricket. The coach said Australia had not taken an undue risk in allowing Smith to resume his innings. “He had the concussion testing and passed all that and that’s why he came back out to bat. These are like my sons alright, so you’re never going to put them in harm’s way, even though you’re always in harm’s way with Test cricket.
SAO PAULO – Overcoming an effort to try him on corruption charges, Brazilian President Michel Temer tried Thursday to move past the scandals that have dogged him, but it was unclear if he has the support to push his market-friendly reform agenda.A congressional vote late Wednesday temporarily spared Temer from trial, but it was only the latest in a series of threats to his political survival. He emerged victorious from a court challenge earlier this year to the vote that elected him vice-president, he resisted calls for his resignation when bribery allegations came to light, and he has now beaten two attempts to remove him from office and put him on trial on graft charges. Temer has called the charges against him absurd and politically motivated.With all obvious threats to his removal behind him, Temer and his advisers appeared eager to get back to governing.“It’s time to focus on what interests our people. The bridge that we are building to the future is solid, firm and resistant,” Temer said in a video posted on social media. He touted incipient economic growth, early signs of job creation and falling inflation. His chief of staff also promised that a social security reform would be passed this year.But with so much political capital spent on merely surviving, analysts are questioning whether there’s any left over to cut spending on pensions or loosen labour laws to revive Brazil’s economy, Latin America’s largest.While cheered by many investors, those proposed reforms are deeply unpopular — as is Temer himself. His approval rating is as low as 3 per cent, making him the most unpopular leader in the world, according to a recent Eurasia group survey, and not just because of scandals. Temer’s decision last week to offer steep discounts on fines for environmental infractions created an outcry, as did a watering down of the rules that combat labour abuses.Temer’s promise was always that he would use his legendary deal-making skills to modernize Brazil’s economy and drag Latin America’s largest nation out of the deepest recession it had experienced in decades. Many lawmakers who supported Temer in Wednesday’s vote cited the need to sustain the nascent economic recovery as the reason for their vote.But now, the opposite might be true, said Helio Gurovitz, a columnist with media giant Globo.The “problem is that Temer’s continuation also offers risks to the economy,” he wrote Thursday. “The principal of these is the threat to the reform agenda, especially on social security. Temer emerged from yesterday’s vote with a parliamentary base ever more weakened.”The 77-year-old Temer’s gift for horse-trading was on display in recent weeks as he shored up support by doling out local projects, plum positions and favourable decrees in a bid to avoid being put on trial for charges of obstruction of justice and leading a criminal organization. In the end, Temer got more than the votes he needed, but fewer than the last time Congress voted to spare him from suspension and trial.“That leaves Temer having accomplished very little at extraordinarily high cost,” said Matthew M. Taylor, a professor at the School of International Service at American University. “The broader reformist impetus has been blemished by association with Temer and his horse-trading.”Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who despite a corruption conviction is the front-runner for next year’s presidential race, criticized the amount of funding Temer promised to fellow lawmakers in exchange for support.“Money that’s missing for investments in the country,” he said in a tweet on Thursday.Investors, who initially cheered Temer’s rise to power, seemed uninterested in the victory. The main Bovespa stock index was down in late trading and the currency slumped against the dollar.“The financial market is not particularly worried about what’s happening with President Temer,” said Pedro Paulo Coelho Afonso, the chief of operations at the Gradual Investimentos brokerage firm in Sao Paulo.The charges against Temer stem from a mammoth corruption investigation that began as a probe into money laundering and ended up uncovering systemic graft in Brazil’s halls of power. Dozens of politicians and businessmen have been jailed since the probe launched in 2014.Prosecutors allege Brazil’s government was run like a cartel for years, with political parties selling favours, votes and appointments to powerful businessmen. They say that Temer took over the scheme when he took power last year. Because the case involved a sitting president, two-thirds of the lower house of Congress had to accept the charges before Temer could be tried. But the vote only spares Temer while he remains in office; he could still face the charges after his term ends on Dec. 31, 2018.Many Brazilians are exhausted by the seemingly endless allegations of corruption against their leaders and are holding their breath for next year’s elections.“I am confused by all these crises and accusations of corruption that come one after the other,” said Anita Ferreira Pinto, a 46-year-old housewife who was window shopping in Sao Paulo. “I no longer know what to think or what is best for Brazil.”___Associated Press writers Mauricio Savarese in Brasilia, Stan Lehman in Sao Paulo and Peter Prengaman in Rio de Janeiro and AP photographer Andre Penner in Sao Paulo contributed to this report.
HOMER, Alaska — A furry fixture of an Alaska general store must leave after the owners were notified the black cat’s presence violates food safety standards.The Homer News reports the Fritz Creek General Store near Homer has been home to the female, slightly overweight cat named Stormy since 2012.Stormy is often found lounging on one of the store’s wooden chairs or soliciting customers for a scratch on her head.Jeremy Ayers, section manager for the state Food Safety and Sanitation Program, says the agency received a complaint about the cat, and an environmental health officer also observed her.Ayers says pets are not allowed in facilities that serve food.Stormy will be sent to live with family of store owner Sean Maryott.___Information from: The Homer (Alaska) News, http://www.homernews.comThe Associated Press
Rabat – Supporters of Raja Casablanca expressed their support for the Palestinian cause during their team’s game against the Palestinian team Hilal Al-Quds.Rajawi fans waved Palestinian flags and held banners against normalization with Zionists. The game that ended with Raja’s victory (1-0) was held in Casablanca’s Mohammed V stadium, on Monday, September 23. The match was part of the round-of-32 of Mohammed VI Arab Champions Cup.Before the start of the match Raja fans displayed a Tifo depicting “Handala,” a famous cartoon character portraying a 10-year-old refugee child. “Handala” was created by Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali, one of the most famous cartoonists in the Arab world, known mostly for his criticism of Arab regimes and Israel. Throughout the game, more than 50,000 supporters chanted songs in support of Palestine. The fans also shouted “Palestine, Palestine” and “Gaza, we will never let you down” for more than 90 minutes. The Palestinian’s team goalkeeper, Rami Hamada, started chanting with the crowds for some moments in the middle of the game.“I would like to thank the Moroccan people for their welcoming. The atmosphere was amazing, I even chanted during the game,” Hamada said in a post-game interview.His teammate Mohammed Sammar also expressed his gratitude towards Moroccan fans: “Many thanks to the fans who chanted for the glory of Palestine during the whole 90 minutes.”Impressed with the support shown by the Moroccan crowds, Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, promised that the Moroccan team and their fans will be hosted for free during their upcoming travel to the West Bank to play the second leg of the game, on October 3.The solidarity expressed by Raja fans with the Palestinian cause is not the first time Moroccan people have declared their support for their Palestinian brothers. In June, 2019, thousands of Moroccans rallied in solidarity with Palestine. The crowds protested against the US proposed Middle-East Peace Plan, the so-called “Deal of the Century.”The Moroccan government is also known for its support for the Palestinian cause. King Mohammed VI was one of the first world leaders to warn the US and the United Nations after US President Trump decided to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.On September 15, during an emergency meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Secretary of State to the Moroccan Foreign Minister, Mounia Boucetta, delivered a speech reiterating Morocco’s unwavering position on the Israel-Palestine conflict.In her speech, the Moroccan official said that violations by the Israeli authorities “undermine the two-state solution and hinder international efforts to revive the peace process.”The secretary of state also highlighted the special interest of King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, in promoting the Palestinian cause.
In the Creole-language audio messages, recorded for free at a studio operated by the mission, known as MINUSTAH, Mr. Jean focuses on the crimes of kidnapping, rape and “restavek,” or the local practice of using children as slave labour.“If you love Wyclef, that means you love Haiti,” the musician says in one of the public service announcements (PSAs). “So you should not be raping women, kidnapping people and children, because there can be no excuse for doing so. I reject these evil practices.”MINUSTAH has distributed the ads over the past two months to more than 20 radio and television stations across the country to boost public awareness at a time when Haitian authorities are dealing with a sharp spike in crimes, particularly kidnappings of children.Last month the mission and the Haitian National Police (HNP) announced they were setting up roadblocks and motorized patrols around the country to try to combat the crime wave.The scripts for the ads were largely written by Jean Buteau Remarque of MINUSTAH’s child protection unit and were drawn in part from the lyrics of Mr. Jean’s music.Massimo Toschi, a child protection adviser with the mission, told the UN News Centre today that the proposal for the advertisements emerged late last year during talks between Mr. Jean – who runs his own non-governmental organization (NGO) in Haiti – and senior MINUSTAH officials about the latest developments in the country, the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. 2 April 2008The Grammy Award-winning Haitian hip hop artist Wyclef Jean has taken to the airwaves of his native country to urge his compatriots to stop committing crimes in a series of advertisements created by the United Nations peacekeeping mission to the impoverished Caribbean country.
The chief United Nations envoy for the Middle East peace process, Terje Roed-Larsen, was in Beirut today to meet with senior officials of Lebanon and brief them on last week’s Quartet meeting in New York.Following separate meetings with Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and the Speaker of the Parliament, Nabih Berri, Mr. Roed-Larsen said he reiterated Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s position that on the Palestinian track, final status issues should be resolved between the parties and the parties alone, within the framework of the Road Map.The Road Map is a plan sponsored by the UN, European Union, Russian Federation and United States calling for a series of parallel and reciprocal steps leading to two states – Israel and Palestine – living side-by-side in peace by 2005.Mr. Roed-Larsen also said Israel’s proposed withdrawal from Gaza “should mark a proper end of the occupation in Gaza” and must take place within the broader framework of a region wide peace process, including the Lebanese and Syrian tracks.
Landfill loses: Waste-to-biofuels plant to divert Edmonton’s trash from dump by The Canadian Press Posted Jun 4, 2014 3:57 pm MDT AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to RedditRedditShare to 電子郵件Email EDMONTON – A new plant that has opened in Edmonton will use trash diverted from the city’s landfill and convert it into biofuels and chemicals.The plant owned by Quebec company Enerkem is believed to be the world’s first full-scale waste-to-biofuels facility.Enerkem is to handle operations and the city is to supply 100,000 tonnes annually of sorted municipal waste that cannot be composted or recycled.Enerkem CEO Vincent Chornay (CHOR’-nay) says the process is slightly more expensive to Edmonton taxpayers than landfilling garbage, but is more sustainable.Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson (EYE’-veh-suhn) says the plant should be a game-changer for dealing with household waste.He says the plant, along with the recycling and composting the city already does, will keep almost all of Edmonton’s waste out of the landfill by 2016.“Here we are with one of the last pieces of the puzzle to get us to almost complete diversion from the landfill,” he said Wednesday. “We think 90 per cent of our trash will now go to some higher purpose than being buried in the ground.“We’re creating green jobs, we’re creating value and we’re helping support innovation in Alberta and in the Canadian economy.”Chornay said the plant makes turning waste into useable fuels simple.“We break down the waste using heat and convert it into a gas that is as clean as natural gas. Then we convert the gas to liquid methanol — and all that happens in three minutes.”Edmonton currently composts and recycles about 60 per cent of residential waste.It’s expected that, at full capacity, the Enerkem plant will produce 38 million litres of clean fuels and biochemicals annually. It will initially produce methanol and later ethanol — enough each year to fill the tanks of 400,000 cars using a five per cent ethanol blend.Edmonton is considered a leader in municipal waste management. Its facilities are visited by officials from all over the world.(CHED, The Canadian Press)
In his first press conference since returning to New York from the G20 Summit in St. Petersburg, Mr. Ban said that should a UN weapons team confirm use of chemical agents in the 21 August incident in Syria, it would be an “abominable crime” and the international community “would certainly have to do something about it.”“The Syrian people need peace,” he declared. “Should Dr. Sellström’s report confirm the use of chemical weapons, then this would surely be something around which the Security Council could unite in response – and indeed something that should merit universal condemnation,” Mr. Ban told reporters.The UN chief added that he is already considering “certain proposals that I could make to the Security Council” when presenting the investigation team’s report.Those include urging the Council to demand the immediate transfer of Syria’s chemical weapons and chemical precursor stocks to places inside Syria where they can be safely stored and destroyed, Mr. Ban said.He also urged Damascus to become a party to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Syria is not a party CWC, but it is a party to the Geneva (Protocol) of 1925 which prohibits the use of chemical and biological weapons, according to the OPCW. In response to a question about how quickly the UN can act, if Syria agrees to a transfer of its alleged chemical weapons stock under international control, Mr. Ban said he is sure that the international community will take “very swift action” to make safely store and destroy the chemical weapons stocks. Meanwhile, the biomedical and environmental samples taken by the UN chemical weapons inspection team have been undergoing analysis in Europe since last week.Mr. Ban has said he would promptly share the results of the analyses with the 15-member Security Council and all 193 Member States.Addressing journalists, the UN chief again reiterated the need to come together for a so-called Geneva II conference, which would include representatives of Syrian parties as well as senior United States, Russian and UN officials, to find a political path out of the crisis in the country.A political solution “is the only viable option at this time”, Mr. Ban said, adding that he and Joint UN-Arab League Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi, who was also in St. Petersburg, have been working very closely with Moscow and Washington to get all parties to the table.The UN chief noted that Syria dominated the G20 talks “in a way no other political development has ever done.” In addition to those discussions at the summit and on the sidelines, Mr. Ban said there was progress on growth, jobs, trade and investment. Mr. Ban said he was “encouraged” by the response to this call for concentrated actions to achieve the eight anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), define a global development agenda beyond 2015, and addressing climate change. He looks forward to building on the G20 discussions at the high-level General Assembly debate later this month at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Opening the first meeting of the 2017 session of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the body’s new President, Frederick Musiiwa Makamure Shava, of Zimbabwe, said today that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a “rallying call” to address the complex challenges facing the world.He called for cooperation among UN Member States and for concerted action, at all levels, for effectively implementing the SDGs, which would complete the unfinished tasks of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and realize the future we want.“[The] spirit of cooperation and shared values has made it possible for us to envision a world where all challenges, however complex and resource intensive […] can be navigated successfully,” said Mr. Shava in his inaugural statement, referring to poverty eradication, climate change, humanitarian crises and breaches of peace and security.To better focus the work of the main UN economic and social body, the President proposed that as its first priority, it should dedicate enough time to discuss the question of infrastructure development and industrialization, especially in the context of support for African development and as a high priority for all the countries in special situations – the least developed countries, the landlocked developing countries, the small island developing States and those emerging from conflict.“Funding for infrastructure projects is a challenge that has not yet been surmounted in Africa and most countries in special situations,” he said, emphasizing that infrastructure and industrialization is critical for the countries furthest behind.Mr. Shava further added that the nexus between development, human rights, peace and security should be recognized.“There can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development,” he said, expressing his intent, as the President of the Council, to explore options for enhancing the partnership between ECOSOC and relevant UN bodies such as the Peacebuilding Commission on the interlinkages between development, peace and security.Recalling that Member States of the UN recognized the role of ECOSOC as crucial in breaking silos and bridging divides across thematic issues, work pillars and governance structures, he said the body could consider how it could promote a strategic and coherent direction for the UN development system in this new development era.“We already have very clear guidance on these issues. What is needed is to ensure that they are being implemented fully,” he concluded.Also speaking at the occasion, outgoing President Oh Joon, of Republic of Korea, recalled that the 2016 session was a landmark year for the Council that saw the initiation of actions to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other major global agreements of 2015.Recalling, in particular, the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development held earlier in July, at the UN Headquarters in New York, on the theme ‘Ensuring that no one is left behind’, Mr. Oh said: “The national reviews of 22 volunteer countries have set an excellent stage for the follow-up and review of the SDGs for years to come.” For further strengthening the work of ECOSOC, the outgoing President said that developing the structure of the ECOSOC system to make it fit for purpose, in the context of the entire UN development system, should be explored.He further said that the agenda and the working methods of the Council should be reviewed in a systematic manner to ensure that no items remain “merely due to inertia, and added that a renewed spirit of cooperation is required to overcome the “outdated divide” between the groups of developed and developing countries.Underscoring that the efforts and commitments of all Member States of the UN are critical to ensure win-win outcomes for the entire UN development system, let alone that of ECOSOC, Mr. Oh concluded, “The Council should by all means remain the central platform for collaboration of the global south and north.” Mr. Oh served the ECOSOC Bureau for the past two and a half years, the first one and a half as Vice President and then for one year as its President.
(CMC) A Jamaican has been arrested at New York’s John F Kennedy (JFK) International Airport after he was found to be in possession of five pounds of cocaine.The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said Mario Hudson, who is due to appear before the US Eastern District Court of New York later this month, was detained on March 27, posing as an airline pilot.“Mr Hudson was dressed in what appeared to be a pilot’s uniform and claimed he was a ‘dead-heading crewmember’,” CBP said, adding that he indicated this on his arrival from Jamaica.But during the baggage inspection, CBP said officers discovered that Hudson had what appeared to be two fraudulent Delta Airlines ID badges. The officers also noticed that the sides and bottom of the luggage appeared to be unusually thick and heavy.CBP said Hudson was escorted to a private search room, “where his suitcase was probed, revealing a white powder that tested positive for cocaine”.Hudson was arrested for the importation of a controlled substance and was turned over to US Homeland Security Investigations.The cocaine had a total weight of five pounds and had a street value of US$85,000.“This seizure demonstrates the vigilance and dedication demonstrated daily by CBP officers at JFK, in keeping these prohibited and dangerous narcotics off the streets of our communities,” said Leon Hayward, acting director, Field Operations in New York for CBP. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)RelatedConsumer Affairs mulling new regulations for auto industryJanuary 28, 2019In “Business”Govt to reduce excise tax on new vehicles – Govt sourceJanuary 14, 2016In “latest news”Butt, Asif to be part of CPL draftFebruary 3, 2016In “Sports”
By Rohey Jadama The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Hadi Saleh Bakum, yesterday, 1 July, continued the cross examination of Mr. Momodou Sabally, theerstwhile Secretary General and Minister for presidential Affairswho is standing trial before Justice Emmanuel Amadi of the Banjul High Court.The accused was represented by Antouman Gaye, whilst the DPP appearedfor the state.“You did not want to tell your boss the truth that the vehicles werefor sale?” said the DPP“I disagree with your statement because I had already told my boss thetruth that the vehicles were presented as donations to him,” saidSabally.“You did not tell your boss that the purported donation was associatedwith a business deal as it was purportedly presented to you by PW10?”ask the Chief prosecutor.Sabally said, “The cars were presented as gifts for donation to the presidentwithout any conditions attached and they were accepted as such?”“If the cars were for donation why did you not care to ask for thetitle deed from PW10?” ask the DPP.“The office I was running was a very busy office as such most of myresponsibilities were delegated and as heard in evidence the keys werehanded to Lieutenant Colonel Ansumana Tamba in the presence of Ndoyeand I expected him to surrender anything related to the vehicle to himhenceforth,” said the former SG.“Did you delegate Ansumana Tamba to collect the title deeds?” enquired the DPP.“Yes, I delegated Tamba to receive the keys and everything related tothe vehicle, including the title deeds,” said SaballyDPP asked, “Could it be that because of your busy schedule you did not have timeto attend to PW10 when presented exhibit P7 and P8?” “These exhibitswere never presented to me.”DPP asked, “Did you remember telling this court that PW1 brought an envelopebut you told him that you have a number of documents on yourdesk and that you will get back to him?” Sabally responded, “An envelope was presented tome and I decline receiving it because was too many documents on mydesk and I feared losing it.”DPP asked, “Are you are saying that that you decline to take the envelope because ofyour busy schedule?” Sabally answered, “No am not saying that, this was a weekend andthe records clerk were not in court for reasons of safety andprocedure. I always receive documents through the records office.”DPP added, “I’m putting it to you that you knew what PW1 was bringing to youearlier, as the same document was brought to you by PW10 because youhad made up your mind to scuttle the sales transaction because you didnot want to hear about it.” Sabally answered, “I disagree with you because there is noway I can know the content of the sealed envelope, at that time no salewas mentioned and I had no intention to scuttle any sale and I didnot remember PW10 giving me any envelope.”DPP asked, “I’m putting it to you that the issue of the cars were for sale fromthe inception?” Sabally answered, “No the cars were never meant for sale from thebeginning.”DPP added, “The deal of the purported donation was your misrepresentation?” Sabally answered, “Nothe cars were meant for donation and that is the truth.”Mr. Sabally while still responding to questions from the DPP told thecourt that he has a dual relationship with Lamin Manga, the formerDirector of Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS).He added that Mr. Manga used to receive official instructions from himand report back to him. He added that Miss Mariama Sillah was anacquaintance and that she was introduced to him by Mr. Manga purposelyfor the transaction.When asked whether he knows the relationship between Manga and Ms.Sillah, Sabally responded in the negative.“How close were you with Mr. Graham, the Managing Director of SocialSecurity and Housing Finance Corporation?” asked the DPP.“We have professional and official relationships,” responded Sabally.“Why did you take it upon yourself to introduce Ms. Sillah to Mr.Graham?” asked the DPP.“Because the project she presented to me (Youth Career development)was relevant to national development and the institution Mr. Grahamheads is also for national development?” responded the former SG.“Do you have any ministry of youth in this country?” asked the DPP.Sabally responded in the positive.DPP asked, “Why did you not forward her request to the ministry of youths andsports?” Sabally answered, “I thought they did not have the capacity to meet herassistance for the project.”Sabally said he presented the issue to the MD of SSHFC by phone andthat he did not write to him formally knowing fully well that he wasnot giving any instruction from his office.He was asked whether that was in line with his purview as SG.“I was not acting in my capacity as SG but as a concerned youngGambian interested in youth development and that Manga presented Ms.Sillah to him so that he could help and that he had a relationshipwith MD SSHFC during my tenure as Budget Director under the ministryof finance and I did not know any relationship between Manga andGraham,” said the former SG.At this stage, exhibit P1A was shown to him and the DPP asked himwhether he stated there that he was acting as a concerned youngGambian and not in his capacity as SG.“It is not explicitly stated there,” replied Sabally.The case will resume on Monday 6 June 2015 for continuation ofcross-examination.]]>
Pep Guardiola revealed he was proud of Kevin De Bruyne’s performance in the club’s 5-0 routing of Burnley FC in the Fourth round of the FA Cup.Midfield maestro Kevin De Bruyne was in superb form as provided two assists in addition to his stunning long-range strike in what was a Man of the Match display to earn the plaudits of his managerGuardiola admitted the Belgian still needs minutes to regain his best form but is pleased with the playmaker’s recovery.“It’s not easy when players have long injuries,” he said via the club’s website. “That’s why we tried to handle his minutes.“Of course, we need him because he’s so clever and aggressive in his game. He helps a lot.”Asked if he would relish or fear the prospect of a Manchester Derby in the FA Cup Fifth Round draw, Guardiola replied: “I can’t control the draw!
Mourinho knows why City and Liverpool are so far ahead George Patchias – September 13, 2019 Jose Mourinho knows why Manchester City and Liverpool are so far ahead of everyone else in the Premier League.In an interview with the Telegraph,…“It’s important to be in there. United have also won eight games in a row but I don’t know what the draw will be.“Hopefully, we can go through.”Up next for Man City is a League tie away to struggling Newcastle United as they bid to maintain their chase on League leaders, Liverpool.Ohhh Kevin De Bruyne 🎶 Here’s City’s 3rd goal, with a rocket coming from De Bruyne ⚽️ (3-0)#MCFC #MCIBUR pic.twitter.com/E9t74wwqiw— City Central (@City_CentraI) January 26, 2019
More From Roadshow Share your voice 16 Photos Now playing: Watch this: Tags The 2020 BMW 745e has more power and a longer range 3:01 1 Five things you need to know about the 2020 BMW 745e BMW also came up with a gamification strategy for this kind of environmentally-woke driving. It’s created a service called BMW Points. Here’s how it works: Drivers get a certain number of points based on the distance their cars travel under electricity, with the hope of maximizing EV-mode driving and, by extension, environmental benefit. Those points can be turned into rewards like free charges on the Charge Now network or other products in BMW’s mobility sphere, like parking or car-sharing. This system, too, will be live on BMW PHEVs starting in 2020.The automaker already tried both of these schemes out in a pilot program in Rotterdam. About 50 PHEV drivers were given an app that mimicked the eDrive Zone geofence and monitored to see whether or not that changed drivers’ habits. Another chunk of drivers had the same app, but it included an early version of BMW Points. According to the results, the PHEV owners used electric power for 90 percent of all suggested routes, proving that BMW’s ideas had some legs. Clearly, the results justified the inclusion of these systems on upcoming plug-in hybrids.
Hybrids Enlarge ImageBMW now plans to launch 25 electrified models by 2023, two years sooner than originally planned. BMW People already have enough stuff swimming around in their heads. Knowing the right time to engage their plug-in hybrid’s electric stores adds yet another piece of tedium to a brain likely filled with it already. But BMW has a solution — two solutions, actually.BMW announced on Tuesday that its future plug-in hybrid electric vehicles will be capable of operating in specific “eDrive Zones.” These zones are geofenced areas that, upon a vehicle reaching the border, will automatically switch the car’s propulsion from hybrid mode to pure electric. This eliminates the need for a driver to manually change vehicle settings while driving. This feature will be standard in BMW PHEVs starting in 2020.While that might seem odd in the US, it won’t in Europe. Many municipalities are trying to find a way to reduce urban air pollution, and banning or otherwise heavily taxing combustion engines in specific locations is a solution that’s increasing in popularity. If these zones were connected to geofences, BMW’s PHEVs would be able to run in electric mode in these special areas. It could also work in a more generalized way, perhaps kicking a car to EV mode when it enters any city, as electric motors are far more efficient in city driving than on the highway. 2019 BMW X7 first drive: Big-time Bavarian BMW 2019 BMW X5 xDrive50i review: A potent and tech-rich SUV 2020 BMW 7 Series first drive: Travel comfortably and carry a big grille BMW Comment
Recent Comments