MCNA April 2023; Vol 1, Issue 8

New Delhi, April 6 (IANS) Amid growing food and energy crises, an uncertain global economic outlook, and the escalating impacts of climate change, the UN has said that a sustainable industrial transformation is needed to close the widening development gap among countries, meet climate targets

China is world’s most prolific perpetrator of transnational repression: Report

and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

The 2023 Financing for Sustainable Development Report: Financing Sustainable Transformations says urgent, massive investments are needed to accelerate transformations, including in electricity supply, industry, farming, transportation, and buildings.

“Without the means to invest in sustainable development and transform their energy and food systems, developing countries are falling even further behind,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in the foreword to the report.

“A two-track world of haves and have-nots holds clear

continued on pg. 9

Revised settlement agreement reached to compensate First Nations in Canada

Beijing, April 6 (IANS) The Chinese government is the worlds most prolific perpetrator of transnational repression, accounting for 253 incidents, or 30 per cent of all recorded cases of direct, physical transnational repression since 2014, according to a report by Freedom House. More governments are committing more acts of transnational repression around the world, turning to violence and other brutal tactics to silence dissent beyond their borders, said the report.

The study finds that 20 governments committed 79 incidents of physical transnational repression in 2022, with Djibouti and Bangladesh emerging as perpetrator states for the first time.

The report also finds that at least 854 direct, physical incidents of transnational repression have

been committed by 38 governments in 91 countries since 2014, including assassinations, abductions, assaults, detentions, and unlawful deportations.

The governments of China, Turkey, Tajikistan, Russia and Egypt ranked as the most prolific perpetrators of transnational repression.

“Despite growing awareness of the problem, more authoritarian governments are attempting to exert control over diaspora and exile communities,” said Michael J. Abramowitz, president of Freedom House.

“This latest research shows that the threat posed by transnational repression is not going away, and that democratic societies must work harder to protect themselves and their fundamental values.”

The government of Turkey has

carried out 132 incidents of transnational repression. Ankara has abducted more people via renditions than any other state in the database, and this practice continued in 2022, with two new kidnappings from Ukraine and Azerbaijan, the report noted. “People who criticise authoritarian regimes, whether they are professional journalists or ordinary citizens, are often singled out for harassment and even violence,” said Yana Gorokhovskaia, the report’s coauthor and Freedom House’s research director for strategy and design.

Macron counts on Xi ‘to bring Russia to senses’ for ending Ukraine war

Beijing, April 7 (IANS) Visiting French President Emmanuel Macron has asked his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping “to bring Russia to its senses” in an effort to end the ongoing war in Ukraine, according to media reports.

Ottawa, April 6 (IANS) A multibillion-dollar revised settlement was reached to compensate those harmed by discriminatory underfunding of the First Nations children and families, the Canadian overnment said. First Nations is a term used to describe Indigenous peoples in Canada who are distinct from Metis or Inuit, reports Xinhua news agency. Following the original settlement agreement, the revised final settlement agreement now includes a total of just over C$23.34 billion,

an increase of C$3.3439 billion, Indigenous Services Canada said in a statement.

According to the statement, First Nations across Canada came together to discuss and support the revised settlement agreement, and the Assembly of First Nations (AFN)’s First Nations-inAssembly unanimously approved the draft revised settlement agreement.

The proposed revised settlement agreement, designed to fully meet the Canadian Human

Multicultural Australia hosts a forum discussion on the Uluru Statement from the heart

Macron arrived in Beijing on Wednesday on his state-visit to China with high expectations for a possible breakthrough on working with the Asian giant to find solutions to end the war, reports CNN.

While Ukraine tops the agenda, Macron’s trip also has a strong economic component, with the President being accompanied by a delegation of some 50 business leaders, with some expected to finalise or even sign new deals during the trip.

Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

Macron and Xi engaged in closed-door talks on Thursday, which officials from the two nations described as being “frank” and “friendly”, the BBC reported.

Later in the day, the two Presidents joint addressed the media at the Great Hall of the

People in Beijing.

In his opening statement, Macron told Xi: “I know I can count on you to bring Russia to its senses, and bring everyone back to the negotiating table.” He went on to say Russia had “put an end to decades of peace in Europe” and that finding a “lasting peace” that respected internationally recognized

In solidarity with the issue to include the aboriginal voice in parliament, Multicultural Australia held a discussion forum

“Changing the Conversation: Uluru Statement from the Heart” with amazing panelists, Mick Gooda, Shireen Morris, Callum Ah Chee, Elijah Buol OAM- Community Advocate, Allira Davis, and Kym Korbe. The MOSAIC Multicultural

Choir performed songs reflecting the issue. Community leaders Aparna Kanbur Amrita Deshpande, Ram Mohan, and Giri Sivaraman were present at the forum and also connected and engaged with multicultural communities present at the forum. Multicultural Australia will be organizing more conversations in the coming months.

continued on pg. 15 continued on pg. 9

He is also joined by European

continued on pg. 9

WHO turns 75, calls for health equity

Geneva, April 7 (IANS) On the eve of its 75th anniversary, the WHO marked the occasion by calling for a renewed drive for health equity in the face of unprecedented threats.

Seventy-five years ago, after years of war, the nations of the world agreed to set up a new organisation and “debated and agreed what this organisation would be and do in a document called the Constitution of the World Health Organisation,” the organisation’s Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, recalled at a press briefing here on Thursday.

“Tomorrow marks the 75th anniversary of the day that Constitution came into force. It was, and is, a landmark document,” he said.

The past decades have witnessed extraordinary progress in protecting people from diseases and destruction, including smallpox

eradication, reducing the incidence of polio by 99 per cent, saving millions of lives through childhood immunisation, declines in maternal mortality, and improving health and well-being for millions more, Xinhua news agency reported.

“And for the past three years, the WHO has coordinated the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic -- the most severe health crisis in a century. We can’t claim sole credit for these achievements, but we have played a leading role in all of them,” Tedros added.

Despite the achievements, the WHO Chief said that the world is still faced with many old and new challenges, particularly vast inequities in access to health services, major gaps in defence against health emergencies, and threats from health-harming products and the climate crisis.

To meet these challenges, the

WHO urges countries to take urgent action to protect, support and expand the health workforce as a strategic priority. To avert a shortage of 10 million health workers globally by 2030, primarily in low and middle-income countries, the WHO recommends that investments in education, skills and decent jobs for health should be prioritised.

It has recently initiated a global education programme on basic

Publisher

Dr. Ram Mohan

Editor

Harpreet Bhagrath

Associate Editor

Deepika Banerjee

Contributors

Sameer Bhalla

Mohita Sexena

Sharon Bath

Website Design & Updates

Cosmos Media

Designing

Cosmos Media

Editorial editorial@mcna.org.au

Advertising adverts@mcna.org.au

Multicultural News Australia

Unit 49, 391, WICKHAM TERRACE, Ground Floor, Spring Hill, Brisbane, QLD – 4000

Staff of Japanese embassy visits Canberra Grammar School

An Evening with a Sake Master organized

Canberra, March 20(MCNA Newsdesk)

The staff of the Embassy of Japan in Australia visited Canberra Grammar School recently as part of their Harmony

Week activities. Students enjoyed making origami, having their name written in Japanese, trying their hand at kendama, and wearing happi and yukata.

Korean community urged for productive gathering

Canberra, March 16 (MCNA Newsdesk)

Representatives of hotels, restaurants, and hospitality venues in Canberra attended event, An Evening with a Sake Master, organized by the Embassy of Japan. President of Homare Sake Brewery in north-western Fukushima Karahashi Hiroyuki gave a presentation on the ins and outs of sake, and how it is produced. The attendees sampled several award-winning sake brewed by Homare.

Proposal to establish Australia & Mongolia air relations agreement

Melbourne, March 27(MCNA Newsdesk)

On 10 March, Korean Consulate-General (CG) in Melbourne hosted a group meeting inviting Korean Professors lecturing at the universities in Melbourne, including

University of Melbourne, RMIT, Monash University, and Deakin University. Changhoon Yi, Korean Consul General called for a productive gathering for the Korean community as the best intellectual Korean community group in Melbourne.

Korean CG meets MCC Councillor

Canberra, March 16(MCNA Newsdesk)

Ambassador of Mongolia to Australia D Davaasuren met Deputy Secretary for the Ministry of Industry, Transport, Regional Development, Communications Richard Wood, and Arts, Deputy

Secretary Jim Wolfe, at the Ministry’s House on 16 March, at the Ministry.

At the same time Davaasuren announced 2023-2025 as the “Year to Visit Mongolia” by the Government of Mongolia, considering the increase in trade, investment and citizen exchange

between the two countries in recent years. The proposal was to establish an “Air Relations Agreement” between Mongolia and Australia. Furthermore, the two leaders agreed to promote bilateral talks on this issue.

Mongolia Ambassador meets Chief of Australian Ambassador’s office

Melbourne, March 16 (MCNA Newsdesk)

On 16 March, Korean Consul General (CG) had a working lunch with Melbourne City Council

Canberra, March 20 (MCNA Newsdesk) Ambassador of Mongolia to Australia D Davasuren

met

on

(MCC) Councillor Philip Li Liu and discussed how to develop relations between the council and the Consulate.

Chief of the Australian Ambassador’s Office Paul Singer, at Government House on 20 March to discuss further views

the two countries’ relations, cooperation, especially recent visits, events and plans for future implementation.

Afghan embassy commemorates 54 years of diplomatic ties with Australia

Ulaanbaata’s security discussed

Canberra, March 30 (MCNA Newsdesk)

The Embassy of Afghanistan celebrated 54 years of diplomatic relations between Afghanistan and Australia, on

March 30.

In a statement, the embassy highlighted the contribution of Australia in building Afghanistan. The statement reads: “March 30th, 2023, marks the 54th

anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between Afghanistan and Australia - a journey reflecting unwavering commitment and enduring friendship. Over five decades, Australia has been a steadfast supporter of Afghanistan, playing a crucial role in reconstruction through diplomatic, defense, and development efforts. The Afghan diaspora in Australia and the historical connection with Afghan Cameleers further strengthen the bond between our two nations.” Highlighting Australia’s contributions to Afghanistan, the statement further says: “Australia’s contributions have been invaluable, including its sacrifices in human lives, financial resources, and support during Afghanistan’s challenging times. The country has provided significant humanitarian assistance, welcomed Afghan refugees, and fostered educational opportunities.”

ANCP’s efforts to provide better sanitation in Bangladesh

Canberra, March 23 (MCNA Newsdesk)

Ambassador of Mongolia to Australia D Davaasuren met with Australian Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Megan Jones on 23 March to discuss the two

countries’ relations and cooperation, including recent meeting of Foreign Ministers of the two countries to be held in Ulaanbaatar. The Ambassador and the Assistant Secretary discussed the matter of Ulaanbaata’s security in detail.

Multicultural Comedy Gala on May

13

Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) partners Oxfam in Bangladesh and NGO Forum for Public Health have been working collaboratively with the Mymensingh City Corporation in the Resilient, Inclusive and Innovative Cities in Bangladesh (RIICB) project since 2018. They are providing improved sanitation services, opportunities for youth and disaster preparation training for communities in Mymensingh. Recently, Australian High Commission officials met with the city corporation officials, community leaders and young entrepreneurs involved in this project.

Brisbane, March 16 (MCNA Newsdesk)

The Multicultural Comedy Gala will be organized on May 13 as part of the Brisbane Comedy Festival. The comedy gala will see some of Australia’s most acclaimed comedians perform at the Brisbane

Powerhouse for a side-splitting celebration of Australia’s rich cultural diversity. The comedy gala will feature Khaled Khalafalla, Fiona O’Loughlin, Andy SaundersComedian, Neel Kolhatkar, and He Huang Comedian. The show will be hosted by John Safran.

Afghan cricket team presents a signed bat to embassy

Dhaka, April 3 (MCNA

Australian High Commissioner meets doctors’ team

Dhaka, March 30 (MCNA

Newsdesk) Newsdesk)

Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Jeremy Bruer met Professor Ajay Rane, Dr Cerqui, Dr Tanvir, Dr Usama and Cerqui of Flourishing Women Ltd – a team of doctors and nurses from Australia delivering critical surgery for women around the world recently. They were recently in Bangladesh working with local medical staff including Professor Sayeba Akhter to provide equipment and medical care for patients. This was a great example of AustraliaBangladesh expertise coming together to improve lives.

Canberra, March 30 (MCNA Newsdesk)

The rising stars of Afghanistan’s cricket team presented a signed bat to the Embassy of Afghanistan in Australia showcasing their incredible talent on the

international stage.

The Afghanistan cricket team has been showing their talent by challenging all the top teams in the world of cricket. Some of their star players have also been performing extremely well in cricket leagues like the IPL.

International Nowruz Day and Harmony Day celebrated

Annual Gold Coast Iftar dinner organized

Brisbane, March 30 (MCNA Newsdesk)

International Nowruz Day and Harmony Day were celebrated at Inala, in Brisbane, recently. The celebration saw the gathering of women and their families. It was an occasion that served as a wonderful opportunity to connect everyone. The women and their families took part in enjoying beautiful food and hearty chats. Many of them felt the gathering brought back memories of celebrating Nowruz back in their home countries. The word Nowruz (Novruz,

Navruz, Nooruz, Nevruz, Nauryz), means new day; its spelling and pronunciation may vary in different countries. Nowruz marks the first day of spring and is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox, which usually occurs on 21 March. It is celebrated as the beginning of the new year by more than 300 million people throughout the world. It has been celebrated for over 3,000 years in the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and other regions.

Multicultural Australia welcomes Racial Vilification Law reforms

Brisbane, March 29 (MCNA Newsdesk)

Multicultural Australia has welcomed the introduction of the Queensland Government’s Racial Vilification Law reforms in parliament and legislation. According to Multicultural Australia CEO, Christine Castley, the Queensland Government’s commitment and action to address serious vilification is a significant step forward to ensure the safety of culturally diverse communities.

“We are pleased and relieved to

see the introduction of the hate crime and serious vilification legislation into the Queensland Parliament. This sends an important message that hate crime will not be tolerated in Queensland,” Christine said. Christine added, “The laws will enhance the safety of every person and every community in Queensland, especially for those culturally and linguistically diverse communities who all too often face harassment as they go about their lives in public spaces and places of worship.”

Gold Coast, April 1(MCNA Newsdesk)

The 2nd annual Gold Coast Iftar dinner was held on April 1 in Broadbeach Community Centre on the Gold Coast. This annual event was organized by the volunteers of the Multicultural Social Network (MSN). According to founder and CEO

of MSN Hussain Baba, “this annual event is organized in the holy month of Ramadan to share meals with our non-Muslim friends, and MSN volunteers to experience the breaking of the fast. There were over 250 invited guests from every walk of life, including politicians (Federal, State, and local governments),

QPS, volunteers, and members of various multi-faith and multi-cultural organizations. Guests were provided with exotic South Asian fried snacks, dates and sweets at the time of breaking the fast, followed by an exotic South Asian sumptuous buffet consisting of over 15 dishes catering for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian guests. At this event, five dedicated volunteers were recognized for their volunteering services and awarded certificates and gifts by Karen Andrews MP and.David Crisafulli MP.

All the guests received a packet of dates as a gift, as it is customary for Muslims to break their fast at the time of Iftar by consuming dates.

Australian HC assisting mass media in Bangladesh

Dhaka, March 29 (MCNA Newsdesk)

The Australian High Commission (HC) is helping 10 Bangladeshi journalists visit Australia to broaden their skills and promote the development of Bangladesh’s mass media sector. The visit will be a great opportunity for the Bangladeshi journalists to engage with award-winning Australian journalists and leading experts to broaden their skills, including on investigative journalism and

19 Bangla govt officials complete Australian Awards short course

countering misinformation and disinformation.

The visit, facilitated by Australia Awards, will also be an opportunity for the journalists to learn about Australia’s advanced capabilities in hydrogen and renewable energy.

Australia supports the development of strong, professional and sustainable media in the IndoPacific region. Independent, diverse and free media are essential to the development and maintenance of democracy.

Staff of Japanese embassy visits Canberra Grammar School

Dhaka, March 17 (MCNA Newsdesk)

19 Bangladeshi government officials completed successfully the Australia Awards short course on ‘Developing the blue economy through sustainable marine resource

management’ recently. This course, delivered by @ unisunshinecoast, delved into links between the blue economy, marine conservation and other sectors of the Bangladeshi economy.

Participants emerged with a

deep understanding of how to develop further the blue economy in Bangladesh. Through this opportunity, they engaged with leading marine professionals and researchers in conservation.

The participants were given certificates at the closing ceremony of the course held at SIMEC Through short courses and scholarships, the Australia Awards program supports the next generation of global leaders. Our awardees develop knowledge and networks in Australia to contribute to the social and economic development of their own communities in Bangladesh.

Canberra, March 20(MCNA Newsdesk)

The staff of the Embassy of Japan in Australia visited Canberra Grammar School recently as part of their Harmony

Week activities. Students enjoyed making origami, having their name written in Japanese, trying their hand at kendama, and wearing happi and yukata.

Millets stall showcases health benefits

Millets stall showcases health benefits

Perth, March 19 (MCNA Newsdesk)

The Consulate General of India, Perth, in association with Indian Society of WA, set up amillets promotional stall at the Wellington Square Park, in Perth, during the Holi celebrations recently. The stall showcased the health benefits and nutritional values of millets and displayed various ready-tocook and ready-to-eat millets products.The stall attracted people from all walks of life.

An IncredibleIndia Tourism promotion stall promoting the state of UttarPradesh was also set up. Members of the Indian diaspora as well as wider multicultural society in Western Australia visited both the stalls.

Australian Sikh Awards on June 17

Perth, March 19 (MCNA Newsdesk)

The Consulate General of India, Perth, in association with Indian Society of WA, set up amillets promotional stall at the Wellington Square Park, in Perth, during the Holi celebrations recently. The stall showcased the health benefits and nutritional values of millets and displayed various ready-tocook and ready-to-eat millets products.The stall attracted people from all walks of life. An IncredibleIndia Tourism promotion stall promoting the state of UttarPradesh was

also set up. Members of the Indian diaspora as well as wider multicultural society in Western Australia visited both the stalls.

Texpo Pakistan in Karachi from 26-28 May 2023

Sydney, March 22 (MCNA Newsdesk)

The Australian Sikh Awards for Excellence will be announced on June 17, 2023. There will be

8 categories for the awards, and the focus will be on the significance of the contribution made by the individual in his or her respective category. The

impact of his/her efforts on the broader Australian community will be considered.

Nominations are open, and the last day for submissions on May 20, 2023.

High Commissioner Manpreet Vohra addressed a gathering at the inaugural ‘Australian Sikh Awards for Excellence’ to recognise the contributions of the Sikh community across Australia.

The awards are a joint initiative of Sikh Youth Australia and the Young Sikh Professionals Network Australia. The inaugural Australian Sikh Awards for Excellence was launched in Sydney recently to recognise the contributions of unsung heroes from the Sikh community.

Sydney, March 29 (MCNA Newsdesk)

The fourth edition of the Texpo Pakistan is being organised by Trade Development Authority of Pakistan(TDAP) in Karachi from 26-28 May 2023. The event will showcase about 300 Pakistani manufacturers/exporters of textiles, apparel, leather and carpets.

The Texpo provides an excellent opportunity to the Australian buyers to meet with the Pakistani manufactures and exporters under one roof. Also, the TDAP team organizes the visits of the buyers to the factories of their interest in Pakistan.

A delegation of Australian buyers will be visiting the Texpo Pakistan from 26-28 May 2023.

Pakistan National Day celebrated

International Women’s Day organized

To commemorate the Pakistan National Day, a flag hoisting ceremony was organized by the Consulate General of Pakistan Sydney at the

Community Centre Rhodes on 23 March 2023.

The ceremony was attended by a large number of Pakistani diaspora in Australia.

The national flag was hoisted by the Consul General Muhammad

Ashraf. The messages from the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan were read out. The ceremony concluded with the prayer for the solidarity and prosperity of Pakistan.

Australia HC team meets Jaffna Transgender Network

The Australian High Commission (HC) team in Sri Lanka had an engaging chat with the Jaffna Transgender Network, Jaffna Sangam and Jaffna Queer Festival about their work with the community in empowering LGBTIQ communities, including transgender and gender non-conforming people in the region. Their work is key to promoting gender equality, diversity and inclusion across Sri Lanka.

Australia supporting PNG’s Aquaculture & fisheries industry

livelihoods in PNG, providing employment, increasing living standards and increasing revenue from international trade.

PNG-Australia partnership is partnering with CSIRO to improve PNG’s ability to prevent and control aquatic diseases through strengthened laboratory diagnostics.

Sydney, March 14 (MCNA Newsdesk)

The International Women’s Day was organized under the aegis of United Indian Associations Inc recently, at Parravilla Function Centre, in Sydney. The theme of the

International Women’s Day was ‘Embracing Gender Equity’. The International Women’s Day is celebrated to remind the world that combined efforts of women can lead to women empowerment and gender equity.

Yoga for unity & wellbeing organized

Port Moresby, April 4 (MCNA Newsdesk)

Australia is committed to supporting PNG grow the export

potential of Aquaculture and fisheries industry.

Aquaculture and fisheries are essential to food supply and

This support will ensure PNG’s fisheries products meet international trade standard and increase market access.

Sydney, March 25 (MCNA Newsdesk)

‘HarDilDhyan, Har Din Dhyan’, a global wellness initiative of 100 days of Yoga by Ministry of Culture, Government of India and Heartfulness Institute SVCC, Sydney, in collaboration with Heartfulness, Australia, organised ‘Yoga for unity and wellbeing’ sessions in Sydney. The yoga sessions were conducted on March 25 at Parramatta, on

March 26 at Epping Leisure and Learning Centre, Chambers Ct, Epping.

Yoga for Unity is an effort to unite all yoga institutions to promote and preserve the practices and philosophies of yoga, and make them available to all. This is why yoga institutions and teachers from all over the globe have united with the belief that yoga will reach many people.

Newsdesk)

Sydney, March 23 (MCNA Newsdesk)

Colombo, March 23 (MCNA

New green industrial age needed to achieve climate targets: UN

Report finds that most developing countries do not have the resources for investment, unlike their developed counterparts.

Climate change, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Covid-19 pandemic, and debt payments up to two times higher than in 2019 have combined to put massive fiscal pressures on most developing countries.

and obvious dangers for every country. We urgently need to rebuild global cooperation and find the solutions to our current crises in multilateral action.”

According to the report, some of the necessary changes are already taking place. The energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine has spurred investment

in global energy transition, which skyrocketed in 2022 to a record $1.1 trillion.

Energy transition investments surpassed fossil fuel system investments for the first time in 2022, but these are almost all in China and developed countries.

The 2023 Financing for Sustainable Development

This limits their ability to invest in sustainable transformation. In developed countries in 2020 and 2021, for example, post-pandemic recovery spending was $12,200 per capita. This was 30 times higher than for developing countries ($410), and 610 times higher than for least developed countries ($20).

“Without delivering a reformed international financial system while scaling up investments

in the SDGs, we will not deliver on our shared commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” said UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed. “The good news is that we know what to do and how to do it. From launching critical transformations in energy, food and education to ushering in a new green industrial and digital age, we all must quicken the pace and leave no one behind.”

The 2023 Financing for Sustainable Development Report notes that industrialization has historically been a vehicle of progress, leading to economic growth, job creation, technological advancement, and poverty reduction. The report calls for a new generation of sustainable

industrial policies, underpinned by integrated national planning, to scale up investments and lay the foundation for the needed transformations.

Many opportunities for inclusive growth exist in agroindustry, green energy and manufacturing.

The recent rapid uptake in technology points to the possibilities for an equally rapid transition to sustainable industrialisation and growth.

Between 2021 and 2022, 338 million more people used the Internet regularly, an increase of approximately 38,600 additional people every hour.

Furthermore, in regions with high-quality connected services, 44 per cent of all companies are exporters, in contrast to only 19 per cent of firms where Internet services are weaker.

Macron counts on Xi ‘to bring Russia to senses’ for ending Ukraine war

said,adding that it was “unacceptable” that a member of the UN Security Council had violated the organisation’s charter.

On his part, the Chinese leader emphasised his country’s position on the Ukraine issue which is “consistent and clear”, Xinhua news agency reported. “It is essentially about facilitating peace talks and political settlement. There is no panacea for defusing the crisis.”

should resume as soon as possible and urged the international community to “stay rational, exercise restraint, and avoid taking actions that might cause the crisis to further deteriorate or even spiral out of control”.

2022, China has claimed neutrality and attempted to frame itself as an agent of peace.

borders was “an important issue for China, as much as it is for France and for Europe”.

“We can’t have a safe and stable Europe,” as long as Ukraine remained occupied, Macron

Xi said it requires all parties to do their share and create conditions for ceasefire and peace talks through a buildup of trust and added “China supports Europe in playing its role in the political settlement of the crisis”. He also said that peace talks

The Chinese leader reiterated that “nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought”, as well as opposed the “use of biological weapons under any circumstances”.

“China is ready to stay in touch with France and play a constructive role in the political settlement of the crisis,” the President added.

Since the war began in February

It has also released its own peace plan which Western nations have been generally dismissive of, saying it sides too much with Russia.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed interest in it and called for direct talks with Xi, who is yet to publicly respond.

Macron’s trip, which comes four years since his last visit, marks the most politically significant interaction Xi has had with a Western leader since he met US President Joe Biden at the G20 summit in Bali last November.

Zambia Netball team to play in Pacific Australia tournament

Canberra, April 6 (MCNA Newsdesk)

The Zambia Netball national team has become the first country in Africa to be invited by Netball Australia Pacific Australia Sports Netball, to take part in their prestigious netball tournament.

Netball Zambia Secretary General

Pritchard Ngoma has told the Zambia High Commission

in Australia that training for Zambia’s participation in the Pacific Australia Sports Netball tournament has intensified with all netballers putting in their best. And National Netball team Doctor Brian Bwalya Mwila has declared the team injury free, save for one player who was dropped and replaced. Other invited countries from Africa are Kenya and Malawi.

The three countries will make their Pacific Australia Sports Netball series debut this April when eight teams compete in the series’ third edition on the Gold Cost, in Queensland. Returning teams are Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Singapore, and dual-series champions Tonga. Paralympics Australia Chief Executive Officer Catherine Clark, netball enthusiast and

Australia Olympic committee head are excited to welcome the Zambia Netball national team on April 19th in Brisbane, Australia.

The Chief Executive Officers conversed with Zambia’s High Commissioner to Australia Dr. Elias Munshya on the occasion of Parliamentary Friends of the Olympics and Paralympics reception. The event brought together

Ambassadors, parliamentarians, sport administrators, and athletes, all anticipating Brisbane’s 2032 Olympics and Paralympics games.

Dr. Munshya said the opportunity would be used to market Zambia’s sports discipline as well as attract foreign investment.

Australia assisting Sri Lanka in facing eye health challenge

an Australian organisation, in partnership with Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health.

The initiative is being funded through the Australian Government’s Knowledge and Linkages for an Inclusive Economy Grants (KLIE) program. The Eye Health Initiative will upskill eye health workers and upgrade equipment across Sri Lanka’s regional eye health units.

Recently, the Ministry of Health and Sight for All signed a head agreement, officially ‘sealing’ the partnership and providing Sight for All the clearance needed to work in Sri Lanka’s government hospitals.

Australia Awards alumna spearheading project to reduce carbon footprint

Colombo, March 28(MCNA Newsdesk)

Since eye health is a significant public health challenge in Sri Lanka, Australia and Sri Lanka

are working to better prevent, identify and treat eye health issues across the country. The Eye Health Initiative will be implemented by Sight for All,

First Secretary, Erika Seymour, attended the heads of agreement signing and also Sight for All and the Ministry of Health with a plaque each to acknowledge their involvement in the KLIE Grants Program. Working alongside the Ministry of Health, Sight for All will establish a clinical teaching program for eye health workers so that they can better screen patients for blindness risks. The Australian grant will also fund the provision of eye health equipment to 46 ophthalmologists to improve testing and diagnosis.

Australia helping to improve health & food security of SL women

Colombo, April 5 (MCNA Newsdesk)

Supported by a small grant

Australia Awards alumna

Manel Kularatne has started a project in Sri Lanka recently, which saw the establishment of the Women in Sustainable Heritage - WISH foundation, a project which is at the forefront to support laying of the foundation for a social enterprise solution to reduce the impact of increasing carbon footprint through the engagement of women.

Over 300 beneficiaries across Deraniyagala, Eheliyagoda, and Galigomuwa were selected to distribute 1000 trees such as Jackfruit, Durian and Nelli (Amla) using the Divisional Secretariat women agriculture societies

of the areas. Leveraging on the development officer network and divisional secretariats was a move taken to encourage reforestation.

Out of these 3 species, Jackfruit and Durian forms a huge thick canopy with a lot of foliage which could contribute for carbon sequestration enormously. Nelli could thrive in any harsh soil type and is a popular medicine. All three species have high economic contribution through their fruits which has created high demand for plants. This pilot project supported to lay the foundation for a social enterprise solution to reduce the impact of increasing carbon footprint through the engagement of women.

Three-day photojournalism workshop in Somalia

Colombo, March 23 (MCNA Newsdesk)

The Australian High Commission team in Sri Lanka (SL) met with women leaders involved in the Nourish North Initiative who had come together for training at the Kannaddi Permaculture

Training Centre in Vavuniya.

The Nourish North Initiative is supported through Australia’s Direct Aid Program and is working to improve health and food security among young women and break inter-generational cycles of malnutrition.

Women producers are exploring value-addition for their agricultural products so that they can produce a wider range of products and diversify their incomes. The women are also exploring the pros and cons of working in a cooperative model.

Former PNG PM Rabbie Langanai Namaliu no more

Port Moresby, April 5 (MCNA Newsdesk)

Former Papua New Guinea

(PNG) Prime Minister

(PM) Sir Rabbie Langanai Namaliu, 75, passed away from a sudden illness in Rabaul recently. The Australian High Commission joined the people of Papua New Guinea in remembering the life and achievements of Sir Rabbie L. Namaliu.

Sir Rabbie’s left behind a rich legacy and his contribution to building a strong and independent Papua New Guinea will be remembered. Through his many and varied roles, but particularly as the fourth Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea and as Foreign Minister, Sir Rabbie was a central figure in our bilateral relationship.

Nairobi, April 3 (MCNA Newsdesk)

With support from Australian High Commission, Kenya, the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is hosting a three-day photojournalism workshop in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Photojournalists will receive

technical training as well as learning from three experienced mentors, including internationally recognised and award-winning Australian photographer, Adam Ferguson; British/Somali filmmaker and photographer (Al-Jazeera, BBC, Channel 4 and Somali TV), Said Fadhaye; and Somali/Australian journalist (The Age - Australia), Najma Sambul.

Australia & Germany sign deal on critical minerals

Ayurveda conference organized

Canberra, April 6 (MCNA Newsdesk)

German Parliamentary State Secretary

Franziska Brantner and the Australian Minister for Resources Madeleine King MP signed a Joint Declaration of Intent for a bilateral supply chain study on critical minerals. Highlighting the importance of the agreement, Madeleine

tweeted, “Excited to sign an agreement with @fbrantner today that will see Australia and Germany working closer together on critical minerals. Deals like this are vital if the world is to reduce emissions.” This will be an important contribution to diversifying the sources of supply so as that both the countries can move towards achieving the target of net zero.

Discussion on gender discrimination & inequality organized

MCNA Newsdesk

An Ayurveda conference”Lifestyle disorder and Ayurvedic Nutrition”

French Navy Chief visits Australia to boost bilateral military ties

London, March 22 (MCNA

Newsdesk)

Australian Sex

Discrimination

Commissioner Kate Jenkins, Jess Phillips MP, and Caroline Nokes MP joined together at the Australian High Commission in UK for a wide ranging panel discussion on gender discrimination and inequality.

Women in Australia and the UK have the right to be safe in the workplace and should be empowered to take their careers as far as they can go.

From representation in parliament, reviews into workplace standards, the gender wage gap and much more, the panel discussed a wealth of issues that are significant for the two countries

Canberra, April 6 (MCNA Newsdesk)

French Chief of Navy Admiral Vandier visited Australia recently to reinforce Australia-France military relations. It was the opportunity to pay his respect to fallen Australian soldiers in the spirit of the coming ANZAC Day.

The French Admiral met Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles recently to celebrate Australian-French long standing friendship.

A few weeks from ANZAC Day, Admiral Vandier and Ambassador Thébault visited the Australian War Memorial to lay wreaths for the fallen

Australian soldiers, together with VA Mark Hammond, Chief of the Australian Navy.

Admiral Vandier concluded his Australian tour by meeting with the students of the Australian Defence Force Academy and shared his long experience in military operations and leadership with them.

was organized by Vibrant Ayurveda, in association with Australasian Association of Ayurveda and AYUSH

Information Cell Australia on the Gold Coast on25 February. Team FICQ attended the conference.

Ambassador of Netherlands to Australia visits Broome Historical Museum.

Ramdan breakfast banquet organized

Canberra, March 21(MCNA Newsdesk)

Recently, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Marion Derckx visited the Broome Historical Museum. The volunteer-run Broome Historical Society is committed to preserving and protecting Broome’s heritage and history, including the WWII air raid on Broome that also affected many Dutch people. Their collection is spread across three buildings, including the heritage award winning Sailmaker’s Shed.

One of the larger items in the collection, the Dornier Wright Cyclone Engine and Propellor was retrieved from the wrecks in the late 1970s. The engine, on display in the museum’s backyard, was degrading due to the salt conditions and the harsh climate.

A conservation treatment of five days has successfully stabilised the engine so that the Broome Historical Museum can continue sharing Dutch-Australian wartime cultural heritage well into the future.

Canberra, April 5 (MCNA Newsdesk)

Jordan Ambassador Ali Krishan hosted a breakfast banquet on

the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, in “House of Jordan” attended by a large number of members of the Jordanian

community in Canberra, as well as officers of the Royal Jordanian Air Force and staff of the Jordanian embassy.

Youth centre opened in Lebanon’s Saida city

Beirut, March 23 (MCNA Newsdesk)

Recently, Australian Ambassador to Lebanon Andrew Barnes joined International Medical Corps and

Plan International Lebanon to open a Muslim Scout Association of Lebanon youth centre in Saida supported by Australia. The centre is a safe space for young people to build

friendships, learn new skills and support their community. Ambassador Barnes enjoyed an excellent performance by the scout band.

Thailand Ambassador visits Tasmania, meets officials, Thai people

technology sector.

70th Anniversary of Thailand–Australia diplomatic relations

On 23 March 2023 Governor of Tasmania Barbara Baker AC hosted the reception Morning Tea to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of ThailandAustralia diplomatic relations at the Government House. The event was attended by Ambassador Arjaree, representatives of public and private sectors as well as Thai people in Tasmania.

Meetings with Thai people & students

Canberra, March 20 (MCNA Newsdesk)

Ambassador of Thailand to Australia Arjaree

Sriratanaban visited Tasmania from 20 -23 March 2023. The visit coincided with the 70th Anniversary of Thailand – Australia diplomatic relations, and comprised reception and meetings with Thai community in Hobart.

Visit to Tasmania

During the official visit to

Tasmania on 21 -23 March 2023, Ambassador Arjaree met high-level representatives of public and academic sectors in Tasmania, including Premier of Tasmania Jeremy Rockliff MP; Chief Justice of Tasmania Justice Alan Blow AO; President of Legislative Council Craig Farrell; Speaker of the House of Assembly Mark Shelton MP, and Lord Mayor of Hobart Councillor Anna Reynolds; Representative of Opposition Leader in

Tasmania Parliament Michelle O’Bryne as well as executives and representatives from Department of State Growth, Government Education Training International, Brand Tasmania and University of Tasmania. Governor of Tasmania Barbara Baker AC, and Emeritus Professor Don Chalmers AO

also hosted the dinner in honour of the Ambassador at the Government House.

During the official visit, Ambassador Arjaree also met with a number of companies in Tasmania such as Huon Aquaculture, Tassal and Dutch Mill in the agriculture sector and GeoNeon in the digital

Prior to the official visit, on 20 March 2023, Ambassador Arjaree visited Sanggharangsee Temple to pay respect to the Thai monks and met with members of the Thai community in Hobart. She also met with Thai Government scholarship students who are pursuing post-graduate studies in geology, biological science and Antartic studies at the University of Tasmania.

Indonesian restaurant fundraising open till April 22

People-to-people ties between ASEAN & Australia discussed

Canberra, March 24 (MCNA Newsdesk)

The ASEAN Committee in Canberra had a fruitful exchange of ideas and

great discussion with Shadow Minister on Foreign Affairs Senator Simon Birmingham on 23 April 2023.

The two sides discussed various

ways to further enhance political, economy and people-to-people cooperation between ASEAN and Australia.

PNP chief meets Ambassador Ma Hellen, officials of Embassy

Canberra, April 5 (MCNA Newsdesk)

For all WNI, Indonesian diaspora in Australia, Open

Call Indonesian Restaurant Fundraising (IndoStar) has officially opened.

IndoStar can be the answer to the problem for Indonesian restaurant entrepreneurs who are experiencing difficulty in accessing financing to establish / open restaurant branches

abroad.

IndoStar has a series of activities among them such as

1. Open Call

2. Curation

3. Incubation

4. Pitch Deck Submission

5. Demoday

6. Negotiation Business/ Business Fundraising

IndoStar Open Call is open from 10 March - 22 April 2023.

Australia-UK FTA close to becoming reality

London, March 22 (MCNA Newsdesk)

The Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Bill is now awaiting Royal assent after the UK Parliament approved it recently. Once the Royal assent is received, it will take the Australia-UK FTA one step closer to implementation.. For over 100

years Australia House in UK has supported Australia’s best food and wine producers.

Australian exporters were hosted in London recently for the IFE - International Food & Drink Event.

Trade is instrumental to the Australia-UK relationship. It has a long history and a bright future.

Canberra, April 5 (MCNA Newsdesk)

Officials from the Philippine National Police (PNP) led by PNP Chief PGen Rodolfo Azurin Jr. met Philippine Ambassador to Australia Ma Hellen De La Vega, and officers of the Philippine Embassy and the Office of the Defense and Armed Forces Attaché in Canberra, April 4. The delegation, also composed of the Director for Investigation and Detective Management

PMGen Eliseo Cruz, Director for Logistics PMGen Rolando

Olay, Director for Information and Communication Technology PMGen Valeriano De Leon, Director for Plans PMGen Richard Banac and Director for Personnel and Records and Management PMGen Robert Rodriguez, will be visiting the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) and the facilities of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in Canberra and Brisbane as part of the cooperation of the two countries in strengthening law enforcement and addressing transnational crimes.

Ambassador De La Vega emphasized the importance of the ongoing strong police cooperation between the Philippines and Australia. The Ambassador exchanged views with the delegation on pursuing initiatives and capacity-building efforts with Australia towards strengthening resilience against the evolving nature of transnational criminal activities across the region, especially those related to cyber security, terrorism and online child exploitation and abuse.

New Zealand household saving holds up despite higher cost of living

quarter, but well above the pre-Covid levels, according to figures released by the statistics department on Thursday.

Stats NZ said household net disposable income increased by 1.8 per cent to NZ$57.4 billion in the December 2022 quarter, while household spending increased by 1.7 per cent, Xinhua news agency reported.

households during the December 2022 quarter, it said.

Australian oppn rules out support for Indigenous Voice proposal

Wellington, April 6 (IANS) New Zealand household saving was NZ$2.1 billion ($1.32 billion) in the December 2022 quarter, the same level as in the September

The increase in household spending largely reflected price increases, as there was little change in the volume of goods and services consumed by

“The total disposable income of New Zealand households increased at a slightly higher pace than the rise in living costs,” Stats NZ national accounts institutional sectors senior manager Paul Pascoe said. Household net worth, the value of all assets owned by households less the value of all its liabilities, fell NZ$10.3 billion in the December 2022 quarter, statistics show.

New Zealand updates over 3 decades old aviation law

fit for purpose in the new era.

The Civil Aviation Bill, which was passed on Thursday, repeals and replaces the Civil Aviation Act 1990 and the Airport Authorities Act 1966 with a single modern law that strengthens the country’s aviation security rules to keep New Zealanders safe, reports Xinhua news agency.

Canberra, April 5 (IANS)

Australia’s opposition party on Wednesday announced it will not support the government’s proposal to establish an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

calling for a legislated local voice mechanism.

Wellington, March 30 (IANS) The New Zealand government has replaced its 33-year-old aviation law to ban operating aircraft under the influence of drugs or alcohol, as well as regulate the use of drones, so as to ensure the country’s civil aviation rules are

“A lot has changed in the aviation sector over the last 33 years and the government recognizes that the laws that govern this important industry need to reflect and be able to respond to the current times,” said Associate Transport Minister Kiri Allan.

The bill brings in greater control and creates a zero-tolerance

approach around the use of drugs and alcohol, including random drug testing, Allan said, adding operating aircraft under the influence of drugs or alcohol can be deadly.

“New technology like cheap and easy-to-operate drones are creating new opportunities, but they can also create problems when used around airports, as this could lead to potential safety issues,” she said, adding this bill gives police new powers to take down drones if they are being flown in a dangerous manner.

The Civil Aviation Bill also provides a framework to allow New Zealand to meet its international aviation emissions obligations.

Over 75% of New Zealand’s indigenous species at risk of extinction

country’s statistics department said on Thursday.

“Loss of many of our indigenous species is a real possibility,” said Michele Lloyd, senior manager of Environmental and Agricultural Statistics at Stats NZ.

Peter Dutton, the leader of the Liberal Party, said after a special meeting on Wednesday that an overwhelming majority of the federal party had decided to oppose it, reports Xinhua news agency.

It is expected that Australians will head to the polls in the second half of 2023 to vote on proposed changes to the constitution that would formally recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the country’s founding document and establish the Indigenous Voice.

If successful, the voice would advise the federal parliament on issues relating to Indigenous people.

He said that a handful of Liberal members could campaign in favour of a yes vote in the referendum but that he would actively join the “no” campaign. The announcement is a blow to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a strong proponent of the voice, who had called for unity in favour of the referendum.

For a referendum to be successful, a simple majority of all voters in addition to a majority in at least four out of six states must vote in favoru.

Wellington, March 30 (IANS)

More than 75 per cent of indigenous reptile, bird, bat, and freshwater fish species groups in New Zealand are threatened with extinction or are at risk of becoming threatened, the

About 94 per cent of New Zealand’s reptile species, 82 per cent of bird species, 80 per cent of bat species, 76 per cent of freshwater fish species, and 46 per cent of vascular plant species are either facing extinction or are at risk of being threatened with extinction, Xinhua news

agency quoted Lloyd as saying.

The report also shows that 39 of 47 freshwater and marine species are threatened with extinction, or at risk of becoming threatened, she added.

The indicator “Extinction threat to indigenous species” reports on the extinction threat for groupings of indigenous, resident, and living species in New Zealand, as assessed by expert panels under the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS).

New law protects New Zealanders’ digital identities

identities.

The Digital Identity Services Trust Framework Bill ensures the digital system is trusted whether it’s opening a bank account, sharing medical history, conducting business online, or applying for government services, said Minister for Digital Economy and Communications

Wellington, March 30 (IANS)

A new law was passed in New Zealand its third and final reading on Thursday to make it easier for New Zealanders to safely prove their digital

Ginny Andersen.

“We know New Zealanders want control over their identity information and how it’s used by the companies and services they share it with. This framework

Storage of renewable energy

will help make that easier and secure,” Xinhua news agency quoted the Minister as saying. The digital identity environment currently lacks consistent standards, she said, adding this new bill will establish a framework for the provision of secure digital identity services. The framework will make it easier to prove digital identity, because accredited businesses will be recognised by a “trust mark”, making them eligible for streamlined processes, Andersen said.

Dutton said that the Liberal Party room supported recognition of Indigenous people in the constitution but opposed enshrining the consultative voice, instead

According to a poll published by News Corp Australia on Wednesday, more than 50 per cent of voters in five out of six states support the proposal. Nationally, 54 per cent of 4,756 respondents said they intended to vote yes on the referendum while 38 per cent were opposed. Over-65s were the only age group where more than half of respondents said they are against the proposal.

Aus launches national strategy to save iconic marsupial species

Canberra, April 6 (IANS)

Australian Prime Minister

Anthony Albanese and Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek on Thursday launched a national strategy to oversee the protection and recovery of the greater bilby -- an iconic marsupial species -- from extinction.

The rabbit-like mammal that can grow up to 55 cm long, once inhabited two-thirds of Australia’s mainland, reports Xinhua news agency.

As a result of habitat loss, bushfires and predation by introduced species, bilby populations now inhabit just 15 per cent of land mass -- mostly in central Australia.

“Unfortunately, over the years, bilby populations have shrunk considerably,” Albanese said.

“But we have a very special Easter message here today, a new plan to help protect the bilby.”

The government will invest A$5 million ($3 million) in programs to protect the species.

The new plan draws on Indigenous knowledge and research, with First Nations’ traditional owners in central Australia enlisted to remove and manage feral species and repair bilby habitats.

Environment Ministers from six of the seven mainland states and territories have signed on to the plan.

Plibersek said that with its pink ears, soft grey coat, and little bouncy feet, the greater bilby is an iconic Australian animal.

“Coming up to Easter, Australia’s answer to the Easter Bunny, the greater bilby deserves greater protection,” she said.

“In the lead-up to Easter, if you can choose between an Easter bunny and an Easter bilby, make sure you choose the Easter bilby.”

essential to net zero transition: Aus experts

on Wednesday called for significant investment in renewable energy storage to keep up with rising electricity demand.

The CSIRO released its roadmap for renewable energy storage in Australia, reports Xinhua news agency.

It found that the storage capacity of the national electricity market (NEM) could require a 10 to 14fold increase between 2025 and 2050 with demand projected to rise rapidly as the building and transport industries electrify.

technologies such as batteries and pumped hydro.

“Over the long-term storage will accelerate the integration of renewables, enhancing grid stability and reliability, and supporting decarbonization of industries,” Larry Marshall, chief executive of the CSIRO, said in a statement.

He said Australia needs a robust pipeline of projects that use diverse technologies supported by industry, government, research and community stakeholders.

Canberra, March 29 (IANS)

Australia’s Commonwealth

Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO)

It said all forms of storage must be considered to meet growing demand on top of established

“There is no silver bullet for reaching net zero so we need multiple shots on goal, like from renewables, batteries, hydrogen, thermal storage, pumped hydro, sustainable aviation fuels and a host of new science-driven technologies.”

CSIRO Energy Director Dietmar Tourbier said all stakeholders recognized energy storage as a priority but that significant knowledge gaps remained, requiring further investigation to support informed action.

“Co-investment is required across the system to accelerate technology commercialization and scale up across a diverse portfolio of energy storage technologies,” he said.

Revised settlement agreement reached to compensate First Nations in Canada

Rights Tribunal (CHRT)’s compensation orders, will be submitted to CHRT for confirmation before being brought to the Federal Court for approval. If approved, the process to implement the settlement will begin, the statement said.

“More than 300,000 First Nations children and families have been waiting decades for recognition of the harms done to them through discriminatory practices,” said AFN Manitoba Regional Chief Cindy Woodhouse. She added that this final settlement agreement is a long overdue turning point for so many thousands of families.

AFN and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society jointly launched a human-rights complaint in 2007 with allegations that Ottawa’s underfunding of on-reserve child welfare services amounted to discrimination, and that First Nations children were denied equal access to support ranging from school supplies and medical equipment.

CHRT eventually ruled in the complainants’ favour and last year the federal government offered to spend C$20 billion to reform the on-reserve child-welfare system and another C$20 billion dollars on compensation.

WHO turns 75, calls for health equity

emergency care targeting 25 per cent of nurses and midwives in 25 low and middle-income countries by the end of 2025. The programme will provide nurses and midwives with the skills and competencies needed to make a major difference in saving lives.

“The WHO’s own story began 75 years ago, and it is still being written. The challenges we face today are very different to those in 1948, but our vision remains unchanged: the highest possible standard of health, for all people,” Tedros added.

Climate change can drive global outbreaks in dengue, Chikungunya: WHO

the major risk factors, that allow mosquitoes to adapt better to new environments and spread the risk of infection geographically further, including to the European region.

“We are really at the right time to scale up the advocacy for the threat of arboviruses globally,”

spread of vectors into new regions, Velayudhan noted.

“And in terms of climatic change, certainly increased precipitation, higher temperature, higher humidity all favours the mosquito,” he said, adding “the virus and the vectors also multiply faster in higher temperature.”A

New Delhi, April 6 (IANS)

Climate change can lead to global outbreak of mosquito-borne diseases dengue, zika and chikungunya, warned the World Health Organization on Wednesday.

The incidence of infections caused by arboviruses, such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya, has grown dramatically around the world in recent decades.

About half of the world’s population is now at risk of dengue with an estimated 100-400 million infections occurring each year.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is found on nearly all continents and to date, 115 countries have reported transmission.

While Zika virus disease has declined globally, to date, 89 countries have current or previous spread of Zika virus. These diseases, that spread from mosquitoes to people, are causing an increasing number of outbreaks worldwide, with climate change, deforestation and urbanisation being some of

Dr Raman Velayudhan, Unit Head, Global Programme on control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, WHO, said at a media briefing session.

Velayudhan said around 129 countries are at risk of dengue and it is endemic in over 100 countries. From about half a million cases in 2000, it has exponentially grown to 5.2 million in 2019. This increasing trend is continuing in 2023 where till the end of March 2023, 441,898 cases and 119 deaths have been reported.

“This is really worrying because this shows that climate change has played a key role in facilitating the spread of the vector mosquitoes down south and then when people travel, naturally the virus goes along with them,” he said, adding “this trend is likely to continue for the rest of the world”.

Movement of people, urbanisation and associated problems with water and sanitation, are the factors leading to continuous

Diana Rojas Alvarez, WHO’s technical lead on chikungunya and zika, stressed the need for urgent action to rein in the spread of the mosquitos, amid fears of larger outbreaks in new areas.

“The mosquitos and these diseases have with climate change been increasing ... by altitude and by latitude,” Rojas Alvarez said, describing the situation as “alarming”. Further, Velayudhan explained that with dengue, which comes in four closely related serotypes, people who are reinfected with another serotype often develop severe disease. This “can lead to organ failure and death”, Velayudhan warned, adding that “this is a big threat to the world, because most of the countries nowAhave all four serotypes in circulation.”

He called for countries to boost mosquito control and “be on the alert” to detect when the diseases are spreading “to avoid any major outbreak.”

Air pollution can affect your Covid vaccine efficacy: Study

vaccination) deserves further investigation, the researchers warned, in the study published in Environmental Health Perspectives.

“Air pollution can induce chronic inflammation, which has been associated with a negative effect on vaccine efficacy,” said Carlota Dobano, researcher from ISGlobal.

on the Spike protein contained in the vaccine). Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), black carbon (BC), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) was estimated for each participant based on his or her address before the pandemic.

New Delhi, April 7 (IANS) Adults hospitalised with the Omicron variant have a higher death rate than those hospitalised with seasonal influenza, even though Omicron is considered less virulent with lower case fatality rates than the Delta and Alpha strains, new research has revealed.

The study by Dr Alaa Atamna and colleagues from the Rabin Medical Center at Belinison Hospital in Israel found that adults (18 years or older) hospitalised with influenza were 55 per cent less likely to die within 30 days than those hospitalised with Omicron during the 2021-2022 influenza season.

Influenza and Covid-19 are both respiratory diseases with similar modes of transmission.

To find out more, researchers compared the clinical outcomes of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 (Omicron variant) and those hospitalised with influenza at a large academic hospital in Israel.

Overall, 63 patients died within 30 days -- 19 admitted with influenza and 44 hospitalised with Omicron. Patients with Omicron tended to

have higher overall comorbidity scores, needed more assistance performing activities of daily living (washing and dressing), and were more likely to have high blood pressure and diabetes, whereas asthma was more common in those hospitalised with influenza.

Respiratory complications and need for oxygen support and mechanical ventilation were also more common in Omicron cases than in seasonal influenza.

“A possible reason for the higher Omicron death rate is that patients admitted with Omicron were older with additional major underlying illnesses such as diabetes and chronic kidney disease,” said Dr Atamna. The difference might also be due to an exaggerated immune response in Covid-19, and that vaccination against Covid-19 was far lower among patients with Omicron,” he added.

of Wuhan data disclosure by China is simply inexcusable: WHO

New Delhi, April 7 (IANS) The World Health Organisation (WHO) has slammed China once again, saying the country should have shared viral samples from Wuhan which was the epicentre of the pandemic, immediately, and not three years later.

London, April 6 (IANS) People exposed to higher levels of air pollution before the pandemic are likely to have lower antibody responses to Covid-19 vaccines, suggests a study.

In particular, exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and blank carbon (BC) was associated with about a 10 per cent decrease in IgM and IgG antibody responses in people without prior infection, said researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), and the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) in Spain. The fact that previous infections lead to higher vaccine responses could explain why the effect of pollutants was only observed in people without a prior infection. However, the role of long-term exposure to air pollution on hybrid immunity (infection plus

“Our findings are consistent with evidence that persistent organic pollutants reduce vaccine responses in children,” she added. Air pollutants have been shown to affect immune responses. Previously it has been linked to adverse health outcomes, including lung cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory disease, and diabetes.

The team analysed data from 927 participants (aged 40 to 65 years), who answered questionnaires and gave blood samples in the summer of 2020 (right after the first lockdown) and in 2021 (after the start of Covid-19 vaccination).

All had received one or two doses of the main Covid-19 vaccines administered in Spain (made by AstraZeneca, Pfizer or Moderna).

The research team measured IgM, IgG and IgA antibodies to five viral antigens (three of them

The results show that in uninfected individuals, pre-pandemic exposure to PM2.5, NO2 and BC was associated with a 5 per cent to 10 per cent reduction in vaccine-induced Spike antibodies.

The decrease in antibodies was shown both for early IgM responses and late responses measured by IgG. The IgG response after the first dose peaked later in participants exposed to higher air pollution levels, and lower IgG levels persisted for several months after vaccination. Results were similar for the three vaccines. The study did not look at whether the reduction in antibody responses led to an increased risk of breakthrough infections and their severity. However, the findings add to the growing body of evidence on the adverse effects of air pollution even at the relatively low levels observed in Western Europe, the researchers said, while calling for stricter air pollution limits.

Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead for Covid-19 response at WHO, wrote in the prestigious journal Science that earlier this month, the global health agency learned that scientists in China possessed data on viral samples from Wuhan that had been gathered in January 2020.

“These should have been shared immediately, not 3 years later. The lack of data disclosure is simply inexcusable,” she said. The WHO continues to call on China and all countries to share any data on the origins of SARS-CoV-2 immediately.

“China has advanced technical capabilities and I, therefore, believe that more data exist that have yet to be shared -- on the wild and farmed animal trade; the testing of humans and animals in Wuhan and across China; the operations of labs in Wuhan working on coronaviruses; the earliest potential cases; and more,” Van Kerkhove wrote. She said the world needs to move away from the politics of blame and, instead, exploit

all diplomatic and scientific approaches so that the global scientific community can collaborate and find evidence-based solutions to thwart future pandemics.

China made Covid-19 disease official on December 31, 2019.

Last month, US President Joe Biden signed a bill to declassify intelligence information on the origins of the Covid pandemic, which has so far claimed more than seven million lives globally. Under the new legislation, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines has 90 days to declassify all information on possible links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origins of Covid.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology has been a major centre of coronavirus research.

The US Energy Department in February concluded with “low confidence” that the Covid-19 virus leaked out of a laboratory in China.

Gut microbes linked to attention disorder in kids: Study

common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood.

Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviours (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active.

of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

Taipei, April 5 (IANS) The microbial composition of the gut may affect a child’s susceptibility to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a study.

ADHD is one of the most

To understand the link between ADHD and gut microbiota, a team of researchers from Taiwan compared faecal samples from 35 children with ADHD and 35 healthy controls.

The human gastrointestinal tract hosts a large population

The results published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry showed that samples from children with ADHD had higher levels of certain species of fungi and lower levels of other species.

“The human body is home to a complex and diverse microbial ecosystem, and findings from this study suggest that dysbiosis of the fungal mycobiome in ADHD can influence patient health,” said the team including

Lian-Jen Wang, child psychiatrist at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan.

Dysbiosis is often defined as an “imbalance” in the gut microbial community that is associated with disease.

In experiments with cells grown in the lab, one species in abundance in samples from children with ADHD -- called Candida albicans -- increased the permeability of cells that line the intestine. This could create a “leaky gut” that allows bacteria into the

bloodstream, possibly resulting in inflammation throughout the body and brain.

The study also showed that abundance of Candida was found much higher among males with ADHD than without the disorder. No such differences were observed among females with and without ADHD.

“As ADHD is a male predominant disease, whether microbiome dysbiosis is involved in sex specific manifestation of ADHD warrants further investigations,” the authors noted.

Omicron more deadly than seasonal influenza, reveals research

Lack

World Bank forecasts sub-Saharan Africa’s economy to slow to 3.1% in 2023

World Bank Chief Economist for Africa Andrew Dabalen said weak growth combined with debt vulnerabilities and dismal investment growth risks a lost decade in poverty reduction, Xinhua news agency reported.

Sudanese leader vows to establish civilian rule despite delay in signing political deal

Khartoum, April 7

(IANS)

Nairobi, April 6 (IANS) The World Bank has projected economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa to slow to 3.1 per cent in 2023 from 3.6 per cent in 2022.

According to the World Bank’s April 2023 economic update for sub-Saharan Africa released on Wednesday, growth across the region remains sluggish, dragged down by uncertainty in the global economy, the underperformance of the continent’s largest economies, high inflation, and a sharp deceleration of investment growth.

The report says the African governments must sharpen their focus on macroeconomic stability, domestic revenue mobilisation, debt reduction, and productive investments to reduce extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity in the medium-to-long term amid dampened growth prospects and rising debt levels.

“Policymakers need to redouble efforts to curb inflation, boost domestic resource mobilisation, and enact pro-growth reforms while continuing to help the poorest households cope with the rising costs of living,”

Dabalen added.

According to the report, economic activity in South Africa is set to weaken further in 2023 (0.5 per cent annual growth) as the energy crisis deepens, while the growth recovery in Nigeria for 2023 (2.8 per cent) is still fragile as oil production remains subdued.

The World Bank said the real GDP growth of the western and central Africa subregion is estimated to decline to 3.4 per cent in 2023 from 3.7 per cent in 2022, while that of eastern and southern Africa declines to 3 per cent in 2023 from 3.5 per cent in 2022.

The report says debt distress risks remain high, with 22 countries in the region at high risk of external debt distress or

in debt distress as of December 2022.

“Unfavourable global financial conditions have increased borrowing costs and debt service costs in Africa, diverting money from badly needed development investments and threatening macro-fiscal stability,” it notes. According to the report, despite these challenges, many countries in the region are showing resilience amid multiple crises. These include Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire, and Congo, which grew at 5.2 per cent, 6.7 per cent, and 8.6 per cent, respectively, in 2022.

It notes that in Congo, the mining sector was the main driver of growth due to an expansion in capacity and recovery in global demand.

The report reveals that harnessing natural resource wealth provides an opportunity to improve the fiscal and debt sustainability of African countries, but cautions that this can only happen if countries get policies right and learn the lessons from the past boom and bust cycles. The World Bank said high inflation and low investment growth continue to constrain African economies.

President Kagame re-elected as Rwanda’s ruling party leader

its headquarters in Rusororo, on the outskirts of the capital Kigali, reports Xinhua news agency.

Chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan has vowed to move forward toward establishing the civilian rule and completing the political process in Sudan.

His remarks came on Thursday after the postponement of the signing of a political agreement to end the political crisis in the country, while mass demonstrations took place on the same day in the capital Khartoum and other cities, demanding the restoration of civilian rule.

“The postponement of signing the agreement tended to set solid frameworks to maintain the momentum and vigour of the revolution, and the parties were now working seriously to

complete the discussion on the remaining issues,” Al-Burhan was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Council. “We reaffirm our determination to proceed together on the same path to complete the ongoing political process as quickly as possible and in a way that closes the doors to all attempts to cripple this process,” he added. The military and civilian leaders were scheduled to sign a final political agreement on Thursday to end the political crisis in the country, but the signing has been postponed as the parties failed to reach a consensus regarding the security and military reform process and the integration of armed groups into the Sudanese Army, Xinhua news agency reported.

Kigali, April 3 (IANS) Rwandan President Paul Kagame has been re-elected as chairman of the ruling party Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi) for a five-year term.

Kagame won 2,099 out of 2,102 total votes, defeating Abdul Karim Harerimana, at the party’s 16th national congress held at

On the last day of the party’s two-day national congress, which coincided with the party’s 35th anniversary, party delegates gathered at the Intare Conference Arena and elected RPF’s National Executive Committee, the party’s leadership that includes the chairman, vice chairman, secretary general and 25 commissioners. The party congress also saw the election of Consolee Uwimana to the position of vice chairperson. Wellars Gasamagera was elected as the new party secretary-general, succeeding Francois Ngarambe.

Uwimana’s election as vice

chairperson makes her the first woman in the party’s 35-year history to hold such a position. According to the party constitution, at least 30 per cent of NEC members must be women. There are also special slots designated for the youth among the commissioners.

Earlier during the congress’s opening, Kagame said that the country and the party share the same ambition, sense of responsibility, expectation, and burden as any other country, irrespective of size.

The President emphasized accountability and sacrifice, calling them crucial elements in advancing the party and maintaining the achievements of the past few decades.

Unicef appeals for funding to respond to cholera outbreak in 11 African nations

It said it is developing individualized cholera response plans based on the unique conditions within each affected country. According to the Unicef, the budgets for both Malawi and Mozambique include requirements to address each country’s recent cyclone-related flooding, given that flooding is a priority compounding risk to the spread of cholera.

Nairobi, March 29 (IANS) The Unicef has appealed for $171 million to respond to the rise in cholera cases in 11 countries in eastern and southern Africa. It said 28 million people are in need in Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Zambia, South Sudan, Burundi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, reports Xinhua news agency.

“To respond to the increasing needs of children and families in the region impacted by cholera, Unicef is urgently calling for funding of $171 million,” the UN

body said in a statement.

The Unicef said the funds will be used to provide lifesaving water, sanitation and hygiene, health, risk communication, nutrition, child protection, and education services to women and children affected by the outbreak.

The 11 countries are experiencing an extremely worrying cholera outbreak with 67,822 cases and 1,788 estimated deaths, noting that actual figures are likely higher as limitations in surveillance systems, underreporting, and stigma hamper monitoring, the UN agency said.

In February, the WHO Regional Office for Africa warned that if the current fast-rising trend of cholera continues, this year’s infections could surpass the number of cases recorded in 2021, the worst year for cholera in the continent in nearly a decade.

In 2021, 141,467 cases of cholera and 4,094 deaths were registered. Cholera is an acute, extremely virulent infection that can spread rapidly and dehydration results in high morbidity and mortality. The disease, however, is easily treatable. Most people can be treated successfully through prompt administration of oral rehydration solution or intravenous fluids.

Kampala, April 3 (IANS) The Ugandan military has said that the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels have started withdrawing and handing over their bases in the eastern Congo to the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF).

The Ugandan contingent of the EACRF on Sunday officially occupied the areas of Bunagana in North Kivu province after M23 left the area, Ahmad Hassan Kato, Military Spokesperson for the Ugandan contingent, said in a statement.

“Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has deployed in the general areas of Bunagana where they have set a foothold as they give M23 time to also vacate the general areas of Rutshuru, Kiwanja and Mabenga as agreed,” Kato added.

The development came after

Goma, (Congo), April 3 (IANS)

The first contingent of South Sudan’s army has arrived in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province in the eastern Congo, under the mandate of the regional force of the East African Community (EAC).

Composed of about 40 military personnel, the first South Sudanese contingent, transported by the Kenyan Army plane, will be deployed around Goma for peacekeeping operations, Xinhua news agency reported.

“As of this Sunday and during the coming week, we begin the deployment of our colleagues from South Sudan who will join the other colleagues already deployed on the ground,”

Emmanuel Kaputa, Deputy Commander of the EAC regional force, declared at the Goma airport.

This deployment came a few days after the deployment of nearly

Uganda on Wednesday sent 1,000 troops on a regional peacekeeping mission in the eastern Congo, Xinhua news agency reported.

The deployment followed the decision endorsed and adopted by regional leaders at the third East African Community Heads of State Conclave on Peace and Security in the eastern Congo held in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi last June.

Ugandan troops joined Kenyan, Burundian and Angolan counterparts on the ground to bring lasting peace to the eastern Congo.

The East African country has other troops in the eastern Congo in a joint military operation with the Congolese Army against the Allied Democratic Forces rebels.

Congolese M23 rebels begin withdrawal from bases in Congo: Ugandan military South Sudanese troops arrive in Congo under EAC regional force mandate

1,000 Ugandan soldiers in the territory of Rutshuru of North Kivu.

South Sudan is, therefore, the fourth country to officially join the EAC regional force aimed at ending the violence in eastern Congo, after Kenya, Burundi and Uganda.

In 2022, the EAC countries set up a regional force to intervene in eastern Congo, in particular, to stem the advance of the March 23 Movement rebel group.

S.Korean President’s approval rating falls to 4-month low

In the poll of 1,000 adults conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday to Thursday, the positive assessment of Yoon’s performance declined 4 percentage points from the previous week, reports Yonhap News Agency. It marked the lowest level since the figure reached 30 per cent in the fourth week of November 2022.

Yoon’s disapproval rating rose 2 percentage points from a week earlier to 60 per cent.

South

Korean President Yoon Sukyeol’s approval rating fell to a four-month low of 30 per cent, a poll revealed on Friday.

Diplomacy was the most mentioned factor in making both positive and negative assessments of his performance. Among those who made

positive assessments, 12 per cent mentioned diplomacy, followed by 9 per cent who mentioned his response to labour unions and an improvement in ties with Japan, respectively. Some 41 per cent in total mentioned diplomacy, ties with Japan and the issue of compensating Korean victims of Japan’s wartime forced labours as reasons they made negative assessments. The favourability ratings for the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party were tied at 33 per cent, the poll showed.

N.Korea says its nuclear capabilities ‘not empty talk’

their scheme to hold a massive live-fire exercise in June, Yonhap News Agency reported.

“The warmongers’ desperate acts are going to the extremes,” it said in the English-language commentary. It cited the 11-day Freedom Shield exercise held in March.

China increases video surveillance, inspections of street vendors in Lhasa

New Delhi, April 3 (IANS) China has increased video surveillance and inspections of street vendors in and around the Tibetan capital of Lhasa in an effort to ‘clean up’ the city, though sources inside the autonomous region said the measures are meant to get Tibetan hawkers off the streets, according to a media report. Local authorities began implementing the ‘Clean Up Lhasa’ campaign on March 20 in the city of about 5,60,000 people in which they are inspecting all street vendors in and around the Jokhang Temple, or Tsuglagkhang, Radio Free Asia reported.

Tibetan street vendors to stop selling CDs of Tibetan songs and are interrogating them for no reason, the source added.

Seoul, April 2 (IANS) North Korea is not making “empty talk” about its nuclear capabilities, Pyongyang’s state media said on Sunday, adding that the US and South Korea are engaging in “wrong behaviour of bringing themselves to a grave danger.” In a commentary, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) strongly criticised the allies’ ongoing joint military drills and

“Their war hysteria is running up to the climax along with the start of Ssangyong, a joint landing drill,” it added.

The Ssangyong (double dragon) training began March 20, the allies’ first major combined amphibious landing exercise in five years. It is set to end Monday.

The KCNA also took issue with the two sides’ plan to stage their

largest-ever “combined joint firepower annihilation drill” in June to mark the 70th anniversary of their alliance.

“This reminds the people and army of the DPRK of June 1950 when they had to be subject to war calamity, and further arousing their high vigilance,” the KCNA said. The DPRK is the acronym for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. It stressed, “The US and its followers should never forget the fact that their rival state has possessed the nuclear attack capability in practice as well as the characteristics of the people and army of the DPRK which do not make empty talk.”

Seoul wildfire completely extinguished after 25 hours

Tibetans consider the four-story Buddhist temple in Lhasa’s Barkhor Square as the most sacred and important temple in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Chinese authorities are also prohibiting Tibetan vendors who sell ‘tsampa’, a Tibetan staple food made of barley, sha-kampo, or dried yak and sheep meat, and other edibles, alleging that they do not have proper food badges on them, said a Tibetan inside the region, Radio Free Asia reported.

“Though the Chinese government has implied that the campaign is aimed at keeping the city clean, one can see that only Tibetan vendors are targeted under this campaign,” he told Radio Free Asia. Authorities are also telling

“This has caused so much trouble for Tibetans who make their living as street vendors,” he said, Radio Free Asia reported. China maintains a tight grip on Tibet, restricting Tibetans’ political activities and peaceful expression of cultural and religious identity as Buddhists. Tibetans frequently complain of discrimination and human rights abuses by Chinese authorities and policies, which they say are aimed at wiping out their national and cultural identity. The latest move follows increased security measures in Lhasa and other major towns ahead of recent politically sensitive anniversaries during which the police randomly checked individuals and their cellphones for contact with people outside the region, Radio Free Asia reported.

Seoul, April 3 (IANS) A wildfire on a mountain in central Seoul was completely put out Monday after 25 hours, authorities said.

The fire started on Mount Inwang, a popular trekking spot in the central ward of Jongno, shortly before noon Sunday and

spread rapidly due to strong wind, temporarily forcing about 120 households to evacuate, according to the Seoul city government. No injuries or deaths have been reported. The main fire was put out at around 5 p.m. Sunday, but firefighters had difficulty extinguishing the smoldering fires despite all-night operations, reports Yonhap News agency. The city government said all the smouldering fires were completely extinguished as of 1.27 p.m. (local time).

S.Korea, US, Japan hold maritime drills involving aircraft carrier

will focus on enhancing the countries’ capabilities to “detect, track, share information on and defeat” the North’s underwater threats, according to the Ministry.

37% of population displaced from Japan’s Fukushima may have PTSD: Survey

Seoul, April 3 (IANS) South Korea, the US and Japan kicked off a trilateral naval exercise, involving an American aircraft carrier, in waters south of the Korean Peninsula on Monday, amid joint efforts to reinforce deterrence against growing North Korean threats, Seoul’s Defence Ministry said. The two-day anti-submarine and search-and-rescue exercise, featuring the USS Nimitz carrier, got under way in the international waters south of the southern island of Jeju, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The joint maneuvers followed Pyongyang’s provocative acts, such as its unveiling of the Hwasan-31 tactical nuclear warhead last week and the test

of the underwater nuclear attack drone Haeil days earlier.

“(The anti-submarine exercise) was arranged to enhance response capabilities of South Korea, the US and Japan against North Korea’s advancing underwater threats, including from a submarine-launched ballistic missile,” the Ministry said in a statement.

The South deployed to the exercise its key destroyers, the Yulgok YiYi, Choe Yeong and Daejoyeong, as well as the Soyang combat support ship, while the US sent the carrier and two destroyers, USS Wayne E. Meyer and USS Decatur. Japan mobilised the JS Umigiri destroyer.

The anti-submarine drills

During the search and rescue segment, they plan to practice first-aid and other emergency procedures for those in a simulated maritime accident. The three countries last held trilateral anti-submarine drills last September.

This week’s search-and-rescue drills among the three nations took place for the first time in seven years, according to the Ministry.

USS Nimitz, a centrepiece of the US’ naval power, trained bilaterally with the South Korean Navy on March 27 and made a port call in Busan, 325 km southeast of Seoul, the following day.

This week’s training highlighted tightening security cooperation among the US and its two Asian allies, which have seen their ties thaw in the wake of Seoul’s solution to the thorny issue of compensation for victims of wartime forced labour.

Tokyo, April 3 (IANS) A survey of Fukushima residents who evacuated to areas outside the Japanese prefecture following the March 2011 nuclear disaster found that nearly 40 per cent of respondents may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), local media reported on Monday. Waseda University and a citizens group sent questionnaires to 5,350 households mainly in the Kanto region around Tokyo who had fled from Fukushima following the nuclear disaster, and obtained responses from 516, reports Xinhua news agency. The results indicated that 37.0 per cent of the evacuees had PTSD.

Behind the high rate are longterm stress factors, including memories of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster, drastic changes in living environments and problems resulting from the government’s post-disaster measures, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reported.

Meanwhile, 34.5 per cent said

they “still have no job”. As for reasons, 16.3 per cent cited an “inability to resume my self-owned business yet”, and 14.0 per cent said they “could not work due to illness”.

The survey, conducted from January through April 2022, also revealed the worsening financial situation of evacuees, as 56.8 per cent said they were “worried about compensation and indemnification”.

Another problem is the growing feeling of isolation, with 38.9 per cent of respondents saying they “rarely have contact” or “have no contact” with friends or acquaintances in the places where they currently live.

“Although victims remain in touch with one another, some of them cannot go out on their own,” said Takuya Tsujiuchi, a medical professor at Waseda university, who was involved in the research.

“Such shut-ins alongside depressed individuals and elderly people need personal visits by supporters.”

Seoul, March 31 (IANS)

Pak-China border trade to resume after 3 yrs

transmission of coronavirus between the two countries, the Khunjerab Pass was closed as soon as in November 2019.

through Khunjerab Pass from China,” said the GB home secretary.

Bangladesh’s State Minister expresses satisfaction over ties with Belgium

Islamabad, April 1 (IANS) After remaining closed for three years, trade and travel activities between Pakistan and China through the Khun�jerab Pass will resume on April 3.

All arrangements have been finalised on both sides to reopen the border point for bilateral trade and other activities under the China-Pakistan Eco�nomic Corridor (CPEC), Dawn reported.

Under an agreement, trade and travel activities between the two countries through the Khunjerab Pass start in April 1 and close on November 30, while there was a daily bus service from Sost Valley of GilgitBaltistan to Xinjiang province of China.

The first trade activity between China and Pakistan under CPEC had started via the Karakoram Highway in November 2016, Dawn reported. However, to contain the

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar said that the federal government had been working for the revival of CPEC activities and all hurdles in the way of bilateral trade would be removed, Dawn reported.

According to officials, the prolonged closure of Khunjerab Pass had caused immense financial hardships to the local business community, while thousands of workers had become jobless.

During last three years, the Khunjerab Pass had been opened occasionally for emergency cargo transportation from China to Pakistan on specific days.

GB Home Secretary Rana Mohammad Saleem Afzal said that the officials on both sides had agreed to reopen Khunjerab Pass for trade and travel activities from April 3 and process of issuing border pass would start soon.

“Most important aspect is that it’s CPEC route. CPEC consignments will enter Pakistan

GB Collector of Customs Syed Fawad Ali Shah said that the volume of trade between two countries would increase after the reopening of the Khunjerab Pass.

He said all the required arrangements had been finalised for normal trade at Sost dry port, adding that he had held a meeting with traders, the port management and other stakeholders in this regard, Dawn reported.

Shah claimed that all stakeholders were happy and assured the administration of their cooperation in smooth trade activities at Sost dry port.

Haji Liaquat of the GB Importers and Exporters Association said the people affiliated with trade between the two countries were optimistic about the revival of economic activities in the region. He said GB people and government exchequer suffered losses worth billions of rupees owing to the prolonged closure of trade at Sost dry port, Dawn reported.

Pakistanis drown under cost of living as inflation hits all-time high

issued by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Saturday also multiplied the prospects of a further rise in interest rates in the upcoming monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting scheduled for April 4, Geo News reported.

Dhaka, March 29 (IANS) Ambassador of Belgium to Bangladesh, Didier Vanderhasselt, called on Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam at the latter’s office, during which the minister expressed satisfaction over the ever-growing bilateral relations between the two friendly countries.

Alam on Tuesday also recalled with gratitude the Belgium’s recognition of Bangladesh as an independent state in February 1972.

Appreciating Bangladesh’s socio-economic growth, the Ambassador of Belgium touched upon the “very fruitful” visit of Queen Mathilde of the Belgians to Bangladesh in February.

Belgium’s supports in developing agri-business facilities in Bangladesh, particularly in storage, transport, and processing fields.

He also observed that enormous trade and investment opportunities exist between the two countries, particularly in agri-business, renewable energy, port and road transport infrastructure, dredging, logistics, water purification, and other sectors.

Islamabad, April 1 (IANS)

Pakistans monthly inflation blew past forecasts in March and soared to a nearly all-time high level -- 35.4 per cent -- from a year earlier, with people feeling more pain from some of the fastest rising consumer prices amid straining budgets as cost of living continues to outstrip average incomes, according to a media report. The fresh inflation reading

The pace of increase in the prices endorsed the expectations of the Finance Ministry that said inflation was expected to stay at an elevated level owing to market frictions caused by relative demand and supply gap of essential items, exchange rate depreciation, and recent upward adjustment of administered prices of petrol and diesel, the report said.

The monthly inflation rate, however, declined to 3.7 per cent

in March over February.

The inflation situation has worsened to its worst, steeping the masses, whose purchasing power has eroded by leaps and bounds, into misery, as the price of almost every edible item has gone through the roof over a period of months.

Core inflation, which was calculated after excluding the volatile energy and food prices, increased in March to 18.6 per cent in urban areas and 23.1 per cent in rural areas. Analysts believe Pakistan is now heading towards hyperinflation a situation when prices are out of control and in the territory of a 50 per cent surge, Geo News reported.

Sri Lanka establishes committee to oversee utilisation of IMF funds

credit facility provided by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), state media reported on Sunday.

The committee includes Sagala Ratnayaka, chief of staff to the president, Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana, Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe, and a group of experts, according to the Sunday Observer.

Alam thanked the Belgian Ambassador for leading a regional trade mission to Bangladesh to explore business opportunities and sought

The two sides also discussed various other bilateral and international issues of mutual interest, including regular bilateral consultations, trade facilitation measures, consular cooperation, migration and mobility, Bangladesh-EU cooperation, Belgium’s EU Presidency in 2024, and cooperation on elections in different international fora among others.

Pakistan conducts 1st digital nationwide census

Colombo, April 2 (IANS)

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has established a committee to oversee Sri Lanka’s utilisation of the

The committee’s main responsibility is to monitor the IMF process regularly and examine tax policies, including changes in tax percentages and the possibility of increasing direct taxes while decreasing indirect taxes,

Xinhua News Agency reported. Additionally, the committee will ensure that the IMF’s conditions are implemented effectively, state media reported. Upon the president’s instructions, the committee will report to the cabinet once a month on key issues, including ordinances such as the anti-corruption act. The president will make recommendations on the committee’s operation, and its approval will be sought from the cabinet in due course.

Sri Lanka started negotiations with the international lender in 2022 after it was hit by a severe economic crisis.

Islamabad, March 31 (IANS)

Pakistan has enumerated over 170 million people so far since its ongoing first-ever digital population and housing census started late last month.

The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) said on Thursday that history is in the making as “we continue to reach milestones and exceed targets for Pakistan’s first-ever digital census” which is also the 7th overall census of the South Asian country, reports Xinhua news agency.

Pakistan conducted its sixth census in 2017 and concluded that the country’s population was 207.6 million, growing 2.38 per cent from 1998 to 2017, including over 106 million

males and 101 million females, said the Bureau.

According to the PBS, over 121,000 trained census enumerators have been conducting the census across the country by using modern technology.

It said that modern technology would help provide accurate results, which would lead the country to important decisions about the population, leading to equal opportunities for jobs and better utilisation of resources across Pakistan.

The Bureau also urged the public to participate in the census by being responsible citizens to play their role in national development.

Mortar mine blast kills 2 children in Afghanistan

Kabul, April 2 (IANS) Two children were killed as a mortar mine left over from past wars went off in Afghanistan’s eastern Wardak province, provincial police spokesman Yusuf Israr said Sunday. The incident took place when children in Sayedabad district found a mortar mine

on Saturday evening and began playing with it. The device suddenly exploded, killing two children of a family, the official told reporters.

This is the third blast of its kind, which has claimed the lives of innocent children in Afghanistan over the past six

days, Xinhua News Agency reported.

A similar blast claimed the lives of two children and injured four others in the northern Jawzjan province on Tuesday, while another child lost his life and three others were injured as an unexploded mine left over from past wars exploded in southern

Zabul province on Friday. War-torn Afghanistan is reportedly one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world, as dozens of people, mostly children, are killed and maimed every month due to the blasts of unexploded devices left over from the past four decades of wars and civil strife.

Putin, Lukashenko pledge to boost Russia-Belarus integration

the Union State of Russia and Belarus in the Kremlin. At the meeting, Putin noted that “significant achievements” had been made in the integration of 28 prioritised sectors approved during the previous Supreme State Council meeting in 2021, Xinhua news agency reported.

single electricity market is being prepared, Putin added.

In addition, Moscow and Minsk will continue to build up defence and security cooperation, which meets the underlying interests of the two countries given the complicated international situation, he told the meeting.

Moscow, April 7 (IANS) Russian

between the two countries.

The two leaders made the remarks on Thursday when jointly chairing a meeting of the Supreme State Council of

“To date, both governments and the relevant agencies have completed 74 per cent of the activities planned under those prioritised programs and this work is yielding tangible results. We will certainly continue this without slowing down,” he said. Russia and Belarus will continue to create a unified oil and gas market, while an agreement on the formation of a

Most ethnic minority groups in UK save less into pensions: Study

36 per cent from Bangladesh, compared to 25 per cent among white British people.

However, these expectations do not reflect the present reality in which weekly income for retired Asian and black families are 391 and 412 pounds, respectively, compared to the population average of 556 pounds.

With retirement income typically determined by the number of years a person has saved for and how many years of retirement need to be financed, the finding that individuals from ethnic minority groups also aim to retire up to two years earlier suggests additional limitations on the size of the savings pot these groups will be entering retirement with.

Lukashenko stressed the significance of fully implementing the Treaty on the Creation of the Community of Belarus and Russia signed in 1996, a fundamental document that started the integration process of the two neighbours. Over the past 27 years since then, the Belarus-Russia trade volume has increased by more than 4.5 times, he said, adding

that industrial cooperation has led to the partnership of more than 8,000 Belarusian and Russian enterprises and created hundreds of thousands of jobs. In the defence field, Lukashenko said that the steps taken to strengthen border security have made it possible to effectively protect the Union State from international terrorism, uncontrolled migration flows, arms and ammunition smuggling, drug trafficking and illegal economic activities. After the meeting, the two sides signed seven documents in a bid to further deepen Russia-Belarus integration.

Czech economy in technical recession: Q4 2022 data

Prague, April 1 (IANS) The gross domestic product (GDP) of the Czech Republic fell by 0.4 per cent quarter-on-quarter in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to data published by the Czech Statistical Office (CSU) on Friday.

London, April 1 (IANS) People from Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian ethnic backgrounds were more likely to rely financially on support networks, such as friends and family, in retirement, than white British people, according to a new research. Findings from Phoenix Insights’ latest report show that pension participation among ethnic minorities is lower than average, and non-pension sources are expected to play an important role in funding the retirement of ethnic minorities. The percentage of people from these groups expecting a “comfortable” retirement is also greater -- 37 per cent of people from India and Pakistan and

Most ethnic minority groups expect an income between 3,000-7,000 pounds a year higher than the UK average and aim to retire up to two years earlier, the research said.

Compared to the average retirement income of 25,000 pounds expected by white British people, most ethnic minority groups expect to have a retirement income around 16 per cent higher if they were of a similar age and had similar salaries, the research said.

While non-pension sources can contribute to overall retirement income, the amount of money an individual has saved in a pension is the main contributor to a good standard of living in retirement.

“Across the UK, we know that there are up to 18 million people who are under-saving for retirement.

Tackling this problem should be an urgent priority for government, employers, and individuals alike, as the nation is living longer than ever before,” said Catherine Foot, director of Phoenix Insights.

“Our findings are clear that ethnic minority groups do indeed have different expectations and levels of preparation for retirement, whilst at the same time demonstrating the need to better understand how providers and government can support these groups so they can enjoy a good quality retirement that meets their financial needs.”

PM Sanna Marin concedes defeat in Finnish parliamentary polls

71.9 per cent, slightly less than in 2019.

Shortly after National Coalition Party leader Petteri Orpo claimed victory, Marin conceded the election.

“Congratulations to the winner of the elections, congratulations to the National Coalition Party, congratulations to the Finns Party. Democracy has spoken,” the BBC quoted the Prime Minister as saying to her supporters.

As this is the second quarter in a row that the country has seen negative growth, it now fits the technical definition of a recession, reports Xinhua news agency.

However, in year-on-year terms, the GDP rose by 0.3 per cent, and by 2.5 for 2022.

In an analysis published on March 23, the CSU pinned slowing economic growth on a reduction in household consumption due to a fall in real earnings spurred by rising costs. The latest national inflation report published in March for the month of February saw

yearon-

year inflation come in at 16.7 per cent, well above the upper band of the Czech National Bank’s tolerance threshold. In its quarterly sectoral accounts report also published on Friday, the CSU noted that the real income of households fell by 5.4 per cent in 2022, while real consumption per capita decreased by 0.8 per cent year-on-year.

Russian military blogger killed in St Petersburg blast

St Petersburg, April 2 (IANS)

A military blogger, who used to report on the situation in Donbass region where the Russian and Ukrainian forces are currently fighting, was killed in an explosion in a cafe in St Petersburg on Sunday, reports said.

Helsinki, April 3 (IANS)

Incumbent Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin has conceded defeat after the opposition National Coalition Party won the parliamentary elections. According to the preliminary results reported by Finnish national broadcaster Yle, the National Coalition Party won 48 seats in parliament, an increase of 10 from four years ago, followed by the Finns Party with 46 seats, an increase of seven. Marin’s Social Democratic Party won 43 seats, an increase of three, reports Xinhua news agency.

Voter turnout on Sunday was

Commenting on the result, Orpo said this was an important win for the party, and he was confident that the formation of the new government would begin under his leadership.

Orpo did not reveal the possible composition of the upcoming ruling coalition, but said that the new government’s priority would be to fix the country’s economy.

In a major change, mediumsized parties suffered losses: the Center Party lost eight seats, the Greens lost seven, and the Left Alliance party lost five. The election campaigns focused mainly on economic and welfare issues.

The National Coalition Party, in particular, underlined the need to balance the state budget and reduce the need for new debt. Commentators noted that the formation talks of a coalition government could take some time as the combined seats of the two right-wing parties, the National Coalition Party and the Finns Party, still fell short of a parliamentary majority and would require support from other smaller parties. The election result will be officially confirmed on Wednesday, and the new Parliament will commence work next week. This was however, a bitter defeat for Marin, but she continues to enjoy high poll ratings and has been widely praised for steering Finland towards imminent entry into NATO and navigating her country through the Covid-19 pandemic. Now 37, Sanna Marin became the world’s youngest leader when she burst on to the political scene in 2019. She headed a coalition of five parties, all led by women.

Blogger ‘Vladlen Tatarsky’ (real name Maksim Fomin), was killed in the incident at the ‘Street Bar’ cafe, while 15 others were injured, RT reported, citing RIA Novosti and TASS.

The cafe is located on the Universitetskaya Embankment in the historical city centre on the Neva River bank.

Tatarsky joined the Donbass militias back in 2014 in the wake

of the Maidan coup in Kiev. He since become known in Russia as a blogger and a correspondent reporting on the situation in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. He also authored several books, RT reported.

UK agrees to join trans-Pacific trade pact

London, March 31 (IANS) The UK has decided to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Friday. This is its biggest trade deal since Brexit following 21 months of negotiations, reports Xinhua news agency.

The UK will be the first new member since the creation of the CPTPP in 2018, and the first European country in the bloc.

“Joining the CPTPP trade bloc puts the UK at the center of a dynamic and growing group of Pacific economies,” said Sunak.

“British businesses will now enjoy unparalleled access to markets from Europe to the south Pacific,” he added.

The trade grouping, a huge trade bloc in the Indo-Pacific which will now have a total GDP of 11 trillion pounds ($13.65 trillion), will include more than 500 million people and account for 15 per cent of global GDP once the UK becomes its 12th member, according to Sunak’s office. Membership will “support jobs and create opportunities for companies of all sizes and in all parts of the UK”, Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said.

President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko have vowed to push ahead the integration process

PMs of Spain, Italy focus on areas of agreement

common policy on migration a priority.

“It is a step forward that illegal migration has been recognized as a European problem and not just one for Italy or Spain.”

“Italy and Spain are in sync on the fact that Europe has the necessity to deal with certain delicate topics that need an immediate and effective solution ... which, particularly for Italy but also for Spain, is the topic of migration,” Meloni said. Spain and Italy already collaborate on energy supply under the leadership of Meloni’s predecessor, Mario Draghi.

Ukraine needs $14.1 bn for reconstruction this year

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her visiting Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez met here for talks that covered migration, energy supply and the European Union’s (EU) rules on public debt.

Sanchez stopped over in Italy’s capital on the last leg of his multi-nation tour that took him to China, Cyprus and Malta, reports Xinhua news agency. Spain is preparing to take over the rotating six-month Presidency of the Council of the

EU on July 1. Sanchez’s talks with Meloni at Rome’s Palazzo Chigi on Wednesday are notable because the two leaders come from opposite sides of the political spectrum. However, the two leaders found common ground as their countries are two of the EU’s most common landing spots for asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East.

Talking to journalists, Sanchez praised the EU’s recent decision to make the development of a

On Wednesday, Sanchez and Meloni called for reforming Europe’s energy markets to cushion the blow from supply problems, such as the one caused by the cut-off of Russian natural gas and petroleum. The leaders also called for EU policy on financial stability to be reformed. Sanchez said Spain will focus on the “reindustrialization” of Europe’s economies during its EU Council Presidency in order to make the bloc more competitive globally.

Kiev, April 6 (IANS) Amid Russia’s full scale invasion of Kiev, Ukraine needs about $14.1 billion this year to implement rapid recovery in war-affected areas, the Finance Ministry said. Out of the amount, some $3.3 billion has been allocated from the state budget, and the government hopes to raise the remaining funds from donors and the private sector, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying in a statement. According to the statement, Ukraine plans to collect part of the money through the MultiAgency Donor Coordination Platform.

This year, the government will focus on rapid recovery in such areas as energy infrastructure, humanitarian demining, and restoration of damaged housing. The reconstruction of critical and social infrastructure, and support for small and medium-sized businesses are also among government priorities. Launched on January 26, the Multi-Agency Donor Coordination Platform is aimed at coordinating existing and new mechanisms to support Ukraine’s budget, as well as rapid recovery and reconstruction, according to the statement.

Turkey’s Parliament approves Finland’s NATO membership bid

on Thursday for the Nordic nation to become a part of the military alliance, reports Turkey’s state-run Anadolu News Agency.

The vote means that all 30 current member states of NATO have now ratified Finland’s accession, a requirement for it to join the alliance.

for over 70 years, asked the two Nordic countries to take concrete action against terrorist groups like the PKK and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in order for it to join the alliance.

Turkey’s Parliament has officially approved Finland’s bid

to become the 31st member of the NATO.

There were 276 votes in favour

Abandoning decades of military non-alignment after the launch of Russia’s war on Ukraine last February, Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO in May.

But Turkey, a NATO member

In June, Finland and Sweden signed a memorandum with Turkey to address Ankara’s security concerns, and senior diplomats and officials from the three countries have held various meetings since then to discuss implementation of the trilateral agreement. Sweden passed an anti-terror

law last November, hoping that Ankara would approve Stockholm’s bid to join NATO. The new law, which will come into force on June 1, will allow authorities to prosecute individuals who support terrorist groups. Turkey had said earlier this month that it would approve the process of Finland’s NATO membership in Parliament. It said that Finland had done what was necessary to gain membership, while Sweden still has work to do.

Turkey summons Danish ambassador over anti-Islam protests

Foreign Ministry summoned Danish Ambassador Danny Annan over “an attack targeting Quran and Turkish flag” at a public demonstration in Denmark.

Ankara, April 1 (IANS) Turkey’s

The ministry said in a written statement that it strongly condemned and protested the “heinous act committed under the guise of freedom of expression”, which is “unacceptable”. The statement came after

Turkish media reported that members of the Danish farright group The Patriots Go Live displayed Islamophobic banners and chanted anti-Islam slogans in front of the Turkish Embassy in Denmark’s capital of Copenhagen earlier on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported. The protest was live broadcasted on the group’s Facebook page, local TV network CNN Turk reported.

“It is seen that the inadequacy of legal and administrative measures and the lack of political will to prevent such acts as well as impunity of perpetrators have encouraged further provocations,” the ministry said in the statement, speaking of the recurrence of anti-Islam demonstrations in Denmark lately.

It urged Danish authorities to take necessary actions against

the perpetrators of this act and to take effective measures to prevent the recurrence of such “provocations”, according to the statement.

EU urges Lebanon to reach deal with IMF for bailout

including a financial crisis, political paralysis, and the Syrian refugee problem, reports Xinhua news agency.

Speaking of a 60-million-euro ($65 million) humanitarian aid he announced on Thursday for the most vulnerable people in Lebanon, he said the aid “is not a sustainable solution in the long term, but rather emergency aid to save life”.

“It is essential to start addressing the roots of the multiple crises in Lebanon.

$3 billion bailout package from the IMF for Lebanon has largely stalled as the country has yet to implement required reforms.

For nearly three years, Lebanon has been assailed by the most devastating, multi-pronged crisis in its modern history.

Earlier, Turkey had summoned the Danish ambassador to denounce “the desecration of the Quran and the Turkish flag” over a public protest staged in Copenhagen on March 24. reclassified by the World Bank as a lower-middle income country, down from upper middle-income status.

Beirut, April 1 (IANS) European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic has urged Lebanon to reach a bailout agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in an effort to get out of its

economic plight.

At a press conference held here to conclude his two-day visit to Lebanon, Lenarcic said on Friday that the country is going through a difficult situation as a result of multiple crises,

Comprehensive governance and an agreement with the IMF are prerequisites to pave the way for much-needed reforms for a better future for the Lebanese,” the official said.

Progress towards finalizing a

The unfolding economic and financial crisis that started in October 2019 has been further exacerbated by the dual economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the massive Port of Beirut explosion in August 2020, according to the World Bank.

Of the three, the economic crisis has had by far the largest (and most persistent) negative impact.

In July last year, Lebanon was

Unemployment has also increased from 11.4 per cent in 2018-19 to 29.6 per cent in 2022. Earlier this month, the Lebanese currency collapsed to 100,000 LBP per US dollar for the first time in history. In 1997, the pound was pegged to the dollar at 1,500 LBP to 1 US dollar, and the two were convertible until October 2019. Lebanon’s economists have been calling on authorities to elect a new president and form a new cabinet to end the political deadlock and allow the country to implement necessary reforms and stop the collapse.

Rome, April 6 (IANS)

Ankara, March 31 (IANS)

ASEAN Secretary-General urges for more dialogue, consultations in addressing challenges

Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn has urged for more dialogue and consultations in addressing challenges in a speech delivered during his first working visit to Thailand which will conclude on Saturday.

As part of the efforts to ease the tension in the region, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is actively promoting the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone, Xinhua news agency

ASEAN to switch to local currency use in region to avoid crisis

quoted Hourn as saying.

“We want to see that our region remain absolutely peaceful, stable, and secure, so that we spend more time, energy, and efforts on the prosperity agenda to improve the lives of our people,” he said.

The Secretary-General also stressed ASEAN is committed to maintaining its central position and playing a leading role in mechanisms initiated by the organisation.

Lao govt eyes tourism to fuel economic recovery

arrangements to be made to ensure high standards of hospitality to impress visitors.

The meeting called for preparations for the planned start of cross-border passenger trains on the China-Laos Railway, which has become an important driver of Lao tourism.

Jakarta, April 1 (IANS) Southeast Asian countries have agreed to reinforce the use of local currencies in the region and reduce reliance on major international currencies in an effort to avoid spillover from the global crisis, Indonesia’s central bank has said.

Vientiane, March 31 (IANS)

The Lao government has called for in-depth preparations to welcome visitors in light of the rapidly rebounding tourism industry, to fuel its efforts to revitalise the economy.

The tourism industry, a main source of foreign currency, has been earmarked as a key sector to bolster the Lao macro-economy, Xinhua news agency quoted Deputy Minister Thipphakone Chanthavongsa as saying.

During the government’s monthly meeting that concluded on Wednesday, chaired by Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, the cabinet asked for proper

To fuel its efforts to stabilize the macro-economy, the cabinet ordered the ministries concerned to pay close attention to repaying foreign debt and debt owed to private companies, so they could bolster their operations.

To finance public spending, the cabinet called for measures to maximize revenue collection by expanding the digital collection system to plug loopholes and prevent money leaks, along with addressing duplicated expenditures.

As the depreciation of the kip (Lao currency) has incurred additional challenges for the economy, the cabinet ordered

further action to execute its monetary policy and regulate exchange rates, as well as identify new tools to improve the monetary policy.

Amid rampant inflation, the cabinet pledged to carry out necessary measures to regulate service fees and commodity prices in markets to prevent unreasonable price hikes. The cabinet also vowed action to address the drug trade and substance abuse, while maintaining social security and order and political stability, to pave the way for stronger socio-economic development.

Thipphakone told that changes and complexities in the global environment were likely to continue to impact the country’s fragile economy.

Inflation in Laos jumped to 41.26 per cent year-on-year in February from 40.3 per cent in January, according to the Lao Statistics Bureau.

Vietnam’s manufacturing PMI falls back into contraction in March

The agreement came on the last day of a meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members, which was held in Indonesia’s Bali island on Friday, with Indonesia being this year’s ASEAN chair, Xinhua news agency reported.

Governor of Bank Indonesia

Perry Warjiyo said the organization would establish a task force to formulate the transition process to use ASEAN local currencies in financial transactions as a realization of ASEAN’s current local currencies settlement cooperation framework.

“With the use of local currencies in the transactions across the region, we will be able to strengthen our resilience in supporting

regional cross-border trade and investment, which now are still relying on major international currencies,” Warjiyo said at a virtual press conference after the meeting.

Warjiyo said if ASEAN countries could use their local currencies in the region, transactions and all payments can be conducted faster and able to tackle the global crisis. And if that is successful, their currencies’ values will increase.

“At the moment, our numbers are small. But that’s why we must move forward with this scheme. We must accelerate it,” Warjiyo said. He also said that in the meeting, the ASEAN countries have agreed to expand cross-border payment connectivity to more countries in the region.

Myanmar extends Covid restrictions until April end

Yangon, April 1 (IANS) Myanmar has announced the extension of Covid-19 preventive measures until April 30, authorities announced.

Hanoi, April 3 (IANS) Vietnam’s manufacturing sector slipped back into contraction in March as new orders continued to fall, according to a report released by S&P Global Market Intelligence on Monday.

The S&P Global Vietnam Manufacturing Purchasing

Managers’ Index (PMI) dipped to 47.7 in March from last month’s reading at 51.2, falling back below the 50-point level separating expansion from contraction, reports Xinhua news agency. Overall new orders were down for the fourth time in the past five months due to “relatively subdued demand”, while new business from overseas markets dipped for the first time in three months.

The decline in new work led to falls in manufacturing output and staffing levels, said the report.

Amid signs of inflation pressures easing at the end of the first quarter, raw material prices

rose at the slowest pace since last October, making companies increase their charges at the softest pace in a third straight month of rises, the report found. However, the renewed falls in March will hopefully be just a temporary problem as firms remain confident about demand improvements and stable market conditions in the year ahead with some even pointing to business expansion plans, according to Andrew Harker, Economics Director at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

S&P Global Market Intelligence is forecasting a rise in Vietnam’s industrial production of 6.6 per cent in 2023.

Unicef sees progress in Cambodia for improvement of child rights

for primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education, respectively, it added.

Cambodia has invested heavily in social protection since the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment, the extension applies to all Covid-19 restrictions that expire on March 31, except for those that will be eased, reports Xinhua news agency.

It added that the extension covers all orders, announcements, and directives previously issued by respective government organisations and ministries in

order to contain the pandemic. The Southeast Asian country has so far recorded a total of 634,080 Covid-19 cases, with 19,490 deaths and 614,554 recoveries, official data showed.

Hanoi ranks as costliest city in Vietnam

Hanoi, March 31 (IANS) The Vietnamese capital of Hanoi was the most expensive place to live in the Southeast Asian country in 2022, according to a report published by the General Statistics Office.

Phnom Penh, March 31 (IANS)

The Unicef said that it has witnessed progress made in Cambodia for the improvement of child rights. The analysis of child rights found that children’s enrolment rates in schools increased at all levels in 2021, reaching more than 60 per cent for early childhood education, 92 per cent for primary, and 47 per cent for lower secondary schools, Xinhua news agency quoted Unicef as saying. However, school completion rates are still very low at 81 per cent, 49 per cent and 26 per cent

In 2019, around 280,000 children benefited from child-focused cash transfer programs, and in 2022 this figure grew to almost 700,000, it said, adding that over 240,000 children were covered by the home-grown school feeding program.

The analysis acknowledged that while the government has made key advancements in its efforts to improve children’s lives in Cambodia in the past decade, almost 18 per cent of Cambodians still live below the poverty line, and almost half of the country’s population aged 0-17 years falls within the definition of multi-dimensionally poor.

“Over the last decade, Cambodia has led important progress in the lives of their children,” said Will

Parks, Unicef representative to Cambodia.

“I want to congratulate Cambodia, yet we must also recognize the continued challenges that threaten to slow progress toward fully realising children’s rights,” he added. Thousands of children remain at risk and violence is still a major challenge, with more than 3 million aged 1-14 years experiencing violent physical or psychological discipline at home, according to the Unicef statement.

The statement said the findings from the analysis will shape Unicef Cambodia’s country program and the broader UN Cooperation Framework for the next five years (2024-2028) and help to further align Unicef’s strategic approach with the Cambodian government’s vision for the country to reach upper-middle income status by 2030 and high income status by 2050.

The northern province of Quang Ninh ranked second on the list of the top five most expensive cities and provinces, followed by Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and the Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying.

The Quang Tri province was found to be the locality with the lowest Spatial Cost of Living Index (SCOLI) in 2022, followed by Tra Vinh, Ben Tre, Soc Trang and Nam Dinh.

The Red River Delta retained its position as the most expensive region in the country, with the Northern Midland and Mountainous region and Southeast region following closely behind, according to the report.

The Mekong Delta region has the lowest cost of living, largely thanks to the low prices of food and catering services.

These prices are low due to the region’s intensive farming methods and favourable soil and climate conditions for agricultural production, said the report.

Despite swift and unpredictable developments in the global economy last year, the SCOLI index in 2022 in Vietnam did not change much compared to 2021.

Consumer goods are abundant with a diverse distribution system, so the prices of goods and services in localities did not fluctuate much, the report said. The SCOLI is a relative indicator that reflects the difference in consumer goods and services prices among localities and regions during a certain period. It can be used as a reference for socio-economic development policies or for businesses to assess competitiveness in terms of prices, market share and product costs.

Bangkok, April 1 (IANS) ASEAN

Flow of undocumented migrants in Mexico up 54.6%

followed by Tabasco with 9.3 per cent and Coahuila with 8.8 per cent.

A total of 7.4 million people entered Mexico from abroad, including 6.1 million foreigners, marking a 37.5 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2022.

Over the two months, the country issued 12,398 permanent residence cards and 11,091 temporary ones.

Canada’s employment continues upward trend in March

Ottawa, April 7 (IANS) Canada’s employment grew by 35,000, or 0.2 per cent, in March, following little change in February and strong growth in January and December, Statistics Canada said.

Mexico City, April 3 (IANS) The flow of undocumented migrants in Mexico jumped 54.6 per cent year-on-year in the first two months of 2023, the Interior Ministry said.

The Ministry’s 2023 Monthly Bulletin of Immigration Statistics showed Mexico registered 70,526

cases of undocumented migrants, with 66.6 per cent being men, from January to February on their way through the country to the US, reports Xinhua news agency.

The state receiving the largest proportion of the migrants is Chiapas with 41.3 per cent,

Mexico is a transit route for migrants heading towards the US from Central America, the Caribbean, South America and other parts.

To avoid being detained by Mexican immigration authorities, migrants often take higher-risk routes that make them more vulnerable to organised crime.

Death toll rises to 32 after tornadoes rip US states

About 100 miles southwest, another person died in North Little Rock.

Deaths have been confirmed across a wide swath of states, with multiple victims in Arkansas, Indiana and Tennessee, where the statewide death toll rose to 15 on Sunday, officials said.

Employment has generally trended up since September 2022. Over that period, the number of people employed has increased by 383,000, or 1.9 per cent, the national statistical agency added on Thursday. Employment gains in March were concentrated among private sector employees and there was little change in the number of public sector employees and self-employed

workers, the agency said. According to the agency, for the fourth consecutive month, the unemployment rate was five per cent in March, just above the record low of 4.9 per cent observed in June and July of 2022, Xinhua news agency reported.

Total hours worked rose 0.4 per cent in March and were up 1.6 per cent on a year-over-year basis, the agency said.

Average hourly wages rose 5.3 per cent to 33.12 Canadian dollars ($24.5) on a year-overyear basis in March, compared with 5.4 per cent in February, Statistics Canada added.

US Senate passes bill to end national Covid emergency

Mississippi and Delaware.

This latest devastation comes just a week after a massive tornado levelled a town in Mississippi, claiming 25 lives, reports Xinhua news agency.

The 26th death was reported in Alabama during the same round of turbulent weather.

Washington, April 3 (IANS) At least 32 people have died after strong tornadoes and deadly storms struck multiple states in the US’s South and Midwest over the weekend, authorities said.

In a report, CNN said that more than 50 preliminary tornado reports were recorded on April 1 in at least seven states.

The powerful tornadoes crushed homes and businesses, ripped roofs off buildings, splintered trees and sent vehicles flying.

Wynne, Arkansas, where at least four people died,was cleaved in half by one such tornado, leaving a line of destruction from the city’s western limit to its eastern, according to Mayor Jennifer Hobbs, who told CNN on Sunday: “We’re just gonna need all the help that we can (get) to help these families recover.”

Three of the deaths were in Memphis: Two children and one adult were found dead after police responded to calls about trees that had fallen on homes, the Memphis Police Department said in a statement.

Nine others died in McNairy County, Tennessee, County Mayor Larry Smith confirmed to CNN on Sunday.

The storm “crossed our county completely from one side to the other”, Sheriff Guy Buck told CNN on Saturday evening as authorities continued to search collapsed buildings.

There were at least five deaths in Indiana and four in Illinois, including one person who died after the roof of the Apollo Theatre in Belvidere collapsed on April 1 while more than 200 people were gathered for a heavy metal concert.

The storm threat has now shifted to the Southern Plains, where nearly 13 million people in north Texas, including the Dallas-Fort Worth area, face an enhanced -- or level 3 of 5 -- risk for severe weather in the afternoon and early evening hours, the Storm Prediction Center said.

The Dallas Office of Emergency Management activated its sirens for the city “due to large hail” as flights were grounded at Dallas airports, according to officials.

Both the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field Airport issued ground stops as severe weather rolled into Texas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Flights were temporarily grounded but have since resumed, the FAA said.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for parts of Oklahoma and Texas.

Washington, March 30 (IANS)

The US Senate has passed a bill to end the national Covid-19 emergency which was declared by former President Donald Trump on March 13, 2020. The 68-23 vote on Wednesday was overwhelmingly bipartisan and the joint resolution, which cleared the House earlier this year, now heads to President Joe Biden, reports CNN. A White House official told CNN that while the President “strongly opposes” this bill, the administration is already winding down the emergency by May 11, the date previously announced for the end of the authority.

working with agencies to wind down the national emergency with as much notice as possible to Americans who could potentially be impacted,” the official was quoted as saying. The White House said in January that Biden “strongly opposes” the Republican resolution to end the Covid-19 emergency, but did not threaten a veto.

House Democrats largely voted against the bill when it was brought to the floor in February except for 11 Democrats who joined Republicans in support. With the highest number of cases and fatalities, the US remains the worst-hit country by the Covid pandemic.

As of Thursday morning, the country’s caseload and death toll stood at 106,163,408 and

By Arul Louis

New York, April 1 (IANS)

Georgia’s legislature has taken aim at the attacks on Hinduism emanating from academia and condemned “Hinduphobia, anti-Hindu bigotry and intolerance”.

The resolution adopted unanimously by the State House of Representatives, said: “Hinduphobia is exacerbated and institutionalised by some in academia who support the dismantling of Hinduism and

State and local officials also reported one death in Alabama, accuse its sacred texts and cultural practices of violence and oppression.”

“If the Senate passed the measure and it heads to Biden’s desk, he will sign it, and the administration will continue

Georgia legislature takes aim at attacks on Hinduism from academia, condemns Hinduphobia

to the world and the US while condemning “Hinduphobia, anti-Hindu bigotry, and intolerance”.

It declared the state’s Forsyth County “as a place that welcomes the diversity brought by Hindu Americans and all those who work hard, follow our laws, uphold family values, and contribute to our economic and social well-being”.

of hate crimes against Hindu Americans over the last few decades in many parts of the country”.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s report on bias crimes released last month covering 2021 said there were 16 anti-Hindu crimes with 18 victims, an increase from the 11 reported the previous year.

and innovation, attracting people from around the world to create and live a better and fulfilling life” which has “welcomed more than four million Hindus from all corners of the world and given them better 8 opportunities and the freedom to practice Hinduism, also known as ‘Sanatana Dharma’”.

While bigotry directed against other religions has been condemned by state and city legislatures across the US, they have refrained from condemning Hinduphobia, making Georgia the first to do so.

The resolution sponsored by five State Representatives acknowledged the contributions of the Hindu religion as well as Hindus

More than 40 universities, including elite institutions, cosponsored a conference in 2021 on “Dismantling Global Hindutva”, which was seen by many Hindu organisations as a semantically veiled attack on Hinduism.

The universities that were involved included University of California Berkeley, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, Harvard, Princeton and Stanford, according to Berkeley’s South Asia Studies Institute.

The resolution said that “there have been documented instances

The Georgia resolution cited a report by Rutger’s University’s Network Contagion lab that tracks disinformation and hate on the internet, “Anti-Hindu Disinformation: A Case Study of Hinduphobia on Social Media”. According to the university, the report “found evidence of a sharp rise and evolving patterns of hate speech directed toward the Hindu community across numerous social media platforms”.

The university also is home to academics who are harsh critics of Hinduism.

The resolution extolled the US as “a beacon of hope, progress,

On the contribution of Hinduism, the resolution said, “Yoga, Ayurveda, meditation, food, music, arts, and more have enriched the cultural fabric and have been widely adopted in American society and enriched the lives of millions”.

“The American Hindu community has been a major contributor to diverse sectors such as medicine, science and engineering, information technology, hospitality, finance, academia, manufacturing, energy, retail trade, and so much more”, the resolution said.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @ arulouis)

Lebanon rejects military escalation from its lands: PM

Mikati.

Mikati’s remarks on Thursday came following the rocket attacks launched from Lebanon at Israel, hours after Israeli police forces raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City for a second consecutive day, triggering fresh clashes with Palestinian worshippers.

Iraqi PM inaugurates Karbala oil refinery

staff to resort to shelters inside their bases amid the escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli border, Xinhua news agency reported.

Baghdad, April 2 (IANS) Iraqi

Beirut, April 7 (IANS) Lebanon rejects any military escalation from its lands and the use of Lebanese territories to carry out operations that may jeopardise the country’s stability, said Lebanese Prime Minister Najib

“Lebanon is committed to UN Resolution 1701 and the close coordination between the Lebanese Army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL),” the Lebanese Prime Minister was quoted as saying in a statement released by the Council of Ministers. Meanwhile, the UNIFIL issued orders to civilian and military

“UNIFIL’s peacekeepers continue to perform their duties and do everything they can during this day of an explosive and dangerous situation,” the UNIFIL said in a statement released by the National News Agency.

On Thursday evening, three new rockets were fired from the Lebanese district of Marjeyoun into northern Israel. It came after dozens of rockets were fired into Israel from Lebanon, prompting the Israeli Army to shell the outskirts of the southern Lebanese town of al-Qulayla with artillery.

Syrian FM visits Egypt for 1st time in over 10 yrs

relations and means of advancing and promoting them ... in addition to a number of regional and international issues of common concern,” said Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid in a statement on Saturday.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani has inaugurated the Karbala oil refinery which was built with a production capacity of 140,000 barrels per day, according to a statement from his office.

The refinery, located in the south of Karbala City, nearly 110 km south of Baghdad, includes 33 operational, service, and storage units, as well as a warehouse and a station for pumping products to external depots and gas filling

stations, Xinhua news agency reported.

The refinery also includes a power station with the capacity to produce 200 megawatts of electricity, and is supplied with crude oil through a pipeline from the southern oil fields in Basra, said the statement.

The refinery is designed to produce gasoline, jet fuel, solid sulfur, and cooking gas to help meet the growing domestic demand for oil derivatives.

Iranian, Saudi FMs agree to meet in coming days

Cairo, April 2 (IANS) Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry held talks with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad, who is visiting Cairo for the first time in more than a decade, said the Egyptian Foreign Ministry. The two Ministers “discussed various aspects of bilateral

Shoukry reiterated Egypt’s full support to efforts aiming at reaching “a comprehensive political settlement” and achieving national reconciliation in Syria, Xinhua news agency reported. Achieving a comprehensive political settlement “will put an end to foreign interference in Syrian affairs, guarantee the restoration of full security and stability of Syria, preserve its territorial integrity and sovereignty, protect its people’s resources and eliminate all

forms of terrorism,” he said. Syria’s political settlement will also allow the voluntary and safe return of millions of Syrian refugees, he added. For his part, Mekdad expressed his country’s appreciation for Egypt’s “supportive role” over the past years as well as Egypt’s humanitarian relief assistance offered following the devastating earthquake in Syria in February. The Syrian Foreign Minister hoped for “more Arab solidarity with Syria in order to overcome its crisis and restore its historical role in supporting Arab causes”.

Syria has been shunned by many Arab states and its Arab League membership has been suspended since the Syrian conflict started in 2011

Jordan, Iraq announce tender to build joint economic city

The project includes designs, financing, management, promotion, operation and maintenance of the economic city. The deadline for submitting bids for the project is August 1, Xinhua news agency reported.

Tehran, April 3 (IANS) Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud agreed in a phone call to meet in the coming days.

Amir-Abdollahian expressed satisfaction with the “positive trend” of the bilateral relation, highlighting Tehran’s determination to promote its good-neighbourliness policy, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s website on Sunday.

The Saudi Foreign Minister, for his part, stressed the necessity of constant contact and meetings between the two countries’ officials, describing the ongoing trend of measures by Tehran and Riyadh as “positive and satisfactory”.

The Foreign Ministers also discussed the latest condition of the agreement signed between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Beijing on March 10 on the

normalisation of diplomatic relations and reopening of the embassies and missions within two months, Xinhua news agency reported.

This was the third phone conversation between the two top diplomats in the past weeks following the signing of the agreement, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s website. The Ministry, however, did not specify the date and venue of the upcoming meeting.

In another phone conversation in late March, the two Foreign Ministers had exchanged views on holding their bilateral meeting in the fasting month of Ramzan, which will end in late April.

Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in early 2016 in response to the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran after the kingdom executed a Shia cleric.

Sheikh Mansour appointed as UAE Vice President

Amman, April 3 (IANS) Jordan and Iraq have announced an open tender to build a joint economic city on their border. The city is scheduled to span an

area of 22,000 dunums (2,200 hectares) on the Jordanian-Iraqi border, according to a statement by Jordan’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply.

The Iraqi-Jordanian Company for Industry, a joint venture set up by the Jordanian and Iraqi governments, will be responsible for carrying out the project. Both sides underscored the project’s importance to boost their economic cooperation and achieve industrial integration,

Israel’s cabinet approves establishment of national guard led by far-right minister

busy with other things,” he said. Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news reported that Israeli police chief, Inspector-General Yaacov Shabtai has expressed his concerns about the National Guard to Ben-Gvir in a private letter.

Dubai, March 30 (IANS)

The President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has appointed Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, his brother, as the Vice President of the country, the official Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

The appointment was approved by the UAE Federal Supreme Council. The incumbent Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum will remain in the same role, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the WAM report.

be the powers of the force.

Jerusalem, April 3 (IANS) Israel’s cabinet has voted in favour of establishing a National Guard force controlled by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

The National Guard will deal with “national emergency situations,” such as violent clashes between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel, according to a statement released by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. A committee composed of all

security agencies will draft guidelines for the operation of the National Guard within 90 days, the statement said on Sunday, adding that the committee will also discuss what would be the powers of the force.

Last week, Ben-Gvir told Army Radio that the force will be deployed “exclusively” in Arab communities, Xinhua news agency reported.

“The police don’t deal exclusively with this, because they are too

In a tweet, Opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Ben-Gvir of seeking “to turn his thug militia into a national guard, that will bring terror and violence everywhere in the country”. Ben-Gvir is one the most extreme Ministers in Netanyahu’s far-right cabinet. Before entering politics, he was an ultranationalist activist who was convicted of supporting terrorism, incitement to racism and involvement in riots. The Minister is a resident of the hardline Jewish settlement in Hebron, located in the occupied West Bank.

Sheikh Mansour has served as the Deputy Prime Minister of UAE and as the Minister of Presidential Court. He has extensive experience in public service and has held a number of important posts since 2004, including the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Chairman of the Ministerial Development Council, and member of the Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council.

Additionally, Sheikh Mansour has also chaired organisations such as the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, National Archives, the Abu Dhabi Development guidelines for the operation of the National Guard within 90 days, the statement said on Sunday, adding that the committee will also discuss what would

Last week, Ben-Gvir told Army Radio that the force will be deployed “exclusively” in Arab communities, Xinhua news agency reported.

“The police don’t deal exclusively with this, because they are too busy with other things,” he said. Israel’s state-owned Kan TV Fund, and board of Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority.

Born in Abu Dhabi in 1970, Sheikh Mansour completed his higher education in the United States, earning a Bachelor’s degree in international relations in 1993.

Sheikh Mansour began his career as the chairman of the office of his late father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first president of the UAE, before taking on the role of minister of presidential affairs in 2004.

Cairo, April 3 (IANS) Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah

al-Sisi met with visiting Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi in Cairo, where they discussed ways of further promoting bilateral relations, said the Egyptian presidency. During the meeting, the Egyptian President highlighted “the distinguished Egyptian-Iraqi relations and Egypt’s keenness to further promote cooperation between the two countries in all fields,” said Egyptian presidential spokesman Ahmed Fahmy in a statement on Sunday.

Sisi also hailed the current momentum of the relations

Saudi Arabia announces voluntary oil production cut of 500,000 barrels per day between Egypt and Iraq, whether at the bilateral level or through the tripartite cooperation mechanism with Jordan, Xinhua news agency reported.

For his part, the Iraqi Parliament Speaker highlighted Baghdad’s close bilateral relations with Cairo.

“He also praised Egypt’s role in restoring stability in Iraq and contributions to consolidate security, stability and development in the region and strengthen Arab unity,” said the statement.

UN envoy calls for dialogue, compromises to

achieve long-lasting peace in Yemen

on the course of a peaceful solution that is reached through the consensus of Yemenis in an inclusive political process,” said the envoy.

Riyadh, April 3 (IANS) Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry has announced a voluntary oil cut of 500,000 barrels per day from May till the end of 2023. The production cut is in coordination with some other countries of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC Participating Countries in the

Declaration of Cooperation, said the Ministry in a statement on Sunday.

It noted that the voluntary cut is in addition to the reduction in production agreed upon at the 33rd OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting on October 5, 2022, Xinhua news agency reported.

Iran to enforce compulsory hijab rule on women

Aden (Yemen), April 3 (IANS)

UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has called for dialogue and compromises between the Yemeni government and the Houthis to achieve long-lasting peace.

In a statement marking the first anniversary of the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Yemen’s warring parties, Grundberg said on Sunday that the UN-mediated ceasefire that started in April 2022 was generally observed even after its expiration in October 2022. Hailing the truce as “a moment of hope”, the envoy added that its “most significant promise is its potential to jumpstart an inclusive political process aimed at comprehensively and sustainably ending the conflict”.

“There are still significant risks,” he cautioned, adding a surge in military, economic, and rhetorical escalation in recent weeks has highlighted the frailty of the ceasefire’s achievements when they are not backed by political advancements towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

He also underscored the necessity “to protect the gains of the truce and to build on them towards more humanitarian relief, a nationwide ceasefire, and a sustainable political settlement that meets the aspirations of Yemeni women and men”.

“At this critical time, any new temporary or partial arrangement needs to include a clear commitment from the parties that ensures it is a step

A UN-brokered humanitarian truce that went into effect in April last year provided a glimmer of hope for a peaceful resolution to Yemen’s conflict by substantially reducing violence across the country, Xinhua news agency reported. However, sporadic armed confrontations have resumed in many parts of the country after the expiration of the truce in October last year.

The recent Houthi attacks against government troops in Marib and other regions have further shattered hopes for a lasting peace pact.

Yemen has been embroiled in a devastating civil war since 2014, with the Houthis fighting against the internationally-recognised government and its allies, which include a Saudi Arabia-led coalition.

The years-long war brought the Arab world’s poorest country to the brink of collapse, causing famine and widespread suffering as well as disrupting the country’s food supply chain, leaving millions of people without access to adequate nutrition.

Palestinians mark 47th anniversary of Land Day amid calls to end Israeli occupation

Palestine that their grandfathers left in 1948.

In the West Bank, similar demonstrations are scheduled in several towns, villages and cities on Friday.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye slammed the Israeli aggression as aggressive and said the Israeli occupation “is based on settlement, repression, and killing”. Ishtaye called on the Palestinians to reunite and end an internal division, mainly between Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah Party since 2007.

New Delhi, April 1 (IANS)

Authorities in Iran have been making clear their determination to enforce compulsory hijab on women, according to a media report. This comes after months of protests demanding an end to the restriction, BBC reported. A hardline Iranian MP has issued an ultimatum to the judiciary to come up with measures to put a stop to women flouting the rules on headscarves within the next 48 hours, the report said.

The mass protests that erupted across Iran in September last year have largely been quelled for now by brute force. But some women continue to defy the rules on wearing a mandatory headscarf in public. Videos and pictures posted online show the upswell of frustration and anger with the restrictions is still a potent force in Iranian society.

A video posted this week shows a man throwing a tub of yogurt in the face of an unveiled woman. His action was met with outrage by male and female bystanders, BBC reported.

Protests swept across the Islamic Republic following the death in September of Mahsa Amini, a

22-year-old woman detained by morality police in Tehran for allegedly wearing her hijab “improperly”.

The interior ministry announced this week that there would be no retreat or tolerance on the issue. The statement said that the hijab remained an essential element of Islamic law and as such would remain one of the key principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran, BBC reported.

The unyielding rhetoric echoed that of the head of the judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, who had recently said that women who do not wear the head covering would be prosecuted without mercy.

Now, a hardline MP has said that legislative measures must be taken to enforce what he called the “divine decree” of the hijab, BBC reported.

Hossein Ali Haji Deligani said that if the judiciary does not not provide such action within the next 48 hours, MPs would put in motion a bill to fill the legal vacuum.

He said it would be in line with a report by the parliamentary cultural commission on “chastity and the hijab”, BBC reported.

Iraq to cut oil output by 211,000 bpd from May to year-end

Baghdad, April 3 (IANS) Iraq will voluntarily cut oil production by 211,000 barrels per day (bpd) from May until the end of this year, the country’s Oil Ministry said in a statement.

Ramallah, March 31 (IANS)

Palestinians marked the 47th anniversary of the “Land Day” amid calls to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories that has been going on since 1967.

They also called for establishing an independent Palestinian state on the territories seized by Israel in 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, reports Xinhua news agency.

Hundreds of demonstrators

gathered near the borders between the eastern Gaza Strip and Israel, waving Palestinian flags, carrying banners demanding an end of the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state, and chanting anti-Israel slogans.

Demonstrations and rallies were also held in other parts of the Gaza Strip to mark the day.

Some young people planted olive trees, with each one carrying the name of a village in historic

The events of Land Day date back to March 30, 1976, when the Palestinians in Israel protested against the Israeli seizure of about 21,000 dunams (2,100 hectares) of village lands in the Galilee region.

The 1976 protests took place in the villages of Arraba, Sakhnin, Deir Hanna, Arab al-Sawa’id and others.

The lands in these villages were confiscated for establishing more settlements.

The move is a “precautionary measure” taken in coordination with some countries of OPEC+, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, to stabilise the global oil market, it added on Sunday.

Ministry data show that Iraq is producing more than 4.5 million bpd, Xinhua news agency reported.

Oil prices have risen since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in February last year, benefiting

oil-exporting countries, including Iraq. However, oil prices declined in the past few months due to fears of lower demand in global markets. Iraq’s economy relies heavily on crude oil exports, which account for more than 90 per cent of the its revenue.

Egyptian President, Iraqi Parliament Speaker pledge to promote ties

Paper bags, compostable food packages may contain toxic chemicals: Study

make paper grease-resistant, so they are used in many fast-food containers and wrappers. These chemicals are also called forever chemicals because they break down very slowly and accumulate in the environment and human tissue, including the liver.

New Zealand greenhouse gas emissions fall 3.5%

PFAS to make it strong enough and prevent disintegration when it comes in contact with liquids, the researchers said.

Wellington, April 4 (IANS) New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions decreased 3.5 per cent, or 696 kilotonnes, in the September 2022 quarter, the country’s statistics department said on Tuesday.

New Delhi, April 3 (IANS) Love to eat burgers, pastries and doughnuts? Paper bags and compostable paper bowls that carry these delicacies could be high on forever chemicals -harmful for both human health as well as environment, warns a study led by an international team of researchers.

Amid ban on single use plastic, paper bags and compostable food containers have found many takers. While marketed as acegreen” alternatives to plastic, these contain a chemical called perfluooctane sulfate or PFOS, which is one of a class of man-made chemicals called perand polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.

PFAS are commonly used to

The researchers from Canada, the US and Switzerland tested 42 kinds of paper food packaging collected in Toronto between February and March 2020, including compostable paper bowls, sandwich and burger wrappers, popcorn serving bags, and bags for desserts such as doughnuts.

The team tested the paper food packaging packaging for fluorine -- a key element in PFAS -- and found that 45 per cent of the samples contained fluorine, suggesting they contained PFAS. The results, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology Letters, showed that the highest levels of fluorine and PFAS were found in paper bags used for greasy items such as burgers, pastries and doughnuts, as well as in compostable paper bowls. It was because the raw pulp needs to be mixed with a lot of

“The use of PFAS in food packaging such as “compostable” bowls represents a regrettable substitution of single-use plastic food packaging,” the study showed.

The researchers said that PFAS are known to get into food from packaging that holds the food.

“It’s getting into you because the PFAS will migrate from the packaging, from the bowl, from the bag into the food,” Miriam Diamond, Professor at School of the Environment at the University of Toronto, was quoted as saying to the CBC News. Previous studies have shown that happens more quickly when food is hot and greasy, she added. The paper bag and compostable bowl samples also showed the presence of another PFAS, known to be toxic to rodents. Previous studies have linked PFAS to a variety of health effects in humans and animals, including increased risk of cancers, reduced immune response and fertility, and altered metabolism and increased risk of obesity.

2nd-largest reservoir in US sees higher water level since historic low

Boat launching has been limited with water levels dropping below original boat ramps use, John said.

Eric Balken, executive director of the environmental advocacy group Glen Canyon Institute, said Lake Powell would likely be “well below” minimum power pool by now if not for the emergency releases.

Recently, the reservoir saw more water flow into the lake than out of it, resulting in just under half a foot of rise in water levels.

According to Stats NZ, the fall in emissions follows successive increases over the previous three quarters and was driven mostly by significant reductions in the electricity, gas, water, waste services and the manufacturing industry, which decreased by 26 per cent compared with the June quarter, reports Xinhua news agency.

“The fall was mostly due to a smaller share of fossil fuels being used to generate electricity, and a higher share of renewable energy sources,” said the department’s environmental-economic accounts manager Stephen Oakley.

Most notably, hydroelectric generation increased 29 per cent over the September quarter, geothermal was up 2 per cent, and wind-generated electricity reached its highest-ever level after increasing by 9.7 per cent, Oakley said.

Over the same period, gross domestic product (GDP) for the electricity, gas, water and waste services industry grew by 3.1 per cent, he said, adding that manufacturing emissions decreased for the second quarter in a row.

Over the June and September 2022 quarters, transport emissions rose by 9.9 and 9.3 per cent, respectively, due to the gradual ease of the Covid-19 restrictions. However, emissions from the tourist-sensitive hospitality and accommodation industries decreased over these quarters, Oakley said.

In the September 2022 quarter, New Zealand’s GDP rose by 1.7 per cent, while industry emissions, excluding households, fell by 4.1 per cent, statistics show.

Guinness certifies world’s deepest fish found by Japan-Australia team

London, April 5 (IANS) At a depth of more than 8 km underwater, a fish filmed by a team of researchers from Japan and Australia has been certified by the Guinness World Records as the deepest fish in the ocean to be observed.

Washington, April 5 (IANS)

Lake Powell, the second-largest reservoir in the US, has seen a slight rise in water level after hitting its lowest since the first filling in the 1960s.

Lake Powell, located in northern Arizona and stretches up into southern Utah, offers water and power to millions of people in several states including Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah, reports Xinhua news agency.

The lake is fed by the Colorado River.

Warming temperatures and abnormally dry conditions have cut into the river’s supplies.

The massive reservoir dropped to a historic low of 3,520.46 feet on March 13 as a climate-fuelled megadrought continues in the US West, according to data from the Bureau of Reclamation.

Lake Powell is down 1.22 feet from one year ago, according to the website of Lake Powell Water Database. Currently the lake is 178.15 feet below Full Pool.

Conan John, a captain of Lake Powell Experience which offers lake excursion, told Xinhua that water has been low in the last few years, but with the low water levels there is still a lot of Lake Powell that can be seen and viewed by boat.

The increase is the first sustained gains the lake has seen since May of last year, according to local television KPNX.

The historically high amounts of rain and snow that the US Southwest has received over the past winter may have kickstarted Lake Powell’s seasonal uptrend very early, according to KPNX.

The US West is in the midst of its worst megadrought in 1,200 years, and the climate crisis has made the drought 42 per cent more extreme than it would have been otherwise, according to data of the World Economic Forum.

Scientists mainly from the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology and the University of Western Australia on August 15, 2022, filmed the unknown snailfish species of the genus Pseudoliparis at a depth of 8,336 metres, near the bottom of the Izu-Ogasawara Trench off southern Japan in the western Pacific, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the Guinness World Records, the unprecedented depth -- more than double the vertical extent of Mount Fuji -- is approaching what is thought to be the biological bottom line for fish.

Hiroshi Kitazato and co-researchers from the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology received their Guinness certificate on Tuesday. According to the joint scientific expedition, the observation was made 158 metres deeper than the previous record of 8,178 metres in the Mariana Trench, where living fish were confirmed in 2017.

The Mariana snailfish was observed in the Mariana Trench on May 18, 2017.

Kitazato stressed the significance of having filmed fish at such a depth and expressed hope of finding fish even deeper in the ocean.

The chief scientist conducting this field study was UWA Professor Alan Jamieson, founding director of the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre.

Professor Jamieson is arguably the world’s leading authority on hadal organisms -- those that live deeper than 19,685 ft -- and has made numerous record-setting discoveries over his career. These include the deepest squid (20,381 ft), the deepest octopus (22,825 ft), the deepest decapod (25,272 ft) and the deepest hydrozoan (33,015 ft).

Emissions from banned ozone layer destroying chemicals resurging: Study

Chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs -- known to destroy the Earth’s protective ozone layer -- were once widely used in the manufacture of hundreds of products including aerosol sprays, such as blowing agents for foams and packing materials, solvents, and in refrigeration.

researchers stated that the rise in emissions may be due to their use in the production of HFCs used primarily in refrigeration and air conditioning.

London, April 4 (IANS) There has been a resurgence in global emissions of several ozone-destroying chemicals that were banned worldwide in 2010, according to a study by an international team of researchers from the UK, US, Switzerland, Australia, and Germany.

But CFC production for such uses was banned under the Montreal Protocol in 2010. However, the international treaty did not eliminate the creation of CFCs during production of other chemicals including hydrofluorocarbons or HFCs, which were developed as second-generation replacements for CFCs.

In the study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, the

“Combined, their emissions are equal to the carbon dioxide emissions in 2020 for a smaller developed country like Switzerland. That’s equivalent to about one per cent of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the US,” said lead author Luke Western, a Research Fellow at Bristol. While emissions from these CFCs currently do not significantly threaten ozone recovery, but because they’re potent greenhouse gases they can still affect the climate, the

researchers warned. The study focused on five CFCs with few, or no, known current uses -- CFC-13, CFC-112a, CFC-113a, CFC-114a, and CFC-115 -- and that have atmospheric lifetimes ranging from 52-640 years.

CFC-113a, CFC-114a and CFC-115 - are currently used in production of HFCs that replaced CFCs in air conditioning, refrigerators, and fire extinguishers. But the study could not find drivers behind increasing emissions of the other two -- CFC-13 and CFC-112a. These are not even used in the production of HFCs. Importantly, the team could not identify particular locations of the rising global emissions.

“We don’t really know where it’s coming from and that’s really a bit scary,” Stefan Reimann, a researcher from Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, said at a recent press briefing.

The study noted these emissions might be reduced or avoided by reducing leakages associated with HFC production and by properly destroying any co-produced CFCs.

“The key takeaway is that the production process for some of the CFC-replacement chemicals may not be entirely ozone-friendly, even if the replacement chemicals themselves are,” Western said.

OUR TAKE

Landmines and explosives – a looming threat to lives and limbs

Progressing British Muslims

By Asad Mirza

Superficial concerns have been raised both within and outside the UK about the status of the Muslim population, though the census statistics convey something positive.

Amajor threat to life and property in many countries, in Africa and Asia alike, about which not many discussions take place among common people and international leaders, is that of unexploded landmines and explosives. Countries like Yemen, Iran, Libya, and Somalia are glaring examples because of the threats they face as a result of unexploded mines and explosives hidden in the fields, which result in a large number of casualties. The situation is appalling, and the international community, as of now, has done mighty little to save their lives. Yemen is one of the countries, which has been seeing a civil war since 2014. The conflict between the government and the Houthi militia has taken an ugly turn, and it has claimed thousands of lives already.

In this regard, the Yemen government has made an appeal to the international community to offer assistance to deal with the country’s grave landmine crisis that has ensured restoring stability in the war-torn Arab nation will continue to be a distant dream. This is precisely why, on the occasion of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, the Yemeni government categorically spelt out the serious threat owing to landmines and unexploded ordnances as the conflict rages on entering its ninth year.

When Amin Aqili, head of Yemen’s National Mine Action Program was speaking recently, at an event in the southern port city of Aden, his words highlighted two things, one being the grave danger the mines and explosives pose to its hapless people, a challenge far more serious than the conflict itself because of its ramifications for both the present and even future generations to come; second, his words were an appeal for more international support which has so far been insufficient, to say the least.

Talking about Yemen, media reports quoted head of the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) Michael Beary as saying that more than 50 casualties have already been reported this year from mine-related accidents in the country’s Red Sea port city of Hodeidah. Beary’s call to the international community signifies the urgency of the situation that requires finding a way to pause this ongoing threat. He has, in his statement, stated clearly that the mines and explosives are a threat to the future generations, and it is poignant to think that a child who is yet to be born is already being threatened by a curse the

present generations have already had to face.

The UN has yet again found it difficult to bring the warring parties to sit across the table and get a negotiated settlement done. In this regard, the UN official’s urge to the Yemeni parties, involved in the conflict, to take urgent measures, and endeavour to remove the threat posed by mines and explosives has, it seems, been largely unheeded, so far. Though the official has emphasized the fact that UNMHA is prepared to provide all requisite assistance, including technical advice, and coordination to help solve the problem, the warring parties have so far largely ignored the appeal.

The graveness of the situation in Yemen can be gauzed from media reports which have quoted humanitarian organizations as saying that Yemen has emerged as one of the largest landmine fields in the world since World War II. If this is not alarming enough for the international leaders and the international community at large, then the more precise statistics might unveil the looming danger. Sample this.

Media reports have quoted Yemeni demining experts as saying that more than one million landmines have been laid since the the civil war broke out in 2014, as a result of which the Houthi militia seized control of many northern provinces of Yemen, and forced the government out of the nation’s capital Sanaa.

And if Yemen has become a hell of mines and explosives, Iran is staring at a fate not very dissimilar from the one being faced by the Yemeni people.

Media reports have quoted Mohammad-Hossein AmirAhmadi, president of Iran’s Mine Action Center, as saying that more than 4 million people in the country’s western and southern provinces are facing the threat of unexploded mines and explosives.

To give a more clear perspective to what the Iranian official has said, it is important to appreciate the fact that there are 20 million unexploded mines and explosives left in Iran due to the eightyear war with Iraq from 1980 to 1988. The explosives are buried in an expanse of 42,000 square kilometers, covering five Iranian provinces along the western and southwestern borders. As of now, more than three million mines have been detected and cleared, media reports suggest. If this situation is not appreciated, and necessary steps are not taken, the lives of thousands of people will be in jeopardy.

UK’s Office of National Statistics (ONS), last week released the latest Census data, which apparently shows that unemployment level amongst Muslims was as high as 1 in 20, for people aged between 16-64 years. As per the figures about 2.6 million Muslims live in areas where unemployment rates are high and which face housing shortage. Figures from the ONS also revealed that Muslims in England and Wales reported the highest unemployment rates among religious groups, at 6.7 percent. Only 26 percent of Christians live in areas with the highest unemployment levels, but for Muslim communities the figure stood at 68 percent. Figures also reveal that Sikhs (77.7 per cent) are most likely to own their own homes, while among Muslims, 45.6 per cent lived in households that owned their home.

A quarter of Muslims live in socially rented housing - the highest for any religious group. As per figures, Muslims are more likely to live in overcrowded homes - their bedroom occupancy being the highest for any group, followed by Hindus and Sikhs. In contrast, those who identified themselves as having ‘no religion’, Christians and Jews live in the least crowded homes. According to the figures based on self-declaration, Hindus have the highest percentage of �level 4 or above’ qualification at 54.8

per cent, compared with 33.8 per cent for the overall population. However, just 31.6 per cent of Christians reported they have a similar level of education. Jews and Hindus have the highest proportion of �managers, directors or senior officials’ and �professional occupations’, whereas Buddhists and Muslims have the highest percentages of people working in elementary occupations.

In response to the census findings in a press statement, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has said that the inter-generational cycles of poverty impacting British Muslim communities can result in young people being forced to leave education in pursuit of work so they can help support their families. Those that are able to break into the job market, pursuing chosen careers, can face Islamophobic prejudice and discrimination in the workplace. It further asked for creating a level playing field, so that the dynamism and sheer potential of young British Muslims could prove itself to be a strategic national asset. Indeed these are statistical figures and can be interpreted as per the desire of the reader. If we take a deeper analytical look, what exactly The Guardian has done, shows that the age trends amongst Muslims, as compared to other groups, may be a contributing factor to the statistics, with younger Muslims more likely to be studying than other youth in the general population. Of those who identified as Muslim in the census, the percentage of students in the group was almost twice the rate seen in the overall population. But the fact is that

they were studying, so you can’t describe them as unemployed, leading to despair. Also the unemployment rate is reported along with the areas having the highest unemployment rate, and since mostly Muslims inhabit these areas the unemployment rate is reported high, though the reality might be different. Further, the data has led to campaigners urging the government to focus on Muslim youth as part of its plan to “level up” Britain’s economy. As more than two-thirds of Muslims live in local authorities that report the highest levels of unemployment. Instead, once the figures were released publicly it would have given an opportunity to Muslim leaders and organisations to introspect about the status of Muslims in the UK and elsewhere, too. But as usual they tried to shift the blame to the government policies and access to facilities.

But in this calculus they coolly try to ignore the role, which could be played by the community leaders, both religious and political. Instead of sensitising the Muslim population about its own duties and how to make best of the opportunities offered in UK, which perhaps offers an individual the most level playing field, they continued with their old tune.

Global indignation over Saudi development plans

By

Asad

Mirza

Saudi Arabia has announced plans to build a large cube-shaped structure as part of a re-development project in the capital, Riyadh, triggering angry reactions from Muslims on social media, saying it resembles the Kaaba.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) announced the launch of the New Murabba Development Company, last week. The new company will oversee developing a new downtown area spread over 19 sq.km in capital Riyadh

Authorities claim that plans have been created keeping sustainability and environment in mind. The project would include green spaces, walking and cycling pathways, to improve the quality of life by encouraging active, healthy lives and social interaction.

What is Mukaab?

The main feature of the project has been named the Mukaab, a gigantic cube structure has been described as the future ‘face of the city’, and critics say it may even be the face of a new Saudi Arabia, focussing and generating more revenue through tourism than petroleum. At present, the plan is to fill the cube with 100,000 residential units as well as 9,000 hotel rooms.

In addition, it will also have over 80 entertainment and cultural venues. A renowned museum,

and a campus for a technology and design university. The 19 km space will accommodate thousands of people. The 25 million sq.mt. floor area is divided strategically into 104,000 residential units, 9,000 hotel rooms & 620,000 sq.mt. of leisure assets. Additional 980,000 sq.mts. will be covered by retail and 1.8 million sq.mt. will be dedicated to recreational facilities.

The building, will be 20 times bigger than the New York City’s Empire State Building, and will be a one-stop location for shoppers and business owners, with more than 980,000 square metres of retail shops and 1.4 million square metres of office space.

The Mukaab’s core structure will be an atrium, allowing for tons of natural light and foliage to thrive inside. The government brief promises an immersive ‘gateway into another world’ that is completely powered by the latest digital, virtual, and holographic technologies.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia’s abundance of oil money has sparked the design of some absolutely insane architectural projects. In 2021, MbS announced his $500 billion futuristic Neom city in the northwest of the country, with promises of robot maids, flying taxis, and a giant artificial moon. And last year, he unveiled a giant linear city, The

Line, which aims to stretch over 106 miles and house 9 million people. The one-trillion-dollar project will essentially be its own massive city in the middle of a desert once it’s finished.

A new Kaaba?

Authorities claim that the project will add 180 billion riyals ($48 bn) to the Saudi economy and “create 334,000 direct and indirect jobs”, though the cost of the gargantuan project has not been mentioned.

New Murabba (square) and the Mukaab were widely ridiculed by social media users, both within and outside Saudi Arabia, apart from a large number of Muslims all across the globe, as soon as the plans were announced.

The Mukaab was also denounced for its likeness to the most important cube-like structure in Saudi Arabia and the Islamic world: the Kaaba. During namaaz, Muslims around the world face towards the structure in the centre of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, and circumambulate it during Haj and Umrah pilgrimages.

Legends League Cricket opens registration for players draft for the season starting Sept 2023

Doha with a massive reach of 1.48 billion globally, it will be interesting to see the multiple-team franchise-based tournament take the centre stage.

countries last September, this year it is expected to touch 150 players.

League Cricket as their 2nd inning.

New Delhi, April 7 (IANS) The Legends League Cricket has announced that the next edition of the franchise-based tournament

will take place in September 2023, and the registrations for players’ draft are now open. After a successful LLC Masters in

The inaugural edition of the tournament saw participation from India Capitals, Manipal Tigers, Gujarat Giants, and Bhilwara Kings with the India Capitals being crowned champions when they defeated Bhilwara Kings by 104 runs. While the new season targets bringing new fans into Legends League Cricket, the tournament itself will attract a new set of players. With more than 100 players participating from 9

As the window for player registrations is live, the players can register through the official website - www.llct20.com

“We are pleased to announce the next edition of Legends League Cricket, which will be bigger and better. The bandwagon and star cast of the best cricketers from the yesteryears will travel throughout India and play at multiple venues, allowing the fans to come closer to their heroes. Now with players taking retirement from active cricket, they are considering Legends

“With Aaron Finch, Suresh Raina and other star cricketers joining us, the tournament is attracting a lot of eyeballs. Also, with the addition of new players, the average age has gone down from 41 years to 38 years. The franchise format will also add a bit of spice to the mix, making the contests and equations more exciting across the board. And with the recent success of the LLC Masters, we are sure that this season will be no less,” said Raman Raheja, Co-Founder and CEO, of Legends League Cricket.

Bowling duo Todd Murphy, Lance Morris earn first Australia men’s national contract

Melbourne, April 6 (IANS)

Spinner Todd Murphy earned his first national contracts, as Cricket Australia announced the extended 24-player national men’s contract list on Thursday. Murphy has earned his first national contract after impressing on the Border-Gavaskar India tour, where he claimed a five-wicket haul on Test debut.

He was joined by the fast bowler Lance Morris as first-time contracted players to the national side, with Sean Abbott, Michael Neser and Jhye Richardson also been promoted and offered a contract for the next year. Dropping out of the list is recently retired former whiteball captain Aaron Finch and spinner Mitchell Swepson,

while Matthew Wade, Matthew Renshaw, Peter Handscomb and Matthew Kuhnemann have also been overlooked for a contract. With the World Test Championship final, Ashes series and ODI World Cup in India all in the year ahead, selectors have taken up the four additional contract spots available under the new Memorandum of Understanding announced earlier this week.

Men’s contracts have risen 7.5 percent this year under the new MOU, to an average retainer of $951,000. The top contract is likely to earn more than $3m over the 12 months while the minimum retainer is worth $367,000 before any tour payments and match fees.

“Two huge challenges in the Test arena in The World Test Championship and the Ashes are on our doorstep followed soon after by the ICC One-Day World Cup,” National Selection Panel (NSP) chair George Bailey said. “We have chosen a group of players we expect will form the majority of those two campaigns and we know that we will need a squad mentality to achieve success.

“As we find each year now, there is a lot of cricket in the next six to 12 months and our depth will be tested. The six Test matches during the winter are in relatively short succession and we have a busy period of white-ball cricket leading up to, and post, the ODI World Cup.

The NSP support and endorse the change to the MOU agreement which allows further scope for additional contracts which in turn creates additional depth to call on in the next period, as well as retaining the ability to utilise others from outside of this list,” he said.

Cricket Australia men’s contract list 2023-24: Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Medvedev wins Miami Open title, fourth trophy of the season

Miami, April 3 (IANS) Playing in his fifth ATP Tour final in as many tournaments, Daniil Medvedev continued his blistering form to claim his first title at the Miami Open by prevailing over Italian Jannik Sinner, 7-5, 6-3, in 1 hour and 34 minutes. This was Medvedev’s fourth title in five finals played this season. So far this season, he claimed the trophy in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai before reaching the Indian Wells final in his previous event before Miami, in which he lost to Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.

With the fourth title win on Sunday night, he now leads the

ATP in terms of title wins this season.

“Really happy. It’s the best start of the season I have ever had. Amazing amount of points won. For sure a pity there was no Grand Slam at this period of time, but yeah, generally super happy and looking forward to the season even more,” said the 2023 Miami Open champion.

After falling to Carlos Alcaraz two weeks ago in the Indian Wells final, the fourth seed was rock-solid against Sinner as he frustrated the Italian with his calculated baseline game.

Medvedev is now 6-0 in his ATP Head-to-Head against Sinner,

also having beaten the Italian in the Rotterdam final in February. The victory extends Medvedev’s lead in the calendar-year ATP Live Race To Turin to 600 points ahead of Novak Djokovic, putting him in pole position in the race for year-end No. 1. He will also move up to No. 4 in the ATP Rankings on Monday.

By reaching the Indian Wells and Miami finals this year, both firsts for Medvedev, the 27-year-old became the first man since Djokovic in 2020 to reach consecutive ATP Masters 1000 finals. His 29 wins on the season leads the ATP Tour.

Bowling attack has depth, India will not feel Bumrah’s absence in WTC Final, says Ross Taylor

Championship Final in London in June.

India have reached the WTC Final for the second successive year after losing to New Zealand in the inaugural edition and will take on Australia at The Oval in London from June 7-11.

The two teams figured in the four-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in India recently the hosts won 2-1. But the WTC Final will be a different ball game as it will be played in seaming conditions with the Duke balls. In those conditions, Bumrah would be a bit asset. However, in his absence, Mohammed Shami will spearhead the Indian pace attack with the likes of Mohd Siraj and

Umesh Yadav.

“Very tough to replace someone like Bumrah. He has been fantastic in all three formats and is the leader of their bowling attack. But I think there is still enough depth in this Indian line-up to trouble the Australian side. Shami and Co are fantastic in these conditions,” Taylor told the ICC website.

Taylor said that bowlers like Siraj and Umesh Yadav are very good at using the Dukes ball and will relish the chance of bowling with them.

“When you consider the India attack, Siraj and Co are very good with the Duke’s ball. Umesh Yadav also bowls 140-plus. They will relish the opportunity to

bowl with the Dukes ball in English conditions,” the former Black Caps star added.

The players are unlikely to have much time to prepare for the WTC Final as most of them will be involved with the Indian Premier League (IPL). Taylor said the players have gotten used to making the quick adjustments from T20 to red-ball cricket. “That week or so that both teams have before that Test match is going to be key,” Taylor said. “Especially when you come from the T20 format into Test cricket, there is an adjustment. But players are quite used to making that adjustment quite quickly now.”

Dubai, April 1 (IANS) Former New Zealand captain Ross Taylor has said that the Indian bowling attack has considerable

“depth” and despite the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, is potent enough to cause problems for the Australians in the ICC World Test

Argentina dethrone Brazil to reclaim top spot in FIFA rankings

New Delhi, April 6 (IANS)

Reigning world champion Argentina dethroned Brazil to reclaim the top spot in the latest FIFA rankings released on Thursday, after a six-year gap.

Recent friendly wins against Panama (2-0) and Curacao (7-0) helped the world Argentina (1840.93 points) leapfrog Brazil (1834.21), who paid a high price for defeat in their friendly against Morocco (2-1) and dropped to third place.

Not only did Brazil surrender the top spot, but they also saw France move ahead of them to second place after their back-to-back wins in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying against the

Nic Pothas appointed Bangladesh men’s team assistant coach

Netherlands (4-0) and Republic of Ireland (1-0). Outside the leading trio, there were no other movers among the Top 10. Belgium (1792.53 points) is in fourth place, with England (1792.43 points) in fifth, followed by the Netherlands (sixth), Croatia (seventh) and Italy (eighth), Portugal (ninth) and Spain completed the top 10. The swapping of places by Senegal on 18th and Denmark on 19th were the only other notable changes in the Top 20. The most improved side in this edition are the Central African Republic, taking a giant leap of 10 spots to be placed 122 10 places in the global standings.

With Williamson injured, Tom Latham to lead New Zealand in Pakistan ODI series

James Neesham, Henry Nicholls and Ish Sodhi, Cricket New Zealand informed in a release on Monday.

New Zealand have also included two potential debutants in Ben Lister and Cole McConchie. Head coach Gary Stead said on the tour, “We’ve enjoyed a number of exciting matches against Pakistan across both white ball formats in the last season home and way. They are a tough team no matter where you take them on.

Dhaka, April 6 (IANS) Former South African batter Nic Pothas has been appointed as the assistant coach of the Bangladesh men’s cricket team, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced on Thursday.

The 49-year-old has reached a two-year agreement with the BCB and will join the squad in the UK next month for the three-match ODI series against Ireland. “I am honoured to commit to the Bangladesh national team. The depth and array of talent running through Bangladesh is exceptional and I believe we have some exciting years ahead of us,” Pothas said on his appointment. In a coaching career that spans over a decade, Pothas has worked as the head coach of West Indies (2018-2019) and Sri Lanka (20172018). He had also performed the roles of assistant coach and

fielding coach of the West Indies side and had been the lead fielding coach of Sri Lanka. Prior to joining Bangladesh, Pothas was the wicketkeeping coach of Hampshire County Cricket Club. He has played three ODIs for South Africa and made over 16,000 first class and List A runs.

Djokovic regains the top spot in ATP rankings

New Delhi, April 3 (IANS)

Novak Djokovic has returned to the world No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings following Carlos Alcaraz’s semifinal defeat at the Miami Open.

Auckland, April 3 (IANS)

Experienced batter Tom Latham will lead a new-look New Zealand side for the five-match away ODI series against Pakistan, starting April 26.

The five-match ODI series will begin on April 26 in Rawalpindi and conclude on May 7 in Karachi. It will be preceded by a five-match T20I series between April 14-24.

New Zealand will be without the services of several regular stars

like Test skipper Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner and Finn Allen, who are currently busy with their respective franchise commitments in the IPL are busy with IPL. ODI skipper Kane Williamson is out with a right knee injury suffered during the opening match of IPL. Latham though will bank on the services of experienced players like Daryl Mitchell, Matt Henry,

“The successful ODI Series earlier this year in Pakistan provided big learning opportunities for the players and having more ODI match experience is fantastic in a World Cup year,” he said. New Zealand ODI squad: Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell, Chad Bowes, Matt Henry, Ben Lister, Cole McConchie, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Will Young.

The Serbian great, who recently surpassed Stefanie Graf’s mark of 377 weeks as World No.1, begins his 381st week atop and is scheduled to return to the ATP Tour at the Monte-Carlo Masters, which begins on April 9. But there could be a twist in the battle for No. 1 over the clay season and beyond as Djokovic’s lead over Alcaraz is slender -- just 380 points.

However, Alcaraz is set to return to Monte Carlo, where he could have the chance to reclaim the No. 1 spot once again.

The Spaniard dethroned Djokovic less than two weeks ago when he defeated Daniil Medvedev to capture his third ATP Masters 1000 title at the Indian Wells Masters.

The 19-year-old became the youngest world No. 1 in ATP history when he won the 2022 US Open. He stayed atop for the

rest of the year, despite missing the ATP Finals due to injury, but then slipped to World No. 2 after Djokovic won the Australian Open.

Alcaraz has spent a total of 21 weeks as World No. 1 during his young career, putting him 16th on the list for most weeks at the top spot among the 28 players to reach No. 1.

Always good to get a series win, so the spirits are high, says South Africa coach Rob Walter

also moved the Proteas ahead of West Indies in the race for ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup qualification where only one team can now catch them on the ICC World Cup Super League table. That team is Ireland who will have to whitewash Bangladesh next month.

Johannesburg, April 3 (IANS)

South Africa’s white-ball head coach Rob Walter is optimistic about the future of his team after formally concluding their 2022/23 home season with a 2-0 win over the Netherlands in the recent series.

The result capped a strong home summer for South Africa, who also beat England 2-1 in ODIs and then drew 1-1 with the West Indies, who they lost a thrilling T20I series 2-1 to but beat them 2-0 in Tests.

The outcome against the Dutch

“It’s always good to get a series win, so the spirits are high. Most importantly were the 20 points in the context of qualifying for the World Cup were hugely important, so we’re happy we got the job done there. We played a portion of the second game really well, but we were off the mark in certain other areas so there’s work to do still. But we’ll take the win for now,” Walter was quoted as saying by Cricket South Africa (CSA).

There was plenty of concern over the Proteas at the turn of the year, especially after exiting the Men’s T20 World Cup last year at the Super 12 stage after suffering a shock loss to the Netherlands in a must-win game. But Walter believes there is nothing to fear.

“I’ve kept a close eye on South African cricket over the last few years, so I’m very aware of the people that are playing but the one thing that has really run through over the last couple of weeks is the actual resources and potential of the side, which is really significant. It’s just about harnessing that properly as we move forward.”

Walter was also full of praise for Aiden Markram, who has enjoyed a stellar home summer, which included leading Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the inaugural SA20 title, followed by Player of the Series displays in the Tests against West Indies and the ODIs against the Netherlands.

“I think he’s been doing It for a couple of weeks now, to be honest. His knock at Willowmoore (Park in the second ODI) was also outstanding if you think of the first shot he played when guys were struggling all day. He stood up tall, played it on the up and hit it for four, so his cricket is orthodox, but the purity of his timing has been amazing and

his decision-making has been great.”

Markram himself was also pleased with the way things had turned around for him in the last few months. Markram was named South Africa’s new T20I captain last month, and recorded a career-best 175 off 126 balls, in what was his 50th international match.

“I’ve enjoyed the last part of the season quite a bit. I think we have a great team in both red-ball and white-ball formats. There’s a great bunch of guys that we have together. There’s no doubt that we’re slowly but surely getting there and showing some good signs as a team.”

“We’re on this new journey that everyone is speaking about and the brand of cricket that the guys want to play, it’s starting to take some shape, which is exciting to be a part of and exciting to see it from the outside as well. All of that added together has made the journey so far a great joy to be part of.”

Another player who has enjoyed an excellent summer has been

fast bowler Sisanda Magala, whose performances have also won him a contract with the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Magala claimed a career-best 5/43 as the Dutch were bowled out for 224.

“I think with Sisi (Magala), he’s a very basic guy and if he’s got backing then he’s going to break his back for you. That’s sort of the way he approaches things. I think he’s felt that backing through the last few performances, naturally a player feels it that now they belong at this level, they can compete and they can win games at this level which he has shown now quite a few times.”

“It’s great for him to have these achievements that he’s getting especially through the bit of history he’s had in this environment.

The guys love him, he’s great value in the changeroom and when he does well everyone in the team is over the moon for him.”

Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling promise a wholesome ride into the world of Barbie

difficulties of no longer being just dolls.

As per Variety, Gerwig has enlisted an A-list ensemble to star alongside Robbie and Gosling, including Will Ferrell as the Mattel CEO, Connor Swindells, Nicola Coughlan, Emerald Fennell, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, America Ferrera, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rhea Perlman, Sharon Rooney, Ana Cruz Kayne, Ritu Arya and Jamie Demetriou, as well as additional Barbie and Kens, including Emma Mackey, Issa Rae, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Simu Liu, Scott Evans and Ncuti Gatwa.

Russell Crowe quips about starring in ‘Gladiator 2’ as buried corpse!

Los Angeles, April 3 (IANS)

Hollywood star Russell Crowe has quipped that he will return as General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the ‘Gladiator’ sequel - as a corpse lying “six feet under” the Colosseum.

The 58-year-old actor grabbed an Oscar for playing the vengeful Roman commander in Ridley Scott’s 2000 epic and has said he won’t be starring in the long-awaited follow-up, set 20 years after the first film, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Los Angeles, April 5 (IANS)

Hollywood star Margot Robbie brings to life the famous figurine in the official trailer for Warner Bros’ ‘Barbie’. Oscar nominee Robbie leads a star-studded cast that includes a muscular Ryan Gosling as Barbie’s boy toy, Ken. The two actors are not the only Barbie and Ken dolls in the film. Dua Lipa stars as mermaid Barbie, for instance, alongside many other actors as different

iterations of the famous doll, reports Variety.

The first ‘Barbie’ trailerfeaturing a nod to Stanley Kubrik’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ - officially introduced the world to Robbie’s Barbie, but it didn’t reveal too much about the characters or storyline.

Since then it has been revealed that Barbie and Ken have been placed in the real world and forced to wrestle with the

Directed by Gerwig, ‘Barbie’ was co-written by the director and her husband, filmmaker Noah Baumbach. Gerwig indicated she was a little apprehensive and slightly terrified when taking on the highly-anticipated project, saying: “That feeling that I had was knowing that it would be really interesting terror. Usually that’s where the best stuff is. I am terrified of that. Anything where you’re like, ‘This could be a career-ender,’ then you’re like, ‘OK, I probably should do it’.”

Ishaan Khatter to star alongside Nicole Kidman in ‘The Perfect Couple’

He will play Shooter Dival, the best friend of the groom in ‘The Perfect Couple’.

‘The Perfect Couple’ also stars Liev Schreiber, Dakota Fanning and others.

The actor took to Instagram to announce the project, and wrote in the caption: “New beginnings.” Netflix also shared the cast announcement and tweeted: “The Perfect Couple casting is actually perfect.”

Ishaan was earlier seen in Mira Nair’s ‘A Suitable Boy’. He was last seen in the film Katrina Kaif and Siddhant Chaturvedi-starrer film ‘Phone Bhoot’.

“I think when they’re shooting in the Colosseum and stuff, I’ll be lying like six feet underground... you won’t see me, but I’ll be there beneath the ground,” he joked on ‘The Jonathan Ross Show’.

Russell added that he had spoken with ‘Blade Runner’ director Ridley, 85, about the sequel, but they had concluded his character was better left dead.

He said: “I’ve had a couple of dinners with Ridley since he embarked on this, we haven’t really talked about what he’s doing. But no, I’m not involved. Maximus has departed the world.”

Russell also said that shooting his latest film ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ in Rome was the first time he had filmed in the city - as ‘Gladiator’ was made in London and Morocco.

He added: “The funny thing is, a

lot of people assume I’ve done a lot of filming in Rome. We shot ‘the other gig’ (Gladiator) in London and then Morocco. The ‘Colosseum’ for us was in Malta. This film was my first time ever shooting in the city of Rome.” Russell also told how his role as Maximus got him and ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ crew out of a sticky situation after the local authorities had closed a major bridge for them, but filming had overrun.

He said: “They didn’t say anything. I thought they’d come up to us hands waving, (but) they were cool about it. And then when it was finished I was like, ‘Thanks very much for keeping the bridge open’ and this guy was like, ‘No problem, Maximus.’”

Mumbai, April 3 (IANS) Rick Famuyiwa, who has also directed three episodes of Season 3 of the ‘Star Wars’ series ‘The Mandalorian’, feels that the primary reason behind the show’s success is that it is very elemental, relatable and human in its storytelling approach. In the new season, Din Djarin, once a lone bounty hunter, has been reunited with Grogu, a child of Yoda’s species whom he rescued and subsequently turned

over to Luke Skywalker at the end of Season 2.

Talking about the narrative progression, Rick said: “The great thing about Season 3 is that, in many ways, it’s the culmination of the first two seasons and the original ideas of the Mandalorian and the Mandalorian culture and what that means specifically to Din Djarin.”

The series returns Pedro Pascal as the Mandalorian (Din Djarin),

Katee Sackhoff as Bo-Katan Kryze, Carl Weathers as Greef Karga, Amy Sedaris as Peli Motto, Emily Swallow as The Armorer and Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon.

Sharing the reason behind the show’s massive success, Rick further mentioned: “At the heart of the success of the show and why people have connected to it is because the story is very elemental and human, and the things that Din Djarin, the Mandalorian, deals with are things that are relatable.”

He added: “Where are you from and what does that mean? Are you defined by your birth? Or the value system that you take on and how much of that you hold onto in the face of challenges?

Those are the types of questions that we’re continuing to explore and answer as we get into Season 3, and as we expand the world of the Mandalorians and are introduced to different elements of their culture.”

Season 3 of ‘The Mandalorian’ is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

Los Angeles, April 3 (IANS) Actor Shamier Anderson is keen to have Meryl Streep join the ‘John Wick’ universe. The 31-year-old actor plays Mr Nobody/Tracker in the action film ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ and revealed that he has some ideas about who he would love to see join the Keanu Reeves-starring franchise next.

“Liam Neeson would be a great antagonist. I think Denzel Washington would be a crazy antagonist. It would be really interesting to see a female villain; Meryl Streep would be something different. So those are my top three choices, Denzel Washington, Liam Neeson, and Meryl Streep,” he told IndieWire. And, Anderson hopes he will still be around if any of his suggested actors ever join the franchise as he wants to develop his character even more in the future. He explained: “I felt like [Tracker] was the most relatable person to that audience.”

“He didn’t wear the crazy clothes and didn’t do the crazy things.

He didn’t really believe in the themes of The Continental. And so what I wanted to do is root it in, ‘How do I make this guy lovable even though he has a vicious pup? How do I make this guy lovable even though he wants to go after John Wick’s head?’ I said, ‘What is his motivation?’”

“And I don’t talk about this too much. Hopefully, it can be earned in a derivative of this story, whether it’s a Tracker spinoff or a Tracker series or something. But I thought about his mother. Why would somebody want an inordinate amount of money? Why would somebody want $50 million for somebody outside of this fantastical world?”

“I felt like it was about his mother. Why his mom? I think that’s the secret that I’ll definitely hold on to until we get to that next phase and hopefully I’ll be able to get back in Tracker’s shoes. For me, it was about this human being.”

Meryl Streep could be a great villain in next ‘John Wick’ film, says Shamier

‘The Mandalorian’ is ‘elemental, relatable and human’ in nature, says director

Mumbai, April 3 (IANS)

Bollywood actor Ishaan Khatter will be seen starring alongside

Hollywood star Nicole Kidman in the upcoming limited series ‘The Perfect Couple’ on Netflix.

‘Joker: Folie a Deux’ wraps up, director shares pics of Joaquin, Lady Gaga

Filmmaker Todd Phillips has wrapped up the production of his ‘Joker’ sequel ‘Joker: Folie a Deux’. Notifying fans of the titular character, the director shared two pictures of actor Joaquin Phoenix and actress-singer Lady Gaga.

The pictures are of Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn and Joaquin Phoenix in full makeup as the film’s titular villain, reports Deadline. The director wrote in the caption: “That’s a wrap. Thanks to these two (+the entire cast) and the BEST crew that the film industry has to offer. From top to bottom. Gonna crawl into

a cave now (edit room) and put it all together.”

Throughout the film’s production, the director posted a number of photos from the set, beginning with a mysterious, “day 1” shot of Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck being shaved by a law enforcement official, sometime in December last year. Earlier, Lady Gaga was spotted in New York City in her look of Harley Quinn. She was being filmed in downtown Manhattan, surrounded by police. The crowd scene had junior artistes carrying signs that read “Free Joker.”

Lady Gaga displays her vocal prowess, sings & dances during ‘Joker 2’ filming

Los Angeles, April 2 (IANS)

Actress Taraji P. Henson has joined ‘Abbott Elementary’ and will be seen in a major guest role. The ‘Empire’ star Taraji P. Henson, who will play Vanetta on the hit comedy series, reports Variety.

shows up unannounced and asks for help.

Los Angeles, April 3 (IANS)

Singer-actress Lady Gaga is making use of her vocals for her role in ‘Joker: Folie a Deux’.

The 13-time Grammy Award winner has shown off her singing prowess as she filmed the movie in New York City, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Over the weekend, the 37-yearold was seen shooting scenes for the sequel at a familiar place. She was photographed at the same staircase where Joaquin Phoenix’s titular character boogied down in the 2019 film. In pictures and videos taken by onlookers, Gaga was walking the iconic staircase connecting Shakespeare and Anderson avenues at West 167th Street in

the Bronx. As she ascended the graffiti-laced staircase, she busted a few moves. When she almost reached the top of the staircase, she can be heard singing a few lines from Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz’s ‘That’s Entertainment’ and dancing before walking back down.

The Golden Globe Awardwinning actress wore a large black jacket and gloves with matching boots, while carrying a brown bag. Her long blonde hair was let loose as she did not sport the Harley Quinn makeup she was seen wearing in previously leaked set photos.

Though it has not been confirmed, Gaga, whose real

name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, is presumed to be playing Harleen Quinzel, a psychiatrist at Gotham City’s Arkham Asylum who went by the name Harley Quinn after falling in love with Fleck. Plot details are still kept under wraps, but it has been reported that the film would be a musical. Todd Phillips is back as director and also writes the script with Scott Silver.

Zazie Beets will reprise her role as Sophie Dumond, while Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland and Harry Lawtey have been cast in undisclosed roles. ‘Joker 2’ is slated to arrive in US theatres on October 4, 2024.

Madonna licks guitar as she adds more dates to 40th anniversary tour

where she was wearing a large bomber jacket over a bright neon green shirt, reports ‘Mirror. co.uk’.

She paired her look with fishnet tights and a pair of retro wraparound sunglasses in all black.

As per ‘Mirror.co.uk’, the star styled her red hair in loose waves and went for a light makeup look including a nude glossy pout. Accessorising her look, Madonna wore a sparkly diamond-encrusted pendant necklace and a pair of gold cross ear rings. She then held her guitar and licked it as she captioned the post: “Is it possible to fall in love with your guitar?”

The casting of Henson was revealed Saturday at the Paley Center for Media’s annual PaleyFest LA event, where an ‘Abbott Elementary’ panel featured stars Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lisa Ann Walter, Tyler James Wiliams and William Stanford Davis in person, as well as Janelle James and Chris Perfetti via Zoom from New York.

Pre-taping a message was star and executive producer Quinta Brunson, who wasn’t able to attend - as she’s hosting tonight’s installment of Saturday Night Live.

In the ‘Abbott Elementary’ episode ‘Mom’, Janine (played by Brunson) is planning a Memorial Day weekend solo trip. But that’s derailed when her mother Vanetta, played by Henson,

Henson is the latest guest star to appear as a part of Janine’s family, as the show continues to start sharing more background on its characters. Also this season, Ayo Edibiri appeared as Ayesha, Janine’s sister.

Henson earned three Emmy nominations, a Golden Globe Award, a Critics Choice Award and three BET awards for playing Cookie Lyon on the smash hit ‘Empire’. Her other credits include ‘Hustle & Flow’, her breakout role that earned her a BET Award for best actress, among other accolades.

Henson has also lent her voice to the animated films ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’, ‘Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie’ and ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck It Ralph 2’. She additionally won an NAACP award for her role as Miss Hannigan in NBC’s ‘Annie Live!’ Next up, she will appear in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical take on ‘The Color Purple’.

Cannes confirms it’ll honour Harrison Ford, screen ‘Dial of Destiny’

Los Angeles, April 3 (IANS)

The Cannes Film Festival has confirmed the world premiere of “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”, the news that was first revealed by ‘Variety’ last week.

Los Angeles, April 1 (IANS)

Singer Madonna has been seen sticking her tongue out and licking a guitar as she revealed

she is adding more dates to her 40th anniversary world tour. The ‘Material Girl’ singer took to her social media to share the clip

Earlier in the year, Madonna announced that she would be going on a world tour to celebrate her four decade career.

James Mangold and Harrison Ford will climb the steps of the Palais des Festivals on May 18 alongside Phoebe WallerBridge, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore, and Mads Mikkelsen. The film will be screened out of competition. The festival will also pay a special tribute to Ford for his career. The film has been produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, and Simon Emanuel, with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas serving as executive producers. This instalment will reportedly be Ford’s last time playing the titular character, reports ‘Variety’. Details of the film’s plot are being kept under wraps that are tighter than those of a mummy, in the words of ‘Variety’, but

based on the trailer this one does find Dr Jones facing off against former Nazis in a flashback sequence that uses ‘de-aging technology’ to zap Ford back in time.

Mangold said: “In 1995, I was honoured to come to Cannes with my first film ‘Heavy’, as part of Director’s Fortnight; 28 years later, I am proud to return with a slightly larger spectacle. My legendary collaborators and I are very excited to share a brand new and final Indiana Jones adventure with you.”

Los Angeles, April 6 (IANS)

Taraji P. Henson will be seen in a guest role in ‘Abbott Elementary’