ISLAMABAD, Mar 20 (APP):Minister for Climate Change Senator Mushahidullah Khan Tuesday arrived in Thailand to attend Asia Pacific Clean Air Partnership (APCAP) Joint Forum-2018.
“Building on the momentum of the regions’ response to implement the United Nations Environment Assembly Resolution on Air Quality and as a follow up to the 2015 Joint Forum, the 2018 Asia Pacific Clean Air Partnership Joint Forum is being organized as part of the weeklong program under the theme Solutions Landscape for clean Air,” said a press release.
The forum will provide an opportunity to share progress on implementation of the 2014 UN Environment Assembly resolution in Asia and the Pacific on air quality including the Asia Pacific Clean air Partnership since 2015 joint forum.
“It will also discuss and share the latest science, evidence and impacts of air pollution,” it added.
This forum will also share and exchange practical and innovative solutions at the national and local level, featuring policy, finance and technology and develop a plan for the Asia Pacific Clean air Partnership Joint Forum to implement the UN Environment Assembly resolution on air quality in the region.
Air pollution is a major threat to human health and well being in the Asia Pacific region, which accounts for the bulk of air pollution related deaths globally and has some of the most polluted cities in the world.
Besides its health impacts, the air pollution is a threat to the region’s economy, in terms of the lost labor income and welfare losses, food water security, and climate system, undermining poverty alleviation and sustainable development.
Mushahidullah arrives in Thailand to attend APCAP Joint Forum-2018
Air Chief calls on Defence Minister
RAWALPINDI, Mar 20 (APP):Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan Tuesday called on Federal Minister for Defence Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan here at the Ministry of Defence.
The minister congratulated Mujahid Anwar on his appointment and wished him every success in taking Pakistan Air Force forward as a 21st century guardian of the nation’s air frontiers, said a statement issued here.
The minister and the Air Chief discussed the current strategic environment and security challenges facing the country.
Khurram Dastgir offered his full support to the Air Chief on indigenization, modernization, and advanced training operations of the PAF.
The Air Chief said that PAF was fully vigilant on all frontiers of the country, and would prevail against all adversaries as Pakistan’s first line of defence by the grace of Allah Almighty.
China remains noncommittal on Chabahar port: Former Chinese diplomat
BEIJING, March 20 (APP):Iran invited both China and Pakistan to participate in the construction of its Chabahar Sea Port, but China has not given a clear response.
“We have invited China to participate in the construction of the Chabahar Sea Port in different phases, free trade zones and the Zahedan-Chabahar Railway, among others. Until now, the Chinese side has been studying the Chabahar projects but no agreement has been signed yet on the said projects,” a diplomat from the Iranian embassy in China told the Global Times.
Iran also invited Pakistan to help construct Chabahar, which is on the Gulf of Oman near the Iran-Pakistan border.
“Since we made a decision to start the massive project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Iran intended to invite us to join its project in Chabahar,” said Hua Liming, a former Chinese ambassador to Iran.
The move has drawn the attention of India, which has already participated in the construction of Chabahar.
In 2016, India signed a deal with Iran for an $8 billion investment in the Chabahar Port and industries in the Chabar Special Economic Zone, including an aluminium smelter and a urea making facility, as the Chabahar Port is being developed into a transit route to Afghanistan and central Asia.
“But Iran fully understands that, on infrastructure construction and financial strength, India cannot compare to China. Iran sees India as an alternative rather than the first choice of a partner, and this is why it is still trying to invite China,” Hua noted.
“China has the Belt and Road initiative and can take advantage of Chabahar Port to implement its initiative.
India is going to gain access to Central Asia. We have provided this ability for all countries to seize the opportunity in order to push their interests. So it is a port for cooperation and not for competition,” the Iranian diplomat in Beijing told the newspaper.
“We had to make a difficult choice. China can only focus on one flagship project at a time in one region, and in the Indian Ocean, at this stage, the CPEC is the flagship project,” Hua said.
The two ports are located very close to each other, so it is hard to avoid a certain level of competition.
The Chabahar project is huge, as it also includes railway construction to link Central Asian countries, like Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, to China, Hua said.
“China needs to consider it very carefully. It seems like China doesn’t want to refuse Iran but might still be looking for a suitable way to participate in the project,” he said.
“China, Pakistan and Iran have already started discussions about the Chabahar project through trilateral dialogue, which was participated by diplomats, scholars and officials responsible for specific projects,” said Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University of China, who is a member of the trilateral dialogue, without revealing details.
China Southern to launch regular flight from Urumqi to Lahore in June
BEIJING, March 20 (APP):China Southern will launch regular flights between Urumqi, the capital of Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and the Pakistani city of Lahore in June this year.
China Southern Airlines will launch 11 new domestic routes in the region, according to Xu Jianmin, vice sales manager of the company’s Xinjiang branch on Tuesday.
Five of the routes will connect regional cities such as Yining, Karamay and Korla with cities in central and southern parts of China.
Urumqi Air, an affiliate of Hainan Airlines, will add six routes in the new summer-autumn aviation season started from Sunday.
It plans to operate new international routes to central and western Asian countries.
In 2017, a record high of more than 21.5 million passengers travelled through Urumqi International Airport, the biggest airport in Xinjiang.
German artist enthralls audience at PNCA
ISLAMABAD, Mar 20 (APP):The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in collaboration with the Goethe Institute in Pakistan has organized “Lighting”, a German-Pakistani collaborative dance performance by the famous German artist, Anna Konjetzky here Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA).
“Lighting,” the igniting, torching, kindling, is the title of Anna Konjetzky’s dance piece in which the choreographer fixates the audience’s gaze on the bodies of the nine dancers on a stage. Inspired by the numerous pictures of protest movements round the globe, “Lighting” simply investigates that spark, that moment of collapse, of discharge.
Konjetzky’s dance piece is thus getting progressively more intense and dense; the mass subtly builds more and more power, energy and pressure. A large number of people from different walks of life attended the performance.
Anna Konjetzky’s presented famous German-Pakistani collaborative dance and got big applause from the audience.
FATA youth being empowered to play role in development of country: Governor
PESHAWAR, Mar 20 (APP): Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Engr
Iqbal Zafar Jhagra Tuesday said the government apart from promoting academic and co-curricular activities in FATA also taking concrete steps to promote awareness amongst youth with the basic aim to enable them to play better role in development and progress of the nation.
Presiding over a meeting regarding FATA Youth Development
Programm here at Governor’s House, he said the youth are our precious asset and like elsewhere in this country, they comprised the major part of the population of FATA.
The Governor while referring to the ongoing measures to ensure overall development and progress of FATA said that due priority is being given to development and promotion of sports.
He further observed that whether it is ensuring development and prosperity of the country or making purpose built proper education and training of youth possible, we have to make our efforts result orienting through promotion of sports.
Later on, presiding over a meeting of FATA Annual Development Programm-2017-18 at Governor’s House, the Governor directed
officials of the FATA Secretariat to ensure the transparency and quality in ongoing development schemes and construction works.
He warned that that no compromise would be tolerated in this regard. Secretary Planning and Development FATA Secretariat Muhammad Zubair briefed the participants of the meeting about salient features of the FATA ADP 2017-18.
Additional Chief Secretary FATA Sikandar Qayyum, Principal Secretary to Governor Munir Azam, all political agents and other concerned officials also attended the meeting. ACS FATA Sikandar Qayyum, Principal Secretary to Governor Munir Azam, Vice Chancellor FATA University, officials of FATA Secretariat and Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs were present on the occasion. A detailed briefing was also given to the Governor
regarding FATA Youth Programe.
SC bans Shahid Masood’s programme for three months
ISLAMABAD, Mar 20 (APP):The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a three month ban on anchorperson Dr Shahid Masood’s TV show.
A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan resumed hearing a suo motu case on the anchorperson’s allegations about the Zainab murder case convict’s ‘foreign links’.
During the course of proceedings, the anchorperson submitted an unconditional apology to the court but the bench ruled to reprimand the anchorperson over his controversial remarks.
As the hearing began, the chief justice revealed that the anchorperson had ridiculed a court officer on his show a day after appearing in court.
The chief justice remarked that the anchorperson had said if the allegations were proved false, then he should be hanged. “Now you decide your own punishment,” he added.
The court agreed to a three-month ban on Masood’s programme after he submitted a written apology on its directions.
Air Chief calls on COAS
RAWALPINDI, Mar 20 (APP):Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, Chief of Air Staff (CAS) visited General Headquarters (GHQ) and called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday.
Matters of professional interest were discussed during the meeting, said a press release issued here by Inter Services Public Relations.
The COAS congratulated Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar on assumption of command of Pakistan Air Force.
Earlier, on arrival at GHQ, the CAS laid wreath at Yadgar-e-Shuhada and offered fateha for martyrs of Pakistan.
ISPR releases Pakistan Day song
RAWALPINDI, Mar 20 (APP):Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of Pakistan Army on Tuesday released a new national song in connection with 78th Pakistan Day to be celebrated on March 23 (Friday).
Besides the national language, the song has been released in all regional languages, an ISPR statement issued here stated.
The theme of the song is “Amman ka Nishan Hamara Pakistan.”
Thousands suffering amid harrowing conditions in Syria’s east Ghouta, Afrin “ UN
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 20 (APP):The United Nations in Syria has urgently appealed for help to ease the “catastrophic” situation for tens for thousands of people impacted by fighting in Eastern Ghouta, outside Damascus, and the northern town of Afrin.
“Having seen first-hand the desperate conditions of people from east Ghouta and Afrin, who are tired, hungry, traumatized and afraid, we need to provide them with urgent aid, Ali Al-Ztari, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, said Monday.
“These civilians are facing harrowing humanitarian conditions,” he continued. “Many remain trapped by conflict inside East Ghouta and Afrin. All are in desperate need.” The fighting in both places has killed hundreds of civilians in the past month and displaced tens of thousands.
Insecurity and fierce hostilities continue to endanger the people of East Ghouta, which UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has referred to as”hell on earth.”
Most of those interviewed had some health conditions, likely due to years of lacking medicine and health care, the UN said.
Meanwhile, nearly 100,000 people have been displaced by hostilities in Afrin District. The majority, some 75,000 people, have fled to Tal Refaat and the remainder to Nubul, Zahraa and surrounding villages.
The massive influx of internally displaced people is putting a strain on host communities, which are already overwhelmed. All 16 schools in Tal Refaat are being used as internally displaced shelters, resulting in the interruption of education.
Since 11 March, some 25,000 people have reportedly left East Ghoutam and on a daily basis UN teams have been visiting Dweir, Adra and Herjelleh in Rural Damascus where they are sheltering. All of these sites are well over capacity, with more people continuing to arrive on a daily basis.
“We appeal to Member States to provide much needed supplies and funding,” Al-Z’tari said.
The UN and its partners, notably through the tireless efforts of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, are fully mobilized to deliver aid on the spot.
“We appeal to all parties to facilitate access to all people in need; and to protect civilians, medical workers, service providers and humanitarian workers,’ he concluded.