WASHINGTON, Feb.27 (APP):The US Supreme Court on Monday declined a request by the Trump administration to hear a case against undocumented immigrants brought to the country as young children who faced deportation after a protection program due to expire on March 5.

President Trump has last year announced to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, called DACA, which had protected 1.8 million children who were brought to the country by their parents and were not documented.

The President had set March 5 as a deadline for the Congress to do legislation to protect the DACA children, more popularly known as dreamers, failing which he would start deporting them. Lawmakers have been unable to draw the legislation as President Trump has linked the legislation to billions of dollars he is seeking to build a war along the Mexican border to prevent illegal crossover.

He is also demanding curbs on legal immigrants. Opposition Democrats have refused to accept either of the demands resulting in a deadlock over the legislation that could protect the dreamers.

The administration had sought the Supreme Court intervention to speed up the legal fight erupted after a lower court prevented the administration to unwind the program after the deadline. The administration was seeking the Supreme Court to decide the case bypassing the appeal court.

The Supreme Court only bypass an appellate court when either there is an emergency that involves foreign affairs, or a serious separation of powers concerns or if it is already hearing a case similar to the one in question.

Denying the request by the administration, the Supreme Court unanimously decided to let the appellate court complete its proceedings as per normal procedures. The decision also meant that the administration cannot close the program after the March 5 deadline.

Reacting to the decision, the White House said that it would continue to defend the decision to close the DACA program which, it said, provided work permits and other government benefits to undocumented immigrants and was unlawful.

The request by the Trump administration to bypass the lower court proceeding is seen as rare. The Attorney General of the state of California, which is party to one of the lawsuits against the decision to close the program, said that the request to bypass the appeals court was “unusual and unnecessary”.

The Supreme Court decision will allow these Dreamers immigrant to renew their work permits, which are good for two years, as well as claim benefits. It will also prevent their deportation pending the court decision.

DACA program was established by the previous president, Barack Obama, to protect these children as long as Congress legislates on the issue. A federal court judge last month issued a nationwide injunction ordering the Trump administration to resume DACA renewals. The administration had allowed only those to renew whose permits were expiring by the deadline. That means, those whose permits expire after March 5 will not be able to renew.

Since taking charge of the White House, President Trumps has now only followed through his election promises to crack down on illegal immigrants, but has also floated proposals to limit legal immigration.

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 26 (APP):UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres paid tributes to Asma Jahangir, a leading Pakistani lawyer and a UN human rights special rapporteur, as a “true champion of human rights”, in his address to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.
“As a Special Rapporteur of this Council, as a great citizen of Pakistan, and as a towering representative of the force of civil society, she devoted her life to the pursuit of the vision of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” Guterres said.
“She also stood for the rights of women, reminding us again that womens rights are human rights,” the secretary-general added.
“She was a great example to us all.”
Guterres also paid high tributes to the courage shown by the UN Human Rights Commissioner, Jordan’s Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, who is stepping down after one term in office.
“I would like to take this opportunity to commend the work of the High Commissioner and to thank him for his service to the United Nations and the cause of human rights,” he said.
“High Commissioner Zeid has shown tremendous courage in highlighting human rights concerns in all regions.And he has shown equal dedication in working with governments to resolve those concerns,” the UN chief said.
“The world counts on the High Commissioner, his office, and this Council to expose human rights violations wherever they occur and to press for change.”

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 26 (APP):Renowned mountaineer Samina Baig, the first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest, was on Monday appointed the National Goodwill Ambassador for Pakistan by the United Nations Development Programme, the UN agency said.
“Ms Baig will lead efforts to build national awareness and partnerships around the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to climate change, environmental protection, youth and womens empowerment,” the UNDP said in a press release.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Pakistan, Neil Buhne, said, Pakistan is amongst the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. Preparing for its effects, and instituting environmental protections, will safeguard economic development for future generations.
“Moreover, half of Pakistans population, its women, are under-represented in education, the workforce and in decision-making. Empowering women to play their full role in society is not only an ethical imperative, it is essential for sustainable development.
UNDPs National Goodwill Ambassadors are leaders in their societies, and role models for us all. As the National Goodwill Ambassador for Pakistan, Ms Baig will use her profile to shine a light on the issues that shape Pakistans future, and build the partnerships required to address them, said UNDP Pakistan Country Director Ignacio Artaza.
Born in Gilgit-Baltistan, at the age of 22 Samina Baig became the first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest. By the time she turned 23, she had climbed the highest mountain on each of the worlds seven continents. Awarded the Pride of Performance by the Government of Pakistan, today she presides over the Pakistan Youth Outreach Foundation to encourage youth, especially women, to participate in outdoor activities.
As a mountaineer, she bears witness to the critical importance of preserving Pakistans fragile ecosystems and preparing for the effects of climate change, UNDP said.
Samina Baig said, I am greatly honoured to be part of UNDP. From the remotest village of Pakistan and reaching the summit of the worlds tallest mountain, Mt. Everest and beyond the borders, Scaling Peak in Antarctica and the seven highest peaks of the seven continents, in some of the most harsh conditions, my entire climbing purpose was to empower women through these adventures and encourage gender equality.
“With my brother, I have experienced significant impact of global warming and climate change on our mother earth . I find this honour as the national goodwill Ambassador of UNDP to spread the voice for climate change and environmental protection and advocate to empower young girls to climb the highest level within their field of profession.

UNDP said it’s National Goodwill Ambassadors are inspirational women and men who serve as spokespersons to uphold the United Nations Charter and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The signing ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of Austria, Dr Brigitta Blaha, United Nations Resident Coordinator, Neil Buhne, and UNDP Pakistan Country Director, Ignacio Artaza.

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 26 (APP):UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Myanmar authorities to ensure unfettered humanitarian access in Rakhine state, where violence against Rohingya Muslims had forced hundreds of thousands of them to flee to neighboring Bangladesh.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres made the plea during a speech to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.
The Rohingya community desperately needs immediate, life-saving assistance, long-term solutions and justice, he told the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.
“They (Rohingyas) are under siege as a group “ simply for who they are,” he said.
“I have travelled several times to Northern Rakhine,” Guterres said, adding, “In my experience, the Rohingya are one of the most discriminated against populations in the world “ and that was even before the crisis of the past year.
“Deprived of nationality, they have been subjected to extreme brutality by military forces and others, and cast out of their homes and country in a clear example of ethnic cleansing.”
The UN chief noted that he had written an official letter to the Security Council about the plight of the persecuted Muslim minority group and the “ethnic cleansing taking place in Rakhine.
Human Rights Watch said last week that it had analyzed satellite imagery showing Myanmar had razed to the ground at least 55 Rohingya villages in Rakhine over the past months.
The New York-based rights group said the demolitions could have erased evidence of atrocities perpetrated by Myanmars security forces against the persecuted minority.
Myanmars military forces stand accused not just of torching and destroying Muslim villages, but of carrying out massacres, rapes and widespread looting.
Backed by the government, Maymanrs military and Buddhist extremists launched a heavy-handed crackdown against the Muslim minority in Rakhine in late 2016. That campaign intensified in August 2017.
The crackdown has forced nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh, where they face repatriation.
Bangladesh and Myanmar signed an agreement in November last year to repatriate all Rohingya Muslims who have crossed the border to escape the brutal military crackdown.
The repatriation was set to start last month, but was delayed by a lack of preparation, as well as protests staged by Rohingya refugees against the plan to send them back to Myanmar while conditions were not safe for their return.
The Rohingya have lived in Myanmar for generations but are denied citizenship and are branded illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, which likewise denies them citizenship.
The UN has described the 1.1-million-strong Muslim community as the most persecuted minority in the world.