Honiara, Sep 23,2023: Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands Manasseh Sogavare on Friday blasted Japan’s discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean, describing it as an attack on global trust and solidarity.
Solomon Islands stands with like-minded Pacific islanders and is appalled by Japan’s decision to discharge over 1 million tons of nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean, Sogavare told the General Debate of the UN General Assembly.
The assessment report of the International Atomic Energy Agency is inconclusive and the scientific data shared remain inadequate, incomplete and biased. These concerns were ignored, he noted.
If the nuclear-contaminated water is safe, it should be stored in Japan. The fact that it is dumped into the ocean shows that it is not safe, said the prime minister.
“The effect of this act is transboundary and intergenerational and is an attack on global trust and solidarity. So the message is clear: our lives, our people do not matter!” he said.
“We call on Japan to explore other options in addressing the treated nuclear wastewater and to immediately stop discharging it into the Pacific Ocean,” he said. “If we are to rebuild trust and reignite global solidarity, we must be honest and frank in protecting our oceans which is the lifeblood of our people.”
Sogavare said he has a moral obligation to speak against Japan’s discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean.
“I am morally and ethically obliged to speak for humanity, the voiceless, and our children’s children. We are the ocean. It is our past, our present, our future. It is the foundation of our very existence, it is our identity,” he said. “Please stop the discharge of nuclear treated water or history will judge us.”
New York [US], September 23,2023: Reiterating its support for UNRWA, India has enhanced its annual contribution to the agency from USD 1.25 million in 2018 to USD 5 million, and has contributed close to USD 30 million over the last five years, for the welfare of Palestine people.
Dammu Ravi, the Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (ER) represented India at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Ministerial Meeting.
Addressing the meeting, he said, “At the outset, let me reiterate India’s support to UNRWA. The Agency has been playing a critical role as a provider of development, humanitarian, and social services to the Palestinian refugee community living in Palestine, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. The Agency’s services also contribute to the overall stability in the region”.
He appreciated the steps taken by the agency in enhancing transparency in its operations and adherence to the UN standards in humanitarian services. He further urged “utmost diligence” on the part of UNRWA to ensure that aid is not misused or misappropriated for wrongful purposes, including in the education sector.
“As a mark of its solidarity with the Palestinian refugees, India enhanced its annual contribution to the agency from USD 1.25 million to USD 5 million in 2018 and has contributed close to USD 30 million over the last five years. I am happy to announce that we will continue our contribution at the level of USD 5 million for the next two years. The first tranche of this year’s contribution will be transmitted to UNRWA in the coming days,” Ravi said.
He added, “India, over the years, has also continued to remain a committed development partner of Palestine, supporting its nation-building efforts. We are actively engaged in extending technical and developmental assistance to improve the lives of the Palestinian people. Our developmental support to the people of Palestine will continue”.
The MEA Secretary (ER) further said that apart from UNRWA funding, India has extended various forms of developmental assistance to Palestine over the years.
This includes the India-Palestine Techno Park, Palestine’s National Printing Press, Women an Empowerment Center – Turathi, the Palestinian Institute of Diplomacy, India-Palestine Super Speciality Hospital, and several schools in Palestine. Some of these projects are already operational while others are in different stages of completion, Ravi said.
“India has always emphasized that only a negotiated two-state solution, based on relevant UN resolutions, the Arab Peace Plan and the Quartet Roadmap, leading to the establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine, can deliver lasting peace,” he added.
He further said that India, as a trusted development partner of Palestine, remains committed to developmental and humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine both bilaterally through the Palestinian Authority and by contributions to the UN.
Kabul [Afghanistan], September 21,2023: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced the allocation of USD400 million to protect the livelihoods and well-being of Afghans who are at risk, with a particular focus on women and girls, Khaama Press reported citing the ADB’s statement.
The United Nations will oversee the administration of this assistance. It will primarily address current food shortages, increase regional food production for long-term food security, and make sure that the Afghan people have access to basic healthcare services.
Notably, it is due to the effects of climate change, such as droughts, floods, and earthquakes, Afghanistan is currently experiencing an unparalleled humanitarian catastrophe.
Women and children are particularly affected by poverty, which affects around 85 per cent of the population. According to the report, families headed by women are especially at risk for food shortages and limited access to essential services because of mobility issues, reported Khaama Press.
Three UN organisations will receive off-budget direct money as part of the Expanding Essential Food Security and Health Services Project, also known as Support for Afghan People, to meet their urgent financial requirements for immediate assistance in Afghanistan.
The World Food Programme (WFP) will receive a grant of USD100 million to address food security. More than 1.32 million people who are severely food insecure will benefit from this assistance, with a special emphasis on families headed by women and extremely vulnerable groups. Additionally, WFP will undertake Food Assistance for Training programmes to equip mostly women with marketable skills and business possibilities in agricultural areas including fruit and vegetable processing, supporting sustainable income and livelihoods for women, Khaama Press reported.
Afghanistan, a country heavily reliant on aid, lost Western donor support with the Taliban’s return to power following the US and NATO pullout in August 2021.
The Afghan economy swiftly collapsed, forcing self-sufficient Afghans to seek humanitarian aid to survive. Because of widespread human rights violations, the Taliban’s regime has been under international isolation.
Notably, with the resurgence of the Taliban in August 2021 in Afghanistan, the country’s educational system has suffered a significant setback. As a result, girls have been deprived of access to education, and seminaries or religious schools have gradually filled the void left by schools and universities.
New Delhi, Sep 21,2023: The Rajya Sabha on Thursday unanimously passed the Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, 2023 providing reservation of one-third seats for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
The Lok Sabha had on Wednesday passed the landmark bill after extensive discussion during the ongoing special session of the Parliament.
Rajya Sabha members cutting across party lines supported the bill which is also called Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. As many as 72 members in the Upper House participated in the marathon discussion on the key bill.
The discussion followed by voting on the bill stretched past 11:30 PM. 214 members voted in favour while there was no vote against it.
The amendments moved by some of the opposition members were negated by the House.
Replying to the debate, Minister of Law and Justice (Independent Charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal said no one should have any doubt about implementation of the women’s reservation bill. He noted that Constitutional provision requires Census and delimitation process to be completed before the bill is implemented.
As the Minister was replying to the bill, Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked into the Rajya Sabha amid chants of ‘Modi, Modi’ by his party members.
While extending their ‘whole-hearted and unconditional’ support to the bill, members from opposition parties pitched for quota within quota for other backward classes (OBCs). They also urged the government to implement the bill immediately.
Clause 5 of the Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, 2023 states that reservation of seats for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies will be implemented after delimitation takes place and Census provides figures for the same.
Participating in the discussion on the bill, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said his party has extended unconditional support to the bill. But he remarked that the government should make sure that it does not turn into a ‘jumla’ (hollow promise).
“Tell us the date when you are going to implement the women’s reservation bill. Otherwise it will also be a jumla,” he quipped.
Kharge also demanded quota within quota for OBCs.
“We want to know from the government whether quota within quota would be provided to OBC women,” the LoP said.
The Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, 2023 notes that the legislation will enable greater participation of women as public representative in policy making.
“In order to enable greater participation of women as public representative in policy making at State and national level, it is decided to introduce a fresh legislation for Constitutional amendment to provide for, as nearly as may be, one-third of total seats in the House of the People (Lok Sabha), the legislative assembly of every state and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi to be reserved for women,” it says.
During the discussion, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the bill has been very thoughtfully crafted considering that the country is at a very critical stage of the development process.
She also said that unlike SCs and STs, there was no mention of electoral reservation in the Constitution for OBCs.
Many opposition members questioned the timing of the bill and said that there should not have been any condition or caveat attached to the document.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Vandana Chavan said the government can implement the bill in the 2024 election itself and there was no reason to delay it.
Reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies has been a long-pending demand. In the past, several attempts were made to push the legislation but failed. The last such attempt was made during the UPA-II government in 2010 when Rajya Sabha passed the Women’s reservation bill but it could not be passed in the Lok Sabha.
After passing the bill, Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die.
Washington, Sep 19,2023: The US national debt exceeded $33 trillion for the first time in the country’s history, according to US Treasury Department data.
The US national debt stands at approximately $33.04 trillion, the Treasury Department said.
The milestone comes as Congress works to fund the government before the end of the month, lest they risk a government shutdown.
A number of US House Republicans have expressed opposition to a short-term funding bill proposed by the chamber leadership, citing concerns about excessive government spending.
On Monday, US Congressman Dan Bishop said the United States has added $1 trillion to the existing national debt since June to exceed $33 billion, adding that the per family share is $260,000.
Bishop said the Congress’ answer to the record level of debt is to pass another continuing resolution to continue to fund the government. The congressman referred to Congress and the government as “the swamp” – a popular reference for the bureaucracy in Washington.
Earlier on Monday, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that she is comfortable with the economic path of the United States despite the rising inflation and interest rates.