Armie Hammer takes hilarious dig at “cannibal rapist” allegations in his podcast episode with his mother Dru. The Call By Your Name actor shed light on the sexual abuse and cannibal allegations – which cost his career – in a new podcast interview with his mother.The...

Liam Payne moved in to his new house with GF Kate Cassidy in SeptemberLate singer, Liam Payne’s luxury mansion has been put on rent within a month of the Teardrops singer’s passing. Payne shifted to his new manor with girlfriend, Kate Cassidy located in the South Florida in...

Blake Shelton previously coached 9 winners over 23 seasons of 'The Voice' before his departure in 2023Blake Shelton isn’t done with music competitions just yet. A year after his departure from The Voice, the country star, 48, is gearing up to launch a new show called The Road, set to air on...

Sean Diddy Combs faces another lawsuit filed by GF Cassandra Ventura in 2023Sean 'Diddy' Combs, has been shifted to another unit where inmates can peep on female convicts, as he awaits his May 5 trial.A former inmate, Gene Borrello explained the environment at the respective 4 North unit of...

Skai Jackson shared that her mother is the reason behind her confidence. Skai Jackson is ready to embrace and welcome motherhood.The 22-year-old has announced that she is expecting her first child with her boyfriend, whose identity hasn’t been disclosed yet.In an exclusive interview...

Denzel Washington made his debut in 1981 film 'Carbon Copy'Danzel Washington has spilled beans about his retirement, but before that there are a few films lined up ahead that he wishes to first. The Equalizer actor even confirmed the making of Black Panther 3, however, Marvel has not yet said...

Anne Hathaway is being grateful to everyone who contributed to a wonderful last year in her life, and looks forward to a better year ahead as she turns 42.Hathaway celebrated turning 42 on Tuesday, Nov. 12, by posting a special video clip on Instagram, beginning with a cheerful wave from bed and...

Megan Fox's current beau Machine Gun Kelly is in “no relationship” with the actress’ ex-husband Brian Austin Green, as the couple expect their first baby together.According to TMZ, MGK and Green have had little to no contact over the past two years, with sources saying that the...

Duchess Sophie wins hearts after touching exchange at Windsor: WatchThe Duchess of Edinburgh, Sophie, accompanied a 21-year-old Emily, who has cerebral palsy, in a heartwarming gesture.Emily had taken part in the BBC Children in Need and The One Show's fundraiser, The Challenge Squad, in which she...

Kiernan Shipka reflects on playing Sally Draper: 'I knew what was going on'Kiernan Shipka, who played Sally Draper on Mad Men, has fond memories of her time on the show. Appearing on the Dinner's On Me podcast, Shipka shared her experiences as a child actor on the hit series."I don't know if...

As the UN’s COP16 biodiversity conference continues, the temptation is to focus on the wild flora and fauna under threat. But there is another, less obvious yet just as critical biodiversity crisis unfolding around the world that also deserves attention. A quarter of livestock breeds – from chickens, ducks and geese to horses, camels and […]

While India continues to rely heavily on coal, the south Asian economic giant is also aggressively pushing renewable energy production, especially after the costs of renewable energy production have fallen drastically in recent years around the world. But experts say that India—the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs)—has to face many headwinds for […]

It’s often said that we are what we eat. However, our diets are also a reflection on the health of our food systems, the environment and agricultural biodiversity. In the same way that our bodies need a range of nutrients for optimum health, the environment also benefits from systems that produce a variety of foods, […]

Linet Makwera (28) has a baby strapped on her back as she totters barefoot, picking tiny pieces of wood on both sides of a dusty and narrow road, peering fearfully at people passing by along the road in Chimanimani’s Mutambara area in Gonzoma village located in Zimbabwe’s Manicaland Province, east of the country. Her fears, […]

Imagine living with water up to your knees for half of the year, where homes are flooded, and people constantly fear that the sea might one day engulf the town and everyone in it. This is the reality for the sinking islands in the Philippines—a cluster of four island barangays in Tubigon located in the […]

Cities are in a unique position, simultaneously the biggest emitters of greenhouse gasses and the most affected areas of the greenhouse effect. As a new UN report shows that rapid urbanization and industrialization have adverse effects on the environment, causing a rise in sea levels, prolonged rainfalls and flooding, and an increase in overall temperature. […]

The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties on climate change has officially kicked off in Baku, Azerbaijan, with the promise of striking yet another historic global climate deal and finance adaptation, gender responsive action and financing, and forgotten issues such as food waste are top on the agenda as every action is as […]

“We were not hiding anything,” Cumpio said during the hearing. “We would have allowed them in because we have nothing illegal to hide,” she said, referring to the Feb. 7, 2020 raids.

By DEE AYROSO

“Frenchie has finally had an opportunity to take the stand to defend herself. It has taken the government nearly half a decade to prepare a case against Frenchie and during this long period, this young woman has been left to languish in detention. That itself raises serious questions about the fairness of the process."

By-elections were seen as an indicator of the two main parties' prospects at a time when voters are struggling with high inflation, strikes and rising mortgage rates.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran will not be able to ignore its arch-foe the United States and needs to “handle its enemies with forbearance”, state media reported on Tuesday, a week after Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election. “Whether we like it or not, we will have to deal with the U.S. in […]

The energy regulator said on Tuesday it will review data purporting to show how the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) could “trim the fat” and cut costs by up to 15 per cent, translating into lower utility bills for consumers. The EAC’s “fat” has become a buzzword after Michalis Persianis, head of the Fiscal Council, […]

ADB’s Country Partnership Strategy for Bhutan for 2024-2028 aims to enable inclusive, sustainable, resilient, and job-creating growth.

The Asian Development Bank has launched a new country partnership strategy (CPS) to support the Philippines’ transformation in the next 6 years. It is designed to ensure sustainable, inclusive and resilient growth in the face of climate challenges.

The Mortgage Market Sector Development Program aims to transform the government’s housing financing approach to a market-based mortgage system that can provide long-term and affordable housing loans to low- and middle-income households, with specific consideration to home ownership by women.

This video introduces a new publication presenting five case studies of projects in the People's Republic of China that illustrate how effective solutions to environmental and social problems have been applied in different contexts.

Climate change financing is a key part of green finance, essential for driving investment towards climate action and achieving the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) carbon peaking and neutrality goals.

Donald Trump has said he wouldn’t be a dictator — “except for Day 1.” According to his own statements, he’s got a lot to do on that first day in the White House.

Hansen was comfortably reelected to the state Senate last week, winning 84% of the vote.

Nik Bonitto's production has steadily increased since being taken in the second round out of Oklahoma in the 2022 draft by the Denver Broncos.

“While the investigation takes place, the town will refrain from any additional comment on this matter," according to a press release.

How have Latin American exporters been affected by the rapid increase in the PRC's exports to the USA and other large markets? Are PRC and Latin American exports complementary or competitive with each other?

Philippine institutions and governance structures must be strengthened as part of any effort to reform the country's financial supervisory structure.

This paper examines the impact of family size on children's education in the Philippines.

Theoretical and empirical analyses of People's Republic of China's infrastructure and rural development.

How has the recent dramatic growth of PRC's exports affected its neighbors? Have they lost export markets and seen foreign investment diverted to PRC? This paper surveys the empirical evidence on these important questions.

This paper examines enterprise performance in the North-East region of the People's Republic of China.

Regional disparities within and among Chinese provinces have declined, but are still a serious problem.

South Asian private sector participation in infrastructure development is examined, and recommendations are made for future development.

This paper examines the role of finance in development in the light of the experience of Township and Village Enterprises in the People's Republic of China.

This paper analyses economic and social indicators across provinces in the People's Republic of China.

As climate change threatens the cryosphere — the frozen parts of the Earth — at an alarming rate putting almost a quarter of humanity at risk, Pakistan has advocated for coordinated regional efforts and international support to save the eco-system and build climate resilience, particularly across the Hindu Kush and Himalaya region.

The study ‘The State of the Cryosphere 2024’, released on Tuesday on the sidelines of COP29 in Baku, urged urgent action to control emissions to save glaciers, which are melting at a rapid pace due to global warming.

“Under a high emissions scenario…Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), may experience up to 80% of ice loss. With very low emissions however, up to 40% of glacier ice in the HKH region could be preserved,” it said, adding that projections in a few glacier regions even show slow re-growth beginning between 2100 and 2300, but only with very low emissions and essentially carbon neutrality by 2050.

Against this backdrop, the environment ministers from the HKH met on Tuesday at the Baku Olympics Stadium to come together to save the “third pole” and to keep global temperatures below 1.5 Celsius.

This gathering aimed to discuss the rapidly increasing climate risks and vulnerabilities in the region and beyond, while identifying areas for urgent collective actions, inevitable to addressing the pressing challenges and fulfilling the hopes of the quarter of humanity impacted by these changes, said a statement.

It stated that over the past decade, the rate of glacier melting in the HKH has accelerated by 65 per cent compared to the previous decade (2000-2010) and the trend is projected to continue.

“Over the last decade, the rate of glacier melting in the HKH has accelerated by 65% compared to the previous decade (2000- 2010), and the trend is projected to continue.”

Speaking at the event, Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay said this was an opportune time for the region to unite to push for a new collective quantified role that would directly address the need of the countries which were most vulnerable to climate change.

Pakistan Prime Minister Adviser on Climate Change Romina Khurshid Alam said no country across the HKH region could tackle the climate crisis in isolation and besides regional unity, international response was essential.

She said Pakistan stood for regional partnership aiming to save the ecosystem and species, and build climate resilience. She argued for easy access to climate finance to ensure these countries could erect safeguards to protect themselves from climate change.

She said Pakistan was experiencing first-hand the impacts of climate change, increasing the risk of natural disasters in the form of GLOFs and threatening water security and agriculture as well as biodiversity.

Other speakers included delegates from China, Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. The event was organised by the Kingdom of Bhutan and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.

Bleak state of Cryosphere

According to the State of Cryosphere 2024 report, if the current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are met, global temperatures will likely reach 2.3°C by 2100, leading to irreversible ice loss, significant sea-level rise, and severe impacts on coastal regions, mountain communities, and polar ecosystems.

In case of a high emissions scenario, the temperature may rise to 3-3.5°C, which will cause extreme damage, including rapid ice sheet loss, the disappearance of glaciers, and widespread permafrost thaw.

However, the 1.5°C temperature in line with the Paris Agreement can help stabilise the cryosphere and preserve part of glaciers but that cannot happen unless there is a drastic cut in emissions.

“This requires urgent action, however, with emergency-scale tightening of mitigation commitments and fossil fuel emissions declining 40% by 2030,” the report added.

In case there is no action to stop the melting of glaciers, “severe and potentially permanent changes to the water cycle, due to loss of snowpack and ice run-off during the warm summer growing season, will impact food, energy and water security.”

Produced as part of the 2024 Climate Change Media Partnership, a journalism fellowship organised by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Centre for Peace and Security.

Header image: View of the landscape from Langtang, Nepal can be seen in this undated handout image. — Tika Gurung via Reuters

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024

BERLIN: Germany is headed for snap elections on February 23, the main parties agreed on Tuesday, aiming to form a stable government after Chan­cellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition collapsed last week.

The country’s two biggest parties agreed on the early timetable, which will see centre-left leader Scholz seek a vote of confidence on December 16, said the parliamentary leader of Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), Rolf Muetzenich.

This would pave the way for the February vote in a compromise hammered out with the conservative opposition Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian allies CSU.

The agreement seeks to quickly restore political stability at a time when Europe’s biggest economy is set to shrink for a second year in a row and amid heightened geopolitical volatility, with wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East.

As per agreement between two biggest parties, Chancellor Scholz will seek trust vote on Dec 16

The election date would mean Germany will be ruled by a lame-duck chancellor and stuck in the middle of its campaign period when Donald Trump is inaugurated as US president on January 20.

Embattled Scholz, who wants to run again despite poor poll ratings, initially suggested an election in late March but came under heavy pressure from all other parties to speed up the process.

The CDU is riding high in the polls and its leader Friedrich Merz had pushed strongly for an election as early as possible — a demand backed by two thirds of voters, according to a recent survey.

“We don’t have unlimited time to elect a new government in Germany, regardless of who leads it… because the world around us is not waiting,” Merz said on Tuesday.

“It’s not as if everyone is holding their breath and watching Germany in fascination, as decisions are taken in Europe, Asia and the United States.

“The world expects a Germany that is capable of taking action.”

Winter election campaign

The February 23 date would force politicians to run their campaigns in the dark and cold of winter, when voters will be less enthusiastic to flock to outdoor events than during the usual summer campaign seasons.

Scholz is expected to lose the confidence vote in the lower house of parliament, after which President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will have 21 days to dissolve the Bundestag.

Elections have to be held within 60 days of the dissolution.

Scholz took office in late 2021, taking over from the CDU’s Angela Merkel, in a three-way coalition with the left-leaning Greens and the liberal and pro-business Free Democrats (FDP).

But mounting differences over economic and fiscal policy came to a head last week when Scholz fired the rebellious FDP finance minister Christian Linder, prompting the small party to leave the government.

Since then, Scholz’s SPD and the Greens have carried on in a minority government that would need opposition support to pass any laws — something the CDU/CSU had rejected in the absence of clarity on an election date.

Future scenarios

Scholz’s coalition marked the first time a tripartite alliance has ruled at the federal level, and it may not be the last, given Germany’s increasingly fragmented political party landscape.

Fears about immigration have driven the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. It is now polling at close to 20 per cent, but other parties have pledged to shun it as a coalition partner.

The latest polls put the centre-right CDU/CSU alliance firmly in the lead at 32pc.

To win a majority, however, the conservatives would likely need the future backing of the SPD, which is currently polling at 15.5pc, in a so-called grand coalition, plus a third party.

Contenders for that spot, according to current polling, would be either the FDP, with five percent support, or possibly the Greens, who are polling at 11pc.

Lindner, who has said he wants to be finance minister again, on Tuesday welcomed the date for new elections, saying:“Happily we now have clarity on this question.” He earlier said that he thought Merz “will almost certainly be the next chancellor of Ger­many. The only question is: Who will chancellor Merz govern with?”

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024

ISLAMABAD: The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) chief has told a National Assembly panel that the fees for identity cards will have to be increased if it opens up more offices.

In a briefing to the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Interior on Tuesday, Nadra Chairman Lt General Munir Afsar said the authority has no office in 61 tehsils of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The committee, which met for the second consecutive day with Raja Khurram Nawaz in the chair, was told that 26 National Registration Centres (NRCs) and three mega NRCs were currently operational in Karachi.

The authority is planning to open one more NRC and four mega NRCs in Karachi next year.

Chairman tells NA body six employees were sacked over data breaches

While talking about the security of Nadra’s infrastructure, Lt Gen Afsar said the agency monitors three to four hundred individuals daily to detect data leaks and unauthorised identity card issuances.

He said six Nadra employees, including a grade-19 officer, have been dismissed over their alleged involvement in a data breach.

The breach compromised the data of around 2.7 million citizens between 2019 and 2023.

A joint investigation team formed to probe the data leak in March submitted a report to the Interior Ministry revealing that Nadra officers in Karachi, Multan and Peshawar were involved in the data theft.

The NA committee was informed that Nadra had dismissed 202 hired and 60 officers during the last five years.

The authority’s revenue has increased from Rs23.55billion in 2019-20 to Rs57bn in 2023-24.

FIA DG briefs committee

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director general, Ahmad Ishaque Jehangir, briefed the committee about human smuggling networks recently uncovered by his organisation.

He said smugglers in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Karachi lure people with the prospects of overseas employment.

He said the agency was probing the case further, and the investigation is expected to conclude in six to seven months as this is a cross-border crime, and additional information is required from law enforcement agencies in Romania.

An additional inspector general (AIG) of Punjab police briefed the participants on rape cases involving minors reported in the province over the past five years.

From 2020 to 2024, 8,306 such cases were registered, with 6,950 accused arrested. Of these, 299 were convicted, 1,736 acquitted, 1,088 discharged, and 3,827 cases were still under trial, the lawmakers were told.

The committee also discussed the new “Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and directed the ministry to include a clause permitting the filing of an FIR against Discos and employees responsible for overbilling.

The members said that electricity usage and theft slabs should be specified in the bill and that the proposed law should differentiate between residential, commercial, and industrial users.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024

920 fax machine manual

to write an autobiographical essay for a scholarship

to write a chiller thriller sally spedding

nostrand s nightmares chilling archives of horror comics