The route for this connection will pass through Termiz in Uzbekistan, Mazar-i-Sharif and Logar in Afghanistan, and culminate in Pakistan via the Kharlachi border crossing in Kurram.
The line will support both passenger and freight services, and would contribute in regional trade and economic growth.
Representatives of the respective countries signed the protocol in Islamabad today in presence of Minister for Railways Saad Rafiq, and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.
Flash floods on Saturday night also caused main roads in Tanah Datar district to be blocked by mud, cutting off access to other cities, local police chief Kartyana Putra said on Sunday.
Videos released by Basarnas showed roads that were transformed into murky brown rivers.
The disaster came just two months after heavy rains triggered flash floods and a landslide in West Sumatra’s Pesisir Selatan and Padang Pariaman districts, killing at least 21 people and leaving five others missing.
Mount Marapi, which stands at 2,885 metres (9,465ft), erupted late last year killing 23 climbers who were caught by surprise. The volcano has been at the third-highest of four alert levels since 2011, indicating above-normal volcanic activity under which climbers and villagers must stay more than 3km (about 2 miles) from the peak, according to Indonesia’s center for volcanology and geological disaster mitigation.
#Marapi is known for sudden eruptions that are difficult to predict because the source is shallow and near the peak, and its eruptions aren’t caused by a deep movement of magma, which sets off tremors that register on seismic monitors.
Last month’s leak came after the Morrison and Ardern governments tried in 2022 to rally Pacific nations to press Solomon Islands not to sign the vaguely worded and deeply contentious agreement with Beijing, in part because they feared it would allow Beijing to establish a military presence in the country.
The pact was signed by Solomon Islands’ Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, who promoted his pro-China stance as a key pillar in his bid for re-election. Sogavare lost the election, but was replaced by Jeremiah Manele, who has an equally strong Stand in favour of China.
The strongly worded assessment of the strategic situation was first published by the ABC last month and was republished by Kaniva News.
According to ABC, “The five-page document calls New Zealand’s response to the Solomon Islands-China security agreement “nothing short of frantic” and flags that its then-Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta had requested a phone call to her Tongan counterpart to express Wellington’s “grave” concerns about the pact”...
Tongan diaspora reactions
The leaked letter baffled many Tongans living in Australia, New Zealand and the United States, with many saying the Prime Minister, who was then Minister of Foreign Affairs, was out of touch with reality.
Many have taken to Facebook and criticised PM Hu’akavameiliku and his government in the comments section under Kaniva News’ story on the leak....
According to a report from the Australian National University’s Development Policy Centre, personal remittances received in Tonga in 2021 were estimated to be US$220 million, or equivalent to around 44% of Tongan gross domestic product (GDP).
The ANU report said the majority of Tongan households received remittances. The mean remittances sent home in the second half of 2021 was TP$5,892, equal to Aus$3,684 or NZS4,065.
As Kaniva News reported previously, a World Bank report said remittances made up more than a third of the kingdom’s GDP in 2015. The bank report said remittances mostly came from Tongans living in Australia, New Zealand and the United States. It said Tonga depended more on money sent home by migrant workers than any other country in the Pacific.
There are about 100,000 more Tongan people living overseas than in Tonga...
22,000 hectares is a square of about 9 miles on each side, or honestly so insignificant as to be unnoticeable on a map compared to the massive country that is Congo. Seems like this land will be important for the much, much smaller Rwanda to independently feed its people
@protist note this article is about the Republic of the Congo also known as ROC and Congo-Brazzaville, not about the Democratic Republic of Congo also known as DRC and Congo-Kinshassa.
The reason it made headlines is due to Congolese feelings around Rwanda's hostility to DRC and sponsoring of M23 rebels who have invaded it.
It's a bit like how Ukraininans would feel if a neighbouring country was giving territory to Russia.
In a video message, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, praised Belize for integrating primary disease prevention and treatment into maternal and child health services. He also commended Jamaica for its civil society organizations’ commitment to human rights and lauded St. Vincent and the Grenadines for investing in robust national laboratory structures. “While validation is a tremendous accomplishment, maintaining it requires sustained efforts to prevent new infections,” he said. “WHO and partners will continue to support all countries in the Americas to strengthen health systems, provide comprehensive services, and ensure the involvement of women in planning and service delivery.”
Globally, 19 countries and territories have now been certified for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and/or syphilis, with 11 of them located in the Americas. In 2015, Cuba made history by becoming the first country in the world to achieve the dual elimination of HIV and syphilis. This was followed by Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Cayman Islands and Montserrat and St. Kitts and Nevis in 2017, and Dominica in 2020.
“The end of AIDS is an opportunity for a uniquely powerful legacy for today’s leaders. We are again celebrating a great public health milestone today as Caribbean countries show global leadership in the elimination agenda to achieve an HIV free generation,” Christine Stegling, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, said.
New HIV infections among children in the Caribbean decreased by 25% between 2010 and 2022. During that period, annual notified cases declined from 2,000 to 1,500. Reported cases of congenital syphilis in the English-speaking Caribbean now stand at 36 cases per 100,000 newborns, below the goal of no more than 50 cases per 100,000 newborns.
“UNICEF welcomes the commitment of Belize, Jamaica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for achieving the double elimination of vertical transmission for HIV and Syphilis”, Garry Conille, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, said. “We are confident that this milestone will be a catalyst for other countries in the region to pursue the Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission Agenda toward the 2030 target: No child left behind in the progress to end AIDS,” Conille added.
WHO awards this certification to countries which have brought the mother-to-child HIV transmission rate to under 5%; provided antenatal care and antiretroviral treatment to more than 90% of pregnant women; reported fewer than 50 new cases of congenital syphilis per 100,000 newborns, and achieved an HIV case rate of fewer than 500 per 100,000 live births.
In “live” sessions organized on social networks, particularly on TikTok, some Congolese express strong opposition against this agreement, deemed “dangerous” for the sovereignty of their country. In Bouenza, for example, some farmers view this concession as a "dispossession" of their “ancestral lands.”
During his visit from April 11 to 13, 2022, in Brazzaville, Rwandan President Paul Kagame concluded a total of eight cooperation agreements with his Congolese counterpart, Denis Sassou Nguesso. Among these agreements, one involves the cession, by the Republic of Congo, of a little more than 22,000 hectares of agricultural land to Rwanda over 25 years. With an area of 342,000 square kilometers, of which 60% is covered by forest, Congo has at least 12 million hectares of arable land.
This was confirmed by ICC prosecutor Karim A. A. Khan in January 2024 during a statement. He mentioned, “There are grounds to believe that presently Rome Statute crimes are being committed in Darfur by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces and affiliated groups.”
At an international level, the availability of information regarding the crimes committed in Sudan has been a challenge. As a result, many of the crimes committed go unpunished, resulting in a lack of justice. Executive director at Human Rights Watch, Tirana Hassan, said that “the global inaction in the face of atrocities of this magnitude is inexcusable.” Conversely, in March 2024, the UN Security Council took further action regarding the situation in West Darfur. Resolution 2725 extends the Panel of Experts monitoring sanctions and actions in Sudan to 2025, assisting in the various reports.
The report includes a series of recommended actions to be considered internationally. These include targeted sanctions, an arms embargo, and further investigations into the events committed. The situation in Sudan is still under development. Stressing international cooperation and humanitarian action is a central priority in the report.
Poorer communities are disproportionately affected. Mathare Valley, with roughly 70,000 residents, is just one part of the densely populated “informal settlement” in Nairobi, and people are still reeling from the impact of the flooding two weeks later.
The water supply has been contaminated by open sewers, and the medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières has warned that water- and mosquito-borne diseases such as cholera and malaria are “significant concerns”.
Streets along the settlement are lined with people’s belongings, muddy and battered by the continuing rain. Kalekye’s furniture is waterlogged beyond use, and the loosely held iron sheets are peeling off slowly from the shack’s walls. There is barely anything to salvage from the place she has called home for decades.
“I only have the clothes on my back now, and even these were given to me by the clothing shelter,” Kalekye says, fighting back tears as she stands in the alleyway. Most of her belongings, including important personal documents and a bale of old clothes she bought for resale, were swept away by the water....
The government provides relief items to the area, but rights groups have criticised what they say was a slow response to the disaster, despite warnings from the meteorological department, which predicted last year that the region would experience an El Niño weather pattern through February, triggering extreme conditions.
Ruto ordered government agencies to provide humanitarian support on Friday – including relief food, medical supplies and temporary shelters – and told the military and police to support rescue and evacuation efforts.
The meteorological department has predicted that the heavy rains are expected to continue through May in parts of the country, as the crisis brings new scrutiny to Kenya’s infrastructure and slum housing.
Edna Odhiambo, a climate-action lawyer, says: “We can attribute the intensity [of the rains] to the El Niño phenomenon and climate change, but what we need to separate is the cause and its effects – the havoc we are seeing caused by the floods is a planning problem.”...
“The Lagos State Government came and said they wanted to demolish the place. They did not serve us any letter of demolition. We were negotiating with the government yesterday (on Saturday), and before we knew it, they just moved in with their bulldozer.”
He added that although there were miscreants in the estate, the security guards were making every effort to stop them from stealing their possessions.
“They have not told us what they want the estate for. All they said was that we were too close to the canal. Miscreants are everywhere, and the security officers are trying to prevent them from stealing anything because residents’ properties are scattered everywhere,” he lamented.
Another resident in the area, simply identified as Kayode, said the government asserted that the houses were too close to the canal and that they had yet to discuss with the residents....
He stated that the issue might potentially end in court, and he was hoping that the appropriate party would win.
“They said the houses are too close to the canal, but they should have known before now because before we all built all the houses, we got approval from the government. I am sure the issue will end up in court, and the court can decide who they think is right,“ he said.
Another resident, simply identified as Tega, claimed that the residents’ biggest nightmare came true when the government gave them two hours to leave their houses.
She said, “We did not get any prior notification. They gave us two hours to exit the estate. They told us yesterday (on Saturday). Most people have moved out since then, and we are just trying to get the pieces today. It is the worst nightmare for some of the families here.”
When contacted, the Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, stated that before the demolition, several meetings were held with the residents.
Omotoso said, “The government cannot be so heartless as to tell people to leave their homes in two hours. The Commissioner for Environment was on Arise News Television this morning (Sunday), and he explained everything.
“He explained how many years they had been at it, even before he came to office. On his social media page, he released a series of videos of meetings he had with them.
He added that the state Commissioner of Environment and Water Resources paid a visit to the estate two weeks ago and engaged in negotiations with the residents, adding that the community at large needed to be prevented from flooding.
“He was there last week and two weeks ago. It is not true that they were given two hours. They have been negotiating with them, but the thing is, we do not look at the larger picture.
...Two of those hoping to beat Mr Mulino also are very well-known names in Panamanian politics.
Martín Torrijos was president from 2004 to 2009 and is the son of Omar Torrijos, the military ruler who signed a treaty with the US to restore the Panama Canal zone to Panamanian sovereignty in 1977.
The 60-year-old is campaigning under the slogan "Safe Change". He has promised investment in the Panama Canal, one of the main drivers of Panama's economy.
Martín Torrijos has been president before and his campaigning simply under his first name
He is standing for the People's Party, which he joined last year after leading the Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD).
Rómulo Roux, 59, a former president of the Panama Canal's board of directors is running for the national presidency for the second time, after losing to current President Laurentino Cortizo in 2019.
The lawyer, who is standing for the Democratic Change party says that if he is elected, he will implement an "aggressive" job creation scheme and improve public services....
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