Saturday, 6 March 2021
Munaza Kazmi
Smartphones are one of the most innovative and communicative tools in the present world and it has become a very important and wonderful communicative tools among young generation.The first Smartphone was invented by IBM in 1992 known as a Simon Smartphone. This was a big breakthrough in the field of technology and for the requirements of people.
The impact of smartphones is visible in almost all sectors like Education, Business and entertainment sector. Likewise, it has created miseries.
In the contemporary world, it has been observed that, people complain about having busy schedule, ironically, they can use smartphones at least 5 hours a day. Usage of useless Apps increases significantly, with the result of degradation in Physical Social interaction, Distraction, Addiction, health problems etc.
Smartphone use has become a serious addiction phenomenon in our youth, it has been found that college students use phones on an average of ten hours a day. Three out of five smart phone users can’t go more than 60 minutes without checking their phones.
There was time when people were seen in libraries, now only it’s the dust that seems to settle on those precious books, whenreading on smartphones is worse for learning and comprehension. Moreover, these devices create ADHD –like symptoms in users, thus diminish the happiness between social settings due to the constant flow of information to their phones and also disconnect the relation between parent and children. Once can observe it quite often: visit some restaurant or even a park, you would experience that instead of talking to one another, people would be busy in using mobile phones, uploading the stories, while ignoring the beauty of present and the surroundings. Moreover, children would be seen handling smartphones regularly for long hours playing games. Here I felt an urge to remind their busy looking parents that, you people are destroying the generation, and the future.
Similarly, from the medical perspective, excessive use of smartphone can exacerbate thumb arthritis by excessive texting on mobile phones. At the same time shorter wavelength blue lights emitted by smartphones causes Health hazards like Nerve pain, back pain shoulder pain. Cell phones give off Radiations and affect our brain cells and thus mutating existing cells, causes Cancerous cells like brain cancer. Likewise, its overusemay lead to psychological and physiological complication.Besides, an increase in the number of accidents have been reported due to attention paid to the cell phones during driving. Hence, continued use and exposure can lead harmful effects viz: -Tumor (radiation effects), Disturbed brain activity, Inappropriate Media and Academic Malpractice.
Also, it may lead to the exposure of financial and security risk.
Therefore, it can be concluded that smartphone addiction has developed an unavoidable place in one’s life. People are so much dependent upon it that they feel life cannot run smoothly without a smartphone. With the result, numerous negative ill effects have been identified so far and much more are to be known in the coming days.
----------------------------------------------------------------
IN recent years, jurists and other commentators have raised concerns about the chief justice’s powers of constituting benches and allocating cases to judges in several jurisdictions, including Pakistan.
In Pakistan, all Supreme Court judges are equal when carrying out their judicial functions. However, with respect to their administrative role, the chief justice is the ‘first among equals’ and the ‘master of the roster’. He decides when a case is listed for hearing and the judges who will adjudicate it.
His authority in this respect is provided for in Order XI of the Supreme Court Rules, 1980. The court has clarified in judgements that the chief justice has the “sole prerogative to constitute any Bench with any number of Judges to hear any particular case”. Chief justices of high courts have a similar role.
The prerogative of the chief justice to constitute benches and allocate cases can be traced back to colonial times. Article 214(3) of the Government of India Act, 1935, provided that “the Chief Justice of India shall determine what judges are to constitute any division of the court and what judges are to sit for any purpose”.
Assigning cases shouldn’t weaken judicial independence.
Chief justices in India enjoy similar powers, which in recent years have attracted controversy. For example, in 2018, four of the senior-most judges of the supreme court held a press conference and expressed concern about the manner in which the chief justice of India was allocating cases to certain benches.
The discretionary power to constitute benches and allocate cases without necessarily applying any objective and predetermined criteria is inconsistent with international standards on the independence and impartiality of the judiciary as well as general principles of the rule of law.
While international standards do not prescribe a universal system for allocation of cases to individual judges, they clarify that any system of assignment of cases should not undermine the independence of courts and judges who adjudicate those cases.
The UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers has argued for a mechanism of objective allocation of cases that “protects judges from interference from within the judiciary”. Otherwise, allocation “at the discretion of the court chairperson may lead to a system where more sensitive cases are allocated to specific judges to the exclusion of others”.
The Venice Commission has also recommended “the allocation of cases to individual judges should be based to the maximum extent possible on objective and transparent criteria established in advance by the law or by special regulations on the basis of the law”.
Such mechanisms could take a number of forms such as the drawing of lots; automatic distribution according to alphabetic order; or predetermined court management plans that incorporate objective criteria governing how cases are to be allocated.
Take, for example, Article 101(1)(2) of the German constitution that says “no one shall be deprived of his/her lawful Judge”. The right to a lawful judge was historically seen as a means of preventing any external influence on the judiciary, especially from the executive. In recent times, however, it is also seen as a safeguard against deprivation of the lawful judge through measures within the court administration.
Pursuant to the right to a lawful judge, a ‘management group’ comprising the president of the court as chairperson and a certain number of judges, decides how cases are allocated. The management group has the task of developing a ‘management plan’ for the court for the financial year ahead. This plan states the criteria according to which cases are allocated to judges. The Federal Constitutional Court of Germany has held that the management group’s plans have to be detailed enough to eliminate the possibility of manipulating the allocation of cases, and that they should exclude the possibility that judges are chosen according to arbitrary or subjective factors.
The persuasive power of judicial decisions rests not only upon the quality of their reasoning, it also depends on public confidence in the judiciary. The higher the degree of confidence in the impartiality of judges, the greater the public willingness to accept the courts’ authority.
It is then essential that safeguards are provided against arbitrary allocations of cases in order to prevent even the slightest suspicion of illegitimate influences on the judiciary’s functioning.
The current system of allocation of cases in Pakistan has grave implications for the right to a fair trial, judicial independence and the rule of law. It is imperative that courts adopt a clear, transparent, credible system of case allocation in line with international standards to uphold the independence of judges deciding individual cases as well as the judiciary as a whole.
The writer is a legal adviser for the International Commission of Jurists.
Twitter: @reema_omer
--------------------------------------------------------------
COURTESY DAWN NEWS
-----------
ISLAMABAD, MAR 6: In a show of strength, Prime Minister Imran Khan secured 178 votes – six more than required – on Saturday to win the vote of confidence from the National Assembly.
The special session was called after the premier voluntarily sought a trust vote following an upset in Senate elections. Addressing the assembly after his win in a wide-ranging speech, the premier said "no one can stop Pakistan's progress".
He also announced electoral reforms, saying: "We are doing things; we are fully engaged with overseas Pakistanis so they can cast votes, and secondly, we are bringing electronic machines."
"We are bringing this system so that the one who loses, accepts defeat."
The premier needed 172 votes to win the confidence vote. Announcing the result, NA Speaker Asad Qaiser said Prime Minister Imran had been elected to the post with 176 votes eight years ago. “Today, he has secured 178 votes,” he said.
According to the breakdown, 155 PTI lawmakers voted in favour of the premier.
Besides, seven lawmakers from the MQM-P, five each from the Balochistan Awami Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, three from Grand Democratic Alliance and one each from the Awami Muslim League and the Jamhoori Watan Party cast their votes supporting the prime minister.
Independent candidate Aslam Bhotani also reposed confidence in the premier through his vote.
'I thank you'
Addressing the House after securing the trust vote, PM Imran thanked government lawmakers, including his allies, for staying by his side through thick and thin.
He commended the way his party reacted after the Islamabad Senate seat upset, saying that this experience had made them tougher.
"To my parliamentarians and team, I thank you. Yesterday evening when I saw you, I realised that you were really hurt when we lost the Senate election of Hafeez Shaikh.
"But when I saw you, I felt very good because I saw a team in you and our team will get stronger. Because God will test your faith again and again," the prime minister said.
The premier said he knew of many individual MNAs who tried hard to attend the vote today but could not make it as some were facing health issues. "I thank all of you," he said.
'Embarrassing elections'
PM Imran said it was embarrassing the way elections were held in Pakistan. He named PPP co-chair Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, saying they were "thieves" who were blackmailing his government for an NRO.
He said Zardari was commonly referred to in phrases such as "one Zardari trumps all (aik Zardari sab pe bhaari)" and "Mr 10 per cent" because of his corrupt practices.
The PM further said that Sharif had faked sickness to go abroad so that he could avoid the legal consequences of his corruption and theft.
"These people even tried to sabotage FATF legislation and had linked passing of the FATF legislation to amendments in the NAB law," the PM said, adding that they had put the country at stake to get rid of corruption cases against them.
He criticised Yusuf Raza Gilani, who beat PTI's Hafeez Shaikh in the recent Senate polls, as one of the most corrupt politicians in the country.
"Just look at his [Gilani's] wealth and assets before he became the PM and do a comparison with his assets after he became the PM. The picture will be clear," Imran said.
He said future generations of the country can only be saved if the menace of corruption is removed.
"We are on a way to economic recovery. The current account is improving constantly and now even the rupee is strengthening against the dollar without government intervention," he said.
The PM said the biggest pressure he was facing was to tackle the issue of inflation, which he said was a natural result of the rupee devaluing.
"But my team and my government is doing everything it can to control this issue and we will keep working," he said.
Lawmakers congratulate PM
Immediately after announcing the result, the speaker gave the floor to Amir Liaquat, who recited poetry as an ode to Imran Khan. After him, MQM's Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui took the floor and congratulated the premier on his success.
"You got the confidence [of the House], now it is your turn to return that confidence to the nation," Siddiqui said, asking the premier to fulfill his promises to his party and the country.
Following Siddiqui, Fehmida Mirza spoke, saying that the government's allies would always stand with the premier whenever there was a threat to the continuity of democracy despite any grievances they might have.
Mirza then went on to criticise the way in which the recently concluded Senate elections were held, questioning whether the Election Commission of Pakistan was able to guard the process against "corrupt practice".
Earlier, lawmakers, including PM Imran, arrived at the Parliament House while PTI supporters and PML-N leaders gathered outside.
Tensions are high as both sides became confrontational and PML-N leaders alleged they had been manhandled.
Before the session began, Punjab CM Buzdar, Balochistan CM Jam Kamal, Senate Chairperson Sadiq Sanjrani and other officials met in NA Speaker Asad Qaiser's chamber, where they discussed the vote of confidence.
According to the participants of the meeting, the prime minister has "set a unique trend". The chief ministers, senators and other high-ranking officials watched the session from the galleries.
---------------------------------------------------
COURTESY DAWN NEWS
-----------
ISLAMABAD, MAR 6: Prime Minister Imran Khan secured majority votes on Saturday to win the vote of confidence from the National Assembly.
The special session was called in a show of strength by the premier himself after his party lost a crucial seat in the Senate elections.
The premier needed 172 votes to win the confidence vote. Announcing the result, the speaker said that eight years ago, Prime Minister Imran had been elected to the post with 176 votes. “Today, he has secured 178 votes,” he said.
Immediately after announcing the result, the speaker gave the floor to Amir Liaquat, who recited poetry as an ode to Imran Khan. After him, MQM's Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui took the floor and congratulated the premier on his success.
"You got the confidence [of the House], now it is your turn to return that confidence to the nation," Siddiqui said, asking the premier to fulfill his promises to his party and the country.
Earlier, lawmakers, including PM Imran, arrived at the Parliament House while PTI supporters and PML-N leaders gathered outside.
Tensions are high as both sides became confrontational and PML-N leaders alleged they had been manhandled.
Before the session began, Punjab CM Buzdar, Balochistan CM Jam Kamal, Senate Chairperson Sadiq Sanjrani and other officials met in NA Speaker Asad Qaiser's chamber, where they discussed the vote of confidence.
According to the participants of the meeting, the prime minister has "set a unique trend".
The session started at 12:15pm with recitation from the Holy Quran and a naat without the opposition in attendance. Later, the national anthem was played in the House at which all lawmakers stood up in respect.
---------------------------------------
COURTESY DAWN NEWS
----------
ISLAMABAD, MAR 6: Lawmakers have started to arrive at the Parliament House
ahead of a vote of confidence for Prime Minister Imran Khan during a special
session of the National Assembly today.
The session is expected to begin at 12:15pm and has a
single-point agenda, according to the National Assembly Secretariat. Foreign
Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will table a resolution in the House on which
voting will be held.
The resolution says: “That this House reposes confidence in
the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Mr Imran Khan, as
required under clause (7) of Article 91 of the Constitution Islamic Republic of
Pakistan.”
PM Imran had announced earlier this week that he would seek a vote of confidence from his party's lawmakers, following an upset in the Senate election on March 3. While the ruling PTI made gains, it experienced a shocking upset on the Islamabad seat where PPP's Yousuf Raza Gilani bagged 169 votes, defeating the government's nominee, Hafeez Shaikh, who received 164 votes, meaning that several ruling alliance MNAs had voted for Pakistan Democratic Movement candidate.
This is the first time a prime minister has undertaken such
an exercise after the passage of the 18th Amendment.
Prior to this, the law required every prime minister to take
a vote of confidence from the Assembly within 30 days of being elected — a vote
that Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and other prime ministers of the past had to
seek after their election.
Since 2010, however, the law does not require such a
practice. In fact, according to clause 7 of Article 91 of the Constitution, the
president “shall not exercise his powers under this clause unless he is
satisfied that the prime minister does not command the confidence of the
majority” in the Assembly.
Yesterday, during a meeting of parliamentary parties at the
Prime Minister House, 175 out of 179 government lawmakers gave assurance to the
prime minister that they will give him the vote of confidence. All MNAs of the
ruling alliance were asked to vote for the prime minister otherwise they can be
de-seated.
Those who could not attend the meeting were Federal Minister
for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi, Amir Liaquat Hussain, Ghulam Bibi Bharwana,
Basit Sultan and Monis Elahi.
A PTI leader said all those who were absent would attend the
NA session today. He said Zaidi was stuck up in Lahore and Amir Liaquat who was
in Karachi assured that he would be present in the house today.
After resignation of Faisal Vawda and re-elections on a seat
NA-75 in Daska, the government has 179 seats in the NA and the PM has to get at
least 172 votes to prove confidence of the 341-member House.
The 10-party alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)
yesterday announced that the opposition will boycott the session. PDM chief Fazlur
Rehman called it a futile exercise by the premier for face-saving after the
lower house of parliament already rejected him as the premier in the recent
Senate elections.
Rehman said that "this session will have no political importance" and the PTI government "will not be considered the representative government of this nation".
-----------------------------------------------------------COURTESY DAWN NEWS
--------------
Friday, 5 March 2021
ISLAMABAD, MAR 5 – President (Middle East Region) of Huawei Technologies, Charles Yang, visited Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Headquarters in Islamabad, accompanied by Mark Meng, CEO of Huawei Technologies Pakistan and Deputy CEO Ahmed Bilal Masud.
The delegation met Chairman PTA Major General (Retd) Amir Azeem
Bajwa and discussed matters of mutual interest and investment opportunities.
The two sides discussed future plans of Huawei Technologies in Pakistan and
development of innovative digital and financial solutions to accelerate
progress towards digital Pakistan.
According to a statement by the PTA Chairman, “In the next
two to three months, Pakistan will reach a 100 million internet users.” He
appreciated Huawei’s contribution for the ICT industry by providing leading
solutions in Pakistan for the past 20 years.
Charles Yang, President of the Middle East Region added his opinions, stating,“ICT’s contribution to the GDP in China is more than 40 percent, Pakistan has a huge potential and an opportunity in its ICT Industry.”Furthermore, he stated,“Huawei is willing to share its global experience and provide technical support for digitalization in governance, education, health and other sectors in Pakistan.”
----------------------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON, MAR 5: US President Joe Biden has nominated a Pakistani-American, Dilawar, to serve as the deputy administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), according to a statement released from the White House.
Confirming the news on Twitter, Dilawar said he was "deeply humbled & honored" on the nomination, which is yet to be confirmed by the US Senate.
"I will put my heart and soul into helping small businesses everywhere in these challenging times," Dilawar said, adding that the "grit" of small businesses made America strong.
Dilawar currently serves as the president and chief executive officer of Lumiata, an "AI for healthcare company focused on reducing healthcare costs and improving patient outcomes". He was previously the president at Freshworks where he worked in scaling the software company's products to thousands of small and medium-scale businesses, according to the statement.
The statement noted that Dilawar had a history of furthering civic efforts "at the federal, state, and local level focusing on economic growth and entrepreneurship".
"He served on President Obama’s White House Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) and chaired the White House Initiative on AAPIs’ Economic Growth Committee.
"In that role, Dilawar led the administration’s engagement with small businesses across the US after the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009."
This will not be his first interaction with the SBA as he also previously served as a liaison with the SBA and the Department of Commerce on federal initiatives such as the President’s Export Council, said the statement.
Biden previously inducted Pakistani-American Salman Ahmed into his foreign policy team to serve as director policy planning at the US State Department. This was the second such induction of a Pakistani American in Biden's team.
The president had also chosen a Pakistani-born climate expert, Ali Zaidi, to serve as as his Deputy National Climate Adviser in December. The appointment had made Zaidi the highest ranking Pakistani-American in the Biden administration.
“This diverse and accomplished team […] embodies my core belief that America is strongest when it works with our allies,” Biden had said in a statement.
“Collectively, they have secured some of the most defining national security and diplomatic achievements in recent memory — and I am confident that they will use their diplomatic experience and skill to restore America’s global and moral leadership.”
-----------------------------------------------------
COURTESY DAWN NEWS
------------
ISLAMABAD, MAR 5: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will meet on Feb 5 (today) to discuss Prime Minister Imran Khan’s tirade against the electoral body, an informed source told Dawn.
He said members of the Commission contacted the Chief Election Commissioner, asking him to summon a meeting to discuss the highly objectionable remarks made by the country’s chief executive.
“The Government should amend the constitution, if it wants open voting for Senate elections, but should not expect from the Commission to do the job of legislature,” a senior official of the ECP remarked.
According to him, the ECP is bound to follow the law and the law, as of today, provides for secret ballot. He noted that any hasty attempt to make the votes traceable would have been a violation of Article 226 of the Constitution, which can only be amended by the Parliament.
Punjab police chief assures poll body of making foolproof arrangements for Daska by-election
He regretted that the prime minister instead of taking notice of the uncalled for remarks made by members of his cabinet chose to himself join the blame game.
In a related development, the chief secretary and the inspector general of Punjab Police appeared before the ECP in person on Thursday and assured it about making foolproof arrangements for the upcoming by-polls in Daska.
Informed sources said the two officials regretted any negligence in performance of their duties last time.
The ECP on Feb 25 had voided the by-election in NA-75 (Daska) — which was marred by deadly clashes between workers of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the mysterious disappearance of around 20 presiding officers and suspected tampering with results — and ordered re-polling in the entire constituency on March 18.
The decision was announced by a five-member bench of the commission on a petition filed by the PML-N’s candidate in the constituency, Nousheen Iftikhar.
The ECP had withheld the results after the polling as presiding officers in the constituency had gone missing for over seven hours and top officials of the district administration and police were unavailable to help recover the allegedly abducted officers.
The short order read out by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja said: “The arguments heard and record perused. From the perusal of available record produced by the parties, the Returning Officer, as well as collected by the commission through different sources, we have come to the conclusion that a conducive environment was not available for the candidates and voters of the constituency, and the election in the subject constituency has not been conducted honestly, justly, fairly and in a transparent manner; incidents of murders, firing and injuries, bad law and order situation in the subject constituency created harassment for voters and other circumstances, leading to make the process of results doubtful/unascertainable.”
The Commission had also ordered the chief secretary and the IGP Punjab to appear before it in person on March 4.
------------------------------------------------
COURTESY DAWN NEWS
--------------
Thursday, 4 March 2021
BAKU
Trend's interview with Spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva
Recently, the Armenian side has been making statements, claiming that Azerbaijan allegedly does not fulfill its obligations under paragraph 8 of the Trilateral Statement of November 10, and also requires the exchange of prisoners of war. At times, officials from other countries also raise this issue...
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan responded to the completely groundless statements of the Armenian side and its patrons in connection with the issue you mentioned, and I want to reiterate that the Republic of Azerbaijan remains committed to the obligations specified in the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020 [between Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia] and takes appropriate steps to fully implement them.
This issue has been repeatedly commented on at the highest level. It should be noted that the Azerbaijani side, having shown particular sensitivity in the exchange of prisoners of war, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 8 of the trilateral statement of November 10, returned to the opposite side a total of 71 Armenian citizens, including 43 military and 28 civilians taken prisoner during the war.
Regarding the question about of "62 people" raised by the Armenian side, as you know, the members of this sabotage-terrorist group, sent by Armenia to the territory of Azerbaijan after the signing of the trilateral statement and intercepted as a result of the counter-terrorist operation of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, in no case can be considered prisoners of war. As a result of terrorist acts committed by the detained group, four Azerbaijani servicemen became martyrs and one civilian was seriously injured. Currently, this issue is being investigated.
As you know, the letter addressed by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and circulated as a document of the UN General Assembly and Security Council contains detailed information on this.
Besides, I would like to say that the Azerbaijani side, adhering to the terms of the statement, creates the necessary conditions for the search and collection of the bodies of Armenian servicemen in liberated territories of Azerbaijan, as well as, together with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Russian peacekeepers, provides assistance to the Armenian side. To date, 1,274 bodies that were found in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan have been handed over to Armenia.
Inflating the topic of exchange of prisoners of war amid all these facts, at the same time, the absence of international discussions on Armenia's refusal to provide a map of mined territories in violation of the norms of international humanitarian law indicates the existence of double standards. Since the end of hostilities to this day in the liberated territories, 18 people - 12 civilians and 6 servicemen - were blown up on mines. Moreover, 62 servicemen and 9 civilians received bodily injuries of varying severity.
The abovementioned facts clearly show that the Azerbaijani side, unlike Armenia, which, avoiding fulfilling its obligations in all possible ways, is committed to the obligations arising from the November 10 statement and is interested in ensuring peace in the region,
Recently, the Armenian Foreign Ministry issued a statement regarding the sending of personnel of the Armenian Armed Forces for military service to the territory of Azerbaijan. What measures are being taken to prevent such violations by the Armenian side?
As previously reported, international media - agencies operating in Armenia, including independent media, reported that after the signing of a joint statement between Azerbaijan and Armenia on November 10, 2020, which provides for the cessation of all hostilities, the personnel of the Armenian Armed Forces are involved in military activities in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan by deception or coercion, which caused protests both among the military and their families.
I would like to note that the deployment of Armenian servicemen in any form in the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan without their consent is an open violation of the norms and principles of international law, territorial integrity and inviolability of international borders, as well as the provisions of other international documents, of which Armenia itself is a supporter. Azerbaijan will not allow such illegal actions in its sovereign territories, and all necessary measures will be taken to prevent them.
On February 22, 2021, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, sent appeals with the attachment of relevant evidence to the UN, OSCE, NATO and Council of Europe secretaries, including the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, OSCE Chairman-in-Office, UN High Commissioner on human rights with a call to take measures within their competence regarding Armenia's failure to fulfill its obligations in accordance with international law and the tripartite statement, as well as to stop the deployment of its Armed Forces by Armenia on the territory of Azerbaijan and any actions and statements that impede the implementation of the tripartite statement.
Besides these appeals, we will continue to work through diplomatic channels to inform the international community about the illegal actions of the Armenian side.
I would like to stress once again that to ensure peace, stability, prosperity and sustainable economic development in the region, there is no other alternative than Armenia's full and honest fulfillment of all its obligations arising from international law, as well as joint statements of November 10, 2020 and January 11, 2021.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COURTESY en.trend.az
-------------------------
Regardless of the motives, genre or context, such comments directly affect territorial integrity of Ukraine, diplomats believe.
KYIV, MAR 4: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has summoned the
head of the Slovak embassy in Ukraine to issue a protest over what Ukraine was
politically incorrect statements by the Slovak Prime Minister, Igor Matovic,
suggesting "exchanging" the Zakarpattia [Transcarpathia] region in
Ukraine for the access to the Russian vaccine.
"Regardless of the motives, genre or context, the
comments by the head of the Slovak government that directly affect the
territorial integrity of Ukraine are categorically unacceptable, and negatively
affect the friendly and good-neighborly atmosphere of Ukrainian-Slovak
relations," the MFA said in a commentary released Wednesday, March 3.
The Foreign Ministry emphasizes that such "jokes"
are especially offensive to the Ukrainian people in the current conditions of
Russian aggression and the occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and
the city of Sevastopol, as well as part of the Ukrainian Donbas, by Russia.
Besides, Ukrainian diplomats add, the inappropriate comments
by the head of the Slovak government are discordant with Slovakia's consistent
position in support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine
within its internationally recognized borders.
"The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry demands an official
apology from the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Igor Matovic, for the politcally
incorrect comments," MFA Ukraine said.
Ukrainian Ambassador Yuriy Mushka for his part has also
delivered a corresponding demarche at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the
Slovak Republic.
Matovic "joke": Background
Speaking on the air of Slovakia's Radio Express, the host
asked Matovic what he had promised Russia in exchange for the supply of the
Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.
Matovic immediately answered: "Transcarpathian
[Zakarpattia] Ukraine", before claiming he had not in fact promised
anything, at the same time stressing the need for his country to be covered
with vaccines.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the comment by
Matovic spoils Ukraine-Slovakia relations.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
COURTESY unian.info
---------------
- Mystery flights will depart from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne
CANBERRA, MAR 4: Flight to nowhere? Check. Flight to somewhere? Check. Flight to who knows where? That’s next.
Qantas has announced the latest in its series of highly popular concept flights to combat the border blues, with plans to operate three domestic mystery flights for travellers keen to enjoy unique travel experiences in Australia while international borders remain closed.
The national carrier last operated mystery flights in the 1990s when travellers would turn up at the airport and be allocated seats on a scheduled flight to any of the airline’s destinations where they spent a day at their leisure before flying home.
Qantas has evolved the concept and will offer three dedicated Boeing 737 mystery flight experiences that will include not just the flight, but an entire day of activities in a mystery destination – so all passengers need to do is book and turn up at the airport.
All destinations are outside major capital cities.
Qantas Group chief customer officer, Stephanie Tully, said the mystery flights were about giving Australians memorable travel experiences and promoting domestic tourism.
“Our customers tell us that where they can and can’t travel within Australia has been a bit of a mystery lately.
“The vaccine rollout is bringing a lot more certainty and domestic border restrictions should soon be a thing of the past.
“In the meantime, these flights turn that mystery into a positive by creating a unique experience for the many people keen to start travelling again.
“As well as helping bring more of our people back to work, these mystery flights are another way to support tourism operators in regional areas especially, who have been hit particularly hard by several waves of travel restrictions,” Tully added.
Qantas’ Mystery Flight Experiences follow its Flight to Nowhere (when domestic border closures were at their peak) and Flight to Somewhere (when initial reopening began last year), which proved extremely popular.
The limited mystery flight experiences will depart from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne to a destination within approximately two hours.
As part of creating a unique on-board experience the flights will include some low-level scenic flybys of key landmarks en route (subject to weather conditions and air traffic control).
Experiences on the ground could include anything from a winemaking course in a premier Australian wine region to a gourmet lunch with musical entertainment on the shores of one of Australia’s tropical island wonders.
Customers will be provided with clues to ensure it is an appropriate outing for their areas of interest and to assist with whether to pack a snorkel or sneakers in their carry-on baggage.
Seats on the Qantas Mystery Flight Experiences go on sale tomorrow for travel in March, April and May.
---------------------------------------------------
COURTESY breakingtravelnews
-----------------
Social Media
Search