Ethical fashion is a phrase commonly thrown around in the fashion world. You may have heard it from American Apparel or your local vintage store. What exactly is ethical fashion and is there a way to be ethical without being labelled as a “hipster”?The answer is YES! Ethical fashion is an approach to the design, sourcing and manufacture of clothing which maximises benefits to people and communities while minimising impact on the environment. Encircled founder Kristi Soomer believes that one great way to minimise the impact of your closet is to actually wear all of the clothes you own most of the time. Encircled embodies the idea of minimalism and designs with the intention of being able to wear one piece multiple ways. Not only is that great for the environment but it’s fantastic for your wallet as well!READ MORE Facebook LEAVE A REPLY Cancel replyLog in to leave a comment Advertisement Advertisement Login/Register With: Twitter
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Shell MGM Energy pull back from fracking environmental assessment
APTN National NewsTwo major oil and gas companies looking to do business in the Sahtu region of the Northwest Territories have decided against an environmental assessment when it comes to fracking.MGM Energy and Shell Canada say that it’s too early to invest the time and money into a review of the highly criticized method.APTN National News reporter Cullen Crozier has more on this story.
Another Indigenous woman mysteriously dies in Toronto
APTN National NewsThree Aboriginal women have died in Toronto in a suspicious manner in recent months.Bella Laboucan McLean was discovered last week after she fell from a high-rise balcony.It’s being treated as suspicious.APTN’s Donna Sound has the story.
Labrador community still dealing with caribou hunt cut
APTN National NewsFrom over 200,000 animals in the 1990’s to less than 30,000 today, the George River caribou heard is a shadow of its former self.In fact, the herd is at a record low.The inuit of Labrador say they want to see the heard re-bound but are feeling the loss of an important part of their diet.APTN’s Ossie Michelin reports.
Canadas racism problem InFocus
APTN InFocus with Cheryl McKenzie:The dialogue continues after MacLean’s magazine outs Canada for its racism problem.It went further by naming Winnipeg as the most racist city in the country.In this edition our guests share their perspective on how racism emerged on this land and how Canada may have nurtured its growth.
Neskantaga First Nation demands Ottawa respect right to clean drinking water
APTN National NewsA remote northern Ontario First Nation is demanding clean water from the federal government.APTN’s Delaney Windigo has this story.
Alberta says it will invest in Indigenous Peoples to build green economy
(Alberta Premier Rachel Notley waves after her government’s swearing-in. APTN/file)Brandi Morin APTN National NewsThe Alberta Minister of Environment said her government is committed to ensuring Indigenous People aren’t left out of plans to kick-start the creation of a green economy.Environment Minister Shannon Phillips stressed Alberta is making a priority of making “meaningful” strides within Indigenous communities on the renewable energy front.She said that the governments’ nation-to-nation relationship ambitions includes building capacity with Indigenous Peoples in order to engage in meaningful participation and consultation.“We remain committed to ensuring that we are building capacity in Indigenous communities so that we can build an energy economy that comprises all of energy, not just oil and gas,” said Phillips.Funding for capacity building spills out into economic opportunities that she said the government wants to ensure Indigenous People have equal access to in the expected renewable energy boom.“What we want to make sure of is, as we build a greener economy, one based on renewable energy that the new economy doesn’t look like the old,” she said. “In that it does not replicate the social and economic exclusion of Indigenous people that we’ve seen for generations in Alberta and that we are actually meaningfully ensuring economic growth, prosperity, and social inclusion throughout our process.”No specific amount of money is set aside as of yet for the task. Phillips said they’re still in talks with chiefs and others within governments on how to move forward. However, she did make mention that conversations on resource revenue sharing are happening.The province recently announced their new climate change strategy bannering itself as a global leader in climate action.Recommendations by an independent review panel included a section on Aboriginal components which Phillips said she fully supports.There are also plans to focus on incorporating Indigenous knowledge into the provinces climate change action plan.“From my department in Environment that has a lot to do with how we ensure that traditional and ecological knowledge is appropriately integrated and used to plan resource development and communities,” said Phillips. “Those are pieces that are very important to my department in environment as we work through a lot of regional planning process and land use frameworks to make sure that not only are we getting the traditional ecological knowledge parts—not only making sure that those are in order—but also to ensure that we’ve got adequate capacity in place for traditional land use, co-managements of natural areas and other ways that we know that we can do better than the previous Conservative government.”Phillips added that she is serious about implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) into her portfolio as mandated to all Alberta NDP MLA’s by Premier Rachel Notley last summer.Phillips is expected to join Notley at the UN climate conference in Paris that began Monday. Phillips said she will be supporting local Indigenous voices at the international level.“Because I think that that’s an important way that Alberta and Canada can ensure that we are moving forward in ways that are respectful of Treaty and respectful of the new economy that we’re all building together.”bmorin@aptn.ca@songstress28
National inquiry hears from one of its own employees
Lucy Scholey APTN NewsThe daughter of Anna Mae Aquash became the first employee of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls to publicly testify on Tuesday.Denise Pictou-Maloney, the inquiry’s community liaison officer for Nova Scotia, spent two hours describing the high-profile case of her mother.Aquash, a Mi’kmaw woman and member of the American Indian Movement (AIM), was found dead on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota on Feb. 24, 1976. Two members of AIM, John Graham and Arlo Looking Cloud, were convicted for her murder. Thelma Rios pleaded guilty to being an accessory to kidnapping.Pictou-Maloney testified how the perpetrators kidnapped, beat and raped her mother before taking a gun to her head. They then lied to AIM members about her murder, alleging that FBI officers killed her.Pictou-Maloney also watched as Amnesty International and the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) publicly supported AIM hero Leonard Peltier, who’s serving time in connection to the murder of two F.B.I. agents. Pictou-Maloney believes Peltier protected Aquash’s killers and was involved in certain incidents leading up to her death. AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde later apologized.“I felt betrayed. I felt alone. I felt hopeless,” Aquash said.Commissioner Michèle Audette made a tearful plea for forgiveness for having previously supported these organizations.“I learned something today,” she said. “I was supporting something without knowing that didn’t respect your mom.”Pictou-Maloney later said she felt justified hearing Audette’s response.“I think we get caught up in the big picture sometimes,” she said. “We’re not focused on the little details that can really make a difference to families.”She and her sister were small enough to sit in the same chair when their father sat them down to break the news of Aquash’s death. But the girls wouldn’t believe their mom wasn’t ever coming home for Christmas again. They knew she was a fighter and assumed she was in hiding.“She was our Wonder Woman,” said Pictou-Maloney.Almost 28 years after she was buried south of the border, Pictou-Maloney and her sister had their mother’s remains dug up from the earth and moved back home. She’s now buried in the Mi’kmaq community of Sipeknekatik.
Local girl charged with setting devastating grocery store fire in Iqaluit
Kent DriscollAPTN NewsPolice have charged an underage female with setting the fire that destroyed one of Iqaluit’s major grocery stores.She is accused of arson and disregard for human life.But she cannot be identified because she is a minor.Reporter Kent Driscoll is in the Nunavut capital.kdriscoll@aptn.ca@kentdriscoll
ExHudbay Minerals security guard to be retried for murder in Guatemala
TORONTO – A former security guard for a Canadian-owned mining company accused of killing an Indigenous activist and leaving another paralyzed will have to face a new murder trial, an appeal court in Guatemala has ruled.The ruling against Mynor Padilla, who was initially acquitted of murder and aggravated assault in April, comes amid an ongoing landmark lawsuit against Toronto-based Hudbay Minerals in Canada.Padilla was charged in the 2009 death of Adolfo Ich and in the shooting of German Chub, who was left paralyzed at a Hudbay-owned mine.Ich’s widow, Angelica Choc, was relieved and heartened by the appeal court decision, said Murray Klippenstein, one of her Toronto lawyers, in a statement on Friday. The acquittal in April occurred despite “damning eyewitness testimony” about the murder as well as ballistic and forensic evidence linking Padilla and other security staff to the shooting, Klippenstein said.The killing and shooting are key parts of an ongoing lawsuit Choc, Chub and 11 other Indigenous Mayan Q’eqchi launched against Hudbay Minerals in Canada. The claims have received global attention as a precedent for holding multinational mining companies liable in their home countries for alleged abuses at mines operated abroad.Hudbay Minerals spokesman Scott Brubacher said Friday the guilty verdict appeared to have been reversed on procedural grounds, but the appeal court refused a prosecution request to substitute a guilty verdict.The company has previously expressed its belief that Padilla was innocent. It has also insisted it was being falsely accused of displaying a pattern of human-rights and environmental abuses, and the claims against it were without merit.Padilla, a former ranking member of the Guatemalan military, was arrested almost three years after Ich’s death even though a warrant for his arrest was issued soon after. He remained on the payroll of Hudbay’s Guatemalan subsidiary until he was taken into custody. It took another three years for a trial that lasted a further two years and from which the public and media were mostly barred, ostensibly for security reasons.The prosecution argued Ich’s killing was an assassination, citing forensic evidence he had been attacked with a machete and shot in the head at close range.The lawsuit against Hudbay Minerals alleges shootings and gang rapes occurred at a mining project once owned by the company. An Ontario court ruled in 2013 the suit could proceed.Klippenstein called the new Guatemalan decision “extremely good” for the plaintiffs. He said their lawyers have been going through about 17,000 internal Hudbay documents the courts in Canada ordered disclosed to the plaintiffs.Examinations for discovery were expected to begin in the coming weeks, while several Guatemalans will be coming to Canada in November to be questioned by Hudbay’s lawyers, Klippenstein said.
Americans borrowed more in November amid solid holiday sales
WASHINGTON – U.S. consumer borrowing jumped 8.8 per cent in November, the most in more than two years, a sign of growing confidence in the economy.The Federal Reserve said Monday that Americans added nearly $28 billion in credit card, student, auto and other debt in November. That brought outstanding consumer debt to a total of $3.83 trillion.And a category of debt made up mostly of credit cards jumped $11.2 billion, the most in a year, to $1.02 trillion. That is the highest level on record, without adjusting for inflation.Americans are increasingly confident in the economy and are willing to borrow more to fund their consumption. Surveys show that consumer confidence reached a 17-year high in November, though it declined a bit last month. And retailers say early reports from holiday shopping have been mostly positive.That represents a turnaround from the first few years after the Great Recession, when Americans paid down — or defaulted — on debts that were run up during the housing bubble that preceded the downturn. But in the past two years, Americans have increasingly been willing to borrow more, particularly in the form of student loans. Auto loans have also ramped up.A new record high for total credit card debt is also a sign of confident consumers. But some analysts worry that consumers are over-extending themselves. With the Federal Reserve likely to raise interest rates further next year, that will likely raise the cost of credit card debt.The Fed’s monthly consumer credit report does not cover home mortgages or any other loans secured by real estate such as home equity loans.A measure of mostly student and auto loans increased $16.8 billion, the most in roughly one year, to $2.8 trillion.Economists track consumer spending closely because it makes up 70 per cent of the economy. Growth topped 3 per cent at an annual rate in the spring and summer, the best six-month pace since 2014.
Kids Night at the FSJ North Peace Museum – Marine Dinosaurs
Registration for this event is limited and mandatoryEvent tickets are $5/child or $10/family and must be purchased in advance. Children must be accompanied by an adult (free).Tickets are available at the museum located at 9323 – 100th StreetMuseum Hours Mon. – Sat. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.FB Event Page CLICK HERE FORT ST. JOHN, B.C – The North Peace Museum is offering Kid’s Night with the focus of the evening on Marine Dinosaurs that were specific to the Peace Region in prehistoric times.If you have ever wondered what creatures lurked below the waters of the Peace Region, join the Museum January 18, 2019, from 7 pm – 8 pm, to learn about marine dinosaurs through video’s stories and more.There will be an opportunity to make a dinosaur related craft that you can take home.
Haryana CEO visits Ggn, takes stock of poll preparedness
Gurugram: With an eye on increasing the voter turnout in the city, Haryana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Rajeev Ranjan visited Gurugram and took stock of the situation. Not only the state election commission is planning to increase the number of voters but also the voter turnout for women. To increase the participation of women, the pink coloured polling stations will be set up in over 1,100 wards in the city. With over two million voters expected to cast their votes, Gurugram is the biggest of the ten Lok Sabha seats of Haryana.Earlier Deputy Commissioner Amit Khatri held a press conference entailing the preparation undertaken by his administration. “Our basic priority this time is to ensure that there is a high turn out of women voters. Not only are we going to make good security arrangements for them but are also exploring other ways by which they can come in huge numbers and exercise their democratic right,” said Khatri. Going further into the details, he stated that a total of 1,113 booths will be set up at 532 locations.
ER urged for Brace Bridge health audit
Kolkata: The Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority has written to the Eastern Railways(ER) to conduct health audit study of Brace Bridge as soon as possible and take remedial measures if needed.The chief engineer of roads and bridges sector of KMDA has stated in its letter to the chief bridge engineer of Eastern Railways that the matter should be treated as urgent to avoid any catastrophe in the bridge. “After the cave-in of the Majerhat Bridge, we had written to the ER requesting them to conduct health audit study of Brace Bridge as early as possible and submit a report in this regard. However, we are not too sure whether the ER has conducted any audit of the bridge till date. So, as per the directions of the minister of Urban Development, Firhad Hakim, we have again written to the ER requesting them to take up any repair or retrofitting of the bridge if they deem so,” a senior KMDA official said. Also Read – Bengal family worships Muslim girl as Goddess Durga in Kumari PujaKMDA has stated in its letter that they are ready to provide technical assistance to ER. Since the cave in of the Majerhat bridge, a major portion of the traffic particularly buses from the Behala side are being diverted over the Brace Bridge while travelling to the heart of the city. Moreover, with the bridge connecting the Port area, goods vehicles, including heavy trucks, also take Brace Bridge so there is huge pressure on the bridge even during the night. Also Read – Bengal civic volunteer dies in road mishap on national highwayKMDA has also written to ER urging them to provide drawings of the Chitpur Bridge as it has undergone modifications from time to time for facilitating the movement of circular railways under the bridge. “We are soon taking up repair of the bridge and before that it is necessary to have in hand the drawing of the changes made earlier so that our engineers have a thorough knowledge of the structure of the bridge,” the official said. The inspection of the bridge by KMDA, state Public Works Department, ER and Kolkata Municipal Corporation in December last year has revealed that it has gone some serious geometrical and structural changes in the past particularly during construction of the Circular Rail project, the height of the old bridge was raised from its original one. KMDA feels that the bridge is in need of some major repairing work on an urgent basis.
BJP wants 10 more days to respond to notice for sharing ‘main bhi chowkidar’ video: CEO
New Delhi: The Election Commission Friday said the BJP has sought 10 more days to respond to a show cause notice issued to a member of its national election committee for sharing an “audio-visual advertisement” titled “main bhi chowkidar hun” on social media without complying with the directions of the poll body.Delhi’s chief electoral officer, in a statement, said, “As regards the show cause notice dated March 26, issued for sharing the audio-visual ad titled ‘main bhi chowkidar hun’ on social media, the BJP has sought 10 days to file a reply.” The poll body had earlier asked the BJP election committee member to submit a reply within three days. Earlier this month, the EC had directed political parties to keep the country’s defence personnel out of election campaigning and not to use their photographs in advertisements. The EC’s Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) had issued a conditional certificate dated March 16 to BJP national election committee member Neeraj “in respect of the said advertisement subject to the exclusion of the clips depicting Army personnel”. In a bid to check violation of the poll code on social media, the EC had earlier asked political parties and candidates to get their digital content certified by the MCMC before posting it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on March 16, launched the “main bhi chowkidar hun” campaign by putting out a tweet that read: “Your Chowkidar is standing firm & serving the nation. But, I am not alone. Everyone who is fighting corruption, dirt, social evils is a Chowkidar. Everyone working hard for the progress of India is a Chowkidar.” He had also tweeted a video that begins with the PM addressing the people saying, “Your chowkidar is absolutely alert.”
V-P calls PNB ‘Premiere national bank of India’ in its 125th year
New Delhi: Punjab National Bank, one of India’s largest public sector banks, celebrated its 125th Foundation day on Friday. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. He released a commemorative postal stamp and coffee table book chronicling the bank’s glorious history. The bank’s leadership team comprising MD & CEO Sunil Mehta, Non-Executive Chairman Sunil Mehta, Executive Directors LV Prabhakar and AK Azad as well as CVO Satish K Nagpal were joined by senior government executives, former PNB CMDs and other members of the Bank. Also Read – Thermal coal import may surpass 200 MT this fiscalSpeaking on the occasion, Venkaiah Naidu congratulated PNB on its continued success and termed it as the “Premiere National Bank of India.” He said, “PNB is an example of what human Enterprise and aspiration can achieve in lasting growth and the difference it can make to the people in the country. PNB began as a Swadeshi bank, run professionally, on Indian money to meet the needs and aspirations of fellow Indians. Through the most testing times, it has retained the trust of its customers, employees, shareholders, regulatory bodies and government.” Also Read – Food grain output seen at 140.57 mt in current fiscal on monsoon boostStressing the need for inclusive growth, he added, “The Indian Banking sector is poised for growth. 36 crore bank accounts were opened under the Jan Dhan yojana. The benefit of this growth must reach the common people.” Addressing the audience on the occasion MD Sunil Mehta said, “I congratulate all the members of the PNB family on the 125th foundation day of the Bank. We are proud of the legacy of our bank and stand committed to realizing the vision of our founding fathers. On this auspicious occasion we reaffirm our contribution towards nation building by serving our customers and the country in the best possible manner.” Punjab National Bank commenced its business operations on April 12, 1895 in Lahore before the partition of the country. The Bank’s founding members comprised of prominent leaders of the Swadeshi movement which included the prominent freedom fighter Punjab Kesari Lala Lajpat Rai. From the opening of the Jalianwala Bagh Committee’s bank account to aiding the rehabilitation of account holders post the partition of the country, the history of Punjab National Bank has always been strongly intertwined with the history of modern India. Throughout the years, Punjab National Bank has weathered various challenges it has faced including the two world wars, the partition and economic downturns. Today, it serves over 110 million customers across the world with more than 7000 branches and employs around 70,000 people. Punjab National Bank has topped the first ever EASE (Enhanced Access and Service Excellence) index this year. The EASE index measures performance of a public-sector banks across 6 themes, including customer responsiveness, credit off-take, responsible banking and Deepening Financial Inclusion & Digitalization. Talking about bank’s resurgence after a lean patch Sunil Mehta said, “Last year was a challenging year for us in PNB. Putting the past behind all PNBians toiled hard to ensure that the bank returned to profitability in just 9 months. Our initiative Mission Parivartan played a crucial role in achieving our goals in no time. I thank all stakeholders who have stood by us all this while. Now we have even higher ambitions and I am sure that we would live up to our reputation and everybody’s expectations.” Aligning itself to the reforms agenda of the Government, PNB has embarked on an ongoing process for continuous self-improvement. The transformational exercise, “Mission PARIVARTAN” launched in June 2017, highlights ten key focus areas for enhanced efficiency, profitability and productivity that preserve the core strengths and stimulate progress. “Mission PARIVARTAN” serves as a guidepost for the Bank to remain focused on the critical aspects that would fuel growth and help drive more profitable businesses through wider reach and sharper execution. The Bank has been taking up various initiatives under Mission PARIVARTAN to revisit, redefine and improve the 3 Ps i.e. People, Processes and Products. Riding on a host of new customer centric initiatives and with the by use of latest technologies in the banking space the bank aims to continue its profitability streak in the coming quarters.
Amazon to verify its drivers using selfies
San Francisco: In a bid to combat delivery-related fraud cases, e-commerce giant Amazon is making a section of its drivers take selfies before resuming their duties for the day in order to record and verify their identities using facial recognition from time to time. For now, the requirement applies specifically to “Flex drivers” — who work as independent contractors for Amazon’s fastest “Prime” deliveries, deliver packages in their own cars and get paid $18 to $25 an hour, The Verge reported on Thursday. Also Read – Thermal coal import may surpass 200 MT this fiscalBy asking drivers to take selfies, Amazon could be preventing multiple people from sharing the same account which could screen out anyone who is technically unauthorised from delivering packages, such as criminals. Prior to asking for selfies, the company notified drivers of the new requirement via the Flex app that their biometric data might be collected to confirm their identity from time to time. Previously, the e-commerce giant has come under fire for making its factory workers meet unreasonably high quotas, forcing them to skip out on bathroom breaks and pee in bottles. Hence in contrast, requiring drivers to take selfies seems like a very small demand, the report said. Also Read – Food grain output seen at 140.57 mt in current fiscal on monsoon boostBack in 2016, global ride sharing company Uber implemented a similar policy that demanded drivers to take selfies before signing into the platform and taking ride requests. However, Uber’s plans failed to pan out as intended after reports surfaced pointing out how transgender Uber drivers were being laid off the company after taking a selfie and having it not match up to previous photos on file, due to being in different points of a gender transition.
Maya, Akhilesh to address joint rally in Jaunpur today
New Delhi: Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati and her Samajwadi Party counterpart Akhilesh Yadav are scheduled to address an election rally in Jaunpur district on Tuesday. It would be a first joint rally of both the leaders in the district. The rally has been organised at the Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University ground. Mayawati is also scheduled to address her second rally at Badohi.
Only Modi can ensure national security: Shah
Balrampur/Dumariyaganj: BJP president Amit Shah Thursday said Narendra Modi should be brought back as prime minister as only he can ensure national security. Shah also accused the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party of favouring certain castes and working for them, and stressed contrary to this, the BJP believes in the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. Wielding the nationalism plank as he addressed multiple election rallies, the BJP chief told people that only Modi is capable of keeping the country safe and teaching terrorists a lesson, as he described Modi as a “man with 56 inch chest”. Also Read – India gets first tranche of Swiss account details under automatic exchange framework He also asserted the BJP government, if voted back to power, will scrap Article 370, which gives special powers to Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP president spell out the central government’s development and welfare projects such as providing free LPG connections, health insurance under Ayushman Bharat, construction of toilets, but it was his emphasis on the national security that drew loudest response from the crowd. He also jeered opposition leaders- from “Rahul baba” to “Akhilesh babu”- alleging the Balakot air strikes caused as much deep sorrow in their offices as in Pakistan because they feared their “vote banks” will be upset with the attacks on terrorist camps in the neighbouring country. Also Read – Trio win Nobel Medicine Prize for work on cells, oxygen “The Modi government has done so much of development work. But if there is one issue for which you have to ensure that Modi returns as prime minister, then it is national security. Only he can ensure the national security,” Shah said at Balrampur. When terrorists from across the border would target Indian soldiers, there would not be any reaction from the then Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh, he alleged, attacking the opposition. Targeting the SP-BSP alliance, he said both regional parties are devoted to casteism and family rule and only worked for development of one caste or another when they ruled Uttar Pradesh separately for over two decades. Addressing an election meeting in Balrampur in support of party candidate Daddan Mishra, the BJP president said, “The SP and BSP are casteist and dynastic parties. When one party was in power, it favoured a specific caste and worked for it. “Similarly, when the second (party) was in power, it favoured another caste. The work of the society took a backseat,” he said. But, on the contrary, he said, “The BJP believes in mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’, and it never asked the caste (of any person) while undertaking developmental work.” They never worked for the development of society, he said, asserting the BJP government under Yogi Aadityanath has been working for the progress of all sections of society since it came to power in 2017. Seeking vote in the prime minister’s name, Shah claimed that Modi had not taken leave in 20 years and worked for 18 hours a day. Taking a dig at rival leaders, he said Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav go on vacation in foreign countries when the weather hots up. Showering praises on Prime Minister, Shah said, “The Modi-Modi slogan, which can be heard across the country, is mot merely an election slogan. This is the blessings of the countrymen on Modiji. The slogan tells that, when counting of votes will take place on May 23, Modiji will be the next Prime Minister.” Shah also alleged that during the tenure of the SP, the BSP and the Congress, the poor people could not afford treatment in absence of money. “Modiji brought Ayushman Bharat Yojana,” he said, claiming that within four months lakhs of people have availed of the benefit of free treatment. “The poor people have got a right to live,” he said. Referring to the law and order situation in the state, the BJP chief said, “Earlier it was the policemen, who were afraid of criminals. But, after Yogi Adityanath came to power, the criminals have started fearing the police and are requesting the cops to arrest them and not kill them in encounters.” He also accused the past governments of the SP and the BSP of turning a blind eye to land grabbers. “After the formation of the Yogi Adityanath government, work of protecting the land of the poor has started. We have also put an end to illegal abattoirs in the state,” he said. “The security of the country is of top priority to us. If a bullet (goli) comes to us from Pakistan, our people will retaliate with a shell (golaa),” he said amid applause from the crowd. Shah also claimed that UP during the Sonia-Manmohan era got Rs 3.30 lakh crore, whereas when Modi became the prime minister, UP got funds amounting to Rs 10.27 lakh crore. The BJP chief also mentioned that it was the saffron party, which gave 10 per cent reservation to the economically weaker sections without disturbing the quota for the backward people. Shrawasti, spread over Bhinga, Shrawasti, Tulsipur, Gainsari and Balrampur assembly segments, goes to polls on May 12 in the sixth phase.
In Pictures: Opening Ceremony of World Human Rights Forum
Marrakech– The 2nd World Forum on Human Rights kicked off, in Marrakech Thursday, with the participation of more than 6,000 people from hundred countries.The forum, which will last till November 30th, is a platform to tackle several issues, including the rights of children, women, disabled people and migrants, in addition to other unresolved issues from the Vienna Conference on Human rights and other issues related to the new generation of human rights.Morocco’s Justice Minister, Mustapha Ramid while delivering the opening speech.José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, former Spanish Prime Minister is one of the Forum’s prominent guestsGrand Chief Derek Nepinak, head of the Assembly of Manitoba ChiefsDriss Yazami, President of the National Council of Human Rihgts (CNDH), greeting Miloudi Moukharik, SG of Moroccan Labor Union (UMT)World Human Rights Forum Brings together hundreds of delegations, representing 90 countries.Significant presence of women in the World Human Rights ForumMorocco’s Minister of Environment, Charafat Afilal talking to the great singer Marcel KhalifaMarcel Khaliafa posing with Salah El Ouadi, the head of Damir MovementFatou Bensouda, general prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.World Forum of Human Rights’ opening ceremony was attended by great number of participants from over 90 countries.