Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau attended the 10th anniversary of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir in Toronto on Sunday, hailed the temple as an “architectural masterpiece” and a “place for communal harmony”.
Clad in emerald green kurta and white pyjamas, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau performed pooja at the Mandir and said how deeply Canada values the special relationship with Indian and Hindu community.
The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), which is leading the shutdown in the hills since June 15, had threatened to start a fast unto-death strike and later self-immolation to pressure the state and the central governments to give in to their demand.
The ongoing stir by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) seeking the creation of a Gorkhaland state by carving hill areas in West Bengal has received support from several Nepali groups in the northeast.
Nepalis, who are residents of the eight states in the region, are keenly following developments in Darjeeling and many feel the creation of Gorkhaland would address the “identity crisis” they witness to some extent. Continue reading »
A boat that fuels itself is setting off around the world from Paris on a six-year journey that its designers hope will serves as a model for emissions-free energy networks of the future.
Energy Observer will use its solar panels, wind turbines and a hydrogen fuel cell system to power its trip. The 5 million-euro ($5.25 million) boat heads off Saturday from Paris toward the Atlantic. Continue reading »
Police on Wednesday in Kathmandu arrested a trader for allegedly selling ‘plastic’ rice.
According to Metropolitan Police Range, Kathmandu, Tanka Prasad Sherchan of Sano Bharyang-based Sherchan Brother Pvt Ltd was arrested for further investigation after the rice of RTC brand bought by Swoymabhu police was found to be suspicious.
Police said they would send the rice sample to food lab for examination.
The term ‘plastic rice’ first surfaced in China in 2010. Dubbed the Wuchang rice scandal, Chinese officials unearthed a scam by companies who passed off ordinary rice as premium Wuchang rice by adding flavours to it. The Wuchang rice, known for its unique aroma, is exported to various nations. Chinese traders are believed to have made a huge profit through this scam.
The European Commission has adopted an Action Plan setting out concrete measures to improve the security of travel documents on Thursday. The Action Plan provides clear recommendations for Member States to tackle the phenomenon of travel document fraud and outlines a comprehensive set of actions for the Commission to take. Travel document security is an important factor in the fight against terrorism and organised crime and contributes to improving border protection and migration management.
The Action Plan is targeted at travel documents issued by EU Member States to EU citizens and third-country nationals which are used for identification and border crossing.
In full respect of fundamental rights and data protection rules and division of competences between Member States and the Commission, the Action Plan outlines measures in four key areas: Continue reading »
Belgian political leaders have reached a consensus on Thursday in support of the CETA trade deal between the EU and Canada, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said. Belgium is the last of the 28 member bloc that approves the trade deal.
A signing ceremony on Thursday was cancelled after the French-speaking region of Belgium, Wallonia, hold up the deal.
Prime Minister Michel said they had agreed on an addendum to the deal which addressed regional concerns over the rights of farmers and governments.
There was a lot of talk and debate about Walloon regional government’s concerns about trade dispute settlement courts and safeguards for farmers.
Talks between the federal government and representatives of the devolved governments resumed today and an accord was reached on the final objections.”When this happens Belgium can sign the treaty” PM Michel told a news conference. Continue reading »
A new European border and coast guard force has been officially launched last week at a checkpoint on the bloc’s external border with Turkey in Bulgaria.
The new European Border and Coast Guard Agency will closely monitor the EU’s external borders and work together with Member States to quickly identify and address any potential security threats to the Schengen area. The Schengen area without internal borders is only sustainable if the external borders are effectively secured and protected. EU countries will establish a pool of 1,500 guards and technical equipment to rapidly deploy to countries facing heavy migration flows. Continue reading »
All or nearly all pupils at primary level in 2014 attended foreign language classes in Cyprus, Luxembourg and Malta (all 100.0%), Croatia, Italy and Austria (all 99.9%), Spain (99.5%), as well as in France (99.0%) and Poland (97.7%),according to a study published on Friday by Eurostat on the occasion of the European Day of Languages, celebrated on September 26 of each year.
At EU level, this share stood at 83.7%. In some Member States, young pupils were studying two or more foreign languages, particularly in Luxembourg (83.5%), followed at a distance by Estonia (32.6%) and Greece (28.7%). In contrast, less than half of primary school pupils were studying a foreign language in 2014 in Portugal (36.2%), Belgium (37.0%) and Slovenia (48.4%).
English is the most common foreign language studied at primary level in every EU Member State, except Belgium and Luxembourg, both multilingual countries. The second most common foreign language gives a more varied picture. German, which is the most learnt foreign language in Luxembourg, was the second main foreign language studied by primary school pupils in eight other Member States, with the highest shares of learners recorded in Hungary (20.1%) and Croatia (20.0%). Continue reading »