Day: March 22, 2024

The Revolution Leader , Sayyed Abdul Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi, confirmed that the missile that targeted Umm al-Rashrash this week was a developed missile that surprised the Israeli enemy and opened a new horizon for the missile force in developing long-range missiles.

Sayyed Abdul Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi, in his speech today about the latest developments and updates on the Yemeni, Palestinian and regional arena, indicated that the missile was able to reach Umm al-Rashrash, bypassing all monitoring and interception techniques possessed by the Americans and the Israelis.

Overcoming American and Israeli technologies in monitoring, jamming and interception was considered a major victory and an important development for Yemen’s military capabilities.

The leader revealed plans of great importance in the future for more effective strikes on the enemy… stressing the continuation of developing military action , operations and the options in that are much more .

Source: Yemen News Agency

ABU DHABI: – Abdullah bin Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi, Minister of Justice, received Paul van Tigchelt, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice of Belgium, along with his accompanying delegation, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi.

During the meeting, both parties discussed means to further bolster judicial and legal cooperation between the two countries.

Al Nuaimi commended the bilateral ties between the UAE and Belgium and their commitment to strengthening collaboration in various judicial fields.

For his part, the Belgian Minister of Justice expressed appreciation to the United Arab Emirates for its consistent cooperation and support regarding extradition requests, as per the agreements signed between the two sides.

The meeting was attended by Antoine Delcourt, Ambassador of Belgium to the UAE, and Judge Abdul Rahman Murad Al Balushi, Acting Assistant Under-Secretary for Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Justice.

Source: Emirates News Agency

SOFIA: Water losses in the water supply and sewerage network in Bulgaria occurs mainly due to the outdated infrastructure, Irena Georgieva, Executive Director of Bulgarian Water and Sewerage Holding, told the Bulgarian News Agency, BTA.

According to the latest data, more than Bulgarian Lev (BGN) 15 billion (US$8.32 bn/ AED30.55 bn) are required to upgrade the overall infrastructure to meet modern European standards, she added.

Her comments were made on the occasion of Friday’s World Water Day. She said the country has to the required measures to benefit from European funding.

‘I also urge the municipalities to get involved in the process of upgrading the water and sewerage infrastructure by applying for different funding,’ Georgieva said.

The renovation is unaffordable for the water utilities ‘who operate the water and sewerage network through the service they provide’, the official pointed out.

They are commercial companies and any investment must be recovered through the price of water, Georgieva said.

The World Water Day is observed on 22nd March every year. “Water for Peace” is the motto of this year’s World Water Day.

Source: Emirates News Agency

QUANG TRI: Vietnam’s central province of Quang Tri is mobilising resources and focusing on solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through natural forest protection and afforestation, according to Vietnam News Agency (VNA).

Quang Tri is one of the six provinces in the north central region piloting the trading of carbon credits, and the financial management of payment agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with a government decree in 2022.

The province currently has five natural forests managed by local communities that are certified for sustainable forest development and management by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). These forests offer ecosystem services in terms of carbon absorption and storage in a total area of 2,145 hectares, providing carbon absorption of 7,000 tonnes a year and storage of about 350,000 tonnes.

During 2023-2025 period, the province earned VND51 billion (US$2 million) from forest carbon absorption and storage services, thanks to its engagement in reducin
g emissions through forest protection. The money is used to pay for forest management and protection, and afforestation. The province has allocated about 20,000 hectares out of over 126,000 hectares of natural forests to more than 100 communities and nearly 1,000 households to manage and protect.

On 19th March, the provincial People’s Committee approved a project on conserving, restoring and improving ecosystem services of carbon absorption and storage of community-managed natural forests. The project will be implemented in the mountainous area in the north of Huong Hoa district by February 2028.

Source: Emirates News Agency

NEW YORK: António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, has stressed the importance of water conservation for maintaining global peace in his message on the occasion of the World Water Day, which is observed today.

‘Action for water is action for peace. And today it is needed more than ever,’ he emphasised.

‘Our world is in turbulent waters. Conflicts are raging, inequality is rife, pollution and biodiversity loss are rampant, and, as humanity continues to burn fossil fuels, the climate crisis is accelerating with a deadly force – further threatening peace,’ Guterres pointed out.

He explained that the planet is heating up – seas are rising, rains patterns are changing, and river flows are shrinking. That is resulting in droughts in some regions, and floods and coastal erosion in others. Meanwhile, pollution and overconsumption are imperilling the availability of fresh, clean, accessible water on which all life depends. Dwindling supplies can increase competition and inflame tensions betwee
n people, communities, and countries. That is increasing the risk of conflict, the Secretary General said.

Water for peace is the theme of this year’s World Water Day, he noted. Achieving it relies on far greater cooperation. Today, 153 countries share water resources. Yet only twenty-four have reported cooperation agreements for all their shared water, the UN chief pointed out.

‘We must accelerate efforts to work together across borders, and I urge all countries to join and implement the United Nations Water Convention – which promotes managing shared water resources sustainably.’

Cooperating to safeguard water can power and sustain peace, Guterres stressed. Water stewardship can strengthen multilateralism and ties between communities, and build resilience to climate disasters. It can also drive progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals – which are the foundation of peaceful societies – including by improving health, reducing poverty and inequality, and boosting food and water security, the Secre
tary General explained.

‘Let’s commit to work together, to make water a force for cooperation, harmony and stability, and so help to create a world of peace and prosperity for all,’ he concluded.

Source: Emirates News Agency