Host and organisers: The APPG for British Sikhs, UNITED SIKHS , British Organisation for Sikh Students (BOSS) and Sikh PA are pleased to invite you to attend the Jaswant Sikh Khalra Memorial Lecture via zoom.
You may watch a trailer on the event at link below:
Topic: Jaswant Singh Khalra Memorial Lecture 2020: Dispelling the Darkness of Injustice
Time: Nov 3, 2020 06:30 PM London
2020 Marks 25 years since the revolutionary Jaswant Singh Khalra was abducted and disappeared by the Punjab police. In his memory, UK Sikhs are organizing an event to commemorate Khalra’s human rights work, fierce spirit and resistance against the state oppression.
The event will comprise an address by the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion or Belief, a Memorial Lecture on the continuing work of Khalra and the UK launch of the highly anticipated book on Khalra’s life “The Valiant”.
Shortly before the General Audience in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, Pope Francis bestowed the pallium on His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the new Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.
A note from the Holy See Press Office on Wednesday evening said the short, simple and highly symbolic ceremony took place in the Santa Marta Chapel in the Vatican.
According to Canon Law (CIC can 437), within three months from the reception of episcopal consecration or if he has already been consecrated, from the canonical provision, a metropolitan is obliged to request the pallium from the Roman Pontiff either personally or through a proxy.
It represents the power which the metropolitan has by law in his province, in communion with the Roman Church.
Pallium is the Latin word for mantle or cloak. It is a woollen band that is bestowed by the Pope upon the shoulders of Metropolitans or Primates as a testimony of their communion with the Bishop of Rome and their mission to spend their lives for the flock, imitating the Good Shepherd carrying His sheep on their shoulders.
The pallium also signifies the power which the metropolitan, in communion with the Roman Church, has by law in his own province.
On 24 October 2020, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Pizzaballa as Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, making him the 10th Patriarch since the reestablishment of the Latin Patriarchate in 1847.
In greetings to his diocese, Patriarch Pizzabella said: “The pallium reminds us that we have chosen in Baptism to take upon us the yoke of Christ, the weight and glory of the Cross, which is love given to death and beyond.”
UN Video | Secretary-General António Guterres video message on World Cities Day
“Cities have borne the brunt of the pandemic”, said Mr. Guterres.
“With the pandemic often overwhelming public health and support services, communities have organized to keep their neighbourhoods safe and functioning, engaging with local and national governments to support the official response”, he added.
Neighbours shopped and cooked for the sick and elderly, residents cheered health workers, and local volunteer and faith-based groups supported the vulnerable, across the world. Communities also came together, formed self-help networks, developing apps to link up those in need, with those offering help.
“Communities are innovative, resilient and proactive”, said Mr. Guterres.
In addition, with forecasts predicting that around 68 per cent of the world’s population will be living in urban areas by 2050, up from the current 55 per cent, the UN chief highlighted that communities will be all the more important for the rapidly urbanizing world to respond effectively to the pandemic and prepare for future infectious disease outbreaks.
“Let us maintain this recognition of their value [and] put our communities at the heart of the cities of the future”, he said.
Communities bring sustainable solutions
In a separate message, Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), also called for utilizing communities’ knowledge and potential.
“We must recognize that communities must be at the centre of designing their own, longer term solutions and we must listen to them as their on-ground experience will help us build resilience and equity in the future”, she said.
“Valuing our communities is an important first step towards the transformational change we need to build back better and build back greener”, added the head of UN-Habitat.
WFP/Karolyn Ureña
A woman in the Dominican Republic receives food from a community kitchen set up to help fight hunger triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The World Cities Day
Designated by the UN General Assembly in 2013, World Cities Day recognizes the significance of urban basic services as a foundation for the overall social and economic development. The Day also ties into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with Goal 11 aiming to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
This year, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the theme of the World Cities Day is “Valuing Our Communities and Cities.”
The 2020 Global Observance, on 31 October, will take place in the Kenyan city of Nakuru – the first time it is being hosted in Africa. The event will be held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alongside, commemorative events will be held across the world, including a special event, on 29 October, supported by the UN World Health Organization (WHO) featuring health leaders and mayors on the urban response to COVID-19. UNESCO will also be hosting an “Urban Dialogue” on 30 October, with the academia, public and private sectors, and civil society.
The World Evangelical Alliance says that Dr. Thomas Schirrmacher is to become its next Secretary General from March 2021 when he takes over from the current CEO Bishop Efraim Tendero.
Steve Chapman: Blame politics for religion's decline
PLACE: Dhaka
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes the generous, multi-year contribution of EUR 14 million (approx. 139 crore BDT) from the European Union (EU), which will support UNHCR’s continued protection and assistance of Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi host communities in Cox’s Bazar. The EU is one of the long-standing donors for UNHCR Bangladesh since 2005.
“In these unprecedented and immensely challenging times, our life-saving and essential work, and the overall humanitarian response in support to the Government of Bangladesh, would not be possible without the EU’s sustained support and commitment to Rohingya refugees and local communities in Bangladesh”, said Steve Corliss, UNHCR Representative in Bangladesh.
Since the mass influx of Rohingya refugees in 2017, UNHCR and other humanitarian actors have been supporting the Government of Bangladesh in delivering a wide range of assistance to the refugees and surrounding host communities, such as the distribution of core relief items and shelters, improvement of water systems, and increasing access to education and health services. The EU has been one of the most active supporters of the response for Rohingya refugees.
“This funding provided to UNHCR is an important contribution to Bangladesh’s continuous generosity and humanity in hosting Rohingya who fled neighbouring Myanmar”, said Ambassador Rensje Teerink, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh. “It is part of the Team Europe global response to COVID-19 in the country to address the refugee crisis worsened by the pandemic”.
This new contribution will support the joint Government of Bangladesh-UNHCR registration exercise, which enhances assistance and protection of the refugees in Bangladesh, ensuring efficient access to aid and targeted protection for those with specific needs. The contribution will also support camp management, promote the empowerment of refugees and host communities, enhance peaceful co-existence between the communities, as well as support the COVID-19 response, including mitigating the socioeconomic impact of the virus in Cox’s Bazar.
EP’s negotiators made a breakthrough proposal on Wednesday on the critical issue of how to count the costs of common debt in the next long-term EU budget. Council has rejected it blindly.
“Despite being largely left out of the decision to set up the EU Recovery instrument, Parliament has agreed that the costs of the new debt will be borne by the Union budget.
However, Parliament believes that such costs should be counted above the stringent ceilings of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). Otherwise, they enter in competition with regular Union programmes. This is due to the top-down approach of the Council, which consistently sets overall MFF ceilings at a level closer and closer to 1% of the EU’s GNI. When repayments of the principal of recovery debt kick in after 2027 (more than 15 billion euros per year), this would be the end of the Union budget as we know it”, EP’s budget negotiators said.
“In 2021-2027, counting NGEU (‘Next Generation EU’ recovery instrument) costs above the ceilings would have released 12.9 billion euros within the ceilings for topping up flagship expenditure programmes, as requested by Parliament.
Tonight, we offered the Council to count the NGEU costs above the ceilings, but without redistributing the 12.9 billion euros to the flagship programmes. This would leave a significant unallocated margin that would be very welcome to finance unforeseen needs in the coming years, given the troubled times we are going through. Council would retain full control over whether this margin is used or not for additional expenditure in the future”, the MEPs added.
“The Council has blindly refused to consider this possible breakthrough, arguing once again that this was touching a ‘red line’ set by the European Council summit of July 2020. Parliament has a negotiating mandate; Council has a series of red lines.
It would not change any of the ceilings set by the Heads of State and Governments;
It would not directly translate into additional expenditure if Council does not agree with it;
It would not be in contradiction with the specific part of the conclusions dealing with interest payments (paragraph 74), which says nowhere explicitly that those should be counted within the ceilings.
Therefore, it is clear that our proposal does not, as Council says, ‘reopen the agreement of the Heads of States and Governments’. Instead, Council invents new ‘red lines’ for itself along the way. At this stage of the negotiations, and in the current context, this is irresponsible”, the negotiating team concluded.
The EP’s negotiating team for the next long-term EU budget and Own Resources reform
“Scientologists @ home” showcases the many people across the globe who are staying safe, staying well and thriving in life.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, October 28, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ — Pamela whips up waffles with a protein-packed punch, topping off her creation with a healthy dose of fresh berries. Think of it as healthy comfort food.
After a hiatus, Giuseppe’s deli is back in business. He’s serving up the same pasta and antipasto, with a sanitation station on the side. Through this challenging time, whether behind a mask or not, he’s still smiling.
Brad is a martial arts master. He is also a teacher. Since he can’t work with his students in person, he’s guiding them online.
What do they have in common? They are Scientologists and they are sharing their stories of how to stay upbeat and make the most of these challenging times. They also share their favorite Scientology books and explain how they give them the tools to stay extroverted and happy.
New videos are published daily on Scientology/Daily Connect on the Scientology website and cover a broad gamut of interests and locales but each is a microcosm of the way the pandemic has affected us all.
Scientology/Daily Connect was created as part of a program to ensure we all make it through the pandemic safe and well. As soon as the pandemic began, the most effective measures were researched for ensuring the safety of Scientology staff and parishioners, and these were implemented internationally as protocols under the direction of Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige.
To make this prevention information broadly available, the Church of Scientology created more than a dozen videos and three educational booklets: How to Keep Yourself & Others Well, How to Protect Yourself & Others with a Mask & Gloves and How to Prevent the Spread of Illness with Isolation. These are all available in 21 languages on the How to Stay Well Prevention Resource Center on the Scientology website.
Since May, Scientologists have distributed 5 million copies of these educational booklets in communities around Scientology Churches and Missions across the globe.
Peter Davies, Vanessa Furze, Josh McInnes, and St Francis Xavier Catholic School’s Lachie Ross, Chloe Mainland, Thorfinn Mainland, Kate Mainland, Karien Schutte, Madison Macmillan with the new book.
SUP261020NADoscarbook.JPG The Northland Rescue Helicopter’s fifth book Oscar’s Wild ‘n’ Windy Rescue
The Northland Rescue Helicopter is releasing its fifth children’s story book in time for its 2020 annual fundraising appeal with all proceeds going to the Northland Emergency Services Trust.
Oscar’s Wild ‘n’ Windy Rescue follows brother and sister duo Ollie and Tia as they explore Cape Reinga when some wild weather and daring antics puts them in a spot of bother.
Luckily, the Northland Rescue Helicopter’s new chopper, Oscar, Chief Pilot Tama and Paramedic Poppy are not too far away.
The fifth instalment in the rescue service’s series of books follows the success of Cheeky Charlie to the Rescue, Mighty Mike to the Rescue, Lima Leaps to the Rescue, and Juliet to the Rescue. All books are illustrated by Auckland artist Tony McNeight.
Oscar’s Wild ‘n’ Windy Rescue has been launched during the Northland Rescue Helicopter’s annual fundraising campaign which runs until mid-December.
Vanessa Furze, general manager at Northland Rescue Helicopter, said like many charities the rescue chopper service relies on community events to raise funds throughout the year and due to Covid-19 disruptions the majority of these were cancelled.
“This year’s fundraising appeal is more important than ever. The air ambulance service is not fully funded by the government and requires additional funding from the Northland community,” Furze said.
Since established in 1988 Northland Rescue Helicopter has flown more than 21,000 people to safety. In September alone, the service attended 116 missions. This year is on track to overtake 2019 with 779 rescue missions so far, compared to 702 this time last year.
The Northland Rescue Helicopter’s fifth book Oscar’s Wild ‘n’ Windy Rescue.
“With the influx of holiday makers to Northland and locals taking breaks in their own backyard, the summer is our busiest time of year and demand for our choppers is likely to be higher than ever,” Furze said.
The new book introduces new chopper Oscar and incorporates elements of te reo as an educational component as well as reflecting the influence and importance of Māori in Northland.
“Setting the book in Cape Reinga is also a chance to showcase yet another beautiful part of Northland as well as educate children about the historical and cultural importance of the region in a fun and exciting way,” she said.
“Like the previous books, we expect Oscar’s Wild ‘n’ Windy Rescue will be just as popular with parents as it will be with kids. Not only are the books a way to raise money for Northland’s dedicated air ambulance, they are also an opportunity to raise awareness about the lifesaving work our team does.”
The story also has an underlying safety message about the importance of sticking to the tracks and being cautious of Northland’s unpredictable weather conditions, especially when near the water.
Buy Oscar’s Wild ‘n’ Windy Rescue at www.nest.org.nz/bookstore with all proceeds going to Northland Rescue Helicopter.
More FM is also holding a 12-hour All-Day Breakfast show on Friday, October 30, with hosts John, Flash and Toast locked in its Northland studio from 6am to 6pm to raise funds for the Northland Rescue Chopper.
(Photo: REUTERS / Navesh Chitrakar)A journalist draws a cartoon during a candle light vigil organised by the Federation of Nepalese Journalists to pay tribute to victims of Wednesday’s shooting by gunmen at the offices of French weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, in Kathmandu January 9, 2015. Armed and masked anti-terrorism police swooped on woodland villages northeast of Paris on Thursday in a manhunt for two brothers suspected of being the Islamist gunmen who killed 12 people at the French satirical weekly.
Pope Francis has expressed his sorrow and offered prayers for a “savage attack” in at a church in the French city of Nice in which three people were killed in a knife attack described as a “terrorist incident” and which was denounced by the French president.
The attack took place in the Basilica of Notre Dame on Oct. 29 in which an elederly person’s throat was slit.
It occurred in the city of on the Mediterranean coast during a time of mounting heightened tensions in France over radical Islamism, secularism and freedom of speech.
President Emmanuel Macron denounced the “Islamist terrorist attack” at the Notre-Dame basilica after visiting the scene in the southern city, the BBC reported.
World Council of Churches interim general secretary Rev. Ioan Sauca expressed solidarity with the churches and people of France, and condolences to the families of the victims,
“Following the horrific killing of teacher Samuel Paty earlier this month, these atrocities demand a renewed search for an effective response to the phenomenon of violent religious extremism, not only in France, but in the many countries around the world that continue to be afflicted by it each day.”
“There can be no legitimate religious justification for this brutality, and any and all attempts to justify such attacks on religious grounds must be categorically denounced.”
One elderly victim who was praying was “virtually beheaded”. Another woman and a man also died. A suspect was shot and detained shortly afterwards.
The sexton, a lay member of staff responsible for the upkeep of the church, aged in his late 40s or early 50s and with two children had his throat cut while preparing for morning mass, said Gil Florini, a Catholic priest in Nice, Reuters news agency reported.
MAN BEHEADED
The main beheaded an elderly woman, and badly wounded a third woman, according to a police source.
The attack came just weeks after Samuel Paty, a high school teacher, was beheaded in a terrorist attack in Paris.
Two other attacks were carried ou on the same day in France and Saudi Arabia.
A man was shot dead in Montfavet near the southern French city of Avignon after threatening police with a handgun.
Separately, a guard was attacked outside the French consulate in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. A suspect was arrested and the guard taken to hospital.
“Informed of the savage attack that was perpetrated this morning in a church in Nice, causing the death of several innocent people, His Holiness Pope Francis joins in prayer with the suffering of the families who were affected and shares their sorrow,” the pontiff said in a message to Bishop André Marceau of Nice.
“Condemning such violent acts of terror in the strongest possible way, he assures the Catholic Community of France and all the French people of his closeness and he calls for unity,” said the message.
Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi spoke of “Islamo-fascism” and said the suspect had “repeated endlessly ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is greatest).”
Police did not initially impute a motive for the NIce attack.
It followeed days of protests in some Muslim-majority countries triggered by President Macron’s defence of the publication of cartoons that depicted the Prophet Mohammed which in turn trigged calls in some countries for a boycott of French goods.
Four years ago Nice was wracked by another terror attack, on the Frnech national dday on July 14 when a Tunisian man drove ploughed his struck into crowds, killing 86 people.
/cloudfront-ap-southeast-2.images.arcpublishing.com/nzme/2JNCC7KCMDXC7X3Y5CXPDVRSSI.jpg?w=696&resize=696,0&ssl=1 "Northland Rescue Helicopter introduces now chopper Oscar in fundraising book")
