Qureshi happy with aid response to UN appeal

Staff Report

UNITED NATIONS: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the response to UN appeal for rescue and relief efforts in flood-ravaged areas of Pakistan exceeded over 800 million dollars amid expectations of more pledges.

Over the last two days of the UN General Assembly’s special session on Pakistan, the funding in response to a UN appeal for $460 million doubled.

Speaking to reporters in New York, he said the tremendous response to the UN appeal was led by the United States, which doubled its contribution.

The special session was called by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Aug 19 to create awareness among member states about the enormity of the disaster.

According to figures released by the United Nations, $490 million have been committed, while another $325 million have been pledged by governments around the world, leading

Polish parliament honors president

WARSAW: Poland”s parliament met in special session to honor President Lech Kaczynski, his wife, Maria, and other high-ranking Polish officials killed in a plane crash Saturday in western Russia.

Somber tones in the Polish parliament as lawmakers and invited guests filed in for a special session to commemorate those killed in Saturday”s plane crash.

Speaker of Parliament Bronislaw Komorowski led the proceedings and invited representatives from the political parties to read out the names of the 18 lawmakers, who were among the victims.

Nearly 100 people were killed when the presidential plane crashed during its attempt to land in dense fog Saturday near the western Russian town of Smolensk. Among the dead were President Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria, some of the country”s top military officials as well as lawmakers and prominent cultural and religious figures.

Meanwhile, the government continues to function under Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Parliament Speaker Komorowski, who, as mandated by the Constitution, has taken over as interim president. New elections are to be held by mid June.

Federal Cabinet Considers Two Weekly Holidays

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Federal Cabinet Considers Two Weekly Holidays, A special session of federal cabinet has begun to discuss two holidays in a week for all public sector institutions. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is presiding the meeting.

The federal cabinet is also expected to place a massive cut on a daily expenditure of the president, the prime minister, federal ministers and chief ministers of the four provinces under the proposed austerity drive, to be approved in the special cabinet meeting.

The agenda of the special cabinet meeting revealed that the prime focus of the meeting would be on the approval and implementation of austerity measures. According to the agenda, the austerity measures would be introduced to cut government expenses through administrative and management adjustment in the current system.

The other three items on the agenda are the approval of a sugar policy, gas load management plan 2009-10 and the review of paddy procurement in the 2009 Kharif season.

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Federal Cabinet Considers Two Weekly Holidays was first posted on November 4, 2009 at 3:57 pm.

If Current Parliament Fail Then Future Parliament Would Be Failed: PM

PAKISTAN, ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that no future Parliament would be succeeded in the country if the sitting one failed to perform its duties.

Addressing a special session of the National Assembly held Thursday in connection to Independence Day celebrations, the PM said that the parliamentarians crossed the bloodbaths to bring the country where it is at present.

He facilitated the judiciary saying that it has acquired its rights in result of its struggle.

The PM asked the parliamentarians not to mind the criticism by the media.

“We should be thankful to the media on their criticism instead of minding it. We are seeing a lot of criticism at present but I hope soon the media will start understanding its due responsibility.”