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WA news LIVE: ‘I’m not a quitter’: Mettam responds to ‘catastrophic’ polling that suggests Zempilas should be Liberal leaderInsurgents' stunning march across Syria gained speed on Saturday with news that they had reached the suburbs of the capital and with the government forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country. The rebels' moves around Damascus, reported by an opposition war monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. In their push to overthrow Mr. Assad's government, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian army. For the first time in the country's long-running civil war, the government now has control of only four of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Homs, Latakia and Tartus. The U.N.'s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Saturday called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an "orderly political transition." Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Mr. Assad's chief international backer, said he feels "sorry for the Syrian people." In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria's border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Many shops in the capital were shuttered, a resident told The Associated Press, and those still open ran out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items at three times the normal price. "The situation is very strange. We are not used to that," the resident said, insisting on anonymity, fearing retributions. "People are worried whether there will be a battle (in Damascus) or not." It was the first time that opposition forces reached the outskirts of Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege. The U.N. said it was moving noncritical staff outside the country as a precaution. Syria's state media denied social media rumors that Mr. Assad left the country, saying he is performing his duties in Damascus. He has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia, is busy with its war in Ukraine. Lebanon's Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Mr. Assad's forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that that the United States should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. Mr. Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation a U.N. resolution, adopted in 2015, and calling for a Syrian-led political process, would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections. Later Saturday, foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Mr. Pederson, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit to discuss the situation in Syria. No details were immediately available. Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters were marching toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he added. A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the "final stage" of their offensive by encircling Damascus. HTS controls much of northwest Syria and in 2017 set up a "salvation government" to run day-to-day affairs in the region. In recent years, al-Golani has sought to remake the group's image, cutting ties with al-Qaida, ditching hard-line officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance. Syria's military, meanwhile, sent large numbers of reinforcements to defend the key central city of Homs, Syria's third largest, as insurgents approached its outskirts. The shock offensive began Nov. 27, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria's largest, and the central city of Hama, the country's fourth largest city. Opposition activists said Saturday that a day earlier, insurgents entered Palmyra, which is home to invaluable archaeological sites had been in government hands since being taken from the Islamic State group in 2017. To the south, Syrian troops left much of the province of Quneitra including the main Baath City, activists said. Syrian Observatory said government troops have withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces and are sending reinforcements to Homs, where a battle loomed. If the insurgents capture Homs, they would cut the link between Damascus, Mr. Assad's seat of power, and the coastal region where the president enjoys wide support. The Syrian army said in a statement that it carried out redeployment and repositioning in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints came under attack by "terrorists." The army said it was setting up a "strong and coherent defensive and security belt in the area," apparently to defend Damascus from the south. The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since conflict broke out in March 2011. The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, meeting in Qatar, called for an end to the hostilities. Turkey is a main backer of the rebels. Qatar's top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Mr. Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the country's underlying problems. "Assad didn't seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people," he said. Sheikh Mohammed said he was surprised by how quickly the rebels have advanced and said there is a real threat to Syria's "territorial integrity." He said the war could "damage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgency" to start a political process. This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writer Zeina Karam reported from London. Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria and Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad contributed to this report.jili games .com 。

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes a mix of commentary online and in print each day. To contribute, click here . ••• FBI background checks have been the gold standard for clearing presidential cabinet picks for decades and should retain that status. That’s why three Upper Midwest senators merit commendation for stressing this high-caliber vetting’s importance for President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet nominations. The recent commonsense, bipartisan pushback from Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D, and Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., reflects well on the region and hopefully will be noted and acted upon by the incoming administration. The Midwestern trio’s conscientious call comes on the heels of CNN’s recent report that Trump’s transition team is “bypassing traditional FBI background checks for at least some of his Cabinet picks while using private companies to conduct vetting of potential candidates for administration jobs.” The main rationale, according to CNN’s sources: the FBI’s clearance can take time. Of course, there’s another obvious downside: an exhaustive and thorough process can also turn up embarrassing information. But that’s the whole point of clearing nominees through the federal government’s top law enforcement agency before officially nominating them. Not following the precedent can actually require far more subsequent time if a nominee gets derailed by questions about character or conflicts of interest. As Matt Gaetz’s failed nomination for U.S. attorney general just illustrated, Republicans’ control of the U.S. Senate is no guarantee that questionable nominations will sail through that chamber. If the Trump team thinks the FBI process is too slow, consider the time wasted on the Gaetz nomination and the need to restart the process with another nominee. On Sunday, Klobuchar laudably made a forceful case for continued FBI vetting on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday morning news show. “We require these background checks of DEA agents — drug enforcement agents. We require them of first-time prosecutors for the federal government,” she said on the show. “Why wouldn’t we get these background checks for the most important jobs in the United States government?” In a follow-up interview Monday, Klobuchar said that FBI clearance has been the standard since former President Dwight Eisenhower’s administration. She noted that some of these jobs involve national security, which underscores the need to ensure unquestioned integrity. She also pointed out that there shouldn’t be a double standard that requires employees of these agencies to undergo FBI vetting but not people holding the top jobs: “You can’t say ‘Oh you have to have one but I don’t.’ ” Klobuchar fortunately has company from several Republican senators. North Dakota’s Cramer and South Dakota’s Rounds are among those who have spoken out about FBI background checks’ importance. Cramer has accurately noted that the FBI has wider access to information gathered by law enforcement than private companies. “If you wanted to supplement it with a private firm, I’d say OK. But the FBI does have access to information that probably a private firm wouldn’t have, even a really good savvy one,” Cramer said in a recent report in The Hill. Rounds has said that “not having the FBI conduct background checks for high-level nominees by the time Trump formally appoints them next year ‘would come under scrutiny at the congressional level,’ " The Hill reported. Two other Republicans , Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, have also admirably stressed the importance of FBI background checks for incoming cabinet picks. Richard Painter , a University of Minnesota law professor and former chief White House ethics lawyer during President George W. Bush’s administration, is also sounding the alarm about foregoing FBI background checks. Painter said the agency’s vetting remains the “gold standard” and that previous administrations have run into trouble when ignoring that. That includes the president that Painter served. During Bush’s second term, the former president nominated Bernard Kerik to lead the Department of Homeland Security before the FBI had conducted a background check. That nomination quickly collapsed after concerns surfaced about a nanny who may have been in the country illegally and alleged nonpayment of taxes related to the caregiver’s employment, according to a 2004 New York Times story . Kerik also faced “questions about his connections to a New Jersey company suspected of having ties to organized crime.” In an interview, Painter stressed that private firms’ background searches aren’t a substitute for the FBI’s work. The FBI likely has “an enormous head start” on private firms when it comes to information collection, “particularly on people who might be a national security risk,” Painter said Monday. In addition, Painter pointed out another reason why the FBI’s work may be more accurate and thorough than an outside firm. “If you lie to the FBI, anybody who they ask questions of, lies to the FBI, that’s a criminal offense,” Painter said. “You lie to a private company, what can they get you for? Nothing.” The collective fortitude of Klobuchar and her Senate colleagues is timely, and certainly appropriate. It’s also not without some risk because it could draw Trump’s ire. That could make them targets of mean-spirited presidential social media posts and create headwinds for legislation they carry. Republicans speaking out could also face a Trump-backed challenger in a future primary. That these senators are asking tough questions anyway suggests that Congress’ upper chamber continues to take its historic “advise and consent” role seriously and that traditional guardrails on the executive branch’s power are holding. That’s a reassuring sign that the checks and balances designed by our nation’s forefathers are working as intended.

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Participants from both public and private institutions also participated as key stakeholders in the successful implementation of the “Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation (ASCENT)” project. The workshop aimed to raise awareness about the project's objectives and foster collaboration among stakeholders to ensure its success. The ASCENT is a $ 400 million Government of Rwanda project funded by the World Bank/International Development Association (IDA) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to support Rwanda’s goal of achieving universal energy access. The project will be implemented by BRD and Energy Development Corporation Limited (EDCL). BRD part of the project focuses on increasing access to off-grid electricity, clean cooking solutions, and productive uses of energy (PUE) in 30 districts across the country. ALSO READ: Rwanda needs $1.5bn to achieve universal energy access by 2029 According to Philbert Dusenge, the ASCENT Project Coordinator at BRD, the project will invest $27.5 million (part to be implemented by BRD), focusing on providing off-grid electricity to remote areas, clean cooking solutions, and PUE. He explained that the project operates under a result-based financing model, where contracted ESCs will distribute technologies like solar home systems, PUE technologies, and clean cooking products. The project also offers a line of credit facility to ESCs directly through BRD or on-lending through PFIs. Subsidies will be offered to address the affordability of these technologies, enabling Rwandans to access improved energy solutions that help mitigate climate change by reducing emissions and deforestation, he said. He also highlighted the project’s focus on small businesses, such as restaurants, in transitioning from harmful cooking methods like charcoal to clean cooking technologies. The PUE component will help small businesses access affordable technologies like irrigation systems, which will enable them to continue farming and generate income even when seasonal Rains are inconsistent, Dusenge added. BRD will oversee technical assistance, institutional capacity-building, and project implementation support through its various subcomponents. ALSO READ: 70% of industrial parks operational as gov’t woos more investors The Environmental Risk Management Specialist for the ASCENT project, Lydie Pacifique Igiraneza, emphasised the aims of the project to reduce emissions and improve environmental health while highlighting the importance of grievance redress mechanisms. We anticipate grievances from beneficiaries regarding product malfunctions, eligibility issues, or product non-receipt and to address this, ESCs are required to set up call centres with toll-free numbers to resolve complaints. Additionally, financial institutions involved in the credit facility must also implement grievance mechanisms to address concerns from their clients, she said. Igiraneza also pointed out that the project's distributed products may generate electronic waste (e-waste), which could harm the environment if not properly managed. We have put in place an environmental code of practice to ensure compliance with regulations on safe e-waste management. Only certified entities will handle the collection, treatment, and disposal of e-waste to prevent environmental harm, she stated. She emphasised the need to maximise the positive impacts of the project while minimising any negative effects through careful management of both social grievances and environmental risks. ALSO READ: Lawmakers propose clean cooking solutions for schools to check firewood use Aphrodise Uwiragiye, an Engineering Risk Analysis Specialist at the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA), believes that the ASCENT project is beneficial as it will enhance staff capacity and improve the quality of inspections. This project will support us in conducting our routine inspections more effectively, ensuring that consumers receive high-quality solar home systems,” he stated. He also emphasised RICA's crucial role in regulating the project while also advising importers to always seek an import permit before bringing products into Rwanda to ensure compliance. No solar home systems can enter Rwanda without RICA inspection and clearance. We ensure that products meet the required standards and regulations, helping to prevent substandard products from entering the market, he added. In his address, Alphonse Kanyandekwe, the acting Director of Engineering and Urban Planning Standards at Rwanda Standards Board (RSB), explained that the ASCENT project aligns with the Government of Rwanda's goal of ensuring universal access to energy. He further reiterated that the Government of Rwanda is exploring means to upgrade the present capacity of the testing laboratory to further reduce the turnaround time from months to a few weeks or even days. RSB is responsible for developing national standards, providing testing services, and certifying products in the energy sector, including those related to off-grid energy, clean cooking solutions, and productive uses of energy, he said. Kanyandekwe addressed concerns about the turnaround and time for results, emphasising that their lab is one of the few in the region capable of conducting these tests, which has improved efficiency despite the high volume of samples received. In the past, testing could take up to eight months due to the complexity of tests required for cooking solutions, such as thermal efficiency and emissions. However, recent improvements have reduced the turnaround time from eight months to about two months, he added.", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jessica Agasaro" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "The New Times", "url": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/", "sameAs": ["https://www.facebook.com/TheNewTimesRwanda/","https://twitter.com/NewTimesRwanda","https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuZbZj6DF9zWXpdZVceDZkg"], "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "/theme_newtimes/images/logo.png", "width": 270, "height": 57 } }, "copyrightHolder": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "The New Times", "url": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/" } }

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