Latest news with #Declaration
Hans India
4 days ago
- Health
- Hans India
Varanasi youth summit: Kashi Declaration adopted for drug-free society
Varanasi: The Kashi Declaration, affirming a national consensus to treat substance abuse as a multi-faceted public health and societal challenge and suggesting a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, was adopted at the Youth Spiritual Summit here on Sunday. 'If a nation, where 65 per cent of the population is youth, falls prey to addiction, only those who break free from it will be able to build the future,' said Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya. Addressing the Summit, the Union Minister said, 'We have reflected deeply over the last three days across diverse thematic sessions. Based on this collective chintan, the Kashi Declaration is born, not just as a document, but as a shared sankalp for the Yuva Shakti of Bharat.' The Youth Spiritual Summit on the theme Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat culminated at the Rudraksh International Convention Centre in Varanasi with the formal adoption of the Kashi Declaration. Organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the Summit brought together more than 600 youth leaders, representatives from over 120 spiritual and socio-cultural organisations, academicians, and domain experts. The event marked a defining moment in Bharat's journey toward a drug-free society by 2047. This gathering represented a national convergence of youthful energy, spiritual vision, and institutional resolve. The Summit featured four focused plenary sessions exploring key dimensions of substance abuse: its psychological and societal impacts, the mechanics of drug trafficking and supply chains, strategies for grassroots awareness campaigns, and the role of spiritual and cultural institutions in rehabilitation and prevention. These deliberations formed the foundation of the Kashi Declaration, which is a visionary commitment to collaborative action against drug addiction, rooted in India's civilizational wisdom and youth leadership. The Declaration emphasises the integration of spiritual, cultural, educational, and technological efforts to prevent addiction, support recovery, and foster a national culture of sobriety, said a statement. It proposes institutional mechanisms for multi-ministerial coordination, including the formation of a Joint National Committee, annual progress reporting, and a national platform for linking affected individuals to support services.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
DRCongo and M23 rebels to sign ceasefire deal in Qatar
DOHA: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government and Rwandan-backed M23 rebels are set to sign an immediate ceasefire agreement in Qatar on Saturday, according to an official familiar with the negotiations. The deal follows three months of talks in the Gulf nation and forms part of a broader Declaration of Principles aimed at ending hostilities in eastern DRC. 'The Declaration includes an agreement for an immediate ceasefire, outlines a commitment to begin formal negotiations on a comprehensive peace agreement in the near future, and establishes consensus on a mechanism for a permanent ceasefire,' the official said late Friday. The M23, which seized large portions of mineral-rich eastern DRC in early 2025, had pushed for a separate ceasefire deal with Kinshasa after Rwanda signed a peace agreement in Washington last month. The new agreement also includes 'a roadmap for restoring state authority in eastern DRC once a peace agreement is signed,' the official added. Eastern DRC has endured over 30 years of conflict, leading to severe humanitarian crises and mass displacement. The M23's offensive earlier this year resulted in thousands of deaths and the capture of key cities like Goma and Bukavu. Although the front line has stabilised since February, sporadic clashes continue between the rebels and pro-government militias. - AFP
NZ Herald
16-07-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Why the Regulatory Standards Bill matters for property rights
Every member of the United Nations has pledged to uphold the Declaration. Most have embedded property rights into their constitutions. Property rights are a cornerstone of liberal democracy: a principle of Magna Carta, enshrined in the US Constitution, required for membership in the European Union, affirmed by the Canadian Supreme Court and protected in the Australian Constitution. The two major exceptions? Communist states, where the state owns everything – and New Zealand. In 1990, a Labour Government deliberately excluded property rights from the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act. That omission is no accident. It has consequences. Taking property without compensation is not an aberration. It is a recurring feature of New Zealand governance – from settler governments seizing Māori land to modern 'regulatory takings'. Often, Māori land that remains undeveloped is designated as an 'Outstanding Natural Landscape' – in effect, a park – rendering it useless to the owners but still subject to rates. Councils have even sold ancestral Māori land for unpaid rates, often for a fraction of its true value. Now, those who want to continue these regulatory takings urge Māori to oppose the Regulatory Standards Bill – because it lacks a Treaty clause. Yet the bill upholds the Crown's Treaty promise to respect property, restrains the state's claim to unfettered sovereignty, and enforces the citizenship guarantee. It is not only Māori who suffer. Under the Public Works Act, private land is seized for 'public purposes'. Compensation is often delayed or set below market value. Ask the owners of land taken for Transmission Gully or the Waikato Expressway. After the Christchurch earthquakes, homeowners in the red zone were presented with take-it-or-leave-it 'voluntary' buyouts. Those who refused were cut off from basic services. Only years later did the courts rule the red zoning unlawful. These are not historical wrongs. They are present-day injustices. The Regulatory Standards Bill does not create new rights. It simply restates principles that our governments claim to uphold but routinely ignore. Critics say the Cabinet manual offers sufficient protection. But the manual can be amended – or ignored – at the whim of ministers. History shows it often is. The European Union's robust climate policies disprove the notion that property rights and environmental protection are incompatible. The bill should be much stronger. Courts should have the power to strike down legislation that breaches its principles. Governments can ignore it. What message will be sent if the bill is not passed? The critics are not objecting to process. They object to principle. What they oppose is private ownership. Their vision is one of 'collective rights' – where property belongs to the state and citizens live on sufferance. This is not a technical debate. It is a fundamental question: What kind of country do we want to be? The Regulatory Standards Bill proposes six principles that all laws should meet: To most people, this reads like common sense. To the critics, it's dangerous ideology. Our Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, sees the bill – as he sees everything – as a management issue: 'Improving the long-term quality of regulation.' But this is not about better drafting. It's about what we believe: individual liberty – or the tyranny of the majority. Opposing the bill are a who's who of the political class: Much of the bureaucracy, a coterie of activist academics and Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori. Their goal? Unfettered state power. Christopher Luxon wants efficient government. But the real question is not whether government should be efficient. It is whether its power should be limited. If the bill is defeated it will be a licence for the state by regulatory taking to expropriate property; to trample on the principles we helped draft in 1948 and pledged to uphold. It is time we practised what we preach.
NDTV
04-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
4th Of July: Timeline Of Events That Followed The Birth Of America
New Delhi: When Americans celebrate the 4th of July, they commemorate what they believe to be the birth of the United States. July 4, 1776, was the day the colonies declared independence from Great Britain. The signing of the Declaration of Independence was the result of a month-long political process marked by debates, drafts, and key decisions. Here is a look at the timeline of events that led to (and followed) July 4, 1776. June 7, 1776: Call For Independence The first formal step towards American independence came on June 7, 1776, when Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee introduced a resolution in the Continental Congress declaring that "these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States." Congress appointed a five-man committee: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R Livingston, to draft a document that would justify the break from Britain, in case the resolution passed. June 11-28: Drafting The Declaration Between June 11 and 28, Thomas Jefferson drafted what would become the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson's draft underwent several revisions with input from John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. By the end of June, the document was ready for presentation, but Congress had yet to vote on independence itself. July 2: The Vote For Independence The actual decision to break away from Britain occurred on July 2, 1776, when 12 of the 13 colonies voted in favour of Richard Henry Lee's resolution. New York abstained, pending instructions from its provincial convention. In a letter to his wife, Abigail, John Adams predicted that July 2 would be celebrated as the "great anniversary festival." He wasn't entirely wrong, only a little early. July 4: Adopting The Document On July 4, the Continental Congress reconvened to vote on the final text of the Declaration of Independence, incorporating various edits made over the previous days. That morning, the delegates approved the wording. This is the date printed on the first official copies of the Declaration, making it the day most associated with independence, even though the formal break had already occurred two days earlier. The version approved on July 4 was sent to printer John Dunlap, who produced around 200 broadsides single-page printed copies of the Declaration - to be distributed across the colonies. These Dunlap Broadsides became the first published versions of the Declaration and are the reason the date July 4 gained iconic status. July 5-8 On July 5, copies of the Declaration were sent to colonial legislatures, military leaders, and newspapers. The most dramatic moment came on July 8, when Colonel John Nixon publicly read the Declaration for the first time in the yard of the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall). The crowd reportedly erupted in cheers. Public celebrations followed in cities like Philadelphia and New York, where the British royal coat of arms was torn down. August 2 Most delegates did not put pen to parchment until August 2, 1776. That is when Congress had the text engrossed, carefully handwritten on vellum, and presented for signatures. Some members signed later, depending on when they returned to Philadelphia. A few delegates, like New York's Robert R Livingston, never signed at all.
Boston Globe
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Fourth of July celebrations start bright and early in Boston
Led by Mayor Michelle Wu, the procession, including the Middlesex County Volunteers Fife & Drums ensemble, will stop off at the Old Granary Burying Ground, the resting place of Revolutionary War heroes, to lay wreaths on gravesites. Paul Revere, three signers of the Declaration of Independence, and Crispus Attucks, the first colonist killed by British troops during the Boston Massacre, among others, are buried at the site. The reading of the Declaration, formally known as The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, is slated for 10 a.m. from the balcony of the Old State House at 206 Washington St., the same balcony where the founding document was first read to Bostonians on July 18, 1776. Advertisement The Captain Commanding of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts will read the text. The USS Constitution Museum will be open for tours all day and Old Ironsides will set sail at 10 a.m. for its annual voyage from the Charlestown Navy Yard through Boston Harbor to Castle Island. The ship will fire a 21-gun salute when it passes Fort Independence on Castle Island at about 11:30 a.m. Advertisement At 12:30 p.m., the Middlesex County Volunteers Fife & Drums ensemble will take to the Summer Street Stage in Downtown Crossing for a two-hour concert. For those set on snagging the best possible seating for the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade, it's best to get there bright and early. The free concert doesn't start until 7 p.m. followed by fireworks at 9:40 p.m., but folks have been known to get in line as early as 6 a.m. According to Tonya Alanez can be reached at
