Latest news with #Gazette
Saudi Gazette
2 days ago
- Saudi Gazette
Body of Saudi child found in Trabzon river after 6-day search
Saudi Gazette report ANKARA — Turkish search and rescue teams have recovered the body of Saudi child Faisal Ramzi Al-Sheikh in the northeastern city of Trabzon, six days after he fell into a river while playing near its bank with his father. According to an official statement posted on the Trabzon city website, Faisal's body was found approximately 2.3 kilometers away from the site of the fall, wedged beneath a rock in the riverbed. The discovery was made at around noon on Friday. The Saudi Embassy in Turkey confirmed the recovery, stating that it is coordinating with local authorities and the child's family to complete all necessary procedures. 'Following extensive search efforts, Turkish authorities have retrieved the body of the Saudi child Faisal Ramzi,' the embassy said in a statement. The incident occurred last Sunday, when Faisal slipped into the river during a family outing. Swift water currents and difficult evening conditions had severely hampered the search. Despite the challenges, both official rescue teams and volunteers joined the operation, which lasted nearly a week. News of the child's disappearance had drawn widespread attention and sympathy from Saudi citizens on social media, many of whom had called on local residents and experts to assist in the rescue efforts.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Sheriff's investigators searching for missing Lockport lawyer
CAMBRIA — Niagara County Sheriff's Office investigators are seeking help from the public to locate a missing Lockport attorney. Sheriff Michael Filicetti confirmed Thursday that family members reported Scott Stopa missing earlier this week. They told police that Stopa, 46, has not been seen or heard from since Tuesday. 'Our family is extremely concerned for his safety and well-being,' Stopa's sister Jenny told the Gazette Thursday night. 'No one's heard from him and his phone is at his home.' Jenny Stopa-Ryan said friends and family spent much of the day Thursday looking for her brother. 'We have no idea where he might be. We've been looking everywhere,' his sister said. 'We searched near his home, his office, anywhere we could think of where he might be.' Stopa is a partner at Ben & Stopa Attorneys-at-Law on East Avenue in Lockport. He lives in the Town of Cambria. 'We just want him home safely,' Jenny said. Stopa's online profile indicates that his legal practice is 'family-law focused.' The profile says Stopa 'represents clients in divorce, custody, paternity, and guardianship proceedings.' He is also described as a 'court-certified' child guardian. Filicetti said members of his office's Criminal Investigation Bureau have been working on Stopa's disappearance since the missing person's report was first filed. The sheriff said help from the public may assist investigators. Stopa may be driving a black Jeep Compass with New York license plate LNN-1422. 'Every piece of information helps,' Filicetti said. 'We're asking anyone who may have information to contact our investigators at 716-438-3393.
Saudi Gazette
3 days ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
King Salman and Crown Prince receive letters from Egypt's President El-Sisi
Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman received two written messages from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi concerning bilateral relations between the two countries. The letters were delivered to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Eng. Waleed Al-Khuraiji during his meeting on Thursday in Riyadh with Egypt's Ambassador to the Kingdom, Ihab Abu Seree'. During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the deep-rooted brotherly ties and ongoing cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Egypt. They also discussed issues of mutual interest.
Montreal Gazette
4 days ago
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Frustrated citizens' committee calls for action on homelessness in Milton-Parc
Montreal Politics By A group of citizens in the Milton-Parc area is calling on the city to take a greater leadership role in settling the homelessness situation in the area. The citizens say they are growing frustrated with the lack of progress in addressing the root causes of homelessness that have resulted in an explosion of people living on the street. 'It is frustrating,' said Martin Coles, who speaks for the Comité de bon voisinage Milton-Parc. 'We've talked with various politicians as a committee, and they always respond by saying 'it's very complex,' as if the word complex is a magic word that you can utter and then we'll stop bothering them. We know it's complex, and our response is: Why aren't you doing something about this complex problem?' The group published a report this week that calls for the city to implement solutions, such as expropriating a fenced-off lot of land at the southeast corner of Milton St. and Parc Ave. in order to provide social housing for the community. The group would like to see the city implement culturally appropriate housing in the area that would cater to specific needs of those in the Inuit community, many of whom are regularly living on the street. They are also calling on the city to head up a committee made up of all levels of government and the health-care sector in order to address the root causes of poverty and homelessness. And the report recommends the city redesign the road network in the area to improve pedestrian safety. This isn't the first report to delve into the problems of the area. In 2022, city ombudsperson Nadine Mailloux published a report called Don't Look the Other Way, highlighting a 'glaringly urgent' problem of access to health care and appropriate services. That report detailed prostitution in alleyways, violent altercations, drug consumption and the littering of needles and empty beer bottles in the area. An unsafe situation had led to six vehicular accidents in two years, including one that resulted in the death of Kitty Kakkinerk, a 44-year-old Inuit woman who was struck by a car, and another that resulted in serious injuries. In 2023, Mailloux said there had been some progress, adding the 'city has really received the emergency message.' However, her recommendation for the city to set up a culturally appropriate group home setting for the Inuit population in the area remains unheeded. Coles, too, is urging the city to set up such a space as soon as possible. 'I'm hopeful a solution will be found, and all we can do as a committee is make our recommendations and hope they help,' he said. 'It's all drops of water in the Grand Canyon.' The Gazette reached out for reaction to Luc Rabouin, the mayor of the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough, where the area is located. Simon Charron, a spokesperson for the Plante administration, responded with a written statement acknowledging the report, saying it will be analyzed in the coming months. Speaking for Ensemble Montréal, Benoit Langevin, the opposition party's spokesperson on homelessness issues, said the lack of progress in Milton-Parc is proof the Plante administration has mishandled the file. 'How many reports are we going to have before there is action? This is another example of Projet Montréal buying time while doing nothing,' Langevin said. He said Rabouin has done little as borough mayor to improve the situation, so has little credibility when he promises to address the issue as the Projet Montréal candidate for citywide mayor in the Nov. 2 election. 'It will be part of our vision in the upcoming campaign,' Langevin said. 'Montreal has to increase and adapt its funding in order to be able to address all these issues, like having transitional facilities.' He said an Ensemble Montréal administration, under leader Soraya Martinez Ferrada, would outline clear plans to deal with homeless encampments and emergency shelters.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
In Goa, app-based taxis might finally make an entry — and local cabbies aren't happy
Days after Goa government published draft guidelines to regulate app-based transport aggregators, taxi unions across the state have threatened to stage protests saying the move will pave the way for entry of private app-based taxi aggregators into the coastal state and threaten their livelihood. The draft guidelines 'Goa Transport Aggregator Guidelines, 2025' outline a regulatory framework for app-based taxi and bike taxi operators — including licencing fee, tariffs and incentives. For years, tourists visiting the state have complained that the privately-owned tourist taxis in Goa charge 'extortionate' and 'arbitrary' rates and fleece them. According to the government, the draft guidelines published in the Official Gazette on May 20 will be taken into consideration on the expiry of 30 days from the date of publication in the Gazette. Any objection to the guidelines may be sent to the transport department during the interim period. The guidelines state that an aggregator should on-board only drivers with a valid PSV (private service vehicle) badge and that they 'shall not prevent or disincentivise the driver to on-board with multiple aggregators'. Additionally, an aggregator must ensure a health insurance for at least Rs 10 lakh with financial year 2025-26 as base year and an increment of 5 percent each year. For female drivers, the health insurance shall extend to their parents and children. Crucially, the guidelines state that the aggregator shall 'guarantee that the owner receives at least the fare as prescribed by the government for every journey completed by the passenger'. 'The aggregator shall not make any deductions whatsoever from the fare receivable by the owner… The aggregator shall ensure that all the payments to the owner are settled within 72 hours from the completion of the journey,' it adds. The draft guidelines also list some incentives for aggregators from the government, including a 100 percent waiver of renewal fee if 20 percent of the fleet is driven by female drivers at the time of renewal and a full reimbursement of annual insurance premium paid or Rs 30,000 to the owner of a female driven vehicle that complete 500 trips on apps in a year. Unlicenced operations or violation of licence conditions shall result in a penalty of Rs 50 lakh and blacklisting of the person or aggregator. A violation of fare regulations may result in a penalty of Rs 5 lakh for each instance. According to tourists, the entry of app-based taxi aggregators would bring in competitive pricing, ensure considerably lower fares and help in regulating the taxi market, which is controlled by 'powerful' taxi unions. The local taxi unions have, however, opposed any such moves, saying the private app-based taxi operators would open the floodgates for 'outsiders' from neighbouring states to come, resulting in job losses for local Goan drivers and taxi owners. In 2018, the Goa Tourism Development Corporation launched a state government-backed app-based taxi service – GoaMiles – which was the state's first app-based service. A government official, requesting anonymity, said the draft guidelines will be refined 'based on the suggestions that are received'. 'The guidelines are aimed at facilitating app-based convenience for locals and tourists, improving mobility and access to reliable taxi services and at the same time protecting the interests of local drivers,' he said. But taxi unions have objected to it saying the private app-based taxi aggregators are more suited for metropolitan cities where the volume of traffic is high and proper infrastructure is available to integrate services. 'Goa has a small population and vehicle ownership per capita is high. Our jobs are dependent on tourists, especially in the coastal beach belt. For an app-based service, there will be no demand in the mining belt or hinterland areas. These app-based aggregators will flood the market with a large fleet and onboard drivers from other states and drive us out. The traditional businesses, whether shacks or taxis, must stay in the hands of locals,' Yogesh Govekar, a driver and a member of an umbrella union, the All Goa Tourist Taxi Owners Association, told The Indian Express. 'We will not allow these aggregators to come in. We will come out on the streets and protest. It is a question of our identity and livelihood,' he said. Sunil Naik, President of the North and South Goa Taxi Owners Association, told the media: 'These guidelines are not acceptable to us. They are not properly defined and create a perception that people from across the country will come here and start operating taxis. We are self-made people who have grown up and built our businesses. We are not going to give that all up and start working for a corporation'. A spokesperson for Uber said: 'We believe tourists as much as locals in Goa deserve more mobility choices, and there is already strong existing demand for reliable ride options in the state. This regulatory update makes it possible for platforms like Uber to serve that demand more effectively and responsibly. As we review the draft guidelines in detail, we will submit our formal comments and continue collaborating with all stakeholders to ensure the final framework delivers long-term value for riders, drivers, and Goa's tourism-led economy'.
