Latest news with #HRCE
Hans India
2 days ago
- Health
- Hans India
After plastic found in dead elephant's belly, TN forest division flags open waste dumping
After the death of a female wild elephant that ingested plastic waste, the Coimbatore Forest Division in Tamil Nadu has issued a stern appeal to local bodies to immediately stop dumping garbage along forest fringes. The elephant, which was found dead near the Maruthamalai foothills recently, had reportedly consumed plastic bags and leftover food from an open dump yard. Forest officials and wildlife activists have since blamed poor waste management practices by nearby civic bodies for drawing wild animals to human settlements, thereby intensifying human-wildlife conflict in the region. 'Open dumping is hazardous to animal health and increases the chances of dangerous human-animal interactions,' said a forest department official. Letters have been sent to the Block Development Officers (BDOs) of Periyanacikenpalayam and Thondamuthur, urging immediate action to halt garbage disposal along forest boundaries and clear existing waste to safeguard wildlife. Officials warned that once wild elephants locate dump yards as food sources, they are likely to return repeatedly. 'Leftover food waste, especially with high salt content, poses serious health risks to elephants,' the official added. While the forest department has called for urgent corrective measures from civic agencies, farmers in the region have voiced frustration over the department's inability to prevent wild elephants from straying into agricultural lands, even those situated far from forest areas. In response, forest authorities have intensified patrols in vulnerable zones. 'We have deployed night staff to monitor and deter elephant movement near the old dump yard in Maruthamalai,' said a range officer. Additional surveillance is being carried out in areas, including Pannimadai, Veerapandi, Varapalayam, and Thadagam, to prevent elephants from foraging in human settlements. The department is also working alongside NGOs, volunteers, and staff from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HRCE) Department to launch awareness drives. A major anti-dumping campaign is scheduled for June 5 to coincide with World Environment Day. Forest officials emphasised the need for a coordinated effort between civic bodies, residents, and wildlife authorities to prevent further loss of wildlife due to negligence and promote safer coexistence between humans and animals.
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
2,00,001-acre boundary stone to mark temple lands under purview of HR&CE department installed
CHENNAI A boundary stone to mark the 2,00,001 acres of land belonging to temples under the purview of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department in various parts of Tamil Nadu, was symbolically installed on Wednesday near Sriperumbudur. Ministers T.M. Anbarasan and P. K. Sekarbabu jointly placed the stone on the land belonging to Sri Valleeswarar temple in the presence of officials, including Kancheepuram Collector Kalaiselvi Mohan, an official press release here said. The project to mark lands belonging to temples was inaugurated at Kapaleeswarar temple on September 8, 2012. All the stones have the text HRCE engraved on them. A total of 40 tahsildars and 172 licenced surveyors using 36 DGPS rovers have been identifying and marking the lands. The 1,00,001-acre stone was kept on January 25, 2023 at Tiruvallur on the land belonging to Sri Bhavani Amman temple at Periyapalayam, the release said.
CBC
04-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Some N.S. parents have trouble accessing literacy tutors for their children
Demand for literacy tutors is on the rise in Nova Scotia, but several factors are making it difficult for some parents to get their children the assistance they need. Nicole Conrad, a psychology professor at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, co-authored a research article published earlier this year that found financial constraints and long waits are among the obstacles parents face in trying to secure tutors for their children. She said her interest in the topic started when she noticed how many parents were commenting in Facebook groups about searching for help for their kids. "They were posting information about why they were looking for tutors and the difficulty they were having to find tutors. And I just thought it seemed like an overwhelming number of parents," she said. Affording a tutor Some parents interviewed for the research said hiring a tutor for their children meant making sacrifices. Tirsa Finlay of the Links Literacy Program at Chisholm Services for Children in Halifax says their program works to ensure that money doesn't stand in the way of families trying to access tutoring services. "A lot of the kids that need literacy support, their families can't afford it," Finlay said. "So, that's why we work hard and we work with the HRCE [Halifax Regional Centre for Education] and the Department of Education to find ways that we can offer that at a low cost or free." But little to no cost isn't always a given. Some parents paid up to $7,000 a year for their child to go to private tutoring businesses, Conrad's research found, and some paid rates ranging from $30 to $100 an hour for independent tutors. The expense can make accessing tutoring services especially difficult for low-income families, particularly those in rural areas who don't have affordable services like Links Literacy. "Just yesterday I received a call from someone in the [Annapolis] Valley looking for literacy support for a student in Grade 1," said Finlay. Finlay said that although they are expanding their program, they are not yet offered everywhere. Long waits for private literacy services have also posed problems for parents. Some were told they could be waiting for up to five years, according to the research. Demand for tutors amid curriculum changes Conrad said her research shows that some parents believe the literacy education their children receive in schools is inadequate, driving the demand for tutoring. "The parents had children who were struggling to learn to read and they didn't seem to be getting the support that they wanted to get from the school that their child was in," she said. Provincial assessments from 2022 showed that reading scores were below the grade level for nearly one in three students in Grade 3. Despite the difficulties in accessing tutors, Conrad found that parents took the initiative to ensure their children could build literacy skills. "The parents here seem to be very strong advocates for good literacy instruction and wanting that for their kids and that was really lovely to see," said Conrad.
CBC
24-04-2025
- CBC
Teen charged after allegedly threatening to bring weapons to Halifax high school
Social Sharing Halifax police say a 16-year-old boy has been charged after allegedly threatening to bring weapons to Citadel High School. A news release said the boy was arrested without incident at his home in Halifax around 3 a.m. AT Wednesday and a number of weapons were seized from the home. The teen is facing charges of possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of a prohibited weapon without a licence, two counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and uttering threats. The boy, whose identity is protected by the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was scheduled to appear in youth justice court Thursday. Halifax Regional Police said they would have a presence at Citadel High School on Thursday to support students and staff. Investigators do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the school and do not believe anyone else is involved in the incident. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) said police contacted Citadel High School administrators on Wednesday with information about a potential threat directed at the school. "As always, the safety of students and staff is HRCE's top priority," wrote Lindsey Bunin. "All potential threats are taken seriously." Bunin said school counsellors are available to students who wish to connect at any time. Citadel High School is located on Trollope Street in the heart of the city. In 2023, it had a student population of 1.530. Police say the investigation is "ongoing and complex."
Al Jazeera
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Are Ethiopia and Eritrea hurtling towards war?
Tensions are again mounting between longtime foes Ethiopia and Eritrea over Addis Ababa's quest for maritime access, causing fears of yet another conflict in the Horn of Africa barely seven years after the two neighbours restored ties. Eritrea has, in recent months, called for young people to sign up for the army, while Ethiopia has reportedly deployed troops to joint border areas. Analysts say those moves could potentially see the two armies come face to face in a conflict. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in a recent statement on X, ruled out conflict with Eritrea to gain access to the Red Sea. Abiy, who has previously said gaining access to the Red Sea was 'an existential issue', stressed that his country wanted to achieve it 'peacefully via dialogue'. But Eritrea has, on its part, struck a harsher tone, and called Ethiopia 'misguided' over border tensions. Here's what to know about the two countries' historically fraught relationship, and why tensions are building again: There has been a build-up of hostilities in recent months. Last September, Ethiopian Airlines, the country's national carrier, was forced to suspend flights to Eritrea after it received a ban notice from Asmara and its bank accounts there were frozen. Officials of the airline said no reasons were given for the ban. Then, in February, an Eritrean rights group, Human Rights Concern Eritrea (HRCE) reported that the Eritrean government was issuing military mobilisation directives to citizens below 60 years old, and was calling up reservists. The group said the announcements represented forced conscription policies in the authoritarian-led country. 'This sudden and unprecedented mobilisation has sent shockwaves through Eritrean society, as it is assumed that the war could be with neighbouring Ethiopia,' HRCE said in its report. 'We call on the United Nations, the African Union, and all concerned governments to intervene and pressure the Eritrean and Ethiopian governments to cease these actions, respect the rights of their citizens, and halt any escalation towards war.' Similarly, according to reporting by the Reuters news agency, Ethiopia deployed troops and tanks on its northern borders with Eritrea early in March. Officials did not give any reasons for the troop build-up there. Conflict in Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray has also signalled escalating hostilities between the neighbouring countries. Political disputes in Tigray, which borders Eritrea, have seen the government there splinter, with one faction reportedly allying with Eritrea. The semiautonomous Tigray region was the epicentre of a civil war that lasted from 2020 to 2022, and that created a humanitarian crisis that saw hundreds of thousands killed, and about three million internally displaced. It was a result of the Ethiopian government's attempts to put down a rebellion by the Tigrayan governing party – the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). Addis Ababa accused the TPLF of trying to dominate the country's federal politics, while the TPLF saw the central government as controlling too much power. Eritrean forces collaborated with Ethiopian troops during the Tigray war, with all sides being accused of severe human rights violations. However, when a peace deal – the Pretoria Peace Agreement – was signed in November 2022 between the Ethiopian federal government and the rebel regional government, Eritrea was not invited to the negotiations. Some analysts believe officials in Eritrea felt slighted, and that the move drove a wedge between the two governments. The fragile peace achieved in Tigray has since come apart as an interim TPLF administration installed after the war split into two factions this year. A dissident faction accuses the interim TPLF government, led by Getachew Reda, of failing to uphold the peace deal agreements, such as returning displaced people to their homes, and of 'selling out' Tigrayan interests in its alliance with the federal authorities. In the latest offensives last week, the breakaway faction, under TPLF chairman Debretsion Gebremichael, seized the major Tigrayan towns of Adigrat and Adi-Gudem amid reports of civilian displacements and injuries. The group also reportedly took over the main radio station in Mekelle, the regional capital. The breakaway faction is also accused of collaborating with Eritrea, although the government in Asmara denies any links with dissident TPLF members. In a statement on Wednesday, the interim TPLF administration sought help from the federal government in Addis Ababa, saying 'the region may be on the brink of another crisis'. General Tsadkan Gebretensae, a vice president in the interim administration in Ethiopia's Tigray region, writing recently in the Africa Report, an Africa-focused magazine, echoed those thoughts. 'At any moment, war between Ethiopia and Eritrea could break out,' he wrote. Eritrea was an Italian colony until 1951, when it fell under British control and became an autonomous part of Ethiopia. In 1962, Ethiopia sought to annex Eritrea, but rebel forces, led by leader Isaias Afwerki, resisted in an armed struggle and secured independence in 1993. In 1998, clashes broke out over disputed border territories, resulting in a two-year war. An estimated 80,000 people were killed, and the conflict broke apart families across borders as all diplomatic ties and interstate communication – transport, phone, and postal networks – were cut. In 2000, a UN-backed peace deal granted the disputed territories to Eritrea, but the deal was never implemented. When Abiy became prime minister in 2018, he immediately moved to end the tensions and normalise diplomatic relations with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, who has ruled since 1993. 'We will demolish the wall and, with love, build a bridge between the two countries,' Abiy had said during his historic trip to Asmara after decades of strife. Soon, communication links were re-established and many families reunited. Flights also commenced between the capital cities of Addis Ababa and Asmara. However, analysts say Eritrea, following its involvement in the Tigray war, was unhappy about being excluded from the peace negotiations. The TPLF main faction and Eritrea remain deeply hostile towards each other, and some reports reveal that Eritrean forces have not fully withdrawn from parts of Tigray, despite the war being over. There is speculation that both countries could turn Tigray into a proxy battlefield. Abiy's ambitions to seek direct sea access for landlocked Ethiopia have also contributed to the tensions. Addis Ababa's access to the port was severed after Eritrea declared independence. Since then, the Red Sea port of Djibouti has been the main trade conduit for Ethiopia, but it is costly – about $1bn annually. In recent years, Abiy has repeated that Ethiopia has a right to sea access, words that officials in Asmara take as a declaration of territorial conflict with Eritrea, which lies on the Red Sea and took all of Ethiopia's sea access with it upon independence. Some say Abiy is eyeing the port of Assab, one of Eritrea's two a press briefing last week, Eritrea's Foreign Minister Osman Saleh scolded Ethiopia for its rhetoric and denied preparing for a war. 'Eritrea is perplexed by Ethiopia's misguided and outdated ambitions for maritime access and naval base through diplomacy or military force,' Saleh said. 'In this respect, Eritrea urges the international community and its relevant bodies to put pressure on Ethiopia to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbours.' Ethiopia has also angered Somalia, its neighbour to the east, with those declarations. After Ethiopia signed a port deal with autonomous, coastal Somaliland, Somalia, which sees Somaliland as one of its regions, cut off diplomatic ties with Addis Ababa. In what appeared to be retaliation and, perhaps, taking sides, Eritrea signed a security agreement with Somalia and Egypt last October. Ethiopia has also fallen out with Egypt over issues related to shared access to the Nile River. Amid fears of another conflict, residents in Tigray are queueing at banks to withdraw cash, some hoping to leave the region for Addis Ababa or neighbouring countries, according to reporting by the United Kingdom's Guardian newspaper. Government forces are also patrolling heavily and conducting ID checks. Abiy, in a post on X, sought to allay fears. He assured that Ethiopia would not go to war with Eritrea but would seek a peaceful dialogue to resolve the issues.'Ethiopia does not have any intention of engaging in conflict with Eritrea for the purpose of gaining access to the sea,' Abiy said on Thursday, according to a post by his office on X. Eritrea has not responded to Abiy's statement. Earlier, Osman Saleh, the country's foreign minister, denied allegations of Eritrean troops' presence on the ground in Ethiopia. This week, Saleh also met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo to discuss 'the security of the Red Sea' as Asmara appears set to continue parlaying with stronger rivals of Ethiopia. Meanwhile, the African Union, the European Union, and the United States have called for a de-escalation of hostilities. Writing in the US magazine Foreign Policy last week, Payton Knopf and Alexander Rondos, former US and EU special envoys to the region, described the developments as 'dry tinder waiting for a match that could ignite an interstate war between Ethiopia and Eritrea'.
