Latest news with #NA
Eyewitness News
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
WC High Court finds its former Judge President John Hlophe unfit to serve on JSC
CAPE TOWN - The Western Cape High Court has found its former Judge President, John Hlophe, to be neither fit nor proper to serve on the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). It's consequently set aside a decision by the National Assembly (NA) last July to endorse the recommendation of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party to have him serve as one of its six parliamentarians. The matter was heard in February by a full bench of judges from outside the division, after the court previously granted an interdict in favour of the Democratic Alliance, Freedom Under Law and Corruption Watch, preventing Hlophe from participating in the work of the commission pending this matter. The NA has in previous administrations never second-guessed the candidates political parties nominate from within their ranks to serve on the JSC. But in a judgment handed down on Monday, the court said the NA had fundamentally misunderstood the nature of its powers to designate members to serve on the body that interviews candidates to become judges. ALSO READ: • MK Party says if it were in govt, it would've scrapped Constitution in favour of parliamentary sovereignty • MK Party withdraws nomination of Hlophe to serve on JSC The court says while it does not dispute arguments made by the MK Party that Hlophe is highly qualified, his removal from the bench on charges of gross misconduct is the issue. This, the court says seriously threatens the independence of the judiciary and his presence on the JSC would prejudice the commission's ability to do its work. 'Dr Hlophe's academic ability does not cure this,' reads the judgment. 'Through the impeachment of Dr Hlophe, the National Assembly has effectively already determined that his continued involvement in judicial affairs would diminish public trust.' The court says by Hlophe trying to appeal this judgment in the first part of this case, he's shown disregard for the authority and integrity of the courts. For this reason it's made an order that a judge removed for gross misconduct may never serve on the JSC. Hlophe has also been ordered to pay costs on a punitive scale for disparaging remarks he's made about the litigants and the judges in this matter.
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Homeless entrepreneur Sean builds babywear business inspired by daughter's eczema condition
It's not your average route to market: from living out of a car to starting your own business while in emergency accommodation. But that's the journey undertaken by one young homeless entrepreneur, inspired by his one-year-old daughter's health issues. Sean Fox has come through addiction, health scares, and homelessness in the past few years, so launching a start-up on a second-hand laptop is just another chapter. He has plans to move his online business into markets in Dublin and Cork. Goosey Goo, created with his partner Clodagh Kelly, sells organic hypoallergenic clothing for infants, clocking up almost €2,000 in sales since its inception last month, no mean feat for a business created on a battered second-hand laptop. The company is already in talks about linking up with a prominent Irish investor. All that would have seemed in a different world not so long ago for 26-year-old Sean, who hails from Finglas in Dublin, who stumbled his way through the education system. 'I failed my junior cert and then I got about 250 points in my Leaving Cert. I studied computers in Blanchardstown IT, but never completed it," said Sean. 'I went on undiagnosed with ADHD and found it hard to stick to things that didn't pique my interest. I fell into drug addiction on and off from the time I left school. Cocaine abuse and alcohol abuse were filling a void. I felt like I was lost and without purpose. Sean Fox with his partner Clodagh and their daughter Eabha. Photograph Moya Nolan "I had a bad relationship with my father growing up. He was a drug addict himself and that was my whole life in my teenage years. He'd pick me up on a Friday to bring me over to his place but it was always be a thing where he'd end up on the session and but I'd be left crying at the window every weekend. 'I think all of that had a part to play in where I found myself. You know, I went out looking for love through the street. I didn't always find it at home, so I looked elsewhere. I end up finding other things, and falling into addiction.' The negative spiral saw Sean 'going in and out of jobs' for seven or eight years. 'I went back to college a second time during covid; I studied automotive management and technology in Bolton St. I did that for two years before I dropped out. With cocaine, I'd have about six months and let me life get turn to ruin, then get back on my feet and get a job then would end up falling off again.' Two events got Sean on the road to recovery: meeting partner Clodagh, and the death of his father. 'When my father passed away about three years ago, I got myself back on the straight and narrow. I started going to NA meetings and started to get my head together.' Meeting Clodagh brought another positive into his life. By the time they found out Clodagh was pregnant with baby Eabha, Sean was already started on his journey of recovery, settled and was working as a service advisor for a national car firm. 'I had worked hard, and then I got an offer to work as a service advisor across the city with better money and. It was a dream.' Eabha was born in July 2023, and life was looking up, when fate too another twist. A trip to the dentist saw a sore on his lip misdiagnosed as a squamous cell carcinoma. It turned out to be benign but when Sean told his employer he believed he had oral cancer, he was still on probation in his job. He was let go days later. The young couple, with baby in tow, now had no income and had to leave their accommodation. 'I come from a big family, so there was no space for us in my mother's house in Finglas. We ended up sleeping out of the car, and my Ma would take the baby at night, and we'd call to her during the day. 'I was sacked at start of January 2024, and in mid February we got emergency accommodation, in a converted hotel. We were then moved to an old Magdalene laundry, where my grandmother had been 56 years before.' Eabha had developed eczema, which was another worry. 'It was severe. It was literally head to toe and we'd be wake in the morning, and she'd be scratching her neck. 'When your child has a skin condition you are cutting back all your other spending about 20% for medications and for different skincare products. And like us, when Eabha was raw head to toe, you need specific clothing. Bamboo clothing is realy soft to the touch and children don't sweat as much. But it was expensive, it could cost €30 a piece,' said Sean. 'The friendships we had in homeless accommodation helps get you through, and one evenig we were sitting down with a few of those friends having dinner, when Clodagh saw bamboo clothing could be purchased online. 'The cogs started turning in my head,' said Sean. 'Why don't we sell our own clothing? I just started working from my old laptop. Sean Fox's Goosey Goo baby clothing orders ready for postage. 'I have no background in business. I started getting in contact with suppliers,. It was literally me and Clodagh paying our social welfare to pay for the samples. I put everything into it, this became like a drug to me." The business needed a name. 'Sometimes we'd call baby Eabha our little 'Goose' so we said what about Goosey Goo?' Sean created a goose design emblem and started putting together a business plan. He enrolled in the Enterprise Ireland New Frontiers national entrepreneur development programme, which supports start-ups in Ireland. One of his mentors there was Dr Colin Keogh, a leader in the Irish start-up space, and a specialist in commericalisation, who helps companies and entrepreneurs to bring research and ideas to reality. 'I deliver a lot of content on those courses around the country teaching and training entrpreneurs on building companies. Sean told me his story fully, and that sort of honesty is quite rare in the start up space. It was so impressive,' said Mr Keogh. Building the brand has taken on a life of its own in the year since. Sean sourced a supplier in China who could supply Ecotech standard 100 FSC-certified organic bamboo, hypoallergenic and antibacterial. Bamboo keeps the skin about two degrees cooler than cotton. The babywear prints are designed in Ireland, manufactured in China. The Goosey Goo website is up and running, with babygrows selling for €15. 'We are solving affordability of organic materials for children who suffer from severe skin conditions,' said Sean. Last February, Clodagh was attacked by a service user at the homeless accommodation the family were using, so the family were moved to a new emergency accommodation flat across Dublin city. That's now serving as HQ for Goosey Goo, which was incorporated as a business in April, with the first products ready for market. 'It's my office, my fulfillment centre, team meet-up spot, everything,' said Sean. Clodagh acts as the eyes and ears of the business, the creative director and company secretary. Nicola, who the couple described as their 'homeless mum' in their previous accommodation, previously worked in corporate travel before she found herself and her family homeless. She is now acting as operations director for Goosey Goo. The company even has a young marketing professional on board. 'Alan has just finished his degree in marketing and communication so is jumping on board to gain experience with social media and website marketing,' said Sean. Dr Colin Keogh and Goosey Goo founder Sean Fox speaking to students at the ID8 hub in Dublin. The website is live and the company has sold almost €2,000 of babywear since April. Sean is now looking at the next step in the company's development. 'I'm looking at getting into the Herbert Park market and the St Anne's Park market in Dublin, and I'd like to go down into Cork's Marina Market, which has a huge footfall,' said Sean. 'I'm hoping to do 500 units a month. That might drop off in summer, but should pick up again towards the winter.' This week, Sean was a guest speaker for third level students at the ID8 innovation hub in Dublin who are looking at becoming innovators themselves. He has also held discussions with an angel investor interested in taking a stake in the company. 'That would be a gamechanger but we don't have a valuation yet. I've worked so hard to set up this up, I don't want to give it away,' said Sean. Colin Keogh works with entrepreneurs and business leaders of the future every day, at Trinity, UCD, and other institutions around the country. He doesn't hold back in his praise for Sean. 'I've been in the start-up space for 10 or 15 years, I've started seven or eight companies and I have been involved in 40 or 50 others. I've seen some companies fail, lots of companies grow. Sean's dedication is unmatched, despite the fact he had less resources and much more precarious life situation. 'Goosey Goo has found a massive need. I have an 18-month old so I am aware of the cost, particularly for people that can't afford expensive clothing. "This isn't going to be Sean's only company because he has that bug now that he knows what is possible. 'There's lots of entrepreneurs, a handful may have once been homeless, but to be actively homeless setting up a business, Sean is a one in a million.'
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Postal Life Insurance awaits Rs48b refund
PML-N-led coalition government in the Centre now has 229 members in the NA. PHOTO: APP The National Assembly Standing Committee on Privatization has directed the finance ministry to make a plan of returning Rs48 billion to Postal Life Insurance, as the company is struggling to meet its expenditures. A meeting of the standing committee was held on Friday under the chair of Dr Farooq Sattar. Finance ministry officials told the panel that the government had earmarked Rs14 billion over the last four financial years for the insurance firm. However, it has utilized only half the amount. The company officials told the committee that the organization was established in 2021 on an emergency basis to get Pakistan's name removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)'s grey list. Postal Life Insurance currently possesses Rs48 billion in funds but the amount is lying with the finance ministry, which is neither returning the amount nor paying interest, the company officials told the NA panel. They added that the company failed to pay its clients their insurance claims on time due to paucity of funds.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Nissan Magnite now gets factory-approved CNG kit: Launch date, price & state-wise rollout
Nissan Magnite now gets factory-approved CNG kit. Nissan India has added another powertrain choice to its popular Magnite SUV by introducing a CNG option. Starting June 1, 2025, buyers can get a government-approved CNG retrofitment kit for the Magnite at an extra cost of Rs 74,999. It is worth noting that the retrofitment will be offered exclusively on the facelifted Magnite, which was launched last year. The company said that the CNG kit has been developed and quality-assured by Motozen, a third-party manufacturer. While Motozen will provide warranty for the kit components, the installation will be handled by government-authorised fitment centres. Here's a quick look at the planned rollout, key details and more. Nissan Magnite CNG: All you need to know The rollout will begin in a phased manner, with the CNG option initially offered in Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, and Karnataka. The manufacturer said that it aims to expand the availability to more regions in the second phase. Importantly, the CNG kit will only be available for the NA 1.0-litre petrol engine version of the Magnite, paired with a 5-speed manual transmission. This powertrain produces 71 hp and 96 Nm of torque. While Nissan has not disclosed the exact mileage figures post-conversion, the company claims customers can expect improved fuel efficiency with the new setup. Furthermore, Saurah Vatsa, MD, Nissan India, revealed that the Magnite is set to cross 2 lakh unit sales by the end of this month. Magnite EZ Shift drive review: Is Nissan's AMT the best of both worlds? | TOI Auto Nissan Magnite: Features As for the features, the Magnite facelift which was launched last year offers an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, rear AC vents, auto climate control, and a wireless charger. Other highlights include a 7-inch digital instrument cluster, auto-dimming IRVM, type-C charging ports, and more. In terms of safety, the Magnite now comes with six airbags, ESC, and three-point seatbelts for all occupants as standard. The CNG kit itself is BS6 Phase 2 compliant. Nissan also announced that both its Magnite engine options, the 1.0-litre NA petrol and 1.0-litre turbo-petrol, are now E20 fuel compliant.
Express Tribune
6 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Thousands of NGOs operate without oversight
PML-N-led coalition government in the Centre now has 229 members in the NA. PHOTO: APP The National Assembly Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety was told on Tuesday that over 18,000 NGOs operate nationwide, but only about 1,000 were officially registered, with the vast majority flying under the radar. The committee expressed grave concern over the presence of unregistered NGOs, terming them a potential threat to sensitive national matters, and recommended the formulation of a national framework to regulate the sector. During the meeting, officials also briefed the committee on the progress of various welfare projects, particularly regarding the deadlines given for their completion. The committee expressed serious concern over the delays in timely execution and demanded greater accountability. Expressing displeasure over the incompletion of a pilot project that was supposed to be finalised in July, the committee summoned the Secretary Finance and the Secretary for Industries and Production to appear in the next session. The committee also called on the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan and heads of private banks to appear before the panel in the upcoming meeting to review coordination issues linked with poverty reduction programmes. Briefing the committee on the Prime Minister's Ramazan Relief Package, officials revealed that 2.7 million out of 3.5 million deserving families had been provided assistance through digital wallets.
