Day: April 18, 2023

At least 21 people have died after a massive fire broke out in a hospital in Beijing, the state media reported, according to Anadolu Agency. 'Twenty-one people have died as of 6 p.m. (local time) in Beijing after a fire broke out in a hospital. The open fire at the scene has been extinguished, and on-site rescue work was over,' state-run broadcaster CGTN reported. Some 71 patients were evacuated and transferred to other hospitals, it added. The cause of the accident is being investigated.

Source: Azerbaijan State News Agency

The official visit of Azerbaijan's Minister of Defense, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov to Kazakhstan continues, the Ministry of Defense told AZERTAC. As part of the visit, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov visited the National Defense University named after the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan - Elbasy. After getting acquainted with the university, the Azerbaijani defense minister met with head of the university, Major General Lut Alchekenov. During the meeting, they exchanged views on further development of joint cooperation in the field of military education between the two countries and other topics.

Source: Azerbaijan State News Agency

The Court of Appeal has forwarded the claim of Mehman Aliyev, the director of Turan News Agency, to the Baku Administrative Court (BAC) for further review, in accordance with Articles 85-86 of the Administrative Procedure Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Notably, the Court of Appeal expedited the process, as the complaint was received on March 27 and was forwarded to BAC on March 30. However, BA?, known for delays in judicial processes and failure to satisfy lawsuits related to violations of the law on freedom of information, has not yet indicated its stance on the matter. The essence of the claim revolves around the failure of the state-owned electric distribution company, "Azerishig" OJSC, to respond to a written request from a group of citizens and an information inquiry from Turan agency. As a result, the agency filed a lawsuit against "Azerishig", which was not granted by BA?. Further details on the outcome of the Turan agency's claim for the alleged violation of the law on freedom of information are provided in the article titled " The court did not satisfy the Turan agency's claim on violation of the law "On freedom of obtainig information."

Source: Turan News Agency

A resident of the village of Borsunlu of the Terter region, Elnur Askerov, born in 1980, was injured as a result of a mine explosion near the village, the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office reported on April 18. After the end of the war in 2020, 291 Azerbaijani citizens were injured when mines laid by the Armenian Armed Forces were detonated, of which 51 died and 240 received various injuries.

Source: Turan News Agency

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered JPMorgan Chase & Co CEO Jamie Dimon to set aside two days for depositions about what he knew about the bank's relationship with former client Jeffrey Epstein, Trend reports citing Reuters.

The largest U.S. bank faces lawsuits seeking damages by women who claim that Epstein sexually abused them, and by the U.S. Virgin Islands, where the late financier had a home.

JPMorgan is separately suing former private banking chief Jes Staley, claiming he concealed what he knew about Epstein and should cover losses it may incur in the two lawsuits.

U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan said Dimon can be questioned by the plaintiffs' lawyers for five hours, and by Staley's lawyer for two hours.

Source: Trend News Agency

Todaythe Assembly of Representatives of Tajikistan hosted parliamentary session dedicated to global initiatives of Tajikistan in the water sector.

,

Those present for the parliamentary session included the leadership and deputies of the Assembly of Representatives, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, as well as Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan to the Water and Climate Coalition Leaders, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Fund for saving the Aral Sea participated in the conference.

It was noted that by the initiative of the head of our state, Tajikistan has been playing an effective role on the global agenda for the past two decades as an advocate for water and climate issues. During this period, at the initiative of Tajikistan, the UN General Assembly adopted 9 resolutions aimed at uniting the international community to address the existing water-related issues.

Adoption of resolutions by the General Assembly of the United Nations on the proclamation of «International Year of Clean Water, 2003», International Decade for Action «Water for Life, 2005-2015», «International Year of Cooperation in the Water Sector, 2013» and International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development 2018-2028” shows the serious attention and full welcome of the international community.

Indeed, the implementation of the initiatives of the Leader of the Nation contributes to the development of mankind, the comprehensive management of water resources, the reduction of the negative impact of climate change on people’s lives and the economy, the beneficial use of hydropower resources, the improvement of the legal framework and governance mechanisms, including information systems, and the acceleration of scientific research.

It was emphasized that the results of today’s event and the adoption of recommendations will lay a real basis for strengthening cooperation between the supreme legislative body with the relevant ministries and government agencies, various scientific institutions, as well as experts and scientists in the industry and will contribute to the process of implementing global initiatives of Tajikistan related to the solution of water issue.

Source: National Information Agency of Tajikistan

On April 17 in Geneva, the Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Tajikistan attended the meeting of ministers of the member states of the UN Special Program on the Economy of Central Asia, which was held within the framework of the 70th meeting of the UN Economic Commission for European countries.

The event was held under the chairmanship of Azerbaijan.

The meeting focused on issues related to the main prospects for the search for the diversification of transit roads and the adoption of the Roadmap, facilitation of trade and transport procedures, digitalization and the «green» economy in the region, as well as the creation of a SPECA fund and secretariat.

The representative of Tajikistan noted that a number of significant works have been carried out in the republic in these areas, and also provided the necessary information and presented the position of the country, taking into account the interests of the national economy.

Following the meeting, a Ministerial Declaration was submitted for consideration to strengthen further cooperation between SPECA member states.

Source: National Information Agency of Tajikistan