The Ministry of Finance, National Planning and Trade will make the second compensation payments  by June 19 to La Misere residents affected by the contaminated water incident that took place more than a decade ago, said a top government official on Tuesday. Around 1,400 inhabitants from La Misere and Petit Barbarons in the western parts of Mahe, the main island, including those working in La Misere, were affected by the water pollution during the construction of the former UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan's palace complex in 2010. The incident occurred after an accident at the sewage plant caused diesel and raw sewage to seep into local water sources, causing severe health problems to the local population once the contaminated water reached homes. The construction firm for the project, Associated Contracting and Consulting Limited (ASCON) agreed in March 2011 to a total payout of SCR99 million ($7.2 million) after over 90 percent of residents from affected homes accepted the SCR250,000 ($18,289) offered to each home. The Seychelles' government had pledged to pay the $15 million to settle the second round of compensation claims and that the payments were done in phases with the first payment in 2020 followed by the second one in 2021. Following the first compensation payments made in 2020, the second payments «will only be made to those who were paid the initial instalment of compensation money,» said the secretary of state for finance, Patrick Payet. The payments that will be made on June 19 will be to those qualifying for the compensation and whose information remains the same as that provided at the time of the last payment. The rest of the payment will made by June 27. Government officers will be available at the La Misere School on Saturday 8 June to collect information needed to update information the ministry has collected from the Civil Status data and the Department of Information Communication and Technology (DICT). This second installment is the payment on the balance of the SCR50,000 ($3,664), SCR 25,000 ($1,832) and SCR15,000 ($1,100) made in 2020. In total, the government will pay $8.6 million in the final installment to the 1,758 individuals who qualified for compensation. Payet told the press that additional work will have to be carried out to assess the validity of 1,149 new individual claims - which may cost SCR123 million ($8.9 million) in total. Tamatave said that a series of procedures were being established to ensure that the process goes smoothly. She said that since the last payment, «107 people have changed their names and these individuals have to send their change of name documents to receive payments.» Tamaktave explained that in addition to the name changes, there are 707 residents paid with a cheque in 2020, who will have to provide their bank details to officials for funds to be directly transferred to their accounts. «This time we will mainly transfer the funds to their bank accounts, which is why we are asking people to come in with the bank cards and details,» she added. Official figures also show that 49 of those on the initial list of those compensated in 2020 have passed away, delaying their beneficiaries' payments. «The procedures will be much longer as there are affidavits and executors that come into play, and we don't expect that the payments will be made by the end of June,» said Tamatave.

The EU’s Eastern Partnership policy, initiated in 2009, covers six post-Soviet states: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. It was created to support political, social and economic reform efforts in these countries with the aim of increasing democratisation and good governance, energy security, environmental protection, and economic and social development. All the participating countries (except Belarus whose membership is suspended) send delegations to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

The EU faces complex environmental issues, ranging from climate change and biodiversity loss to resource depletion and pollution. To address these issues, European environment policy follows the principles of precaution, prevention, rectifying pollution at source and ‘polluter pays’. In 2019, the Commission launched the European Green Deal, moving environmental concerns to the fore of EU policymaking. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

The EU has played an important role at international level in seeking solutions to biodiversity loss, deforestation and climate change. The 1992 UN Conference on the Environment and Development adopted the Convention on Biological Diversity. The 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change notes the importance of ensuring the integrity of all ecosystems and the protection of biodiversity. As part of the European Green Deal, the new biodiversity and forestry 2030 strategies aim to put Europe’s biodiversity on the path to recovery and to support deforestation-free value chains. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Digital service platforms and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence profoundly influence our societal landscape. These innovations have redefined how we communicate, shop and access information online, making them daily essentials. The European digital agenda for 2020-2030 addresses these shifts. It prioritises establishing secure digital spaces, ensuring fair competition in digital markets and enhancing Europe’s digital sovereignty, in line with the twin digital and green transitions. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

The European Union’s relations with Latin America and the Caribbean are multifaceted and conducted at different levels. Guided by the New Agenda for Relations between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean, the EU seeks to strengthen and modernise the bi-regional strategic partnership. The EU interacts with the entire region through summits with the heads of state and government and through parliamentary diplomacy, while agreements and political dialogue bind the EU and the Caribbean, Central America, the Andean Community, Mercosur and individual countries. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

MIKE KEEGAN: Outraged bosses have filed a 165-page legal document claiming they are victims of 'discrimination' and regulations 'the tyranny of the majority'.

Lady Gaga is denying rumors that she's pregnant with her and her boyfriend Michael Polansky's first child.

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SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said the success of the INDIA bloc in Uttar Pradesh is the victory of the backward classes, Dalits and minorities, and attributed it to the PDA strategy and efforts put in by the alliance. The INDIA bloc has won 43 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh.

At least three soldiers from the Somali National Army were killed and others were injured on Tuesday, as a result of a remote-controlled landmine explosion at the main checkpoint in Silberd town, in Bakool region, southwestern Somalia.

On a sunny afternoon, workers at KEDA (Kenya) Ceramics Company Limited, located about 70 kilometers south of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, were busy with packing floor tiles in multicolored cartons for onward shipment to clients' premises.

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SINGAPORE – He had sent out wedding invitations, finished the last of his wedding preparations, and was looking forward to celebrating the joyous occasion with his family and friends in July. But Mr Zdulfika Ahakasah, 26, met a tragic end on the morning of June 4. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) enforcement officer crashed his motorcycle while chasing another rider who was attempting to flee. He was taken to hospital, where he subsequently died, the police said. An 18-year-old man, believed to be the rider the officer was chasing, was arrested for suspected drug-related offences, possession of scheduled weapons, and various driving-related offences, added the police. A video of the incident posted on SG Road Vigilante – SGRV Facebook page shows the officer on his motorcycle pursuing a rider on the shoulder lane near an expressway exit.

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