China always stands with Pakistan in times of need: Ahsan Iqbal

Addressing an event in Islamabad, minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday said China has always stood with Pakistan in times of need.

He said the Chinese enterprises while feeling the suffering of flood-affected people of Pakistan have donated fifteen million rupees in the Prime Minister's relief fund.

He said China is giving twenty-five thousand tents to provide shelter to the flood victims while the Red Cross Society of China has offered three hundred thousand dollars to Pakistan Red Crescent.

He said we are grateful to the Chinese brothers who felt the pain of the Pakistani nation and this is the true spirit of Iron brotherhood.

#China #stands #Pakistan #times #Ahsan #Iqbal https://www.globalcourant.com/china-always-stands-with-pakistan-in-times-of-need-ahsan-iqbal/?feed_id=15902&_unique_id=630838e5488c6

New York to house migrants, homeless in famed Times Square hotel

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

New York City will be converting a famed luxury hotel into a shelter for homeless people and migrants seeking asylum in the U.S., according to a Tuesday report.

The hotel, Row NYC, sits right in Times Square and will have an undisclosed number of floors devoted to the shelter, according to the New York Post. Staffers at the hotel say negotiations are ongoing, but the refit is likely to be done within the next two months.

The city government has leased out nearly a dozen hotels to house the homeless population across the city. Row NYC, which was formerly known as Milford Plaza, is by far the most luxurious of the contracted buildings, however.

New York City has struggled for more than a year under a severe homeless crisis, which migrant bussing has only exacerbated.

NYC MAYOR ADAMS OUTRAGED OVER ‘SMALL PART’ OF BORDER CRISIS IMPACTING HIS SANCTUARY CITY, TEXAS AG

New York's Milford Plaza Hotel, which has now been renamed to Row NYC. (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images)

Democratic NYC Mayor Eric Adams has blasted Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for the bussing program, which has seen Texas send dozens of busses full of migrants to Washington, D.C. and NYC. Abbott argues the policies of those in power in DC and New York are responsible for the ongoing border crisis.

"I already called all my friends in Texas and told them how to cast their votes," Adams said during a press conference last week. "And I am deeply contemplating taking a busload of New Yorkers to go to Texas and do some good old-fashioned door knocking because we have to, for the good of America, we have to get him out of office."

NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS REJECTS BORDER TOUR INVITE FROM TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT DESPITE DECRYING MIGRANT INFLUX

Abbott argues that NYC, a proud sanctuary city, should be capable of housing the border-crossers.

"In addition to Washington, D.C., New York City is the ideal destination for these migrants, who can receive the abundance of city services and housing that Mayor Eric Adams has boasted about within the sanctuary city," Abbott said in a statement on Friday.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"I hope he follows through on his promise of welcoming all migrants with open arms so that our overrun and overwhelmed border towns can find relief," he added.

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/new-york-to-house-migrants-homeless-in-famed-times-square-hotel/?feed_id=11763&_unique_id=62fbdc5f8a141

What Beyoncé's and Lizzo's lyric changes say about our current times

Backlash came quickly, and the artists were just as quick to respond. Lizzo took to Instagram to announce she had edited the lyric, noting, "I never want to promote derogatory language." Beyoncé's team issued a similar response within days of her album release, stating, "the word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced."

The word, derived from "spastic," has different cultural connotations -- in the US, it's mainly a colloquialism to describe losing control. It can describe being "in the zone" or "going all out" in African American Vernacular English -- or being in a state of excitement that is either negative or positive, said Nsenga Burton, a cultural critic and professor at Emory University.

Changing song lyrics is nothing new. Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" was a risqué nightclub tune before it was sanitized for mass consumption. Contemporary artists, including Taylor Swift, have revisited previously recorded songs and altered lyrics with negative or offensive connotations, citing personal growth.

But Beyoncé and Lizzo's recent revisions are notable because of the conversations they've sparked around the subject of ableism and the speed with which critics of the offending lyric were able to convey their views. The chatter surrounding these tracks is also connected to larger discussions around what we expect from certain artists, particularly Black women, as well as how society interprets and preserves entertainment and cultural touchstones.

Why song lyrics change -- and what's different this time

Lyrics, whether they're part of a cover song or updates of an artist's own music, are altered for different reasons. Many revisions are tied to language concerning race, gender and sexuality, as well as religion, said Jocelyn Neal, a professor in the music department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Some lyrics are changed to align with the public's tastes or modern times, while others are updated to better emphasize an artist's own views.

"There's a lot of examples in Johnny Cash, where he made changes to lyrics that would address a religious perspective," Neal said, pointing to The Man in Black's modification of a John Prine lyric, as well as one for his cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt."

It's not uncommon for artists to make multiple versions of some songs. Sometimes, this is done to appeal to specific regional markets, Neal said, pointing to instances where lyrics might refer to something like a local baseball team. Artists with explicit music often release "clean" versions (even in the streaming era), allowing for radio play and other forms of commercial exposure.

What's different when it comes to Beyoncé and Lizzo's quickly updated songs is the amount of conversation they've generated around ableism, Neal said.

"Ableism hasn't been as much a part of these conversations (around lyric changes) in the past as much as it is now, and I think that is a change in awareness and a change in focus that is probably long overdue," she said, adding that the majority of previously revised songs "don't have ableism at the center of these language changes."

Also notable? The criticisms in this case were amplified thanks to social media, which serves as "a much more public platform to provide feedback to artists," Neal said. In previous decades, a listener may have sent a postcard to complain to a radio station, she noted -- without any guarantee that their observations would be widely shared for others to consider.

Various cultural layers make these revisions less cut-and-dry

Lizzo and Beyoncé's decisions to remove "spaz" from their respective songs have been celebrated for the most part, barring some instances where some have focused on criticizing the fact that it was used in the first place.

But the move has also sparked arguments over whether the word's intended use should be considered more deeply. Some have voiced concern that the discourse surrounding the artists is an example of Black women being held to a different standard.

In an essay for Insider earlier this week, writer Keah Brown addressed having cerebral palsy and being grateful for Lizzo and Beyoncé's decision, while also highlighting her frustration over White and non-Black artists being given "much more slack around using ableist language."

Society has not pushed back on non-Black artists who have used other ableist terms like "psycho" or "lame," she noted, nor have those artists in question changed such lyrics as rapidly as Lizzo and Beyoncé did. "The issue goes beyond the word 'spaz' for me," she wrote.

Burton, for her part, initially appreciated Lizzo's willingness to acknowledge that the offending lyric was a hurtful term to some and that she re-recorded so quickly. "I think that takes accountability and a willingness to be educated," she said.

But she noticed that very few people were talking about how the term is used in the African American community.

"People are comfortable policing Black women's bodies and language, and that is a problem, particularly when you're dealing with art," she said. "Particularly when you're dealing with two Black women who are from the United States and are using the term in a way that Black people use it, which has nothing to do with the disabled community, at least in this iteration."

Burton added that what one intends with language and how it's perceived "can be two different things" and that "ultimately, you want your message to be received the way it's intended."

"If it's not being received that way and you can change it, then you should," she said. "But I'm not really feeling that it's always Black women that acquiesce. We can't make any mistakes, we can't even use words in the way our culture uses them without getting pushback."

The edits are related to larger questions about preserving and confronting art

Technology today makes it easy to update certain works, from online articles to music, fairly quickly. While people still collect physical media, streaming remains a popular mode of consumption -- and that's where changes are made rapidly. "Renaissance" hadn't even been out a full week when edits to streaming versions of songs, including "Heated," were reported on Apple Music, YouTube and Spotify.

"If there's one source that's controlling the digital version of a song for streaming, and that source changes, the average fan is going to have a hard time getting access to that previous version," said Neal, noting that what we're seeing with the increasingly ephemeral nature of some popular music is something that's being seen in all forms of media and even in the academic world.

This has led to greater questions around whether "people are allowed to change things too quickly" and accountability, she said, and it's something those who work in library and information sciences are actively thinking about.

The ability to respond to public feedback and update art in "real time" is also something that could present a problem for musicians someday, Burton said.

"What's the end? Now you get to come back and say, 'Listen, I don't like this refrain here,'" she said. "Where does it end?"

There may be no clear answer. But even amid some larger philosophical questions, many have pointed out that by listening to their critics and promptly adjusting their lyrics, Beyoncé and Lizzo have ultimately done something positive. (Lizzo even remarked in June that she was using her position to be "part of the change I've been waiting to see in the world.")

"Lizzo seized a moment to do good in the world and that's something that an artist who has that platform is able to do," said Neal. "I think that's exciting."

While there have been decades of debate over whether lyrics to popular songs matter, Neal said artists in this moment -- and even those before them -- are indicating that they do.

The various conversations around Beyoncé and Lizzo mark a new period in what we expect from and question about popular music. They're also part of a larger tradition of questioning and processing the way the world around us continues to change.

"It's not just music, it's not just pop music, it's not just right now," said Neal. "It's about our own histories and our educational processes."

https://www.globalcourant.com/what-beyonces-and-lizzos-lyric-changes-say-about-our-current-times/?feed_id=10629&_unique_id=62f89026856cf

The need for knowledge-based people to enter the tannery/export industry is that a leather jacket is worth 4 times more than a barrel of crude oil.

According to the reporter Science and Education Department of IRNAalong with the formation of knowledge-based companies in scientific and academic centers, some other companies under the title Creative companies They have been formed with the aim of providing new business models in the field of innovation ecosystem, and the growth and development of products and services of these companies, unlike knowledge-based companies, does not require complex and advanced technology.

In fact, creative companies are companies whose main purpose is based on creativity and innovation and completion of the chain from idea to product, and their scope of activity is in the field of cultural creative industries, handicrafts, and tourism.

Weakness in conversion industries and neglect of technology is the most important problem of leather industry

The leather industry is considered as one of the most important and profitable industries in the world, and yet, unfortunately, our country is currently one of the largest raw material sales countries, even though it has a long history in the tanning industry. Light leather known in the world. An industry that can definitely attract more attention and investment in converting industries to earn good currency for our country. A very important issue that Hossein Kazemi One of the entrepreneurs and the CEO of the creative company Cherem Partoafken also emphasizes it a lot in a conversation with IRNA.

Emphasizing that the leather industry is considered to be a very job-creating and currency-generating industry in the world, this activist in the field of creative industries has pledged to prevent the sale of high-quality Iranian leather or salambor, which has become a common practice in the past due to the negligence of the authorities, as much as possible. Technologists and knowledge-based experts in this area.

He stated that Italy is currently known as one of the leading countries in the leather industry, adding that Turkey also ranks second. Unfortunately, even though Iran is one of the three countries that produce leather and export semi-finished products, Iran's leather is the third in terms of quantity and quality, but about 80% of Iran's leather exports are raw and in the form of salambour.

Kazemi says: Our country's economy, like the export of crude oil, suffers from the lack of necessary infrastructure for the processing and production of leather products. This is while some countries, including Turkey, seriously prevent the export of raw leather and salambor, because they bring huge incomes to their country by creating added value and currency exchange, while providing a good job creation environment. .

He continued: Due to Iran being located in a hot and dry region, we have the best cow and sheep leather, but due to the weakness of the leather processing industries, this valuable product is available in raw form to the processing industries of other countries, including Italy and Turkey, and this The field itself has created employment for the workers of these countries and earned currency for them.

Free training and entrepreneurship for imprisoned women and clients of the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee (RA)

This activist in the field of creative industries, who has been working in the production of hand-embroidered natural leather products for about a decade in Golestan province, has recently succeeded in exporting his products to countries such as Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, Turkey and Azerbaijan, and this August participate in an exhibition in Russia and has succeeded in negotiating with Russian businessmen to export their leather products to this country.

He says: Currently, 160 housewives are working with this creative company to produce hand-stitched leather products, including men's and women's bags, belts, bracelets and sheaths, and recently to produce some clothes.

Women, some of whom are members of the relief committee and some of whom are even in prison, according to this active entrepreneur, after training and learning sewing, they are paid according to their work. That is, they can earn about 300 to 400 thousand tomans a day by only having a needle and the tools provided to them.

This creative industries entrepreneur stated that he has succeeded in setting up three workshops for the production of handmade natural leather products and added: I am currently trying to set up a fourth workshop.

Kazemi stated: "If the relevant institutions provide us with support and land, we can set up a handmade shoe workshop with the employment of at least 500 people and the daily production of at least 300 handmade shoes and even export."

The export of a leather jacket is four times more valuable than a barrel of crude oil

This activist in the field of creative industries also said: Our manufactured products are the same price as Chinese synthetic products, while the quality of our work is at least three times higher and we have to sell our natural leather products at a price that consumers are willing to buy. Do not have an artificial type.

Kazemi stated that the products of this company active in the field of creative industries are produced according to the standards and the global market, and added: The models that are produced are suitable for the global market and this has made us successful in the field of export.

Kazemi added: The reason why our quality products are cheap compared to imported artificial products is that we currently only calculate the costs of cutting, sewing, fittings and leather in the sale of our products, and our profit is only in cutting, sewing and sewing.

Regarding his expectations from government agencies, he emphasized that he has no requests for loans and facilities, and stated: My job is sewing and one of our requests is insurance for the people who work in these workshops. . In this way, there is an encouragement for them to continue working.

This entrepreneur said: Our other expectation from the authorities is that they will help us in the field of selling and exporting manufactured products to other countries, because our products are of good quality and have a competitive price, and the export markets will certainly welcome them. will do Of course, there is another problem; Unfortunately, the customs of the country sometimes create obstacles by increasing the costs, and with these customs costs and of course taxes, which will lead to an increase in the final price of the manufactured products, we cannot have good exports.

He added: This is in the situation that we do not import, but produce, and by creating employment for 160 people, we should be exempted from paying taxes.

Kazemi further mentioned one of his plans, in case of necessary support from the government, to produce leather jackets and export them and said: The export of a leather jacket will earn at least four times of a barrel of oil for the country.

According to this activist in the field of leather products Even if the country's oil exports are prevented, with the introduction of modern technologies in this area and the removal of export and tax barriers, we can witness a good foreign exchange for the country.

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/the-need-for-knowledge-based-people-to-enter-the-tannery-export-industry-is-that-a-leather-jacket-is-worth-4-times-more-than-a-barrel-of-crude-oil/?feed_id=8088&_unique_id=62f0ab372d9d5

The job creation facilities of Khaf city increased about three times

In an interview with IRNA reporter on Tuesday, Mehdi Abbaspour added: Out of the total job creation credits of Khaf city this year, 54 billion and 800 million rials are in the household jobs sector and 750 billion rials in the section of Note 16 for support institutions including the Welfare Department and the Imam Relief Committee. Khomeini (RA) was assigned.

He stated: Also, the rural and nomadic job creation facilities of Khaf city last year were 182 billion Rials, and the process of paying these facilities to qualified projects continues this year.

Governor Khaf said: 880 billion rials were allocated from the employment creation facility of the Entrepreneurship and Hope Fund and the business clinic of Tehran University to create employment in this city during 1400, and the process of paying them to applicants continues this year.

Abbaspour added: Last year, 55 billion Rials were allocated from Barkat Foundation's job creation facility to Khaf city, but this year no funds have been allocated for this purpose.

Speeding up the completion of transportation infrastructure is an important priority of Khaf city

Governor Khavaf considered the completion of roads to be the most important concern of this city in providing infrastructure and said: due to the large volume of heavy vehicle traffic on the main and secondary roads and the occurrence of heartbreaking driving accidents on urban and rural roads, speed up the operation of section one The plan to bifurcate the Sangan road to Torbat Heydarieh and start the implementation of the 2nd section of the mentioned project from Nashtifan T-way to Police Rah Khaf is of special attention this year.

Abbaspour added: due to the great importance of this plan, this issue will be resolved regularly and continuously through coordination meetings between the ministries of industry, mining and trade, and road and urban development and managers of mining companies participating in the construction of this road with visits The implementation process is being followed up on a monthly basis so that we can see its fruition as soon as possible.

He added: Considering the important role of this project in reducing traffic accidents in Khaf, during the recent presidential visit to Khorasan Razavi province, 250 billion rials were allocated to complete the above project.

The city of 150,000 people, Khaf, with its four central parts, Sangan, Jalga Zozan, and Salami, and a 123-kilometer common border with Afghanistan, is located 267 kilometers southeast of Mashhad.

Sangan Khaf iron ore mines are one of the 10 largest iron ore mines in the world with a total reserve of one billion tons, which supplies the primary feedstock for the production of 17.5 million tons of concentrate, 15 million tons of pellets and five million tons of iron ore.

The Sangan iron ore deposit complex is located in an area approximately 22 km long and 10 km wide, 300 km southeast of Mashhad.

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/the-job-creation-facilities-of-khaf-city-increased-about-three-times/?feed_id=2206&_unique_id=62df83fd702c5