Entertainment
Body set up to develop strategies to boost resilience against extreme weather events
- Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal will head the 13-member committee.
- Body to review existing flood protection and drainage infrastructure.
- Will form short, medium, and long-term plans for climate adaptation.
KARACHI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed a 13-member committee to develop strategies to enhance Pakistan’s resilience to extreme weather events, including cloudbursts, flash floods, and urban flooding, The News reported on Sunday.
Chaired by the Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal, the committee comprises key federal ministers, secretaries, experts, and stakeholders from across the country.
The development comes against the backdrop of havoc wreaked by floods and torrential rains in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan.
More than 840 people have been killed in various flood-related incidents across the country since late June, while also causing widespread damage to infrastructure and properties.
In Punjab, at least 33 people have lost their lives, and more than 2 million have been affected as severe flooding continues to inundate vast areas of the province which include as many as 2,200 villages submerged in floodwaters.
Meanwhile, the mandate of the high-level body formed by the PM includes reviewing existing institutional arrangements for disaster preparedness and response. It will also evaluate critical infrastructure and recommend measures to address environmental and urban vulnerabilities.
A copy of the official notification, issued by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, obtained by the publication, outlines the committee’s broad Terms of Reference (TORs).
They include assessing the current flood protection and drainage infrastructure, exploring financing options (including climate finance) for key Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) projects, and proposing legal measures to curb deforestation and environmental degradation.
It will also suggest targeted interventions to reduce urban flooding. It will evaluate early warning systems and recommend the installation of modern radars. Additionally, it aims to strengthen the capacity of federal and provincial disaster management authorities, particularly the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The committee is expected to submit a detailed report or presentation to the prime minister within 10 days. The Ministry of Climate Change will provide secretarial support to the committee.
In a parallel development, a special policy dialogue forum has also been constituted. This will engage all stakeholders, including provincial governments, federal ministries, semi-government bodies, civil society, and the media. Meetings will be held on a fortnightly basis to shape short, medium, and long-term national strategies for climate adaptation and disaster mitigation.
This forum includes the federal ministers for climate change, communications, and water resources. It also includes the Prime Minister’s Advisers on Political Affairs and Inter-Provincial Coordination, federal secretaries, the Chairman of NDMA, and the secretaries of irrigation and environment from all four provinces.
Representatives from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan are also included. The Director General of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) is a key member of the forum.
The dialogue committee would review the preparedness of federal and provincial authorities to handle natural disasters, assessing financial requirements for water reservoirs and flood mitigation projects, and monitoring the progress of flood prevention and drainage schemes.
It will also focus on restoring natural water channels by eliminating encroachments. It will propose new legislation to penalise negligence related to deforestation. In addition, it will work on upgrading forecasting infrastructure to improve monsoon predictions and will help develop urban drainage strategies for rapid rainwater removal.
Amanda Seyfried is not letting go of her hopes for a third Mamma Mia! film and says she’s more motivated than ever to see it happen.
Speaking with PEOPLE at the Los Angeles premiere of The Testament of Ann Lee on Dec. 14, the actress made it clear she’s ready to keep pushing for Mamma Mia 3, especially if it allows her beloved character Sophie to step into a new phase of life.
When asked what Sophie’s future might look like if the franchise returns, Seyfried immediately imagined motherhood.
“Oh, with kids. I mean, I love being a mother,” the 40-year-old said, drawing a parallel between her own life and Sophie’s journey.
“I love playing a mother, and I would love to dive into the curiosities of motherhood and raising children on a Greek island, just like Donna did with Sophie.”
Meryl Streep famously played Donna, Sophie’s free-spirited mother, in the original 2008 musical.
Seyfried believes that exploring Sophie as a parent could open up fresh emotional ground for the story.
“I think that would be really interesting,” she said, adding that while she doesn’t know exactly where the plot would go, she’s confident the heart of the franchise would remain the same.
“I have no idea where the story is going to go, but I know there’s going to be a lot of singing and dancing.”
Her enthusiasm doesn’t stop there. Seyfried made it clear she’s not quietly waiting on the sidelines.
“I’m going to keep campaigning for that movie until I’m blue in the face,” she said, emphasizing just how committed she is to seeing the third installment made.
There is reason for optimism.
Producer Judy Craymer has confirmed that a script for Mamma Mia 3 has already been completed and that the film remains in development as a follow-up to 2018’s Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
“Well, we know what we want to do with the movie, and it will happen,” Craymer told Deadline in May, while also discussing the possibility of Sabrina Carpenter joining the cast alongside Seyfried and Streep.
Off screen, Seyfried brings real-life experience to the idea of motherhood.
She shares daughter Nina, 8, and son Thomas, 5, with her husband, actor Thomas Sadoski.
The couple got engaged in 2016, eloped the following year, and now live with their children on a farm in upstate New York.
For Seyfried, both on screen and off, motherhood seems like a story she’s more than ready to keep telling.
Entertainment
Actor James Ransone, known for his roles in “The Wire” and “It: Chapter Two,” dies at 46
James Ransone, the actor who played Ziggy Sobotka in the HBO series “The Wire” and appeared in many other TV shows and movies, has died. He was 46.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office said in online records that Ransone died by suicide on Friday.
Ransone’s film credits include “It: Chapter Two,” “The Black Phone” and “Black Phone 2,” and he appeared in TV shows including the cop drama “Bosch” and “Poker Face.”
CBS News reached out to representatives of Ransone on Sunday, as well as to a spokesperson for the medical examiner’s office, for comment.
Emma McIntyre/FilmMagic
Ransone, a Maryland native, told Interview Magazine in 2016 that he had realized he was a full-blown actor while shooting “Generation Kill,” a 2008 HBO mini-series also starring Alexander Skarsgård and Jon Huertas. He also spoke about struggling with addiction for several years before he sobered up ahead of filming the series.
According to the interview, Ransone’s passion for performing arts was cultivated when he was a teenager in Baltimore.
“Baltimore breeds a really specific type of weirdo,” he told Interview Magazine. “Animal Collective is from Baltimore. Dan Deacon, John Waters. There’s a through line of weirdness and a hard edge that I see when I meet people from that area.”
Ransone is survived by his wife and their two children.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here.
For more information about mental health care resources and support, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264).
Irish media personality and model, Vogue Williams and her husband Spencer Matthews have taken a major step in their personal lives by selling their £4.25million Battersea apartment and buying their ‘forever’ home in London.
The couple first put their luxurious London flat on the market two years ago, slashing the price but a staggering £1million during that time.
In the latest episode of her YouTube vlog, Vogue shared the couple have finally sold the first home where they made memories together and purchased their ‘forever’ family house in London back in June.
The I’m A Celeb star gave fans a sneak peak of the stunning new property but admitted the family will have to wait at least 18 months in due to extensive renovations.
‘We sold our apartment. It’s gone. End of an era. The apartment is gone,’ Vogue told viewers.
‘We’ve got a rental around the corner so that the kids can stay in school because we have bought our dream house.’
‘I’ll miss this apartment. We’ve lived here for seven years. It’s the first place we lived together. All our kids were born here. So, it’s going to be weird saying goodbye, but at the end of the day, we have this amazing house that we’re going to love so much.’
‘This is our forever house. I know that people say that, but it actually is our forever house. It’s like my dream home I have in Ireland. And this is the dream home here where I think the kids will grow up.’
Back in April it was revealed that Vogue and Spencer had knocked a further £450,000 off the asking price of their luxurious London apartment.
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