Maldives News

Vice-President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik paid a courtesy call on Friday to the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

The vice-president briefed Ban Ki-Moon on development challenges faced by the new government, its efforts to consolidate democracy and lessen the impact of graduation from Least Developed Country status.

The Secretary-General praised the Maldives for its leadership in the global climate change dialogue and its successful transition to democracy and expressed hope for the country’s active engagement in the forthcoming climate change summit at Copenhagen.

[We're saved! Canadians to pay a lot more money to encourage burning of a lot more food:] Feds give ethanol plant $117M -  Ontario, CA

The federal government is giving GreenField Ethanol's Johnstown facility a $117.5-million-dollar boost, arguing biofuels are the energy of the future.

At a media event held at the local plant yesterday morning, Leeds-Grenville MP Gord Brown said the facility will get up to $117.5 million over seven years to support biofuels development.

Brown told the crowd the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper is "taking a balanced approach to climate change" by stimulating the local economy now while working toward a greener future.

"Our government is one hundred per cent behind renewable fuels," Brown said following the press conference, adding the young Johnstown plant has already provided a steady market for local corn growers.

"It's working very well for our agricultural community right now."