Latest news with #appropriation
Zawya
a day ago
- Business
- Zawya
Egypt: El-Sisi approves $1.7bln in additional appropriation for FY2024/25 budget
Arab Finance: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi issued Law No. 158 of 2025, approving an additional appropriation of EGP 85 billion in the state budget for the fiscal year (FY) 2024/2025, as highlighted by the official Gazette. In this regard, the general treasury budget and the tables accompanying the state budget law will be amended to reflect this additional allocation. The decision is effective the day following its publication. On June 30th, the Egyptian House of Representatives approved the additional allocation in light of the urgent economic and financial changes during the current FY. © 2025 All Rights Reserved Arab Finance For Information Technology Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
The Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald
Simphiwe Dana dragged after accusing Nomzamo Mbatha of ‘stealing' her brand ideas
Singer Simphiwe Dana has come under fire after she accused actress Nomzamo Mbatha of copying her hairstyles. In a series of deleted X and Instagram posts, Simphiwe expressed frustration, claiming she was owed credit for inspiring Nomzama's hairstyles as well as the ones used on Shaka iLembe. 'I'm fed up with brands appropriating my style. The least you can do is acknowledge where you got the ideas from. I'm talking to you Shaka iLembe and Nomzamo Mbatha. The other sister I won't mention. It started here. Appreciate, don't appropriate,' she wrote. 'I don't know if it's a lack of creative thinking or what. I don't mind being appreciated. But stealing my brand ideas and not acknowledging me is foul, appropriative and exploitive. Stop.' Simphiwe's social media outburst received backlash with many comparing her hairstyles to those from way before her time.
NDTV
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Fashion Designer JJ Valaya To NDTV On Prada Kolhapuri Row: "Plagiarism Is Not Okay, But..."
Celebrated Indian fashion designer JJ Valaya has spoken about the recent controversy surrounding the luxury brand Prada's use of Kolhapuri-inspired designs in their Spring/Summer 2026 collection at Milan Fashion Week 2025. In a candid conversation with NDTV, renowned designer JJ Valaya said he feels, "Plagiarism is not okay but somebody can get inspired by something that has its creative language. Creating a statement that highlights the thing rather than letting it disappear in time, that is a kind of service." When asked about whether Prada has given Indian craftsmanship exposure, the fashion designer said, "What Prada has done to Kohlapur is that they have made it a buzzword. Suddenly, everybody knows Kohlapuri Chappals now. It has become the 'It' statement. They may not have approached it the right way, but what they have managed to do to Kolhapur and its indigenous product is amazing. But should we capitalize on it or not is another story." On whether or not the world needs to acknowledge Indian craftsmanship, JJ Valaya says, "I have a very serious disagreement with the acknowledgement of the West to know that we are important because that in itself is a wrong notion." All About The Prada Kolhapur Controversy Italian luxury fashion brand Prada found itself at the centre of controversy after showcasing a pair of leather sandals that resembled India's Kolhapuri Chappals. It escalated when Prada labeled it as "Leather Sandals" without giving any credit to Indian craftsmanship. The brand faced allegations of cultural appropriation and profiting off Indian heritage without giving due credit. The intervention of the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MACCI) led to Prada expressing its inclination towards launching a limited-edition 'Made in India' Kolhapuri-inspired collection. This was followed by a four-member team from the Italian luxury brand visiting Kolhapuri Chappal craftsmen in Kolhapur in Maharashtra to understand the nuances of their pursuit.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoes $5 million for Volusia County projects out of Florida budget
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the state's $117.4 billion spending plan for 2025-26 after redlining $567 million of local projects across Florida. One item that survived: a nearly $20 million appropriation to buy a partially submerged parcel on the Intracoastal Waterway in New Smyrna Beach, despite the Volusia County Property Appraiser's Office valuing it at $174,750. Before the state buys it, the parcel will be appraised, so the state likely will not spend the full $19.7 million appropriated for it. No Flagler County appropriations were vetoed. Here's a look at some of the Volusia County projects that were wiped out, totaling more than $5.1 million: $1.5 million from DeBary, which proposed to use the funding to improve stormwater management after Hurricanes Debbie, Helene and Milton caused more than 30 homes in the city to flood and four major roads to collapse. Sen. Tom Wright, R-New Smyrna Beach, and Rep. Richard Gentry, R-Astor, made the request. $900,000 for Orange City to construct a hardened fire station that can "withstand extreme weather related events that the current manufactured home is not rated to withstand," according to the request from Gentry. While Gentry had asked for the full amount, Wright requested half, or $450,000. $750,000 from a Daytona Beach Police Department Training Facility. Wright and Rep. Bill Partington, R-Ormond Beach, initially asked for $1.5 million to cover nearly one-third of the project's total cost. The city described the project as "a quality facility for law enforcement to perform required training for certification and other purposes," helping to reduce a backlog in training, according to the request form. $500,000 for Ormond Beach to do a stormwater analysis, as requested by Sen. Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, and Partington. Some 1,200 residences within a 500-acre area has experienced flooding where stormwater infrastructure is more than 50 years old. The city's stormwater master plan has identified the area as a top priority for study and improvement, according to Leek's request. $500,000 for Ponce Inlet to replace its fire station, which it describes as "outdated, located in a flood zone next to wetlands, vulnerable to future flooding and sea-level rise and inadequate" to meet community needs. The money would have been used to start the planning and design phase, according to a request form from Wright and Rep. Chase Tramont. $375,000 from a Deltona project, pumping of the Lake Theresa basin prior to hurricane season. Rep. Webster Barnaby, R-Deltona, made the request, which asked for funding in response to more than 17 inches of floodwater during Hurricane Milton. $225,000 for Lake Helen, which had "significant flooding" during recent hurricanes. The money, requested by Wright and Barnaby, would have been used for planning and design of stormwater improvements. $187,500 for Lake Helen's City Hall upgrades. The 109-year-old building has a leaky roof, mold and rat infestation, and the city has a $750,000 plan to fix it. Wright and Barnaby had asked for $375,000. $75,682 for Stetson University's Brain Fitness Academy, a cognitive rehabilitation program for older adults living with dementia or cognitive defects. Barnaby initially requested more than $150,000 to increase staffing at the academy, where more frequent programs would be delivered for the cognitive program and to support care partners. $100,000 for the Volusia Free Clinic, run by Volusia Volunteers in Medicine, a nonprofit that provides free health care to uninsured adults who earn 300% or less of federal poverty level. Partington had requested $110,000 to help fund medical office manager's salary with $30,000, plus funds to lease a facility and pay for patient imaging lab fees, medical supplies and other costs. $12,500 each for Daytona Beach Shores and Holly Hill, which intended to use the funds to purchase mechanized sandbag fillers for residents. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona, DeBary, Orange City, Ormond projects cut from Florida budget
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Missouri educators sue state over $51 million appropriation to private school vouchers
The Cole County Courthouse in Jefferson City (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent) The Missouri National Education Association is suing the state in an effort to block the appropriation of $51 million to MOScholars, the state's K-12 scholarship program. In a lawsuit filed in Cole County Circuit Court Monday, MNEA argues that state funds cannot be directly given to MOScholars under the current statute. MNEA vice president Rebeka McIntosh and member Kimberly Duvall, who serves as president of the Blue Springs chapter of the National Education Association, are suing on behalf of the organization's 30,000 members. 'The General Assembly has far overstepped its authority and violated five provisions of the Missouri Constitution by using an appropriations bill to construct out of whole cloth a scheme to divert general revenues to what are essentially vouchers for the payment of private school tuition for elementary and secondary school students,' MNEA's attorney Loretta Haggard wrote. MOScholars currently operates using nonprofits dubbed 'educational assistance organizations' to gather donations and distribute scholarships to students in private, parochial or home schools. Donors can receive a tax credit equal to 100% of their contribution but can use it to cover no more than half of their state tax liability. State law allows 4% of donations to be reserved to cover the costs of administering the program, including marketing. But the budget passed by the lawmakers 'dramatically changes the landscape,' Haggard contends. The budget signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe Monday includes an injection of general revenue to the MOScholars program, budgeting $50 million for scholarships and $1 million to assist marketing the program. This, MNEA argues, breaks state law for multiple reasons. The 2021 law that created MOScholars prescribes the use of tax-deductible donations to educational assistance organizations (EAOs), not general revenue, as a funding source. 'The money for (MOScholars) scholarships comes from donations that taxpayers make to EAOs, and EAOs then remit to families. The donated funds never come into the custody of the state, and the state does not select scholarship recipients,' Haggard wrote. The direct appropriation to the program effectively amends the MOScholars statute, the lawsuit says, which violates laws requiring legislative authorization and limits bills to a single subject. Changing statute in a budget bill is not allowed. The money would have to flow through a fund overseen by the State Treasurer's Office which currently does not hold scholarship money. The fund is 'to be used by the state treasurer for marketing and administrative expenses or the costs incurred in administering the program, whichever is less,' according to state law. Using the fund to administer scholarships is 'unauthorized,' the lawsuit says. MNEA is asking for a preliminary injunction, which would block the $51 million appropriation from being transferred to the MOScholars fund while litigation ensues. 'Once the unlawful appropriations are disbursed to private entities or individuals, it will be difficult if not impossible to claw those funds back to the treasury where they belong,' the lawsuit says. MNEA argues that the money, if given to MOScholars, would hurt public education statewide. 'Politicians in Jefferson City and their privatization lobbyists are stealing from our kids,' said Missouri NEA President Phil Murray. 'In rural Missouri, that $51 million means losing our music teacher, canceling basketball, and watching our schools crumble. They're killing our small towns.' Missouri Treasurer Vivek Malek, in an interview with The Independent in May, addressed the possibility of a lawsuit. 'We will deal with it when that happens,' he said. 'I cannot predict which course it will take.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
