RIGA， March 8 (Xinhua) -- Latvia has recorded its highest annual inflation rate since 2012 as consumer prices in February climbed 3.3 percent against the same period last year， but the Finance Ministry expects inflation to stay below 3.0 percent in the coming months.

Commenting on Latvia's latest inflation data released on Wednesday by the national statistics office， the ministry said that the steep rise of inflation last month was caused primarily by climbing prices of food and transport-related goods and services.

"In the following months， inflation is not expected to rise above the 3.0 percent mark，" the ministry said.

Ministry representatives noted that in February food prices went up 6.1 percent with price hikes recorded in all food product categories.

"Food prices have been seen rising also in the world's markets. The data of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show that the FAO food price index continued to climb in February， showing a 17.2 percent annual increase. Still， the average price level of food commodities in the world's markets is lower than in 2014 when prices started to drop sharply，" the ministry said.

As a result， food commodities might rise in price in Latvia as well， benefiting Latvia's farmers. However， Latvian food prices have already reached a record high and a further rise in prices will be limited by purchasing power， finance ministry representatives said.

Slipping energy prices ensured very low inflation in Latvia last year， but this year rising oil prices have been pushing fuel prices up.

In February， fuel prices in the country jumped 18.8 percent year-on-year. The Finance Ministry， however， expected this rise in fuel prices to subside in mid-2017 if the oil price remained at its current level.

The effect of other goods and services prices on Latvia's annual inflation in February was not so strong， although housing-related expenses increased by 1.7 percent and telecommunications became 6.2 percent more costly.

According to the statistics office's data， Latvian consumer prices moved up 0.4 percent month-on-month in February. Enditem

By Shristi Kafle

KATHMANDU Womens P.J. Hall Jersey , March 9 (Xinhua) -- Gender equality is a hot topic across the globe and as with every year the issue in Nepal hits the headlines with news stories focusing on women's empowerment on the occasion of the 106th International Women's Day.

But while women around the world raised their voices on Tuesday with pledges for a 2030 agenda for sustainable development, Nepal, one of the least developed countries, celebrated the day by praising the recent achievements gained in terms of gender equity in the country and women's rights.

On the day when United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in his message "Let us devote solid funding, courageous advocacy and unbending political will to achieving gender equality around the world. There is no greater investment in our common future", Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said here in Kathmandu, "Today, Nepal's state head and speaker of parliament are women. It is the major accomplishment of the new constitution and a result of many long years of movements and struggles for women's rights."

A few months ago, Nepal elected Bidhya Devi Bhandari as the first female president of the Himalayan country, breaking the boundaries of stereotypes and gender roles. This step is regarded by many as a major achievement for women in the quake-ravaged country.

"Women are leading major public institutions in Nepal at present. These achievements are exemplary and historic. However, this doesn't mean that women have got everything now. There are still many things to be done to ensure women's participation in constitutional, legal and bureaucratic public offices," President Bhandari told Xinhua exclusively on Monday.

Nepal is the same country where menstruating women are still compelled to live in sheds in the far-western region and daughters-in-laws are burnt to death in the southern plains of the country for not bringing enough dowries from their maternal home.

However, such heinous social evils are being abolished and things are expected to change further as the new constitution of the country, promulgated in September last year, has ensured fundamental rights to women with equal access and opportunities.

As per the new context and advancement drive, women are now more visible in different sectors including in politics and business, as with other South Asian countries.

However, rural Nepalese women still have a long road ahead to acquire such equitable rights, and remain confined to kitchens, raising children and domestic chores.

President Bhandari, 54, who herself was born in a rural village in the eastern district of Bhojpur, told Xinhua "Women's economic status is still not satisfactory as their access to education is not as encouraging as expected."

Today, the world is moving ahead to tackle such issues as economic underperformance, overpopulation and poverty.

Here in Nepal, women are just coming to understand the significance of female achievement with the appointment of the first female president, speaker and chief justice in the near future.

"I feel glad to see an end to gender discrimination. It is a matter of pride that the new constitution has provisions for citizenship through the name of fathers or mothers, equal wages on the basis of gender and social security, equal rights on ancestral property, safe motherhood and reproduction rights, among others," Nepal's first female speaker, Onsari Gharti Magar, told Xinhua exclusively.

Though Nepal's parliament has already ensured the 33 percent representation of women in all state organs, which is the highest in the whole of Asia, the policy target is yet to be fully implemented.

Women's rights activists in Nepal have been raisi. Cheap T-shirts   Wholesale Jerseys China   Cheap Sports Jerseys China   Cheap T-shirts   Cheap NCAA Jerseys China   Cheap Hoddies   Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys   Cheap NFL T-shirts   Cheap Baseball Shirts   Cheap T-shirts China