Tag: global

India demands global condemnation of Pakistani drone delivery of weapons to terrorists

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United Nations: New Delhi has called for international condemnation of Pakistan sending weapons across the international border to terrorists operating in India.
“We are facing a serious challenge of cross-border supply of illicit weapons using drones, which cannot be possible without active support from the authorities in control of those territories,” India’s Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj told the Security Council on Monday.
“The international community should condemn such behaviour and hold such states accountable for their misdeeds,” she said.

Although Kamboj did not name Pakistan, the reference to the country was obvious.
Indian officials have reported drones coming in from Pakistan to drop weapons and drugs for terrorists in Punjab and Kashmir.
Last year till November, at least 22 such drones were reported captured by Indian agencies and 266 drone infiltrations were reported during the year.
In January, India’s Border Security Force discovered a drone dropping weapons in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district.
Participating in the Council session on threats and risks to international security from the illicit export of weapons, Kamboj also warned about the collusion between terrorists and certain countries that arm them.

“The quantum of these (terrorist) threats multiplies when certain states with dubious proliferation credentials, in view of their masked proliferation networks and deceptive procurement practices of sensitive goods and technologies, collude with terrorists and other non-state actors,” she said.
Again without naming Pakistan, she said: “For example, the rise in volume and the quality of the small arms acquired by terrorist organisations remind us time and again that they cannot exist without the sponsorship or support of states.
“The export of weapons and military equipment in violation of international law, exacerbating geo-political tensions, cannot be ignored.”
The Council meeting was convened by Russia as the president of the Council for this month in an attempt to draw attention to the supply of weapons by the West to Ukraine, although it does not generally appear to contravene international arms agreements.
Russia’s Permanent Representative Vasily Nebenzia asserted that the weapons provided to Ukraine are finding their way to “criminals and terrorists via black markets”.
“Weapons that Western states delivered to Ukraine started to surface in various European states, where it adds to the arsenals of organised crime, a fact confirmed by European police officers. Such weapons also spread throughout the world, in particular, it finds its way to the militants in Africa.”
The US’ Alternate Representative Robert Wood accused Russia of getting weapons from “rogue states” like North Korea in violation of international regulations.
Russia had received infantry rockets and missiles in November last year in violation of Security Council resolutions, he said, and noted that again in violation of Security Council resolutions, Russia received drones from Iran and used them to attack civilians in Ukraine.
Responding to Nebenzia’s criticism of the West for supplying to weapons to Ukraine, Japan’s Deputy Permanent Representative Shino Mitsuko said that “we must look at the fundamental cause of the issue — Russia’s aggression against Ukraine”.
She said that Ukraine was exercising its right of self-defence against aggression by Russia.
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#India #demands #global #condemnation #Pakistani #drone #delivery #weapons #terrorists
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 11, 2023
Yellen to meet with global regulators on banking turmoil

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The banking turmoil is just one of several big priorities that Treasury outlined in Secretary Janet Yellen’s agenda for the IMF-World Bank spring meetings, which begin Monday. | Andrew Harnik/AP Photo
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen plans to tell financial regulators gathered in Washington this week that the U.S. banking system is on solid ground despite a string of failures that rattled global markets, a department official said Monday.
The banking turmoil is just one of several big priorities that Treasury outlined in Yellen’s agenda for the IMF-World Bank spring meetings, which begin Monday.
Yellen will hold a press conference at 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, amid meetings with world leaders related to bolstering the global economy, revamping the World Bank and similar institutions, pushing for World Bank nominee Ajay Banga, rallying allies on Russia sanctions and tackling the indebtedness of developing countries.
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#Yellen #meet #global #regulators #banking #turmoil
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

April 10, 2023
JKAS Officer Bags Admission In Top Global Universities

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SRINAGAR: Athar Amin Zargar, an officer in the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services (JKAS), has been offered a place in two highly competitive Master’s programs in public policy at the world’s top-ranking universities, the London School of Economics (LSE), and the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (NUS). This is an impressive accomplishment, considering the stiff competition and the institutions’ reputation as leading schools for public policy.
Zargar, who is currently serving as the Sub Divisional Magistrate at Thathri sub-division of Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir, has been recognized for his outstanding work in the public sector. He has been involved in various infrastructure development projects, including dams, bridges, roads, and building construction. Additionally, he has assisted new entrepreneurs in establishing their businesses in the conflict region of Kashmir. In 2018, he became the Block Development Officer, generating employment for 12,000 rural households and building footpaths, schools, playfields, and bridges in rural areas. Since 2020, he has been responsible for maintaining law and order and executing welfare schemes and services of the government as the sub-divisional magistrate at Thathri.
Zargar’s contributions extend beyond his professional accomplishments. He has introduced and provided guidance for starting snow skiing in the Doda district, founded and heads a trekking group named “Team Caliper,” and established white water rafting on the river Chenab. His work has earned him recognition, including the National Award for 2018-19 from the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, and a state award from the government of Jammu and Kashmir for implementing the National Food Security Act.
Zargar’s admission to LSE and NUS is a testament to his leadership skills and dedication to public service. This achievement highlights his academic and professional capabilities, opening doors to new opportunities and exposure to different cultures and ways of thinking. Zargar’s journey from an engineering graduate to a public servant is a remarkable one. His achievements reflect his commitment to making a positive difference in society and serve as an inspiration to young people aspiring to work in the public sector.
Zargar’s offers from top universities worldwide are expected to prepare him for a future role in public service on a larger scale. The LSE and NUS are renowned institutions that attract top talent from across the globe, and Zargar’s success is a reflection of his outstanding work and leadership qualities.

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#JKAS #Officer #Bags #Admission #Top #Global #Universities
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

April 10, 2023
Shah Rukh Khan tops TIME100 reader poll, beating out global influencers

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New Delhi: Superstar Shah Rukh Khan has topped Time magazine’s poll for its annual TIME100 list, bagging more reader votes than football ace Lionel Messi, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
According to the American publication, the “Pathaan” star got over four per cent of the 1.2 million votes cast.
In the poll, the magazine readers vote for the individuals they believe deserve a spot on TIME’s annual list of the most influential people.

Khan, 57, is currently riding high on the success of “Pathaan”, which became a runaway blockbuster at the global box office after it released in January.
The movie, a mega comeback vehicle for the superstar after his absence from leading man roles for more than four years, has earned over Rs 1000 crore worldwide.
The second spot went to the Iranian women protesting for greater freedoms from the country’s Islamic regime, garnering three per cent of the vote.
Iran has been hit by protests since the September 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. Amini was detained in September by Iran’s morality police, who said she didn’t properly cover her hair with the mandatory Islamic headscarf hijab. She collapsed at a police station and died three days later.
The Iranian women were also recognised in TIME’s 2022 Heroes of the Year and also won last year’s Person of the Year reader poll.

With 1.9 per cent vote share, Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Markle came third and fourth on the poll.
The Duke of Sussex made headlines in January after the release of his memoir “Spare”, in which he wrote about intimate aspects of Britain’s royal family.
Messi, who steered Argentina to World Cup glory in an epic final against France last year in Qatar, is at the fifth spot with 1.8 per cent of the vote. He won the World Cup at his record-equalling fifth attempt.
Other stars and noteworthy figures who featured on the poll included this year’s best actress Oscar winner Yeoh, former tennis player Serena Williams, Zuckerberg and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
According to the outlet, its editors will reveal their choices for the 2023 TIME100 list on April 13.
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#Shah #Rukh #Khan #tops #TIME100 #reader #poll #beating #global #influencers
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 7, 2023
India, China to account for half of global economic growth in 2023: IMF chief

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Washington: The IMF chief on Thursday said that the world economy is expected to grow at less than 3 per cent this year, with India and China expected to account for half of global growth in 2023.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Kristalina Georgieva warned that a sharp slowdown in the world economy last year following the raging pandemic and Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine would continue this year.
The period of slower economic activity will be prolonged, with the next five years witnessing less than 3 per cent growth, “our lowest medium-term growth forecast since 1990, and well below the average of 3.8 per cent from the past two decades,” she said.

“Some momentum comes from emerging economies Asia especially is a bright spot. India and China are expected to account for half of global growth in 2023. But others face a steeper climb,” she explained.
“After a strong recovery in 2021 came the severe shock of Russia’s war in Ukraine and its wide-ranging consequences global growth in 2022 dropped by almost half, from 6.1 to 3.4 per cent,” Georgieva said.
Georgieva said slower growth would be a “severe blow,” making it even harder for low-income nations to catch up.
“Poverty and hunger could further increase, a dangerous trend that was started by the COVID crisis,” she explained.
Her comments come ahead of next week’s spring meetings of the IMF and the World Bank, where policy-makers will convene to discuss the global economy’s most pressing issues.

The annual gathering will take place as central banks around the world continue to raise interest rates to tame galloping inflation rates.
About 90 per cent of advanced economies are projected to see a decline in their growth rates this year, she said.
For low-income countries, higher borrowing costs come at a time of weakening demand for their exports, she said.
Georgieva added that while the global banking system had “come a long way” since the 2008 financial crisis, “concerns remain about vulnerabilities that may be hidden, not just at banks but also non-banks.
“Now is not the time for complacency.”
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#India #China #account #global #economic #growth #IMF #chief
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 7, 2023
‘Something is going to go boom’: IMF chief warns of a more fragile global economy

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But she said she did not think the world economy was headed toward a replay of the 2008 global financial crisis, despite problems in the banking sector that have surfaced in the United States and Switzerland.
“This is not 2008,” even though the high-profile collapse of Silicon Valley Bank last month has conjured up that concern, Georgieva said.
The 2008 crisis happened because too many financial institutions carried assets on their books that turned out to be highly overvalued. “We don’t have that now. The financial system, both banking and non-banking, is much cleaner,” Georgieva said.
During her wide-ranging remarks, Georgieva also warned about the potential negative economic impacts of the world dividing into different geopolitical camps because of frictions caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine and other forces that are fueling suspicions between the United States and China.
While it’s important for the West to stand up for its values, the frostier relations become, the more of a toll it would take on global economic growth, she said, referring to IMF research which estimates the potential loss from trade ranging from $200 billion to $7 trillion, or equal to about 0.2 percent to 7 percent of global gross domestic product.
“It makes sense to aim to be on the lower end of this cost spectrum,” Georgieva said.
The IMF chief recently returned from a trip to Beijing, where she had a chance to meet with the new economic team, including Premier Li Qiang, who took office on March 23, as part of Xi Jinping’s team for his third term as Chinese president. She described Li as “very practical, down to earth, very approachable, very clear in a commitment for China to continue to open up to be friendly to foreign investors.”
Despite the growing tensions between the U.S. and China, Georgieva said the message she received from Chinese officials was positive.

“The message that I got is that China is committed to multilateralism. They’re committed to trade that is based on rules. They’re committed to opening up the economy, as they have done so far. And they’re committed to play a constructive role vis-a-vis the developing world, including debt restructuring,” she said.
She also defended the United States’ Inflation Reduction Act against the criticism that — despite its name — it is actually fueling inflation by injecting massive amounts of government spending into the system.
“The Inflation Reduction Act is not that big on the scale of things … It is something that is going to be spent over a number of years. So it’s not going to make a big push on inflation,” she said.
Still, the current environment of higher inflation means governments should be cautious when it comes to new spending programs, she added.
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#boom #IMF #chief #warns #fragile #global #economy
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

April 6, 2023
Global economy heading for weakest period of growth since 1990: IMF chief

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Washington: The global economy is heading for the weakest period of growth since 1990 as higher interest rates set by the world’s top central banks drive up borrowing costs for households and businesses, the head of the International Monetary Fund has warned, a media outlet reported.
Kristalina Georgieva, the IMF’s managing director, said that a sharp slowdown in the world economy last year after the aftershocks of the Covid pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine would continue in 2023, and risked persisting for the next five years, The Guardian reported.
In a curtainraiser speech before the fund’s spring meetings in Washington DC next week, she said that the global growth would remain about 3 percent over the next five years – its lowest medium-term growth forecast since 1990.

“This makes it even harder to reduce poverty, heal the economic scars of the Covid crisis and provide new and better opportunities for all,” Georgieva said.
In a downbeat assessment as the world grapples with the worst inflation shock in decades, she said economic activity was slowing across advanced economies in particular. While there was some momentum from developing nations – including China and India – low-income countries were also suffering from higher borrowing costs and falling demand for their exports, the media outlet reported.
Ahead of the IMF publishing revised economic forecasts next week, Georgieva said global growth in 2022 had collapsed by almost half since the initial rebound from the Covid pandemic in 2021, sliding from 6.1 percent to 3.4 percent. With high inflation, rising borrowing costs and mounting geopolitical tensions, she said global growth was on track to drop below 3 percent in 2023 and remain weak for years to come.
As many as 90 percent of advanced economies would experience a decline in their growth rate this year, she warned, with activity in the US and the eurozone hit by higher interest rates, it added.
Comparing the challenge to “climbing one ‘great hill’ after another”, Georgieva said there were still more problems to overcome: “First was Covid, then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, inflation and a cost of living crisis that hit everyone.”

“So far, we have proven to be resilient climbers. But the path ahead – and especially the path back to robust growth – is rough and foggy, and the ropes that hold us together may be weaker now than they were just a few years ago,” she was quoted as saying by the media outlet.
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#Global #economy #heading #weakest #period #growth #IMF #chief
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 6, 2023
Feds: Fugees rapper Pras Michel ran global influence-peddling scheme for cash

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Some of Low’s money went to Barack Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign and an associated super PAC, while other funds helped back an effort in 2017 to get former President Donald Trump to stop the probe into Low, Lockhart alleged.
Jurors also heard that Michel allegedly enlisted a close Trump ally, former Republican National Committee Deputy Finance Chair Elliott Broidy, to aid Low and to advance another purported goal: getting a wealthy Chinese businessperson, Guo Wengui, deported back to China. Low funded those efforts as well, Lockhart said.
Michel made a staggering $88 million off Low between 2012 and 2017, she added.
“Low had money to burn and the defendant was willing to cash in,” Lockhart said.
The trial in federal court in Washington D.C. is a chance for the government to recover from a string of high-profile courtroom defeats it has suffered in recent years as it followed through on promises to crack down on foreign-influence efforts.
Last November, Trump ally and inaugural committee chair Tom Barrack and an aide were acquitted by a federal jury in Brooklyn on charges they acted as unregistered foreign agents for the United Arab Emirates.
In 2019, a federal jury in Virginia convicted a member of the Trump transition team, Bijan Rafiekian, of acting as an unregistered foreign agent for Turkey. However, a judge later overturned that verdict and ordered a new trial for Rafiekian, who was a business partner of Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Rafiekian’s case is currently on appeal.
Also in 2019, a jury acquitted former Obama White House Counsel Greg Craig of a felony charge of scheming to mislead the Justice Department about his work for Ukraine.

Justice Department officials have defended the enforcement drive, stressing that despite the setbacks more people involved in lobbying for foreign interests are registering under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
At the Michel trial Thursday, the entertainer’s attorney, David Kenner of Encino, Calif., passed up the chance to offer an opening statement. He will get another opportunity to do so after the government presents its case.
Michel’s defense team has signaled plans to argue that he believed he was working to advance U.S. interests in his dealings related to Guo and in related efforts to free U.S. citizens held by China.
The trial is expected to bring some star power from Hollywood and the political arena to the federal district courthouse near the Capitol. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is likely to testify, along with casino mogul Steve Wynn, Broidy and top figures from the Trump administration such as National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly has rejected Michel’s attempts to seek testimony from Trump and Obama, but actors Jamie Foxx and Mark Wahlberg, director Martin Scorsese, and civil rights activist Jesse Jackson have also appeared on lists of potential witnesses for the trial.
In her opening statement, Lockhart glossed over Michel’s fame and his musical career, saying only that he had “a successful music album in the 1990s” but was in need of money by the time the alleged scheme began in 2012. Lockhart also seemed eager to de-personalize the case with any jurors who might recognize Michel. After briefly referring to him by name, she called him “the defendant” over and over again throughout her opening argument.
Whatever Michel’s financial condition at the time of the alleged scheme, there’s no doubt that it became dire following his initial indictment on the campaign-finance charges in 2019 and the addition of the unregistered-foreign-agent charges in 2021.
Last year, Michel sold his interest in the rights in his Fugees’ recordings to a private equity group in order to raise money. He also has sought to fundraise for his defense by offering potential financiers a stake in $75 million the government seized from him — a sum he plans to try to recover if he’s acquitted, Reuters reported.
Lockhart spent a half-hour detailing four conspiracies the government is alleging in the complex case. Jurors seemed attentive during her argument, with some taking notes, but the disparate allegations against Michel may have been difficult to absorb in such a brief presentation.
In particular, jurors may puzzle at the bizarre claim that a hip hop star who supported Obama orchestrated an attempt to influence the Trump administration’s decisions about criminal investigations and foreign policy.
Michel is the highest-profile defendant from outside the political world to go on trial in federal court in Washington since Major League Baseball pitcher Roger Clemens stood trial in 2012 on perjury charges. A jury acquitted him on all counts.
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#Feds #Fugees #rapper #Pras #Michel #ran #global #influencepeddling #scheme #cash
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

March 31, 2023
China aims to replace US as global net security provider, says Army chief Manoj Pande

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Pune: Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande has said transgressions remain the potential trigger for escalations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and asserted India has adequate reserves and was prepared to deal with any contingency.
Speaking at an event here on Monday, he also said China wants to replace the United States as a global net security provider and cited Beijing’s involvement in brokering recent peace talks between arch-rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran and putting forth a peace plan to end the 13-month-long Russia-Ukraine war.
The Army chief said China has accrued significant capacities for force mobilization, application, and sustenance of military operations and maintained the long-pending boundary issue can not be divorced from bilateral relations between the two Asian giants.
General Pande said Chinese attempts to carry out transgressions across the LAC in violations of past agreements/protocols remain a matter of concern for India, but the Army’s preparedness remains of a high order, comments coming in the backdrop of the border standoff in eastern Ladakh since May 2020.
He was speaking at the 2nd Strategic Dialogue on ‘Rise of China and its Implications for the World’, organized by the Savitribai Phule Pune University and the New Delhi-based Centre for China Analysis and Strategy.
“I think the most important aspect of our operational environment remains our legacy challenges of the unsettled and disputed borders. Pockets of dispute and contested claims to the territory continue to exist due to differing perceptions of the alignment of the Line of Actual Control. Transgressions remain the potential trigger for escalations,” the Chief of Army Staff cautioned.
Hence, Sino-Indian border management requires close monitoring as infirmities can lead to a wider conflict, General Pande said.
“As we all knew we have agreements/protocols — (signed in) 1993, 1996, 2005, and 2013 — in the military domain to maintain peace and tranquillity on the LAC. Of concerns remain the violations of these by China — with their attempt to carry out — transgressions across the LAC,” he said.

The decades-old boundary issue cannot be divorced from bilateral relations, General Pande asserted and went on to quote External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who had said, “for (India-China) ties to return to the positive trajectory and remain sustainable, they must be based on three mutual sensitivity respect, and interest.”
New Delhi has repeatedly maintained that its ties with Beijing cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas.
General Pande said engagement mechanisms exist at political, diplomatic, and military levels between the two countries which are optimally utilized to ensure stability along the LAC.
Talks are continuing under these establishment mechanisms, he said.
“China has accrued significant capacities for force mobilization, application, and sustenance of military operations. It has built infrastructure of military significance — be it roads, airfields, helipads, and so on,” the Army chief added.
He said the Indian Army’s strategic orientation and long-term capability development have been with a focus on the northern border.
“We have carried out the required rebalancing of the forces to affect the desired response on the northern border,” General Pande said.
The Army chief insisted India has adequate reserves and was prepared to deal with any contingency.
“Our preparedness remains of a high order and troops continued to deal with PLA (China’s People’s Liberation Army) in a firm, resolute, and measured manner while ensuring the sanctity of our claims,” he asserted.
General Pande stated that the Indian Army has ramped up its efforts to fructify the operationally critical logistical requirements, especially roads in the forward areas.
The Indian Army is working in synergy with all agencies in the forward areas to upgrade infrastructure, he added.
General Pande said after becoming an economic powerhouse, China is looking to enhance its global role.
“Brokering peace talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and putting forth the Chinese 12-point peace plan for ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict, are reflective of a Chinese urgency to replace the US as a global net security provider,” he said.
Talking about China’s rapid economic rise, General Pande noted that the Communist giant’s growth in the economic domain has been unprecedented.
“Within a few decades of initiating widespread reforms, it transitioned from a largely agrarian economy into a world leader in manufacturing and services sectors. Due to its industrial prowess, it also earned a name for itself as the ‘world’s factory’. Following this success, many developing countries and their leaders have looked to emulate China,” he said.
The Army chief pointed out that China today stands as the world’s largest economy in Purchasing Power Parity terms (based on buying power) and its economic expansion was multifaceted.
“On the one hand, it is building an ‘international network of coercion through predatory economics’, while on the other it claims to pull more than 100 million of its own people out of poverty.
“Its efforts to expand the sphere of influence through economic manoeuvring, weaponization of resource supply chains, financing large infrastructure projects with scant regard for environmental and safety standards and straddling recipient countries with unsustainable debt, are there for the world to see,” he said.
The Chief of Army Staff said issues of concern continue to exist in cases of theft of Intellectual Property Rights, stealing trade secrets and technology from foreign companies as also unfair trade practices.
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#China #aims #replace #global #net #security #provider #Army #chief #Manoj #Pande
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 28, 2023
Global IT services firm Accenture slashes 19K jobs, tech mayhem deepens

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New Delhi: Global IT services firm Accenture, which has a large presence in India, on Thursday announced to lay off nearly 19,000 employees amid the challenging global macro-economic conditions and slow revenue growth.
Delivering its quarterly results for the second quarter of fiscal 2023, the company also reduced its annual revenue growth and profit forecasts.
“We are also taking steps to lower our costs in fiscal year 2024 and beyond while continuing to invest in our business and our people to capture the significant growth opportunities ahead,” Julie Sweet, Chair and CEO, Accenture, said in a statement.
The company said its revenues were $15.8 billion, an increase of 5 percent in US dollars. The new bookings were at $22.1 billion, a 13 percent increase.
During the second quarter of fiscal 2023, Accenture initiated actions to streamline operations, transform non-billable corporate functions and consolidate office space to reduce costs.
The company recorded $244 million in business optimization costs during the second quarter and expects to record total costs of approximately $1.5 billion through fiscal 2024.
“Accenture estimates $1.2 billion for severance and $300 million for consolidation of office space, with approximately $800 million expected in fiscal 2023 and $700 million in fiscal 2024,” said the company.

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#Global #services #firm #Accenture #slashes #19K #jobs #tech #mayhem #deepens
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 23, 2023