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Global decision-making must be democratized if it has to have a future: India

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NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday highlighted the flaws in the global decision-making process at the United Nations while addressing the foreign delegates at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (G20FMM) in New Delhi.
“Current global architecture is in its 8th decade. The number of members of the UN has quadrupled in this period. It neither reflects today’s politics, economics, demographics or aspirations,” he said.

“Since 2005, we have heard sentiments for reform being expressed at the highest level. But as we all know, these have not materialized. The reasons are no secret either,” Jaishankar said.

The longer we put it off, the more the credibility of multilateralism stands eroded. Global decision-making must be democratized if it has to have a future, he added in an opening remark.

The EAM began the first session of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting by reminding foreign delegates that “this grouping bears an exceptional responsibility.”

“We first came together in the midst of a global crisis and are today, once again, actually confronting multiple ones. These include the impact of the Covid pandemic, concerns of fragile supply chains, the knock-on effects of ongoing conflicts, anxiety of debt crises and the disruption of climate events. In considering these issues, we may not all always be of one mind,” he said.

“In fact, there are some matters of sharp differences of opinions and views. Yet, we must find common ground and provide direction, because that is what the world expects of us,” said Jaishankar.

Speaking on the future of multilateralism, he said, “As we look ahead, there are both pressing and more systemic challenges that we all confront. The future of multilateralism depends very much on our ability to strengthen it in a changing world.”

He focussed on developing cooperation to mitigate the food crisis magnified by recent events. “Food and energy security are immediate anxieties, magnified by recent events. But they do have long-term repercussions and solutions. And development cooperation is part of that larger solution that we are deliberating upon today,” said Jaishankar.

He also discussed the agendas for today’s discussions that included challenges of food, fertilizers and fuel security that are make-or-break issues for developing countries.

He said that G20 group have individually and collectively an obligation to contribute to international growth and prosperity, adding that these can be implemented through sustainable partnerships and goodwill initiatives.

“On its part, India has undertaken development projects in 78 countries and has actively encouraged exchanges and capability building, he added.

According to him, during the Covid pandemic, “we made a conscious effort at contributing to global solutions even while looking after our own. Today’s situation demands that we continue to live up to our international responsibilities.”

He opined that the G20 must be sensitive to all our partners’ priorities and economic concerns, especially those more vulnerable.

“We must ensure demand-driven and sustainable development cooperation based on country ownership and transparency. Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity are essential guiding principles for such cooperation,” added Jaishankar.

He reaffirmed that G20 Foreign Ministers can send a collective message of its determination to address the complex challenges that the world face at this juncture, adding, “I look forward to our deliberations in this regard.” (ANI)

The Pandemic Damaged Cognitive Development and Lifetime Earnings of Children and Youth- World Bank

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Washington — The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a significant collapse in human capital for millions of children and young people across South Asia, according to a new report by the World Bank. The report, which analyzed data for people who were under the age of 25 at the onset of the pandemic, found that in South Asia, today’s students could lose up to 14.4% of their future earnings due to COVID-19-induced education shocks. The cognitive deficit in today’s toddlers could also translate into a 25% decline in earnings when these children become adults.

The pandemic shuttered schools and disrupted key services that protect and promote human capital, such as healthcare and job training, leading to significant declines in cognitive and social-emotional development across the region. In South Asia, between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2022, schools were fully or partially closed for 83% of the time, significantly longer than the global average of schools being closed for 52% of that same period.

The report provides an approach to help countries prioritize among different crisis recovery policy options. In the short term, countries should support targeted campaigns for vaccinations and nutritional supplementation; increase access to pre-primary education, including social-emotional skills; and expand coverage of cash transfers for vulnerable families. For school-aged children, governments need to keep schools open and increase instructional time; assess learning and match instruction to students’ learning level; and streamline the curriculum to focus on foundational learning.

In the longer term, countries need to build agile, resilient, and adaptive health, education, and social protection systems that can better prepare for and respond to current and future shocks. The World Bank is working closely with governments in South Asia to protect and invest in people as they cope with and recover from the pandemic.

Sri Lanka widens currency trading band to secure IMF bailout

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Bloomberg, Colombo : Sri Lanka allowed its currency to trade in a wider band, stepping up efforts to secure a $2.9 billion International Monetary Fund bailout. The rupee advanced.

The currency was allowed to trade at a maximum of 5 rupees from the middle rate effective Monday, the central bank said on its website. The trading band, which was introduced in May, had been set at 2.6 rupees since October. The currency climbed 1.3 per cent to 359.52 per dollar on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka joins some of the world’s most indebted nations in loosening its grip on the currency in order to unlock financing from the IMF. Pakistan, Egypt and Lebanon were among those that have dropped their exchange rates this year. The IMF funds are crucial for Sri Lanka as dollar shortages have left it unable to pay for imports of medicine and food, with the economy deep in a recession.

The rupee advanced more than 2 per cent this year after sliding 45 per cent in 2022 after the nation defaulted on its sovereign debt. Sri Lanka is in talks with creditors for debt restructuring, another key condition for the IMF to approve a loan to the nation.

Bangladesh cabinet agrees to allow dual citizenship of 44 more countries

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DHAKA — Bangladesh’s cabinet on Monday passed a proposal that paved the way for Bangladeshis to acquire dual citizenship of 44 more countries.

After a cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, Spokesman Mahbub Hossain told reporters that the cabinet approved that Bangladeshis can avail dual citizenship of 44 newly added countries while keeping their Bangladeshi citizenship.

Previously, Bangladeshis could hold dual citizenship of 57 countries besides their country of birth.

Briefing media in Dhaka on Monday, Cabinet Secretary Mahbub Hossai said that the proposal over dual citizenship was proposed by the Security Services Division of the Home Ministry which was approved by the cabinet.

Out of these 44 countries 19 countries are in Africa, 12 countries are in South America, 12 countries are in the Caribbean region and one in Oceania. The new list  includes Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, Algeria, Sudan, Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Fiji among others.

Bangladesh allows for dual citizenship under limited circumstances based on procedures prescribed by the government. Bangladeshi origin people who are citizens of the USA, UK, Australia, Canada and Europe are allowed to take up dual citizenship of Bangladesh. Such people based on their application and fulfilling certain conditions are issued a Dual Nationality Certificate (DNC) and they can obtain a Bangladeshi passport, apart from the passport of those countries.

However, people with dual citizenship are not permitted to become members of parliament or contest elections in Bangladesh. People from the SAARC region are not allowed to have dual citizenship as per Bangladeshi law. (Newsonair/Xinhua)

Major ruling coalition member of Nepal withdraws support to the government

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Kathmandu : The largest party of ruling coalition member of Nepal CPN (UML) has left the government today . Similarly, the party has also decided to withdraw its support to the Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ led government.

A meeting held at the Party Central Office Chyasal, Lalitpur decided to leave the government and withdraw the party’s support to the current government on Monday. 

Speaking to the journalists after the meeting vice-chair Bishnu Prasad Paudel said that after Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ defying the December 25 agreement and pressuring UML to leave the government meeting took the decisions.

Meanwhile, just hours before Foreign Minister Bimala Rai Paudyal was scheduled to fly to Geneva to attend a high-level session of the UN Human Rights Council, Prime Minister Prachanda asked her to cancel the visit.

The development comes as a new ruling coalition minus the CPN-UML is in the making in Kathmandu just ahead of the presidential election on March 9, Nepalease media reported on Monday.

Eight political parties, including CPN-Maoist Centre led by Prachanda, have decided to support senior Nepali Congress leader Ramchandra Poudyal for the post of head of the state during the election.

Prachanda, the 68-year-old Maoist leader was sworn in as the Prime Minister for the third time on December 26 last year after he dramatically walked out of the pre-poll alliance led by the Nepali Congress and joined hands with opposition leader Oli.

The Rashtriya Prajatantra Party (PPP), a key partner in the seven parties ruling alliance in Nepal, has already decided to withdraw its support to ‘Prachanda’-led government, citing changes in the political equation.

Maoist Center Chairman and Prime Minister ‘Prachanda’ has dealt a blow to the ruling alliance by selecting a presidential candidate from outside the ruling alliance.

Pakistan PM expresses concern over drowning of over two dozen Pakistanis in Italy boat wreck

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Islamabad : Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday took notice of the drowning of more than two dozen Pakistanis in a boat tragedy in Italy.
Taking to his official Twitter handle, Sharif directed the Foreign Office to “ascertain facts” regarding the incident at the earliest.
Shehbaz Sharif tweeted, “The reports of the drowning of over two dozen Pakistanis in a boat tragedy in Italy are deeply concerning & worrisome. I have directed Foreign Office to ascertain facts as early as possible & take the nation into confidence.”
His statement comes after 59 migrants, including 28 Pakistanis, perished after their overloaded boat sank early on Sunday in stormy seas off Italy’s southern Calabria region, Geo News reported citing officials. 
The Pakistani Embassy in Rome said 40 Pakistanis were on board besides others in the boat that sank on Sunday, Geo News reported, adding that the bodies of 28 Pakistanis had been moved out of the sea by rescue officials.
It further said that 12 more Pakistan nationals on the boat were still missing. The Pakistani officials further said they are in touch with the Italian authorities, volunteers and maritime agencies, according to Geo News report. 

Earlier on Sunday, Pakistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, tweeted, “We are closely following the reports about the possible presence of Pakistanis in the vessel that has capsized off the coast of Italy. The Embassy of Pakistan in Rome is in the process of ascertaining facts from the Italian authorities.”
At least 59 people, including an infant, children and several women, died after the boat carrying migrants broke apart on rocks off the coast of Calabria, CNN reported citing Italian authorities. The first three bodies washed up on the beach near Staccato di Cutro in Italy at around 4:40 am (local time) on Sunday.
Around 80 people were saved from the water clinging on to pieces of the boat, CNN reported citing Italy’s fire brigade. 
The italian fire brigade further said the survivors were from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan.  
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni blamed the tragedy on human traffickers, calling it “inhumane” to exchange the lives of people for the price of a ticket under the false perspective of a safe journey, CNN reported. 
In a statement, Giorgia Meloni said, “It is criminal to launch a boat just 20 meters long with 200 people on board in adverse weather. According to CNN, Meloni further said, “It is inhumane to exchange the lives of men, women and children for the price of a ticket under the false perspective of a safe journey.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis tweeted, “Let’s #PrayTogether also for the victims of the shipwreck this morning, off the Calabrian coast, including many children, and for the other surviving migrants. I thank those who have brought relief and are providing shelter.” (ANI)

The UK’s four-day working week pilot was a success – here’s what should happen next

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By : Miriam Marra, University of Reading

The world’s largest four-day working week trial has just ended and almost all of the companies that participated have decided to continue with a reduced working hours model.

Participants in the trial agreed to produce the same output for the same pay, while reducing their hours to a four-day week. Revenues stayed largely the same across the 61 organisations (and 2,900 employees) that took part in the UK pilot, while employee wellbeing improved significantly, according to a report on the scheme.

Workers experienced less stress and burnout as a result of reduced anxiety and being able to juggle work, caring responsibilities and social commitments more easily, the results showed. There was also better job retention and a substantial reduction in sick days taken during the trial period from June to December 2022.

The results speak for themselves, as does the organisations’ continued commitment to this kind of working pattern. This is a resounding vote for a four-day work week – among these companies at least – but the end of the pilot should not signal the end of testing and tweaking this working model.

A 2019 white paper on the four-day working week published by a Henley Business School team led by Professor James Walker and Dr Rita Fontinha produced similar results. After surveying over 500 business leaders and 2,000 employees, including businesses that had already implemented a four-day working week, we also found that there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to flexible working. Any shift to a shorter working week needs to be thoroughly planned by companies and their employees.

Each company involved in the recent UK four-day work week pilot programme designed a policy tailored to their particular industry, organisation, structure and work culture. And there are a range of different four-day week models to consider based on issues such as the way days off are chosen or how quickly the model is implemented. There are also many ways to measure changes in productivity levels – from sales turnover, speed of service, delivery of projects by target dates, to various assessments of customer and staff satisfaction.

Carefully planning the shift to a four-day week and providing specific training for managers and employees in advance is crucial to success. A poor implementation could result in problems including stress, unfairness (negatively affecting part-timers, for example), and ultimately, a lack of engagement around preserving productivity. To ensure the success of a four-day working week, input, feedback and commitment from employees at every company level is crucial.

So, other businesses that want to benefit from the advantages of a four-day working week should keep three longer-term considerations in mind.

  1. Maintaining productivity gains

A four-day working week must be able to guarantee persistent productivity levels in the long term, when the shift becomes a permanent policy. There is a danger that once the novelty has worn off, and after employees have changed their contractual working pattern, they may be less motivated to produce the “25% boost” in productivity on the four days they do work.

After the success of the recent pilot, researchers and academics must now embark on a prolonged assessment of productivity changes. New businesses, and those involved in the first trial, will hopefully agree to continue supporting this research.

  1. Committing to a shorter working week

It’s important to consider the impact of the current economic situation on working practices. High inflation has increased the costs of production for businesses and the cost of living for employees. On the one hand, this environment could erode employers’ focus on employee wellbeing. But it could also push employees to reduce their working week in their main job to try to make additional income elsewhere on the fifth day. This could defy the four-day working week purpose of higher productivity and wellbeing gains.

More broadly, in these challenging economic times, both employers’ and employees’ focus may shift from job improvement to job preservation (or even multiplication). Researchers and policymakers need to develop ways to support the braver businesses that decide to avoid job cuts and support more flexible working policies at this time. The macroeconomic situation will change and new working models should be planned with a long-term perspective.

  1. Assessing all flexible work options

COVID lockdowns fuelled interest in various flexible work practices, as well as providing the opportunity to test some on a wider scale. Our research team wanted to understand whether opinions about the four-day working week changed because the pandemic presented other flexible models such as remote working. In November 2021, we launched a second round of surveys to find out if the four-day week been overshadowed.

The results showed that the four-day working week was still the desired option out of the various flexible working arrangements available. Further, most people preferred to be able to choose the fifth day off (around 70%) or to take a Friday or Monday (61%).

After the four-day week, working full-time hours but being able to choose when to do them, and being able to work from home whenever needed, were the second most popular options (65% and 66% respectively). Working from home all the time was the least favourable option, but it gained a significant number of extra supporters after the pandemic, rising to 51% from 43% pre-COVID.

Our research also indicated that preferences change based on employee demographics. Women were significantly more likely to want alternative working options compared to men, for example. We also saw regional differences: people in north-east England, Scotland and Northern Ireland were most attracted to a four-day working week. Those in Greater London and the south-east preferred to work flexibly or from home as needed.

Business leaders need to understand the full picture of needs in their individual businesses to make flexible working a success. A balance must be struck between individual preferences and formal human resources policies and work processes. This will help to maintain productivity, alongside employee wellbeing, even as people work fewer hours for the same pay.

From : The conversations

Nepal to get new President on 9th of march

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Kathmandu — The ruling coalition of Nepal is likely to change after two months of its formulation under the leadership of the second largest party CPM UML led by KP Oli. The new coalition was successful to break the electoral alliance and formulate a government under the leadership of PM Prachanda.

The electoral alliance is having meetings and finalizing the candidate for president on consensus. The collition of five parties, including the Nepali Congress, CPN (Maoist Center), CPN (Unified Socialist), Rashtriya Janamorcha, and Loktantrik Samajwadi Party, was broken after the elections. 

On Saturday, 25 February political parties will officially register their candidates for the presidential election set to take place on 9 March. 

From the Nepali Congress (NC) the names floating around include Ram Chandra Paudel, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, and even former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba himself. Possible candidates from the UML include Ishwar Pokharel, Subhas Chandra Nembang, Bishnu Rimal, and Asta Laxmi Shakya.

CPN-Unified Socialist Chair Madhav Kumar Nepal as well as Nepal Socialist Party leader Baburam Bhattarai’s names have also come up in connection with the presidency. Mahanta Thakur of the Loktantrik Samajwadi Party has also been proposed as a candidate.

There are 884 voters in the electoral college who will cast their ballots, of which 334 are from the federal House of Representatives and 550 from provincial assemblies. The votes will be weighted with federal parliament members getting 79 points to make 26,400 points and provincial assemblies getting 48 points each to make 26,386 votes.  

Ants show the way to beating traffic jams

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Tanya Latty
University of Sydney

Being stuck in traffic is stressful, wastes time and resources and ends up costing the world’s economies trillions of dollars a year. Jams happen daily and authorities have spent decades trying to fix the problem with little success.

Yet a solution may be literally under our feet. Ants.

There are an estimated 20 quadrillion ants on Earth. That’s more than the number of stars in the Milky Way (and possibly more than the number of stars in the entire observable universe). These ants — which can live in colonies that contain billions of individuals and can span thousands of kilometers — are nearly always moving yet somehow they never get stuck.

Like humans, ants have sophisticated transportation systems to ensure the efficient movement of individuals, resources and information.

Some ant species create systems using chemical signals called ‘pheromones’. If an ant finds an attractive food source, she returns to the nest dropping invisible droplets of pheromone behind her as she walks.

This is the basis of many ant transportation systems and enables ants to quickly gather workers to new food sources, allocate workers based on the quality of the food, and find the shortest path between points.

In the early 1990s, the trail-laying behavior of ants inspired the incredibly successful ‘ant colony optimization algorithm’ which is now used to tackle tough traffic problems such as determining the most efficient route for a fleet of delivery vehicles. Ants excel at managing traffic on their trails.

On human-built roads the average speed of cars decreases as the number of cars on the road increases: you simply can’t go fast when the road is crowded. Ants moving on their trails, however, do not slow down even when more ants join the trail.

How? In some cases, traffic congestion is prevented because ants switch from using a single trail when traffic is light, to using two trails when traffic is heavy. By dividing themselves across multiple routes, ants maintain traffic speeds and prevent congestion, effectively stopping traffic jams before they start.  

Some ants also respond to increased traffic by leaving less pheromone, which decreases the attractiveness of a trail and may encourage ants to find alternate routes. Other ants appear to adjust their walking speed to avoid time-consuming collisions when ant trails become crowded.  

Some ants manage traffic by traveling along their trails in small groups called ‘platoons’. Platooning is thought to increase the efficiency of ant trail systems by reducing the gaps between individuals. This concept is being investigated for self-driving cars as it reduces the need for sudden braking and helps prevent congestion.

It’s clear ants are masters at managing traffic on their trails but the billion-dollar question is whether we can apply what we learn from ants to our own traffic management systems.

There is one issue: humans are not ants.

Where ants on a trail share a common goal, human drivers are motivated by individual goals that may conflict with other road users. Ants communicate to one another through their trails systems, whereas communication between human drivers is limited.

However, as we move toward the adoption of self-driving vehicles, the opportunities for ants to inspire traffic technologies will increase. Self-driving cars can communicate with each other to find the best route and avoid congestion, similar to ants using chemical signals to communicate and navigate their trail systems.

Like ants in a colony, self-driving vehicles may be able to work together to minimize traffic times for everyone. In essence, our traffic systems may be becoming more ant like. And as our traffic systems continue to adapt, we would be wise to look to the animals whose traffic management prowess has been shaped by millions of years of evolution.

Tanya Latty is an associate professor at the University of Sydney. Her research focuses broadly on insect behavior and ecology with particular interest in the intersections between entomology, agriculture and technology.  

Sri Lankan officials asked to travel in economy class amid economic crisis

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COLOMBO — Sri Lankan officials have been required to purchase economy class air tickets for official travel abroad to ensure that government resources are utilized efficiently, the President’s Media Unit (PMD) said on Thursday.

President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake has issued the directive, which will take effect from March 1, on the instructions of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, according to the PMD.

Officials such as the chief justice, justices of the Supreme Court, chairman of the Court of Appeal and justices of the Court of Appeal are exempt from booking economy class tickets.

If an officer needs to travel in business class, they may do so at their own expense, paying the difference between an economy and business class ticket, according to the directive.

The measure aims to ensure that government funds are used only for essential purposes and that resources are utilized efficiently.

This directive comes amid the current economic and financial challenges facing the South Asian country, and it is expected to help alleviate some of the pressure on government funds, said the PMD.(Xinhua)

Amid debate on Ukraine conflict, India to host event on Gandhian philosophy

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As the United Nations discusses the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, India said it will be hosting an event on the Gandhian thought and philosophy at the UN headquarters in New York on Thursday.

To be organised jointly by the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations and the University for Peace at Economic and Social Council Chamber, the event on Thursday evening is expected to be attended by diplomats from across the world.

On Friday, the UN Security Council is scheduled to hold a discussion on Ukraine.

Announcing the event in a tweet, India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations said, “Join us tomorrow at UN for a thought-provoking initiative on the centrality of Mission Life & sustainable development to Gandhian thought as part of the the India Roundtable series.”

It also shared a quote by Gandhi: “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”

The announcement comes as the UN General Assembly held an Emergency Special Session on Ukraine.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the one-year mark of the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine stands as a grim milestone for the people of Ukraine and for the international community.

“The invasion is a violation of the United Nations Charter and international law and is having dramatic humanitarian and human rights consequences,” he said.

“The position of the United Nations is unequivocal: We are committed to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders,” Guterres said.

Csaba Korosi, President of the General Assembly, said Wednesday marked the grim and first anniversary of the war in Ukraine, highlighting the despair, displacement, destruction and death that Europe has not seen in decades.

“No one can be complacent,” Korosi said. He also assured all those suffering from the war’s consequences that they have not been forgotten.

“This war will come to an end, and the time of reconstruction, reconciliation and transformation will come,” Korosi said. “We know it will not be easy. We know the scars are deep. Culture, family bonds, sports, arts and the acknowledgement of the shared destiny of humanity will certainly help nations currently facing each other in the trenches.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba introduced a draft resolution calling for just and lasting peace in his country. Calling this “a decisive moment to show support, unity and solidarity,” he recalled standing in the assembly urging its member nations to prevent war days before Russia’s February 24, 2022 invasion.

Ukraine exercised its legitimate right to self-defence, enshrined in the Charter as its people chose to fight for their lives. “Against all odds, we were able to stop the much stronger aggressor and kick him out of half of the newly occupied territory,” he said, adding, “No one should be fooled by Russia’s empty calls for negotiations.”

In his remarks, Vassily A Nebenzia of Russia alleged that Ukraine is nothing more than a pawn. “While Moscow is ready for a diplomatic solution, its opponents have not recovered from the futile illusion that they could defeat a nuclear power,” he said.

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that President Vladimir Putin had chosen war in an assault on the United Nations that struck at the heart of its Charter. “On the one-year anniversary of this conflict, we will see where the nations of the world stand on peace in Ukraine,” she said. (PTI)

UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to visit India for G20 finance meet

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The UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, will arrive in Bengaluru on Thursday to attend the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting, and with a declared mission to enhance the India-UK economic partnership.

On his first visit overseas since taking charge at the UK Treasury, Hunt will meet with his Indian counterpart, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and senior business leaders and tech CEOs of the country to explore collaboration opportunities.

His office said the tour aims at strengthening the already productive India-UK economic relationship and deepen ties with a rising “economic superpower” to increase new investments and jobs in the United Kingdom.

“I want the UK to be the world’s next Silicon Valley this is an ambition within reach thanks to our status as a global financial powerhouse and home to world class universities and research institutions,” Hunt said, on the eve of his India visit.

“We already have a USD1 trillion tech industry, but we want to go further to create jobs and wealth across the UK. To help us get there, we need to deepen investment connections with like-minded countries around the world starting with our Indian friends who are fast becoming an economic superpower in their own right,” he said.

The Chancellor’s team said he will be meeting with Indian tech CEOs and founders in Bengaluru to explore investment opportunities and how links with India can help the UK become the world’s next ‘Silicon Valley’.

“India is projected to be the world’s third-largest economy by 2050, with a tech industry that generated USD227 billion in revenue in FY2022. It is already a significant economic partner for the UK, and the Chancellor is seeking to promote greater collaboration between the two countries,” the Treasury said.

Coinciding with the one-year anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict this week, the UK government has said the finance minister will use the G20 talks to reaffirm its “unwavering support” for Ukraine, and discuss with other members ways to address issues such as elevated global inflationary pressures and the instability in energy and food prices that are being exacerbated by the conflict.

During his visit, Hunt and Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey will also join a meeting of G7 Finance Ministers. It follows the latest move on behalf of the G7, the European Union (EU) and Australia, who via a Price Cap Coalition, set caps on the price of seaborne Russian oil products effective from February 5, 2023.

High-value Russian exports such as diesel and gasoline are capped at USD100 while lower-value products such as fuel oil are capped at USD45. Meanwhile, the UK points to having phased out the import of Russian oil and oil products last year.

The Treasury added that the Chancellor’s work at the G20 will also contribute to the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak-led government’s priorities to halve inflation this year to ease the cost of living and give people financial security; grow the economy, create better-paid jobs and opportunity right across the country; and make sure national debt dips so that the future of public services is secured. (PTI)

Nepal Health Minister meets with WHO Director General

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Kathmandu  :  Minister for Health and Population of Nepal, Padam Giri, who is in Switzerland to participate in the Fifth Global Ministerial Summit on Patient Safety, has met with the World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the latter’s office.    


On the occasion, the minister thanked the WHO for its contribution to the health sector of Nepal. He praised the United Nations agency for its contribution by providing COVID-19 vaccines, in controlling, containing and eliminating various types of diseases including polio, and cholera post the 2015 earthquake, and in neonatal health. 

   
He took up the matter of mutual cooperation and expansion of activities related to non-infectious diseases, mental health and stimuli-responsive drug delivery system for biomedical applications, it has been said.    


The meeting also discussed the matter of the construction of the WHO coordination centre, strengthening the National Public Health Laboratory, and the continuous assistances for boosting efficiency for the implementation of the International Health Regulations, said the minister’s private secretary Laxman Giri. (RSS) 

UN chief condemns Russian ‘affront’ in Ukraine

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New York : United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Wednesday and said that it “is an affront to our collective conscience.” While addressing the eleventh emergency special session two days before the
anniversary of Russia’s attack, Guterres said, “When you mark Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stands as a green milestone for the people of Ukraine and for the International community that invasion is an affront to our Collective conscience.” “It is a violation of the UN Charter and international law. It is having dramatic humanitarian and human rights consequences and the impact is being felt far beyond Ukraine,” he added.

The Russia-Ukraine war started on February 24 with the bombings and changing the world’s geopolitics.
As fighting raged on in Ukraine, the General Assembly began debating a motion backed by Kyiv.
While addressing the session, UN Chief also said, “I said from day one Russia’s attack on Ukraine challenges the Cornerstone principles and values of our multilateral system the UN Charter is unambiguous.” “I quote all members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state or in any
other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the UN,” he added. He also recalled the other countries’ addresses over the illegal annexation of four regions of Ukraine.

Earlier, in Poland, US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said that Russian President Vladimir Putin made a “big mistake” when he announced that his country was suspending its participation in the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty. Biden – who was walking into a meeting with the Bucharest Nine at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, first smiled and responded, “I don’t have time” when a member of the US press asked for his response to Putin.

He then paused and said “big mistake,” before walking in for a photo with other leaders.
The Bucharest Nine group was formed in 2015 after the Russian annexation of Crimea, and it consists of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

Biden is meeting with NATO leaders in Poland as the Ukraine war approaches the oneyear mark.
While in Moscow, Putin met with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi on Wednesday. Earlier, Wang met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Putin has said he is suspending participation in New START — the only remaining major nuclear arms control treaty with the US — and sought to blame the West for the Ukraine conflict. (ANI)

Pakistani gov’t introduces austerity measures to fulfill IMF demands

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ISLAMABAD — The Pakistani government had introduced a list of austerity measures to cut the official expenditures in an attempt to fulfill demands of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a financial package, said the prime minister’s office.

According to a statement issued by the prime minister’s office on Wednesday night, the federal cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif had unanimously passed the proposal to start the austerity drive to save 200 billion rupees (around 766 million U.S. dollars) annually.

The statement added that the current expenditures of ministries, departments and sub-departments would be reduced by 15 percent and all necessary changes will be made immediately to their budgets to achieve the target.

Earlier in the evening, the prime minister also told media persons that the cabinet members would not take their salaries and other benefits as well as they would travel in economy class and will stay in non-luxurious hotels during their foreign trips.

To cut traveling expenses, the government decided to conduct virtual meetings and buy only non-luxurious cars till June 2024.

Earlier on Monday, the lower house of the country’s parliament also passed a supplementary budget to impose 170 billion rupees in additional taxes, one of the conditions from the IMF to get the financial package, including the first tranche of 1.1 billion U.S. dollars. (1 Pakistani rupee equals 0.0038 USD) Xinhua

Manchester Museum reopens with first permanent gallery to celebrate the experiences and contributions of South Asian diaspora

Posted on by SAT News Desk

London — The Manchester Museum has reopened to the public with a new South Asia Gallery, in partnership with the British Museum. This is the first permanent gallery in the UK dedicated to the experiences and histories of South Asian diaspora communities.

The gallery has been co-curated by a group of 30 individuals from the South Asia Gallery Collective, including community leaders, educators, artists, historians, journalists, and musicians.

The gallery showcases over 140 historic artefacts from the collections of the Manchester Museum and the British Museum, as well as new contemporary commissions and personal objects provided by the Collective.

The gallery’s design reflects multiple voices and perspectives on South Asia through six overarching themes: Past & Present, Lived Environments, Science & Innovation, Sound, Music & Dance, British Asian, and Movement & Empire.

The gallery explores the connection between South Asia and Britain’s legacy of Empire, presenting fresh perspectives on British Asian and South Asian culture and creativity.

The gallery also celebrates contemporary South Asian creativity and innovation with new commissions, including a rickshaw imported from Bangladesh and a 17-metre-long newly commissioned mural from British artists, The Singh Twins. A dedicated space at the center of the gallery will be shaped by ideas and contributions from the Collective.