#pakistan economy 2021

[reasonsforhope]

"Nasir Mansoor has spent 40 years fighting for Pakistan’s workers. Whether demanding compensation on behalf of the hundreds of people who died in a devastating 2012 factory fire in Karachi or demonstrating against Pakistani suppliers to global fashion brands violating minimum wage rules, he’s battled many of the country’s widespread labor injustices.

Yet so far, little has improved, said Mansoor, who heads Pakistan’s National Trade Union Federation in Karachi... Regulations and trade protocols look good on paper, but they rarely trickle down to the factory level. “Nobody cares,” Mansoor said. “Not the government who makes commitments, not the brands, and not the suppliers. The workers are suffering.”

Change on the Horizon

But change might finally be on the horizon after Germany’s new Supply Chain Act came into force last year. As Europe’s largest economy and importer of clothing, Germany now requires certain companies to put risk-management systems in place to prevent, minimize, and eliminate human rights violations for workers across their entire global value chains. Signed into law by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in January 2023, the law covers issues such as forced labor, union-busting, and inadequate wages, for the first time giving legal power to protections that were previously based on voluntary commitments. Companies that violate the rules face fines of up to 8 million euros ($8.7 million)...

...As governments come to realize that a purely voluntary regimen produces limited results, there is now a growing global movement to ensure that companies are legally required to protect the people working at all stages of their supply chains.

The German law is just the latest example of these new due diligence rules—and it’s the one with the highest impact, given the size of the country’s market. A number of other Western countries have also adopted similar legislation in recent years, including France and Norway. A landmark European Union law that would mandate all member states to implement similar regulation is in the final stages of being greenlighted.

Although the United States has legislation to prevent forced labor in its global supply chains, such as the 2021 Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, there are no federal laws that protect workers in other countries from abuses that fall short of forced labor. That said, a proposed New York state bill, the Fashion Act, would legally require most major U.S. and international brands to identify, prevent, and remediate human rights violations in their supply chain if passed, with noncompliance subject to fines. Since major fashion brands could hardly avoid selling their products in New York, the law would effectively put the United States on a similar legal level as Germany and France...

The Results So Far

As of January, Germany’s new law applies to any company with at least 1,000 employees in the country, which covers many of the world’s best-known fast fashion retailers, such as Zara and Primark. Since last January [Jan 2023], German authorities say they have received 71 complaints or notices of violations and conducted 650 of their own assessments, including evaluating companies’ risk management.

In Pakistan, the very existence of the German law was enough to spark action. Last year, Mansoor and other union representatives reached out to fashion brands that sourced some of their clothing in Pakistan to raise concerns about severe labor violations in garment factories. Just four months later, he and his colleagues found themselves in face-to-face meetings with several of those brands—a first in his 40-year career. “This is a big achievement,” he said. “Otherwise, [the brands] never sit with us. Even when the workers died in the factory fire, the brand never sat with us.” ...

-via The Fuller Project, April 2, 2024. Article headers added by me.

Article continues below, with more action-based results, including one factory that "complied, agreeing to respect minimum wages and provide contract letters, training on labor laws, and—for the first time—worker bonuses"

With the help of Mansoor and Zehra Khan, the general secretary of the Home-Based Women Workers Federation, interviews with more than 350 garment workers revealed the severity of long-known issues.

Nearly all workers interviewed were paid less than a living wage, which was 67,200 Pakistan rupees (roughly $243) per month in 2022, according to the Asia Floor Wage Alliance. Nearly 30 percent were even paid below the legal minimum wage of 25,000 Pakistani rupees per month (roughly $90) for unskilled workers. Almost 100 percent had not been given a written employment contract, while more than three-quarters were either not registered with the social security system—a legal requirement—or didn’t know if they were.

When Mansoor, Khan, and some of the organizations raised the violations with seven global fashion brands implicated, they were pleasantly surprised. One German retailer reacted swiftly, asking its supplier where the violations had occurred to sign a 14-point memorandum of understanding to address the issues. (We’re unable to name the companies involved because negotiations are ongoing.) The factory complied, agreeing to respect minimum wages and provide contract letters, training on labor laws, and—for the first time—worker bonuses.

In February [2024], the factory registered an additional 400 workers with the social security system (up from roughly 100) and will continue to enroll more, according to Khan. “That is a huge number for us,” she said.

It’s had a knock-on effect, too. Four of the German brand’s other Pakistani suppliers are also willing to sign the memorandum, Khan noted, which could impact another 2,000 workers or so. “The law is opening up space for [the unions] to negotiate, to be heard, and to be taken seriously,” said Miriam Saage-Maass, the legal director at ECCHR.

Looking Forward with the EU

...Last month [in March 2024], EU member states finally approved a due diligence directive after long delays, during which the original draft was watered down. As it moves to the next stage—a vote in the European Parliament—before taking effect, critics argue that the rules are now too diluted and cover too few companies to be truly effective. Still, the fact that the EU is acting at all has been described as an important moment, and unionists such as Mansoor and Khan wait thousands of miles away with bated breath for the final outcome.

Solidarity from Europe is important, Khan said, and could change the lives of Pakistan’s workers. “The eyes and the ears of the people are looking to [the brands],” Mansoor said. “And they are being made accountable for their mistakes.”"

-via The Fuller Project, April 2, 2024. Article headers added by me.

[originallandlockedmariner]

2023

Pickleball. Generative AI. Lula takes office in Brazil, Amazon Rainforest throws a party. Prince Harry refusing to stop talking about his frozen penis no matter how many times society begged him to stop. UFOs are real. Viral cat dubbed ‘largest cat anyone has ever seen’ gets adopted. Pee-Wee’s big adventure ends. Musk & X. Turkey-Syria earthquake kills thousands. India surpasses China as ‘country squeezing in the most peeps’. Tucker Carlson ousted. Miss USA and her 30 lbs moon costume. Wildfires in Kelowna and Hawaii. Macron tinkers with retirement age of the French. Paltrow can’t ski. Big Red Boots. Bob Barker leaves us. Alabama mom delivers 2 babies from her 2 uteruses in 2 days. Charles III. Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian forces as the war drags on. Taylor Swift is Time’s Person of the Year. African ‘coup belt’. Flo-Jo dies in her sleep. Chinese spy balloon shot down. Hollywood writers strike. Human ‘nice mugshot’ Shitstain and his 91 indictments. Highest interest rates in 2 decades. The Bear’s Christmas episode. War in Gaza. Shinzo Abe is assassinated. Alex Murdaugh. Ocean Cleanup removes 25 000 lbs of trash from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Vase purchased for $3.99 sells for $100 000 at auction. Barbenheimer. A third of Pakistan is flooded. Lionel Messi is the GOAT. Travis Kelce. The Sphere opens in Las Vegas. Regulators seized Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, resulting in two of the three largest bank failures in U.S. history. “The Woman In Me”. WHO declares COVID ain’t a thing no more. Titan sub sinks, rich people die. Matthew Perry drowns. Dumbledore Dies (again). Massive sales of ‘Fuck Trudeau’ flags for jacked-up micro-dick trucks. Everything Everywhere All At Once. June-August was the hottest three-month period in recorded history across the Earth. Tina Turner dies. And the Beatles release a new song?! Wow… You got big shoes to fill 2024.

Archives for context:

2020

Kobe. Pandemic. Lockdown. Koalas on fire. Harry and Meg retire. Toilet paper hoarding. Alcoholism. Impeach the f*cker. Parasite. Bonnie Henry. Tiger King. Working from home. Sourdough bread. Harvey Weinstein guilty. Zoom overdose. Dip your body in sanitizer. 6 feet. Quarantine. OK Boomer. Home schooling (everyone passes). Murder hornets. Dolly Parton. Don’t hug, kiss or see anybody, especially your family. Chris Evans’ junk. TikTok. Glory holes. Face masks. CERB. West Coast wildfires. Stay home. Small Businesses lose, big box stores win. F*ck Bozos. ‘Dreams’ and cranberry juice. Close yoga studios, but thumbs up to your local gym. Speak moistly to me. George Floyd. BLM. F*ck Trump. Phase 2, 3 and Summer. RBG. Baby Yoda. Biden wins. Bond and Black Panther die. No more lockdown. Back to school and work. Just kidding... giddy up round 2. Giuliani leaks shit from his head. Resurgence of chess. UFOs are real. Restrictions. Dave Grohl admits defeat. Monolith. “F*ck... forgot my mask in the car”. No Christmas shenanigans allowed. Bubbles. Alex Trebek. Use the term ‘dumpster fire’ one too many times. Jupiter and Saturn form 'Christmas Star'. Happy New Year Bitches!!!! 2021... you better not sh*t the bed!!

2021

“We love you, you’re very special”. Failed coup attempt at the Capital. Twitter, FB and IG ban Donny. Hammerin’ Hank goes to the Field of Dreams. Bozo no longer richest man but still a twat. Leachman, Tyson, and Holbrook pass. The economy is worse than expected. Kim and Kanye split. Brood X cicadas. Dre has an aneurysm and nearly has his home broken into. Bridgerton. MyPillow CEO is a douche. Covid restrictions extended indefinitely. Captain Von Trapp dies. Proud Boys officially a Terrorist Organization. Richard Ramirez. Cancer takes Screech. Travel bans. Impeachment trial (again?… oh and this was barely February? WTF??!!) Suez Canal blockage. Myanmar protest. Kong dukes it out with Godzilla, while Raya watches. Olympics. Friends compare elective surgeries. F9. Canada Women’s Soccer Gold. Free Britney. Multiverses. Residential Schools in Canada unearth children’s bodies. Kate is Mare of Easttown. Cuomo resigns. Disney and Dwayne cruise together. Wildfires. Delta variants. Musk passes Bezos. Candyman x 5. Capt. Kirk goes to space. F*ck Kyle Rittenhouse. Astros didn’t win. Squid Game. Goodbye Bond. Dune is redone. Angelina is Eternal. Astroworld deaths. Meta. Omicron. Three Spidermen. Tornados in December? World Juniors cancelled. Pills against Covid. School opening delayed. And Betty White dies. 2022… my expectations are ridiculously low…

2022

Wow… eight billion people. Queen Elizabeth II passes away after ruling the Commonwealth before dirt was invented. The monkeypox. Russia plays the role of global a**hole. Wordle. Mother Nature rocks Afghanistan. Hover bike. Styles spits on Pine. Olivia Newton John, Kristie Alley, and Coolio leave us. Pele was traded to team Heaven. FTX implodes. Madonna and the 3-D model of her vagina. Pig gives his heart to a human. Beijing can brag that it is the first city ever to host both the Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics. Uvalde. $3 trillion Apple. Keith Raniere gets 120 years. The Whisky War ends with Canada and Denmark going halfsies. Mar-a-Lago. Nick Cannon brood hits a dozen. Shinzo Abe is assassinated. Inflation goes through the roof (if you can actually afford to put a roof over your head). Volodymyr Zelensky. European heat wave. Bennifer. Salman Rushdie is stabbed on stage, Dave Chappelle tackled, and Chris Rock is only slapped. Thích Nhất Hạnh. Heidi Klum goes full slug. Cuba knocked out by Ian. Liz Truss and 4.1 Scaramuccis. Taylor Swift breaks Ticketmaster. Human shitstain Elon Musk ignores helping mankind and buys Twitter instead. Riri becomes a mommy. NASA launches Artemis 1. Trump still a whiny little b*tch. Music lost Loretta Lynn, Christine McVie, and Meat Loaf. Democracy died at least three times. Pete Davidson continues to date hottest women on the planet (no one understands how?!) Microplastics in our blood. Alex Jones is a c*nt. So is DeSantis. Argentina wins the World Cup. Meghan and Harry. Eddie Munson rips Metallica in the Upside Down. tWitch. Roe vs Wade is overturned by the micro dick energy of the Supreme Court. CODA. James Corden shows he is a "tiny Cretin of a man". Amber (and the sh*t on the bed) Heard (round the world). Sebastian Bear-McClard proves he’s one of the f*cking dumbest men alive. Latin America's ‘pink tide’. Anti-Semitic rants by Ye. Bob Saget. A verified blue checkmark. Godmother of punk Vivienne dies. And, Tom Cruise feels the need for speed yet again. 2023… whatcha got for us?!? Nothing shocks me anymore.

@daily-esprit-descalier

[fatehbaz]

Midway through Jamil Jan Kochai’s collection The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories, which maps generations of Afghan and Afghan American lives against over a century of entwined wars, sits what appears to be a résumé. Entitled “Occupational Hazards,” it meticulously records the everyday labors of an Afghan man: [...] his “[d]uties included: leading sheep to the pastures”; from 1977–79, “gathering old English rifles” left over from the last war while being recruited into a new war; in 1980–81, “burying the tattered remnants of neighbors and friends and women and children and babies and cousins and nieces and nephews and a beloved half-sister”; [...] becoming a refugee day-laborer in Peshawar, Pakistan; in 1984, becoming a refugee in Alabama, where he worked on an assembly line with other Asian migrants whom the white factory owner used to push out the local Black workforce; and so on. Dozens of events, from the traumatic to the mundane, are cataloged one by one in prose that is at once emotionless and overwhelming. [...] Kochai interviewed his father for the résumé’s occupational trajectory [...]. An Afghan shepherd [...] is displaced by imperial wars and then, in the heart of empire, is conscripted into racialized domestic economies [...]. [M]ethodically translating lived violence via a résumé, a bureaucratic form that quantifies labor in its most banal functionality, paradoxically realizes the spectacular breadth of war and how it organizes life’s possibilities. [...]

---

In this collection, war is past, present, and plural. In Afghanistan, Kochai recounts the lives of Logaris and Kabulis, against the backdrop of the US occupation, still dealing with the detritus of previous wars - British, Soviet, a­nd civil - including their shrines, mines, and memories. In the United States, Afghan Californians experience the diasporic conditions of war -- state neglect of refugees combined with targeted surveillance -- amid the coming-of-age of a second generation that must confront inherited traumas while struggling to build political solidarities with other displaced youth.

These 12 stories explore the reverberations between historical and psychic realities, invoking a ghostly practice of reading. Characters, living and dead, recur across the stories [...]. Wars echo one another [...]. Scenes and states mirror each other, with one story depicting Afghan bureaucracies that disavow military and police violence while another depicts US bureaucracies that deny social services to unemployed refugees. History itself is layered and unresolved [...]. Kochai, who was born in a refugee camp in Peshawar, writes from the position of the Afghan diaspora [...]. In August 2021, the US relegated Afghanistan to the past, declaring the “longest American war” over. Over for whom? one should ask. [...] War, in other words, is not an event but a structure. [...]

---

In Kochai’s collection, war is not the story; rather, war arranges the scenes and life possibilities [...]. Kochai carefully puts war itself, and the warmakers, in the narrative background [...].

This is a historically incisive narrative design for representing Afghanistan. Kochai challenges centuries of Western colonial discourses, from Rudyard Kipling to Rambo, that conflate Afghanistan with violence while erasing the international production of that violence as well as the social and conceptual worlds of Afghans themselves. Instead, this collection moves the reader across Afghans’ transcontinental, intergenerational, and multispirited social worlds -- including through stories of migrations and returns, homes populated by the living and the martyred, language that enmeshes Dari, Pashto, and Northern California slang, as well as the occasional fantastical creature [...].

---

Like Kochai’s debut novel 99 Nights in Logar (2019), this collection merges realism and the fantastic, oral and academic histories, Afghan folklore and Islamic texts, giving his fiction a dynamic relation to history. Each story is an experiment, and many of them are replete with surreal or magical elements [...].

As in Ahmed Saadawi’s 2013 novel Frankenstein in Baghdad, a nightmarish sensorium collides with a postcolonial body politics [...].

In a recent interview, Kochai said that writing about his family’s experiences of war has compelled him to explore “realms of the surreal or magical realism […] because the incidents themselves seem so unreal […]. [I]t takes years and decades to even come to terms with what had actually happened to them before their eyes.” He points not to a documentary dilemma but to an epistemological one. While some scholars have argued that fantastic genres like magical realism are often conflated with exoticized imaginaries of the Global South, others have defended the form’s critical possibilities for rendering complex realities and multiple modes of interpretation. Literary metaphors, whether magical or otherwise, are always imprecise; as Afghan poet Aria Aber puts it, “you flee into metaphor but you return / with another moth / flapping inside your throat.” [...]

Kochai does not “escape” into the surreal or magical as fictions but as other ways of reckoning with war’s pasts ongoing in the present.

---

All text above by: Najwa Mayer. “War Is a Structure: On Jamil Jan Kochai’s “The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories.”“ LA Review of Books (Online). 20 December 2022. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me. Presented here for commentary, teaching, criticism.]

[mariacallous]

Nasir Mansoor has spent 40 years fighting for Pakistan’s workers. Whether demanding compensation on behalf of the hundreds of people who died in a devastating 2012 factory fire in Karachi or demonstrating against Pakistani suppliers to global fashion brands violating minimum wage rules, he’s battled many of the country’s widespread labor injustices.

Yet so far, little has improved, said Mansoor, who heads Pakistan’s National Trade Union Federation in Karachi. Despite spending most of his time dealing with issues in the country’s garment sector, labor laws are still routinely flouted inside factories. Not even European Union trade schemes such as the Generalized Scheme of Preferences—which benefits developing countries such as Pakistan but requires them to comply with international conventions on labor rights—have helped curb violations in an industry notorious for them. Regulations and trade protocols look good on paper, but they rarely trickle down to the factory level. “Nobody cares,” Mansoor said. “Not the government who makes commitments, not the brands, and not the suppliers. The workers are suffering.”

But change might finally be on the horizon after Germany’s new Supply Chain Act came into force last year. As Europe’s largest economy and importer of clothing, Germany now requires certain companies to put risk-management systems in place to prevent, minimize, and eliminate human rights violations for workers across their entire global value chains. Signed into law by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in January 2023, the law covers issues such as forced labor, union-busting, and inadequate wages, for the first time giving legal power to protections that were previously based on voluntary commitments. Companies that violate the rules face fines of up to 8 million euros ($8.7 million).

For decades, Western companies based in countries with highly paid workers and strong labor protections have sourced from low-income countries where such laws don’t exist or are weakly enforced. While this business model cuts costs, it’s made it incredibly difficult for workers to seek justice when problems arise. Given the garment sector’s long history of poor labor conditions—whose victims are a predominantly female workforce—rights groups say the industry will feel some of the highest impacts of new due diligence laws such as Germany’s.

Until now, promises made by fashion brands to safeguard workers stitching clothes in factories around the world have been largely voluntary and poorly monitored. If the promises failed or fell short and that information became public, the main fallout was reputational damage. As governments come to realize that a purely voluntary regimen produces limited results, there is now a growing global movement to ensure that companies are legally required to protect the people working at all stages of their supply chains.

The German law is just the latest example of these new due diligence rules—and it’s the one with the highest impact, given the size of the country’s market. A number of other Western countries have also adopted similar legislation in recent years, including France and Norway. A landmark European Union law that would mandate all member states to implement similar regulation is in the final stages of being greenlighted.

Although the United States has legislation to prevent forced labor in its global supply chains, such as the 2021 Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, there are no federal laws that protect workers in other countries from abuses that fall short of forced labor. That said, a proposed New York state bill, the Fashion Act, would legally require most major U.S. and international brands to identify, prevent, and remediate human rights violations in their supply chain if passed, with noncompliance subject to fines. Since major fashion brands could hardly avoid selling their products in New York, the law would effectively put the United States on a similar legal level as Germany and France.

Abuses in textile manufacturing have been well documented. Horror stories about brutal violence or building collapses make the news when there’s a major incident, but every day, members of a predominantly female workforce live on low wages, work long hours, and endure irregular contracts. Trade unions, when they are allowed, are often unable to protect workers. A decade ago, the European Parliament described the conditions of garment workers in Asia as “slave labour.”

As of January, Germany’s new law applies to any company with at least 1,000 employees in the country, which covers many of the world’s best-known fast fashion retailers, such as Zara and Primark. Since last January, German authorities say they have received 71 complaints or notices of violations and conducted 650 of their own assessments, including evaluating companies’ risk management.

In Pakistan, the very existence of the German law was enough to spark action. Last year, Mansoor and other union representatives reached out to fashion brands that sourced some of their clothing in Pakistan to raise concerns about severe labor violations in garment factories. Just four months later, he and his colleagues found themselves in face-to-face meetings with several of those brands—a first in his 40-year career. “This is a big achievement,” he said. “Otherwise, [the brands] never sit with us. Even when the workers died in the factory fire, the brand never sat with us.”

Nearly 12 years on from the 2012 fire, which killed more than 250 people, violations are still rife for Pakistan’s 4.4 million garment sector workers, who produce for many of the major global brands. Several of these violations were highlighted in research conducted by FEMNET, a German women’s rights nonprofit, and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), a Berlin-based nongovernmental organization, into how companies covered by the Supply Chain Act were implementing their due diligence obligations in Pakistan. With the help of Mansoor and Zehra Khan, the general secretary of the Home-Based Women Workers Federation, interviews with more than 350 garment workers revealed the severity of long-known issues.

Nearly all workers interviewed were paid less than a living wage, which was 67,200 Pakistan rupees (roughly $243) per month in 2022, according to the Asia Floor Wage Alliance. Nearly 30 percent were even paid below the legal minimum wage of 25,000 Pakistani rupees per month (roughly $90) for unskilled workers. Almost 100 percent had not been given a written employment contract, while more than three-quarters were either not registered with the social security system—a legal requirement—or didn’t know if they were.

When Mansoor, Khan, and some of the organizations raised the violations with seven global fashion brands implicated, they were pleasantly surprised. One German retailer reacted swiftly, asking its supplier where the violations had occurred to sign a 14-point memorandum of understanding to address the issues. (We’re unable to name the companies involved because negotiations are ongoing.) The factory complied, agreeing to respect minimum wages and provide contract letters, training on labor laws, and—for the first time—worker bonuses.

In February, the factory registered an additional 400 workers with the social security system (up from roughly 100) and will continue to enroll more, according to Khan. “That is a huge number for us,” she said.

It’s had a knock-on effect, too. Four of the German brand’s other Pakistani suppliers are also willing to sign the memorandum, Khan noted, which could impact another 2,000 workers or so. “The law is opening up space for [the unions] to negotiate, to be heard, and to be taken seriously,” said Miriam Saage-Maass, the legal director at ECCHR.

After decades of issues being swept under the carpet, it’s a positive step, Mansoor said. But he’s cautious. Of the six remaining global fashion brands contacted, three are in discussions with the union, while three didn’t respond. Implementation is key, he said, particularly because there has already been pushback from some Pakistani factory owners.

Last month, EU member states finally approved a due diligence directive after long delays, during which the original draft was watered down. As it moves to the next stage—a vote in the European Parliament—before taking effect, critics argue that the rules are now too diluted and cover too few companies to be truly effective.

Still, the fact that the EU is acting at all has been described as an important moment, and unionists such as Mansoor and Khan wait thousands of miles away with bated breath for the final outcome. Solidarity from Europe is important, Khan said, and could change the lives of Pakistan’s workers. “The eyes and the ears of the people are looking to [the brands],” Mansoor said. “And they are being made accountable for their mistakes.”

[xtruss]

Imran Khan Warns That Pakistan’s Election Could Be A Farce

His Party is Being Unfairly Muzzled, the Former Prime Minister Writes From Prison

— January 4th, 2024 | The Economist

Imran Khan, Former Prime Minister of Pakistan. Image: Dan Williams

Today pakistan is being ruled by caretaker governments at both the federal level and provincial level. These administrations are constitutionally illegal because elections were not held within 90 days of parliamentary assemblies being dissolved.

The public is hearing that elections will supposedly be held on February 8th. But having been denied the same in two provinces, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, over the past year—despite a Supreme Court order last March that those votes should be held within three months—they are right to be sceptical about whether the national vote will take place.

The country’s election commission has been tainted by its bizarre actions. Not only has it defied the top court but it has also rejected my Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (pti) party’s nominations for first-choice candidates, hindered the party’s internal elections and launched contempt cases against me and other pti leaders for simply criticising the commission.

Whether elections happen or not, the manner in which I and my party have been targeted since a farcical vote of no confidence in April 2022 has made one thing clear: the establishment—the army, security agencies and the civil bureaucracy—is not prepared to provide any playing field at all, let alone a level one, for pti.

It was, after all, the establishment that engineered our removal from government under pressure from America, which was becoming agitated with my push for an independent foreign policy and my refusal to provide bases for its armed forces. I was categorical that we would be a friend to all but would not be anyone’s proxy for wars. I did not come to this view lightly. It was shaped by the huge losses Pakistan had incurred collaborating with America’s “war on terror”, not least the 80,000 Pakistani lives lost.

In March 2022 an official from America’s State Department met Pakistan’s then ambassador in Washington, dc. After that meeting the ambassador sent a cipher message to my government. I later saw the message, via the then foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and it was subsequently read out in cabinet.

In view of what the cipher message said, I believe that the American official’s message was to the effect of: pull the plug on Imran Khan’s prime ministership through a vote of no confidence, or else. Within weeks our government was toppled and I discovered that Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, had, through the security agencies, been working on our allies and parliamentary backbenchers for several months to move against us.

People flocked onto the streets to protest against this regime change, and in the next few months pti won 28 out of 37 by-elections and held massive rallies across the country, sending a clear message as to where the public stood. These rallies attracted a level of female participation that we believe was unprecedented in Pakistan’s history. This unnerved the powers that had engineered our government’s removal.

To add to their panic, the administration that replaced us destroyed the economy, bringing about unprecedented inflation and a currency devaluation within 18 months. The contrast was clear for everyone to see: the pti government had not only saved Pakistan from bankruptcy but also won international praise for its handling of the covid-19 pandemic. In addition, despite a spike in commodity prices, we steered the economy to real gdp growth of 5.8% in 2021 and 6.1% in 2022.

Unfortunately, the establishment had decided I could not be allowed to return to power, so all means of removing me from the political landscape were used. There were two assassination attempts on my life. My party’s leaders, workers and social-media activists, along with supportive journalists, were abducted, incarcerated, tortured and pressured to leave pti. Many of them remain locked up, with new charges being thrown at them every time the courts give them bail or set them free. Worse, the current government has gone out of its way to terrorise and intimidate pti’s female leaders and workers in an effort to discourage women from participating in politics.

I face almost 200 legal cases and have been denied a normal trial in an open court. A false-flag operation on May 9th 2023—involving, among other things, arson at military installations falsely blamed on pti—led to several thousand arrests, abductions and criminal charges within 48 hours. The speed showed it was pre-planned.

This was followed by many of our leaders being tortured or their families threatened into giving press conferences and engineered television interviews to state that they were leaving the party. Some were compelled to join other, newly created political parties. Others were made to give false testimony against me under duress.

Despite all this, pti remains popular, with 66% support in a Pattan-Coalition 38 poll held in December; my personal approval rating is even higher. Now the election commission, desperate to deny the party the right to contest elections, is indulging in all manner of unlawful tricks. The courts seem to be losing credibility daily.

Meanwhile, a former prime minister with a conviction for corruption, Nawaz Sharif, has returned from Britain, where he was living as an absconder from Pakistani justice. In November a Pakistani court overturned the conviction (Under United States’ Scrotums Licker Corrupt Army Generals’ Directions).

It is my belief that Corrupt to his Core Mr Sharif has struck a deal with the establishment whereby it will support his acquittal and throw its weight behind him in the upcoming elections. But so far the public has been unrelenting in its support for pti and its rejection of the “selected”.

It is under these circumstances that elections may be held on February 8th. All parties are being allowed to campaign freely except for pti. I remain incarcerated, in solitary confinement, on absurd charges that include treason. Those few of our party’s leaders who remain free and not underground are not allowed to hold even local worker conventions. Where pti workers manage to gather together they face brutal police action.

In this scenario, even if elections were held they would be a disaster and a farce, since pti is being denied its basic right to campaign. Such a joke of an election would only lead to further political instability. This, in turn, would further aggravate an already volatile economy.

The only viable way forward for Pakistan is fair and free elections, which would bring back political stability and rule of law, as well as ushering in desperately needed reforms by a democratic government with a popular mandate. There is no other way for Pakistan to disentangle itself from the crises confronting it. Unfortunately, with democracy under siege, we are heading in the opposite direction on all these fronts. ■

— Imran Khan is the Founder and Former Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and was Prime Minister of Pakistan from 2018 to 2022.

— Editor’s Note: Pakistan’s government and America’s State Department deny Mr Khan’s allegations of American interference in Pakistani politics (Bullshit! Hegemonic War Criminal Conspirator United States and Corrupt Army Generals and Politicians of Pakistan Were Clearly Involved. It’s Social Media’s Modern Era, Not 1970). The government is prosecuting him under the Official Secrets Act.

[darkmaga-returns]

Russia’s Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu announced that Russia would remove the blacklist status from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) in anticipation of a lucrative trade and transportation deal.

The Trans-Afghan Corridor railway service will connect Afghanistan to ports in Uzbekistan and Pakistan. The 573 km railway is expected to cost between $4.8 billion and $6.9 billion, with construction beginning in 2025. This will simplify transit as cargo will be able to reach Pakistan in Uzbekistan in 3 to 5 days compared to the 35 days it currently takes. The line will also incorporate road transport. Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, and Belarus all have a hand in this major project.

Now there are numerous variables for concern. Pakistan and Afghanistan will need to maintain strong diplomatic ties. Afghanistan has a notoriously rough and unforgiving landscape, and the line will need to operable in extreme weather conditions. Numerous nations, especially Pakistan, needs to rapidly fix its infrastructure. The presence of various extremist groups in the region are concerning to all involved.

Russia has stated that they would provide most of the financial backing for this project as it enables it to expand influence throughout South and Central Adia. Russia has expressed a further interest in investing in Afghanistan as it is rich in mining and agriculture.

The international community does not see the Taliban as a legitimate government, rightfully so, but the group has been in power since August 2021 after America retreated from Afghanistan under Biden’s orders. The Taliban has collapsed the nation’s economy, with over 90% of the population facing food insecurity. They have absolutely no idea how to run a nation and have been at the mercy of both China and Russia. China’s own Belt and Road Imitative is another potentially lucrative contender for the region, even though China does not officially acknowledge the Taliban as a legitimate government.

Estimates state that the Trans-Afghan Corridor will be complete by 2030, a pivotal year for geopolitics. The international community will certainly be in an uproar now that Moscow is officially partnering with the IEA.

[newstfionline]

Sunday, November 10, 2024

First Major Snow of the Season Pummels Denver Region (NYT) An early season snowstorm—one that could be the largest in decades—is expected to clobber much of Colorado and parts of New Mexico starting Friday afternoon. The National Weather Service said snowfall accumulations from Friday into Saturday morning could be significant, with 12 to 20 inches expected over the Palmer Divide (south of Denver and north of Colorado Springs), eight to 14 inches across Greater Denver and Boulder, and eight to 16 inches for the mountains and southern foothills. The combination of heavy snow rates and gusty winds will lead to blizzard conditions in some areas, the service said.

Biden administration to allow American military contractors to deploy to Ukraine (CNN) The Biden administration has lifted a de facto ban on American military contractors deploying to Ukraine to help the country’s military maintain and repair US-provided weapons systems, particularly F16 fighter jets and Patriot air defense systems, an official with direct knowledge of the plan told CNN. The new policy, approved earlier this month before the election, would allow the Pentagon to provide contracts to American companies for work inside Ukraine for the first time since Russia invaded in 2022. Officials said they hope it will speed up the maintenance and repairs of weapons systems being used by the Ukrainian military. Current and former officials familiar said the policy change will not result in the kind of major American contractor presence that existed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead, it would likely result in anywhere from a few dozen to a couple hundred contractors working in Ukraine at a time.

Migrants reconsider their trip (NYT) This Sunday was the day that Daniel García, a Venezuelan delivery worker living in the capital of Colombia, had planned to begin an arduous land journey toward the United States. Then Donald J. Trump became president-elect, and everything changed. Unsure if he could make it to the border before Mr. Trump’s inauguration, and fearful that he would be turned away once Mr. Trump was in office, Mr. García, 31, has decided to stay put. “It is a very high investment,” he said of the journey north, which he figured would cost him $2,500, about a year’s savings. “I prefer not to risk it,” he added. With Mr. Trump now headed back to the White House, many potential migrants are rethinking their plans, while border officials are working hard to understand what a Trump presidency will mean for the number of people trying to make it the United States.

Germany’s coalition collapse brings more pain to its ailing economy (Reuters) The collapse of Germany’s ruling coalition is set to bring more economic pain in the months ahead and just a glimmer of hope for Europe’s ailing economic giant if, and that is a big if, it can lead to a less fractious government and more coherent policies. The break-up came at a critical juncture for Europe’s biggest economy, just hours after Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election, raising the spectre of a tit-for-tat trade war with Germany’s main trading partner. Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday sacked his finance minister, paving the way for a snap election after months of bickering in his three-party coalition that has further hurt confidence in an economy struggling with high energy costs and eroding competitiveness. The world’s third-largest economy has lagged the European Union average since 2021 and is expected to shrink for the second year running in 2024, making it the worst performer among the Group of Seven major economies.

Death toll rises to 24 in a powerful suicide bombing at a rail station in southwestern Pakistan (AP) A suicide bomber blew himself up at a train station in restive southwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing at least 24 people, including soldiers and railways staff, and wounding about 50 others, some critically, officials said. The attack happened when nearly 100 passengers were waiting for a train to travel to the garrison city of Rawalpindi from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, according to Hamza Shafqaat, a senior government administrator. A separatist group, the Balochistan Liberation Army, claimed the attack in a statement, saying a suicide bomber targeted troops present at the railway station. The outlawed BLA has long waged an insurgency seeking independence from Islamabad.

North Korean GPS manipulation disrupted dozens of planes and vessels, South Korea says (AP) South Korea’s military said North Korea disrupted GPS signals from border areas for the second-straight day on Saturday, affecting an unspecified number of flights and vessel operations. Tensions between the rival Koreas have escalated as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un flaunts his advancing nuclear and missile program and engages in electronic and psychological warfare, such as flying thousands of balloons to drop trash and anti-South Korean propaganda leaflets in the South. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korean operations to manipulate GPS signals were detected from around the western border city of Kaesong and the nearby city of Haeju on Friday and Saturday, and said the activities disrupted dozens of civilian aircraft and several vessels.

Japan’s prime minister vows military buildup and deeper ties with the US as regional tension rises (AP) Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba renewed a pledge Saturday to build up his country’s military and deepen its alliance with the United States under President-elect Donald Trump. Ishiba, who made the comments at an annual troop review held at Camp Asaka in the Tokyo suburbs, said the security environment surrounding Japan and the international community has significantly worsened due to escalating tensions with China, Russia and North Korea. He pledged to reinforce Japan’s military power.

Philippine president angers China with new laws to demarcate South China Sea territories (AP) Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed two laws on Friday reaffirming the extent of his country’s maritime territories and right to resources, including in the South China Sea, angering China, which claims the hotly disputed waterway almost in its entirety. China’s foreign ministry said it summoned the Philippines ambassador to China to lodge a “stern protest.” The ministry condemned the move as an attempt to “solidify the illegal ruling of the South China Sea arbitration case through domestic legislation.” Confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval forces in the disputed sea passage have spiked alarmingly since last year. That has sparked fears that the United States—Manila’s longtime treaty ally—may get drawn in a major conflict.

Jordan’s tourism industry struggling as Gaza war deters visitors (Reuters)—Enas Al Hinti has cut staff pay in half and asked workers to take unpaid leave in an effort to keep her hotel in ancient Petra open as Western holidaymakers fearful of conflict shun destinations in the Middle East. A crisis across the region’s tourism industry since the start of the Israel-Hamas war 13 months ago is being felt acutely in Jordan, whose border with Israel along the Red Sea and Dead Sea is studded with beach resorts. Sites such as Petra, Wadi Rum and crusader castles have been drawing visitors for decades—more than one million a year before the war, mainly Americans and Europeans. But Reuters reporters on a recent trip to the city carved from rose-coloured rock—Jordan’s most-visited tourist attraction—found businesses boarded up by their owners. “There are no revenues, it’s all losses,” Al Hinti, who runs the Nomads hotel, told Reuters. Data and interviews with seven hotel and business owners and tour operators underline the damage to the tourist industry, which last year made up 12.5% of the economy.

Gazan Rescue Service Has Stopped Operating in the North (NYT) When an Israeli airstrike hit a home in northern Gaza early Thursday, residents said, there were no paramedics or emergency medical workers around to help pull out people trapped in the rubble. Instead, Mazen Ahmed said he and other neighbors in Beit Lahia had to dig through the debris by themselves. They found at least one body. “We went out to try to rescue on our own to the extent of our abilities,” Mr. Ahmed said on Thursday, speaking by voice message from a cemetery where those killed in the latest Israeli airstrikes were being buried. “There were no stretchers, there were no rescuers, there were no emergency responders.” More than two weeks ago, Gaza’s Civil Defense, the main emergency service in the Palestinian territory, said it was forced to cease rescue operations in the north because of attacks by the Israeli military on its members and destruction of its equipment. Residents now rush casualties to hospitals in private vehicles or on donkey carts.

Mozambique on edge as army is deployed to help stop post-election protests (AP) Mozambique has deployed soldiers on the streets to help keep order following weeks of protests against the ruling party that has been accused of rigging last month’s election to extend its 49 years in power. The country of 34 million people in southern Africa is on edge, with the presidential palace under heavy guard and security forces constantly patrolling the streets. Many people are locking themselves in their homes. Thousands of protesters set fires and barricaded roads in the capital, Maputo, on Thursday in the biggest demonstration since the Oct. 9 election. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets.

TB reclaims title of deadliest infectious disease (NPR) The ancient scourge of tuberculosis for years was the deadliest infectious disease. Then SARS-CoV-2 came along and grabbed the notorious title of #1 killer: In 2020, COVID-19 was responsible for 3.5 million deaths worldwide vs 1.5 million for TB. The 2024 Global Tuberculosis Report, published last week by the World Health Organization, puts TB back in the top slot with 1.25 million deaths in 2023 compared to 320,000 COVID-19 deaths. According to the report, approximately 8.2 million people were newly diagnosed with TB in 2023—the highest number since WHO began global TB monitoring in 1995 and a “notable increase” from 7.5 million people newly diagnosed in 2022.

As wellness trends take off, iodine deficiency makes a quiet comeback (Economist) A century ago, much of northern America was known as the goitre belt. In some regions, anywhere from 26% to 70% of school-aged children had the characteristic neck swellings, or goitres, caused by an enlargement of the thyroid gland. After trials showed that supplements of iodine could prevent goitre, iodised salt was rolled out commercially in 1924, starting in grocery stores in Michigan. By the 1940s, the goitre belt had vanished. In today’s America changing diets, a lack of public-health education, and complacency mean that iodine deficiency may once again be on the rise. Why the decline? For one, only about half of American table salt (which makes up 11% of the salt Americans consume today) is actually iodised. More important, the salt used in processed foods—which accounts for a dominant and ever-increasing share of American salt consumption—is also iodine-free. Changing salt consumption is not the only dietary trend at play. Decreasing demand for meat and fish, both good natural sources of iodine, is also having an effect. This problem is not exclusive to America. Deficiencies have risen as Europeans consume fewer dairy products.

[news365timesindia]

[ad_1] Indian cricket (Men’s and Women’s) in UAE in recent years (PC: BCCI/X) New Zealand thrashed Pakistan to secure their spot in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup semi-finals from Group A, alongside Australia. This meant that India suffered a group-stage exit with only two wins from four games. The UAE continues to be a tough hunting ground for Indian cricket, both men and women, in recent times. The men’s team faced a group-stage exit in the 2021 T20 World Cup and failed to win the Asia Cup the following year. Now, the women’s team has also had a disappointing World Cup campaign. The struggle to crack the UAE code continues. The UAE’s pitches are similar to subcontinent ones, with balls spinning, gripping, and coming slowly on to the bat. Subcontinent teams like India are expected to do well here, but the opposite has been true. In this campaign, batters like Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana struggled to time the ball. Both players thrive when the ball comes on to the bat, allowing them to play their natural game. But when the spinners were introduced early, even in powerplays, they could not rotate the strike. India’s spin bowling unit consisted of Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, and Deepti Sharma. Apart from Asha, the others struggled, especially Shreyanka and Deepti, who could not find the right pace for the Dubai and Sharjah surfaces. For example, against Australia in Sharjah, where bowlers were getting spin and low bounce, Shreyanka still went for 32 runs in her four overs at an economy of 8, which was well above par for such conditions. For the Latest Sports News: Click Here India Women vs Australia (Image: ICC) Both the men’s and women’s teams have struggled against top sides in the UAE. The men lost to Pakistan and New Zealand in the T20 World Cup, and to Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the ‘Super 4’ stage of the Asia Cup. Similarly, the women’s team lost to New Zealand and Australia, though they managed wins over weaker sides like Pakistan and Sri Lanka. What is the solution? The quality of India’s players is unquestionable. So, is there a need to adapt their techniques? Probably not. The issue may be in the mind. The team needs to strengthen its mindset, especially in crunch moments. India’s players, though suited to these conditions, could not exploit them when it mattered most. Teams like Australia and New Zealand have this mental edge, and it shows in critical games. Building this mentality comes from consistently winning such matches. It is the process that instills belief. This World Cup was another wasted opportunity for the Indian women’s team to start building that winning mentality. But Indian fans hope that it will only be a matter of time before the team overcomes this UAE jinx. With the right mindset, future tournaments could finally bring success. Also Read: India’s defeat to Australia: 5 Talking Points The post Indian cricket’s UAE jinx continues with this Women’s T20 World Cup exit appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link

[news365times]

[ad_1] Indian cricket (Men’s and Women’s) in UAE in recent years (PC: BCCI/X) New Zealand thrashed Pakistan to secure their spot in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup semi-finals from Group A, alongside Australia. This meant that India suffered a group-stage exit with only two wins from four games. The UAE continues to be a tough hunting ground for Indian cricket, both men and women, in recent times. The men’s team faced a group-stage exit in the 2021 T20 World Cup and failed to win the Asia Cup the following year. Now, the women’s team has also had a disappointing World Cup campaign. The struggle to crack the UAE code continues. The UAE’s pitches are similar to subcontinent ones, with balls spinning, gripping, and coming slowly on to the bat. Subcontinent teams like India are expected to do well here, but the opposite has been true. In this campaign, batters like Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana struggled to time the ball. Both players thrive when the ball comes on to the bat, allowing them to play their natural game. But when the spinners were introduced early, even in powerplays, they could not rotate the strike. India’s spin bowling unit consisted of Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, and Deepti Sharma. Apart from Asha, the others struggled, especially Shreyanka and Deepti, who could not find the right pace for the Dubai and Sharjah surfaces. For example, against Australia in Sharjah, where bowlers were getting spin and low bounce, Shreyanka still went for 32 runs in her four overs at an economy of 8, which was well above par for such conditions. For the Latest Sports News: Click Here India Women vs Australia (Image: ICC) Both the men’s and women’s teams have struggled against top sides in the UAE. The men lost to Pakistan and New Zealand in the T20 World Cup, and to Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the ‘Super 4’ stage of the Asia Cup. Similarly, the women’s team lost to New Zealand and Australia, though they managed wins over weaker sides like Pakistan and Sri Lanka. What is the solution? The quality of India’s players is unquestionable. So, is there a need to adapt their techniques? Probably not. The issue may be in the mind. The team needs to strengthen its mindset, especially in crunch moments. India’s players, though suited to these conditions, could not exploit them when it mattered most. Teams like Australia and New Zealand have this mental edge, and it shows in critical games. Building this mentality comes from consistently winning such matches. It is the process that instills belief. This World Cup was another wasted opportunity for the Indian women’s team to start building that winning mentality. But Indian fans hope that it will only be a matter of time before the team overcomes this UAE jinx. With the right mindset, future tournaments could finally bring success. Also Read: India’s defeat to Australia: 5 Talking Points The post Indian cricket’s UAE jinx continues with this Women’s T20 World Cup exit appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link

[sa7abnews]

IRC announces major budget cuts likely to impact charitable work

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/11/irc-announces-major-budget-cuts-likely-to-impact-charitable-work/

IRC announces major budget cuts likely to impact charitable work

A leading international humanitarian organisation is reportedly cutting staff and operational budgets in a surprise announcement that places its aid work in Gaza at risk.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been forced to cut department budgets for 2025 meaning staff jobs will be cut as it attempts to rework its books.

Staff were reportedly spooked after receiving an email from IRC CEO and president David Miliband earlier this week, according to a report published on Thursday in The New Humanitarian.

Miliband said there would be “quite significant reductions in levels of unrestricted funding”, and that all departments would be impacted by the cuts. It is not clear how many staff would lose their jobs.

The global organisation works in more than 40 countries and has offices in 29 US cities as well as several in European countries, according to its website. It employed over 11,000 people in 2018.#

In response to an inquiry from The New Arab, the charity said that while its “annual revenues continue to grow” it is facing “some rapidly rising costs”.

An IRC spokesperson said that it is determined “not to compromise on the quality or scale of our programs” and is working on a deficit reduction plan.

The IRC has an annual budget of $1.5 billion, but it has reportedly been operating in a deficit with a $50 million black hole due to overspending and fund-raising shortfalls.

Employees were said to have been left in the dark about the cuts and were shocked to receive the email this week announcing the charity’s financial concerns.

IRC provides emergency and long-term assistance to refugees and those displaced by conflict, natural disaster or persecution.

It receives grants from the British government’s international aid package as part of its funding, including a £33 million package last year, according to reports.

Observers have noted that following the British government’s slashing of the overseas aid budget in 2021, the charity might be facing smaller packages.

The humanitarian sector has been facing rising costs alongside the UK’s strained economy over the past few years following the coronavirus pandemic and state funding cuts.

Despite its established reputation as one of the world’s oldest humanitarian organisations, IRC has been facing internal criticism from disgruntled staff.

Employees are said to be irked at the large salaries of the charity’s executives.

Former Labour MP Miliband received an annual pay package of more than $1.25 million in 2022, the British newspaper The Mail on Sunday reported. It included a $150,000 bonus the paper said.

Staff have also lamented IRC’s apparent failure to take a stronger stance on the Gaza war, which has seen Israel impose a siege on the tiny enclave which has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians, triggered a humanitarian crisis and outbreaks of disease

The war is said to be a contentious subject for the executive amid speculation that Miliband could be appointed UK ambassador to Washington by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the Mail on Sunday reported.

IRC says it is working in Gaza with Palestinian partners to deliver medical care in the few remaining hospitals.

It is also providing food parcels and supporting displaced families through psychological support and programmes for children.

It works in around 40 countries, including Syria, Haiti, Pakistan, Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

[This article was amended on 9 August to include comment from the IRC]

[techtired]

India National Cricket Team Vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Timeline

The India National Cricket Team's first game in the Super 8 round of the 2024 T20 World Cup will be on Thursday at the Kensington Oval in Barbados against Afghanistan. Team India is ready to play. They are in first place in Group A with seven points, earned from three wins and one tie with Canada. On the other hand, Afghanistan won three of their four Group C games, including a big 84-run win over New Zealand. Their only loss was to co-hosts West Indies, which was a big disappointment. India national cricket team vs Afghanistan national cricket team timeline Australia and Bangladesh have joined both teams in Group 1 of the Super Eight stage. England, the West Indies, South Africa, and the USA are in Group 2. At this time, the competition gets tougher and strategic plays start. Important Players And Plans Team Key Players Role Strategy India Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal Batting Possibly moving Kohli to No. 3, strengthening the batting Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal Bowling Focusing on spin bowling Afghanistan Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman Spin Bowling Utilizing spin to challenge India's top order India wants Virat Kohli to have a better event because he has only scored five runs in three games. If Yashasvi Jaiswal is added, it could change how the batters play, which could mean that Kohli moves to the No. 3 spot. The pitches in the Caribbean might be better for spinners, which means that Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal could play essential parts. Conversely, Afghanistan has a strong group of spin bowlers led by Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur Rahman, who could make it hard for India's top-order batters. Meetings And Records From The Past In eight T20Is, India and Afghanistan have played each other. India has a strong record, winning seven of the eight games. They had played each other before, and India won the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games because it was seeded higher. This year, India won an exciting Super Over match, and the final at the Asian Games was called off because of rain. Scorecard for India vs Afghanistan T20I India Batting Batsman Runs Balls Fours Sixes Strike Rate Rohit Sharma 54 36 6 2 150.0 KL Rahul 62 48 4 3 129.2 Virat Kohli 122* 61 12 5 200.0 Suryakumar Yadav 16 9 2 1 177.8 Rishabh Pant DNB - - - - Extras 8 Total 212/2 20 overs Afghanistan Bowling Bowler Overs Runs Wickets Economy Rashid Khan 4 40 0 10.0 Mujeeb ur Rahman 4 32 1 8.0 Mohammad Nabi 4 45 0 11.2 Other Bowlers 8 95 1 Varied Afghanistan Batting Batsman Runs Balls Fours Sixes Strike Rate Mohammad Nabi 43 35 5 2 122.9 Other Batsmen Various Varied Extras 10 Total 111/8 India Bowling Bowler Overs Runs Wickets Economy Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4 4 5 1.0 R Ashwin 4 25 0 6.2 Arshdeep Singh 4 20 2 5.0 Other Bowlers 8 62 1 Varied New Performances and Important Stats Indian captain Virat Kohli has scored 201 runs, and Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi has got 163. Leading wicket-takers: Arshdeep Singh and R Ashwin stand out for India because they each took 5 wickets. Important Matches: India has always beaten Afghanistan in the T20 World Cups. Their most recent game, in 2021, was a comfortable win for India, thanks to solid performances from KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma. Vital Match Stats (T20Is) India got 212/2 on September 8, 2022, the highest number. Afghanistan got 111/8 on the same date, which was the lowest score. As an individual, Virat Kohli's best score of 122* and Bhuvneshwar Kumar's best bowling numbers of 5/4 both happened in 2022. Significant Wins: On September 8, 2022, India beat Pakistan by 101 runs, which was their biggest win by runs. This detailed timeline and data set show how much the India and Afghanistan cricket teams hate each other and want to win as they prepare for the important games in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Read the full article

[exportimportdata-blog]

Cotton Export from India: A Comprehensive Analysis

India has long been a major player in the global cotton market, owing to its favorable climate, vast agricultural land, and rich history of cotton cultivation. The country is renowned for its high-quality cotton, which is exported to numerous countries worldwide. This article delves into various aspects of cotton export from India, focusing on raw cotton export from India, leading cotton exporters in India, and detailed cotton export data from India. Additionally, it examines India cotton export statistics, the countries to which India exports cotton, and the top cotton exporters in India.

Historical Context and Significance

India's relationship with cotton dates back to ancient times. The country is one of the original homes of cotton cultivation and textile production. Historically, Indian cotton textiles were highly prized across the world, contributing significantly to the country's economy. This legacy continues today, with India being one of the largest producers and exporters of cotton globally.

Current State of Cotton Export from India

Production and Quality

India's cotton production is centered in states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. The country produces a variety of cotton types, including short-staple, medium-staple, and long-staple cotton, catering to different segments of the global market. The quality of Indian cotton is widely recognized, with certain varieties like Shankar-6 from Gujarat being particularly sought after.

Export Dynamics

Cotton export from India includes both raw cotton and cotton yarn. The country has established itself as a reliable supplier in the international market. Raw cotton export from India has seen significant growth over the years, driven by increasing demand from countries with burgeoning textile industries.

Cotton Export Data from India

Analyzing cotton export data from India provides valuable insights into the industry's trends and dynamics. Over the past decade, India has consistently ranked among the top cotton exporters in the world. The volume of raw cotton export from India has shown a steady increase, reflecting the country's capacity to meet global demand.

Volume and Value

According to the latest India cotton export statistics, the country exported approximately 1.5 million bales of raw cotton in the 2020-2021 fiscal year. This represented a slight increase from the previous year, despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The total value of these exports was around USD 1 billion, highlighting the economic significance of the sector.

Major Markets

Cotton exporters in India to various countries underscores the global reach of Indian cotton. Key destinations include Bangladesh, China, Vietnam, and Pakistan. These countries have robust textile industries that rely heavily on imported cotton. Bangladesh, in particular, has emerged as the largest importer of Indian cotton, driven by its thriving garment manufacturing sector.

Cotton Exporters in India

The success of cotton export from India can be attributed to the efforts of numerous exporters who ensure the quality and timely delivery of cotton to international markets. Several companies have made a name for themselves in this sector, becoming synonymous with reliability and quality.

Prominent Exporters

Some of the top cotton exporters in India include:

Welspun India Ltd. A leading name in the textile industry, Welspun India Ltd. is renowned for its high-quality cotton products. The company exports a significant portion of its raw cotton production to various countries.

Vardhman Textiles Ltd. Vardhman Textiles Ltd. is another major player in the Indian cotton export market. The company has a strong presence in the international market, with exports constituting a substantial part of its business.

Nahar Spinning Mills Ltd. Known for its superior quality cotton yarn, Nahar Spinning Mills Ltd. is a prominent exporter of raw cotton from India. The company has a well-established export network, catering to clients worldwide.

Arvind Limited Arvind Limited is a diversified conglomerate with significant operations in the textile sector. The company exports large volumes of cotton and cotton products to numerous countries.

Challenges and Opportunities

While the cotton export industry in India has seen considerable success, it is not without challenges. Fluctuating global cotton prices, competition from other cotton-producing countries, and logistical issues are some of the hurdles faced by Indian exporters. However, there are also significant opportunities, particularly in emerging markets and through advancements in cotton processing technologies.

India Cotton Export Statistics

A closer look at India cotton export statistics reveals interesting trends and patterns. Over the past few years, there has been a noticeable shift in the destinations of Indian cotton exports. While traditional markets like China and Bangladesh remain dominant, new markets in Southeast Asia and Africa are emerging.

Export Trends

Rising Exports to Vietnam and Indonesia These countries have seen a rapid expansion of their textile industries, leading to increased demand for raw cotton from India.

Decreased Exports to China Although China remains a major importer, its share of Indian cotton exports has decreased slightly, possibly due to its own efforts to boost domestic cotton production and imports from other sources.

Increased Exports to Bangladesh Bangladesh continues to be the largest importer of Indian cotton, driven by its massive garment manufacturing industry which relies heavily on imported cotton.

Cotton Export from India to Which Country?

Understanding the specific countries to which India exports cotton helps in comprehending the global demand dynamics. Cotton export from India to which country are spread across various regions, with Asia being the largest market. Here’s a breakdown of the major importers:

Asia

Bangladesh As the largest importer, Bangladesh accounts for a significant portion of India’s cotton exports. The country's garment industry, one of the largest in the world, depends heavily on Indian cotton.

China China, despite recent fluctuations, remains a key market for Indian cotton. The country's textile industry is vast, and Indian cotton is an essential raw material.

Vietnam Vietnam’s textile sector has grown rapidly, leading to increased imports of Indian cotton. The country is now one of the top importers of Indian cotton.

Other Regions

Turkey Turkey imports Indian cotton to support its large textile and garment manufacturing industries.

Pakistan Given its proximity and shared cultural ties, Pakistan is a significant importer of Indian cotton, although political factors sometimes affect trade.

Indonesia Indonesia's expanding textile industry also relies on imports of Indian cotton.

Future Prospects

The future of cotton export from India looks promising, with several factors likely to influence its trajectory. The Indian government’s initiatives to support agriculture and improve export infrastructure, along with advancements in cotton farming techniques, are expected to boost the sector.

Technological Advancements

Adoption of better farming techniques and genetically modified cotton varieties can significantly increase yield and quality, making Indian cotton even more competitive in the global market.

Diversification of Markets

Expanding into new markets beyond traditional ones will be crucial. African and Latin American countries present untapped potential for Indian cotton exporters.

Sustainable Practices

With increasing global emphasis on sustainability, adopting eco-friendly farming and processing methods will enhance the appeal of Indian cotton in international markets.

Conclusion

Cotton export from India remains a vital component of the country’s economy, reflecting a rich heritage and a robust agricultural sector. The continuous demand for raw cotton export from India, coupled with the efforts of leading cotton exporters in India, ensures that the country maintains its position as a top player in the global cotton market. Detailed cotton export data from India and India cotton export statistics highlight the sector’s growth and potential. As India navigates the complexities of international trade, focusing on quality, sustainability, and market diversification will be key to sustaining and enhancing its cotton export industry.

[gary232]

According to a recent report from Goldman Sachs, the balance of global economic power is projected to shift dramatically in the coming decades.

In the graphic above, we’ve created a bump chart that provides a historical and predictive overview of the world’s top 15 economies at several milestones: 1980, 2000, 2022, and Goldman Sachs projections for 2050 and 2075.

Projections and Highlights for 2050 The following table shows the projected top economies in the world for 2050. All figures represent accurate GDP projections based on 2021 USD.

Rank Country Real GDP in 2050 (USD trillions) 1 🇨🇳 China $41.9 2 🇺🇸 US $37.2 3 🇮🇳 India $22.2 4 🇮🇩 Indonesia $6.3 5 🇩🇪 Germany $6.2 6 🇯🇵 Japan $6.0 7 🇬🇧 UK $5.2 8 🇧🇷 Brazil $4.9 9 🇫🇷 France $4.6 10 🇷🇺 Russia $4.5 11 🇲🇽 Mexico $4.2 12 🇪🇬 Egypt $3.5 13 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia $3.5 14 🇨🇦 Canada $3.4 15 🇳🇬 Nigeria $3.4 A central theme of the past several decades has been China and India’s incredible growth. For instance, between 2000 and 2022, India jumped eight spots to become the fifth-largest economy, surpassing the UK and France.

By 2050, Goldman Sachs believes that the weight of global GDP will shift even more towards Asia. While this is partly due to Asia outperforming previous forecasts, it is also due to BRICS nations underperforming.

Notably, Indonesia will become the fourth-largest economy by 2050, surpassing Brazil and Russia as the largest emerging market. Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelagic state and currently has the fourth-largest population, at 277 million.

The Top Economies in the World in 2075 The following table includes the underlying numbers for 2075. Once again, figures represent accurate GDP projections based on 2021 USD.

Rank Country Real GDP in 2075 (USD trillions) 1 🇨🇳 China $57.0 +39 Investment South Asia 41% 2 🇮🇳 India $52.5 +49 Asia 32% 3 🇺🇸 US $51.5 +25 N. America 14% 4 🇮🇩 Indonesia $13.7 +12 EU 8% 5 🇳🇬 Nigeria $13. +13 Africa 7% 6 🇵🇰 Pakistan $12.3 +12 S. America 6% 7 🇪🇬 Egypt $10.4 +10 8 🇧🇷 Brazil $8.7 +7 9 🇩🇪 Germany $8.1 +4 10 🇬🇧 UK $7.6 +5 11 🇲🇽 Mexico $7.6 +5 12 🇯🇵 Japan $7.5 +3 13 🇷🇺 Russia $6.9 +5 14 🇵🇭 Philippines$6.6 +7 15 ��🇷 France $6.5 +3

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Gary Finneyfrock

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9 hours ago

The Okinawan Diet, Just the Basics Everyone knows that the Okinawan diet is the best because they have most of the world's centurions. Here are the basic foods they eat at all their meals.

[influencermagazineuk]

UK Grad Visa Scheme Isn't Troublesome, Finds Report Amid Immigration Concerns

UK Grad Visa Scheme Isn't Troublesome, Finds Report Amid Immigration Concerns Following concerns about potential misuse for immigration purposes, a new report recommends maintaining the graduate visa route, highlighting its importance for British universities. The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) investigated the scheme after Home Secretary James Cleverly requested an expedited review in March. The committee examined if the visa was being exploited and if it primarily attracted students seeking immigration rather than education. A graduate visa allows international students to remain in the UK for up to three years after completing a university program. Dependents like partners and children can also apply. Last week, former immigration minister Robert Jenrick called for the graduate visa's abolition, arguing it facilitated "entry for individuals to work in the gig economy and for very low wages." Universities and industry leaders expressed anxieties that the 2021-introduced route might be scrapped or restricted based on a negative report. This fear, in turn, led to a significant decline in applications from international students. However, the committee, comprising five university professors and a Home Office representative, discovered "no widespread evidence of abuse" of the graduate visa program. "The limited conditions associated with the route lead to comparatively low abuse risks," the report stated. The review also revealed that the visa scheme is aiding universities in expanding course offerings while compensating for financial shortfalls from domestic students and research endeavors. Additionally, it "supports the government's international education strategy." The report indicated that in 2023, 114,000 graduate route visas were issued to applicants, with an additional 30,000 for dependents. It further noted that students from India, Nigeria, China, and Pakistan constituted 70% of all graduate visa holders, with India exceeding 40%. Professor Brian Bell, the MAC chair and a prominent labor economist leading economics at King's College London, commented, "Our review recommends maintaining the graduate route in its current form. It does not undermine the integrity and quality of the UK's higher education system." "The graduate route is a crucial aspect of our offer to international students considering studying in the UK," Professor Bell continued. "The fees they pay contribute to universities recouping losses incurred from teaching British students and conducting research. Without these students, many universities would be forced to shrink, leading to a decline in research output. This underscores the intricate relationship between immigration and higher education policies." The report discovered that a majority of graduate visa holders had completed postgraduate programs, with the most significant growth stemming from postgraduate courses offered by non-Russell Group universities, accounting for 66% of all graduate visas. Since 2021, the proportion of primary applicants exceeding 25 years old has grown by 15 percentage points, reaching 54% in 2023. The report also revealed that while graduate visa holders initially tend to occupy lower-paying positions, their job prospects and salaries improve over time. Notably, nearly half of the initial cohort transitioned to skilled worker visas, primarily securing skilled roles. Read the full article

[ffsteel]

Steel Industry Contribution to Pakistan’s GDP

Steel stands out as one of the most essential materials across various sectors of the economy, including construction, transportation, manufacturing, and energy. Its pivotal role in the economic development of Pakistan cannot be overstated. The steel industry significantly contributes to the country's GDP and exerts a profound impact on diverse sectors. Over the past five years, this sector has demonstrated remarkable growth, with statistics underscoring its positive influence on the national exchequer. It also serves as a significant source of employment, income, and tax revenues. In this blog post, we will delve into how the steel industry in Pakistan is bolstering the nation's GDP and enriching the national exchequer.

According to the Pakistan Credit Rating Agency (PACRA), the steel industry holds a share of approximately 5.4% in the large-scale manufacturing (LSM) sector, which itself contributes around 9.5% to the GDP. With more than 100,000 workers employed across over 400 industrial units nationwide, the steel industry plays a crucial role in job creation. In 2019, the industry boasted a production capacity of 3.3 million tons, representing 0.18 percent of global production. Key players in the organized sector include FF Steel, Amreli, Agha, Mughal, Naveena, and Ittefaq Steels.

Moreover, the steel industry serves as a significant revenue source for the national exchequer through various taxes, royalties, and duties. PACRA reports that the steel sector contributes approximately 9.1% to the GDP, with an estimated year-on-year growth of 10.5% in FY22. Around 30% of the corporate tax is paid by the steel sector, collected from 30 public listed companies directly or indirectly associated with the industry. Additionally, the sector actively supported COVID-19 relief efforts, awareness campaigns, and vaccination drives in Pakistan, allocating roughly Rs 22,000 crore to corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects in FY 2021.

Expectations for the steel industry's continued growth remain high, driven by increasing demand for steel products both domestically and internationally. The government has also implemented several initiatives to bolster the sector, including corporate tax rate reductions, incentives for domestic production, and the introduction of the Development of Enterprise and Service Hubs (DESH) Bill aimed at revamping existing Special Economic Zones.

In conclusion, as sturdy as the steel it produces, Pakistan's steel industry stands tall as a cornerstone of economic prosperity. With its foundations deeply rooted in construction, transportation, manufacturing, and energy, this industry forges a path of growth, bolstering the nation's GDP and enriching the national exchequer. From towering skyscrapers to robust infrastructure, steel shapes the landscape of progress. As we look ahead, the future gleams bright with promise, as the steel industry continues to forge ahead, driving innovation, prosperity, and a stronger, more resilient Pakistan.

(1) STEEL SECTOR - PACRA. https://www.pacra.com/sector_research/Steel%20Sector%20Post%20Review%20Update_1601130113.pdf.

(2) LSM - Pakistan Steel Industry Outlook - PIDE - Pakistan's premier .... https://pide.org.pk/research/lsm-pakistan-steel-industry-outlook/.

(3) undefined. https://www.pacra.com/sector_research/PACRA%20Research%20-%20Steel%20-%20Sep.

(4) Pakistan - GDP distribution across economic sectors 2022 - Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/383256/pakistan-gdp-distribution-across-economic-sectors/.

(5) mwpbnp.pk. https://bing.com/search?q=Pakistan+steel+industry+GDP+contribution.

(6) mwpbnp.pk. https://mwpbnp.pk/blog6.html.

(7) Sector Study - PACRA. https://www.pacra.com/sector_research/PACRA%20Research%20-%20Steel%20-%20Sep'21_1630576235.pdf.

(8) Sector Study - PACRA. https://www.pacra.com/sector_research/PACRA%20Research%20-%20Steel%20-%20Sep'22_1662124643.pdf.

[bitcoincables]

Bitcoin's Resilience and Highs in Argentina, Turkey, Egypt, Nigeria, and Pakistan

Since bottoming around $16,800, Bitcoin has shown resilience throughout 2023, posting over 153% gains year-to-date and 143% gains over the last 12 months. It has outperformed major tech companies. However, the flagship cryptocurrency's price is still 39% below its all-time high against the US dollar reached in November 2021. Despite this, Bitcoin continues to hit new all-time highs in countries like Argentina, Turkey, Egypt, Nigeria, Lebanon, and Pakistan. 📈

These record highs are a result of high inflationary pressures in these countries, leading to the devaluation of their respective currencies. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) data shows that some of these countries have the highest annual inflation rates in the world, such as Zimbabwe with 396% and Venezuela with 250%. As a result, Bitcoin has become a reliable store of value and a hedge against inflation for many crypto investors in these countries. Countries like Nigeria and Argentina have seen significant cryptocurrency adoption, despite the depreciation of their national currencies. 🌍💰

In Argentina, Bitcoin adoption is likely to increase further after pro-Bitcoin candidate Javier Milei won the presidential election run-off. Milei's appointment of Luis Caputo as economy minister and subsequent devaluation of the peso by over 50% has been endorsed by the IMF. Bitcoin's bounce-back in 2023 is also attributed to various positive factors, including increased institutional adoption through Bitcoin ETFs sponsored by major names in traditional finance like BlackRock and Fidelity. The favorable regulatory landscape for crypto in the US, as evidenced by recent court rulings, is also contributing to market optimism. The upcoming Bitcoin halving event in 2024 is seen as a further catalyst for the cryptocurrency's future growth. 🚀

Read the original article #Bitcoin #cryptocurrency #inflation #investment