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☆ Why Fewer Factories in India Are Making Black Salt This Way
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Nikita Grant | Teresa Zhang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

It takes a full day working in temperatures up to 1,000 degrees Celsius to make one batch of Himalayan black salt, or kala namak. The salt was once used as a medicine to treat indigestion. Today, it's a staple in South Asian cuisine, and it's known for its unique eggy and umami taste. But the long and dangerous process of making it has pushed people away from the craft. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Organizations: Business Locations: Asian

☆ Why Singapore is quickly becoming the choice location for firms to support global carbon markets
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Sponsor Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Carbon credits continue to play an important role in the global transition towards net zero. As an innovative financing mechanism, carbon credits allow corporates to mobilize capital to support emission-reduction projects. The decision to anchor CAD Trust in Singapore stems from acknowledging that transparency and governance are rooted in its DNA. Why Singapore is a prime location for firms to support global carbon marketsSingapore has successfully attracted more than 100 carbon market and services players to establish the city-state as their home base in Southeast Asia. Singapore's expertise in carbon services and its trailblazing move implementing Southeast Asia's first carbon tax in 2019, also appealed to Calyx Global.

Persons: — Dinesh Babu, Grace Fu, Duncan van Bergen, Van Bergen, — Duncan van Bergen Organizations: Reuters, Singapore, for Nature, National University of Singapore, Data Trust, Government of, Emissions Trading Association, Singapore's, Sustainability, Meta, Trust, Insider Studios, Singapore Economic Development Board Locations: Dubai, Singapore, Government of Singapore, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, Africa, Paris, Bhutan, COP28, Asia

☆ Locust Swarms Could Expand Their Range in a Hotter, Stormier World
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Raymond Zhong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Rising temperatures could expand the area of the globe under threat from crop-devouring locusts by up to 25 percent in the coming decades, a new study found, as more places experience the cycles of drought and torrential rain that give rise to biblical swarms of the insects. Desert locusts for millenniums have been the scourge of farmers across northern Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. They love hot, dry conditions, but they need the occasional downpour to moisten the soil in which they incubate their eggs. Human-caused warming is heating up the locusts’ home turf and intensifying sporadic rains there. That is exposing new parts of the region to potential infestations, according to the study, which was published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.

Persons: ” Organizations: National University of Singapore Locations: Africa, East, South Asia

☆ India’s Modi to inaugurate Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu temple
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in the United Arab Emirates to inaugurate a Hindu stone temple, boosting his credentials as a global statesman months before he heads to the polls in a nationwide election where he is seeking a rare third term in power. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Ahmedabad state of Gujarat, India on January 9, 2024. Yet, analysts expect this will not present an issue for Modi during his visit, given India’s rising prominence, its growing economy and strategic position on the global stage. In 2015, the UAE government allocated land for the development of the temple, in a major win for the diaspora. President Joe Biden visits Raj Ghat memorial with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and other G20 leaders, Sept. 10, 2023, in New Delhi.

Persons: CNN —, Narendra Modi, Modi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al, ”, Asim Ali, ” Ali, “, Ram, Nicolas Blarel, Blarel, Swaminarayan, ” Blarel, Kadira Pethiyagoda, that’s, Joe Biden, Raj, India Narendra Modi, Kenny Hoston, Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, Powers, ” Pethiyagoda Organizations: CNN, CNN — India’s, United, United Arab Emirates, Emirates, Guard, Indian, PIB, Getty, Bharatiya Janata, International Relations, Institute of Political Science, Leiden University, BJP, Brookings, Reuters Locations: United Arab, Abu, United Arab Emirates, United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, Anadolu, UAE, New Delhi, Abu Dhabi, The Netherlands, South Asia, Indian, “ India, Saudi Arabia, East, Europe, “, China, Russia, Ayodhya, India’s

They found that 10 countries, including Kenya, Morocco, Niger, Yemen, and Pakistan, experienced the majority of locust outbreaks among 48 affected nations. The researchers also found a strong link between the magnitude of desert locust outbreaks and weather and land conditions like air temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, and wind. El Nino, a recurring and natural climate phenomenon that affects weather worldwide, was also strongly tied to bigger and worse desert locust outbreaks. “As such variability increases, it is logical to predict that locust outbreaks will increase as well,” said Tallamy. The desert experienced locust outbreaks in 2019 after uncontrolled breeding following cyclones, which filled the desert with freshwater lakes.

Persons: Elfatih Abdel, Rahman, Douglas Tallamy, ”, Paula Shrewsbury, al Khali, Xiaogang Organizations: Agriculture Organization, National University of Singapore, Food, International, of, Physiology, Nino, University of Delaware, University of Maryland, World Bank, Associated Press Locations: Africa, South Asia, Agriculture, Kenya, Morocco, Niger, Yemen, Pakistan, East Africa, Shrewsbury, India, Asia, Arabian, West Africa, AP.org

☆ Who Kissed First? Archaeology Has an Answer.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Franz Lidz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

They met a week earlier at a pub near the University of Copenhagen, where both were undergraduates. “I had asked my cousin if he knew any nice single guys with long hair and long beards,” Dr. Rasmussen said. “I do,” said Dr. Rasmussen, who had taken some of the same classes. The researcher, at the University of Cambridge, suggested that the custom — a lip-kissing precursor that involved rubbing and pressing noses together — developed into hardcore smooching. — about when the Indian how-to sex manual, the Kama Sutra, was published — kissing had spread to the Mediterranean with the return of Alexander the Great’s troops from Northern India.

Persons: humanity’s, Sophie Lund Rasmussen, Troels, “, Dr, Rasmussen, ’, Arboll, ”, buss, —, Alexander the Organizations: University of Copenhagen, University of Oxford’s, Conservation Research Unit, Aalborg University, University of Cambridge Locations: Assyriology, Denmark, Asia, Northern India

“The Russian government must have the data of how many foreign fighters have joined the Russian army and how many Nepalis are fighting for Russia,” she said. The Russian foreign ministry has not responded to CNN’s questions about the number of Nepalis recruited by the Russian army and how many of them have died so far. She thought her husband, Shukra Tamang – a retired Nepali army soldier fighting for Russia – was the person calling. A photo shows Shukra Tamang, a retired Nepali army soldier, training in Russia. Bonuses paidNepali men who want to join the Russian army first travel to Russia on a tourist visa.

Persons: Nepal CNN — Ramchandra Khadka, Khadka, “, ” Khadka, Ramchandra Khadka, ”, Bimala Rai Paudyal, Nepalis, Kritu Bhandari, Russia haven’t, Bhandari, ‘, Januka Sunar’s, hasn’t, Sunar, …, Januka Sunar, it’ll, Tamang, Shukra Tamang, Shukra, –, Russia –, Shishir Bishwokarma, Avangard, Suman Tamang, ” Tamang, “ It’s, It’s, Binoj Basnyat, Ram Sharma, Sharma, ” Sharma, Saud, Nepalis haven’t, Bhupendra Bahadur Khatri, hadn’t, ” Khatri, Basnyat Organizations: Nepal CNN, Russia, Ukraine, CNN, Russian, Henley & Partners, Bank, Communist Party of Nepal, Maoist, CNN CNN, YouTube, AK, Moscow Oblast, Avangard, United Arab, Agents, Moscow, CNN Kathmandu, World Bank Locations: Kathmandu, Nepal, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Bakhmut –, Bakhmut, North Korea, Januka, Nepali, Avangard, Indian, United Arab Emirates, India, Dubai, UAE

☆ Pakistan's ex-PM Nawaz Sharif declares victory in fraught election as opponents claim vote rigging
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Campaign posters for Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan's former prime minister, along a street ahead of Pakistan's national election in Lahore, Pakistan, on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared victory on Friday in the country's 2024 General Election, one that many Pakistanis and human rights groups are decrying as neither free nor fair. Sharif, 74, cited the Election Commission of Pakistan in saying that his party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), had won the largest share of the national vote. "Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will almost certainly win," Chaudhuri said as the polls opened. A lifetime ban from partaking in politics and multiple corruption convictions for Sharif were overturned by Pakistani courts last year.

Persons: Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, Chaudhuri, Sharif, mending Organizations: Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz, Eurasia Group, CNBC Locations: Lahore, Pakistan, Sharif, South Asia, U.K

The bodies have all been retrieved from the river since 2017 and buried in local cemeteries in three border towns of eastern Bosnia. Dr. Vidak Simic examined more than 40 corpses of migrants and refugees so far retrieved from the river. Under local laws, bone samples are taken from unidentified bodies before they are buried in paupers' graves. However, Simic has been keeping the unnamed migrants’ bone samples long past the time required by the law. At the cemetery in Bijeljina, where nearly half of all the unidentified migrants pulled out of Drina so far are buried, 41 trees were planted and a memorial for the drowned was erected.

Persons: ”, Nihad Suljic, Suljic, Vidak Simic, Simic, Simic —, ” Simic, Radul Radovanovic Organizations: Migrants, European Union, Western, Police, Associated Press Locations: BIJELJINA, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Serbia, Western Europe, Bosnian, East, Africa, South Asia, Europe, Balkan, Tuzla, Balkans, Montenegro, Croatia, Drina, Zvornik, Bijeljina, paupers, Municipal, Vienna

☆ ‘One Day’ stars Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall didn’t have to work hard on their chemistry
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Sandy Thin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“Every episode kind of felt standalone,” Mod explained to CNN. (Full disclosure: I attended university with Mod, where we became friends.) Mod (left) and Woodall (right) filmed on location in Greece, Paris, Edinburgh and London for "One Day." Courtesy NetflixLike Emma, Mod also studied English at university, only to spend her early twenties in jobs she didn’t really want. "One Day" is the first time either Mod or Woodall have played the lead in a TV show, after both had breakout supporting roles in 2022.

Persons: ” Emma Morley, Dexter Mayhew, ” David Nicholls ’, Dexter glibly, Emma, Ambika, Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Dexter, Swithins, “, Andrew Shires, Megan, Woodall, Mod, ”, I’ve, Leo Woodall, Jack, Tom Hollander’s, ” Woodall Organizations: CNN, BBC, Edinburgh Fringe, Durham Revue, Netflix Locations: St, Greece, Paris, Edinburgh, London, Yorkshire, Wolverhampton

☆ UN Chief Concerned by Violence, Communication Restriction on Pakistan Election Day
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Michelle Nichols and Kanishka SinghUNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday expressed concern about violence in Pakistan and the suspension of mobile communications services on election day in the South Asian nation, his spokesperson said in an emailed statement. CONTEXTThousands of troops were deployed on the streets in Pakistan and at polling stations across the country. Despite the heightened security, nine people, including two children, were killed on Thursday in bomb blasts, grenade attacks and shootings. At least another 26 were killed on Wednesday in two explosions near electoral candidates' offices in the southwestern province of Balochistan. Earlier on Thursday, the U.S. State Department also said it was concerned about steps taken to "restrict freedom of expression" in Pakistan, especially related to phone and internet access.

Persons: Michelle Nichols, Kanishka Singh, Antonio Guterres, Imran Khan, Nawaz Sharif, Stephane Dujarric, Sandra Maler Organizations: NATIONS, Reuters, United Nations, Mobile, Interior Ministry, Amnesty, Pakistan Muslim League, Islamic State, U.S . State Department Locations: Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Balochistan, Islamic

☆ 'World is grateful': India keeps oil prices cheaper by buying from Russia, Indian oil minister says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | In Ying-Shan-Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Hardeep Singh Puri, India's minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, at the ADIPEC conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesIndia keeps global crude prices affordable by buying oil from Russia, India's energy minister said. "The world is grateful to India for buying Russian oil. Such uncertainty would typically push energy prices higher but gains have been limited amid record output from the U.S., and an ongoing global economic slowdown. "The fact of the matter is half the work is in recession," he said, adding that higher oil prices will invariably end up becoming a "self fulfilling prophecy" where higher prices will curtail demand.

Persons: Hardeep Singh Puri, Singh Puri, CNBC's Sri, India's Organizations: Petroleum, Natural, United, Bloomberg, Getty, Natural Gas, India Energy Locations: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Russia, India, CNBC's Sri Jegarajah, Goa, Ukraine, Moscow, U.S

☆ Pakistan's elections will 'almost certainly not' be free and fair, analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailPakistan's elections will 'almost certainly not' be free and fair, analyst saysPramit Pal Chaudhuri, practice head for South Asia at Eurasia Group, says this election is "easily one of the most blatant in terms of the degree of interference by the military."

Persons: Pramit Pal Chaudhuri Organizations: Eurasia Group Locations: South Asia

☆ Analysis: At this general election in Pakistan, old dynasties vie for power and populist Imran Khan languishes in prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Sophia Saifi | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

That sets the stage for a difficult road to recovery for whoever wins in a nation where no democratically elected prime minister has ever completed a full term in office. Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan attends a lawyers' convention in Lahore on September 21, 2022. Veteran Sharif will face a strong challenge, however, from first-time candidate for Prime Minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, 35, son of slain former leader Benazir Bhutto. Manahil Ahmed, 23, called Pakistan’s political environment “particularly hostile” right now. For Pakistan’s military and police forces, the last year was the bloodiest in a decade.

Persons: Imran Khan, –, Arif Ali, Nawaz Sharif, Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, Khan –, Khan, Fareed Khan, ”, Rabiya Arooj, Khan’s, Bushra Bibi, Imran Khan's, Asad Zaidi, Pakistan’s, Farzana Shaikh, “, ’, Murtaza Solang, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Mohsin Raza, he’s, Raja Ikram, Ameer Hamza, Manahil Ahmed, Shaikh, Hussain Nadim, Maurice R, Greenberg, ‘, Aamir Qureshi, Shoaib Tanveer, Baou Nadeem, ” Shaikh, Farooq Naeem, “ Sharif, He’s, Tim Willasey Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, Getty, PTI, World Bank, Pakistan, Bloomberg, The Royal Institute of International Affairs, CNN, for Research, Security Studies, Pakistan’s People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League, Baloch Liberation Army, Yale University, Pakistan Army –, Workers, King’s College London Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Pakistan CNN — Pakistan, Lahore, AFP, Karachi, “, Rawalpindi, Asia, Hafizabad, Khan’s, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, India, Afghanistan, Iran, State Khorasan, restive Balochistan, Balochistan, Punjab, Sharif, States, China, British

☆ Pakistan's Political Art on Trucks Hurt by Preference for Posters
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Fayaz Aziz and Mushtaq AliPESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Colourful trucks with paintings of political leaders that once dotted Pakistan's roads and highways ahead of elections are missing this poll season, replaced mostly by the printing on posters and banners. Kaleidoscopic murals of flowers, Islamic motifs, calligraphy, snow-capped Himalayan peaks, local mosques and popular figures are renowned examples of Pakistani truck art. Before printing posters became widespread, truck paintings of leaders, particularly in the run-up to elections, were a much sought after campaign medium. The city in Pakistan's northwest is one of the country's major hubs for the art form. Ahmad said painters are now limited to regular truck art, with business also being hurt by rising prices.

Persons: Fayaz Aziz, Mushtaq Ali, Shakeel Ahmad, Imran Khan's, Imran Khan, Ahmad, Zaffar Ali, Nawaz Sharif, Ali, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sohail Ghuri, Bansari Mayur, YP Rajesh, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Reuters, Supreme, Pakistan, YP Locations: Mushtaq Ali PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Peshawar, Pakistan's, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

About half of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the United States believe the country is giving too much support of Israelis and not enough for Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, according to a poll that shows those views are dominant among young adults. The majority of Asian and Pacific Islander adults between the ages of 18 and 34 share these views. Some Asian Americans see parallels with family members' struggles with colonialism or genocide in Asian countries. When it comes to Jewish communities, 44% of AAPI adults say U.S. support is about right, while 26% say it's not supportive enough. This view was also shared by most AAPI adults under age 35.

Persons: Derek Pang, Israel, ”, Pang, ” Orrie Allen, Allen, Benjamin Netanyahu, Karthick, ” Ramakrishnan, Shakeel Syed, “, ‘, Syed, Thomas Lee, ” Lee Organizations: Pacific Islanders, AAPI, Associated Press, NORC, for Public Affairs Research, Pacific, Democrat, ., Republican, Health Ministry, University of California, South Asian Network, South, American Locations: Hawaiians, United States, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Austin , Texas, American, Marysville , California, Israeli, Riverside, South, Los Angeles, Long, , New York, Hawaiian

☆ Modi’s ‘divine India’ vision threatens to marginalize millions
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“(Today) is the beginning of a new time cycle,” Modi said at the new temple honoring Hindu deity Lord Ram. “After centuries of waiting, our Ram has arrived.”Modi’s vision of a “divine India” is a far cry from the ideas of the modern country’s founding fathers. “India becomes a de facto Hindu nation, where the task of building national Hindu religious symbols falls to the state. And he reiterated his party’s desire to build the Ram Temple on the contested holy site. Hindu groups have for decades claimed the Mughals destroyed Hindu temples, building mosques and other monuments in their place.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, ” Modi, Lord Ram, “, Ram, ”, Gilles Verniers, officiates, ‘, Sachin Tendulkar, Mukesh Ambani, Modi’s, ” Modi fasted, ” Narendra Modi, Prakash Singh, Pratishtha ”, –, Sunita Viswanath, “ Modi, tramples what’s, Ravi Agrawal, it’s, Babar, Douglas E, Curran, ” Agrawal, Ritesh Shukla, Aurangzeb, “ Aurangzeb, Policy’s Agrawal, Gilles Organizations: CNN, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Centre for Policy Research, Bloomberg, Getty, Indian, Human Rights, India’s, Ram Locations: Ayodhya, “, India, New Delhi, Babri, Delhi, India’s, Jammu, Kashmir, South Asia, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Varanasi

☆ Bangladesh Welcomes Biden Letter on Support for Economic Goals
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

DHAKA (Reuters) - President Joe Biden said the U.S. is willing to work with Bangladesh to help the South Asian nation achieve its economic goals, nearly a month after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sworn in following an election boycotted by the opposition. Biden made his comments in a letter to Hasina, Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud told reporters on Monday, adding through this letter ties between the two countries will advance further. Hasina and her party won a fourth straight term in the Jan. 7 election, which the main opposition dismissed as a sham. "We welcome the letter written by President Biden. "The United States is committed to supporting Bangladesh's ambitious economic goals and partnering with Bangladesh on our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific," Biden said in his letter, provided to reporters.

Persons: Joe Biden, Sheikh Hasina, Biden, Hasina, Hasan Mahmud, Mahmud, Ruma Paul, Sharon Singleton Organizations: U.S . State Department, Reuters, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, BNP Locations: DHAKA, U.S, Bangladesh, United States, Dhaka didn't, Russia, Ukraine

☆ India's moment has arrived — but many hurdles remain
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Spriha Srivastava | Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

India's economy is expected to expand by 6.5% this year, according to IMF forecasts. The world's most populous nation was keen to talk up its prospects at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Advertisement"India has seized the moment," proclaimed housing minister Hardeep Singh Puri with confidence during a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. The 10-strong group of emerging market nations now accounts for 45% of the world's population and 28% of global GDP. AdvertisementSome economists have criticized the government's narrative as a "false growth story," highlighting discrepancies in the data and criticizing the methods used to calculate economic growth.

Persons: —, Hardeep Singh, Smriti Irani, BI's Spriha Srivastava, that's, Narendra Modi's, Cash, Modi, SAJJAD HUSSAIN, I've, Andy Baldwin, EY, Narendra Modi, Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Dan Kitwood, Getty, ISRO Goldman Sachs, Ashoka Mody, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Vladimir Putin, Singh Organizations: Economic, Service, BI, IMF, Business, Apple, ISRO, Princeton University, World Bank, US, of, Hindustan Times, Harvard Business Locations: Davos, India, China, Japan, Brazil, China India, India's, Ukraine

☆ At Least 10 Police Personnel Killed in Attack on Police Station in Pakistan - Police
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - At least 10 police personnel were killed and six more injured in a militant attack on a police station in northwest Pakistan on Monday, police said. The South Asian nation has seen an escalation in incidents of violence in the last few days as it approaches its national elections later this week. (Reporting by Saud Mehsud in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan; writing by Sakshi Dayal; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)

Persons: Saud Mehsud, Dera Ismail, Sakshi Dayal, Sudipto Ganguly Locations: DELHI, Pakistan, Dera Ismail Khan

☆ White House, Capitol Hill divide on use of military in Red Sea is getting dangerous for the economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

U.S. import and export data shows that the majority of the country's trade is on foreign-flagged vessels. The Congressional calls to consider prioritizing U.S.-flagged vessels come at a time when the Iranian-backed Houthis continue to attack shipping in the Red Sea. Other nations, including U.S. ally France, have already declared their priority is to escort French-linked vessels after facing nationalistic pressure. "It could also be argued that directing military action to defend U.S. commercial shipping is within this power. However, most vessels transiting through the Red Sea are not U.S. ships, which raises questions about the extent to which these authorities can be exercised," they wrote.

Persons: Gerald R, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Mohammed Al, —, Biden's, Charles, Bud, Darr, Salud Carbajal, Hapag Lloyd, Carbajal's, Tim Kaine, Todd Young, Chris Murphy, Mike Lee Organizations: United States, Ford, Anadolu, Getty, Capitol, U.S, MDS Transmodal, Congressional, Gaza, Senate Foreign Relations, White House, Representatives, MSC, U.S . Navy, Maersk, White, Senate Armed Services, Foreign Relations, Senate, Relations, Counterterrorism Locations: Red, U.S, Iranian, Iran, France, Marshall, United States, East, South Asia, Central Asia

☆ India set to clock up to 8% GDP growth as it boosts manufacturing capacity, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Workers assemble mobile phones at a Dixon Technologies factory in Noida, India, on Jan. 28, 2021. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesIndia could clock up to 8% annual GDP growth for several years as it focuses on boosting its manufacturing capabilities, a key government minister told CNBC on Thursday. watch nowHe spoke extensively about the country's mobile manufacturing ecosystem, claiming that 99% of the phones used in India were made within the country. The country exported $11 billion mobile phones last year, and they are likely to rise to between $13 billion and $15 billion in 2024, Vaishnaw said. Apple 's presence in India has grown exponentially since it first started manufacturing in the country in 2017.

Persons: Vaishnaw, Narendra Modi's, Nirmala Sitharaman, CNBC's, Apple, OnePoll, Joe Biden, India's Modi, Narendra Modi, Modi, Mandel Ngan Organizations: Dixon Technologies, Bloomberg, Getty, CNBC, Union, Railways, Communications, Electronics, Technology, CNBC's Sri, Deloitte, India, Apple, Samsung, Micron, U.S, India's, White, Afp Locations: Noida, India, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, China, Washington ,

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Thursday approved a nearly $4 billion sale of drones and military equipment to India that are meant to be used to improve its maritime safety and surveillance. The approval comes at a time when Washington is courting New Delhi to increase its cooperation with the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, which is largely focused on countering China’s influence in the region. The State Department notified Congress of the $3.99 billion sale that will include 31 Sky Guardian drones, 170 Hellfire missiles, 310 small-diameter bombs and related support material. “This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to strengthen the U.S.-Indian strategic relationship and to improve the security of a major defense partner which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia region,” the department said in a statement. It "will improve India’s capability to meet current and future threats by enabling unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance patrols in sea lanes of operation,” it said, adding that India “has demonstrated a commitment to modernizing its military and will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces.”Photos You Should See View All 45 Images

Persons: —, Biden, India “ Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, The State Department, Guardian Locations: India, Washington, New Delhi, United States, U.S, South Asia

☆ Rehan Zeb Khan: Pakistan election candidate killed ahead of general election
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Sophia Saifi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —A Pakistan election candidate was shot dead while campaigning on Wednesday, as violence escalates a week before polls open. Rehan Zeb Khan, an independent candidate affiliated with former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was shot in a “targeted killing” when gunmen opened fire on his car in a market in Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to district police. In response to the violence, Pakistan’s Election Commission (ECP) summoned an emergency meeting of security officials on Thursday to discuss the “deteriorating” law and order situation in the two provinces, according to a statement from the commission. On Wednesday, Pakistan’s military also met for an annual conference where they discussed the possible deployment of the country’s army to assist the election commission during the general election next week, according to a government statement. The election commission has declared February 8, the day of the election, a public holiday for the country’s 240 million people.

Persons: Rehan Zeb Khan, Imran Khan’s, ”, Malik Kaleem Ullah, Home and Tribal Affairs Balochistan Zubair Jamali, “, Khan Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly, Reuters, Pakistan’s People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League, Home and Tribal Affairs Balochistan, Baloch Liberation Army, PTI Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Imran Khan’s Pakistan, Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, State Khorasan, Balochistan, Home and Tribal Affairs Balochistan Zubair, Sibi

☆ Religious trips will fuel India’s tourism boom — airlines are gearing up with record aircraft orders
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

India's tourism sector is set for a boom as more travelers take trips around the country for religious purposes. "Religious tourism is still the biggest segment of tourism in India … the creation of a new religious tourist centre (Ayodhya) with improved connectivity and infrastructure can create a meaningfully large economic impact," Jefferies highlighted. Indian media reported that around half a million people visited the Ram temple on its opening day which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The YouTube broadcast of the opening ceremony on Modi's channel alone received more than 11 million views. If it continues develop tourist destination including religious tourism, chances are that more and more people will come to visit India and it will even benefit on the foreign exchange side," said Nilesh Shah, managing director at Kotak Mahindra Asset Management.

Persons: Jefferies, —, Narendra Modi, Nilesh Shah Organizations: YouTube, Mahindra Asset Management Locations: Ayodhya, India, Rome's Vatican, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, Temple, Jammu, Kashmir

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