Cooper Financial News

Pakistan's interim Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani will visit China to participate in the 3rd Trans-Himalaya Forum for International Cooperation to be held in Tibet on October 4-5, according to a media report here. The Forum meeting is being held at Nyingchi in Tibet Autonomous Region, 400 km east of Lhasa and, north of and very near to Arunachal Pradesh's Upper Siang district.

By Amanda Cooper

China, which aims to become a major space power by 2030, has opened up a key lunar mission to international cooperation as mission deadlines loom for setting up a permanent habitat on the south pole of the moon. China welcomes countries and international organisations on its uncrewed Chang'e-8 mission and to jointly carry out «mission-level» projects, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said at the 74th International Astronautical Congress in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday. Mission-level projects mean China and its international partners could launch and operate their spacecraft, conduct spacecraft-to-spacecraft «interactions», and jointly explore the surface of the moon, according to details announced on CNSA's website. International partners are also welcome to «piggyback» on the Chang'e-8 mission and independently deploy their own modules once the Chinese spacecraft lands, CNSA said. Interested parties must submit a letter of intent to CNSA by Dec. 31.

With former FTX boss Sam Bankman Fried's (SBF)’s first day in court fast approaching, experts say his paths to acquittal are looking quite scant. 

(Exciting news! Mint is now on WhatsApp Channels. Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest financial insights! Click here!) In a bid to stabilise relations with China, the Biden administration decided to give heads up about the rules to China.

Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a US State Department official said on Monday. Secretary of State Tony Blinken raised the issue during his meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar here last week. Addressing a daily news conference, State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller said, “As he made clear then, I’ll reiterate now, we remain in close coordination with our Canadian colleagues on this question." “We have engaged with the Indian government on a number of occasions to urge them to cooperate with Canada’s investigation.

Vietnam, Madan Mohan Sethi highlighted the cordial and friendly relationship between India and Vietnam, emphasizing their historical ties through civilization that spans over 2,000 years. «More than 400 Indian companies, small and big have invested in Vietnam for a cumulative value of more than USD 1 billion,» he said. He mentioned that both countries have collaborated in various areas, including trade, defense, and strategic cooperation. He noted the increasing number of Indian tourists visiting Vietnam, with over 400,000 Indian tourists estimated to have visited the country in recent times.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ said in Parliament on Sunday that during his recent meetings with Chinese leaders discussions were held on construction of a transmission line in the northern border region, installation of solar power plants along the border, construction of various roads and expansion of cooperation in the health and agriculture sectors. However, a number of Chinese projects in Nepal exist only on paper, in stark contrast to projects funded by India in the Himalayan country, where India’s grant assistance to Nepal totals around $63 billion, ET has learnt. Prachanda visited China late last month and reportedly got assurance of funding for 12 projects, even as there has been little progress on projects under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects in Nepal, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Nepal signed the BRI agreement with China in 2017. However, the country has yet to reap the benefits of the agreement, even as some Nepalese leaders sought Chinese funds to reduce dependence on India. China has raised the issue of delayed BRI projects with Nepalese leaders, but there is no clarity as to why the projects have been delayed, according to Nepal watchers.

Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin fined Fidelity Brokerage Services $750,000 over the company’s alleged past practice of “rubber-stamping” clients’ applications to trade options, according to a statement from Galvin’s office.

India in a murder case of a globally wanted criminal. But his worryingly cavalier ways have thrown the spotlight on the faulty instincts within the ‘Five Eyes’ (FVEY) to target India at a time when it’s a partner in every other folder on the table.

UAE Government has published a detailed discussion paper that calls for a decisive and coordinated international response to the urgent threat of global water scarcity. Entitled 'Ripple Effect Water Scarcity — The Hidden Threat to Global Security and Prosperity', the discussion paper examines global water scarcity and its main causes, highlights various implications of water scarcity already evident in parts of the world, and identifies a range of potential solutions to this rapidly worsening issue. Published by the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the sidelines of the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the discussion paper is intended to serve as a global call to action and an open invitation to members of the international community to work together in new ways to address the emerging challenge of global water scarcity. Announcing the publication of the report, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, said: «Concerned by the growing problem of water scarcity and the severe risks that it poses to the world, the United Arab Emirates has published a discussion paper today that aims to contribute to the development of a coordinated international response to this issue and the forging of new models for effective cooperation to address this multifaceted threat to global security and prosperity.» The discussion paper stresses that according to certain metrics, four billion people around the world currently experience water scarcity at least one month per year, with this figure expected to grow in the years ahead.

40 percent duty imposed on the export of onions. The Nashik District Onion Traders’ Association claimed that the duty would severely dampen the wholesale price, thereby affecting their earnings as well as the return on crop expected by the farmers. The duty was imposed in August, when data for the preceding month showed food inflation at an alarming 11.51 percent.

Ukraine has hosted an international defense industry conference as part of a government effort to ramp up weapons production within the country to repel Russia’s full-scale invasion

Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande on Monday began a four-day visit to Tanzania with a focus on building a stronger military partnership between the two countries. Gen Pande is scheduled to meet the top civil and military brass of the east African country including President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Defence Minister Stergomena Lawrence Tax, officials said. «This visit of the Chief of Army Staff further consolidates the high-level bilateral defence engagements and close defence ties shared between India and Tanzania,» the Army said.

Ukraine has hosted an international defense industry conference as part of a government effort to ramp up weapons production within the country to repel Russia’s full-scale invasion

Maldives President-elect Mohammed Muizzu may give India a headache in its southern neighbourhood in the backdrop of his pro-China leanings and «India out» campaign. However, the new Maldivian President may not be able to push out India's footprints from the archipelago given the historical development partnership and New Delhi's role as the first responder in a crisis. Muizzu was the proxy candidate for jailed former president Abdullah Yameen and may revive China's footprints in Maldives, according to Maldives watchers.

Afghanistan's interests is another crucial factor in shutting off the embassy. "Given these circumstances, it is with deep regret that we have taken the difficult decision to close all operations of the mission with the exception of emergency consular services to Afghan citizens till the transfer of the custodial authority of the mission to the host country," the embassy said.

Jaishankar has met US Defence Secretary Loyd Austin and held a productive conversation with him on deepening bilateral defence cooperation, including in the co-production of defence articles, and exchanged perspectives on a variety of security issues. He also met Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. After his meeting with Austin at the Pentagon on Friday, Jaishankar posted on X, «Productive conversation on our bilateral defence cooperation.

minorities in India, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday dismissed concerns around discrimination on grounds of religion saying everything had become fairer. Speaking at an event in Washington DC on Friday, Jaishankar said, «Today, since you brought up the issue of minorities in India, What is the test really of fair and good governance or of the balance of a society? It would be whether in terms of the amenities, the benefits, the access, the rights, do you discriminate or not and in every society in the world, at some point, there's been some discrimination on some basis.

Reuters. The relations between India and Canada have been tense due to the presence of Khalistani terrorists in Canada who have kept alive the movement for Khalistanis or the demand for an independent Sikh state to be carved out of India. Earlier this month, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that Indian agents may have had a role in the June murder of Khalistan terrorist and Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was labeled a "terrorist" by India.

By Richard Cowan