Author: Tulasidas Sivasubramanian

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was on Wednesday quoted as saying that he expected steps from the US Congress on the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara after submitting a bill to ratify Sweden’s NATO membership to Turkey’s parliament. “As the president, I’ve done my part, but I have an expectation as well. The US should pass this (F-16 sales to Turkey) from its Congress, so that we can take these steps simultaneously,” Erdogan told reporters on a flight returning from Qatar, broadcaster Haberturk and others said. [Reuters] Source : ekathimerini.com

Netanyahu’s office blamed Sunday’s attack on the government in Tehran, which it said is endangering global shipping lanes. Israel’s government said on Sunday that Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen hijacked a cargo ship in the Red Sea, endangering a key global shipping route. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office condemned the seizure of what it said was a vessel owned by a British company and operated by a Japanese firm, without naming either of those. There were no Israelis among the ship’s 25 crew members, it said. The Israeli government said the ship’s crew members include people from Ukraine, Bulgaria, the…

In response to alarming imbalances in its child sex ratio, in 1994 India passed an act prohibiting prenatal diagnostic methods for sex-determination and sex-selective abortions. This column explores the unintended impact on human capital attainment. It finds that the ban led to an increase in female births but also worsened health and educational outcomes for children who were born into intensively treated families. It also identifies a widening gender gap in human capital attainment after the ban. Key underlying mechanisms include increased fertility in families where girls are born, to achieve a desired number of sons, as well as increased…

WRI India’s new report, ‘A Spoonful of Solar to Help the Medicine Go Down: Exploring Synergies between Health Care and Energy,’ on Thursday, highlighted the critical role decentralised renewable energy (DRE) plays in meeting the energy needs in rural and peri-urban health facilities in India. The report was launched at an event in the national capital, which brought together policymakers, health practitioners, philanthropic organisations, civil society, financial institutions, solar companies, and research organisations to discuss the challenges and opportunities DRE offers in electrifying the health sector. The report analyses 22 decentralised solar energy interventions implemented in health facilities across six…

China stands ready to work with Mongolia to firmly support each other in safeguarding sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, Thursday. He called on both sides to fully understand and firmly support each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns. Li made the remarks during his meeting with Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene on the sidelines of the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States. Noting that China and Mongolia are adjacent to each other by mountains…

London (04/11 – 67) US district judge, Denise Cote yesterday granted Sri Lanka’s request for a six-month halt on a creditor lawsuit against the country. Hamilton Reserve Bank, an obscure and tiny St Kitt’s bank with interesting ties, says it has accumulated a big chunk of one of Sri Lanka’s now-defaulted bonds and had been suing it for immediate repayment. Sri Lanka had asked for a stay on these legal proceedings to let it restructure its overall pile of debt in some peace and quiet, and had gotten heavyweight support from the UK, France and the US government. Judge Cote ruled, “The Court recognizes that…

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 6. Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have expressed mutual interest in collaborating on the digitalization of railway communication, Trend reports. Strengthening of cooperation in the railway sector was discussed at the meeting, the Acting Chairman of Uzbekistan Railways Zufar Narzullayev and the representatives of Kazakhstan Railways. During the meeting, the parties discussed enhancing their partnership within the railway sector, as well as shared insights on the adoption of innovative technologies and management systems, reaffirming their willingness to work together on digitalization, industrial cooperation, boosting transportation volume, and expediting the transit of goods. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan plans to kick off transit of Russian gas…

It is rightly said that cricket is a religion in India. And when it comes celebrating the biggest festival of the religion, in this case the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, money would never be a barrier. For one, we all know how air ticket prices and hotel bookings soared for Ahmedabad, once the schedule of the World Cup was announced, but interestingly, it is the overall tourism industry that is reaping benefits from the World Cup, which commences from October 5, 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. India is set to welcome a massive influx of…

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) armored logistics support vehicle DERMAN 8X8, currently in the military’s inventory, was displayed abroad for the first time during the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) 2023, an official from the company noted Saturday, Azernews reports, citing Daily Sabah. Koluman Otomotiv Industry Inc., which produces logistics support vehicles within the Turkish defense industry, showcased the DERMAN 8X8 vehicle at DSEI 2023, one of the world’s leading defense industry gatherings held in London. Zafer Özcan, military projects vice general manager at Koluman Otomotiv, said in an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA) that such exhibitions can sometimes be a…

The video games industry has evolved rapidly over the last few decades. This boom in development, which is typical for the sector, has been met by legislation across most of Europe that was unprepared for the new challenges. Employment law, which has been designed based on more traditional employment environments like manufacturing, administration or sales, does not always fit well with the demands of video game producers. With this in mind, we have prepared for you a brief summary of the most frequent employment issues that come up in respect of the video game industry. Independent contractors versus employees First…