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By SUSIE BLANN (Associated Press) KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine is pushing its Western allies to provide it with fighter jets, a week after winning pledges of sophisticated modern tanks to help it beat back Russia’s invasion force after almost a year of fighting. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov was due in Paris on Tuesday where discussions about the possible delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine was expected to be on the agenda. After months of haggling, Ukrainian authorities last week persuaded Western allies to send the tanks. That decision came despite the hesitation and caution of some NATO members, including the United States and Germany. There was no indication that a decision on warplanes to Ukraine might come any time soon and no sign that Western countries have changed their earlier stance on the issue. Some Western leaders have expressed concern that the move could escalate the nearly year-long conflict and draw them deeper into the war. The U.K. … [Read more...] about After tank pledges, Ukraine seeks Western fighter jets

BlockFi, the crypto lender that declared bankruptcy after the failure of FTX , won approval from a New Jersey bankruptcy court to start auctioning its cryptocurrency mining assets--and says it has suitors seeking to buy all or part of the company. The firm said in a filing earlier this month that it had approached 106 potential buyers to sell a part or all of its business. According to BlockFi’s petition , it aims to receive buyer bids by Feb. 20 and complete the auction a week later. The company will then file the motion of sale for any deal it reaches before the court by March 1. “We’ve received substantial interest in the market for bidding purposes,” BlockFi’s lawyer, Francis Petrie, said during a hearing on Monday, according to Bloomberg. In its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in November, BlockFi said its assets and liabilities were in the range of $1 billion to $10 billion and that it owed money to more than 100,000 creditors. Court documents show BlockFi owes FTX … [Read more...] about BlockFi Wins Bankruptcy Court Approval to Auction Mining Assets

EssenceMediacom – GroupM’s newest and largest agency – formally launches today with an ambition to deliver marketing breakthroughs for their clients. Disrupting the old models across media, creative, innovation and analytics, the agency has been built to find new opportunity for brands and deliver truly integrated media solutions. Comprised of 10,000 people across 120 offices globally and led by Global CEO Nick Lawson, EssenceMediacom combines Essence’s performance, data, analytics and creative technology DNA with MediaCom’s scaled multichannel audience planning and strategic media expertise. Everything will be underpinned by EMOS – EssenceMediacom’s Operating System. This modular suite of tools and data will connect the best of Essence, MediaCom and GroupM’s technology and make it available to EssenceMediacom’s teams and clients across the globe. The agency launches with an enviable global client roster, which includes adidas, Bayer, Dell, Google, Mars, NBCUniversal, … [Read more...] about EssenceMediacom launches as the breakthrough agency in 120 offices globally

The Finance Ministry building situated in North Block, New Delhi The government's fiscal deficit widened to Rs 9.93 lakh crore in the April-December period, accounting for 59.8 percent of the full-year target for 2022-23, data released on January 31 by the Controller General of Accounts showed. The fiscal deficit in the first nine months of the last financial year was 50.4 percent of last year's target. The total revenue receipts for the April-December period stood at Rs 22.83 lakh crore, which is 79.9 percent of the budget estimate for FY23. In the comparable year-ago period, total receipts had hit 89.1 percent of the budget estimate. The net tax revenue, for the nine-month period ending December 2022, stood at Rs 15.55 lakh crore, which is 80.4 percent of the entire fiscal year's target. Through disinvestments, the government has raised Rs 31,123 crore till December, which is 48 percent of the fiscal year's target of Rs 65,000 crore. Read More Also … [Read more...] about April-December 2022 fiscal deficit rises to Rs 9.93 lakh crore, 59.8% of FY23 target

(Representative Image) India's overall gold demand remained resilient and witnessed a marginal decline of 2.92 per cent in 2022 at 774 tonnes notwithstanding a sharp increase in prices, and the outlook for this year looks bullish, the World Gold Council (WGC) said in a report on Tuesday. The overall gold demand in 2021 stood at 797.3 tonnes, according to WGC's annual 'Gold Demand Trends' report. Despite a relatively subdued trade and weaker consumer sentiment at the beginning of the year, hike in duty and sharp rise in prices in the midst of the season, demand has indeed remained surprisingly resilient, WGC The World Gold Council Managing Director for India Somasundaram PR said. The festivities at the beginning of the last quarter of 2022, also boosted investment demand, though, the attention shifted towards gold jewellery with the onset of the wedding season, he noted. India gold demand in the fourth quarter and the full year 2022, fell short of 345 tonnes (a record … [Read more...] about India’s gold demand dips marginally to 774 tonnes in 2022: WGC

Representative image Highlights Raw materials used in clean energy systems are concentrated in a select few countries outside India The availability of adequate and affordable finance remains a constraint Diversion of large scale funds to green energy can be a challenge for developing countries Despite the rapid scale-up of renewable energy capacities, India continues to depend on thermal power The FY23 economic survey took a balanced approach about climate change policies. It narrated the steps being taken by India to combat greenhouse gases and transition to cleaner sources of energy. But to achieve the stated goals, the survey emphasised the need for renewed support from developed countries, especially in the areas of finance, technology transfer and capacity-building. Importantly the survey rightly highlighted the limitations and economic costs of the climate change policies. Clean energy systems such as solar photovoltaic plants, wind farms, … [Read more...] about Economic Survey takes a pragmatic line for climate change policies

India’s macroeconomic parameters, spanning from growth to debt sustainability, are in sound condition. The economy will now begin to show the full virtuous effect of the reforms that the government has taken over the past years. These are the two points that Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran wants to drive home through the economic survey of 2023. The survey is rife with hope, stating that India’s growth outlook is better than it was in the pre-pandemic years. Banks are healthy, the digital revolution is making the economy more efficient — a large part of which is now formalised — and financial inclusion is at its peak. “It is a matter of time before its growth effects become persistent in the data. That is why we are optimistic that India will achieve an average of 6.5 percent real GDP growth in the medium term,” the survey says. To be sure, the CEA’s hope candle has enough fuel to burn. The surge in credit growth shows that a strong financial system can inspire … [Read more...] about Economic Survey 2023: From the CEA comes #WhyIamNotLosingHopeinIndia

The man filed a complaint with the Thane police. (Representative image: Wikimedia Commons) A man from Maharashtra's Thane city was allegedly duped of Rs 5 lakh by online fraudsters when he was checking a fault in his TV channel service, police said on Tuesday. The incident took place on January 14 when the man called up his TV channel service provider as its details were not displayed on his television screen, an official from Chitalsar police station said quoting the victim's complaint. While he was speaking on the phone, he got a call from another number where the caller asked him to download the AnyDesk app. After the man downloaded the app, he found that an amount of Rs 5 lakh was debited from his bank account through net banking even when he had not initiated the transaction, the official said. The man subsequently complained to the police who registered a case against unidentified persons under Indian Penal Code Section 420 (cheating) and provisions of the … [Read more...] about Man downloads AnyDesk on phone, loses Rs 5 lakh in seconds

Bull runs have their ups and downs, too. (Photo: Isaw Company via Pexels) I love taking trips to Uttarakhand. A lot of people often look for a different kind of trip there, but it’s not the kind you can mention on Tripadvisor. Joshimath a holy town in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons. If Joshimath were a person, it would be Jerome Powell. Because poor old Jerome has been repeatedly telling the markets: “We are sinking and there are no lifeboats. And you’re on board the inflation Titanic.” The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has released satellite images of Joshimath and a preliminary report on land subsidence which shows that the entire town may sink. Luckily in India you can pray to the Gods to sink everyone else except your own community. Scientists are still studying the cracks that have appeared in the houses and roads due to land subsidence in the town. … [Read more...] about Funnycontrol | Joshimath and that sinking feeling

Indori poha is a no-cook poha with lots of sev and a generous sprinkling of cumin-based Jeeravan spice mix. (Representational image: Shahbaz Ansari via Pexels) Lesser Morsels is an exploration of hidden gems from the great Indian kitchen. “Don’t forget Indori poha and dhania wale aloo,” said a friend as I left for a Children’s Literature Festival to Indore a few years ago. It reminded me of when my brother-in-law Mayank, who lives in Seattle, was craving Indori poha, and he and his wife Abha soon went in search of its magic ingredient – Jeeravan masala – to the Indian stores in Seattle. They were also rewarded with Ratlami sev, and Mayank’s craving was more than satisfied. Turns out the poha is not the thing. The hero is a generous sprinkling of Jeeravan masala. For the uninitiated, Indori poha is a no-cook poha (a Maharashtrian version is called dadpe pohe) elevated by the addition of Jeeravan (a spice mix that contains roasted jeera powder along with 20 odd spices) and … [Read more...] about Indore special:  Jeera isi ka naam hai