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New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS) India and South Korea can accelerate shipping decarbonisation through a green-ammonia corridor, regardless of delays in global carbon-pricing negotiations, a new report has said ahead of the International Maritime Organization session on December 4, deciding on a binding carbon price.

The report from India Narrative suggested a bilateral corridor between India and South Korea rather than a dozen pilots.

"Pick an Indian anchor, Tuticorin or Kandla, and a Korean one, Ulsan, which Seoul has designated as its ammonia and methanol bunkering hub," the report said, suggesting both countries to also commit a handful of Korean-built, ammonia-capable ships to run between them, with fuel from Indian electrolysers.

South Korea has advanced shipbuilding and ammonia-ready vessels but lacks domestic green fuel production, while India has ambitious green-hydrogen and ammonia plans but needs reliable buyers.

As many such negotiations from the International Maritime Organisation or similar bodies failed to reach any agreement, the publication pointed out that "shipowners cannot wait for diplomats and a vessel ordered today will burn fuel into the 2050s."

"Two countries that can solve the problem bilaterally are sitting on opposite sides of the Bay of Bengal and the East China Sea, and they have barely begun to talk to each other seriously," the report noted.

The publication also suggested both countries to blend finance, adding that dual-fuel and ammonia-ready ships carry a premium that independent owners find it difficult to bridge with ordinary bank debt.

“India has a roughly $3 billion Maritime Development Fund, and both countries have export credit agencies and development banks,” the report said.

South Korea imported $518 million of ammonia in 2025, mostly from Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, China, Australia and Malaysia. Renewables supplied 11.4 per cent of its electricity by the end of 2025, against a 20 per cent target for 2030.

—IANS

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New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to travel to the Philippines next week to attend the 23rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India Summit and the 21st meeting of the ASEAN-led East Asia Summit process, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

The visit will take place from November 16 to 18, Rudrendra Tandon, Secretary (East) at the MEA, announced during a special media briefing in New Delhi on Thursday.

“In addition to a very active bilateral relationship with all 11 ASEAN member states, we see our engagement with the ASEAN regional platform also as a key element or building block of our Act East policy,” Tandon said.

The Prime Minister’s programme in Manila will include a dinner hosted by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr for the visiting dignitaries, followed by the ASEAN-India Summit and the East Asia Summit the next day, with bilateral meetings with other leaders in between.

“There is also a very strong demand from the Indian community to meet the Prime Minister, so we are trying to adjust that also in his schedule,” he said.

Tandon said ASEAN has emerged as a major trading partner for India, with trade with the entire region at approximately 122 billion.

“We in India strongly believe that, as an Indian Ocean country that abuts this very important Southeast Asian maritime zone, a strong strategic relationship with the ASEAN member states, as a collective as well as individually, is good for both of us,” he said.

Such a relationship, he said, will make both sides more resilient in handling rapid geopolitical changes and will contribute to peace and stability in Asia as a whole.

Describing the East Asia Summit as a very unique ASEAN-led grouping of eight leaders, Tandon said leaders of ASEAN and these countries discuss global security issues and issues of common concern in an informal setting.

“This year’s East Asia Summit process is led by the ASEAN Chair, which is the Philippines. That’s why it’s happening in Manila. This, too, is a remarkable example of how successful ASEAN collective diplomacy has become,” he said.

The theme of this year’s ASEAN Summit and ASEAN processes has been ‘Navigating the Future’, and the leaders will focus on enhancing collaboration to become more resilient to the changes around them, the MEA Secretary added.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar met Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Security and Defence, on Thursday, with both sides discussing ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in key areas and exchanging perspectives on the Ukraine conflict besides other regional and global developments.

Following the meeting, the EAM took to X and posted: “Glad to meet Dr. Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Security and Defence. A good discussion on our security, economic, technological & people-to-people cooperation, and next steps. Also exchanged views on the Ukraine conflict and other regional & global issues.”

Last month, EAM Jaishankar met EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting in Atlanta and discussed the ongoing global conflicts.

Taking to X, EAM Jaishankar said, "Discussed the Ukraine conflict and the Gulf situation with EU HRVP Kaja Kallas."

The EAM last spoke with the European Union leader during a phone call on October 25 to coordinate diplomatic positions, touching upon global issues, including the conflict in the Gulf region.

Kaja Kallas, during her remarks at the first plenary session of the G20 meeting, also highlighted the crisis caused by the Russia-Ukraine war and the Middle East conflict.

"Russia's war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East pose major threats to energy and food supplies, trade and freedom of navigation. Maritime routes are global lifelines," Kallas said in a post on X.

"At the G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting in Atlanta, I called for a Black Sea freedom of navigation arrangement and reaffirmed the EU's opposition to tolls and fees on international shipping routes," she said.

"Energy security and supply chain resilience are vital for global economic stability," the EU HRVP said.

Earlier, during his remarks at the session, EAM Jaishankar also reiterated India's stance on the importance of diplomacy during times of global challenges.

He stressed that military solutions would not resolve global challenges and that diplomacy must be given a chance, while warning that the Global South was paying a disproportionate price for attacks on shipping.

"Global South is disproportionately bearing the consequences of attacks on civilian shipping and seafarers, jeopardising the availability and cost of fuel, food and fertilisers," the EAM said, sharing his remarks in a post on X.

He said that there is an "urgent need to preserve the freedom of navigation and ensure cessation of attacks within the framework of international law, especially UNCLOS".

--IANS

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New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS) India and Pakistan present two contrasting cases in the fight to eradicate poverty. While India made eliminating poverty the central purpose of its economic policy, neighbouring Pakistan considered the issue a residual concern to be addressed once more powerful institutional interests in Islamabad have been satisfied, according to an article in European Times.

The result is that while “India produced one of the fastest declines in extreme poverty ever recorded, Pakistan has produced the opposite result and has reversed course, leaving it alone among the larger economies of South Asia,” the article states.

It cites the World Bank’s ‘Poverty and Equity Brief,’ released this month, which records India’s extreme poverty falling from 27.1 per cent in 2011 to 2.6 per cent in 2023 on the $3-a-day line, with roughly 496 million people lifted above it over 12 years. These are not a government’s claims about itself but the assessment of the institution whose figures Islamabad cites when they suit it.

The report attributes the sharp decline in India’s poverty to the expansion in employment in the country by about 134 million between 2017 and 2023, close to twice the growth of the working-age population, with rural women entering paid work in unprecedented numbers. Food transfers were extended to most of the population, and the delivery architecture built around Aadhaar identification and direct bank transfers cut out intermediaries, saving an estimated Rs 3.48 lakh crore in leakage by 2024.

Over the same period, Pakistan moved in the opposite direction. The World Bank report shows that extreme poverty in the country at the $3 line rose from 16.5 per cent in 2018-19 to 23.0 per cent by 2024, an increase of 6.4 percentage points, that represents a relative jump of close to 40 per cent and leaves roughly 58 million people below the line.

Pakistan’s Planning Ministry’s national poverty rate rose from 21.9 per cent to 28.9 per cent. Inequality widened alongside it, with the 'Gini coefficient' rising from 28.4 to 32.7, meaning the adjustment fell hardest on households with the least to give.

Pakistan now accounts for about 48 per cent of the extreme poor across the World Bank’s Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan region while holding under a third of its population, and its poverty rate runs at roughly 1.6 times the regional average, the report added.

--IANS

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Pretoria, Nov 12 (IANS) India and South Africa held the 12th round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in Pretoria, reviewing their Strategic Partnership, exploring avenues to expand bilateral cooperation and discussing regional and global issues of mutual interest, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

According to the MEA, during the consultations held on Wednesday, both sides reviewed the entire spectrum of the Strategic Partnership, including high-level exchanges, institutional mechanisms and cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, defence and security, development partnership, science & technology, education, counter-terrorism, cheetah conservation, culture and people-to-people ties.

They also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including cooperation in multilateral fora.

The Indian delegation was led by Janesh Kain, Joint Secretary (East & Southern Africa), MEA, and the South African delegation was led by Ambassador David Malcomson, Acting Deputy Director General, Directorate of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).

"India and South Africa share historically close and friendly relations marked by regular high-level visits and other exchanges. The year 2027 will mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Strategic Partnership between the two countries, providing an important milestone to further strengthen and diversify bilateral cooperation," the MEA stated.

Both sides also reaffirmed their commitment to deepen the India – South Africa Strategic Partnership and agreed to hold the next round of Foreign Office Consultations in India at a mutually convenient date.

Earlier in September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, where the two leaders discussed bilateral ties and global issues of mutual interest.

"They affirmed that the close and longstanding relations between India and South Africa is rooted in shared historical struggles, strong cultural affinities, robust economic ties, and deep people-to-people connections," the MEA mentioned in a statement.

PM Modi stated that India and South Africa will work closely for Africa's progress, the priorities of the Global South, and a more balanced global order.

"Delighted to meet President Cyril Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Delhi. We reviewed the full breadth of the India-South Africa Strategic Partnership, including: The India-SACU trade agreement. Mining and critical minerals. Infrastructure. Food security. DPI and emerging technologies. Skilling. Our partnership is rooted in history and firmly focused on the future. We will work closely for Africa's progress, the priorities of the Global South and a more balanced global order," PM Modi posted on X, following the meeting.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS) Several long-term investors such as sovereign wealth funds, pension funds and institutional investors are now reluctant to invest in China because they have lost confidence in the Asian giant’s growth story, according to a report in Uganda-based media outlet PML Daily.

The report highlights that for nearly three decades, China was viewed as the world’s most compelling growth narrative. Foreign businesses rushed to establish factories, financial institutions expanded their presence, and investors poured billions into the world’s fastest growing economy. Many analysts even predicted that China would soon overtake the United States as the world’s largest economy.

However, the mood has now changed with some of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds increasingly putting investments in markets perceived as more predictable, more transparent, and less exposed to structural economic risks.

Concerns surrounding China’s prolonged property crisis continue to weigh heavily on investor sentiment, prompting several major state-backed funds to reduce or delay exposure to Chinese assets, the report observes.

It highlights that the real estate sector, which was once one of the main engines driving growth in the Chinese economy, has now turned into a source of uncertainty. Analysts continue to describe the housing downturn as a long-term adjustment rather than a short-lived correction.

At the same time, the article also states that China’s economy is not collapsing, nor is it losing its importance, rather investors appear to be reassessing the balance between opportunity and risk, that reassessment matters because capital is highly sensitive to uncertainty.

It highlights the contrast with the United States. While China struggles to restore confidence in its property market, many sovereign wealth funds are directing billions of dollars toward emerging industries linked to artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, semiconductors, cloud computing, and advanced technologies.

“The attraction is not simply about technology itself. Investors are gravitating toward environments where they believe innovation, regulation, financial markets, and legal protections provide greater certainty for long-term returns. The growing concentration of sovereign wealth fund investments in a smaller number of trusted markets reflects this changing calculation,” the article observes.

--IANS

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Dhaka, Nov 12 (IANS) In yet another disturbing incident targeting a Hindu place of worship in Bangladesh, a goddess Durga temple located inside Laxminarayan Cotton Mill in the Siddhirganj area of Narayanganj was vandalised, local media reported.

Knit Concern Group, a ready-made garment manufacturing company, has been accused of blocking access to the temple and carrying out the vandalism.

Police took the group's director, Monir Hossain Mollah, and security department in-charge Ibrahim into custody on Wednesday evening for questioning in connection with the incident.

According to Bangladeshi Bengali daily Dhaka Tribune, Narayanganj Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime) Tarek Al Mehedi confirmed the development and said, "We are talking about the land-related complications between the temple committee and the Knit Concern Group. We are looking at how to resolve the issue. On the other hand, the temple committee has also complained about vandalism and obstruction of entry to the temple. Action is being taken to take action in that regard."

According to Tarun Lal Begi, the General Secretary of Laxminarayan Cotton Mills Durga Temple Committee, the temple gate's existing lock was removed on Tuesday evening and replaced with a new one to prevent people from entering the premises.

He alleged that members of the Knit Concern Group carried out the act in defiance of the administration's instructions. He further claimed that the group's director, Monir Hossain Mollah, along with his associates, vandalised the decorations and pandal inside the temple.

Furthermore, amid continuing violence against minorities in Bangladesh, another Hindu man was found dead, with his body stuffed in a sack and dumped in the Mukteshwari River in Jashore district, local media reported.

The deceased, identified as 65-year-old Ranjan Mondal, who owned a fish farm, was found near Helarghat in the Mashiahati area of Monirampur upazila in Jashore on November 7.

His wife, Beauty Mondal, said that Ranjan left home on the afternoon of November 6 but did not return. She said police informed her about the recovery of his body the next morning.

She further claimed that there were injury marks on his neck and other parts of his body.

Assistant Superintendent of Police of Monirampur, Imdadul Haque, said that the body was recovered following information received by police and later sent to Jashore 250-bed General Hospital for autopsy, Dhaka Stream reported.

Last month, another Hindu man, 43-year-old Rabendra Rishi, was allegedly stabbed to death, while three homes belonging to Hindu families were vandalised and looted in a separate incident in Bangladesh.

These incidents came amid escalating atrocities against minority communities, particularly Hindus in Bangladesh, a trend that began during the former Muhammad Yunus-led interim government and has persisted under the current Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) administration.

--IANS

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New York, Nov 12 (IANS) Scott Colom has made history by becoming the first African American elected from Mississippi to the US Senate in 151 years, vaulting the Democratic Party's tally to 55 in the upper chamber of Congress.

Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith conceded defeat to him on Wednesday after the media called the election for Colom, who leads with 4,669 votes or less than half a per cent.

"I kept the faith," Colom said at his victory rally in Jackson, recalling how everyone thought it was unlikely he could win in a diehard Republican state with a history of racism.

"All I did was have the courage to imagine a night like this," he said.

He is also the first Democrat to win a statewide race in the deep red state in 44 years.

"I respect the decision of Mississippi voters," Hyde-Smith said in a video message, "I want to congratulate Scott Colom and wish him well as he takes on the tremendous responsibility of representing our great state."

With only one more Senate contest to be declared, the Democrats' blue tsunami puts the party in firm control of the 100-member Senate.

Counting is still continuing in Alaska, where Democrat Mary Pelotola has a slim lead over Republican Dan Sullivan amid a controversy over an independent candidate with a name similar to his entering the race.

Republicans say Democrats put up the similarly named candidate to confuse voters.

There is a sense of irony in Colom's victory because Hyde-Smith had blocked his appointment as a federal judge, prompting him to run for Senate.

Colom was a public prosecutor.

He was helped by a misstep by Hyde-Smith, who was asked by an interviewer about the high price of beef, and she said, "You have so many proteins to choose from."

Colom turned that around against her, telling voters they had a choice in electing a senator.

The last African American elected to the Senate from Mississippi was Hiram Revels, elected in 1875 during the short-lived phase known as the Restoration after the Civil War, which ended slavery.

After that, Mississippi and other southern states that had fought unsuccessfully to retain slavery sank into depths of racism.

The civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King restored some of the rights of African Americans, while racism persisted.

Colom's victory marks a breakthrough in the fight against racism in Mississippi, with a sizeable number of White people joining minorities to elect an African American.

In another southern state, Florida, African American Byron Donalds was elected governor.

But it also marks a breakthrough, as he won on the Republican ticket with the backing of President Donald Trump.

--IANS

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Washington, Nov 12 (IANS) Representative Ro Khanna reported $16.6 million in campaign cash as of now, the largest balance among eight Indian American House members and members-elect, as per a review of Federal Election Commission records. His campaign reported no debt.

The California Democrat's balance exceeded the roughly $11.1 million reported by the other seven combined.

Khanna's campaign reported receipts of $15.3 million and disbursements of $9.5 million during the 2026 election cycle through October 14. His accumulated cash balance was higher than his receipts during that period.

Among the other incumbents, Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington reported $1.75 million in cash, while California's Ami Bera held $1.65 million.

Virginia's Suhas Subramanyam reported about $746,000. Jayapal and Subramanyam reported no debt; Bera reported $80,000.

Jayapal's campaign received $2.9 million and disbursed $3.2 million during the cycle. Bera reported receipts of $1.5 million and disbursements of $1.7 million. Subramanyam received $1.7 million and disbursed about $1.1 million over the same reporting period.

The two Indian American members-elect reported substantially smaller cash reserves before their victories.

Amish Shah, who defeated Republican Jay Feely in Arizona's 1st Congressional District, reported receipts of $5.7 million and disbursements of $5.5 million through October 14. He had about $206,000 remaining and nearly $37,000 in debt.

Pia Dandiya, who defeated Republican Casey Askar in Florida's 22nd District, reported receipts of $4.6 million and disbursements of $3.9 million. Her campaign held about $735,000 and owed $247,000.

Askar reported higher receipts than Dandiya, at $7.4 million, including $6.69 million in loans from himself. His campaign accounts showed disbursements of $5.5 million, cash of $1.9 million and debt of $6.29 million after $400,000 in loan repayments.

Feely reported receipts of $3.8 million and disbursements of $3.6 million, leaving approximately $183,000 in cash and $330,000 in debt.

Thanedar held the second-largest cash balance among the Indian American lawmakers reviewed, at $5.9 million on September 30. His campaign, however, reported $14.44 million in debt, substantially exceeding that balance. It received $3.2 million and disbursed $4.2 million during the cycle.

Krishnamoorthi's House campaign account held about $47,000 on September 30, while his Senate campaign account held approximately $33,000.

The House account reported receipts of $3.9 million and disbursements of $21 million; the Senate account reported $31.6 million and $31.5 million, respectively.

The Senate receipts included $19.4 million in transfers from other authorised committees. Transfers between campaign accounts must be accounted for when comparing fundraising, because simply adding their receipts can count the same money twice.

--IANS

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Kathmandu, Nov 12 (IANS) At least 10 people were killed, and four others were injured when an electric passenger vehicle plunged off a road in central Nepal's Makawanpur district on Thursday morning, a senior Armed Police Force (APF) officer said.

"The dead included five men, three women and two children as the vehicle plunged around 700 metres below the road at Chisapani Gadhi in Bhimphedi Rural Municipality-6 of the district early Thursday morning," Superintendent of Police Niwan Kumar Khadka of the APF, who is stationed in the district, told IANS. "Of those injured, two are in serious condition."

The APF said the passenger vehicle was carrying 15 people and was travelling from the capital, Kathmandu, to Malangawa, the district headquarters of the southern Sarlahi district.

"Of those injured, three are receiving treatment at Hetauda Hospital in the provincial capital of Bagmati Province," Khadka said.

After receiving information about the accident early in the morning, security personnel were deployed to the scene.

"There were 12 bodies scattered around the area, and 10 of them were immediately confirmed dead," Khadka said. He added that the cause of the accident had not yet been established.

According to Nepal Police, 2,707 people were killed in road accidents during the 2025-26 fiscal year, which ended in mid-July. The country has been recording an average of seven road fatalities and 82 injuries every day, police data show.

A World Bank study in Nepal found that the economic cost of road traffic injuries has tripled since 2007 and is equivalent to 1.5 per cent of the country's gross national product.

Road crashes also have a devastating and disproportionate impact on poor communities. More than 70 per cent of all road fatality victims in Nepal are vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, the World Bank said.

According to Nepal Police records, overspeeding is the most common traffic rule violation in the country, followed by driver negligence and operating vehicles without a licence.

--IANS

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