Hard to lock replies Feel free to delete my reply i just posted in the blog I think you are referring to. To protect my blog when people strayed off topic or were one way or another abusive go to the top of your blog and click on "edit my blog) another page loads select comments the select the page the abuse is on and delete it, then return your first post and click on save
Philosophy I met and studied explains subject something like at birth time all babies are born with pure-mind, while also the being carries the seeds of there own as well to certain degree seeds collective karma's. The seeds (they are certain once having been created) the seeds of the beings karma's are transmitted (from life to life) at the time of conception; the female egg, male sperm and the subtle energy been the individuals subtle winds-conscious that enter the Bardo at death time by the migrating sentient being.
Indonesia and Malaysia are among the founding members of ASEAN, a regional bloc established in 1967. The union is the world’s fifth-largest economy and home to some 670 million people.
The two countries have been working to increase their trade engagement with Egypt in recent years. Indonesia recorded a $1.11 billion trade surplus with the North African nation last year, while Egypt is Malaysia’s third-largest trading partner in Africa in 2022, with a $1.08 billion trade value.
Officials from the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo and the Malaysia External Trade Development Cooperation, or MATRADE, held a meeting on Sunday in Cairo to discuss ways to boost cooperation between the Southeast Asian bloc and Egypt, the Indonesian Ministry of Trade said in a statement.
The four candidates are Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democratic Party, Nikolai Kharitonov of the Russian Communist Party, Vladislav Davankov of the New People Party, and Vladimir Putin, the incumbent president and an independent candidate.
The 1993 constitution declares Russia as a democratic, federative, law-based state with a republican form of government. State power is divided among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Diversity of ideologies and religions is sanctioned, and a state or compulsory ideology may not be adopted.
The European Parliament has adopted a resolution calling on Moscow to return bullion sent to the Russian Empire by Romania in 1916
On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on Moscow to send back 91.5 metric tons of gold and cultural artifacts that were exported to the Russian Empire in 1916-1917 by Romania. ________________________________ Last week, Masoud Dorosti, the managing director of Tehran’s bustling metro system, dropped a bombshell: After seven years of intense negotiations, the Iranian capital is gearing up to welcome a whopping 791 sleek metro trains from China. It’s a move set to transform the city’s transit scene, injecting new life into a system that hasn’t seen a serious upgrade in half a decade.
But that’s not all. Tehran’s mayor, Alireza Zakani, threw in another ace from his sleeve last month, unveiling a flurry of contracts inked with Chinese giants aimed at giving the city’s infrastructure a serious facelift. From major transportation projects to ambitious construction ventures, China’s fingerprints may soon be all over Tehran’s urban landscape. Heck, they’re even rolling up their sleeves to erect housing units in this sprawling metropolis of nearly 9 million souls. ________________________________________ ‘Neo-Nazi Kiev regime’ tried to disrupt Russian elections – Putin Russia’s president has vowed retaliation for the ongoing Ukrainian attacks on border regions The continuing Ukrainian incursions into and strikes on Russia's border regions are primarily aimed at disrupting the ongoing election in the country, President Vladimir Putin has said.
The president made the remarks on Friday during a meeting with permanent members of the Russian National Security Council. Putin condemned the efforts made by Kiev to disrupt the ongoing election, vowing retaliation for the attacks.
In order to disrupt the voting process and intimidate people, at least in the regions bordering Ukraine, the Kiev neo-Nazi regime has conceived and is trying to carry out a series of “demonstrative criminal armed actions,” Putin stated. ______________________________________ Your guide to Russia’s 2024 Presidential Election Everything you need to know as Russians head to the polls to elect their leader
Voting in Russia’s 2024 presidential election opened on Friday and will continue until Sunday. In many ways it will be a unique event in the country’s history.
Tonight's Moon first taken with Olympus Mk-ii with 2x teleconverter and 300mm lens attached the next image taken with Samsung Galaxy S23+ Mobile Phone including all the attached images within the Collage file enjoy
Russia began voting on Friday in a three-day election to select their next leader for a six-year term.
Polls have opened in Russia's Far East for the first of three days of voting.
Polling stations opened in the Kamchatka peninsula at 8:00 am local time on Friday (2000 GMT on Thursday) and are set to close at 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) on Sunday in Kaliningrad -- a Russian exclave bordering Poland and Lithuania.
Early voting was already underway in occupied territories of Ukraine. The vote will also take place in Crimea.
The four candidates are Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democratic Party, Nikolai Kharitonov of the Russian Communist Party, Vladislav Davankov of the New People Party, and Vladimir Putin, the incumbent president and an independent candidate.
How African countries became casualties of Sudan war and Red Sea maritime mayhem
INNUMBERS
• 50+ Vessels using Bab Al-Mandab Strait targeted by Houthis so far.
• 3,500 nautical miles Additional distance for Cape of Good Hope route.
• 14 Extra days for a Rotterdam-Singapore journey bypassing Suez Canal.
ABIDJAN Cote d’Ivoire: Already plagued by complex internal problems, the economies of East Africa have perhaps been the most affected among regional states by the unfolding crisis in Sudan and the attacks on trade passing through the Red Sea.
The conflict in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, which began on April 15 last year, has caused massive internal and cross-border displacement as well as disruption of critical supply chains.
Meanwhile, attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi militia, launched in response to Israel’s military operation in Gaza, have interrupted trade traffic plying East Africa’s ports, as wary firms redirect their vessels.
As a result, ports in Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somaliland have seen a reduction in the number of vessels docked.
Argentina is starting a record swap of peso-denominated debt Monday in a bid to roll over almost all of its 2024 maturities into the next four years, providing a temporary respite to President Javier Milei’s government.
The Economy Ministry published late Friday a list with the bonds it seeks to repurchase and sell, saying it will receive offers from investors until Tuesday 3pm in Buenos Aires (2pm ET). The swap may amount to 55 trillion pesos (US$65 billion), according to Juan Manuel Truffa, partner and director at local consulting firm Outlier.
Conversations between Economy Minister Luis Caputo and local banks began in January as his team floated the idea of rolling over all of the peso debt due this year, which amounts to 57 trillion pesos. While debt swaps are common in Argentina, the record size of this operation will be seen as a test of local market confidence in Milei’s economic programme, three months into his presidency.
Extending local debt maturities would reduce the need to print pesos to cover all of Argentina’s local debt payments in 2024, helping to stabilise the currency and potentially stamping out some inflationary pressures.
Russia Writes Off 20 Billion In Debt To African Countries Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Russia has written off debts of African states worth more than 20 billion dollars.
Putin's comments came on the occasion of the International Parliamentary Conference "Russia - Africa in a Multipolar World," where the Russian President said that the volume of mutual trade "reached almost $18 billion by the end of last year."
In this regard, the President added that the volume of trade between Russia and African countries will benefit from "the more vigorous transition to national currencies in financial settlements and the establishment of new transport and logistics chains."
"We are convinced that Africa will become one of the leaders of the new emerging multipolar world order," Putin said, and added that the role of the African continent in international affairs is steadily growing.
Russia and African countries, along with many states of Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, "defend the traditional moral norms and social principles of our peoples, and oppose the neocolonial ideology imposed from abroad," the Russian President said, pointing to the global majority stance against neocolonial ideology.
Putin expressed Russia's commitment to work together with Africa "to strengthen fair and equal interstate relations and improve mechanisms of mutually beneficial economic cooperation." _______________________________________ BRICS Group Works On A New Form Of Currency India, Russia and China should form a new financial relationship with a new common currency, which could be a digital ruble, rupee or yuan - Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Alexander Babakov.
Russian, Chinese, and Iranian navy ships are holding a joint exercise in the Arabian Sea this week, staging from the Port of Chah Bahar in the Gulf of Oman.
The wargames – Maritime Security Belt – are scheduled to run from March 12-15 and involve vessels and aircraft from the three countries. Envoys from the militaries of Azerbaijan, India, Kazakhstan, Oman, Pakistan, and South Africa are in attendance as observers.
China sets 2024 GDP growth target at around 5%, showing confidence in economic recovery
“This is a relatively high target, which shows that the central government has relatively high confidence in [the economy],” Wan Zhe, an economist and professor at the Belt and Road School of Beijing Normal University, told the Global Times.
The target of around 5 percent is the same level as last year, but it exceeds some expectations for China’s growth in 2024. For example, the IMF, in its latest World Economic Outlook report released in January, projected that China’s GDP will grow by 4.6 percent in 2024. A rate of around 5 percent would also be faster than the projected global growth rate of 3.1 percent or the forecast of 1.5 percent for advanced economies and 4.1 percent for emerging market and developing economies.
In 2023, China's economy grew by 5.2 percent year-on-year, exceeding the official target of about 5 percent
The government plans a “new development model” for the housing market, he said, including building government-subsidized housing. That appeared to confirm reports that authorities plan to use public funds to buy up some of China's legions of unoccupied apartments and turn them into affordable housing.
Economists have said such an approach, although potentially costly, would relieve pressure on financially troubled property developers, help families afford housing that is still financially beyond their reach and help encourage more consumer spending.
Among the dozens of projects he listed in his roughly 30-page Chinese-language report — 55 pages in English — China plans a program this year for “worry-free consumption” to encourage people to spend more. Households will be encouraged to trade in old cars and appliances and buy new ones.
VMove's NEU Green Electric Motorcycle Sells Out Following Gibran's Endorsement
Manufactured by the Indonesian motorcycle company VMove in a factory in Gresik, East Java
The NEU Green boasts dimensions similar to a 250 cc sports motorcycle, featuring a long wheelbase and a robust body. The design, including the fairing and front lights, draws inspiration from classic Italian sports motorcycles, such as the Ducati Panigale V4R, presenting a firm and bold appearance with aerodynamic scoops.
The electric sports motorcycle is powered by Gotion's LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery with a 70 V 60 Ah capacity, providing a claimed range of 150 kilometers on a single full charge. Paired with a 5-kilowatt hub-drive dynamo, it can achieve a maximum speed of 150 km/h, offering power comparable to conventional motorcycles with a 250 cc engine. __________________________ Indonesia's Foreign Exchange Reserves Stand at $144 Billion in February __________________________________________ Egypt Floats Currency, Agrees on $8 Billion IMF Bailout
Egypt on Wednesday floated its currency and announced a deal with the International Monetary Fund to increase its bailout loan from $3 billion to $8 billion, moving to shore up an economy hit by a staggering shortage of foreign currency and soaring inflation.
The flotation of the Egyptian pound, combined with a sharp rise in the main interest rate, is meant to combat inflationary waves and attract foreign investment. The measures, announced by the Central Bank of Egypt early Wednesday, were among the key demands of the IMF to increase its $3 billion bailout loan that both parties agreed to in 2022 ________________________________ Britain says it will provide 10,000 drones to Ukraine in its fight with Russia ______________________________ Niger, Mali, Burkina creating joint force to fight worsening jihadi insurgency
_______________________________ China will be global ‘force for peace’: Wang Yi
Foreign Minister Wang Yi made his comments at China’s largest annual political gathering, which opened in Beijing earlier this week He was responding to warnings by Southeast Asian and Australian leaders against Chinese actions that “endanger peace” in the South China Sea
BEIJING: China will be a global force for peace and stability, the country’s foreign minister Wang Yi said at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday.
China needs to mobilize resources and step up efforts for modernizing its armed forces and bolstering the country’s defense capability, a senior Chinese military commander said at a session of the National People’s Congress (parliament), China’s Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday.
As the 14th National People’s Congress said in a report at the opening of its 2nd session on Tuesday, China will "strengthen and build up the defense mobilization potential." In particular, the Chinese authorities plan to improve the regulatory framework "to optimize defense science, technologies and industry."
Pursuant to the document, the Chinese government is set to boost defense spending by 7.2% in 2024 to 1.6 trillion yuan (about $231 billion). Last year, China also set the task of raising defense appropriations by 7.2% to 1.5 trillion yuan (around $224.85 billion).
Australia and South-East Asian nations endorse watered-down Melbourne Declaration to strengthen ties in the region _________________________________ Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia pledge to boost solidarity in ensuring security
The leaders reached consensus on strengthening security and defence cooperation; closely coordinating in protecting border security and fighting cross-border crimes such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking; joining hands to continue building borderlines of peace, stability and development.
They also agreed to have more policies and measures to further facilitate and encourage trade and investment, with attention to border trade; open more flights connecting the three countries; and actively implement the action plan to connect the three economies to 2030. _______________________________________ Somalia: Process to Join East African Community Finished _________________________________ Chinese Vice President Han Zheng pledged Friday to provide more opportunities for foreign companies in China as the government tries to restore confidence in the world's second largest economy.
Han told an audience of American business people in Beijing that the government would continue to open up more industries to foreign investment and create a market-oriented and law-based international business environment.
“China’s development achievements have been made through opening up," he said at an American Chamber of Commerce in China banquet. “We will unwaveringly adhere to a high level of opening-up to the outside world.”
Three Red Sea underwater cables providing internet and telecommunications around the world have been cut as the waterway remains a target of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, officials said Monday. Meanwhile, a Houthi missile attack set a ship ablaze in the Gulf of Aden, but caused no injuries.
The cut lines include Asia-Africa-Europe 1, the Europe India Gateway, Seacom and TGN-Gulf, Hong Kong-based HGC Global Communications said. It described the cuts as affecting 25% of the traffic flowing through the Red Sea. It described the Red Sea route as crucial for data moving from Asia to Europe and said it had begun re-routing traffic.
Shehbaz Sharif voted in as Pakistan's prime minister for second time:
Shehbaz Sharif was re-elected as Pakistan's Prime Minister, leading a fragile coalition that excludes supporters of imprisoned opposition leader Imran Khan.
Pakistan's election commission on Monday blocked lawmakers loyal to jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan from taking a share of parliamentary seats reserved for women and minorities, after a poll marred by rigging claims.
The decision was published shortly after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif - who helped oust Khan in 2022 - was officially sworn in as premier at a ceremony in the capital.
In Pakistan's National Assembly of 336 lawmakers, there are 70 seats reserved for women and non-Muslims, assigned to parties proportionally according to their success at the polls.
Sharif and his army-backed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz have formed a coalition government with historic rivals, the Pakistan Peoples Party and several smaller factions.
PTI continues to face censorship, with opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan's speech in the National Assembly cut from state television on Sunday.
The Indian Navy will commission a second naval base in the Lakshadweep Islands off its west coast amid an ongoing diplomatic row with the neighboring archipelago nation of Maldives. The new Maldivian government, led by President Mohamed Muizzu, is seen as cultivating closer ties with China while distancing itself from New Delhi.
Chad is officially non-aligned but has close relations with France, the former colonial power, which has about 1,200 troops stationed in the capital N'Djamena. It receives economic aid from countries of the European Community, the United States, and various international organizations.
Chad has long been in the grip of political tensions arising from shifting allegiances and familial and tribal relations within the political elite. Uncertainty following the death of longtime ruler Idriss Deby in 2021 and the installation of his son Mahamat as leader have escalated the problems. ____________________________ Hungary refuses to transfer $18 mln on weapons for Ukraine, sends it Chad instead ___________________________ Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held meetings with his Hungarian and Serbian counterparts - Peter Szijjarto and Ivica Dacic - on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Lavrov said at his press conference after the forum.
"Apart from the forum events I have just mentioned, bilateral meetings were held, including with King [Mswati III] of Eswatini, the foreign ministers of Turkey [Hakan Fidan], Kazakhstan [Murat Nurtleu], Kyrgyzstan [Jeenbek Kulubaev], Uzbekistan [Bakhtiyor Saidov], Tajikistan [Sirojiddin Mukhriddin], Hungary [Peter Szijjarto], Serbia [Ivica Dacic], and Slovakia [Juraj Blanar]. A busy schedule," he said. ____________________________________________ China creating new form of human civilization, Xi Jinping says
Only a strong theory will provide us with a clear direction, unanimity and self-confidence," Xi stressed.
He called for using socialist thought with Chinese characteristics in a new era in order "to truly master the skills of Marxism, ensure political unity and cohesive actions, while keeping the level of like-mindedness high" within the party.
China says it aims to 'contain' foreign interference over Taiwan this year
China aims to "contain" foreign interference over Taiwan and "resolutely combat" any efforts towards the island's formal independence this year, which is the sensitive 75th anniversary of the founding of communist China, state media said on Friday.
China views democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory, ignoring the objections of the government in Taipei, and has ramped up political and military pressure to assert those claims.
Taiwan last month elected current Vice President Lai Ching-te as its next president, a man Beijing has called a dangerous separatist. Lai, who takes office in May, has repeatedly offered talks with China but has been rebuffed.
India’s minister of external affairs has suggested that countries in Asia and elsewhere should engage more with Russia as it seeks new partnerships amid its standoff with the West.
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar made the comments on Friday at the Raisina Dialogue, India’s main geopolitical gathering in New Delhi. He said Moscow and Beijing had been forging stronger ties since the West “closed the doors” on Russia.
“On the one hand, you have people who set policies that bring the two together,” Jaishankar explained. “And then you say, ‘Beware of them coming together.’”
The BRICS states are overtaking the G7 in terms of share in global GDP in PPP terms, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday while addressing the Federal Assembly.
The share of BRICS will increase to 36.6% by 2028, while that of the G7 will decrease to 27.8%, according to estimates provided by the president.
“But ten years ago, the situation was different,” Putin said, noting that in 2022 the BRICS countries surpassed the G7 in terms of GDP in PPP terms (31.5% versus 30.3%), whereas back in 1992 the BRICS share was only around 16.5%.
According to data from the IMF, the share of the G7 (comprising Canada, France, Japan, Italy, the US, UK, and EU) in global GDP in terms of PPP has been on a steady decline over the past several years, dropping from 50.42% in 1982 to 30.39% in 2022. The Washington-based institution expects the figure to edge lower to 29.44% this year. ____________________________________________ India is the world’s fastest-growing economy and its expansion in the final quarter of last year exceeded expectations, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) executive director Krishnamurthy Subramanian.
Indian gross domestic product (GDP) grew 8.4% between October and December 2023, representing the fastest pace in six quarters, data published by the country’s statistics service on Thursday showed. __________________________________ New Delhi has approved acquisition of $4.7 billion-worth of weaponry, including missiles and MiG29 engines co-developed with Russia The Indian Ministry of Defence has approved five weapons contracts worth $4.7 billion (391 billion rupees), including an order for the Navy’s preferred long-range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, New Delhi announced on Friday.
Of the five approved contracts, two are with the India-Russia joint venture BrahMos Aerospace, for the acquisition of missiles and a ship-borne system.
While the government will spend $2.3 billion on the missiles to meet the “combat outfit and training requirements” of the Indian Navy, the ship-borne system will cost around $120 million. Fitted on various frontline warships, it is the Indian Navy’s primary weapon for maritime strike operations. “The system is capable of hitting land or sea targets from extended ranges with pinpoint accuracy at supersonic speeds,” the statement noted. ___________________________________ Gagarin to Gaganyaan: India’s Russia-trained astronauts are gearing to liftoff for the giant’s first manned space mission. ________________________________________ The Indian government has increased its annual target for defense and aerospace production to $36 billion, while raising the export target to $6 billion. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said the country aims to increase its production of jet engines and gas turbines to reach the new goal.
“Earlier, India was known to be an arms importer. But today, under the leadership of the prime minister, we have come out of our comfort zone and found a place in the list of top 25 arms-exporting nations,” Singh asserted while speaking at a defense summit on Saturday.
“From an arms importer,” Singh noted, “India found a place in the top 25 arms exporting nations.” Defense exports did not even reach $120 million, seven or eight years ago, he pointed out. In the last fiscal year, the Ministry of Defense reported that exports soared to nearly $2 billion – a nearly tenfold increase since 2016-17, according to the Times of India.
________________________________ Prabowo Receives Honorary General Rank from President Jokowi President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo awarded a special promotion to Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto as an Honorary Army General during the leadership meeting of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and National Police at the TNI Headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, on Wednesday.
____________________________________ The U.S. and Britain struck 18 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday, answering a recent surge in attacks by the Iran-backed militia group on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, including a missile strike this past week that set fire to a cargo vessel.
The strikes have support from the wider coalition, which includes Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand.
The decision by the UK to blacklist Chinese companies as part of a new round of sanctions against Russia won’t be left without a response, the Chinese embassy in London has said.
On Thursday, Britain announced more curbs designed to hurt Moscow, saying that these mark the second anniversary of the start of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The latest sanctions target 50 entities and individuals, most of them from Russia but with three Chinese firms also on the list.
The restrictions on the Chinese companies by the UK are “unilateral acts that have no basis in international law, and we firmly oppose them,” Beijing’s diplomatic mission said in a statement later on the day. ________________________________________ A vessel caught fire after being hit by two missiles southeast of the Yemeni port of Aden on Thursday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has said. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
It comes as Houthi militants have escalated attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The militants who control large parts of Yemen have been targeting merchant ships in response to Israel’s military operation in Gaza, which started in October.
According to the Associated Press, ship-tracking data helped identify the vessel as a Palau-flagged cargo ship named Islander that had been coming from Thailand bound for Egypt.
Earlier this week, the Houthis claimed to have targeted an Israeli cargo vessel, a number of US warships, and a British vessel in an incident described as “catastrophic,” causing the crew to abandon ship. _______________________________ Somalia’s Council of Ministers has ratified a new maritime agreement with Turkey which outsources the protection of Somalia’s territorial water for ten years, Somali news site Garowe Online reported on Wednesday.
The agreement grants Turkey "comprehensive authority" over the defence and management of Somalia’s maritime territory, the newspaper reported. Turkey will allegedly receive 30 percent of revenues from Somalia’s exclusive economic zone as payment for its maritime security services.
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