How cities around the globe fight rising rents

Richest Indian Mukesh Ambani jumped six positions to rank 13th on Forbes World's Billionaire list released Tuesday that was again topped by Jeff Bezos.

E-commerce colossus Amazon founder Bezos, 55, remains the world's richest person, ahead of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, as his riches swelled by USD 19 billion in one year and is now worth USD 131 billion, Forbes said.

Ambani, 61, saw wealth soar from USD 40.1 billion in 2018 when he was placed 19th richest in the world, to USD 50 billion to be rank at 13th in 2019.

"Ambani chairs and runs USD 60 billion (revenue) oil and gas giant Reliance Industries, among India's most valuable companies," Forbes said. "In 2016, Reliance sparked a price war in India's hyper-competitive telecom market with the launch of 4G phone service Jio."

Jio, it said, has signed on 280 million customers by offering free domestic voice calls, dirt-cheap data services and virtually free smartphones.

Ambani leads the 106 billionaires from India on the Forbes list. Wipro Chairman Azim Premji is ranked 36th with a net worth of $22.6 billion dollars. Technology major HCL's co-founder Shiv Nadar, ranked 82nd and ArcelorMittal Chairman and CEO Lakshmi Mittal at the 91st rank come in within the top-100 billionaires in the world.

The list of Indian billionaires includes Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Birla (122), Chairman and founder of the Adani Group Gautam Adani (167), Bharti Airtel head Sunil Mittal (244), co-founder of consumer goods giant Patanjali Ayurveda Acharya Balkrishna (365), Piramal Entreprises Chair Ajay Piramal (436), Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (617), Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy (962) and RCom chairman Reliance Anil Ambani (1349).

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg dropped three spots and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg rose by two.

Gates, 63, saw his wealth grow to USD 96.5 billion, up from USD 90 billion last year while investment guru Buffett, 88, at third position saw fortunes slipping by USD 1.5 billion to USD 82.5 billion, the magazine said.

Ambani was placed at the 33rd position on the 2017 listing of Forbes.

Forbes said he is the richest Indian and ranked 32nd on the 2018 Powerful People listing of the magazine. He was ranked Global Game Changer in 2017.

Bernard Arnault, CEO of French luxury good company, LVMH, held on to fourth places while Zuckerberg lost USD 9 billion in networth to slip from fifth the to eighth position.

Ahead of Zuckerberg now are Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, Zara and Inditex founder Amancio Ortega of Spain and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.

Forbes said the "list is a snapshot of wealth using stock prices and exchange rates from February 8, 2019."

Some people become richer or poorer within days of publication.

"We list individuals rather than multigenerational families who share fortunes, though we include wealth belonging to a billionaire's spouse and children if that person is the founder of the fortune," it said.

The 33rd annual ranking has 2,153 billionaires on the 2019 list, down from 2,208 in 2018. The total combined net worth of this year's billionaires is USD 8.7 trillion, down from USD 9.1 trillion in 2018, Forbes said.

"This represents the first decrease in billionaires and their combined wealth since 2016 and only the second decrease in the past decade," it said. "A record 994 individuals are worth less than a year ago; last year only 360 members got poorer. The average net worth of this year's billionaires is USD 4 billion, down from USD 4.1 billion in 2018."

Of the total, 1,450 members are self-made.

For this year's list, Forbes said "capitalism is taking some lumps" as for only the second year in a decade, both the number of billionaires and their total wealth shrank, "proving that even the wealthiest are not immune to economic forces and weak stock markets".

Among the regions, Asia-Pacific was the hardest hit, with 60 fewer 10-figure fortunes. That dip was led by China, which has 49 fewer billionaires than a year ago, Forbes said adding that Europe, the Middle East and Africa also lost ground.

The Americas, driven by a resurgent Brazil, and the US are the only two regions that have more billionaires than they did a year ago. There are now a record 609 in the U.S, including 14 of the world's 20 richest.

Richest Indian Mukesh Ambani jumped six positions to rank 13th on Forbes World's Billionaire list released Tuesday that was again topped by Jeff Bezos. E-commerce colossus Amazon founder Bezos, 55, remains the world's richest person, ahead of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, as his riches swelled by USD 19 billion in one year and is now worth USD 131 billion, Forbes said.

Richest Indian Mukesh Ambani jumped six positions to rank 13th on Forbes World's Billionaire list released Tuesday that was again topped by Jeff Bezos. E-commerce colossus Amazon founder Bezos, 55, remains the world's richest person, ahead of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, as his riches swelled by USD 19 billion in one year and is now worth USD 131 billion, Forbes said. Ambani, 61, saw wealth soar from USD 40.1 billion in 2018 when he was placed 19th richest in the world, to USD 50 billion to be rank at 13th in 2019. "Ambani chairs and runs USD 60 billion (revenue) oil and gas giant Reliance Industries, among India's most valuable companies," Forbes said. "In 2016, Reliance sparked a price war in India's hyper-competitive telecom market with the launch of 4G phone service Jio." Jio, it said, has signed on 280 million customers by offering free domestic voice calls, dirt-cheap data services and virtually free smartphones. Ambani leads the 106 billionaires from India on the Forbes list. Wipro Chairman Azim Premji is ranked 36th with a net worth of $22.6 billion dollars. Technology major HCL's co-founder Shiv Nadar, ranked 82nd and ArcelorMittal Chairman and CEO Lakshmi Mittal at the 91st rank come in within the top-100 billionaires in the world. The list of Indian billionaires includes Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Birla (122), Chairman and founder of the Adani Group Gautam Adani (167), Bharti Airtel head Sunil Mittal (244), co-founder of consumer goods giant Patanjali Ayurveda Acharya Balkrishna (365), Piramal Entreprises Chair Ajay Piramal (436), Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (617), Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy (962) and RCom chairman Reliance Anil Ambani (1349). Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg dropped three spots and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg rose by two. Gates, 63, saw his wealth grow to USD 96.5 billion, up from USD 90 billion last year while investment guru Buffett, 88, at third position saw fortunes slipping by USD 1.5 billion to USD 82.5 billion, the magazine said. Ambani was placed at the 33rd position on the 2017 listing of Forbes. Forbes said he is the richest Indian and ranked 32nd on the 2018 Powerful People listing of the magazine. He was ranked Global Game Changer in 2017. Bernard Arnault, CEO of French luxury good company, LVMH, held on to fourth places while Zuckerberg lost USD 9 billion in networth to slip from fifth the to eighth position. Ahead of Zuckerberg now are Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, Zara and Inditex founder Amancio Ortega of Spain and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. Forbes said the "list is a snapshot of wealth using stock prices and exchange rates from February 8, 2019." Some people become richer or poorer within days of publication. "We list individuals rather than multigenerational families who share fortunes, though we include wealth belonging to a billionaire's spouse and children if that person is the founder of the fortune," it said. The 33rd annual ranking has 2,153 billionaires on the 2019 list, down from 2,208 in 2018. The total combined net worth of this year's billionaires is USD 8.7 trillion, down from USD 9.1 trillion in 2018, Forbes said. "This represents the first decrease in billionaires and their combined wealth since 2016 and only the second decrease in the past decade," it said. "A record 994 individuals are worth less than a year ago; last year only 360 members got poorer. The average net worth of this year's billionaires is USD 4 billion, down from USD 4.1 billion in 2018." Of the total, 1,450 members are self-made. For this year's list, Forbes said "capitalism is taking some lumps" as for only the second year in a decade, both the number of billionaires and their total wealth shrank, "proving that even the wealthiest are not immune to economic forces and weak stock markets". Among the regions, Asia-Pacific was the hardest hit, with 60 fewer 10-figure fortunes. That dip was led by China, which has 49 fewer billionaires than a year ago, Forbes said adding that Europe, the Middle East and Africa also lost ground. The Americas, driven by a resurgent Brazil, and the US are the only two regions that have more billionaires than they did a year ago. There are now a record 609 in the U.S, including 14 of the world's 20 richest.

Mukesh Ambani jumps 6 ranks, is 13th richest in world: Forbes

China is leading the charge in a bid to undermine accepted concepts of human rights accountability and justice.

The Chinese effort backed by autocrats elsewhere has turned human rights into an underrated, yet crucial battleground in the shaping of a new world order. &nbsp;

China is manoeuvring against the backdrop of an unprecedented crackdown on Turkic Muslims in its north-western province of Xinjiang, the accelerated rollout of restrictions elsewhere in the country, and the export of key elements of its model of a 21st-century Orwellian surveillance state.

The Chinese effort, highlighted in Human Rights Watch’s World Report 2019, is multipronged.

It involves proposals to alter the principles on which the United Nations Human Rights Council operates in ways that would enable repressive, autocratic regimes.

To achieve its goal, China is employing its financial muscle and infrastructure and energy-driven Belt and Road initiative to economically entice countries that are financially strapped, desperate for investment and/or on the defensive because of human rights abuses.

China is also seeking a dominant role in various countries’ digital infrastructure and media that would allow it to influence the flow of information and enable its allies to better control dissent.

China is waging its campaign at a crucial juncture of history. It benefits from the rise of ethno- and religious nationalism, populism, intolerance and widespread anti-migration sentiment across the world’s democracies.

The campaign is enabled by the emergence of presidents like Donald J. Trump in the United States, the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Hungary’s Victor Orban and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro who have either deemphasized human rights or gone as far as justifying abuses in addition to seeking to limit, if not undermine, independent media that hold them accountable.

The timing of the Chinese effort is significant because it comes at a moment that predictions of the death of popular protest, symbolized by the defeat of the initially successful 2011 popular Arab revolts, are being called into question.

Mass anti-government demonstrations in Sudan demand the resignation of President Omar al-Bashir. Anti-Chinese groups march in Kyrgyzstan while protests in Zimbabwe decry repression, poor public services, high unemployment, widespread corruption and delays in civil servants receiving their salaries. The past year has also seen widespread anti-government agitation in countries like Morocco and Jordan.

The protests and what Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth describes in his foreword to the group’s just published, 674-page World Report 2019 as “a resistance that keeps winning battles” suggests that China’s campaign may have won battles but has yet to win the war.

“Victory isn’t assured but the successes of the past year suggest that the abuses of authoritarian rule are prompting a powerful human rights counterattack,” Mr. Roth wrote.

Nonetheless, Human Rights Watch’s China director Sophie Richardson warned that “people outside China don’t yet seem to realize that their human rights are…increasingly under threat as Beijing becomes more powerful… In recent years, Beijing has…sought to extend its influence into, and impose its standards and policies on, key international human rights institutions—weakening some of the only means of accountability and justice available to people around the world,”

Ms. Richardson noted that China had last year successfully pushed a non-binding resolution in the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) that advocated promotion of human rights on the basis of the People’s Republic’s principle of win-win, a principle that cynics assert means China wins twice.

In a sign of the times, the resolution garnered significant support. The United States, in a twist of irony, was the only Council member to vote against it with countries like Germany and Australia abstaining.

China is not the only country that would like a globally accepted approach to be altered to the detriment of human rights. Muslim nations, with Saudi Arabia in the lead, have, for example, long sought to have blasphemy criminalized.

The resolution “gutted the ideas of accountability for actual human rights violations, suggesting ‘dialogue’ instead. It failed to specify any course of action when rights violators refuse to cooperate with UN experts, retaliate against rights defenders or actively reject human rights principles. And it even failed to acknowledge any role for the HRC itself to address serious human rights violations when ‘dialogue’ and ‘cooperation’ don’t produce results,” Ms. Richardson said.

“If these ideas become not just prevailing norms but also actual operating principles for the HRC, victims of state-sponsored abuses worldwide—including in Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen—will face almost impossible odds in holding abusive governments accountable,” Ms. Richardson cautioned.

In a separate interview, Ms. Richardson described the resolution as “the start of a process to wither away the UN human rights eco system.”

She said human rights groups were concerned “about what China will try to do next, whether it will more aggressively try to change the council’s mandate or nibble away at language in treaties or roll back the role of civil society. China wants inter-governmental cooperation instead of accountability, government officials discussing among themselves with no discussion of accountability for abuses and no participation of independent groups.”

China’s efforts are both an attempt to rewrite international norms and counter sharp Western criticism of its moves against Christians and Muslim and its crackdown in Xinjiang.

Up to one million Turkic Muslims have reportedly been incarcerated in re-education camps that China projects as vocational training facilities. To maintain its crackdown, China depends on a fragile silence in the Muslim world that is fraying at the edges.

In addition to attempting to change the operating principles of the UN Human Rights Commission, lobbying UN and foreign government officials to tone down criticism and invited foreign diplomats and journalists on choreographed visits to Xinjiang, China has at times successfully employed its economic and financial clout to buy either support or silence.

Pakistan, the host of the Belt and Road’s US$45 billion crown jewel, has curbed its initial criticism of the crackdown in Xinjiang.

Similarly, China is pressuring Myanmar to revive the suspended US$3.6 billion Myitsone dam project, which if built as previously designed would flood 600 square kilometres of forestland in northern Kachin state and export 90 % of the power produced to China.

China has reportedly offered in return for the dam to support Myanmar that has been condemned by the United Nations, Western countries and some Muslim nations for its repressive campaign against the Rohingya, some 700,000 of which fled to Bangladesh last year.

In a bid to pacify, criticism of its Xinjiang policy in Central Asia where anti-Chinese sentiment has been rising, China agreed this month to allow some 2,000 ethnic Kazakhs to renounce their Chinese citizenship and leave the country.

The decision follows testimony in a Kazakh court of a former employee of a re-education camp detailing three facilities in which up to 7,500 Kazaks and Chinese nationals of Kazakh descent allegedly were being held. The testimony prompted sharp criticism in parliament and on social media.

China and the West’s diametrically opposed concepts of human rights are part of a larger contest for dominance over the future of technology and global influence.

Freedom House, a Washington-based freedom watchdog, reported last year that China was exporting to at least 18 countries sophisticated surveillance systems capable of identifying threats to public order and has made it easier to repress free speech in 36 others.

“They are passing on their norms for how technology should govern society,” said Adrian Shahbaz, the author of the report.

Added Nadège Rolland, a senior fellow at the National Bureau of Asian Research, a Washington think tank, speaking to Bloomberg: “There’s a 1984 component to it that’s kind of scary.”

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

China is leading the charge in a bid to undermine accepted concepts of human rights accountability and justice. The Chinese effort backed by autocrats elsewhere has turned human rights into an underrated, yet crucial battleground in the shaping of a new world order.

China is leading the charge in a bid to undermine accepted concepts of human rights accountability and justice. The Chinese effort backed by autocrats elsewhere has turned human rights into an underrated, yet crucial battleground in the shaping of a new world order. China is manoeuvring against the backdrop of an unprecedented crackdown on Turkic Muslims in its north-western province of Xinjiang, the accelerated rollout of restrictions elsewhere in the country, and the export of key elements of its model of a 21st-century Orwellian surveillance state. The Chinese effort, highlighted in Human Rights Watch’s World Report 2019, is multipronged. It involves proposals to alter the principles on which the United Nations Human Rights Council operates in ways that would enable repressive, autocratic regimes. To achieve its goal, China is employing its financial muscle and infrastructure and energy-driven Belt and Road initiative to economically entice countries that are financially strapped, desperate for investment and/or on the defensive because of human rights abuses. China is also seeking a dominant role in various countries’ digital infrastructure and media that would allow it to influence the flow of information and enable its allies to better control dissent. China is waging its campaign at a crucial juncture of history. It benefits from the rise of ethno- and religious nationalism, populism, intolerance and widespread anti-migration sentiment across the world’s democracies. The campaign is enabled by the emergence of presidents like Donald J. Trump in the United States, the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Hungary’s Victor Orban and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro who have either deemphasized human rights or gone as far as justifying abuses in addition to seeking to limit, if not undermine, independent media that hold them accountable. The timing of the Chinese effort is significant because it comes at a moment that predictions of the death of popular protest, symbolized by the defeat of the initially successful 2011 popular Arab revolts, are being called into question. Mass anti-government demonstrations in Sudan demand the resignation of President Omar al-Bashir. Anti-Chinese groups march in Kyrgyzstan while protests in Zimbabwe decry repression, poor public services, high unemployment, widespread corruption and delays in civil servants receiving their salaries. The past year has also seen widespread anti-government agitation in countries like Morocco and Jordan. The protests and what Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth describes in his foreword to the group’s just published, 674-page World Report 2019 as “a resistance that keeps winning battles” suggests that China’s campaign may have won battles but has yet to win the war. “Victory isn’t assured but the successes of the past year suggest that the abuses of authoritarian rule are prompting a powerful human rights counterattack,” Mr. Roth wrote. Nonetheless, Human Rights Watch’s China director Sophie Richardson warned that “people outside China don’t yet seem to realize that their human rights are…increasingly under threat as Beijing becomes more powerful… In recent years, Beijing has…sought to extend its influence into, and impose its standards and policies on, key international human rights institutions—weakening some of the only means of accountability and justice available to people around the world,” Ms. Richardson noted that China had last year successfully pushed a non-binding resolution in the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) that advocated promotion of human rights on the basis of the People’s Republic’s principle of win-win, a principle that cynics assert means China wins twice. In a sign of the times, the resolution garnered significant support. The United States, in a twist of irony, was the only Council member to vote against it with countries like Germany and Australia abstaining. China is not the only country that would like a globally accepted approach to be altered to the detriment of human rights. Muslim nations, with Saudi Arabia in the lead, have, for example, long sought to have blasphemy criminalized. The resolution “gutted the ideas of accountability for actual human rights violations, suggesting ‘dialogue’ instead. It failed to specify any course of action when rights violators refuse to cooperate with UN experts, retaliate against rights defenders or actively reject human rights principles. And it even failed to acknowledge any role for the HRC itself to address serious human rights violations when ‘dialogue’ and ‘cooperation’ don’t produce results,” Ms. Richardson said. “If these ideas become not just prevailing norms but also actual operating principles for the HRC, victims of state-sponsored abuses worldwide—including in Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen—will face almost impossible odds in holding abusive governments accountable,” Ms. Richardson cautioned. In a separate interview, Ms. Richardson described the resolution as “the start of a process to wither away the UN human rights eco system.” She said human rights groups were concerned “about what China will try to do next, whether it will more aggressively try to change the council’s mandate or nibble away at language in treaties or roll back the role of civil society. China wants inter-governmental cooperation instead of accountability, government officials discussing among themselves with no discussion of accountability for abuses and no participation of independent groups.” China’s efforts are both an attempt to rewrite international norms and counter sharp Western criticism of its moves against Christians and Muslim and its crackdown in Xinjiang. Up to one million Turkic Muslims have reportedly been incarcerated in re-education camps that China projects as vocational training facilities. To maintain its crackdown, China depends on a fragile silence in the Muslim world that is fraying at the edges. In addition to attempting to change the operating principles of the UN Human Rights Commission, lobbying UN and foreign government officials to tone down criticism and invited foreign diplomats and journalists on choreographed visits to Xinjiang, China has at times successfully employed its economic and financial clout to buy either support or silence. Pakistan, the host of the Belt and Road’s US$45 billion crown jewel, has curbed its initial criticism of the crackdown in Xinjiang. Similarly, China is pressuring Myanmar to revive the suspended US$3.6 billion Myitsone dam project, which if built as previously designed would flood 600 square kilometres of forestland in northern Kachin state and export 90 % of the power produced to China. China has reportedly offered in return for the dam to support Myanmar that has been condemned by the United Nations, Western countries and some Muslim nations for its repressive campaign against the Rohingya, some 700,000 of which fled to Bangladesh last year. In a bid to pacify, criticism of its Xinjiang policy in Central Asia where anti-Chinese sentiment has been rising, China agreed this month to allow some 2,000 ethnic Kazakhs to renounce their Chinese citizenship and leave the country. The decision follows testimony in a Kazakh court of a former employee of a re-education camp detailing three facilities in which up to 7,500 Kazaks and Chinese nationals of Kazakh descent allegedly were being held. The testimony prompted sharp criticism in parliament and on social media. China and the West’s diametrically opposed concepts of human rights are part of a larger contest for dominance over the future of technology and global influence. Freedom House, a Washington-based freedom watchdog, reported last year that China was exporting to at least 18 countries sophisticated surveillance systems capable of identifying threats to public order and has made it easier to repress free speech in 36 others. “They are passing on their norms for how technology should govern society,” said Adrian Shahbaz, the author of the report. Added Nadège Rolland, a senior fellow at the National Bureau of Asian Research, a Washington think tank, speaking to Bloomberg: “There’s a 1984 component to it that’s kind of scary.” (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Shaping the new world order: The battle for human rights

There is a notable no-show among the dozens of national pavilions at Shanghai's massive import fair -- the United States -- a metaphor for isolationist Trump policies that attendees say are pushing them closer to China.

The China International Import Expo opened Monday with thousands of foreign companies wooing Chinese buyers with products including Italian helicopters, Canadian fur, Dominican cigars, and Japanese fresh fish.

China touts the first annual event as a milestone marking its economic transition from "the world's factory" to a major consuming nation, and President Xi Jinping opened it with a vow to import US $30 trillion in goods and services over the next 15 years.

But the US has snubbed the gathering amid an increasingly bitter tariffs standoff with China, with Donald Trump accusing it of unfair trade practices.

And foreign businesses and officials at the show said the US president's combative approach to trade has made it imperative for them to turn more toward China.

Sigfrido Reyes, an El Salvadoran trade official, said market turbulence caused by Trump had hurt his country by driving down prices of commodities such as coffee.

It now looks to China to reduce reliance on the United States.

"What really worries us is the uncertainty. In an uncertain environment, everybody loses. So we don’t want to have all our eggs in one basket," Reyes said.

'We want to diversify'&nbsp;

China is expected to remain reliant on US electronics and other high-tech goods that it, and other countries, cannot yet supply.

But tariffs imposed by each side could cut off the flow of a range of other US goods.&nbsp;

While few dispute that China's mercantilist trade policies need to change, the trade spat has started to bite in the United States, where a Chinese shift to non-US suppliers of soybeans and other key import goods has left American farmers without buyers.

Major Chinese meat importers also have told AFP they will simply source from other countries.

Even Canada, which relies heavily on US trade, wants to diversify.

"Of course we are close to the US and we always will be. But we want to diversify our trade, especially including China because it's a huge country," said John McCallum, Canadian ambassador to China.

Canadian officials said Tuesday at the expo that Ottawa plans to double its trade with China by 2025.

China's growing appetite for imports, fuelled by increasing incomes, will benefit many US companies, dozens of which are at the expo including Boeing, Caterpillar, General Motors, Honeywell and Tesla.

But the shocks delivered by Trump's trade policies give opportunities to others.

China is already the world's largest exporter and is catching up to the US on import volumes. The resulting trade relationships that China develops add to its global leverage.

Political risk&nbsp;

Ye Ming, one of thousands of Chinese buyers milling about the show, imports footballs.

China increasingly buys such lower-value products from abroad as it moves up the global production chain, and Ye chose Pakistan because its sound relations with Beijing mean less political risk.

"Right now, if you are doing businesses with America, you'd have that problem," Ye said.

"(The import expo) is also a message that America can buy from around the world, and we can buy from around the world, too."

Attendees said China's emergence as a powerful importing nation depends on whether it removes trade barriers it has used for decades to coddle domestic industries.

Xi opened the expo by declaring China's resolve to tear down hurdles, but his comments were widely seen as repeating earlier unfulfilled promises.

"It is a huge market that is demanding every single product, but it is still very difficult to penetrate," said Reyes.

But that means little right now to foreign delegates like Marcelo Sobrinho, who exports handmade shoes under the 71-year-old Brazilian brand Ferrucci.

Sobrinho said the China-US trade war resulted in both countries making Brazilian imports easier, and Ferrucci sought to take advantage by grabbing its first toehold in China.

"(The trade conflict) helped us. China opened its market and the US reduced import taxes. So two doors have opened for us," he said.

There is a notable no-show among the dozens of national pavilions at Shanghai's massive import fair -- the United States -- a metaphor for isolationist Trump policies that attendees say are pushing them closer to China.

There is a notable no-show among the dozens of national pavilions at Shanghai's massive import fair -- the United States -- a metaphor for isolationist Trump policies that attendees say are pushing them closer to China. The China International Import Expo opened Monday with thousands of foreign companies wooing Chinese buyers with products including Italian helicopters, Canadian fur, Dominican cigars, and Japanese fresh fish. China touts the first annual event as a milestone marking its economic transition from "the world's factory" to a major consuming nation, and President Xi Jinping opened it with a vow to import US $30 trillion in goods and services over the next 15 years. But the US has snubbed the gathering amid an increasingly bitter tariffs standoff with China, with Donald Trump accusing it of unfair trade practices. And foreign businesses and officials at the show said the US president's combative approach to trade has made it imperative for them to turn more toward China. Sigfrido Reyes, an El Salvadoran trade official, said market turbulence caused by Trump had hurt his country by driving down prices of commodities such as coffee. It now looks to China to reduce reliance on the United States. "What really worries us is the uncertainty. In an uncertain environment, everybody loses. So we don’t want to have all our eggs in one basket," Reyes said. 'We want to diversify' China is expected to remain reliant on US electronics and other high-tech goods that it, and other countries, cannot yet supply. But tariffs imposed by each side could cut off the flow of a range of other US goods. While few dispute that China's mercantilist trade policies need to change, the trade spat has started to bite in the United States, where a Chinese shift to non-US suppliers of soybeans and other key import goods has left American farmers without buyers. Major Chinese meat importers also have told AFP they will simply source from other countries. Even Canada, which relies heavily on US trade, wants to diversify. "Of course we are close to the US and we always will be. But we want to diversify our trade, especially including China because it's a huge country," said John McCallum, Canadian ambassador to China. Canadian officials said Tuesday at the expo that Ottawa plans to double its trade with China by 2025. China's growing appetite for imports, fuelled by increasing incomes, will benefit many US companies, dozens of which are at the expo including Boeing, Caterpillar, General Motors, Honeywell and Tesla. But the shocks delivered by Trump's trade policies give opportunities to others. China is already the world's largest exporter and is catching up to the US on import volumes. The resulting trade relationships that China develops add to its global leverage. Political risk Ye Ming, one of thousands of Chinese buyers milling about the show, imports footballs. China increasingly buys such lower-value products from abroad as it moves up the global production chain, and Ye chose Pakistan because its sound relations with Beijing mean less political risk. "Right now, if you are doing businesses with America, you'd have that problem," Ye said. "(The import expo) is also a message that America can buy from around the world, and we can buy from around the world, too." Attendees said China's emergence as a powerful importing nation depends on whether it removes trade barriers it has used for decades to coddle domestic industries. Xi opened the expo by declaring China's resolve to tear down hurdles, but his comments were widely seen as repeating earlier unfulfilled promises. "It is a huge market that is demanding every single product, but it is still very difficult to penetrate," said Reyes. But that means little right now to foreign delegates like Marcelo Sobrinho, who exports handmade shoes under the 71-year-old Brazilian brand Ferrucci. Sobrinho said the China-US trade war resulted in both countries making Brazilian imports easier, and Ferrucci sought to take advantage by grabbing its first toehold in China. "(The trade conflict) helped us. China opened its market and the US reduced import taxes. So two doors have opened for us," he said.

With US absent, world's exporters turn attention to China

As the guns fell silent in 1918, World War I victors all agreed on one thing: Germany must pay.

How much was a matter of debate but there was never any doubt that the post-war settlement enshrined in the Treaty of Versailles was going to be punitive.

Germany did pay, but it was not alone. A century on, the world lives with the consequences of a peace accord that, even at the time, was criticised as making another war inevitable in Europe, a continent which had dominated the world for centuries.

Economist J.M. Keynes, then a British Treasury official, resigned rather than be associated with a treaty he denounced as "Carthaginian" in its harshness. French Marshal Ferdinand Foch judged it "not so much a peace as a 20-year armistice".

The "war to end all wars" turned out to be the exact opposite. By ensuring Germany's economic ruin and political humiliation, the post-war settlement provided fertile ground for the rise of Nazism and its ensuing horrors.

Beyond Germany, the slew of peace treaties redrew the map of Europe, carving up vanquished empires and creating as many future conflicts as new countries and borders from the Baltic States to Turkey, via Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.

Famine, terror and the Cold War

Just as important, the war served as an incubator for the 1917 Russian Revolution.

Against a backdrop of desperate food shortages, military failure left the Tsarist state crippled and vulnerable to an assault by Lenin's Bolsheviks, who then established the Soviet Union as an authoritarian Communist state.

Disastrous agricultural policies resulted in more than three million people dying in the famine of the early 1930s, millions more under the Great Terror unleashed by Lenin's successor, Joseph Stalin.

By the mid-1930s, conditions were in place for the post-World War II division of Europe.

That in turn produced the Cold War and its associated splitting of the rest of the planet into Western or Soviet spheres of influence, and an unstable global equilibrium that helped fuel countless conflicts across the developing world.

While the political prestige of the main victors Britain and France was at a height in 1919, it did not hide the blossoming on the international stage of the United States, which would become the main economic, military and political power in the Western camp in the following decades.

Middle East overhaul 

World War I also left a lasting mark on the Middle East. By encouraging an Arab revolt, Britain helped precipitate the collapse of the Germany-allied Ottoman empire.

A secular Turkey emerged and Britain and France assumed post-war control of much of the Arab world.

By then Britain had also made clear, through the 1917 Balfour Declaration, its support for the principle of a Jewish state on land it had pledged to the Arabs.&nbsp;

Finally, the Ottoman empire's collapse also resulted in the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians in what they steadfastly argue was a full-blown genocide.

A new social order

Events in Russia cast a long shadow over the rest of Europe, generating a fear of upheaval that helped accelerate reforms while also inspiring other revolutionaries, including the nascent fascist movement that was soon to seize power in Italy.

Worker uprisings in Germany and Hungary immediately after the war were crushed or collapsed internally.&nbsp;

But waves of militancy in other countries -- in the Fiat factories of Turin, Italy or the shipyards of Scotland's Red Clydeside -- delivered major advances in terms of working conditions and the rights of trade unions to represent their members.

More broadly the aftermath of World War I was a period of rapid social progress in much of the industrialised world. This was most notable in terms of women's right to vote, which, in the popular memory, is often seen as having been "earned" through female participation in war-related activities.

Less obvious positive legacies of a war which left millions maimed or traumatised were greater social acceptance of the disabled and the destigmatisation of mental illness.

The war also spurred new waves of creativity in the arts.

Poetry was revived as an art form across the world; Dadaism, the avant-garde art movement, was born and led in turn to Surrealism; and jazz, brought to Europe by American soldiers, became the soundtrack for the escapism and innovation of the "roaring '20s".

As the guns fell silent in 1918, World War I victors all agreed on one thing: Germany must pay. How much was a matter of debate but there was never any doubt that the post-war settlement enshrined in the Treaty of Versailles was going to be punitive.

As the guns fell silent in 1918, World War I victors all agreed on one thing: Germany must pay. How much was a matter of debate but there was never any doubt that the post-war settlement enshrined in the Treaty of Versailles was going to be punitive. Germany did pay, but it was not alone. A century on, the world lives with the consequences of a peace accord that, even at the time, was criticised as making another war inevitable in Europe, a continent which had dominated the world for centuries. Economist J.M. Keynes, then a British Treasury official, resigned rather than be associated with a treaty he denounced as "Carthaginian" in its harshness. French Marshal Ferdinand Foch judged it "not so much a peace as a 20-year armistice". The "war to end all wars" turned out to be the exact opposite. By ensuring Germany's economic ruin and political humiliation, the post-war settlement provided fertile ground for the rise of Nazism and its ensuing horrors. Beyond Germany, the slew of peace treaties redrew the map of Europe, carving up vanquished empires and creating as many future conflicts as new countries and borders from the Baltic States to Turkey, via Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. Famine, terror and the Cold War Just as important, the war served as an incubator for the 1917 Russian Revolution. Against a backdrop of desperate food shortages, military failure left the Tsarist state crippled and vulnerable to an assault by Lenin's Bolsheviks, who then established the Soviet Union as an authoritarian Communist state. Disastrous agricultural policies resulted in more than three million people dying in the famine of the early 1930s, millions more under the Great Terror unleashed by Lenin's successor, Joseph Stalin. By the mid-1930s, conditions were in place for the post-World War II division of Europe. That in turn produced the Cold War and its associated splitting of the rest of the planet into Western or Soviet spheres of influence, and an unstable global equilibrium that helped fuel countless conflicts across the developing world. While the political prestige of the main victors Britain and France was at a height in 1919, it did not hide the blossoming on the international stage of the United States, which would become the main economic, military and political power in the Western camp in the following decades. Middle East overhaul World War I also left a lasting mark on the Middle East. By encouraging an Arab revolt, Britain helped precipitate the collapse of the Germany-allied Ottoman empire. A secular Turkey emerged and Britain and France assumed post-war control of much of the Arab world. By then Britain had also made clear, through the 1917 Balfour Declaration, its support for the principle of a Jewish state on land it had pledged to the Arabs. Finally, the Ottoman empire's collapse also resulted in the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians in what they steadfastly argue was a full-blown genocide. A new social order Events in Russia cast a long shadow over the rest of Europe, generating a fear of upheaval that helped accelerate reforms while also inspiring other revolutionaries, including the nascent fascist movement that was soon to seize power in Italy. Worker uprisings in Germany and Hungary immediately after the war were crushed or collapsed internally. But waves of militancy in other countries -- in the Fiat factories of Turin, Italy or the shipyards of Scotland's Red Clydeside -- delivered major advances in terms of working conditions and the rights of trade unions to represent their members. More broadly the aftermath of World War I was a period of rapid social progress in much of the industrialised world. This was most notable in terms of women's right to vote, which, in the popular memory, is often seen as having been "earned" through female participation in war-related activities. Less obvious positive legacies of a war which left millions maimed or traumatised were greater social acceptance of the disabled and the destigmatisation of mental illness. The war also spurred new waves of creativity in the arts. Poetry was revived as an art form across the world; Dadaism, the avant-garde art movement, was born and led in turn to Surrealism; and jazz, brought to Europe by American soldiers, became the soundtrack for the escapism and innovation of the "roaring '20s".

How World War I shaped the 20th century and beyond

Donald Trump accepted an invitation from Kim Jong Un to visit North Korea during their historic summit, Pyongyang state media reported Wednesday, as the US president said the world had jumped back from the brink of "nuclear catastrophe".&nbsp;

Tuesday's unprecedented encounter in Singapore saw the leader of the world's most powerful democracy shake hands with Kim, the third generation scion of a dynastic dictatorship, as they stood as equals in front of their nations' flags.

In a characteristically bullish tweet, Trump said the first-ever summit between sitting leaders of the two Cold War foes meant "the World has taken a big step back from potential Nuclear catastrophe!"

"No more rocket launches, nuclear testing or research! The hostages are back home with their families. Thank you to Chairman Kim, our day together was historic!"

In a joint statement following the talks, Kim agreed to the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula" -- a stock phrase favoured by Pyongyang that stopped short of long-standing US demands for North Korea to give up its atomic arsenal in a "verifiable" and "irreversible" way.

In its first report on the landmark summit, the official KCNA news agency ran a glowing dispatch on the talks, describing them as an "epoch-making meeting" that would help foster "a radical switchover in the most hostile (North Korea)-US relations".

The report said the two men each asked the other to visit their country.

"The two top leaders gladly accepted each other's invitation," KCNA said.

It asserted that Trump had "expressed his intention" to lift sanctions against the North -- something the US president had told a blockbuster press conference would happen "when we are sure that the nukes are no longer a factor".

"The sanctions right now remain," he added.&nbsp;

With the headline: "Meeting of the century opens new history in DPRK-US relations", the North's ruling Workers Party official daily Rodong Sinmun splashed no fewer than 33 pictures across four of its usual six pages.

One of the pictures showed a smiling Kim shaking hands with Trump's hawkish National Security Advisor John Bolton, who has previously advocated military action against the North, which in turn has referred to him as "human scum."

'War games' 
Pyongyang has reason to feel confident after the meeting, a major coup for an isolated and heavily sanctioned regime that has long craved international legitimacy.

"Kim Jong Un got what he wanted at the Singapore Summit: the international prestige and respect of a one-on-one meeting with the American president, the legitimacy of North Korean flags hanging next to American flags in the background," said Paul Haenle, director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center.

In his post-summit press conference, Trump made the surprise announcement that the US would halt joint military exercises with its security ally Seoul -- something long sought by Pyongyang, which claims the drills are a rehearsal for invasion.

The US stations around 30,000 troops in security ally South Korea to protect it from its neighbour, which invaded in 1950 in an attempt to reunify the peninsula by force.

"We will be stopping the war games which will save us a tremendous amount of money," Trump told reporters, adding that "at some point" he wanted to withdraw US troops from the South.

Both Seoul and US military commanders in the South indicated they had no idea the announcement was coming, and in an editorial Wednesday the Korea Herald said it was "worrisome".

Smiles and handshakes 
The Singapore summit was a potentially legacy-defining meeting for both men -- comparable to president Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China, or Ronald Reagan's 1986 summit with Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik.

Only a few months ago, the pair were swapping personal insults such as "dotard" and "little rocket man" and the North conducted its six and most powerful nuclear test, as well as firing missiles over Japan.

Trump vowed to rain down "fire and fury" on Pyongyang if it threatened the US but instead in Singapore it was compliments that flowed, as the president described Kim as "talented" and said they had forged a "special bond."

After a day filled with smiles and handshakes watched around the world, the US "committed to provide security guarantees" to North Korea.

But critics charged that the summit legitimised Kim, whose regime has been accused of multiple human rights abuses, and said the summit was more about headlines than substantive progress.

Trump said the US would be checking Kim's progress towards denuclearisation "very strongly" but many agreements made in the past with North Korea have later fallen apart.

World powers from China to Japan, the European Union and Russia welcomed its outcome -- while cautioning it was only the first step towards resolving the nuclear stand-off with Pyongyang.

But some media in Japan, which North Korea has in the past threatened to "sink into the sea", were cautious.

"The real bargaining has now started between the US and North Korea. Problems that cannot be solved through a bling-bling political show remain on both sides," said the liberal Mainichi Shimbun.

Kim says denuclearisation dependent on ceasing antagonism: KCNA

Kim Jong-Un meanwhile said ridding the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons is dependent on Washington and Pyongyang ceasing moves that antagonise each other, the North's state media said Wednesday.

"Kim Jong Un said in order to achieve peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and realise its denuclearisation, the two countries should commit themselves to refraining from antagonising... each other out of mutual understanding," the state-run KCNA news agency said.

Kim meanwhile said ridding the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons is dependent on Washington and Pyongyang ceasing moves that antagonise each other

Donald Trump accepted an invitation from Kim Jong Un to visit North Korea during their historic summit, Pyongyang state media reported Wednesday, as the US president said the world had jumped back from the brink of "nuclear catastrophe". Tuesday's unprecedented encounter in Singapore saw the leader of the world's most powerful democracy shake hands with Kim, the third generation scion of a dynastic dictatorship, as they stood as equals in front of their nations' flags. In a characteristically bullish tweet, Trump said the first-ever summit between sitting leaders of the two Cold War foes meant "the World has taken a big step back from potential Nuclear catastrophe!" "No more rocket launches, nuclear testing or research! The hostages are back home with their families. Thank you to Chairman Kim, our day together was historic!" In a joint statement following the talks, Kim agreed to the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula" -- a stock phrase favoured by Pyongyang that stopped short of long-standing US demands for North Korea to give up its atomic arsenal in a "verifiable" and "irreversible" way. In its first report on the landmark summit, the official KCNA news agency ran a glowing dispatch on the talks, describing them as an "epoch-making meeting" that would help foster "a radical switchover in the most hostile (North Korea)-US relations". The report said the two men each asked the other to visit their country. "The two top leaders gladly accepted each other's invitation," KCNA said. It asserted that Trump had "expressed his intention" to lift sanctions against the North -- something the US president had told a blockbuster press conference would happen "when we are sure that the nukes are no longer a factor". "The sanctions right now remain," he added. With the headline: "Meeting of the century opens new history in DPRK-US relations", the North's ruling Workers Party official daily Rodong Sinmun splashed no fewer than 33 pictures across four of its usual six pages. One of the pictures showed a smiling Kim shaking hands with Trump's hawkish National Security Advisor John Bolton, who has previously advocated military action against the North, which in turn has referred to him as "human scum." 'War games' Pyongyang has reason to feel confident after the meeting, a major coup for an isolated and heavily sanctioned regime that has long craved international legitimacy. "Kim Jong Un got what he wanted at the Singapore Summit: the international prestige and respect of a one-on-one meeting with the American president, the legitimacy of North Korean flags hanging next to American flags in the background," said Paul Haenle, director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center. In his post-summit press conference, Trump made the surprise announcement that the US would halt joint military exercises with its security ally Seoul -- something long sought by Pyongyang, which claims the drills are a rehearsal for invasion. The US stations around 30,000 troops in security ally South Korea to protect it from its neighbour, which invaded in 1950 in an attempt to reunify the peninsula by force. "We will be stopping the war games which will save us a tremendous amount of money," Trump told reporters, adding that "at some point" he wanted to withdraw US troops from the South. Both Seoul and US military commanders in the South indicated they had no idea the announcement was coming, and in an editorial Wednesday the Korea Herald said it was "worrisome". Smiles and handshakes The Singapore summit was a potentially legacy-defining meeting for both men -- comparable to president Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China, or Ronald Reagan's 1986 summit with Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik. Only a few months ago, the pair were swapping personal insults such as "dotard" and "little rocket man" and the North conducted its six and most powerful nuclear test, as well as firing missiles over Japan. Trump vowed to rain down "fire and fury" on Pyongyang if it threatened the US but instead in Singapore it was compliments that flowed, as the president described Kim as "talented" and said they had forged a "special bond." After a day filled with smiles and handshakes watched around the world, the US "committed to provide security guarantees" to North Korea. But critics charged that the summit legitimised Kim, whose regime has been accused of multiple human rights abuses, and said the summit was more about headlines than substantive progress. Trump said the US would be checking Kim's progress towards denuclearisation "very strongly" but many agreements made in the past with North Korea have later fallen apart. World powers from China to Japan, the European Union and Russia welcomed its outcome -- while cautioning it was only the first step towards resolving the nuclear stand-off with Pyongyang. But some media in Japan, which North Korea has in the past threatened to "sink into the sea", were cautious. "The real bargaining has now started between the US and North Korea. Problems that cannot be solved through a bling-bling political show remain on both sides," said the liberal Mainichi Shimbun. Kim says denuclearisation dependent on ceasing antagonism: KCNA Kim Jong-Un meanwhile said ridding the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons is dependent on Washington and Pyongyang ceasing moves that antagonise each other, the North's state media said Wednesday. "Kim Jong Un said in order to achieve peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and realise its denuclearisation, the two countries should commit themselves to refraining from antagonising... each other out of mutual understanding," the state-run KCNA news agency said.

Summit with Kim helped avoid 'nuclear catastrophe', says Trump

US President Donald Trump has tumbled down more than 200 places in the world&#39;s billionaire rankings after losing around $400 million in his net worth from last year.

The businessman who is now worth US $3.1 million is now ranked at 766 this year, down from 554 in 2017.&nbsp;

Also see:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/forbes-rich-list-amazons-jeff-bezos-is-richest-man-mukesh-ambani-ranked-19th-711">Forbes rich list: Amazon&#39;s Jeff Bezos is </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/forbes-rich-list-amazons-jeff-bezos-is-richest-man-mukesh-ambani-ranked-19th-711">richest</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/forbes-rich-list-amazons-jeff-bezos-is-richest-man-mukesh-ambani-ranked-19th-711">&nbsp;man, Mukesh Ambani ranked 19th</a>

The magazine said the drop was partially due to a fall in the value of central New York property values and falling revenues at his golf courses.

According to reports, Trump Tower, the President&#39;s New York home, lost an estimated $41 million in value last year.

The value of Trump&rsquo;s hotel licensing and management company dropped an estimated $50 million in the last year, as the power of the Trump brand seems to be fading in markets like Toronto and New York, where investors have removed the president&rsquo;s name from hotels.&nbsp;

Trump also shelled out $25 million in settling lawsuits that alleged his Trump University real estate courses defrauded students.

The estimate is well below Trump&rsquo;s claim during the election campaign in 2015 that his net worth was &ldquo;in excess of ten billion dollars&rdquo;.&nbsp;

Trump is the first billionaire president who stepped away from his businesses when he entered the White House, handing control to his two eldest sons, Don Jr. and Eric.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pornstar-stormy-daniels-files-lawsuit-against-trump-over-hush-agreement-34943">Pornstar Stormy Daniels files lawsuit against Trump over &#39;hush agreement&#39;</a>

Top of the list is the founder and boss of online giant Amazon, Jeff Bezos. Bezos&#39; fortune has leapt to $112bn from an estimated $39.2bn last year.

The businessman who is now worth US $3.1 million is now ranked at 766 this year, down from 554 in 2017

US President Donald Trump has tumbled down more than 200 places in the world's billionaire rankings after losing around $400 million in his net worth from last year. The businessman who is now worth US $3.1 million is now ranked at 766 this year, down from 554 in 2017. Also see: Forbes rich list: Amazon's Jeff Bezos is richest man, Mukesh Ambani ranked 19th The magazine said the drop was partially due to a fall in the value of central New York property values and falling revenues at his golf courses. According to reports, Trump Tower, the President's New York home, lost an estimated $41 million in value last year. The value of Trump’s hotel licensing and management company dropped an estimated $50 million in the last year, as the power of the Trump brand seems to be fading in markets like Toronto and New York, where investors have removed the president’s name from hotels. Trump also shelled out $25 million in settling lawsuits that alleged his Trump University real estate courses defrauded students. The estimate is well below Trump’s claim during the election campaign in 2015 that his net worth was “in excess of ten billion dollars”. Trump is the first billionaire president who stepped away from his businesses when he entered the White House, handing control to his two eldest sons, Don Jr. and Eric. Also read: Pornstar Stormy Daniels files lawsuit against Trump over 'hush agreement' Top of the list is the founder and boss of online giant Amazon, Jeff Bezos. Bezos' fortune has leapt to $112bn from an estimated $39.2bn last year.

Trump tumbles down more than 200 places in Forbes' richest list

The festival of colours is upon us and its time to bring out your white kurtas, gujjias, gulaals and pichkaaris to go all out during this auspicious day. Although, several parts in India celebrate the festival with absolute rigour, people around the world equally go all out. From Bollywood dances to marathons to the age old water and colour fights, people in these countries are no strangers to the festivities.

This is how some countries celebrate Holi:

Nepal

Nepal holds a vast majority of Hindu population which is why Holi is a celebrated with much grandeur in the country. In Kathmandu, the streets of Thamel and Durbar Square hold the best celebrations. Children and adults, everyone dedicatedly play Holi to their heart&rsquo;s content. Durbar Square can be absolutely packed with people whereas the small streets of Thamel are filled with kids looking to sneak up with water-guns and balloons.&nbsp;

Traditional natural dyes were used such as turmeric and sandlewood paste mixed with extracts of Neem, Haldi and Bilva to give the pasts colour.

United Kingdom

The presence of Indians in England is widespread, Indians are said to be the second largest ethnic majority in the UK. Major cities like Birmingham, Leicester and Newcastle see people stepping out with spray cans and tons of gulaal. There are Holi parades in the streets. Manchester usually puts up several food stalls and dance sessions, while Redaing will have singing and a Holika play.

One can get a taste of Holi in London, where &#39;The Colour Run&#39; festival takes place. Participants run in a five-kilometre street, wearing a white shirt and as the colours are sprayed at them they, get covered from head to toe with every kilometre of the course. The event takes place in the cities of London, Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham.

&nbsp;

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United States

The United States also sees a vast majority of Indian population which is why Holi is celebrated across different states with full enthusiasm. A number of festivals are organised throughout the country - one of the biggest colour festivals, &quot;Life In Colour&quot; started out as a college festival in Florida in 2011, later progressing into a worldwide colour party, another famous event is &quot;Colour Music Festival&quot; in Texas.

Religious groups in Utah organise the festival on a big scale to provide a platform to the young to have fun, but in an untainted way. People from all walks of life are welcomed to play with colours to the tunes of music.

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Life in Color festival (Photo Courtesy: www.lifeincolor.com) (Others)
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Mauritius

Just as the many other major Hindu festivals, the large Indian majority, (about 63 per cent) celebrate Holi with a lot of enthusiasm in the island of Mauritius. Hindus, here duly perform the tradition of Holika Dahan or lighting of bonfire on the eve of Holi and celebrate the victory of good over evil. Next day people revel and play with colours and drench everybody with water jets called pichkaris that are from Mauritian bamboo stalks.

The crowds sing and dance to music, which is accompanied by jhal (cymbals) and dholak (drums). In the evening, people greet each other with tilak and exchange sweet dumplings like gujjia.

Australia

This one day in the whole time span of 365 days has the power to leave behind memories to rejoice and fill colour in your life. Not only the those who are in India enjoy this festival of colours wholeheartedly but the Indian Diaspora residing in different parts of the world, equally take pleasure in celebrating this festival of colours in the similar manner.

One such country, where the people of India are present in a quite large numbers, is Australia. Melbourne specifically organizes for the Holi festival event which is the best way for the Indians to quench their desire to be drenched in multi colours. Holi is celebrated in the Victorian capital for it being kaleidoscopic in nature.

Spain

There is&nbsp; a town in Spain that has been celebrating Holi for the past seven years. Sadabell, a town located 20 kilometers north of Barcelona, receives almost 10,000 people from all ethnicities for the Holi festivities. The town doesn&rsquo;t have a large Indian population, but members from Indian communities in nearby cities like Barcelona, Olot and Llort de Mar stop by.

The most popular one being the &quot;Holi Garden Festival&quot; which termed the brightest festival in Ibiza and goes on throughout the summer, with events taking place as long as the warmth lasts. It stays true to its origins with colour, white outfits, music and food. A huge crowd participates in dances, where choreographed groups perform moves to bhangra and Bollywood beats.

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UAE

Same as in many parts of the world, Holi is additionally celebrated by individuals having a place with the Hindu people group living in UAE. The festival there in UAE incorporates trading welcome by conveying blessings and desserts with each other, heaving different sorts of hues on each other both in fluid and powder shape. Individuals move on the colorful Bollywood numbers and numerous conventional Holi melodies. The Indian ostracizes here in UAE, turn out in a greater part, wearing conventional Indian garments; white Kurta Pajama for men and delightful Salwar kamij and sari for ladies.

Alongside the playing with hues individuals in UAE likewise appreciate flavorful Indian dishes which are renowned especially for Holi festivity which incorporate malpuas, gujiya, Puran, dahi vadas, and policy.

Trindad and Tobago

Holi is said to have come to Trinidad around 1845 by the Hindus who relocated from Bihar as authoritative workers on the sugarcane field. From that point forward it is being raised each year with incredible eagerness.Hindus in Trinidad and Tobago praise the celebration with hues, tunes, music, and move. An assortment of water hues are blended and splashed on each one of the individuals who take an interest in the festivals, till they end up noticeably unrecognizable. Individuals trade desserts and welcome with each other

A unique sort of people melody called Chowtal is sung throughout the celebration and the music is generally played with just two instruments. The dholak (a hand drum) and the jeera (cymbals or percussion instrument) are the main two instruments utilized. Chowtal tunes are sung rather uproariously and are piercing. Quick paced music welcomes individuals to shake their hips and influence the cadence.

South Africa

The energetic Gujarati&rsquo;s and other Indians settled in South Africa have made it a point to keep the custom of observing Holi alive in the nation. They play hues, light blazes called Holika, sing Holi melodies and make joyful.

It might be noticed that South Africa is situated at the southern tip of the landmass of Africa. It had the biggest worker Indian people group on the planet 10 years before the colonisation by the United States of America. Indians record of right around one million in the nation. The vast majority of them are packed in the eastern locales of Natal and Transvaal of the nation. Around 65% are Hindus, 15% Muslims and 20% of Christians live here.

The &ldquo;Holi Festival of Colors&rdquo; festival takes place in cape town each year. It is an international festival with dance, music and colours. This two-month festival happens every year at different locations across the world every week of its run. Every year has a different theme. The &ldquo;Holi One&rdquo; festival is also one of the famous events in the country.

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The festival of colours is upon us and its time to bring out your white kurtas, gujjias, gulaals and pichkaaris to go all out during this auspicious day. Although, several parts in India celebrate the festival with absolute rigour, people around the world equally go all out. From Bollywood dances to marathons to the age old water and colour fights, people in these countries are no strangers to the festivities. This is how some countries celebrate Holi: Nepal Nepal holds a vast majority of Hindu population which is why Holi is a celebrated with much grandeur in the country. In Kathmandu, the streets of Thamel and Durbar Square hold the best celebrations. Children and adults, everyone dedicatedly play Holi to their heart’s content. Durbar Square can be absolutely packed with people whereas the small streets of Thamel are filled with kids looking to sneak up with water-guns and balloons. Traditional natural dyes were used such as turmeric and sandlewood paste mixed with extracts of Neem, Haldi and Bilva to give the pasts colour. United Kingdom The presence of Indians in England is widespread, Indians are said to be the second largest ethnic majority in the UK. Major cities like Birmingham, Leicester and Newcastle see people stepping out with spray cans and tons of gulaal. There are Holi parades in the streets. Manchester usually puts up several food stalls and dance sessions, while Redaing will have singing and a Holika play. One can get a taste of Holi in London, where 'The Colour Run' festival takes place. Participants run in a five-kilometre street, wearing a white shirt and as the colours are sprayed at them they, get covered from head to toe with every kilometre of the course. The event takes place in the cities of London, Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham. The Colour Run festival (Others) × United States The United States also sees a vast majority of Indian population which is why Holi is celebrated across different states with full enthusiasm. A number of festivals are organised throughout the country - one of the biggest colour festivals, "Life In Colour" started out as a college festival in Florida in 2011, later progressing into a worldwide colour party, another famous event is "Colour Music Festival" in Texas. Religious groups in Utah organise the festival on a big scale to provide a platform to the young to have fun, but in an untainted way. People from all walks of life are welcomed to play with colours to the tunes of music. Life in Color festival (Photo Courtesy: www.lifeincolor.com) (Others) × Mauritius Just as the many other major Hindu festivals, the large Indian majority, (about 63 per cent) celebrate Holi with a lot of enthusiasm in the island of Mauritius. Hindus, here duly perform the tradition of Holika Dahan or lighting of bonfire on the eve of Holi and celebrate the victory of good over evil. Next day people revel and play with colours and drench everybody with water jets called pichkaris that are from Mauritian bamboo stalks. The crowds sing and dance to music, which is accompanied by jhal (cymbals) and dholak (drums). In the evening, people greet each other with tilak and exchange sweet dumplings like gujjia. Australia This one day in the whole time span of 365 days has the power to leave behind memories to rejoice and fill colour in your life. Not only the those who are in India enjoy this festival of colours wholeheartedly but the Indian Diaspora residing in different parts of the world, equally take pleasure in celebrating this festival of colours in the similar manner. One such country, where the people of India are present in a quite large numbers, is Australia. Melbourne specifically organizes for the Holi festival event which is the best way for the Indians to quench their desire to be drenched in multi colours. Holi is celebrated in the Victorian capital for it being kaleidoscopic in nature. Spain There is a town in Spain that has been celebrating Holi for the past seven years. Sadabell, a town located 20 kilometers north of Barcelona, receives almost 10,000 people from all ethnicities for the Holi festivities. The town doesn’t have a large Indian population, but members from Indian communities in nearby cities like Barcelona, Olot and Llort de Mar stop by. The most popular one being the "Holi Garden Festival" which termed the brightest festival in Ibiza and goes on throughout the summer, with events taking place as long as the warmth lasts. It stays true to its origins with colour, white outfits, music and food. A huge crowd participates in dances, where choreographed groups perform moves to bhangra and Bollywood beats. × × UAE Same as in many parts of the world, Holi is additionally celebrated by individuals having a place with the Hindu people group living in UAE. The festival there in UAE incorporates trading welcome by conveying blessings and desserts with each other, heaving different sorts of hues on each other both in fluid and powder shape. Individuals move on the colorful Bollywood numbers and numerous conventional Holi melodies. The Indian ostracizes here in UAE, turn out in a greater part, wearing conventional Indian garments; white Kurta Pajama for men and delightful Salwar kamij and sari for ladies. Alongside the playing with hues individuals in UAE likewise appreciate flavorful Indian dishes which are renowned especially for Holi festivity which incorporate malpuas, gujiya, Puran, dahi vadas, and policy. Trindad and Tobago Holi is said to have come to Trinidad around 1845 by the Hindus who relocated from Bihar as authoritative workers on the sugarcane field. From that point forward it is being raised each year with incredible eagerness.Hindus in Trinidad and Tobago praise the celebration with hues, tunes, music, and move. An assortment of water hues are blended and splashed on each one of the individuals who take an interest in the festivals, till they end up noticeably unrecognizable. Individuals trade desserts and welcome with each other A unique sort of people melody called Chowtal is sung throughout the celebration and the music is generally played with just two instruments. The dholak (a hand drum) and the jeera (cymbals or percussion instrument) are the main two instruments utilized. Chowtal tunes are sung rather uproariously and are piercing. Quick paced music welcomes individuals to shake their hips and influence the cadence. South Africa The energetic Gujarati’s and other Indians settled in South Africa have made it a point to keep the custom of observing Holi alive in the nation. They play hues, light blazes called Holika, sing Holi melodies and make joyful. It might be noticed that South Africa is situated at the southern tip of the landmass of Africa. It had the biggest worker Indian people group on the planet 10 years before the colonisation by the United States of America. Indians record of right around one million in the nation. The vast majority of them are packed in the eastern locales of Natal and Transvaal of the nation. Around 65% are Hindus, 15% Muslims and 20% of Christians live here. The “Holi Festival of Colors” festival takes place in cape town each year. It is an international festival with dance, music and colours. This two-month festival happens every year at different locations across the world every week of its run. Every year has a different theme. The “Holi One” festival is also one of the famous events in the country. Festival of Colours Tour (Photo Courtesy: www.holifestival.com) (Others) ×

This is how the world celebrates Holi!

Sir Muhammad Iqbal - Tere sheeshe mein ma&rsquo;i baaqi nahi hai, bataa kya tu mera saaqi nahi hai (Your wine-glass contains the life-giving wine no more. Tell me, are you not my sustainer?)&nbsp;

Ammi, apa, bitiya, bibi, ninni bibi, chanda-mama, babua, adaab.

Well, these are some of the first words that begin to echo when I enter the word &ldquo;mother tongue&rdquo; on the computer of my mind. A sweet, rosy scent wafts into my mind with some tenderness, some do&rsquo;s and don&rsquo;ts gently mixed with it. A sweet and melodious language indeed is my mother tongue &ndash; Urdu. Some of the words remain, hanging in there, but some are lost, or at least their meanings and resonances are lost to a fast-moving, polarised and unthinking, self-obsessed world. Those, that hang in there, do much to groom our personalities, perhaps even instill some poetry, along with style and elegance into us. But that does not go to say that you can&rsquo;t swear or abuse or crack vulgar jokes in Urdu. In fact, they lace the humour or the candidness of such exchanges with a sarcasm which could not otherwise be achieved in a short-cut type, unthoughtful or crude language.&nbsp;

Now, &ldquo;bitiya&rdquo; is a typical word for a girl, and can be used for both a little, as well as a grown-up girl, and must be familiar to the reader. But &ldquo;bibi&rdquo; is a word which is almost always confused with &ldquo;biwi&rdquo; now and I bite my nails anxiously when my father reciprocates my friends&rsquo; salaams or namaste with a &ldquo;khush raho bibi&rdquo; (meaning stay well and happy young lady), hoping that she understands that he is calling her &ldquo;bibi&rdquo; which means a decent or fair lady or young woman and so on. How can he not use the word &ldquo;bibi&rdquo; if he wants to retain the flavour of the speech he uses to attend young ladies? He can&rsquo;t possibly abandon its use just because it gets distorted or misunderstood.&nbsp;

I suppose that is the way to fight the battle against misreading or distortion of many of the words of Urdu language. You should just continue to use them, not with any vindictive agenda, but because you like to believe that correct usage will provide the healing touch to a beleaguered language.

Why do I call my mother tongue beleaguered? In a world of text messages and Instagram, any language may find itself beleaguered when it comes to short forms or acronyms, but the internet and the cell phone has added to the usage of words too. The world is yapping in Urdu too. There are words everywhere, playing hide and seek with language.&nbsp;

So what does Urdu suffer from? What are the challenges it faces today? &nbsp;&nbsp;

With the declaration of Hindi (which could be called a Sanskritised form of Urdu in the Nagri script) as the national language of India at the time of independence, the notion that Urdu could no longer provide jobs caught on very quickly and wrongly. As a result, there were no worthy takers of the language in the university departments. Same was the case with the Persian departments in Indian universities. Very soon, we began producing mediocre or even poor quality Urdu teachers who were themselves slightly embarrassed at having studied Urdu because the syllabi in the universities also suggested to some extent that Urdu was an outdated language whose days of glory were over. The moment of victory was already lost. These mediocre teachers produced even more mediocre Urdu intellectuals which in turn impoverished the Urdu scene.&nbsp;

So, while the Indian nation was never really averse to Urdu, the mentor, keepers, and the Urdu minds had started becoming sterile and polluted, almost as if, ashamed of their legacy of Urdu since they couldn&rsquo;t see beyond their noses.&nbsp;

Today, we have a huge dearth of good teachers and thinkers in Urdu. Indians, and prominently Hindus, want to learn the language, savour it, enjoy it, but they don&rsquo;t know where to go. This is a challenge that all, who love their mother tongue Urdu, have to rise to. By assigning Urdu language learning to the madrasas and not teaching it to our own children, we have handed Urdu to the poorest among the Muslims. More than 90% of those children go to madrasas who can afford no better education. This also leads to linking Urdu with religion, and alif for Allah, instead of maybe alif for amrud became a done thing.&nbsp;

My mother tongue tastes like the sweet spring of my mother&rsquo;s milk as she would lull me to sleep at her breast, melodiously singing &ldquo;ninni bi ninni bi aya karo, angan mein dhol bajaya karo&rdquo; (sweet-sounding lady of sleep, come to my courtyard, come and play the drums of sleep sic). You must have guessed by now that &ldquo;bi&rdquo; is a shortened and loving version of &ldquo;bibi&rdquo;.&nbsp;

This brings me to the question of corruption of language which has become a burning issue, particularly with Urdu. As an official kind of crude and unsympathetic, Hindi blares at us from the television sets and government files and other official sites. It seeps into Urdu, distorting better versions of the language existing there, ruining its elan, its mellifluousness.&nbsp;

I can give you umpteen examples &ndash; Sher jaag utha, instead of sher jaag gaya. Chai lijiye, instead of chai pijiye or chai nosh farmaiye, hum Benares se hain, instaed of hum Benares ke hain.

This has echoes of English, which probably got unwittingly translated into Hindi by the Hindi speakers and was then picked up by the Urdu speakers. Also, let us not import words from another language when we already have some in our own language. This runs the risk of bringing the original word into disuse someday in the future. A random list would go like this &ndash; towel, specs, table, kitchen, shoes, book, air, and the list goes on.&nbsp;

By the way, do you know the originals? &nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

With the pervasion of Hindi and English words, Urdu seems to have lost its originality, purity and thus the importance.

Sir Muhammad Iqbal - Tere sheeshe mein ma’i baaqi nahi hai, bataa kya tu mera saaqi nahi hai (Your wine-glass contains the life-giving wine no more. Tell me, are you not my sustainer?) Ammi, apa, bitiya, bibi, ninni bibi, chanda-mama, babua, adaab. Well, these are some of the first words that begin to echo when I enter the word “mother tongue” on the computer of my mind. A sweet, rosy scent wafts into my mind with some tenderness, some do’s and don’ts gently mixed with it. A sweet and melodious language indeed is my mother tongue – Urdu. Some of the words remain, hanging in there, but some are lost, or at least their meanings and resonances are lost to a fast-moving, polarised and unthinking, self-obsessed world. Those, that hang in there, do much to groom our personalities, perhaps even instill some poetry, along with style and elegance into us. But that does not go to say that you can’t swear or abuse or crack vulgar jokes in Urdu. In fact, they lace the humour or the candidness of such exchanges with a sarcasm which could not otherwise be achieved in a short-cut type, unthoughtful or crude language. Now, “bitiya” is a typical word for a girl, and can be used for both a little, as well as a grown-up girl, and must be familiar to the reader. But “bibi” is a word which is almost always confused with “biwi” now and I bite my nails anxiously when my father reciprocates my friends’ salaams or namaste with a “khush raho bibi” (meaning stay well and happy young lady), hoping that she understands that he is calling her “bibi” which means a decent or fair lady or young woman and so on. How can he not use the word “bibi” if he wants to retain the flavour of the speech he uses to attend young ladies? He can’t possibly abandon its use just because it gets distorted or misunderstood. I suppose that is the way to fight the battle against misreading or distortion of many of the words of Urdu language. You should just continue to use them, not with any vindictive agenda, but because you like to believe that correct usage will provide the healing touch to a beleaguered language. Why do I call my mother tongue beleaguered? In a world of text messages and Instagram, any language may find itself beleaguered when it comes to short forms or acronyms, but the internet and the cell phone has added to the usage of words too. The world is yapping in Urdu too. There are words everywhere, playing hide and seek with language. So what does Urdu suffer from? What are the challenges it faces today? With the declaration of Hindi (which could be called a Sanskritised form of Urdu in the Nagri script) as the national language of India at the time of independence, the notion that Urdu could no longer provide jobs caught on very quickly and wrongly. As a result, there were no worthy takers of the language in the university departments. Same was the case with the Persian departments in Indian universities. Very soon, we began producing mediocre or even poor quality Urdu teachers who were themselves slightly embarrassed at having studied Urdu because the syllabi in the universities also suggested to some extent that Urdu was an outdated language whose days of glory were over. The moment of victory was already lost. These mediocre teachers produced even more mediocre Urdu intellectuals which in turn impoverished the Urdu scene. So, while the Indian nation was never really averse to Urdu, the mentor, keepers, and the Urdu minds had started becoming sterile and polluted, almost as if, ashamed of their legacy of Urdu since they couldn’t see beyond their noses. Today, we have a huge dearth of good teachers and thinkers in Urdu. Indians, and prominently Hindus, want to learn the language, savour it, enjoy it, but they don’t know where to go. This is a challenge that all, who love their mother tongue Urdu, have to rise to. By assigning Urdu language learning to the madrasas and not teaching it to our own children, we have handed Urdu to the poorest among the Muslims. More than 90% of those children go to madrasas who can afford no better education. This also leads to linking Urdu with religion, and alif for Allah, instead of maybe alif for amrud became a done thing. My mother tongue tastes like the sweet spring of my mother’s milk as she would lull me to sleep at her breast, melodiously singing “ninni bi ninni bi aya karo, angan mein dhol bajaya karo” (sweet-sounding lady of sleep, come to my courtyard, come and play the drums of sleep sic). You must have guessed by now that “bi” is a shortened and loving version of “bibi”. This brings me to the question of corruption of language which has become a burning issue, particularly with Urdu. As an official kind of crude and unsympathetic, Hindi blares at us from the television sets and government files and other official sites. It seeps into Urdu, distorting better versions of the language existing there, ruining its elan, its mellifluousness. I can give you umpteen examples – Sher jaag utha, instead of sher jaag gaya. Chai lijiye, instead of chai pijiye or chai nosh farmaiye, hum Benares se hain, instaed of hum Benares ke hain. This has echoes of English, which probably got unwittingly translated into Hindi by the Hindi speakers and was then picked up by the Urdu speakers. Also, let us not import words from another language when we already have some in our own language. This runs the risk of bringing the original word into disuse someday in the future. A random list would go like this – towel, specs, table, kitchen, shoes, book, air, and the list goes on. By the way, do you know the originals? (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Is Urdu language dying because of Hindi infiltration?

The world will see risks related to the environment, economy and international relations intensify this year with a majority of stakeholders expecting political or economic confrontations between major powers to worsen, a new survey showed today.

Referring to contentious issues between various nations, the World Economic Forum (WEF) said in its annual Global Risks Report that China&#39;s determination to press territorial and maritime claims and its extension of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have triggered responses among neighbouring powers, with Japan and India exploring more structured forms of strategic cooperation in both economic and military affairs.

&quot;This initiative could become more significant if additional partners -- such as Australia, the US, or even European states -- were to take part. However, most of these countries are currently cautious and would be wary of allowing such a hedging policy to cause tensions with China,&quot; it said.

However, the biggest risks in South Asia overall would be in areas like employment, governance and infrastructure, as per the survey that would be discussed in detail next week at Geneva-based WEF&#39;s annual summit, to be attended by 70 heads of states/governments including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.

Globally, the environment-related risks top the charts, as per the survey of around 1,000 global leaders described by the WEF as members of its &quot;multi-stakeholder communities&quot;.

The WEF, which describes itself as an international organisation for public-private cooperation and hosts over 3,000 world leaders from politics, business and civil society every year in Swiss ski resort town Davos for an annual talkfest, said structural and interconnected nature of risks in 2018 threaten the very system on which societies, economies and international relations are based.

The report, which found environmental risks to be dominating the Global Risk Perception Survey for the second year running, said a deteriorating geopolitical landscape is partly to blame for the pessimistic outlook in 2018.

As per the survey, 93 per cent of respondents said they expect political or economic confrontations between major powers to worsen, while nearly 80 per cent expect an increase in risks associated with war involving major powers.

Overall, 59 per cent of the respondents pointed to increased level of risks this year, the WEF said while hoping that a positive economic outlook would give leaders the opportunity to tackle systemic fragility affecting societies, economies, international relations and the environment. Only 7 per cent saw the risks declining in 2018.

The report further said that amid geopolitical flux, national identity becomes a growing source of tension around contested borders, while clashes related to identity and community continue to drive political dislocations in many countries and are increasingly fuelling cross-border tensions.

Talking about &#39;major power tensions&#39;, WEF said relations between the world&#39;s major powers are changing, &quot;mostly for worse&quot;, while shifting relations between global and regional powers is creating increased uncertainty for smaller states.

Listing examples, it referred to Bhutan last year finding itself &quot;at the centre of a stand-off between India and China&quot;.

It also talked about some countries planning to extend and deepen networks of economic corridors and spurring huge infrastructure investments, while naming China&#39;s BRI as the most ambitious one.

Besides, it referred to China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC); Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM-EC); International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which links India, Iran and Russia; and Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC), a joint initiative by India and Japan.

The report further said one potential trigger for disruption related to economic corridors might be push-back from a country that feels its sovereignty is being undermined and gave the example of the economic corridors crossing contested territory including of the CPEC running through Gilgit-Baltistan.

The study highlighted numerous areas where systems are being pushed to the brink -- from extinction-level rates of biodiversity loss to mounting concerns about the possibility of new wars.

The top ten risks in terms of likelihood include extreme weather events, natural disasters, cyber attacks, data fraud or theft, climate change, involuntary migration, man-made environmental disasters, terrorist attacks, illicit trade and asset bubbles in major economies.

The biggest risks in terms of impact would be weapons of mass destruction, extreme weather events, natural disasters, climate change, water crises, cyber attacks, food crises, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, involuntary migration and spread of infectious diseases.

&quot;A widening economic recovery presents us with an opportunity that we cannot afford to squander, to tackle the fractures that we have allowed to weaken the world&#39;s institutions, societies and environment. We must take seriously the risk of a global systems breakdown,&quot; WEF Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab said.

Economic risks feature less prominently this year but there are worries that the improvement in global GDP growth rates may lead to complacency about persistent structural risks in the global economic and financial systems.

Inequality continues to be ranked high among the underlying risk drivers.

The biggest risks in South Asia would be in areas like employment, governance and infrastructure, as per the survey

The world will see risks related to the environment, economy and international relations intensify this year with a majority of stakeholders expecting political or economic confrontations between major powers to worsen, a new survey showed today. Referring to contentious issues between various nations, the World Economic Forum (WEF) said in its annual Global Risks Report that China's determination to press territorial and maritime claims and its extension of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have triggered responses among neighbouring powers, with Japan and India exploring more structured forms of strategic cooperation in both economic and military affairs. "This initiative could become more significant if additional partners -- such as Australia, the US, or even European states -- were to take part. However, most of these countries are currently cautious and would be wary of allowing such a hedging policy to cause tensions with China," it said. However, the biggest risks in South Asia overall would be in areas like employment, governance and infrastructure, as per the survey that would be discussed in detail next week at Geneva-based WEF's annual summit, to be attended by 70 heads of states/governments including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump. Globally, the environment-related risks top the charts, as per the survey of around 1,000 global leaders described by the WEF as members of its "multi-stakeholder communities". The WEF, which describes itself as an international organisation for public-private cooperation and hosts over 3,000 world leaders from politics, business and civil society every year in Swiss ski resort town Davos for an annual talkfest, said structural and interconnected nature of risks in 2018 threaten the very system on which societies, economies and international relations are based. The report, which found environmental risks to be dominating the Global Risk Perception Survey for the second year running, said a deteriorating geopolitical landscape is partly to blame for the pessimistic outlook in 2018. As per the survey, 93 per cent of respondents said they expect political or economic confrontations between major powers to worsen, while nearly 80 per cent expect an increase in risks associated with war involving major powers. Overall, 59 per cent of the respondents pointed to increased level of risks this year, the WEF said while hoping that a positive economic outlook would give leaders the opportunity to tackle systemic fragility affecting societies, economies, international relations and the environment. Only 7 per cent saw the risks declining in 2018. The report further said that amid geopolitical flux, national identity becomes a growing source of tension around contested borders, while clashes related to identity and community continue to drive political dislocations in many countries and are increasingly fuelling cross-border tensions. Talking about 'major power tensions', WEF said relations between the world's major powers are changing, "mostly for worse", while shifting relations between global and regional powers is creating increased uncertainty for smaller states. Listing examples, it referred to Bhutan last year finding itself "at the centre of a stand-off between India and China". It also talked about some countries planning to extend and deepen networks of economic corridors and spurring huge infrastructure investments, while naming China's BRI as the most ambitious one. Besides, it referred to China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC); Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM-EC); International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which links India, Iran and Russia; and Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC), a joint initiative by India and Japan. The report further said one potential trigger for disruption related to economic corridors might be push-back from a country that feels its sovereignty is being undermined and gave the example of the economic corridors crossing contested territory including of the CPEC running through Gilgit-Baltistan. The study highlighted numerous areas where systems are being pushed to the brink -- from extinction-level rates of biodiversity loss to mounting concerns about the possibility of new wars. The top ten risks in terms of likelihood include extreme weather events, natural disasters, cyber attacks, data fraud or theft, climate change, involuntary migration, man-made environmental disasters, terrorist attacks, illicit trade and asset bubbles in major economies. The biggest risks in terms of impact would be weapons of mass destruction, extreme weather events, natural disasters, climate change, water crises, cyber attacks, food crises, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, involuntary migration and spread of infectious diseases. "A widening economic recovery presents us with an opportunity that we cannot afford to squander, to tackle the fractures that we have allowed to weaken the world's institutions, societies and environment. We must take seriously the risk of a global systems breakdown," WEF Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab said. Economic risks feature less prominently this year but there are worries that the improvement in global GDP growth rates may lead to complacency about persistent structural risks in the global economic and financial systems. Inequality continues to be ranked high among the underlying risk drivers.

World to be riskier place in 2018: World Economic Forum

India finished seventh overall in the WSF-world men&#39;s team squash championship in Marseille, France. India defeated Scotland 2-1 in the 7th-8th place match, on Sunday.

It was the good work of Harinder Pal Sandhu and Mahesh Mangaonkar that did the trick, said a SRFI press release here.

After losing to New Zealand for the sixth place earlier, the Indians geared up to perform better against Scotland.The team was without Saurav Ghosal but that did not lessen India&#39;s chance.

Harinder and Mahesh proved that after Vikram Malhotra had lost the first match.

Result: for 7th-8th positions: India beat Scotland 2-1 (Vikram Malhotra lost to Alan Clyne 5-11, 14-16, 7-11; Harinder Pal Sandhu bt Greg Lobban 11-9, 12-10, 11-9; Mahesh Mangaonkar bt Dougie Kempsell 11-8, 11-7, 5-11, 11-1).&nbsp;

India defeated Scotland 2-1 in the 7th-8th place match, on Sunday

India finished seventh overall in the WSF-world men's team squash championship in Marseille, France. India defeated Scotland 2-1 in the 7th-8th place match, on Sunday. It was the good work of Harinder Pal Sandhu and Mahesh Mangaonkar that did the trick, said a SRFI press release here. After losing to New Zealand for the sixth place earlier, the Indians geared up to perform better against Scotland.The team was without Saurav Ghosal but that did not lessen India's chance. Harinder and Mahesh proved that after Vikram Malhotra had lost the first match. Result: for 7th-8th positions: India beat Scotland 2-1 (Vikram Malhotra lost to Alan Clyne 5-11, 14-16, 7-11; Harinder Pal Sandhu bt Greg Lobban 11-9, 12-10, 11-9; Mahesh Mangaonkar bt Dougie Kempsell 11-8, 11-7, 5-11, 11-1).

India finishes seventh in world men's team squash

With a mission to spread a liberal form of Islam, a mosque where men and women pray side by side has opened its doors in Berlin, complete with female imams.

The Arabic phrase &quot;Allahu Akbar&quot; (&#39;God is greatest&#39;) resonated through the crowded Ibn-Rushd-Goethe-Mosque Friday as US-Malaysian Ani Zonneveld, one of the world&#39;s few female imams, launched the call to prayer.

Then one of the founders of the new place of worship, lawyer and women&#39;s rights activist Seyran Ates, opened the event with words of welcome before Christian and Jewish guests and a large media contingent.

&quot;We want to send a signal against Islamic terror and the misuse of our religion,&quot; said Turkish-born Ates, 54, dressed in a long white robe. &quot;We want to practise our religion together.&quot;

Ates -- no stranger to breaking taboos, having called for a &quot;sexual revolution&quot; in the Muslim world -- vowed she would not allow ultra-conservatives &quot;to rob me of my right to be Muslim&quot;.

Kneeling on green carpets, the faithful -- men and women, side by side -- bowed to Mecca for the traditional prayer as the imam spoke in German.

Some of the women wore veils or head coverings, others did not.

&nbsp;&#39;Depoliticise&#39; Islam&nbsp;

The new mosque, the 88th in the German capital, is located in a rented room on the third floor of the Protestant Johanniskirche (St. John&#39;s Church) building.

All Muslims -- Sunni or Shia, Alawite or Sufi -- are welcome in the mosque named after one of Germany&#39;s greatest writers, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and 12th century Islamic scholar Ibn Rushd, also known as Averroes.

The seven founding members said they want to open their prayer hall to all groups, including gays and lesbians.

&quot;This mosque allows Muslims to define themselves in a new way,&quot; said co-founder and German Islam scholar Abdel-Hakim Ourghi.&nbsp;

He added that &quot;we will try to depoliticise Islam&quot;, as the religion was being torn by rival political movements. &quot;Because religion is a private matter.&quot;

Police stood guard outside the entrance of the building.

The founders said they had not received any threats or insults, but that they fully expected not everyone would be happy.

Time for change&nbsp;

Germany, with some four million Muslims, has been the target of jihadist attacks, the deadliest last December when a truck tore through a Berlin Christmas market crowd killing 12 people.

The arrival of more than one million refugees, most from mainly Muslim countries, since 2015 has worsened the fears of some Germans.

Ates -- who has campaigned against forced marriages, domestic violence and so-called &quot;honour killings&quot; among Muslim migrants -- said the project was eight years in the making.

&quot;Many left along the way,&quot; she said. &quot;They told us it was dangerous, that they were afraid.&quot;

Elham Manea, a Swiss political scientist of Yemeni background, said the time had come for change, with other so-called liberal mosques having also opened in the United States, Britain and Switzerland.&nbsp;

The Berlin mosque, financed by private donations, is located in the Berlin district of Moabit, which has a large immigrant population.&nbsp;

It was in this neighbourhood that Tunisian Anis Amri, the Christmas market attacker, frequented a radical mosque that has since been.&nbsp;

'We want to send a signal against Islamic terror and the misuse of our religion,' said Seyran Ates, one of the mosque's founders

With a mission to spread a liberal form of Islam, a mosque where men and women pray side by side has opened its doors in Berlin, complete with female imams. The Arabic phrase "Allahu Akbar" ('God is greatest') resonated through the crowded Ibn-Rushd-Goethe-Mosque Friday as US-Malaysian Ani Zonneveld, one of the world's few female imams, launched the call to prayer. Then one of the founders of the new place of worship, lawyer and women's rights activist Seyran Ates, opened the event with words of welcome before Christian and Jewish guests and a large media contingent. "We want to send a signal against Islamic terror and the misuse of our religion," said Turkish-born Ates, 54, dressed in a long white robe. "We want to practise our religion together." Ates -- no stranger to breaking taboos, having called for a "sexual revolution" in the Muslim world -- vowed she would not allow ultra-conservatives "to rob me of my right to be Muslim". Kneeling on green carpets, the faithful -- men and women, side by side -- bowed to Mecca for the traditional prayer as the imam spoke in German. Some of the women wore veils or head coverings, others did not. 'Depoliticise' Islam The new mosque, the 88th in the German capital, is located in a rented room on the third floor of the Protestant Johanniskirche (St. John's Church) building. All Muslims -- Sunni or Shia, Alawite or Sufi -- are welcome in the mosque named after one of Germany's greatest writers, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and 12th century Islamic scholar Ibn Rushd, also known as Averroes. The seven founding members said they want to open their prayer hall to all groups, including gays and lesbians. "This mosque allows Muslims to define themselves in a new way," said co-founder and German Islam scholar Abdel-Hakim Ourghi. He added that "we will try to depoliticise Islam", as the religion was being torn by rival political movements. "Because religion is a private matter." Police stood guard outside the entrance of the building. The founders said they had not received any threats or insults, but that they fully expected not everyone would be happy. Time for change Germany, with some four million Muslims, has been the target of jihadist attacks, the deadliest last December when a truck tore through a Berlin Christmas market crowd killing 12 people. The arrival of more than one million refugees, most from mainly Muslim countries, since 2015 has worsened the fears of some Germans. Ates -- who has campaigned against forced marriages, domestic violence and so-called "honour killings" among Muslim migrants -- said the project was eight years in the making. "Many left along the way," she said. "They told us it was dangerous, that they were afraid." Elham Manea, a Swiss political scientist of Yemeni background, said the time had come for change, with other so-called liberal mosques having also opened in the United States, Britain and Switzerland. The Berlin mosque, financed by private donations, is located in the Berlin district of Moabit, which has a large immigrant population. It was in this neighbourhood that Tunisian Anis Amri, the Christmas market attacker, frequented a radical mosque that has since been.

Taboo-breaking liberal mosque opens in Berlin

Fisher died aged 60 on Dec. 27, four days after she became unresponsive on a flight from London to Los Angeles and was rushed to a hospital.

Fisher was a mental health advocate who spoke about her struggles with bipolar disorder and cocaine addiction. Aside from her film work, she was also popular as a writer and humorist and her memoir &quot;The Princess Diarist&quot; was released a few weeks before she died.

The Los Angeles County Coroner&#39;s Office conducted an examination of her body on Dec. 30 and has since found she died of sleep apnea and &quot;other undetermined factors,&quot; the coroner&#39;s statement said.

Fisher also had atherosclerotic heart disease and had used drugs, the statement said, but noted the significance of these factors in relation to her demise had not been ascertained.

A watch commander for the coroner&#39;s office declined to provide additional details on the findings, referring questions to a representative who was not immediately available.

Carrie Fisher came from a Hollywood family, as the daughter of actor Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher.

The day after Carrie Fisher died, Reynolds, who starred in Hollywood musicals such as &quot;Singin&#39; in the Rain,&quot; suffered a stroke and died, aged 84. Eddie Fisher died in 2010.

Born in Beverly Hills, Carrie Fisher got her show business start at age 12 in her mother&#39;s Las Vegas nightclub act. She made her film debut as a teenager in 1975 comedy &quot;Shampoo,&quot; two years before her breakthrough in the first &quot;Star Wars&quot; movie.

Fisher reprised the role in later &quot;Star Wars&quot; sequels, gaining sex symbol status in &quot;Return of the Jedi&quot; in 1983 when her Leia character wore a metallic gold bikini while enslaved by the diabolical Jabba the Hutt.

In the 2015 film &quot;Star Wars: The Force Awakens,&quot; also known as &quot;Episode VII&quot; of the franchise, she appeared again as Leia, who by then had become an astute military general.

After undergoing treatment in the mid-1980s for cocaine addiction, Fisher wrote the bestselling novel &quot;Postcards from the Edge,&quot; about a drug-abusing actress forced to move in with her mother. The book was later adapted into a film starring Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine.

Los Angeles County Coroner's Office conducted an examination of her body on Dec 30 and has since found she died

Fisher died aged 60 on Dec. 27, four days after she became unresponsive on a flight from London to Los Angeles and was rushed to a hospital. Fisher was a mental health advocate who spoke about her struggles with bipolar disorder and cocaine addiction. Aside from her film work, she was also popular as a writer and humorist and her memoir "The Princess Diarist" was released a few weeks before she died. The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office conducted an examination of her body on Dec. 30 and has since found she died of sleep apnea and "other undetermined factors," the coroner's statement said. Fisher also had atherosclerotic heart disease and had used drugs, the statement said, but noted the significance of these factors in relation to her demise had not been ascertained. A watch commander for the coroner's office declined to provide additional details on the findings, referring questions to a representative who was not immediately available. Carrie Fisher came from a Hollywood family, as the daughter of actor Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher. The day after Carrie Fisher died, Reynolds, who starred in Hollywood musicals such as "Singin' in the Rain," suffered a stroke and died, aged 84. Eddie Fisher died in 2010. Born in Beverly Hills, Carrie Fisher got her show business start at age 12 in her mother's Las Vegas nightclub act. She made her film debut as a teenager in 1975 comedy "Shampoo," two years before her breakthrough in the first "Star Wars" movie. Fisher reprised the role in later "Star Wars" sequels, gaining sex symbol status in "Return of the Jedi" in 1983 when her Leia character wore a metallic gold bikini while enslaved by the diabolical Jabba the Hutt. In the 2015 film "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," also known as "Episode VII" of the franchise, she appeared again as Leia, who by then had become an astute military general. After undergoing treatment in the mid-1980s for cocaine addiction, Fisher wrote the bestselling novel "Postcards from the Edge," about a drug-abusing actress forced to move in with her mother. The book was later adapted into a film starring Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine.

Carrie Fisher's death caused by sleep apnea, other factors - coroner

The founder of Sulabh International, Bindeshwar&nbsp;Pathak, has announced that an open defecation-free village in Mewat in Haryana will be named after US President Donald Trump.

Pathak, who made his announcement in the US, said the move would help build good relations with the&nbsp;United States, ANI reported.

Pathak added that the move would draw the attention of the world towards India &#39;s cleanliness campaign &#39;Swacch Bharat Abhiyan&#39;.

One of Sulabh&#39;s -- which is a not-for-profit -- aims is to provide people with toilets.

Sulabh, ANI reported, is currently working in some villages of Mewat to make them open defecation-free.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The move is aimed at helping build good relations with the United States

The founder of Sulabh International, Bindeshwar Pathak, has announced that an open defecation-free village in Mewat in Haryana will be named after US President Donald Trump. Pathak, who made his announcement in the US, said the move would help build good relations with the United States, ANI reported. Pathak added that the move would draw the attention of the world towards India 's cleanliness campaign 'Swacch Bharat Abhiyan'. One of Sulabh's -- which is a not-for-profit -- aims is to provide people with toilets. Sulabh, ANI reported, is currently working in some villages of Mewat to make them open defecation-free.

Cleaning India? Sulabh names Haryana village after Trump

Haryana&#39;s director general of police and the police commissioner of gurugram have been given a month to answer to the notices issued by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over the gang rape of a women. 
&nbsp; 
The NHRC has asked the police chiefs of Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad to explore the possibility of formulating a joint action programme to check crime in the NCR. Their response is expected within six weeks.

The director general of police, Haryana has been directed to inform about the safety measures taken up for the citizens and majorly for womens.

The commission observed that the dejected content of the media had disturbed the general atmosphere of fear, insecurities and pricautionsness is prevailing in the NCR, especially the places like Noida, faridabad, etc. It said that the safety of citizens specially womens and childrens, is one prime duty.&nbsp;

Here are some tweets as people respond&nbsp;to the gang rape.

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Another Gang Rape in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Haryana?src=hash">#Haryana</a>: Woman &#39;gang-raped&#39;, daughter thrown off moving auto in Gurugram !@thetribunechd <a href="https://t.co/aN7reOxiZ0">https://t.co/aN7reOxiZ0</a>?amp=1 <a href="https://t.co/fsTyUyNcSe">pic.twitter.com/fsTyUyNcSe</a>
&mdash; Haryana Tweets ?? (@HaryanaTweets) <a href="https://twitter.com/HaryanaTweets/status/871787434857472002">June 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://t.co/jtcC0v5GC1">https://t.co/jtcC0v5GC1</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gurgaonrape?src=hash">#gurgaonrape</a> again ! Will we always only keep tweeting about these incidents and feel disgusted ????
&mdash; AKRITI KAKAR (@AKRITIMUSIC) <a href="https://twitter.com/AKRITIMUSIC/status/872708290219618305">June 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Criminals kill baby girl, gang rape mother in Gurugram. Time for CBI raid on those reporting &amp; &#39;defaming&#39; BJP govt?<a href="https://t.co/LfoKQlioRx">https://t.co/LfoKQlioRx</a>
&mdash; Samar (@Samar_Anarya) <a href="https://twitter.com/Samar_Anarya/status/871939930737573888">June 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

&nbsp;

NHRC has asked the police chiefs of Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad to explore the possibility of formulating a joint action programme to check crime in the NCR

Haryana's director general of police and the police commissioner of gurugram have been given a month to answer to the notices issued by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over the gang rape of a women. The NHRC has asked the police chiefs of Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad to explore the possibility of formulating a joint action programme to check crime in the NCR. Their response is expected within six weeks. The director general of police, Haryana has been directed to inform about the safety measures taken up for the citizens and majorly for womens. The commission observed that the dejected content of the media had disturbed the general atmosphere of fear, insecurities and pricautionsness is prevailing in the NCR, especially the places like Noida, faridabad, etc. It said that the safety of citizens specially womens and childrens, is one prime duty. Here are some tweets as people respond to the gang rape. Another Gang Rape in #Haryana: Woman 'gang-raped', daughter thrown off moving auto in Gurugram !@thetribunechd https://t.co/aN7reOxiZ0?amp=1 pic.twitter.com/fsTyUyNcSe — Haryana Tweets ?? (@HaryanaTweets) June 5, 2017 × https://t.co/jtcC0v5GC1 #gurgaonrape again ! Will we always only keep tweeting about these incidents and feel disgusted ???? — AKRITI KAKAR (@AKRITIMUSIC) June 8, 2017 × Criminals kill baby girl, gang rape mother in Gurugram. Time for CBI raid on those reporting & 'defaming' BJP govt?https://t.co/LfoKQlioRx — Samar (@Samar_Anarya) June 6, 2017 ×

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over the gang rape: Gurugram

Oil prices edged up on Tuesday, lifted by statements that Saudi Arabia was making significant supply cuts, although rising U S output meant that markets remain well supplied.

Brent crude futures LCOc1 were at $48.52 per barrel at 0510 GMT, up 23 cents, or 0.5 percent, from their last close.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were at $46.27 per barrel, up 19 cents, or 0.4 percent.

Saudi Arabia, the world&#39;s top oil exporter, is leading an effort by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to cut production by almost 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) until the end of the first quarter of 2018 in order to prop up prices. Other countries, including top producer Russia, are also participating.

During the first half of the year, there were doubts over OPEC&#39;s compliance with its own pledges, as supplies remained high.

Saudi officials now say they are making real cuts, including 300,000 bpd to Asia for July, although several Asian refiners said they were still receiving their full allocations.

&quot;Oil attempted to rally... as Saudi Arabia announced cuts to shipments to the United States and Asia,&quot; said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at futures brokerage OANDA in Singapore.

OPEC&#39;s exports have been falling since the start of the cuts in January, although some members such as Libya and Nigeria are exempt from the cuts and there have been doubts over the compliance of others, including Iraq.

Trade data shows that OPEC shipments to customers averaged around 26 million bpd in the last six months of 2016, while they are set to average around 25.3 million bpd in the first half of this year.

Threatening to undermine OPEC&#39;s efforts is rising U.S. drilling activity RIG-OL-USA-BHI, which has driven up output C-OUT-T-EIA in the United States by more than 10 percent since mid-2016, to over 9.3 million bpd.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration says production will rise above 10 million next year, challenging top exporter Saudi Arabia. 
&nbsp; 
Overall, oil markets remain well supplied.

Reflecting the perception that global oil supplies are ample, the Brent forward curve &lt;0#LCO:&gt; remains in a shape known as contango, with crude for delivery in half a year&#39;s time about $1.50 per barrel more expensive than that for immediate delivery, making it attractive for traders to store oil for a later sale.

&quot;Where oil prices go will be determined by the flow of inventory data,&quot; said Greg McKenna, chief market strategist at Australian futures brokerage AxiTrader.

While prices were up on Tuesday, crude has lost 10 percent of its value since late May when OPEC announced it would extend its production cuts.

(Reuters)

Oil attempted to rally... as Saudi Arabia announced cuts to shipments to the United States and Asia,"

Oil prices edged up on Tuesday, lifted by statements that Saudi Arabia was making significant supply cuts, although rising U S output meant that markets remain well supplied. Brent crude futures LCOc1 were at $48.52 per barrel at 0510 GMT, up 23 cents, or 0.5 percent, from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were at $46.27 per barrel, up 19 cents, or 0.4 percent. Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, is leading an effort by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to cut production by almost 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) until the end of the first quarter of 2018 in order to prop up prices. Other countries, including top producer Russia, are also participating. During the first half of the year, there were doubts over OPEC's compliance with its own pledges, as supplies remained high. Saudi officials now say they are making real cuts, including 300,000 bpd to Asia for July, although several Asian refiners said they were still receiving their full allocations. "Oil attempted to rally... as Saudi Arabia announced cuts to shipments to the United States and Asia," said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at futures brokerage OANDA in Singapore. OPEC's exports have been falling since the start of the cuts in January, although some members such as Libya and Nigeria are exempt from the cuts and there have been doubts over the compliance of others, including Iraq. Trade data shows that OPEC shipments to customers averaged around 26 million bpd in the last six months of 2016, while they are set to average around 25.3 million bpd in the first half of this year. Threatening to undermine OPEC's efforts is rising U.S. drilling activity RIG-OL-USA-BHI, which has driven up output C-OUT-T-EIA in the United States by more than 10 percent since mid-2016, to over 9.3 million bpd. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says production will rise above 10 million next year, challenging top exporter Saudi Arabia. Overall, oil markets remain well supplied. Reflecting the perception that global oil supplies are ample, the Brent forward curve <0#LCO:> remains in a shape known as contango, with crude for delivery in half a year's time about $1.50 per barrel more expensive than that for immediate delivery, making it attractive for traders to store oil for a later sale. "Where oil prices go will be determined by the flow of inventory data," said Greg McKenna, chief market strategist at Australian futures brokerage AxiTrader. While prices were up on Tuesday, crude has lost 10 percent of its value since late May when OPEC announced it would extend its production cuts. (Reuters)

Oil prices edged up, Saudi Arabia to cut supplies from Asia and United States

Russian and US experts will meet in the coming days to determine the routes and timing for a total rebel withdrawal from eastern Aleppo, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.

&quot;During the Russian-American consultations the concrete route and timeframe for the withdrawal of all fighters from eastern Aleppo will be agreed upon,&quot; the Russian diplomat said, indicating that the talks in Geneva would likely start on Tuesday or Wednesday.

&quot;As soon as these routes and timeframes are agreed on, a ceasefire can come into effect,&quot; Lavrov said.&nbsp;

The discussions would be based on proposals made by US Secretary of State John Kerry in Rome on Friday, he said. &nbsp;

Russia&#39;s top diplomat also denounced a proposed UN resolution demanding a temporary ceasefire in Aleppo, calling it a &quot;provocative step&quot;.

The UN Security Council will on Monday vote on the resolution, drafted by Egypt, New Zealand and Spain, that calls for a truce of at least seven days.

&quot;Taking into account all aspects and the current development of the situation, the draft resolution -- coming against the backdrop of the Russian-American initiative -- is, for the most part, a provocative step that undermines Russian-American efforts,&quot; Lavrov told a press conference.

Despite concessions by those who drafted the text -- an early version demanded a 10-day truce -- it looks likely Moscow will use its veto to torpedo the measure.

The forces of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and their allies are continuing to advance on Aleppo&#39;s rebel-held districts, after taking control of some 60 percent of the city so far, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights.&nbsp;

Since the start of the Syrian regime&#39;s latest offensive in eastern Aleppo on November 15, at least 311 civilians have been killed, 42 of them children, the Britain-based monitor says. At the same time, rebel fire has killed nearly 70 people in the city&#39;s government-held west.

Russia has been flying air raids in Syria since September 2015, intervening at the request of Assad, Moscow&#39;s longtime ally.

(AFP)

A ceasefire can come into effect once the outline for the total pullout is prepared by the two countries, the Russian foreign minister said

Russian and US experts will meet in the coming days to determine the routes and timing for a total rebel withdrawal from eastern Aleppo, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday. "During the Russian-American consultations the concrete route and timeframe for the withdrawal of all fighters from eastern Aleppo will be agreed upon," the Russian diplomat said, indicating that the talks in Geneva would likely start on Tuesday or Wednesday. "As soon as these routes and timeframes are agreed on, a ceasefire can come into effect," Lavrov said. The discussions would be based on proposals made by US Secretary of State John Kerry in Rome on Friday, he said. Russia's top diplomat also denounced a proposed UN resolution demanding a temporary ceasefire in Aleppo, calling it a "provocative step". The UN Security Council will on Monday vote on the resolution, drafted by Egypt, New Zealand and Spain, that calls for a truce of at least seven days. "Taking into account all aspects and the current development of the situation, the draft resolution -- coming against the backdrop of the Russian-American initiative -- is, for the most part, a provocative step that undermines Russian-American efforts," Lavrov told a press conference. Despite concessions by those who drafted the text -- an early version demanded a 10-day truce -- it looks likely Moscow will use its veto to torpedo the measure. The forces of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and their allies are continuing to advance on Aleppo's rebel-held districts, after taking control of some 60 percent of the city so far, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. Since the start of the Syrian regime's latest offensive in eastern Aleppo on November 15, at least 311 civilians have been killed, 42 of them children, the Britain-based monitor says. At the same time, rebel fire has killed nearly 70 people in the city's government-held west. Russia has been flying air raids in Syria since September 2015, intervening at the request of Assad, Moscow's longtime ally. (AFP)

Russia, US to prepare timescale for rebel withdrawal from Aleppo

US President-elect Donald Trump&nbsp;on Monday&nbsp;chose Ben Carson, the mild-mannered retired neurosurgeon who challenged him for the Republican nomination, to turn around troubled US inner cities as secretary of housing and urban development.

Carson, an African-American who is a religious conservative, has no background in housing policy but has cited his poor childhood in Detroit as a qualification for the job.

He is the first black selected by Trump for his team.

&quot;Ben Carson has a brilliant mind and is passionate about strengthening communities and families within those communities,&quot; Trump said in a statement.

&quot;We have talked at length about my urban renewal agenda and our message of economic revival, very much including our inner cities.&quot;

Carson said: &quot;I feel that I can make a significant contribution particularly by strengthening communities that are most in need.&nbsp;

&quot;We have much work to do in enhancing every aspect of our nation and ensuring that our nation&rsquo;s housing needs are met.&quot;

&quot;I grew up in the inner city,&quot; Carson told Fox News last month. &quot;And have spent a lot of time there. And have dealt with a lot of patients from that area.&quot;

Carson briefly led the Republican presidential pack during the primaries, offering voters an unruffled, slow-talking persona that contrasted sharply with high-decibel slugfest around him.

His bid, which initially gained support among Christian conservatives, ultimately fizzled as he stumbled presenting concrete policies and answering questions about key issues.

The Seventh Day Adventist had presented himself as an alternative to the bombastic Trump, preaching tolerance and compromise but sometimes unleashing blunt rhetoric. These included many references to Nazi Germany, such as his suggestion that Jews would have fared better in the Holocaust had they been armed.

Trump mercilessly mocked him on the campaign trail, accusing Carson of having a &quot;pathological&quot; temper.

Carson nevertheless endorsed the real estate billionaire after withdrawing from the race in March, describing his former rival as &quot;a very intelligent man who cares deeply about America.&quot;

He took Trump on a neighborhood tour of his Detroit hometown in September at a time when the nominee was looking to boost his image with African-American voters.

And he came to Trump&#39;s defence following the release of a 2005 audiotape in which he bragged about groping women.

American Dream

Carson&#39;s history is the epitome of the American dream. The 65-year-old grew up poor, raised by an illiterate mother who married at age 13 but left her bigamist husband.

He developed into a model student, earning a scholarship to Yale University and attending the University of Michigan medical school.

At 33, he became the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University, earning global acclaim in 1987 by performing the first successful separation of twins conjoined at the head.

He retired in 2013 to hit the conservative talk circuit, describing how faith and family values had helped him as a drifting teenager to realize his dream.

He routinely promotes a return to individual responsibility -- a value that led him to denounce the welfare state, which he has warned only traps people in poverty.

&quot;If we continually keep people in a dependent position,&quot; he told conservatives in 2013, &quot;then they&#39;re soon going to lose the drive that is necessary to achieve in our society.&quot;

(Agency)

Ben Carson is the first African-American selected by Trump for his team

US President-elect Donald Trump on Monday chose Ben Carson, the mild-mannered retired neurosurgeon who challenged him for the Republican nomination, to turn around troubled US inner cities as secretary of housing and urban development. Carson, an African-American who is a religious conservative, has no background in housing policy but has cited his poor childhood in Detroit as a qualification for the job. He is the first black selected by Trump for his team. "Ben Carson has a brilliant mind and is passionate about strengthening communities and families within those communities," Trump said in a statement. "We have talked at length about my urban renewal agenda and our message of economic revival, very much including our inner cities." Carson said: "I feel that I can make a significant contribution particularly by strengthening communities that are most in need. "We have much work to do in enhancing every aspect of our nation and ensuring that our nation’s housing needs are met." "I grew up in the inner city," Carson told Fox News last month. "And have spent a lot of time there. And have dealt with a lot of patients from that area." Carson briefly led the Republican presidential pack during the primaries, offering voters an unruffled, slow-talking persona that contrasted sharply with high-decibel slugfest around him. His bid, which initially gained support among Christian conservatives, ultimately fizzled as he stumbled presenting concrete policies and answering questions about key issues. The Seventh Day Adventist had presented himself as an alternative to the bombastic Trump, preaching tolerance and compromise but sometimes unleashing blunt rhetoric. These included many references to Nazi Germany, such as his suggestion that Jews would have fared better in the Holocaust had they been armed. Trump mercilessly mocked him on the campaign trail, accusing Carson of having a "pathological" temper. Carson nevertheless endorsed the real estate billionaire after withdrawing from the race in March, describing his former rival as "a very intelligent man who cares deeply about America." He took Trump on a neighborhood tour of his Detroit hometown in September at a time when the nominee was looking to boost his image with African-American voters. And he came to Trump's defence following the release of a 2005 audiotape in which he bragged about groping women. American Dream Carson's history is the epitome of the American dream. The 65-year-old grew up poor, raised by an illiterate mother who married at age 13 but left her bigamist husband. He developed into a model student, earning a scholarship to Yale University and attending the University of Michigan medical school. At 33, he became the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University, earning global acclaim in 1987 by performing the first successful separation of twins conjoined at the head. He retired in 2013 to hit the conservative talk circuit, describing how faith and family values had helped him as a drifting teenager to realize his dream. He routinely promotes a return to individual responsibility -- a value that led him to denounce the welfare state, which he has warned only traps people in poverty. "If we continually keep people in a dependent position," he told conservatives in 2013, "then they're soon going to lose the drive that is necessary to achieve in our society." (Agency)

Donald Trump picks Ben Carson for housing secretary

According to the World Bank, 59% world&rsquo;s trash is dumped in landfills- out of which almost half is comprised of organic waste. The world&rsquo;s population currently stands at 7.5 billion which adds on to the pressure of waste disposal systems, every year.&nbsp;

Tackling this issue, several countries have started rewarding its citizens for recycling the waste they produce. Some of the most cool ones are:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Australia</li>
</ul>

The city of Sydney launched a trial of two reverse vending machines that gives out rewards for recycling empty plastic bottles and cans. The rewards range from anything like a bus ticket, to a draw to receive passes to the New Year&rsquo;s Eve fireworks and so on.&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Bangkok</li>
</ul>

The country&rsquo;s Bangkok Recycling Program (BRP) is an incentive-based program which brings together communities, local authorities and businesses to work towards a sustainable future. They have a performance tracking system for all recycling efforts.&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Brazil</li>
</ul>

The city of Curitiba have a recycling plan called &lsquo;Garbage that is not garbage&rsquo;, which encourages its citizens to recycle their trash. It rewards citizens with food, books, bus tickets for separating their organic and non-organic waste for waste management systems.&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Singapore</li>
</ul>

The country has an online recycling rewards programme called &lsquo;Grow Your Recycling Incentives Now&rsquo; which collects recyclable trash from flat and property owners in return for redemption points. Every kilogram of recyclable material collected can be used to redeem retail privileges or sponsored gifts. &nbsp;

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PET bottle recycling in Singapore (Others)
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&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Sweden</li>
</ul>

Leading the charge for recycling its waste, Sweden&rsquo;s less than 1% household waste ends up in landfills. They follow a waste-to-energy process which utilises its waste by segregating into hazardous and recyclable type. It is then sent to waste management systems to produce energy. Sweden currently imports almost 800,000 tons of waste from neighbouring countries to process it into energy.&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>The United States</li>
</ul>

The program Cans for Cash organises a contest encouraging municipalities across the nation to promote recycling practices within communities. The program offers cash prizes ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 for communities with the best efforts.

<ul>
	<li>United Kingdom</li>
</ul>

Local governments help families recycle by offering incentives like cash prizes and shopping vouchers. In Dover and Shepway, they have introduced a &lsquo;reverse vending machine&rsquo; that distributes rewards in exchange for recycling.

&nbsp;

(Contributed by: Zeba Khan)

Cash prizes, shopping vouchers and loyalty points are just some ways the countries have started rewarding its citizens for recycling trash

According to the World Bank, 59% world’s trash is dumped in landfills- out of which almost half is comprised of organic waste. The world’s population currently stands at 7.5 billion which adds on to the pressure of waste disposal systems, every year. Tackling this issue, several countries have started rewarding its citizens for recycling the waste they produce. Some of the most cool ones are: Australia The city of Sydney launched a trial of two reverse vending machines that gives out rewards for recycling empty plastic bottles and cans. The rewards range from anything like a bus ticket, to a draw to receive passes to the New Year’s Eve fireworks and so on. Bangkok The country’s Bangkok Recycling Program (BRP) is an incentive-based program which brings together communities, local authorities and businesses to work towards a sustainable future. They have a performance tracking system for all recycling efforts. Brazil The city of Curitiba have a recycling plan called ‘Garbage that is not garbage’, which encourages its citizens to recycle their trash. It rewards citizens with food, books, bus tickets for separating their organic and non-organic waste for waste management systems. Singapore The country has an online recycling rewards programme called ‘Grow Your Recycling Incentives Now’ which collects recyclable trash from flat and property owners in return for redemption points. Every kilogram of recyclable material collected can be used to redeem retail privileges or sponsored gifts. PET bottle recycling in Singapore (Others) × Sweden Leading the charge for recycling its waste, Sweden’s less than 1% household waste ends up in landfills. They follow a waste-to-energy process which utilises its waste by segregating into hazardous and recyclable type. It is then sent to waste management systems to produce energy. Sweden currently imports almost 800,000 tons of waste from neighbouring countries to process it into energy. The United States The program Cans for Cash organises a contest encouraging municipalities across the nation to promote recycling practices within communities. The program offers cash prizes ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 for communities with the best efforts. United Kingdom Local governments help families recycle by offering incentives like cash prizes and shopping vouchers. In Dover and Shepway, they have introduced a ‘reverse vending machine’ that distributes rewards in exchange for recycling. (Contributed by: Zeba Khan)

How countries around the world reward their citizens for recycling

To make it easy for Muslims to identify halal products, Ikiam along with the Malaysian Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) is designing a logo that will carry a &lsquo;Made by Muslims&rsquo; stamp. The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia already has an official halal logo for products made within the country, but now wants to create a revised logo that states whether the products were also made in a halal environment. Unlike popular belief, the concept of halal covers more than just food and beverages, it also includes cosmetics and toiletries.

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This picture shows the entrance of a halal butchery in Lille, northern France. (AFP)
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The Malaysian Institute of International Islamic Corporation (Ikiam) is an organisation that works to help entrepreneurs of Malaysia capitalise on the global halal market. Halal is an Arabic term for something that is permissible within the ambit of Islam. Muslims around the world are governed by this rule, which defines what is officially allowed for consumption. For example, pork and its by-products along with alcohol are forbidden for Muslims. According to the Halal Research Council, the global halal food market is worth US$580,915 and is growing substantially every year.

Malaysia is a big contributor to the halal market. It, in fact, launched the first halal compliant airline in 2015. All meals on Rayani Air are halal and alcohol consumption is completely prohibited. The airline, however, shut down recently due to issues of negligence. 
&nbsp;

(Contributed by: Zeba Khan)

The new logo will authenticate products made under a halal environment

To make it easy for Muslims to identify halal products, Ikiam along with the Malaysian Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) is designing a logo that will carry a ‘Made by Muslims’ stamp. The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia already has an official halal logo for products made within the country, but now wants to create a revised logo that states whether the products were also made in a halal environment. Unlike popular belief, the concept of halal covers more than just food and beverages, it also includes cosmetics and toiletries. This picture shows the entrance of a halal butchery in Lille, northern France. (AFP) × The Malaysian Institute of International Islamic Corporation (Ikiam) is an organisation that works to help entrepreneurs of Malaysia capitalise on the global halal market. Halal is an Arabic term for something that is permissible within the ambit of Islam. Muslims around the world are governed by this rule, which defines what is officially allowed for consumption. For example, pork and its by-products along with alcohol are forbidden for Muslims. According to the Halal Research Council, the global halal food market is worth US$580,915 and is growing substantially every year. Malaysia is a big contributor to the halal market. It, in fact, launched the first halal compliant airline in 2015. All meals on Rayani Air are halal and alcohol consumption is completely prohibited. The airline, however, shut down recently due to issues of negligence. (Contributed by: Zeba Khan)

'Made by Muslims': A new label in town

In recent years, offering citizenship or permanent residencies has grown to become a lucrative business opportunity for countries. With more and more countries joining the list of those that offer immediate citizenship, people have a chance at moving beyond borders, more than a tourist.

Here is a list of countries that sell their citizenship, if you have the money to buy it:

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Countries and their citizenship program (Table) (WION)
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<ul>
	<li>Bulgaria</li>
</ul>

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A pedestrian walks past a puddle near a tree decorated with Christmas lights in Sofia, Bulgaria (AFP)
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Allows: Visa-free travel to 153 countries 
The country ties up your cash for 5 years interest free. It will take two years to get the passport and you will be required to visit Bulgaria twice. Residence is granted only after a clean background check. Bulgaria is only one of two countries where the principal amount can be returned to you.

<ul>
	<li>Hungary</li>
</ul>

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Sz&eacute;chenyi Chain Bridge, Budapest, Hungary (Others)
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Allows: Visa-free travel to 152 countries 
It has one of the fastest application processes, which can be completed within 30 days. It is a guaranteed investment plan that can be returned after 5 years. The passport gives free movement throughout Europe&#39;s Schengen zone.

<ul>
	<li>St. Lucia</li>
</ul>

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St Lucia, Caribbean Island (Others)
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Allows: Visa-free travel to 121 countries and 180 days in the Schengen area 
Instead of paying the amount, you could also invest $550,000 and get a passport immediately. The capital will be returned in 5 years. &nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Cyprus</li>
</ul>

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Paphos castle at night in Cyprus (Others)
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Allows: Visa-free travel to 166 countries 
Cyprus is the third smallest nation in the European Union. It started its citizenship program after the country faced a severe economic recession in 2013.&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Dominica</li>
</ul>

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Typical landscape near the sea along the eastern coast of Dominica (Others)
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Allows: Visa-free travel to 91 countries 
It is the least expensive of all the passports in this list.

<ul>
	<li>Antigua and Barbuda</li>
</ul>

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Antigua, Carlisle Bay, Caribbean (Others)
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Allows: Visa-free travel to 132 countries

<ul>
	<li>St. Kitts and Nevis</li>
</ul>

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View of St. Kitts from a ship on the coast (Others)
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Allows: Visa-free travel to 132 countries, which includes Brazil as the latest addition 
St. Kitts and Nevis recorded the highest number of passport sales in the last year. Just pay the money or invest in property and you will be given a passport without even a visit.&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Grenada</li>
</ul>

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Grenada (Others)
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Allows: Visa-free travel to 110 countries 
It is the second passport on this list apart from St. Kitts that is not necessarily on everyone&rsquo;s radar and where transaction can be completed in private.

In many nations, foreigners can now purchase citizenship legitimately in return for an investment. There are, however, two forms of residency programs - one that is immediate and one that entails &ldquo;staying for a minimum period of time.&rdquo;&nbsp;The recent spurt&nbsp;in the number of applications&nbsp;for residency in&nbsp;these countries has&nbsp;proven that people are increasingly&nbsp;keen to move and experience a new life in places that might be far removed from their countries of birth. This works well for these host countries too, as the influx of foreign money helps build their infrastructure and economies.&nbsp;

(Contributed by: Zeba Khan)

Writing one cheque can give you a new identity and visa-free travel to more than 100 countries around the world

In recent years, offering citizenship or permanent residencies has grown to become a lucrative business opportunity for countries. With more and more countries joining the list of those that offer immediate citizenship, people have a chance at moving beyond borders, more than a tourist. Here is a list of countries that sell their citizenship, if you have the money to buy it: Countries and their citizenship program (Table) (WION) × Bulgaria A pedestrian walks past a puddle near a tree decorated with Christmas lights in Sofia, Bulgaria (AFP) × Allows: Visa-free travel to 153 countries The country ties up your cash for 5 years interest free. It will take two years to get the passport and you will be required to visit Bulgaria twice. Residence is granted only after a clean background check. Bulgaria is only one of two countries where the principal amount can be returned to you. Hungary Széchenyi Chain Bridge, Budapest, Hungary (Others) × Allows: Visa-free travel to 152 countries It has one of the fastest application processes, which can be completed within 30 days. It is a guaranteed investment plan that can be returned after 5 years. The passport gives free movement throughout Europe's Schengen zone. St. Lucia St Lucia, Caribbean Island (Others) × Allows: Visa-free travel to 121 countries and 180 days in the Schengen area Instead of paying the amount, you could also invest $550,000 and get a passport immediately. The capital will be returned in 5 years. Cyprus Paphos castle at night in Cyprus (Others) × Allows: Visa-free travel to 166 countries Cyprus is the third smallest nation in the European Union. It started its citizenship program after the country faced a severe economic recession in 2013. Dominica Typical landscape near the sea along the eastern coast of Dominica (Others) × Allows: Visa-free travel to 91 countries It is the least expensive of all the passports in this list. Antigua and Barbuda Antigua, Carlisle Bay, Caribbean (Others) × Allows: Visa-free travel to 132 countries St. Kitts and Nevis View of St. Kitts from a ship on the coast (Others) × Allows: Visa-free travel to 132 countries, which includes Brazil as the latest addition St. Kitts and Nevis recorded the highest number of passport sales in the last year. Just pay the money or invest in property and you will be given a passport without even a visit. Grenada Grenada (Others) × Allows: Visa-free travel to 110 countries It is the second passport on this list apart from St. Kitts that is not necessarily on everyone’s radar and where transaction can be completed in private. In many nations, foreigners can now purchase citizenship legitimately in return for an investment. There are, however, two forms of residency programs - one that is immediate and one that entails “staying for a minimum period of time.” The recent spurt in the number of applications for residency in these countries has proven that people are increasingly keen to move and experience a new life in places that might be far removed from their countries of birth. This works well for these host countries too, as the influx of foreign money helps build their infrastructure and economies. (Contributed by: Zeba Khan)

These 8 countries sell their citizenship. Any takers?

What if I told you that some countries are separated by...barely anything.&nbsp;Going from one country to another&nbsp;is literally&nbsp;like crossing the&nbsp;street. Sometimes, rather than a brief border&nbsp;void,&nbsp;something quirky falls on the line straddling the two&nbsp;countries, highlighting the casual relations between them.

Scroll down for some of the most porous&nbsp;and interesting international borders:&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Norway and Sweden:</li>
</ul>

Blanketed with ice and dense forests, Norway and Sweden have a lot in common. In the above picture, the border trail in the middle divides the two countries, with Norway on the right and Sweden on the left. Adventure travellers use the area to race&nbsp;snowmobiles. This is not the only quirky border the two share:&nbsp;in&nbsp;other places there are&nbsp;walkways with basically only chalk lines&nbsp;dividing&nbsp;the&nbsp;two countries, such as in the&nbsp;picture below.&nbsp;

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Norway-Sweden border (Twitter)
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Norway-Sweden border (Twitter)
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&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Netherlands and Belgium:&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

A quaint little town of Baarle falls both in Netherlands and Belgium. It means that the town is essentially split in two, with the Belgium side officially recognised as Baarle-Hertog and the side in Netherlands, recognised as Baarle-Nassau. There are places where buildings and&nbsp;cafes&nbsp;fall&nbsp;within both&nbsp;countries.&nbsp;

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Belgium-Netherlands border through a cafe (Twitter)
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&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Ethiopia and Somalialand:</li>
</ul>

The inhabitants of these countries must get along pretty well. The two neighbours are literally divided by only a string that signifies its border.&nbsp;

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Ethiopia-Somalia border (Twitter)
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&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Russia and the United States:&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Little is known about the Diomede Islands,&nbsp;situated between mainland Alaska and Siberia, that fall under both&nbsp;Russian and&nbsp;American territory. They are&nbsp;2.4 miles apart from one another;&nbsp;the Big Diomede is&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;while the&nbsp;Little Diomede is a part of the&nbsp;US. Time-wise, the Russian island is 21 hours ahead of the American island.

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Diomede Islands (Twitter)
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&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Spain and Portugal:</li>
</ul>

The European countries have a zipline that people can take&nbsp;in&nbsp;Spain and&nbsp;land in Portugal. Littles less than half a mile long, anyone wanting to enter Portugal from Spain can look forward to one of the most exciting ways to travel. And the best is you gain an hour&rsquo;s time, as the latter falls in a different time zone.&nbsp;

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Spain-Portugal border (Twitter)
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&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>United States and Mexico:</li>
</ul>

Bordering countries America&nbsp;and Mexico have a road running between them, and this road has&nbsp;a very stark contrast on either side.&nbsp;While the American side is&nbsp;largely&nbsp;barren, the Mexican side is&nbsp;bustling&nbsp;with buildings and industry.&nbsp;

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United States-Mexico border (Twitter)
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&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>United States and Canada:</li>
</ul>

The countries share the world&rsquo;s longest border, which covers all possible biodiversity. The border runs through the town of Derby Line which splits some buildings in&nbsp;half. Thick forest cover is carefully cleared out every year to make way for a distinguishable boundary between the two nations. The process is called Slash which is a treeless zone, 20 feet wide.&nbsp;

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United States- Canada border (Twitter)
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&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Poland and Ukraine:</li>
</ul>

The two countries Poland and Ukraine share a peaceful border where the artist Jaroslaw Koziara has designed two fishes in a unique manner on the grasslands. It symbolises the unity they share.

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Poland-Ukraine border (Twitter)
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&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Argentina/Paraguay/Brazil:</li>
</ul>

The three South American nations share a natural border. The Parana River and Iguazu River&nbsp;splitt&nbsp;the three countries right where the landmasses&nbsp;meet.

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Parana and Iguazu Rivers borders between Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. (Twitter)
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&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Argentina and Chile:</li>
</ul>

A statue of Jesus known as Christ the Redeemer of the Andes&nbsp;was put up in 1904 to signify peace between the two South American countries. There is also The Eyes of the Salt Flat, a natural miracle on the border between Argentina and Chile.

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&#39;Christ the Redeemer of the Andes&#39; statue at the Argentina and Chile border (Twitter)
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&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Germany and the Netherlands:</li>
</ul>

Germany and Netherlands have a unique border where one&nbsp;building is a part of each country. There is&nbsp;literally a dividing line in the middle of the floor, serving as a national border. So on one side&nbsp;you have a German mailbox and a German policeman, and on the other&nbsp;a Dutch mailbox and a&nbsp;Dutch policeman.

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Germany-Netherlands border through a building (Twitter)
</div>
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&nbsp;

Are you planning on packing your bags to check them out? I feel like doing so!

(Contributed by: Zeba Khan)

Take one step towards left or right and you will be in a different country

What if I told you that some countries are separated by...barely anything. Going from one country to another is literally like crossing the street. Sometimes, rather than a brief border void, something quirky falls on the line straddling the two countries, highlighting the casual relations between them. Scroll down for some of the most porous and interesting international borders: Norway and Sweden: Blanketed with ice and dense forests, Norway and Sweden have a lot in common. In the above picture, the border trail in the middle divides the two countries, with Norway on the right and Sweden on the left. Adventure travellers use the area to race snowmobiles. This is not the only quirky border the two share: in other places there are walkways with basically only chalk lines dividing the two countries, such as in the picture below. Norway-Sweden border (Twitter) × Norway-Sweden border (Twitter) × Netherlands and Belgium: A quaint little town of Baarle falls both in Netherlands and Belgium. It means that the town is essentially split in two, with the Belgium side officially recognised as Baarle-Hertog and the side in Netherlands, recognised as Baarle-Nassau. There are places where buildings and cafes fall within both countries. Belgium-Netherlands border through a cafe (Twitter) × Ethiopia and Somalialand: The inhabitants of these countries must get along pretty well. The two neighbours are literally divided by only a string that signifies its border. Ethiopia-Somalia border (Twitter) × Russia and the United States: Little is known about the Diomede Islands, situated between mainland Alaska and Siberia, that fall under both Russian and American territory. They are 2.4 miles apart from one another; the Big Diomede is Russian while the Little Diomede is a part of the US. Time-wise, the Russian island is 21 hours ahead of the American island. Diomede Islands (Twitter) × Spain and Portugal: The European countries have a zipline that people can take in Spain and land in Portugal. Littles less than half a mile long, anyone wanting to enter Portugal from Spain can look forward to one of the most exciting ways to travel. And the best is you gain an hour’s time, as the latter falls in a different time zone. Spain-Portugal border (Twitter) × United States and Mexico: Bordering countries America and Mexico have a road running between them, and this road has a very stark contrast on either side. While the American side is largely barren, the Mexican side is bustling with buildings and industry. United States-Mexico border (Twitter) × United States and Canada: The countries share the world’s longest border, which covers all possible biodiversity. The border runs through the town of Derby Line which splits some buildings in half. Thick forest cover is carefully cleared out every year to make way for a distinguishable boundary between the two nations. The process is called Slash which is a treeless zone, 20 feet wide. United States- Canada border (Twitter) × Poland and Ukraine: The two countries Poland and Ukraine share a peaceful border where the artist Jaroslaw Koziara has designed two fishes in a unique manner on the grasslands. It symbolises the unity they share. Poland-Ukraine border (Twitter) × Argentina/Paraguay/Brazil: The three South American nations share a natural border. The Parana River and Iguazu River splitt the three countries right where the landmasses meet. Parana and Iguazu Rivers borders between Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. (Twitter) × Argentina and Chile: A statue of Jesus known as Christ the Redeemer of the Andes was put up in 1904 to signify peace between the two South American countries. There is also The Eyes of the Salt Flat, a natural miracle on the border between Argentina and Chile. 'Christ the Redeemer of the Andes' statue at the Argentina and Chile border (Twitter) × Germany and the Netherlands: Germany and Netherlands have a unique border where one building is a part of each country. There is literally a dividing line in the middle of the floor, serving as a national border. So on one side you have a German mailbox and a German policeman, and on the other a Dutch mailbox and a Dutch policeman. Germany-Netherlands border through a building (Twitter) × Are you planning on packing your bags to check them out? I feel like doing so! (Contributed by: Zeba Khan)

Most insane country borders you never knew existed

Pope Francis said today that a string of recent attacks, including the murder of a priest in Normandy, France yesterday was proof that the &quot;world is at war&quot;. 
 
However, speaking to reporters aboard a plane taking him to Poland, the pope said he was not talking about a war of religion, but rather one of domination of peoples and economic interests. 
 
&quot;The word that is being repeated often is insecurity, but the real word is war,&quot; he said in brief comments to reporters while flying to southern Poland for a five-day visit. 
 
&quot;Let&#39;s recognise it. The world is in a state of war in bits and pieces,&quot; he said, adding that the attacks could be seen as another world war, specifically mentioning World War One and Two. 
 
&quot;Now there is this one (war). It is perhaps not organic but it is organised and it is war,&quot; he said. &quot;We should not be afraid to speak this truth. The world is at war because it has lost peace.&quot; 
 
About 15 minutes later, after greeting journalists individually, Francis took the microphone again and said he wanted &quot;to clarify&quot; that he was not referring to a war of religion. 
 
&quot;Not a war of religion. There is a war of interests. There is a war for money. There is a war for natural resources. There is a war for domination of peoples. This is the war,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;All religions want peace. Others want war. Do you understand?&quot; he said. 
 
He called Jacques Hamel, the priest forced to his knees by Islamist militants on Tuesday who then slit his throat, &quot;a saintly priest&quot;, but said he was just one of many innocent victims. 
 
He thanked the many people around the world who have sent their condolences over the killing of Father Hamel, particularly French President Francois Hollande, who spoke to the Pope on Tuesday. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Pope insisted that he was not talking about a war of religion, but rather one of domination of peoples and economic interests

Pope Francis said today that a string of recent attacks, including the murder of a priest in Normandy, France yesterday was proof that the "world is at war". However, speaking to reporters aboard a plane taking him to Poland, the pope said he was not talking about a war of religion, but rather one of domination of peoples and economic interests. "The word that is being repeated often is insecurity, but the real word is war," he said in brief comments to reporters while flying to southern Poland for a five-day visit. "Let's recognise it. The world is in a state of war in bits and pieces," he said, adding that the attacks could be seen as another world war, specifically mentioning World War One and Two. "Now there is this one (war). It is perhaps not organic but it is organised and it is war," he said. "We should not be afraid to speak this truth. The world is at war because it has lost peace." About 15 minutes later, after greeting journalists individually, Francis took the microphone again and said he wanted "to clarify" that he was not referring to a war of religion. "Not a war of religion. There is a war of interests. There is a war for money. There is a war for natural resources. There is a war for domination of peoples. This is the war," he said. "All religions want peace. Others want war. Do you understand?" he said. He called Jacques Hamel, the priest forced to his knees by Islamist militants on Tuesday who then slit his throat, "a saintly priest", but said he was just one of many innocent victims. He thanked the many people around the world who have sent their condolences over the killing of Father Hamel, particularly French President Francois Hollande, who spoke to the Pope on Tuesday. (Reuters)

Pope Francis: Attacks show 'world is at war', religion not to blame

President Erdogan issued an official statement on the terror attack that took place at Istanbul&#39;s Atat?rk Airport, which killed at least 41 and injured 230.&nbsp;In it he said: 
 
&ldquo;This attack once again revealed the dark face of terrorist organisations targeting innocent civilians. It is obvious that this attack does not aim to attain any results, but merely aims to produce propaganda material against our country by shedding the blood of and causing pain for innocent civilians. 
 
&ldquo;We urge governments, parliaments, media and civil society organizations around the world, especially in Western countries, to take a firm stand against terrorism.&rdquo; 
 
Erdogan emphasised the international nature of terrorism, saying that it could have happened anywhere. He called on the&nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;However, I would like to remind that today&#39;s attack targeted not only 79 million Turkish citizens, but also 7.5 billion human beings around the world. Due to the treacherous nature of terrorism, the bombs that exploded in Istanbul today could have gone off at any airport in any city around the world. Make no mistake: For terrorist organisations, there is no difference between Istanbul and London, Ankara and Berlin, Izmir and Chicago or Antalya and Rome. Unless all government and the entire mankind join forces in the fight against terrorism, much worse things than what we fear to imagine today will come true.&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;I hope the Ataturk Airport attack will serve as a turning point in the world, particularly for the Western countries, for a joint struggle against terror organizations.&rdquo; 
 
More updates will follow as reports from Turkey come in. 
 
(Others)

Erdogan calls on the world to band together against terrorism

President Erdogan issued an official statement on the terror attack that took place at Istanbul's Atat?rk Airport, which killed at least 41 and injured 230. In it he said: “This attack once again revealed the dark face of terrorist organisations targeting innocent civilians. It is obvious that this attack does not aim to attain any results, but merely aims to produce propaganda material against our country by shedding the blood of and causing pain for innocent civilians. “We urge governments, parliaments, media and civil society organizations around the world, especially in Western countries, to take a firm stand against terrorism.” Erdogan emphasised the international nature of terrorism, saying that it could have happened anywhere. He called on the “However, I would like to remind that today's attack targeted not only 79 million Turkish citizens, but also 7.5 billion human beings around the world. Due to the treacherous nature of terrorism, the bombs that exploded in Istanbul today could have gone off at any airport in any city around the world. Make no mistake: For terrorist organisations, there is no difference between Istanbul and London, Ankara and Berlin, Izmir and Chicago or Antalya and Rome. Unless all government and the entire mankind join forces in the fight against terrorism, much worse things than what we fear to imagine today will come true.” “I hope the Ataturk Airport attack will serve as a turning point in the world, particularly for the Western countries, for a joint struggle against terror organizations.” More updates will follow as reports from Turkey come in. (Others)

Turkey's President makes official statement after deadly airport attack

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