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Global Finance Officials Pledge to Lift World Economy Out of Slowdown

Loknath Das

(WASHINGTON) — Global finance officials are pledging closer cooperation in efforts to lift the world economy out its current slowdown, but tensions persist on a number of fronts between the United States and other nations over trade and other issues. Officials wrapped up the spring meetings of the 189-nation International Monetary Fund and the World Bank on Saturday, expressing hope the slowdown that began last year will be followed by stronger growth in the second half of this year and into 2020. The IMF’s steering committee said all members, in…

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Obama’s Important Message About The Future Of Travel

Loknath Das

Former US President Barack Obama speaking at the 2019 World Travel and Tourism Council’s Global Summit in Seville, Spain WORLD TRAVEL AND TOURISM COUNCIL When he was in his early 20s, a young Barack Obama visited Europe for the first time. He fondly remembers traveling alone, riding an overnight bus from Madrid to Barcelona, sharing a baguette with a fellow traveler who, in turn, shared his wine. They didn’t speak the same language, but it was that simple, human interaction that reinforced the fact that people around the world are…

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RBI to set up panel on development of housing finance securitisation market

Loknath Das

The Reserve Bank of India, on Thursday, announced that it will soon set up a committee to assess the state of housing finance securitisation market in the country. The move is aimed at bringing in standardisation of asset securitisation practices to enable better management of credit and liquidity risks. The committee, which will be announced soon, will also study the best international practices, and lessons learnt from the global financial financial crisis. It will propose measures to further develop these markets in India by identifying critical steps required, such as…

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[Validity Of Finance Act 2017- Day-3] Majority Judgment In Aadhaar Case Covers My Case, Submits AG As Constitution Bench Reserves Judgment

Loknath Das

As Attorney General K. K. Venugopal resumed his submissions on the constitutionality of the passage as a Money Bill of the Finance Act of 2017 on Monday, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi asked for a copy of the Supreme Court’s order in Rajiv Garg, where the court had considered whether different conditions of service could be prescribed for different tribunals. In that case, the court had taken on record the assurance of the then-AG to speak with the different ministries as to uniformity in the retirement, functional facilities and accommodation of…

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Adaptation Finance Update: Number of Climate Adaptation Projects Increases, So Must Their Quality

Loknath Das

According to the Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6), launched at the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-4), climate adaptation programmes have not effectively dealt with multiple slow and rapid onset hazards, such as floods, droughts, tropical cyclones and sea level rise. Instead of addressing the underlying causes of vulnerability, they are often undertaken through sectoral programmes in, for example, agriculture, health and disaster management. Less than 5% of global climate finance is spent on adaptation, and less than 1% goes to coastal protection, infrastructure and disaster risk management (DRM)….

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2019-20 to be year of construction technology: PM

Loknath Das

In a bid to increase the use of modern technology in the construction sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Saturday announced the 2019-2020 as the year of construction technology. Speaking at the Construction Technology India 2019, PM said, “India is among those nations where the demand for housing is growing at a rapid pace. To meet this demand and increase the use of modern technology I am declaring April 2019 to March 2020 as the construction technology year”. A home is as much about security and dignity as it…

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China bans 23m from buying travel tickets as part of ‘social credit’ system

Loknath Das

Beijing railway station. Local governments and agencies have been piloting aspects of the system. Photograph: Roman Pilipey/EPA China has blocked millions of “discredited” travellers from buying plane or train tickets as part of the country’s controversial “social credit” system aimed at improving the behaviour of citizens. According to the National Public Credit Information Centre, Chinese courts banned would-be travellers from buying flights 17.5 million times by the end of 2018. Citizens placed on black lists for social credit offences were prevented from buying train tickets 5.5 million times. The report released…

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Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards of 2019

Loknath Das

While 2018 was a jam packed year of new and improved credit card offerings, limited time award sales and countless other valuable deals, 2019 hasn’t skipped a beat. From the incredible Cathay Pacific first class mistake fare that started the year off to the limited time Southwest Companion Pass welcome bonus on a number of Chase cards, it’s been a busy couple of weeks. If you’re in the market for a new travel rewards card and haven’t quite found one that suits your needs, here are my top picks for 2019 including a…

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Paytm Expands Its Travel Biz With Acquisition Of NightStay

Loknath Das

Noida-headquartered digital payments company Paytm has strengthened its travel business with the acquisition of Noida-based last-minute hotel booking app, NightStay for an undisclosed amount. The confirmation of acquisition comes nearly six months after reports surfaced thatPaytm may acquire NightStay for $20 Mn (INR 142 Cr). After the acquisition, NightStay founder Nasr Khan will lead the hotel-booking services at Paytm. NightStay: Why It Aligns With Paytm? Founded by Nasr Khan in December 2014, NightStay offers hotels an open and flexible option to provide flash accessibility on its app. Hoteliers can make their…

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The application of space technology to solving problems on earth

Loknath Das

Fitness trackers, satellite navigation and bathers which let you swim faster all owe their origins to the space program. NASA technology specialist Dr Christyl Johnson says there are many positive spinoffs from an investment in space. With Australia’s new space agency we also have an opportunity to get on board the mission to Mars. Recorded 24 July 2018 Hybrid World Adelaide Conference Speaker Dr Christyl Johnson Deputy Director Technology and Research Investments Goddard Space Flight Centre. [“source=abc.net.au”]

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