On August 24, the Italian weekly magazine Panorama published an article denouncing the barbaric practice of organ harvesting that China performs at an industrial pace…reports Asian Lite News
Italy, the first major Western power that joined the Belt and Road Initiative in March 2019 is facing the brunt of Chinese propaganda after it insulted Italian weekly magazine Panorama for publishing an article on organ harvesting.
Marco Respinti, writing in Bitter Winter, a magazine on religious liberty and human rights said that the long arm of the Chinese Communist Party is trying to influence the life of democratic nations.
On August 24, the Italian weekly magazine Panorama published an article denouncing the barbaric practice of organ harvesting that China performs at an industrial pace. On August 28, the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in Italy published a reply on its own website.
The Embassy accused Panorama of defamation and plagiarism, expressing its “severe condemnation.” It stated that China is based on the rule of law and that Chinese laws prohibit selling human organs and performing illegal transplants, adding that all surgical operations of that kind are based on voluntary donations of organs.
The Embassy continued, that forcible human harvesting is only a “rumour” that has been “fabricated ad hoc by the heretic cult ‘Falun Gong’ and others anti-Chinese forces” to “create Sinophobia and deceive the international community.”
The Embassy added, “As everyone knows, ‘Falun Gong’ is an anti-human anti-social cult, which destroyed countless families and a long time ago was banned by the Chinese government, according to its laws.”
After its media became a colony of the CCP propaganda, Italy is now a country where a foreign embassy can dare to offend mainline media, which goes beyond any normal diplomatic practice, said Respinti.
Panorama replied in turn, affirming that the content of its article on human harvesting was documented through data published in peer-reviewed medical periodicals. So, the Italian magazine quotes its sources, but the Chinese Embassy in Italy doesn’t. The only source for the serious offences uttered by the Chinese Embassy in Italy is the Chinese Embassy in Italy.
For the Chinese Embassy in Italy what Panorama wrote, using identified sources, is fake because the Chinese Embassy in Italy says it is fake, and readers should be happy with it, reported Bitter Winter.
The abuses perpetrated by the CCP on religious groups, ethnic minorities, dissidents and all those the regime doesn’t like are abundantly documented for years in thousands of pages, have been reviewed by international organizations and independent researchers, have been acknowledged by parliaments, and are presented daily, among others, also by Bitter Winter.
Yet the mouthpiece of the CCP in Italy calls everyone a liar without giving a single proof. It is surely a sign of CCP’s weakness and desperation, but a democratic country like Italy should not tolerate this outrageous behaviour, said Respinti. (ANI)
The UN report calls on the Government to immediately end the reliance on draconian security laws and crackdowns on peaceful protest…reports Asian Lite News
Sri Lanka’s new Government should embark on a national dialogue to advance human rights and reconciliation, a UN report urged on Tuesday, calling for accountability and deeper institutional reforms to prevent a recurrence of past violations.
According to the UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR), the report acknowledges that Sri Lanka is at a critical juncture in its political life, and is in the midst of a serious economic crisis which has severely impacted the human rights of all communities and people of all walks of life. This has spurred broad-based demands by Sri Lankans from all communities for deeper reforms and accountability, and gives the Government a fresh opportunity to steer the country on a new path.
For sustainable improvements to take place, however, it is vital to recognise and address the underlying factors which have contributed to the economic crisis, including embedded impunity for past and present human rights violations, economic crimes and endemic corruption, OHCHR said.
“Fundamental changes will be required to address the current challenges and to avoid repetition of the human rights violations of the past,” said a report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The report calls on the Government to immediately end the reliance on draconian security laws and crackdowns on peaceful protest, reverse the drift towards militarisation and show renewed commitment to, and deliver on, security sector reform and ending impunity.
While the security forces recently showed considerable restraint in response to mass protests, the Government has since taken a harder line approach, arresting some student leaders under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and violently suppressing peaceful protests. A heavily militarised environment and surveillance culture also continue in the north and east of the country.
The report urged the new Government to re-launch a victim-centred strategy on transitional justice and accountability, with a time-bound plan to implement outstanding commitments, including taking steps in relation to the establishment of a credible truth-seeking mechanism and an ad hoc special court.
Expressing concern about the lack of progress to establish the truth about the Easter Sunday bombings in 2019, the report also calls for a follow-up independent and transparent investigation, with international assistance and the full participation of victims and their representatives, to pursue further lines of inquiry.
“The Sri Lankan State, including through successive governments, has consistently failed to pursue an effective transitional justice process to hold perpetrators of gross human rights violations and abuses accountable and uphold victims’ rights to truth, justice and reparations,” the report states.
“Rather, they have created political obstacles to accountability, and actively promoted and incorporated some military officials credibly implicated in alleged war crimes into the highest levels of government.”
In the absence of progress towards accountability at the national level, the report urges other States to cooperate in accountability efforts, including by using available avenues of extraterritorial and universal jurisdiction, to investigate and prosecute crimes under international law committed in Sri Lanka.
Additionally, the report urges States to explore further measures targeting those who are credibly alleged to have been responsible for gross violations and abuses of international human rights law or serious violations of international humanitarian law.
The report outlined the progress of the OHCHR work on accountability, pursuant to Council resolution 46/1, and calls for reinforcement of its capacity.
Lanka’s weak regulatory frameworks
As the debt crisis continues to grip the island nation of Sri Lanka, the root cause of problems behind the loans lent by China are weak regulatory frameworks in the country and weak circumspection exercised by politicians and public officials in making decisions, a research media release said.
Media reports partly blame China and its lending practices, for Sri Lanka’s debt crisis, said a Verite Research media release.
It said: The publication titled: “The Lure of Chinese Loans: Sri Lanka’s experiment with a special framework to finance its infrastructure” sheds light on the perils of creating frameworks to facilitate deviations from competitive bidding to tap into concessional export credit from emerging economies such as China, Sri Lanka local daily The Island reported citing the release.
Moreover, the report highlighted that the underlying causes of problems associated with loans taken to finance infrastructure are weak regulatory frameworks in the country and that fixing the country’s procurement regulatory framework and improving independent oversight of the procurement process is essential to prevent irresponsible borrowing, cost overruns, and poor project selection.
In 2010, Sri Lanka introduced a framework that allowed the cabinet to approve the processing of projects that originated as Unsolicited Proposals (USPs) outside the normal competitive bidding process, the Island Mirror revealed quoting the report.
The report also analysed the design and execution of the special framework and found out that the lack of rigour in the evaluation process and the ability of decision-makers to exercise excessive discretion made the framework highly prone to abuse and misuse. The analysis of the Gampaha, Attanagalla, and Minuwangoda Water Supply Project (GAMWS), approved by SCARC, demonstrated the weaknesses of the special framework in practice. The project originated as a USP from China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) and was awarded to the same company despite having little experience and expertise in similar water projects.
The period of 2010-2016 can be considered the golden era for financing from China, with Sri Lanka receiving USD 5,895 million in loans from China. Over half of these loans (53pc) were realised through projects that were approved by SCARC.
The report’s analysis further revealed inadequacies in the oversight processes to detect and prevent malpractices and lack of accountability emerged as a key factor in contributing to the recurrence of such problems.
Keeping in mind the fragility of Sri Lanka as a smaller country, the Chinese government cultivated relations with the Rajapaksa family by offering expensive vanity projects earlier. Some of the projects are Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in southern Sri Lanka, which was principally funded by a high interest loan from a Chinese bank and has operated at a loss since it opened. Moreover, under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Chinese investment skyrocketed in the island nation. (ANI)
The rating agency retained its sovereign rating on India at Baa3 with a stable outlook, the report showed…reports Asian Lite News
The impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, higher inflation, and the tough financial conditions on the back of ongoing monetary policy tightening are unlikely to derail India’s current economic recovery from the pandemic in the year 2022 and 2023, global rating agency Moody’s said on Tuesday.
“The credit profile of India reflects key strengths including its large and diversified economy with high growth potential, a relatively strong external position, and a stable domestic financing base for government debt,” the rating agency said in a report.
However, India’s principal credit challenges include low per capita income, high general government debt, low debt affordability and limited government effectiveness, it said.
The rating agency retained its sovereign rating on India at Baa3 with a stable outlook, the report showed.
“The stable outlook reflects our view that the risks from negative feedback between the economy and financial system are receding,” it said On the contrary, the report said the rating agency considers India’s legislative and executive institutions, civil society and judiciary to be relatively strong.
“However, in our view, policy effectiveness has been lower than some international surveys, including the Worldwide Governance Indicators, suggest. While ongoing government efforts to reduce corruption, formalize economic activity and bolster tax collection and administration should further strengthen institutions over the medium term, there are increasing risks to their efficacy.”
About India’s monetary policy, it said macroeconomic effectiveness has increased materially over the past decade because of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) formal and flexible inflation-targeting regime since 2015 and a monetary policy committee since 2016.
“Macroeconomic policy has also strengthened India’s external position, resulting in narrower current account deficits and higher foreign exchange reserves that mitigate external shocks,” the report went on to say.
Earlier this month, the rating agency, though, lowered India’s economic growth forecast for 2022 to 7.7 per cent from its earlier estimate of 8.8 per cent.
It attributed the lowering of the growth estimate to rising interest rates, uneven distribution of monsoons, and slowing global growth. (ANI)
In addition to the in-store presence, Cartzfresh have also launched its own mobile application that will be available for users on both Androids and iOS…reports Asian Lite News
Cartzfresh, a budding online portal for Cut, Chopped, Peeled, ready-to cook and Ready to Eat range of vegetables and fruits, is all set to expand its operations by partnering with renowned hypermarts – Tata’s Star Bazaar and Hiranandani’s Haiko. With a vision to reach out to a larger target audience and upscale its business operations, Cartzfresh’s upcoming partnership will be growth catalyst for the brand’s long-term growth.
Sharing his thoughts on the new collaboration, Digvijay Pandey, Founder and CEO of Cartzfresh.com said, “During the unprecedented pandemic, digitization and technological advances changed the way consumers bought or consumed even basic necessities and essentials. Cartzfresh was incepted keeping in mind the tremendous potential the segment provides and we have witnessed a 3X growth since we began our journey in March 2020.”
Digvijay further added, “Our partnership with Tata’s Star Bazaar and Hiranandani’s Haiko, is a great move for us. We are optimistic that the collaboration will accentuate our brand presence and drive more footfall for the brand. The partnership is aligned with our long-term vision for the brand and we expect an additional 4X revenue growth in the coming financial year.”
In addition to the in-store presence, Cartzfresh have also launched its own mobile application that will be available for users on both Androids and iOS. The user-friendly interface will help consumers buy fresh cut vegetables and fruits from the comfort of their homes, with no additional cost.
Cartzfresh.com was founded in an effort to meet urban clients’ demands in trying times. So far, the brand has catered to over Number of Consumers and witnessing a 2X MoM growth. With its unique offerings and ideology, Cartzfresh is trying to bridge the gap between vegetable farmers and customers with minimum contact and maximum output. Cartzfresh aspires to be the most trusted brand of fruits and vegetables in India along with being a strong support system to vegetable farmers and consumers with direct forms to fresh model.
Currently, the company has established a strong presence in few areas of Mumbai: Mira-Bhayander, Borivali, Kandivali, Malad, Goregaon, Jogeshwari, Andheri, VileParle, Santacruz, Khar, Bandra and Thane. With constant innovation, dedication and hard work, Cartzfresh aims to expand its services far and wide in Mumbai in the near future.
The report also highlights that 89 per cent of businesses believe that streamlining payments to international independent contractors is essential to gain a competitive advantage…reports Asian Lite News
The recent ‘Essential Payments Transformation’ report released by NIUM in August 2022 highlights the need for a ‘Global by Default’ approach to modern money movement. As part of the report, NIUM- the global platform for modern money movement- spoke to 172 business leaders and summarised that global businesses have unfortunately been relying on a fragmented patchwork of solutions to move money. 89 per cent CEOs say that streamlining payments is key to competitive advantage. Modern money movement can help accelerate growth, maintain competitive advantage, and retain market share in the future.
The way the world works and moves money has changed irreversibly.
Hence, the highly fragmented global payments network is a hot C-suite discussion topic. Even though business has already become global, money is still controlled, regulated, and moved differently according to geography. Add to this, the risk of fraud, money laundering, and funding illegal activity means that global money movement is one of the most scrutinised activities a business can perform. Any institution must demonstrate compliance and accountability within these rules in each territory to be allowed to operate and move money.
To understand how severely the issue of money management is discussed in boardrooms, NIUM ( a platform that holds licenses and authorisations in over 40 countries) spoke to 172 top business leaders and integrated their views into the ‘Essential Payments Transformation’ report. NIUM, a platform that businesses can connect to and payout in more than 100 currencies to over 190 countries, operates in a very competitive market. There’s PayPal, Stripe and Payoneer on the one hand and other small business facilitators such as Freshbooks and Pleo.
The growth and adoption of such platforms arises from concerns on a broad range of issues relating to global payments when evaluating international expansion. While 78 per cent CEOs are concerned about ineffective cyber security and fraud risks and/or checks, 73 per cent are concerned about operational inefficiencies, and 70 per cent are concerned about coordinating payments to contractors/vendors/customers across multiple countries.
The survey also showed that 45 per cent of business leaders cited accelerating digital business as the top driver for business payment transformation, followed by growing revenue (44 per cent), reducing cost (40 per cent), and better compliance (40 per cent) among other factors.
The report also highlights that 89 per cent of businesses believe that streamlining payments to international independent contractors is essential to gain a competitive advantage. While 65 per cent of businesses plan to build their own custom payment platforms, either by engaging an IT firm or by building internally (to increase the performance, agility, and efficiency of the business), 79 per cent of businesses said that building and maintaining their own payment systems is burdensome. This contradiction is possibly the highlight of the report.
Summing up-
a. To build a sustainable future and long-term success, business leaders today acknowledge the immense value of easy payments across borders.
b. Most businesses rely on intermediaries to manage and control payment flows, which not only increases the cost of transactions but also decreases control and flexibility in payment.
c. Managing local compliance and accountability is time-consuming, expensive, and highly specialised and best left to experts. Therefore, ‘easy payments across borders’ is the change every business is looking forward to.
d. Businesses would like to be able to move capital quickly, easily, and safely–in any currency, using any payment method, to anyone across the world–while meeting all risk and compliance obligations.
At a time when every business cannot possibly build its own payment infrastructure, the most reliable way to adapt to modern money movement seems to be to engage with an established platform that can provide targeted expertise, support, and flexibility.
Chinese economic involvement in the South Asian region is often accompanied by corruption and crime that Chinese government-affiliated companies habitually use in the region to gain an unfair advantage….reports Asian Lite News
Chinese companies are often found involved in malpractices that cause huge losses to several South Asian countries where they operate.
Bangladesh is one such country that seems to have suffered from the unethical behaviour of the Chinese companies. Bangladesh authorities have found many cases of tax evasion by Beijing-based companies or their subsidiaries in Dhaka, Bangladesh live news reported.
In a recent example, a case involving a Chinese company in tax evasion came to light. A Chinese company ‘Conda Art Materials Bangladesh Co. Limited’, subsidiary of Ningbo Conda Art Supplies Group Co Ltd. (China), supposedly imported goods labelled ‘Made in Bangladesh’ from China and evaded huge amounts of duty.
Bangladesh authorities suspect evasion of more than 28 crore rupees in about 200 consignments, as per the publication. It added that further investigation revealed that the company was violating the EPZ (Export Processing Zone) policy which stipulated that only raw materials could be imported. However, the company was importing finished products instead of raw materials and re-exporting the same products to other countries
In April and May this year, authorities, on suspicion of duty evasion, seized about 10 vans and seven containers loaded with goods which the company apparently imported from China by manipulating and luring some Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) officials.
In July, a large consignment of 2700 cartons of foreign liquor from China was seized on Chittagong-Dhaka highway in a special operation by authorities, as per Bangladesh live news.
Back in January, a Chinese company, DG Anti-Fake Company, supplied fake bandrolls (a thin band wrapped around bidis and cigarette packets) leading to fraudulent tax evasion of Rs 250 crore for Bangladesh. The agency has also been accused of being involved in printing fake Bangladeshi passports, ballot papers, national identity cards, birth registration certificates.
Chinese economic involvement in the South Asian region is often accompanied by corruption and crime that Chinese government-affiliated companies habitually use in the region to gain an unfair advantage.
Estimates suggest that China accounts for the largest illicit financial flows related to corrupt business practices by value globally, particularly to developing countries.
Meanwhile, between 2011 and 2021, China invested USD 10 billion in infrastructure in Bangladesh but according to some media reports, Beijing had missed fulfilling the promises on several deals signed during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Dhaka in October 2016.
After missing several deadlines, work on Karnaphuli multiple road tunnel project in Bangladesh’s Chittagong district, inaugurated by Chinese President Xi Jinping virtually in 2017, started in 2020.
Being built by China Communication and Construction Company Limited, the 9.3 km long tunnel project would be completed not before 2023, said the Daily Star in its recent report.
The Bangladesh government needs to be careful if it wants to avoid the same fate as Sri Lanka, which is struggling with its worst economic crisis due to the huge Chinese loan debt. (ANI)
The Japanese side will be represented by the Minister of Defence Yasukazu Hamada and Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi…reports Asian Lite News
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will participate in the 2nd India-Japan 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Tokyo on Thursday.
According to an official statement, the Japanese side will be represented by the Minister of Defence Yasukazu Hamada and Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi.
“The 2+2 Dialogue will review bilateral cooperation across domains and chart out the way forward,” the statement issued by the Ministry of Defence. India and Japan are pursuing a Special Strategic and Global Partnership. This year marks 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. In addition to the 2+2 dialogue, Rajnath Singh will separately hold bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart to strengthen further defence cooperation between the two countries across various sectors. He is also scheduled to call on the Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida during the visit.
Defence Minister will also attend a community event organised by the Embassy of India in Tokyo and interact with the Indian diaspora in Japan. (ANI)
The former US Secretary of State responded that Trump would not fit into that category and that “he should be soundly defeated” if he runs again….reports Asian Lite News
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday (local time) said that she will not be running for President again following her two failed bids in 2008 and 2016.
Clinton was speaking at a news channel where she was asked by the anchor if the leader would ever run for president again.
“No, no,” Clinton said as quoted by The Hill. “But I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that we have a president who respects our democracy and the rule of law and upholds our institutions,” she added.
The anchor further asked Hillary Clinton “What if Donald Trump runs again?”
The former US Secretary of State responded that Trump would not fit into that category and that “he should be soundly defeated” if he runs again.
Clinton was defeated by Trump in the 2016 presidential election.
During the 2016 election cycle, Clinton was plagued in scandal following the revelation that she had a private email server while serving as secretary of state during the Barack Obama administration, prompting a lengthy FBI probe, Fox News reported.
Donald Trump has been teasing another run for president in 2024, and according to The Hill, polls show that he has a good shot of clinching the Republican nomination.
Clinton has said that she would endorse President Biden if he runs for reelection the same year.
“Joe Biden beat in a huge landslide victory in the popular vote Donald Trump. I think that says a lot,” Clinton said had said on television in late June, The Hill reported.
Clinton shot down any comparisons between her use of a private email server while serving as secretary of State and the recent discovery of classified materials at Trump’s Florida home, saying the two situations are “really different” from each other. (ANI)
The stabbing spree has rocked the usually peaceful province, with police investigating 13 different crime scenes….reports Asian Lite News
Canadian police have found the body of one of two brothers wanted for a mass stabbing attack that left 10 people dead and 18 injured in the province of Saskatchewan on Sunday.
An officer said Damien Sanderson, 31, had injuries that did not appear self-inflicted – but gave no details, BBC reported.
He was found at the James Smith Cree Nation, the indigenous community where most of the victims lived. Sanderson’s brother Myles is at large and dangerous, according to officials.
The stabbing spree has rocked the usually peaceful province, with police investigating 13 different crime scenes.
The suspects’ motives remain unknown. Both were charged with murder, despite not being arrested.
Police on Monday said Damien Sanderson’s body had been found “in a heavily grassed area in proximity to a house that was being examined”, the BBC reported.
His injuries were “not believed to be self-inflicted at this point”, police Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore told reporters.
His 30-year-old brother might also have sustained injuries and police have warned the public he might seek medical assistance. But police did not say whether he was responsible for his brother’s death.
Myles Sanderson, who was previously known to the police, is described as having an “extensive and lengthy criminal record” dating back a number of years, it was reported.
The space agency said that next possible launch window is September 19 to October 4, and failing that, October 17 to 31…reports Asian Lite News
After postponing the Artemis I moon rocket mission for the second time due to a fuel leak, NASA officials said Saturday it may not be possible to try again this month.
According to Jim Free, associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development, the current launch window for NASA’s Artemis 1 mission to the Moon ends Tuesday and is “definitely off the table.”
The space agency said that next possible launch window is September 19 to October 4, and failing that, October 17 to 31.
The ability to take off during those windows “will really depend on the options that the team comes back with likely on Monday or early Tuesday morning,” said Free, AFP reported.
Millions around the globe tuned in to live coverage and crowds gathered on beaches in Florida on Saturday hoping to witness the historic blastoff of the Space Launch System (SLS).
Bu the mission was again postponed after an issue was found related to a leak in the hardware transferring fuel into the rocket.
“The #Artemis I mission to the Moon has been postponed. Teams attempted to fix an issue related to a leak in the hardware transferring fuel into the rocket, but were unsuccessful,” NASA tweeted.
The Artemis I flight test is an uncrewed mission around the Moon that will pave the way for a crewed flight test and future human lunar exploration as part of Artemis.
“Managers waved off the first launch attempt on August 29 when launch controllers were unable to chill down the four RS-25 engines, with one engine showing higher temperatures than the other engines,” NASA said in an earlier statement.
NASA had called off a planned test flight of the Artemis rocket around the moon after a series of setbacks including an engine issue, a hydrogen leak, and stormy weather off the coast of Florida.
“The launch of Artemis I is no longer happening today as teams work through an issue with an engine bleed. Teams will continue to gather data, and we will keep you posted on the timing of the next launch attempt,” NASA said in an earlier tweet.
It’s the first mission in NASA’s Artemis lunar program, which is expected to land the agency’s astronauts on the moon by its third mission in 2025.
NASA plans to fly Orion as close as 60 miles above the moon’s surface, before moving into a wide orbit around the lunar body. To return, Orion will use the moon’s gravity to assist it in setting a trajectory back into Earth’s orbit.
Orion is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California where a team of NASA and Department of Defence personnel will recover the capsule.
