Photo Donald Trump Jr. in front of Trump Towers after the project s inauguration in Pune India on Wednesday. Credit Associated Press NEW DELHI Donald Trump Jr. who has spent the week in India pitching new luxury high-rises that bear his family s name took the stage before a crowd of about 200 on Thursday. Building a Better Mumbai the banner behind him proclaimed. We re actually delivering true luxury Mr. Trump told the guests who were greeted by a red carpet lit candles and a jazz band. We re actually delivering buildings in the Indian marketplace that you can take out of that marketplace put in any cosmopolitan of the world and say This is on par with some of the best. The Trump Organization is reaping the windfall from India s admiration for President Trump. He may have low approval ratings at home but he appears well liked in a country with one of the fastest-growing populations of millionaires in the world.The Trump brand spells glamour more than luxury said Kalyani Chawla a brand consultant and former executive at Christian Dior in India who attended the event. I think it s all about Donald Trump honestly she said any idea of Donald Trump in general regardless of the fact that even he s surprised he s the president of the United States. Advertisement Continue reading the main story But even before the president s son arrived in India to press the flesh and do the deals his trip was creating controversy over its potential for blurring the lines between the Trump White House and the Trump Organization. Continue reading the main story
NEW DELHI: In a first the government is preparing to deploy commandos of central paramilitary force CRPF at the Indian embassy in war-ravaged Iraq which is under threat from Islamic State Al Qaeda and other terror groups. A contingent of 45 highly trained men led by a deputy commandant rank officer will be initially posted to secure the embassy and diplomats in Baghdad and if required more personnel will be sent later. The Indian embassy last faced a missile attack in 2004 but sources said lately RAW and other central intelligence agencies have warned of possible terror attacks. An in-principle approval for the deployment of an armed squad at the complex located in the Al Mansour area of the Iraqi capital has already been accorded by the home ministry sources said. The CRPF commandos will have a specific task of securing the embassy its diplomatic staff and their families against terror threats. Given the constant threat of the IS terror group in Iraq it was being discussed for a long time that the Indian embassy there should have a professional security cover an official said. The effort to send the paramilitary commandos is a move in that direction. A final decision will be taken soon the official said. While there has be no targeted hit at the Indian mission in Baghdad the city has witnessed suicide attacks and bombings by IS terrorists. The proposed contingent would not only guard the embassy complex but also provide proximate security cover to senior diplomats and staffers every time they move out of the facility. CRPF s elite CoBRA squad known for their operations against Maoists will be part of the proposed contingent an official said. The personnel will have to be adept in handling improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and in conducting special operations and hostage rescue tasks he said. This will be the first such overseas task for the about 3-lakh personnel strong CRPF.
New Delhi: Paramilitary commandos may soon be deployed to guard the Indian embassy and diplomatic staff in war-ravaged Iraq following threats from the ISIS terror groups officials said.An in-principle approval for the deployment of an armed squad at the complex located in the Al Mansour area of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad has been accorded by the Ministries of Home and External Affairs they said.The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been tasked to provide its best combat personnel for the job.They said that the commandos will have a specific task of securing the embassy its diplomatic staff and their families against terror threats. Given the constant threat of the ISIS terror group in Iraq it was being discussed for a long time that the Indian embassy there should have a professional security cover a senior official privy to the development said. The effort to send the paramilitary commandos is a move in that direction. However the final approval for stationing the squad in Baghdad is yet to be given by the government the official said.While there has be no targeted hit at the Indian mission in Baghdad the city has witnessed suicide attacks and bombings by the ISIS terrorists.The proposed contingent would not only guard the embassy complex but also provide a proximate security cover to senior diplomats and staffers every time they move out of the facility he said.Once cleared the proposed contingent will be about 45-50 personnel strong and headed by a deputy commandant rank officer of the CRPF.The commandos who are highly motivated having done a stint in the anti-Naxal operations the forces elite commando squad for jungle warfare CoBRA and who have been the best performers will be part of the proposed contingent the official said.The personnel will have to be adept in handling improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and in conducting special operations and hostage rescue tasks it said. CommentsClose X This will be the first such overseas task for the about 3-lakh personnel strong paramilitary force. While the Indian embassy in Afghanistan is guarded by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) those in Nepal and Colombo have the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Border Security Force (BF) contingents respectively.The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is the country s largest paramilitary and is primarily designated as the lead internal security and anti-Maoist operations conducting force.
NEW DELHI: India has been ranked 81st in Transparency International s Global Corruption Perception Index 2017. While it maintained its score at 40 on a 100-point scale where anything below 30 is considered seriously corrupt its ranking changed from 79th last year partly because Vanuatu one of the countries added to the rankings this year was rated higher and partly because others improved. A Transparency International release also characterised India as among the worst regional offenders in the Asia Pacific region on grounds of journalists activists opposition leaders and even staff of law enforcement or watchdog agencies being threatened or even murdered. In this it was clubbed with the Philippines and Maldives. These countries score high for corruption and have fewer press freedoms and higher numbers of journalist deaths the report added. Interestingly Pakistan with a score of 32 and China with 41 are perceived to be more corrupt than India. Russia is more corrupt than all three counties with a score of 29. New Zealand and Denmark were ranked as the cleanest countries in the 2017 list as in 2016 with scores of 89 and 88 respectively. Syria South Sudan and Somalia were ranked as the most corrupt countries with scores of 14 12 and 9 respectively. Of the three countries that were tied with India in 2016 Belarus has moved up to 68th with a score of 44 and China to 77th with a score of 41. Brazil in contrast has slipped to 96th with a score of 37. Of the other Brics nations Russia was at the 135th place with a score of 29 while South Africa was 71st having dropped seven places from 2016. Countries with the poorest protection for press and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) also tended to have the lowest ranks on the index. The analysis which incorporates data from Committee to Protect Journalists showed that in the last six years 9 out of 10 journalists killings of journalists happened in countries that score 45 or less on the index.
Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar today said India will emerge as a model for the rest of the world once it completes economic political and social transitions. He was addressing the 46th Panjab University Colloquium-cum-3rd Shenmar Memorial Oration here today according to a release of the Panjab University (PU). The theme was New India@2022 . The programme was organised in collaboration with the Department of Social Work PU the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Institute for Development and Communication (IDC) the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID) the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR). Kumar further said that by successfully completing these three transitions India will emerge as model for the rest of the world. Development becomes a mass movement when there will be shift from public-private partnership (PPP) to public-private-personal partnership (PPPP) Kumar said. He highlighted India s development process outlined country s experiences since Independence and laid out a future vision for achieving a New India by 2022. He articulated upon insight into creation of space and ecosystem for dynamic entrepreneurship. Rajiv Kumar highlighted that for 2022 there was a need to have a resolve to have India free from poverty dirt and squalor corruption terrorism casteism and communalism. He further stressed For looking ahead our economy will need to take into account new and unique challenges and opportunities such as the fourth industrial revolution India s democratic dividend in shifting from competitive populism to good governance and the changing global landscape.
ANANTAPUR: South Korean automobile giant Kia Motors will roll out its Indiabuilt SP Concept sports utility vehicle (SUV) from its upcoming integrated manufacturing facility in Andhra Pradesh by mid-2019 said its global president Han-Woo Park. He was speaking at the framework installation ceremony at Kia Motor s upcoming facility near Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday along with chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu. The first India manufacturing facility for Kia Motors is coming up over 213.7 hectares of land to produce 3 lakh cars annually involving an investment of over 2 billion (approximately Rs 12 900 crore). It had signed the memorandum of understanding with AP government last April. The construction work which is going on rapidly nearly two months ahead of schedule is expected to be completed by the end of first quarter of next year with the vehicle production scheduled sometime around middle of next year said Park. The first model SP Concept SUV to roll out from the Anantapur facility was showcased at the Delhi Auto Expo last month. The SP concept SUV will be built in India by Indian employees and will hit the Indian roads by mid next year. The eighth largest global car maker currently exporting 2.8 million cars to over 180 countries will mostly cater to the domestic market in India said Park. We are here to build more than just great cars. We aim to set a new standard of automotive lifestyle experience by providing Indian consumers with world-class products and services said Han-Woo Park adding that they will invest over 2 billion until 2021 creating about 10 000 jobs. Kia Motors India soon intends to start recruiting around 3 000 employees necessary to operate its Anantapur plant in Andhra Pradesh.
Ride hailing firm Uber today said it will continue to invest in India as it looks to grow business in the incredibly important and core market by up to 10 times in a decade. On his maiden trip to India Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi indicated that he would not go by the advice of investors like SoftBank who want the US-based firm to scale back to countries where it already has a strong market position. Refusing to disclose how much Uber has invested in India he said it is a lot and that investment is going to continue. For Uber India is a loss-making proposition but it will continue to invest in the market because it believes in it he said at a media round table at the start of his two-day visit during which he is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders. Asked if SoftBank which is also an investor in rival and India s market leader Ola has asked Uber to focus on the profitable market Khosrowshahi said the company s strategies are decided by the board. While SoftBank may have an opinion their s is not the only opinion in the room he said. And it is my belief that we as a company need to have a balanced profile in terms of growth and investment. Developed markets like the US will continue to get investments and will be profitable but Uber should actively invest in markets like India and Latin America because of their sheer size he said. These markets have huge growth ahead for Uber he said. Uber has some 3 lakh driver partners in 29 cities in India he said. We think we can increase by 5x 10x over the next 10 years. That will require investment he said. In India at this point my firm belief is that the greatest value that we can create is to continue to invest and grow our product. SoftBank Vision Fund which recently became Uber s largest shareholder with the formal closing of a USD 9.3 billion investment giving it 15 per cent stake has reportedly stated that Uber should focus on recovering its market share in the US and growing in key European markets to have a faster path to profitability. While India remains Uber s largest market outside of the US it is also the biggest cost for the company. Asked if Uber was subsidising rides in the country to capture the market Khosrowshahi said anytime you are creating a market you actually have to pay to build up liquidity. For instance Uber Pool the ride-sharing platform where two more passengers share a car to travel to same or different destinations is a losing proposition but the company believes in the product as it will help solve traffic as well as road congestion problems he said. We are investing in Indian market because we believe in the long-term viability of this market... we consider it incredibly important market for us the core market for us he said. The Indian market Khosrowshahi said is demanding in terms of pricing and if Uber was to succeed here it can shape products globally. India can essentially be a laboratory for us. Uber he said accounts for less than 1 per cent of miles driven in the world and is an alternative to taxis. What we really want is to be alternate to car ownership he said adding problems of traffic and pollution that India faces can be solved with its pioneering share rides. He said operations in India are not profitable but India accounts for more than 10 per cent of Uber s trips globally https://www.viki.com/users/kkmyntra/about. I expect (India) to account for higher and higher trips going forward he said. Uber accounts for less than 1 per cent of the USD 5 trillion transportation industry globally and capturing higher share requires investments in big markets with population that have lot of growth ahead of them. Uber CEO pledged to continue investing aggressively in Southeast Asia. We expect to lose money in Southeast Asia and expect to invest aggressively in terms of marketing subsidies etc Khosrowshahi said. From a competitive standpoint we think we can improve...We are cautiously optimistic and are leaning forward to invest he said. Khosrowshahi who took the helm in August after former CEO Travis Kalanick was asked to step down amid a litany of regulatory problems driver and consumer scandals and court cases said a new work ethics code has been implemented in the company that has just one norm - we do the right thing. Period.
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