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Christopher Linton of Alabama Highlights His Views on Business Leadership and Community Impact in New Online Q&APunjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday said that the result of by-poll in four assembly segments was a forceful mandate of people in favour of pro-people and development-oriented policies of the state government. Interacting with the media after opening the dining hall for the public here at Punjab Bhawan, the Chief Minister said that the victory of AAP on three seats has filled them with more humility and dedication to serve the state and its people. He said that AAP has snatched these three seats viz. Chabbewal, Dera Baba Nanak and Gidderbaha from Congress. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that people have approved the policies and programs being enacted and executed by the state government for the well-being of people and progress of state. Advertisement Replying to a query, the Chief Minister said that instead of stopping the farmers from coming to Delhi, the capital of the country, the Union government must talk to them and resolve their pending issues. He said that farmers are citizens of the country and they have every right to come to the capital of the country adding that this right of farmers must be protected by all means. Chief Minister Mann quipped that PM loves to take credit for resolving the issue between Russia and Ukraine but he is sceptical for resolving the matters pertaining to farmers for the reasons best known to him. The Chief Minister further said that the acquisition of land for the Bharat Mala projects in the state is going on smoothly and there is no obstacle in that. He said that the farmers have their own apprehensions and the Union government must resolve them through dialogue. Chief Minister Mann said that it is unfortunate that instead of resolving these issues the union government is intimidating the farmers through use of force which is undesirable and unwarranted. In reply to another query, the Chief Minister unequivocally said that under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, the AAP will again form government in Delhi in ensuing assembly elections. He said that the AAP has already decimated Congress and BJP in the national capital and now history will be created when AAP will again constitute government in Delhi. Strongly objecting to the divisive agenda being pursued by some political parties, the Chief Minister said that it is not in the interest of the country. He said that the incidents of violence in Uttar Pradesh are shocking and unfortunate adding that they are the result of politics of hatred being pursued by some parties. This should be avoided and the ethos of communal harmony, peace and brotherhood should be strengthened, he added. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister said that the new dining hall at ‘A’ Block of Punjab Bhawan will allow people of the national capital to enjoy food here. He said that Punjab is known for its hospitality and mouth-watering cuisine which will be now available to people of the national capital. Advertisement
MUMBAI: RBI has expressed concern over banks and finance companies setting high ceilings for unsecured loans, stating that it expects their boards to exercise prudence. Noting that there has been some moderation in unsecured lending after RBI tightened norms for this segment, it said, "While specific limits have been prescribed for unsecured lending by urban co-operative banks (UCBs), the boards of commercial banks and NBFCs have discretion in fixing limits on unsecured exposures. However, some entities have set very high ceilings, which need to be continuously monitored." Going forward, RBI expects the boards of regulated entities to exercise prudence and avoid exuberance in the interest of both their own financial health as well as systemic financial stability , it added. In addition to unsecured loans, RBI has also raised concerns about top-up loans on gold loans, stating they could present similar risks to unsecured loans. RBI noted that these loans "could lead to a buildup of risks, especially during times when collateral for such loans becomes volatile or faces cyclical downturns." In light of these concerns, RBI had instructed that all top-up loans extended by regulated entities (REs) against movable assets - which are inherently depreciating in nature - should be treated as unsecured loans for credit appraisal, prudential limits, and exposure purposes. Another area of concern for RBI is private credit. Acknowledging the trend of shifting from formal lenders to private credit, RBI said, "A closer look is, however, warranted at the interlinkages between regulated entities, including banks and NBFCs, and such firms. Strong interrelationships between them could give rise to systemic concerns, along with the possibility of regulatory arbitrage to circumvent regulations." Ready to Master Stock Valuation? ET’s Workshop is just around the corner!
The war in Ukraine is at a critical juncture. Kyiv has been given permission to use western-supplied Atacms and Storm Shadow missiles against targets inside Russia. It did so as soon as that permission was granted, with strikes against Russian military facilities in the Bryansk and Kursk regions. Moscow’s response to the strikes has been twofold. First, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, approved changes to his country’s nuclear doctrine to lower the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. It also launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile – Oreshnik , or Hazel Tree – at an arms factory in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. This – so far carefully calibrated and choreographed – tit-for-tat indicates a further, gradual escalation of the war effort by both sides. It has been accompanied by a steady advance of Russian forces in eastern Ukraine and a continuation of the Kremlin’s efforts to cause maximum damage to Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. Both sides are acting in anticipation of Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, Trump has repeatedly committed himself to ending the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s European allies are struggling to maintain their unified front of support in anticipation of a US withdrawal of aid under the incoming Trump administration, as well as scepticism from the likes of Hungary’s Viktor Orbán. The war has taken a huge toll on Ukraine. Six million people fled the country and an additional four million people are internally displaced. The country is experiencing increasing levels of poverty and food insecurity and a bill for reconstruction of nearly US$500 billion (£396 billion) and counting. More than 30,000 Ukrainian servicemen were killed in the first two years of the war alone, with countless more wounded and missing. And a conservative estimate is that least 12,000 civilians have been killed and 30,000 injured. After 1,000 days , public disillusionment is becoming evident. Recent Gallup polls make for interesting reading: there is general agreement on the need for the war to end, but far less concord on how to end it . More than half of Ukrainians polled by Gallup (52%) agree that : “Ukraine should seek to negotiate an ending to the war as soon as possible”, while only 38% want the country to “continue fighting until it wins the war”. This is a remarkable shift compared to a year ago, when 63% wanted to continue fighting and 27% were in favour of negotiations. It’s an even starker shift in comparison to 2022 when support for a continuation of fighting stood at 73% and for negotiations at 22%. Importantly, more than half of those supporting negotiations are also open to “making some territorial concessions as a part of a peace deal to end the war”. This suggests that the odds for public support for a Trump-brokered deal among Ukrainians are improving. But this happens at a time when Ukrainians’ confidence in their government is declining and scepticism of its western partners is growing . In 2022, 60% of Ukrainians expressed trust in their government; one year later it was 49%, and in 2024 levels dropped to just 28%. By contrast, banks (92%) and the military (62%) still enjoy overwhelming public confidence. Looking for a way out As a sign of the shifting mood in Ukraine, the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is talking more about an end to the war. He expressed confidence that Trump’s election would bring the war to an end more quickly and emphasised his determination to “do everything possible to end the war next year through talks”. Russian advances are steadily gathering in pace in eastern Ukraine. Institute for the Study of War But this doesn’t mean that Ukrainians are ready yet to settle on terms that Trump might propose and Putin would accept . On the contrary, there is little evidence that Ukraine is ready to give up on key elements of its peace and victory plans – most notably the aim of recovering all Russian-occupied territories and securing Nato membership as part of a package of credible security guarantees. Yet, realising that he needs to tread a fine line between his established vision of peace and victory and the growing pressure to search for an acceptable compromise, Zelensky has floated a third plan: the “ internal resilience plan ”. It’s a less ambitious strategy. The key points are stabilising the front lines and strengthening the country’s defence-industrial sector. If successful, this would create the foundations for keeping Ukraine in the fight against Russia and creating the domestic conditions for Ukraine to survive – at least until acceptable ceasefire terms are on the table. It sends a clear message that under Zelensky’s leadership, the maximum goals outlined above of regaining lost territory and Nato membership continue to guide his government’s policies in the long term. But it doesn’t rule out shorter-term compromises that may be necessary because of a diplomatic push by Trump, a worsening situation at the front, and weakening European resolve – or any combination of those. Playing for time It’s not clear how the two months before Trump’s inauguration will play out. But it is clear that peace negotiations with Russia with things as they stand would carry a greater risk of internal destabilisation in Ukraine. Zelensky’s potential realignment with those who favour negotiation could also create an opening for a serious political challenge from his predecessor, Petro Poroshenko. Poroshenko, who Zelensky replaced as president in 2019, has strongly supported a “no-surrender” stance as leader of the European Solidarity opposition in Ukraine’s parliament. He also runs the Poroshenko Foundation, which claims to have “provided assistance to more than 200 military units” in the form of weapons and equipment. Thus, the rational strategy for Zelensky is to buy time. Confronted by internal hawks and an uncertain and volatile external environment, the Ukrainian president is leaning into the opportunity created by the relaxation of western constraints on strikes against Russia and is preparing the country for more sacrifices. As far as it goes, this strategy makes sense in the short term, despite its inherent risks , including the prospect of savage reprisals from Putin. The challenge for Zelensky and Ukraine in the long term remains the same – how to manage a sustainable transition from war to peace in the face of US pressure, Russian demands and weakening European unity. Stefan Wolff is a past recipient of grant funding from the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, the United States Institute of Peace, the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK, the British Academy, the NATO Science for Peace Programme, the EU Framework Programmes 6 and 7 and Horizon 2020, as well as the EU's Jean Monnet Programme. He is a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Political Studies Association of the UK and a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London. Tetyana Malyarenko does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Tom Hanks Explores America’s Wildlife in First Trailer for NBC Docuseries ‘The Americas’SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — When the San Francisco 49ers used a third-round pick to draft Jake Moody last year, the hope was it would settle their kicking position for years to come. A shaky second half to Moody's second season with San Francisco has put that into question headed to the offseason. Moody missed his sixth field goal in the past seven games last week, leading to questions about whether the 49ers will need to replace him or at least bring in competition for next season. Coach Kyle Shanahan expressed confidence in Moody on Thursday, attributing some of the struggles to a high ankle sprain he suffered in his kicking leg earlier in the season. “I still feel the same about him, that I believe he is going to be our guy," Shanahan said. “Everyone has got to perform and do things like that and I think he has had a tough year. ... I thought he was doing really well and then had a high ankle sprain to his kicking foot. Since he’s come back, he hasn’t been as consistent, obviously. But I think a lot of that probably has to do with that, just common-sense wise.” Moody got off to a strong start this season, making all six field goals he attempted in the season opener and going 13 for 14 before injuring his ankle while attempting to make a tackle on a kickoff return in Week 5. He missed three games and has struggled since he returned. He missed three field goals in first first game back at Tampa Bay, two more in the snow at Buffalo in Week 13 and then a 41-yarder last week against the Dolphins. “That’s the great thing about kicking is, you can be as talented as whoever and you can struggle,” Moody said. “I feel like this year, I’ve struggled. It doesn’t really waver my confidence or anything. I feel like, throughout my entire life, I’ve gone through struggles, I’ve gone through high points. The biggest thing is to just stay consistent, not change anything.” Moody had an up-and-down rookie season, making 21 of 25 field goals in the regular season and missing only one extra point. But he missed a potential game-winning kick in a loss at Cleveland and missed field goals in playoff wins against Green Bay and Detroit. Moody then made three field goals in the Super Bowl with two coming from more than 50 yards, including a go-ahead 53-yard kick late in the fourth quarter against Kansas City. But Moody also had an extra point blocked in that game. “I believe we’ve got the right guy and I think that eventually, I think he has shown that at times,” Shanahan said. "I thought he showed that at times his rookie year. I thought he showed that big time being 12 out of 13 to start this year. And I think he’ll show us all that in the future.” NOTES: The Niners placed LT Trent Williams on IR after his ankle injury hasn't healed as quickly as hoped. Shanahan didn't think there were any long-term issues. ... LB Dre Greenlaw (calf) will be shut down for the rest of the season after playing parts of two games in his return from a torn left Achilles tendon. ... OL Spencer Burford (calf) didn't practice but might be able to play this week. ... San Francisco has signed two OL this week, adding Matt Hennessy and Charlie Heck. ... RB Isaac Guerendo (hamstring, foot) was limited but appears on track to play this week. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
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