Putin says he’s willing to talk with Trump

RUSSIA/UKRAIN – North Korean troops deployed to Russia’s Kursk region have fought Kyiv’s forces on the battlefield, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday, adding that the clashes resulted in fatalities.

Zelensky said 11,000 North Korean soldiers are in the region, where Ukraine’s three-month military incursion into Russian territory has stalled. “Eleven thousand North Korean soldiers or soldiers of the North Korean army are currently present on the territory of the Russian Federation in the border with Ukraine on the north of our country in the Kursk region,” Zelensky told reporters at the European Political Community summit in Budapest, Hungary, on Thursday. “Some of these troops have already taken part in hostilities against the Ukrainian military. Yes, there are already losses, this is a fact.” He did not specify which side suffered the losses. The New York Times reported earlier this week that a number of North Korean troops had been killed in a limited engagement with Russian and Ukrainian forces, citing senior US and Ukrainian officials.

The announcement of their use in combat comes as the United States and its allies weigh how to respond to the escalating military partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang. Ukraine and its NATO allies are also gauging how the reelection of US President-elect Donald Trump will impact the balance of the war and are bracing for the possibility of a dramatic reduction in US support two-and-a-half years after Moscow invaded. On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first public comments on the US election, saying he is ready for dialogue with the Republican president-elect and noted that Trump’s comments on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine “deserve attention at the very least.”

“We’re ready,” the Russian leader said when asked whether he would hold talks with Trump, while addressing a discussion forum in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi. Putin congratulated Trump on his election victory and praised his “courageous” conduct following an assassination attempt in July. (CNN)

Photo: Putin congratulates Trump on winning presidency…[+]

INDIA – The second meeting of the India-Caricom Joint Commission was held in virtual mode on Thursday, a statement by India’s Ministry of External Affairs stated. The Indian delegation was led by Jaideep Mazumdar, secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs; and the Caricom side was led by Barbara Dailey, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Business, Trade and Energy, Dominica. Representatives from the Caricom Secretariat, Caricom member states and ministries in the government of India participated in the virtual meeting. The Joint Commission reviewed the entire spectrum of relations between India and Caricom, including economic and commercial, agriculture, health and pharmaceuticals, energy and infrastructure, technology and innovation, human resource and capacity building, culture and people-to-people exchange.

Both sides deliberated on strengthening economic cooperation, enhancing trade and fostering a robust partnership in the areas of education, digital public infrastructure, development cooperation, renewable energy, science and technology, climate-change adaptation, disaster management and resilient infrastructure. They also noted with satisfaction, the enhanced frequency of high-level interactions between India and Caricom, including the India-Caricom Foreign Ministerial Meeting held on September 27 in New York. The first meeting of the India-Caricom Joint Commission was held in Georgetown, Guyana on June 2, 2015. (Jamaica Gleaner)

Photo: External Affairs Minister of India S Jaishankar (third left, front row) poses for a group picture with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson-Smith (right, front row); Dominica Foreign Affairs Minister Vince Henderson (third right, front row); and other dignitaries, during India-Caricom Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on UNGA79 sidelines, in New York…[+]

BEIJING – China said on Friday lawmakers had agreed to raise the local government debt ceiling by US$840 billion, opening up new funds for its ailing economy as they eye the possibility of intensified trade tensions with US president-elect Donald Trump. Policymakers were keeping tabs on the US vote as they gathered in the Chinese capital this week for a meeting of the country’s top lawmaking body.

The move would raise “the local government debt limit by 6 trillion yuan ( (US$840 billion), which will be used to replace existing hidden debts, freeing up space for local governments to better develop the economy and protect people’s livelihood”, state broadcaster CCTV said. Hidden debt is borrowing for which a government is liable, but which is not disclosed to its citizens or to other creditors, according to the International Monetary Fund.

“This 6 trillion yuan debt ceiling will be arranged over three years,” Finance Minister Lan Fo’an told a press conference in Beijing. It will be raised from 2024 to 2026 “to support local governments in replacing all kinds of hidden debt”. The move, proposed last month, would allow authorities to borrow more to fund the acquisition of unused land for development – and is aimed at pulling the property market out of a prolonged slump. Lawmakers also approved a new energy law to “promote … carbon neutrality” as Beijing moves ahead with its pledge to decarbonise its economy by 2060. Trump promised during his campaign of punishing tariffs on Chinese goods that threaten further grief for the world’s second-largest economy, which is already grappling with a prolonged housing crisis and sluggish consumption. Observers say Beijing could seek to cushion that blow with a long-awaited “bazooka stimulus” for the economy – though caution details might still take time. (Channelnewsasia)

Photo: People cross an intersection near the central business district (CBD) in Beijing, China. (Reuters)…[+]