PM Modi went to New York this time not to engage in polemics, but to find solutions to global problems. He made some progress on several matters, even on reform of the UN Security Council, when the US made a major concession for the first time that six permanent members without veto, including India, could be considered
On Wednesday, Mukherjee addressed two press conferences at the International Monetary Fund.
Discussing the issue threadbare, the leaders of the developed and fast developing economies declared that though the financial sector should make a fair and substantial contribution towards paying for any bailouts, policy should take into account each nation's 'circumstances and options.'
Although as per the IMF-OECD estimates, an incremental growth of 1.8 per cent in global GDP is achievable
Moody's Ratings on Tuesday said India's growing water shortage can disrupt farm and industry sectors and is detrimental to the credit health of the sovereign as rising food inflation and decline in income may spark social unrest. It said decreases in water supply can disrupt agricultural production and industrial operations, resulting in inflation in food prices and hence can be detrimental to credit health of sectors that heavily consume water, such as coal power generators and steel-makers.
Recognising the risk of economic slowdown and weakening trade posed by protectionism, the G-20 has decided to extend until the end of 2016 its standstill commitment to further progress in removing barriers and impediments to global trade and investment. In a 27-page declaration adopted at the end of the two-day Summit in Moscow, the group of 20 industrialised and major emerging economies also reaffirmed its commitment to roll back new protectionist measures. "With these commitments, we stress the importance of further curbing protectionism through the WTO," the G-20 Leaders' Declaration said. The G-20 called on all WTO members to show the necessary flexibilities to bridge existing gaps and deliver positive and balanced results at ninth WTO ministerial conference in Bali in December on trade facilitation and some elements of agriculture and development issues. "This would be a stepping stone to further multilateral trade liberalisation and progress in Doha Development Agenda negotiations, providing new confidence in successful post-Bali negotiations," the declaration said. The declaration committed itself to cooperate to ensure that policies implemented to support domestic growth also support global growth and financial stability and to manage their spillovers other countries. The Summit also shared Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's views on the need for orderly exit from the monetary stimulus undertaken in the context of 2008 economic crisis. "In the five years since we first met, coordinated action by the G-20 has been critical to tackling the financial crisis and putting the world economy on a path to recovery. "But our work is not yet complete and we agreed that it remains critical for G-20 countries to focus all our joint efforts on engineering a durable exit from the longest and most protracted crisis in modern history," the declaration said. It noted that the most urgent need is to increase the momentum of the global recovery, generate higher growth and better jobs while strengthening the foundations for long term growth and avoiding policies that could cause the recovery to falter or promote growth at other countries' expense.
India on Tuesday told the UN General Assembly that the days when a few nations set the agenda and expected others to fall in line are over, underlining that its presidency of the G20 sought to focus on key concerns of the many, not just the narrow interests of a few.
New Delhi has reached out to Moscow while waiting for a new president in Washington. New Delhi knows well that in international relations, there are no permanent friends or foes, only permanent national interests, points out Dr Rup Narayan Das.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden are set to hold bilateral talks on Friday evening with a focus on further solidifying the India-US comprehensive global and strategic partnership.
Reaffirming the central role of the Group of 20 member nations in combatting and neutralising the impact of the global fiscal crisis, leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) on Thursday said the grouping is the right forum for resolving the crisis.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that he sees a new opening to engage with India on 'some very serious' issues on national security after the return of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to office for a third consecutive term.
Fed stimulus withdrawal eyed, clarity sought from China
The Group of 20 nations has welcomed the strategies by member countries to phase out oil subsidies -- a bold move followed by India that only on June 25 raised petrol, diesel and cooking fuel prices.
The visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh worked. On conclusion of his short trip to Pittsburgh to attend the G-20 summit, he was in upbeat mood.
Mukherjee advised European and American policymakers to follow regulatory mechanism on the lines of the Indian banking system.
US President Barack Obama on Tuesday called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi to greet him on Diwali and they agreed to meet in Turkey on the sidelines of the G20 Summit to be held early next week.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has urged the G20 nations to send a strong message to control the 'serious problems' of tax evasion and illicit flows that have grave bearing on the developing nations' future.
By proposing the addition of six permanent members this year, it may appear that it was a major concession, but in actual fact, it will make no difference to the privilege of the permanent five as the new six will have no veto, ever! points out Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
The United States will host the next G-20 Summit on September 24 and 25 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in which global powers, including India, will participate, the White House announced on Friday.
Modi said New Delhi has emphasised on dialogue and diplomacy along with restraint to deal with the situation arising out of the Hamas-Israel conflict.
Modi said this is the time for peace and brotherhood, and time to move forward together.
Canada on Monday said the earliest possible departure of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his delegation from the national capital is Tuesday late afternoon and that the country's armed forces are continuing with their best efforts to bring them back home.
The new French President Francois Hollande has pledged to continue France's strategic partnership with India with same vigour as his predecessors Jacques Chirac and Nikolas Sarkozy who belonged to rival parties.
The first-ever meeting of Labour Ministers from G-20 countries, including India, that began here on Wednesday has stressed on the need to create new jobs and preservation of the existing ones as the working class across the globe are among most hit by the current global economic crisis.
The other key issues to be taken up at the summit, which is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will include raising the global GDP by an additional 2 per cent in the next five years and boosting infrastructure sector funding.
India too will advocate the IMF quote reforms at the two-day meeting of G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors beginning Saturday.
Global rating agency Moody's on Monday raised India's growth forecast for 2024 calendar year to 6.8 per cent, from 6.1 per cent estimated earlier, on the back of 'stronger-than-expected' economic data of 2023 and fading global economic headwinds. India's real GDP expanded 8.4 per cent year-over-year in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2023, resulting in a 7.7 per cent growth for full-year 2023. Capital spending by the government and strong manufacturing activity have meaningfully contributed to the robust growth outcomes in 2023, Moody's Investors Service said.
Observing that the world is at a crossroads now as it faces the greatest economic crisis in 60 years, the IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said at a news conference that the G-20 leaders have the opportunity to spur a recovery next year if they take the right action.
Addressing a news conference after discussions with experts on the financial crisis, Merkel spoke of her determination to work for an agreement on more stringent regulation of financial markets and to prevent financial institutions from 'blackmailing' the state.
'China is India's primary strategic challenge, which will not go away.
The first of such demonstrations will be held on Saturday. It has been organised by an alliance of more than 150 unions, environment and faith groups under an umbrella calling itself Put People First.
On Tuesday, the current lot of G20 visitors toured three colonial landmarks in south Mumbai -- the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation's heritage building headquarters, the magnificent Gateway of India and the Taj Palace hotel.
The G20 summit has failed to heal the rift over US plans for military action against the embattled Syrian regime, as American President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin could not reach consensus on Friday during "candid and constructive" talks.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India's economic growth is a 'natural by-product' of his nine-year-old government's political stability, as he expressed optimism that it will be a developed nation by 2047 with 'corruption, casteism and communalism' having no place in our national life.
Stating that the global financial crisis threatens the livelihoods of nearly 1.4 billion people globally, a United Nations agency has asked the G-20 leaders to commit themselves to save the world poor from the adverse impact of the downturn.
Biden has been under attack from his opponents and the Republican Party for his immigration policies as hundreds and thousands of illegal immigrants enter the United States every month.
Development issues of vital interest to India are expected to receive focused attention at the G20 Summit beginning in Cannes on Wednesday, a Ficci Paper on the B20 Working Group on Development said.