South Korean President Lee reaffirms commitment to improve ties with North Korea

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Seoul, Feb 26 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday vowed to continue efforts to normalise relations with North Korea despite Pyongyang’s rejection of his dialogue overture, saying the two Koreas should move beyond past confrontation and pursue peace and stability.

Lee reaffirmed his commitment to improving ties after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un dismissed dialogue with Seoul, describing the South’s overture as deceptive while appearing to leave the door open for talks with Washington as he wrapped up the North’s key party congress the previous day, Yonhap News Agency reported.

“We should pursue such values as peace and stability,” Lee said at a meeting with senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae. “We should decisively put an end to the past that was racing toward confrontation and war.”

He also called for sober reflection on past approaches that have stoked tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

“We need to seriously consider whether previous acts of humiliation or threats toward North Korea have truly contributed to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula or served the Republic of Korea’s interests and security,” he said.

To normalise inter-Korean relations, Lee underscored the need for sustained efforts to ease long-running hostility and build trust with Pyongyang.

“I believe lasting peace and stability can ultimately take hold on the Korean Peninsula by consistently communicating, engaging in dialogue and making efforts to cooperate, and steadily building trust and mutual understanding,” he said.

On February 19, South Korea’s defence ministry said it will push for reinstating a no-fly zone under the suspended 2018 inter-Korean military pact in a way that does not affect a military readiness posture.

The ministry also said it is in consultations with the United States over Seoul’s push to partially restore the military pact, a day after Unification Minister Chung Dong-young disclosed the government’s plan.

–IANS

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Washington, May 12 (IANS) President Donald Trump on Monday said he used the lure of trade with the US to persuade India and Pakistan to end hostilities last week, which, he added, could have potentially spiraled into a nuclear war.

The US President also commended the leaderships of India and Pakistan for “wisdom” and “fortitude” to understand the gravity of the situation and end the fighting.

Trump on Saturday announced a ceasefire in the India-Pakistan military conflict following the April 22 attack by a Pakistan-linked terrorist outfit in which 26 tourists were killed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

“Come on, we’re going to do a lot of trade with you guys,” President Trump said at a news conference in the White House before departing for Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar in West Asia.

“Let’s stop it. Let’s stop it. If you stop it, we’re doing trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not going to do any trade. We’re going to do a lot of trade with Pakistan. We’re going to do a lot of trade with India. We’re negotiating with India right now, we’re going to be soon, negotiating with Pakistan,” he went on to say

No details were available or how the offer of trade was extended by the Trump administration in this context. India and the US have been discussing a bilateral trade agreement and both sides have expressed optimism about an early deal, unlike in 2019 — in President Trump’s first term — when talks had fallen through.

“We stopped (a) nuclear conflict,” President Trump went on to say. Although there is no evidence or indication the two countries were about to use nuclear weapons. “I think it could have been a bad nuclear war. Millions of people could have been killed. So I’m very proud of that.”

Earlier at the briefing, the US President said, “My administration helped broker a full and immediate ceasefire, I think, a permanent one, between India and Pakistan, ending a dangerous conflict of two nations with lots of nuclear weapons, and they were going at it hot and heavy, and it was seemingly not going to stop.”

“I’m very proud to let you know that the leadership of India and Pakistan was unwavering, powerful, but unwavering in both cases,” he went on to say. But, he added, they also had “the strength and the wisdom and fortitude to fully know and to understand the gravity of the situation”.

–IANS

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Job creation in India jumps 36 pc in last 10 years vs 6 pc between 2004-2014

New Delhi, Jan 3 (IANS) Employment generation across the agriculture, manufacturing, and services sectors saw a significant increase during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure in the last 10 years compared to the preceding decade under the Congress-led UPA government, according to figures compiled by the Reserve Bank of India.

The figures show that under PM Modi’s tenure between 2014 and 2024, 17.9 crore additional jobs have been created, compared to 2.9 crore jobs during the UPA regime between 2004 and 2014.

Employment during the Modi government has jumped by 36 per cent compared with just 6 per cent during the UPA regime.

The data show that during 2023-24, 4.6 crore jobs were created and the total number of people employed in the country rose from 596.7 million in 2022-23 to 643.3 million in the financial year ended on March 31, 2024.

The RBI’s KLEMS database covers five key inputs of production – Capital (K), Labour (L), Energy (E), Materials (M), and Services (S). The database is created for 27 industries aggregated to form six sectors which cover the entire economy.

The RBI’s data on sector-wise growth also show a substantial improvement under the Modi government. For instance, the agriculture sector posted a growth of 19 per cent during the Modi government, compared with a decline of 16 per cent during the UPA.

The manufacturing sector grew 15 per cent during 2014-2024 as against just 6 per cent during the UPA’s 2004-2014. Under the Modi government, the services sector also recorded an impressive 36 per cent growth, compared with 25 per cent under the UPA regime.

The RBI has also for the first time made a provisional estimate of productivity for the total economy in FY24 based on the available information.

This reflects the quality of labour in the economy based on the education level of the workers. The data shows an increase in employment across education levels and age groups. The unemployment ratio has gone down to 1.4 per cent in FY24 from 2.2 per cent in FY18.

The services sector, excluding construction, is now absorbing most of the workforce that is moving out of agriculture. This is in sharp contrast to the 2000-2011 period when the construction sector was providing the bulk of jobs to the workforce.

The data also shows that high-skilled activities, such as financial and business services, education, and health care, are seeing an increase in the share of educated workers.

–IANS

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Nitish Kumar’s consent on Waqf is part of ‘BJP’s conspiracy’, says Congress leader

Patna, April 7 (IANS) Congress spokesperson Jyoti Kumar Singh on Monday alleged that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had supported the Waqf (Amendment) Bill after falling into what he termed a “BJP conspiracy.”

Speaking to IANS, Singh said, “BJP has taken consent from Nitish Kumar on the Waqf Bill as part of a conspiracy. Even when Nitish Kumar speaks baseless things, the BJP keeps mum. This is because they want to follow the same pattern as they did in Maharashtra. Just like they removed Shinde and made a BJP Chief Minister, they want to do the same in Bihar.”

He contrasted this with the approach of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, stating, “He wants to make people aware of all these things and inform them to demand their participation in the mainstream of every sector.”

The Congress spokesperson also highlighted Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Bihar on Monday as part of his ongoing outreach under the ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’ padyatra.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha is visiting Begusarai to raise concerns about unemployment and migration in the state.

“In view of the Bihar assembly elections, Rahul Gandhi’s visits here will continue. He is running a campaign for the economically backward people in society. He will make them aware of what they are deprived of,” Singh said.

According to the party, Gandhi is scheduled to arrive at Patna airport at 9:50 a.m. and depart for Begusarai by 10:10 a.m. After participating in the padyatra, he will return to Patna at 1:00 p.m.

Later, the Congress MP will attend the Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan at Sri Krishna Memorial Hall in Patna, following which he will hold a meeting with party leaders at Sadakat Ashram. He is expected to return to Delhi in the evening, with a departure scheduled at 4:10 p.m.

During his Bihar visit, Gandhi is expected to meet with members of the local community to hear their concerns and discuss pressing issues, particularly those affecting the youth.

His visit comes as part of the Congress party’s preparations for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, where it is expected to be part of a broader opposition alliance.

On Sunday, Rahul Gandhi shared a message on social media urging Bihar’s youth to join the padyatra.

“Young friends of Bihar, I am coming to Begusarai on April 7, to walk shoulder to shoulder with you in the ‘Palayan Roko, Naukari Do’ yatra. Its purpose is to make the whole world aware of the feelings of the youth of Bihar, their struggle, their pain,” he said in the post.

He further encouraged participants to wear white T-shirts and actively question the government, saying, “Put pressure on the government for your rights, remove it. Join the white T-shirt movement by registering here.”

—IANS

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