PAKISTAN DAILY TIME

Asia Pacific In South Korea, free subway rides for the elderly become a political headache

Truckers and subsidies rev up interest in fuel cell vehicles Interest in using hydrogen fuel cells to power trucks and vans is getting a boost from fleet operators looking for a more practical alternative to electric vehicles and rising government aid, particularly the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). While most of the world's combustion engine cars and short-distance vans and lorries should be replaced by battery electric vehicles (BEVs) over the next two decades, fuel-cell proponents and some long-haul fleet operators say batteries are too heavy, take too long to charge and could overload power grids.Vehicles with hydrogen fuel cells, in which hydrogen mixes with oxygen to produce water and energy to power a battery, can refuel in minutes and have a much longer range than BEVs. "The fact is we need both BEVs and hydrogen," Daimler Truck (DTGGe.DE) Chief Executive Martin Daum told Reuters. "The amount of energy BEVs need is so enormous that I see a strain on our grid that ultimately it can't fulfill."Daimler Truck will invest up to 15 billion euros ($16 billion) on fuel cells over the next decade, Daum said. British supermarket chain Asda, with 1,000 large diesel vehicles hauling goods around the clock between hubs and stores, would be forced to add to its fleet if it turned to BEVs, and so is looking closely at fuel cells. "I'm not closing the door on batteries, but the benefit of hydrogen is it doesn't need that dwell time (for charging) and has better range," Asda fleet manager Sean Clifton said. Like BEVs, hydrogen's main challenge is infrastructure, which is too scant to support fleets today. But more governments are offering subsidies, including for producing more hydrogen from renewable power or rolling out fuelling stations. Asda, for instance, is part of a consortium including British fuel cell startup HVS that has received a UK government grant to develop a self-driving hydrogen heavy goods vehicle. In the United States, the IRA provides subsidies for cheap hydrogen and fuelling infrastructure that industry executives say will speed development of hydrogen semi-trucks and heavy-duty pickup trucks. The European Union is negotiating renewable energy targets, including hydrogen. "Thanks to the IRA, things will move faster in the U.S.," said Philippe Rosier, CEO of French fuel cell maker Symbio, a joint venture between Faurecia (EPED.PA) and Michelin . Carmaker Stellantis is buying a stake in Symbio. Rosier said that will accelerate plans, particularly in North America where it aims to be ready for hydrogen pickup trucks by 2026. Symbio, which supplies fuel cells for Stellantis vans, expects global fuel cell vehicle sales to reach 2 million units annually by 2030 and wants a 10% share. Vittore Fulvi, owner of a trucking company based in Perugia, central Italy, runs a fleet of 60 diesel semi-trucks that manage 2,000 km (1,243 miles) - four days driving - on one tank. Fulvi Trasporti is considering hydrogen because heavy BEV alternatives would cut its load capacity 15% and require daily charging. "We would need to buy more lorries, more than one for every 10 we own," Fulvi said. "That is not sustainable." Ford (F.N) fleet customers run large diesel vans up to 600 miles (966 km) daily, often carrying refrigerated goods requiring extra energy that would overwhelm a BEV. "We need a plan B for those customers," Ford's UK head Tim Slatter said. Heavy-duty pickup trucks used for everything from delivery trucks to ambulances in the United States could also switch to hydrogen. With the notable exception of Tesla (TSLA.O), whose CEO Elon Musk derides fuel cells as "fool cells," almost all automakers have invested in hydrogen technology. Both General Motors (GM) (GM.N) and Toyota (7203.T) are testing fuel cells for larger vehicles including semi-trucks and trains to build scale and lower costs. Toyota recently received UK government funding in partnership with insurance industry research group Thatcham Research to develop a hydrogen version of its Hilux pickup, with prototypes due this summer. GM has received a U.S. government grant to develop four heavy-duty hydrogen fuel cell pickups, which should become a "sweet spot" for the technology, said Charlie Freese, executive director of GM's Hydrotec business. Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) truck unit Traton (8TRA.DE) is not currently investing in hydrogen, because it is so saddled with debt from its acquisition of U.S. truckmaker Navistar it can only afford BEV investments, CEO Christian Levin said. Traton will rely on others for hydrogen if needed, he said. While Volkswagen is not currently investing in fuel cells, it has hundreds of patents around the technology.

South Korea defence paper calls North 'enemy', estimates plutonium stockpile at kg 70 South Korea released its latest defence white paper on Thursday, describing North Korea as its "enemy" for the first time in six years and reporting an increase in Pyongyang's stockpile of weapons-grade plutonium. The biennial white paper offers a glimpse into the reclusive North's growing arsenal of nuclear weapons and missiles, as well as its conventional military capabilities. The 2022 paper revived the description of the North Korean regime and military as "our enemy," last used in its 2016 edition, citing Pyongyang's ongoing weapons development, cyber and military provocations and its recent portrayal of the South as an "enemy."As North Korea continues to pose military threats without giving up nuclear weapons, its regime and military, which are the main agents of the execution, are our enemies," the document said. To beef up its nuclear stockpile, North Korea has continued reprocessing spent fuel from its reactor and possesses about 70kg (154lb) of weapons-grade plutonium, up from 50kg estimated in the previous report, it said.The North has also secured "substantial" amounts of highly enriched uranium" and "significant level of capability" to miniaturise atomic bombs though six nuclear tests, a description that remains unchanged since 2018. "Our military is strengthening surveillance as the possibility of an additional nuclear test is rising," the paper said, citing the restoration last year of previously destroyed tunnels at the North's testing site. The paper said the North violated a 2018 inter-Korean military pact banning hostilities 15 times last year alone, including its drone intrusion in December, artillery fire inside a military buffer zone and missiles launched across the de facto maritime border into the South in November. Its 2020 edition said the North was "generally" complying with the agreement, which was sealed on the margins of a 2018 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The latest document noted Pyongyang's 2022 launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles, including the new Hwasong-17 tested, but said further analysis was needed to verify whether it has acquired improved missile re-entry technology. On Japan, the paper called it a "close neighbour that shares values" for the first time since 2016, amid efforts to mend ties strained by history and trade spats.

Angry Ohio townspeople seek answers on train's toxic spill Hundreds of irate residents of the Ohio town where a train derailed and spilled toxic chemicals packed into a high school gym on Wednesday, seeking answers to what health dangers they face. East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway, looking angry and tired, said at Wednesday's town hall that he wanted to help provide some reassurance for the 4,700 citizens of his town, and hold to account those responsible for the train derailment.We need our citizens to feel safe in their own homes," Conaway said as the meeting began. "I need help. I'm not ready for this. But I'm not leaving, I'm not going anywhere." Conaway said Norfolk Southern (NSC.N), which operated the toxins-laden train that derailed on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, was working closely with him. "They screwed up our town, they're going to fix it," Conway said. Conaway addressed citizens seated in bleachers, speaking through a bull horn as he paced around the gym floor.Norfolk Southern officials did not attend the meeting, saying they feared violence. "After consulting with community leaders, we have become increasingly concerned about the growing physical threat to our employees and members of the community around this event stemming from the increasing likelihood of the participation of outside parties," the company said in an emailed statement. The Norfolk Southern Railroad-operated train's derailment caused a fire that sent a cloud of smoke over East Palestine. Thousands of residents were forced to evacuate. After railroad crews drained and burned off a toxic chemical from five tanker cars, residents were allowed to return to their homes on Feb. 8. Much remains unknown of the dangers posed to residents by the toxins that spilled, experts said. Many in the area have complained of headaches and irritated eyes, and noted that chickens, fish and other wildlife have died off. Despite that, state health officials have insisted to residents that East Palestine is a safe place to be. Erik Olson, the senior strategic director for health and food at the Natural Resources Defense Council, a non-profit group focused on the environment and public health, said the unknown dangers stemming from the derailment vastly outweigh reassurances that officials have given on safety. "This is clearly a very toxic brew of chemicals," Olson said. "And I've not seen any public accounting for how many pounds or gallons of any of these chemicals that were released." The air and water testing that's been done so far seemed limited and "is not all that reassuring," Olson said. He said much more needs to be understood about how the soil and groundwater was polluted from this spill, which he said posed the more significant longer-term danger as opposed to air pollution. Ohio state officials have said that a plume of pollution in the Ohio River is moving at one mile per hour. But they say cities in the plume's path can turn off their drinking water intakes as it floats by. They've also said that drinking water tests have not raised concerns and normal water treatment would remove any small amounts of contaminants that may exist. Gerald Poje, a toxicologist and a former founding member of the Chemical Safety Board, an independent federal agency that investigates industrial chemical accidents, said it could take months or years before the scale of the damage is fully known. "This is a terrible tragedy in Ohio, it's so painful to see so many lives put at risk," Poje said. "There is a long challenge ahead of everybody into how to discern risks that are unknown at this moment in time." Poje and Olson said an underground plume of pollution could eventually contaminate drinking water and even irrigation wells that farmers may pump up and spread onto crops. The train of three locomotives and 150 freight cars was headed from Illinois to Pennsylvania when it derailed. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said 20 of the cars were carrying hazardous materials, including 10 that derailed. The NTSB said 38 cars in total left the tracks and the ensuing fire damaged an additional 12. The NTSB has not commented on the derailment's cause. Railroad union officials have said they have been warning that such an accident could happen because railroad cost-cutting harmed safety measures. But Norfolk Southern said its record has been "trending safer."

Europe Serb nationalists pledge riots if Belgrade tries to improve ties with Kosovo.Hundreds of hardline Serb nationalists and pro-Russia activists rallied in downtown Belgrade, threatening riots if Serbia accepts a Western-backed plan aimed at mending ties with Kosovo, its former mainly Albanian southern province. Pro-Russian sentiment is running high in Serbia which regards Russia, a veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council, as a main ally in its opposition to the 15-year-old independence of Kosovo.Protesters, carrying posters reading "Kosovo-No Surrender", cheered "Serbia-Russia" when ultranationalist Damjan Knezevic called for rioting if Belgrade seeks to improve ties with Kosovo. "You (government) are fearing riots. I swear to you, we are ready for more than that," said Knezevic, whose People's Patrol supports Russia's invasion of Ukraine and is active in the persecution of migrants at home.Knezevic admits ties with Russia's Wagner mercenary group which is fighting in Ukraine. After the protest, President Aleksandar Vucic, who is balancing between Serbia's EU ambitions and ties with Russia, said he was not sure whether protesters "were pro-Russian," but that he was sure "they were anti-Serbian." "All who threatened with murders and beatings will answer to Serbian laws," he said in a TV broadcast after meeting chiefs of state security and law enforcement bodies. Earlier in the day, police said two supporters of Knezevic's organisation heading to the rally had been detained in the north of the country and that a sniper rifle and ammunition had been found in their car. "If our state leadership ... fails to prevent Kosovo from joining the U.N., we are asking the Russian leadership to use its veto and to give us at least a month to remove this traitor," Knezevic told the cheering crowd, referring to Vucic. Although it has repeatedly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine in the United Nations and other international forums, Serbia has been criticised by the West for not formally introducing sanctions against Moscow. On Friday, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said that the level of Serbia's alignment with common foreign and defence policies of the EU including the introduction of sanctions to Russia "is a condition above all conditions" for joining the bloc. Last December, Vucic said Serbia had clamped down on those who attempted to bypass sanctions against Russia through Serbia and in January he criticised efforts by the Wagner group to recruit mercenaries from the country.

Hi, folks. Boris Johnson here.

World Bank's Malpass surprises with early exit World Bank President David Malpass on Wednesday said he would leave his post by the end of June, months after running afoul of the White House for failing to say whether he accepts the scientific consensus on global warming. Malpass, appointed by former President Donald Trump, will vacate the helm of the multilateral development bank, which provides billions of dollars a year in funding for developing economies, with less than a year remaining in a five-year term. He offered no specific reason for the move, saying in a statement, "after a good deal of thought, I’ve decided to pursue new challenges."Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen thanked Malpass for his service in a statement, saying: "The world has benefited from his strong support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's illegal and unprovoked invasion, his vital work to assist the Afghan people, and his commitment to helping low-income countries achieve debt sustainability through debt reduction." Yellen said the United States would soon nominate a replacement for Malpass and looked forward to the bank's board undertaking a "transparent, merit-based and swift nomination process for the next World Bank president."By long-standing tradition, the U.S. government selects the head of the World Bank, while European leaders choose the leader of its larger partner, the International Monetary Fund. Malpass took up the World Bank helm in April 2019 after serving as the top official for international affairs at U.S. Treasury in the Trump administration. Formerly, he was the chief economist for defunct investment bank Bear Stearns for more than a decade. In fiscal 2022, the World Bank committed more than $104 billion to projects around the globe, according to the bank's annual report. A source familiar with his thinking said Malpass had informed Yellen of his decision on Tuesday. The end of the fiscal year at the end of June was a natural time to step aside, the source said. The World Bank's governors are expected to approve the bank's roadmap for reforms with only minor changes at the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank set for mid-April. Still, World Bank sources said they were surprised by his decision to step down before the joint meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Morocco in October. Pressure to shake up the leadership of the World Bank to pave the way for a new president who would reform the Bank to more aggressively respond to climate change has been building for over two years from the United Nations, other world leaders and environmental groups. In November 2021, Special Adviser to the U.N. Secretary-General on Climate Change Selwin Hart called out the World Bank for “fiddling while the developing world burns” and said that the institution has been an “ongoing underperformer” on climate action. Pressure on Malpass was reignited last September when the World Bank chief fumbled answering a question about whether he believed in the scientific consensus around climate change, which drew condemnation from the White House. In November, Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry said he wants to work with Germany to come up with a strategy by the next World Bank Group meetings in April 2022 to "enlarge the capacity of the bank" to put more money into circulation and help countries deal with climate change. Environmental groups cheered his departure. "This is great news. It is hard to think of a worse fit for World Bank President than an alleged climate denier and the chief economist of Bear Stearns ahead of the 2008 recession," said Bronwen Tucker, Global Public Finance Campaign Co-Manager at Oil Change International. More recently, Yellen has launched a major push to reform the way the World Bank operates to ensure broader lending to combat climate change and other global challenges. According to the bank's 2021 annual report, Malpass earned $525,000 in annual net salary that year, and the bank made more than $340,000 in annual contributions to a pension plan and other benefits.

Warm water melts weak spots on Antarctica's 'Doomsday Glacier,' say scientists Scientists studying Antarctica's vast Thwaites Glacier - nicknamed the Doomsday Glacier - say warm water is seeping into its weak spots, worsening melting caused by rising temperatures, two papers published in Nature journal showed on Wednesday. Thwaites, which is roughly the size of Florida, represents more than half a meter (1.6 feet) of global sea level rise potential, and could destabilize neighboring glaciers that have the potential to cause a further three-meter (9.8-foot) rise.As part of the International Thwaites Glacier collaboration - the biggest field campaign ever attempted in Antarctica - a team of 13 U.S. and British scientists spent about six weeks on the glacier in late 2019 and early 2020. Using an underwater robot vehicle known as Icefin, mooring data and sensors, they monitored the glacier's grounding line, where ice slides off the glacier and meets the ocean for the first time.In one of the papers, led by Cornell University-based scientist Britney Schmidt, researchers found that warmer water was making its way into crevasses and other openings known as terraces, causing sideways melt of 30 meters (98 feet) or more per year. "Warm water is getting into the weakest parts of the glacier and making it worse," Schmidt told Reuters. "That is the kind of thing we should all be very concerned about," she said about the findings which underscored how climate change is reaching isolated Antarctica. The other paper's findings, which Schmidt also worked on, showed about five meters (16 feet) per year of melt near the glacier's grounding line - less than what the most aggressive thinning models previously predicted. But she said the melting was still of grave concern. "If we observe less melting... that doesn't change the fact that it's retreating," Schmidt said. Scientists have previously depended on satellite images to show the behavior of the ice, making it difficult to get granular details. The papers represent the first time a team has been to the grounding line of a major glacier, providing a look right where "the action begins," Schmidt said. The findings will help in the development of climate change models, said Paul Cutler, program director of Antarctic Sciences at the National Science Foundation. He reviewed the papers, but was not involved in the research. "These things can now be taken on board in the models that will predict the future behavior, and that was exactly the goal of this work," he said. (This story has been refiled to change 'censors' to 'sensors' in paragraph 4)

Nikki Haley swipes at 'faded names' in bid for Republican 2024 nomination Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley called on Republicans to move on from "stale ideas" and "faded names," a thinly veiled swipe at her former boss Donald Trump, as she made her first stop on Wednesday in a campaign for the 2024 presidential nomination. The 51-year-old former South Carolina governor is just the second Republican to seek the party's backing to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden, 80, who is expected to seek reelection next year.

Three Trump lawyers have appeared before grand jury in documents inquiry Three lawyers for Donald Trump recently appeared before a federal grand jury as part of the special counsel investigation into his possible retention of national security materials at his Mar-a-Lago resort, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The lawyers – Evan Corcoran, Christina Bobb and, most recently, Alina Habba – were involved in efforts to compile documents that had been subpoenaed. They remain among a small number of people to have searched Mar-a-Lago. Habba appeared before the grand jury in the documents case in recent weeks, the sources said, a notable development given she is not a member of the legal team defending Trump in that criminal matter and has represented the former president in civil suits. The details of Habba’s testimony are unclear, though she was asked about her search last year of Trump’s office at Mar-a-Lago – from where the FBI recovered documents marked “top secret” weeks later – after Trump was subpoenaed by the New York state attorney general, Letitia James, in a separate case. In James’ civil case against the Trump family and their business for alleged financial fraud, Habba has been the lead lawyer and told the court she had searched Mar-a-Lago and other properties for documents. The move by the special counsel to summon Habba before the grand jury makes her the third known member of the Trump legal team to do so, after Corcoran and Bobb also made appearances in early January, and potentially the only lawyer who had gone through Trump’s office.justice department’s counter-intelligence chief, Jay Bratt, arrived on 3 June to collect a folder of responsive records, the Guardian reported. But unsure whether the subpoena had been fully complied with, Bobb told Corcoran to amend the certification to add caveats – including that she was signing as the “custodian of records” that did not formally exist based on what she had been told, the Guardian reported.

Russia declares battlefield gains as Ukraine urges faster military aid Russia said on Wednesday it had broken through two fortified Ukrainian defence lines on the eastern front, with Kyiv describing conditions there as difficult and Western allies announcing more military aid including artillery rounds. The Russian Defence Ministry said the Ukrainians had retreated in the face of Russian attacks in the Luhansk region, although it gave no details and Reuters was not able to independently verify this and other battlefield reports.During the offensive ... the Ukrainian troops randomly retreated to a distance of up to 3 km (1.9 miles) from the previously occupied lines," the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app. "Even the more fortified second line of defence of the enemy could not hold the breakthrough of the Russian military." The ministry did not specify in which part of the Luhansk region the offensive took place. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office said Kyiv's forces had repelled some Russian attacks in Luhansk but added: "The situation in the region remains difficult."Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Haidai said Russia was pouring heavy equipment and mobilised troops into Luhansk. "The attacks are coming from different directions in waves," Haidai said. "(But) those who spread the information that allegedly our defence forces have pulled back beyond the line of the administrative border (of Luhansk) - this does not correspond to reality." The Kremlin has intensified attacks across a swathe of southern and eastern Ukraine in recent weeks, and a major new offensive has been widely anticipated. Russia's main effort has been focused on the town of Bakhmut in Donetsk province adjacent to Luhansk. Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's eastern military command, told Ukrainian TV on Wednesday that fierce battles were being fought in Bakhmut. The Ukrainian military said its units had repelled Russian attacks in the areas of over 20 settlements including Vuhledar - a town 150 km (90 miles) southwest of Bakhmut. Bakhmut's capture would give Russia a stepping stone to advance on two bigger cities, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in Donetsk, lending it momentum after months of setbacks ahead of the Feb. 24 first anniversary of the invasion. Zelenskiy said on Tuesday Russia was in a hurry to achieve as much as it could with its latest push before Ukraine, armed with heavier and longer-range firepower from the West, gathers strength for what many expect to be a spring counter-offensive. Ukraine is using shells faster than the West can make them and says it needs fighter jets and long-range missiles to counter the Russian offensive and recapture lost territory. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said alliance members were increasing production of 155mm artillery rounds and needed to ramp that up even further to help Ukraine. It was "obvious" NATO states had to spend more on defence, he added. "So yes, things are happening but we need to continue, we need to step up even more. This is now becoming a grinding war of attrition and (this) is a war of logistics," he told reporters after a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged countries to join Germany in sending "as many tanks as possible, and as quickly as possible" to Ukraine after media reports that Denmark and the Netherlands said they would not deliver Leopard 2 battle tanks like Berlin. "It would be very disappointing if, after so long of pointing the finger at Germany for not doing anything, these countries now don't follow suit," Borrell told Germany's Phoenix broadcaster. "I know there are hundreds of tanks in EU armies, some of them need to be refurbished, but then you have to do it, and do it quickly, because in the spring it will be too late." U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said after the Brussels talks that Ukraine had a very good chance of taking and "exploiting" the initiative on the battlefield this year. Austin said that for every new system NATO provides Kyiv, it will train troops on it. "We're laser-focused on making sure that we provide a capability and not just the platform." Britain said it and other European nations would provide military equipment including spare parts for tanks and artillery ammunition to Ukraine via an international fund, with an initial package worth more than $241 million. The United States and NATO have pledged that Western support will not falter in the face of a looming Russian offensive. On Jan. 20 a senior U.S. administration official said Washington was advising Ukraine to hold off with a major offensive until the latest supply of U.S. weaponry is in place and training has been provided. Russia calls the invasion a "special military operation" against security threats, and says NATO shows hostility to Russia daily and is growing more involved in the conflict. Kyiv and its allies call Russia's actions an unprovoked land grab. Russia holds swathes of Ukraine's southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, including its nuclear plant, nearly all of Luhansk and over half of Donetsk. Last year, Russia declared it had annexed the four regions in a move condemned by most United Nations members as illegal. Russia aims to retake the settlements in the northeastern Kharkiv region that it surrendered to Kyiv last year, the head of the Russian-installed administration there said on Wednesday

Scotland's Sturgeon quits to let new leader build case for independence

How secret London talks led to Air India's gigantic plane order Air India's record aircraft deal has put the Tata Group-owned airline in the league of aspiring global carriers. On Tuesday, it provisionally agreed to acquire almost 500 jets from Airbus (AIR.PA) and Boeing (BA.N) to take on domestic and international rivals. Striking the largest ever deal by one airline took months of secret talks carried out a stone's throw from Britain's Buckingham palace and culminating in a celebration over coastal Indian curries, according to people involved in the talks.Confidentiality was lifted on Tuesday as leaders hailed the accord in a diplomatic embrace between leading G20 nations. Tata Group, which regained control of Air India last year after decades of public ownership, put out just six paragraphs. Its low-key announcement illustrates a rising breed of private airline owners transforming a financially-risky Indian airline sector, alongside the publicity-shy founders of IndiGo.The deal was in the making for over a year, insiders said, recounting details of the process on condition of anonymity. Serious talks began last summer and continued until days before Christmas when outlines were agreed. As the astonishing scale of the deal began to crystallise, Reuters reported in December the parties were nearing a record 500-plane agreement. The epicentre of dealmaking was St James' Court - a luxury Victorian hotel near Buckingham Palace in London's West End. In the hothouse atmosphere of a classic aircraft industry negotiating ritual known as a "bake-off", negotiators from the airline, planemakers and engine giants camped out at the Tata-owned hotel and neighbouring suites for days at a stretch. They were chasing a bigger slice of a fast-growing market that has seen many airline growth plans rise and fall. Now, Boeing had a chance to restore its position in India's single-aisle jet market and narrow Airbus' large lead. Airbus wanted a bigger piece of the wide-body market led by its rival. With bulging order books, neither could sweep the whole order. At stake was India's bid to win back the custom of visitors and its own diaspora from highly efficient Gulf carriers. Politics set the context but talks were commercial - and tough. "The convergence of the political will of the country to regain sovereignty of international connectivity, combined with the ambition of the mighty Tata ... if things are done right it has all the ingredients to be really solid," Airbus Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer told Reuters on Tuesday. The contest for attention played out across London on a chilly day in December as Airbus found itself in talks with Air India on one side of the capital, while fighting Qatar Airways in court over the fate of similar A350 jets just two miles away. Airbus and Qatar Airways later settled their contractual and safety row, but Air India jumped ahead of Qatar in the queue for smaller jets though sources say the Gulf airline also won hefty damages. Negotiations led by Air India's chief commercial and transformation officer, Nipun Aggarwal, and Yogesh Agarwal, head of aircraft acquisitions, often stretched into the night with sellers churning out new "best offers" fuelled by room service. "Air India negotiated hard and the team is very sharp despite having no prior aviation experience. They compare with some of the best dealmakers in the business," one person said. A second person who watched the billions fall into place said the Air India negotiators were "methodical, tough and very sophisticated". The London negotiations ended with a dinner at the hotel's Michelin-starred Indian restaurant Quilon, renowned for its seafood and coastal cuisine from places like Goa and Kerala. While the major focus in any jet deal is the battle between planemakers, engines are often key and can speed or hold up the wider deal. Plans for announcements on the anniversary of Tata's Air India takeover slipped as engine talks wore on. The biggest overall winner, insiders say, is General Electric (GE.N) which picks up the lion's share of the lucrative engine deals, with its CFM joint-venture with Safran (SAF.PA) beating Raytheon-owned (RTX.N) rival Pratt & Whitney on Airbus A320neos. Rolls-Royce (RR.L) also got a boost from the sale of 40 Airbus A350s. Highlighting the long road to strategic deals in aviation, GE's victory had been in the making for about 10 years. In 2014, it won a tender for 27 engines for Air India A320s. Soon after it convinced Vistara to take on its engines for seven aircraft which later translated into an order for 70 planes. The turning point was IndiGo, which switched from Pratt & Whitney after technical issues that Pratt says have been resolved. Analysts caution many obstacles remain to Air India's plans. It needs better service and efficiency to make a serious dent in the powerfully entrenched hubs of Doha and Dubai. But India's potential will continue to lure dealmakers. CAPA India reports IndiGo is exploring its own order for 500 jets.

Lufthansa IT meltdown strands thousands of passengers worldwide An IT failure at Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) stranded passengers and forced flights to Germany's busiest airport to be cancelled or diverted on Wednesday, with the airline blaming botched railway engineering works that damaged broadband cables. More than 200 flights have been cancelled so far in Frankfurt, a vital international transit hub and one of Europe's biggest airports, a spokesperson for operator Fraport (FRAG.DE) said. Lufthansa expects the situation to stabilise by evening.Data from FlightAware showed 105 flights had also been delayed as of 1243 GMT. Photos and videos from several German airports showed thousands of passengers waiting to be checked in. "We wanted to go to the wizard convention in England, in Blackpool. And now we are stranded here," Alexander Straub said at Frankfurt airport. "We have eaten some pretzels and are still waiting," said his fellow passenger Marc Weidel.Lufthansa and Germany's national train operator blamed the problem on third-party engineering works on a railway line extension that took place on Tuesday evening, when a drill cut through a Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) fibre optic cable bundle. That caused passenger check-in and boarding systems at Lufthansa to seize up on Wednesday morning and prompted German air traffic control to suspend incoming flights, though these have since resumed. Shares in Lufthansa, which also owns SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings, were down 0.8%, paring earlier losses, while Fraport shares were 0.9% down in early afternoon trading. Passengers said on social media the company was using pen and paper to organise flight boardings and that it was unable to digitally process passengers' luggage. In a tweet, Lufthansa said: "As of this morning the airlines of the Lufthansa Group are affected by an IT outage, caused by construction work in the Frankfurt region." Deutsche Telekom said in a statement: "Two cables have already been repaired overnight by our technical team and many customers are already back online," adding the situation was improving continuously. Deutsche Bahn (DBN.UL) apologised to Lufthansa passengers for the inconvenience caused. The IT system failure comes two days ahead of planned strikes at seven German airports that are expected to lead to major disruptions, including potentially at the Munich Security Conference where world leaders are expected to gather. Scandinavian airline SAS (SAS.ST) said it was hit by a cyber attack on Tuesday evening and urged customers to refrain from using its app, but later said it had fixed the problem. Unknown attackers cut cables belonging to Germany's public railway in December in what was seen as a second act of sabotage against Deutsche Bahn in as many months. Airlines cancelled more than 1,300 flights and over 10,000 were delayed in the United States last month after the breakdown of a key government computer system.

us retail sales rebound strongly in January U.S. retail sales rebounded sharply in January after two straight monthly declines, driven by purchases of motor vehicles and other goods, pointing to the economy's continued resilience despite higher borrowing costs. The Commerce Department said on Wednesday that retail sales surged 3.0% last month. Data for December was unrevised to show sales dropping 1.1% as previously reported. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast sales would increase 1.8%, with estimates ranging from 0.5% to 3.0%. Some cautioned against reading too much into the jump in retail sales.The drop in sales in the prior two months was blamed on the front-loading of holiday shopping, which economists said had not been fully adjusted for by the model that the government uses to strip out seasonal fluctuations from the data. The so-called seasonal adjustment factors likely flattered retail sales in January. The blowout job growth in January was partially attributed to seasonal adjustment factors.The bottom line is that the underlying trend in consumption is not as weak as the December numbers indicated, but is also not as strong as the January numbers might suggest," said Lou Crandall, chief economist at Wrightson ICAP. Retail sales are mostly goods and are not adjusted for inflation. They were also lifted by higher gasoline prices, which inflated receipts at service stations. But even accounting for the technical distortions, Americans are still spending. The Bank of America Institute last week reported a surge in spending in January based on an analysis of Bank of America credit and debit card data. It said this suggested "that while lower-income consumers are pressured, they still have solid cash buffers and borrowing capacity," noting "even for the lowest- income cohorts this should provide support for some time yet." Citi card data also showed broad gains in spending on services. Retail sales were also likely supported by the biggest cost of living adjustment since 1981 for more than 65 million Social Security beneficiaries, which came into effect in January. Several states also raised their minimum wage. The tight labor market continues to generate strong wage growth, though the pace has slowed. The Federal Reserve has raised its policy rate by 450 basis points since last March from near zero to a 4.50%-4.75% range, with the bulk of the increases between May and December. Two additional rate hikes of 25 basis points are expected in March and May. Excluding automobiles, gasoline, building materials and food services, retail sales increased 1.7% last month. These so-called core retail sales fell by an unrevised 0.7% in December. Core retail sales correspond most closely with the consumer spending component of gross domestic product.

Congressional budget forecast to provide insight on U.S.debt ceiling deadline The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on Wednesday will provide some clarity on when the United States may default on its payment obligations if lawmakers fail to raise the federal borrowing limit amid a tense partisan spending stand-off. The non-partisan fiscal referee agency's 2023 baseline budget forecast also will reveal its first comprehensive analysis of federal deficits in the wake of recent spending legislation, including President Joe Biden's $430 billion climate and healthcare act and a military-heavy $1.66 trillion government funding package with more aid to Ukraine.Those 10-year forecasts could enflame the debate over spending in Congress and prompt calls for deeper cuts from Republicans who now control the House of Representatives. A second CBO report will describe the "current debt situation and CBO's expectation about when the Treasury will no longer be able to pay its obligations fully if the debt limit is not raised." After hitting the $31.4 trillion borrowing cap on Jan. 19, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Treasury can keep up payments on debt, federal benefits and make other outlays at least through June 5 using cash receipts and extraordinary cash management measures.Some fiscal analysts say that Treasury can last further into the summer, but the CBO forecast will provide a reliable benchmark, said Shai Akabas, economic policy director at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a centrist think tank in Washington. "This will be a good-level set of the discussion because the only point in time out there now is the June 5 reference in Secretary Yellen's letter, which is not an X-date projection," Akabas said, using a common term in Washington for when the Treasury will begin to default. So far in 2023, not a day has gone by on Capitol Hill without lawmakers jousting over the debt limit, as Democrats press for a quick, clean increase in Treasury borrowing authority and Republicans insist on first nailing down significant reductions in future government spending. Social Security and Medicare, the government's popular pension and healthcare programs for the elderly, are at the center of the debt limit/government funding debate, as both parties also jockey to define the contours of the 2024 presidential and congressional campaigns. "There has been a Republican drumbeat to cut Social Security and Medicare," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, reminded reporters on Tuesday. Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has labored, without much success so far, to smother such talk. "Let me say one more time. There is no agenda on the part of Senate Republicans to revisit Medicare or Social Security. Period," he said at a press conference.

World Bird flu spreads to new countries, threatens non-stop "war" on poultry Avian flu has reached new corners of the globe and become endemic for the first time in some wild birds that transmit the virus to poultry, according to veterinarians and disease experts, who warn it is now a year-round problem. Reuters spoke to more than 20 experts and farmers on four continents who said the prevalence of the virus in the wild signals that record outbreaks will not abate soon on poultry farms, ramping up threats to the world's food supply. They warned that farmers must view the disease as a serious risk all year, instead of focusing prevention efforts during spring migration seasons for wild birds.Outbreaks of the virus have continued in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa, undefeated by summer heat or winter cold snaps, since a strain arrived in the United States in early 2022 that was genetically similar to cases in Europe and Asia. Egg prices set records after the disease wiped out tens of millions of hens last year, putting a staple source of cheap protein out of reach to some of the world's poorest at a time the global economy is reeling from high inflation.Wild birds are primarily responsible for spreading the virus, according to experts. Waterfowl like ducks can carry the disease without dying and introduce it to poultry through contaminated feces, saliva and other means. Farmers' best efforts to protect flocks are falling short. In the United States, Rose Acre Farms, the country's second-largest egg producer, lost about 1.5 million hens at a Guthrie County, Iowa, production site last year, even though anyone who entered barns was required to shower first to remove any trace of the virus, Chief Executive Marcus Rust said. A company farm in Weld County, Colorado, was infected twice within about six months, killing more than 3 million chickens, Rust said. He thinks wind blew the virus in from nearby fields where geese defecated. "We got nailed," Rust said. "You just pull your hair out." The United States, Britain, France and Japan are among countries that have suffered record losses of poultry over the past year, leaving some farmers feeling helpless. "Avian flu is occurring even in a new poultry farm with modern equipment and no windows, so all we could do now is ask God to avoid an outbreak," said Shigeo Inaba, who raises chickens for meat in Ibaraki prefecture near Tokyo. Poultry in the Northern Hemisphere were previously considered to be most at risk when wild birds are active during spring migration. Soaring levels of the virus in a broad range of waterfowl and other wild birds mean poultry now face high risks year round, experts said. "It's a new war," said Bret Marsh, the state veterinarian in the U.S. state of Indiana. "It's basically a 12-month vigil." In a sign the threat is expected to persist, Marsh is seeking funds from Indiana's lawmakers to hire an additional poultry veterinarian and poultry health-specialist. Indiana lost more than 200,000 turkeys and other birds over the past year, while total U.S. deaths top 58 million birds, according to U.S. government data, surpassing the previous 2015 record. The virus is usually deadly to poultry, and entire flocks are culled when even one bird tests positive. Vaccinations are not a simple solution: they may reduce but not eliminate the threat from the virus, making it harder to detect its presence among a flock. Still, Mexico and the EU are among those vaccinating or considering shots. Explainer: Bird flu: what are the risks to people and animals? Wild birds have spread the disease farther and wider around the world than ever before, likely carrying record amounts of the virus, said Gregorio Torres, the head of the science department at the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health, an intergovernmental group and global authority on animal diseases. The virus changed from previous outbreaks to a form that is probably more transmissible, he told Reuters. "The disease is here to stay at least in the short term," Torres said. Torres could not confirm the virus is endemic in wild birds worldwide, though other experts said it is endemic in certain birds in places like the United States. While the virus can infect people, usually those who have contact with infected birds, the World Health Organization says the risk to humans is low. The form of the virus circulating is infecting a broader range of wild birds than previous versions, including those that do not migrate long distances, said David Suarez, acting laboratory director of the U.S. government's Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory in Georgia. Such infections of "resident" birds are helping the virus to persist throughout the year when it didn't previously, he said. Black vultures, which inhabit the southern United States and previously avoided infections, are now among the species suffering, said David Stallknecht, director of the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study at the University of Georgia. The virus has also infected mammals like foxes, bears and seals. "We all have to believe in miracles," Stallknecht said, "but I really can't see a scenario where it's going to disappear." High virus levels in birds like blue-winged teal, ducks that migrate long distances, helped spread the virus to new parts of South America, Stallknecht said. Countries including Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia in recent months reported cases. Ecuador imposed a three-month animal-health emergency on Nov. 29, two days after its first case was detected, the country's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock said. So far, more than 1.1 million birds have died, the ministry said. Cases in Bolivia put the disease close to poultry giant Brazil. "Everyone is focused on preventing the flu from reaching our country," said Gian Carlos Zacchi, who raises chickens for processor Aurora in Chapecó in Brazil's Santa Catarina state. Some experts suspect climate change may be contributing to the global spread by altering wild birds' habitats and migratory paths. "The wild bird dynamics have shifted, and that's allowed the viruses that live in them to shift as well," said Carol Cardona, an avian flu expert and professor at the University of Minnesota. Farmers are trying unusual tactics to protect poultry, with some using machines that make loud noises to scare off wild birds, experts said. In Rhode Island, Eli Berkowitz, an egg producer and chief executive of Little Rhody Foods, sprayed the disinfectant Lysol on goose poop on a walkway of his farm in case it contained the virus. He also limits visitors to the farm, a more traditional precaution. Berkowitz said he is bracing for March and April when migration season will pose an even greater risk to poultry. "You'd better buckle up and hold on for your dear life," he said.

Morning Bid: Interminable anxiety A look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike Dolan. U.S. inflation is not falling fast enough, the Federal Reserve is stamping its foot and the assumed 'terminal' interest rate in this brutal monetary policy tightening cycle is climbing upwards once again. The net impact of Tuesday's sticky U.S. inflation report for January and the red hot employment readout for the same month has been to catapult market pricing of both peak Fed rates and where they'll be at year-end well above 5% and above where even Fed guidance had been late last year.Deutsche Bank, for one, has raised its U.S. terminal rate forecast by half a percentage point to 5.6% since the CPI release, with some market players already mulling the chance that even 6% now comes on the risk radar. And as one of the leading doves on the Fed's policymaking council - Vice Chair Lael Brainard - is set to depart the central bank later this month, her colleagues seem happy for markets to look ever higher for the rates summit.Clearly there are risks that inflation stays higher for longer than expected, or that we might need to raise rates higher" than current forecasts, said New York Fed President John Williams, adding that a year-end rate between 5.0% and 5.50% was "the right kind of framing". The about-turn in rates markets in just two weeks has been extraordinary - with Fed funds futures pricing moving from a terminal rate as low as 4.8% to 5.26% on Wednesday. Year-end pricing has moved above 5% too. Two-year Treasury yields soared to a 3-month high of 4.64% on Tuesday - where current Fed rates sit - and only gave back a fraction of that on Wednesday. The dollar extended gains against Japan's yen and the pound but was restrained against the euro by speculation the European Central Bank faces a similar rethink on inflation and rates that's also pushing up where its peak tightening might be. U.S. stocks held up remarkably well on Tuesday - helped by hopes recession fears are easing even as rate speculation intensifies. But futures and world stocks in general were feeling the heat today. U.S. January industrial production and retail sales data are now the next gauge of what's happening on the ground in the U.S. economy. Sterling slipped as UK inflation fell faster than expected last month, even though the annual inflation rate remains in double digits. Despite many banks benefiting from the higher interest rate environment, Britain's Barclays has proven an outlier and its shares dropped almost 10% on Wednesday after a dire 2022 earnings update. Barclays (BARC.L) reported a 14% fall in full-year pre-tax profit as earnings were pole-axed by surging costs, a collapse in deal fees and multi-million dollar fines relating to an administrative blunder. There was better news on the inflation front in energy markets. Oil dropped for a second day on Wednesday, as an industry report pointed to ample supplies in the United States and anticipation of further rate hikes sparked concerns over weaker fuel demand and the economic outlook. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N), meantime, slashed its stake in Taiwanese contract chipmaker TSMC (2330.TW), as well as in some banks in the fourth quarter, while bolstering its holdings in Apple Inc (AAPL.O). Berkshire cut its position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co - roughly three months after it said it had bought more than $4.1 billion worth of the stock. Key developments that may provide direction to U.S. markets later on Wednesday: * U.S. Feb NAHB housing index, Empire manufacturing index, Jan retail sales, industrial production, Dec business inventories, Dec TIC Treasury holdings data * European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde speaks in European Parliament * U.S. Treasury auctions 20-year bonds* U.S. corp earnings: Cisco, Analog Devices, Marathon, AIG, Equinix, Kraft Heinz, Biogen, Albemarle, ROBLOX, Zillow, Roku, Rollins, EQT, Synopsys

India, soon world's most populous nation, doesn't know how many people it has A senior official at the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation said census data from 2011, when the count was last conducted, was being used for projections and estimates required to assess government spending. A spokesman for the ministry said its role was limited to providing the best possible projections and could not comment on the census process. The Prime Minister's Office did not respond to requests for comment. Two other government officials, one from the federal home (interior) ministry and another from the office of the Registrar General of India, said the delay was largely due to the government's decision to fine-tune the census process and make it foolproof with the help of technology. The home ministry official said the software that will be used to gather census data on a mobile phone app has to be synchronised with existing identity databases, including the national identity card, called Aadhaar, which was taking time. The office of the Registrar General of India, which is responsible for the census, did not respond to a request for comment. The main opposition Congress party and critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have accused the government of delaying the census to hide data on politically sensitive issues, such as unemployment, ahead of national elections due in 2024. "This government has often displayed its open rivalry with data," said Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera. "On important matters like employment, Covid deaths etc., we have seen how the Modi government has preferred to cloak critical data.” The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's national spokesperson, Gopal Krishna Agarwal, dismissed the criticism. "I want to know on what basis they are saying this. Which is the social parameter on which our performance in nine years is worse than their 65 years?" he said, referring to the Congress party's years in power. The United Nations has projected India's population could touch 1,425,775,850 on April 14, overtaking China on that day. The 2011 census had put India's population at 1.21 billion, meaning the country has added 210 million, or almost the number of people in Brazil, to its population in 12 years. India's census is conducted by about 330,000 government school teachers who first go door-to-door listing all houses across the country and then return to them with a second list of questions. They ask more than two dozen questions each time in 16 languages in the two phases that will be spread over 11 months, according to the plan made for 2021. The numbers will be tabulated and final data made public months later. The entire exercise was estimated to cost 87.5 billion rupees ($1.05 billion) in 2019. However, teachers have returned to school after the pandemic disruption and have to conduct nine state elections in 2023 and national elections in 2024 besides the census and this would again disrupt teaching. Payments have also become an issue. Arvind Mishra, a senior official at the All-India Primary Teachers Federation which counts 2.3 million members, said teachers are bound by law to help conduct elections and the census but government must increase the fees they receive. "They must roll out a systematic payment mechanism for the drill," said Mishra. "Teachers deserve respect and they can't be running around demanding reimbursement for conducting the largest counting exercise on earth." A former top official of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the government agency that runs the highly successful national identity programme Aadhaar, however sought to downplay the significance of the decennial census data saying the identity programme is a "de facto, real-time" census. According to UIDAI, 1.30 billion people were enrolled under Aadhaar on December 31, 2022, against a projected population then of 1.37 billion. The gap would mostly be children who are not enrolled and deaths that are not updated, the former UIDAI official said. Pronab Sen, a former chief statistician of India, said the sample registration system (SRS) which estimates birth and death rates shows the population growth rate with reasonable accuracy. Unlike Aadhaar, the SRS survey counts a representative sample of births and deaths and uses it to project the count for a larger region. "It's not exact," Sen said. "The problem is that SRS and projections that we have are reasonably accurate if the country is taken as a whole. What it will not give you is the distribution of people in different geographies within the country."

Scottish First Minister Sturgeon to resign BBC Nicola Sturgeon is set to resign as first minister of Scotland on Wednesday after eight years in the job, the BBC reported, leaving office with no clear successor and with the question of independence unresolved. Sturgeon became the leader of the ruling Scottish National Party (SNP) in the wake of its 2014 independence referendum when the country voted 55% to 45% to remain as part of the United Kingdom.The BBC cited a source close to Sturgeon as saying "she's had enough". She suffered a blow in November when the United Kingdom's top court ruled that the Scottish government could not hold a second referendum without approval from the British parliament. Sturgeon said in response that she would turn the next British general election into a de facto referendum to ramp on pressure on Westminster to grant another vote.Support for independence rose above 50% in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling but it has slipped back in recent months. Sturgeon, 52, had also recently become embroiled in a row over transgender policies after Scotland passed a bill to make it easier for people to change their legal gender. The Conservative government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak responded by saying it would block the bill, the first time it had invoked the power to veto a Scottish law, because it would have a broader impact on the United Kingdom. Scotland was then forced to review the management of trans prisoners and stop transgender people with a history of violence against women being placed in female prisons. The Scottish government declined to comment.

U.S.consumer prices increase in January; trend slowing U.S.consumer prices increase in January; trend slowing prices accelerated in January, but the annual increase was the smallest since late 2021, pointing to a continued slowdown in inflation and likely keeping the Federal Reserve on a moderate interest rate hiking path. The consumer price index increased 0.5% last month after gaining 0.1% in December, the Labor Department said on Tuesday. Monthly inflation was boosted in part by rising gasoline prices, which increased 3.6% in January, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the CPI climbing 0.5%. Much of the survey was conducted before the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) published annual revisions to the seasonally adjusted CPI data on Friday. The BLS also updated the seasonal adjustment factors, the model that it uses to strip out seasonal fluctuations from the data. Spending weights used to calculate the CPI were also updated effective with January's report. The new weights, which were published on Friday, reflect consumer spending in 2021.Housing's share of the CPI has now been raised, but weights for transportation and food were lowered. The revisions, updated seasonal factors and new weights prompted some economists to bump up their CPI forecasts. Nevertheless, inflation is slowing, which would allow the Fed to continue with its small pace of rate hikes next month. In the 12 months through January, the CPI increased 6.4%. That was the smallest gain since October 2021 and followed a 6.5% rise in December. The annual CPI peaked at 9.1% in June, which was the biggest increase since November 1981. The moderation in price pressures reflects tighter monetary policy, which is weighing on demand, as well as improved supply chains. But it will be a while before inflation moves back to the Fed's 2% target because of sticky rents and a tight labor market, which are keeping prices for services elevated. The U.S. central bank has raised its policy rate by 450 basis points since last March from near zero to a 4.50%-4.75% range, with the bulk of the increases between May and December. Economists believe the Fed could lift this rate above the 5.1% peak it projected in December and keep it there for some time. Excluding the volatile food and energy components, the CPI increased 0.4% after rising 0.4% in December. In the 12 months through January, the so-called core CPI gained 5.6% after rising 5.7% in December.

Economic war with China would be MAD

Haley announces 2024 Republican presidential bid in first challenge to Trump Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said on Tuesday that she will seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, putting her at odds with one-time boss Donald Trump, the ex-president also seeking to win back the White House. "I'm Nikki Haley and I'm running for president," Haley said in a video that her team sent out by email. Haley, a former South Carolina governor who served as Trump's U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, will lay out her campaign plans in a speech in Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday.She became Trump's first direct challenger in a Republican field expected to grow in coming weeks and months. Other high-profile Republicans looking at a 2024 run include Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, among others. “It’s time for a new generation of leadership – to rediscover fiscal responsibility, secure our border, and strengthen our country, our pride and our purpose," Haley said in her video. She also harked back to her foreign policy experience. "China and Russia are on the march. They all think we can be bullied, kicked. You should know this about me: I don’t put up with bullies. And when you kick back, it hurts them more if you’re wearing heels," she said.

India tax officers search BBC offices weeks after critical documentary Indian tax officers searched the BBC's bureaus in New Delhi and Mumbai on Tuesday, the British broadcaster said, weeks after the government came down hard against a BBC documentary critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's role in 2002 riots. The documentary had focused on the Hindu nationalist politician's leadership as chief minister of the western state of Gujarat during the deadly communal riots in which at least 1,000 people were killed, most of them Muslims, though activists put the toll at more than twice that number.The Income Tax Authorities are currently at the BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai and we are fully cooperating. We hope to have this situation resolved as soon as possible," the BBC said in a statement. An Income Tax Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that a "credible survey operation was ongoing" and that the department would not be able to share details. The department did not respond to a Reuters email seeking comment.One of two sources in the BBC's New Delhi office told Reuters that tax officials were speaking with the accounts officer and no one was allowed to leave. While the search was in progress, television news crews set up outside the office near Connaught Place in central Delhi to report developments. The Editors Guild of India, which calls itself a non-partisan association of editorial leaders, said it was deeply concerned by the visits by the tax officers. A Guild statement said it was "distressed by the continuing trend of government agencies being used to intimidate and harass news organisations that are critical of the ruling establishment". It said the department also searched the offices of media outlets NewsClick, Newslaundry, Dainik Bhaskar and Bharat Samachar in 2021 after their "critical coverage" of the government. Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said Indian institutions worked independently and the tax department was "within the law in looking into tax compliance". "India is a vibrant democracy where no one is above the law," said BJP spokesman Gopal Krishna Agarwal. The main opposition Congress party condemned the tax department's action. "The IT raid at BBC’s offices reeks of desperation and shows that the Modi government is scared of criticism," lawmaker and Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal wrote on Twitter. "We condemn these intimidation tactics in the harshest terms. This undemocratic and dictatorial attitude cannot go on any longer." The government has dismissed the BBC documentary as propaganda. The foreign ministry in January said it was meant to push a "discredited narrative", was biased, lacked objectivity and showed a "continuing colonial mindset". The BBC has stood by its reporting for the documentary. Last month police in Delhi detained students as they gathered to watch the documentary after their university declined to give permission for a screening of it. The documentary covers events from February 2002, when a suspected Muslim mob set fire to a train carrying Hindu pilgrims in Gujarat, setting off one of independent India’s worst outbreaks of communal violence. Modi ruled Gujarat for more than a decade before becoming prime minister in 2014. His career has been dogged by accusations that he did not do enough to stop the rioting in 2002. Modi has always denied any wrongdoing and in 2013 a panel appointed by the Supreme Court said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him.

J&J talc unit faces bankruptcy judge after tactic rejected Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.N) subsidiary shouldering talc-related lawsuits goes before a bankruptcy judge on Tuesday for the first time since a U.S. appeals court last month nixed the company's attempt to offload the litigation into Chapter 11 proceedings. A three-judge panel of the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Jan. 30 ruled that the J&J subsidiary's bankruptcy case should be dismissed, finding it had no legitimate claim to Chapter 11 protection because it did not face financial distress.Absent a reversal, the decision would force J&J back into trial courts to battle nearly 40,000 lawsuits alleging the company's Baby Powder and other cosmetic products containing talc cause cancer. J&J maintains its talc products are safe. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan was set to preside over the hearing for the subsidiary, called LTL Management, in Trenton, New Jersey. J&J had no comment on the looming bankruptcy hearing.LTL on Monday asked the full 3rd Circuit to reconsider the decision by the three-judge panel. LTL's bankruptcy put the deluge of talc cases on hold. At least one plaintiff has asked the bankruptcy judge to allow his case to proceed in California in the wake of the 3rd Circuit's decision, a request expected to be reviewed at Tuesday's hearing. LTL opposes the request. The 3rd Circuit decision more broadly cast a cloud over J&J's use of a maneuver known as the Texas two-step, named for a Texas law the company employed to carve its consumer business into two new subsidiaries. In October 2021, J&J offloaded the tidal wave of talc lawsuits it faced onto one of its newly created units, LTL, which then declared bankruptcy. Reuters last year detailed the secret planning of Texas two-steps by Johnson & Johnson and other major firms in a series of reports exploring corporate attempts to evade lawsuits through bankruptcies. J&J, with a market capitalization of more than $400 billion, has argued that the avalanche of lawsuits posed a serious financial threat. The company's costs of verdicts, settlements and legal fees soared to about $4.5 billion, with no end in sight, according to bankruptcy-court filings. The 3rd Circuit's reasoning underscored what some legal experts call an inherent contradiction: bankruptcies being executed by multinational firms worth billions of dollars that were in little danger of running out of money to pay plaintiff-creditors. LTL declared bankruptcy while J&J avoided seeking Chapter 11 protection, with all its inherent financial and reputational wreckage. J&J said it generously financed LTL to ensure a fair settlement - better, the company and its subsidiary argued, than trial courts where some plaintiffs receive outsized payments while others receive little or nothing. The 3rd Circuit found that J&J's funding of the subsidiary, initially $2 billion and perhaps eventually more, undercut any claim of financial peril. In a petition seeking a rehearing filed Monday, a lawyer for LTL, Neal Katyal, called that reasoning "upside-down." A 2018 Reuters investigation found that J&J knew for decades that asbestos, a known carcinogen, was present in its Baby Powder and other cosmetic talc products. The company said in May 2020 it would stop selling talc-based Baby Powder in the United States and Canada, in part due to what it called "misinformation" and "unfounded allegations" about the product. The company later decided to stop selling talc-based Baby Powder globally starting this year. J&J has denied its talc contains asbestos.