'Japan, US can reach a good trade deal'
Shigeru Ishiba
said that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told him that the two nations will be able to reach a good
trade deal
.
Ishiba urged Bessent to continue talks vigorously with Japan's chief negotiator Ryosei Akazawa to achieve a mutually beneficial agreement. The two sides didn't discuss specifics on trade as a Aug 1 deadline for higher levies approaches, Ishiba told reporters after meeting Bessent in Tokyo on Friday. "There are many areas in which Japan and the United States should cooperate in the fields of economy and security," Ishiba said. "Secretary Bessent stated that a good agreement would be reached."
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Bessent, who is in Japan for the first time since taking his current position, will attend the US National Day at the World Expo in Osaka on Saturday. As trade was not the main purpose of his visit, the two sides didn't delve deeply into the subject, according to Akazawa.
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Time of India
24 minutes ago
- Time of India
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For 48-year-old Kakoli Chowdhury, charity literally began at home. Watching her mother help their domestic staffers and sponsor their kids' education imbibed in her an innate need to do the same. Little wonder then that Chowdhury is currently paying Rs.16,000 a month as coaching fee for her helper, Uma Maitri's son, who is in Class 12. This is only one of the many initiatives she has undertaken over the years to empower her household staffers, contributing and encouraging them to start savings and investments . Many others like Chowdhury have been stewarding a silent, overt crusade to support this economically vulnerable segment—maids, cooks, drivers, nannies—who help in the smooth running of households, but remain bereft of financial safety nets. The National Sample Survey Office (2011-12) has pegged the number of domestic workers in India at 3.9 million, with 2.6 million women, while the International Labour Organisation estimates this number to be much higher at around 20-80 million. 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Women helpers are in a worse situation, many of them working as single mothers and sole bread winners. Best MF to invest Looking for the best mutual funds to invest? Here are our recommendations. View Details » While several government schemes, including those for life and health insurance, pension , affordable housing, etc., have been launched in the past few years to improve the financial security for this segment, not many domestic workers are aware of or know how to benefit from these (see table). 'There are thousands of welfare schemes that they don't know about. This is why, be it schemes or investing, it's important to first educate the households and employers, who can then help their domestic helpers,' says Roopa Venkatkrishnan, Director, Sapient Wealth, a Mumbai-based financial advisory and distribution firm. Venkatkrishnan has been walking the talk since 2004 by holding financial literacy sessions for both the households and domestic staffers. 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Savings & investments As a first step, if your helpers don't have a bank account yet, help them open one under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. There is no minimum balance to be maintained and account holders get a RuPay debit card. They also get a Rs.2 lakh accident insurance with RuPay card, an overdraft facility up to Rs.10,000, and eligibility for various government schemes with the account. Rashida, 40 Chawla pays an annual premium of Rs.12,617 for a Rs.4 lakh family floater health plan for Rashida and her two children. Shikha Chawla (right) 42, Noida Next, prompt them into investing their money instead of keeping it in bank. You could start them on simple instruments that are easy to understand, such as a recurring deposit, fixed deposit, Post Office term deposit or even the Public Provident Fund (PPF) (see table). 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Pension & loans While saving for retirement may seem difficult for helpers trying to survive from month to month , the government Atal Pension Yojana is a good vehicle that is open to all savings bank/post office savings bank account holders in the 18-40 age group. It offers a guaranteed minimum monthly pension of Rs.1,000-5,000 to the subscriber after 60 years, and after him to his spouse. When it comes to taking loans, try and desist your helpers from taking informal, unsecured loans with high interest rates. Steer them towards formal bank loans. 'I tell the employers to give their helpers salaries via cheques, so that they can show income and file their tax returns. This is because with three years of returns they can avail of home loans easily,' says Venkatkrishnan. If loans are not feasible for them, help them out with personal contributions, say, for their children's education, weddings, etc.
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We really sort of made a deal with China, but we'll see how that goes," Trump told reporters on Sunday before European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen struck their tariff deal.
