Latest news with #Troika
First Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Russia Proposes Revival of Troika with India and China
Russia Proposes Revival of Troika with India and China | Vantage with Palki Sharma Russia Proposes Revival of Troika with India and China | Vantage with Palki Sharma Russia's foreign minister has called for reviving his country's trilateral forum with India and China. What is the significance of the Russia-India-China troika? Why was it frozen? Should India agree to Russia's proposal and revive it? Palki Sharma brings you three factors to keep in mind. See More
Irish Independent
26-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
The Irish Independent's View: It's up to Housing Minister James Browne to sort out scarcity of zoned land
Now that he is unshackled from the doomed role, he is free to opine on the housing dilemma. Mr McDonagh introduced 'Felipe' as an acronym for the solution to the biggest problem facing Ireland. 'F' stands for finance being available for developers to build; 'E' is for expertise in trades and the necessity to address the shortage of carpenters, plumbers and electricians; 'L' represents the availability of land for housing; 'I' is the infrastructure to service the zoned land; 'P is for the planning system, shortening the time taken to get building and reducing the amount of developments being appealed to An Bord Pleanála and then judicially reviewed, which also costs money; and finally, 'E' is engineering and availing of modern methods of building to enhance construction productivity. 'To me, if you solve those six issues, you have gone a long way towards trying to help resolve the situation,' Mr McDonagh told the Oireachtas Finance Committee last week. Easier said than done. But then this cohort of parties in Government has had the best part of a decade to address much of the 'Felipe' framework. After saying goodbye to the Troika, Fine Gael told us it wanted to keep the recovery going. Fianna Fáil joined them loosely in partnership in 2016, before a formal marriage in 2020. Now the two Civil War parties have ditched the Green Party and replaced them with the Independents. It's been evident throughout this period that fixing society and providing housing was equally as important as repairing the economy. The first step in solving any problem is recognising there is one. We're a long way past that stage now and yet we still don't seem to have moved into the solutions phase. Instead, the problem is still being discussed. The latest contribution to the debate has been the 'L' in 'Felipe' being picked up on and teased out. Three of the country's biggest home builders say that the limited availability of residentially zoned land for housing is the key driver of property inflation. Supply and demand means that prices are being sent rocketing by a chronic shortage of homes to buy at a time of strong demand, according to a KPMG report. The industry says the lack of zoned land to meet demand is driving up prices, according to the report. Rather than leaving it to local councils, Housing Minister James Browne is promising to step in and zone more land, particularly in areas near critical infrastructure like road, public transport, electricity and water services. It can't come soon enough. However, Mr Browne made a hames of the appointment of the housing tsar. Now the minister will just have to clean up the mess himself, rather than sub-contracting the job out.
The Sun
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Engagement with all sides in Myanmar marks key step towards peace
KUALA LUMPUR: The decision by all major stakeholders in Myanmar to participate in direct engagement with ASEAN leaders marks a significant step forward in efforts to resolve the country's protracted conflict, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. In an interview with ASEAN media ahead of the 46th ASEAN Summit, Anwar said the recent meeting in Bangkok, involving the ASEAN Troika and Myanmar's Foreign Minister U Than Shwe, reflected a shift in attitude, especially from the military junta. 'I think you must give credit to the fact that it is generally a ceasefire, and movements, for example the humanitarian assistance, have been flowing without interruption, including into the other areas. 'So what is important is that they allowed or tolerated the fact that I, for example, met both. This is unprecedented, and we asked the Troika to come and they all came. And I think that's certainly a good beginning because in all this sort of contentious issues, conflict issues, to find conflict resolution, we always start with engagement,' he said. Anwar said he had also urged his ASEAN counterparts in Brunei, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia to engage through multiple channels such as military and diplomatic with the aim of achieving a full ceasefire and ensuring unhindered humanitarian assistance. Yesterday, ASEAN Foreign Ministers commended Malaysia's proactive leadership in reviving efforts to implement the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) and facilitating constructive dialogue to address the ongoing crisis in Myanmar. Earlier this month, Anwar initiated separate dialogues with Myanmar's junta leader Min Aung Hlaing and the opposition National Unity Government (NUG), which marked a significant step towards fostering direct engagement between conflicting parties. The move has been seen as a potential breakthrough in ASEAN's mediation efforts. The 5PC was adopted by ASEAN in April 2021 following the military coup in Myanmar on Feb 1 that year. It calls for an immediate cessation of violence, inclusive dialogue among all parties, the appointment of a special envoy, the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and for the envoy to be granted access to all stakeholders in Myanmar. Despite its significance, implementation of the consensus has largely stalled due to the junta's continued non-compliance, with the issue remaining a central concern in ASEAN's ongoing engagement with Myanmar. On the situation in Gaza, Anwar voiced support for a multilateral approach to reconstruction, proposing that ASEAN, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and China could work together on an alternative to United States-driven plans. He stressed that any rebuilding efforts must reflect the will and aspirations of the Palestinian people. 'The earlier proposal by the United States to treat Gaza as a separate entity is unacceptable. You cannot rebuild without the will of the people,' he said. Anwar also reaffirmed Malaysia's strong stance on the Palestine issue and noted an evolving consensus within ASEAN for an immediate ceasefire, condemnation of atrocities and respect for human rights. 'In Myanmar, even under military rule aid gets through but in Gaza the denial of basic food and medicine is allowed to persist. That is dehumanising,' he said. The 46th ASEAN Summit is being held under Malaysia's 2025 Chairmanship theme 'Inclusivity and Sustainability'. This year also marks Malaysia's fifth time chairing ASEAN, following previous terms in 1977, 1997, 2005 and 2015.
The Star
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Engagement with all sides in Myanmar marks key step towards peace, says Anwar
KUALA LUMPUR: The decision by all major stakeholders in Myanmar to participate in direct engagement with Asean leaders marks a significant step forward in efforts to resolve the country's protracted conflict, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. In an interview with Asean media ahead of the 46th Asean Summit, the Prime Minister said the recent meeting in Bangkok, involving Asean Troika and Myanmar's Foreign Minister U Than Shwe, reflected a shift in attitude, especially from the military junta. "I think you must give credit to the fact that it is generally a ceasefire, and movements – for example, humanitarian assistance – have been flowing without interruption, including into other areas. "So what is important is that they allowed or tolerated the fact that I, for example, met both. This is unprecedented and we asked the Troika to come and they all came. "That's certainly a good beginning because in all this sort of contentious issues, conflict issues, to find conflict resolution, we always start with engagement," he said. Anwar said he had also urged his Asean counterparts in Brunei, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia to engage through multiple channels such as military and diplomatic with the aim of achieving a full ceasefire and ensuring unhindered humanitarian assistance. On Saturday (May 24), Asean foreign ministers commended Malaysia's proactive leadership in reviving efforts to implement the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) and facilitating constructive dialogue to address the ongoing crisis in Myanmar. Earlier in May, Anwar initiated separate dialogues with Myanmar's junta leader Min Aung Hlaing and the opposition National Unity Government (NUG), which marked a significant step towards fostering direct engagement between conflicting parties. The move has been seen as a potential breakthrough in Asean's mediation efforts. The 5PC was adopted by Asean in April 2021 following the military coup in Myanmar on Feb 1 that year. It calls for an immediate cessation of violence, inclusive dialogue among all parties, the appointment of a special envoy, the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and for the envoy to be granted access to all stakeholders in Myanmar. Despite its significance, implementation of the consensus has largely stalled due to the junta's continued non-compliance, with the issue remaining a central concern in Asean's ongoing engagement with Myanmar. On the situation in Gaza, Anwar voiced support for a multilateral approach to reconstruction, proposing that Asean, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and China could work together on an alternative to United States-driven plans. He stressed that any rebuilding efforts must reflect the will and aspirations of the Palestinian people. "The earlier proposal by the United States to treat Gaza as a separate entity is unacceptable. You cannot rebuild without the will of the people," he said. Anwar also reaffirmed Malaysia's strong stance on the Palestine issue and noted an evolving consensus within Asean for an immediate ceasefire, condemnation of atrocities and respect for human rights. "In Myanmar, even under military rule aid gets through but in Gaza the denial of basic food and medicine is allowed to persist. That is dehumanising," he said. The 46th Asean Summit is being held under Malaysia's 2025 Chairmanship theme "Inclusivity and Sustainability". This year also marks Malaysia's fifth time chairing Asean, following previous terms in 1977, 1997, 2005 and 2015. – Bernama
Irish Times
11-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Is this Government repeating the mistakes of 2008?
In preparation for a summer podcast series, I've been rereading the accounts of the tumultuous period that began in 2008 when the global financial crisis crashed over an unsuspecting Ireland. They would make your hair stand on end. Most readers will need no reminders of the crash and the years of grinding austerity. For those who do, a brief summary: it was horrific. At this time of year in 2008, just after Bertie Ahern exited the taoiseach's office following a tenure of 11 years (a coincidence? I think not), the country experienced the first stages of a sudden and colossal economic shock. The construction sector was hit earliest and hardest (we are still feeling the effects); then the banks, rescued from instant ruin by a €400 billion Government guarantee, a move that would ultimately doom the country to insolvency and a painful bailout two years later; and then everyone else. The country sank into an economic depression. Tens of billions of euro of wealth was destroyed, throughout society, at every level. Despite slashing public spending and jacking up taxes, the Government lost control of the public finances as the receipts from taxes plummeted while welfare bills soared. The Government stuffed cash into the banks to save them; it was never enough. When Ireland could no longer support itself, help came in the shape of loans from the 'Troika' – the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund – but at the price of years of austerity. [ Irish economy to experience growth shock from Trump's tariffs, Department of Finance warns Opens in new window ] Tens of thousands emigrated, some never to return. Half a million people lost their jobs, and many lost more than their jobs. As argued here before, when a country loses control of its public finances, you can measure that in rows of numbers on the budget documents – €1 billion here, €5 billion there. The real human cost is less measurable but in many ways more real – the raw distress of lives blighted, relationships ruined, life chances sabotaged forever, depression, addiction, ill-health, suicide. READ MORE The air of gloom and fear that enveloped the country is hard to describe and impossible to forget. The novelist Donal Ryan probably captured it best. 'Every bollocks is going around cribbing about the country being fucked,' says builder Rory in The Spinning Heart. 'It'd wear you out so it would. The country's fucked, the country's fucked, the country's fucked; the same bollockses that were going around cribbing that the whole country was gone mad for money a few years ago.' Ensuring that nothing like that is ever again inflicted on the country should be the single greatest priority of every party and politician in Leinster House. But it is the human condition to forget past miseries. And there are few political advantages in advocating for prudence – not when there are so many obvious pressing needs in the provision of public services and infrastructure and so on. That's why leadership means prioritising: what needs to be done now and what will have to wait? What is essential and what is not? Our political and media system rewards those who clamour the loudest. But the loudest voices or the most insistent lobbying or the cleverest political campaigns are not the same thing as the national interest. Identifying that requires leadership, judgment and courage. Those were qualities sorely lacking in the Fianna Fáil-led Government in the period running up to 2008. Now there are some worrying signs that the same mistakes could be made again. This week the Department of Finance warned that US tariffs at 10 per cent would cut growth and job creation here; a higher tariff – which may arrive when President Trump's current pause elapses – would have greater impact, while an out-and-out trade war would threaten a huge economic shock. Even before the impact of tariffs, the department is warning that corporation tax revenues are likely to shrink this year. Investment decisions everywhere are understandably on hold. [ Two ways to look at corporate tax take Opens in new window ] Last weekend, a Business Post investigation showed that almost $1 trillion of intellectual property assets are held in the country by multinationals, part of sophisticated tax avoidance schemes that are entirely legal but also a bit hookey. Tech and pharma companies are not going to move factories and thousands of workers out of Ireland; but they might change their tax arrangements and pay billions in corporation tax elsewhere. The prospect of a multibillion euro hit to corporation tax is real and it is scary. So what should the Government be doing? That's a column or two in itself. But they should certainly not do what the governments of 2004-2008 did: assume the good times would continue forever; narrow the tax base; court cheap popularity by expensive giveaways; ignore warning signals; stick their heads in the sand; and finally, refuse to act until it was too late. There are, whether we like it or not, parallels between those governments led by Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen, and this and the previous administration. The recent Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael-Green coalition was unable to resist the temptation to throw money at every problem. Current spending has rocketed. The corporation tax base is dangerously unbalanced, relying on a small number of companies. On income tax the picture is similar – 60 per cent of all income tax is paid by less than 10 per cent of the highest earners. The gathering international storm clouds do not appear to be having much effect. Mandarins tell me there has been absolutely no change in the attitude of Ministers to living within their budgets, and overspends are expected in a number of departments. 'There is,' says one senior official, 'no sense that the political system understands the danger we are in.' I don't like the look of this at all. The case for budgetary discipline has never been stronger.
