Nasheman News :  India and Norway agreed to work in close cooperation on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the ocean economy following delegation-level talks headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Norwegian counterpart Erna Solberg here on Tuesday.

“The Sustainable Development Goals match India’s growth targets,” Modi said in a joint address to the media with Solberg following the meeting.

“And it is a matter of happiness for us that both countries are cooperating with the Norway-India Partnership Initiative on the issue of mother and child health,” he said,

Referring to Solberg inaugurating Norway’s new green Embassy here on Monday, he said that she has contributed significantly to global efforts to achieve the SDGs.

Modi also recalled his meeting with Solberg at the G20 Summit in 2017 during which the latter gifted him a football.

“It was not a football game of goals, but a symbol of Sustainable Development Goals,” he said. 

“Prime Minister Solberg has given a lot of encouragement to global efforts towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals.”

Stating that trade and investment form an important part of the India-Norway bilateral relationship, Modi said that Norway’s Government Pension Fund has made a portfolio investment of around $12 billion in India.

“I believe Norwegian companies will benefit from India’s immense potential in both portfolio investment and foreign direct investment in the days to come,” he said.

“Under the Sagarmala programme in particular, there are many opportunities for Norwegian companies in ship-building, ports and port-led development in India.”

Sagarmala is a programme for the comprehensive development of India’s coastline and maritime sector. 

According to a joint statement issued following the meeting, the two sides signed the terms of reference for the establishment of a Dialogue on Trade and Investment, which would give impetus to business cooperation and encourage participation of Norwegian companies in the flagship programmes of India.

“The two leaders recognised that all countries benefit from open and predictable trade rules,” it stated. 

“They acknowledged that a conclusion of the free trade negotiations between EFTA (European Free Trade Association) and India is a priority for both governments.” 

Modi also stressed on the importance of the ocean economy for India.

Stating that 15 per cent of India’s population lives in coastal areas, he said these people’s lives are directly linked to the ocean economy.

Referring to Norway’s immense experience in the ocean economy, he said that 70 per cent of that country’s exports is in the maritime industry.

He said that the agreement on bilateral ocean dialogue signed between the two sides following the talks will give new direction to cooperation in all sectors in this area. 

According to the joint statement, under this agreement, a joint task force on Blue Economy was also established in order to promote multi-sectoral cooperation in various aspects of Blue Economy.

Modi also said that India and Norway have strong cooperation at international fora.

“We work with close cooperation and coordination on issues like UN Security Council reforms, multilateral export control regimes and fighting terrorism,” he said.

According to the joint statement, the two sides strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and agreed to cooperate in combating international terrorism. 

“They also urged the international community to work towards early finalisation of the (India-initiated) Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism mooted by India at the UN,” it stated. 

On her part, Solberg said that the world will not be able to achieve the SDGs if India is not on board.

Referring to her personal interest in women’s empowerment, she said that India has been working hard in this area. 

Solberg said both India and Norway have agreed to increase cooperation in ocean economy.

“It will create more jobs and more medicine,” she said.

She also said that both sides discussed cooperation in the areas of energy, climate change and environment. 

This was the first meeting between Modi and Solberg after the first ever India-Nordic Summit in Stockholm, Sweden, in April last year. 

Earlier in the day, Solberg was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also called on the visiting dignitary during the course of which the two leaders discussed expanding bilateral cooperation across all areas.

Solberg arrived here on Monday on her first visit to India. 

Nasheman News : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday strongly rejected Washington’s calls for his country to protect US-backed Kurdish militias in Syria and said statements made by US National Security Adviser John Bolton asking for the same were “unacceptable”.

At the start of his visit to Israel and Turkey over the weekend, Bolton said that the American forces would remain in Syria until the last remnants of the Islamic State were defeated and Turkey provided guarantees that it would not strike Kurdish forces allied with the US. 

The top US official was currently in Turkey and held meetings with his counterpart Ibrahim Kalin and others, Efe news reported. 

Speaking to Justice and Development Party (AKP) party members in Ankara, Erdogan decried Bolton’s statement as a “serious error”. 

“It is impossible for us to accept Bolton’s message,” he said in a live televised speech. “They are terrorists, for this reason, they cannot tell us ‘don’t touch those Kurds.’ Whatever happens, if they are terrorists, we will do whatever it takes. This is what John Bolton got very wrong.” 

Erdogan added that the Americans did not know who the YPG and other Kurdish groups were. “If the US evaluates them as ‘Kurdish brothers’ then they are in a serious delusion,” he said.

Turkey has drawn up plans to launch a military incursion into areas of northeastern Syria to clear the region of the militias such as the YPG, one of the main cogs in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) umbrella group, which united Kurdish and local Arab units and was backed by American forces in the fight against the Islamic State. 

While the US Army — which has deployed some 2,000 ground troops to the region, where they equip and train the SDF — regards the YPG as a solid fighting partner in the regional battle against the extremists, Ankara views them as a terrorist group inextricably linked to the PKK, Kurdish separatists that fought a decades-long insurgency in eastern Turkey. 

“The terrorist organizations of the PKK and the PYD (the political arm of the YPG) can never represent my Kurdish brothers,” Erdogan said, adding that his Army was ready to launch an operation in northern Syria to clear the region of the militias. 

Turkey wants to push the Kurdish forces to the east of the Euphrates River. 

SDF forces retain control of the key city of Manbij, a predominantly-Arab settlement to the west of the major river.

Turkish-backed Syrian militias captured a tranche of northern Syria from the IS in its first major incursion into the territory in 2016. Then, in 2018, Turkey and its allies took Afrin province, located in far northwestern Syria, from Kurdish militias. 

The YPG-led SDF have spearheaded the battle on the ground against the IS and were currently routing out insurgents from their last major settlement, Hajin, in the country’s sparsely-populated east. 

[Nasheman news] New York While scrolling through Facebook or Instagram, did you ever feel that everyone else is living their life better than you? Such social media behaviours are linked with major depressive disorder (MDD), said researchers.

In a study of over 500 millennials who actively use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and/or Snapchat, the team from the Texas State University identified five key social media factors associated with MDD. 

Individuals who were more likely to compare themselves to others better off than they were, those who indicated that they would be more bothered by being tagged in unflattering pictures and those less likely to post pictures of themselves along with other people were more likely to meet the criteria for MDD. 

The study, reported in the Journal of Applied Biobehavioural Research, also found that participants following over 300 Twitter accounts were less likely to have MDD. Participating in negative social media behaviours is also associated with a higher likelihood of having MDD. 

“While the study highlights social media behaviours that are associated with major depression, it is important to recognise that social media use can offer many positive benefits, including fostering social support,” said Krista Howard, from the Texas State University. 

“The key is for individuals to develop an awareness of how they currently use social media and to determine what changes could be made in their social media use to reduce the behaviours associated with psychological distress. 

“Some changes could include reducing the time spent on social media, unfollowing individuals or groups that cause distress, or limiting online social comparisons,” Howard said.

[Nasheman news] Dubai Following the expulsion of USACA a couple of years ago, the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday welcomed USA Cricket as its newest member.

According to an ICC statement, USA Cricket’s application to become the 93rd Associate Member in accordance with the ICC Constitution was approved by ICC Members following the Membership Committee’s recommendation to the ICC Board late last year and is implemented with immediate effect.

As a Member of the ICC, USA Cricket is now eligible to receive funding in accordance with the ICC Development Funding Policy and can sanction domestic and international cricket in the United States.

Welcoming the new body, ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “This is the culmination of a great deal of hard work and I would like to congratulate the Chair of USA Cricket, Paraag Marathe, and the Board, on this important milestone and wish them all the very best for the future.”

USA Cricket Board Chair Paraag Marathe said: “USA Cricket was established to bring together the cricket community in the United States, develop the game and unlock the sport’s undoubted potential for growth. Today’s confirmation that it is the ICC’s newest member is a significant staging post on that journey.”

[Nasheman news] Nassau (Bahamas) The great Indian poker hope of winning the Rs 36 crore stake at Bahamas has folded. All the eight Indians and several Indian-origin players have been busted out of the tournament organised by online leader Pokerstars.

The last Indian-origin person fighting for the top slot, Ajay Chabra, bowed out on Tuesday evening on day three as only 38 players were left in the fray from the original 1,039 who had entered the Rs 25,000 buy-in tournament in Bahamas — taking the prize pool to $26,45 million. 

Six others, apart from the winner would get over a million each. The money would be paid in descending amounts to players who ranked up to 181.

The leader, after day three play, was Scott Baumstein of the US who had amassed $4.24 million chips. But there could still be a lot of changes in the run up to the final minute of the game over the next two days.

According to Aditya Agarwal, brand ambassador of Pokerstars, it takes a cool mental state to reach the top level in a five-day tournament. Agarwal, whose job is to promote poker in India said there was a lot of scepticism about the game since many associated it with other games of chance. 

But he said the world over, it is recognised as a game of skill and hopefully India’s highest court would have the opportunity to rule on this at some stage.

He said the Supreme Court had already declared rummy to be a game of skill and it was only a matter of time before that happens on poker too. The matter would be seen in the light of how it’s treated in most of the countries where it’s played. He said the Calcutta and Karnataka High Courts have already deemed poker to be a game of skill – and therefore, legal. 

He said there were many poker rooms in both the states and its popularity would only grow. Goa and Sikkim have legal casinos which also host poker games.

Agarwal, who is a celebrated player in India, started off on poker at age of 15 in college, where he learned the game from other students. He took coaching classes in the beginning and was mentored by expert players, with the result that he has made good money over the years, playing in several tournaments. He has shifted to Goa since one year to be able to play more consistently, but is also online almost every day.

He said it was very easy for Indians to play online, as Pokerstars and other companies offer great opportunity for everyone. 

Money can be transferred to the site through credit cards or other payment methods and the gaming company deducts 30 per cent on winnings when a player wants to withdraw, providing tax deduction certificate on regular basis.