Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina director James Abernethy sells $15,950 in stock
Stuttgart Germany will be a reliable partner in India’s efforts to become a developed nation and the two countries should join hands to forge a prosperous future for the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday, outlining his vision for the two sides to work together in areas ranging from digitalisation to manufacturing. Europe is an important strategic region for India because of geo-political relations and trade and investment, and Germany is “one of our most important partners” within this region, Modi said while delivering a virtual address to the News9 Global Summit in the capital of the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg. Addressing a gathering that included the political leadership of Baden-Württemberg, representatives of leading German businesses and Union minister of communications Jyotiraditya Scindia , Modi pointed to the age-old ties between the two countries that had been strengthened in recent years through trade and investment and a growing Indian diaspora. “A strong foundation has been created in India on which the structure of Viksit Bharat (developed India) will be built. And Germany will be a reliable partner in this,” Modi said, speaking in Hindi. “As an ancient civilisation of the world, we have always welcomed people from around the world and made them a part of our country. I invite you to become an associate for the creation of a prosperous future for the world.” Germany’s prowess in manufacturing and engineering are of great importance as India moves towards becoming a big manufacturing hub of the world, and India provides manufacturers joining the “Make in India” initiative production-linked incentives, he said while pitching the country as an investment destination. Read more: ‘Democracy in our DNA, never moved with expansionist vision': PM Modi in Guyana Noting that more than 1,800 German companies are operating in India and have invested $15 billion in the past few years and bilateral trade is currently worth $34 billion, Modi said: “Today, many German companies are active in India. I invite these companies to increase their investments. There are many such German companies that have not made a base in India. I invite them too to come to India.” In this context, Modi highlighted the factors that make India an attractive investment destination, including his government’s mantra of “reform, perform transform”. The government formulated new policies in every sector, it prepared for fast growth in the 21st century by ending red tape and improving ease of doing business, it ended more than 30,000 compliances, strengthened banks to ensure timely and affordable access to capital, and changed and simplified the complicated tax system, he said. “A progressive and stable policy-making environment was made in the country so that business can move forward,” he added. Modi recalled the Asia-Pacific Conference of German Businesses (APK 2024) that was held in Delhi last month after a gap of 12 years and reiterated that this is the right time for Germany to join India’s progress. “India’s dynamism meeting Germany’s precision, Germany’s engineering joining with India’s innovation - this should be the effort of all of us,” he said. With the India-German strategic partnership completing 25 years in 2024, Modi also pointed to the important contributions made by the German government’s recent “Focus on India” document and a new India-specific skilled labour strategy. “I have faith that bilateral trade will increase even more in the coming years...India today is the world’s fastest growing large economy. Every country wants to forge a partnership with India for its progress. Germany’s ‘Focus on India’ document also is a big example of this. This document shows how today, the whole world is acknowledging India’s strategic importance,” he said. Modi also highlighted other aspects of the age-old relations between the two sides, such as the role played by two German merchants in the printing of the first Tamil and Telugu books in a European country. About 300,000 Indians currently live in Germany and 50,000 Indian students are enrolled in German universities, making them the largest cohort among foreign students, Modi said while highlighting the people-to-people connections between the two sides. Modi lauded TV9 Network for organising the global summit along with VfB Stuttgart and Baden-Württemberg and the launch of the News9 English channel on Friday and said: “The theme for this summit is ‘India-Germany: A roadmap for sustainable growth’ and this is a sign of the responsible partnership of the two countries.” He added, “I am happy that a media outlet from India is making an effort to connect with Germany and the German in today’s information era. Through this, the Indian people will have a platform to understand Germany and its people.” Speaking on the theme “India: The biggest turnaround story” before the address by Modi, Scindia said that under the prime minister’s leadership over the last decade has resulted in a country “that is far more confident, a country that is far more consequential as an economy, and a country that is marching down the path of progress at lightspeed”. Scindia added, “Today, there is not a single country across this world where Indian products or Indian brands are not known, where Indian products and Indian brands have etched their quality and their capability. Indian supply chains today extend to every continent across the globe and India today has become the go-to destination for every multinational, every rising company and every startup.”
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump used his image as a successful New York businessman to become a celebrity, a reality television star and eventually the president. Now he will get to revel in one of the most visible symbols of success in the city when he rings the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday as he's also named Time Magazine's Person of the Year. Trump is expected to be on Wall Street to mark the ceremonial start of the day's trading, according to four people with knowledge of his plans. He will also be announced Thursday as Time's 2024 Person of the Year , according to a person familiar with the selection. The people who confirmed the stock exchange appearance and Time award were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. It will be a notable moment of twin recognitions for Trump, a born-and-bred New Yorker who at times has treated the stock market as a measure of public approval and has long-prized signifiers of his success in New York's business world and his appearances on the covers of magazines — especially Time. Trump was named the magazine's Person of the Year in 2016, when he was first elected to the White House. He had already been listed as a finalist for this year's award alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, X owner Elon Musk, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Kate, the Princess of Wales. Time declined to confirm the selection ahead of Thursday morning's announcement. “Time does not comment on its annual choice for Person of the Year prior to publication,” a spokesperson for the magazine said Wednesday. The ringing of the bell is a powerful symbol of U.S. capitalism — and a good New York photo opportunity at that. Despite his decades as a New York businessman, Trump has never done it before. It was unclear whether Trump, a Republican, would meet with New York's embattled mayor, Democrat Eric Adams , who has warmed to Trump and has not ruled out changing his political party. Adams has been charged with federal corruption crimes and accused of selling influence to foreign nationals; he has denied wrongdoing. Trump himself was once a symbol of New York, but he gave up living full-time in his namesake Trump Tower in Manhattan and moved to Florida after leaving the White House. CNN first reported Wednesday Trump’s visit to the stock exchange and Politico reported that Trump was expected to be unveiled as Time's Person of the Year. The stock exchange regularly invites celebrities and business leaders to participate in the ceremonial opening and closing of trading. During Trump’s first term, his wife, Melania Trump, rang the bell to promote her “Be Best” initiative on children’s well-being. Last year, Time CEO Jessica Sibley rang the opening bell to unveil the magazine's 2023 Person of the Year: Taylor Swift . After the Nov. 5 election, the S&P 500 rallied 2.5% for its best day in nearly two years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 1,508 points, or 3.6%, while the Nasdaq composite jumped 3%. All three indexes topped records they had set in recent weeks. The U.S. stock market has historically tended to rise regardless of which party wins the White House, with Democrats scoring bigger average gains since 1945. But Republican control could mean big shifts in the winning and losing industries underneath the surface, and investors are adding to bets built earlier on what the higher tariffs, lower tax rates and lighter regulation that Trump favors will mean. Trump has long courted the business community based on his own status as a wealthy real estate developer who gained additional fame as the star of the TV show “The Apprentice” in which competitors tried to impress him with their business skills. He won the election in part by tapping into Americans' deep anxieties about an economy that seemed unable to meet the needs of the middle class. The larger business community has applauded his promises to reduce corporate taxes and cut regulations. But there are also concerns about his stated plans to impose broad tariffs and possibly target companies that he sees as not aligning with his own political interests. Trump spends the bulk of his time at his Florida home but was in New York for weeks this spring during his hush money trial there. He was convicted, but his lawyers are pushing for the case to be thrown out in light of his election. While he spent hours in a Manhattan courthouse every day during his criminal trial, Trump took his presidential campaign to the streets of the heavily Democratic city, holding a rally in the Bronx and popping up at settings for working-class New Yorkers: a bodega, a construction site and a firehouse. Trump returned to the city in September to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Manhattan tower and again in the final stretch of the presidential campaign when he held a rally at Madison Square Garden that drew immediate blowback as speakers made rude and racist insults and incendiary remarks . At the stock exchange, the ringing of the bell has been a tradition since the 1800s. The first guest to do it was a 10-year-old boy named Leonard Ross, in 1956, who won a quiz show answering questions about the stock market. Many times, companies listing on the exchange would ring the bell at 9:30 a.m. to commemorate their initial offerings as trading began. But the appearances have become an important marker of culture and politics -- something that Trump hopes to seize as he’s promised historic levels of economic growth. The anti-apartheid advocate and South African President Nelson Mandela rang the bell, as has Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone with his castmates from the film “The Expendables.” So, too, have the actors Robert Downey Jr. and Jeremy Renner for an “Avengers” movie and the Olympians Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin. In 1985, Ronald Reagan became the first sitting U.S. president to ring the bell. “With tax reform and budget control, our economy will be free to expand to its full potential, driving the bears back into permanent hibernation,” Reagan said at the time. “We’re going to turn the bull loose.” The crowd of traders on the floor chanted, “Ronnie! Ronnie! Ronnie!” The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed in 1985 and 1986, but it suffered a decline in October 1987 in an event known as “Black Monday.” Long reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.
MAPUTO, Mozambique. (AP) — At least 6,000 inmates escaped from a high-security prison in Mozambique’s capital on Christmas Day after a rebellion, the country's police chief said, as widespread post-election riots and violence are roiling the country. Police chief Bernardino Rafael said 33 prisoners died and 15 others were injured during a confrontation with the security forces. The prisoners fled during violent protests that have seen police cars, stations and infrastructure destroyed after the country’s Constitutional Council confirmed the ruling Frelimo party as the winner of the Oct. 9 elections. The escape from the Maputo Central Prison, located 14 kilometers (9 miles) southwest of the capital, started around midday on Wednesday after “agitation” by a “group of subversive protesters” nearby, Rafael said. Some of the prisoners at the facility snatched weapons from the guards and started freeing other detainees. “A curious fact is that in that prison we had 29 convicted terrorists, who they released. We are worried, as a country, as Mozambicans, as members of the defense and security forces,” said Rafael. “They (protesters) were making noise, demanding that they be able to remove the prisoners who are there serving their sentences”, said Rafael, adding that the protests led to the collapse of a wall, allowing the prisoners to flee. Story continues below video He called on the escaped prisoners to surrender to authorities and for the population to be informed about the fugitives. Videos circulating on social media show the moment inmates left the prison, while other recordings reveal captures made by military personnel and prison guards. Many prisoners tried to hide in homes, but some were unsuccessful and ended up being detained again. In one video, a prisoner still with handcuffs on his right wrist says he was held n the disciplinary section of the prison and was released by other inmates. Violence has engulfed Mozambique since the country’s highest court confirmed ruling Frelimo party presidential candidate Daniel Chapo as the winner of disputed Oct. 9 elections on Monday. Mozambique's Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda told a news conference in Maputo late Tuesday that the violence was led by mostly youthful supporters of losing candidate Venancio Mondlane, who received 24% of the vote, second to Chapo, who got 65%. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is concerned at the violence and urges all political leaders and relevant parties “to defuse tensions including through meaningful dialogue (and) legal redress,” U.N. associate spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay said Thursday. The U.N. chief also calls for a halt to the violence and redoubled efforts “to seek a peaceful resolution to the ongoing crisis,” she said.Senedd agrees 16% budget increase ahead of expansionIowa U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst noncommittal on Trump's nomination to U.S. Defense DepartmentBali, Jakarta, and Yogyakarta Target to Welcome More Than 16 Million International Holidaymakers, Expecting to Create 25.8 Million Tourism Industry Jobs
