Russia Is No Superpower

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ValueWalk

Between the end of World Wat II and the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, the United States and the Soviet Union were clearly the world’s only superpowers. What about today? Q4 2021 hedge fund letters, conferences and more And what entitles a nation to be considered a superpower? Three things: An extremely powerful military, a very large and efficient economy, and a very large and productive population. Clearly, the U.S. and China meet those criteria. Both have nuclear weapons and the means to aim them anywhere on the globe. So does Russia, India, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, France, North… Continue reading “Russia Is No Superpower”

‫یو ایس انسټی ټیوټ آف پیس د 2022 ویمن بلډنګ پیس ایوارډ د پاره نامزدګیانو اغاز وکړو۔

کالنی ایوارډ کښې تنازعاتو څخه متاثرہ د ملکونو امن د قائمولو والا ښځو له تسلیموی۔

واشنګټن، 13 جنوری 2022 /پی آر نیوز وائر/ – یو ایس انسټی ټیوټ آف پیس (یو ایس آئی پی) اعلان کړے دے چی د 2022 ویمن بلډنګ پیس ایوارډ د پاره نامزدګیانی کھل پرانستلی شوی۔ دا پروقار سالانہ ایوارډ د هغه ښځو حوصله افزائی کوی چی کوم پرتشدد تنازعات نه متاثرہ ملکونو کښې امن قائم کوی۔

د نامزدګیانو سلسلہ به تر 14 فروری 2022 پوری جاری وی۔ ایوارډ یافتہ ته اکتوبر 2022 کښې د یو ایس آئی پی زیر اہتمام په یو تقریب کښې به مدعو کړی۔

ګڼی شمیری ښځی خپل په کمیونټیز کښې امن قائم کولو د پاره خپل ځان په خطره کښې اچوی۔ انصاف او د شمولیت تحریکونو قیادت کولو باوجود اکثر د دی کوشیشونه نظر انداز شی۔ یو ایس آئی پی د هغی ښځو حمایت او جشن مناولو او د امن ایجنټس په طور باندی د دی اثرات حمایت کولو د پاره مزید کار کولو د پاره پرعزم دے۔ یو ایس آئی پی د غونډی دنیا تنظیمونو او خلقو له دعوت ورکوی هغه د غیر معمولی ښځو شناخت او د دی په عزت افزائی کښې حصہ واخلی کومو خپل ژوند  امن د پاره وقف کڑے دے۔

یو ایس آئی پی د دی ښځو د پاره نامزدګیانو پرزور حوصلہ افزائی کوی کومو اول د امن قائم کولو کار د پاره  تسلیم کړی نه وه۔ د نامزدګیانو جائزہ مندرجہ ذیل معیار په بنیاد باندی به اخستلی کیږی۔

  • امن د پاره وابستګی: یوه داسی ښځه کوم نازک یا تنازعات نه متاثرہ ملک یا خطے کښې تنازعہ له غیر متشدد طریقے سره ودرولو یا حل کولو د پاره خپل کار په ذریعه د امن د عزم اظہار کوی۔
  • غیر معمولی قیادت: یوه داسی ښځه کوم خپل وژن او اختراع په ذریعه غیر معمولی قیادت له مجسم کوی او د امن حصول کښې د نورو عزت حاصل کوی۔
  • شاندار پریکټیشنر: یوه داسی ښځی کوم امن قائم کونکی پریکټیشنر ده او مقامی، قومی یا بین الاقوامی د کمیونټیز ارکانو سره جامع او په شراکتی انداز کښې کار کوی۔
  • خاطر خواہ اثر: یوه داسی ښځه کوم امن قائم کولو سلسلے کښې ټھوس نتائج برآمد شول۔

د 2022 ایوارډ یافتہ انتخاب ویمن بلډنګ به پیس کونسل کوی کوم د ممتاز ماہرینو یو ګروپ دے کوم صنف او د امن قائم کولو معاملات باندے یو ایس آئی پی له مشورہ ورکوی۔

ګزشتہ وومین بلډنګ پیس ایوارډ حاصل کونکو کښې کینیا جوزفین ایکرو او د جنوبی سوډان ریتا لوپیډیا شامل دی۔ 2019 کښې خپل اغاز نه اوس پوری نولس ښځو له یو ایس آئی پی د ایوارډ فائنلسټ په طور باندی تسلیم شوے دے۔

ایوارډ په باره کښې معلومات او یوه ښځه امن ساز له نامزد کولو دپاره ، ملاحظہ کړی www.usip.org/womenbuildingpeace۔

یو ایس آئی پی په باره کښې معلومات د پاره ملاحظہ کړی: https://www.usip.org/about ۔

لوګو: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1274028/United_States_Institute_of_Peace_Logo.jpg  

‫یو ایس انسٹی ٹیوٹ آف پیس نے 2022 ویمن بلڈنگ پیس ایوارڈ کے لئے نامزدگیوں کا آغاز کردیا

سالانہ ایوارڈ میں تنازعات سے متاثرہ ممالک کی امن قائم کرنے والی خواتین کو تسلیم کیا جاتا ہے۔

واشنگٹن، 13 جنوری 2022 /پی آر نیوز وائر/ – یو ایس انسٹی ٹیوٹ آف پیس (یو ایس آئی پی) نے اعلان کیا ہے کہ 2022 کے ویمن بلڈنگ پیس ایوارڈ کے لئے نامزدگیاں کھل گئیں ہیں۔ یہ پروقار سالانہ ایوارڈ ان خواتین کا سراہتا ہے جو پرتشدد تنازعات سے متاثرہ ممالک میں امن قائم کررہی ہیں۔

نامزدگیوں کی سلسلہ  14 فروری 2022 تک جاری رہے گا۔ ایوارڈ یافتہ کو اکتوبر 2022 میں یو ایس آئی پی کے زیر اہتمام ایک تقریب میں مدعو کیا جائے گا۔

ان گنت خواتین اپنی کمیونٹیز میں امن قائم کرنے کے لئے اپنی جان خطرے میں ڈالتی ہیں۔ انصاف اور شمولیت کی تحریکوں کی قیادت کرنے کے باوجود اکثر ان کی کوششوں کو نظر انداز کیا جاتا ہے۔ یو ایس آئی پی ان خواتین کی حمایت اور جشن منانے اور امن کے ایجنٹس کے طور پر ان کے اثرات کی حمایت کرنے کے لئے مزید کام کرنے کے لئے پرعزم ہے۔ یو ایس آئی پی دنیا بھر کی تنظیموں اور لوگوں کو دعوت دیتا ہے کہ وہ غیر معمولی خواتین کی شناخت اور ان کی عزت افزائی میں حصہ لیں جنہوں نے اپنی زندگی امن کے لئے وقف کردی ہے۔

یو ایس آئی پی ان خواتین کے لئے نامزدگیوں کی پرزور حوصلہ افزائی کرتا ہے جنہیں پہلے امن قائم کرنے کے کام کے لئے تسلیم نہیں کیا گیا تھا۔ نامزدگیوں کا جائزہ مندرجہ ذیل معیار کی بنیاد پر لیا جائے گا۔

  • امن کےلئے وابستگی: ایک ایسی عورت جو نازک یا تنازعات سے متاثرہ ملک یا خطے میں تنازعہ کو غیر متشدد طریقے سے روکنے یا حل کرنے کے لئے اپنے کام کے ذریعے امن کے عزم کا اظہار کرتی ہے۔
  • غیر معمولی قیادت: ایک ایسی عورت جو اپنے وژن اور اختراع کے ذریعے غیر معمولی قیادت کو مجسم کرتی ہے اور امن کے حصول میں دوسروں کی عزت حاصل کرتی ہے۔
  • شاندار پریکٹیشنر: ایک ایسی خاتون جو امن قائم کرنے والی پریکٹیشنر ہے اور مقامی، قومی یا بین الاقوامی کمیونٹیز کے ارکان کے ساتھ جامع اور شراکتی انداز میں کام کرتی ہے۔
  • خاطر خواہ اثر: ایک ایسی عورت جس کے امن قائم کرنے کے سلسلے میں ٹھوس نتائج برآمد ہوئے ہیں۔

2022 کی ایوارڈ یافتہ کا انتخاب ویمن بلڈنگ پیس کونسل کرے گی جو ممتاز ماہرین کا ایک گروپ ہے جو صنف اور امن قائم کرنے کے معاملات پر یو ایس آئی پی کو مشورہ دیتے ہیں۔

گزشتہ وومین بلڈنگ پیس ایوارڈ حاصل کرنے والوں میں کینیا کی جوزفین ایکرو اور جنوبی سوڈان کی ریتا لوپیڈیا شامل ہیں۔ 2019 میں اپنے آغاز سے اب تک انیس خواتین کو یو ایس آئی پی نے ایوارڈ کے فائنلسٹ کے طور پر تسلیم کیا ہے۔

ایوارڈ کے بارے میں معلومات اور ایک خاتون امن ساز کو نامزد کرنے کے لئے، ملاحظہ کریں: www.usip.org/womenbuildingpeace ۔

یو ایس آئی پی کے بارے میں معلومات کے لیے ملاحظہ کریں : https://www.usip.org/about۔

لوگو : – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1274028/United_States_Institute_of_Peace_Logo.jpg

 

AscendEX Lists the Marvelous NFT Token, MNFT

International, Jan. 13, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AscendEX is excited to announce the listing of the Marvelous NFT Token (MNFT) under the trading pair MNFT/USDT on AscendEX starting on January 14 at 5:30 p.m. UTC.

Marvelous NFTs is a blockchain game development company and the official intellectual property licensee of Bad Days, a decentralized strategy game and blockchain-powered site. Running on the Ethereum network and utilizing the Polygon Layer 2 protocol, Bad Days implements ERC-721 and ERC-1155 custom-developed smart contracts to enable users to own, collect, breed, sire, battle, and play unique limited-edition digital assets and crypto collectibles.

Bad Days players can develop and customize their assets, creating an immersive and multi-dimensional user experience where players can personalize and tailor their strategies to compete against other players in a series of battle scenarios.

The core token of the Bad Days ecosystem is the Marvelous NFT token, MNFT. Operating as the core currency in gameplay, MNFT allows players to not only make in-game purchases but also stake their assets to earn increased yield. MNFT tokens additionally feature two deflationary mechanisms, including fee distribution and buy-back mechanism, to maintain the stability of the token and broader game economy.

Players of Bad Days are also able to interact with the Fuse Token, yet another operational token within the Bad Days battle environments. The Fuse Token, similar to MNFT, aims at producing player-generated wealth throughout the game ecosystem. Ultimately, players are rewarded for continuous engagement and top-tier game strategy within the Bad Days platform.

Through the development of Bad Days, the Marvelous NFTs team has continued its mission to drive mainstream adoption of blockchain and GameFi by delivering high-quality blockchain-based gaming, unique opportunities for NFT ownership, and easy-to-comprehend play-to-earn mechanisms.

With the listing of MNFT, AscendEX strives to continue demystifying the world of blockchain-based gaming, allowing for more individuals to participate in the blockchain ecosystem.

About AscendEX
AscendEX is a global cryptocurrency financial platform servicing more than one million institutional and retail traders with the resources needed to obtain more value from their crypto investments. Operating at the nexus of centralized finance and decentralized finance, AscendEX’s platform features access to margin, futures, and spot trading, a robust wallet infrastructure, and staking support for over 200 industry-leading blockchain projects, all producing industry-leading yields and returns, further driving the growth of the crypto ecosystem. In efforts to cultivate scalable and secure forms of decentralized financing, AscendEX has emerged as a leading platform by ROI on its “initial exchange offerings” through supporting some of the industry’s most innovative projects from the DeFi ecosystem.

To learn more about how AscendEX leverages best practices from both Wall Street and the cryptocurrency ecosystem to extract the highest value per dollar to its users, please visit:

Website: https://ascendex.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AscendEX_Global
Telegram: https://t.me/AscendEXEnglish
Medium: https://medium.com/ascendex

About Marvelous NFTs
Marvelous NFTs is a blockchain game development company and the official intellectual property licensee of Bad Days, a decentralized application that runs on the Ethereum network utilizing the Polygon layer two protocol to avoid high gas fees. Bad Days was designed to be a fun and interactive game that gives users the ability to own, buy, sell, collect, upgrade, battle, and play unique limited edition digital assets from the Bad Days universe in an exciting player vs. player strategy game.

For more information and updates, please visit:

Website: https://marvelousnfts.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarvelousNfts_
Telegram: https://t.me/baddayscom

Attachment

Marketing Department
AscendEX
[email protected]

AscendEX Lists Battle of Guardians Token, BGS

International, Jan. 13, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AscendEX is thrilled to announce the listing of the Battle of Guardians Share Token (BGS) under the trading pair BGS/USDT starting on January 14th at 2 p.m. UTC.

Battle of Guardians (BOG) is a real-time, multiplayer NFT fighting game that allows players to utilize their NFT assets as fighting avatars in an all-out battle of skills, where heightened skill is recognized with in-game rewards. Developed in Unreal Engine and built atop the Solana Network, BOG was designed with multiplayer capabilities that allow global players to engage in fierce, multi-realm battles in the expansive Sci-Fi game ecosystem. The project currently offers a selection of 30 unique NFTs and is equipped with an NFT Synthesis feature that allows players to upgrade the tier of their fighting avatars. BOG is being developed for PC-based gaming, with iOS and Android cross-platform multiplayer features becoming available in the future.

Recently, the play-to-earn model has become the standard for new-to-market, blockchain-based gaming ecosystems. The convergence of gaming and finance through NFTs has become an exciting and interactive way for players of games, and owners of NFTs, to earn real-world rewards. BOG aims to emphasize the “play” aspect of the play-to-earn movement by offering multiple modes of play. In BOG gameplay, players can battle in Player vs. Environment (PvE), Player vs. Player (PvP), or Tournament modes, using their collection of NFT avatars. With a tiered system of playable NFTs, a variety of gaming modes, and a rewards model in place, BOG will become the go-to platform for players to test their skills and agility while earning rewards in-game.

A unique feature of BOG’s NFT structure is the ability for players to rent NFTs, which adds yet another revenue stream for players looking to leverage the BOG ecosystem. Owners of specific NFTs can rent their assets out to players who are eager to play the game, but do not yet want to commit to purchasing their own asset. By implementing this mechanism, both established players and inquisitive newcomers can earn increased in-game rewards, maximizing the utility of the NFTs featured in the BOG game.

To further incentivize players for continued gameplay and reward players for remarkable in-game achievements, Battle of Guardians will feature two tokens: the Battle of Guardians Share token (BGS) and the Fighting Points token (FP). Both tokens will be utilized within the game’s various modes for purchasing NFT characters and in-game assets, whereas BGS can uniquely be leveraged as a governance token to contribute to the development of the game. Players will also have the ability to stake their BGS tokens to generate additional yield and further their involvement in the BOG ecosystem.

AscendEX is excited to debut the trading of the BGS token and support the growth of the play-to-earn GameFi Ecosystem.

About AscendEX
AscendEX is a global cryptocurrency financial platform servicing more than one million institutional and retail traders with the resources needed to obtain more value from their crypto investments. Operating at the nexus of centralized finance and decentralized finance, AscendEX’s platform features access to margin, futures, and spot trading, a robust wallet infrastructure, and staking support for over 200 industry-leading blockchain projects, all producing industry-leading yields and returns, further driving the growth of the crypto ecosystem. In efforts to cultivate scalable and secure forms of decentralized financing, AscendEX has emerged as a leading platform by ROI on its “initial exchange offerings” through supporting some of the industry’s most innovative projects from the DeFi ecosystem.

To learn more about how AscendEX leverages best practices from both Wall Street and the cryptocurrency ecosystem to extract the highest value per dollar to its users, please visit:

Website: https://ascendex.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AscendEX_Global
Telegram: https://t.me/AscendEXEnglish
Medium: https://medium.com/ascendex

About Battle of Guardians
Battle of Guardians is a real-time multiplayer NFT Fighting Game that allows players to utilize their NFT asset as Fighters in the battlefield. Battle of Guardians is multiplayer ready, built by a game studio with 7+ years of experience.

For more information and updates, please visit:

Website: https://battleofguardians.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BOG_Official_
Telegram: https://t.me/battleofguardianschat

Attachment

Marketing Dept
AscendEX
[email protected]

U.S. Institute of Peace Nominations Are Open for the 2022 Women Building Peace Award

Annual award recognizes women peacebuilders from conflict-affected countries.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) announces nominations are open for the 2022 Women Building Peace Award. This prestigious annual award honors women who are building peace in countries impacted by violent conflict.

The nominations period will run until February 14, 2022. The awardee will be recognized at a ceremony organized by USIP in October 2022.

Countless women risk their lives to create peace in their communities, leading movements for justice and inclusivity despite often being overlooked in their efforts. USIP is committed to doing more to support and celebrate these women and the impact they have as agents of peace. USIP invites organizations and people across the globe to take part in identifying and honoring exceptional women who have dedicated their lives to peace.

USIP strongly encourages nominations for women who have not been previously recognized for their peacebuilding work. Nominations will be reviewed based on the following criteria:

  • Commitment to Peace: A woman who shows a commitment to peace through her work to prevent or resolve conflict nonviolently in a fragile or conflict-affected country or region.
  • Exceptional Leadership: A woman who embodies exceptional leadership through her vision and innovation and has earned the respect of others in the pursuit of peace.
  • Outstanding Practitioner: A woman who is a peacebuilding practitioner and works with members of local, national or international communities in an inclusive and participatory manner.
  • Substantial Impact: A woman whose peacebuilding work has led to tangible results.

The 2022 award winner will be chosen by the Women Building Peace Council, a group of distinguished experts who advise USIP on matters of gender and peacebuilding.

Previous recipients of the Women Building Peace Award include Josephine Ekiru of Kenya and Rita Lopidia of South Sudan. Nineteen women have been recognized by USIP as finalists for the award since its inception in 2019.

For information on the award and to nominate a woman peacebuilder, visit: www.usip.org/womenbuildingpeace.

For information on USIP, visit: https://www.usip.org/about.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1274028/United_States_Institute_of_Peace_Logo.jpg

SPI-Based Weekly Inflation Declines Due to Decrease in Food Prices

The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended 13 January 2022 recorded a decrease of 0.43 percent, stated the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 16 (31.37 percent) items increased, nine (17.65 percent) items decreased, and 26 (50.98 percent) items remained stable, stated the PBS in weekly SPI data.

The commodities, which recorded increase in their average prices include onions (14.65 percent), bananas (1.51 percent), firewood (whole) 40 kg (1.30 percent), match box (1.14 percent), mustard oil (0.95 percent), pulse masoor (0.91 percent), mutton (0.87 percent), pulse maash (0.60 percent), beef with bone (0.50 percent), pulse gram (0.43 percent), milk fresh (0.37 percent), toilet soap (0.34 percent), cooked daal (0.26 percent), gur (0.18 percent), rice irri-6/9 (0.07 percent) and pulse moong (0.05 percent).

The commodities which recorded a decrease in their prices during the period under review include chicken (3.40 percent), eggs (2.99 percent), potatoes (1.65 percent), tomatoes (1.26 percent), LPG (1.15 percent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (0.61 percent), garlic (0.47 percent), sugar (0.17 percent) and curd (0.16 percent).

The year-on-year (YoY) trend depicts an increase of 19.82 percent, mainly due to an increase in electricity for Q1 (84.86 percent), cooking oil 5 liter (53.49 percent), gents sponge chappal (50.25 percent), LPG (50.18 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (49.68 percent), vegetable ghee 1 kg (49.34 percent), washing soap & mustard oil (45.85 percent) each, gents sandal (44.49 percent), pulse masoor (39.14 percent), petrol (36.13 percent) and diesel (28.07 percent), while a major decrease was observed in the prices of tomatoes (40.82 percent), pulse moong (25.37 percent), chilies powdered (6.71 percent) and sugar (0.40 percent).

According to the latest data, the SPI went down from 168.12 percent during the week ended January 6, 2022, to 167.39 percent during the week under review.

The SPI for the consumption groups up to Rs. 17,733, Rs. 17,733 to Rs. 22,888, Rs. 22,889 to Rs. 29,517, Rs. 29,518 to Rs. 44,175, and for above Rs. 44,175, decreased by 0.30 percent, 0.38 percent, 0.42 percent, 0.46 percent and 0.44 percent, respectively.

The commodities whose prices remained unchanged during the period included rice basmati broken, bread plain (small size), powdered milk Nido 390 gm polybag each, cooking oil Dalda or other similar brands (sn), 5-liter tin each, vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin each, vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1 kg pouch each, salt powdered (national/shan) 800 gm packet each, chilies powder national 200 gm packet each, tea Lipton yellow label, cooked beef, tea prepared, cigarettes capstan, long cloth 57″ Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, shirting, lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam 1 meter, georgette, gents sandal bata pair, gents sponge chappal bata pair, ladies sandal bata pair, electricity charges for Q1, gas charges, energy saver Philips, Sufi washing soap, petrol super, hi-speed diesel and telephone call charges.

Source: Pro Pakistani

Private Sector Borrowing Drops From 5.3% to 1.2% in 20 Years

Banks’ loans to the private sector dropped from 5.3 percent of GDP to 1.2 percent in the last 20 years, as per the World Bank (WB) data showing credit trends from 2001 to 2020.

The WB is busy streamlining a picture of the current situation where the US dollar sells at around Rs. 180. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has provided the relevant data on 2020-21 credit provision from the banking sector while the Ministry of Finance is firming up figures on this count for the July-December period of 2021.

The private loans disbursed in 2001 at 5.3 percent of the GDP helped the business community purchase dollar at Rs. 67-77 while the current rate of dollar stands at Rs. 178. The loan volume that was slashed to 1.2 percent of the GDP leaves investors in dire want of liquidity for business and equity for acquiring bank credit, according to market players.

This has happened in a financial year when the growth of the GDP slid from four percent to three percent and the Sales Tax rate climbed from an average of 12 percent to 17 percent.

The volume of the non-performing loans in this period has also increased from nine percent of the GDP to 9.1 percent, which is deterring the banking sector from extending credit on easy terms. The feasibility conditions for acquiring credit have been toughened and discourage equity-building and investment trends in the innovation-driven sectors.

The anti-investment environment leaves the large and medium scale investors to the restricted option of dealing in a safer and smaller-volume business activity like sale-purchase of gold, dollar, attractive property deals, and stocks that offer lower but safer gains.

Sources from the Ministry of Finance said that the most critical sectors like producing an export surplus of competitive quality and using the proceeds in foreign exchange for enhancing the operation of production lines remain ignored in this environment.

They added that this discouraging trend has been preventing new investors from engaging in the newly launched Public-Private Partnership deals for beefing up the state infrastructure financed at an average of over 500 billion rupees per annum during the past two decades.

They also pointed out that the credit slash of the private sector has also happened during these two decades on account of a growing policy rate from four percent to the current 8.5 percent. Only the government could avail of bank credit at the commercial and non-commercial loans at this rate of profit, which resulted in a situation where the private sector could neither acquire credit for their wholly-owned business nor for projects under the Public-Private Partnership regulations.

Source: Pro Pakistani