Putin, Lukashenko pledge to boost Russia-Belarus integration

the Union State of Russia and Belarus in the Kremlin. At the meeting, Putin noted that “significant achievements” had been made in the integration of 28 prioritised sectors approved during the previous Supreme State Council meeting in 2021, Xinhua news agency reported.

single electricity market is being prepared, Putin added.

In addition, Moscow and Minsk will continue to build up defence and security cooperation, which meets the underlying interests of the two countries given the complicated international situation, he told the meeting.

Moscow, April 7 (IANS) Russian between the two countries.

The two leaders made the remarks on Thursday when jointly chairing a meeting of the Supreme State Council of

“To date, both governments and the relevant agencies have completed 74 per cent of the activities planned under those prioritised programs and this work is yielding tangible results. We will certainly continue this without slowing down,” he said. Russia and Belarus will continue to create a unified oil and gas market, while an agreement on the formation of a

Most ethnic minority groups in UK save less into pensions: Study

36 per cent from Bangladesh, compared to 25 per cent among white British people.

However, these expectations do not reflect the present reality in which weekly income for retired Asian and black families are 391 and 412 pounds, respectively, compared to the population average of 556 pounds.

With retirement income typically determined by the number of years a person has saved for and how many years of retirement need to be financed, the finding that individuals from ethnic minority groups also aim to retire up to two years earlier suggests additional limitations on the size of the savings pot these groups will be entering retirement with.

Lukashenko stressed the significance of fully implementing the Treaty on the Creation of the Community of Belarus and Russia signed in 1996, a fundamental document that started the integration process of the two neighbours. Over the past 27 years since then, the Belarus-Russia trade volume has increased by more than 4.5 times, he said, adding that industrial cooperation has led to the partnership of more than 8,000 Belarusian and Russian enterprises and created hundreds of thousands of jobs. In the defence field, Lukashenko said that the steps taken to strengthen border security have made it possible to effectively protect the Union State from international terrorism, uncontrolled migration flows, arms and ammunition smuggling, drug trafficking and illegal economic activities. After the meeting, the two sides signed seven documents in a bid to further deepen Russia-Belarus integration.

Czech economy in technical recession: Q4 2022 data

Prague, April 1 (IANS) The gross domestic product (GDP) of the Czech Republic fell by 0.4 per cent quarter-on-quarter in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to data published by the Czech Statistical Office (CSU) on Friday.

London, April 1 (IANS) People from Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian ethnic backgrounds were more likely to rely financially on support networks, such as friends and family, in retirement, than white British people, according to a new research. Findings from Phoenix Insights’ latest report show that pension participation among ethnic minorities is lower than average, and non-pension sources are expected to play an important role in funding the retirement of ethnic minorities. The percentage of people from these groups expecting a “comfortable” retirement is also greater -- 37 per cent of people from India and Pakistan and

Most ethnic minority groups expect an income between 3,000-7,000 pounds a year higher than the UK average and aim to retire up to two years earlier, the research said.

Compared to the average retirement income of 25,000 pounds expected by white British people, most ethnic minority groups expect to have a retirement income around 16 per cent higher if they were of a similar age and had similar salaries, the research said.

While non-pension sources can contribute to overall retirement income, the amount of money an individual has saved in a pension is the main contributor to a good standard of living in retirement.

“Across the UK, we know that there are up to 18 million people who are under-saving for retirement.

Tackling this problem should be an urgent priority for government, employers, and individuals alike, as the nation is living longer than ever before,” said Catherine Foot, director of Phoenix Insights.

“Our findings are clear that ethnic minority groups do indeed have different expectations and levels of preparation for retirement, whilst at the same time demonstrating the need to better understand how providers and government can support these groups so they can enjoy a good quality retirement that meets their financial needs.”

PM Sanna Marin concedes defeat in Finnish parliamentary polls

71.9 per cent, slightly less than in 2019.

Shortly after National Coalition Party leader Petteri Orpo claimed victory, Marin conceded the election.

“Congratulations to the winner of the elections, congratulations to the National Coalition Party, congratulations to the Finns Party. Democracy has spoken,” the BBC quoted the Prime Minister as saying to her supporters.

As this is the second quarter in a row that the country has seen negative growth, it now fits the technical definition of a recession, reports Xinhua news agency.

However, in year-on-year terms, the GDP rose by 0.3 per cent, and by 2.5 for 2022.

In an analysis published on March 23, the CSU pinned slowing economic growth on a reduction in household consumption due to a fall in real earnings spurred by rising costs. The latest national inflation report published in March for the month of February saw yearon- year inflation come in at 16.7 per cent, well above the upper band of the Czech National Bank’s tolerance threshold. In its quarterly sectoral accounts report also published on Friday, the CSU noted that the real income of households fell by 5.4 per cent in 2022, while real consumption per capita decreased by 0.8 per cent year-on-year.

Russian military blogger killed in St Petersburg blast

St Petersburg, April 2 (IANS)

A military blogger, who used to report on the situation in Donbass region where the Russian and Ukrainian forces are currently fighting, was killed in an explosion in a cafe in St Petersburg on Sunday, reports said.

Helsinki, April 3 (IANS)

Incumbent Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin has conceded defeat after the opposition National Coalition Party won the parliamentary elections. According to the preliminary results reported by Finnish national broadcaster Yle, the National Coalition Party won 48 seats in parliament, an increase of 10 from four years ago, followed by the Finns Party with 46 seats, an increase of seven. Marin’s Social Democratic Party won 43 seats, an increase of three, reports Xinhua news agency.

Voter turnout on Sunday was

Commenting on the result, Orpo said this was an important win for the party, and he was confident that the formation of the new government would begin under his leadership.

Orpo did not reveal the possible composition of the upcoming ruling coalition, but said that the new government’s priority would be to fix the country’s economy.

In a major change, mediumsized parties suffered losses: the Center Party lost eight seats, the Greens lost seven, and the Left Alliance party lost five. The election campaigns focused mainly on economic and welfare issues.

The National Coalition Party, in particular, underlined the need to balance the state budget and reduce the need for new debt. Commentators noted that the formation talks of a coalition government could take some time as the combined seats of the two right-wing parties, the National Coalition Party and the Finns Party, still fell short of a parliamentary majority and would require support from other smaller parties. The election result will be officially confirmed on Wednesday, and the new Parliament will commence work next week. This was however, a bitter defeat for Marin, but she continues to enjoy high poll ratings and has been widely praised for steering Finland towards imminent entry into NATO and navigating her country through the Covid-19 pandemic. Now 37, Sanna Marin became the world’s youngest leader when she burst on to the political scene in 2019. She headed a coalition of five parties, all led by women.

Blogger ‘Vladlen Tatarsky’ (real name Maksim Fomin), was killed in the incident at the ‘Street Bar’ cafe, while 15 others were injured, RT reported, citing RIA Novosti and TASS.

The cafe is located on the Universitetskaya Embankment in the historical city centre on the Neva River bank.

Tatarsky joined the Donbass militias back in 2014 in the wake of the Maidan coup in Kiev. He since become known in Russia as a blogger and a correspondent reporting on the situation in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. He also authored several books, RT reported.

UK agrees to join trans-Pacific trade pact

London, March 31 (IANS) The UK has decided to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Friday. This is its biggest trade deal since Brexit following 21 months of negotiations, reports Xinhua news agency.

The UK will be the first new member since the creation of the CPTPP in 2018, and the first European country in the bloc.

“Joining the CPTPP trade bloc puts the UK at the center of a dynamic and growing group of Pacific economies,” said Sunak.

“British businesses will now enjoy unparalleled access to markets from Europe to the south Pacific,” he added.

The trade grouping, a huge trade bloc in the Indo-Pacific which will now have a total GDP of 11 trillion pounds ($13.65 trillion), will include more than 500 million people and account for 15 per cent of global GDP once the UK becomes its 12th member, according to Sunak’s office. Membership will “support jobs and create opportunities for companies of all sizes and in all parts of the UK”, Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said.