Commenting on the overall business outlook, Kings Infra Chairman and Managing Director Shaji Baby John said, “We have received very encouraging responses from buyers from major marine products markets. We are bullish about demand prospects especially in the peak season coinciding with Christmas and New Year.”

“We are very close to seal two major strategic partnerships that would fetch export orders worth INR 100 cr each. The strategic partnership with the Chinese subsidiary of a reputed Japanese company will be for joint branding and distribution in the Chinese Market. The relationship would help us in risk mitigation as assured payments will be made by the Japanese principals,” he added.

The partnership with the US company is for supplying nearly 100 containers of IQF shrimp and we consider it as a very positive development. “We will be able to introduce our shrimps in the US for the first time. The US is the biggest market for Indian shrimp export and we feel that the new tie-up would enable us to gain further traction in export business to the largest market,” Shaji Baby John said.

To cater to the specific order from the US, Kings Infra plans to acquire a marine product processing plant in Nellore soon. “In the meantime, to avoid time delays we are entering into working arrangements with processing plants as a merchant exporter,” he added.

According to Shaji Baby John, Kings Infra is moving ahead with “Well-designed business plans focusing on long-term business partnerships with global buyers and collaboration with domestic exporters for valued added production.”

Kings Infra with 93 percent growth in PAT in FY 2022-33 entered into a tie-up with the Canada based Atomes Group for promoting antibiotic free, sustainable and traceable aquaculture. The company has also entered into a strategic partnership with Snowkap, globally renowned for offering solutions to attain the Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Goals and cutting Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.

“These agreements are in tune with the strategic vision of the company. We have identified sustainable and eco-friendly aquaculture as the focus for growth in the coming years. The steps initiated by the company in this direction during the past few years are now in the process of becoming fruitful tie-ups. The agreements with Atomes and Snowkap is part of that process,” Shaji Baby John said.

The projects initiated by the company in this direction are in various stages of progress, he added. SISTA360, a protocol focusing on traceable, transparent, sustainable and profitable aquaculture is expected to be a catalyst for the second Blue Revolution in the country. “We have got very encouraging feedback from farmers using the protocols and we hope to make the nationwide launch soon,” Shaji Baby John said.

The long-term prospects of Indian aquaculture depend mainly on its ability to provide sustainable, traceable and antibiotic-free products to the global market. Kings Infra has anticipated such changes taking place in the global market and have implemented projects that would cater to the changing needs and requirements, he said. “Going forward, we hope that projects undertaken by Kings Infra for sustainable aquaculture would bring more and steady business to us from major marine products importing countries,” Shaji Baby John said.

Inevitably, the bonhomie and deeper bonding between India and the US heralds a new equation of relations bringing the two societies closer. The substantive outcome of the Modi-Biden meeting is not only restricted to the Indo-Pacific, rather it is seen to sway the changing global economic order.  PM Modi’s visit to the United States from June 21 to June 24 will see him participating in big-ticket events like: Yoga Day celebrations at the UN headquarters, meeting with Industry tycoons, interaction with members of the Indian diaspora, an address to a joint session of the US Congress, a state dinner to be hosted by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.

Here are 5 key points you must read about PM Modi’s US visit:

Musk Modi meet

PM Modi and Tesla CEO-Twitter owner Elon Musk had a meeting on Wednesday. The Prime Minister tweeted that he had multifaceted conversations with Musk on issues ranging from energy to spirituality. Appreciating Musk’s effort to make technology affordable and accessible, the PM invited the Twitter boss to explore opportunities for investments in India.

After the meeting with Modi, Musk told reporters that he is a big fan of Modi and incredibly excited about the future of India. Musk firmly said, “Tesla will be in India soon.”

Yoga at UN headquarters
During his US Visit, PM Modi will participate in the celebrations of International Yoga Day, June 21, to be held at the United Nations headquarters in New York. It is indeed a sense of deja vu and pride moment of Indians. The Prime Minister, a strong proponent of Yoga, is going to lead entrepreneurs, foreign dignitaries, bureaucrats and diplomats in a session for Yoga Day. The United Nations General Assembly adopted 21 June as International Yoga Day on December 11, 2014. The first International Yoga Day celebrated with great gusto, entered the Guinness World Records Book.

Defence deal
The Modi-Biden meeting will focus on the elevation of strategic technology partnerships including defence, space and clean energy that could strengthen the commitment of both countries to secure Indo-Pacific regions. India and the US will ink deals on the purchase of high-altitude drones, jet engine technology, and other major projects related to defence and security.

Indian Americans voters
PM Modi holds a big clout with the Indian American community, a key voting bloc in the US. The impact of Indian American people, a nearly 5 million population and fastest-growing voting bloc, on the US ballot box is considerable. Also, Indian Americans are considered to be a key vote in a number of swing states. The electoral heft and growing visibility of Indian Americans emblematically add spin to the optics of Modi’s US visit.

Denial of visa to state visit honour
Denied a diplomatic visa in 2005 against the backdrop of the Godhara carnage, Modi will be the third world leader (after France’s Emmanuel Macron and South Korea’s Yoon Suk Yeol) who will have a red carpet welcome in Washington DC by President Biden for a state visit and dinner. For Modi, this is the first state visit and a sixth trip to the US as Indian Prime Minister, though he has been the PM for the past nine years. Before Modi, his predecessor Dr Manmohan Singh (November 23-25, 2009) and President Radhakrishnan (June 3-5, 1963) made a state visit to the US.

-RAMAKANT CHAUDHARY

This year, the US and India also celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, Biden said, underling that the two democracies will continue to stand together to defend the rules-based order, advance a free and open Indo-Pacific and address the challenges that the world is facing.

“As people around the world, including nearly four million (40 lakh) proud Indian-Americans, celebrate the 75th anniversary of India’s independence on August 15, the United States joins the people of India to honour its democratic journey, guided by Mahatma Gandhi’s enduring message of truth and non-violence,” Biden said in a statement.

“This year, we also celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our great democracies. India and the United States are indispensable partners, and the US-India Strategic Partnership is grounded in our shared commitment to the rule of law and the promotion of human freedom and dignity,” he said.

He said the partnership between the two nations is further strengthened by the deep bonds between their people.

“The vibrant Indian-American community in the United States has made us a more innovative, inclusive, and stronger nation,” Biden said.

“I am confident that in the years ahead our two democracies will continue to stand together to defend the rules-based order; foster greater peace, prosperity and security for our people; advance a free and open Indo-Pacific; and together address the challenges we face around the world,” Biden said.

In a separate statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken greeted the people of India as they celebrated 75 years of independence on August 15.

Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Wednesday that 694 Ukrainian soldiers at the Azovstal steel plant have surrendered over the past 24 hours.

That brings the total of Ukrainian troops who have left the plant this week to 959.

The Russian Defence Ministry reported Tuesday that 265 Ukrainian troops, including 51 wounded, had surrendered during the previous 24 hours.

Ukrainian authorities did not confirm the latest numbers.

Konashenkov said that there were 29 wounded soldiers among the 694 troops who had surrendered over the past 24 hours.  meanwhile

The number of new daily coronavirus cases increased sharply by nine percent globally to 517,600, according to an AFP tally to Thursday.

There were however wide disparities between regions.

Infections rocketed by a third in the US alone and were up nine percent in Europe.

But elsewhere cases fell, down by a tenth in the Middle East and Oceania, with infections falling by eight percent in Latin America and the Caribbean and four percent in Asia.

In Africa, case were down 32 percent, although this figure was skewed by last week’s correction in Botswana’s figures.

Nine of the 10 countries where the situation worsened fastest were in Europe (of countries with populations more than a million).

In Spain and Denmark cases were up by 54 percent, and they were also up by slightly more than a half in Portugal.

Switzerland (up 45 percent), the Netherlands (44 percent) and France (43 percent) were not much better.

The Czech Republic saw a 38 percent rise, followed by Germany (36 percent) and Austria (32 percent), which is going back into partial lockdown on Monday.

This week’s wave through western Europe — which is largely quite well vaccinated — follows sharp rises in less covered eastern Europe over the last few weeks.

However, the confirmed cases only reflect a fraction of the actual number of infections, with varying counting practices and levels of testing in different countries.

China halted construction on a secret port project in the United Arab Emirates that US intelligence agencies suspected was a military facility, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday citing unidentified people familiar with the matter.

Pelosi said the commission will investigate and report on the facts and causes relating to the January 6, 2021, domestic terrorist attack upon the United States Capitol Complex and relating to the interference with the peaceful transfer of power.”

In a letter to Democratic colleagues, Pelosi said the House will also put forth supplemental spending to boost security at the Capitol.

After former President Donald Trump’s acquittal at his second Senate impeachment trial, bipartisan support appeared to be growing for an independent commission to examine the deadly insurrection.

Investigations into the riot were already planned, with Senate hearings scheduled later this month in the Senate Rules Committee. Pelosi, D-Calif., asked retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honor to lead an immediate review of the Capitol’s security process.

In her letter Monday, Pelosi said, It is clear from his findings and from the impeachment trial that we must get to the truth of how this happened.

She added, As we prepare for the Commission, it is also clear from General Honor ‘s interim reporting that we must put forth a supplemental appropriation to provide for the safety of Members and the security of the Capitol.

Lawmakers from both parties signaled that even more inquiries were likely. The Senate verdict Saturday, with its 57-43 majority falling 10 votes short of the two-thirds needed to convict Trump, hardly put to rest the debate about the Republican former president’s culpability for the Jan. 6 assault.

There should be a complete investigation about what happened, said Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump. What was known, who knew it and when they knew, all that, because that builds the basis so this never happens again.

Cassidy said he was attempting to hold President Trump accountable, and added that as Americans hear all the facts, more folks will move to where I was. He was censured by his state’s party after the vote.

An independent commission along the lines of the one that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks would probably require legislation to create. That would elevate the investigation a step higher, offering a definitive government-backed accounting of events. Still, such a panel would pose risks of sharpening partisan divisions or overshadowing President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda.

There’s still more evidence that the American people need and deserve to hear and a 9/11 commission is a way to make sure that we secure the Capitol going forward, said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., a Biden ally. And that we lay bare the record of just how responsible and how abjectly violating of his constitutional oath President Trump really was.

Trump alleges that there was a massive voter fraud. Election officials and the media have said that there is no evidence to back his claims. He has also lost dozens of lawsuits.

“The president spends more time whining and complaining than doing something about the problem. I don’t know why he still wants the job. He doesn’t want to do the work,” Biden said on Monday at a drive-in election rally in Georgia where he sought support for two Democratic candidates.

on Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol, throngs of people pushed past police who were trying to block them from entering the building as lawmakers inside debated counting electoral college votes confirming Biden’s victory. A mob was able to breach security and successfully enter the building.

many protesters  loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday and forced lawmakers into hiding, in a stunning attempt to overturn America’s Presidential election, undercut the nation’s democracy and keep Democrat Joe Biden from replacing Mr. Trump in the White House.

The nation’s elected representatives scrambled to crouch under desks and don gas marks, while police futilely tried to barricade the building, one of the most jarring scenes ever to unfold in a seat of American political power. four person died in shooting by security forces  and Washington’s mayor instituted an evening curfew in an attempt to contain the violence.

The rioters were egged on by Mr. Trump, who has spent weeks falsely attacking the integrity of the election and had urged his supporters to descend on Washington Wednesday to protest Congress’ for approval of BIDEN as president .Some Republican lawmakers were in the midst of raising objections to the results on his behalf when the proceedings were abruptly halted by the mob.

meanwhile The top Democrats in Congress, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, have called on Vice President Mike Pence and Trump`s Cabinet to use the US Constitution to remove Trump for “his incitement of insurrection.”

The 25th Amendment allows a majority of the Cabinet to remove a president from power if he is unable to discharge the duties of the office.

But a Pence adviser said the vice president, who would have to lead any such effort, was opposed to using the amendment to oust Trump from the White House, reported Reuters

“The demonstrators who infiltrated the Capitol have defiled the seat of American democracy,” Trump said of the violence, which left several people dead. “To those who engage in the acts of violence and destruction: you do not represent our country. And to those who broke the law: you will pay.”

The video followed a wave of resignations from his administration and calls from top congressional Democrats, former White House aides, business leaders, and even the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal for Trump’s removal from office over his role in inciting the insurrection. Members of Congress have also discussed impeachment.

Before throngs of his supporters marched on the Capitol, overwhelmed police barricades and broke into the building, Trump, in a fiery address at midday Wednesday, exhorted them to “stop the steal” and make a stand for his presidency. In egging on the mob, he repeated false claims of voter fraud even as both houses of Congress were preparing to certify Biden’s victory in the Electoral College vote.

But on Thursday Trump called for “healing and reconciliation” and said he would turn his focus to the transition, in a message that appeared designed to quell growing alarm among even his closest allies and aides.

“A new administration will be inaugurated on Jan. 20th,” Trump said. “My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power.”

The video was released late on a day of mounting demands for his immediate departure from office — even though his term ends on Jan. 20. They included calls for his resignation, a new impeachment inquiry and for Vice President Mike Pence to undertake extraordinary constitutional measures to oust him.

“I promise you, it’ll be the single-most diverse Cabinet based on race, colour, based on gender, that’s ever existed in the United States of America,” Biden said Friday in Wilmington, Delaware, following remarks on jobs and the economy.

Black and Latino leaders have raised concerns that the Cabinet nominees Biden has revealed so far are not diverse enough, especially in the top key positions.

South Carolina US Representative Jim Clyburn, the top-ranking African American in the US House who is credited with helping Biden win his state during the Democratic primaries, said he is willing to be patient, but he is also not happy at the moment.

“I want to see where the process leads to, what it produces,” Clyburn told The Hill newspaper. “But so far, it’s not good.”

But to leaders like NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson, it is not only about the diversity of the individuals, but it is more about what Biden’s administration will stand for.

“We do believe this administration will be the most diverse administration,” Johnson said in an interview with NBC News Friday. “Our concern is less about people than it is priorities.”

Biden has officially announced eight of his 23 Cabinet positions and of those 8, there are five women, including Janet Yellen, who would be the first female treasury secretary in US history. Included in those eight are two Black women, Linda Thomas-Greenfield for US ambassador to the United Nations, and Cecelia Rouse to be chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, as well as Neera Tanden, who is of Indian descent, to be Biden’s budget chief. Alejandro Mayorkas, a Latino, is Biden’s choice to be secretary of homeland security.