Whispers Forum

China’s eyes now seem to be set on the island of Hawaii in the United States in the Pacific Ocean. The recent re-election of the pro-Beijing Taneti Maamau as the President of Kiribati in June this year, according to Christopher Pala in his report filed with the FP News on June 19, will raise the “tantalizing possibility of China getting a foothold in Kiribati’s Christmas Island, which is the world’s largest atoll with a land area of 150 square km, located 1300 miles south of Honolulu, home to the US Pacific Command. “
While the ostensible reason for building port facilities on the Christmas Island could be tourism, it could very well be used to park the Chinese warships. Incidentally an analysis by a retired US Rear Admiral Michael McDevitt Chinese Navy will be the Largest in the World in 2035 has warned both the US and its ally Australia about the growing naval capabilities of China.
While Japan used air planes to attack the Pearl Harbour in 1944, state of the art technology could enable China to attack Hawaii from the Christmas Island. That this development has raised concern for the US military is evident from the hush-hush meeting held by the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in June with a key Chinese Foreign Ministry Official Yang Jiechi in Hawaii. During this meeting Yang is reported to have told the Secretary of State that the US should respect Chinese positions on key issues, stop interfering in the matters like Hong Kong, Taiwan and Xinjiang.
The message was loud and clear. If there were to be an attack on Honolulu that could trigger worldwide repercussions. Retaliation has no meaning as only Kiribati will suffer. Even when the world is still reeling under the onslaught of the corona virus, it neither wants the repeat of an attack on Pearl Harbour nor another Hiroshima and Nagasaki after seven decades. The telling fact, however, remains that the sky seems to be the limit for the territorial ambitions of China.
Dr Sitharam Gurumurthi IAS (Retired)
Chennai
In CSS, stagnation galores
This is on account of cadre restructuring of various All India Service Cadres. In the Central Staffing Scheme they continue to stagnate in the posts in which they are at the level of Director and Joint Secretary. Whereas their batch-mates in their own cadre become Joint Secretary level and Additional Secretary level. Why will one like to loose financially ?
BBS

This is not surprising to know that the biggest causality happened with Middle Class families specially those were working with private companies/organisations during the continuing Pandemic period. Not a single Govt. facilities have been classified to benefit them either State/Central. They are righteous/honest Income Tax payers & their contribution is significant. They are under tremendous pressure to meet their family obligations related to Child education, Marriage, Keeping parent care, Home loan etc. kinds of responsibilities to continuously bear/maintain. In this circumstances, they are under going situation like this: -----Job loss. -----Salary cut. ----- Working in strenuous condition facing tension of job loss/threat from employer do it or leave it. Beside the above, most harassing part is Non-payment of Full-final Settlement amount by the companies after forced resignation or pressurized to leave the job. Would like to elaborate that even an amount in between 5 lakhs to 10 lakhs are delayed and those who has worked more than 10 years involves amount more than 15 lakhs & above have kept waiting in this difficult time and still these are not reimbursed. As you all aware, Legal course or action inadvertently delay considering the present day constrained in operations of the Courts. You can think about them how much they are mentally seek & desperate so that they are unable to follow-up even to handle family responsibilities, search for new job,dried-up earning, maintaining through savings and sending reminders to the Company for reimbursement. And nothing is happening. You know after going through this painstaking write-up compliant, so many suggestions will pour in ,but my humble request with folded hand to the DECISION MAKERS that please do take some urgent action and ask each of the private company/organisation to furnish the details of retrenchment of Staff & seek explanation about delay/Non-payment in Final Settlement amount and last Income Tax Department to force them to release by paying TDS amounts so that Ex-employees can submit their Income tax Return in time-some bungling is going on in issuance TDS certificates please do take action. -------A poor middle class without work/job to whom nobody is ready to help.----PLEASE DO HELP US---- AN INDIAN.
Sachidanand
Carrot and stick policy to get rid of an Election Commissioner
Modi is using carrot and stick policy to get rid of Lavasa as Election Commissioner who is in line to become CEC. Stick did not work. Now the carrot of ADB will work or not? If Lavasa goes, Modi can fill the commission with his yes men/women.
Amit