INDIAN finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and US treasury secretary Janet Yellen discussed strengthening multilateral development banks, global debt vulnerabilities and crypto assets on the sidelines of the G20 finance chiefs meeting on Thursday (23), the finance ministry said.
Yellen is expected to brief reporters later in the day and take part in a meeting of Group of Seven (G7) nations on the sidelines of the G20 meet.
India is hosting the first major G20 event under its year-long presidency at the summer retreat of Nandi Hills near tech hub Bengaluru.
"The two leaders discussed their perspectives on strengthening MDB (multilateral development banks), global debt vulnerabilities, crypto assets besides the Just Energy Transition Partnership," New Delhi's finance ministry said in a tweet.
Under the partnership, the US and its allies, as well as multilateral development banks and agencies, provide funding to developing economies to move away from coal production and consumption.
The second finance and central bank deputies Meeting began on Wednesday (22) in Bengaluru.
Road to policy for crypto assets, a symposium of digital public infrastructure, and enhancement of cross-border payment arrangements are among the agenda to be discussed on Thursday.
The deputies' meet will be followed by the first G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting, scheduled to be held between February 24 and 25. The meeting will be jointly chaired by Sitharaman and RBI governor Shaktikanta Das.
The meeting will be spread over three sessions, covering issues such as strengthening multilateral development banks to address shared global challenges of the 21st century, financing for resilient, inclusive, and sustainable 'cities of tomorrow', leveraging digital public infrastructure (DPI) for advancing financial inclusion and productivity gains, an official release said earlier.
The sessions will also cover issues related to the global economy, global health, and international taxation, and discussions in the ministers and governors meeting are intended to provide a clear mandate for the various work streams of the G20 finance track in 2023.
(Agencies)
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.