For the week of November 18, we have a handful of contenders: Baby Yoda, Gonna tell my kids, reassuring Google Translate TikToks and the finger emoji meme.
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Some amusement parks are known for their seamless efficiency. Others might be hailed for their innovative rides. And then there's the case of Action Park.
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In today's edition of the Ask a Boss column, Alison Green answers a letter from a marketing manager being bullied by her boss and his girlfriend (who's also a coworker).
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Microsoft Excel is everywhere. Offices around the world use it to organize data, make business insights, and much more. Get certified and become your office's Excel master today with this bundle, now just $24.99.
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Will the 2010s be remembered as the streaming era? The EDM era? The global pop era? The era of hip-hop dominance? The era of the surprise album? The Drake era?
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On a freeway near Portland, a vehicle lost control and the driver, in a last ditch attempt to avoid an accident began weaving around traffic. Here was the result.
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Researchers built a simulator that teaches robots to deal with everyone's favorite particle-board nightmare — but it's a lot harder to make it happen in real life.
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"We think it's important to evolve the marketing of Victoria's Secret — that is happening in certain respects now, and I think there will be more to come," a company executive said.
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I interviewed dozens of black mothers about how they help their kids navigate schools where they might be perceived as threats or made to feel unwelcome.
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* Foreign-born researchers working for U.S. agencies were secretly on China's payroll, signing side agreements to send sensitive research to that country as part of a recruitment operation called the Thousand Talents Plan, a Senate report found. * 10,000 Chinese nationals in 2018 conducted research in the Department of Energy's National Labs, and one even had colleagues write him letters of recommendation to the Communist Party-run recruitment program, the bipartisan report stated. * Agencies like NIH do not even track attempted foreign influence, the Department of State denies only 5% of suspicious visas, and the FBI shut down a key program, according to the report.
Foreign-born researchers working at U.S. agencies secretly joined China's payroll, sending sensitive U.S.-funded research to the country while U.S. government agencies took almost no defensive measures against a major recruitment operation, a Senate investigation found.
Researchers linked to the Chinese government formed a Chinese cell within the Department of Energy, attained access to American genomic data, and recruited other U.S. researchers to join, the bipartisan report stated.
A testing malfunction accidentally subjected airmen to -65 degrees Fahrenheit. Luckily, the survival kits worked regardless.
* The F-35 has smaller accommodations for pilot survival gear than previous aircraft. * As a result, the first F-35 squadron to be based in cold weather has been working on a smaller survival kit. * An accident during testing revealed the kit actually works at 25 degrees lower than originally planned.
A survival kit designed to keep F-35 pilots alive in freezing conditions has proven its worth all the way down to -65 degree Fahrenheit. The new kit, designed by the airmen that will fly with it under their seats, is designed to be smaller than previous kits while protecting pilots from the elements until rescue.
WNU Editor: I definitely need this kit. When I drive to my chalet during winter there are times when the temperatures hit -30C. I have my own kit of essentials for a winter emergency in my car, but this F-35 kit is smaller but packed with practical items.
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea is set to let lapse an intelligence-sharing pact with Japan on Saturday amid a bitter feud over history and trade, defying mounting U.S. pressure to maintain a key element of their trilateral security cooperation.
The expiry of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) is likely to intensify discord between South Korea and the United States, which wants its two Asian allies keep their dispute out of security cooperation.
Seoul gave Tokyo three month's notice in August for ending GSOMIA after Tokyo imposed export controls on South Korea over a dispute stemming from its 1910-45 colonization of the Korean peninsula.
The accord will expire at Saturday midnight unless it is renewed. Both sides are refusing to budge, with Seoul urging Tokyo to lift its trade regulations first. Japan has called for GSOMIA to be maintained.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin is pictured today during the ceremony for state decorations, where he awarded the widows of the five dead scientists with the Order of Courage
* President awarded widows during a decoration ceremony today at the Kremlin * It has been reported the explosion happened while testing a Burevestnik missile * Known as Skyfall by NATO, the missile is said to have a virtually unlimited range * He expressed condolences but said Russia will continue to develop the weapon
Russian President Vladimir Putin has told widows of the five scientists who died in a nuclear explosion earlier this year that their husbands were working on 'the most advanced and unmatched technical' weaponry.
Putin's comments came during a ceremony of state decorations at the Kremlin today where he awarded the deceased employees of Russia's state nuclear company with the Order of Courage, posthumously.
'They led a very difficult, responsible and critical direction, we are talking about the most advanced and unmatched technical ideas and solutions,' he said.
* As relations between the U.S. and China continue to deteriorate, one immediate risk is a "military accident or operational miscalculation" between the armed forces of both countries, said former U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry. * There have been several near military confrontations between the two nations, Eikenberry told CNBC's Sri Jegarajah at the Morgan Stanley Asia Pacific Summit. * "Those were very serious diplomatic incidents. But now — with the deterioration between the sides — should we have an incident like that today, I think the consequences will be much greater," said Eikeinberry.
As relations between the U.S. and China continue to deteriorate, one immediate risk is a "military accident or operational miscalculation" between the armed forces of both countries, said former U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry.
"Do I worry about the risks that we have with the increasing geopolitical competition with China? ... the answer is very much yes," Eikenberry, also a former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, said Thursday.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Navy warships, on two occasions in the past few days, have sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea, the U.S. military told Reuters on Thursday, at a time of tension between the world's two largest economies.
The busy waterway is one of a number of flashpoints in the U.S.-China relationship, which include a trade war, U.S. sanctions, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Earlier this week during high-level talks, China called on the U.S. military to stop flexing its muscles in the South China Sea and adding "new uncertainties" over democratic Taiwan, which is claimed by China as a wayward province.
The U.S. Navy regularly vexes China by conducting what it calls "freedom of navigation" operations by ships close to some of the islands China occupies, asserting freedom of access to international waterways.
Serbian security services have uncovered a large-scale intelligence operation between Russian spies and current and former members of the Serbian military, President Aleksandar Vucic said on November 21, but added that the scandal won't jeopardize friendship between Moscow and Belgrade.
Vucic spoke following a meeting of the National Security Council called after a video was made public on YouTube showing a man identified as Lieutenant Colonel Georgy Kleban, a former assistant military attache at Russia's embassy in Belgrade, handing money to a man in Belgrade.
Vucic said the man receiving the money was a retired Serbian Army officer, whom the president identified only as Z.K.
Blackout is part of growing trend of governments shutting citizens off from the world
Access to the internet is gradually being restored in Iran after an unprecedented five-day shutdown that cut its population off from the rest of the world and suppressed news of the deadliest unrest since the country's 1979 revolution.
The digital blackout that commenced last Friday is part of a growing trend of governments interfering with the internet to curb violent unrest, but also legitimate dissent.
The internet-freedom group Access Now recorded 75 internet outages in 2016, which more than doubled to 196 last year. "The tactic has been around for a while, but the rate at which it is being applied now is extremely alarming," says Berhan Taye, of the UK-based organisation.
Israel's attorney general has announced his decision to indict Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges. Netanyahu called the indictment an "attempted coup" and said he will continue to lead.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been indicted on corruption charges in three separate cases, the country's attorney general announced on Thursday.
An official statement from Israel's Justice Ministry said that Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit had "decided to file charges against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for offences of receiving a bribe, fraud, and breach of trust." Read more ....
White House officials and Republican senators agreed the Senate should not immediately dismiss any articles of impeachment against the president.
Top White House officials and Senate Republicans agreed that a full trial should be conducted if the House impeaches President Donald Trump, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.
A group of Republican senators met Thursday morning with White House counsel Pat Cipollone, counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner to discuss impeachment strategy.
Two attendees said that the White House wants the Senate to hold a trial of some length and not immediately dismiss any articles of impeachment with the GOP's majority, as some Republicans have suggested.
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The White House and Trump's GOP allies decided instead "they want some kind of factual affirmative defense on the merits," said one attendee.
One attendee noted that the White House wants to show a commitment to due process, particularly since Republicans have criticized House Democrats for how they've conducted their impeachment proceedings.
WNU Editor: If the House impeaches President Trump I hope that such a trial does happen. Witnesses can be called. Evidence presented. A defense can be pursued. It would definitely be contrary to what we have seen in the past two weeks where House witnesses and testimony were rigged and controlled. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already hinted that such a trial would probably last two months. I say take the time that is required. My prediction. President Trump will be impeached by the House, and there will be a Senate trial. From what I have seen so far the evidence does not come even close to any of the requirements for impeachment, and President Trump will be exonerated with about 60% of the public supporting him. As for the Democrats, they will pay dearly for pursuing this cause when Americans go to the polls in 2020.
The senator from Vermont said the U.S. must leave Afghanistan – even if it loses any gains it secured in almost 20 years of war.
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said Wednesday that his administration would withdraw from Afghanistan even if it precipitated the collapse of the U.S.-backed government in Kabul.
"Yes, I think it is time after spending many trillions of dollars on these endless wars, which have resulted in more dislocation and mass migration and pain in the region," Sanders said in response to a question about such a pullout from the 18-year-old conflict. "It is time to bring our troops home."
The senator from Vermont on multiple occasions has said that he would withdraw from Afghanistan, but it was not previously clear that he would follow through on that decision in light of the dire consequences. He added Wednesday that he would work with allies on withdrawing from the country.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday cast doubt on the possibility of passing an updated North American trade deal by the end of 2019, a departure from her previous characterization of the deal as "imminent."
"I'm not even sure if we came to an agreement today that it would be enough time to finish," she said, referencing an end-of-year timeline many had hoped for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer met with Pelosi and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) later on Thursday, but a final deal remained out of reach.
Neal said that of five outstanding issues, they had reached agreement on roughly half of them and would continue negotiations next week.
WNU Editor: Everyone has come to terms with this agreement with the exception of the House Democrats. I hope I am wrong, but I sense that the House Democrats do not want to give President Trump this foreign policy "win", and may delay it until after the 2020 election. Their fous right now is on impeachment, and to delegitimize this President.
* Graham said: 'It will be December 9th, you'll get the report ... That's locked' * Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz's report focuses on abuse by bureau * Alleged procedural lapses in getting warrant to surveil Trump campaign advisor * Graham also revealed he was after more records on Biden's calls to Ukraine
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham last night revealed a report on the FBI's handling of the Russia investigation will be released next month.
'It will be December 9th, you'll get the report,' Graham told Fox News, 'That's locked.'
Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz's report is focused on allegations of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) abuse during the 2016 election.
Horowitz is probing whether proper procedure was followed in obtaining a FISA warrant to surveil Trump campaign advisor Carter Page, and how British ex-spy Christopher Steele's 'dirty dossier' became key FBI evidence.
Amnesty International says that as many as 200 protesters may have been killed during the shutdown that cut Iran off from the rest of the world.
Iran's government began reconnecting the country to the global internet on Thursday morning, more than four days after responding to widespread protests about fuel prices with an almost total internet blackout.
Iran has been widely criticized for cutting off access to the internet in a bid to stifle the protests against a 50 percent hike in fuel prices. It's seen as an effort to prevent the international community from monitoring how the government has reacted to the protests, which began on Friday.
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper, left, shakes hands with South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, right, for the media before the 51st Security Consultative Meeting at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, Nov. 15, 2019.
The Pentagon is pushing back against a South Korean news report that said it is considering withdrawing up to 4,000 troops from the country if Seoul does not increase its contribution to maintain U.S. troops on the Korean peninsula.
South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported Thursday that top U.S. military leaders had discussed withdrawing a brigade from the area if defense cost negotiations do not go well, citing a "diplomatic source in Washington." A brigade usually consists of 3,000 to 4,000 soldiers.
But top Defense Department spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said there was "absolutely no truth to the Chosun Ilbo report," and demanded the paper pull the story.
WNU Editor: It was a South Korean news website that first reported the story that the U.S. may withdraw some military personnel. It looks like some people are nervous in Seoul.
China has accused the United States of seeking to "destroy" Hong Kong and has threatened retaliation after Congress passed new legislation supporting the pro-democracy movement that has thrown the city into nearly six months of turmoil.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the passage of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act "indulges violent criminals" that China blames for the worsening unrest and aims to "muddle or even destroy Hong Kong".
The legislation — which now awaits President Donald Trump's signature into law — backs universal suffrage, freedom from arbitrary arrest, and sanctions against those who contravene such principles.
WNU Editor: China wants President Trump to veto the bill. But this is a bill that has unanimous support in both the US Senate and House, and they will over-ride any Presidential veto. There are also some who say that we should not be to overly concern on what China may do .... More smoke than fire in spat over US Hong Kong bill (Asia Times). I disagree. This is a big thing, and it will be impacting U.S. - Chinese relations for a long time.
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* Benjamin Netanyahu has been indictment over three different corruption cases * Israeli attorney general Avichai Mandelblit announced his decision this evening * Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and claims he is victim of a witch-hunt * It is the first time a sitting Israeli prime minister has been charged with a crime
Israel's attorney general has formally charged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a series of corruption scandals.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit issued an indictment today charging Netanyahu with fraud, breach of trust and bribery. He was scheduled to address reporters later.
Netanyahu, whose supporters call him 'Mr Security' and 'King Bibi', has denied any wrongdoing in the three corruption cases, saying he is a victim of a political witch-hunt.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit disclosed his decision at a news conference at 7.30pm local time, a Justice Ministry statement said.
Israel's Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced Thursday that he was indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
Netanyahu has previously denied any wrongdoing and has said he is the victim of a politically orchestrated "witch-hunt" by the media and the left.
It comes while Netanyahu is serving as Israel's caretaker prime minister after he failed to cobble together a government last month.
Key point: Drones carry less risk to human pilots, but are easier to escalate with.
U.S. forces on deployment to the Middle East include F-15E fighter-bombers, F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters and B-52 bombers, among others.
But as tensions escalate between the United States and its allies including Saudi Arabia on one hand, and Iran and Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels on the other hand, it's worth considering what other American aircraft might be in the region.
The Pentagon maintains an extensive surveillance system in the Persian Gulf region that includes satellites, drones and ground- and sea-based sensors.
WNU editor: What I have seen so far this morning is the same stuff that I have seen since the start of these live hearings. A lot of government officials who disagree with President Trump's policies, who have their own opinion on what is right, and zero evidence of any crime or misconduct that rises to an impeachable offence. You do not impeach a duly elected President because you disagree with his views. But that is the only thing that I have seen so far.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's former Russia adviser Fiona Hill urged lawmakers in the House of Representatives impeachment inquiry on Thursday not to promote "politically driven falsehoods" that cast doubt on Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. election.
In her prepared testimony, Hill said some members of the House Intelligence Committee, based on their questions and statements, appear to believe that Russia and its security services did not conduct a campaign against the United States during the 2016 presidential race and that perhaps Ukraine did.
Hill appeared to be referring to some of President Donald Trump's Republican allies and defenders on the committee in the impeachment inquiry focusing on his actions toward Ukraine.
"This is a fictional narrative that has been perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves," said Hill, who until July served as the director for European and Russian affairs at the White House National Security Council.
WNU Editor: Regular readers of this blog know that I have been following this story (i.e. Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election) since day one. And aside from reports that Russia spent about $100,000 in Facebook ads and maybe (and it is a big maybe) gave Wikileaks hacked Democratic emails that revealed how the Democrat primary was fixed to make sure that Hillary Clinton would win, I have yet to see any tangible and real evidence from anyone on how the Russian government interfered in any meaningful way in the 2016 election. It is true that in the past three years we have heard from numerous intelligence officials like the above former Russia adviser Fiona Hill saying that Russia was successful in doing this, but when pressed to provide evidence always responded by saying it is either classified and/or you have to trust us. In a normal situation I can understand this position. Secrets need to be kept secret. But this is not a normal situation. Allegations of Russian interference has dominated the Washington political scene since the 2016 election, and it has paralyzed the White House with claims that President Trump colluded with the Russians. It has also increased tensions between the two super-powers, while crippling any meaningful progress on arms control. I think we need to know why we are where we are today. That is why I believe the evidence that the U.S. intelligence community used to make the claim that Russia interfered in the election should be declassified. We do need to know how the Russian intelligence agencies specifically did it, who did they target, how did they target them, who was influenced by them, and how did this specifically impact the 2016 election results.We need to have this open debate, and the sooner the better with the 2020 election only a year away. Unfortunately .... I do not see this happening.
The Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher's Trident Pin. This case was handled very badly from the beginning. Get back to business!
The attorney for Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher said on "Fox & Friends" Thursday that the Navy is trying to humiliate his client by potentially taking away his SEAL Trident, as President Trump reaffirmed his support for the embattled soldier.
"This is an action that they could have taken at any time from July right after the verdict, until today," his lawyer Tim Parlatore said. "President Trump takes action on a Friday afternoon — Monday morning, the admiral [Adm. Collin Green] comes in and brings everybody together and says 'I disagree with the president, we're going to take his Trident.'"
WNUJ Editor: This is not going to end with this tweet. You do not violate the military chain of command even if you are a senior admiral. Senior naval officers made a decision to ignore President Trump's pardon of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher by punishing him via the removal of his SEAL designation. There will be consequences for this, starting with the replacement of the admiral who pushed for it (Adm. Collin Green).
More News On President Trump Declaring The US Navy Will Not Take Away Eddie Gallagher's SEAL Trident
OTTAWA — The Canadian Armed Forces is refusing to accept the first of its new search-and-rescue planes from European manufacturer Airbus because of concerns with the aircraft's manuals.
The new plane was supposed to be delivered to the military by Dec. 1.
Exactly how long delivery could be delayed remains unclear as Airbus, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Department of National Defence wrangle over the contents of the manuals, which contain thousands of pages.
The manuals provide pilots, aircrew and technicians with necessary instructions for operating and maintaining the aircraft.
WNU Editor: When it comes to Canadian government contracts the manuals and instruction sheets must be in both English and French. It looks like these manuals have failed the test.
DONALD TRUMP is considering whether to launch a trade investigation against the European Union as a way to justify slapping huge tariffs on the bloc's US exports.
VLADIMIR PUTIN admitted that Russia was seeking to develop the world's most technically sophisticated missile, in a commemorative ceremony at the Kremlin on Thursday.
MICHELLE OBAMA has posted a hilarious video on Twitter of her and Ellen DeGeneres singing a duet on a piano at the talk show host's home - but it did not go down well with the ex-FLOTUS' fans.
Amnesty International called Friday for its supporters to speak out on behalf of the residents of Lahore, where hazardous smog is putting thousands of lives at risk.
Pakistan’s second-largest city has not had a single day of healthy air this year, the rights group says.
“The government’s inadequate response to the smog in Lahore raises significant human rights concerns,” Rimmel Mohydin, South Asia Campaigner at Amnesty International, said in a statement. “The hazardous air is putting everyone’s right to health at risk.”
It is the first time Amnesty International has issued an “urgent action” call on behalf of the entire population of a major city. The campaign tool is meant to mobilize supporters around the world amid imminent danger of human rights violations.
Lahore’s is often considered one of the world’s most polluted cities. This month, people have been forced to stay indoors as the air quality was classified as “hazardous” one of every two days by the U.S. Consulate in Lahore’s Air Quality Monitor Feed. Prolonged or heavy exposure to hazardous air can result in severe health issues including asthma, lung damage, bronchial infections, heart problems and shortened life expectancy, Amnesty says.
“The issue is so serious that we are calling on our members around the world to write to the Pakistani authorities to tell them to stop downplaying the crisis and take urgent action to protect people’s health and lives,” Mohydin said.
According to the government’s Punjab Clean Air Action Plan, Lahore experiences 10 to 25 days low visibility from November to February each year due to smog, haze, smoke and fog. The study acknowledges local sources of pollution, but attributes the recent worsening air quality to “the burning of rice stubbles in the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.”
Other cities in South Asia have faced similar problems in recent weeks. Officials in Delhi declared a public health emergency earlier this month due the the smog shrouding India’s capital city.
The World Bank estimates that outdoor air pollution accounts for 22,000 premature adult deaths each year in Pakistan.
Congress overwhelmingly passed legislation this week supporting the protests in Hong Kong, which have raged for nearly half a year. The bill, known as the “Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act,” will head to President Donald Trump’s desk to review within the coming days.
Protesters would herald the passage of the act as a victory, believing it could pressure the Hong Kong government into acceding to their political demands. But the policy would likely further strain the U.S.-China relationship, which is already hampered by a bruising trade war. Chinese officials have ominously warned of harsh countermeasures against the U.S. if the bill becomes law.
As the act awaits Trump’s decision, here’s what to know about it.
What is the “Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act”?
The legislation aims to safeguard Hong Kong’s civil rights and freedoms by linking the former British Colony’s special trade status to its continued autonomy from Beijing,
Introduced by Rep. Jim McGovern, Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Chris Smith in June, when the pro-democracy protests began, the act passed both the Senate and House this week after gaining rare bipartisan support.
If passed, the State Department would have to annually assess whether Hong Kong retains sufficient political autonomy to continue to qualify for favorable trading terms with the U.S. Any officials deemed responsible for violating human rights could face sanctions and visa restrictions.
Of concern is the “high degree of autonomy” that Beijing promised Hong Kong when the entrepôt retroceded to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. Fears over how China’s encroachment will transform the city helped fuel demonstrations that have plunged the Asian financial capital into escalating violence for the past five months.
The protesters have appealed to the international community for support in their fight with Beijing. At rallies for the democracy act staged around the world, supporters have waived U.S. flags and called upon Trump to “save” Hong Kong.
Activist Joshua Wong traveled to Washington in September to testify before Congress. In an interview with TIME after his trip, he said the passage of the act would start “a new chapter of bipartisan consensus on a tougher approach to Hong Kong’s democratization.”
After the bill swept through the House Wednesday, it went to Trump. Typically, Presidents have 10 days to sign approved legislation, but Trump has some extra time over the Thanksgiving holiday while Congress is adjourned.
Marco Rubio, one of the act’s sponsors, told CNBC that it is his “understanding” that the legislation will be signed. “We will not stand idly by as Beijing undermines” Hong Kong’s autonomy, he said from the Senate floor Tuesday.
But the bill comes amid a trade war stalemate and a sensitive Dec. 15 deadline to decide whether to renew a major set of tariffs on Chinese goods.
While both Republicans and Democrats see the act as a key component of the U.S.’s promotion of democracy and human rights abroad, Trump’s commitment to such advocacy has been questioned. On Hong Kong, he has mostly avoided commenting.
If Trump chooses to exercise his veto powers, he can still be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House.
How has Beijing responded?
Beijing has denounced the legislation as an intrusion on its sovereignty. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang said the act “neglects facts and truth” and warned China would “have to take strong countermeasures.”
Communist mouthpiece Global Times said Wednesday the policy should be renamed the “Support Hong Kong Violence Act” as it has “overtly taken sides with rioters who are destroying the rule of law.”
Why is Hong Kong’s trading status so important?
Hong Kong was granted special trade status under the 1992 United States-Hong Kong Policy Act, which says the city should continue to be treated as a “separate territory” from the Chinese mainland “in economic and trade matters.”
The status has meant that as trade tensions between the U.S. and China escalate, Hong Kong’s exports are exempt from U.S. tariffs and other protectionist measures on Chinese goods.
But experts warn that any termination of Hong Kong’s special status would hinder not just the city and Beijing, but also U.S. business interests. According to the State Department, more than 1,300 U.S. companies operate in Hong Kong, benefiting from proximity to China, as well as the city’s independent judiciary and rule of law.
For now, the act is mostly symbolic, since any adjustments to the trade status hinge the conclusions of an annual review, says Willy Lam, an adjunct professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “For the protestors and the pro-democracy camp, this is a fairly important piece of moral support coming from the U.S.,” he says.
Questions have swirled for years about Prince Andrew, the Duke of York’s relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein—including an allegation that the royal had sex with a 17-year-old girl who was trafficked by the disgraced financier. The Queen’s second son, with the backing of Buckingham Palace, has always forcefully denied wrongdoing. But just days after Prince Andrew gave a disastrous BBC interview about his relationship with Epstein, which included him saying he did not regret the “very useful” friendship, for the palace to react. On Wednesday, Andrew released a statement saying he would “step back” from public duties for the “foreseeable future.”
“We all think she’s this lovely and charming old lady, but she is [the] monarch and she can get very, very angry. It takes quite a lot to get her angry, and I think that perhaps she feels her son is not telling the truth and perhaps she feels he has to pay for it,” says Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, adding that the Queen likely consulted her eldest son Prince Charles, who is poised to succeed her on the throne, on what action to take. “I expect [Charles] is absolutely furious, because it is damaging—whatever way you look at it, it’s damaging.”
The hour-long interview on Saturday was meant to put to rest allegations that have surfaced in court documents since at least 2015. Following Epstein’s death by suicide in August, pressure has been mounting on Andrew to answer questions about his relationship with Epstein. Instead, it resulted in the famously-discreet royal family dominating headlines around the world, as well as to U.S. lawyers seeking justice for Epstein’s alleged victims calling for the Duke to answer questions under oath.
“It was unsustainable after the interview he gave that he could continue in any sort of public position,” says Stephen Bates, former royal correspondent for the U.K.’s Guardian newspaper. “The fact that he didn’t think it necessary on screen, as his first priority, to sympathize with the victims of Epstein—I would have thought had he taken any advice at all, that would have been the first thing he would have been told to do.”
It’s not the first time that the Duke or other members of the royal family have faced controversy. In a 1994 television documentary, Prince Charles admitted his infidelity during his marriage to Princess Diana. The following year, Diana gave an explosive television interview to the BBC, revealing more details about their marriage. Both instances gained significant, and largely unwelcome, attention from the British press and the public.
But this time round, the scandal is of quite a different nature, with allegations involving sex trafficking by Epstein and calls for law enforcement from the other side of the Atlantic to get involved. Dickie Arbiter, a royal commentator and former press secretary to the Queen, tells TIME that the family hasn’t faced such backlash “on this scale” since Edward VIII abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson; a scandal that caused a national crisis.
It’s also new territory for the Duke; the royal who was nicknamed “Air Miles Andy” by the British press in the 2000s due to his expenditure on foreign trips is now facing pressure to speak to U.S. prosecutors who are still investigating Epstein’s alleged crimes. “Andrew has always been pretty obtuse. He has a sense of entitlement and generally speaking an imperviousness to criticism,” says Bates. “I suspect what he was expecting was an easier ride than he got, but he probably felt he dealt with it okay, which is just delusional.”
Royal observers say Wednesday’s swift announcement appears to be “damage limitation,” amid several businesses withdrawing their support for Andrew’s charitable endeavors as well as students at the University of Huddersfied lobbying to remove him as chancellor. “Normally the palace doesn’t move that quickly, but because of the appalling publicity surrounding the interview, the Queen and her advisers decided that the only solution to the problem was a quick solution,” says Seward. “To actually have derision heaped upon him like Prince Andrew has [had], I don’t think it’s ever happened before.”
In addition, Arbiter and other experts suggest that Andrew likely didn’t clear the interview in detail with other members of the royal family, or seek the palace’s advice on how to handle the questions.
“As a mother, she will be devastated, and as the Queen, she’ll be annoyed that all this has happened, annoyed with the acres of coverage and annoyed she hadn’t been told more about the interview before it happened,” Arbiter says.
The damage caused by the Duke’s apparent lack of remorse over his friendship with Epstein in Saturday’s interview is extensive. But his withdrawal from public duties is perhaps more of a symbolic move, given his limited existing role in the public eye. “He hasn’t been carrying out many really high profile public engagements for quite a long time,” says Bates, the former Guardian correspondent. “It’s not as if he was seen every day out and about around the country.” In a 2018 survey published in The Times of London, the Duke was reported to have carried out the least amount of public duties over the year, when compared to his three siblings.
Backlash to the interview has made the front pages of British newspapers all week and dominated conversation on social media, likely contributing to the quick timing of Wednesday’s announcement. The question of whether the monarchy is fit for purpose was even raised in this week’s general election debate between current U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and leader of the opposition Jeremy Corbyn.
In the room @jeremycorbyn got warm reception for saying monarchy could do with some improvement and you could hear pin drop when @BorisJohnson said monarchy beyond reproach. Big question how that plays in UK after Prince Andrew interview. Which leader got it right? #ITVDebate
However, commentators think that while this incident continues to be highly damaging for Andrew in particular, the long-term reputation of the monarchy as a whole is likely to remain intact; last year, a poll pointed to 7 in 10 Brits supporting the monarchy indicating widespread favorable attitudes towards the institution. But the Duke’s role in the Epstein scandal, and his conduct during Saturday’s interview, has undeniably raised questions about the role of the wider royal family at the very least. “The monarch herself is secure and very popular,” says Arbiter. “The question is, how do we cope with the extended family?”
Health officials have issued warnings over “hazardous” air pollution levels as Sydney’s Opera House was shrouded with smoke. The smoke around Sydney and the north-coast is set to settle and remain in the area for the rest of Thursday, fire officials said. Members of the public, especially those with respiratory health issues, are advised to avoid all outdoor physical activities.
Fires have devastated large areas of the country since Oct. 20. New South Wales has seen the most severe and dangerous fires, with six people killed and around 1.7 million hectares burned. Climate Change has played a key role in the bushfires, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology has said. They said: “Climate change is influencing the frequency and severity of dangerous bushfire conditions in Australia and other regions of the world.”
Peter Parks—AFP/Getty ImagesA fire rages in Bobin, 350km north of Sydney on Nov. 9, as firefighters try to contain dozens of out-of-control blazes that are raging in the state of New South Wales.
However, amid the bushfire crisis, Scott Morrison, Australia’s Prime Minister has argued that there is no direct link between Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions and the severity of the fires burning across the country. He told ABC AU during a radio interview on Thursday that there was no “credible scientific evidence” that cutting carbon emissions could reduce the severity of the fires.
At first, Morrison acknowledged the contribution of climate change has had on the bushfires in Australia.
“These are things that are very well known to the government — the contribution of these issues to global weather conditions and to conditions here in Australia are known and acknowledged,” he said. “In February I acknowledged the contribution of those factors to what was happening in Australia — amongst many other issues.”
But, he then argued that the actions of Australia are not impacting the bushfires.
“The suggestion that in any way shape or form that Australia, accountable for 1.3% of the world’s emissions, that the individual actions of Australia are impacting directly on specific fire events, whether it’s here or anywhere else in the world, that doesn’t bear up to credible scientific evidence either.
“Climate change is a global phenomenon and we’re doing our bit as part of the response to climate change — we’re taking action on climate change,” he added. “But I think to suggest that at just 1.3% of global emissions, that Australia doing something more or less would change the fire outcome this season — I don’t think that stands up to any credible scientific evidence at all.”
Australia only accounts for 1.3% of global emissions when calculating the carbon dioxide released within a country. According to research by science and policy institute Climate Analytics, Australia also produces another 3.6% in global emissions as a result of coal, oil and gas exports. This latest research, published in July this year, argues that Australia is in fact responsible for nearly 5% of global emissions. In addition, Australia’s population is 0.3% of the global total, meaning this level of global emissions is highly disproportionate, argues Peter Thorne, a climate change expert at Maynooth University in Ireland. “[The 1.3% figure] doesn’t include exports either,” he said. “It ignores the fact that it makes Australia per capita one of the very worst offenders.”
Indeed, Climate Analytics argue that Australia remains one of the world’s highest per capita carbon dioxide emitters. On a per capita basis, they argue, Australia’s carbon footprint, including exports, surpasses China, the U.S. and India.
In February this year, Australia’s sparse drought-stricken lands featured on TIME’s cover. The conditions Australia experienced earlier this year count as the most severe in its modern history. Scientists have long warned that increasingly hot and dry climates, the result of the climate crisis, will lead to a worsening of wildfires around the world. And we are seeing the effects in Australia with unprecedented early fires. The wildfires also aggravate climate change by destroying treats that could absorb carbon in the atmosphere.
“Climate change is a likely factor,” argues Thorne. “It’s changing the odds because it’s hotter and is drier on average in the summer in Australia.”
Thorne said that while it is difficult to attribute particular events exactly to climate change, “what is undoubtedly true is that we are changing and shifting the odds of the events occurring to be much more likely.”
“Historically, Australian emissions have had a demonstrable impact, along with the emissions of other countries.”
Sam Mooy—Getty Images)RFS Firefighters battle a spot fire on Nov. 13 in Hillville, Australia.
The Bureau of Meteorology argue that in southern and eastern Australia, where the fires are currently spreading, they have observed more extreme conditions during the summer months, including an earlier start to the bushfire season. “These trends towards more dangerous bushfire conditions are at least partly attributable to human-caused climate change, including through increased temperatures,” they added.
Morrison has faced criticism this month of avoiding the issue of climate change a group of former Australian fire chiefs. They said that the government “fundamentally doesn’t like talking about climate change” and that politics is getting in the way.
“Just a 1 C temperature rise has meant the extremes are far more extreme, and it is placing lives at risk, including firefighters,” Greg Mullins, the former chief of NSW Fire and Rescue, said on Nov. 14. “Climate change has supercharged the bushfire problem.”
Politicians and mayors residing over areas affected by the bushfires have also been critical of Morrison’s response to the climate emergency. For them, there is no doubt that the devastating bushfires area a result of climate change.
Carol Sparks, the Mayor of Glen Innes, where two people died in early November, argued that the government, including Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, needed to refer to scientific evidence. “I think that Michael McCormack needs to read the science, and that is what I am going by, is the science,” she said.
“It is not a political thing — it is a scientific fact that we are going through climate change,” she added.
Chris Bowen, the Australian Labor Party’s health spokesperson accused the Australian government and international community of not acting quick enough on climate change. “The world, and Australia, has failed to act with appropriate seriousness and haste, and so we will need specific policies to deal with the health impacts of climate change,” Bowen said at a lecture at Sydney University on Wednesday.
“The Australian government needs to be far more proactive in looking for climate solutions,” echoes Thorne. They could easily produce enough renewable energy from wind and solar, not just for themselves but for others.”
Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. Since Morrison’s government scrapped the national carbon price in 2014, total national emissions have increased each year, according to a report published by Australia’s environment department in August this year.
National emissions increased by 3.1m tonnes in the year up to March 2019 and are estimated to be 538.9m tonnes, according to the report. The 0.6% increase in emissions are largely due to the liquefied natural gas (LNG) export industry.
(Bloomberg) –– Long-anticipated layoffs at WeWork have begun, part of the struggling office-sharing company’s plan to cut costs after staggering losses.
WeWork said Thursday that the reductions will affect 2,400 employees globally. They will receive severance and continued benefits and other forms of assistance, according to an emailed statement.
The job cuts represent almost 20% of the company’s global workforce, which totaled 12,500 as of June 30.
“We are grateful for the important roles they have played in building WeWork over the last decade,” a company spokesperson said. Staff reductions began weeks ago in regions around the world and continued this week in the U.S.
At the company’s Manhattan headquarters, there was an enhanced security presence on Thursday, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
WeWork, co-founded by former CEO and chairman Adam Neumann, is seeking to stabilize its business and show a path to profitability. The New York-based company scrapped an initial public offering in September, and its valuation has plummeted from $47 billion as recently as January to about $8 billion.
The company reported a net loss of $1.25 billion in the third quarter, eclipsing its sales and more than doubling its loss from the same period last year.
Executive Chairman Marcelo Claure told staff in an email Monday that the process, which will involve eliminating and scaling back some functions and responsibilities, “will make us stronger and better able to generate even more opportunities over the coming months and years.”
Claure said he plans to brief staff about the company’s future on Friday, when he’s expected to tease a five-year plan for WeWork.
(JERUSALEM) — Israel’s attorney general on Thursday formally charged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a series of corruption cases, throwing the country’s paralyzed political system into further disarray and threatening his 10-year grip on power. Netanyahu angrily accused prosecutors of staging “an attempted coup.”
Capping a three-year investigation, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit charged Netanyahu with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three different scandals. It is the first time a sitting Israeli prime minister has been charged with a crime.
An ashen-faced Netanyahu appeared on national TV, claiming he was the victim of a grand conspiracy by police and prosecutors.
He defiantly claimed the indictment stemmed from “false accusations” and a systematically “tainted investigation,” saying the country was witnessing an “attempted coup” against him.
“Police and investigators are not above the law,” he said. “The time has come to investigate the investigators.”
As the investigation gained steam in recent months, Netanyahu has repeatedly lashed out at the media, police and justice system, drawing accusations that he was undermining the country’s democratic institutions.
Mandelblit earlier rejected accusations that his decision was politically motivated and said he had acted solely out of professional considerations.
“A day in which the attorney general decides to serve an indictment against a seated prime minister for serious crimes of corrupt governance is a heavy and sad day, for the Israeli public and for me personally,” he told reporters.
According to the indictment, Netanyahu accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars of champagne and cigars from billionaire friends, offered to trade favors with a newspaper publisher and used his influence to help a wealthy telecom magnate in exchange for favorable coverage on a popular news site.
The indictment does not require the 70-year-old Netanyahu to resign, but it significantly weakens him at a time when Israel’s political system appears to be limping toward a third election in under a year.
Netanyahu’s defiant response, along with calls from his rivals to resign, indicated a lengthy period of turmoil ahead.
The political party of Netanyahu’s chief rival, former military commander Benny Gantz, said the prime minister has “no public or moral mandate to make fateful decisions for the state of Israel.”
Mandelblit criticized the often-heated pressure campaigns by Netanyahu’s supporters and foes to sway his decision, which came after months of deliberations. Both sides had staged demonstrations outside or near his home.
“This is not a matter of right or left. This is not a matter of politics,” he said. “This is an obligation placed on us, the people of law enforcement and upon me personally as the one at its head.”
The most serious charges were connected to so-called “Case 4000,” in which Netanyahu is accused of passing regulations that gave his friend, telecom magnate Shaul Elovitch, benefits worth over $250 million to his company Bezeq. In return, Bezeq’s news site, Walla, published favorable articles about Netanyahu and his family.
The relationship, it said, was “based on a mutual understanding that each of them had significant interests that the other side had the ability to advance.” It also accused Netanyahu of concealing the relationship by providing “partial and misleading information” about his connections with Elovitch.
Two close aides to Netanyahu turned state’s witness and testified against him in the case.
The indictment also said that Netanyahu’s gifts of champagne from billionaires Arnon Milchan and James Packer “turned into a sort of supply line.” It estimated the value of the gifts at nearly $200,000.
The indictment said Netanyahu assisted the Israeli Milchan, a Hollywood mogul, in extending his U.S. visa. It was not immediately clear what, if anything, Packer, who is Australian, received in return.
The decision comes at a tumultuous time for the country. After an inconclusive election in September, both Netanyahu and Gantz, leader of the Blue and White party, have failed to form a majority coalition in parliament. It is the first time in the nation’s history that that has happened.
The country now enters an unprecedented 21-day period in which any member of parliament can try to rally a 61-member majority to become prime minister. If that fails, new elections would be triggered.
Netanyahu is desperate to remain in office to fight the charges. Under Israeli law, public officials are required to resign if charged with a crime. But that law does not apply to the prime minister, who can use his office as a bully pulpit against prosecutors and push parliament to grant him immunity from prosecution.
In the first sign of rebellion, Netanyahu’s top Likud rival on Thursday called for a leadership primary should the country, as expected, go to new elections.
“I think I will be able to form a government, and I think I will be able to unite the country and the nation,” Saar said at the Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference in Jerusalem. He did not address the looming criminal charges.
The only plausible way out of a third election — and the prolonged political paralysis that has gripped Israel for the past year — would be a unity government.
In September’s election, Blue and White edged Likud by one seat in the previous election. Together, the two parties could control a parliamentary majority and avoid elections.
Both Netanyahu and Gantz expressed an openness to a unity government. But during weeks of talks, they could not agree on the terms of a power-sharing agreement, including who would serve first as prime minister.
A deal appeared all but impossible after Thursday’s indictment, with Blue and White’s top four officials all urging Netanyahu to resign. The party has said it is open to sitting with Likud under a different leader.
If elections are held, opinion polls are already predicting a very similar deadlock, signaling additional months of horse-trading and uncertainty.
That could now change. A poll carried out last month by the Israel Democracy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, found that 65% of Israelis thought Netanyahu should resign as head of the Likud party if indicted, with 24% opposed. The poll had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
The emergence of Saar as an heir could reshuffle the deck, but challenging Netanyahu in Likud is a risky maneuver in a party that fiercely values loyalty and has had only four leaders in its 70-plus-year history.
A former lawyer and journalist, Saar was first brought into politics 20 years ago by Netanyahu, who made him his Cabinet secretary in his first term in office. Saar then established himself as a staunch nationalist who opposed Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and resisted the prospect of a Palestinian state. He quickly rose in the Likud ranks, twice finishing first in internal elections for its parliamentary list and enjoying successful stints as education minister and interior minister after Netanyahu returned to power in 2009.
But as with others in Likud who saw their popularity rise, he too began to be perceived by Netanyahu as a threat. He quit politics in 2014 to spend more time with his family before making his comeback this year.
Despite his hard-line positions, Saar is liked and respected across the political spectrum and could prove a far more comfortable partner for unity with Gantz if elected head of Likud.
Israel has never before held two elections in the space of a year. Now it is facing the prospect of a third. After rerun polls in September, neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his centrist challenger Benny Gantz has succeeded in forming a government, raising the probability of yet another vote early next year.
Now, Netanyahu is being criminally charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes, according to the Associated Press, adding to the already tumultuous political landscape.
On Wednesday night, Gantz, leader of the centrist Blue and White party, announced that he had been unable to forge a governing coalition. Israel’s political quagmire began after Netanyahu called early elections last November. But following a narrow victory in April he was unable to muster sufficient parliamentary support in Israel’s coalition-dependent system. After he failed to do so again following September elections, Israel’s President handed Gantz the mandate.
In a televised statement Wednesday that denounced Netanyahu’s adherence to his traditional ultra-religious allies, Gantz said he would “not cooperate in an effort to not turn the majority of people to a hostage being held by a small minority of extremists.” Gantz also railed against Netanyahu’s smear campaign against Israel’s Arab population (who make up a fifth of the country), which he described as an attempt to foment “civil war.”
“I was willing to make far-reaching compromises toward forming a stable unity government,” Gantz told reporters in a separate statement, “But Israel’s interest comes before all else. Above all other considerations.”
On Thursday, the Israeli President Reuven Rivlin told parliament to find a new prime minister who can command the support of a majority of members of parliament by Dec. 11, or face a third election in early 2020. It marked the first time in Israeli history that the president has been forced to ask parliament to find a government. “The disruptive politics must end,” Rivlin said.
Later on Thursday, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced criminal charges against Netanyahu, that include allegations of trading favors with a newspaper publisher and a telecom magnate and accepting thousands of dollars in cigars and champaign from wealthy friends, according to the AP.
Here’s what to know about the deadlock and how it could eventually be broken.
What stopped Netanyahu and Gantz forming a government?
Secular ultra nationalist Avigdor Lieberman—Netanyahu’s former defense minister—sunk Netanyau’s attempt to form a government back in May, when Lieberman insisted on the passage of a bill mandating Ultra Orthodox Jews to serve in the military. That was unpalatable to Netanyahu’s allies on the religious right. After September elections handed Lieberman a larger share of the vote and fortified his position as kingmaker, he again refused to budge on the military service issue, scuppering Netanyahu’s second attempt to unite the right.
Like Netanyahu and Gantz, Lieberman has professed support for a so-called government of national unity, melding Netanyahu’s right wing Likud with Gantz’ Blue and White party. But negotiations hit a sticking point: Gantz refused to agree on a prime ministerial rotation agreement with Netanyahu, in part because of corruption charges looming over the prime minister; Netanhayu refused to abandon his Ultra Orthodox allies on the right; and Netanyahu’s Likud party members refused to jettison their leader.
An outside option had been a minority center-left government backed by Israel’s Arab-dominated parties, who together comprise the third largest voting bloc in the Knesset. Ayman Odeh, the leader of a coalition of Arab-dominated parties, made such a scenario possible by taking the historic step in September of endorsing a Zionist prime minister: Gantz. But Lieberman, whose backing Gantz would have also required, said a minority government would be a “disaster” for Israel. At a news conference on Wednesday, Lieberman called Arab political leaders a “fifth column.” That was a slur straight out of Netanyahu’s playbook. The prime minister has long been accused of incitement against Israel’s Arab population—including saying on Nov. 17 that a government dependent on the support of Arab parties would be an “immediate existential threat to Israel’s security” and accused them of being terrorist sympathizers.
Is there going to be a third election?
It looks likely. Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, now has 21 days to nominate a candidate for prime minister: that could be Netanyahu, Gantz, or someone new. Should at least 61 of the Knesset’s 120 lawmakers fail to agree on a candidate within the allotted time, the Knesset will dissolve and Israelis will head to the polls yet again in Spring 2020.
A third election would cost the equivalent of $750 million, the New York Timesreports, about a third of Israel’s current budget deficit. It is also unclear it would break the deadlock: voting patterns in Israel’s September elections closely mirrored those in April.
To avoid a third election, lawmakers would most likely have to agree on one of the three scenarios on which Gantz, Netanyahu, and Lieberman could not settle. Namely: Gantz and Netanyahu share the prime ministership; some Likud members defect to the center left; or ultra nationalists agree to sit with either Ultra Orthodox or Arab-dominated parties.
What could break the deadlock?
Two scenarios could alter the Knesset’s calculus: Netanyahu’s indictment or serious military confrontation.
To avoid appearing to interfere in the political process, Israel’s Supreme Court Justice had delayed his announcement on Netanyahu’s expected indictment. Now that Gantz has conceded that he can’t form a government, the announcement could come as early as Thursday. Indictment on the most serious of the three corruption charges he faces would make it near impossible for Netanyahu to form a government either before or after a third election, Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reports. But if only the lesser two of the three charges stick, he might still be in with a chance.
Outside the domestic sphere, a serious military escalation could force Knesset members to set aside their differences and unite behind one candidate. Rising tension between Israel and Iran means that is not out of the question. On November 13 an Israeli airstrike killed a senior commander of the Gaza-based militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which is supported by Iran. That precipitated a flurry of rockets from the Hamas-administered Gaza Strip and a military response from Israel that left 34 Palestinians dead, including an airstrike that Palestinian medics say killed eight civilians, with five children among them. Israel is also preparing for escalation on its northern border after its military launched airstrikes that killed 21 people in Syria on Wednesday, according to a monitor. Those attacks on Iranian and Syrian “terror targets”, came in response to four rockets launched from Syria at the Israel-controlled Golan Heights, a rocky plateau in Southwestern Syria that Israel seized in 1967.
What does the Israel’s deadlock mean for President Trump’s White House?
Trump’s White House has made no secret of its support for Netanyahu. Shortly before Israel’s April elections, Trump gave Netanyahu a boost by recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. And earlier this week—breaking with decades of U.S. policy— the White House announced it would no longer consider Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank illegal. While both Netanyahu and Gantz publicly welcomed the move, experts told TIME it appeared designed to handicap Israel’s centrists. Nimrod Novik, Israel Fellow at the Israel Policy Forum, a U.S. organization that supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said in a statement that the Trump Administration “keeps empowering our Messianic, annexationist minority.”
Nevertheless, the chances the full version of the White House’s long-billed “Middle East Peace Plan” will be revealed are slimmer than ever. Yossi Mekelberg, an Israel expert at London-based think tank Chatham House says the political deadlock provides another excuse to delay it. “There is no ‘Deal of the Century,’” Mekelberg says. “If settlements are legal, and Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, not of Palestine, and refugees don’t exist, I’m not sure what we are negotiating.”
(BEIJING) — China on Thursday demanded President Donald Trump veto legislation aimed at supporting human rights in Hong Kong and renewed a threat to take “strong countermeasures” if the bills become law.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act undermined both China’s interests and those of the U.S. in the semi-autonomous Chinese city.
“We urge the U.S. to grasp the situation, stop its wrongdoing before it’s too late, prevent this act from becoming law (and) immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China’s internal affairs,” Geng said at a daily news briefing.
“If the U.S. continues to make the wrong moves, China will be taking strong countermeasures for sure,” Geng said.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi joined in the criticism, telling visiting former U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen that the legislation constituted an act of interference in China’s internal affairs and ignored violent acts committed by protesters.
“This bill sends the wrong signal to those violent criminals and its substance seeks to throw Hong Kong into chaos or even to destroy Hong Kong outright,” Wang said.
The human rights act mandates sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials who carry out human rights abuses and requires an annual review of the favorable trade status that Washington grants Hong Kong.
Another bill prohibits export to Hong Kong police of certain nonlethal munitions, including tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, water cannons, stun guns and tasers.
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the bills Wednesday, a day after the Senate passed them on voice votes. The bills now go to the White House for Trump’s signature, and the White House signaled that he would sign the measure.
Hong Kong held on to its advantageous trading status with the U.S. upon its handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997, in recognition of Beijing’s pledge to allow it to retain its own laws, independent judiciary and civil and economic freedoms.
That independent status has come into question amid moves by Beijing to gradually strengthen its political control over the territory, helping spark months of increasingly violent protests.
This week, China’s legislature argued it had the sole right to interpret the validity of Hong Kong’s laws after the territory’s court struck down an order banning the wearing of masks at protests. Legal scholars described that as a power grab violating the governing framework known as “one country, two systems.”
With Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed government refusing to enter into dialogue or make concessions, the territory’s police force has been given broad powers to quell the protests. That has brought numerous complaints of excessive use of force and the abuse of detainees, along with a near-complete lack of accountability for officers.
In a September report, Amnesty International documented numerous cases where protesters had to be hospitalized for treatment of injuries inflicted while being arrested.
“Time and again, police officers meted out violence prior to and during arrests, even when the individual had been restrained or detained. The use of force was therefore clearly excessive, violating international human rights law,” said Nicholas Bequelin, the group’s regional direct for East and South East Asia.
Police spokesmen deny using excessive force, even in cases where officers are videotaped kicking and beating protesters who have already been immobilized.
For almost six months, the unrest in Hong Kong has followed a rhythm. On weekends, the Chinese-ruled enclave would convulse with pro-democracy protests. During the workweek, the acrid haze of tear gas would clear and life moved on, though the revolutionary graffiti haranguing the Communist Party of China lingered.
But in November, the struggle took a sudden and dangerous new turn. After a student demonstrator died on Nov. 8 of complications from a fall during a protest, the weekly schedule surrendered to daily urban warfare. The demonstrators say normality cannot be restored. “We can’t just protest on the weekends anymore,” says Ezoe, a 20-year-old medical student. “If we are going to win this fight, people need to stop their jobs. The government needs to see the economy will hurt.”
The latest escalation eventually centered on the city’s universities, where students like Ezoe holed up to resist arrest. That places of learning have become battlegrounds strikes at the symbolic heart of the freedoms and values that Hong Kongers believe distinguish their semiautonomous city from the rest of China. While Beijing has tried for years to push patriotic education here and state media have suggested that changes to the curriculum might solve the crisis, faculty, students and staff have resisted attempts to infringe on their academic independence.
With on-campus lectures canceled, students’ energies went into stockpiling medieval–style weaponry like fencing blades, slingshots and bows and arrows and fortifying blockades in preparation for showdowns with police. After some of the bloodiest confrontations since the unrest began, demonstrators filtered into one last holdout: Polytechnic University.
Protesters bunkered inside the campus for a week, using it as a base to disrupt traffic and block the adjoining Cross Harbour Tunnel, a vital artery linking the city’s most populous region to the commercial and financial districts on Hong Kong Island. Police encircled the area, and a days-long siege began in earnest on Nov. 17. Students returned a hailstorm of rubber bullets and tear-gas volleys with gasoline bombs, fiery arrows and barricades set ablaze. Some managed to evade the police in daring escapes, including rappelling down makeshift ropes to waiting motorcycles, but many more were detained. By Nov. 19, police said they had arrested or taken down the details of 1,100 people in and around “PolyU.” As TIME went to press, dozens remained inside, refusing to surrender.
Although the size of the demonstrations has dwindled in recent weeks, it is no longer only student provocateurs squaring off with police. Amid a growing sense that peaceful protest is futile, the city’s financial district is now regularly shrouded with tear gas in the middle of the workday. At lunchtime, bankers have joined street brawls, facing off with police against the backdrop of Chanel and Louis Vuitton stores. Amid a general strike, transportation has snarled and public schools were forced into a six-day shutdown. “This is no longer just a protest movement,” says Yu, a 21-year-old student. “We are at war for Hong Kong’s future.”
Yet as the frontline protesters have grown more -radical—committing arson, vandalizing subway stations and even dousing one detractor in flammable liquid and setting him on fire—they continue to retain public support. A survey by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute published on Nov. 15 found 83% of people faulted the government for the spiraling violence, while fewer than half blamed the demonstrators. “Whatever they do, I will support the protesters,” says Tim, 30, a hotel worker who says he stopped joining the protests after they became more violent. “If we don’t support them we will have a worse future with no more rights.”
While the students at PolyU camped out, -ordinary Hong Kongers came to their aid. Some traveled hours to bring supplies, while a group of teary-eyed relatives and friends staged a sit-in in front of police, who refused them access to the university. Other demonstrators staged a “blossom everywhere” campaign to draw police away from the institution.
This protracted unrest has taken a toll on workers like Tim. As tourists stay away, almost 8 in 10 hotel staffers have been asked to take a few days’ unpaid leave, according to a union poll. Hong Kong has fallen into recession as its upscale hotels and glitzy shopping malls become backdrops to bloody duels. Many outside Hong Kong now fear what will befall Asia’s world city. On Nov. 19, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which aims to safeguard the territory’s autonomy from any incursions by Beijing. But China sees the bill as an infringement on its sovereignty and already blames the current crisis on meddling foreign forces.
For all the protections and declarations of support the world may try to offer, many Hong Kongers say they cannot afford to lose this fight because the -alternative would mean an end to the city’s unique set of freedoms. And so for all the disruptions, chaos and danger, they would still rather live by the fits and starts of the protests than the dictates of Beijing. “I am much more afraid,” says Bryan, a 30-year-old protester, “of what will happen if we don’t stand up.”
This year, New Zealand became the first nation to formally drop gross domestic product (GDP) as its main measure of economic success. The government of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the budget would aim not at maximizing GDP but instead at maximizing well-being.
Apart from schools, hospitals and roads, whose budgets would be allocated in the normal way, resources would be distributed according to their impact on five government priorities: mental health, child well-being, the inequalities of indigenous people, building a nation adapted to the digital age and fashioning a low-emission economy.
Since the Industrial Revolution, the whole world has been locked into the idea that one has to grow–either to catch up or to stay ahead or simply to keep in motion the mechanisms of capitalism that depend on endless expansion.
Even those people who accept that climate change is an existential threat find themselves pulled in contradictory directions. On one level, they strive to be richer, to earn more disposable income to spend on the goods and services they have learned will make them happier. On the other, they subscribe to the goal of cutting carbon emissions nearly in half by 2030.
Is there a way of squaring this circle? If by getting richer, we mean that our economies must grow as conventionally measured–by perpetually increasing GDP–then the answer is almost certainly not. Few believe that technology can advance quickly enough to allow the world’s rising population to consume at current levels, let alone at higher ones, while simultaneously reducing emissions, which we have to do.
When we talk about growth, we are really talking about GDP. Since the 1930s that is how we have measured the output of our national economies. GDP came into being in the manufacturing age, and more than anything it is a measure of physical production. It is poor at counting more ethereal things like services, from insurance and train journeys to music streaming and restaurant food, where value is more related to quality than quantity. This is quite a flaw in advanced economies like the U.S.’s, in which services make up roughly 80% of economic activity. Turning the planet’s resources–whether renewable or not–into things we can consume is pretty much our definition of progress.
But there lies a glimmer of hope. If we recalibrate how we measure growth, we may be able to get richer without ruining our planet in the process. If digital services and renewable energy can be delivered without putting extra strain on the planet, then we could continue to grow each year without provoking planetary crisis. Imagine if other things that are currently excluded, but which many of us value, entered our calculations of economic progress: leisure time, unpaid volunteer work, clean air, low crime, longer and healthier lives.
If our definition of what constitutes growth is broadened, one can begin to imagine a less destructive form of economic expansion. What we measure is, to some extent, what we get.
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Early Social Security means you start taking benefits before full retirement age. The checks are bigger if you wait, but sometimes early Social Security makes sense.
IRS Publication 590: Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) refers to an IRS document that outlines rules for individual retirement accounts (IRAs).
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Discover why you don't have to worry about a volatile market's impact on your simplified employee pension plan. Learn to use your SEP to navigate the markets.
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Libel is publishing a statement about someone in written form or via broadcast that is untrue and would harm the reputation or livelihood of that person.
If you are a Canadian citizen living and working in the U.S., then you should not contribute to an RRSP because your income is not from a Canadian source.
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One of the most important topics in retirement is Medicare. Here is the lowdown on how it works and what it may cost you. For Americans 65 and older any conversation about healthcare must include Medicare.
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If your employer offers a 401(k), a 403(b), or a 457(b) retirement plan, you might consider the Roth option. It can be a little more pain now for a big gain later.
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If it hasn't happened yet, it will one day. The markets will take a dive, and your retirement savings will drop with them. Here is a four-step plan to beat the bear.
Now that 401(k)s have put managing retirement money into employees' hands, you can't just contribute and forget about it. Learn how to stay on top of your funds.
Not all health care physicians accept Medicare payment for patients they see. Here are five options to consider when your doctor does not accept Medicare. Learn what to do when you sign up for Medicare only to learn your doctor doesn't accept it?
Compare the different options for where to place your savings including savings accounts, high-yield savings accounts, CDs, MMAs, and other lower-risk investments.
Social Security benefits are an important part of any retirement plan. Learn how to maximize Social Security benefits for your household using these five strategies.
If you're age 45 to 54, retirement planning is likely on your mind. Now is the time to get on track, or kick your retirement savings into high gear. Find out how.
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The Crummey trust is named for Clifford Crummey, the first successful taxpayer to use this technique. It allows families to transfer lifetime gifts to children while taking advantage of the gift tax exclusion.
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Activities of daily living are routine activities people do every day without assistance, such as eating, bathing, using the bathroom and getting dressed.
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An immediate payment annuity is an annuity contract that is purchased with a single payment and pays a guaranteed income that starts almost immediately.
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Filing early for Social Security can make sense. Here's a list of when it's appropriate to ignore the conventional wisdom of waiting as long as you can.
A prior probability, in Bayesian statistical inference, is the probability of an event based on established knowledge, before empirical data is collected.
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In this week's cryptocurrency news, Facebook's Libra and China's newfound blockchain and crypto acceptance push other nations to react or potentially be left behind.
eCommerce is taking over the way we shop. By the year 2040, 95% of shopping will be conducted online. If you're interested in starting a business, eCommerce is the way to go. And what you sell will determine your store's success. But with so many niches and items you can sell, it can be difficult to pinpoint the niche you should choose. The first place you should start is your own passions. But if you're prioritizing the most popular eCommerce niches, there are plenty of options for business owners of all interests and backgrounds. Here are 4 popular eCommerce store
Digital marketing helps improve your brand awareness and is powerful enough to help you rise above the competition. But is digital visibility more difficult to achieve? Are you facing more competition in a digital landscape? If you're struggling to reach a digital audience, you may be missing integral components in your marketing strategy. For example, 46% of small businesses don't even have a website. With a new decade around the corner, it's time to revamp your marketing strategy. 2020 is continuing some previous trends while upholding new marketing innovations. To run a successful marketing campaign, your marketing strategy should include
Do you dream of hosting the hottest event of the year? Today, there's an event for everything. From a business trade show to a music festival, events uphold the excitement and intensity your audience desires. But planning an event isn't easy. Before the party can get started, you need to be both helpful and reliable. That's why 81% of event planners believe the most important event planning skills are great communication and organization skills. Don't worry — once you know what is important, planning an event is easier than you think. Continue reading this guide and plan the event everyone
How much you spend on a startup depends on the kind of business you’re going to build. Building a traditional small business costs on average $30,000. Some startups could cost as much as a house or more. And you know you’re going to spend money, but do you know where you’re going to spend money? Startups are like home improvement projects. You start out thinking the project will cost you $5,000, but halfway through something crawls out of the woodwork and you have to spend another $1,000. Today we’re going to layout the hidden costs of building a startup. Keep
It takes a freakin' long time to build wealth through investing in the stock market. But it's the most reliable way to do so. If you invested $10,000 in the S&P 500 in 1987 you should have $51,000 today. You might have decided to start investing. Maybe you've read through a few blogs and you've decided to DIY your investments. But you don't want to just throw money at the wall and hope it sticks. Blindly poking your finger at the stock market section of the local paper won't get you anywhere. Instead, take my advice. Invest wisely and broadly.
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West Bengal Police Recruitment 2019 – Apply Online for 125 Staff Officer-cum-Instructor Jobs. Good News for all Police Job Seekers!! Recently, West Bengal Police authorities announced a recruitment notification for Staff Officer-cum-Instructor Posts. Interested Graduates can start to apply for wbp.recruitment from 24th November 2019. West Bengal Police Recruitment Board invites application from Indian Nationals. Selected candidates will have a good salary based on Pay Band-3 with grade pay and other allowances.
Eligible candidates can apply for the Instructor post under the Department of Disaster Management & Civil Defence. The Last date to drop your application form is 24th December 2019. Candidates shortlisted in the preliminary exam will have Physical Measurement and Efficiency tests. For further details go through the below section and apply as soon as possible before the due date ends.
The West Bengal Police is one of the two police forces in the Indian state of West Bengal. (The other is the Kolkata Police, which has a separate jurisdiction). The West Bengal Police Force was reorganized under the provisions of the Police Act of 1861 during the British Raj. It is run by an officer designated as the director-general of the police, who reports to the state government through the Police Department (Home). Shri Virendra, an IPS official since 1985, is the DG and IGP of the West Bengal Police since June 1, 2018.
The West Bengal Police has concurrent jurisdiction with the eighteen state fiscal districts (excluding the metropolitan city of Calcutta), which includes one of the two districts of the West Bengal General Police, under the Police Act of 1861. The other district of General Police consists of important parts of the Calcutta metropolitan area and has a separate police force (Calcutta Police) incorporated and administered under the 1866 Act on the Calcutta Police and the Calcutta Suburban Police Act, 1866. This device, unique in India, was designed in the colonial era. Calcutta was the capital of British India. The city police remained independent of the state police.
Tamil Nadu Postal Circle Hall Ticket 2019 on Today i.e. 22nd November 2019. The board is going to issue the hall ticket on its official portal tamilnadupost.nic.in.Thus, Candidates who have applied for the Savings Bank Aptitude Test and looking for the admit card release can go through this webpage now. The Tamil Nadu Postal Circle will conduct the exam on 30th November 2019. So, Aspirants are suggested to download the hall ticket from the below given direct link.
Tamil Nadu Postal Circle Hall Ticket 2019 – HighLights
Candidates must check with the details in the hall ticket before downloading it. The Tamil Nadu Postal Circle Hall Ticket can be downloaded only through the Online Mode. The board will not send the admit card through the post to any of the applicants. So, this is the opportunity to get the TN Postal Hall Ticket and to know the exam details. Make sure with the below-given details and download by entering the login credentials into it.
Candidates Name
Name of the Candidate's Father
The venue of the Exam Centre
Date & Time of the Test
Reporting Time to the Exam Hall
Gender (Male/ Female)
Roll Number
Duration of the Online Test
Space for Invigilator's Signature
Registration Number
Name of the Test Centre
Category of the candidates
Space for Applicant's Signature
Name of the Exam Conducting Board
Photograph of the Candidate
Applicant's Date of Birth
Name of the Written Test
Important Guidelines for the Exam Takers
Full Name of the Applicant
Examination Centre Code
Signature of the Board Counselor
TN Post Aptitude Test 2019
Tamil Nadu Postal SB Aptitude Test Date 2019 | 30th November 2019
TN Post SB Aptitude Test Timing | 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
The Postal Department has announced the exam date on its official portal. Hence, they have declared the admit card release date and candidates can expect the Tamil Nadu Postal Circle Hall Ticket on the declared date. Moreover, Contenders are advised to download the hall ticket from the direct link before the last date ends. Therefore, Exam appearing candidates can check the eligibility through the TN Postal SB Aptitude Test Notification. The board has scheduled the exam timing for the Aptitude Test. Therefore, Candidates are advised to reach the exam hall within the reporting time.
ID Proofs along with TN Postal Circle Admit Card
Examiners need to carry any one of the original identity proof to the exam hall along with the TN Postal SB Exam Hall Ticket 2019. Many of you will have queries to get the admit card. To clear all the queries regarding the TN Postal Hall Ticket Download contenders can contact the officials through the contact number given on the official website. Follow the steps at the bottom of the section to download the TN Post Office Hall Ticket.
Original Photograph
Voter Card
Pan Card
Employee ID
College ID
PAN Card
Passport
Driving License
Any other ID proof issued by a Gazetted Officer
Bank Pass Book with the photograph
How to Download TN Postal SB Test Hall Ticket 2019-20?
Click on the TN Post Office Hall Ticket.
Enter the Login details on the Home Page.
Now enter the image in the box that is available on the page.
Tap on Login to get the TN Postal SB Aptitude Test Hall Ticket.
Admit Card page will appear on the screen.
Fill the needed credentials into the hall ticket.
After filling recheck the details that you have entered.
Once done with the checking Submit the admit card.
Finally, download the hall ticket after the submission.
Take a photocopy of the TN Postal Hall Ticket.
Carry for the exam and for the upcoming selection rounds.
TNMGRMU Results 2019 – Dear Folks!! Here we have a piece of good news for you. Yes, The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University has published the results for various Courses. The University recently released the results for Diploma in various departments, B.Sc, B.O.T, B.Pharm, M.D/M.S, and other results are available here. Students who are studying under The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University can check their TNMGRMU Results from the official website of the University i.e, tnmgrmu.ac.in. Also, we provide all the Regular, Supplementary and the Revaluation Results from this article. Moreover, you can obtain your TN Dr. MGR Medical University Results regarding the Dental, Medical, Allied Health Sciences, and the Distance Education Result all in one place.
TNMGRMU Results 2019 @tnmgrmu.ac.in
Dr. MGR Medical University Results in 2019 of Dental, Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy, Allied Health Sciences and Ph.D. announced. All the candidates who have attended these examinations can check out this website. Here, on this page, we have included all the regular, supplementary and revaluation exam results easily. Here on this page, we have provided the direct link to download and verify the TNMGRMU Results from the below table. Also, we will be updating the Upcoming TNMGRMU Results link, it will work once the University will announce the results officially. In fact, Students can get the Result links, and the download process of the Dr. MGR Medical University Results 2018 -19 on this page. Furthermore, refer to our official site to know other University Result Details all in one place.
Latest TNMGRMU Exam Results 2019
Name of the Exam
Release Date
Download Link
B.Sc. in Operation Theatre & Anesthesia Technology
The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, or TNMGRMU for short, is a government medical university centered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is named after the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Dr. M.G.Ramachandran (M.G.R.) and is the second-largest health sciences university in India. The University offers undergraduate qualifications in medicine (MBBS), dentistry (BDS), Nursing, Allied health professions, and Indigenous Medicine. It also provides postgraduate courses in various medical and dental subspecialties. The university is planning to set up a 500-bedded hospital on four acres of land on the outskirts of the Raj Bhavan campus, with 300 beds set to be installed in the first year.
TNMGRMU Supply/Revaluation Results
Students have a chance to apply for the revaluation, if the students may get low marks in the examination, they can apply for the Revaluation results. So again the head of the Examiner will review the answer paper. After revaluation, students may get high marks. Still, if anyone got low marks, they can apply for the Supplementary Examinations. For Revaluation/Supplementary, Students should pay the fee. Students can get all the results from this page Regular, Revaluation and Supplementary Results. Students of the Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University can also get all Results Also. Just we are advising the Students to frequently visit this page to get the latest updates of all TNMGRMU Results 2019.
UBTER Group D Result 2019 @ ubter.in | Check Uttarakhand BTER Class 4 Exam Result here. Welcome to our UBTER Group D Result Page. Here we will help you find all the UBTER Group D Exam Result. The Uttarakhand Board of Technical Education is planning to release UBTER Group D Result 2019 in the month of November 2019. The UBTER Officials have conducted the UBTER Group D Exam on 20th October 2019. So all those participants can check and download your result from this page.
UBTER Group D Result 2019 – Download Here
The Uttarakhand Board of Technical Education officials will soon announce the UBTER Group D Exam Result 2019 on official website ubter.in. A huge number of applicants have written the UBTER Group D Exam for 401 Class IV Posts on 20th October 2019. All the exam participants are waiting for the UBTER Group D Exam Result 2019. Here we will be updating the latest Uttarakhand BTER Class 4 Exam Result 2019 link, and the link will activate at the time of the official announcement. Along with the result, applicants can check UBTER Group D Class 4 Result 2019 from the below sections.
Uttarakhand BTER Class 4 Exam Result 2019 – Overview
UBTER Group D 2019 Result | Check Class 4 Cut Off Marks, Merit List
Candidates have to score 50% for the General/EwS category and 45% for SC/ST/OBC in the written examination to be listed in the UBTER Group D merit list. Check the schedule regarding the UBTER Group D Class 4 Result 2019 link from below. Here we have provided some easy steps to download your UBTER Group D Exam Result 2019. Applicants can download the Group D Recruitment in State Judiciary Uttarkhand (Civil & Family Courts) Exam Answer Key from the below link. Applicants can get more details about Uttarakhand High Court Group D Result 2019 from this page.
UBTER Group D Merit List 2019
All the applicants who have appeared for UBTER Written Examination for Group D Posts can check the Uttarakhand UBTER Group D Qualified List 2019 from the official website. The UBTER Merit List 2019 will be provided on the basis of qualified candidates. The Merit List will contain the Roll number & date of birth. Hence, Any of the aspirants whose scores are capable enough to meet the specified qualifying marks are eligible.
UBTER Group D Class 4 Cut Off Marks 2019
The UBTER Cut Off Marks 2019 means the Uttarakhand Board of Technical Education authority will fix the minimum marks that need to be scored by the candidates to get qualified in the exam. Those qualified aspirants can move to the next level rounds. Officials will release the UBTER Group D Class 4 Cut Off Marks 2019 on the official website. The UBTER Cut Off Marks 2019 will be decided based on the
Number of the candidates appear for the exam,
Number of Vacancies available,
Previous year cut off marks and
Candidates category.
How to check the UBTER Group D Exam Result 2019?
Initially, applicants can visit the official website of Uttarakhand Board of Technical Education, ubter.in
On the home page, click on the UBTER Group D Exam Result 2019 link
Click on the Result link and check your result
Then finally the UBTER Results 2019 will display on your screen.
Dr.B.R. Ambedkar Open University releases BRAOU Results 2019 UG Courses. Recently the University has let out B.Com, B.Ed, BCA, BSC, BBA, MA, MBA, M.Com, MSc & Other Courses. To get the direct link to check out your Dr. BR Ambedkar Open University Results 2019 get down the below section. Students who are studying under Dr.B.R. Ambedkar Open University can check their results from the official website of the University i.e, braou.ac.in. We have attached the main sever links for BRAOU UG Results 2019. Here on this webpage, we have updated all the information regarding the UG CBCS II Sem, UG I, II, III Year and other Courses results available here. Hence, Check other information on Dr. Ambedkar Open University Results in the below sections of this page. Check out more information on the official website.
BRAOU Results 2019 @braou.ac.in
Students who have undertaken the Semester Exams its time to check out the Dr. BR Ambedkar Open University Results 2019 announced by the board. We people from recruitment.guru have gathered the updates about the University Results here. Once the board releases the Semester Results Students can check here to know the Exam Results. Examiners can check the BRAOU Degree Results for all UG & PG Courses. We have also included the BRAOU Revaluation Results in this article.
Along with the BRAOU Exam Results, Students can gather information regarding the updates that are released by the board. Also, we have provided a direct link to get the BRAOU Results 2019 from the below table. It will help the students to get the results without any hesitation. Apart from this, we used to update the latest information about the BRAOU Results 1st Year. We advise the Students to regularly check the official website to know more information about the Dr. Ambedkar Open University Results 2019
The university was established in August 1982 by Act of the State Legislature. The principal aim of the University is to provide an opportunity for those who are not in a position to avail themselves of the facilities for higher education through regular on-campus study at conventional colleges/universities. It adopts a flexible approach to eligibility, age of entry, method of learning, choice of courses, the conduct of exams and operation of educational programs. The Univ makes use of a variety of learning media including Radio, TV, film, audio cassette and printed study material, besides arranging contact and counseling programs and Sc ‘Practicals’ which makes for the traditional teacher-student interaction.
Courses Offered by Dr.B.R. Ambedkar Open University
Master of Business Administration [MBA]
Bachelor of Arts [B.A]
Master of Arts [M.A]
Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing Management [PGDMM]
Diploma in Hotel Management
Certification
Bachelor of Science [B.Sc]
Master of Science [M.Sc]
Bachelor of Commerce [B.Com]
Master of Commerce [M.Com]
Bachelor of Education [B.Ed]
Master of Library and Information Science [M.Lib.I.Sc]
PhD
Master of Philosophy [M. Phil]
Post Graduate Diploma in Business Finance
Post Graduate Diploma
Bachelor of Hotel Management [BHM]
Advanced Certificate Program in PLCs & SCADA Systems
Bachelor of Library and Information Science [B.Lib.I.Sc]
BRAOU Supply/Revaluation Results
Students have a chance to apply for the revaluation, if the students may get low marks in the examination, they can apply for the Revaluation results. So again the head of the Examiner will review the answer paper. After revaluation, students may get high marks. Still, if anyone got low marks, they can apply for the Supplementary Examinations. For Revaluation/Supplementary, students should pay the fee. Students can get all the results from this page Regular, Revaluation and Supplementary Results. Students can also get Dr.B.R. Ambedkar Open University Results. Just we are advising the Students to frequently visit this page to get the latest updates of all BRAOU Result 2019.
BELTRON DEO Syllabus 2019: Dear Candidates !! The Bihar State Electronics Development Corporation Officials are going to conducting the Written Examination on 27th November 2019 for recruiting DEO, Project Assistant, Office Assistant, and other posts. BELTRON Employment News is a golden opportunity for the job seekers who live in Bihar. Before starting your preparation for Bihar State Electronics Development Corporation DEO and Other Examination, it is always a better idea to check the complete BELTRON DEO Syllabus 2019 and also the Exam Pattern provided on this web page.
BELTRON DEO Syllabus and Exam Pattern will help you in estimating the important subject and topics. This also helps you in calculating the subject wise weightage of marks. With the given BELTRON DEO Syllabus, you can prepare well and can get good marks through which you can achieve your dream for Government jobs. Therefore, The Aspirants who applied for the BELTRON Date Entry Operator & Programmer jobs can download the Syllabus and Exam Pattern in PDF through the direct link provided below. For perfect preparation, candidates can also download BELTRON DEO Previous Papers.
Aspirants who applied for BELTRON Jobs have to attend a written test. Based on the performance in the written test, the company will shortlist the candidates and promote them to the Personal Interview. Aspirants who attended the interview will be shortlisted finally based on their performance. The BELTRON Data Entry Operator Selection Process is categorized as follows
Written Examination
Personal Interview
Download BELTRON DEO Syllabus 2019-20 PDF
The Bihar State Electronics Development Corporation DEO Syllabus is given here. Candidates who have applied for BELTRON DEO Jobs are advised to check the syllabus clearly given below.
BELTRON Syllabus – General English
Grammar
Vocabulary
Verb
Subject-Verb Agreement
Adverb
Idioms & Phrases
Sentence Rearrangement
Comprehension
Tenses
Error Correction
Synonyms
Fill in the Blanks
Articles
Unseen Passages
Antonyms etc
BELTRON DEO General Knowledge Syllabus
Indian National Movement
History of India
Science & Technology
Indian Economy
Environment issues
Current Events: Regional, National & International
Indian Polity
Geography of India
Indian Constitution
BELTON Exam Syllabus – Numerical Ability
Time and Work.
Relationship Concepts
Number Systems
Averages
Analogies
Mensuration
Discount
Fundamental arithmetical operations
Decimals and Fractions
Time and Distance
Profit and Loss
Verbal and Figure Classification
Percentages
A relationship between Numbers
Interest
Verbal Series
Non-Verbal Series
Ratio and Proportion
Ratio and Time
Coding-Decoding
Mental Ability
Use of Tables and Graphs
Computation of Whole Numbers
Bihar State Electronics Development Corporation DEO Computer Syllabus
BELTRON Admit Card 2019 for various vacancies, can be downloaded on our page. For which the Bihar State Electronics Limited Authority conducts the written examinations. Furthermore, as per the rules, every applicant attending the examination needs to carry the BELTRON exam call letter 2019. Because the Admit card acts as proof that the candidate applied is attending for the BELTRON written examinations.
The board has issued the admit card for the post of Data Entry Operator. Hence, Aspirants are suggested to download the BELTRON Admit Card from the below table. Thus, Candidates can provide valid details to get the hall ticket. Thus, the BELTRO DEO Exam will be held on 27th November 2019. Though the board has released the admit card for the sake of examination on 21st November 2019.
Bihar State Electronics Development Corporation Limited is mandated to release the admit card for the post of Project Executives now. The Selection Board has announced the exam date tentatively in the month of September 2019. Therefore, the admit card will be issued after the declaration of the exam date. Get the direct link to download the BELTRON Admit Card from the below section.
BELTRON Project Executive Hall Ticket 2019 – Download
BELTRON DEO Admit Card 2019
BELTRON has issued the admit card for the post of Data Entry Operator for Stage III Examination. All the aspirants must download the admit card before the exam date. Get the direct link to download the hall ticket. Do check with the details in the admit card before downloading. The 03rd CBT Exam is going to be held on 29th & 30th August 2019.
BELTRON Admit Card 2019 for Programmer will be available here. The Aspirants who are looking for the Programmer Exam Hall Ticket have to wait a few more days. The BELTRON Notification board is yet to announce the official exam date. However, aspirants who are looking for Beltron Programmer Exam Admit Card can download from a direct link below.
BELTRON DEO Admit Card 2019 is available here. The aspirants who are eagerly looking for the BELTRON exam admit card for Date Entry Operator can download here. As the board needs to announce the official exam date and date for online admit card download. Aspirants need to wait a few more days. However, candidates can download the Admit Card from the link given. Furthermore, Keep visiting we update the direct link immediately when the board announces.
Aspirants who are looking for the BELTRON exam admit card can download from our page. As the officials of BELTRON announce the admit card online on their official website. The applicant who is going to appear the written examination can download the admit card online. Hence, we help you in downloading your call letter easily. As the admit card is an important document to be carried for the written examination. We advise the candidates to download your BELTRON admit card today.
Interested candidates can visit the official website of BELTRON for other details. Hence, find the link below for all BELTRON Exam Call Letters online and download the admit card. Follow the steps below to download the hall ticket online.
Steps to Download BELTRON Admit Card Online 2019
Click on the link given below.
We redirect you to the official BELTRON admit card page.
Find the direct link for the respective admit card on the page.
Click on the link and enter the details required.
Click on the submit button to download the admit card.
PPSC Results 2019 Declared – Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) has recently uploaded the Result of various posts, Head Master/ Head Mistress, Principal, Block Primary Education Officer Posts on 27th June 2019. A huge number of candidates have appeared on the PPSC Written Examination 2019. Those candidates can check and download their results from the official website i.e, ppsc.gov.in. Finally, PPSC has released the Principal Results, So applicants may find the direct link to check and download your results from the below table.
PPSC Senior Assistant Result 2019 @ ppsc.gov.in – PPSC Senior Assistant Exam 2019 was held on 21st April 2019. Tentatively, the officials of the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) are planning to release the PPSC Sr Assistant Result 2019 in the month of November (Expected). So, aspirants who had taken the Written Test can download the Punjab PSC Senior Assistant Result 2019 from this page using the direct link provided at the given below table.
PPSC Headmaster, Principal, BPEO Results 2019Available Now!!!. Dear Candidates!. Recently the Punjab Public Service Commission has uploaded the PPSC Principal Post Result 2019 on 27th June 2019. Applicants those who have to wait for the results can check them out!! Also, we advise the candidates who have done the written examination for the PPSC Head Master/Mistress and BPEO Posts to wait for few days to receive the Result. Because the officials have planned to release the PPSC HM, BPEO Results in July. So we are also expecting the same and here applicants can get the PPSC Cut Off Marks & Merit list 2019.
PPSC Headmaster, Principal, BPEO Results 2019
Organization Name
Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC)
Post Name
Head Master/ Head Mistress, Principal, Block Primary Education Officer
The result of the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) Head Master/ Head Mistress, Principal, Block Primary Education Officer Exam will be released only on the official website. PPSC Exam Results 2019 is more important for the candidates those who eagerly waiting for the Government jobs in Punjab. PPSC Results 2019 will play an important role for many candidates. Check Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) Result by giving your registration number, date of birth on the official login page. And then check the result of PPSC Headmaster, Principal, BPEO Results 2019.
Here we are providing the direct link to check PPSC Headmaster/ Headmistress Principal, BPEO Merit List 2019. PPSC Merit List 2019 is the key to success in the Selection process. Because of those who have got Cut Off Marks, their name will appear on the PPSC Merit List 2019. Moreover, the merit list shows the names of the candidates who had qualified with the marks up to given cut off. Candidates can also get the PPSC Headmaster, Principal, BPEO Merit List 2019 from the official website or they can visit our page.
Punjab PSC Cut Off Marks 2019 @ ppsc.gov.in
The Higher Officials will release the Punjab PSC Cut Off Marks 2019 along with the results. Applicants should get the minimum or above cut off marks so that they can get qualified into the PPSC Written Examination. The officials will announce the Cut Off Marks on the official website. Applicants can check their Cuts off marks and it will differ for each and every candidate. They will decide the Cut Off Marks based on the Categories. If the applicants will not meet the Punjab PSC Cut Off Marks they will not be qualified to attend the further round of Interviews. Candidates can check the PPSC Cut Off Marks 2019 by visiting the official website ppsc.gov.in.
Steps to check PPSC Principal Post Results 2019
Applicants can visit the official website of Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) i.e, ppsc.gov.in
In the home page, applicants should see the link is in Announcements, the bottom of the page
Click on the 154 Posts of Principal, it will lead to another page
Candidates can view the Other information tab, in that click on the Annexure A, Annexure B…
Applicants can view the PPSC Principal Result 2019, Check the results with Registration number & name
Download or take a printout of the PPSC Result for further reference.
HPCL Result 2019 to be released soon for the Project Engineer, Refinery Engineer, Law Officer, Quality Control Officer, Human Resource Officer, Fire, and Safety Officer Post @ www.himachal.nic.in. Check and download Cut off Marks, Merit List Here. Many Candidates have participated in the Written Exam and eagerly waiting for the HPCL Result date. The Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) has conducted the Written Test on 17th November 2019. The HPCL Board is Planning to release the result in the month of December (Tentatively). So, all the aspirants can check and download the HPCL Result 2019 from this site.
HPCL Result 2019 – Available here
The Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) will declare the results for various posts as soon as possible on their official webpage hindustanpetroleum.com. A huge number of Aspirants appeared for the written exam on 17th November 2019. After completing the Written Examination candidates are waiting for the HPCL Project Engineer Result 2019. Moreover, the result will be released in the month of December 2019 (Tentatively). Hence, you can check and download HPCL various posts using our website.
HPCL Project Engineer Result 2019 – Overview
Organization Name
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL)
Post Name
Project Engineer, Refinery Engineer, Law Officer, Quality Control Officer, Human Resource Officer, Fire, and Safety Officer
To check results candidates should have their roll number and password along with them. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) will release the HPCL Project Engineer result based on the performance of the candidates. As the higher authority commenced the exam on 17th November 2019, candidates can check their HPCL Exam Results 2019 from the month of December 2019 (Tentatively). The selection process is based on three processes namely Written Test, Group Task and Interview.
HPCL Cut Off Marks 2019 @ hindustanpetroleum.com
From this article, you can have detailed information about the HPCL Cut Off Marks 2019. The Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited has not yet released the exact cutoff marks. Selecting the Candidates for the Next level is completely depends upon the Cut Off Marks. The cutoff marks play an essential role in every participant life. The candidates should know the cutoff marks before appearing in the examination to score high marks. The board will soon announce the cutoff marks in their official web page. The board of higher authority has some conditions for fixing Cut Off Marks. They are given below.
Candidates category (General, OBC, SC, ST)
The number of seats available
The number of candidates attended the exam
The difficulty level of the question paper
Analysis based upon the previous year cut off marks
HPCL Merit List 2019
In this section, the Candidates can have some ideas about the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) Merit List 2019. Generally, the authority will announce the Merit after releasing the Result. All the candidates whose names are listed on the HPCL Exam Merit List 2019 have the highest preference to move for the next level of the selection process. We will update the latest information on our web page. Here you can check and download your merit list from this page. In the upcoming section, we have given the stepwise procedure to check the HPCL Exam Result 2019.
How to check the HPCL Exam Result 2019?
Initially, applicants can visit the official website of the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) @ hindustanpetroleum.com.
Then the Homepage of HPCL Appears on the Screen.
Then click on the “Career” tab on the top of the screen.
And a new page opens on the screen.
In Career Section click on the "Our Current Openings" tab on top of the screen.
And then Search for the link related to download the HPCL Project Engineer & Other Posts Result 2019.
MUMBAI: Global PE majors Blackstone, KKR, Apax and TPG Capital have joined Advent and Temasek-backed Crompton Greaves Consumer in the race to acquire a controlling stake in Eureka Forbes, the country's largest maker of water purifiers and vacuum cleaners, said people aware of the development.Preliminary discussions are currently on between the potential suitors and the Shapoorji Pallonji Group for a possible transaction, these persons said, adding that the talks centre around sale of control or an outright takeover.What has compounded the urgency for a stake sale is the liquidity troubles of the SP Group and the latter's need to pay off the debt raised from listed arm Sterling & Wilson, these persons added.On Tuesday, Forbes & Company — SP Group's listed unit — informed exchanges that it planned to unlock the value of its 100% holding in Eureka Forbes through an initial public offering, stake dilution/ sale or a combination of the three. It told the exchanges that the company's board had empowered the management to evaluate "appropriate mechanisms" for an eventual listing of Eureka Forbes. The company did not share details. Since the announcement, Forbes & Co's shares have risen 37% in three trading sessions.Sources aware of the developments said an IPO appears difficult in the current environment, especially after the controversy over SP Group's delay in repaying debt raised from Sterling & Wilson, the conglomerate's listed solar EPC unit. The Pallonji family — which bought the business from the Tatas almost two decades ago — estimates the value of Eureka Forbes at Rs 5,000-6,000 crore. The final contours of a deal are expected to evolve as the process gains momentum.Standard Chartered Bank and Nomura are believed to be getting ready to launch a formal sale process. Feelers have also gone out to Hindustan Unilever, which has a competing water purifier brand (Pureit), ITC and a few other consumer appliances and water and beverage companies.Mails sent to Eureka Forbes and ITC did not elicit any response till press time Thursday. The spokespersons for KKR, TPG, Blackstone, Advent, Temasek, HUL and Haier India declined to comment.Analysts said other than financial institutions, the sale is also likely to draw the interest of domestic and global players such as Havells, Haier, Kent, LG and even new players like Xiaomi. The transaction would be structured similar to what Crompton Greaves did, which hived off its consumer electricals business and sold it to a consortium of PE funds led by Advent and Temasek. 72177106 Eureka Forbes – with one of the world's largest direct sales force — has presence in water and air purification, vacuum cleaning and home security solutions segments. With 20 million customers across 35 countries, it was among the earliest movers in its business segments. However, increasing competition, lack of focus, a heightened cost structure and negligible capital investments resulted in the company losing market share to local and global players in both the mass and premium segments.FAILED EXPANSION PLANSTo make matters worse, Eureka Forbes' attempts at global expansion through an acquisition in Switzerland boomeranged with the management being forced to restructure the business and write off two significant investments across Europe and Asia. The company is now believed to have roped in The Boston Consulting Group to help reduce costs and overhaul operations.A company statement said Eureka Forbes is the market leader in the vacuum cleaner category, with an 89% market share in the country. It also controls about 55% share of the electrical water purifiers market. The company clocked consolidated revenues of Rs 2,388 crore in FY19 and an Ebitda of Rs 78.04 crore. The projected Ebitda for FY20 and FY21 is Rs 160 crore and Rs 280 crore, respectively. The management is eyeing a valuation of over 20 times the Ebitda for FY21 — comparable to other transactions in the space in recent years. However, some observers believe such premium valuations could be a potential deal-breaker.Eureka Forbes' revenue grew at a CAGR of 2.6% in the past five years, according to Veratech Intelligence, which analysed the company's financials."It's a great brand that has been orphaned for long and mismanaged, which can be potentially turned around and can create significant value. Today, margins are in single digits and growth is stagnant," said a potential investor, who has been approached."EFL (Eureka Forbes) on standalone basis continued to support Lux International AG (the Swiss arm) financially during FY19 even as its profitability remained subdued. On a consolidated basis, EFL had witnessed a decline in operating performance in FY18 owing to weak operating performance of Lux International due to unfavourable market conditions in Europe and impact of demonetisation and implementation of GST in the Indian entity," CARE said in October. The ratings agency had revised the outlook to 'negative' owing to weak demand outlook in the industry, lower-than-estimated operating performance and moderation in the credit profile of the SP Group.
Deploying close to $900 million in six months, Advent International has emerged as one of the most aggressive PEs in India this year. A decade after starting its local office, Advent's chairman David Mussafer and co-chair James Brocklebank told Indulal PM and Arijit Barman that with improved reforms, better tax rates and the potential for larger deals, the firm will continue its momentum as interesting prospects from homegrown payments to pharma companies and consumer brands emerge. Edited excerpts:How has the overall PE landscape changed in India in the last 10 years? David Mussafer: We have experienced improved reforms of late and more advantageous tax rates for business but the important changes that we have seen have actually been the increase in the number of $100 million plus transactions that we typically target. We also see an improvement in the exit market in terms of secondaries and strategic sales. Overall, India has been increasingly a more attractive environment for investments and I think that has reflected in the fact that we've made more than $875 million (in investments) in the last six months.James Brocklebank: We are also seeing an increasing number of control type transactions as well. We have also invested in people, relationships, and that has helped us with domain knowledge here and gain comfort and credibility locally.Is the slowdown in India temporary or long-term and structural?David Mussafer: One of the things that really differentiates us in private equity is that we have the ability and luxury to think in longer economic terms unlike public market investors who are thinking next three to six months.'Capital will Always Flow to Areas that Provide Best Returns'David Mussafer: The challenge for us is to consider if the business that we have just purchased is going to be better positioned after our ownership period five or six years from now. We certainly believe India broadly is an attractive market place or else we wouldn't be investing actively in the way that we are today.How are you coping with the ongoing slowdown as it impacts most consumption-led themes? 72177235 James Brocklebank: If I think about the things we've been doing in consumer and financial services, they present interesting opportunities to grow notwithstanding the current onslaught. I think we would always back these categories of opportunities and sometimes slowdown, correction in market valuations, etc., can actually be the perfect entry point for us and you have seen us take these opportunities.David Mussafer: If you look back across our global funds, some of our best funds and best investments have been at times of economic distress. For example, our 2008 fund is one of our very best funds and it was invested during that time period which saw significant turmoil till about 2010.You have deployed over $2 billion so far in India. How does that stack up against other large emerging markets?James Brocklebank: It's more than what we have invested in China but we also have a separate Latin American business which is quite active. But we don't have a specific allocation to regions. We deploy the capital where we think the opportunities are best. Just so happens that actually we think that in India the opportunities have been very strong recently. Is there some sort of estimate of how much you will invest in India over the next three years to five years?David Mussafer: We have a $17.5 billion global fund. We don't have a target as to how much we should deploy but we could easily deploy up to 10% of the fund here. So, given the right opportunity, we could do as much as $1.7 billion. But I reiterate it's not a sacrosanct figure.Are you focusing more on buyouts or control transactions?David Mussafer: We try to take somewhat of an agnostic approach when we think about a great investment idea. And obviously where we have control, we don't have to spend much time thinking about the governance in order to effect change. In minority positions, we are also working on trying to help our companies in many cases but there is more work that needs to be done — often to build alignment with the other shareholders and through the governance provisions that you have to work through in order to make those influences.What about Indian valuations? Most will complain that they are very rich.David Mussafer: Growth comes at a premium and India is the very definition of growth. You have one of the highest GDP (growth rates) in the industrialised world and Indian companies historically have very attractive growth rates given long-term positive trends. So typically, high prices are a healthy sign for an economy. And that is no different in India, which has some of the highest prices. So, if you are investing in India, you've got to have a stomach for these high valuations.How do you see the structured credit market?James Brocklebank: If you look at our history over the last 15-20 years, we have actually spent a lot of time focusing our efforts. And many of our peers have spent that same time diversifying. It's paid big dividends for us and we don't have any plans to really lean in and change.What is your view on emerging companies and tech-based startups and unicorns, which are grabbing the headlines in India?James Brocklebank: Technology is critically important. So let's make sure that we don't conflate the idea that we don't like technology focused investments. But when you think about large, cash-consumptive consumer business models, we have certainly been more wary about leaning into some of those. And it's not just here in India, but globally.Payments has been one of your focus areas of late with big bets in Italy and the US. How do you see that space evolve in India, especially with the government targeting the cash economy?James Brocklebank: Payments remains an extremely interesting area globally. You know, it's become a very strategic sector because it basically helps merchants get paid. In India, we've looked at a number of interesting local payment businesses but as yet we haven't actually acquired one. But it's something that we continue to look at.For a buyout fund, isn't it hard to take a company private in India or raise leverage onshore?David Mussafer: It's never easy to take a company private. Every market has very specific rules and regulations around public shareholders. So I don't think India is alone in that challenge. Most markets obviously want to make sure that you protect the public shareholders. And in doing so, often it creates a more complicated path to do a public-toprivate (transition).Do you think the boom in fund raising could impact performance of funds as an asset class?David Mussafer: Capital will always flow to areas that provide the best returns. Yes, it does make competitive levels higher and things more difficult. The flexibility that we have in terms of capital allocation and time horizons is a big plus.James Brocklebank: I think that we're very optimistic about the future because, essentially, PE is fundamentally about a more effective governance model. We don't see our investments as just capital, but it is capital along with engagement and better governance to drive alpha.
MUMBAI: Swiggy is targeting to generate 30% of its overall revenue from beyond food delivery in a couple of years, as it diversifies into grocery delivery, concierge services and cloud kitchens, among a slew of new initiatives.These businesses, which contribute a small share to its current revenue, will help leverage the existing user base from Swiggy's food delivery platform to provide customers convenience in more forms than just food, said CEO Sriharsha Majety.Majety, winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year at the Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence 2019, said while Swiggy will be measured about scaling these new businesses, it will continue to run experiments even as the market and investors turn cautious.Intense competition in the online food delivery business led to heavy discounting and cash burn in the past year, but a correction is under way as venture-funded startups look to cut losses and seek profitability, which has eluded most of these companies.Swiggy and closest rival Zomato were burning $30-40 million monthly on discounts and promotions till recently. Majety said that has been trimmed down, without revealing specifics. Zomato said it had halved its cash burn to $20 million as of October, disclosing the development through its publicly listed investor InfoEdge, which declared its quarterly results recently. Other players that had also unleashed discounting last year like UberEats and Ola's Foodpanda have also piped down over the past six months."If you look at our past, we had a surge in spending during 2015 but were able to very quickly move to get to positive contribution in 2016. We're not pitting ourselves against anyone else's cash burns. Their investment horizons and their investment strategies may be different. But for the food delivery category itself, we are witnessing a move towards profitability and much better economics in the next one-two years," Majety said.While challenges remain for turning in profits for the core food delivery vertical, Swiggy has expanded aggressively to gain from its delivery experience. 72177513 Its first big diversification took place in September last year, when the Bengaluru-based company acquired hyperlocal delivery startup Supr Daily. The acquisition was seen as a bid to utilise its already large fleet, which Majety pegs at 2.2 lakh, to deliver for categories beyond food. Within six months of the acquisition, the company launched Swiggy Stores, a rival to another Bengaluru-based startup Dunzo. Swiggy Stores curates inventory from stores near users' locations to deliver everything from flowers to health supplements.As Swiggy expands, its big focus areas will be spread across food delivery and cloud kitchens, where the company is investing Rs 250 crore, and the new businesses like Go, and Stores, in that order, Majety said.Swiggy – among the most wellfunded Indian consumer internet startups, having raised $1.3 billion in investor capital so far – is also beginning to look at monetizing through advertising and bringing in other efficiencies for restaurants on its platform and the overall business."Advertising and using technology to shave off even more costs in delivery, while keeping drivers earnings intact, there is a lot of optimisation which we can do. We've already started seeing some good results there," he said.Swiggy, which is valued at $3.3 billion, is in the market to pick up more capital. Naspers, the South African internet and media group which holds almost 40% in the company, is expected to once again lead the funding round, as reported by ET earlier.Majety's ability to scale up a delivery focused business in such quick time and then go on to diversify beyond food, helped him win the Entrepreneur of the Year honour.He said it was a huge responsibility to build a fundamentally strong business as a winner. "While it's a personal award, it's really the work that the team at Swiggy has been doing over the last five years. What's expected from the award winners is that these are companies or individuals who are building for the future and that these organisations are built to last," he said.
PUNE: Mid-size IT services firms are strengthening existing client relationships and sharpening focus on select verticals, on the back of mounting pressure on margins, a talent crunch and a slowdown in key client sectors. Over the past year, most companies have actively started client mining, or increasing the revenue share from top clients.At Zensar, revenue share from the top 20 clients grew to 62.6% from 56.6% in the past year."This strategy has worked for us in the USA and Africa. Currently, we provide cloud infrastructure services to 30-35% of our customers, but will work to integrate that into all the top 20 accounts over time." Zensar chief executive Sandeep Kishore said. It's a similar story at Persistent Systems under new CEO Chris O'Connor, who changed its internal structure and adopted a solutionsdriven approach to increase the overall revenue stack."We are mapping the client's IT spends to our services to see what are all the areas where Persistent can contribute with the managers being incentivised to do this," he said.The company expanded its top ten accounts, offering them multiple services compared to a year ago.At Mindtree, newly appointed CEO Debashis Chatterjee said there was huge opportunity in cross-selling and upselling and that it had recently hired a leader in the US to chase such deals. "If you can grow with your top strategic clients, nothing like it. For topline, focus on strategic accounts and mine those accounts even more," Chatterjee recently told ET.Companies such as these are doing well in terms of bringing in key leaders at different levels, said Pareekh Jain, founder of Pareekh Consulting. Sandeep Kalra, President- Technology Services at Persistent, Abhishek Sinha, COO at LTTS and Nachiket Deshpande, COO at LTI has brought in fresh perspective, he said. Most of the leadership at midtier companies has come from larger companies where they have experience in client mining. NIIT Technologies' head Sudhir Singh was earlier at Infosys, as was LTI's Sanjay Jalona. "All mid-tiers are investing in digital such as AI, automation, Cloud, SaaS, analytics, microservice, cybersecurity, IoT and pushing it with agility. Their share of digital is greater than large firms though they are not winning large transformation deals. That shows their penetration of digital is more broad-based," Jain said.All these companies have reported an increase in digital deal sizes in the past few months."One of the challenges (for midtier IT firms) is that the growth rates in the BFSI (banking and financial services, and insurance) and retail sectors in the US are going down, and together they make up almost half the client base for many of these firms. While digital deal sizes are going up, there is an increase in transition costs for them which results in margin pressures," said Amit Chandra, assistant vice president, HDFC Securities. The strategic decision to focus on a few select areas, like BFSI, travel and transportation, retail, and hi-tech manufacturing, has helped these companies grow faster and deeper in defined areas.
MUMBAI: Record retail sales in October have given Royal Enfield's new CEO Vinod Dasari the confidence to 'call' the trough in the current cycle, and he expects sales volumes of the popular Bullet bikes to accelerate from here – possibly in double digits."I think we have hit the bottom. Given the range of products that will come, it (a double-digit growth rate) is possible. The general economic sentiment has also got to improve," Dasari said. "High-end vehicles get hit much worse during downturns. But the minute the sentiment improves, the fastest growing segment will also be this."The October turnaround came after sales declined in double digits this year. Dasari said the brand would get back to double-digit growth led by sustained product action and increasing reach, both locally and internationally."I love downturns. Quoting Sun Tzu, the Chinese philosopher , 'In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity,'" he told ET.Dasari took over the reins at a time when Royal Enfield was slowing in the marketplace."Just because there was a downturn, we did not cut down on our capex. I don't think we'll spend any more on any large (facility). Most of our capex will go into capability building, new products, electric and other stuff. And it will also go into many small assembly plants around the world," added Dasari.The company has come out with a new vision called Royal Enfield 2.0, which consists of four broad action points - expanding product range, geographical reach, solution selling and leveraging digital platform to build a 'global consumer brand from India'.Dasari attributed the drop in sales at Royal Enfield to lack of new products and the downturn. The company launched new entry-level variants such as Bullet X and Classic Signals, and opened small studio stores that helped enhance consumer access.About 500 small Studio stores have been set up in the last six months and the studio stores already account for 10% of the company's monthly sales. Interestingly, 90% of its stores have already broken even in three months with each store averaging about 12 to 15 bikes a month.RE volume grew 22% annually in the last five fiscals to 8.26 lakh units.
NEW DELHI: Public sector banks disbursed a record Rs 2.52 lakh crore of loans during the festive month of October, the Finance Ministry said on Thursday.An amount of Rs 1.05 lakh crore was fresh lending, the Department Financial Services said in a statement.An amount of Rs 46,800 crore was given as working capital loan, it said.The government in September had asked state-run banks to step up lending and hold outreach programmes or loans melas in 400 districts to lend to desirable shadow banks and retail borrowers.
In a rangebound session on Thursday, which was dominated by weekly options expiry, NSE Nifty headed nowhere and ended with marginal losses. The index saw a positive opening, but soon slipped into the red. After recovering from the day's low, it hovered around the 12,000 level. The index again failed to break above the crucial 12,000-12,050 zone and settled with a loss of 30.70 points or 0.26 per cent at 11,968.40.In Wednesday's session, 12,000 strike continued to hold maximum Call open interest, and this prevented the headline index from attempting a breakout. Nifty has remained in a broad consolidation zone of 12,050-11,800. The 12,000-12,050 range continues to be a significant hurdle.Friday's session is likely to see a muted start. Nifty might witness some mild initial upmoves, but will find stiff overhead resistance at 12,000 and 12,068 levels. Supports may come in at 11,910 and 11,850.The Relative Strength Index (RSI) on the daily chart stood at 64.04 and stayed neutral, showing no divergence against the price. The daily MACD remained bearish and traded below its signal line. The Percentage Price Oscillator (PPO) stayed negative.72177108 A small engulfing bearish candle was formed on the charts. This candle is a bearish formation if it occurs during an uptrend, which is the case now. Further, it has appeared after a 'Doji' in the previous session. The present structure has the potential to stall the current rally and keep the market in a consolidation.We recommend traders to avoid aggressive positions on either side. Nifty has refused to move out of the broad consolidation range, with the 12,000-12,050 zone acting as stiff resistance. We expect these levels to continue posing very hurdle.Over-leverage positions should be avoided unless a directional bias is established. We reiterate a cautious view on the market for Friday.(Milan Vaishnav, CMT, MSTA, is a Consultant Technical Analyst and founder of Gemstone Equity Research & Advisory Services, Vadodara. He can be reached at milan.vaishnav@equityresearch.asia)
Deploying close to $900 million in six months, Advent International has emerged as one of the most aggressive PEs in India this year. A decade after starting its local office, Advent's chairman David Mussafer and co-chair James Brocklebank told Indulal PM and Arijit Barman that with improved reforms, better tax rates and the potential for larger deals, the firm will continue its momentum as interesting prospects from homegrown payments to pharma companies and consumer brands emerge. Edited excerpts:How has the overall PE landscape changed in India in the last 10 years? David Mussafer: We have experienced improved reforms of late and more advantageous tax rates for business but the important changes that we have seen have actually been the increase in the number of $100 million plus transactions that we typically target. We also see an improvement in the exit market in terms of secondaries and strategic sales. Overall, India has been increasingly a more attractive environment for investments and I think that has reflected in the fact that we've made more than $875 million (in investments) in the last six months.James Brocklebank: We are also seeing an increasing number of control type transactions as well. We have also invested in people, relationships, and that has helped us with domain knowledge here and gain comfort and credibility locally.Is the slowdown in India temporary or long-term and structural?David Mussafer: One of the things that really differentiates us in private equity is that we have the ability and luxury to think in longer economic terms unlike public market investors who are thinking next three to six months.'Capital will Always Flow to Areas that Provide Best Returns'David Mussafer: The challenge for us is to consider if the business that we have just purchased is going to be better positioned after our ownership period five or six years from now. We certainly believe India broadly is an attractive market place or else we wouldn't be investing actively in the way that we are today.How are you coping with the ongoing slowdown as it impacts most consumption-led themes? 72177235 James Brocklebank: If I think about the things we've been doing in consumer and financial services, they present interesting opportunities to grow notwithstanding the current onslaught. I think we would always back these categories of opportunities and sometimes slowdown, correction in market valuations, etc., can actually be the perfect entry point for us and you have seen us take these opportunities.David Mussafer: If you look back across our global funds, some of our best funds and best investments have been at times of economic distress. For example, our 2008 fund is one of our very best funds and it was invested during that time period which saw significant turmoil till about 2010.You have deployed over $2 billion so far in India. How does that stack up against other large emerging markets?James Brocklebank: It's more than what we have invested in China but we also have a separate Latin American business which is quite active. But we don't have a specific allocation to regions. We deploy the capital where we think the opportunities are best. Just so happens that actually we think that in India the opportunities have been very strong recently. Is there some sort of estimate of how much you will invest in India over the next three years to five years?David Mussafer: We have a $17.5 billion global fund. We don't have a target as to how much we should deploy but we could easily deploy up to 10% of the fund here. So, given the right opportunity, we could do as much as $1.7 billion. But I reiterate it's not a sacrosanct figure.Are you focusing more on buyouts or control transactions?David Mussafer: We try to take somewhat of an agnostic approach when we think about a great investment idea. And obviously where we have control, we don't have to spend much time thinking about the governance in order to effect change. In minority positions, we are also working on trying to help our companies in many cases but there is more work that needs to be done — often to build alignment with the other shareholders and through the governance provisions that you have to work through in order to make those influences.What about Indian valuations? Most will complain that they are very rich.David Mussafer: Growth comes at a premium and India is the very definition of growth. You have one of the highest GDP (growth rates) in the industrialised world and Indian companies historically have very attractive growth rates given long-term positive trends. So typically, high prices are a healthy sign for an economy. And that is no different in India, which has some of the highest prices. So, if you are investing in India, you've got to have a stomach for these high valuations.How do you see the structured credit market?James Brocklebank: If you look at our history over the last 15-20 years, we have actually spent a lot of time focusing our efforts. And many of our peers have spent that same time diversifying. It's paid big dividends for us and we don't have any plans to really lean in and change.What is your view on emerging companies and tech-based startups and unicorns, which are grabbing the headlines in India?James Brocklebank: Technology is critically important. So let's make sure that we don't conflate the idea that we don't like technology focused investments. But when you think about large, cash-consumptive consumer business models, we have certainly been more wary about leaning into some of those. And it's not just here in India, but globally.Payments has been one of your focus areas of late with big bets in Italy and the US. How do you see that space evolve in India, especially with the government targeting the cash economy?James Brocklebank: Payments remains an extremely interesting area globally. You know, it's become a very strategic sector because it basically helps merchants get paid. In India, we've looked at a number of interesting local payment businesses but as yet we haven't actually acquired one. But it's something that we continue to look at.For a buyout fund, isn't it hard to take a company private in India or raise leverage onshore?David Mussafer: It's never easy to take a company private. Every market has very specific rules and regulations around public shareholders. So I don't think India is alone in that challenge. Most markets obviously want to make sure that you protect the public shareholders. And in doing so, often it creates a more complicated path to do a public-toprivate (transition).Do you think the boom in fund raising could impact performance of funds as an asset class?David Mussafer: Capital will always flow to areas that provide the best returns. Yes, it does make competitive levels higher and things more difficult. The flexibility that we have in terms of capital allocation and time horizons is a big plus.James Brocklebank: I think that we're very optimistic about the future because, essentially, PE is fundamentally about a more effective governance model. We don't see our investments as just capital, but it is capital along with engagement and better governance to drive alpha.
Companies need to be forthcoming on allaying specific concerns after whistleblower allegations and not resort to "rhetoric" like invoking god to defend, former Infosysian TV Mohandas Pai said on Thursday.The comments come in the wake of the scrutiny at Infosys following yet another whistleblower allegation on the veracity of the accounts, and chairman Nandan Nilekani's assertions that even god cannot change the accounts at Infosys.Even Sebi chairman Ajay Tyagi was not very enthused with Nilekani's statement on November 8, saying only god or Nilekani himself can comment on the same."Ask him or ask god...investors can draw their own conclusions. Whatever we have to do, we are doing," Tyagi told reporters a day after Nilekani vouched the veracity of the numbers at an investor concall.These are all rhetorical statements like trusting god, Pai, who was a chief financial officer at Infy, told PTI on the sidelines of an event organised by a former Sebi chairman M Damodaran."You can't make it a bland statement on 'we have done this and we are following that process' because people are concerned over the concerns," Pai said, adding the specific concerns needs to be allayed.He said the board has to decide on the "materiality" of a particular complaint and decide whether to disclose the same or not. It should also be aware of the power of social media, and arm itself with concrete data to address the concerns, and communicate the same to stakeholders, he said.Matters like sexual harassment, conduct of the chief executive or related-party transactions have to be addressed with utmost urgency, he said, and pointed out that since whistleblowers fill the information asymmetry, they are an important aspect of corporate governance.Earlier this month, an unidentified whistleblower had alleged that Infy chief executive Salil Parekh and chief financial officer Nilanjan Roy were fudging numbers to show better revenue and margins.Pai also supported Sebi's call on segregating the posts of chairmen and MDs of listed companies.
Rose Tsou of Verizon Media on why India is an important market Verizon Media looks to fuel growth in India by tapping the mobile medium and leveraging the popularity of video content
Global markets: Asian shares up from 3-week lows, but trade uncertainty nags The index had fallen as much as 1.41% on Thursday, hitting its lowest level since October 30, on concerns that U.S. legislation on Hong Kong threatened to undermine trade talks between the world's two largest economies.
West Bengal Police Recruitment 2019 – Apply Online for 125 Staff Officer-cum-Instructor Jobs. Good News for all Police Job Seekers!! Recently, West Bengal Police authorities announced a recruitment notification for Staff Officer-cum-Instructor Posts. Interested Graduates can start to apply for wbp.recruitment from 24th November 2019. West Bengal Police Recruitment Board invites application from Indian Nationals. Selected candidates will have a good salary based on Pay Band-3 with grade pay and other allowances.
B.Sc. in Operation Theatre & Anesthesia Technology
