Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 17) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said the United States should enforce the mutual defense treaty (MDT) with the Philippines in the wake of maritime tension in the South China Sea.
"I'm calling now America. I am invoking the RP-US pact, and I would like America to gather their Seventh Fleet in front of China. I'm asking them now," he said during a TV interview with Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.
Bryan, Chris, and Melanie take on a new report by Chris Dougherty that argues that, unless America changes how it fights wars to more closely align with the priorities laid out in the 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS), it is in real danger of losing the next war to China or Russia. Has the thinking in the NDS become conventional wisdom? Is Dougherty's assessment overly pessimistic? Is there sufficient political will to follow through with expensive, long-term changes? Are American military planners up to the intellectual challenge? Finally, Bryan gives us the rundown on his much-anticipated staycation, Chris has some love for the U.S Women's Soccer Team, and Melanie hopes we can do a better job learning our history.
#UPDATE A suspected arson attack on an animation studio in Japan on Thursday has left one person dead and dozens injured, several of them seriously, the emergency services said https://t.co/Bb9gIs965Xpic.twitter.com/ia9wlcAjle
The United States is "unwinding" Turkey from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program as a result of the country buying the Russian S-400 air defense missile system. Read more here: https://t.co/KuJoAKzaCppic.twitter.com/xKjjVS73Uk
— U.S. Dept of Defense (@DeptofDefense) July 18, 2019
A member of the Afghan National Civil Order Police wears a bomb suit as he begins an explosive ordnance disposal, or EOD, culminating training exercise, July 4, 2013, in eastern Afghanistan, which was coordinated by U.S. EOD advisers with the 731st EOD Company, out of Fort Stewart, Ga. Afghan security forces continue to grow as they prepare to take full responsibility for security ahead of the U.S. Forces scheduled drawdown. (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Elvis Umanzor, 4th IBCT, 3rd Inf. Div. Public Affairs)
WASHINGTON — The Army has failed to adequately train and equip the military bomb technicians and infantry troops who are increasingly accompanying American commandos on high-risk missions in war zones, according to interviews and documents obtained by The New York Times.
As the Pentagon draws down the number of troops in combat, including in Afghanistan and Syria, it is largely relying on Special Operations forces to keep up the fight. Those American commandos depend on support from remaining conventional troops for extra firepower, security and logistics.
But the documents and interviews with seven military officials show that the backup forces — including explosive ordnance disposal, or E.O.D., soldiers — often do not have the necessary gear for protection nor the same level of training as the commandos they join on Special Operations raids and patrols.
"There is a difference between conventional and S.O.F. support equipment requirements for E.O.D. personnel," concluded one of the documents from October 2017, which reviewed the performance of an Army bomb disposal unit after it returned from Afghanistan.
"We need to be able to shoot, move, and communicate as effectively as our supported unit in order to remain an enabler, not a liability," the document said.
One bomb disposal soldier was killed last month, and another in March, while accompanying Special Operations forces on missions. They were among the 10 American troops who have died in combat in Afghanistan so far in 2019.
Workers stand next to an excavator robot during preliminary work in the Notre-Dame Cathedral, three months after a major fire, in Paris, France July 17, 2019. Stephane de Sakutin/Pool via REUTERS
The full extent of the destruction to Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris was laid bare on Wednesday as French culture minister Franck Riester visited to look at renovation efforts.
Walking beneath the melted and burned scaffolding from the cathedral's original renovation before the fire, Riester inspected the damage with Philippe Villeneuve, chief architect of historic buildings and current head of the Notre-Dame renovation efforts.
The high-tech wannabees of Asia are going through a bit of a rough patch lately. India has to postpone its Chandrayaan-2 moon mission just an hour before launch, due to a "technical snag." Japan is imposing controls on the transfer of certain technologies to South Korea, which could impair the latter's smartphone and semiconductor sectors.
A bit more obscure but just as critical a development is affecting China's fighter jet business. The Pakistanis have announced that they will start building a more advanced version of its JF-17 combat aircraft, for deployment in 2020.
With these new "Block III" versions, Pakistan will by the middle of the next decade operate up to 200 JF-17 fighters. And each JF-17 it purchases means one less opportunity for China to sell its own fighter jets to its best customer.
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) walks from a Republican Senate caucus meeting with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 26, 2018. Joshua Roberts/Reuters
The senator pitched the idea during a recent round of golf with the president.
Over a round of golf this past weekend, Sen. Rand Paul asked President Donald Trump's blessing for a sensitive diplomatic mission.
Paul proposed sitting down with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to extend a fresh olive branch on the president's behalf, according to four U.S. officials. The aim: to reduce tensions between the two countries. Trump signed off on the idea.
WNU Editor: Someone deliberately leaked this story to kill any chance of Senator Rand Paul talking to the Iranians. Now that it is public, I doubt that this meeting is going to take place.
"We categorically reject the AP's characterization of FM Zarif's comments to NBC News that "if the US wants to talk about missiles, it should stop selling weapons, including missiles, to regional states" as meaning that Iran is willing to negotiate on its defensive missile program at some point. Iran's missiles and its missiles are absolutely and under no condition negotiable with anyone or any country, period," tweeted Alireza Miryousefi, head of Media office at Iranian Mission to the United Nations.
Pakistani authorities have detained Hafiz Saeed, the leader of a militant group blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The radical cleric is a designated terrorist in the US, where there's a $10-million bounty on his head.
Hafiz Saeed was arrested Wednesday in Pakistan's northeastern Punjab province on charges of financing terrorism, authorities said.
The cleric is the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamist militant group accused of orchestrating the 2008 attacks in the Indian financial hub of Mumbai that killed more than 160 people.
Saeed is designated a terrorist by the United Nations and the US, which has offered a $10-million (€8.9-million) reward for his capture.
It might be a popular phrase to drum up clicks and interest, but the United States is definitely not on the brink of the next Cold War
Increasingly in U.S. national security circles, it has become common to hear talk of a new Cold War with great-power rivals. But this way of thinking is imprecise at best, dangerous at worst. A distinguished group of American experts has just warned against such thinking in regard to China, lest it create a self-fulfilling prophecy. However unbecoming Vladimir Putin's rule may be in Moscow, we need a similar corrective for how we think about Russia.
WNU Editor: I concur with the above analysis. I lived through the real Cold War, and today's tensions are not even remotely close to what the world was like 30 to 65 years ago.
The wrecked cockpit of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 presented to the press during a presentation of the final report on the cause of the crash at the Gilze Rijen airbase, October 13, 2015. Photo: AFP/Emmanuel Dunand
Asia Times examines in two parts why Malaysia's premier and others doubt a Dutch-led probe's finding that Russia shot down flight MH17
Five years ago, scenes of horror unfolded across the sunflower fields of eastern Ukraine.
Shot out of the sky, the smoldering fuselage of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 tumbled back to earth with 298 passengers aboard, unwitting victims of the single deadliest incident of a still-festering civil war on Europe's periphery.
Bound for Kuala Lumpur, the Boeing 777-200ER's flight path took it directly over conflict-ridden areas of Ukraine where Russian-backed separatists and government forces were engaged in fierce combat. The plane disappeared from radar nearly four hours after departing from Amsterdam and crashed in Donetsk, a separatist-led breakaway republic bordering Russia.
An Ebola patient has died after bringing the disease to the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) eastern city of Goma. The town lies 200km (124 mile) south of Butembo, which has been an epicentre in the DRC's ongoing outbreak. These are just two of several affected cities
* Unnamed patient became infected in Butembo; an epicentre of the outbreak * Took a bus the 200km (124 mile) journey from Butembo to Goma last week * Died travelling back for treatment; came into contact with at least 60 people
Ebola has been declared an international health emergency after a patient brought the disease to a city of two million people in DR Congo and then died.
The World Health Organisation said it was 'time for the world to take notice' as the UN agency invoked its emergency provisions to contain the growing outbreak.
More than 1,600 people have died since August in the second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, which is unfolding in a region described as a war zone.
The patient, 46, was a priest who became infected while visiting the town of Butembo, which has been an epicentre in the ongoing outbreak.
Five years after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot out of the sky, killing all 298 aboard, a State Department official tells Military Times that the ongoing battle between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists serves as a potential harbinger for the U.S. military in any conflict with Moscow.
"Ukraine is a laboratory of techniques and procedures," George P. Kent, deputy assistant secretary in the European and Eurasian Bureau at the U.S. Department of State, told Military Times Tuesday afternoon. "The Russian military runs a sniper training school there. Instead of doing it on a range in Russia, they just do on the front lines with Ukraine. Much of the equipment that they are developing that shows up elsewhere, including in Syria, they try out first in Ukraine."
WNU Editor: A few months ago I was reading a news report on a Russian military official saying exactly the same thing about American methods and tactics being used by Special Forces in Syria and Iraq, and what Russian forces were learning from that conflict. Bottom line .... both sides are looking at each other, and are using their allies to test their tactics and equipment. It is almost as if the Cold War never ended.
DONETSK/SLOVYANSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - In one of his first acts as Ukrainian president, comedian-turned-politician Volodymyr Zelenskiy held out a symbolic olive branch to people in Ukraine's mostly Russian-speaking Donbass region, by switching from Ukrainian to Russian.
That gesture, during his inauguration in the Ukrainian parliament in May, sent a message of inclusion to people in the mainly separatist-controlled Donbass region. And for some, at least, it offers a faint glimmer of hope in a conflict that has claimed 13,000 lives and shows no sign of resolution.
Language was a factor in the outbreak of the conflict in 2014, with Russian speakers in Donbass saying they feared Kiev would impose the Ukrainian language on them. Ukraine says Russia exploited such fears to foment an anti-Kiev uprising that it also backed with troops and weapons. Moscow says it only provides political and humanitarian support to the rebels.
WNU Editor: Any hopes for peace took a huge setback today with a new Ukrainian language law that came into force. Passed by parliament and signed by former Ukrainian President Poroshenko (it was the last piece of legislation that he signed as President), the bill stipulates that Ukrainian is the official language, and that all citizens must now be obliged to use the Ukrainian language in all spheres of life .... Ukraine Passes Language Law Banning Russian In Public Institutions, Schools, And Public Service Jobs (April 27, 2019). For the regions where Russian-Ukrainians are dominant, and where the language of choice has been Russian for centuries, the backlash has been overwhelming negative. Fortunately, there are parliamentary elections in Ukraine this Sunday, and if the polls are correct (and I believe that they are), the members of parliament who voted in this discriminatory and backward law are going to be universally voted out. Ukrainian President Zelenskiy has promised that once his party wins Sunday's elections, they will rescind this law. All that I can say is .... the sooner the better. Not surprising, Moscow is using this law to its advantage .... Russia and West spar at UN over minority rights in Ukraine (AFP). More here .... Moscow calls on Council of Europe to react to Ukraine's new language law (RT).
On a side note many have asked me why am I passionate about Ukraine. I forget that I get new readers everyday, and many are unaware of my connections and history with Ukraine. A few weeks ago in response to a comment on Ukraine, I posted a response that I am now re-posting below. I hope it answers any questions on why Ukraine is important to me:
My views on Ukraine comes from my family on my father's side whose roots I can trace back almost 3 centuries. My father was Russian-Ukrainian, and his/our family hometown is the city of Bila Tserkva, about 80 - 90 kilometres south of Kiev. And while Moscow became my father's home after the war, I am someone who has lived in Ukraine, even once thinking of buying a home near Odessa for my retirement years. Canada, Russia, and Ukraine .... I am a product of these three countries. And I am passionate on all three.
Long time readers of this blog also know that I warned in 2013 that if the democratically elected Ukrainian President (Viktor Yanukovych) was overthrown, it would fracture the country. His base of support mainly came from Russian-Ukrainians, and he was very protective of their minority rights. But it was not to be. Many Ukrainians were fed up with his corruption and incompetence, and they could not wait for the next election to vote him out. In my own family the Maiden Revolution caused some serious splits that are only healing now. My cousin's young daughter assisted protesters who were wounded in Kiev during the revolution, and even commandeered a building a few blocks from the square that her mom owned. Needless to say that this angered her mom, and other members of the family. She survived unscathed, and today she lives in Miami selling real-estate to Russian and Ukrainian businessmen/immigrants. She is also the poster child on what has gone wrong in Ukraine. She, like so many others .... have lost faith in the revolution, and do not want to go back. When did this break happen? I would say it happened when Ukrainian nationalists took control of parliament and passed legislation targeting Ukrainian-Russians, followed by President Poroshenko breaking his campaign promise to broker a deal with the separatists in the east.
It was also during this time that I was involved in helping friends who were parliamentarians to push for a federated political system like Switzerland's or Canada's. To defuse a crisis and start a dialogue before it got out of control. This initiative failed, because the decision was already made to send in the soldiers to stop the protesters in eastern Ukraine against the provisional government. Oleksandr Turchynov was President Of Ukraine from the end of February (2014) to the beginning of June when Poroshenko took over, and it was during this time that the worst decisions that anyone could make were made. His commitment to banning Russian, a language that is widely spoken in Ukraine, and to purge government/media/industry of Russian-Ukrainians, precipitated a blow-back that we are still living today. Regions like Crimea that are 85% Russian were stunned with what had happened, and when given a choice between a nationalist government in Kiev hell bent on targeting their language and culture or a pro-Russian government in Moscow that would guarantee their language and culture, not surprisingly they overwhelmingly chose Moscow. Russian President Putin .... who I have never supported .... took advantage of this crisis. And today .... I can say with 100% certainty .... Crimea will never go back to Ukraine.
What happened in Donetsk and Luhansk was also predictable. People in the Donbas regard themselves as Russians first, with a history that goes back almost 1,000 years. They are also fiercely nationalistic, and as my father told me many times, stubborn as hell. The Germans during the Second World War regarded this part of occupied Soviet territory to be impossible to rule, and it is also in this region that the first labour strikes against Communist rule in the former Soviet Union started. Gorbachev tried to crush these strikes by sending in KGB goons, but they were beaten up and sent back on the first train out of the region. That is who these people are.
That is why I always chuckle when I hear commentators say Putin is responsible for the mess that is Ukraine today. Yes .... he provides weapons and turns a blind eye to those who want to go there to fight for the cause, but bottom line the people in eastern Ukraine follow their own destiny, and if someone is willing to help them, they will grab that help and say thank you. That is why there is only one real path to end the war. President Zelensky will need to keep the promises that he made, and to turf out those who made the mess that is Ukraine today. He will need to compromise with the rebel leaders in the east, and to make peace with the country's sizable Russian-Ukrainian population. Failure to do so is not an option. Because failure will only depress his supporters, cripple his economic and anti-corruption agenda, and more importantly, perpetuate the war.
After series of delays, two sides sign accord creating governing body with talks ongoing for constitutional declaration.
Sudan's ruling generals and an alliance of opposition groups signed an accord on Wednesday creating a transitional power-sharing body after weeks of negotiations and deadly protests.
The deal is aimed at breaking the political deadlock that has gripped the country since the toppling of President Omar al-Bashir in April.
The two sides signed the document after intense overnight talks in the capital, Khartoum, over the details of an agreement reached earlier this month to establish a joint military-civilian sovereign council that will rule the country by rotation.
The 22-clause accord, seen by Al Jazeera, said the 11-member governing body will rule the country for just over three years, after which elections will be held.
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech during a high-level event in the Assembly Hall at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, January 18, 2017. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
(CNN)The backlash abroad against President Xi Jinping's China, at least in developed nations, has spread rapidly in the last year.
Some countries, like Australia and Canada, feel patronized and bullied. Neighbors worry they are being marginalized. Advanced industrial nations, especially Germany and South Korea, see China coming at them like an unstoppable, oncoming train.
The US, for decades the world's lone superpower, is confronted by a once-in-a-lifetime challenge from Beijing. All of these phenomena, previously bubbling under the surface, have burst into clear view during Xi's time in office.
Beijing's opaque internal political system means it is hard to make judgments about domestic Chinese politics, but there can be little doubt that a backlash is underway at home, too.
WNU Editor: In China itself, the main opposition to President Xi is coming from the provinces. They like their independence, and they are not happy when Beijing pokes its nose in their business. As for outside of China, the backlash against President Xi is over border disputes and China's use of force to assert their claims, and the debt trap that many smaller countries now find themselvesin.
* Actions at Vanguard Bank in disputed Spratly Islands 'raises collision risk' * Think tank cites data showing China has harassed those countries' ships for at least six weeks
The risk of collisions between Chinese vessels and those from Malaysia and Vietnam in the South China Sea has been heightened in recent weeks as China has tried to obstruct the two countries' oil and gas exploration, a Washington-based think tank said on Wednesday.
The analysis comes with a stand-off simmering between Chinese and Vietnamese vessels at Vanguard Bank, a reef in the disputed Spratly Islands , risking an escalation of tensions and anti-China protests as it did five years ago.
Beijing has shown it is increasingly willing to use force and threats to block its neighbours' oil and gas ambitions, said the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, which works under the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
The quota for local government special purpose bonds, the proceeds of which must be used to fund infrastructure projects, has reached 2.15 trillion yuan (US$312 billion) so far in 2019. Photo: Xinhua
* The figure has risen to over US$40 trillion, some 15 per cent of overall global debt, according to data released by the Institute of International Finance * China has eased its deleveraging campaign in a bid to aid the slowing economy amid the trade war with the United States
China's total debt burden rose strongly in the first quarter of 2019 as Beijing allowed more loans and local government bond issuance to help shore up the slowing economy, according to estimates by the Institute of International Finance.
The figure stood at nearly 304 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) in the first three months of the year, up from 297 per cent a year earlier, the US-based trade association said.
The Chinese government has sought to rein in corporate debt by restricting borrowing through informal channels, known as shadow banking. While the restrictions have prompted a reduction in corporate debt in non-financial sectors, net borrowing in other sectors has surged, bringing total debt to over US$40 trillion – some 15 per cent of overall global debt, according to data released by the Institute of International Finance.
WNU Editor: I know from my own sources in China that this policy of permitting more debt is a move that many in Beijing are cringing at. The problem is that they have no choice. The economy is slowing down, and with the trade war continuing many businesses in China are having problems with their cash-flows. Hence more debt.
* Firm sees 'no reason why' it would be sanctioned by Beijing after being linked to the self-ruled island arms deal by Chinese state media * People's Daily and CCTV posted a WeChat article on Sunday also naming Oshkosh Corporation, General Dynamics and Gulfstream Aerospace as suppliers
After China's state media named several US firms allegedly threatened by sanctions over arms sales to Taiwan, American aerospace and defence giant Honeywell has said it had "no input" into the agreement between Washington and Taipei.
Both People's Daily and state broadcaster CCTV posted an article on their official WeChat channels on Sunday criticising Honeywell, Oshkosh Corporation, General Dynamics and its subsidiary Gulfstream Aerospace for their involvement in the sale of tanks and missiles to Taiwan.
"The US arms sale is 'penny wise, pound-foolish'. They sell weapons to Taiwan but lose their market in China, and their non-military products will be boycotted in China too," the article read.
* A Google VP announced the tech giant had abandoned its 'Project Butterfly' * The controversial plan would have seen Google search engine set up in China * The project attracted widespread criticism from public & staff members * Any search engine in China would have to comply with strict censorship laws * Google pulled out of China in 2010 due to firm's unwillingness to submit restrictions * Tech investor Peter Thiel claimed that Google has been infiltrated by Chinese intelligence services * Donald Trump jumped in on Tuesday, praising Thiel as someone 'who knows this subject better than anyone' and urged his attorney general to follow up
Google has terminated its controversial project to set up a search engine in China, an executive told the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday.
Google vice president of public policy Karan Bhatia revealed that 'Project Dragonfly' has been scrapped in response to a question from Republican Sen. Josh Hawley about its business with China.
The project faced public backlash as well as widespread criticism from the tech giant's own staff members, after it was revealed in The Intercept via leaked documents.
'We have terminated Project Dragonfly,' Bhatia said of the company's efforts to expand to the Chinese market, according to Buzzfeed News.
WNU Editor: Google faced a very hostile hearing yesterday on their relationship with China. It is also clear that they want no one to investigate their relationship with China. Hence the very quick termination of this project.
More News On Google Terminating Its Search Engine Project With China
* El Chapo - aka Joaquin Guzamn - was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years * He has also been ordered to pay $12.6 billion in restitution to the US government * Guzman, 62, was convicted in February of a slew of drug trafficking charges * He denied them all, claiming he was being framed by the Mexican cartel * On Wednesday, he thanked his wife and his legal team for their support * His wife will not be allowed to visit him behind bars and Wednesday was likely the last time they will ever see each other * He also complained about the 'torturous' conditions in the prison where he has been since January 2017 * Guzman will now be sent to a super max facility, likely in Colorado, to live out his days * He famously escaped Mexican prison twice before being extradited to the US
El Chapo has been sentenced to life imprisonment plus 30 years after a dramatic sentencing hearing in Brooklyn where he pleaded for mercy and complained about the conditions inside his New York City cell.
The 62-year-old broke his silence to make a statement, his first throughout his months-long legal saga.
Speaking through a translator, he complained that he was 'tortured 24 hours-a-day' in his solitary confinement cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, where he has been since January 2017.
Army Secretary Mark Esper appears to be on a glide path to confirmation as Pentagon chief after Tuesday's hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The Defense secretary nominee briefly tangled with 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) over his previous job as a lobbyist for defense contractor Raytheon. But the debate marked the only fireworks at an otherwise uncontentious hearing.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman James Inhofe (R-Okla.) said after the hearing that he expects the panel to vote on Esper's nomination as soon as Thursday. That would likely be followed by a procedural vote on the Senate floor as early as Monday evening, Inhofe added.
Russia wants to arm small drones with bombs, a tactic that ISIS fighters used against Russian troops in Syria. Here, U.S. Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Michael Francica, with Combat Logistics Battalion 8, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, pilots an InstantEye quadcopter during an operations check for Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory. U.S. Marine Corps/Lance Cpl. Scott Jenkins
* The Russian Ministry of Defense told news site Izvestia that it will supply troops with small drones that will eventually be able to drop bombs. * ISIS has attacked Russian forces with small, bomb-rigged drones in Syria last year. These drones and quadcopters are the kinds of things hobbyists buy, and ISIS turned "these very simple, unsophisticated devices into very deadly ones," said Samuel Bendett, a researcher at the CNA Corporation, told INSIDER. * "They're seeing what works best, and if it doesn't work, they'll discard it," Bendett said.
Russia is planning to supply its troops with small-scale drones that can drop bombs, Russian news site Izvestia reported last week. The quadcopters outfitted with explosives are modeled after similar commercial drones rigged with explosive devices used by ISIS fighters in Syria.
"This is a very tactical [unmanned aerial vehicle], we're talking about small UAV with a close range," Samuel Bendett, a researcher at the CNA Corporation and a member of CNA's Center for Autonomy and AI, and a fellow in Russia studies at the American Foreign Policy Council, told INSIDER.
"Downrange, they will probably be able to strap a couple of grenades or bombs" to the UAVs, Bendett said.
Moscow (AFP) - Russian officials on Tuesday refused to register nearly 30 candidates for elections to Moscow's local parliament, including prominent critics of President Vladimir Putin despite protests over the move.
Opposition politicians have been fighting to get on the ballot for September's elections to the Moscow city legislature as they seek to capitalise on growing public discontent over falling living standards and unchecked corruption.
But many observers say authorities have used spurious reasons to prevent popular allies of opposition leader Alexei Navalny from running for the Russian capital's legislature.
THE moment Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon 50 years ago is one of the most iconic in human history, yet opinion polls have suggested large numbers of people continue to doubt it actually happened - so what do you think? Real or hoax?
THE PETRIFYING moment a savage brawl involving British tourists broke out in the middle of a Barcelona tourist hotspot has been recorded on camera as panicked beachgoers fled the scene.
DONALD TRUMP was saved from impeachment by the House of Representative yesterday after claims he was bringing "disgrace" to the presidency after issuing racist tweets. But could the US President be impeached as the racism row continues?
CALIFORNIA was struck by terrifying magnitude-6.4 and 7.1 earthquakes earlier this month with another 4.6 tremor striking today, provoking fears that "The Big One" was on the way.
JEAN-CLAUDE Juncker has offered advice to his successor Ursula von der Leyen telling her to have the authority to say "no" to national governments in the European Union.
FACE-APP could be investigated by the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission after US Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer called on the agencies to conduct a national security and privacy probe.
ABC located Paul Gilmore, who wrote the letter when he was 13, through his family in Australia and England, who say that he’s currently on a cruise in the Baltic and he doesn’t know his letter has been found yet.
But his family was pleasantly surprised by the resurfacing of his letter.
“It’s amazing, absolutely incredible,” his sister Annie Crossland said, according to ABC. “He’ll be chuffed to bits.” She added that “he sent about six of them.”
Paul’s younger brother, David, said the letter belonged to him, according to ABC. “It’s really strange,” he said. “I’m looking at the message now and yeah, I can see it’s my brother’s writing — he’s obviously a bit younger then.”
Gilmore threw the letter overboard while on a ship traveling with his family from England to Australia, where they emigrated, according to ABC. He was looking for a penpal.
According to ABC, he included his future address in the Australian state of Victoria and wrote: “We are 1,000 miles east of Fremantle, Western Australia … please reply.”
The ship traveled from Southampton in the U.K. and sailed via the Canary Islands and Cape Town before a layover in Western Australia. After the stop, it went on to Melbourne. Gilmore’s family thinks he dropped the bottle during the last stretch of the journey, according to ABC.
Nine-year-old Jyah Elliott found the bottle on a beach in South Australia, according to ABC, and wrote back on Tuesday.
ABC says that the siblings have assured them that Gilmore will send a response when he’s back from his cruise.
(TOKYO) — A man burst into an animation production studio in Kyoto and set it on fire early Thursday, killing one person, leaving 12 others presumed dead and a dozen possibly trapped inside.
The blaze injured another 36 people, some of them critically, Japanese authorities said.
The fire broke out in the three-story Kyoto Animation building in Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto, after the suspect spread an unidentified liquid to accelerate the blaze, Kyoto prefectural police and fire department officials said.
One person died of severe burns, said fire department official Satoshi Fujiwara. Most of the 10 seriously injured people had burns. Rescuers found 12 people presumed dead on building’s first and second floors, Fujiwara said.
As many as 18 others could be still trapped on the third floor, he said.
The suspect was also injured and taken to a hospital, officials said. Police are investigating the man on suspicion of arson.
Footage on Japan’s NHK national television showed gray smoke billowing from the charred building. In other footage on TBS network showed windows blown off.
Witnesses in the neighborhood said they heard bangs coming from the building, others said they saw people coming out of the building blackened, bleeding, walking barefoot, Kyodo News reported.
Rescue officials set up an orange tent outside the studio building to provide first aid and sort out the injured.
Fire department officials say more than 70 people were in the building at the time of the fire. Many of them ran outside, but about 30 people still could not be reached.
Firefighters were searching for victims after the fire was extinguished hours later.
Kyoto Animation, better known as KyoAni, was founded in 1981 as an animation and comic book production studio, and is known for mega-hit stories featuring high school girls, including “Lucky Star,” ”K-On!” and “Haruhi Suzumiya.”
The Louvre in Paris removed mentions of the Sackler family on Wednesday, becoming one of the first major museums to drop the name of the philanthropic family that also produces the powerful and addictive painkiller OxyContin.
The museum’s collection of Persian and Levantine artifacts has been housed in a wing called the Sackler Wing of Oriental Antiques since 1997, according to the New York Times. A plaque acknowledging the family’s donation was removed from the entrance and grey tape covered mentions of “the Sackler Wing” in other parts of the museum.
The Sackler family owns Purdue Pharma, which produces OxyContin, a frequently abused painkiller. A devastating opioid crisis in the U.S. has left millions of people addicted to the painkiller or stronger drugs. Executives from the company have admitted that Purdue downplayed the strength and addictive qualities of the drug. Purdue is facing numerous lawsuits in the U.S.
In March, Britain’s National Portrait Gallery declined a $1.3 million donation from the family’s charity organization, according to the Times. Several other museums — including the Tate museums in the U.K. and the Guggenheim in New York — announced that they would not accept further donations from the family.
The Louvre’s move followed a small protest in early July by the activist group Prescription Addiction Intervention Now against the use of the Sackler name. Former-opioid addict and award-winning photographer Nan Goldin led the protest.
According to the Times, Jean-Luc Martinez, the museum’s president, told a French radio station that the Sackler name had been removed because of a museum policy that grants naming rights for only 20 years.
Several other museums told the Times that they would not be changing names of parts of their buildings named for the family, like the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, although the latter said it plans to stop accepting donations from the family.
“I know that the museums, especially in America, have enormous trouble being funded and it’s so important museums stay open,” Goldin said, according to the Times. “But museums are also about ethics and morality.”
In 2018, opioid overdoses were responsible for an estimated 47,600 deaths in the U.S. Newly released federal data showed that drugmakers increased opioid shipments by more than 50% as the crisis crew.
The House of Representatives passed three resolutions Wednesday to block the sale of billions of dollars of weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, a move made in defiance of President Donald Trump and likely to be vetoed.
Several Republicans and Independent Justin Amash, who left the GOP last month citing disenchantment with the Republican party, voted in line with Democrats in the three back-to-back votes, according to the New York Times.
U.S. President Donald Trump had invoked an emergency provision to allow him to circumvent Congress to push the $8.1 billion arms sales through. Lawmakers expressed outrage over Trump’s tactics.
“If the administration wants to sell these weapons, they should follow the law — not misuse it — and come to Congress,” said Eliot L. Engel, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, according to the Times, adding that the Iran emergency was “phony” and conceived “to trample on this body’s constitutional duties.”
Many Republicans supported Trump’s enactment of the emergency measures amid what the administration portrayed as heightened tensions with Iran. “The decision to move forward with these arms sales is part of a larger effort to deter Iran,” Michael McCaul, member of the Foreign Affairs committee had previously said, according to the Times.
Washington’s relationship with Saudi Arabia has caused a rift between Congress and the President, who has refused to speak out against the kingdom. In April, legislators voted to end U.S. involvement in a Saudi-led war in Yemen which has caused high civilian casualties. More than more than 7,500 children have died or been injured. Trump vetoed the decision, according to the Times.
Saudi Arabia’s leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (commonly known as MBS) is also believed to be responsible for the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, an outspoken critic of the Saudi regime. A recent U.N. report found “credible evidence” warranting further investigation of bin Salman for his role in the killing.
Khashoggi was one of the journalists named as TIME Person of the Year in 2018, for “taking great risks in pursuit of greater truths, for the imperfect but essential quest for facts that are central to civil discourse, for speaking up and for speaking out.”
Cambodia announced that it will send 1,600 tonnes of plastic waste back to the U.S. and Canada, becoming the latest Southeast Asian country join the backlash against taking in the developed world’s trash.
The country’s environment minister said 83 shipping containers of garbage were found Tuesday at Cambodia’s main port in Sihanoukville, according to the Guardian. Seventy of the containers came from the U.S. and 13 were shipped from Canada.
“Cambodia is not a dustbin where foreign countries can dispose of out-of-date e-waste, and the government also opposes any import of plastic waste and lubricants to be recycled in this country,” Neth Pheaktra, a spokesman for the country’s environment minister, said according to the Guardian.
The spokesman said that the government plans to investigate how and why the containers were sent to the country, and fines might be imposed on companies responsible for shipping the waste, reports the Guardian.
Last week, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Cambodia does not allow plastic waste or recyclables to be sent there, according to the Guardian.
Southeast Asia saw a huge spike in plastic waste shipments after China, who was the largest importer of scrap plastic, banned the import of plastic waste in at the beginning of 2018 because of severe pollution due to a poorly managed waste process.
But several countries have pushed back. In May, Malaysia said it would send waste back to where it came from, and the Philippines sent 69 containers of garbage for the shores of Vancouver in late May. Indonesia said this month that it would send dozens of containers of waste back to France, Australia and other developed countries, reports the Guardian.
According to Greenpeace, 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced since the 1950’s, and only 9% of this has been recycled. 12.7 million tonnes of plastic ends up in the world’s oceans every year.
The U.S. “shot itself in the foot” by pulling out of the nuclear accord with Iran, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said, offering a grim outlook for the chance of opening talks with President Donald Trump.
Zarif, in an interview Wednesday with Bloomberg Television, also accused European countries that are part of the agreement of failing to carry out their own commitments under the 2015 deal and after the U.S. withdrawal. He said promises to allow Iran to sell oil and repatriate money have failed to materialize.
Addressing U.S. allegations that Iran has never given up its goal of building nuclear weapons, Zarif said Iran has the technical ability to pursue them “very rapidly” but “we’re not going to” because Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made a “religious commitment” that they are forbidden, Zarif said in the interview with Bloomberg Editor in Chief John Micklethwait.
“If we wanted to build nuclear weapons, we could have built it a long time ago,” said Zarif, who was in New York to address a United Nations meeting.
Nevertheless, Zarif signaled that Iran will continue to pursue what he called the Islamic Republic’s rights under the accord to respond to the U.S. withdrawal and failed European efforts to deliver promised benefits to the Iranian economy.
Tensions have soared in the Persian Gulf region since the Trump administration stopped issuing sanctions waivers for buyers of Iranian oil and reimposed crippling economic measures against Tehran. In response, Iran has started gradually breaching parts of the nuclear accord, confirming in July that it had surpassed agreed caps on its stockpiles of enriched uranium and exceeded the allowable level of enrichment.
“Yeah, we will continue with the steps, and these steps are legal, in line with the agreement,” Zarif said, when asked about the likelihood of continuing uranium enrichment.
The threat of conflict appeared to climb even higher following a spate of attacks on ships in the Persian Gulf region in May and June, the downing of an American drone last month and the recent British seizure of a tanker carrying Iranian crude, which U.K. officials said was violating sanctions by heading toward Syria. Last month Trump said he called off retaliatory strikes on Iran over the drone, which U.S. officials claim was over international waters and Iran says was over their territory.
Zarif, who has been Iran’s foreign minister since 2013, was the lead negotiator in the multi-party nuclear accord reached in 2015 during the Obama administration that Trump has repeatedly called the “worst deal ever.”
Pressed on how to engage with the U.S. in a way that eases tensions, Zarif suggested that the burden falls on Trump. He also expressed skepticism of renegotiating the accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, to include talks on Iran’s missile program.
“You don’t buy a horse twice,” he said.
Secretary of State Michael Pompeo says the U.S. “maximum pressure” campaign is working and that the Trump administration is open to talks with Tehran without preconditions. But Pompeo has also laid out a series of 12 conditions for the easing of American sanctions. Iran wants sanctions eased before any talks.
Addressing U.S. accusations that Tehran fuels instability across the Mideast, Zarif said the primary culprits for regional turmoil are its rivals Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E., who buy billions of dollars in weapons from the U.S. Dismissing an issue U.S. officials have cited in recent days, Zarif said that under no circumstances could Iran give up its missiles given the arms buildup by its enemies in the region.
Pressed on whether there’s a diplomatic solution to U.S.-Iran tensions, Zarif suggested that President Hassan Rouhani’s government is drawing lessons from Trump’s threats against Mexico over trade and immigration, and that it was clear to Tehran that Washington would keep asking for more even if the two parties were to eventually strike a new deal.
“After renegotiating NAFTA he raised a new demand and he tried to push Mexicans into giving in a bit more,” Zarif said. “So he always believes, it seems, that ‘What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is negotiable.”’
Zarif rejected the idea that Iran is waiting for next year’s U.S. election to put a Democratic president in office who might be open to reentering the nuclear deal.
“No country in their right mind would make their foreign policy based on results they don’t have any control over,” he said. He went on to give Trump a “better than 50% chance” of winning reelection.
While the original “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us” Facebook event has garnered 1.5 million potential attendees to date, it’s been clear that the event was a moment of collective jest for the Internet, who quickly created out-of-this-world memes and jokes about it. That humor was somewhat lost on the Air Force, who went so far as to make a statement that “any attempt to illegally access military installations or military training areas is dangerous.”
The playful spirit of “Storm Area 51,” however, is now being reincarnated in new events around the globe. From Australia to New York City, it’s clear that this meme and movement has arrived. Read on for a guide to the other places that the Internet wants to storm.
Storm the Woodchip Pile: Port of Burnie, Tasmania
In a now-deleted Facebook event, users were invited to “storm the woodchip pile,” which is exactly what it sounds like: a gigantic pile of woodchips in the Port of Burnie, Tasmania. Australia’s The Advocate reports that the event, which had over 550 interested people, was created by Hellyer College student Alex Harman.
“There’s not many places in Australia where there’s just a really big pile of woodchips where if you try to gain access to it you get a $5,000 fine or three years incarceration,” Harman told The Advocate.
A spokesperson for TasPorts confirmed that attempting to storm the woodchips would result in a maximum penalty of $5,000 under Commonwealth law.
Storm Federal Reserve Bank of New York: New York, NY
A clever jokester by the name of “They Can’t Stop Us All. Or Can They?” has a cheeky Facebook event planned for the same day as “Storm Area 51.” They are inviting their followers to storm the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, with the reasoning that the government will be at Area 51 that day. A pragmatic idea, but as of now, there’s only interest from 38 people.
Storm the Bermuda Triangle: North Atlantic Ocean
A Facebook group has also emerged on Facebook that urges its followers to “Storm the Bermuda Triangle, It Can’t Swallow All Of Us.” As of Wednesday, the group has over 8,000 members and lists that its purpose is to “come up with a strategy to clap sea monster cheeks and find lost pilots and the hidden islands in the mysterious triangle,” while noting wryly that members should “please post freely and remember this is ‘serious’.”
(WASHINGTON) — The White House says Turkey can no longer be part of the American F-35 fighter jet program.
In a written statement, the White House said Wednesday that Turkey’s decision to buy the Russian S-400 air defense system “renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible.”
The White House did not say explicitly that Turkey will be kicked out of the F-35 program, but the Pentagon was expected to do so.
Turkey makes numerous components for the stealth aircraft. If Turkey is removed, as expected, the U.S. will have to find alternative suppliers.
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the S-400 purchase means Turkey will not be allowed to purchase any F-35 planes.
Yet to be announced is whether the U.S. will impose economic sanctions on Turkey for its decision.
The second-worst Ebola outbreak in history has killed more than 1,500 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since it began last August. And on Wednesday, nearly a year after the outbreak began, and in the midst of renewed concerns over its spread, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public-health emergency of international concern.
The decision is meant to spur a stronger response from the international community in hopes of ending the outbreak, which has proved difficult to contain due to a humanitarian crisis DRC, attacks on health care workers and rampant misinformation within the country. Concerns of further spread were reignited last month when infected individuals died in neighboring Uganda after traveling from the DRC. The disease’s presence was also recently confirmed in the DRC city of Goma, which is considered a transport hub and is near the Rwandan border.
“Now is the time for the international community to stand in solidarity with the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference Wednesday. “I stress this: The government of DRC is doing everything it can. They need the support of the international community.”
BREAKING NEWS: The #Ebola outbreak in #DRC constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, citing concerning geographical expansion of the virus: WHO Director-General, @DrTedros following the IHR Emergency Committee’s recommendation #alert
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 17, 2019
The declaration came at the recommendation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee, which cited possible increased national and regional risks associated with the outbreak. At three prior meetings on the topic, the WHO declined to declare the outbreak an international public-health emergency.
While Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that he hopes countries continue to contribute funding to the response, the emergency declaration is meant as a call for strengthened and streamlined international effort to slow the outbreak, which has thus far infected more than 2,400 people. The IHR recommends that affected countries improve their preparedness for detecting and treating cases of Ebola, enhance screening and public education in key areas, minimize security threats and embrace the use of preventive tools such as vaccines.
The International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on #Ebola in #DRC provided the following public health advice for affected countries: pic.twitter.com/0b4lIfQ1di
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 17, 2019
The IHR does not, however, recommend that countries restrict travel or trade to the DRC, as “such measures are usually implemented out of fear and have no basis in science.” It also said screening at airports and other ports of entry outside the region is unnecessary.
The International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on #Ebola in #DRC provided the following public health advice:
❗No country should close its borders or place any restrictions on travel and trade. pic.twitter.com/ksMShY6auM
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 17, 2019
Thus far, U.S. involvement in the Ebola outbreak has been fairly minimal, though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in June that it would activate an Emergency Operations Center in the DRC to help support outbreak response. The World Bank in May also pledged to release an additional $10 million from its Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility to help with response; the WHO has to-date received $6.5 million, officials said at the press conference Wednesday. (UNICEF has also received $13.5 million, they said.) Countries, including the U.K., have also recently promised financial contributions.
Ghebreyesus stressed that public-health funding must address not only existing outbreaks, but also the prevention of future ones.
“Financing should be for preparedness,” he said. “Financing should be to fix the roof before the rain comes.”
(IRBIL, Iraq) — Unknown gunmen opened fire inside a Turkish-owned restaurant in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil on Wednesday, killing at least one Turkish diplomat stationed in Ankara’s consulate and one Iraqi civilian, Turkish officials and Kurdish security forces said.
The rare shooting in broad daylight jolted the normally quiet city and sent security forces into the streets in an effort to catch the perpetrators, who apparently got away. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the “hateful” attack targeting the Turkish consulate employees and said Turkey was pressing Iraqi and local authorities for the assailants to be apprehended quickly.
The state-run Iraqi news agency identified one of the victims as the deputy general consul at the Turkish consulate.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the attack on the restaurant was carried out by three people. The assailants also fired at Iraqi nationals sitting at a table next to Turkish consulate employees, killing one of them and seriously injuring one other, the minister said.
Such attacks are rare in Irbil. Iraq’s self-governing Kurdish region is politically allied with the Turkish government, but militants of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), who have fought a decades-long insurgency against Ankara, operate in parts of the territory. Ankara labels the group a terrorist organization.
In recent months, the Turkish military has intensified air and ground operations against them across the border.
The shooting occurred at HuQQabaz, a popular, Turkish-owned restaurant in an upscale and high security area only a five-minute drive from the Turkish consulate on the airport road.
Security forces sealed off the area, keeping journalists on the other side of the road as ambulances arrived on the scene. The front window facade of the restaurant was shattered and police stood outside.
The Kurdish Rudaw news agency published a photo of a car parked outside the restaurant with blood stains on it. It said security and emergency officials were responding to the incident and that the scene was on lockdown.
Anadolu Agency, quoting the restaurant’s owner, reported that an attacker in civilian clothes and carrying two weapons opened fire at a group of consulate workers shortly after they entered the restaurant and said a Turkish diplomat died at the site. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said an official of the Turkish consulate in Irbil was “martyred” as a result of an armed attack.
Kurdish security forces later said a Turkish diplomat and an Iraqi civilian were killed and another civilian wounded in the attack.
“We are continuing our efforts with the Iraqi authorities and local authorities to quickly find the perpetrators of the attack,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said on Twitter that efforts were underway to catch the assailants.
“The necessary response will be given to those who carried out this treacherous attack,” he said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the shooting.
Asked whether the attack could be the work of the PKK, Cavusoglu said it was not yet clear if the shooting was a terror attack by the group, saying Iraqis at the restaurant were also targeted.
“We are continuing our contacts so that details concerning the issue of the apprehension of the assailants, and what is behind the attack, are brought to light,” Cavusoglu said.
The government of Iraq’s self-ruled Kurdish region condemned the shooting “in the strongest possible terms” and said authorities had launched an investigation. In a statement, it confirmed the deaths of two people, including a Turkish diplomat and injury of another person.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a statement also condemned the attack “in the strongest possible terms.” “There can be no justification for such acts of wanton violence,” he said.
The attack came days after Turkey’s Defense Ministry announced it launched a new military operation against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq. In a statement issued Saturday, the ministry announced the start of “Operation Claw-2” aiming to destroy caves and shelters used by members of the PKK in the Hakurk region. It said the operation began late Friday with commandos, air strikes and artillery.
On Wednesday, Turkey launched airstrikes that killed at least seven members of the PKK.
The PKK has been waging an insurgency for more than three decades, and its fighters have bases in northern Iraq, near the border with Iran. Turkey has regularly bombed the mountainous area where the PKK are based and in March targeted a meeting of senior PKK leadership there, wounding a senior commander and killing three others.
Ankara accuses the PKK of launching assaults into Turkey from the Kurdistan region and has kept bases in Iraq and targeted the militants stronghold for decades, an agreement it had reached with the previous Iraqi regime under Saddam Hussein where the two countries agreed to use each other’s territories to safeguard their borders.
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Jiwaji University Results 2019 released for B. Com/ B. Ed/ B. Sc Courses. Jiwaji University has conducted the UG and PG Semester Examination. Those candidates who have appeared for the semester examination of Jiwaji University can check out the Exam Results from the below section. This webpage will provide you with all the updated information about the university as soon as it is updated on the main page. Students can download the Jiwaji University Gwalior Results 2019 from the below section. Also, get the Jiwaji University New Updates right here in this webpage.
Jiwaji University Exam Results 2019-20
Check out the updated semester exam results for all BA, B.Sc, B.com, BCA, MA, M.Sc, M.Com, PhD, M.Phil & Others Courses Offered by the Jiwaji University. We have gathered and updated the results links which will direct you to the result page of the Jiwaji University. Students can check out the Jiwaji University Exam Results 2019 through Online mode. Candidates can take a print out of the Jiwaji University Results for future verification.
Jiwaji University Gwalior is started on 23rd May 1964. Ist established through M.P. Govt. Ordinance no. 15 of 1963. This was a generous contribution of Scindia family, in particular, Kailashwasi Maharaja Shrimant Jiwaji Rao Scindia and late Rajmata Shrimati Vijayaraje Scindia. The institution was christened after the name of Kailashwasi Shrimant Jiwajirao Scindia as a standing memorial to his persona. The motto of the university in its logo Vidyaya Prapyate Tejah. It is now almost forty-seven years. University has witnessed a logarithmic phase of growth. It has also seen the strides that can parallel to any other national/ international academic institutions. The university fraternity has contributed with full strength for the growth of this institution which is flourishing and fragrancing in the tough terrain of Chambal and Gwalior region and promoting the higher education for the better quality of life of the people.
Jiwaji University Supplementary/ Revaluation Results 2019
Those students who have attended the regular examination under Jiwaji University and still failed. Here comes one more opportunity to clear the examination. To increase your scoring along with that students to fail in the previous examination will get a chance to clear through Jiwaji University Revaluation Exams Results. For each and every semester Students can apply for the revaluation after the announcement of the main examination results. Jiwaji University will take a week or more to process the exam papers to announce the Revaluation results. Do stay updated with the University to know about the Revaluation Exam Results.
ICAR Result 2019 – Dear Candidates!!! As per our expectation, NTA is set to declare the AIEAA Result 2019 Today on 17th July 2019. As per the latest update, the ICAR AIEEA Result 2019 will be published online today for all the candidates who appeared for the exam. ICAR held the All India Entrance Examination for Admission (AIEEA) on 01st July 2019, in CBT mode. Upon declaration, the result will be released on the official website as well as a direct link to the result will be activated below. Moreover, applicants can check the ICAR Result from the official website of the National Testing Agency i.e, nta.ac.in.
ICAR AIEEA Result 2019 | ICAR Result Date
Today is the day when candidates will be to check their qualifying status with the help of the ICAR Result 2019. Here on this page, we have provided a direct link to check and download your ICAR AIEEA Result 2019. ICAR Result 2019 Date has announced by the officials. The final answer keys for AIEEA (UG), AIEEA (PG), and AICE JRF/SRF ICAR 2019 exam were released on 16th July 2019 after the resolution of the challenges raised by the candidates after the release of the provisional answer keys.
NTA ICAR Result 2019 – Overview
Description
Details
Organization Name
Indian Council of Agricultural Research
Exam Name
All India Entrance Examination for Admission (AIEEA)
17th July 2019 – Result link available in below section
Official Website
icar.org.in or ntaicar.nic.in
The provisional answer keys of AIEEA 2019 exams released on 8th July 2019. Candidates have invited to raise their objections to the provisional answer key until 10th July 2019. NTA conducted the ICAR AIEEA and AICE exam on 1st July 2019 in a computer-based format. The exam conducted across 801 exam centers located throughout the country. A total of 2,36,931 candidates had registered for ICAR AIEEA 2019 UG exams while 31,486 candidates had registered for ICAR AIEEA PG entrance exams and are awaiting their results.
The Officials from the NTA organization will decide ICAR AIEEA Cut off Marks. This will depend upon the Applicants category, Number of questions, types of questions. Applicants should get the Cut off marks to attend the next round of Counselling process. This will play an important role in the ICAR Counselling process. Applicants should keep track on ICAR Result Latest News and get ready for the Counselling.
ICAR Merit List 2019 @ nta.ac.in
Applicants can get the ICAR AIEEA Merit List 2019 after the announcement of ICAR AIEEA Result 2019. Aspirants, those who score well in the Examination can appear on the Merit list. Also, the marks will release on the official web portal of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) @ icar.org.in or ntaicar.nic.in. ICAR AIEEA Counselling Process takes place after the completion of the Entrance Exam. And, this will organize by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
Steps to check Online ICAR AIEEA 2019 Result
Visit the official website of National Testing Agency i.e, ntaicar.nic.in
Click on the link for 'AIEEA ICAR Result 2019'
The NTA ICAR AIEEA result will appear on the screen
The result will declare in the form of scorecards or merit list
Check and download the result for future reference.
BECIL Admit Card 2019 will be available soon. In recent, the board has released the recruitment notification for the post of Unskilled Employees, Skilled Employees, and Electrical Engineer. The Board will issue the admit card on the official website. Hence, BECIL will declare the exam date in soon. Get to the direct link at the end of the section and download the admit card once the link gets activated.
BECIL Admit Card 2019
In the form, BECIL Admit Card 2019 contains the information about the exam date, session time, duration of exam, venue of the exam are printed by the BECIL Careers page. Exam holders have to revise all the details carefully since any error in these details effects the candidate's exam appearance. Applicants must check out the BECIL Interview Date for all the mentioned Posts. So, if you had your name in the Application shortlisted one Then, you have the right to attend the interview. So, candidates need to download www.becil.com Admit Cardfrom this web page and appear for the Interview.
Required Details to be Check-in BECIL Hall Ticket 2019
To acquire the Admit Card fast be read with your valid registration number and other interview details. BECIL Unskilled Employees Admit Card 2019 would be download through online. In fact, as and when the BECIL board declares the Exam Date and any other relevant information we will inform you through our page. Listed contents must be filled as per in the application form.
Candidate’s Name
Date of Birth
Exam Venue and Address
Exam Timing
Date of examinations
BECIL Unskilled Employees Interview 2019
An Interview will be conducted for all the posts. The interview will consist of some technical questions related to your educational background. The Selection of the candidates will totally depend on an Interview. The interview will consist of some technical questions in the relevant field. As we are here to give the admit card alerts so as a part of our work on behalf of the applicants we keep an eye on the BECIL official page to update the www.becil.com Hall Ticket Link which has given below. The exact date for the Interview will be declared on the official website.
Important Things to Download BECIL Admit Card 2019
Download the BECIL Admit Card to participate in the Interview. BECIL Call Letter download should be done by each and every individuals. Carry any one of the identity proof to appear at the interview. Download the admit card by following the steps given in the below webpage.
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 BECIL Hall Ticket 2019-20?
Visit the “BECIL Admit Card 2019”
Enter the Login details
Click on to the Submit Button.
A Call Letter page will arise on the screen.
Enter all the valid details in that.
Check once for the clear view of the details you entered.
Now go to the Download option to get the Admit Card.
UHS Bagalkot Recruitment 2019 – The University of Horticulture Science released a Notification for 60 Vacancies. Candidates looking for UHS Jobs in Bagalkot can utilize this Opportunity. Vacancies are allocated for the Posts of Teaching and Service Personnel filed under local cadre. Interested can start to apply for the Posts from 12th July 2019. Aspirants satisfying eligibility conditions can apply for Horticulture University Bagalkot Jobs. The last date for Applications receipt is 9th August 2019.
Application forms should be in a prescribed format and submitted on or before the last date. Selection of suitable aspirants for the Teaching and Service Personnel post is done based on applicants performance in interview. Scroll down to check educational qualification, age limit, selection procedure, application fee and other details below about UHS Bagalkot Recruitment.
Highlights of UHS Bagalkot Recruitment Notification 2019
The Governor of Karnataka has endorsed the foundation of the University of Horticultural Sciences (UHS) at Bagalkot through a unique Ordinance No 2 of 2008 dated: 22-11-2008. In this manner, the selective University of Horticultural Sciences came in to being with impact from 22-11-2008 at Bagalkot. The decision of Bagalkot as the headquarters of the University is appropriately advocated in light of two reasons specifically, the rich agricultural generation base of grapes, pomegranate, sapota, fig, lime, sweet lime, ber, assortments of vegetables, flavors and therapeutic plants: Besides, the flanking regions of Belgaum on West, Dharwad, and Koppal on South, Bijapur on North and Raichur on East are the center point of cultivation as a result of the good atmosphere for cultivation crops in the zone.
The second reason is a result of the area of authentic spots like Badami (cavern sanctuary and capital of Chalukya Kingdom) Pattadakallu, Aihole (the spots are known for sanctuaries of stone models) Kudalasangama a focal point of religious lecturing and instructing, and the compelling Alamatti Dam as a spine for agribusiness/agriculture are arranged inside the span of 50km from Bagalkot.
MPPSC Result 2019 – Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC) has recently uploaded Result, Marks for the Post of Medical Officer MO (Backlog) Recruitment 2019 on 17th July 2019. Candidates who have participated in the exam which held on 24th April 2019 can get the complete details of MPPSC Result 2019. Applicants those who have done their MPPSC Examination can check and download the results from this page. Moreover, candidates can click the direct link to download your MPPSC Medical Officer Result. Apart from this, we have provided some steps to check the MPPSC Result 2019.
MPPSC Final Result 2019 | MPPSC Result Latest News
The Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC) authority had released the notification to hire the candidates for the 1065 Medical Officer (MO) posts. Many of the job seekers had applied and participated in the exam which held on 24th April 2019. Now all those candidates who had participated in the exam are waiting to check the MPPSC MO Exam Result 2019. Now we are here to help you out with the MPPSC Medical Officer Result, Marks. Because we have provided a direct link to download your MPPSC Medical Officer 2019 Result & Marks.
17th July 2019 – Result link available in below section
Official Website
mppsc.nic.in
MPPSC Medical Officer Result has released by the MPPSC on 17th July 2019. As well as they have published the MPPSC Medical Officer Marks. If any applicants those who have to wait for the MPPSC Result, can check it from the below link. Applicants should check the MPPSC Medical Officer Marks because this will help them to predict their performance. Also based on the Marks, the officials will decide the MPPSC Medical Officer Cut off Marks 2019. By getting the high marks will help the applicants to step forward for the Interview Process.
The Officials from the MPPSC organization will decide MPPSC MO Cut off Marks. This will depend upon the Applicants category, Number of questions, types of questions, number of Posts. Applicants should get the Cut off marks to attend the next round of Interview. This will play an important role in the MPPSC Interview process. Getting an offer in MPPSc is not that much easy process. Applicants should keep track on MPPSC Result Latest News, prepare for the next round of Interview. We wish you all to get success in the Interview process and start your career in MPPSC.
MPPSC Medical Officer (MO) Merit List 2019
MPPSC Medical Officer Merit List 2019 will be declared soon. Applicants can get the Merit list within the one week of the MPPSC Result announcement Date. After the Merit list declaration, candidates should attend the next round of Interview as per the Merit List. If the candidate’s name appears in the top 10 they will get a higher priority in the Interview Process. According to the MPPSC Medical Officer Merit List, the candidates will get the Interview Schedule. The MPPSC MO Merit List 2019 contains the names and marks of the candidates who secured the high or top marks in the exam.
Steps to check MPPSC Medical Officer 2019 Result & Marks
Click on the official website of Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC) i.e, mppsc.nic.in
Now, Click on the Results tab and it will be redirected to another page
Search for the MPPSC Medical Officer Result 2019 link and open it.
A login form will appear and fill the columns such as Hall Ticket Number/ Registered Number, and Password.
Hit on Submit.
Your Madhya Pradesh PSC MO Result 2019 will be displayed on the screen.
Check and download the Results.
Take a hard copy and keep it safe for future usage.
Direct link to download MPPSC Medical Officer Result 2019
DME Assam Admit Card 2019: Directorate of Medical Education Assam is yet to release the admit card for Grade III and Grade IV Exam. The application Registration process will get complete on 21st July 2019. After the registration process, the board will release the admit card for both the exams. However, the board will release the DME Assam Admit Card on its Official Website. The Admit Card will be available before 10 days of the Exam.
DME Assam Admit Card 2019
The Admit Card will be released for the post of Grade III and Grade IV Exams. Candidates complete your registration successfully. Note down the application number without fail to download the admit card. Moreover, Aspirants have to wait for the DME Assam Admit Card 2019 until the board releases it. Keep visiting the Official Website of Directorate of Medical Education Assam to get the admit card and exam date.
Aspirants can get the DME Assam Grade III Admit Card by entering the Registration Number and by providing the required Login details. Likewise to download the DME Assam Grade IV Admit Card. Check with the admit card details you entered before downloading it. Moreover, Applicants will get the DME Assam Hall Ticket only through the Online Mode. No hard copy of the admit card will be sent to the candidates.
Candidate’s Name
Date of Birth
Exam Venue and Address
Exam Timing
Date of examinations
DME Assam Grade III and Grade IV Exam 2019
The Board has yet to release the Exam Date for Grade III and Grade IV Exams. Hence, the exam date will be available on the Official Website. Details about the exam will be printed in the DME Assam Admit Card 2019. Candidates who got shortlisted by the selection committee only allowed to write the Written Examination. Download all the previous year papers and the Syllabus to make your exam preparations. Candidates have to follow the Exam Hall decorum. Follow the general instructions given on the DME Assam Admit Card.
Important Things to Download DME Assam Admit Card
Examiners should carry the DME Assam Admit Card along with the original identity proof. Download the admit card without making mistakes. If any found after downloading inform to the board immediately. Make changes in the admit card and carry the corrected one to the exam hall.
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 DME Assam Admit Card 2019?
Visit the “DME Assam Hall Ticket 2019”
Enter the Login details
Click on to the Submit Button.
An Admit Card page will arise on the screen.
Enter all the valid details in that.
Check once for the clear view of the details you entered.
Now go to the Download option to get the Admit Card.
Take a photocopy of it.
Direct Links to Download DME Assam Call Letter 2019
MLSU Results 2019 released for B. Com, B. Sc, BA, BCA & Other Courses. Dear Students you can now your मोहनलाल सुखाड़िया विश्वविद्यालय परिणाम 2019 here through Online Mode. Mohanlal Sukhadia University has published the results for various Courses every day. We have provided a direct link to check your results and anyone can check the results from the official website of the University i.e, mlsu.ac.in. Students who have appeared for the MLSU Examination can verify their results by using the below link. Here on this page recruitment.guru we used to update the latest information from time to time. As the university offers all kinds of Courses like UG/PG, Diploma, Ph.D., and others. Applicants can check their supplementary & Regular results on this page. However, check out complete details of MLSU Result from this webpage.
MLSU Result 2019
Mohanlal Sukhadia University has announced the results for the M.Sc IT III Sem, M.Sc Physics III Sem, MA III Sem, MA I Sem, M.Sc Biotech III Sem, M.Sc Physics I Sem, M.Com BBE I Sem, MA III Sem, and others. Students those who have appeared for those exams can check this from the official website of the University. On this page, we will be updating the News, Time Schedule, Previous Papers, Admit Card and others. We will be updating all the details in a detailed manner. Anyone can check the MLSU Result 2019 from the link mentioned in the below table. We advise the Students to keep in touch with this webpage to get all updates related to MLSU Result 2019.
Mohanlal Sukhadia University also called the University of Udaipur is a public university in Udaipur city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It consists of four constituent colleges and 60 affiliated colleges from various districts. The earlier agricultural university was turned into a multi-faculty university in 1964 and named the University of Udaipur. In 1984 it was renamed as Mohanlal Sukhadia University in memory of politician Mohanlal Sukhadia. Recognition of the Department of Geology, Botany, Physics and Zoology by UGC for its 'Special Assistance Programme' and support received from DST under FIST programme to various Science Departments is the testimony of scientific advances made by the faculty members.
Mohanlal Sukhadia University Supply/Revaluation Results
Those students who have attended the regular examination under Mohanlal Sukhadia University and still failed. Here comes one more opportunity to clear the examination. To increase the scoring along with that students to fail in the previous examination will get a chance to clear through Revaluation Exams Mohanlal Sukhadia University Results. For each and every semester Students can apply for the revaluation after the announcement of the main examination results. The Mohanlal Sukhadia University will take a week or more to process the exam papers to announce the Revaluation results. Do stay updated with the University to know about the Revaluation Exam Results.
Bangalore University Results 2019 is announced for 1st Semester MCom MBA Courses @bangaloreuniversity.ac.in. The Bangalore University has released the result for Bachelor of Education, MCom, MBA Exams. Students those who are studying under Bangalore University can check the Exam Results from the official website of the University i.e, bangaloreuniversity.ac.in. Let’s time to check the results. Yes, Students can check and download your results from this page as well as on the official website. Here on this page, we have provided a direct link to download the results. Moreover, we have included steps to download the Bangalore University Results 2019 on this article. Students can make use of this article and check the Bangalore University Results without any confusion.
Bangalore University Results 2019
Bangalore University has successfully conducted the Last Semester Examination. Currently, Students are waiting for the results, Yes, now Bangalore University has released the result for Bachelor of Education Exam March 2019. Also, this is an opportunity to predict the Students’ individual performance. With the help of the Results, Students will lead to the next Semester. Bangalore University has published the Results and Time Table for the upcoming Examination. We have updated all the information regarding the Examination from this Website. Students can check Time Table, Results, News and any updates from this page recruitment.guru We advise the Students to keep checking on this page to get all the latest updates. Also, we will update the upcoming Exam Results once the University will announce it officially by the official website of the University.
Latest Bangalore University Exam Results 2019
Name of the Exam
Result Release Date
Download Link
1st Semester M.Com (Finance & Accounting) Examinations of December 2018
3rd Semester of M.A in Political Science, History, Philosophy, M.Sc. in Psychological Counselling; 1st & 3rd semester of M.Sc. in Life Science; 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th & 9th semester of Integrated Biological Science Examinations held in the month of December 2018
Bangalore University, or BU, is a public state university is located in Bengaluru in the state of Karnataka, India. Bangalore University is the largest university in South-Asia. Faculties of the Civil Engineering, Geology, Geography, Mathematics, Zoology, Botany and Microbiology have been involved in making Bio-park a reality. Rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharging are a part of Bio park as also aquaculture and ornithology. It has 43 Post Graduate Departments, a Postgraduate Centre at Kolar, (Started during 1994-95), three constituent colleges, 665 affiliated colleges (of which 115 have PG Courses) and several other Centres and Directorates of higher learning and research under its purview. At present, the university offers 50 Post Graduate Courses and Employment Oriented Diploma and Certificate Courses.
Bangalore University Supply/Revaluation Results
Those students who have attended the regular examination under Bangalore University and still failed. Here comes one more opportunity to clear the examination. To increase the scoring along with that students to fail in the previous examination will get a chance to clear through Revaluation Exams Bangalore University Results. For each and every semester Students can apply for the revaluation after the announcement of the main examination results. The Bangalore University will take a week or more to process the exam papers to announce the Revaluation results. Do stay updated with the University to know about the Revaluation Exam Results.
Mumbai University Results 2019 declared for M.A.(HONOURS) II/IV Semester. Check out the updated Mumbai University Semester wise Exam results 2019-20 details from the below section. We have updated the University Exam Results from the official website. As the University Board has released the first half 2019 results. The current page is fully equipped with the results of all courses like MBA, MCA, MA, B.Tech, BBA, B.Sc and so on. Hence, Check other information of Mumbai University Results in the below sections of this page. Check out more information on official website i.e,mu.ac.in.
Latest Results Update: University of Mumbai (MU) has Declared Result of M.A.(HONOURS) for II/IV Semester and Various Other Courses' Exam Results
Mumbai University Exam Results 2019-20
As that the University of Mumbai has released the semester wise examination results through Pdf format. Those candidates who wish to check down their results can check it out here. The Mumbai University has updated the results for T.Y.B.A. in German Studies of V Semester Exam on 30th April 2019 as a recent update. Students of Mumbai University check the updated and previously released examination results from the below section. Also, stay in touch with our page to get the recent updates about Mumbai University.
Mumbai University is one of the oldest universities in Maharashtra & Mumbai city as well. It was established on 18th July 1857. The Mumbai University is also known for MU. Most of the people usually called it as MU. It offers Bachelor, Master & Doctoral courses. along with these courses, it also offers Diploma courses, Certificate courses in multiple disciplines like Arts, Commerce, Science, Medical & Engineering. The Mumbai University has 3 main campuses across Mumbai city and one it out of the city. wherein the Fort campus carries out only administrative works. There are 711 colleges affiliated to the university as per 2011 census. But it increased to 762 now.
When we discuss Key people of the university, The Honorable Governor of Maharashtra giving services as Chancellor of the university. While Mr.Suhas Pednekar is Vice-Chancellor of the Mumbai University. get more information related to Mumbai University here
Mumbai University Revaluation Exam Results 2019-20
Candidates of Mumbai University those who have undergone the Semester Examination for the courses conducted by the University it time for you check out exam results. Students those who failed in the regular examination can go for the second chance which is called as Revaluation Results. This revaluation results will also help in increasing the scorecard obtained in the regular examination. This Revaluation is only for those who wish that their examination paper should be evaluated once again. As soon as the main exam results are released the University Board will announce the revaluation dates. Students those wish can apply for the revaluation. Do have a regular update with the official website of the University as that the Mumbai University Board releases the Revaluation Results within a few weeks interval gap.
Allahabad University Result 2019 for LLM, LLB & Other Courses Semester wise exam results is available here. Students of Allahabad University can get the semester exam results from this webpage. Here students can view their results without any confusion. We have specified the latest results for UG, PG & Other Courses of the University with direct link. Hence, Students can check more details like Academic regulation, Courses, Admissions and other details at Allahabad University Official website i.e, allduniv.ac.in.
Allahabad University Result 2019-20
The University of Allahabad has announced the results for several courses. Candidates can get the updated semester exam results as soon as released on the official website. We provide complete and immediate updates about the Allahabad University Exam Results 2019. As the Official site will be busy on the day of result we help you to Check your result in an easy way. Furthermore, Just click on the link given, we redirected you to Official Result of respective Course without any delay.
Allahabad University has always occupied an esteemed place among the universities of India for over a century now. Established on 23rd September 1887, it is the fourth oldest university of India after Calcutta, Bombay and Madras University. The credit for conceiving a large Central College at Allahabad, eventually to develop into a University, is due to Sir William Muir, then Lt. Governor of United Provinces. Allahabad University also started as a degree-conferring institution. Its first entrance examination was held in March 1889. In 1904 the Indian Universities Act was passed which limited the territorial jurisdiction of degree-conferring to the United Provinces of Agra and Awadh, the Central Provinces including Berar, Mewar, Ajmer and most of the states of Rajputana and Central Indian Agencies. Between 1887 and 1927 at least thirty-eight different institutions and colleges of this area were affiliated to Allahabad University.
Regular/ Supplementary Results of Allahabad University
Those students who have attended the regular examination under the Allahabad University and still failed. Here comes one more opportunity to clear the examination. To increase your scoring along with that students to fail in the previous examination will get a chance to clear through Revaluation Exams Allahabad University Results. For each and every semester Students can apply for the revaluation after the announcement of the main examination results. The Allahabad University will take a week or more to process the exam papers to announce the Allahabad University Revaluation Exam Results. To get the updated revaluation results to check out the Official Website @allduniv.ac.in. Students requested a stay in touch with our website as that we announce the updated Regular and Revaluation Results of the Allahabad University as soon as released in the Website.
NEW DELHI: Growth in India's fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector is declining as lower spending in urban centres and slowdown in rural growth crimp consumption, according to market research firm Nielsen.The country's largest market researcher on Wednesday said value growth in the FMCG space in the April-June quarter of 2019 dropped to 10% from a year ago. It was also the third consecutive quarter of slowdown. The Q2 growth numbers follow softening from the third quarter of last year when the sector registered 16.2% growth, it said.Revising its forecast for the year, Nielsen said FMCG growth for the first half of 2019 stands at 12% against its earlier prediction of 13-14%."Based on an analysis of key factors, a revised forecast for the year-end of 2019 estimates all-India FMCG growth to be in the 9-10% range," Sunil Khiani, Nielsen's South Asia head of retail measurement services, said. Within this, the food category is expected to grow 10-11% while personal care and home care segments are expected to grow by 7% and 8%, respectively.Consumer facing companies said growth forecasts are lower than what they expected earlier. "Distributors generally operate on cash but during elections they were cautious to transact or carry higher amount of currency.This affected trade especially in smaller towns," said B Krishna Rao, senior category head at Parle Products, which gets more than half of its sales from rural markets. "With good monsoon and a stable government, the situation may improve, but growth Slowdown ratedri expectations are lower now thanest what z we envisaged during the start of the year."According to Khiani, at the beginning of the year there was softening driven by essential and impulse food categories. "However, this quarter has witnessed a slowdown across all food as well as non-food categories, with salty snacks, biscuits, spices, soaps and packaged tea leading the slowdown," he said.Nielsen cited four key factors impacting growth-—macroeconomic, government policies, monsoons and a low base effect."There is a looming concern on increasing inflationary pressure, which was at 1.9% at the beginning of the year and has already moved up to 3.18% in June this year," he said.Vivek Gambhir, MD, Godrej Consumer Products , had told ET last week that "over the last few quarters, FMCG in rural has grown ahead of urban. However, the pace of rural growth has been slower than historically, when rural was growing more than twice the growth of urban. Our hope is that the government's efforts to revive the rural economy should lead to better rural growth in the second half of this fiscal year. To deal with the slowdown, we are focusing on driving volume growth through new product launches and consumer offers, as well as fast-tracking growth in alternate channels such as modern trade and e-commerce."The Nielsen retail panel data outlines two key contributors to the overall slowdown in the FMCG sector—rural growth losing steam and fading advantage of small manufacturers."The FMCG growth trend is dampened by volume-led growth, which has moved 3.6% points down from 9.9% in Q1'19 to 6.2% in the second quarter of the year," it said.Rural India accounts for 37% of overall FMCG spends and has historically been growing at 3-5% points faster than urban on account of increasing affordability, availability and demand.However, rural growth is slowing down at double the rate of urban in recent quarters. This has brought rural growth closer to urban growth in Q2'19, according to Khiani.Nielsen also said the degree of decline in growth for small manufacturers post the goods & services tax (GST) implementation has resulted in an overall contribution of 50% to India's slowdown story.70270520 The market researcher said the slowdown is driven by the north and west zones, where growth has come down to single digits in Q2'19. Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Assam are leading the slowdown.It said the rural slowdown in these markets is reiterated in key macro-economic indicators including slowdown in rural output, reduced government spending, and untimely rain impacting crops in most North Indian markets.
Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) chairman Ajay Tyagi has written to finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, saying budget proposals requiring the transfer of the regulator's surplus funds to the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI) and prior government nod for its annual capital expenditure plans will affect the entity's financial autonomy, said a person familiar with the development.Last week, a Sebi employees' association had written a similar letter to the minister, arguing that compliance with the budget proposals would curb financial independence of the capital markets regulator.Sebi believes that any move to transfer its surplus funds to the CFI would mean the fees levied by Sebi on investors and traders would become a type of additional tax, resulting in a perverse incentive to increase the generation of such revenue for the government. Furthermore, doing so would also limit Sebi's flexibility to calibrate the imposition of such fees.Sebi didn't respond to ET's queries. The regulator generates revenue in the form of fees it levies on market participants for services rendered to them. The fee received is reasonably sufficient to cater to the running expenses of Sebi, and it does not need to seek funding from the government.According to the Finance Bill introduced in the Lok Sabha, the government plans to amend the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992. It proposes that Sebi constitute a reserve fund into which 25% of the annual surplus of the general fund is credited. The transfer to the reserve fund every year should not exceed the total annual expenditure of the preceding two years.After meeting all expenditure, Sebi is required to transfer the remainder of the surplus amount to the CFI. The budget also proposes that Sebi take government approval for its annual capital expenditure.The relevant gazette order is due after lawmakers pass the budget.Sebi had a corpus of Rs 3,170 crore, according to its balance sheet for the year ended March 31, 2017."These proposed amendments are regressive in nature as they are against the spirit of the Sebi Act… Autonomy of a regulatory institution like Sebi is critical as it insulates the institution from external compulsions," the association of Sebi employees said in the earlier letter dated July 9.The regulator's financial autonomy is an important principle globally as it is one of the parameters foreign investors consider before investing in India."The entire board of Sebi is constituted by the government wherein the government is represented by its two nominees," Sebi employees said in their letter. "The involvement of the government in capital expenditure approval, in addition to the process of board approval, will not add any benefit to institutional efficiency (and) rather slow down decision-making, and would be contrary to the principle of minimum government and maximum governance."
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman says GoI is committed to the path of fiscal consolidation but will not compromise on public expenditure.How is that really possible if the government has a gaping hole of Rs 1.7 trillion in revenue? For the last fiscal, the Union Budget showed an estimated revenue receipt (revised) of Rs 17.3 trillion.But the actual (provisional) revenue, as per the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) data, was only Rs 15.6 trillion. A shortfall of 0.9% of GDP!There are only two ways to address this huge fall in revenue: deviate from the path of fiscal prudence, or reduce public spending. You cannot have your cake and eat it too.If there was no cut in public expenditure, as claimed in the Budget, is the actual fiscal deficit 4.3% of GDP, and not 3.4%? If yes, GoI has not just deviated but gone dangerously off-track on fiscal consolidation. Is the Indian economy hurtling towards 'a silent fiscal crisis', to repeat the words of economist Rathin Roy?Both the Union Budget and the CGA data in the Economic Survey show that the fiscal deficit numbers are on target. So, is the government hiding actual numbers with creative accounting to give the appearance of fiscal prudence, yet continuing on the path of fiscal profligacy?The total government expenditure, based on CGA data, is less by Rs 1.5 trillion in 2018-19 compared to the revised estimate. One of the biggest cuts has been in the food subsidy bill, which is Rs 0.7 trillion short. Because there is no change in food subsidy policy, GoI cannot reduce its subsidy bill. Instead, it decided to provide for less than half the food subsidy bill in the Budget.This is not the first time GoI has intentionally under-budgeted for food subsidy. But the gap between the Food Corporation of India's (FCI) actual subsidy bill and subsidy amount released through the Budget is now at a record high. The Centre's cumulative dues to FCI are at Rs 1.95 trillion. Instead of providing for these trillions in the Budget, FCI has been asked to take fresh loans from the National Small Savings Fund.Add the shortfall in food subsidy (as per CGA data) to the Budget, the fiscal deficit in 2018-19 will rise by 0.4% of GDP.Please Mind the GapApart from this creative accounting of the food subsidy bill, there is still an additional Rs 0.8 trillion shortfall in expenditure.Often in the past, GoI has taken expenses off the Budget by moving them as loans in the accounts of public sector undertakings (PSUs). If the government has followed the same strategy to meet this shortfall of Rs 0.8 trillion, the real fiscal deficit would rise by another 0.5% of GDP.What do these numbers portend for the current year? One, roughly Rs 0.9 trillion of the decline in revenue receipt is on account of the shortfall in goods and services tax (GST) collections. In the coming year, GST receipts will rise as the system overcomes the initial glitches.But if the economy grows less than the targeted 8%, on which the Budget estimates are based, it will surely bring GST collections below target.Two, given that the Budget estimates for 2019-20 do not take into account the massive revenue shortfall of last year, the FM is hoping for a massive increase in revenue. In reality, new tax initiatives to soak the rich will result in some billionaires leaving the country.Some will corporatise to benefit from the 17.2% point gap between the corporate and income tax rates. The new tax initiatives will likely incentivise tax avoidance without increasing revenue receipts.Three, if GDP growth is below target, revenue collections will be lower and fiscal deficit higher.Without sounding too alarmist, one must caution that the looming fiscal crisis is reminiscent of the 1980s fiscal practices that culminated in the 1991 balance of payments (BoP) crisis.Then, as now, GoI was spending far beyond its means. Then, as now, GoI spending was crowding out private investment. Then, as now, GoI pursued protectionist policies that increased the cost of imported inputs, making industry uncompetitive for exports.Loan RangerThen, as to some extent in the current Budget, tax and tariffs rates were not based on sound fiscal principles, but meant to give patronage to various political constituencies. Then, the government was heavily borrowing abroad to meet its expenses and these fiscal practices led the country to its worst BoP crisis.In the Budget speech, Sitharaman announced the government was contemplating tapping sovereign loans to take advantage of low international interest rates. The question is: how much will the government borrow?The cost advantage would be small if the borrowed sums are tiny. If the borrowed sums are large, the risk will be enormous. GoI could become addicted to cheap foreign loans to fund its populist programmes, and that could lead to another crisis.(The writer is professor, social policy, Columbia University, US)
Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) chairman Ajay Tyagi has written to finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, saying budget proposals requiring the transfer of the regulator's surplus funds to the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI) and prior government nod for its annual capital expenditure plans will affect the entity's financial autonomy, said a person familiar with the development.Last week, a Sebi employees' association had written a similar letter to the minister, arguing that compliance with the budget proposals would curb financial independence of the capital markets regulator.Sebi believes that any move to transfer its surplus funds to the CFI would mean the fees levied by Sebi on investors and traders would become a type of additional tax, resulting in a perverse incentive to increase the generation of such revenue for the government. Furthermore, doing so would also limit Sebi's flexibility to calibrate the imposition of such fees.Sebi didn't respond to ET's queries. The regulator generates revenue in the form of fees it levies on market participants for services rendered to them. The fee received is reasonably sufficient to cater to the running expenses of Sebi, and it does not need to seek funding from the government.According to the Finance Bill introduced in the Lok Sabha, the government plans to amend the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992. It proposes that Sebi constitute a reserve fund into which 25% of the annual surplus of the general fund is credited. The transfer to the reserve fund every year should not exceed the total annual expenditure of the preceding two years.After meeting all expenditure, Sebi is required to transfer the remainder of the surplus amount to the CFI. The budget also proposes that Sebi take government approval for its annual capital expenditure.The relevant gazette order is due after lawmakers pass the budget.Sebi had a corpus of Rs 3,170 crore, according to its balance sheet for the year ended March 31, 2017."These proposed amendments are regressive in nature as they are against the spirit of the Sebi Act… Autonomy of a regulatory institution like Sebi is critical as it insulates the institution from external compulsions," the association of Sebi employees said in the earlier letter dated July 9.The regulator's financial autonomy is an important principle globally as it is one of the parameters foreign investors consider before investing in India."The entire board of Sebi is constituted by the government wherein the government is represented by its two nominees," Sebi employees said in their letter. "The involvement of the government in capital expenditure approval, in addition to the process of board approval, will not add any benefit to institutional efficiency (and) rather slow down decision-making, and would be contrary to the principle of minimum government and maximum governance."
MUMBAI: While its bankruptcy resolution continues to negotiate fresh twists every passing month, Essar Steel has posted its best quarterly performance in the June quarter, bucking a muted business cycle in the global infrastructure industry. Crude steel production witnessed growth of 9.5% at 1.88 million tonnes and the company posted operating profit of Rs 1,120 crore in the quarter ending June. This is more than twice Essar Steel had earned when administrators took over the debt-laden alloymaker about two years ago, according to sources aware of the development. Net sales increased in the quarter by 3% at Rs 8,100 croreOperating profit is also 2.5% higher than the same period last year and more than double of the March quarter, when low steel prices had hit realisations for the entire steel industry. "The improvement has come due to cost efficiency and better inventory management, aided by better product mix," said a banker aware of the resolution process. He also said that the company is meeting working capital requirements through internal cash and is not borrowing anymore from banks. A court of appeals had cleared the way for ArcelorMittal's takeover of Essar Steel in its ruling that came on July 5. The ruling, however, reduced the proceeds financial creditors were supposed to get under the previous arrangement cleared by the banks.
NEW DELHI: Power companies will mandatorily have to snap supplies to state electricity distribution companies that fail to open or maintain bank guarantees with effect from August 1, the Centre said in on order on Wednesday.Financially weaker distribution companies can open letters of credit for even one day, one week or a fortnight of electricity supply and keep renewing them, said the order issued by the power ministry.It seeks to curb addition to the outstanding bills of Rs 41,747 crore by discoms. Non-payment of dues by discoms is one of the key reasons for stress in the power sector.Discoms failing to provide letters of credit in favour of generators will not only be denied that much power but they will also be denied access to spot markets, possibly forcing affected states to resort to power cuts.The order comes after power utilities of southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana have expressed financial inability in opening guarantees and asked the Centre to defer implementation of the mechanism.Wednesday's order is an extension of a previous order issued on June 28 under Section 28 of the Electricity Act, directing national, regional and state-level power transmitting agencies called 'load despatch centres' to schedule electricity from only those plants that have secured letters of credit from distribution companies against the supply.70269644 "In case of non-maintenance of adequate letter of credit or advance payment with respect to the generating station by the distribution company, the power supply from the generating station shall not be scheduled by the appropriate load despatch centre to the concerned distribution company," the order said. The generators will get fixed costs.The order has asked power plants to intimate load despatch centres every morning about the status of bank guarantees. The centres will then issue a list of power plants that are not being scheduled due to nonpayment of letters of credit. Electricity despatch to a discom shall stop once the quantum of electricity under its letter of credit is supplied.
Indian equities have returned the least among 20 most followed global markets in dollar terms since the first week of this month, when the budget was presented. The dollar adjusted performance of the Nifty is the weakest since July 4, with the benchmark index falling 2.61 per cent. By contrast, most other global indices have done better — from negative 2.5 per cent to positive 2.1 per cent — in the past fortnight.However, in the year to date and over the past 12 months, the Nifty has returned 9.1 per cent and 6 per cent, respectively, in dollar terms.Over the past couple of weeks, 13 out of 15 FII-heavy large stocks have corrected. FII-heavy lenders, such as Axis Bank, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, have led the decliners, losing 7.3 per cent, 3.9 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively, in dollar terms after an increase in the tax threshold for the highest earners in the country. Peak long-term capital gains on FPIs would now be 14.25 per cent.Among the other decliners were L&T, Bajaj Finance, Maruti Suzuki and TCS, which fell 7.8 per cent, 7.6 per cent, 7.6 per cent and 6 per cent, respectively. In rupee terms, the correction is slightly less pronounced. The dollar has strengthened by 0.5 per cent against the rupee from the pre-budget level. The US currency closed at 68.8 against the rupee on Wednesday. Only two outliers in the period were Infosys and Kotak Mahindra Bank, which climbed 7.7 per cent and 1.9 per cent, respectively, over the past couple of weeks.70269693
Crude oil prices continued to trade on a muted note as the concerns of weakening global economy remained an overhang. Prices got some support after more-than-expected drop of US crude stockpile and concerns over potential disruptions to oil and gas production caused by a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico.Market concerns heighted and remained escalated over geopolitical risks after Iran crossed the 3.67 per cent limit of uranium enrichment purity. Although the world's two largest economies have called a trade war truce and resumed talks, President Donald Trump complained China hasn't met a pledge to buy more American farm goods.Tropical Storm Barry boosted crude futures as oil companies in the Gulf of Mexico sliced production. Companies cut more than 1 Mbpd of output, or 53 per cent of the region's production. Barry's impact on oil production will depend on how long the lingers and how much damage it causes to the region's energy infrastructure. It has the potential to cut Gulf of Mexico crude production by 140,000 to 230,000 Bpd in July.Inventory reportData from EIA showed that the US crude oil stockpiles fell by nearly 10 Mbpd, far more than expected, as refineries processed the most crude oil since January. Refinery crude runs rose by 148,000 barrels per day to hit 17.4 million bpd, the most since early January, responding to higher summer demand. Refinery utilisation rates rose by 0.5 percentage points to 94.7 per cent of overall capacity, also their highest since January. That is even though refinery operations fell to 69.5 per cent of capacity on the East Coast in the wake of the shutdown of the Philadelphia Energy Solutions complex, the largest in the region.Gasoline stocks fell by 1.5 million barrels, near expectations for a 1.3 million-barrel drop. Distillate stockpiles rose by 3.7 million barrels, versus expectations for a 739,000-barrel increase. Net US crude imports fell last week by 341,000 bpd, while crude production edged up 100,000 bpd to 12.3 million bpd. Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub for crude futures fell by 310,000 barrels. The weekly US oil rig count fell for the second straight week, as drillers cut four oil rigs in the week to July 12, reducing the total to 784, the lowest since February 2018.For China, small-scale refiners known as teapots are coming under the most pressure to make fresh output cuts extending curbs many of them made in May and June as China's fuel producers are making extended curbs to their output in the third quarter after supply from mammoth new refineries stoked an already-sizeable glut, potentially dragging on crude oil demand from the world's biggest importer of the commodity.Monthly ReportIEA stated that oil market showed a global surplus of 0.5 Mb/d in the second quarter this year versus previous expectations of a 0.5 million b/d deficit. IEA monthly report stated that oil market saw a rather significant surplus in the first half of 2019, much larger than previously expected. Looking forward, supplies are set to tighten in the second half of the year, but that may only be a lull before the glut returns.Global oil supply exceeded demand by about 0.9 mb/d in the first six months of this year. The extension of the Opec+ cuts through the first quarter of 2020 removes a major uncertainty, but the IEA said it does not change the fundamental outlook of an oversupplied market. Global demand for Opec oil looks likely to fall to its lowest in over 16 years as the US's production share rises.The IEA said demand from the Opec in first quarter of 2020 will fall to 28 Mbpd. Overall, all three of the major forecasters – Opec, IEA and EIA see robust supply growth from US shale. Excluding Venezuela and Iran, Opec's market share has fallen from a recent peak of 36.7 per cent in September 2016 to 34.5 per cent currently.Opec and Middle East tensionsOn geopolitical tensions, the markets remained on the edge as tensions intensified between Iran and the West. Tehran said that Britain was playing a dangerous game after seizure of an Iranian tanker on suspicion it was breaking European sanctions by taking oil to Syria. Meanwhile, Iran is ready to hold talks with the US if Washington lifts sanctions and returns to the 2015 nuclear deal it quit last year as reported by Iranian President.Venezuela's refining complex CRP has been shut down after a blackout, Argus Media reports, citing union officials from the complex as saying the blackout was caused by a catastrophic failure in a turbine at the power plant that supplies electricity to CRP. The complex has processing capacity of 955,000 bpd.However, despite the persistent operational problems and the decline in production, Venezuelan oil exports have been on the rise as Venezuela struggles to keep its bargain with China. Last month, daily exports rebounded to 1.1 million bpd because of this deal, with the amount going to China at 656,000 bpd.Despite an economic and political crisis and crippling sanctions, Chevron has not pulled out from Venezuela, even as most other international companies have already done so. However, the company's waiver from the US government expires at the end of this month and its operations would be wrecked if the waiver is not extended.Conclusion Right now, all factors point for a temporary rally, but overall fundamentals remain negative on account on reduction in geopolitical risks and the negative reports from the agencies. Bullish traders seemed a little nervous because of uncertainty over flood damage from Hurricane Barry. If the flooding caused little or no damage, which would delay production, then prices could retreat. Additionally, although tensions are high in the Middle East, we're not likely to see any prolonged rally unless there is an actual loss of crude oil.Due to the shutdown of rigs in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of hurricane, there is likely to be less certainty over the numbers. For this week, we expect WTI prices to trade in a range of $58-59 levels.(Please consult your financial adviser before taking any position in the commodity mentioned)
PUNE: Linode, the world's largest independent open cloud provider has started its India operations with a data center in Mumbai. The company has invested $5 million towards its India operations so far, and said would invest more as it looks at scaling up in the future. This is the company's tenth data center worldwide. Ashwin Kumar, Director, Data Centre and Cloud Operations, Linode India said that the company already had thousands of customers in India, and having a local presence would help them expand the customer base. "This allows us to offer low latency capabilities to customers who we were so far servicing out of Tokyo and Singapore," he said. India is second only to China as the largest and fastest growing cloud services market in the Asia Pacific. The country's public cloud services market was pegged at $1.8 billion in 2017 and is expected to grow to $4.1 billion by 2020. The company said that it had been working on its India entry over the last two years to tap into the demand it sees in the region."We built Linode to democratize cloud computing, to make it more accessible to more people and to do so at price points that make it more affordable than what's currently available to them," said Christopher Aker, founder and CEO of Linode. "Our entry into the Indian market opens the door for a wave of new innovation previously closed off to a significant number of developers and businesses in India."Founded in 2003, Linode is among the pioneers in this cloud computing business and is today the largest open cloud provider in the world. Headquartered in Philadelphia, it has over 8,00,000 customers across the developers, startups and business community.
Rajasthan textbooks to focus on crimes against women: Ashok Gehlot The greater impetus given on this social issue is due in part of rising cases of rape and other atrocities against women in the state
Telangana home minister Mahmood Ali appeals against cow sacrifice In Hyderabad and in almost all parts of the state, thousands of animals are sacrificed every year on Bakrid.
Dongri Building Collapse: Guidelines on unsafe buildings ignored Rules give sufficient amount of authority to the BMC for initiating process of vacating or demolishing a structure once it is categorised as dangerous
Time for Indian Judicial Services: Ravi Shankar Prasad Prasad was speaking at the inauguration of the Additional Building Complex of the Supreme Court spread across 12 acres at Pragati Maidan
Robert Vadra gets two more weeks to reply to plea on pre-arrest bail Vadra's counsel says he was abroad when the court's notice on the petition was served on him when he returned on July 11
Nine killed, 19 wounded in Uttar Pradesh land dispute The incident happened in Muratia village following a disagreement between the village head and locals over the use of a disputed land for farming
IBC recovery: Financial creditors back on top again Sources said the government is also considering making a submission explicitly stating the intent of the law before the Supreme Court where the Essar Steel ruling has been challenged by the CoC led by State Bank of India. The idea is to ensure that the NCLAT verdict doesn't set a precedent and undermine the CoC's say on the distribution of recovery proceeds.
RBI's surplus panel for staggered transfer over 5 years The ECF, which determines the central bank's surplus transfer to the government, was one of the contentious issues in the much-hyped tussle late last year between the finance ministry and former RBI governor Urjit Patel.
Woman spared of Quran distribution Richa Bharti was arrested after a case was registered against her for allegedly posting objectionable comments on Facebook on July 12
Coinbase is taking advantage of its significant user base to give you more information about trading behavior and price correlation. Given that there are now 15 cryptocurrencies on Coinbase that you can trade, the new features should provide some signals.
In addition to price and variation information, you can see what Coinbase customers with large balances are currently doing. You get a buy/sell percentage for each asset.
Behind the scene, Coinbase looks at users with a Coinbase balance in the top 10%. The exchange then counts how many users in that pool have increased or decreased their positions over the last 24 hours. The signal is updated every two hours.
Coinbase is also calculating two other data points — the average hold time and the popularity of each asset. This time, the company relies on the entire Coinbase user base to tell you how long people keep a specific asset before selling it or sending it to another address.
Unfortunately, when you transfer your assets to a hardware wallet or a more secure wallet, Coinbase considers that you're no longer "holding" that asset because it's no longer on your Coinbase account.
Finally, Coinbase is looking at price data to find out if prices of multiple assets are correlated. For instance, if Crypto X and Crypto Y have a correlation of 0%, it means that they go up and down in parallel. A negative correlation means that two assets move in opposite directions. This feature could help you build a more balanced portfolio of cryptocurrencies.
Netflix said on Wednesday that it will roll out a cheaper subscription plan in India, one of the last great growth markets for global companies, as the streaming giant scrambles to find ways to accelerate its slowing growth worldwide.
The company said lowering its subscription plan, which starts at $9 in the U.S., would help it reach more users in India and expand its overall subscriber base. According to third-party research firms, Netflix has fewer than 2 million subscribers in India.
The company did not specify the exact amount it intends to charge users for the cheaper mobile-only plan. During the testing period, Netflix also provided some users the option to get a subscription that would only last for a week. The company also did not say if it intended to bring the cheaper plan to other markets. TechCrunch has reached out to Netflix for more details.
"After several months of testing, we've decided to roll out a lower-priced mobile-screen plan in India to complement our existing plans. We believe this plan, which will launch in Q3, will be an effective way to introduce a larger number of people in India to Netflix and to further expand our business in a market where Pay TV ARPU is low (below $5)," the company said in its quarterly earnings report.
The India challenge
Selling an entertainment service in India, the per capita GDP of which is under $2,000, is extremely challenging. The vast majority of companies that have performed exceedingly well in the nation offer their products and services at a very low price. Just look at Spotify, which entered India earlier this year and for the first time decided to offer full access to its service at no cost to local users. Even its premium option that features playback in higher quality costs Rs 119 ($1.6) per month.
That's not to say that winning in India, home to more than 1.3 billion people, can't be rewarding. Disney-owned streaming service Hotstar, which offers 80% of its content catalog at no cost, has amassed more than 300 million monthly active users. There are about 500 million internet users in India, according to industry reports.
In fact, Hotstar set a global record for most simultaneous views to a live event — about 25.3 million users — during the recently concluded ICC cricket world cup. It broke its own previous records. Hotstar's free offering comes bundled with ads, while its ad-free premium option costs Rs 999 ($14.5) for year-long access.
Amazon, another global rival of Netflix, bundles its Prime Video streaming service in its Prime membership, which includes access to faster delivery of packages and its music service, for Rs 999 a year.
For Netflix, the decision to lower its pricing in India comes at a time when it has hiked the subscription cost in many parts of the world in recent quarters. In the U.S., for instance, Netflix said earlier this year that it would raise its subscription price by up to 18%.
During a visit to India early last year, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said the country could eventually emerge as the place that would bring the next 100 million users to his platform. “The Indian entertainment business will be much larger over the next 20 years because of investment in pay services like Netflix and others,” he said.
So far, Netflix has largely tried to lure customers through its original series. (Many popular U.S. shows such as NBC’s “The Office” that are available on Netflix’s U.S. catalog are not offered in its India palate.) The company, which has produced more than a dozen original shows and movies for India, this week unveiled five more that are in the pipeline.
Toyota needs more than a secure and steady supply of batteries if it hopes to meet its ambitious global sales goal for electric vehicles. If it hopes to compete, the Japanese automaker will need better quality lithium-ion batteries that don’t squeeze profit margins.
The automaker is turning to Chinese EV battery supplier CATL for the answer. The companies announced Wednesday a wide-ranging partnership that covers the gamut of the battery ecosystem, from developing new technology and locking in supply to improving product quality and reusing and recycling batteries.
Toyota said in June that it would partner with CATL, also known as Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd and EV maker BYD for battery procurement. This new agreement widens the scope of the relationship.
The companies said the partnership was born out of a shared belief that a stable supply of batteries is critical and that battery technology must be further developed and advanced. CATL will combine its battery development and supply capabilities with Toyota’s electrified vehicle and battery development technologies, the companies said in a joint announcement.
Panasonic already supplies Toyota with batteries for hybrids and hybrid plug-ins. That won’t be enough, however, to meet its EV goals, considering that virtually every other automaker is adding electric vehicles to their portfolio mix. Tesla and Nissan, once the only two notable producers of electric vehicles, are no longer alone. Audi and Jaguar Land Rover have introduced new all-electric vehicles. Bigger acts will soon follow. Volkswagen plans to have a portfolio of more than 20 full-electric models and to sell 1 million electric vehicles annually by 2025.
Meanwhile, Toyota has said that electric vehicles will make up half of its global sales by 2025. (That means annual sales of about 5.5 million electric vehicles.) Those EV plans have extended to other Toyota brands, such as Lexus as well as other automakers.
The company said every Lexus model will have an electrified version by 2025. Toyota and Subaru announced in June plans to jointly develop a platform dedicated to battery electric vehicles for midsize and large passenger vehicles and to jointly develop a C-segment-class all-electric SUV model for sale under each company’s own brand.
SpaceX’s test vehicle, a small-scale demonstration craft for some Starship components, caught fire after what appears to be a fuel leak or dump following an otherwise successful static fire test last night. It’s not clear why the craft suddenly burst into flames, or whether it was seriously or even superficially damaged.
The “Starhopper,” as SpaceX has been calling it, is a much smaller-scale version of the Starship craft the company has in development, meant to test them out in a live-fire environment and even perform short flights called hops — hence the name. It’s being assembled and operated at SpaceX’s facilities in Boca Chica, Texas.
The big shiny craft looks a bit like a toy, but it’s a functioning rocket and it was planned that this week it would do an untethered hovering flight at some 20 meters, a step above the short tethered flights it has already accomplished. But last night’s test firing of the engines seems to have produced an anomaly.
As captured by several in the SpaceX community, the static fire started and stopped, but flames continued to burn around the base of the engines. A stream of liquid (very likely water) is directed toward it, at which point the whole rocket appears to ignite in an impressive fireball — then does it again a few seconds later. You can see the whole process (in 4K no less) in Everyday Astronaut’s video:
It’s unclear at this point what the cause of the fireball was, and whether it was in any part intentional. What’s certain is that this is not how previous test fires have gone, and generally speaking you don’t want your rocket to be on fire, even if it is highly heat-resistant.
Some have speculated that there was a fuel dump following the tests that produced lighter-than-air vapors, which rose and surrounded the rocket. The water jet may have caused the small fire to ignite the vapor, producing the fireball. I’ve asked SpaceX for any information they can share.
Images taken the next day don’t show a molten pile of slag, and in fact the vehicle doesn’t look any worse for wear on the outside. But while that’s testament to the test vehicle’s durability and stainless steel skin, it doesn’t mean there’s nothing wrong inside.
Anything unexpected happening during a test like this is reason to abort and reassess, so it won’t be a surprise if we hear that Starhopper tests have been indefinitely delayed. LabPadre, who took another video of the event, noted on Twitter that the local authorities told him SpaceX withdrew all road and beach closures, so testing is apparently off for now.
I’ll update this story if and when SpaceX provides further information on the event.
Would the internet be a better place if we all paid a little less attention to fake internet points? Instagram is still trying to figure it out.
Just a few months back, Instagram started testing a design tweak that would no longer show the total number of “likes” other users’ posts had received. You could still see everyone that liked your photos and videos — but anyone else's stuff? Don't worry about it.
While the company hasn't said much about how the tests are going so far, it seems they're going well enough to expand them. Initially rolled out in just Canada, it'll roll out to users in six more countries starting today:
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Brazil
Australia
New Zealand
Curiously, some users in Canada (the first country where hidden likes were tested) reported yesterday that likes had returned to their feed. Instagram confirmed to us that the testing in Canada is still ongoing. Meanwhile, likes seem to be gone again in Canada as of this afternoon.
So why hide likes? Instagram says it's "because [they] want your followers to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get."
In other words: when likes are public, people care too much about them. People view it as a metric of success — teasing those who get too few, or buying likes to try to gain admiration. If a post doesn't get enough likes, people delete them to make it seem like all of their photos are hits. In theory, hiding likes from the feed but making them visible to the creator lets people get some sense of what’s working, without having to worry so much about whatever anyone else is taking away from the like count on any given photo.
Here’s what Instagram looks like with the design tweak. Note the banner up top giving the user a heads up of the change, and that the like bar just says “Liked by username and others” instead of any specific number of users:
Microsoft said it has notified close to 10,000 people in the past year that they have been targeted by state-sponsored hackers.
The tech giant said Wednesday that the victims were either targeted or compromised by hackers working for a foreign government. In almost all cases, Microsoft said, enterprise customers were the primary targets — such as businesses and corporations. About one in 10 victims are consumer personal accounts, the company said.
Microsoft said its new data, revealed at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado, demonstrates the “significant extent to which nation-states continue to rely on cyberattacks as a tool to gain intelligence, influence geopolitics, or achieve other objectives.”
On top of that the company also said it has made 781 notifications of state-sponsored attacks on organizations using its AccountGuard technology, designed for political campaigns, parties and government institutions.
Almost all of the attacks targeted U.S.-based organizations, the company said, but a spokesperson would not disclose the percentage of successful attacks.
Most of the attacks were traced back to activity by hacking groups believed to be associated with Russia, North Korea and Iran.
One such group, the so-called APT 33 group operating out of Iran — which Microsoft calls Holmium — has been in Microsoft’s cross-hairs before. In March the company said the Tehran-backed hackers stole corporate secrets and destroyed data in a two-year-long hacking campaign. Weeks later the company sued to obtain a restraining order for another Iranian hacker group, APT 35, or Phosphorus. A year earlier it took similar legal action against Russian hackers, known as APT 28, or Fancy Bear, which was blamed for disrupting the 2016 presidential election.
“Cyberattacks continue to be a significant tool and weapon wielded in cyberspace. In some instances, those attacks appear to be related to ongoing efforts to attack the democratic process,” said Microsoft’s customer security chief Tom Burt in a blog post.
Microsoft said it expects to see the “use of cyberattacks to specifically target democratic processes” ahead of the upcoming 2020 presidential election.
The series will follow Charles M. Schulz’s characters as they take a field trip to a NASA location where Snoopy and Woodstock are selected for a space mission.
Charlie Brown and the rest of the characters will staff mission control, while Snoopy and Woodstock fly into the great beyond.
The series is set to launch on Apple TV+ in the fall.
Netflix’s continued subscription price hikes might finally have reached the end of some customers’ patience in the U.S., judging from an overall paid subscriber decline the company reported in its quarterly earnings for its fiscal second quarter 2019 results. The company’s overall growth for paid subscribers climbed by 2.7 million worldwide, but it actually added 2.83 million new subscribers around the world — while losing around 130,000 net in the U.S. to account for the difference.
Netflix’s price for consumers went up from $10.99 to $12.99 during its fiscal Q2 reporting period, which definitely could account for some of the fall-off. The company doesn’t seem to have anticipated such a strong reaction, however, as it had anticipated a net 5.0 million subscriber growth number as of last quarter, based at least in part on the 5.5 million it added in paying customers during Q2 2018.
The company specifically says that it missed its subscriber growth adds more significantly in regions where it introduced a price hike, versus those where it did not — though its growth was lower than expected in all regions where it operates. You might think that some of its shedding of users in the U.S. has to do with competition, but the company points out that most of its material competitors are actually just announced, not available in market, so it thinks this isn’t really a significant cause.
Instead, Netflix points at its content library, as well as those pricing changes in markets where they do apply. The Q2 content slate caused fewer new sign-ups than the company expected, it said in its earnings release. That’s despite strong four-week performance numbers from “When They See Us” (25 million households), “Our Planet” (33 million), “Murder Mystery” (73 million), “The Perfect Date” (48 million) and “Always Be My Maybe” (32 million).
Still, the company thinks it will add a whole heap of new subscribers in Q3 this year, with an expectation of 7 million paid membership adds, which is significantly up from the 6.1 million it added last year. One big reason for this optimism might be that it’s going to launch a new, mobile-only and more affordable tier for India, which will launch during the quarter.
Netflix’s stock price is down more than 10% after hours as of this writing based on these results. The full Q2 Netflix earnings are available here.
Twitter today is beginning its test of a radical and controversial change to its service with the launch of a new “Hide Replies” feature. Effectively, this option gives users the ability to wrestle back control over a conversation they’ve started by hiding any replies they feel aren’t worthy contributions — for example, replies that are irrelevant or outright offensive.
One of the problems with Twitter — and with many social networks, for that matter — is that an otherwise healthy conversation can easily be disrupted by a single individual or a small number of people who don’t contribute in a positive fashion. They come into a thread to start drama or they make inappropriate, rude or even hateful remarks.
Of course, users can choose for themselves to either Mute or Block people like this, which limits their ability to affect their own personal experience on Twitter. But this doesn’t remove their comments from others’ view. The “Hide Replies” feature, however, will.
But it’s not the equivalent of a delete button. In other words, hidden replies are not removed from Twitter entirely, they are just placed behind an icon. If people want to see the hidden replies, they can press this icon to view them.
Twitter’s goal with the feature is to encourage more civil conversation on its platform. It could work, as those who want their comments seen by a wide audience will have to find a way to express themselves in an appropriate fashion — without taking the conversation off course or resorting to insults or trolling. Otherwise, they know their replies could be hidden from the default view.
But this change is not without significant downsides.
For example, a user could choose to hide replies that simply (and even politely!) disagreed with their view. This would then create a “filter bubble” where only people who shared the original poster’s same opinion would have their comments prominently displayed. In this case, the feature would be silencing other viewpoints — and that’s in direct opposition to Twitter’s larger goal of creating a public town square on the web, where every voice has a chance to be heard.
More worryingly, a user could choose to hide replies that attempt to correct misinformation or offer a fact check. That’s a significant concern at a time when social media platforms have turned into propaganda dissemination machines, and have been infiltrated by state-supported actors from foreign governments looking to manipulate public sentiment and influence elections.
Twitter claims the feature provides transparency because hidden replies are still available for viewing to anyone who wishes to see them. But this assumes that people will notice the small “hidden replies” icon and bother to click it.
The ability to hide replies is initially available only to users in Canada, but tweets with hidden replies will be accessible by all Twitter users worldwide.
We're testing a feature to hide replies from conversations. This experience will be available for everyone around the world, but at this time, only people in Canada can hide replies to their Tweets.
We want to know what you think. Please Tweet us your feedback and questions! https://t.co/H7iMtEhCUP
In a statement posted as a series of tweets and replies to others, Twitter explained its goals around the new addition:
We're testing a feature to hide replies from conversations. This experience will be available for everyone around the world, but at this time, only people in Canada can hide replies to their Tweets…They’ll be hidden from the main conversation for everyone behind a new icon. As long as it hasn't been deleted and/or is not from an account with protected Tweets, everyone can still interact with a hidden reply by clicking the icon to view. We want everyone on Twitter to have healthy conversations, and we're working on features that will help people feel more comfortable. We're testing a way for people to hide replies they feel are irrelevant or offensive.
Twitter had previously confirmed its plans to test a “Hide Replies” feature, and had announced its plan to launch the feature sometime this week.
Social media is due for a course correction, and Twitter at least isn’t afraid to try significant changes to its platform. (It’s even trying a new prototype of its app, called twttr.) However, some would argue that permanent bans on rulebreakers and more attention to enforcing existing policies would negate the need for features like this.
“Gossip Girl,” the soapy CW drama about wealthy teenagers behaving badly in New York City’s Upper East Side, is returning to TV thanks to HBO Max.
Specifically, the streaming service has placed a 10-episode, straight-to-series order for an updated version of the show. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Joshua Safran (a writer and executive producer on the original show) will be spearheading the new series, while Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (the original creators) have signed on as executive producers.
It’s not clear yet whether any “Gossip Girl” stars will return, but Safran described this as an “extension” of the previous show, focusing on a new generation of teenagers.
To be clear, this won’t be on HBO proper, but instead on the yet-to-launch WarnerMedia streaming service now known as HBO Max, which will include HBO and other streaming content (including new shows and also “Friends”).
“Gossip Girl” initially aired from 2007 to 2012. It was never a huge ratings hit, but it had passionate fans, and particularly in its early seasons, it spurred plenty of adoring and/or scandalized headlines — maybe that’s what a new streaming service is looking for.
And this is where I acknowledge that I was, for a while, one of those fans. I loved the first season and tried to binge it in a single night, but my interest faded rapidly during season two, and I only returned for the ridiculous finale. Still, when the show was working, it was about as fun and addictive as TV gets.
The trucking world has been inundated in recent years by startups and large companies alike pitching an array of automated driving technology and business strategies, all aiming to solve the big three problems with freight: safety, fuel costs and driver shortages.
For Peloton Technology, a Silicon Valley company that launched in 2011, the answer doesn’t strip out the human driver. Instead, it wants to augment a human truck driver’s ability with automated vehicle technology. The company, which has raised $78 million from BP Ventures, Intel Capital, Volvo Group and a dozen other venture and strategic investors, wants to commercialize a partially automated vehicle platooning system that enables two trucks (and someday, maybe a whole string of them) to operate at close following distances.
Peloton Technology already has a product called PlatoonPro that six customers are using in their freight operations. Now, the company has unveiled an advanced product called Level 4 Automated Following that it says will double the productivity of truck drivers. Peloton Technology revealed details on the new automated platooning system Wednesday at the Automated Vehicle Symposium 2019 in Orlando.
PlatoonPro is considered a “Level 1” driver assistance system that requires drivers in both the lead and follow trucks. In this system, the driver in the follow truck must steer the vehicle. The system controls the powertrain and brakes to allow a close following distance and immediately reacts to acceleration or braking by the lead truck. The system boosts fuel savings by an average of 7%, the company says.
With the new Automated Following system, a human driver is in the lead truck. But this time, the follow truck won’t have a human driver. The system combines vehicle-to-vehicle communication with radar-based active braking and software. Together, the human driver in the lead vehicle is able to guide the steering, acceleration and braking of the follow truck and connects the safety systems between the trucks with minimal latency, according to Peloton Technology.
"We've taken a different approach to commercial introduction of automation in Class 8 vehicles," Peloton Technology CEO Josh Switkes said. "We see the drivers as the world's best sensors, and we are leveraging this to enable today's drivers to be more productive through automated following platoons."
And Switkes isn’t kidding. The human driver is front and center to this technology. The lead truck relies completely on the skill set of the professional truck driver. The system works alongside any of the driver assistance features like collision warnings or automatic emergency braking that might come with the Class 8 truck. But it does not provide additional driver assistance features.
The L4 Automated Following product, which is being tested internally, will double the amount of freight a truck driver can haul in a single trip, according to the company.
Ahead of World Emoji Day on Wednesday, July 17, Apple and Google announced plans to bring an expanded set of emoji to their respective platforms. Today, the Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit organization responsible for determining which emoji get the green light, is relaunching its website with an updated, modern design that aims to make its information more accessible to the general public.
Before, its website design was very basic — just text and links to various pages about the Consortium itself, the standard, miscellaneous FAQs, projects in progress and other information. It looked like a technical resource, and certainly one that hadn’t been updated in years.
With an outdated layout, ancient social share buttons and boring font choices, it really looked more like an ancient government website than a resource designed for public consumption.
Above: the old site
That changes with the redesign. Not only is the site more mainstream-friendly, it more actively encourages participation and involvement from the public.
“Unicode is a global technology standard that is one of the core building blocks of the internet,” said Unicode board member Greg Welch in an announcement about the changes to the site. “Unicode has helped facilitate the work of programmers and linguists from around the world since the 1990s. But with the rise of mobile devices and public enthusiasm for emoji, we knew it was time to redesign the Unicode website to make information more easily accessible, and increase community involvement,” he says.
Above: the Emoji section on the new site
Although the Consortium itself is focused more broadly on developing text standards, their work with emoji now gets the most attention. Today, emoji are used by 92% of the world’s online population, which has put the organization into the spotlight, it says.
The updated site was built with help from a team of designers from Adobe, and features a homepage covered in emoji. The main navigation directs visitors to information about emoji, including how to submit a proposal for a new emoji (which is still not a user-friendly a process), as well as information about “adopting” an emoji — that is, a way to offer a tax-deductible donation to the Unicode Consortium while gaining access to a custom badge you can show off on your own website or social media accounts.
There are currently 136,000 emoji available for “adoption,” the organization notes, including the newly announced additions like the sloth, sea otter, waffle and Saturn.
The new site is definitely more attractive and easier to use following the redesign. But for those who miss the classic look, it’s still live at http://unicode.org/main.html. (Often, you’ll hit the old site when you click through links from the new one. The redesign only goes so deep, it seems.)
While the redesign is welcome, people in search of information about their favorite emoji — like, how it looks on different platforms, when it was officially added or what the emoji means, for example — may find the website Emojipedia a better bet.
Facebook is leaning on fears of China exporting its authoritarian social values to counter arguments that it should be broken up or slowed down. Its top executives have each claimed that if the U.S. limits its size, blocks its acquisitions or bans its cryptocurrency, Chinese company’s absent these restrictions will win abroad, bringing more power and data to their government. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, COO Sheryl Sandberg and VP of communications Nick Clegg have all expressed this position.
The latest incarnation of this talking point came in today’s and yesterday’s congressional hearings over Libra, the Facebook-spearheaded digital currency it hopes to launch in the first half of 2020. Facebook’s head of its blockchain subsidiary Calibra, David Marcus, wrote in his prepared remarks to the House Financial Services Committee today that (emphasis added):
I believe that if America does not lead innovation in the digital currency and payments area, others will. If we fail to act, we could soon see a digital currency controlled by others whose values are dramatically different.
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 16: Head of Facebook's Calibra David Marcus testifies during a hearing before Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee July 16, 2019 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The committee held the hearing on “Examining Facebook’s Proposed Digital Currency and Data Privacy Considerations.” (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Marcus also told the Senate Banking Subcommittee yesterday that "I believe if we stay put we're going to be in a situation in 10, 15 years where half the world is on a blockchain technology that is out of reach of our national-security apparatus.”.
This argument is designed to counter House-drafted “Keep Big Tech Out of Finance” legislation that Reuters reports would declare that companies like Facebook that earn over $25 billion in annual revenue “may not establish, maintain, or operate a digital asset . . . that is intended to be widely used as medium of exchange, unit of account, store of value, or any other similar function.”
The message Facebook is trying to deliver is that cryptocurrencies are inevitable. Blocking Libra would just open the door to even less scrupulous actors controlling the technology. Facebook’s position here isn’t limited to cryptocurrencies, though.
The concept crystallized exactly a year ago when Zuckerberg said in an interview with Recode’s Kara Swisher, “I think you have this question from a policy perspective, which is, do we want American companies to be exporting across the world?” (emphasis added):
We grew up here, I think we share a lot of values that I think people hold very dear here, and I think it's generally very good that we're doing this, both for security reasons and from a values perspective. Because I think that the alternative, frankly, is going to be the Chinese companies. If we adopt a stance which is that, ‘Okay, we're gonna, as a country, decide that we wanna clip the wings of these companies and make it so that it's harder for them to operate in different places, where they have to be smaller,’ then there are plenty of other companies out that are willing and able to take the place of the work that we're doing.
When asked if he specifically meant Chinese companies, Zuckerberg doubled down, saying (emphasis added):
Yeah. And they do not share the values that we have. I think you can bet that if the government hears word that it's election interference or terrorism, I don't think Chinese companies are going to wanna cooperate as much and try to aid the national interest there.
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 10: Facebook co-founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before a combined Senate Judiciary and Commerce committee hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill April 10, 2018 in Washington, DC. Zuckerberg, 33, was called to testify after it was reported that 87 million Facebook users had their personal information harvested by Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm linked to the Trump campaign. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
This April, Zuckerberg went deeper when he described how Facebook would refuse to comply with data localization laws in countries with poor track records on human rights. The CEO explained the risk of data being stored in other countries, which is precisely what might happen if regulators hamper Facebook and innovation happens elsewhere. Zuckerberg told philosopher Yuval Harari that (emphasis added):
When I look towards the future, one of the things that I just get very worried about is the values that I just laid out [for the internet and data] are not values that all countries share. And when you get into some of the more authoritarian countries and their data policies, they're very different from the kind of regulatory frameworks that across Europe and across a lot of other places, people are talking about or put into place . . . And the most likely alternative to each country adopting something that encodes the freedoms and rights of something like GDPR, in my mind, is the authoritarian model, which is currently being spread, which says every company needs to store everyone's data locally in data centers and then, if I'm a government, I can send my military there and get access to whatever data I want and take that for surveillance or military.
I just think that that's a really bad future. And that's not the direction, as someone who's building one of these internet services, or just as a citizen of the world, I want to see the world going. If a government can get access to your data, then it can identify who you are and go lock you up and hurt you and your family and cause real physical harm in ways that are just really deep.
Facebook’s newly hired head of communications, Nick Clegg, told reporters back in January that (emphasis added):
These are of course legitimate questions, but we don’t hear so much about China, which combines astonishing ingenuity with the ability to process data on a vast scale without the legal and regulatory constraints on privacy and data protection that we require on both sides of the Atlantic . . . [and this data could be] put to more sinister surveillance ends, as we’ve seen with the Chinese government’s controversial social credit system.
In response to Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes’ call that Facebook should be broken up, Clegg wrote in May that “Facebook shouldn't be broken up — but it does need to be held to account. Anyone worried about the challenges we face in an online world should look at getting the rules of the internet right, not dismantling successful American companies.”
If we in Europe and America don’t turn off the white noise and begin to work together, we will sleepwalk into a new era where the internet is no longer a universal space but a series of silos where different countries set their own rules and authoritarian regimes soak up their citizens’ data while restricting their freedom . . . If the West doesn't engage with this question quickly and emphatically, it may be that it isn't ours to answer. The common rules created in our hemisphere can become the example the rest of the world follows.
COO Sheryl Sandberg made the point most directly in an interview with CNBC in May (emphasis added):
You could break us up, you could break other tech companies up, but you actually don't address the underlying issues people are concerned about . . . While people are concerned with the size and power of tech companies, there’s also a concern in the United States about the size and power of Chinese tech companies and the … realization that those companies are not going to be broken up.
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 5: Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing concerning foreign influence operations’ use of social media platforms, on Capitol Hill, September 5, 2018 in Washington, DC. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg faced questions about how foreign operatives use their platforms in attempts to influence and manipulate public opinion. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Scared tactics
Indeed, China does not share the United States’ values on individual freedoms and privacy. And yes, breaking up Facebook could weaken its products like WhatsApp, providing more opportunities for apps like Chinese tech giant Tencent’s WeChat to proliferate.
But letting Facebook off the hook won’t solve the problems China’s influence poses to an open and just internet. Framing the issue as “strong regulation lets China win” creates a false dichotomy. There are more constructive approaches if Zuckerberg seriously wants to work with the government on exporting freedom via the web. And the distrust Facebook has accrued through the mistakes it’s made in the absence of proper regulation arguably do plenty to hurt the perception of how American ideals are spread through its tech companies.
Breaking up Facebook may not be the answer, especially if it’s done in retaliation for its wrong-doings instead of as a coherent way to prevent more in the future. To that end, a better approach might be stopping future acquisitions of large or rapidly growing social networks, forcing it to offer true data portability so existing users have the freedom to switch to competitors, applying proper oversight of its privacy policies and requiring a slow rollout of Libra with testing in each phase to ensure it doesn’t screw consumers, enable terrorists or jeopardize the world economy.
Resorting to scare tactics shows that it’s Facebook that’s scared. Years of growth over safety strategy might finally catch up with it. The $5 billion FTC fine is a slap on the wrist for a company that profits more than that per quarter, but a break-up would do real damage. Instead of fear-mongering, Facebook would be better served by working with regulators in good faith while focusing more on preempting abuse. Perhaps it’s politically savvy to invoke the threat of China to stoke the worries of government officials, and it might even be effective. That doesn’t make it right.
The Daily Crunch is TechCrunch’s roundup of our biggest and most important stories. If you’d like to get this delivered to your inbox every day at around 9am Pacific, you can subscribe here.
Musk said that in the long term, Neuralink really is about figuring out a way to "achieve a sort of symbiosis with artificial intelligence."
For now, however, the plan is to use a robot that operates somewhat like a "sewing machine" to implant threads, which are incredibly thin, deep within a person's brain tissue, where it will be capable of performing both read and write operations at very high data volume.
In this current wave of virality, some new questions are floating around about FaceApp, like whether it uploads your camera roll in the background. We found no evidence of this, and neither did security researcher and Guardian App CEO Will Strafach or researcher Baptiste Robert.
This comes after the CTA royally messed up with sex tech company Lora DiCarlo last year. The CTA revoked an innovation award from the company, only to later re-award it and apologize.
While Prime Day 2018 became the biggest sales day in Amazon history, it's getting harder to directly compare one Prime Day sale with another, because Amazon keeps stretching them out.
When the Emmy nominations were announced last year, Netflix had a big win, overtaking HBO for the first time. But this year, HBO is back in the lead, with 137 nominations compared to Netflix's 117.
VidCon, the annual summit for social media stars and their fans to meet each other, drew more than 75,000 attendees over the past week. (Extra Crunch membership required.)
Set in the city where startup dreams began, TechCrunch’s flagship tech conference — Disrupt San Francisco 2019 — takes place October 2-4. And with more than 10,000 attendees converging on Moscone North Convention Center, the networking possibilities can seem downright daunting. More like a contact sport than a business opportunity, right?
Why waste your valuable time talking to the wrong people? Reap the benefits of simplified networking with CrunchMatch. This free business match-making platform — available to attendees with Innovator, Founder or Investor passes — helps you find and connect with the people who can move your business forward.
How does it all work? Qualified pass holders will be able to access the platform via the Disrupt app to fill out their CrunchMatch profile outlining their specific roles, goals and the type of people they want to meet. Founders, for example, would list category, stage, location, funding status, etc. Investor profiles might include investment categories, preferred funding stage, geographic preferences and the like.
It's not just for founders and investors. Whether you're a developer looking for founders, a technology service provider searching for new customers or a startup looking for marketers, CrunchMatch can help you zero in on the right people, too.
CrunchMatch gets to work matching people based on their mutual business interests. It suggests meetings and sends out invitations (which recipients can easily accept or decline). Here's another real time-saver: CrunchMatch lets you reserve dedicated meeting spaces where you can network in comfort. No more shouting just to be heard.
At a conference this size, an efficient strategic planning tool like CrunchMatch comes in handy. You'll gain access to the Disrupt app in September, which gives you plenty of time to view the CrunchMatch platform and vet meeting requests before you step foot inside the Moscone Center.
Here's what Michael Kocan, managing partner at Trend Discovery, had to say about his experience with CrunchMatch:
I scheduled more than 35 meetings with startups that I pre-vetted using CrunchMatch, and we made a significant investment in one of them.
On the other side of the investor/founder coin, Caleb John, co-founder of Cedar Robotics, appreciated the platform's time-saving efficiency:
CrunchMatch is a great way to pitch your ideas to investors quickly. Instead of approaching each one individually, just type up your pitch and send it to 50 people. Even if only 10 percent get back to you, you still have five investors. It's one of the best benefits.
Make the most of your time at Disrupt San Francisco 2019. Buy an Innovator, Founder or Investor pass and take advantage of the many networking benefits CrunchMatch has to offer. We'll see you in October!
Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at Disrupt San Francisco 2019? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.
While AWS leads the cloud infrastructure market by a wide margin, Microsoft isn’t doing too badly, ensconced firmly in second place, the only other company with double-digit share. Today, it announced a big deal with AT&T that encompasses both Azure cloud infrastructure services and Office 365.
A person with knowledge of the contract pegged the combined deal at a tidy $2 billion, a nice feather in Microsoft’s cloud cap. According to a Microsoft blog post announcing the deal, AT&T has a goal to move most of its non-networking workloads to the public cloud by 2024, and Microsoft just got itself a big slice of that pie, surely one that rivals AWS, Google and IBM (which closed the $34 billion Red Hat deal last week) would dearly have loved to get.
As you would expect, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella spoke of the deal in lofty terms around transformation and innovation. “Together, we will apply the power of Azure and Microsoft 365 to transform the way AT&T's workforce collaborates and to shape the future of media and communications for people everywhere,” he said in a statement in the blog post announcement.
To that end, they are looking to collaborate on emerging technologies like 5G and believe that by combining Azure with AT&T’s 5G network, the two companies can help customers create new kinds of applications and solutions. As an example cited in the blog post, they could see using the speed of the 5G network combined with Azure AI-powered live voice translation to help first responders communicate instantaneously with someone who speaks a different language.
It’s worth noting that while this deal to bring Office 365 to AT&T’s 250,000 employees is a nice win, that part of the deal falls under the SaaS umbrella, so it won’t help with Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure market share. Still, any way you slice it, this is a big deal.
LightSail 2 may still have at least a few days to go before it begins its primary purpose, by unfurling the solar sail it has on board and finding out more about propelling a spacecraft using only the force of photons, but it’s not wasting any time on its orbital voyage. New photos from the crowdfunded spacecraft, which is operated by The Planetary Society, provide a stunning high-resolution look at the Earth from its unique vantage point.
The spacecraft just got a firmware update that corrected some issues with its orientation control after a test of its solar sailing mode, absent the actual use of the sail itself. The patch was uploaded successfully, according to The Planetary Society, and the spacecraft overall is “healthy and stable” as it stands. The earliest possible date for solar sail deployment is July 21, which is this Sunday, but that’ll depend on the mission team’s confidence in it actually being ready to unfurl and use successfully.
LightSail 2’s development was funded in part via a successful crowdfunding campaign run by the Bill Nye-led Planetary Society, and continues to seek on CrowdRise funding for its ongoing operation. Its goal is to test a spacecraft’s ability to fly powered only by the force of photons from the Sun striking a solar sail constructed of Mylar. This method of space-based transportation is extremely slow to get started, but thanks to the inertia-free medium of outer space, it could be an extremely energy-efficient way for research craft to travel long distances.
Nora is an unconventional HR expert based in Toronto. After helping successful startups like FreshBooks and Wealthsimple grow, she founded Bright + Early, an HR consultancy focused on helping scaling companies build impactful people programs.
There is a special chaos that happens when a startup reaches 30 employees. People have a harder time tracking what’s going on, and it's easy for some to feel left out or ignored.
Right when you want employees focusing on taking the company to the next level, they're suddenly focused on their own futures. Insecurities and politics can abound, and the work can suffer.
How to stop the madness? In my experience, it all comes down to structure. It might seem early, or scary to a company used to succeeding on grit, but 30 is a key time to begin putting processes into place.
You're no longer 10 people sitting around a table together, and communication can start to break down. Looking to large companies is no help either. It's easy to get lost in a sea of frameworks, and you don't want to overwhelm your team.
What steps can you take to keep things on track and scale effectively? How much is too much?
My company, Bright + Early, works with companies at exactly this stage, helping them grow up without losing the culture that makes them special. For a company just on the verge of scaling, here's what I recommend.
With commercial launch services expected to reach $7 billion by 2024, there’s increasing demand for an array of new technologies that can offer advantages to companies looking to get communications infrastructure in orbit.
That’s one of the reasons behind the new $25.5 million financing for Momentus, which sells in-space shuttle services to move satellites between orbits.
The company joins other satellite and telecommunications technology vendors like Akash Systems, which raised $14.5 million for its advanced telecommunications chipsets used in satellites, that have raised money from investors looking beyond basic launch services.
A motley assortment of venture capital firms, hedge funds, family offices and other institutional investors came in to finance the new round of funding for Momentus including: Y Combinator, the Lerner Family, the University of Wyoming Foundation, Quiet Capital, Mountain Nazca, ACE & Co., Liquid 2 Ventures and Drake Management. The financing was led by Prime Movers Lab.
With $34 million in funding to date, Momentus said it will use its new cash to continue the development of its two shuttles designed to move payloads between different orbits. As the space in space fills up, the ability to maneuver payloads once they reach low Earth orbit will become more important.
"In the past 18 months, Momentus has rapidly matured their water plasma propulsion system to deliver the world's safest and most affordable in-space transportation services. They recently launched their first demonstration and are on track to radically reshape the landscape of the space economy," said Dakin Sloss, founder and general partner at Prime Movers Lab, in a statement. "I look forward to Momentus delivering on their massive backlog of contracts and partnerships with NASA, SpaceX and other top players in the space ecosystem."
A backlog of contracts is impressive, but the down payment on a potential flight is minimal compared to the ability to get on a vehicle, so companies tend to spread the wealth.
The money will also pay for building in-house research and development for the company’s technology and additional flight demonstrations throughout 2020, according to Momentus chief executive Mikhail Kokorich. The company expects to generate its first revenue next year, as well, Kokorich said.
In an effort likely aimed at boosting family memberships, Spotify this morning announced a new partnership with Disney on the creation of a Disney Hub on its streaming service. Here, Disney fans in select markets including the U.S. will find a selection of Disney playlists, like soundtracks from Disney, Pixar and Marvel movies, Star Wars instrumentals, classics, sing-alongs and more.
The Disney Hub is also live in the U.K., Ireland, South Africa, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It can be discovered by doing a search for “Disney” in the Spotify app.
Disney songs in particular appeal to families with children, and Spotify memberships that offer multiple profiles for both parents and kids alike are of more value to the streaming service. For example, Spotify Premium in the U.S. is $9.99 per month, but the Family membership is $14.99 per month. Of course, kids could just listen in under mom or dad’s account, but every parent knows that ruins one of Spotify’s best value propositions — its personalized playlists, like Discover Weekly.
Though Spotify isn’t always thought of as a family service, that’s increasingly changing as kids get their own devices at earlier ages, and music streaming becomes commonplace in the car and in the home, via smart speakers — often placed in kids’ rooms.
Spotify says Disney songs are popular on its service, with users having streamed more than 2 billion minutes of Disney music this year so far. The top song to date is still “Let it Go” from “Frozen,” but Disney’s new slate of remakes is helping push others up the charts, with “A Whole New World” from the live-action “Aladdin” now the most-repeated song in the past month.
The Disney Hub will also include the following playlists:
Disney Hits: Top songs from the biggest Disney and Pixar films.
Disney Favorites: Everyone's favorite current tunes, plus popular classics.
Disney Classics: A nostalgic playlist that includes songs from the Disney Parks, live-action and animated classic soundtracks, as well as songs from Disney Channel originals.
Disney Singalongs: Songs to sing along to.
Disney Princess: Love ballads as well as the coming-of-age breakaways.
Marvel Music: All the best songs and scores from Marvel films and shows.
Best of Star Wars: John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra’s music from Star Wars.
It’s worth noting, too, that Spotify already has a close partnership with Hulu, which is now majority-owned by Disney. In the past, the companies have offered a Hulu-Spotify bundle at a discounted price to gain more subscribers. In March 2019, for example, the two launched an even more steeply discounted bundle than before, at $9.99 per month for both — or effectively Spotify Premium with Hulu for free.
As for Disney, working with Spotify can help it build interest in its new movies by creating more of a connection with fans. Spotify notes that the Disney Hub will, in fact, continue to be updated with music as more Disney films launch over the course of the summer and the rest of the year.
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Gujarat tax dept's seizure of accounts sparks protests Tax professionals in Gujarat are irked by a move by state tax authorities under which bank accounts of businessmen are being seized. They claim that the action is a precursor to the proposed Amnesty Scheme for resolution of legacy tax disputes so that less cases claims the scheme and the government gets higher revenues.
Parliament passes bill to give NIA more teeth The Bill aims at enhancing the jurisdiction of NIA to investigate scheduled offences committed outside India targeting Indians as well as Indian assets abroad
