Every dorm room needs a microwave. You probably won’t have easy access to an oven or room for appliances like Instant Pots or slow cookers, but a microwave allows you to make popcorn, pizza rolls, and tons of other quick bites for when you don’t want to make the trek to the dining hall.
Remember what life was like before relying on caffeine to jumpstart your personality each morning? Yeah, neither do I. I do know it started in college, and really, there’s no way to avoid the need for a caffeine fix when you’re studying for exams, balancing classes, and a social life.
So before you blow all your meal points sustaining a bougie Starbucks habit this fall, why not just add a coffee maker to your shopping list? And right now, you can get dorm-appropriate Keurig K-Mini single serve coffee maker for $55.99 — a savings of $24 off its usual price tag. Read more...
You know you’re an adult when you get excited about decorating your home. When a trip to IKEA evokes as much joy as a trip to Disneyland, and the items at the top of your Amazon wish list are all kitchen appliances. And as a true adult you know there’s honestly nothing quite like ripping open the packaging from your latest Amazon purchase, especially when it was on sale.
The Ninja smart screen blender and food processor is the ultimate kitchen appliance. Combining both a blender and food processor, this device saves counter space and money with two must-haves in one. Equipped with FreshVac technology, the Ninja smart screen removes oxygen from your ingredients to preserve freshness and flavor. This ensures that you get all of the nutrients from your food, because what’s the point of adding kale to your green juice if you can’t brag about all the vitamins you’re gaining from it? Read more...
The sudden rise in the number and quality of deepfakes is concerning, but then there's this video.
A new clip from deepfake creator Ctrl Shift Face features Bill Hader on an old episode of The Late Show with David Letterman from 2008. But the video showcases the face-shifting technology a little differently than other popular deepfakes out there.
While discussing a table read of the 2008 flick Tropic Thunder, Hader brings up Tom Cruise, and his face seamlessly transforms to Cruise's. It's hardly noticeable at first, but as Hader continues the story and peppers it with impressions of Seth Rogen and Cruise, his faces switches to the different celebrities. Read more...
TL;DR: The lightweight and portable Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 might be your perfect MacBook alternative — and you can save $200 on one on Amazon (just $799).
Like the MacBook but don’t want to sell your soul to Apple like the rest of us brainwashed tech-heads? Totally understandable, honestly. Apple is just everywhere now — it’s impossible to step outside without seeing 40 pairs of AirPods and 100 iPhones at a minimum. So, what’s the alternative for our Apple-averted friends who still need a laptop?
There's a lot of mystery surrounding all things Apple TV+, but here's a trailer to get excited about: Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell taking us behind the scenes of the TV a.m. news circuit on The Morning Show.
The trailer doesn't show us much. It's mostly tracking shots of the set and photos of the stars. We get a little voiceover from the three stars, all talking about the challenges of their jobs as journalists and their lives on the outside.
The Apple TV+ mystery has probably worked out in Apple's favor so far, but with the service expected to launch as soon as September trailers like this go a long way toward building up that hype. Read more...
Whether you’re heading back to school or your desk setup just needs an upgrade, you can take advantage of one of Amazon’s deals of the day and get yourself a new computer monitor.
LG monitors are up to 38% off at Amazon, meaning you can get one for as low as $115.99. Pair the monitor with a desktop or hook up your laptop for a second screen experience.
The monitors on sale range in size from 24 inches to 34 inches, all of which have HD display and incorporate IPS technology. There are monitors designed with gaming in mind, boasting fast refresh rates. You’ll also find some extra-wide monitors which are great if you constantly have a million tabs open. Read more...
One of Janet Jackson's biggest fans got the surprise of a lifetime this weekend.
Twitter users may recall an adorable video that KB Strawder Jr. (@Real_KB) posted on Father's Day of his dad excitedly receiving tickets to Janet Jackson's Las Vegas show. Well, Strawder Jr. and his dad finally went to the show, and Janet Jackson herself surprised them with an in-person meet and greet.
"Remember my dads reaction on Father’s Day to him finding out he was going to see @JanetJackson show in Las Vegas?....well we went to the show and there was one more surprise," @Real_KB tweeted on Sunday.
Remember my dads reaction on Father’s Day to him finding out he was going to see @JanetJackson show in Las Vegas?....well we went to the show and there was one more surprisepic.twitter.com/NjMAQOMWkN
Fans of The Crown only have to wait a little while longer to see Olivia Coleman step into the role of Queen Elizabeth II. This blink-and-you'll-miss it tease shows Colman in full queen mode, complete with a tiara, gown, and the iconic Royal Victorian Order (that's the blue sash) over her shoulder. Long live the Queen!
The Crown Season 3 arrives on Netflix November 17th. Read more...
TL;DR: The powerful Razer Nommo Chroma gaming speakers are on sale for £89.99 on Amazon, saving you 40% on list price.
Powerful audio can make all the difference. With the help of booming sound, you can fully immerse yourself in the experience, whether that is gaming, film, or music.
If you do not own a set of speakers that can deliver powerful sound, you'll know this all too well. Even the slightest disturbance can derail your experience, breaking you out of the spell of fantasy, and bringing you back to reality. Nobody wants to live in reality.
A Tesla Model 3 crashed into a parked tow truck on a Moscow motorway, Reuters reported Sunday.
Following the crash, which happened late on Saturday, the car caught fire and was destroyed completely. The driver, director general of investment fund Arikapital Alexey Tretyakov, was hospitalized, while two of his children, who were also with him in the car, suffered minor injuries.
Car batteries can catch fire after a very hard impact, albeit Tesla fires are rare according to the company's own statistics. When it happens, though, it can be devastatingly dangerous — just check the video allegedly showing the immediate aftermath of the accident. Read more...
On Friday, Simone Biles casually made history with a never-before-seen-move — a double-twisting somersault dismount off the balance beam — at the U.S. Gymnastic Championships.
And now, she's done it again.
Two days later, on Sunday, the 22-year-old U.S. gymnast and gold-medallist completed a "triple-double" on the floor — becoming the first woman in history to do so in competition.
Normal heart rate:
⠀ /\⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ /\ __ / \ __/\__ / \ _ \/⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ \/
When @Simone_Biles becomes the first woman in history to hit a triple-double:
TL;DR: The stunning ASUS ZenBook S laptop is on sale for £599.99, saving you 25% on list price.
In the words of ASUS, the ZenBook S is "slim, stunning, and supreme." Now that is pretty glowing, but what do you expect from the company that made the device?
The thing about this review is that it's actually true, for the most part. The ZenBook S is made from premium aluminium to create an all metal finish, and is equipped with a huge 256 gigabyte PCI-e SSD for super-fast performance. It also weighs only 1 kilogram, and measures just 0.5 inches across. So that pretty much ticks off all those superlatives. Read more...
There is nothing quite like the binge-happy feeling of elation you get when a new Stranger Things season drops — or, by contrast, the yawning sense of despair you feel when it's all over again.
This is the dilemma of having a TV season go live all at once. It's great at the beginning — so many new hours of stuff to watch! — but over far too quickly.
Fear not, though, because there are some things in this world that remain constant. David Harbour's Instagram feed is one of them. We may not be able to see Hawkins' chief of police on screen again anytime soon (or ever again, if you don't believe the theories), but that doesn't mean we can't get the sweet bearded content we all crave. Read more...
TL;DR: The intuitive XP-Pen Artist22E Pro interactive drawing monitor is on sale for £391.99 on Amazon, saving you over £300 on list price.
If you have a talent, it's your duty to let it shine. Pick an instrument if you are musically gifted, join a team if you can play sports, and definitely invest in the XP-Pen Artist22E Pro interactive drawing monitor if you're an artist.
The XP-PEN Artist22E Pro features a 22-inch 1080p resolution display with an accurate colour gamut, delivering vibrant colours and rich detail. The Artist22E Pro drawing monitor meets the needs of all types of digital artists at any skill level, allowing you to expand your creativity to work naturally and intuitively. Read more...
Yep, it's Monday. Another weekend has been and gone, and here we are once again. There's no need to feel down though, because there's a lot to be excited about. Namely, these deals.
You can save on a wide range of top brands in this deals round up, including Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Sony, Ultimate Ears, and Anker. We have tracked down the very best deals on 4K TVs, speakers, portable chargers, keyboards, headsets, and more. We said there is a lot to be excited about.
These are the best deals from across the internet for Aug. 12.
Best of the best
Save on portable chargers, headsets, keyboards, and mice, from top brands like Logitech, Anker, and more. Read more...
Wondering what Adele's been up to since her last album came out?
Well, a quick look on Instagram is enough to tell us the answer: she's having an absolutely amazing time.
The record-breaking singer recently met a Spice Girl and hung out with Jennifer Lawrence in NYC. But based on the series of photos the Grammy-winning artist shared on Sunday, that was only the start of what looks like a ridiculously awesome summer (scroll right).
It is a compilation of balloon-popping devices of varying complexity in action, all created and operated by Norwegian artist Jan Hakon Erichsen, who regularly posts his escapades on YouTube.
There are drills, axes, knife-crowns, hammer-spikes, blow-pipes, handsaws, and a dizzying array of kitchen knives zip-tied and duct-taped to everyday objects and planks of wood, all employed in the simple and singular goal of violently freeing small amounts of trapped air from their shiny rubber prisons. Erichsen is, as he says simply in his Twitter bio, "here to destroy everything" (and also sometimes to wear spaghetti as a hat). Read more...
Shortly after announcing its new multi-platform operating system, HarmonyOS, Huawei has launched the first device based on that OS, a Honor-branded smart TV series called Honor Vision.
Honor, which is a subsidiary of Huawei, calls Honor Vision a "smart screen" product that's more than just a television set. In shape and size it is a 55-inch TV, however, the focus is not so much on the screen, but on the massive amount of smart features that Honor has built into it. It's worth noting that this is the first smart TV product for Honor, which has so far focused on smartphones and accessories.
Highlights of Honor Vision include a pop-up camera that uses a Huawei neural processing unit (NPU) for face recognition, body tracking and posture detection, extremely fast image sharing from a smartphone (100 times faster than via Bluetooth, Honor claims), and controlling other smart home devices on the TV's screen. Read more...
You don't have to look too far to know that world leaders often do some strange things — but few can compete with the bizarre quirks of Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow.
When the president of Turkmenistan isn't busy driving around a flaming crater to prove he isn't dead, he also enjoys writing poems about his favourite breed of horse and setting a large number of odd Guinness World Records.
John Oliver laid it all out during Sunday's episode of Last Week Tonight. To give you an idea of just how strange things get, the episode culminates in Oliver presenting a record-breaking marble cake — made by the Last Week Tonight team — that depicts Berdimuhamedow falling off a horse. Read more...
Now, we know some details on the sensor that phone's going to have.
Called the ISOCELL Bright HMX, the new sensor is a collaboration between Xiaomi and Samsung, and offers features, Samsung claims, that were so far reserved for high-end DSLR cameras. This includes a 108-megapixel maximum resolution for photos, and 6K (6,016x3,384 pixel) video recording at 30 frames-per-second. The sensor's massive (for phones) 1/1.33-inch size allows it to have 0.8 micron pixels, just like Samsung's 64-megapixel camera sensor (which, by the way, is yet to appear in a commercially available phone). Read more...
Frozen has held the record for the highest grossing animated film for nearly six years, but now it's going to have to let it go. (Sorry.)
The Lion King has surpassed the long-ruling princesses of Arendelle, hitting a global box office of $1.334 billion as of Aug. 11 after opening in Japan — which puts it above Frozen's $1.276 billion, according to BoxOfficeMojo.
This year's "reimagining" of the beloved 1994 classic had a pretty lukewarm reception from critics, but the combination of 90s nostalgia and present-day Beyoncé seems to have worked better than distracting a mob of hyenas with an impromptu hula. Read more...
Ninja has beef with Twitch, the platform where he first found fame.
The superstar streamer whose real name is Richard Tyler Blevins now reps Microsoft's competing Mixer, as of Aug. 1. But he left behind a community of 14.7 million followers on Twitch, and now he's claiming Twitch is exploiting the community he built without his permission.
Blevins laid it all out in a video posted to Twitter on Sunday. He starts by explaining his new streaming situation on Mixer and describes what he says was a "smooth" transition off of Twitch. "Super professional, we haven't said anything bad or negative about Twitch, obviously, because we haven't needed to." Read more...
Weapons that injure crowds of people by emitting dangerous sounds may seem like the stuff of science fiction. Unfortunately, malicious hackers might be able to do just that — but with Bluetooth- or WiFi-capable smartphones, headphones, speakers, or laptops.
Researcher Matt Wixey is unveiling research at the Def Con hacking conference that shows the potential for devices with speakers to be hacked and turned into sonic weapons, as reported by the BBC.
Wixey found that by creating a virus and exploiting "known weaknesses," many devices have little protection to ensure the integrity of their speakers. Once hacked, devices could be made to play "dangerous" sounds, such as sounds at high or low frequencies that could deafen, disorient, or injure. Read more...
Not even your precious memories are safe from hackers.
That much was made clear at the annual DEF CON hacking conference in Las Vegas, where a security researcher demonstrated just how easy it is to remotely encrypt a digital camera with ransomware. And once that happens, you can say goodbye to all your photos — unless you pay up.
The specific camera in question was a Canon EOS 80D, but, as Eyal Itkin explained to the early Sunday morning crowd of seemingly hungover hackers, it's likely not the only model vulnerable.
"If you can do something to cameras, you have many potential victims you can affect," he observed. "Would you pay to get your camera back?" Read more...
Swedish photographer and dog enthusiast Evelyn Edblad has trained her three Australian Kelpies to be extraordinarily still.
In a video uploaded to YouTube, Edblad filmed her three dogs standing motionless for some 30 seconds, before she gave the call for them to sprint off.
"I've taught Jackson, Cash, and X to stay still on command before I give them the signal that they are free to go," Edblad wrote online. "They then freeze in expectation, knowing they'll soon get to run around."
It's an impressive level of group discipline, even for keen-witted sheep-herding dogs. Read more...
Fencing might be a sport of play-fighting, but this fencer isn't messing around.
American fencer and Olympian Race Imboden kneeled in protest of racism and gun violence issues while the national anthem played during his medal ceremony at the Pan American Games on Saturday. Imboden, a member of the gold-winning fencing team, explained his actions on Twitter, saying that the societal problems plaguing America "cut short" his pride for the country, so he kneeled to call attention to the issues.
Imboden's actions come one week after a weekend of deadly shootings in America, including the El Paso shooting in which the shooter specifically targeted "Mexicans." Imboden called out Donald Trump as "a president who spreads hate," connecting his behavior to increasing racism and gun violence in American society. Read more...
BTS has made their vacation official, and the ARMY is being super-chill about it.
It's been rumored/known for several weeks that the band had a two-month break coming, said to kick off after an Aug. 11 performance in South Korea and conclude on Oct. 11 with a scheduled show in Saudi Arabia. Now, the label that manages BTS, Big Hit Entertainment, has confirmed the vacation.
"This period will be an opportunity for the members of BTS ... to recharge and prepare to present themselves anew as musicians and creators," the letter reads. "This will also provide them with a chance to enjoy the ordinary lives of young people in their 20s, albeit briefly." Read more...
NASA describes the dying star, NGC 6543, in elegant scientific prose.
"The Cat's Eye (NGC 6543) represents a brief, yet glorious, phase in the life of a sun-like star."
The space agency recently posted a sharpened image of the distant planetary nebula, located some 3,000 light-years beyond Earth. These sprawling clouds of dust and gas form when stars similar to our sun reach the end of their lives and "gently eject their outer gaseous layers," according to NASA and ESA astronomers. The legendary Hubble Space Telescope, now nearly 30 years old, originally captured this image of the planetary nebula. Read more...
Why buy CBD from 3 or 4 different sites when you can shop, securely & conveniently, at just one? LushMeds.com has 12 of the best CBD brands out there with more coming soon. Oh yeah, & get 20% off plus free shipping.
Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carrell star in one of the most anticipated shows on Apple TV's roster. "The Morning Show" is coming to Apple TV+ this fall.
It's easy to mistake the 1939 classic as traditional family entertainment — but 80 years on from its release, the musical is more radical and surreal than ever.
Visa made $10.3 billion in profits in 2018. Mastercard took in $5.9 billion. Why on earth are credit cards making so much money? Are the services they provide worth tens of billions? And why aren't debit cards, which function almost identically to credit cards, equally profitable?
Data is king, meaning this Google Analytics Certification: Get Certified In 2 Days is an important bargaining chip for any digital marketer looking to earn their dream job. This premier analytics tool is essential for mining important insights from any webpage, and you can sign up now for $14.
Renee Bach, 30, is being sued in Ugandan civil court over the deaths of children who were treated at the critical care center she ran in Uganda. She has left Uganda and is now living in Bedford County, Virginia, where she grew up.
In reality you're unlikely to ever need a photo with this high a resolution, so the sensor is also able to produce high quality 27-megapixel images by combining groups of four pixels into one. That results in an image that's a lower resolution overall, but it should mean it's far brighter, helping low-light performance.
Why buy CBD from 3 or 4 different sites when you can shop, securely & conveniently, at just one? LushMeds.com has 12 of the best CBD brands out there with more coming soon. Oh yeah, & get 20% off plus free shipping.
On a scorching hot Sunday afternoon, as you walk through the parking lot of Estadio Olimpico Benito Juárez, you can feel the excitement. Nine long years have passed since the last time Juárez had a team in Mexico's top soccer league. And now, Los Bravos of FC Juárez, are about to play their first home game.
Busy trains, long walks to work and hectic bike rides all require a little something different from your bag. Thankfully, the Tokyo Totepack is versatile enough to handle just about everything.
Julio Torres, the star of the HBO special "My Favorite Shapes," brings life to clothing and objects alike: "It feels like my thesis statement is, 'Everything matters.'"
Scientists caution that we probably can't "plant our way out" of the climate crisis, but growing big trees and keeping them around is an important piece of the puzzle.
As the United States suffers through a summer of record-breaking heat, new research shows that temperatures on a scorching summer day can vary as much as 20 degrees across different parts of the same city, with poor or minority neighborhoods often bearing the brunt of that heat.
"Fictionalizing Shia LaBeouf's ascent to stardom, and subsequent crash-landing into rehab and recovery [...] LaBeouf takes on the therapeutic challenge of playing a version of his own father, an ex-rodeo clown and a felon."
Since childhood, we've been warned against germs, helping form a popular opinion that viruses and bacteria are an enemy. However, new research suggests that may be a mistaken impression.
Not every television needs to be the best and biggest on the market. If you're shopping for a guest bedroom or a dorm room, these affordable TVs give a lot of bang for your buck.
Have a favorite teacher in your life? Well, they're probably going to need a little bit of help as the school season ramps up. Treat your teach to something nice this school year.
Column of PLA (or PAPF) forces seen at Qianh Toll Station heading towards Hong Kong this morning pic.twitter.com/33tiqUa9Ss (via @sszyz1758). Difficult to verify
* Troy Sowers left the FBI after 22 years of service with a party in Knoxville, TN * Colleagues surprised him with a reunion from one of his first cases in the FBI * They tracked down Stewart Rembert who was kidnapped as a baby in 1997 * Sowers found him in a box next to a dumpster, 19 hours after he disappeared * Rembert survived and is now an U.S. Marine, he thanked Sowers for saving him
An U.S. Marine who was kidnapped as a baby and abandoned next to a dumpster 22-years-ago finally got to meet and thank the FBI agent who saved him - on his final day at the federal agency before retirement.
Troy Sowers of Knoxville, Tennessee, had hoped for a 'very simple' final day with 'coffee and doughnuts' to end his decades of service but colleagues had a different plan in mind.
They tracked-down Stewart Rembert, now a U.S. Marine corporal, who Sowers had saved only a few months into the job in 1997 when he was still a rookie.
Rembert was abducted by a woman who impersonated a nurse to steal the newborn and later dumped in a box in an alleyway.
A pilot in a Dutch F-16 looks on during a training mission with U.S. and British forces. April 2015. (photo: Ministry of Defense). (A pilot in a Dutch F-16 looks on during a training mission with U.S. and British forces. April 2015. (photo: Ministry of Defense))
* Russians interrogated the women on the presence of the pilots, a report says * They were berated repeatedly with nuisance calls during a Baltic mission in 2017 * Royal Netherlands Air Force deployed F-16s to the region as part of NATO * Defence expert claims the harassment of soldiers partners is continuing today
Russian intelligence bombarded the wives and girlfriends of Dutch fighter pilots with nuisance calls while they flew in the Baltic, a report claims.
During 2017, the women were called and berated by men with 'Russian accents' about their other-halves' presence in the region, sources from the MIVD (the Dutch equivalent of MI6) told De Telegraf.
Phones rang repeatedly and questions are understood to have included, 'What do you think of it?' And 'Wouldn't it be better if he left?'
The Royal Netherlands Air Force deployed F-16s in NATO's Baltic air policing mission, which was heightened after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
Former Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) is emerging as a top contender to serve as President Trump's next director of national intelligence (DNI), though several other names have also been floated as possible picks.
Trump praised Hoekstra on Friday, the U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands and a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, telling reporters that he likes Hoekstra "a lot."
"I like Pete Hoekstra a lot. He's great. He's doing a fantastic job in the Netherlands right now," Trump told reporters.
WNU Editor: 74 years ago the atomic bombing of Hiroshima occurred. Here is a journal of a Japanese physician who survived the bombing, and his experiences treating the survivors. You can download this ebook for free from here .... Hiroshima Diary by Michihiko Hachiya.
Afghanistan's president has said peace is only possible with an agreement between Afghanistan and the Taliban. His remarks come amid US efforts to finalize a peace deal with the Taliban.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday said he did not want foreign nations to interfere in the country's affairs, as the United States and the Taliban appear near to closing a peace deal without the government's input.
Ghani made the comments during the Muslim holiday Eid-al-Adha, while US and Taliban negotiators continue to work towards the peace deal in the Gulf nation of Qatar, where the insurgents have a political office.
* Jeffrey Epstein was found hanged in his prison cell at Metropolitan Correctional Center on Saturday morning * Source has claimed guards at the jail did not follow procedure and check inmates every 30 minutes overnight * Epstein, 66, was briefly hospitalized on July 24 after being found semi-conscious on the floor of his jail cell * He had been removed from suicide watch by the time of his death, which has sparked widespread anger * AG Will Barr has ordered both the FBI and the Inspector General to open investigations into death * Suicide comes 24 hours after court documents were unsealed implicating powerful men in sex scandals
Guards at Jeffrey Epstein's Manhattan jail did not follow procedure and check on prisoners every 30 minutes the night the pedophile took his own life, a source has revealed.
The former financier, 66, was found hanging in his prison cell shortly before 7am and was rushed to nearby New York Presbyterian-Lower Manhattan hospital where he was pronounced dead.
A photo has emerged of the pedophile's body being wheeled into hospital on a gurney.
Russian-backed Syrian regime forces have taken an important town in the rebel stronghold province of Idlib. The regime's three-month campaign has killed more than 2,000 people on both sides and displaced some 400,000.
Syrian regime forces on Sunday captured a strategically important town in Idlib in the rebels' last major enclave, state media and a war monitor reported.
The capture of al-Hobeit is the most significant advancement the army has made in Idlib province since the start of its offensive three months ago, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said the Syrian army captured the village after fierce fighting with al-Qaida-linked militants.
SRINAGAR, Kashmir — On the streets of Srinagar, Kashmir's biggest city, security officers tied black bandannas over their faces, grabbed their guns and took positions behind checkpoints. People glanced out the windows of their homes, afraid to step outside. Many were cutting back on meals and getting hungry.
A sense of coiled menace hung over the locked-down city and the wider region on Saturday, a day after a huge protest erupted into clashes between Kashmiris and Indian security forces.
Shops were shut. A.T.M.s had run dry. Just about all lines to the outside world — internet, mobile phones, even landlines — remained severed, rendering millions of people incommunicado.
Correspondents for The New York Times got one of the first inside views of life under lockdown in Kashmir and found a population that felt besieged, confused, frightened and furious by the seismic events of this week.
People who ventured out said they had to beg officers to cross a landscape of sandbags, battered trucks and soldiers staring at them through metal face masks. Several residents said they had been beaten up by security forces for simply trying to buy necessities like milk.
* Anti-government protesters wearing gas masks and launched bricks and barricaded traffic on Sunday * Protesters stood their ground outside a police station in Sham Shui Po as riot police launched tear gas * Chants of 'Liberate Hong Kong' echoed through the streets as more than 1,000 protesters marched
Protesters continued to spill out into the streets of Hong Kong today as they clashed with riot police who fired tear gas in the 10th week of violent showdowns.
Anti-government protesters wearing gas masks and wielding home-made shields launched bricks and blocked traffic on Sunday in yet another day of demonstrations that has plunged Hong Kong into its most serious crisis in decades.
In a separate incident, protesters gathered outside a police station in Sham Shui Po and stood their ground as they were surrounded by officers wearing protective gear who looked down at them from a tall wall.
* Skirmishes erupted on Sunday between Muslim worshippers and Israeli police * Palestinian medics said at least 14 people were wounded, one seriously, following the clash in Jerusalem * Police said at least four officers were wounded, while witnesses stated at least two people were arrested * The day also marked the Ninth of Av for Jews, a day of fasting for the destruction of the two Biblical temples
Muslim worshippers and Israeli police clashed outside a religious site in Jerusalem during prayers marking the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha.
Palestinian medics said at least 14 people were wounded, one seriously, on Sunday, in skirmishes at the holy site, known as the Al-Aqsa mosque compound to Muslims, and the Temple Mount by Jewish worshippers.
Police said at least four officers were wounded, while witnesses stated at least two people were arrested.
Outbound travel was suspended at Hong Kong’s international airport Monday afternoon as thousands of black-clad protesters flooded the terminal, mobilized by anger over a night of police violence that left the inside of several subway stations clouded with tear gas and multiple demonstrators seriously injured.
Sunday night marked a shocking escalation as anti-government protests entered their tenth consecutive week, when a young woman believed to be a volunteer medic was reportedly blinded in one eye after being hit with a projectile. Elsewhere in the city, police were captured on video apparently firing crowd control weapons toward protesters at point-blank range in enclosed spaces. Officers were also seen chasing people down moving escalators while swinging batons.
THREAD: Nine vids of what @hkpoliceforce did in their "operations" on 8.11 – collected by netizens:
1, Black-clad men who helped subdue and tie up #AntiELAB protesters in Causeway Baye evaded TVB reporter's questions if they were police https://t.co/1TukuOKBaB
Volleys of tear gas were fired inside at least two mass transit stations, exposing both protesters and bystanders to the noxious gas. As demonstrations popped up in several neighborhoods, police were accused of disguising themselves as protesters and making arrests. One viral video appeared to show a plainclothes man kneeling on the neck of a young protester, bleeding profusely onto the sidewalk as he pleaded for the man to stop.
“Yesterday’s police operation was ridiculous,” said Nicekayla, a 27-year-old retail worker who, like many of the protesters, declined to use her real name for fear of arrest. “I was supposed to work today, but I took leave. I hope the government will hear us.”
By late afternoon, demonstrators had filled both the arrivals and departures halls, blocking passengers from accessing the security checkpoint. Dressed in the black T-shirts and dust masks that have become the de facto uniform of the movement, the visibly angry crowd chanted slogans such as “an eye for an eye!” — a reference to the young woman whose blood-drenched face became iconic overnight. Many wore patches of gauze over their right eyes.
“I came out today to reject the government in Hong Kong and and the police violence,” said Matthew, 22, a protester who works in IT. “What we saw on the TV yesterday, police using whatever violence that can be used, this is insane.”
Protests in the Asian financial hub show no sign of abating. In recent weeks, violence has escalated by both authorities and a small core of radical protesters launching bricks, Molotov cocktails and other projectiles toward police lines. The government has so far responded by authorizing ever more force, galvanizing public anger and widening distrust of authority at a time of crisis.
Addressing reporters Monday, Yang Guang, China’s top policy official for Hong Kong and Macau, condemned protesters who he said attacked police stations with petrol bombs, injuring several officers. In a sharp escalation of rhetoric used to describe the unrest, Guang said the “radical protesters” were committing serious crimes and “starting to plant the seeds of terrorism.”
Also on Monday, journalists and lawmakers were invited to observe as Hong Kong police demonstrated how they would use armored vehicles equipped with water cannons, which Amnesty International has warned could result in serious injuries on the city’s densely populated streets.
The protests were sparked in response to a government proposal that would have allowed the transfer of fugitives to mainland China, but soon spiraled into a larger movement demanding more democracy in the semi-autonomous region of China. The city’s leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, has suspended the offending legislation but refuses to officially withdraw it.
Protesters are demanding full withdrawal of the bill, amnesty for all demonstrators arrested in relation to the unrest, a retraction of the government’s characterization of the protests as “riots,” an independent inquiry into allegations of police use of force, and the implementation of universal suffrage, which is promised in the territory’s charter.
— With reporting by Amy Gunia, Abhishyant Kidangoor and Hillary Leung / Hong Kong
(GUATEMALA CITY) — Conservative Alejandro Giammattei has blazed a long, strange path to Guatemala’s presidency, which he won on his fourth try.
The 63-year-old spent several months in prison in 2008, when he was director of the country’s prison system, after some prisoners were killed in a raid on his watch. He was eventually acquitted of wrongdoing.
Until courts prevented some of the more popular candidates from running in this year’s race, he also appeared to be a long-shot candidate in a tumultuous campaign season.
But on Sunday, his get-tough approach to crime and his socially conservative values, including his strident opposition to gay marriage and abortion, finally parlayed favor with Guatemalan voters in a presidential runoff.
Leaning on the crutches he uses because of his multiple sclerosis, Giammattei acknowledged in his emotional victory speech that it had been a long road.
“We won. We are very excited, it is logical, it has been 12 years of struggle,” Giammatttei said. “Twelve years waiting to serve my country.”
With about 98% of polling places reporting, the country’s Supreme Electoral Council said that Giammattei had about 58% of votes, compared to about 42% for former first lady Sandra Torres.
About 8 million Guatemalans are registered to vote in the Central American country. In a nation beset by poverty, unemployment and migration issues, however, turnout as low as 45% appeared to suggest widespread disillusionment with the political status quo in general.
“I just hope Giammattei keeps his promises, and really fights corruption,” said Guatemala City resident Leonel Regalado. “We hope he won’t steal, because that would be too much for him to steal as brazenly as (outgoing President) Jimmy Morales has.”
The presidential campaign was marked by a chaotic succession of judicial decisions, intrigues, illegal party changes and accusations of bad practices that truncated the candidacies of two of the three presidential favorites.
Giammattei’s key rival Torres, who had been married and divorced to former President Álvaro Colom (2008-2012), focused on improving education, health care and the economy during the campaign. She also proposed an anti-corruption program, but her Unity for Hope party came under fire because some of its mayoral candidates were accused of receiving contributions from drug traffickers for their campaigns.
She became a key contender after Chief Prosecutor Thelma Aldana was barred from the race on the grounds that she lacked a document certifying that she didn’t have any outstanding accounts from her time overseeing a public budget as prosecutor.
Oscar Argueta, secretary-general of the Unity for Hope party, conceded defeat on Sunday.
The new president takes office Jan. 14 and will most immediately face the task of attempting to stem the large flow of migrants headed toward the United States. At least 1% of Guatemala’s population of some 16 million has left the country this year.
On July 6, Morales’ administration signed an agreement with the United States that would require Salvadorans and Hondurans to request asylum in Guatemala if they cross through the country to reach the U.S. The new president will have to decide whether to nullify or honor the agreement, which could potentially ease the crush of migrants arriving at the U.S. border.
In addition to migration, Guatemalans say they are most concerned about entrenched corruption. Three of the last four elected presidents have been arrested after leaving office on charges of graft, and Morales himself decided to disband and bar a U.N.-supported anti-corruption commission after he became a target for alleged campaign finance violations.
“The person who wins will have to lead a country that is viewed as a nation losing ground in the battle against corruption, because the mandate of the anti-corruption commission wasn’t renewed,” said Ricardo Barreno, a political science professor at the Central American Institute of Political Studies.
Rogelio Estrada, a father of two who was one of the first people to vote at a polling station in Guatemala City, had other concerns, too.
He hoped the election winner would focus on combatting crime and unemployment “to keep more Guatemalans from going to the United States.”
(ATHENS, Greece) — A big fire that spread quickly overnight in an eastern suburb of Athens appeared to be under control soon after dawn Monday.
The fire had raced up the slopes of 1,026-meter (3,366 feet) Mount Hymettus, which separates suburban Peania from the main city. Flames shooting up the mountain on what was a pretty extensive front could be seen from Athens early Monday morning. Alarm lights were flashing at the flat mountaintop, occupied by an army communications base and transmission antennas for Greece’s main TV stations.
Firefighting vehicles were also seen rushing up the road to the mountaintop.
At least 141 firefighters with 46 vehicles were fighting the fire and eight specialized helicopters joined them at the break of dawn, authorities say.
A spokesman for the fire service, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the fire started among local houses and the fire brigade had not received any calls about houses on fire. He added that a survey of the damage would come after the fire had been put out. Eyewitnesses saw one house extensively damaged.
The spokesman said there was no information on how many people fled. Because the fire broke out in the middle of the night, authorities asked people to ring doorbells to alert their neighbors.
Authorities have warned of a high likelihood of wildfires across large parts of Greece through Tuesday due to high temperatures and windy conditions.
(GUATEMALA CITY) — Guatemalans voted Sunday in a presidential runoff pitting former first lady Sandra Torres against conservative Alejandro Giammattei in a nation beset by poverty and unemployment, and dealing with migration issues.
Giammattei, making his fourth bid for the presidency, is the favorite in a CID-Gallup poll which surveyed 1,216 people between July 29 and Aug. 5. The poll estimated support for Giammattei at 39.5%, compared to 32.4% for Torres. It had a margin of error of 2.8 points.
Running for the conservative Vamos party, Giammattei has earned a reputation of being tough on crime and wants to re-introduce the death penalty. The 63-year-old doctor, who uses crutches because he has multiple sclerosis, stridently opposes gay marriage and abortion and endorses family values.
Torres was married to — and later divorced — former President Álvaro Colom (2008-2012), but has a record of her own as a businesswoman, having run a textile and apparel company.
Her campaign platform has focused on improving education, health care and the economy. She also has proposed an anti-corruption program, but her Unity for Hope party has come under fire because some of its mayoral candidates have been accused of receiving contributions from drug traffickers for their campaigns.
Polling stations opened at 7:00 a.m. local time and close at 6:00 p.m., with preliminary results expected by late Sunday. There are about 8 million registered voters, but boosting turnout above 50% will be a challenge.
Rogelio Estrada, a 45-year-old father of two, was one of the first people to vote at a polling station in Guatemala City. He said corruption was his main concern.
“Whichever of the two wins, they should focus on combatting corruption, because this administration (of current President Jimmy Morales) has been robbing us,” he said.
“And whoever wins, should focus on crime and employment, to keep more Guatemalans from going to the United States,” Estrada added.
The country’s general elections were held June 16, but no candidate won the necessary votes to assume the post after the first round.
Sunday’s winner will take office on Jan. 14 and be tasked with attempting to stem the large flow of migrants headed toward the United States. At least 1% of Guatemala’s population of some 16 million has left the country this year.
On July 6, outgoing President Jimmy Morales signed a pact with the United States that would require Salvadorans and Hondurans to request asylum in Guatemala if they cross through the country to reach the U.S. The next president will be forced to decide whether to nullify or honor the so-called “third safe country” agreement, which could potentially ease the crush of migrants arriving at the U.S. border.
In addition to migration, voters say they are concerned about crime, unemployment, the rising costs of living and entrenched corruption.
Three of the last four elected presidents have been arrested post-presidency on charges of graft, and Morales himself decided to disband and bar the U.N. anti-corruption commission after he became a target for alleged campaign finance violations.
The campaign season has been marked by a chaotic flurry of court rulings, shenanigans, illegal party-switching and allegations of malfeasance that originally torpedoed the runs of two of the three presidential front-runners.
“The person who wins will have to lead a country that is viewed as a nation losing ground in the battle against corruption, because the mandate of the anti-corruption commission wasn’t renewed,” said Ricardo Barreno, a political science professor at the Central American Institute of Political Studies.
(MOSCOW) — A shooting at a mosque in Norway is being investigated as an attempted terrorist attack and the alleged gunman also is a suspect in his younger stepsister’s slaying, police in the Norwegian capital said Sunday.
A man in his 20s was taken into custody after the shooting inside the Al-Noor Islamic Center that wounded one person, Oslo police said. Investigators so far think no one else was involved in Saturday’s violence at the mosque, located in the Oslo suburb of Baerum.
When officers went to the shooting suspect’s residence, they found the body of his 17-year-old stepsister, police said Sunday evening. The alleged mosque gunman was being investigated in her death, police said.
The Oslo Police department said forensic work at the mosque “confirms that several shots were fired, but the number of shots and the type of weapons are not yet established.”
The department said it was working with the Norwegian Police Security Service, Norway’s national domestic security agency, since the “investigation has given us a better overall understanding of the attack” at the mosque.
“The fact that the aggressor entered a mosque armed and from the investigation so far has been found to have expressed hostile attitudes against immigrants has led the police to investigate this attack as an attempted act of terrorism,” the police department said in a statement.
Oslo Deputy Police Inspector Rune Skjold said during a news conference Sunday that mosque shooting was being treated as an attempted terror attack in part because the investigation uncovered evidence of the man’s “right-wing extremist views” and alleged animosity toward immigrants.
“Because of that, in relation to what he’s done, it’s clear that what he did has caused fear among the public, Skjold said. “And based on the views he’s expressed online, it means we can safely say we are investigating an attempted act of terrorism.”
Police said the suspect refused to answer questions and investigators plan to interview neighbors for information about his stepsister and her death.
Skjold said the alleged gunman was prepared to cause deaths and more injuries at the Al-Noor Islamic Center and didn’t succeed because of the “great courage” of people inside the mosque.
“There is no doubt that the swift and firm response from the persons inside the mosque stopped the aggressor and prevented further consequences,” Skjold said. “Trying to neutralize an armed person is always dangerous.”
(ATHENS, Greece) — A tourist camp and nearby houses on the southern Greek island of Elafonisos were evacuated Sunday for the second day in a row as a wildfire at a nearby landfill intensified because of strong winds.
Authorities had pronounced the fire “under control” Saturday night but said the flames picked back up when the wind did. Greece’s Fire Service said 121 firefighters, six airplanes and five helicopters battled the fire before it was brought back under control Sunday night.
Elafonisos, a 19 square kilometer (7 square mile) island known for its sandy beaches, has a population of about 350 but draws over 3,000 visitors daily during the summer.
Several thousand tourists left the island on scheduled ferries Sunday, a day after authorities cleared a campground for “precautionary reasons.”
Some of those trying to leave the island described the evacuation as disorganized, telling The Associated Press they hadn’t received an official warning but decided to leave out of concern for their safety.
Strong winds and high temperatures helped stoke dozens of wildfires across Greece. The Fire Service said 63 broke out between 7 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday.
Greek authorities warned of increased wildfire danger through Tuesday, across most of southern mainland Greece, in the north Aegean islands and in part of the northeastern province of Thrace, near the Turkish border.
“This is the first time in my experience that we will be having four straight days of extreme likelihood of wildfires,” Major Gen. Spyros Varsamis, head of the firefighting service in the northern Central Macedonia region, told The Associated Press. He is a 25-year veteran of the service.
(JERUSALEM) — Muslim worshippers and Israeli police clashed Sunday at a major Jerusalem holy site during prayers marking the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha.
Palestinian medics said at least 14 people were wounded, one seriously, in the skirmishes with police at the site, which Muslims refer to as the Al-Aqsa mosque compound and Jews refer to as the Temple Mount. Police said at least four officers were wounded. Witnesses said at least two people were arrested.
Clouds of tear gas swirled and stun grenades thundered across the stone-paved esplanade as masses of worshippers skirmished with police in the worst bout of fighting at the contested holy site in months.
The clashes came amid heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, just days after an Israeli soldier was killed south of Jerusalem. On Saturday, Israeli troops killed four Palestinian militants who attempted to cross the Gaza border fence.
Tens of thousands of Muslims had flocked to the site in Jerusalem’s Old City early Sunday for holiday prayers, police said. Jews are also observing on Sunday the Ninth of Av, a day of fasting and mourning for the destruction of the two Biblical temples which stood at the site in antiquity.
The site is the holiest for Jews and the third holiest for Muslims, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, and has long been a flashpoint at the epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Jordan, which serves as the custodian of the holy site, said in a statement that it had sent a formal complaint to Israel and condemned what it called Israel’s “irresponsible provocations.” Sufian al-Qudah, a spokesman for the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, said Amman holds Israel completely responsible for the violence.
Large numbers of Palestinians had gathered at the gates of the compound early Sunday after rumors circulated that police would allow Jewish visitors to enter the site. The protesters chanted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) and threw stones at police, who then charged into the compound while firing stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets.
Israeli police had initially barred entry to Jewish visitors, but reversed their decision after the clashes broke out and allowed them to enter. Several dozen entered the site under close police escort and Muslim worshippers began throwing chairs and other objects at the group. The Jewish visitors left the compound shortly thereafter.
Jerusalem District police commander Doron Yedid told Israeli media that the decision to allow Jewish visitors to enter the site was made “with the backing of the top political officials.” Police spokesmen could not be reached for comment.
The reversal came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s religious nationalist allies called for the site to be opened to Jewish visitors. Israelis are headed to unprecedented repeat elections next month after Netanyahu failed to form a government following April’s elections.
Jews are barred from praying at the compound under a longstanding arrangement between Israel and Muslim authorities. Jewish tradition also maintains that Jews should avoid entering the holy site.
But in recent years Israeli religious nationalists have stepped up visits to the site to challenge the arrangement. Jewish extremists have called for destroying the mosque and rebuilding the Biblical temple.
The Palestinians view such visits as provocations, and have long feared that Israel intends to take over the site or partition it. The Israeli government has repeatedly said it has no intention of changing the status quo.
Hanan Ashrawi, a senior leader in the Palestine Liberation Organization, said Israel was “fueling religious tensions in Jerusalem,” adding that Israeli officials are “fully responsible for its grave consequences.”
The compound is in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 war along with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, territories the Palestinians seek as part of a future state. Israel views all of Jerusalem as its unified capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
Israeli-Palestinian tensions have spiked following President Donald Trump’s decision in 2017 to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the U.S. Embassy there. The Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been moribund for at least a decade, and the Palestinians have cut ties with the Trump administration over what they see as its unfair bias toward Israel.
In a separate incident on Sunday, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian gunman after he opened fire on them from across the perimeter fence around the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military said an “armed terrorist” approached the frontier early Sunday and opened fire toward troops on the other side, who responded by shooting at the attacker. The army said a tank also targeted a nearby military post operated by the Islamic militant group Hamas.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza identified the deceased as 26-year-old Marwan Nasser. It was not clear if he was a member of an armed group, and no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
On Saturday, Israeli troops killed four Palestinian militants who the army said had tried to carry out a cross-border attack. Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, said the attack was an “individual act” carried out by youths frustrated at the Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza and was not planned by the group.
(SEOUL, South Korea) — North Korea said Sunday that leader Kim Jong Un supervised test-firings of an unspecified new weapons system, which extended a streak of launches that are seen as an attempt to build leverage ahead of negotiations with the United States while driving a wedge between the U.S. and South Korea.
The report by North Korean state media came hours after President Donald Trump said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed a desire to meet again to start nuclear negotiations after the end of ongoing joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises, and that he apologized for the flurry of recent short-range ballistic launches that rattled U.S. allies in the region.
In a separate statement on Sunday, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry blasted South Korea for continuing to host military drills with the United States, and said that future dialogue will be held strictly between Pyongyang and Washington and not between the Koreas.
South Korea’s military said the North on Saturday fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles. It said they flew about 400 kilometers (248 miles) before landing in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
Kim expressed “great satisfaction” over the launches, which the North’s official Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, said verified that the new weapons system is able to perform as designed. North Korea’s official Rodong Sinmun newspaper published several photos that showed Kim watching from an observation post and what appeared to be a missile soaring from a mobile launcher.
KCNA didn’t specify whether the weapons were ballistic missiles or rocket artillery, but said they were developed to suit the North’s “terrain condition” and provide “advantageous tactical character different from existing weapons systems.”
Kim Dong-yub, an analyst at Seoul’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said North Korea’s photos and South Korea’s flight data of the launches suggest that the North tested a new weapons system that is different from the short-range ballistic missiles it repeatedly fired in recent weeks.
South Korea’s military had described the previous missiles as similar to the Russian-made Iskander, a solid-fuel, nuclear-capable missile that is highly maneuverable and travels on low trajectories, improving its chances of evading missile defense systems.
North Korea’s fifth round of weapons launches in less than three weeks was seen as a protest of the slow pace of nuclear negotiations and continuance of the U.S.-South Korea military drills the North claims are an invasion rehearsal.
Experts say Trump’s downplaying of the North’s launches allowed the country more room to intensify its testing activity while it seeks to build leverage ahead of a possible resumption of negotiations. Talks have stalled since the collapse of Trump’s second summit with Kim in Vietnam in February over disagreements on exchanging sanctions relief and disarmament.
By launching a slew of weapons that directly threaten South Korea but not the U.S. mainland or its Pacific territories, North Korea also appears to be dialing up pressure on Seoul to make stronger efforts to coax major concessions from the United States on Pyongyang’s behalf.
North Korea in recent months has ignored the South’s calls for dialogue while demanding that Seoul turn away from Washington and resume inter-Korean economic cooperation held back by U.S.-led sanctions against the North.
In a statement released through KCNA, Kwon Jong Gun, director of the U.S. affairs department at Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry, criticized South Korea for raising concerns over the North’s recent testing activity while continuing the drills with the U.S.
The North also on Saturday lashed out at South Korea’s recent acquisition of U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets and other plans to expand its military capabilities, saying that the South will gain “nothing but destruction” if it pursues a contest of strength with the North.
“Though we are to enter into a dialogue in future as the currents flow in favor of dialogue, (the South) had better keep in mind that this dialogue would be held strictly between the D.P.R.K and the U.S., not between the North and the South,” Kwon said, referring to North Korea by its formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
“Given that the military exercise clearly puts us as an enemy in its concept, (the South) should think that an inter-Korean contact itself will be difficult to be made unless they put an end to such a military exercise or before they make a plausible excuse or an explanation in a sincere manner for conducting the military exercise,” Kwon said.
South Korea has said North Korea’s recent launches could hurt efforts to stabilize peace on the Korean Peninsula and called for the North to uphold an agreement to form a joint military committee to discuss reducing tensions, which was part of an inter-Korean military agreement reached last year.
Hours after the North’s latest launches, Trump tweeted that Kim spent much of a letter he wrote to the president complaining about “the ridiculous and expensive” U.S.-South Korea military exercises. He said that Kim offered him “a small apology” for the recent flurry of missile tests, and that he assured him they would stop when the exercises end.
(HONG KONG) — Police fired tear gas Sunday in confrontations with protesters in three parts of Hong Kong, as another evening of clashes began playing out in the Asian financial capital.
Protesters hurled bricks at officers and ignored warnings to leave before tear gas was deployed in the Sham Shui Po area, police said, calling a march there an “unauthorized assembly.” Nearby, protesters wearing gas masks gathered outside a police station in Cheung Sha Wan, as officers wearing their own protective gear looked down at them from a tall wall around the station.
Tear gas was also deployed in central Hong Kong on both sides of Victoria Harbour, in the Tsim Sha Tsui area on the Kowloon side and in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island.
Earlier, a large group of mostly young protesters marched down the middle of Hennessey Road, a main shopping drag in the Causeway Bay area, as a rally was held in nearby Victoria Park. Many wore face masks to shield their identities, and a few had helmets. Others just carried backpacks over the black T-shirts that have become their uniform.
“We hope the world knows that Hong Kong is not the Hong Kong it used to be,” said one protester, Louisa Ho. “China is doing more and more to pressure Hong Kong, its people and its organizations.”
Hong Kong has seen nine weeks of protests with no end in sight. The movement’s demands include the resignation of the city’s leader, democratic elections, the release of those arrested in earlier protests and an investigation into police use of force against the protesters
Banners at the rally in Victoria Park read “Give Hong Kong back to us” and “Withdraw the evil law,” the latter a reference to an extradition bill that was the original spark for the protests. A large crowd sat under umbrellas, which are both a protest symbol in Hong Kong and protection from the summer heat.
Hannah Yu, an organizer, said the protest would provide a platform for people to rally peacefully. In what has become an established pattern, groups of protesters have taken over streets or besieged government buildings after largely peaceful marches and rallies earlier in the day.
“There will still be citizens going out on the streets to protest, but we cannot control them and we do not have the authority to control them,” Yu said.
Police permitted the rally in Victoria Park but denied a request by organizers to also have a march in the eastern part of Hong Kong Island. Police also denied permission for the march in Kowloon, but protesters went ahead anyway.
You are subscribed to email updates from World – TIME. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.
Email delivery powered by Google
Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States
ISIS babies who have British citizenship will not be brought back to the UK from Syria as it would be too dangerous to send military or civilian personnel to rescue them.
MATTEO Salvini's hard right Lega party has struck fear into a growing centre-left coalition, after the Italian deputy Prime Minister called for a vote of no-confidence in Guiseppe Conte's government in order to trigger a snap general election in October.
DONALD TRUMP has savaged his former White House Communications Director, Anthony Scaramucci, in a Twitter rant that claims Mr Scaramucci was "totally incapable of handling" the position he was sacked from after eleven days.
STEVE BANNON, former White House strategist, has revealed the strongest candidate to beat Donald Trump in the next US election isn't currently in the running.
JOHN BOLTON, US President Donald Trump's national security adviser, arrived in London on Sunday for talks at which he is expected to urge Britain to toughen its stance on Iran and Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei.
IRAN's commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's navy, Alireza Tangsiri, warned journalists on Sunday that "any illegitimate presence in the waters of the Persian Gulf could spark a war."
You are in a way to search UPTET Syllabus 2019? Then, bingo!!! you are in the right destination. Here we have given UPTET Recruitment 2019 syllabus along with exam pattern details. However, go through the entire article to score better marks in the exam and get selected for the post.
UPTET Syllabus 2019 Pdf
UPTET Job Notification 2019 yet to release by Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Board (UPBEB) for various posts in the upcoming months. Interested candidates keep in track with this article to get all the updates related to UPTET 2019 notification syllabus in Hindi.
UPTET exam contains 2 papers organized by UPBEB Board through which primary schools (Class 1 to 5) and upper primary (Class 6 to 8) Teachers recruited. Aspirants who want to teach students from class 1 to 5 need to pass paper 1. Similarly, applicants interested in teaching students from class 6 to 8 need to pass paper 2. To crack the exam successfully it is important to prepare according to syllabus & exam pattern for the exam. Further, check the below section to know the exam details.
To crack the exam successfully it is important to understand the exam pattern. it gives an idea about the structure of the exam and the type of questions asked in the exam. Check the table given below to get detailed exam pattern information.
Uttar Pradesh TET Paper 1 Syllabus & Exam Pattern 2019
Topics
No of Questions
Exam Duration
Mathematics
30
150 Minutes
Child Development and Teaching
30
Language 1 (Hindi)
30
Language 2 (English, Urdu, Sanskrit)
30
Environmental Studies (EVS)
Thirty (30)
Total
150 Q
UPTET Paper 2 Exam Pattern & Syllabus 2019
Topics
No of Questions
Exam Duration
Language 1
30
150 Minutes
Language 2
30
Child Development and Teaching
30
Science & Mathematics OR Social Science
60
Total
150 Q
The exam will be of objective type questions.
Qualifying marks will be 90.
UPTET Exam Paper will be bilingual in both Hindi & English
Uttar Pradesh Adhyaapak (अध्यापक) Syllabus 2019 in Hindi Pdf
The detailed syllabus of UPTET Primary & Upper Primary Teachers in present under this section. Candidates can also download UPTET official syllabus pdf through the link that is given in the below section of the article.
Uttar Pradesh Teacher Eligibility Test Syllabus 2019 Paper 1 Exam
The important topics to refer to crack paper 1 exam successfully is given in this section. Check it out !!!
UPTET Primary Syllabus for Child Development & Pedagogy
The concept of development and its relationship with learning
Principles of Child Development
The basic processes of learning and teaching, learning strategies of children, as a social activity, learning: the social context of learning.
Child as a Problem Solver and a Scientific Investigator
Understand child’s errors as an important concept of learning in children, important steps in the learning process. Inspiration and sensations, inspiration and learning
Factors contributing to learning
Child-centered and progressive education concepts
The critical vision of the formation of intellectualism
Multi-dimensional intellectualism
Linguistic and contemplative society as gender formation: gender roles. Gender bias and educational behavior
Explain the differences based on the diversity of individual differences, language, caste, gender, community, religion among the learners.
Differences between assessment and evaluation of learning for learning, school-based assessment
Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation: Sense and Behavior
To evaluate the level of preparation of learners; Preparation of suitable questions for classroom teaching and thoughtful thinking and achievement of the learner.
Effect of heredity and environment
Socialization processes: Social world and child (teachers, guardians and friends)
Piaget, Colberg, and Vygotsky: Construction and Illustrated Perspectives
UPTET 2019 Syllabus Language Hindi
Language Comprehension
Pedagogy of language development
Spotting error/ Sentence Correction
Idiom and Phrases
Fill in the blanks
Antonyms and synonyms
Uttar Pradesh UPTET (English/Urdu/Sanskrit) Language Syllabus
Language skills
Comprehension
Pedagogy of language development
UP TET Maths New Syllabus in Hindi Pdf
Number system
Shapes and geometry
Data handling
Measurements and units
UPTET Environment Syllabus 2019 in Hindi Pdf
Family and friends
Shelters
Water, travel
Things we make and do
Food and nutrition
Syllabus of UPTET 2019 Paper 2 Exam
The topics to refer before going to attend the paper 2 exams is given under this section. Read further to know more about it.
UPTET Child development & pedagogy Syllabus in Hindi
Child development concept
Inclusive learning and understanding language children with special needs
Learning and pedagogy
UP TET Syllabus for Language I (Mandatory/Compulsory)
Unseen Passage
Language Pedagogy
Grammar
UPTET Syllabus for Language II (Mandatory/Compulsory)
Mathematics – Number system & simplification, percentage & ratio, time, work, speed &distance, algebra & mensuration, geometry, average, profit & loss, pedagogy of mathematics
Science – Food & Materials, How things work, moving things, people and ideas, natural phenomenon and resources, the world of the living, pedagogy of science
Social studies – History, geography, social and political life, economics and static GK, UP Related questions, social studies pedagogy
UPTET Syllabus 2019 – Important Links Need to be Considered
Want to find AP Grama Sachivalayam Syllabus Pdf 2019? Then, you are in the right place for your search. Here you can find the Syllabus for AP Grama Sachivalayam Jobs 2019. However, for much more details go through below sections of the article and start preparing for the exams. Can also get additional details at ap.gov.in website.
AP Grama Sachivalayam Exam Syllabus 2019
Andhra Pradesh Grama Sachivalayam Syllabus hast not yet released by the Board yet. But, here we have given exam pattern & syllabus details that can be referred to prepare for the exam successfully. Later, as soon as the AP Board releases the AP Grama Sachivalayam exam pattern & syllabus details it will be updated here.
AP Grama Sachivalayam Notification 2019 pdf for the post of Grama engineer, Digital assistant, MPEO, Lineman, Gopalamitra, Women police assistant & others will be released soon. Totally 40000 AP Sachivalayam vacancies are expected this time by Andhra Pradesh (AP) Government. Since the exam date is not yet announced, we will update the official dates as soon as AP Grama Sachivalayam notification PDF is released. The applicants can apply from 15th July to 15th August 2019 by checking AP Grama Sachivalayam Apply Online 2019 details present on the official site.
Andhra Pradesh Grama Sachivalayam Jobs 2019 – Overview
Description
Details
Board Name
Government of Andhra Pradesh
Exam Name
AP Grama Sachivalayam Recruitment 2019
Post Name
Grama engineer, Digital assistant, MPEO, Lineman, Gopalamitra, Women police assistant, Electricity helper, NREGA Assistant
SBI SO Result 2019 – Download SBI Specialist Cadre Officer Final Result 2019 @ sbi.co.in – State Bank of India (SBI) has announced the final result of Bank Specialist Cadre Officer Exam 2019 on 10th August 2019. Candidates can check the list of selected candidates on the official website of SBI.i.e, sbi.co.in. All those candidates who have appeared for the SBI Specialist Officer 2019 Exam can download your Final Result from the quick link provided below in the table. Aspirants who are interested in this SBI Recruitment process can analyze your results and keep track on this page to get all the latest information regarding SBI Careers 2019.
SBI SCO Result 2019 @ sbi.co.in
All kind of registered applicants can check your SBI Specialist Cadre Officer 2019 Final Result & Interview schedule from the quick link provided below. We have activated the quick link, so candidates can make use of the link. State Bank of India (SBI) had released the recruitment notification on 21 May 2019 for recruitment to the post Specialist Cadre Officer. The online application for Specialist Cadre Officers Advertisement No: Crpd/Sco/2019-20/07 was started from 21 May 2019 and closed on 12 June 2019. So a huge number of applicants have applied and appeared for the Specialist Cadre Officer Examination. Now everyone can check your result with the direct link.
SBI Bank Specialist Cadre Officer Exam 2019 – Overview
Along with the Final Selection list, the officials have included the SBI Specialist Officer Interview Schedule 2019. So If the candidates get qualify in the Examination they can get the complete details about SBI Specialist Officer Interview Date 2019 in the Interview Schedule. Through this applicants will get a clear idea about the Interview Process. After checking your SBI SO Final Result, please be aware of the Interview Conditions, prepare well for the Interview Process. Here on this page, we have additionally given some steps to download your SBI Specialist Officer Final Selection List 2019 and Interview Schedule.
All selected candidates are required to appear for SBI SO Manager Analyst 2019 Interview Round which is scheduled to be held on 9 August 2019 at various Local Head offices of the Bank. Candidates can checklist of selected candidates and exam schedule for Bank Medical Officers Posts in the provided links. Also, applicants will get the SBI Specialist Officer Cut off Marks based on the Examination marks, Number of questions, the difficulty level in the exam & Vacancy details. So all the candidates will get the SBI Specialist Officer Cut off as per their categories.
SBI Specialist Officer Merit List: Get Direct Links of SBI SO Final Result
Almost all the candidates may waiting for the SBI Specialist Officer Final Selection List, Now all the applicants can download their results from the below link. Along with this candidates will get the SBI Specialist Officer Merit List by the following days. Because the officials will decide the Merit list based on the Examination marks and Cut off marks. Also, applicants can check the Interview schedule, attend the Interview well and get the Jobs in SBI.
Get Direct link for SBI SO Interview Schedule 2019 – Click Here
Download SBI Specialist Officer Final Selection List 2019 – Click Here
How to check the SBI SO Final Result?
First click on the official website page of State Bank of India (SBI) i.e, sbi.co.in
On the home page, we can see the Join SBI Tab, then we should click on the Recruitment Results & Archive
A new page will open, where we can see the Specialist Cadre Officer Final Result announced link
In the link, we can click Interview Schedule(NEW) & Final Result
A new page will open with SBI SO Final Result Pdf
Check your result and download it for further reference.
There aren't many places where you can save your money tax free, but there are a few. Check out these savings accounts and other financial instruments.
Overhead costs are ongoing costs involved in operating a business. A company must pay overhead costs regardless of production volume. The two types of overhead costs are fixed and variable.
Collateralized debt obligations are exotic financial instruments that can be difficult to understand, Learn the role they played in the 2008 financial crisis.
A U.S. passport will get you into many countries, but not everywhere. Brazil, China, India, Russia, and Vietnam all offer travel to U.S. citizens, but expect to pay a premium to visit.
Some of the most popular countries that offer the financial benefit of having no income tax are Bermuda, Monaco, the Bahamas, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The secret to avoiding depression after retirement is to replace the social connections, steady routine, and sense of purpose that your work-life delivered.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Learn about the difference between the banking industry and the financial services sector and how to distinguish financial goods from financial services.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Starting a business isn't for everyone, learn 5 alternatives to starting your own business such as businesses to invest in, franchises and other choices.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Gross profit is a company's profit after subtracting the costs of producing the goods and services. Several costs impact gross profit, both directly and indirectly.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Cash flows can be manipulated or distorted in many ways, including changing accounts payable, misusing non-operating cash, or selling accounts receivable.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Learn how to narrow down the universe of stocks with an investing theme that can be screened and analyzed to find the trades that best suit your needs.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Learn how auto accidents can lead to insurance premium increases or policy cancellations, and why high-risk drivers are more likely to have their coverage dropped.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Thinking of buying a home? There are several things you should consider before purchasing a home. For example, look at the initial and ongoing costs, as well as the putative benefits.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Learn how alpha is used to assess an investment's profitability relative to the broader market and why a negative value isn't necessarily a signal to sell.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
A bill of lading is a receipt detailing the goods being shipped and where they are being shipped to, while a bill of exchange includes details like invoices.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Find out how economic value added (EVA) and market value added (MVA) differ as measures of economic profit. Determine how they indicate success or failure.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
China and many other countries buy U.S. debt through the purchase of Treasury bonds, and many people wonder why they do this. This piece will help you understand some of the factors behind the purchase of U.S. debt by China and others.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said he will leave no stone unturned in making India the best investment destination in the world, a better place to do business and go "as far as possible" to revive "animal spirits" and make the "entire private sector bullish".In his first wide-ranging interview after assuming office for a second term, the Prime Minister told ET that he had taken the decision on withdrawing Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir after a "great deal of thought" and was certain this will help create three necessary conditions for investment – stability, market access and predictable laws."Open minds and open markets will ensure that the youth of the region will put it on the path of greater progress. Integration gives a boost to investment, innovation and incomes.""Expectations from India are not only from within the country, but even in the context of global growth and development, a lot is expected from our country," the PM said, referring to the government's economic agenda.The government, Modi said, wants entrepreneurs to enjoy higher productivity and better profits."I want to motivate our industrialists to believe in the India story and in the long-term potential of the Indian market. They should carry on their business and complete their investment plan without any confusion. I reassure all honest and law-abiding businesses of all possible support from our end."The PM went the extra mile to appeal to bankers to pass on the benefits of low interest to borrowers while assuring them against any harassment."No growth is possible if bankers stop taking decisions on day-to-day basis. I reassure the banking fraternity that all their decisions taken in good faith with sound business rationale would not face any witch hunt."Economic growth, Modi said, means "more money in the pockets of people" and not just to the state exchequer.Outlining his government's evolving approach to data-related issues, Modi sought to equate Right to Personal Data today with Right to Private Property in the beginning of the industrial age."We see Right to Personal Data in the machine intelligence age in a manner akin to Right to Private Property at the dawn of industrial era, as not merely a mechanism to protect but also as an enabler to spur commerce in ways we haven't fully foreseen."Modi said the slowdown in the automobile sector is temporary and the transition to electric vehicles is not a cause for worry."The slowdown is transient, accentuated by credit constraints, some regulatory changes and passiveness in demand. I believe that both demand and the industry will bounce back strongly and soon," he said.The Prime Minister said the country has a large enough market and big enough policy space to ensure growth of internal combustion engine (ICE) based automobiles as well as electric vehicles (EVs)."There is no need to speculate about the growth of either of the two. We are in a unique situation where both ICE and EV-based automobiles can co-exist, co-create and learn from each other," the PM said.Further, he said the government is committed to fulfilling the five-year vision of investment-led growth, targeting Rs 100 lakh crore."This would entail further liberalising our FDI policy, simplification of labour laws, further enhancing ease of doing business, power sector reforms, asset monetisation and asset recycling in public sector, and reforms in banking, insurance and pension sectors," he said.Asked about India's strategy to take advantage of the trade war between the US and China and attract investments, Modi said, "Our policies are not designed to get some short-term benefit out of transient disruptions being seen around the world" and his administration is focused on "improving competitiveness through long-term reform measures".These include improving India's ranking in ease of doing business, tax reforms with lower rates and simplifying procedures, labour sector reforms and FDI-related reforms to liberalise the investment climate.He said the government is focused on making it convenient for global firms to bring goods in a "friction-less manner" into India, run factories or service centres here and re-export the resulting products.Modi emphasised that part of his vision to double farmer incomes by 2022 is driven by a focus on increasing exports, especially related to the agricultural sector."We are not looking at farmers as just producers but as potential exporters," the PM said. "Value addition by way of food processing will play a big role."The next step for the government on GST is to improve consumer awareness of the benefits of the system, he said."Presently, it is totally missing. Consumers should know their benefit under this system," Modi said, adding that according to one study, GST rate reductions have helped the average middle-class family save about Rs 1,500 per year.
Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio Infocomm are considering giving a pass to Huawei in 'core' elements of their 5G networks in favour of other companies to try and hedge risks against any future ban on Chinese equipment manufacturers in India.Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea use Huawei and ZTE equipment for their 2G, 3G and 4G networks in certain service areas. Jio, which works with Samsung for its pan-India 4G network, is widely expected to go with the South Korean company even for 5G."Given how there are global security concerns regarding Huawei's equipment, nobody wants to get caught in the crossfire. It's better to be safe and deploy Huawei in the non-core part of the 5G network," a senior executive at one of the telcos told ET.A senior executive at another telco echoed the views."We don't want to be caught in a situation where we have deployed Huawei and then a ban comes. It would be such a big gamble to do so and already, given the stress in the sector, looks like nobody is going to take that risk," the executive said.Both executives said the situation was dynamic and nothing had been finalised as yet. They added that Airtel and Vodafone Idea would need to consider that eliminating Huawei and ZTE from a major part of the 5G contract could raise the cost of deployment because their options would then be European vendors Nokia and Ericsson."We are working with all our strategic network partners," an Airtel spokesperson said in response to ET's detailed queries. The telco didn't elaborate on its 5G deployment plans.Vodafone Idea and Jio didn't respond to ET's queries.This template has already been adopted by some mobile phone companies in the UK, including Vodafone Group Plc. They use Huawei mainly for radio systems, the non-core part of the network, or broadly put, the hardware portion of the network — a measure that some say reduces security threats, if any. Vodafone has already gone live with its 5G network in the UK.Adopting the UK ModelUnlike in previous generation technologies where most data passes through the network in unencrypted form, in the 5G standard, all communications including voice calls and text are encrypted with keys, which are stored on servers in the "core" of the network, implying they cannot be read by the base stations.Some argue that by keeping a vendor out of the core or what some describe as the "brain" of the network and permitting it for the rest of the "system" — chiefly radio systems which include base stations — one could adequately secure the network.However, sceptics say the entire network cannot be safely secured as the base stations can read some elements of the data that passes through them in unencrypted form.The US, which has been pushing for a global ban on Huawei's 5G products raising cyber snooping concerns given the company's perceived proximity to the Chinese government, last week put in place a formal ban on American companies from using Huawei's products. China has threatened India with retaliation if Huawei is barred.70636374 India has stayed silent on the matter and has not shown any sign of barring the company. The matter is being debated within a high-level committee of the principal scientific advisor, the telecom secretary and the external affairs ministry secretary.Industry executives say following the UK model of excluding Huawei from core areas of the network could be the way out for Indian telcos."UK has already followed this model. If other countries join in, then practically speaking, governments globally might be able to unite and cite this as a middle ground in this war between the US and China," said another senior executive at a telco.In February, Jio is believed to have applied for permission to conduct 5G trials with Samsung, Airtel with Ericsson and Vodafone Idea with both Nokia and Huawei. All three would need to file fresh applications under a 20-question format that asks the companies for their "network architecture" including details on core and noncore network deployment for the trials and seeks assurances from them on data localisation, data security and privacy, along with the use cases for 5G and the exact locations of the trials.However, holding 5G trials with a vendor doesn't necessarily bind the telco to that vendor for commercial deployment, say industry executives.
The recent volatility in the stock market, triggered by global and domestic factors, has made investors jittery. It has also highlighted the fact that the market mood can change rapidly and torpedo your critical financial goals if you are not protected adequately.The US-China trade war, geopolitical conflict between the US and Iran, and domestic factors like consumption slowdown and FII withdrawal due to additional tax have all added to investors' worries. Experts, however, are not too concerned. "There is no fundamental problem with the economy. The current consumption slowdown is cyclical and the same could be over in the next 12-18 months," says Ankur Kapur, Founder, Plutus Capital. Tanwir Alam, Founder & CEO of Fincart, concurs. "Regular correction is good for the market's health. Investors should take advantage of this by using the systematic investment plan (SIP) and systematic transfer plan (STP) route," he says.The recent correction, however, has reiterated the danger that the changing market moods can pose to your goals. This is because goals are planned on the basis of certain assumptions, and if these go wrong, the final outcome can be very different from what you were expecting. If the actual returns from the investment are far lower than the projected returns, your goal will be in jeopardy because your accumulated corpus will fall short of your requirement. For instance, if you invest Rs 10 lakh in an equity mutual fund, assuming a CAGR of 15%, you will expect Rs 40 lakh in 10 years. However, if the CAGR turns out to be just 10%, you will amass only Rs 26 lakh at the end of 10 years.Most experts continue to project 15% CAGR for equities in the long term and they may be right. However, there have been several instances in the past when the 10-year CAGR has been below 10% (see chart). At present, the figure stands at 9.57%. During 2002-3, the 10-year SIP CAGR was in the negative. Similarly, if inflation assumptions go wrong, they can play havoc with your plans. For instance, consider the goal of your child's higher education in 10 years. If the current education expense is Rs 20 lakh and you assume an inflation rate of 5%, the cost will grow to Rs 32.5 lakh. However, if the actual inflation shoots to 8%, the goal cost will rise to Rs 43.2 lakh.Need for a buffer due to sliding SIP returnsAssuming high, pre-tax SIP returns means that you could fall way short of your required goal corpus. So, you will need a bigger cushion. 70615022 Source: Compiled by ETIG databaseWhy do you need a cushion?Though you need to assume correct inflation and return figures while planning your goals, you have no control over the final outcome because no one can predict how the markets will perform. There is no guarantee the markets won't tank as you are nearing your critical goals. Hence, building an adequate buffer is the best way to protect your goals from the market vagaries. By doing so, you can avoid the need to divert funds from one goal, say, retirement planning, to meet another goal, like a child's education. How much do you require? The next step is to determine how big a cushion you need. "Calculate the cushion for each goal. As a thumb rule, a cushion of 15-20% of the future goal value is enough," says Amol Joshi, Founder, PlanRupee Investment Services. For instance, if you have estimated a need of Rs 20 lakh in 10 years, invest in a manner that you earn at least 15% more, which would be Rs 23 lakh in this case. This means that even if the assumed return or inflation stray off the mark, you will be able to meet your goal. As Joshi says, calculate the cushion for each goal and then add up to get the aggregate value of cushion for all goals.How to calculate the buffer amountThere are several rules that define the manner in which you calculate the size of your cushion. Importance of goal: The first rule is simple and based on common sense. The more critical your goal, the higher the buffer you create for it. So, crucial goals like a child's education should have a higher cushion, while low priority goals like travel can do with a lesser amount.Time horizon: The second rule takes into account the goal's time horizon. "You need a small amount for a goal with a flexible deadline or where the money is needed over a longer time frame, such as retirement. You need a bigger buffer where the deadline can't be extended, say, for the higher education of your child," says Harsh Roongta, a Sebi-registered investment adviser.Nature of withdrawal: How you draw down the corpus defines the third rule of cushion creation. The buffer will depend on whether you want the entire money at one go or in instalments over several years. A goal like your child's marriage means that you will need the money at one go and, hence, a higher cushion is imperative. Education expenses, on the other hand, are spread over several years—3-4 years for graduation and two years for post graduation. Though critical, retirement planning allows the maximum flexibility. "As consumption will be spread over 30-40 years, there is no need to have a big cushion," says Joshi. In other words, even if the markets are in the doldrums when you retire, hold on to your investments and redeem them only after the market recovers.Asset class: The final rule is decided by the asset class you choose for investment. Most people recommend the equity route for long duration goals because the expected returns are higher. However, the volatility is also high. In other words, you need more cushion if you are trying to achieve goals through volatile asset classes like equities. "If one has the liberty to achieve one's goals using the safer debt option, there is no need to have a big cushion," says Melvin Joseph, Founder, Finvin Financial Planners. However, these safe debt products generate much lower returns and, therefore, require higher investible surplus to achieve goals.Debt products can be split into two types. The products in which the return depends on market movements, such as debt mutual funds, and fixed return products like fixed deposits and the PPF (see chart). Annual returns from debt funds can be low in the short to medium term. Volatility can also be witnessed in five year rolling returns (see chart). The need for cushion comes down if one is using safe debt products like the PPF, where the principal and interest are guaranteed by the government. However, you will still need to build a cushion because the probability of the PPF rates coming down in the future is high.Debt fund returns can be volatile, so moderate expectationsThe recent high returns are due to a fall in yield. Be ready to earn lower returns from debt in the coming years. 70615072 Source: Compiled by ETIG databaseLow relative volatility means lower cushionHowever, high volatility can be seen even in five-year rolling returns. 70615079 Source: Compiled by ETIG databaseNeed for cushion comes down in PPF where principal is guaranteedThough PPF rates have moderated, they may reduce in future due to the recent fall in inflation and interest rates. 70615083 Source: Compiled by ETIG databaseReduce the need for cushionCreating a cushion means you need to invest more. For instance, if your current mutual fund SIP for a critical goal, which is 15 years away, is Rs 8,000, and if you decide to build a cushion of 25% of the goal value, your monthly SIP will also go up by 25%, that is, Rs 10,000. What if you don't have the funds to create this buffer? "If you are not able to make additional investments, reduce the need for a cushion by having a very strict exit or reduction strategy," says Joshi. If you are using the mutual fund route, you can exits or reduce by using systematic withdrawal plans (SWP) or systematic transfer plans (STP).These exit or reduction strategies help avoid the risk of sudden fluctuations in the market. STPs or SWPs can be a good solution if the market plummets when your goal is near. If the stock market is down by around 50% from its high, a one-time withdrawal at this point can be disastrous for the investor. Shifting everything from equity to debt a year or two before the goal is due is also not a solution because there is no guarantee that the markets will be at higher levels at that time. "Always move the investment slowly and in chunks. By doing so, you will not miss out the rally in the middle," says Joshi. Creating a clear reduction strategy also helps you manage your entry and exit without being affected by emotions. "Just like an SIP is used for accumulation, a rule-based SWP for withdrawal is necessary to manage emotions. We make a clear divestment strategy for every goal," says Roongta.When should you start equity reduction? "As a thumb rule, use '20% of the goal period' formula," says Roongta. So, in case of a five year goal, the shift to safer asset classes can be done during the last year, in case of a 10-year goal, it can be done in the last two years, and in the last three years for a 15-year goal. However, the shift will reduce the expected return profile. This is because the returns from safer asset classes will be much lower than that from equities. If one assumes 12% returns from equities and 7% from debt, the average return in the case of a 15-year goal will come down to 11.51% (see chart). This fall in return will force you to invest more, but the increase will be nominal, say, from Rs 8,000 to Rs 8,400. Shift from equities to debt to cut risk Since investors should shift from equity to debt before they reach their goals, the return assumption should be less than 12%. 70615103 Source: Compiled by ETIG databaseAssume less to reduce cushionThe need for a cushion typically arises because people use standard assumptions. Most assume a return of around 15% from equities and 8% from debt (see chart). The average, however, is only around 12%. So investors need to moderate their return expectations from equities. Note that the 12% return is before tax and one needs to adjust for the long-term capital gains (LTCG) tax of 10%. "Return adjustment depends on the market situation. We brought down our post-tax equity return expectation from 12% to 11% after the government introduced the LTCG tax on equities," says Roongta. The reduction in aggregate returns because of the shift to debt close to a goal is another factor. "Assuming a net return of 10% from equities will be more realistic because one has to consider the impact of LTCG tax and the need to reduce equity close to goals," says Joseph. Similarly, return assumption of 8% is on the higher side because we are in a falling interest rate regime and this should be moderated to a realistic 7%.Taking a conservative or realistic approach to inflation is another way to reduce the need for a cushion. The cost of higher education in India and medical expenses are moving at a much faster clip than normal inflation. "We consider 10% inflation for education and medical expenses compared to 6-7% for others," says Suresh Sadagopan, Founder, Ladder7 Financial Advisories.Assume higher inflation for educationMedical and educational expenses are growing much faster, with around 10% infl ation, compared with the average normal inflation of nearly 6%. 70615122 Source: Compiled by ETIG databaseHow to manage the cushionThe cushion should not be confused with a normal contingency fund. Since it is a part of long-term goals, it should be invested in growth assets like equities and debt. Should you manage these cushions as part of goals or at an aggregate level? "Since money is fungible, it is better to manage the cushion at an aggregate level. Considering the overall situation at the individual or family level gives a lot of flexibility," says Sadagopan. Since we are working with assumptions, there will some goals with additional corpus and others with a lower corpus. Under-achievement or over-achievement in a goal can happen due to the change in goal itself. The main advantage of the aggregate strategy is that the additional gain in a goal can be shifted to the aggregate cushion and used later.Should you dip into the corpus of other goals? What should you do if you fall short of funds for a critical goal? Should you dip into the corpus of another goal? As a first step, you can divert money from non-critical goals. While doing so, start with non-critical goals that are at least 5-7 years away. This additional time period will give you the breathing space required to replenish the corpus of these goals before their deadlines.Besides, it is crucial to maintain a contingency fund. Since this corpus should be equal to six months' expenses, you can rely on it in the short term. However, this should be done only as a last resort. Since it is crucial to have a contingency fund, you should also replenish it as early as possible. "If you are falling back on the contingency fund, make sure you replenish it at the earliest and invest regularly for other goals only after doing this," says Sadagopan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said he will leave no stone unturned in making India the best investment destination in the world, a better place to do business and go "as far as possible" to revive "animal spirits" and make the "entire private sector bullish".In his first wide-ranging interview after assuming office for a second term, the Prime Minister told ET that he had taken the decision on withdrawing Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir after a "great deal of thought" and was certain this will help create three necessary conditions for investment – stability, market access and predictable laws."Open minds and open markets will ensure that the youth of the region will put it on the path of greater progress. Integration gives a boost to investment, innovation and incomes.""Expectations from India are not only from within the country, but even in the context of global growth and development, a lot is expected from our country," the PM said, referring to the government's economic agenda.The government, Modi said, wants entrepreneurs to enjoy higher productivity and better profits."I want to motivate our industrialists to believe in the India story and in the long-term potential of the Indian market. They should carry on their business and complete their investment plan without any confusion. I reassure all honest and law-abiding businesses of all possible support from our end."The PM went the extra mile to appeal to bankers to pass on the benefits of low interest to borrowers while assuring them against any harassment."No growth is possible if bankers stop taking decisions on day-to-day basis. I reassure the banking fraternity that all their decisions taken in good faith with sound business rationale would not face any witch hunt."Economic growth, Modi said, means "more money in the pockets of people" and not just to the state exchequer.Outlining his government's evolving approach to data-related issues, Modi sought to equate Right to Personal Data today with Right to Private Property in the beginning of the industrial age."We see Right to Personal Data in the machine intelligence age in a manner akin to Right to Private Property at the dawn of industrial era, as not merely a mechanism to protect but also as an enabler to spur commerce in ways we haven't fully foreseen."Modi said the slowdown in the automobile sector is temporary and the transition to electric vehicles is not a cause for worry."The slowdown is transient, accentuated by credit constraints, some regulatory changes and passiveness in demand. I believe that both demand and the industry will bounce back strongly and soon," he said.The Prime Minister said the country has a large enough market and big enough policy space to ensure growth of internal combustion engine (ICE) based automobiles as well as electric vehicles (EVs)."There is no need to speculate about the growth of either of the two. We are in a unique situation where both ICE and EV-based automobiles can co-exist, co-create and learn from each other," the PM said.Further, he said the government is committed to fulfilling the five-year vision of investment-led growth, targeting Rs 100 lakh crore."This would entail further liberalising our FDI policy, simplification of labour laws, further enhancing ease of doing business, power sector reforms, asset monetisation and asset recycling in public sector, and reforms in banking, insurance and pension sectors," he said.Asked about India's strategy to take advantage of the trade war between the US and China and attract investments, Modi said, "Our policies are not designed to get some short-term benefit out of transient disruptions being seen around the world" and his administration is focused on "improving competitiveness through long-term reform measures".These include improving India's ranking in ease of doing business, tax reforms with lower rates and simplifying procedures, labour sector reforms and FDI-related reforms to liberalise the investment climate.He said the government is focused on making it convenient for global firms to bring goods in a "friction-less manner" into India, run factories or service centres here and re-export the resulting products.Modi emphasised that part of his vision to double farmer incomes by 2022 is driven by a focus on increasing exports, especially related to the agricultural sector."We are not looking at farmers as just producers but as potential exporters," the PM said. "Value addition by way of food processing will play a big role."The next step for the government on GST is to improve consumer awareness of the benefits of the system, he said."Presently, it is totally missing. Consumers should know their benefit under this system," Modi said, adding that according to one study, GST rate reductions have helped the average middle-class family save about Rs 1,500 per year.
NEW DELHI: The government has assured homebuyers that it is committed to finding ways to resolve their issues and revive stalled projects.Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday met developers, members of real estate regulation authority (RERA) and homebuyers to understand the issues plaguing the sector."The government will address these issues in the coming days and we are hopeful that this process will be useful in finding a solution to the problems of the real estate industry," said housing minister Hardeep Puri after the meeting.The major issues that were discussed in the meeting included creation of demand, ongoing liquidity issues, stalled projects and homebuyers' interest.Puri said that government is finding ways to resolve issues regarding homebuyers and stalled projects."Whatever problems are there of the homebuyers — stalled projects, etc., —we are exploring ways to move forward on this," Puri said."So, it's a very complicated arena. But given the goodwill within the government, amongst the homebuyers and industry, we will find solutions to whatever problems are there," he said.The government has met industry representative across sectors to find ways to revive the economy. Sitharaman has already met representatives of the automobile, capital markets, real estate, and small and medium enterprises sectors."We've had very extensive meetings so that home buyers in the NCR (National Capital Region) are not going to be stuck without resolution," she had said, adding that work is on for providing some kind of solution to the matter of homebuyers being left in the lurch by such developers.The Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India (CREDAI) has suggested that RERA should be given due recognition in resolution of legacy issues, said its chairman Jaxay Shah, adding that if finance institutions also come under the ambit of RERA, there is a possibility of faster resolution."We hope to have succeeded in highlighting the urgency to ease the liquidity constraint in the interest of timely delivery to home buyers," he said, adding that immediate and positive steps from the government will enable developers to contribute their bit to achieving the PM's vision of 'Housing for All by 2022'.
BENGALURU: One year after India imposed an additional import duty on solar cells and modules to stimulate local production and reduce dependence on imports, no new domestic manufacturing unit has been set up, according to a renewable energy consultancy firm.India imposed a safeguard duty in July 2018 for two years. The duty was pegged at 25% for the first year, 20% for the next six months, and 15% for the last six-month period.Before it was imposed, around 90% of solar panels and modules used in local solar projects were imported, mostly from China and Malaysia, as they were cheaper than locally manufactured ones.The imposition of safeguard duty has not changed the situation."Share of imported modules in utility scale solar still hovers around the 90% mark, consistent with the preceding years," said Bridge to India in a recent weekly report on the solar industry.The report noted that local manufacturing remained in dire straits. "Most of the cell manufacturers have indeed shut down and module manufacturers are operating at low capacity utilisation and/or betting on exports."As electricity distribution companies insist on driving down solar power tariffs and, at times, cancelling solar auctions if the discovered tariff is too high, developers appear to be waiting for the duty's two-year limit to pass rather than pay more for local solar cells and modules.Existing units also claim they are not getting better prices."We are not selling our modules at a better rate as a result of safeguard duty imposition," said Amit Gupta, director of legal and corporate affairs at Vikram Solar, a large solar module manufacturer. "After one year, the situation is even worse than before because the new projects which are being allotted now have a completion period of 15 months, which means bids are taking place without taking the duty into consideration."Six months ago, ET reported that no new investments had been made. "The implementation period of two years is too short to attract new manufacturing investments," Bridge To India said in its report.Some developers are also importing from countries where the duty doesn't apply, such as Thailand and Vietnam."The government did not understand who it was protecting when it brought in the duty," said a solar developer on the condition of anonymity. "Who are you safeguarding and what are you safeguarding against – (that) was not very clear. It was brought in without taking into account the overall implications," the person said.
New Delhi: Capital market regulator Sebi is planning to ease its norms for 'Muni Bonds' to help smart cities and other registered entities working in areas of city planning and urban development work, like municipalities, raise funds through issuance and listing of their debt securities.The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) had issued its Issue and Listing of Debt Securities by Municipalites (ILDM) Regulations nearly five years ago and since then seven municipalities have raised nearly Rs 1,400 crore by issuing their debt securities, which are commonly known as 'Muni Bonds'.Officials said that the regulator is now proposing to allow this route for a larger number of entities including special purpose vehicles set up under the central government's ambitious 'Smart Cities Mission'.The proposed norms would be presented for Sebi's board approval at a meeting scheduled later this month, the officials added.After representations from the industry and market participants for amending its ILDM Regulations to expand this market segment, Sebi had initiated a public consultation process in June proposing certain amendments to these norms.After taking into account the feedback, the regulator has now decided to amend the regulations to provide a greater flexibility in fund raising and for strengthening the investor protection.Under the current regulations, this fund-raising route is only available to the issuers defined as a municipality under the relevant articles of the Constitution of India or the corporate municipal entities set up as a subsidiary of a municipality for the purpose of raising funds for a specific municipality or a group of those.Sebi is now proposing to allow issuance of 'Muni Bonds' also by other entities such as entities or bodies like urban development authorities and city planning agencies that perform functions similar to a municipality such as planning and execution of urban development projects.Since such entities are not defined as a municipality under the Constitution, they have not been able to raise funds from the market through Muni Bonds so far.Besides, Sebi also plans to allow this route for other structures where a group of municipalities pool their resources together to jointly raise funds through issuance of bonds. These structures are generally known as Pooled Finance Development Funds.In addition, the regulations would also be amended to allow fund-raising through Muni Bonds by special purpose vehicles set up for implementing the smart city projects.Under the government's smart city initiative, SPVs have been set up at city level in form of a limited company under the Companies Act for implementing the projects. These companies are promoted by the state government or union territory and the urban local body of the area.These SPVs undertake functions like ensuring adequate water supply, sanitation, sustainable and inclusive development of cities etc, thus performing tasks similar to that of municipalities.The regulator is now proposing that any entity incorporated under the Companies Act, or any statutory body or board, authority, trust or agency established nor notified by an Act of Parliament or an Act of the State Legislature or any SPC notified by the state or central government or any structure set by a state government under the Pooled Finance Development Fund would be eligible to issue Muni Bonds, provided they undertake one or more functions of a municipality.Sebi is also proposing changes relating to accounting, auditing and disclosure of financial statements to take into account the expanded list of eligible entities and the requirements of such entities to get their accounts audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) and approved by various authorities.Besides, Sebi plans to relax norms relating to creation of escrow accounts and do away with requirements for appointing a monitoring agency and establishing a separate project implementation cell.Also, the existing regulations allow issuance of only revenue bonds with a minimum tenure of three years and maximum five years, if it is a public issue. This clause has been proposed to be dropped.In case of private placement, the minimum subscription amount per investor is currently Rs 25 lakh, which is being proposed to be reduced to Rs 10 lakh to align it with the regulations for corporate bonds.In another proposal, a private placement offer can be made to up to 200 persons in one financial year, but this limit would not apply to an invitation to qualified institutional investor.Besides, the filing of draft offer and the final offer document with Sebi have been proposed for private placements as well, in addition to public issues.
Policy level changes on long-term capital gains (LTCG) rules and higher surcharge on FPIs would be a step in the right direction but it would not be enough as India is still reeling under slow economic growth, said Vinit Sambre, head of equities at DSP Investment Managers. In an interview with Sanam Mirchandani, Sambre said more fiscal support and push is needed to make sure we come out of slow demand environment. Edited excerpts:Indian markets have found some stability in the last few days on the hope that LTCG rules will be tweaked and higher surcharge of FPIs registered as trusts may go. Will it be enough to pull the market out of its bearish phase?If positive policy level changes are carried out in these cases then it would be good to revive little bit of sentiment. It would be a step in the right direction. But this is not enough, India is still reeling under slow economic growth. Much more fiscal support and push is needed to make sure we come out of slow demand environment. India has potential to grow at a rate higher than many countries in the emerging markets. It has a stable government. It has benign interest rate environment and low inflation for a long period now. These metrics make the country attractive from a longer term perspective. Of late, however, the GDP growth has slowed and gone below 6% mark. The initial signs of slowdown were visible post demonetisation and GST as it took time for everyone to comply to new norms. From September 2018, the NBFC crisis has assumed a larger proportion in terms of impact on the overall economic activity. The deceleration is becoming much more severe now with most of the sectors including automobiles, NBFC and consumer sector reeling under pressure of low growth. We need strong support and favourable economic policy framework to revive growth.Should investors' allocation be aggressive in equity right now given the weak market sentiment recently? Are you holding cash?As far as our small- and mid-cap funds go, we have been on cash for a while now. We have about 6-7% cash. We have been holding on to this cash for some time due to excessive valuation earlier and now because of this persisting slowdown we believe there could be opportunities available at attractive price point as more and more companies are likely to underperform during the next few quarters. Due to the recent correction the valuations are seeming more reasonable now. However, from the investors' view point, will they provide returns immediately in six months? I would say no. Investors who are coming now will have benefit of getting stocks cheaper than when they were at higher levels in 2017. The so-called risk of paying higher price has come down reasonably well. So it is a good starting point but also bear in mind that investors are not going to immediately see the fruits of their investments and need to invest with longer term view.The auto space has been hit the most in the market decline recently. Is it time to look at this space again?We already have exposure to some of the original auto equipment manufacturers and auto ancillaries. We have, at some point in this fall, looked at adding marginally to some of these as they were looking attractive from a price point perspective but we also understand that the sector is currently facing a severe slowdown. The channel inventory is high in the system. The trends of the past show these type of slowdowns have lasted for at times two years or even more than that. We are just two or three quarters into this phase and who knows whether we will have similar trends of the past to recovery or it may be sooner. It could be sooner depending upon how the liquidity situation improves, how the festival season bodes but we have to be open to the fact that even if it takes longer, these are solid business franchises and hence discarding them structurally is not a right thing to do.Which are the sectors you would recommend at this juncture?As a fund we are slightly more exposed to sectors like healthcare and specialty chemicals where the impact has not been that high. Specialty chemicals has shown good growth which has enabled us to do better than the benchmark.The Street was expecting a stimulus in the budget which did not come through.The budget might have fallen short of expectations in terms of no major stimulus. What is lacking today is probably a 'feel good' factor in the economy. Some tweaking around these areas such as LTCG and dividend distribution tax should have helped in providing that sentiment boost.Corporate banks have been one of the most preferred bets of the market of late. Should one invest in these banks at this juncture?We have seen management changes in some of the top private sector banks and seen some strategy changes in terms of growth and asset quality recognition. They had accelerated their recognition of bad assets and the narrative which is getting built is that as we progress forward, most of the asset quality-related issues will start subsiding. As these banks look forward to a higher growth scenario and with credit cost coming off significantly the growth in the profitability will be huge. That in some form has caught up well with the investors. To some extent there has been delay in terms of the credit cost reduction versus expectation. Hopefully if not this quarter, probably towards the end of this year we will start seeing reflection of that, which should be positive for these banks.
From just two mobile phone manufacturing units in 2014 to 268 mobile handset and accessories manufacturing units in 2019 which has led to 95 per cent of mobile phones sold in the country being produced domestically, the star in India's "Make in India" story is indeed shining.In fact, India is today the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world after China."India has achieved tremendous success in mobile phone and component manufacturing in the last four years with more than 95 per cent of domestic consumption now being produced in India," Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman, India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), told IANS."Our domestic market viz-a-viz domestic manufacturing is saturated and we have set our sights on a target of Rs 7.7 lakh crore of exports by 2025," he added.According to a survey conducted by mobile industry body ICEA, the 268 mobile handset and accessories manufacturing units employ about 6.7 lakh people.So today the phones that most Indians hold in their hands are made in India, thanks mainly to schemes such as Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS) to provide financial incentives across the ESDM value chain to compensate for cost disability in manufacturing and Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC).Launched in 2012, the M-SIPS, provides capital subsidy of 25 per cent for electronics industry located in non-SEZ (Special Economic Zone) areas and 20 per cent for those in SEZ areas.The Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC) scheme, which was also launched in 2012, encouraged entities, including state governments, to provide good quality infrastructure within a cluster.Under the scheme, 50 per cent of the project cost for Greenfield Electronics Manufacturing Clusters and 75 per cent for Brownfield Electronics Manufacturing Clusters is given as grant.Due to the focus on "Make in India" and "Digital India" programmes, Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the new hub of mobile manufacturing in the country over the past few years.In July 2018, Samsung launched the world's largest mobile factory in Noida. The new facility was set up with the aim of doubling its capacity for mobile phones in Noida from 68 million units a year to 120 million units a year, in a phase-wise expansion to be completed by 2020.Besides Samsung, most Chinese smartphone makers which now dominate the Indian market - Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo -- also produce their phones in the country. Apple has already started the assembling of iPhone 7 at its supplier Wistron's facility in Bengaluru.Production of cellular mobile handsets in volume terms reached 225 million units in 2017-18, as compared to production of 60 million units in 2014-15.The National Policy on Electronics 2019 has set the aim of promoting domestic manufacturing and export in the entire value-chain of ESDM (Electronics System Design and Manufacturing) for economic development to achieve a turnover of Rs 26 lakh crore by 2025.This will include targeted production of one billion mobile handsets by 2025, valued at Rs 13 lakh crore, including 600 million mobile handsets valued at Rs 7 lakh crore for export.India currently has over 450 million smartphone users. The number of smartphone users in the country is expected to reach 859 million by 2022, according to an ASSOCHAM-PwC joint study.
BMC to create three artificial ponds outside Sanjay Gandhi National Park The decision was taken in a joint meeting held between the forest department, BMC, police as well as members of River March on August 7
Waterlogging: Time to tap into aquifers At this point, NAQUIM is focused on mapping aquifers for catering to demand in areas with water scarcity, but it is also worth using the same network for solving the water logging problem too
Crime against women can't be brought to zero: BJP MLA Arun Sinha Nirbhaya-like crimes can be brought down but cannot be eliminated completely, says Arun Sinha
Life cover a priority for every Govinda: Dahi Handi Utsav Samanway Samiti Last year, a total of 219 Govindas, who form a human pyramid on the day of the Dahi Handi festival, were injured in the city, while around 963 Dahi Handi pathaks purchased life cover for their members
'Five lakh homebuyers stuck across nation' Homebuyers and their associations says that the biggest issue faced by them is the delay in completion of projects
Income Tax department sleuths bust inter-state tax theft worth Rs 700 crore 55 places were raided by the I-T dept in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Goa
Change in parking slot costs builder Rs 20,000 penalty The developer during the registration of the agreement in 2016, had promised the home buyers a parking space in basement
Restrictions eased, Eid fervour peaks across Kashmir Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir, Baseer Khan, says the administration is doing everything it can to ensure normalcy is restored in the Valley during Eid and the citizens can celebrate the festival without hassles
ISI planning Pulwama-type attack in Kashmir: Intelligence report The intelligence report states that as many as six to seven JeM terrorists may have already infiltrated the Valley
Mumbai cops: Inadequate fuel for patrol vehicles The police department also suffers from a staff crunch and number of vehicles, affects patrolling in the city
India cancels Samjhauta Express, days after Pak move Pakistan's decision had come after the NDA government moved to revoke Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and the bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories
All kind of registered applicants can check your SBI Specialist Cadre Officer 2019 Final Result & Interview schedule from the quick link provided below. We have activated the quick link, so candidates can make use of the link. State Bank of India (SBI) had released the 
