On Saturday, Chrissy Teigen posted a video to Instagram in which John Legend and their one-year-old son, Miles, play "My Favorite Things" together on the piano. Well, John Legend is playing and singing, and Miles is doing some experimental improvising on the side. It is all extremely adorable.
The voice! The smiles! The way Miles looks up at his dad like he's the only person in the entire world! It would be appropriate, as Chrissy suggested, to "stop everything" and watch immediately. Read more...
The junkyard owner played by Larry Hankin who appeared on Breaking Bad a few times is apparently returning in El Camino. He's still doing his thing at the junkyard when he receives a call from... someone. Probably Aaron Paul's Jesse Pinkman? But this is Breaking Bad-adjacent. Don't be surprised if even this brief moment defies expectations.
Like all the teasing looks Netflix has shared so far, this snippet of a scene raises more questions than it answers. We won't be waiting much longer, thoughEl Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie comes to Netflix on Oct. 11. Read more...
Saturday Night Live doesn't always have great politics, but on one issue it is absolutely correct: Apple picking sucks.
Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon play sisters who run a pick-your-own apple farm. If you've ever been apple picking, you'll know the kind they're talking about: A very foggy place swarming with bees where every apple is already on the ground because — so sorry — you just missed peak picking season.
Host Woody Harrelson is particularly funny here as Hank, a farm employee who "came with the land." Even if roasting apple farms isn't your cup of tea, stay for the petting zoo segment. "We found some animals, and now they're in prison," Hank says, later embarking on a sad anecdote about donkey depression. Good stuff. Read more...
Saturday Night Live is back with quite a bit of ground to cover, including the ongoing saga of Donald Trump's looming impeachment. On Weekend Update, Colin Jost talked about how it's felt to watch it all go down — most notably, how Trump can make something as serious and world-altering as impeachment feel like a full-on rodeo. (Further driving home this point is a clip of Rudy Giuliani screaming on Fox News.)
"[Impeachment] should feel like a huge historic moment, but with Trump even impeachment just feels silly," Jost said. "You know, like the movie Nixon was a serious film directed by Oliver Stone. The movie about Trump is gonna be from the dudes who brought you American Pie." Read more...
On Saturday Night Live, there are breaks and then there's whatever happened here.
The Season 45 premiere featured a sketch that was meant to expose the empty noisemaking of political punditry on TV. But part of the joke involved a series of quick costume changes, and some weirdness during one of those switches led to a complete and total breakdown.
Aidy Bryant, the segment's host, couldn't take it. She manages to keep it together until what appears to be an accidental wide shot exposes some of the magic as we see a woman who's probably a member of the SNL wardrobe crew fiddling with Aidy's costume. Read more...
The average Saturday Night Live sketch tends to top out at around 6 or 7 minutes. This one? It climbs past 10 minutes. Like everything else relating to the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, the sketch is overstuffed with personalities and loses the script quickly.
On the other hand, we do get host Woody Harrelson as Joe Biden and guests Maya Rudolph and Larry David as Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders, respectively. Everyone gets some screen time, but thankfully the guests get most of it.
Cut SNL some slack here. There's months of candidate wrangling to catch up on in this Season 45 premiere, and these 10-pluus minutes somehow manage touch on all the most ridiculous IRL stories. Read more...
The first episode of Saturday Night Live's 45th season has officially aired, and of course it opened with honorary cast member Alec Baldwin bringing back his Donald Trump impression. The real Trump is facing impeachment, so of course the SNL crew is facing the same thing.
This isn't so much funny as it is a parade of faces both familiar and new. Joining the well-established impressions from Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, Chris Redd, Beck Bennett, Mikey Day, and Alex Moffat are new ones from Aidy Bryant (attorney general Bill Barr), new cast member Bowen Yang (Kim Jong-un), and, in a weird twist, Liev Schreiber, who pointedly isn't impersonating anyone. Read more...
It's tough to practice real self-care when the internet's obsessed with #self-care. Let Mashable help with our new series Me, My Self-Care & I.
Self-care is important for all humans, including those floating in space.
Think about it. If it’s challenging enough to incorporate self-improvement and wellness-boosting techniques into our daily routines, with the benefits of social connection, the pull of gravity, and fresh air at our disposal, how hard must it be for astronauts?
Self-care in a space context is anything that contributes to astronauts' mental and physical well-being while floating among the stars. Astronauts are tasked with adjusting to a new environment with reduced living quarters and limited hygiene facilities, while establishing working relationships with crew mates, keeping in touch with friends and family back home, balancing work and rest, and keeping up with their physical and mental fitness. Read more...
Need new headphones to partner your new iPhone 11? Rakuten is currently offering its members the AirPods for $133.99, saving 15% off the listed price. But If you already have an Amazon Alexa ecosystem in place, you might consider getting yourself a pair of Echo Buds. Amazon answer to the AirPods releases on October 30, 2019, priced at $129.99.
You may think it's too late to learn the most sought-after professional skills of 2019, but you'd be wrong. Time moves fast but, come on, it doesn't move that fast. Workplaces of 2020 will still be looking for many of the same skills. What we're trying to say here is that, in the 21st century, it pays to continue your education and constantly sharpen your skills.
Here are 20 courses you can take online, in your own time, that are all available for less than $20 each. They all cover some of today's most in-demand skills so you can leverage your learning into a promotion or a new job. Read more...
Cleaning the interior of your car is anything but enjoyable. The outcome is definitely worth it, but the time and effort you put into it can be quite frustrating. Usually, you have two main options for vacuuming your car. You can find a car wash with a vacuum station, fumble for coins to start it up and try to maneuver the hose into all the crevices. Or, attach tools to the hose of your bulky, corded vacuum at home, connect it to an extension cord, maneuver it into your car, and cross your fingers that it works. Neither option is particularly great. Read more...
TL;DR: Up your drawing game with the best-selling 3Doodler 3D printing pen. Get the basic 3Doodler for $79.99, the new Create+ for $149.99, or the 3Doodler Start for $99.
Remember when your biggest drawing dilemma was choosing what size Crayola crayons to get your parents to buy you? The answer is the 64-pack with the added sharpener (duh), but that's neither here nor there.
Today, the world of design possibilities are seemingly endless. So much so that drawing is no longer two dimensional. There are plenty of revolutionary pens out there on the market that allow you to designs shapes, text, landscapes — the sky's the limit — in 3D. That Eiffel Tower you were sketching? A 3D pen can turn it into a tangible structure right before your eyes. Read more...
Tesla released its latest software update, V10, on Thursday, and amongst the new games, streaming services (Spotify at last!), and Joe Mode, came an autonomous driving update.
Customers who have a Full Self-Driving capable car or Enhanced Autopilot package already had a Summon feature through the Tesla mobile app. Now they have Smart Summon. And everyone is trying it out.
Smart Summon goes beyond its predecessor's simple ability to remotely move the car forward and backward while outside the vehicle. Now you can set the car to navigate a parking lot and come to you — but only if the car is within your line of sight. Read more...
A fan-made mash-up bringing together "Truth Hurts" and Disney's 1970 classic, The Aristocats was good enough to earn a shout and a share from Lizzo herself.
The video comes from fan Brendan Carey, who first shared it on Friday on his Instagram. It's not clear when Lizzo first saw it, but Carey, a self-described Lizzbian, was clearly thrilled, breaking a two-year Twitter hiatus to interact with well-wishers and re-tweet this: Read more...
Japan Airlines is giving passengers as much information as possible to help them decide where they want to sit on a flight.
On Tuesday, a frequent flyer noticed a kid icon on the seating chart for his 13-hour flight on JAL, as the Japanese airline is known. He tweeted out his gratitude for what he called a warning "about where babies plan to scream and yell."
Thank you, @JAL_Official_jp for warnings me about where babies plan to scream and yell during a 13 hour trip. This really ought to be mandatory across the board.
On Friday night, a completely unremarkable college football game produced something extraordinary. The Virginia Tech Hokies didn't do much to write home about on the field, but on the sideline, a robot celebrated the few points they scored in its own way.
ESPN's broadcast of Friday night's Virginia Tech-Duke matchup captured footage of a robot that does pushups for each point Virginia Tech scores. When the Hokies kicked a field goal to go up 3-0 in the first quarter, the robot peeled off three quick pushups to show support for the home team.
This is either a neat, futuristic gimmick or a case of rampant automation claiming another human job. As ESPN's commentators pointed out, sideline pushups used to be the realm of cheerleaders and mascots. Kansas State University's mascot Willie the Wildcat, for example, is the king of the touchdown pushup. Read more...
Google launched YouTube Music four years ago, but Android owners have been able to avoid it. Until now, anyway.
In a Friday blog post, Google announced the YouTube-branded music streaming service would supersede Google Play Music as the default music player on Android devices. It'll come pre-installed on new Android 9 and Android 10 devices, though Google was quick to note that Google Play Music can still be downloaded from the Play Store.
This probably won't be all that disruptive in the short term, since the old app isn't going away. Plenty of people probably use a separate service like Spotify anyway. That said, it's worth noting that there are going to be drawbacks to YouTube Music becoming the new go-to Android music app. Read more...
In these times, climate change and the effects of a warming planet are top of mind, especially with recent extreme weather events, Donald Trump administration policy roll-backs, and climate activists like Greta Thunberg reminding us how we're destroying her future.
So in true 2019 fashion, the heartwarming story of the week isn't about a kitten and a duck snuggling, but about a gas station in Maryland fully embracing emission-free transportation, or at least cleaner energy than gasoline to power vehicles.
As CNBC first reported, the RS Automotive gas station in Takoma Park, Maryland, outside of Washington, D.C., switched out all its pumps for electric charging stations on Thursday. Working with the Electric Vehicle Institute and the city, the conversion was possible through a $786,000 grant from the Maryland Energy Administration. Read more...
Microsoft's answer to Pokémon Go is finally ready for showtime.
Minecraft Earth is an augmented reality game in the vein Niantic's 2017 hit, and its "early access" phase of release is officially set to begin in October. Fans interested in participating can sign up starting on Sep. 28 at the game's website.
Signing up means you'll be notified when Minecraft Earth launches in your country. Microsoft's plan is to roll out the early access in smaller markets – exactly where isn't clear – and then expand into other countries once everything is running OK. The plan is to have worldwide availability by the 2019 holidays. Read more...
In a unearthed CNN interview with Larry King from 1990, George Carlin gives his opinion on Andrew Dice Clay and comedy that targets vulnerable groups and people.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
You've already heard of Wix because it's the absolute gold standard for building websites without code. Portfolio, business site, or anything else, Wix makes it easy. Get your first year for 73% off today.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Over 70,000 people can't be wrong! Grab a free spot for Teachable LIVE, an online summit packed with expert entrepreneurs sharing valuable advice on how you can transform your skills into a profitable online course.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have claimed their largest operation yet, reportedly capturing "thousands" of Saudi troops in the border region. There has been no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities.
Yemen's Houthi fighters have claimed a major raid resulting in the capture of "thousands" of enemy troops, including many officers and soldiers of the Saudi army, as well as hundreds of armored vehicles and weapons.
Houthi military spokesman Yahia Sarie told the Houthi-run al-Masirah broadcaster on Saturday that three "enemy military brigades had fallen" in the operation. He said the offensive was supported by drone, missile and air defense units.
"This is the largest operation since aggression started on our country," he said.
Hong Kong police have fired tear gas and a water cannon to disperse anti-government protesters who threw rocks, broke government office windows and blocked a key road near the local headquarters of China's People's Liberation Army.
A series of protests for and against the city's Communist Party rulers in Beijing is planned ahead of the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic on Tuesday, including at the consulate of former colonial power Britain.
The protesters, many dressed all in black and wearing masks, took cover under umbrellas from the water cannon and fled after the demonstrations had taken a familiar turn into clashes with police as they have done regularly over more than three months.
Afghanistan's presidential polls closed Saturday amid Taliban violence nationwide and complaints of wrongdoings in some polling centers.
Millions of Afghans braved the militant threats and cast their vote for a new leader in the fourth democratic election since the Taliban regime was ousted by the U.S. invasion in 2001.
"Amid the challenges and threats, the presidential elections of Afghanistan successfully ended," Hawa Alam Nuristani, head of the country's independent election commission, told reporters in Kabul. The commission plans to make an announcement on the turnout, she said.
Tehran, Sept 29, IRNA - Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Moallem delivered Syria's speech at the United Nations General Assembly's 73th session.
At UNGA, Syrian finance minister also says 'no deadline' should be imposed over a constitutional body proposed recently.
Syria has demanded the immediate withdrawal of all foreign forces from its territories and stated that it reserves the right to take action if they remain inside the country.
"The United States and Turkey maintain an illegal military presence in northern Syria," Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said in his address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Saturday.
"Any foreign forces operating in our territories without our authorisation are occupying forces and should withdraw immediately," he said.
Syria's devastating eight-year civil war has drawn numerous foreign militaries and thousands of foreign fighters battling for power.
Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets of the Sokoly Rossii, "Falcons of Russia," aerobatic team in formation during a rehearsal for an airshow in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, August 1, 2019. Reuters
* Russia and Turkey are in talks about the latter potentially buying Russia's Su-35 fighter jets. * It's too early to talk about a concrete deal, a Russian official said, but the discussions come two months after the US kicked Turkey out of the F-35 fighter jet program because Ankara both some other Russian weapons.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia and Turkey are holding talks about the possible sale of Russian-made Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets to Turkey, but it is too early to talk about a concrete deal, RIA news agency cited a senior Russian official as saying on Friday.
Turkey has been at odds with the US over its purchase of Russian S-400 missile systems, which Washington says are not compatible with NATO defenses and pose a threat to Lockheed Martin's F-35 "stealth" fighter jets.
Turkey began receiving the S-400 systems from Russia in mid-July. A few days after they began arriving, the US kicked Turkey out of the F-35 program.
The trillion-dollar plane is getting into the air-policing game. Moscow won't like that.
Italy has become the first country to deploy F-35 stealth fighters for NATO's air-policing missions.
Italian F-35As belonging to the Italian air force's 13° Gruppo, 32° Stormo are on track to take over the air-policing mission in Iceland, David Cenciotti reported at The Aviationist on Sept. 25, 2019.
"The Italian aircraft, that have already deployed to Keflavik International Airport, from their homebase at Amendola air base in southeastern Italy, will start flying familiarisation sorties in the next few days," Cenciotti wrote. "After achieving the NATO certification they will start quick-reaction alert duties."
"The F-35s, were accompanied by a KC-767A tanker, a C-130J and a P-72A maritime patrol aircraft," Cenciotti added, citing data from flight-tracking websites.
A coastal defence system deployed in Russia's Far East has for the first time fired the Oniks cruise missile, developed to pierce the anti-missile capabilities of US Navy warships.
Oniks has a ramjet engine capable of boosting its speed to Mach 2, making it difficult to intercept, and has a range of up to 600km (373 miles). The anti-ship weapon is usually deployed on Russian Navy ships, but can also be fired by the mobile launchers of the Bastion coastal defense system.
THE Space Shuttle Challenger disaster shocked the world in 1986 when all seven crew were killed amid a catastrophic mission failure – but it has emerged the shuttle cabin survived the initial explosion.
TYHPOON Mitag will batter Taiwan, Japan and South Korea with the colossal storm set to cause a huge tropical disturbance across the Pacific as it makes landfall in the Philippines.
HURRICANE LORENZO is continuing to track across the Atlantic as a powerful hurricane, with winds reaching 115mph. Here are the latest NOAA warnings, spaghetti models, path and tracking updates.
Meghan Markle visited a memorial to a murdered 19-year-old student while traveling in South Africa earlier this week, Buckingham Palace confirms to TIME.
Uyinene Mrwetyana, a female student in Cape Town, was raped and murdered in August. Her death launched a wave of outrage and protests as women across the country demanded South Africa address the issue of gender-based bias, launching the social media campaign #AmINext? 39,633 rapes and 6,253 sexual assaults were reported in the country in 2017, according to Amnesty International.
According to CNN, the Dutches of Sussex initially visited the memorial in secret because she wanted to attend in private as a “personal gesture.”
The official Sussex Royal Instagram account posted a photograph of Markle Saturday morning, tying a ribbon at the post office where Mrwetyana was killed. The post said Markle wanted “to pay her respects and to show solidarity with those who have taken a stand against gender-based violence and femicide.”
Markle also spoke with Mrwetyana’s mother, per the social media post.
Markle began an official 10-day tour with her husband Prince Harry and their 4-month-old son Archie on Sept 23. Harry’s trip includes Botswana, Angola and Malawi, while Markle stayed in South Africa.
She spoke out against gender violence during a speech organized by African human rights organization Justice Desk, saying, “On one personal note, may I just say that while I am here with my husband, as a member of the royal family, I want you to know that for me, I am here with you as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, as a woman of color and as your sister.”
(ZVIMBA, Zimbabwe) — A priest asked God to take pity on Robert Mugabe as the family of the longtime Zimbabwean leader buried him Saturday at his rural home. They chose a private farewell for one of Africa’s most divisive figures after a weeks-long dispute with the administration that forced him from power.
“This man lives forever,” declared the priest, to cries of approval. Mugabe died this month in Singapore at age 95 after leading the country for nearly four decades and being pushed into a shocking resignation as thousands danced in the streets. “I was ridiculed,” a relative said Mugabe told them.
His coffin, draped in the country’s flag, was carried by military pallbearers as his black-veiled wife, Grace, looked on. On display was a photo of Mugabe holding up his fist in a classic gesture of defiance, and a floral arrangement spelled out “Dad.” Many mourners wore T-shirts saying “Liberator” and “Torch bearer.”
Grace later stood motionless as the coffin was lowered into the grave and a choir sang “Remember me.”
Mugabe, who led the bitter guerrilla war to end white-minority rule in the country then known as Rhodesia, was Zimbabwe’s first leader and ruled from 1980, overseeing a years-long slide from prosperity to economic ruin and repression. He was forced by the military and ruling party to retire in late 2017 after bitter political feuding centered in part on his wife’s political ambitions.
Some of Mugabe’s political rivals, including opposition figures who were routinely arrested or harassed during his 37-year rule, attended the service while longtime colleagues did not. Notably absent were senior officials from the ruling party that he led for more than four decades, including during the fight for liberation.
Just a handful of people in the gathering of some 200 wore party regalia, a sign of how the bookish, combative former leader died isolated from the people he called comrades for much of his adult life.
Mugabe’s family earlier had agreed to a government request to bury him at the National Heroes Acre shrine in the capital, but only after a hilltop mausoleum was built to set him apart from the rest. Then the government on Thursday abruptly announced the family had changed its mind, leaving it with scaffolding around the partially completed memorial.
While some might blame his widow for the move, it was Mugabe himself who wanted the private ceremony instead of one presided over by the people who removed him from power, Grace’s sister Junior Shuvai Gumbochuma said in a speech on Saturday.
“Some may be surprised by this small crowd given this man’s greatness,” she said. “I remember he presided over many burials of heroes that were attended by busloads of people. I thought one day such crowds would attend his own burial. What we did today was his wish.”
She added: “I asked him why he didn’t want to be buried at Heroes Acre and he responded: ‘I was ridiculed.'”
A spokesman for the ruling ZANU-PF party, Simon Khaya Moyo, called the choice of a private burial “most unfortunate.”
In a statement, Moyo added that “we indeed respect the wishes of families of deceased heroes, hence we are saddened when maneuvers that border on political gimmicks begin to unfold on an issue concerning an illustrious liberation icon.”
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a once-trusted deputy who helped oust Mugabe from power, was not attending the burial. State-run media reported that the government would be represented by the home affairs minister.
Only approved guests and funeral parlor vans were allowed, a decision out of sync with the local tradition that funerals are free for all to attend. One elderly neighbor threw a tantrum after being blocked at the gate.
“This gathering is a paradox,” the priest told the gathering. “We are mourning at the same time we are celebrating because this man lived his life in a manner that many of us would want to emulate.”
Later, standing by the coffin, he prayed: “God, take pity on him. Don’t judge him harshly.”
(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Afghanistan’s presidential polls closed Saturday amid fears that accusations of fraud and misconduct could overwhelm any election results, while insurgent attacks aimed at disrupting voting in the country’s north and south caused dozens of casualties.
An upsurge in violence in the run-up to the elections, following the collapse of U.S.-Taliban talks to end America’s longest war, had already rattled Afghanistan in the past weeks. Yet on Saturday, many voters expressed equal fear and frustration over relentless government corruption and the widespread chaos at polling stations.
A deeply flawed election and contested result could drive the war-weary country into chaos.
Many Afghans found incomplete voters’ lists, unworkable biometric identification systems aimed at curbing fraud, and in some cases hostile election workers.
Ruhollah Nawroz, a representative of the Independent Complaints Commission tasked with monitoring the process, said the problems are countrywide.
Nawroz said he arrived at a polling center in the Taimani neighborhood of Kabul, the capital, at 6 a.m. and “hour by hour I was facing problems.”
Polls opened at 7 a.m. local time and closed at 5 p.m. after the Independent Election Commission (IEC) extended polling by one hour.
Preliminary results won’t be out until Oct. 17, with a final vote count on Nov. 7. If no candidate wins 51 percent of the vote, a second round will be held between the two leading candidates.
Voter Hajji Faqir Bohman, who was speaking on behalf of disgruntled voters at the Taimani polling center, said the polling was so disorganized and flawed that even if his candidate wins “I will never believe that it was a fair election.”
The leading contenders are incumbent President Ashraf Ghani and his partner in the five-year-old unity government, Abdullah Abdullah, who already alleges power abuse by his opponent. Cameras crowded both men as they cast their vote earlier in Kabul, with Ghani telling voters they too had a responsibility to call out instances of fraud.
A young woman, Shabnam Rezayee, was attacked by an election worker after insisting on seeing the voter’s list when she was told her name was not on the list. Rezayee said the worker hurled abuses at her, directing her insults at her ethnicity. She then punched and scratched her.
When it ended and the attacker left, Rezayee found her name on the list and voted. “I am very strong,” she said.
In Kabul, turnout was sporadic and in the morning hours it was rare to see a crowded polling center. Afghans who had patiently lined up before the voting centers were opened, entered in some locations to find that election officials had yet to arrive by opening time.
Imam Baksh, who works as a security guard, said he wasn’t worried about his safety as he stood waiting to mark his ballot, wondering whom he would vote for.
“All of them have been so disappointing for our country,” he said.
The government’s push to hold the vote was in itself controversial. In an interview with The Associated Press last week, former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, who still wields heavy influence, warned that the vote could be destabilizing for the country at a time of deep political uncertainty and hinder restarting the peace process with the Taliban.
On Saturday, one of the first reports of violence came from southern Afghanistan, the former spiritual heartland of the Taliban. A bomb attack on a local mosque where a polling station was located wounded 15 people, a doctor at the main hospital in the city of Kandahar said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak with the media.
The wounded included a police officer and several election officials, along with voters. Three were in critical condition.
In northern Kunduz, where Taliban have previously threatened the city — even briefly taking control of some areas — insurgents fired mortar rounds into the municipality and attacked Afghan security forces on its outskirts, said Ghulam Rabani Rabani, a council member for the province.
Rabani said the attacks are to “frighten people and force them to stay in their homes and not participate in the election.”
He said ongoing fighting has wounded as many as 40 people.
Tens of thousands of police, intelligence officials and Afghan National Army personnel were deployed throughout the country to protect the 4,942 election centers. Authorities said 431 polling centers will stay closed because it was impossible to guarantee their security since they were either in areas under Taliban control or where insurgents could threaten nearby villages.
At one polling station in Kabul’s well-to-do Shahr-e-Now neighborhood, election workers struggled with biometric machines as well as finding names on voters’ lists.
Ahmad Shah, 32, cast his vote, but said the election worker forgot to ink his finger — which is mandatory to prevent multiple voting by the same person.
“What sort of system is this?” he asked, frustrated that he had risked his safety to vote and expressed fear that fraud will mar the election results. “It’s a mess.”
Still, 63-year old Ahmad Khan urged people to vote.
“It is the only way to show the Taliban we are not afraid of them,” he said, though he too worried at the apparent glitches in the process.
In Kabul traffic was light, with police and the army scattered throughout the city, stopping cars and looking for anything out of the ordinary. Larger vehicles were not being allowed into the capital on Saturday, which is normally a working day but for the elections was declared a holiday.
Campaigning for Saturday’s elections was subdued and went into high gear barely two weeks ahead of the polls as most of the 18 presidential candidates expected a deal between the United States and the Taliban to delay the vote. But on Sept. 7, President Donald Trump declared a deal that seemed imminent dead after violent attacks in Kabul killed 12 people, including two U.S.-led coalition soldiers, one of whom was American.
While many of the presidential candidates withdrew from the election, none formally did so, leaving all 18 candidates on the ballot.
Elections in Afghanistan are notoriously flawed and in the last presidential polls in 2014, allegations of widespread corruption were so massive that the United States intervened to prevent violence. No winner was declared and the U.S. cobbled together the unity government in which Ghani and Abdullah shared equal power — Ghani as president and Abdullah as chief executive, a newly created position.
Constant bickering and infighting within the government frustrated attempts to bring in substantive legislation as security, which has been tenuous, continued to deteriorate, frustrating Afghans and causing many to flee as refugees.
Neighboring Pakistan, routinely accused of aiding insurgents, said it was re-opening its borders with Afghanistan after receiving a request from the Afghan defense minister to allow Afghans to return home to vote. Pakistan had announced the border would be closed Saturday and Sunday.
(UNITED NATIONS) — Syria’s top diplomat demanded Saturday the immediate withdrawal of American and Turkish forces from the country and said his government reserves the right to defend its territory in any way necessary if they remain.
“The United States and Turkey maintain an illegal military presence in northern Syria,” Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem told the U.N. General Assembly. “Any foreign forces operating in our territories without our authorization are occupying forces and should withdraw immediately.”
If they refuse, he said, “we have the right to take any and all countermeasures authorized under international law.”
There are around 1,000 U.S. troops in Syria on a mission to combat Islamic State group militants. The United States also backs and supports Kurdish groups in the northeast that are opposed to the Syrian government and have fought against Sunni extremist groups.
U.S. President Donald Trump had said he wants to bring the troops home, but military officials have advocated a phased approach.
Al-Moallem described Turkey and the United States as “arrogant to the point of holding discussions and reaching agreements on the creation of a so-called ‘safe zone’ inside Syria” as if it was on their own soil. He said any agreement without the consent of the Syrian government is rejected.
The deal between Washington and Turkey details an area five to 14 kilometers deep (three to eight miles), as well as removal of heavy weapons from a 20-kilometer-deep zone (12 miles) along Syria’s northeastern border with Turkey. The length of the zone has not yet been agreed to by both parties, but will likely stretch hundreds of kilometers.
For more than eight years, Syria’s devastating civil war has drawn numerous foreign militaries and thousands of foreign fighters battling for power. Millions of Syrians have fled the country, living as refugees in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and other countries around the world. Hundreds of thousands have been killed.
Most of the country has now returned to government control. But rebels and extremists still hold Idlib in the northwest, and U.S-backed Kurdish groups hold the oil-rich northeast.
(WASHINGTON) — Kurt Volker, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO caught in the middle of a whistleblower complaint over the President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, resigned Friday from his post as special envoy to the Eastern European nation, according to a U.S. official.
The official said Volker told Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday of his decision to leave the job, following disclosures that he had connected Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani with Ukrainian officials to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his family over allegedly corrupt business dealings.
Giuliani has said he was in frequent contact with Volker about his efforts. The State Department had no immediate comment on his resignation and has said only that Volker put Giuliani in touch with an aide to Ukraine’s president.
Pompeo said Thursday that as far as he knew, all State Department employees had acted appropriately in dealing with Ukraine.
Volker was brought into the Trump administration by former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to serve as envoy for Ukraine. He worked in a volunteer capacity and had retained his job as head of the John McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University. Arizona State’s student newspaper was the first to report his resignation.
(HONG KONG) — Thousands of people gathered Saturday for a rally in downtown Hong Kong, belting out songs, speeches and slogans to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2014 protest movement that called for democratic reforms in the semiautonomous Chinese territory.
The rally at Tamar Park by the Civil Human Rights Front was approved by police but security was tight, with barriers blocking access to government offices and the Legislative Council building, which was stormed by protesters in July.
Demonstrators unfurled a big banner that read “We are back” on a footbridge to the government office. A staircase leading to the bridge was turned into a veritable art gallery of protest art, with posters stuck on every available surface of the walkway. One read “Persevere until final victory.”
Some protesters trampled on pictures of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam that were glued to the floor. At one of the gates to Lam’s office, the Chinese word for “hell” and an arrow pointing to the building were spray-painted on the sidewalk.
“We think we will lose because their force is so strong,” said one demonstrator, 22-year-old Sang Chan. “But if we don’t do anything now, we’ll have no other chance.”
A 32-year-old protester who would give only his surname, Chau, said they hope to wear down the government. “It’s like a marathon to see who gets tired first,” he said.
Just before the rally started, a small group of black-clad protesters wearing goggles and masks attempted to scale barricades outside the government offices, prompting riot police behind the barriers to fire pepper spray.
The protesters retreated but returned, heckling police and thumping metal fencing. Police used pepper spray again, and the scene repeated several times. Some journalists were hit by the spray.
Police said in a statement that a large group of protesters blocked a main road nearby, paralyzing traffic, and that some damaged property outside the government offices.
“We are back with even stronger determination,” activist Joshua Wong, who played a key role as a youth leader in the 2014 movement, when protesters occupied key thoroughfares in the same area for 79 days beginning Sept. 28, told thousands at the rally. The 2014 protests ended without winning any government concessions.
Earlier Saturday, Wong, 22, announced plans to contest district council elections in November. He said the vote is crucial to send a message to Beijing that the people are more determined than ever to win the battle for more rights.
Wong, who has been arrested and jailed repeatedly, said he is aware that he could be disqualified but warned it would just generate more support for the protest movement. Members of the Demosisto party that he co-founded in 2016 have in the past been disqualified from serving and running for office because they advocated self-determination.
Wong is out on bail after he was rearrested with several other people last month and charged with organizing an illegal rally. It didn’t stop him from going to the U.S., Germany and Taiwan to drum up support for the current protest movement, which started in June over an extradition bill but has since snowballed into an anti-China campaign.
The now-shelved bill, which would have sent some criminal suspects for trial in mainland China, is seen as a jarring example of China’s intrusion into the city’s autonomy.
Apart from Saturday’s rally in the city center, protesters are also planning global “anti-totalitarianism” rallies on Sunday in Hong Kong and over 60 other cities worldwide to denounce what they called “Chinese tyranny.”
But the biggest worry for the government is on Tuesday. Protesters plan a major march downtown, sparking fears of a bloody showdown that could embarrass China’s ruling Communist Party as it marks its 70th year in power with grand festivities in Beijing. Pro-Beijing groups have also vowed to come out.
Police have banned the march, but in the past that has not stopped protesters from showing up anyway. Hong Kong’s government has toned down National Day celebrations, canceling an annual firework display and moving a reception indoors.
Separately, American academic Dan Garrett, who testified at a U.S. congressional hearing with Wong on Sept. 18, said Saturday that he was denied entry into Hong Kong on Thursday due to “unspecified immigration reasons.”
He tweeted that it was the first time he was barred after having visited and lived in Hong Kong for two decades.
Garrett and other speakers spoke about the weakening of Hong Kong’s autonomy as some U.S. congressmen sought to push through a bill to support the democracy movement. Chinese government accused the U.S. and other foreign powers of fomenting the unrest.
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
RCUB Result 2019 – All those students who are pursuing their degree under the Rani Channamma University Belagavi here comes great news for you people. You 3rd Semester Examination Results are released for all the branches. Candidates can get the MA, M.Sc, MCA Degree RCUB Examination Results from the below section. Students can get the complete details regarding the Exam dates and Result dates from this site easily. Check out the Rani Channamma University Belgavi Results 2019 at the rcub.ac.in. official website.
Those who are searching up for the updated and latest Rani Channamma University Belagavi Semester Exam Results can check it out here. We people from Recruitment.Guru has collected all the updated results from the official website and updated it here. As the Rani Channamma University Belagavi has released the university results for the III Semester do click on the below link and get the RCUB Examination Result 2019. Just click on the below-given link and enter the register number and select the semester you wanted to get the results. All regular and private students non-college ex/students can check the result of Odd and Even been from the link given below. Students can visit this web portal and keep on pouring to get more details about the RCUB Result.
Before the Rani Channamma University came into being in 2010, Karnataka University KRCPG Centre of Karnatak University, Dharwad was functioning at Belagavi. The said Karnatak University PG Centre was established at Belagavi in the year 1982, to provide an opportunity to develop access to the students for higher education hailing from North Karnataka Region. At present, the Rani Channamma University is offering 9 PG courses at Vidyasangam Campus Belagavi, in the school of Arts, Education, Social Science, Science, Commerce, and Management. It is also offering M.Phil and Ph. D programmes. The courses in Social Science include Economics, Sociology, Social Work and in Arts includes Kannada and Marathi. In Science the university offers M.Sc in Physics, Mathematics, and chemistry and in Applied it offers Geography and Library and information science. School of Business and Economics offers a Master's Degree in Commerce and Management.
RCUB Regular/ Supplementary Examination Results
Those students who have attended the regular examination under the Rani Channamma University Belagavi and still failed. Here comes one more opportunity to clear the examination. To increase your scoring along with that students to fail in the previous examination will get a chance to clear through RCUB Revaluation Exams Results. For each and every semester Students can apply for the revaluation after the announcement of the main examination results. The Rani Channamma University Belagavi will take a week or more to process the exam papers to announce the Revaluation results. Do stay updated with the University to know about the Revaluation Exam Results.
KUK Results 2019 announced for BA I year, MCom, MA II Year, BBA II Sem, MA Hindi IV Sem, BCom II Year, MA Hindi II Sem, BSc Information Technology Courses. Updated Kurukshetra University Semester wise Results declared for various courses here. Get the direct links to access and to check out your examination results. KUK has conducted Regular Examination along with the Supplementary Examination. Candidates who are waiting for the Kurukshetra University Semester Exam Result 2019 can download their result from here.
Kurukshetra University – KUK Exam Results 2019
A huge number of candidates have appeared for the Kurukshetra University UG/ PG Semester Examination on December 2018. The University now has announced the results for the M. Tech, B. Sc, M. Sc, MA, BA, B. Tech & Other Courses. Students of Kurukshetra University can get direct links, where you can easily download your mark list too. Do check out the KUK Revaluation Results at the bottom of the page and get to know the about the KUK Revaluation Exam Results 2019 details and its process.
Kurukshetra University is one of the premier educational institutions of India. Established in 1956, the University is providing higher education to over half a million students on the campus and its affiliated colleges. By virtue of its commitment to excellence, the University has been awarded A+Grade by NAAC and has been placed at 8th position amongst the State Universities of the country in Category-I by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and has also been granted academic autonomy. Located on the southern bank of famed Brahm Sarovar, Kurukshetra University has a sprawling campus spread over 473 acres. In addition to providing quality education to the students, Kurukshetra University embodies the values of Yogastha Kuru Karmani, enshrined in Bhagwadgita, which means performing one's activities while remaining steadfast in Yoga.
The University is in the rapid process of transformation to an institution of excellence. In this process, digitalization of the University is being done to develop an efficient and transparent system that would further facilitate a learner's experience at the University.
Students those who have attended the Semester Examination for the various courses under the Kurukshetra University. Those who failed or scored low marks in the Semester Examination of current paper has on more chance to pass through the particular examination. The board releases Revaluation results for those wish that their examination paper is evaluated once again. For all those stuff, after the main examination results are released candidates can check out the Revaluation dates and start applying for the respected exam paper that you wish to be evaluated again. Revaluation Exam results will be released and updated soon on the Official Website itself. And Students of Kurukshetra University can check it out.
JNTUA Results 2019 – Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Anantapur has published the JNTUA Semester Exam Results 2019 for various Courses. Students those who have appeared for the Pharm.D III Yr, B.Tech IV & I Yr I Sem Examination will be waiting for the results. Now, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Anantapur has released the results and Students can check this from the official website of the University i.e, jntua.ac.in. Also on this page, we always used to update all the results for Regular/Supply and UG/PG Students. Students can keep connected to this page to get the related details of JNTUA Exam Results 2019.
JNTUA Results 2019
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Anantapur has successfully conducted the University Examination and now it’s time to declare the results. According to the marks in the examination, we can predict the Students performance individually. Currently, the University has announced the results for various courses on a daily basis. Here on this page, we have provided a direct link to download/check the JNTUA Exam Results 2019. Even, we have updated the Upcoming JNTUA Results on this page, the link will be work when the University will officially announce in the official website. Students can find the Upcoming JNTUA Results 2019 along with JNTUA Revaluation Results & More.
Upcoming JNTUA Exam Results 2019
Name of the Exam
Announcement Date
Result Link
B.Pharmacy I Year (R09) Supplementary Examinations, June/July 2019
About Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Anantapur
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Anantapur (JNTU Anantapur) is a state university in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, India. Founded in 1946, it has since 1973 been a constituent college of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, as set by The Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Act, 1972. In 2008 it had received autonomous status by the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological Universities Act, 2008. The University offers various B.Tech and M.Tech Courses.
JNTUA Supply/ Revaluation Results
Students have a chance to apply for the revaluation, if the students may get low marks in the examination, they can apply for the Revaluation results. So again the head of the Examiner will review the answer paper. After revaluation, students may get high marks. Still, if anyone got low marks, they can apply for the Supplementary Examinations. For Revaluation/Supplementary, students should pay the fee. Students can get all the results from this page Regular, Revaluation and Supplementary Results. We request the students to keep connected to this page recruitment.guru to get the latest updates of JNTU Anantapur.
GJU Result 2019 released. Students those who are studying under the Guru Jambheshwar University, it time to check out your exam results. And here GJU Result is released according to the semester wise for both the main exams along with the reappeared examination. Students can download the complete set of GJU Exam Result 2019-20 at free of cost. The GJU Results 2019 are declared for all the UG, PG, Distance Education Courses & Others.
GJU Hisar Result 2019-20 @ gjust.ac.in
Affiliated colleges and students those who are studying under the Guru Jambheshwar University here comes great news for you people. We are glad to inform you that your semester examination results are released by the University officially on the website. Candidates those who are in search of the GJU Hisar Results 2019-20 can check out our webpage. We people from recruitment.guru we let you know the regular updates about the GJU Semester Exam Result 2019-20. The below table will list out all the updated examination results as soon as released on the official website. Recently the Guru Jambheshwar University has released the few re-appeared examination GJU Results along with the main exam results on May 2019 month. As the GJU Exam Result is released in Pdf format where students can download exam results directly from the official website. Scroll down and get the latest release of Guru Jambheshwar University.
Updated GJU Exam Result 2019-20
Examination Results
Release Date
Results Link
MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE FOURTH SEMESTER (RE-APPEAR) EXAMINATION MAY – 2019
Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology founded in the year 1995 is a non-profit public higher education institution. It is situated within the urban setting of the little town of Hisar in Haryana State. The Guru Jambheshwar University is officially accredited/or recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) & NAAC. The Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology is a small coeducational teaching institution. GJ University Hisar offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees like bachelor degrees, master degrees in many areas of study. This 24 years old higher-education institution has a selective admission policy based on entrance examinations. International students can also apply for enrollment for this university.
Regular/ Supplementary Results of GJU Hisar
Checked out your examination results, but still not satisfied with the exam results. Here the Guru Jambheshwar University gives a second chance for the students to pass in their semester examination. Here students should apply for the Revaluation with certain norms given by the university. Once they applied for the Examination, the higher level Examiner will re-check the paper. Within a particular interval of Students can get the revaluation results. Still scored low marks then the supplementary examination will help you out. For each and every semester Students can apply for the revaluation after the announcement of the main examination results. Guru Jambheshwar University will take a week or more to process the exam papers to announce the Revaluation results. Do stay updated with the University to know about the GJU Revaluation Result.
KUHS Results 2019 released for MBBS/ BDS Regular & Supplementary Examinations July 2019. Check out your Kerala University Results Declared on 28th September 2019.
Dear Folks!!. Kerala University of Health Sciences announced the course wise results through its official website i.e., kuhs.ac.in. Here on this page, we provide the result for various KUHS courses like Nursing, Ayurveda, Pharmacy, Paramedical, Medical, Homoeopathy, Unani, Siddha, Dental. Students who are looking for KUHS can find the results on our page. Hence, go through the information of Kerala University of Health results in sections below. We recruitment.guru moderated this page with most recent results given by the KUHS for various courses. Students of KUHS can find both regular and supplementary exam result on our page. And this article is completely enclosed of the updated Kerala University of Health Sciences Results 2019.
KUHS Results 2019
Students studying at the Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) used to check their exam result this month. Here on this page, we have provided a direct link to get the KUHS Results from the below table. We update the results on our page immediately when the official website updates. By this student who is eager to check the result can find without any delay. Also, reduces the confusion in finding their performance in the examinations. Students of KUHS can find both Undergraduate, Postgraduate of regular and supplementary exam result on our page. Apart from this, we used to update the latest information regarding the KUHS Exam Time Table, Admit Card, Syllabus, Previous Paper, and others. So, we advise the students of KUHS to check results through our website.
Latest KUHS Exam Results 2019
Name of the Exam
Release Date
Download Link
MLEC Withheld release of Third Professional MBBS part I Degree Supplementary Examinations –July 2019 of Govt. T.D Medical College, Alappuzha
Withheld Release of Third MBBS part I Supplementary Examinations, July 2019 of SUT Medical College, Aeezia Medical college, MES Medical College, GMC Ernakulam
The Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) was established in the year 2010. The university is located on the government medical college, Thrissur campus. It was established on the basis of the Kerala University of Health Act 2010. There are 282 professional colleges of Kerala affiliated under this university. All affiliated colleges imparting professional education in health care in Kerala. All branches of treatment would come under the university and medical and para-medical colleges now functioning under different Universities.
KUHS Supply/Revaluation Results
Students have a chance to apply for the revaluation, if the students may get low marks in the examination, they can apply for the Revaluation results. So again the head of the Examiner will review the answer paper. After revaluation, students may get high marks. Still, if anyone got low marks, they can apply for the Supplementary Examinations. For Revaluation/Supplementary, students should pay the fee. Students can get all the results from this page Regular, Revaluation and Supplementary Results. Students of Kerala University of Health Sciences can also get all Results Also. Just we are advising the Students to frequently visit this page to get latest updates of all KUHS Result 2019.
Karnataka GDS Result 2019 @ appost.in | Get Direct link for Karanataka GDS Result 2019 Merit list here:Karnataka Postal Circle will soon announce the result for the post of Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS). Candidates those who have applied for the post can check and download your result from the below link. Here we have given a quick link to access your result easily. Candidates can get the complete details from the official website i.e, www.appost.in. In this page, anyone can check the Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) Result 2019 by using the direct link.
Karnataka GDS Result 2019 – Check Here
The application process for the recruitment of eligible candidates for the post of Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) was invited in the month of August 2019. This recruitment drive has been conducted for recruitment of 2637 candidates for the post of GDS in Karnataka state. The Karnataka Post circle GDS merit list will be purely based on the marks of the candidates in SSC. In this page, anyone can check the All-State Postman & Mail Guard Result Result 2019 by using the direct link Indian Post Office Result 2019. Registered candidates can download their result from this page directly by visiting this page. It will work once the result has been announced by officially.
Karnataka Postal Circle GDS Result 2019 – Overview
Karnataka GDS result for cycle II 2019 will be announced soon. No weightage will be provided to candidates for higher education. Provisionally shortlisted candidates will be invited for document verification round. Final appointment will be done only on the basis of document verification. Till the declaration of result, all the candidates must stay in touch with the official GDS portal to get all the latest updates.
Karnataka GDS Expected Cut-Off marks 2019
Candidates who will be listed in the merit list will be selected provisionally. Final selection will be done only after the completion of Document Verification. As per the selection process for the post of GDS, after the declaration of merit list shortlisted candidates will be called for verification of all the original documents and certificates. The complete information about the DV date, time, venue and other information will be intimated to candidates by the district recruiting authority. The final recruitment will be carried forward at the district level by the designated authority. Also, applicants can get the GDS Merit List 2019 Karnataka and GDS Result 2019 in Karnataka from this page.
Community/category
Expected Cut-off marks
Unreserved (UR)
95
Other Backward Classes (OBC)
89.90
Schedule Caste (SC)
83.84
Scheduled Tribe (ST)
83
PWD-A
78
PWD-B
77
PWD-C
78
Economically Weaker Section (EWS)
87.89
How to check Karnataka GDS 2019 Result?
Candidates must visit the official website of Gramin Dak Sevak Engagement portal i.e. http://www.appost.in/gdsonline/Home.aspx.
On the home page, search for "Results" tab.
Click on "Karnataka (2637 posts)" link.
The desired merit list for Karnataka GDS will be downloaded by clicking the respective result link
Check the downloaded merit list PDF and search for the name.
Punjab GDS Result 2019 – @ appost.in | Check Punjab Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) Result, Merit list here:Punjab Postal Circle is going to announce the result for the post of Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS). Candidates those who have applied for the post can check and download your result from the below link. Here on this page, we will be updating the latest result link and it will activate at the time of result announcement. Punjab GDS Result will be published in the form of merit list of the candidates who submitted their applications successfully.
Punjab GDS Result 2019 – Click Here @ appost.in
The application process for the recruitment of eligible candidates for the post of Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) was invited in the month of August 2019. This recruitment drive has been conducted for recruitment of 851 candidates for the post of GDS in Punjab state. The Punjab Post circle GDS merit list will be purely based on the marks of the candidates in SSC. In this page, anyone can check the All-State Postman & Mail Guard Result Result 2019 by using the direct link Indian Post Office Result 2019. Registered candidates can download their result from this page directly by visiting this page. It will work once the result has been announced by officially.
Punjab Postal Circle GDS Result 2019 – Overview
Punjab Postal Circle GDS Merit List 2019 – Get Cut off Marks
Candidates having their names in the Punjab GDS merit list will be called for next selection round document verification (DV). Punjab GDS Final selection will be made only after the completion of verification round. The given article includes all the crucial information about Punjab Gramin Dak Sevak Merit list 2019, result. Candidates here will get details about result announcement, how to download the result, document verification and about other related details.
Punjab Postal Circle GDS Merit List 2019
Selection of suitable candidates will be done on the basis of the automatically generated merit list as per the rules and policies based on the online submitted applications. An initial selection of candidates will be as made on the basis of merit of candidates in qualifying exam i.e. class 10th/ SSC. Selection will be purely based on merit. Punjab GDS Merit list will be provisional and does not indicate that candidates having their names in the list are finally selected.
How to check Punjab GDS 2019 Result?
Candidates must visit the official website of Gramin Dak Sevak Engagement portal i.e. http://www.appost.in/gdsonline/Home.aspx.
On the home page, search for "Results" tab.
Click on "Punjab (851 posts)" link.
The desired merit list for Punjab GDS will be downloaded by clicking the respective result link
Check the downloaded merit list PDF and search for the name.
APPSC Group 3 Result 2019 – Get APPSC Panchayat Secretary Mains Result 2019 @ psc.ap.gov.in | Are you waiting for APPSC Panchayat Secretary Result 2019? then you can just check this post. The Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission officials had successfully conducted the Main Exam on 26th August 2019. Those candidates who have appeared for the Mains Examination waiting for the result. Moreover, the officials will announce the APPSC Panchayat Secretary Mains Exam Result 2019 in the month of October 2019 (Tentative).
APPSC Group 3 Results 2019 @ Check Here
Applicants can expect the APPSC Group 3 Result 2019 very soon in the official site @ psc.ap.gov.in. Additionally, we have given the quick link to access the APPSC Group 3 District Wise Selection List at the end of the page. Also, Candidates should keep in touch with our page or check the official site frequently to get the APPSC Group 3 Latest Updates. So that you can know more details of the APPSC Group 3 Panchayat Secretary Results 2019. Here on this page applicants can get the APPSC Group 3 Results, we will be updating the latest result link and it will activate at the time of result announcement. Along with the results, applicants can get the APPSC Group 3 Cut off Marks from this article.
APPSC Panchayat Secretary Mains Result 2019 – Details
APPSC Panchayat Secretary Result 2019 | Group 3 Cut Off, Merit List
In Andhra Pradesh state, a huge number of candidates had appeared for the Screening Test. Almost every candidate who had registered/ applied for the exam. Candidates who had competed in the exam can download the APPSC Panchayat Secretary Result 2019 from the official site tentatively in this month.
Moreover, the candidates can check their APPSC Group 3 Mains Result with the help of the Answer Keys. To get hired by the officials, aspirants must qualify all rounds such as Screening Test, Mains Exam, Interview. Candidates who qualify all rounds with good merit to get shortlisted for the 1051 Panchayat Secretary (Group 3) posts.
APPSC Group 3 Cut off 2019
The members of the organization will announce the APPSC Group 3 Cut off Marks from the official website. And every candidate has to score the equal or maximum marks to the Cut Off Marks to get shortlisted for the further rounds. Mainly, we have given the APPSC Panchayat Secretary Cut Off Marks 2019 according to the Category wise.
The APPSC officials are going to announce the APPSC Panchayat Secretary Merit List 2019 in the official site at the time of the Results. These APPSC Panchayat Secretary Merit List 2019 contains the Names, Marks, Admit Card Number of the candidates who score the top or high marks in the Screening Test. Aspirants who qualified in the screening test will be promoted to further rounds of the selection process.
How to check APPSC Group 3 Exam Result?
Visit the official site of the APPSC by using the psc.ap.gov.in
Find the APPSC Panchayat Secretary Result 2019 link in the Results block.
After finding click on it.
Now, enter the details in the login form.
And your APPSC Group 3 Result 2019 will get on the screen.
Download the results along with the Cut Off Marks, Merit List, and Score Card.
Take a hard copy of the AP Panchayat Secretary Group III Result 2019 for future usage.
Find out what happens when your debt account is sold from one collection agency to another and the impact on your balance and the statute of limitations.
Discover what kind of work private bankers do, and learn more about how you can develop the experience and qualifications required to work in the field.
Interactive Brokers and the Dough app have joined the zero-commission fray that already offers competition from Robinhood, JP Morgan's YouInvest, and others
Learn about the world's $74 trillion in managed assets, and why the wealth management industry is drastically different following the financial crisis of 2007-2008.
A retail investor is a nonprofessional investor who buys and sells securities, mutual funds or ETFs through a brokerage firm or savings account. Retail investors can be contrasted with institutional investors.
A company's stock price reflects the company's earnings potential and future viability, determines management compensation, and can play a critical role in mergers and acquisitions.
Merrill Guided Investing and E*TRADE Core Portfolios are both relatively new to the robo-advisor space. The two services come by way of providers known in financial circles for other things.
Other than style, do sneakers from any maker really differ that much? That's debatable, but this is certain: Nike sets the standard for selling an image.
Upstart Robinhood offers commission-free trading but has cut corners to book profits while E*TRADE's competitive commissions allow customers to access an impressive basket of resources.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Choosing the right savings account can earn you 20-25 times more than the national average, and our weekly ranking of the top rates makes the job easy.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Appurtenance is a legal term denoting the attachment of a right or property to a more worthy principal. Appurtenance occurs when the attachment becomes part of the property, such as a furnace or air conditioning unit to a home.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
The interest rates you'll earn on a Roth IRA account depend on what you've invested in. The rate can be relatively predictable or wildly unpredictable.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Learn more about what kind of lifestyle you can lead on a $1,000 monthly budget in Mexico, and find out whether the country is the right place for you.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Wealthfront was created as a robo-advisor and has evolved with the industry. E*TRADE Core Portfolios, on the other hand, is one of many options that clients of the online discount brokerage have to choose from.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
There are upsides to both services, but the right one for you will depend on your digital-versus-human preference, the amount you have to invest, and your desire to fine-tune your portfolio.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
A commercial real estate loan is a mortgage secured by a lien on a commercial, rather than residential, property – commercial being defined as any income-producing real estate that is used solely for business purposes.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Land value is the value of a piece of property that takes into account any improvements that have been made to it, and increases as demand for the land exceeds the available supply.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
SEC Form N-14 is a filing with the SEC that may be used by all management investment companies and business development companies to register certain transactions.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Groupon is known for offering discount coupons and vouchers for a variety of retailers and services, but the company also has other revenue streams you may not know about.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
The National Basketball Association has moved past Major League Baseball to represent the second most popular sport in the United States. How does the NBA make money?
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Learn about three of the most common ETFs that track the oil and gas drilling sector: the XOP, the IEO and the PXE. Explore different ETF performance records.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Hotelling's theory posits that owners of non-renewable resources will only produce supplies if they can yield more than available financial instruments.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Rational choice theory says individuals rely on rational calculations to make rational choices that result in outcomes aligned with their best interests.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Retirement experts often tout the 10% rule: To have a good retirement, you must save 10% of your income. The truth is that most people need to save far more.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Last Friday, no one turned up to deliver milk at Avillion Greenfields, a cooperative housing society in Mumbai. The delivery boys were apparently unable to withdraw enough cash from their bank to buy milk supplies.Their savings are currently stuck at Punjab Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank, which has been put under restrictions by the Reserve Bank of India for refusing to recognise its bad loan situation. Withdrawals from bank accounts have been restricted.It's not just the milk boys. Raju Agarwal, civil contractor who lives in Avillion Greenfields, has fixed deposits of nearly Rs 50 lakh in the same urban cooperative Bank. Even the two Avillion Greenfields housing societies at Jogeshwari East together have deposits of nearly Rs 3.5-crore in the crisis-hit lender. "Nearly 200 residents in our complex have deposited money in PMC Bank. And for the last few days, there has been a pall of gloom all around," Agarwal, 57, tells ET Magazine.The lender, with deposits in excess of Rs 11,000 crore, appears not to have adequately reported the size of its non-performing assets, especially a Rs 2,500 crore exposure to real estate company HDIL Group, which has been taken to the bankruptcy courts by creditors.Under LensThe plight of PMC Bank depositors across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, MP and Delhi and the impunity with which its officials flouted norms raises questions about management of all 1,500-odd urban cooperative banks with total deposits of nearly Rs 4.5 lakh crore.Urban cooperative banks are divided into two tiers based on their area of operation. While only 31% of them are in tier-2 category, they account for more than 85% of deposits and advances. 71354083 Many small cooperative banks and cooperative societies also keep their deposits in large urban cooperative banks. Agarwal says the urban cooperative banks often offer slightly higher interest rates than state-run banks and aggressively seek deposits from housing societies."The biggest worry is that this [crisis at PMC Bank] can have a cascading effect," says Arvind Khaladkar, who during his time as chairman of Pune-based Janata Sahakari Bank, was credited with turning around the cooperative lender.He says nearly 130 smaller banks have deposits at PMC Bank, and if the lender is unable to return their money, all these small banks will have to mark their deposits as NPAs. "Cooperative banks operate on thin margins and this NPA will mean they will all be in loss, triggering a wider crisis," the retired banker told ET Magazine.Demand for AnswersSoon after the RBI appointed an administrator for PMC Bank last Tuesday, angry depositors gathered outside different branches to get their money out. By Thursday, RBI increased the cash withdrawal limit from Rs 1,000 to Rs 10,000.Meanwhile, several first information reports have been filed against the bank's top management. On Friday, even as the bank's deposed managing director Joy Thomas held a press conference in Mumbai, assuring safety of deposits, many of the depositors met near a branch in Andheri to discuss how to bring the management and the board to book.Lending MistakesWhile all the focus is now on PMC Bank, Khaladkar refers to a larger issue — of how cooperative banks struggle to invest the funds raised as deposits and end up extending risky loans. "At one time, PMC Bank had lower deposits than Janata Sahakari. But they overtook us. When you grow fast, you need to also deploy that cash fast. That is when mistakes happen." 71354095 The bank's books also show a sudden spurt in term deposits. While its term deposits grew by 11.6% in FY17 and 10.96% in FY18, in FY19, the deposits jumped by 18.9%, crossing Rs 9,325 crore. Thus, the real growth in FY19 was double that of FY18. In this period, the bank's total deposits grew by 16.89% to Rs 11,617 crore.Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya, who first registered a police case against PMC Bank and also met RBI deputy governor NS Vishwanathan over the issue, says: "This is a horrible situation — a clear financial fraud. The main borrower of PMC, HDIL, is already insolvent. There has to be an immediate relief for depositors and rehabilitation for the bank."Urban cooperative banks are caught in a time warp, he says. "They have assets like branch networks, but today when banks are going fully online, what is the value of the branches?"The PMC Bank crisis has also broken out at a time when most cooperative banks and cooperative housing societies are rushing to hold their annual general meetings (AGM) before the September 30 deadline.Though the AGM of PMC Bank has been postponed amid the ongoing crisis, fireworks are likely at meetings of other urban cooperative banks.
When PS Nair took over as the director of Delhi Airport in 2002, he didn't think his duties would involve the demolition of farm houses.The issue was the following. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) owned a lot of prime land and in the time-honoured Delhi tradition of land grabbing, a group of people had encroached upon a 21 acre plot in Vasant Kunj and built farm houses there. Strangely, nobody in AAI had acted to retake possession. When Nair landed up at the plot one morning, with bulldozers and officials in tow, he understood why.One of the owners was the grandson of a former president of India. His influence was such that the local police station zealously supported the encroachers. The word of the eviction attempt had leaked, and the encroachers put up a dharna even as, recalls Nair, the former president's grandson arrived in a long black Mercedes Benz car with a licensed gun prominently displayed in a holster attached to his belt. The cops raised technicalities and shooed the AAI team away.Nair had some experience dealing with encroachers as director of Mumbai airport, but this was different. His phone at home would ring in the mornings, just as his children left for school, and an anonymous caller would simply say he knew which school Nair's children attended."The thing about working in government is that if you don't have any skeletons in your closet, you can take a stand. And if your case is genuine, you will be able to find allies within the system," says Nair.Allies and an element of surprise were going to be key. He found a joint commissioner of police (traffic), who agreed to let bulldozers pass at short notice. He also found an officer in charge of the reserve battalions of the Delhi Police based in Kingsway Camp, who agreed to support his mission, provided the lieutenant governor wouldn't intervene. Only one person could ensure that, he was told the home secretary. So Nair went to the then home secretary N Gopalaswami, who readily agreed to support him.One day, Nair launched the demolition operation with the benefit of surprise. The armed cops of the reserve battalion reached before the local cops could intervene. As expected, queries came from the LG's office, making the reserve police battalion a bit jittery. The owners and accomplices too rushed to the scene, raising tensions.Nair called the home secretary, who stepped out of the stage at an event, to issue directions. Thereon the reserve police acted decisively and the bungalows were demolished swiftly, chunks of concrete plunging into the swimming pools in the front yards.Now, the Indian Aviation Academy, a joint training facility for AAI, Directorate General for Civil Aviation and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, is located on this plot, worth hundreds of crores of rupees. Years later, Nair would come back to the Delhi airport to lead the commissioning of T3, the showpiece terminal that demonstrated India could build excellent public infrastructure. This was around the same time E Sreedharan was building the Delhi Metro, making the same point.Both were government officers who thrived under a different structure and the autonomy and agency that came with it — a special purpose vehicle in the case of Sreedharan and a public-private partnership in the case of Nair.Nair, 71, is now a board member and advisor at various GMR companies. He stepped down in June as the CEO of GMR Airports, which operates the Delhi and Hyderabad airports in India and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Philippines, handling 100 million passengers in a year.He's handing over responsibilities after a long and remarkable, if mostly unsung, crossover career in India's aviation sector spanning nearly four decades — first at the AAI, where over 25 years he rose to become a full-time board member, and later as a top official at GMR, which won the bid to transform Delhi airport and build the new Hyderabad airport. At AAI, he served as director of Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram and Delhi airports."I needed someone to fix the operations at Delhi airport. I asked for the best officer. The name that came most recommended was Mr Nair's," says Shahnawaz Hussain, the then civil aviation minister, who handpicked him as the director of Delhi airport in 2002.After 9/11, there were intelligence inputs that the Delhi airport could be targeted. To beef up security, operations needed to be streamlined. "We brought in Nair saab and he did excellent work. He was strict and he worked hard. He's like Sreedharan. I believed in giving my officers a free hand and he delivered," says Hussain.What makes Nair's career stand out is the way it's intertwined with India's airport privatisation process. India's airports used to be owned and operated by the state-run AAI, and they were seen to be among the worst in the world. When the second Vajpayee government (1999-2004) decided to privatise airports — transform Delhi and Mumbai and build new ones in Bengaluru and Hyderabad as first steps — Nair headed AAI's Key Infrastructure Division, which was the interface between the government and the AAI in implementing the decision.Pvt UnlimitedNair quit AAI in 2006, four years shy of retirement, and joined GMR, which won the privatisation bids for Delhi and Hyderabad airports under the public-private partnership model. At GMR, he served as the CEO of Hyderabad airport during its commissioning — a heart-stopping moment when all operations shifted at once from the old airport to the new one. He later served as the CEO of the Delhi airport during the commissioning of the T3 international terminal, a challenging project that had to be ready in time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He did it without a glitch. That was his crowning glory.The success of airport privatisation, in the execution of which Nair played key roles at important junctures from both sides of the public-private divide, had a profound effect not only on the decision to continue privatising airports but on the perception of privatisation itself in the country. They were also among the first truly world-class infrastructure assets that came up in the country.So what is the difference between working in the public sector and the private sector? "In government, your hands are tied, and yet results are expected. In the private sector, results are expected, but you are enabled and empowered," says Nair.He also says that government organisations are hamstrung by check and balances that were meant to prevent malfeasance. "Government-managed companies tend to suffer from a 4C syndrome — fear of Central Vigilance Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General, Central Bureau of Investigation and courts. This impedes faster decision making."Nair's success with airports underscores the kind of management talent that lies encumbered in state institutions and public sector companies, the ones that can soar with more agency and empowerment. India built the Delhi Metro and the modern Delhi Airport with home-grown public service officers leading the charge. ..
India has managed to convince the world about Kashmir, for now. But there is intense scrutiny and there is zero room for slip-up.On Friday, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan issued an open call to arms to the people of Kashmir (and Pakistan) against India's actions in Kashmir, which was probably the most damaging thing he said from the UN platform, even more than threatening nuclear war in the Subcontinent."Has PM Modi thought what would happen when the curfew in Kashmir is lifted? Do you think people in Kashmir would accept that you have withdrawn the special status? They, too, will come out on the streets after the curfew in the state is lifted. There will be bloodbath when the curfew is lifted from the state," Khan said. "If there is bloodbath, Muslims will pick up arms, not because of Islam, but because they will see there is no justice when it comes to Muslims."India has placed the problems in Kashmir within the global context of international terrorism, whose epicentre is Pakistan. Pakistan is placing the Kashmir issue within a manufactured context of "Islamophobia" and "injustice to Muslims". Houston, we have a problem.India set a blistering diplomatic pace in the past month, as it went out of its way to convince partners and sceptics about its August 5 decision to de-operationalise Article 370 and reorganise Jammu & Kashmir into two Union territories. From the UN Security Council to the UN General Assembly via the UN Human Rights Council, India pulled out all the stops to build diplomatic capital behind what is arguably the toughest political decision taken. By and large (not counting China and Pakistan), India has succeeded. Three clear messages have been articulated by PM Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. First, Article 370 was temporary and needed to be deactivated to integrate and bring development to the state. Second, reorganisation of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are internal matters of India; no external boundaries have been affected. Third, India will deal with Pakistan "bilaterally" when terrorism from Pakistan comes down. As Jaishankar said in New York this week, "the one message I don't want to give is you do terrorism by night, and it's business as usual by day".This has been accepted by and large by the international community both on the strength of India's institutional and governance history as well as a fair degree of Kashmir fatigue. The fact that there hasn't been open violence in the Valley, Indian security forces haven't been killing protestors and that quasi-normal life prevails there have made things easier to believe.Pakistan's protestations notwithstanding, its history of fuelling terror in India has seriously diminished its credibility. Pakistan's outrage stems from the fact that its entire political and security existence was predicated on the belief that Kashmir would become part of Pakistan.That's not going to happen. A Jammu & Kashmir with a special status held out hope. That's gone. In addition, it is clear that India is the only country in this region with a legal claim to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir . With the Afghan peace deal dead for the time being, Pakistan's usefulness is eclipsed for the moment. The definite possibility of going into an FATF (Financial Action Task Force) blacklist is equally unsettling. So terror and articulated outrage remain Islamabad's best bet right now.What happens now? It stands to reason that the Centre will open political dialogue with different sections of Kashmiri leadership. Some political detentions should be eased, because it makes absolutely no sense to keep Indian politicians in Indian jails. Yes, they may be part of the system that needs to be overhauled, but if "integration" is the mantra, the road map ought to run through them. So far, we have not seen any overt attempt to make them part of the solution, but sources say the coming weeks will see a lot of action by the government in Kashmir.Simultaneously, we are likely to see intensified anti-terror operations against Pakistan-sponsored groups as well as local terrorists in the Valley. Regardless of Khan's pious exhortations to people to not cross the LoC (Line of Control)) into India, reports from the ground say that terror camps are all buzzing with activity. The Indian system expects terror activity to pick up from this week, with posters in Kashmir calling for "action" from September 27.Nobody expects this to be an easy climb. Militancy has been endemic to J&K for over three decades. It has been a fractured state for over 70 years. Overcoming alienation and damage will take years of painstaking work. It would be easier to do it away from the headlines, too, but that's too much to ask. The Indian state has prevailed in other tougher theatres, but Kashmir has an international dimension that makes it unique.The US, at the operational level of the administration, will push India on some of these counts, like releasing leaders. That is a pressure India will have to internalise — such pressure keeps Pakistan happy, and, hopefully quiet. The world of international relations may be polite, but it is brutal. The international community will be waiting for India to slip up, so India's manoeuvring has to be precise, its diplomacy unrelenting and counter-terrorism operations effective.Tall ask, but nothing India has not done before.The external challenges will be evolving — for instance, Zalmay Khalilzad, US special envoy for Afghanistan, met both Zamir Kabulov from Russia and Jaishankar in the past week. It is possible that they might take another shot at Afghan peace on more sensible terms. What role might Pakistan play, and can that be leveraged for more responsible behaviour by Islamabad? For the Indian system accustomed to dealing with Kashmir in a particular way, the fast-moving developments call for a different kind of approach to solutions. Whether the system shows the requisite imagination, courage and commitment will be tested.
Sanjay Panjabi's family has been in the hosiery business for three generations. His attention is currently focused on tax and regulatory compliance. He just filed his annual income-tax returns due on August 31. Then came a slew of deadlines in quick succession—September 10 for filing Good and Services Tax (GST) returns, September 15 for filing advanced taxes and September 30 for audited results. "How much can small businessmen like us handle in a month?" Panjabi quips, adding that his working capital requirements have risen from 45 days to 60-65 days as a result of GST implementation.The locality to the west of Mumbai's Masjid Bunder railway station, where Panjabi's wholesale business is stationed, is a classic example of a bustling cash-driven market transiting towards banking. Panjabi explains how almost every merchant in the area is struggling with higher working capital needs, because buyers, who are retailers from across the city, have started to insist paying through bank transfers, but then the payments are also delayed compared with cash settlements earlier.In Surat, a textile city which fiercely protested against the introduction of the GST in July 2017, the cost of tax compliance for a small trader has risen by about Rs 50,000 a year, according to Champalal Bothra, secretary of the city's federation of textile traders association, called FOSTTA. The city, located 280 km north of Mumbai, lost customers, looms and jobs during the last two years. Yet, it has now accepted that GST is here to stay. "Our demand now is a reduction of the GST rate on textiles to 1% (from 5%)," Bothra. says over phone.71354036 Earlier, the city was demanding its total withdrawal. Textiles, like agriculture, were not taxed earlier, although there was an indirect tax on yarns.Twenty seven months after India's biggest and boldest tax reform hit the ground, the challenges have spread from the discontentment of small traders to more systemic issues— slow growth of GST collections, the emergence of nation-wide fake invoices racket and the failure to reach a consensus on rationalisation of rates and the inclusion of items such as petroleum products and electricity in the GST's ambit.Firstly, the tardy growth of the GST revenue collections has pushed the states and the Centre into a corner. In the month of August, the GST revenue collections stood at Rs 98,202 crore, a notch below the psychologically important one lakh crore mark. It was up by an unimpressive 4.5% compared to August 2018. Compared with this year's high of Rs 113,865 crore collected in April, the revenue in August was down 13.7%. One has to however account for the fact that demand in August — a month before the festive shopping spree begins — has traditionally been sluggish. This year, due to the ongoing slowdown in consumer demand, the effect is amplified.71354051 Meanwhile, several states have urged the 15th Finance Commission to extend the compensation period under GST beyond the mandated year of FY 2022. According to Goods and Services (Compensation to States) Act, 2017, if a state's revenue growth falls below 14% in a year, the Centre would bridge the shortfall for the first five years. The compensation is paid to the states once every two months out of a cess collected on taxes on sin and luxury goods. The Centre's compensation to states in June-July 2019, stood at Rs 27,955 crore.The second major challenge that the GST is facing today could potentially drag down total revenue. Early this week, the Directorate General of GST Intelligence unearthed a Rs 400 crore fraud of overvaluing and faking invoices to claim refund of input tax credit. The input tax credit is a mechanism that allows businesses to receive refunds on GST paid for the purchase of goods or services so as to prevent cascading taxation."We have decided to introduce stringent mechanism including linkage of Aadhaar to checkmate fake invoices and fraudulent refund claims. Shortfall of revenue (in August) is an exception possibly because of overall slowdown and stepping up of vigilance against frauds," Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi told ET Magazine. As he holds the state's finance portfolio, Modi is an ex-officio member of the GST Council, the apex decision-making body comprising finance ministers of both the Union and state governments. He further adds that physical verification of the entities with mandatory geo-tagging of their establishments could be an option to checkmate fraudsters.71354078 In the recently unearthed scam, as many as 25 non-existent suppliers based out of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Bihar, issued fake invoices to exporters based in National Capital Region which in turn availed refunds in connivance with Gujarat-based Kandla Special Economic Zone, according to reports.The third challenge that the GST regime is facing today is the states' unwillingness to bring in items such as petroleum products and electricity under the GST, and also their lack of consensus on matters such as reduction of number of rate slabs (main ones being nil, 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%) and tackling of the contentious dual rate item—the lottery."GST must exclude none, be it electricity or petroleum," says Sudhir Kapadia, partner and national tax leader at EY India, adding that the formalisation of the economy post the GST rollout has also seen a spurt in personal tax mop-up.At present, there's no official data available to show the present GST tax collections vis-avis the revenue being collected by 17 taxes such as VAT, Octroi, service tax, luxury tax etc which got subsumed once the GST was rolled out. Kapadia, however, believes that the revenue generated by the GST will be "more or less the same" as in the past, though there are reports indicating a substantial lower collection under the GST regime as compared to the past taxation system combining the Centre and the states.71354086 "GST has been good for organised players. It helps those with direct distribution and supply chains," says Saugata Gupta, CEO of Marico Ltd, a consumer goods company with interests in health, beauty and wellness. In fact, the organised players which were regularly paying indirect tax under the previous regime, didn't feel the pinch much during the switchover.To be fair, in the last two years, the GST Council has responded to the concerns of businesses, modifying select processes and tax rates. For a company with less than Rs 2 crore annual turnover, there is now no need to file monthly or quarterly returns though it has to pay the tax every month. Further, many items such as nuclear fuel, non-branded paneer, non-branded natural honey, jaggery, salt, agricultural implements, sanitary napkins and rakhi, all of which originally attracted GST, were later shifted to the zero slab, meaning no tax would be levied on them.The minutes of the GST Council meetings, some of which are available in the public domain, however, demonstrate serious disagreements among states on several contentious issues including tax concessions on electric vehicles, gold, mandatory e-ticketing on movie halls, etc. The states are divided in the case of lottery, the only item that still attracts two tax rates — 12% when sold in a state and 28% when sold outside. Punjab and West Bengal were advocating a continuation of dual rate citing an ongoing court case whereas states such as Sikkim, Assam, Goa and Maharashtra pitched for a single rate, according to the minutes of the meeting held on June 21. Also, there were objections on Tamil Nadu's introduction of an entertainment tax over and above the GST, the same set of documents reveal.71354300 Columnist and former chief commissioner of income-tax, Hardayal Singh, says that there is an enormous potential of GST, but its design is still flawed. "Small and medium enterprises and small exporters have struggled to cope with this tax. Taxpayers have found it difficult to claim input credits, the basic foundation on which the tax rests. Payments once misclassified as SGST, CGST or IGST are impossible to recover. Small businessmen are required to file returns and pay late fees even when they are not liable to pay this tax," he explains. SGST (State Goods and Services Tax), CGST (Central Goods and Services Tax) and IGST (Inter Goods and Services Tax) are components of the GST.Suresh Surana, founder of RSM India, the Indian associate of international accounting firm RSM International, adds: "Given the complexity of the economy of India and the social and economic stratification, we must give credit to the GST regime that today one can fairly assess what is the indirect tax liability for a business in India." But, he adds, there are glitches that need immediate attention.Firstly, Surana says, compliance is still costly and unnecessarily complicated. For instance, any company operating throughout India needs to register and be assessed in all the states where it operates. In case of services, where the payment and delivery of service do not happen simultaneously (e.g. advance booking for travel), the GST credit has to be held back by the party providing the service. There are also business items that do not qualify for input credit, such as real estate, automobiles, food and beverages et al.71354361 The biggest irritant for most traders, however, is the delay in refunds. At the time of implementing the GST, it was assured that 90% of the refunds of GST (on non-utilised input credits, exports, provisional assessment exceeding final assessment) would happen in seven days, with only 10% being held back. But that's no longer the case. It's believed that the recent unearthing of fake invoices and fraudulent practices to corner input tax credit may only lead to more scrutiny, and more delays. Tax payers say that the delays often force them to resort to human interfaces, a practice that is a slippery slope towards bribery.Bibek Debroy, chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, concedes that the GST is still a work-in-progress. Before implementing the tax, he says, the government had two options — either to continue deliberating for years before arriving at a consensus or to get going and iterate. The government opted for the latter.Debroy is now pitching for bringing all items and small companies under the GST ambit, in addition to undertaking a radical change in tax rates. Presently, the taxpayers with aggregate annual turnover of up to Rs 40 lakh are exempted from registering under GST. For those based in the Northeast, the threshold is half, at Rs 20 lakh."I would have been happier if there was only one rate for all items. That is an ideal scenario. But we know that is not going to happen. My view is, we should have three GST rates — 6, 12 and 18%. This formula will make us still lose revenue unless volumes compensate it," he says.But that has a potential risk. In Debroy's formula, there will be no zero slab, meaning the GST will be levied on basic items from bread to bindi and salt to sindoor. The economist-turned PM's adviser stands his ground. "It's the job of direct tax to take care of such issues. If you try to do it through indirect tax, you simply complicate the system," he says.It's clear that GST has significant ground to cover before it can live up to its promise and potential.
The Reserve Bank has initiated Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) against Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) due to high level of bad loans, lack of sufficient capital to manage risks and negative return on assets for two consecutive years, the private sector lender said on Saturday.The RBI move comes amidst the Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing registering a complaint against the board of LVB alleging cheating and misappropriation of funds.The regulatory action may cast doubts over the proposed merger of Indiabulls Housing Finance with LVB, which is awaiting RBI nod.The Delhi High Court on Friday agreed to hear a petition alleging Indiabulls gave loans worth crores of rupees to shell companies.In a regulatory filing, LVB said RBI has taken the action "on account of high net NPAs, insufficient Capital to Risk (Weighted) Assets Ratio (CRAR) and Common Equity Tier 1 (CET 1), negative return on assets for two consecutive years and high leverage."PCA was initiated after an on-site inspection, under the risk-based supervision, was carried out for the year ended March 31, 2019."RBI has also advised the Bank on the restrictions put in place and the actions to be taken by the Bank, which the Bank has taken note of for necessary compliance, with progress to be reported on a monthly basis to RBI," it added.For FY19, the bank's net NPA stood at 7.49 per cent, capital adequacy ratio was at 7.72 per cent and its return on assets was (-) 2.32 per cent. It had reported a net loss of Rs 894.10 crore for 2018-19.PCA is aimed at improving the performance of the bank and will not have any adverse impact on the day-to-day operations, including acceptance/repayment of deposits in the normal course, LVB said.Under PCA, banks are mandated to cut lending to corporates and focus on reducing the concentration of loans to certain sectors. They are also restricted from opening new branches and paying dividends.Banks currently under PCA are United Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Central Bank of India, IDBI Bank and UCO Bank.LVB's Chief Executive Parthasarathi Mukherjee had quit in August citing personal reasons.Based on a complaint by financial services company Religare Finvest Ltd (RFL) which accused the bank of misappropriating Rs 790 crore it kept with the lender as a fixed deposit, the Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) had on September 23 registered a first information report (FIR) against directors of the bank for alleged cheating, criminal breach of trust, criminal misappropriation and criminal conspiracy.Calling the move a "desperate measure", the private lender had on Friday stated that the registration of the police complaint does not mean anything at this stage and that the bank will cooperate with the investigating agencies and regulatory authorities."The bank is committed to cooperate with the investigating agencies and regulatory authorities apparently in order to bring out the malicious attempts of RFL to mislead the public to cover up massive fraud indulged by their own promoters, employees, group companies," it had said.
MUMBAI: GE Power India plans to invest in and expand its products and services portfolio in India over the next 2-3 years and will also use its manufacturing units for exporting to other countries, top executives told ET. GE was among the companies that set up manufacturing units for key components like the boilers and turbine generators for coal-based power generation units.But since then, the market for coalbased units has been shrinking globally due to emission concerns, while the sector in India has been badly hit by the poor financial health of power distribution companies (discoms) and mounting debt of power generators."The coal market for sure is not growing but decreasing; nevertheless, there is an opportunity for us as plants need to upgrade to different environmental specifications. Half of our sales come from services and we are growing this part of the business and providing solutions for improving efficiency of the power plant and reduce emissions," Kevin Cogo, general manager (rotating equipment for steam power systems), GE, told ET.Responding to the changing market, GE Power India aims to add new offering in its portfolio at its Sanand unit in Gujarat for nuclear power turbines and generators, industrial applications, reverse engineering, and beef up its operations and maintenance (O&M) services. The Sanand facility, which was set up with an investment of $200 million, currently has its capacity fully utilised but going ahead it will also service the parent company's international orders. The company is in talks with generators like Adani Power and Jindal Power to provide services for their projects."Fossil was on backburner due to stressed assets and projects not materialising. Hopefully, that will change now. The government's policy on cutting emissions from fossil fuel-based plants was a big positive for us; in that segment, we have a 27% share and 25 gigawatts of emission projects," said Prashant Jain, managing director of GE Power's India operations.Indian government's policy for cutting emissions have come as a shot in the arm for thermal power equipment makers like GE, and Larsen & Toubro as orders for new units had dried up.Jain said that he has a positive outlook on the thermal power sector in India despite the challenges as the country will have to add capacity as only renewable energy can't provide continuous and consistent electricity. India depends on its coal-based capacity of 196.3 gigawatts for its power needs, despite the accelerated growth in renewable energy capacity."The one good thing that has happened is that now there is a positive message around fossil fuel from the government, for the first time in over five year," Jain said.(The reporter visited GE's Sanand unit at the company's invitation)
The fact is that we want to diversify our book; we want to make it granular, said Ajay Piramal in an interaction with ET NOW. Edited excerpts:ET Now: Piramal stock nosedived in trade on Friday and closed at the low point, reacting to a news report that Piramal's $1 billion plus deal with SoftBank has fallen through. Softbank is not interested in infusing funds into the Piramal Group. What's your reaction on that and what would it mean for the group?Ajay Piramal: In the last 12 months every few weeks there is some speculative news or other whether it is an investment by some group, whether it is not an investment, whether certain people whom we have lent to have failed or not. I think the best is that we go on factual basis.ET Now: Okay, clear the facts for your shareholders what exactly is going on? Are you in fund raising mode? If SoftBank is no longer interested, are you talking to other parties? How much do you need to raise?Ajay Piramal: In our company we always make public whatever it is to our shareholders in the right manner. I had said a few months ago that we will raise equity worth Rs 8,000 to 10,000 crore this year and this fiscal and we stand by that statement.ET Now: If it is not with SoftBank, does that mean you are already talking to other players? Clearly, we saw a reaction to the stock price based on a news report of SoftBank walking away. So just an update, are you talking to others, are you talking to private equity players, what is the update?Ajay Piramal: The update is that we are committed to raise Rs 8,000 to 10,000 crore and we are talking to several capital providers and this is what I want the shareholders to know. This is a transparent method and this is the fact.ET Now: Including SoftBank?Ajay Piramal: I would like to stick to what I said just now because I want to be a fact. This report about Softbank is actually misleading. In the last sentence it says there is a pause. In the beginning it says it is broken down. So choose which part you want to select from the same news.ET Now: Are you and your group interested in entering consumer lending?Ajay Piramal: Yes, we are. The fact is that we want to diversify our book; we want to make it granular. Today, where real estate wholesale lending is 46% of our book, we want to increase it to more loans as far as retail is concerned, to do more loans as far as SMEs are concerned and to increase and to start in consumer lending as well.ET Now: Do want to also reduce your exposure to real estate?Ajay Piramal: As a percentage, yes, we are reducing our exposure to real estate as part of the total book.ET Now: Since you are saying the reports we have seen today is not based on facts and is just speculative in nature, what the markets fear is that your balance sheet may not be in the best of shape. How crucial is it for you to get this fund raise? What is the liquidity situation of the company?Ajay Piramal: So, let us see what happened. The whole financial crisis in the country began a year ago in September 2018. What have we done since then? Since then we have raised Rs 25,000 crore of long-term loans. We had Rs 18,000 crore of commercial papers which were due at the end of September last year. Today there are only Rs 2000 crore out of which we have got only Rs 615 crore worth of commercial papers from mutual funds. Also during this 12-month period we got repayments of between Rs 4,000-5,000 crore every quarter which is more than what were due to us. And during this period our debt-equity ratio still remains 3:1. Now if this is not solvency, I do not know what else I can say.ET Now: So that is your big message to the shareholders right that your balance sheet is perhaps being made out to be worse than it is or is solvent and is in good shape, is that your big message today?Ajay Piramal: First of all, I do not know who is saying it is worse than what it is made out to be. I think the knowledgeable shareholders do know that this is a solid balance sheet. Besides the numbers, I gave you details about the repayments, about the long-term loans and a look at the quality of the assets. Our gross NPAs are 0.9% but our provisioning is more than double of that. The quality of assets have been tested because some of the assets we have now have got co-investors as well. So what more do we need?ET Now: One reason why the speculation started or these fears around Piramal Group was because of the exposure to Lodha. Where does that stand? In the past you have said you will conscientiously work towards reducing that exposure.Ajay Piramal: The exposure to Lodha was about Rs 4,000 crore towards the end of last year and we will bring it down to Rs 2,500 crore in the next couple of months.ET Now: You are talking of raising Rs 8,000-10,000 crore of equity but the sentiment has changed now. Would you now need to dilute less simply because of the way the markets have started performing again?Ajay Piramal: The sentiment has been positive over the last week. The announcement on tax break has been a big positive. Let us see how things go.ET Now: We saw a Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman chaired a press conference, flanked by ace bankers, housing finance companies where the verdict was that there is no problem with liquidity; no bank, no mutual fund house, no financial institution has complained of liquidity that is what the finance minister said. Do you concur that there is no problem with liquidity? And if there is no problem with liquidity why are we still seeing credit offtake just not take off?Ajay Piramal: I can only go by what the figures are. The finance minister during the budget and since then has made several relaxations as far as credit is concerned and so has the Reserve Bank. They have increased credit flow to the banks. They have reduced the cost of funding to the banks as well.When I saw the data given by RBI at the end of July, which is the latest number available. The exposure of banks to NBFCs has gone down by Rs 4,500 crore. It has not gone up. So besides that, several of the other schemes that the finance minister has announced, very miniscule amounts of that have been dispersed by either the banks to the NBFCs. The data is not supporting what it is. Maybe it is all in the pipeline.We need to understand that we should not look at only one or two housing finance companies or banks. It is the overall system that is important. Remember one IL&FS with Rs 100 crore default in September actually brought the whole financial system of the country to a crisis. It is a Rs 100 crore default in a 2.5 trillion economy which brought it to a crisis. So rather than looking at two or three institutions I think we have to look at it systematically and every day there is actually some bad news or the other. We have heard the crisis in the cooperative banks. We have heard it in some housing finance company. We have heard it in other funds. So we have to recognise this.ET Now: You are considered to be a maverick investor to have a Midas touch. This is literally considered to be a time to buy some of the best distressed asset. But you are in fund raising mode. So if groups like Piramal are going to be in fund raising mode, how is all of this going to conclude; is consolidation even possible?Ajay Piramal: In fact one of the reasons why you raise funds is to take advantage of the opportunities that are there. And when consolidation takes place it means that there will be more and more opportunities for which you need funds. So this is exactly the reason why one must raise funds at this time.ET Now: Are you raising funds to expand your business, enter consumer lending, to clean up your balance sheet even further or are you doing it for also inorganic growth?Ajay Piramal: Let me clarify – today we already have a strong balance sheet. Our debt-equity ratio in the financial services which is more relevant for this discussion is 3:1. The reason we are raising funds is because we believe there are several opportunities in the Indian market. The fact of the matter is that there is that there is not enough liquidity which is going to either the consumer, or the NBFCs, or other corporates and therefore there is an opportunity today.In fact if you see the NIMs which now many institutions are charging are much higher than what they were 12 months ago in spite of the rates being brought down by the RBI. So there is an opportunity there. Besides that there are several inorganic opportunities that are already in the market. And many more will come up if this continues for a while which is not a good thing for the country but there will be opportunities for those who have the funds.ET Now: What some of the naysayers or the critics of the recent announcements have to say is that the Reserve Bank of India and the finance ministry are walking into a trap of having what was seen as sub-prime crisis in the United States by giving loans to those who may not be able to repay it. If I could get your views on that?Ajay Piramal: Let us not compare the sub-prime crisis of the US. India is very different from that. Even when the crisis took place in the US in 2008 and 2009, we were not part of that and I know that the banks and the banking system is quite robust enough to make their own risk assessment and they are not just going to lend out. I am sure the banks will do their proper risk assessment and then extend the loans.
I think sticking to largecap strategy is not necessarily going to make you money but rather sticking to ones where you see an earnings recovery whether it is a largecap or a midcap, said Chakti Lokapriya in an interaction with ET NOW.ET Now: What is happening as far as markets go? Monday was a great day, then you had two or three choppy days but do you think things are looking stable after the 8-10% move?Chakri Lokapriya: What has happened is the corporate tax cut is like a line in the sand, going up to that event the market was negative, consumer confidence was low, corporate confidence was low and the companies were looking to downgrade their EPS estimates. But post the corporate tax cut, suddenly you have had a number of EPS upgrades ranging from 8% to 12%. Against this backdrop, what has remarkably shifted in a matter of week is confidence. Now we are going into the rest of this year with far greater confidence so which is positive for the market.ET Now: When we just look at the FII flows, it is not something which is great but do you think at least the selling has stopped and that would be a key takeaway for the FII sentiment?Chakri Lokapriya: Now it is largely a question of wait and watch as far as FPIs are concerned in terms of waiting for the earnings to come back. Suddenly some amount of earnings automatically come back because of the corporate tax cut. So, there maybe an 8% to 10% growth for the index, but it will become nearly 18% to 20% growth in EPS. That is the kind of a number which finds favour with the FPIs. I think you will increasingly see steady inflows over time, reversing the down flows we saw over the last two or three months.ET Now: When we look at what has happened this week, do you believe that banking names which have done pretty well are one of the biggest beneficiaries of this gaining move?Chakri Lokapriya: Banking will probably see the biggest earnings upgrades because of the corporate tax cut and so FY21 will be an even bigger upgrade than FY20. Against that backdrop you also have an NPL cycle which is hopefully peaking out and this corporate tax cut will help companies to revive and therefore new NPL formation will be kind of slow which will help banks perform even better and the valuations are still quite attractive for the banking sector.ET Now: Apart from tax cut another interesting thing this week has been how some of the large PSU stocks have bounced back. Do you think any strategic investment of any of these PSUs would be an interesting space going ahead?Chakri Lokapriya: A lot has been said in the last couple of months whether there will be an ETF or whether there will be a strategic sale. There has been some amount of clarity from the PMO that the government wants a clear divestment, rather than one PSU acquiring another, which is clearly a positive thing. If that indeed is the path we are going to follow, then there is a huge amount of unlocking to be done.ET Now: Do you think there is value if somebody wants to invest into the mid or the smallcap space or should one stick to the large cap space in this environment?Chakri Lokapriya: I would look at companies which have the ability to recover earnings in the coming three quarters more rather than differentiating between largecaps and midcaps. This is because even within the largecaps you have several companies which are trading at multi-year lows. I think sticking to largecap strategy is not necessarily going to make you money but rather sticking to ones where you see an earnings recovery whether it is a largecap or a midcap will prove to be profitable stock bets.
For Sterlite Technologies, the last 12 months have been rocky at the bourses.Even while recording a 60% top line growth and 68% jump in profits, the stock has lost nearly two-thirds of its value. This took down the company's market capitalisation from Rs 13,249 crore as on September 26 last year to Rs 6,506 crore by September 26 this year.Yet, even amid this market cap devaluation, Sterlite Tech's net sales rose 60% — from Rs 3,177 crore in FY2018 to Rs 5,087 crore in FY2019. A part of the London-headquartered mining and metals conglomerate Vedanta Group, Sterlite Tech mainly makes optical fibre and cables.Anand Agarwal, who has been CEO since 2003, feels the Sterlite scrip was hit by perception issues around the optical fibre industry, general worries around mid-cap companies and foreign institutional investors pulling out of India."Business volatility and market volatility are often different things," Agarwal told ET Magazine in an interview over phone from Pune, pointing out that the stock price had been rising. "We're focused on delivering improved performances on all the right metrics."Improving performance also rests a lot on the company's Rs 1,500-crore bet on capacity expansion that is nearing completion. The expansion is boosting Sterlite's capacity to 50 million fibre km (fkm) from 30 million fkm, along with pushing up downstream capacity to 33 million km of cables from 18 million km.The company has also built a services business over the last few years to ensure that part of the extra capacity is absorbed in-house.In India, Sterlite Tech already enjoys a market share of 45%. That leaves little scope for it to make the pie bigger. So instead, the company is looking to expand overall market itself, says Agarwal.The Indian market for optical fibre is only 10% of China's, says Agarwal, to indicate the growth potential. He also gives other examples, like how 70-80% of Reliance Jio's telecom towers are connected by optical fibre but for rivals such as Airtel or Vodafone Idea with older networks, this number is lower and presents an opportunity.Agarwal also indicates that adoption of new technologies such as Internet of Things or 5G will mean a deeper requirement for a mesh of optical fibre that will connect hubs. While India has been slow in starting off, past trends shows it has caught up fast whenever a new technology has evolved, he says.So, given the volatile business environment, is there scope for Sterlite Tech to push up its sales past the billion dollar mark and also deliver shareholder value?71354752 In June, before the Q1 results, the company received a booster from its promoters when they managed to remove the entire pledge on their holding (52% stake) in the company.Some analyst reports that came after the June quarter results were thus optimistic. KRChoksey on July 24 had valued Sterlite Tech scrip at Rs 232. Praveen Motwani, the analyst, had written: "We believe the company is on a right trajectory to deliver subsequent growth amidst increase in fibre capacity and increasing execution of service orders, growing international presence and winning large number of deals."On September 26, the scrip closed at Rs 161.40 on the BSE.Agarwal is bullish on Sterlite Tech's services business that has built an order book of nearly Rs 10,000 crore. "In four years, our services revenue has touched Rs 1,700 crore."Out of the total order book, around Rs 5,500 crore will be services and Rs 4,500 crore will accrue to the products parts of business. "We do not chase order book; it usually comes to us. It serves the purpose of giving us good visibility, apart from being a captive consumer of our products," says Agarwal.He also feels Sterlite Tech stands out in the market due to its research & development, its ability to bring new products, investments in software and development of new network designs. R&D focus may have helped the company add value and sell its fibre at $7 per fkm compared to Chinese products that sell at $4 per fkm.71354765 The company also exports to China where it has grabbed a market share of 4-5%. Agarwal says optical fibre is the only technology product that India sells in China.But the pricing pressure of Chinese fibre continues to pose a danger. Optical fibre made in the US sells at $8 per fkm.An ICICI Direct report on July 18 said: "We believe continued lower prices could have some impact on realisations going ahead while offtake from new capacity could also suffer if excess supply and pricing pressure thereof remain."It will be a challenge for Sterlite Tech to bring in its extra capacity to market at a time when pricing is soft, but Agarwal believes his sales footprint across the world is a good hedge against such worries.
Five die as boulder collapses over vehicle in Uttarakhand Five people died on the spot while five others were rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Maharashtra assembly polls: Congress to drop 6 'vulnerable' MLAs; 1st list of 47 in 2 days The six MLAs likely to be dropped are DS Ahir (Sakri), Kashiram Pawara (Shirpur), Aslam Sheikh (Malad), Rahul Bondre (Chikali), Bharat Bhalke (Pandarpur), and Siddharam Mehtre (Akkalkot).
All is well in family: Ajit swears by Pawar Girish Mahajan, BJP minister said whether Ajit Pawar remains in politics or not, the inquiry against him and other guilty by the ED will continue.
Mumbai: Western Express Highway toilets are blind spots, locals use them With Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to declare India open defecation free on October 2, this newspaper has been checking the state of public loos along the city's key carriageways.
Medical apathy kills 2 children in Rajasthan; over 60 share 24 beds More than 60 children admitted to the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) unit at the district hospital share 24 beds here.
M.A. SOCIOLOGY – IV Sem
