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Latest World News, World News, Current Affairs, Daily Current Affairs

Posted: 04 Oct 2019 03:46 AM PDT

Latest World News, World News, Current Affairs, Daily Current Affairs


Chinese Female Soldiers Caught Everyone's Attention During The Military Parade In Beijing

Posted: 04 Oct 2019 02:00 AM PDT

Militia members march in formation past Tiananmen Square during the military parade marking the 70th founding anniversary of People's Republic of China, on its National Day in Beijing, China October 1, 2019. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

Daily Mail: Female Chinese soldier stuns millions after appearing at the military parade to mark the nation's 70th anniversary

* Gao Yuan, an entertainment soldier, has charmed the internet with her smile
* She attended China's National Day parade yesterday with 15,000 servicemen
* Thousands of people have praised her beauty after a picture of her went viral
* She said she was extremely proud to serve her country in a previous interview

China yesterday celebrated the 70th anniversary of its founding with a military parade that involved some 15,000 soldiers.

As troops marched across Beijing's Tiananmen Square in unison, one servicewoman stood out from the crowd.

Gao Yuan, an entertainment soldier of People's Liberation Army (PLA), has stunned millions in the country after being captured on camera during the ceremony.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: They do have style.

Is Canada More Polarized Than Ever?

Posted: 04 Oct 2019 01:00 AM PDT


Sarmishta Subramanian, The Walrus: Is Canada Broken?

The country seems more polarized than ever. Here's what that means for the next election.

In May, with Brexit chaos and contentious EU elections in the air, more than 5,000 Europeans joined a novel social experiment. In cafés and parks in Poland and Italy, in Belgium and Denmark, they sat down to talk, one on one, with strangers from another country who held opposite views on a slew of divisive issues: Are there too many immigrants? Should Europeans pay higher gas taxes to address climate change? Is the EU good for Europe? This wasn't debate club or a performative exercise; the aim was simply to have a difficult conversation, to share one's experience and listen, for a while, to someone else's.

Europe Talks was a partnership between seventeen European media organizations, including the website Zeit Online, which launched the project in 2017 with 600 such conversations in Germany. A UK version followed, billed by its unlikely cosponsor, the Mirror, as an effort to "bring the nation back together over a nice cup of tea." In one rather stiff exchange in Yorkshire, captured on video by the Mirror, a third-generation lobster fisherman and a Syrian refugee turned cheesemaker talk about why he voted for Brexit and why she migrated; there's a moment where he murmurs that she's "more Yorkshire" than some people who were "born and bred here."

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I live in Canada (Montreal, Canada). I have never seen this country as polarized as it is now.

Oil Discoveries Hit A 70-Year Low

Posted: 04 Oct 2019 12:00 AM PDT


OilPrice.com: Oil Discoveries Hit 70-Year Low

The last three years has been the worst stretch of time in seventy years for new conventional oil discoveries.

A new report from IHS Markit finds that conventional oil discoveries plunged to a seven-decade low and "a significant rebound is not expected." Conventional exploration – as opposed to unconventional development, including shale – had already been trending down following the 2008 global financial crisis and its aftermath, which overlapped with the rise of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing in several U.S. shale basins.

But the collapse of oil prices in 2014 really knocked conventional exploration – and thus, discoveries – on its back.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The shift to develop shale opportunities is the reason why the search for new conventional oil discoveries has declined.

Nuclear War Between India And Pakistan Could Kill Up To 125 Million

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 11:00 PM PDT

India's Agni-V missile (left) © DRDO; Pakistan's Shaheen II, Hatf-VI (right) © Reuters / Stringer

USA Today: Nuclear war between India and Pakistan could kill up to 125 million and launch a global climate catastrophe

As many as 125 million people would die within days if India and Pakistan waged a nuclear war, according to a scientific study released Wednesday.

That's more than the death toll during all six years of World War II.

"Such a war would threaten not only the locations where bombs might be targeted but the entire world," said study co-author Alan Robock, a professor of environmental sciences at Rutgers University.

In the weeks and months after the explosions, a global climate catastrophe could follow, triggering mass starvation as crops failed across the planet.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The report is here .... Rapidly expanding nuclear arsenals in Pakistan and India portend regional and global catastrophe (Science Advances).

More News On Nuclear War Between India And Pakistan Could Kill Up To 125 Million

If India and Pakistan have a nuclear war, scientists say it could trigger Ice-Age temperatures, cause global famine, and kill 125 million people -- Business Insider
Nuclear war between India and Pakistan would unleash 'global climate catastrophe', scientists warn -- FOX News
Pakistani Kashmir Chief: Standoff With India May Spark Nuclear Armageddon -- Zero Hedge
'No precedent in human experience': Study finds nuclear war between India and Pakistan could leave 125 million dead -- RT

Tweets For Today

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 10:30 PM PDT











Iran's Top General Admits For The First Time That Tehran Is Supporting The Houthis In Yemen

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 10:00 PM PDT

Iranian Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Baqeri [almashhad-alyemeni]

Middle East Monitor: Iran admits supporting Houthis in Yemen for the first time

Iran has long denied providing any military support for the Houthis in Yemen. However, it has acknowledged for the first time since the outbreak of the war in Yemen in 2015, that the Revolutionary Guards offered "advisory and intellectual support" to its ally, the Houthi group.

Iranian Chief of Staff, Major General Mohammed Bagheri, admitted providing this kind of support to Houthis, in an interview with Phoenix Chinese TV Channel.

According to Bagheri, Iran provided advisory support, weapons and equipment to Iraq and Syria at the request of their governments, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was, of course, responsible for that mission. The Maj. Gen. did not deny the Iranian army's assistance to the IRGC forces there.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Iranian Chief of Staff, Major General Mohammed Bagheri, does not mention how many Iranian personnel are in Yemen. And .... to the best of my knowledge .... there has been no photos or videos of Iranians working with the Houthis in Yemen. So his admission is a surprise. What is also a surprise is that no major news network has picked up this story (so far).

Picture Of The Day

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 09:30 PM PDT

What appears to be a North Korean submarine-launched ballistic missile flies in an undisclosed location. KCNA via REUTERS

WNU Editor: The above picture came from this photo-gallery .... Editor's Choice Pictures (Reuters).

Should Congress Hold An Impeachment Inquiry Vote?

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 09:00 PM PDT

Zero Hedge: Trump Dares Pelosi To Hold Impeachment Inquiry Vote After She Says It Is "Not Required"

Is president Trump about to be impeached without the House even holding a vote authorizing the very impeachment inquiry to which he is subject? Well no - he won't be impeached as the Senate will promptly vote the entire political theater down - and that precisely why Pelosi, who until last month was vehemently against starting impeachment proceedings, refuses to hold a vote.

In a letter to Pelosi, House GOP Leader McCarthy today asked 10 questions including, among those: Do you intend to hold a vote of the full House authorizing your impeachment inquiry? Pelosi response: not at all.

Speaking this morning an interview, Pelosi dismissed the impeachment vote as "not required" and added "we haven't, but we could." She said they could hold a vote "because it is a Republican talking point." For now, however, she is dismissing this as a political move - one in response to her own political move, of course - and pressing ahead with the investigation.

Read more ....

WNU Editor
: A formal vote was held to begin an impeachment inquiry against Presidents Nixon and Clinton. So why not for President Trump? I think this is a good explanation why ....

.... holding a formal vote on impeachment would allow Republicans to subpoena documents and witnesses and investigate all the revelations surrounding the whistleblower's complaint about Trump's interactions with Ukraine, as well the roles of Joe Biden and his son Hunter in Ukrainian corruption allegations.

A formal vote authorizing an impeachment inquiry will give both the Republicans and Democrats subpoena powers to call in witnesses and to demand documents. Does Nancy Pelosi want the Republicans calling in witnesses like former Vice-President Biden to explain Ukraine. Or even better still. Call in everyone that was involved in Russia-gate. I do not think so. Hence this inquiry is being held mostly behind "closed doors", there is a rush to complete it, and letters (not subpoenas) is what is being sent out.

President Trump Urges Ukraine And China To Probe The Bidens

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 08:00 PM PDT



The Guardian: Trump calls on China to investigate Biden in extraordinary demand

Donald Trump has called for China to investigate his leading political rival, in defiance of impeachment proceedings in Congress, where he stands accused of abusing his office to put similar pressure on Ukraine.

At the same time as calling for an investigation of the former vice-president and frontrunner in the Democratic primary, Joe Biden, and his son Hunter, Trump noted that the US was in trade talks with China and "if they don't do what we want, we have tremendous, tremendous power".

Asked if he had already asked China's leader, Xi Jinping, to start an investigation, the president said: "I haven't, but it's certainly something we can start thinking about."

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I love how the media is circling the wagons to protect the Bidens. But it is not working. President Trump is using the media to repeat his talking points that Joe Biden's son earned millions in countries where he did not even speak the language, and all the spin cannot change that. And even though everyone in the main stream media is saying that Joe Biden's son did nothing wrong, you do not need to be a genius to know that this does not add up. As for former Vice-President Joe Biden's run to the Presidency .... this publicity has killed it. Elizabeth Warren is now the front-runner to be on the Democrat Presidential ticket for 2020.

More News On President Trump Urging Ukraine And China To Probe The Bidens

Not just Ukraine, Trump now calls for China to probe Bidens -- AP
Trump openly calls on Ukraine, China to investigate Biden -- AFP
Trump now says both China and Ukraine should investigate Bidens -- CNN
Trump publicly asks China to investigate Biden, even amid impeachment inquiry -- Reuters
Trump urges Ukraine and China to probe Bidens -- BBC
Trump again seeks foreign help to probe Bidens, calls on China -- Al Jazeera
Documents heighten scrutiny on Biden-Ukraine dealings, indicate Hunter may have made 'millions' -- FOX News

IRS Whistleblower Said That He Heard From Someone That A Political Appointee Tried To Interfere In An Audit Of Trump Or Pence

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 07:00 PM PDT


Washington Post: IRS whistleblower said to report Treasury political appointee might have tried to interfere in audit of Trump or Pence

An Internal Revenue Service official has filed a whistleblower complaint reporting that he was told at least one Treasury Department political appointee attempted to improperly interfere with the annual audit of the president or vice president's tax returns, according to multiple people familiar with the document.

Trump administration officials dismissed the whistleblower's complaint as flimsy because it is based on conversations with other government officials. But congressional Democrats were alarmed by the complaint, now circulating on Capitol Hill, and flagged it to a federal judge. They are also discussing whether to make it public.

Read more ....

WNU editor: I heard from someone and/or I heard from someone who heard from someone else that a political appointee tried to improperly interfere with the annual audit of the president or vice president's tax returns is in my book a flimsy reason to launch a massive investigation. If hearsay is now good enough to launch an investigation, be prepared for a massive flood of complaints.

Anti-Trump Whistleblower Met With House Democrats Before Filing Complaint

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 06:00 PM PDT



New York Times: Schiff Got Early Account of Accusations as Whistle-Blower's Concerns Grew

WASHINGTON — The Democratic head of the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, learned about the outlines of a C.I.A. officer's concerns that President Trump had abused his power days before the officer filed a whistle-blower complaint, according to a spokesman and current and former American officials.

The early account by the future whistle-blower shows how determined he was to make known his allegations that Mr. Trump asked Ukraine's government to interfere on his behalf in the 2020 election. It also explains how Mr. Schiff knew to press for the complaint when the Trump administration initially blocked lawmakers from seeing it.

The C.I.A. officer approached a House Intelligence Committee aide with his concerns about Mr. Trump only after he had had a colleague first convey them to the C.I.A.'s top lawyer. Concerned about how that initial avenue for airing his allegations through the C.I.A. was unfolding, the officer then approached the House aide. In both cases, the original accusation was vague.

The House staff member, following the committee's procedures, suggested the officer find a lawyer to advise him and meet with an inspector general, with whom he could file a whistle-blower complaint. The aide shared some of what the officer conveyed to Mr. Schiff. The aide did not share the whistle-blower's identity with Mr. Schiff, an official said.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The optics of this CIA "leaker/whistle-blower" going first to the Democratic head of the House Intelligence Committee instead of the designated intelligence authorities are terrible. The optics are also terrible that the Democratic head of the House Intelligence Committee waited until only now to disclose their contact with this leaker to their sources in the New York Times. How can one not feel that this was a coordinated operation between Democrats and a partisan CIA leaker, a coordination that has now left the current whistle-blower system's credibility in tatters. After-all, why go through official channels when you've got Adam Schiff?

And it does not stop there. For the entire day I thought about this case, and the more I thought about it the more that I realized that it stinks. This case does not even involve intelligence .... it involves diplomacy. So why is the House Intelligence Committee handling it? Is it to keep the impeachment inquiry behind closed doors, while citing national security on why this must be the case? And as for the complaint. Presidents have a right to diplomatic and secret communication with their foreign allies as a matter of state. What's more, foreign leaders do have a right to expect that these conversations will be private and not on the front page of the New York Times. If not, diplomacy as we know it will be finished.

So why the disclosure now? I think Rep. Adam Shiff's office realized that this story was going to become public anyway. So why not break it to a friendly news network like the New York Times and  give it a positive spin. But the damage has already been done. And as for this impeachment inquiry. Need I remind everyone that it is because of this complaint that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi initiated an impeachment inquiry in the first place.

More News On The Anti-Trump Whistle-blower Meeting With House Democrats Before Filing Complaint

Whistleblower spoke to Schiff aides before filing complaint -- AP
Schiff cleans up after saying committee had no contact with whistleblower -- CNN
Schiff Now Says He Should Have Been Much More Clear About Whistleblower Contacting Democrat Staffer -- CNS
Schiff Told MSNBC 'We Have Not Spoken Directly with the Whistleblower' after Intel Aide Did Just That -- NRO
Anti-Trump Whistleblower Colluded With House Democrats Before Filing Complaint -- Sean Davis, The Federalist

Ecuador Declares State Of Emergency Amid Mass Protests Over The End Of Fuel Subsidies

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:00 PM PDT





Reuters: Ecuador declares state of emergency as fuel protesters battle police

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno declared a state of emergency on Thursday as protesters hurled stones and erected burning barricades after the end of decades-old fuel subsidies as part of a $2 billion government fiscal reform package.

Police responded with tear gas in the worst unrest for years in the oil-producing Andean nation.

"Down with the package!" demonstrators shouted, referring to measures enacted this week as Moreno puts Ecuador on a centrist, market-friendly path after years of leftist rule.

With the fuel subsidy cut taking effect on Thursday, taxi, bus and truck drivers blocked streets from early morning in the highland capital Quito and in Guayaquil on the Pacific coast.

Read more ....

More News On Ecuador Declaring A State Of Emergency

Burning Tires Block Roads as Ecuador Declares State of Emergency -- Bloomberg
Ecuador declares state of emergency as fuel protests block roads -- Al Jazeera
State of Emergency Declared in Ecuador Amid Mass Protests -- Sputnik

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- October 3, 2019

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 04:24 PM PDT



John Davison, Reuters: Explainer: Deadly civil unrest - what is happening in Iraq?


BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 18 Iraqis have died in recent days in clashes between protesters and the security forces during street demonstrations that caught the authorities by surprise.

They were the first major deadly protests for more than a year.

WHY ARE PEOPLE PROTESTING?

Iraqis are fed up. Two years after the defeat of Islamic State much of the country's nearly 40 million population live in worsening conditions despite the country's oil wealth.

Security is better than it has been in years, but wrecked infrastructure has not been rebuilt and jobs are scarce. Youth blame this squarely on what they see as corrupt leaders who do not represent them.

Read more ....

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- October 3, 2019

AP EXPLAINS: Iraq unrest comes at critical moment in region -- AP

Iraq Protests: Everything We Know So Far as Death Toll Rises -- Laura Powers, Newsweek

Iran, mismanagement, and political weakness: Why Iraqis are furious -- Tom Rogan, Washington Examiner

Checking Iranian Power in Iraq -- Omar Al-Nidawi, War On The Rocks

Iran's Goal: Turn Yemen into Saudi's Vietnam -- Seth Frantzman, Middle East Forum/The Jerusalem Post

Can Iran and Saudi Arabia Avoid War and Get Along? Reports Say They've Already Begun To Talk -- Tom O'Connor, Newsweek

Anti-Iran Alliance Falters as Netanyahu, Trump and MBS Focus on Their Own Predicaments -- Amos Harel, Haaretz

MBS must shelve his vicious war in Yemen -- Pepe Escobar, Asia Times

Why Saudi Arabia's Crisis Is a Sign that U.S. Foreign Policy Is Shifting -- Eldad Shavit and Ari Heistein, National Interest

The United States Is Done Caring About the Syrian War and Bashar al-Assad -- Foreign Policy

In decrying 'foreign interference', China should remember those times it has meddled in other countries' affairs -- Wee Kek Koon, SCMP

China's Anniversary Whitewashes the Terror of Mao -- Doug Bandow, American Conservative

France's retirement overhaul: Macron's greatest challenge? -- AP

Rise of Canada separatist leader poses electoral challenge for PM Trudeau -- David Ljunggren, Reuters

How the Trudeau campaign scrambled to sidestep political disaster -- David Ljunggren, Reuters

US data crashes stock market, threatens Trump -- David P. Goldman, Asia Times

US-Europe dispute threatens main artery of world trade -- Carlo Piovao and Lorne Cook, AP

1,500 People and Counting: The Trump Administration Is In Love with Sanctions -- Daniel R. DePetris, National Interest

World News Briefs -- October 3, 2019 (Evening Edition)

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 03:43 PM PDT



Reuters: Death toll climbs, unrest spreads in Iraq in days of protests

BAGHDAD/HILLA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces opened fire on thousands of demonstrators who defied a curfew in Baghdad on Thursday and exchanged fire with gunmen in southern cities, bringing to 27 the death toll from three days of anti-government protests.

The protests spread to other cities in predominantly Shi'ite Muslim southern Iraq, where policemen said they increasingly encountered demonstrators carrying weapons.

Two policemen and two protesters were killed late on Thursday in the city of Diwaniya some 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, according to police.

In nearby Hilla one protester was bludgeoned to death, according to police and hospital sources.

Read more ....

MIDDLE EAST

Turkey says work on Syria 'safe zone' not yielding results.

Iraq protests: Death toll rises to 20 as unrest spreads.

Iraq issues curfews, cuts Internet amid anti-government protests.

Ahead of pilgrimage, Iran border crossing closed due to Iraq unrest.

Iran supports European plan to bolster nuclear deal.

Iran says it foiled 'Israel-Arab' plot to assassinate top military commander.

Arab Israelis strike to press police to act against violence.

Jordan youth unemployment rises to almost 40 percent.

ASIA

Indonesia says over 11,500 have fled violence-hit Papuan town.

U.N. Security Council likely to meet next week over North Korea missile launch: diplomats.

Taliban send high-level delegation to Islamabad in push to resurrect peace deal.

Pakistan, Afghan Taliban call for resumption of peace talks.

Philippine minister takes to Twitter to order diplomatic protest over Chinese ships.

Hong Kong teen shot by police charged with rioting.

North Korea negotiator Kim Myong Gil en route to Sweden.

Kim Jong Un visit to South Korea in November feasible, Seoul says.

North Korea confirms underwater-launched missile, calls it 'new phase' for limiting outside threats.

AFRICA

Cameroon releases 333 prisoners amid peace talks; separatists say not enough.

Mali government says death toll from double attack rises to 38.

Mali declares three days of national mourning after deadly jihadist raids on military.

Satellite images, amateur footage document Congo's hidden massacres.

US reopens embassy in Somalia nearly 3 decades after fleeing.

Somalia security meeting: Delegates discuss AU troop withdrawal.

Nigeria's President Buhari visits South Africa amid tensions over xenophobia.

Nigeria, S.Africa pledge 'early warning systems' to stop xenophobic attacks.

Hundreds of Burundian refugees return home from Tanzania.

Lobby firm paid $1 mn to push for jailed Tunisia presidential hopeful.

EUROPE

EU and Ireland skeptical of a Brexit breakthrough after UK PM Johnson's offer.

Italy PM backs intelligence over reported U.S. attorney general visits.

Putin: we will keep working with U.S. to the extent they will.

Russia's Medvedev slams U.S. for Cuba embargo during Havana trip.

Knife attack kills 4 officers at police headquarters in Paris. Knife attack at Paris police headquarters, 5 dead.

Greece energy summit: Turkey, Cyprus lay claim to natural gas.

Putin condemns Saudi oil attacks but defends Iran.

Vladimir Putin dismisses Greta Thunberg as a 'poorly informed teenager' and says: 'Go tell developing countries why they should continue to live in poverty and not be like Sweden'.

Labour's Corbyn: Johnson's Brexit plan won't pass Brussels, or Parliament.

German Unity Day: Reunification is 'ongoing process' says Merkel.

Facebook must remove illegal posts if ordered, top EU court rules.

AMERICAS

Ecuador declares state of emergency as fuel protests block roads.

Trudeau's main political rival has American citizenship.

Pence says Biden, son should be investigated for Ukraine dealings.

Trump urges Ukraine, China to investigate Bidens. Trump calls on China and Ukraine to investigate Biden.

Lawmakers question diplomat at center of Trump inquiry.

Russian plan would kickstart Cuba's nuclear ambitions, oil and gas drilling.

Honduras' Hernandez accused of taking drug money from 'El Chapo'. Honduras president rejects US accusation of El Chapo connection.

Trudeau defends the number of planes used by his campaign.

Las Vegas shooting victims reach $735m settlement from MGM Resorts.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

Deaf Islamic convert is named as Paris police HQ attacker: IT worker who fell out with supervisor 'after he refused to deal with women' slaughters four colleagues, including female officer, with a knife - as police arrest Muslim wife.

Iraq refusing ID cards to relatives of IS group members.

Afghanistan security adviser says hard-line Taliban members defecting to ISIS, merging with Al Qaeda.

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

Wall Street gains as weak services data raises rate-cut expectations.

US to impose tariffs on $7.5 billion in EU goods over illegal Airbus subsidies.

Saudi oil prices for Asia expected to jump in November after attack.

Facebook must delete defamatory content worldwide if asked.

Sweden Hides Its Warships In Vast Underground Bunker Amid Russia Fears

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 02:47 PM PDT

Swedish Visby-class corvette HSwMS Helsingborg. Wikipedia

The Guardian: Swedish navy returns to vast underground HQ amid Russia fears

Cavernous docks can shelter warships, with miles of tunnels, offices, and a hospital

Sweden's navy HQ is returning to a vast underground cold war fortress designed to withstand a nuclear attack, in what has been seen as a defensive move against a resurgent Russia.

After a 25-year absence, the navy will once again be commanded from beneath billions of tonnes of granite as the country strives to build up its defences in response to the perceived threat from Moscow.

The top secret naval base on Muskö, about 25 miles (40km) from Stockholm, resembles a cross between Tracy Island from Thunderbirds and the film set of You Only Live Twice, where James Bond grappled with arch villain Ernst Blofeld in his headquarters beneath a volcano.

Completed in 1969, it boasts cavernous underground docks that can shelter warships, with miles of tunnels, offices and a hospital.

Read more ....

Update: Sweden hides warships in vast underground bunker amid growing fears of threat from Russia (Express)

WNU Editor: Here are some good pictures on what is inside this base .... Sweden's secretive underground bunker hiding warships revealed – PICTURES (Express).

Russian Military Plane Intercepted Off Denmark By An F-16 Painted In The Style Of The Danish Banner

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 01:58 PM PDT

From above: The Russian jet, a Soviet-era IL-20M spy plane, did not enter Danish airspace after it was intercepted by Danish aircraft including the repainted F-16 (seen at the bottom of this picture). The Russian plane is designated Coot-A by Nato

Daily Mail: Flying the flag! Russian military plane is intercepted off of Denmark… by F-16 that had been painted in the style of the Danish banner

 * The fighter jet was painted red and white to mark 800 years of the Danish flag, which was adopted in 1219
 * It was sent into action on Monday to confront a Russian spy plane which had strayed close to Danish airspace
 * Denmark's military said 'it's rare that we get such great pictures' as it published photos of the operation

A Russian military plane that strayed close to Denmark's airspace was intercepted by a special F-16 fighter jet that had been painted in the colours of the Danish flag.

The warplane was painted red and white to mark 800 years of the Danish flag, which was adopted in 1219.

The plane, numbered E-191, has already toured Denmark for commemorative air shows but on Monday it was one of the planes sent into action to confront the Russian aircraft.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This is what I call a publicity stunt.

The US Navy's Last F/A-18C Hornet Fighter Jet Just Made Its Last Flight

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 01:39 PM PDT

Navy Lt. Andrew Jalali prepares for the official final active-duty flight of the last Navy F/A-18C Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106 at Naval Air Station Oceana, October 2, 2019. US Navy/Mass Comm Specialist 3rd Class Nikita Custer

Business Insider: The Navy's last F/A-18C Hornet fighter jet just made its last flight

* The Navy's last F/A-18C Hornet, aircraft number 300, completed its last active-duty flight on Wednesday.
* Both the F/A-18A and F/A-18C Hornet variants have been replaced by the updated F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.

NORFOLK, Virginia (NNS) — The last Navy F/A-18C Hornet, aircraft number 300, made its official final active-duty flight at Naval Air Station Oceana on October 2.

Assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106 at Cecil Field, Florida, aircraft number 300 completed its first Navy acceptance check flight October 14, 1988. Lt. Andrew Jalali, who piloted the Hornet for its final active-duty flight at Naval Air Station Oceana, was also born in 1988.

"Today marked the final United States Navy F/A-18C Operational Hornet flight," said the Commodore, Command Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic, Capt. Brian Becker.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: These F-18s have been active for 30 years.

A Look Inside A Startup That Is Building AI-Powered Military Technology

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 01:09 PM PDT



NBC: Inside Anduril, the startup that is building AI-powered military technology

"The technology companies that should be solving these problems refuse to do so," Anduril co-founder Palmer Luckey told NBC News.

On a blazing day in the scrublands just outside Irvine, California, Brian Schimpf watched as a man walked into a distant valley wearing a long-sleeved shirt and a hat to protect against the sun.

Within moments, sensors in towers on a nearby hillside used pattern-recognition algorithms to spot the man, and remote cameras found and tracked him. A large helicopter-like drone whirred to life, and flew over to conduct closer surveillance.

Schimpf is the CEO and co-founder of Anduril, a startup that is building surveillance and defense systems for the U.S. military and other agencies. The man being followed by these sensors was an employee, he explained, demonstrating the ability of this system to find and track a human intruder over a wide area with almost no human input.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Welcome to the future.

More News On The Start-Up Anduril

Oculus founder Palmer Luckey's defense start-up is now making attack drones -- CNBC
Tech's Most Controversial Startup Now Makes Attack Drones -- Bloomberg
Palmer Luckey's military tech company Anduril is sending drone destroyers to conflict zones -- Business Insider
Palmer Luckey is making battering-ram drones now -- The Verge
Palmer Luckey's company is making drone-ramming drones -- Yahoo

Iran Claims It Thwarted An Arab-Israeli Plot To Assassinate IRGC QudsCommander General Soleimani

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 11:27 AM PDT

Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani. (YouTube screenshot)

Times of Israel: Iran says it foiled 'Israel-Arab' plot to assassinate top military commander

Three arrested in plan that allegedly involved blowing up Qassem Soleimani during a memorial service for his father.

Iran thwarted what it described as an "Israel-Arab" plot to assassinate General Qassem Soleimani, the head of the elite Quds Force in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian media reported Thursday.

The Guard's intelligence chief, Hossein Taeb, told an annual conference of IRGC commanders that three people had been arrested in connection with the plan.

Taeb said the plot had been worked on for a number of years and involved blowing up Soleimani at a memorial service for his father during the Muslim holy month of Muharram, which begin in early September, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

Read more ....

Update #1: Iran says thwarts attack on top commander, arrests 3 (AFP)
Update #2: Iran claims it thwarted Arab-Israeli plot to assassinate IRGC Quds Force leader Soleimani (Jerusalem Post)

WNU Editor: Apparently he has had a lot of close calls .... Iran's Soleimani claims he and Nasrallah barely escaped Israeli air raid in 2006 (Times of Israel).

Update #3: Why now? Soleimani just gave his first interview in 20 years .... Shadowy Iran commander Qassem Soleimani gives rare interview on 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war (The National).

Corrupt Chinese Official Found With Thirteen And A Half Tonnes Of Gold And £30Billion In His Bank Account

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 11:18 AM PDT



Daily Mail: Thirteen and a half tonnes of gold worth up to £520million is found in a corrupt Chinese official's home and £30BILLION in suspected bribe money in his bank account

* Thousands of golden bars and bricks were discovered in a room during a raid
* Inspectors also discovered £30 billion in suspected bribes on his account
* The 58-year-old official in Haikou has been sacked and is under investigation
* He would have been richer than China's richest man if charges turn out to be true

A powerful Communist official in China is suspected to have received 13.5 tonnes of gold and £30 billion cash in bribes.

Thousands of golden bars and bricks were discovered at the leader's home during a raid by corruption inspectors earlier this month.

Their value could be worth up to £520 million, according to international trading prices.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I see a lot of gold, but I do not see 13.5 tons of gold. As to the £30Billion In His Bank Account .... I have to see it to believe.

Putin: Russia Helping China To Build A Missile-Attack Warning System

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 11:13 AM PDT

The stationary Don-2-N multirole early-warning radar in the town of Sofrino in the Moscow Region helps protect Moscow from ballistic missile strikes. © Sputnik / Kirill Kallinikov

RT: Moscow is helping Beijing build missile-attack warning system that only Russia & US have – Putin

A missile-attack warning system that Moscow is helping Beijing put together will drastically increase China's defense capabilities, President Vladimir Putin said, noting that only Russia and the US currently have such technology.

"I don't think I'll open a huge secret here. It'll become clear anyway. We're now helping our Chinese partners to create a missile-attack warning system," Putin told the high-profile guests of the 16th meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club at the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Thursday.

The President reminded attendees that Russia and the US are the only two countries in the world currently armed with such systems.

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Update: Russia helping China to build missile-attack warning system: Putin (Reuters)

WNU Editor: This is a huge "gift" to China.

U.S. Prosecutors Allege El Chapo Gave $1m In Bribes To Honduran President’s Brother

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 10:53 AM PDT

Honduras' President Juan Orlando Hernandez addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 25, 2019. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo

FOX News: 'El Chapo' paid $1 million bribe to fund sitting Honduran president's campaign: prosecutors

Convicted Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán allegedly used the brother of the current Honduran president as the go-between in a 2013 bribe scheme trading $1 million for cartel protection, U.S. federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

Juan Antonio "Tony" Hernández, 41, was accused in a Manhattan courtroom of using his connections in the Honduran government to smuggle cocaine through the country, knowing the final destination for the narcotics would be the United States.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The Honduran President Is denying these claims .... Honduras president rejects US accusation of El Chapo connection (DW).

More News On U.S. Prosecutors Alleging El Chapo Gave $1m In Bribes To Honduran President's Brother

Prosecutors allege El Chapo gave $1m in bribes to Honduran president's brother -- The Guardian/AP
El Chapo 'gave $1m to Honduran president's brother' -- BBC
U.S. prosecutor says Honduran president shielded brother's drug trafficking -- Reuters
US prosecutor says Honduran president took fortune in drug bribes -- AFP
'El Chapo' paid $1 million bribe to fund sitting Honduran president's campaign: prosecutors -- FOX News
Honduras' Hernandez accused of taking drug money from 'El Chapo' -- Al Jazeera

World News Briefs -- October 3, 2019

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 02:49 PM PDT

A riot police officer fires pepper-spray projectile toward anti-government protesters demonstrating near the Legislative Council building in Hong Kong, China, September 29, 2019. Picture taken Spetember 29, 2019. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

Reuters: Hong Kong set to enact emergency laws as it struggles to contain violence

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong's government is expected to discuss sweeping emergency laws on Friday that would include banning face masks at protests, two sources told Reuters, as the Chinese-ruled territory grapples with an escalating cycle of violence.

Authorities have already loosened guidelines on the use of force by police, according to documents seen by Reuters on Thursday, as they struggle to stamp out anti-government protests that have rocked Hong Kong for nearly four months.

Read more ....

MIDDLE EAST

Iraq protests: Death toll rises to 20 as unrest spreads.

Iraq issues curfews, cuts Internet amid anti-government protests.

Ahead of pilgrimage, Iran border crossing closed due to Iraq unrest.

Iran supports European plan to bolster nuclear deal.

Iran says it foiled 'Israel-Arab' plot to assassinate top military commander.

Arab Israelis strike to press police to act against violence.

Jordan youth unemployment rises to almost 40 percent.

ASIA

Taliban send high-level delegation to Islamabad in push to resurrect peace deal.

Pakistan, Afghan Taliban call for resumption of peace talks.

Philippine minister takes to Twitter to order diplomatic protest over Chinese ships.

Hong Kong teen shot by police charged with rioting.

North Korea negotiator Kim Myong Gil en route to Sweden.

Kim Jong Un visit to South Korea in November feasible, Seoul says.

North Korea confirms underwater-launched missile, calls it 'new phase' for limiting outside threats.

AFRICA

Mali declares three days of national mourning after deadly jihadist raids on military.

Satellite images, amateur footage document Congo's hidden massacres.

US reopens embassy in Somalia nearly 3 decades after fleeing.

Somalia security meeting: Delegates discuss AU troop withdrawal.

Nigeria's President Buhari visits South Africa amid tensions over xenophobia.

Nigeria, S.Africa pledge 'early warning systems' to stop xenophobic attacks.

Hundreds of Burundian refugees return home from Tanzania.

Lobby firm paid $1 mn to push for jailed Tunisia presidential hopeful.

EUROPE

Knife attack kills 4 officers at police headquarters in Paris. Knife attack at Paris police headquarters, 5 dead.

Greece energy summit: Turkey, Cyprus lay claim to natural gas.

Putin condemns Saudi oil attacks but defends Iran.

Vladimir Putin dismisses Greta Thunberg as a 'poorly informed teenager' and says: 'Go tell developing countries why they should continue to live in poverty and not be like Sweden'.

Labour's Corbyn: Johnson's Brexit plan won't pass Brussels, or Parliament.

German Unity Day: Reunification is 'ongoing process' says Merkel.

Facebook must remove illegal posts if ordered, top EU court rules.

AMERICAS

Trump urges Ukraine, China to investigate Bidens. Trump calls on China and Ukraine to investigate Biden.

Lawmakers question diplomat at center of Trump inquiry.

Russian plan would kickstart Cuba's nuclear ambitions, oil and gas drilling.

Honduras' Hernandez accused of taking drug money from 'El Chapo'. Honduras president rejects US accusation of El Chapo connection.

Trudeau defends the number of planes used by his campaign.

Las Vegas shooting victims reach $735m settlement from MGM Resorts.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

Deaf Islamic convert is named as Paris police HQ attacker: IT worker who fell out with supervisor 'after he refused to deal with women' slaughters four colleagues, including female officer, with a knife - as police arrest Muslim wife.

Iraq refusing ID cards to relatives of IS group members.

Afghanistan security adviser says hard-line Taliban members defecting to ISIS, merging with Al Qaeda.

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

US to impose tariffs on $7.5 billion in EU goods over illegal Airbus subsidies.

Saudi oil prices for Asia expected to jump in November after attack.

Facebook must delete defamatory content worldwide if asked.

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- October 3, 2019

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 09:58 AM PDT

The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, front, and the guided-missile cruisers USS Philippine Sea and USS Gettysburg participate in a group sail. All three ships are part of the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group and are underway conducting training operations in the Atlantic Ocean. Navy Visual News Service.Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Bash

Newsweek: Exclusive: On USS George H.W. Bush, Ship that Lost Crew to Suicide, 'Stress Comes From the Top Down'

As local and federal authorities launch investigations into the deaths of sailors from the Navy aircraft carrier U.S.S. George H.W. Bush after a string of recent suicides, interviews with former crew members and an official Pentagon report from 2018 show a disconnect within the command climate between the lower enlisted and senior ranks.

An official survey obtained by Newsweek through the Freedom of Information Act and published here for the first time, details how roughly a third of the ship's entire crew perceived the command climate aboard the aircraft carrier in May 2018. The ship's current commanding officer, Navy Captain Sean R. Bailey, conducted the survey about four months after assuming command of the U.S.S. George H.W. Bush from now-Rear Admiral Will Pennington in January 2018.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- October 3, 2019

Admiral: U.S. Needs More Ships in Europe to Counter Growing Russian Threats -- USNI News

Navy starts second round of Ghost Fleet Overload USV tests -- UPI

Berger: Marines Focused on China in Developing New Way to Fight in the Pacific -- USNI News

LCS fires ship-killing missile during ex-frigate Ford's SINKEX -- Defense News

LCS Fires New Long-Range Missile, As Navy And Marine Corps Hammer Out New Force Plan -- Breaking Defense

US Air Force's next-generation fighter inches forward with a new program head -- Defense News

Rethinking Air Superiority Acquisition in the United States -- Robert Farley, Diplomat

Here's what top defense contractors are offering the Army to replace its aging Bradley infantry fighting vehicles -- Business Insider

The Army Wants Killer Electromagnetic Pulse Artillery Shells -- National Interest

Faxon, Major Tool awarded $600M for next-gen area attack warhead -- UPI

You Can Buy This U.S. Navy High-Speed Riverine Assault Boat -- Warzone/The Drive

At least 22 paratroopers were injured after a nighttime military exercise went wrong at Camp Shelby -- CNN

U.S. military intensifies scrutiny on housing, issues ultimatum on health hazards -- Reuters

DARPA scoping the market for small satellite launchers -- Space News

Bring back the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency -- Rebecca Davis Gibbons, The Hill

The Real Costs of the War in Afghanistan -- New Republic

There's a new round of tensions between the US, NATO, and Russia, and that means there's a new battle brewing in the Atlantic -- Business Insider

Russia's General Staff chief holds phone talks with new chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff -- TASS

Four years in Syria, Russia expands military base, eyes challenges ahead -- Al-Monitor

Guns, Butter, and Russia's Enduring Military Power -- Moscow Times

China's latest display of military might suggests its 'nuclear triad' is complete -- SCMP

China's 70th Anniversary Parade: Beijing Determined to Become Third Nuclear Superpower -- Sputnik

China stakes claim on unmanned warfare with National Day show of drone force -- SCMP

Glimpse of underwater drone 'signals China is ramping up anti-submarine powers' -- SCMP

Chinese troops apparently wore QR codes on their body armor in the massive 70th anniversary parade -- Business Insider

Pyongyang's new sub-launched ballistic missile has 2,500 km range — Japan's top brass -- TASS

Latvia relaunches ground vehicle competition following industry complaints -- Defense News

Top Israeli Intel Official: 'We are Walking on Tiptoe' After Russian Military Plane Downing -- Sputnik

Startrek, Stargate and the Israeli Army's Other AI Projects -- Haaretz

Is Syria's military back in the driving seat? -- Kamal Alam, Middle East Eye

Iran's Army Unveils New Military Gear -- Tasnim

Criticisms Of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Grow In Saudi Arabia

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 08:23 AM PDT

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, September 18, 2019. Mandel Ngan/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Reuters: Exclusive: In Saudi Arabia, criticism of Crown Prince grows after attack

(Reuters) - Some members of Saudi Arabia's ruling family and business elite have expressed frustration with the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman following the largest-ever attack on the kingdom's oil infrastructure last month.

It has sparked concern among several prominent branches of the ruling Al Saud family, which numbers around 10,000 members, about the crown prince's ability to defend and lead the world's largest oil exporter, according to a senior foreign diplomat and five sources with ties to the royals and business elite. All spoke on condition of anonymity.

The attack has also fanned discontent among some in elite circles who believe the crown prince, known in the West by the initials MbS, has sought too tight a grip on power, the sources said. Some of these people said the event has also fueled criticism among those who believe he has pursued an overly aggressive stance towards Iran.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I am not surprised that the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is facing a lot of criticisms. But he is the Crown Prince and chosen heir by his father King Salman. He is someone who is not going to be removed anytime soon.

World News Updates, World News, Current Affairs, Daily Current Affairs, World News Updates

Posted: 04 Oct 2019 03:10 AM PDT

World News Updates, World News, Current Affairs, Daily Current Affairs, World News Updates


Julius Caesar: Why Roman leader 'feared exposure of sensitive secret'

Posted: 04 Oct 2019 12:04 AM PDT



JULIUS CAESAR had a secret concealment that he feared being exposed the most, despite the confident front he put on, a documentary revealed.

Helen Mirren: How Helen Mirren warned US not to make same ‘mistake as British’ on Brexit

Posted: 04 Oct 2019 02:15 AM PDT



HELEN MIRREN, who is currently starring in Catherine the Great, warned the United States not to make the same mistake as Britain on Brexit.

Putin furiously denies claims Stalin started World War 2

Posted: 04 Oct 2019 01:24 AM PDT



VLADIMIR PUTIN has denied the idea that both the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany share responsibility for the start of World War 2.

AOC supporter loses it as she urges crowd to 'start eating babies' to solve climate crisis

Posted: 04 Oct 2019 02:06 AM PDT



SHOCKING footage of a climate change protester and supporter of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez urging people to "start eating babies" to solve the climate crisis has emerged online.

World War 3: Iran ‘hiding military targets’ in secret bunkers and mountain hideouts

Posted: 04 Oct 2019 01:31 AM PDT



IRAN is preparing for war by moving key infrastructure, weapons systems and military equipment to secret underground bunkers and mountain hideouts, according to intelligence sources.

Ukraine plane crash: Five dead as flight from Spain crashes into village

Posted: 04 Oct 2019 01:28 AM PDT



FIVE people have died after a Ukrainian Antonov-12 plane was forced to make an emergency landing after

Turkey vs Cyprus: Fury as Erdogan ramps up 'severe escalation' in contested waters

Posted: 04 Oct 2019 12:39 AM PDT



TURKEY has been accused of "severe escalation" and "violating Cyprus' sovereign rights" after President Tayyip Erdogan sent a drill ship into Cypriot waters.

India-Pakistan conflict: Modi's office targets Turkish shipyard with ties to bitter rivals

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 09:15 PM PDT



INDIA has taken its conflict with Pakistan a step further and targeted a Turkish shipyard over ties with the latter nation.

South China Sea panic: ‘Region on the brink’ as Beijing’s real mission in area revealed

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 07:50 PM PDT



BEIJING's continuing belligerent actions in the South China Sea are dangerously ratcheting up tensions with Vietnam and the wider region, as well as threatening to derail Sino-Russian relations.

Jesus revelation: Major discovery made as village Christ visited after crucifixion found

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 06:40 PM PDT



THE village Jesus Christ allegedly visited after he was crucified may have been unearthed by scientists in a shock new discovery.

World News, World News Updates, World News Headlines, Latest World News, Current Affairs

Posted: 04 Oct 2019 02:56 AM PDT

World News, World News Updates, World News Headlines, Latest World News, Current Affairs


After Months of Unrest, Hong Kong Invokes Emergency Powers to Ban Face Masks

Posted: 04 Oct 2019 12:21 AM PDT

Hong Kong’s embattled top official, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, invoked colonial-era emergency regulations Friday to announce a ban on the wearing of face masks at unauthorized assemblies and other gatherings. Those violating the ban are liable to imprisonment for a year.

The move is intended to curtail the months of anti-government protests that have rocked the former British possession and injured more than 1,100 people. But it may instead exacerbate tensions, with activists vowing to continue to defy the government. In anticipation of protests in response to the ban, malls and businesses began closing early and commuters rushed home.

Speaking to a tense gathering of media in front of a screen that read “Treasure Hong Kong, End Violence,” Lam said the ban would come into effect on Oct. 5. “Why do we need to have this? Because, in the past four months, we’ve seen that almost all protestors who carry out vandalism and violence cover their faces,” she said.

“The purpose is to hide their identity and evade the law and they have become more and more daring. We believe the prohibition on face covering will be an effective deterrent on radical behavior and help police in regulating the law.”

Although she was invoking emergency powers to impose the ban, Lam insisted that “Hong Kong is not in a state of emergency.”

Appearing alongside Lam, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng said the restriction “would not undermine the essence of freedom of speech or expression, because [citizens] can still freely and lawfully take part in peaceful events without the use of facial coverings.”

Asked if she would consider imposing more measures under the Emergency Regulations Ordinance, Lam said “The situation is a fluid and evolving one” and “If the situation continues to worsen we will identify other means.”

Speaking at the same press conference, Secretary for Security John Lee said that the ban did not apply to police, who have already been accused of concealing their identities by removing their identification numbers from their uniforms. His disclosure caused an outburst of anger among reporters present, with one telling the official to “eat s–t.”

Two activists, Kwok Cheuk-kin and student leader Lester Shum, quickly filed judicial challenges to the measure at the High Court.

Tweeting just before the ban was announced, prominent campaigner Joshua Wong announced that it was “just the beginning” of draconian measures to come. In an “Open Letter to World Leaders” published on Facebook, he added: “The direct implementation of such anti-mask law, without any consultation or due process, will further expand police’s power in Hong Kong, making the city under complete police control. The procedure surpasses the legislature and is solely determined by the will of the executive, which is handpicked by Beijing.”

Democratic lawmaker Claudia Mo tweeted that the ban was “probably the biggest Hong Kong sellout ever.”

“If the police use this as a pretext to arrest more protestors, the effect among the public is that more animosity would be generated, and this poisonous relationship between protestors and police will be exacerbated,” said Willy Lam, adjunct professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Center for China Studies. “My conclusion is that this regulations doesn’t help matters. I think it will be counterproductive.”

He added: “It is certainly the beginning [of some sort of crackdown]. If the protests … get worse, nobody can rule out the possibility of other parts of the ordinance being used, which could empower the administration to impose curfews and restrict certain social media communication networks.”

NICOLAS ASFOURI—AFP via Getty Images A man takes part in a protest against a government ban on protesters wearing face masks in Hong Kong on October 4, 2019.

‘Our freedom of expression could be next’

Even before Lam announced the ban, protesters began gathering in the heart of Hong Kong’s banking quarter, occupying a key intersection and chanting slogans of the enclave’s fourth-month-old democratic rebellion.

By the late afternoon, the crowds in the Central district had swelled considerably, and included suited office workers as well as high school students in uniform shouting “Hongkongers resist!” Activists worked their way through the throng asking “Anyone need a mask?” and handing them out as other protesters started erecting barricades.

“I just can’t express how furious I am. I feel desperate,” a 28-year-old protester called John told TIME.

“We are worried it will expand to other laws, not just the mask ban, since they can do a lot more with this precedent now set,” said 33-year-old Abby, who works as an administrator in the financial district. “Less people may come out now [to protest]. But it will make the people who do more aggressive.”

“I think a lot of people will still wear the masks, because if we don’t it would be like silently consenting to this oppression,” said one 22-year-old student, who was worried that “Our freedom of expression could be next.”

The ban comes after Hong Kong’s worst spell of unrest in more than 50 years. Over the weekend, thousands of protesters ran rampant across the city, fighting battles with police, smashing shops, setting fires and erecting barricades. A teenage protester was shot at close range in the chest by police but miraculously survived. Scores of others were injured and 269 people arrested.

Hong Kong’s political crisis was sparked by a now withdrawn extradition bill, which would have allowed the rendition of fugitives to mainland China for the first time. Opposition to the bill quickly grew into a democratic rebellion against the unpopular local government. Many protesters are also calling for self-determination or independence for Hong Kong.

With reporting by Laignee Barron, Aria Chen and Hillary Leung / Hong Kong

U.N. Records 14,000 ‘Grave Violations’ Against Afghan Kids Over the Past Four Years

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 07:55 PM PDT

(UNITED NATIONS) — Deteriorating security across Afghanistan in the past four years led to over 14,000 “grave violations” against children, including nearly 3,500 youngsters killed and over 9,000 injured, according to a U.N. report circulated Thursday.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned “the alarming level” of grave violations committed by all parties and the fact that children “continue to bear the brunt of the armed conflict.”

Of serious concern, he said, is that the nearly 12,600 children verified to have been killed or injured in 2015-2018 represented almost a third of all civilian casualties. That was “an increase of 82 percent in child casualties compared with the previous four years,” he wrote.

Guterres said in his fourth report on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan that the rise was traced to “an increase in child casualties resulting from ground engagements, explosive remnants of war and aerial attacks.”

The U.N. chief said he is “extremely concerned,” especially by the number of children killed and injured as a result of “aerial operations conducted by government and pro-government forces.”

According to the report, child casualties from airstrikes “have significantly increased since 2015,” reversing the downward trend of the four preceding years. The U.N. verified 1,049 child casualties from airstrikes in 2015-2018, including 464 youngsters killed. That represented 40% of civilian casualties from aerial attacks, the report said.

Guterres said armed groups were responsible for 43% of child casualties _ 3,450 killed and 9,149 injured. While Taliban fighters were responsible for the majority, the number attributed to the Islamic State extremist group increased overall during the four-year period, he said.

Government and pro-government forces were responsible for 30% of child casualties, he said.

Guterres said the U.N. also verified the recruitment and use of 274 children by armed groups and government forces, sexual violence against 13 boys and four girls, and 467 attacks on schools and education personnel.

The secretary-general said the actual number of children recruited and used in the Afghan conflict “is estimated to be much higher,” citing as an example allegations in 2016 that over 3,000 children were recruited, mainly by armed groups.

Similarly, Guterres said rape and other forms of sexual violence against children “is known to be underreported as a result of prevailing social norms, fear of retaliation and impunity.”

In a study by the U.N. political mission in Afghanistan between October 2016 and December 2017, he said, people in communities across Afghanistan “shared their perceptions that the use of boys for the purposes of sexual abuse and exploitation, including bacha bazi, by parties to conflict was common and widespread.” Bacha bazi is a practice in which wealthy or powerful men exploit boys for entertainment, especially dancing and sexual activities.

Guterres cited the case of a boy in Takhar province who was held for about a year by several armed commanders, including national police commanders, “and used for bacha bazi.”

In an overview of political and security developments in 2015-2018, the secretary-general said the situation deteriorated compared to the previous four years, “notably following the transfer of responsibility for security from international forces to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces in 2014.” The following year, he said, the Taliban made “significant territorial inroads.”

Guterres said in recent months, 45,000 to 65,000 Taliban fighters were reportedly active in Afghanistan “although estimates vary considerably.” He added that “the Haqqani network has assumed an increasingly influential role in the Taliban’s military operations.”

The secretary-general said al-Qaida “is believed to maintain a limited presence in eastern Afghanistan” while the Islamic State extremist group is also present in eastern Afghanistan, “with 2,500 to 4,000 elements believed to be currently active.”

Operations by Afghan and international forces have constrained the Islamic State group’s expansion, Guterres said, and as a result IS has “increasingly relied on suicide and complex attacks deliberately targeting civilians in large cities.”

North Korea Says Underwater-Launched Missile Test Succeeded

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 07:42 PM PDT

(SEOUL, South Korea) — North Korea said Thursday it has carried out its first underwater-launched ballistic missile test in three years, in an apparent bid to dial up pressure on the United States ahead of a weekend resumption of their nuclear diplomacy.

Wednesday’s test of the Pukguksong-3 missile, which North Korea describes as a type of missile capable of being launched from a submarine, is seen as the North’s most high-profile weapons launch since it began diplomacy with the United States early last year. Some experts say North Korea wants to show to the U.S. what would happen if diplomacy fails again

The Korean Central News Agency said the missile test in the waters off its east coast was successful and “ushered in a new phase in containing the outside forces’ threat to (North Korea) and further bolstering its military muscle for self-defense.”

The KCNA report didn’t initially elaborate on whether the missile was fired from a submarine, a barge or other underwater launch platform. North Korea-dispatched photos showed the missile rising and spewing bright flames above a cloud of smoke from the sea, but the launch platform was not identifiable.

The Pentagon said the short-to-medium range missile was not launched from a submarine.

Air Force Col. Pat Ryder, spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Pentagon reporters Thursday there was “no indication that it was launched from a submarine, but rather, a sea-based platform.” Other defense officials described it as a barge or floating platform.

Michael Elleman, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the North Korean photos show “a missile breaching the sea’s surface after being ejected from an underwater launch tube, and then igniting its first-stage motor.”

He wrote on the website 38 North that the missile was likely launched from “a submersible barge rather than a submarine, as evidenced by the nearby surface ship that presumably towed the barge to a safe off-shore location.”

Kim Dong-yub, an analyst from Seoul’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, issued a similar assessment, saying the missile was likely from a barge built for an underwater launch. He said the missile is under development and that North Korea must test-fire it from a submarine before deploying it.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry said the North Korean missile traveled about 450 kilometers (280 miles) at a maximum altitude of 910 kilometers (565 miles). Ministry officials said it flew higher than any other short-range weapons North Korea test-fired in recent months.

KCNA said the missile was launched in a vertical mode and that its test had no adverse impact on the security of neighboring countries. It said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent “warm congratulations” to the national defense scientific research units involved in the test-firing

If fired at a standard trajectory, Kim, the analyst, said the missile could have travelled 1,500-2,000 kilometers (930-1,240 miles). He said the Pukguksong-3 is a medium-range missile. North Korea hadn’t tested a medium- and long-range missiles since its entrance to talks with the United States.

North Korean and U.S. officials are to meet on Saturday to restart diplomacy on how to end the North Korean nuclear crisis. That diplomacy largely remains stalemated after the February breakdown of a second summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in Vietnam.

Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper spoke with his Japanese defense counterpart on Thursday and the two men agreed that the launch was “unnecessarily provocative,” and not helpful in the effort to get North Korea back on the diplomatic path toward denuclearization.

The missile landed inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone for the first time since November 2017.

North Korea has recently warned its dealings with the United States may end if Washington fails to come up with new proposals to salvage the nuclear diplomacy by December.

Pukguksong, or Polaris, is a solid-fuel missile in the North’s weapons arsenal. The country first test-launched a Pukguksong-1 missile from an underwater platform in 2016, and Kim said at the time his military had gained “perfect nuclear-attack capability.” A year later, the North test-launched a Pukguksong-2, a land-based variant of the missile.

North Korea having an ability to fire a missile from a submarine is a threat to the United States and its allies because such launches are harder to detect early enough to respond. The use of solid fuel also increases a weapon’s mobility.

After Wednesday’s launch, the U.S. State Department called on North Korea “to refrain from provocations, abide by their obligations under U.N. Security Council resolutions, and remain engaged in substantive and sustained negotiations to do their part to ensure peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and achieve denuclearization.”

These Are the Key U.S. and Ukrainian Players in the Trump Impeachment Inquiry

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 01:38 PM PDT

President Donald Trump faces an impeachment inquiry in the wake of a recent whistleblower complaint alleging that he asked Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 presidential election by investigating Democratic candidate Joe Biden, and his son Hunter.

Central to the inquiry is a July 25 phone call between Trump and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky has denied that anyone pressured him to investigate Biden’s son, but many lawmakers are not convinced.

As Congress probes deeper and House Democrats begin issuing subpoenas and scheduling depositions, a dizzying array of Ukrainians and Americans—some already high-profile and others largely unknown to the general public until now—have emerged as key players.

Here’s a breakdown of who’s who in the Ukraine investigation.

Hunter Biden

Paul Morigi&mdash Getty Images for World Food Program USAHunter Biden speaks at a World Food Program USA award ceremony on April 12, 2016 in Washington, DC.

Who is he?

Hunter Biden, 49, is the younger son of former Vice President and 2020 presidential contender Joe Biden.

How is he involved?

Hunter Biden is at the center of Trump’s claims of corruption against his father—which the President and his allies continue to make without evidence. Joe and Hunter Biden are also key individuals in the whistleblower complaint, which accuses Trump of pressuring Ukraine to investigate them.

Hunter Biden’s position as a paid board member for a Ukrainian energy company has raised questions about a possible conflict of interest for his father. The younger Biden earned a reported $50,000-a-month salary from Ukrainian energy company Burisma for his advice on corporate governance and best practices.

Trump has suggested in unproven but nettlesome allegations that Hunter Biden was under Ukrainian prosecutors’ scrutiny for corruption and that his father protected him by pressuring Ukraine to oust Viktor Shokin, the prosecutor who had opened an investigation into the owner of Burisma.

In a White House summary of the July phone call between Trump and Zelensky, the American president was noted as saying, “there’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son” and Joe “Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it… it sounds horrible to me.”

Claims that Biden stepped in to block the inquiry are widely disputed, including by Joe Biden himself.

In a March 2016 trip to Kiev, Joe Biden had told Ukrainian leadership to fire Shokin, the country’s top prosecutor. Biden, like other officials in the U.S. and Western nations, believed Shokin was not doing enough to root out corruption. With international pressure mounting, Shokin was replaced later that month after a vote in Ukraine’s parliament.

Shokin had previously opened an investigation into the owner of Burisma, the Associated Press reported.

Hunter Biden joined the board of Ukranian energy company Burisma in 2014, but is no longer on the board, as of early 2019, according to the Washington Post.

Hunter Biden’s hiring in 2014 coincided with the launch of a new effort by Burisma to lobby the U.S. Congress about the role of the company in Ukraine and the country’s quest for energy independence. A Burisma spokesman said at the time that Hunter Biden had not been involved in contacting members of Congress or the Obama Administration about the company.

What has he said?

Hunter Biden has denied using his influence with his father to help Burisma, according to the Associated Press. Joe Biden’s campaign has said that the former Vice President’s work in foreign policy was not affected by his son’s activities in the country and they never discussed it either, the New York Times reported.

Joe Biden has also denied the president’s allegations, saying that Trump was “lying about his family” in a fundraising message.

Rudy Giuliani

Tasos Katopodis—Getty ImagesRudy Giuliani speaks at the Conference on Iran on May 5, 2018 in Washington, DC.

Who is he?

Rudy Giuliani is the President’s personal lawyer and the former mayor of New York City.

How is he involved?

The whistleblower complaint describes Rudy Giuliani as a “central figure” in Trump’s alleged attempts to pressure Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son.

Giuliani was subpoenaed Monday by the House Intelligence Committee. The subpoena stated that the committee is investigating “credible allegations” that Giuliani “acted as an agent of the President in a scheme to advance his personal political interests by abusing the power” of his office. The letter highlighted Giulianni’s declaration on CNN that he “asked the government of Ukraine” to investigate Biden—a claim that Giulianni appeared to walk back and forth while on air. When prodded by anchor Chris Cuomo to clarify his position, Giuliani eventually said he asked Ukraine to “investigate the allegations that relate to the false charges against” Trump and that “those allegations tangentially involve Biden.”

House investigators, in a subpoena, also asserted that Giulianni said he possessed evidence (text messages, phone records and other communications) suggesting that “other Trump Administration officials may have been involved in this scheme” and demanded that he produce these “communications” and “other related documents” by Oct. 15.

The whistleblower complaint alleges that in several instances, Giuliani unofficially reached out to Ukrainian officials and relayed messages to and from Trump.

The whistleblower complaint said Giuliani’s alleged interference created so much confusion and harm that U.S. State Department officials allegedly spoke with Giuliani in an effort to “contain the damage” to America’s national security.

They also met with members of the Ukrainian administration to help them understand and respond to inconsistent messages received from official channels and through Giuliani, according to the whistleblower.

What has he said?

Giuliani has been defiant in the face of allegations of wrongdoing, and told CNN the day the whistleblower’s complaint was released that he has “no knowledge of any of that crap.”

He specifically denied that State Department officials spoke with him to “contain the damage.” “At no time did either one of them say they wanted to ‘contain damage,’” Giuliani told CNN.

Giuliani has also said multiple times that he would only testify in relation to the impeachment inquiry if Trump gives him permission and that the president “was framed by the Democrats,” the Associated Press reports.

Giuliani has continued to say in television appearances that the focus should be on Joe Biden and his son’s private business dealings in Ukraine—despite no evidence of wrongdoing. He has been emphatic about his alleged innocence, even telling The Atlantic in an interview that “It is impossible that the whistle-blower is a hero and I’m not. And I will be the hero! These morons—when this is over, I will be the hero.”

The Biden campaign has reached out to television networks, demanding that Giuliani be kept off the air so he can no longer “spread false, debunked conspiracy theories on behalf of Donald Trump,” the New York Times reported.

William Barr

U.S. Attorney General William Barr
Win McNamee/Getty ImagesU.S. Attorney General William Barr delivers remarks during a White House ceremony Sept. 9, 2019 in Washington, DC.

Who is he?

William Barr is Attorney General of the United States — making him the nation’s top law enforcement officer and the head of the U.S. Department of Justice. He was appointed to the position by Trump on February 2019 and confirmed by a 54-45 vote in the Senate.

How is he involved?

The whistleblower complaint alleged that Barr “appears to be involved” with Trump’s alleged efforts to pressure the Ukranian government.

The complaint did not specifically detail Barr’s involvement, as it did with Giuliani. But it did state that White House officials with direct knowledge of the call between Trump and Zelensky mentioned that the President pressured Zelensky to meet Barr, who was “named explicitly” as the President’s “personal envoy,” along with Giuliani.

Trump suggested to Zelensky during the July phone call that he follow up with the Attorney General about looking into Biden and his son, according to a summary of the conversation released by the White House. “There’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great,” the summary noted Trump as saying. That document also mentioned that Trump had told Zelensky that he would tell Barr to call him.

Barr’s possible involvement has raised concerns about his impartiality among key players related to the inquiry. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said last week that Barr had “gone rogue”, was part of a “coverup of the coverup” and questioned his ability to make decisions “about how the complaint would be handled.”

Barr was previously criticized for how he handled the Mueller report, with some Democrats accusing him of choosing to “be the President’s lawyer,” instead of maintaining a degree of necessary independence from the White House.

The Justice Department said Monday that Trump recently asked the Australian prime minister and other foreign leaders to help Barr investigate how the Russia probe began, according to the Associated Press.

Barr assigned U.S. Attorney John Durham to investigate the origins of the probe.

What has he said?

The Justice Department has denied that Barr ever spoke with Trump “about having Ukraine investigate anything related to” Biden or his son in a statement last week.

“The Attorney General has not communicated with Ukraine – on this or any other subject,” said Kerri Kupec, spokesperson for the Department of Justice. “Nor has the Attorney General discussed this matter, or anything relating to Ukraine, with Rudy Giuliani.”

Volodymyr Zelensky

Sean Gallup—Getty ImagesUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the media on Oct. 1, 2019 in Kiev, Ukraine.

Who is he?

Volodymyr Zelensky, a comedian who formerly played the President of Ukraine on television, was elected to the office in reality earlier this year with 73% of the vote—the highest margin in the country’s post-Soviet history. He is a member of the Servant of the People party (which he founded, and named after his TV show). His party holds a majority of seats in the Ukrainian parliament. His campaign strongly emphasized fighting the country’s endemic corruption.

How is he involved?

Zelensky was on the other end of the Trump phone call that sparked the whistleblower’s complaint. The complaint said that Trump had used the call “to pressure the Ukrainian leader to take actions to help the President’s 2020 reelection bid” by pushing Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden, Hunter Biden and others.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi cited allegations that Trump requested that Zelensky “take actions which would benefit [Trump] politically” in her announcement that the House had launched a formal impeachment inquiry into the President’s conduct.

The whistleblower’s complaint also alleged that Zelensky met with the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine, Kurt Volker, and U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, who talked to him about how to “navigate” the President’s demands. U.S. officials also said that Zelensky’s advisors met with Giuliani, the complaint said.

The Ukrainian leadership was “led to believe” that whether or not Zelensky would have a call with Trump hinged on Zelensky’s “willingness to ‘play ball’” with the issues Giuliani and Lutsenko had raised, the whistleblower complaint said.

What has he said?

Zelensky has denied that anyone pressured him to investigate Biden’s son. Sitting with Trump at the United Nations on Sept. 25, Zelensky declared “nobody pushed me” and said that the call with Trump was “normal.”

He added that he does not have the authority to put pressure on Ukrainian law enforcement, even if he had been pressured.

“We have an independent country and independent general security. I can’t push anyone,” Zelensky said.

Yuriy Lutsenko

Former General Prosecutor Yuriy Lutsenko
STR—NurPhoto/Getty ImagesFormer Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko speaks during a press conference in Kiev, Ukraine, on March 7, 2019.

Who is he?

Yuriy Lutsenko served as the Ukrainian Prosecutor General from May 2016 until Aug. 29 this year, a few months after Ukraine’s new president, Zelensky, took office. He formerly served as the head of the country’s Ministry of Interior (which oversees the Ukrainian police, National Guard, and State Border Service) and was a member of the Ukrainian parliament.

He was arrested in December 2010 and received several charges, including for financial crimes, although the European Union argued that the cases against him were politically motivated, and he was pardoned in 2013 by former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

How is he involved?

Starting in March 2019, Mr. Lutsenko made a series of public allegations—many of which he later walked back—about the Biden family’s activities in Ukraine, Ukrainian officials’ purported involvement in the 2016 U.S. election, and the activities of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, according to the whistleblower complaint.

Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, met with Lutsenko at least twice—once in New York in January and again in Poland in February—the complaint said.

The whistleblower complaint also alleges that Trump praised Lutsenko during his July 25 phone call and suggested that Zelensky retain him as prosecutor general.

In the summary of Trump’s call that the White House released, Trump does not refer to Lutsenko by name, but he tells Zelensky, “I heard you had a prosecutor who was very good and he was shut down and that’s really unfair.”

When Zelensky tells Trump that he is thinking of replacing the Prosecutor General, Trump tells him that he heard the prosecutor was “treated very badly” although he was “very fair.”

What has he said?

Lutsenko has given numerous interviews to American news media—including several that appear to be contradictory. Some of the interviews include talking points that Trump brought up in his call with Zelensky.

Lutsenko told the Hill in March that he was launching an investigation into allegations that an Ukrainian official attempted to help Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

The whistleblower’s complaint said Lutsenko and other Ukrainian officials claimed that Biden had pressured former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to fire the previous Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin in an effort to “quash” an investigation of Burisma Holdings, where Hunter Biden served on the board.

Lutsenko’s deputy told the New York Times in May that Lutsenko was investigating “millions of dollars of payments from Burisma to the firm that paid Hunter Biden.” Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian natural gas company embroiled in scandal, paid $3.4 million to a company called Rosemont Seneca Bohai in 2014, the Times reported, referring to financial data from the Ukrainian deputy prosecutor. The Rosemont Seneca Bohai, in turn, paid Hunter Biden as much as $50,000 a month, the Times said, citing bank records.

On May 7, Lutsenko’s spokesperson denied to Bloomberg that the office had reopened the investigation into Burisma Holdings or its owner.

Lutsenko then told reporters after Trump’s Ukraine call leaked, that he does not feel that Ukraine has reason to investigate Joe or Hunter Biden. He did, however, acknowledge meeting with Giuliani.

Lutsenko told the BBC on Sept. 29 that he had “nothing, certainly” to prove that Hunter Biden violated Ukrainian law.

Viktor Shokin

Former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin
Sergii Kharchenko—NurPhoto/Getty ImagesFormer Prosecutor General of Ukraine Viktor Shokin holds a press conference on Feb. 16, 2015 in Kiev

Who is he?

Viktor Shokin was Ukraine’s Prosecutor General from 2015 to 2016. He was succeeded by Lutsenko.

He was removed from his position by Ukrainian parliament after accusations that he was soft on corruption following pressure from then-Vice President Joe Biden and other western governments.

How is he involved?

Shokin’s firing is central to claims Trump has made, without evidence, that Biden used his position as Vice President to protect his son Hunter’s private business dealings.

Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate these allegations, according to the whistleblower complaint.

As Vice President, Joe Biden had been vocal about rooting out corruption in Ukraine. He traveled to Kiev in March 2016 and pressed for Shokin’s removal. Biden later said during a 2018 speech before the Council on Foreign Relations that he had threatened to withhold a billion-dollar loan guarantee until he was assured the prosecutor was ousted. The Ukrainian parliament eventually voted to remove the prosecutor, that same month, in March 2016, after international pressure. Shokin faced widespread accusations of allowing corruption to fester, according to a statement by at least one former Obama Administration official.

Tom Malinowski, former assistant secretary of state in the Obama Administration, tweeted on Sept. 25 that “all of us working on Ukraine wanted this prosecutor gone, because he was NOT prosecuting corruption. So did the Europeans. So did the IMF.”

As chief prosecutor, Shokin had opened an investigation into the owner of Burisma, Mykola Zlochevsky, the Associated Press reported.

There is disagreement over whether Shokin would have actually gone after Burisma.

Daria Kaleniuk, co-founder of the Anti-Corruption Action Center, a Ukrainian organization that works on anti-corruption initiatives in the country, told the BBC that Shokin was not a “tough prosecutor who was willing to investigate Burisma.” If anything, the opposite was true and Shokin was “dumping this investigation,” she said, adding that she has been following the investigation since 2014.

What has he said?

Shokin told the Washington Post earlier this year that he believes he lost his position because he was investigating Burisma. He said that if he was still prosecutor he would have looked into the younger Biden’s qualifications to be a board member, citing Hunter Biden’s lack of experience in working in Ukraine or the energy sector, the Post reported.

Mykola Zlochevsky

Pavlo Gonchar—SOPA Images—LightRocket/Getty Images Ukrainian businessman and founder of the Burisma Holdings company, Mykola Zlochevsky at a media conference on Sept. 24, 2019

Who is he?

Mykola Zlochevsky is a former Ukrainian ecology and natural resources minister and the owner of Burisma Holdings, an oil and gas industry holding company.

Since Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, joined the board of Burisma Holdings in the spring of 2014, some of the former Vice President’s critics have called the connection inappropriate.

While Joe Biden and the Obama Administration were calling for a crackdown on corruption in Ukraine, Zlochevsky was among the subjects of a money laundering investigation by the United Kingdom’s Serious Fraud Office.

The investigation lasted from 2014 until June 2018, when it was closed due to a lack of evidence. Burisma had announced in winter 2017 that the investigation of Burisma and Zlochevsky had closed. In 2015 remarks about corruption, the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, criticized the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s office for failing to release documents that could have supported the seizure of Zlochevsky’s money, which was being held in the case. He did not say when this occurred.

How is he involved?

The whistleblower’s complaint said that Lutsenko had accused Joe Biden of trying to “quash a purported criminal probe” into Burisma Holdings by pressuring the former Ukrainian President to fire Lutsenko’s predecessor, Shokin.

Trump appears to have referred to these allegations during his July 25 phone call with Zelensky. Trump said that Joe Biden “stopped the prosecution” of a case concerning Hunter Biden, according to the summary of the call.

“Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it … It sounds horrible to me,” Trump said.

After the whistleblower’s complaint emerged, Lutsenko told multiple news outlets that he did not have any evidence that the Bidens violated Ukrainian law.

What has he said?

Zlochevsky has not spoken to U.S. news outlets about the controversy.

After Hunter Biden joined the company’s board, the chairman of the board of directors said in a statement, “The company’s strategy is aimed at the strongest concentration of professional staff and the introduction of best corporate practices, and we’re delighted that Mr. Biden is joining us to help us achieve these goals.”

The law firm representing Zlochevsky in the United Kingdom, Peters & Peters, said in a statement to the Guardian in 2017 that their client did not violate the law during his time as a minister, saying that he had made his wealth before his time in office.

“Mr. Zlochevsky has followed the letter and spirit of the law in his role as civil servant and has, at all times, held himself to the highest moral and ethical standards in his business dealings and public functions,” the statement said, adding that he had “fallen victim to an entrenched and a cynical programme of smear campaigns and misinformation.”

Marie Yovanovitch

Marie Yovanovitch
NurPhoto—NurPhoto via Getty ImagesFormer U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch during a meeting with former Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman Kyiv, on Nov. 12, 2018

Who is she?

Yovanovitch is a career diplomat who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia and Kyrgyzstan before being named ambassador to Ukraine in Aug. 2016.

She was recalled from the post in May. Eliot L. Engel, the Chairman of the House’s Foreign Affairs Committee, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, in a joint statement, called the White House decision to recall her a “political hit job.”

How is she involved?

The whistleblower’s complaint said that Yovanovitch might have lost her ambassadorship as a result of accusations against her by Lutsenko.

The complaint notes that Yovanovitch was among the targets of allegations made by Lutsenko and his colleagues in interviews with the Hill. According to the complaint, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, and Yovanvitch in particular, had been accused of obstructing corruption cases by providing a “do not prosecute” list and by blocking Ukrainian prosecutors from traveling to the United States to provide “evidence” about the 2016 election.

The State Department denied that Yovanovitch was recalled early, saying in a statement to reporters that she was “concluding her three-year diplomatic assignment in Kiev in 2019 as planned.”

The complaint also said that Yovanovitch’s time as ambassador was “curtailed because of pressure stemming from Mr. Lutsenko’s accusations.”

Trump criticized Yovanovitch during his phone call with the Ukrainian President. According to the White House’s summary of the call, Trump said, “The former ambassador from the United States, the woman, was bad news and the people she was dealing with in the Ukraine were bad news.” Yovanovitch is the first and only female ambassador to Ukraine.

What has she said?

Yovanovitch is scheduled to testify as part of the impeachment inquiry on Wednesday. She has not commented on the allegations against the President publicly.

Joseph Maguire

Joseph Maguire at House Intelligence Hearing
Tom Williams—CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty ImagesJoseph Maguire, acting director of national intelligence, testifies during the House Intelligence Committee hearing on a whistleblower complaint about a phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019.

Who is he?

Joseph Maguire is the acting Director of National Intelligence, who stepped in to lead the agency in August after his predecessor Dan Coats stepped down, along with Coats’ deputy. He was previously serving as the head of the National Counterterrorism Center. He has a 36-year military career under his belt and his former colleagues described him as someone who is “not a political hack.”

How is he involved?

Maguire came under fire from House Democrats for withholding the whistleblower complaint from lawmakers for weeks. The Director of National Intelligence is legally required to submit a complaint from the Inspector General to the requisite oversight committee within seven days. But the Inspector General noted in his Sept. 9 letter to the House Intelligence committee that he believed Maguire determined he would not be required to pass along the concern to Congress because for him, the allegations did not meet the standard of an “urgent concern,” as written in law.

What has he said?

Maguire testified before the House Intelligence committee Sept. 26 after being subpoenaed. The retired Navy vice admiral defended his reluctance to share the report during the hearing, saying he believed it may have been covered by executive privilege. He said repeatedly that he sought guidance from officials from the White House and the Justice Department on the matter.

But Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff argued that the law still required Maguire to pass along whistleblower complaints to the House and Senate intelligence committees.

Maguire told lawmakers he believed that the whistleblower is “operating in good faith” and “did the right thing.” But he would not explicitly say whether he found the allegation to be “credible” when asked by Schiff. Maguire instead said “it’s not for me to judge” and added that he does not criticize the inspector general for finding the allegation to be credible.

Maguire would not tell lawmakers whether he had spoken to Trump about the complaint, noting that it would be “inappropriate” to comment on the matter because his conversations with Trump are privileged because of his role as acting Director of National Intelligence.

Michael Atkinson

Michael Atkinson
Jacquelyn Martin—APNational intelligence inspector general Michael Atkinson leaves a closed intelligence briefing, Sept. 26, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Who is he?

Atkinson is the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, a position created within the office of the Director of National Intelligence in 2010 to provide oversight.

How is he involved?

Atkinson alerted Congress to the whistleblower complaint in September, calling the document and its contents “credible and urgent.”

Atkinson flagged the complaint in two letters sent to the House Intelligence Committee in September, in which he noted that he could not resolve his differences about how to handle the complaint with Maguire, the acting Director of National Intelligence.

What has he said?

Atkinson said in one of the letters that it appeared that Maguire had no “present intention” of directing the whistleblower on how to contact congressional intelligence committees directly “in accordance with appropriate security practices.” He added that it was his “statutory responsibility” as inspector general to make sure that these committees are “kept currently and fully informed of ‘significant problems and deficiencies relating to programs and activities within the responsibility and authority of the Director of National Intelligence.’”

Atkinson had received the whistleblower’s complaint on Aug. 12 and passed it onto Maguire on Aug. 26, according to a letter Schiff wrote to Maguire. The Director of National Intelligence is legally required to submit a complaint from the IG to the requisite oversight committee within seven days.

Kurt Volker

Kurt Volker
Sergei Supinsky—AFP/Getty ImagesFormer US special envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker speaks during a press conference in Kiev on July 27, 2019.

Who is he?

Kurt Volker resigned as the State Department’s special envoy to Ukraine on Sept. 27, two days after the White House released a summary of Trump’s call with Zelenksy, the Associated Press and other outlets reported. He was appointed to the post by then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in 2017 to help support the terms of the Minsk agreements, which were intended to achieve peace in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Volker is also the former U.S. permanent representative to NATO and is currently runs the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University.

How is he involved?

The whistleblower alleges that Volker and Gordon Sondland, the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, met with Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials the day after the call with Trump and gave him advice on how to “navigate” the demands Trump had made. The whistleblower wrote that he’d been told about the meetings by U.S. officials who had viewed readouts of the meetings.

The complaint also said that Volker spoke to Giuliani to try and “contain the damage” allegedly caused to American national security by Giuliani’s contact with Ukraine. Volker also spoke with Ukrainian officials and “sought to help Ukrainian leaders understand and respond to the differing messages they were receiving from official U.S. channels on the one hand, and from Mr. Giuliani on the other,” the complaint said.

What has he said?

Volker was scheduled to testify as part of the impeachment inquiry on Oct. 3. He has not yet spoken publicly about the Ukraine scandal.

Finnish Media Praises Their President for ‘Ice-Cold Strong’ Composure During Press Conference With Donald Trump

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 01:01 PM PDT

(HELSINKI) — Finnish media on Thursday praised their president’s performance at a Washington news conference with U.S. President Donald Trump as “ice-cold strong” as he stoically endured Trump’s heated comments on the U.S. impeachment inquiry.

The U.S. president used large chunks of their joint news conference on Wednesday to talk about the situation with Ukraine, leaving his guest sidelined. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto stood calmly by while Trump answered questions about his controversial phone call with Ukraine’s leader.

“Ask him a question,” Trump irritably told a reporter, pointing to his counterpart.

Thursday’s TV show “Morning Finland” on MTV3 widely covered the Trump-Niinisto meeting, because its U.S. correspondent at the news conference asked Niinisto a pointed question: “What kind of favors has Mr. Trump asked from you?”

“I think you mean the other way around,” Trump quickly replied.

The Finnish tabloid Iltalehti said the Finnish leader wisely did not interfere with U.S. domestic politics and “Trump’s nightmare.” Finland’s largest newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, said Niinisto’s “poker face held well.”

Another tabloid, Ilta-Sanomat, cited a body language expert as saying the two leaders had seemingly good chemistry. It also said Niinisto came out with honors from his meeting with the “explosive” U.S. leader.

Helsingin Sanomat also said the news conference showed “two parallel realities” and suggested that Trump “shout less to make reporters hear better.”

But some in Finland wondered whether Niinisto’s comment that “Mr. President, you have here a great democracy. Keep it going on” was an accurate commentary on the current U.S. political climate. Niinisto said he was only referring to past U.S. history.

To some U.S. observers, Niinisto looked uncomfortable at times. Yet the Finnish leader later described the news conference to media outlets as “very pleasant.”

After seeing footage of the news conference, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, tweeted that he felt bad for the Finnish leader and said “Today, we are all Sauli Niinisto.”

Climate Change Activists Spray Fake Blood at U.K. Government Building

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 11:07 AM PDT

Climate change activists used an old fire engine to spray fake blood over the Treasury Building in central London early Thursday morning as part of efforts to highlight inaction over climate change.

Protesters with the Extinction Rebellion movement parked an old fire engine outside the Treasury Building to spray 1,800 liters of red-colored water over the 100-year-old building.

The protest, which started at around 10am on Oct. 3, wanted to highlight the lack of action the U.K. government has shown in addressing climate change, an Extinction Rebellion spokesperson told TIME.

Demonstrators were holding banners outside the building, demanding that the U.K. government “Stop Funding Climate Death”.

Meanwhile, protesters stood on top of the fire engine and used a hose to spray the fake blood onto the front of the Treasury Building for several seconds, leaving red marks above the door. But they quickly lost control of the high-powered water jet and the liquid was instead sprayed across the road and pavement.

The fake blood is made from a concoction of beetroot powder, golden syrup, water and cornflower, Extinction Rebellion told TIME. The mixture can be washed off the building, but faded marks of red remain on the building for now.

In a statement, Extinction Rebellion said: “The protest is being held to highlight the inconsistency between the U.K. Government’s insistence that the UK is a world leader in tackling climate breakdown, while pouring vast sums of money into fossil exploration and carbon-intensive projects.”

Extinction Rebellion say that the use of a fire engine is symbolic. “We are in an emergency, using a fire engine is very symbolic of that,” a spokesperson told TIME.

A total of four people — three men and one woman — have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.

Among the arrested activists is Phil Kingston, a 83-year-old retired Lecturer in Social Work and grandfather of four. This is the sixth time he has been arrested as part of climate protests. Kingston said in a statement: “I fight with all my being for my four grandchildren in this situation of existential danger…I come to the Treasury to challenge these practices and to demand radical change in them.”

Another arrested activist, retired doctor Diana Warner, added: “The situation around global heating and environmental destruction is so urgent that I am risking imprisonment.”

“I consider what I am doing now with Extinction Rebellion to be more important than any other work I have done as a doctor and mother.”

The protests outside The Treasury building today is part of a build up towards the International Rebellion — a global protest in more than 60 cities starting on Oct. 7.

 

Ocean Cleaning Device Starts Collecting Plastic in Pacific Ocean

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 09:01 AM PDT

(THE HAGUE, Netherlands) — After a series of setbacks, a system for catching plastic floating in the Pacific between California and Hawaii is now working, its Dutch inventor said Wednesday.

Boyan Slat, a university dropout who founded The Ocean Cleanup nonprofit, announced that the floating boom is skimming up waste ranging in size from a discarded net and a car wheel complete with tire to chips of plastic measuring just 1 millimeter.

The results are promising enough to begin designing a second system to send to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an area of floating plastic trash twice the size of Texas, Slat said.

But he sounded a note of caution, saying “if the journey to this point taught us anything it is that it’s definitely not going to be easy.”

The floating boom with a tapered 10-foot-deep (3-meter-deep) screen is intended to act like a coastline, trapping some of the 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic that scientists estimate are swirling in the patch while allowing marine life to safely swim beneath it.

After it was towed out to sea last year, the barrier did not catch any trash in its first weeks of operation because it was moving at the same speed as the plastic. That problem was overcome by using an underwater parachute anchor to slow the boom so it catches quicker moving trash.

Also, late last year, the barrier broke under the constant pummeling by wind and waves in the Pacific, requiring four months of repairs before being relaunched from Vancouver in June.

The system also experienced a problem with “overtopping” _ waves that pushed the plastic over the line of floating corks that hold the screen. That was solved by using a line of larger corks to corral the plastic.

The organization wants to continue developing the plastic traps, scale them up and deploy more to the Pacific so they can gather thousands of tons of plastic each year. However, Slat did not say when the second version would be ready for launch.

Slat’s organization is one of a handful of groups working to collect trash from the open oceans.

There is more than enough to keep them busy.

It is estimated that between 600,000 and 800,000 metric tons of fishing gear is abandoned or lost during storms each year in the oceans, according to the Trash Free Seas Program at Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group.

Another 9 million tons (8 million metric tons) of plastic waste, including plastic bottles, bags, toys and other items, flow annually into the ocean from beaches, rivers and creeks, according to experts.

Slat said the next move is to scale up the device and make it stronger, so it can stay at sea for longer and hold onto all the plastic it collects for a year or more before a ship collects the trash.

Summarizing, he said: “There’s a lot of work still ahead of us.”

President Trump Says China Should Investigate the Bidens

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 08:19 AM PDT

(WASHINGTON) — Ensnarled in an impeachment investigation over his request for Ukraine to investigate a chief political rival, President Donald Trump on Thursday called on another nation to probe former Vice President Joe Biden: China.

“China should start an investigation into the Bidens,” Trump said in remarks to reporters outside the White House. Trump said he hadn’t directly asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to investigate Biden and his son Hunter but said it’s “certainly something we could start thinking about.”

Trump and personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani have also tried to raise suspicions about Hunter Biden’s business dealings in China, leaning on the writings of conservative author Peter Schweizer. But there is no evidence that the former vice president benefited financially from his son’s business relationships.

Trump’s requests for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to dig up dirt on Biden, as well as Giuliani’s conduct, are at the center of an intelligence community whistleblower complaint that sparked the House Democratic impeachment probe last week.

The president’s reference to China came unprompted in an unrelated question about the July 25 Ukraine call and moments after he was asked about trade negotiations with China to end a year-long trade war that has been a drag on both nation’s economies.

“I have a lot of options on China, but if they don’t do what we want, we have tremendous, tremendous power,” Trump said.

He later alleged without evidence that China had a “sweetheart deal” on trade with the U.S. because of the Bidens.

“You know what they call that,” Trump said. “They call that a payoff.”

Trump’s comments came as he publicly acknowledged that his message to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other officials was to investigate the 2020 Democratic presidential contender. Trump’s accusations of impropriety are unsupported by evidence.

“It’s a very simple answer,” Trump said of his call with Zelenskiy. “They should investigate the Bidens.”

Trump has sought to implicate Biden and his son in the kind of corruption that has long plagued Ukraine. Hunter Biden served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company at the same time his father was leading the Obama administration’s diplomatic dealings with Kyiv. Though the timing raised concerns among anti-corruption advocates, there has been no evidence of wrongdoing by either the former vice president or his son.

Paris Police Employee Kills 4 Officers in Knife Attack Near Notre Dame

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:13 AM PDT

(PARIS) — An employee armed with a knife attacked officers inside Paris police headquarters Thursday, killing at least four before he was fatally shot, a French police union official said.

Police union official Loic Travers told reporters the attack appears to have begun in an office and continued elsewhere in the large police compound across the street from Notre Dame Cathedral.

The number of people injured was not immediately known.

Travers said the motive is unknown, but that the 20-year police employee allegedly responsible for the attack worked as an administrator in the intelligence unit and had not posed known problems until Thursday.

He said he could not remember an attack of this magnitude against officers.

Emery Siamandi, an employee at police headquarters, said he heard gunshots and immediately saw two officers come outside an office weeping. A third officer, who Siamandi described as the person who shot and killed the assailant, came out on his knees, also in tears.

The attack came a day after thousands of officers marched in Paris to protest low wages, long hours and increasing suicides in their ranks.

France’s prime minister, interior minister and the Paris prosecutor were on their way to the scene.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said no information could be provided at this stage.

The neighborhood, one of Paris’ busiest tourist attractions, was locked down, the Cite metro stop was closed and the bridge between Notre Dame and the headquarters building was blocked off.

Extremists have repeatedly targeted French police in France in recent years. In 2017, a gunman opened fire on the Champs-Elysees boulevard, killing one officer before he was shot to death.

In 2016, an attack inspired by the Islamic State group killed a police officer and his companion, an administrator, at their home in front of their child.

Louis Theroux, Britain’s Documentary Trailblazer, Turns the Spotlight on Himself

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 03:58 AM PDT

Within minutes of our meeting in a central London coffee shop, Louis Theroux starts peppering me with questions. How I am, how I came to be in this job and where I’ve traveled from to meet him. He’s friendly yet persistent, the approach he’s built a career on. Within a matter of minutes, and without meaning to, I find I’ve revealed to him my abridged autobiography.

Such is the award-winning technique of Theroux, 49, widely regarded as the face of modern British documentary filmmaking. For the past 25 years, he has been making and presenting television programs featuring quirky subjects, ranging from UFO investigators to committed Nazis, Miami megajail inmates to big-game trophy hunters. Persuasive but not pushy, challenging but not judgmental, his knack for convincing his interviewees to (often unwittingly) reveal more of their psyches has endeared him to millions of viewers around the world. Whether speaking to a transgender woman and her cellmate about their relationship inside San Quentin prison, or asking a member of the Phelps family why she exiled herself from the incendiary Westboro Baptist Church, Theroux elicits poignant, genuine responses.

Now Theroux has become his own subject. His new book, Gotta Get Theroux This, is a memoir of his life and career on camera, from his early days in 1994 as a fresh-faced correspondent for Michael Moore’s satirical NBC news show TV Nation. Putting himself in the hot seat does not come naturally, he says. “I’ve made it my habit to be slightly invisible in my programs. Although I’m on camera, I don’t really give that much of myself. I think that’s what’s needed, because of the nature of the programs. I’m a straight man in a world that is somewhat weird, mysterious, dangerous or just emotionally charged in one way or another.”

Theroux was born in Singapore in 1970 to an American father (the writer Paul Theroux) and British mother, and eventually settled in London. He and his brother Marcel, now a writer, were encouraged to be interested in the world, and grew up spending summers in Cape Cod with their American family. “That was a big thing growing up: you weren’t tribal. [My parents’] outlook was very much cosmopolitan, striving to be open-minded, unblinkered as to how other countries and other cultures see the world.”

Those themes run clear through Theroux’s films, in which he is often a slightly bemused bespectacled British observer interacting with people living in unusual worlds or subcultures. “I think we have a tendency to settle in certain ways of thinking, or select data sets that confirm prejudices we have on a given subject,” he says. To upend these assumptions, several of his programs bring dimensions to subjects that a viewer might not expect. One program focusing on convicted sex offenders showed a woman welcoming Theroux into her home with a crumb cake while wearing an ankle monitor, telling him the hardest part about being on parole is being separated from her children. “I’m interested in those inconvenient bits of data, or those points at which you are forced to acknowledge that something does not fit the template or the paradigm.”

In 1998, the BBC aired Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends, in which he spent time with people on the extreme fringes of American society—right-wing militia members, UFO enthusiasts and porn stars. Four years later, When Louis Met … , a series of interviews with high-profile British personalities, would follow. One of these was When Louis Met … Jimmy, in which Theroux spent time with then popular entertainer and television presenter Jimmy Savile. Two years after Savile died in October 2011, U.K. police investigations uncovered that he had been guilty of hundreds of criminal sex-abuse offenses, targeting mostly children. That revelation has had a lasting impact on Theroux—who had formed a “quasi-friendship” with Savile after filming together-—and was partially the impetus for writing the memoir.

The lighthearted nature of Theroux’s questioning of Savile led to retrospective criticism of his interview style, best described as “faux naive.” In an early segment on TV Nation, for example, Theroux interviewed neo-Nazis in Montana and earnestly discussed their theories of different races being banished to different planets after an impending apocalypse. Is it all an act? He says that is in the top three questions he is ever asked. “Am I exactly the same person on camera as off camera? Well, evidently no because I’m doing a job on camera, and part of that is asking questions to which I know the answer sometimes.” That statement circles back to his immersive approach, talking to subjects in the languages of their own worlds. “Maybe it’s my sense of humor to ask something really obvious … I don’t know if that’s a helpful answer or not, but basically I think me saying stupid things sometimes is funny. I plead guilty to that.”

Still, his approach risks seeming like he is letting his subjects off the hook—something survivors of Savile’s abuse charged him with when he met with them for a follow-up documentary in 2016. At one point, Theroux is called “gullible and silly,” and confronted with accusations of failing to recognize evil in plain sight. “I needed to hear that, actually,” he says now.

Some of the “weird” ideas Theroux helped introduce to viewing audiences have since become more widely accepted. In a 1998 edition of Weird Weekends, for example, he traveled to Idaho to meet survivalists preparing for the apocalypse. Theroux says the story hasn’t really changed. “Most of those guys or guys like them are still doing similar sorts of things, with the slight difference that sometimes they’re being retweeted by Donald Trump Jr. or President Trump himself,” he says. “In other words, the fever swamps of conspiracy have a hold over mainstream discourse now.”

Theroux’s early films—which have won a new generation of fans after being added to Netflix—-frequently involved partial integration into the world he was in: stripping for a Polaroid photo on an L.A. pornography shoot, or getting liposuction at a Beverly Hills clinic. While these kinds of stunts were what he calls “the price of admission” for making programs that would keep people entertained, today he keeps the antics to a minimum. Instead, in recent years Theroux has turned his attention to more serious matters. Recent films include 2016’s Drinking to Oblivion, an unsparing look at alcohol addiction, and this year’s Mothers on the Edge, in which he met sufferers of post-partum depression. He made his first feature-length documentary, My Scientology Movie, in 2016—once again shedding light on an outlier community. The linking factor, he says, is human beings themselves. “What all the films entail is a certain level of psychological angst, or complexity, or contradictoriness. I want to go deeper into why people behave the way that they do.”

As we stand up to leave, a woman approaches, seemingly keen to take a selfie with Theroux. Instead she hands him her phone and asks him to take a photo of her, standing in front of the park’s colorful flower beds. Theroux smiles politely and fulfills her request, at ease again behind the camera.

financial dictionary pdf - financial terminology dictionary - financial dictionary app

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 10:57 PM PDT

financial dictionary pdf - financial terminology dictionary - financial dictionary app


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Latest Govt Jobs, Sarkari Naukri, Results

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 09:47 PM PDT

Latest Govt Jobs, Sarkari Naukri, Results


NABARD Admit Card 2019 – NABARD Grade A& B Mains & Prelims Hall Ticket @ nabard.org

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:40 AM PDT

Exam Name Admit Card Date Exam Date Admit Card Link
Assistant Prelims Exam 02nd Week of October 2019 20th October 2019 Click Here
NABARD Mains Exam 15th July 2019 27th July & 28th July 2019 Click Here
NABARD Prelims Exam 04th June 2019 15th June & 16th June 2019 Click Here

NABARD Development Assistant Admit Card 2019 – National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development has announced the Prelims exam date for the post of Development Assistants on 20th October 2019. Hence, Candidates, who submitted the application at the time of recruitment can download the admit card from the 02nd Week of October 2019.

NABARD Admit Card 2019   NABARD Grade A& B Mains & Prelims Hall Ticket @ nabard.org

Description Details
Name of the Board National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
Name of the Exam Development Assistant Prelims Exam
Exam Date 20th October 2019
Category Admit card
Admit Card Release Date 02nd Week of October 2019
Official website www.nabard.org
NABARD Prelims Exam Admit Card 2019 – Download Here

NABARD Manager Admit Card 2019: The Bank has released the admit card for the post of Manager Grade A, B. Aspirants who applied and qualified the Mains Examination can download the NABARD Mains Admit Card. Hence, the Admit Card has been released on its Official Website on Today 15th July 2019. Moreover, the NABARD Manager Grade A, B Exam is going to be held on 27th July 2019 and 28th July 2019 Respectively.

Description Details
Name of the Board National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
Name of the Exam NABARD Grade A& B Mains Examination
Exam Date 27th July & 28th July 2019
Category Admit card
Admit Card Release Date 15th July 2019
Official website www.nabard.org
NABARD Mains Exam Admit Card for Grade A 2019 – Download Here
NABARD Mains Exam Admit Card for Grade B 2019 – Download Here 

NABARD Admit Card 2019: National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development has released the Admit Card for Grade A and Grade B Prelims Exams 2019. Hence, Candidates who have registered Online for the Post of Manager, Assistant Manager, and Others get ready to download the Admit Card for the Prelims Examination from 04th June 2019.

NABARD Grade A, B Admit Card 2019

NABARD Grade A& B Examination Hall Ticket is available at the end of the section. Moreover, Aspirants who are attending the examination on the declared date must carry the Admit Card issued by the Board officially. Likewise, the important factors which are mentioned in the Hall Ticket must be followed by the candidate in the examination center. The Admit Card will be disabled on the date of 16th June 2019. Make sure to download it before the last date.

NABARD Admit Card 2019 – Overview

Description Details
Name of the Board National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
Name of the Exam NABARD Grade A& B Prelims Examination
Exam Date 15th June and 16th June 2019
Category Admit card
Admit Card Release Date 04th June 2019
Official website www.nabard.org

NABARD Prelims Exam Admit Card 2019

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development has uploaded the Grade A& B Prelims Examination Admit Card in their Official Website www.nabard.org. The Bank advises you to carry the Hall Ticket at the time of the examination along with the Original ID proofs. The Entrance Ticket is needed for all round of selection in the NABARD recruitment process. Similarly, the Bank requests you to check the admit card details after downloading it. The Hall Ticket carries the following details.

  • Full Name of the Candidate.
  • Name of the Applicant's Father.
  • Gender (Male/ Female).
  • Registration Number
  • Candidate's Date of Birth
  • Exam Centre, Code, and Venue.
  • Duration of the Examination.
  • Hall Ticket/ Roll Number.
  • Name of the Test.
  • Important Guidelines for the Exam.
  • Signature of the Commission Councillor.
  • Space for Invigilator's Signature.
  • Reporting Time to the Exam Cell.
  • Photograph of the Applicant.
  • Space for Candidate's Signature.

NABARD Grade A& B Phase I Exam Pattern 2019

The Online preliminary exam forNABARD Grade A & B examination is scheduled to be held on 15th and 16th June 2019 respectively. As there isn’t much time for the examination, we are positive that your preparation is in full swing. Likewise, Don’t forget to practice what you have learned. Check to the Phase I Exam Pattern which is stated below.

Section Marks
Test of Reasoning 20
English Language 40
Computer Knowledge 20
General Awareness 20
Quantitative Aptitude 20
Economic& Social Issues
40
Agriculture& Rural Development 40
Total 200
  • The time duration for the examination is allocated as 120 minutes.
  • The Prelims Examination will be based on the Objective type questions.
  • The exam will have 200 questions of 01 marks each.
  • There will be no negative marking.

Download NABARD Admit Card 2019

Download NABARD Prelims Examination Hall Ticket from the below section. Similarly, the bank uploaded the individual Admit Card of both Grade A& B Examination. Check for the details given and download the respective Hall Ticket for your exams and also for all the selection rounds. Hence, fill all the particulars in the Admit Card correctly to make use of it. Once the candidate clicks the relevant link, he/she can access the window for call letter download. Complete the process along with the Application form it helps you to complete it without causing an error. Hold the listed documents along with the Hall Ticket at the examination center.

  • Aadhar Card
  • NABARD Admit Card
  • College ID
  • Ration Card
  • Driving License
  • PAN Card
  • Voter ID
  • Any Valid ID Proof Issued By Gazetted Officer
  • Bank Passbook
  • Passport

How to Download NABARD Admit Card 2019

  1. Click on to the Direct Link of NABARD Grade A & B Admit Card respectively.
  2. Enter your Registration number or Roll Number.
  3. After that Enter the password and choose the language for your convenience.
  4. Now the Admit Card will appear on the screen.
  5. Fill all the valid particulars in that.
  6. Finally, Click on the Download Option.
  7. Download the Admit Card and take a print out of it.

Direct Links to Download NABARD Admit Card 2019

NABARD Garde A Admit Card Download Here
NABARD Grade B Admit Card Download Here
Official Website Click Here

 

Updated DAVV Result 2019 Pass List for UG PG Courses By Semester wise @ dauniv.ac.in

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:34 AM PDT

DAVV Result 2019 released for BA, B.Sc, B.Com, BBA, MA, M.Sc and M.Com Exam on the Official Website. Aspirants those who are interested in downloading the DAVV UG Results 2019 can check out the below section. Get the complete UG PG Semester exam marks through www.dauniv.ac.in result 2019. We advise the students to take the complete details regarding the DAVV mponline Result 2019 from our webpage. Make use of this page to know all the Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyala DAVV Results 2019. Go through the full post to get all the DAVV Result 2019.

DAVV Result 2019 @dauniv.ac.in

देवी अहिल्या विश्वविधालय डीएवीवी परिणाम 2019 Announced. Therefore, students of Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya University its time to check out your DAVV Result 2019. Aspirants those who attend the Annual and Semester Examination conducted by the Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya can check out here to know the DAVV B. Sc B.Com Result 2019-20. The DAVV updates BA, B.Sc, B.Com, BBA, MA, M.Sc and M.Com Results according to semester wise. Subsequently, Candidates can get the direct link to download DAVV Mark List & DAVV Pass List 2019 for all Courses.

That is to say, we will update with the recently released DAVV Results 2019 on this webpage along with DAVV Revaluation Result 2019. DAVV UG PG Exams are conducted successfully and now examiners who have attended the DAVV Exam can check out Semester Result 2019 through Online mode. Above all, we have also provided the direct link to check the DAVV Result Pass List 2019 from the below section.

Updated DAVV Result 2019 Pass List for UG PG Courses By Semester wise @ dauniv.ac.in

Latest DAVV Exam Results 2019

Examination Name Result Release Date Result Link
Updated DAVV Result 2019 Pass List for UG PG Courses By Semester wise @ dauniv.ac.inB.A. PART 3 SEMESTER 5 EXAM.(PVT) (ATKT) 03-10-2019 PASS LIST
Updated DAVV Result 2019 Pass List for UG PG Courses By Semester wise @ dauniv.ac.inB.B.A.LLB (HONS.) SEM-1 MAR-2019 (MARK LIST) 01-10-2019 PASS LIST
Updated DAVV Result 2019 Pass List for UG PG Courses By Semester wise @ dauniv.ac.inBM.SC. PRE. PHYSICS SEM. 1 FEB-2019 (MARK LIST) 01-10-2019 PASS LIST
Updated DAVV Result 2019 Pass List for UG PG Courses By Semester wise @ dauniv.ac.inM.SC.PRE. MATHEMATICS SEM.1 FEB-2019 (MARK LIST) 01-10-2019 PASS LIST
Updated DAVV Result 2019 Pass List for UG PG Courses By Semester wise @ dauniv.ac.inM.SC.PRE.CHEMISTRY SEM. 1 FEB-2019 (MARK LIST) 01-10-2019 PASS LIST
Updated DAVV Result 2019 Pass List for UG PG Courses By Semester wise @ dauniv.ac.inBACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADM. SEM-1 JAN-2019 (MARK LIST) / (PASS LIST) 01-10-2019 PASS LIST
Updated DAVV Result 2019 Pass List for UG PG Courses By Semester wise @ dauniv.ac.inBACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADM. SEM-3 JAN-2019 (MARK LIST) 01-10-2019 PASS LIST
Updated DAVV Result 2019 Pass List for UG PG Courses By Semester wise @ dauniv.ac.inB.C A SEM-2 (MARK LIST) 01-10-2019 PASS LIST
Updated DAVV Result 2019 Pass List for UG PG Courses By Semester wise @ dauniv.ac.inMASTER OF BUSINESS ADM. (FT)SEM-1 (Mark List) 01-10-2019 PASS LIST
B.C.A SEM-4 (Mark List) 30-09-2019 PASS LIST
B.COM. SEM-VI MAR-APR 19 (MARK LIST) 28-09-2019 PASS LIST
M.SC.FINAL MATHEMATICS SEM.4 (MARK LIST) 27-09-2019 PASS LIST
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADM. SEM-5 (SPECIAL ATKT) (MARK LIST) 27-09-2019 PASS LIST
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADM. SEM-6 (SPECIAL ATKT) (MARK LIST) 27-09-2019 PASS LIST
B.COM.PART I 3 YDC EXAM. APR-2019 (MARK LIST) 27-09-2019 PASS LIST
B.B.A.LLB (HONS.) SEM-1 MAR-2019 (MARK LIST) 27-09-2019 PASS LIST
LL.M.(FINAL) III SEMESTER MAY-19 (MARK LIST) 26-09-2019 PASS LIST
B.A.LLB (HONS.) SEM-7 MAR-2019 (MARK LIST) 26-09-2019 PASS LIST
M.S.W. (NEW) SEM. 4 26-09-2019 PASS LIST
M.A. PRE. SANSKRIT LITERATURE SEM.2 26-09-2019 PASS LIST
M.A. PRE. SANS. LITERATURE SEM.2 (PVT) 26-09-2019 PASS LIST
RV/RW: MASTER OF BUSINESS ADM. (FT)SEM-3 JAN-2019 25-09-2019 PASS LIST
B.C.A SEM-6 Special ATKT 25-09-2019 PASS LIST
B.C.A SEM-5 Special ATKT 25-09-2019 PASS LIST
RV/RW: THIRD YEAR. B.P.T. EXAMINATION(NEW)APR-MAY 2019 24-09-2019 PASS LIST
B.COM.LLB (HONS.) SEM-5 23-09-2019 PASS LIST
B.COM.LLB (HONS.) SEM-3 23-09-2019 PASS LIST
.COM.LLB (HONS.) SEM-1 23-09-2019 PASS LIST
B.B.A.LLB (HONS.) SEM-7 23-09-2019 PASS LIST
B.A.LLB (HONS.)SEM-10 23-09-2019 PASS LIST
B.B.A.LLB (HONS.) SEM-5 23-09-2019 PASS LIST
B.B.A.LLB (HONS.) SEM-3 23-09-2019 PASS LIST
M.SC.PRE. BOTANY SEM.2 20-09-2019 PASS LIST
M.SC.PRE.CHEMISTRY SEM. 2 20-09-2019 PASS LIST
M.A.PRE. POLITICAL SC. SEM.1 (PVT) FEB-2019 20-09-2019 PASS LIST
M.A. PSYCHOLOGY SEM.1 FEB-2019 20-09-2019 PASS LIST
M.A. GEOGRAPHY SEM.1 FEB-2019 20-09-2019 PASS LIST
M.A.PRE. PSYCHOLOGY SEM.1 (PVT) FEB-2019 20-09-2019 PASS LIST
M.A.PRE.HISTORY SEM.1 (PVT) FEB-2019 20-09-2019 PASS LIST
M.A.PRE. GEOGRAPHY SEM.1 (PVT) FEB-2019 20-09-2019 PASS LIST
M.SC.PRE.BIO-CHEMISTRY SEM. 2 20-09-2019 PASS LIST
M.SC. PRE. PHYSICS SEM. 2 19-09-2019 PASS LIST
M.SC.PRE. MILITARY SC. SEM. 2 18-09-2019 PASS LIST
BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK SEM-2 (ATKT) 18-09-2019 PASS LIST
BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK SEM-4 (ATKT) 18-09-2019 PASS LIST
B.SC.(H.SC.) SEMESTER-II (ATKT) 18-09-2019 PASS LIST
M.SC.(H.SC.)SEM-2HUMAN DEVLOPMENT 18-09-2019 PASS LIST
M.SC.(H.SC.)SEM-4HUMAN DEVELOPMENT 18-09-2019 PASS LIST
B.A. PART 3 SEMESTER 5 EXAM.(PVT) (ATKT) 18-09-2019 PASS LIST
M.SC. PRE. PHARMACEUTICAL CHEM (SEM.2) 18-09-2019 PASS LIST
Online Results Click Here
Other Results Click Here

Courses Offered by Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya

  • MBA/PGDM
  • BBA
  • B.Com
  • B.E. / B.Tech
  • M.Sc.
  • BCA
  • B.Sc.
  • B.A. LL.B.
  • B.M.C.
  • M.A.
  • B.A.
  • M.E./M.Tech
  • MCA
  • LL.B.
  • B.Com (Hons)
  • B.J.
  • BBA LL.B.
  • MSW
  • Executive MBA/PGDM
  • M.M.C.
  • B.Lib.I.Sc.
  • LL.M.
  • BSW
  • M.Com
  • M.Lib.I.Sc.
  • Ph.D.

How to Download DAVV Result 2019?

  • Visit the official website of Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya i.e dauniv.ac.in
  • In the home page, you will find the results tab and click on the results.
  • In the result page, you can find the results for various courses.
  • Click on the result link for which course you want to check.
  • Results will appear on the screen.
  • Take the printout of the DAVV Result until the official marks card is released by the DAVV Board.

Overview of Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya

Name of the University Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya
Courses Offered Medical, Engineering, Pharmaceutical, Technology & Others
Established Year 1964
Category Sarkari Results
Location Madhya Pradesh
Mode Online
Official Site dauniv.ac.in

About Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya

Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya is a State University whose jurisdiction was initially restricted to Indore city. Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya formerly the University of Indore was established in 1964 by an Act of Legislature of Madhya Pradesh. The University regulates all the schools within the three campuses. There are many other colleges affiliated to the university in Indore division. The university has more than 300 affiliated colleges imparting education at undergraduate and post-graduate levels in basic and professional disciplines. The university has 9000 students in its campus and total over 300,000 students in affiliated colleges.

DAVV Supply/Revaluation Result

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. Moreover, Students of Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyala University, Indore can also get the MBA Results Also. Just we are advising the Students to frequently visit this page to get latest updates of all DAVV Result 2019.

OSSC SI Result 2019 – Get OSSC Sub Inspector of Police Result, Cut off Marks @ ossc.gov.in

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:29 AM PDT

OSSC SI Result 2019 @ ossc.gov.in – Check Odisha SSC Combined Police Service Exam 2016 Cut Off, Merit List | The Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC) authority will announce the OSSC CPSE Result 2019 soon. Moreover, the Combined Police Service Exam 2016 for 134 Sub Inspector Posts held on 8th September 2019. And the officials had planned to declare the results in the official site tentatively in 2nd Week Of October 2019. Applicants who have participated in the written examination on 8th September 2019 can check and download your results from the below section.

OSSC SI Result 2019 – Click Here

OSSC SI Result 2019   Get OSSC Sub Inspector of Police Result, Cut off Marks @ ossc.gov.inApplicants who have appeared for the Combined Police Service Exam 2016 to fill up the 135 Sub Inspector Posts can check and download your result from the below link. Moreover, the Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC) officials will declare the OSSC CPSE (Prelim) Result 2019. As we know all the candidates may wait for the Combined Police Service Exam 2016 Result. Applicants can keep track of this page to get your results easily. Because we will be updating the latest result link and it will activate the time of result announcement. We had furnished the complete details of OSSC CPSE Cut Off Marks 2019 & OSSC CPSE Merit List 2019. For the sake of the students, we had given the direct link to download the Odisha SSC Sub Inspector Result 2019.

OSSC CPSE (Prelim) Result 2019 – Overview

OSSC CPSE (Prelim) Result 2019 | Combined Police Service Exam 2016 Cut Off, Merit List
Description Details
Organization Name Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC)
Exam Name Combined Police Service Exam 2016
Post Name  Sub Inspector Posts
Number of Posts 134
Category Sarkari Result
Exam Date 8th September 2019
Result Release Date 2nd Week Of October 2019 (Tentatively)
Selection Process Written Test, Interview
Official Website ossc.gov.in

Moreover, the officials of Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC) is going to declare the OSSC Sub Inspector Result 2019 on the official website. Those candidates who are qualified in the Written Test will move to the next Interview process. Applicants can check the OSSC SI Results 2019 by the exact links attached below to this page. Based on the performance of the candidates, the officials will announce the Merit List. However, by checking the Merit List candidates can know the toppers' names.

OSSC CPSE Cut Off Marks 2019

All the participants can check the OSSC SI Cut Off Marks 2019 from the official site. The officials of the Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC) will announce the OSSC CPSE Cut Off Marks 2019. Moreover, the officials will announce the Cut Off Marks. Based on Cut Off Marks the officials will declare the results. The Cut Off Marks depends on Candidate's Category (SC/ ST/ OC/ Others), previous year's cut off marks, the toughness of the paper. All the students can check the Cut Off Marks from the official site.

OSSC SI Result 2019   Get OSSC Sub Inspector of Police Result, Cut off Marks @ ossc.gov.inOSSC CPSE (Prelim) Result 2019 – Click Here

How to check Odisha SSC Sub Inspector Result 2019 Online?

  1. Candidates must visit the official website of Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC) by using ossc.gov.in.
  2. On the home page, applicants can find the What is New section.
  3. A new page will be opened, search for the OSSC CPSE (Prelim) Result 2019 link.
  4. Click on the link and the OSSC CPSE Result 2019 will be displayed.
  5. Check the Odisha SSC Sub Inspector Result 2019 and download them.

Direct link to download OSSC SI Result 2019

OSSC SI Result 2019   Get OSSC Sub Inspector of Police Result, Cut off Marks @ ossc.gov.inOSSC CPSE (Prelim) Result 2019 Click Here
Official Website Click Here

LIC Assistant Admit Card 2019 – Check LIC Assistant Prelims Admit Card @ licindia.in

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:14 AM PDT

LIC Assistant Admit Card 2019 – Life Insurance Corporation Limited has declared the exam date on its official website. Moreover, the Agency has updated the LIC Assistant Admit Card date also. The officials will issue the admit card between 15th October to 21st October 2019. Moreover, the exam date has also been declared as 21st & 22nd October 2019. Download the admit card and get more details about the examination at the bottom of the section.

LIC Assistant Admit Card 2019   Check LIC Assistant Prelims Admit Card @ licindia.in

LIC Assistant Admit Card 2019

Life Insurance Corporation Limited has given a wonderful opportunity for the candidates to get the Assistant post in their reputed agency. Hence, the Commission will issue the LIC Admit Card along with several details. Thus, Aspirants have to fill it carefully as in the application form. So, Competitors must download the admit card from the below section to take down the examination. Check the eligibility details from the LIC Recruitment 2019

LIC Exam Admit Card 2019 – Overview

Description Details
Name of the Board Life Insurance Corporation Limited
Name of the Post Assistant
Name of the Exam LIC Prelims Exam
No of Vacancies 7871
LIC Prelims Exam Date 21st & 22nd October 2019
Category Admit card
Admit Card Release Date 15th October to 21st October 2019
Official website licindia.in

Details on LIC Assistant Prelims Exam 2019

The Corporation will issue the admit card for the post of Assistants on its official portal. Moreover, the admit card contains the details as mentioned below. Aspirants must keep the hall ticket safe until all the selection process completes. Make sure with the details given below in the LIC Assistant Admit Card.

  • Candidates Name
  • Name of the Candidate's Father
  • The venue of the Exam Centre
  • Date & Time of the Test
  • Reporting Time to the Exam Hall
  • Gender (Male/ Female)
  • Roll Number
  • Duration of the Online Test
  • Space for Invigilator's Signature
  • Registration Number
  • Name of the Test Centre
  • Category of the candidates
  • Space for Applicant's Signature
  • Name of the Exam Conducting Board
  • Photograph of the Candidate
  • Applicant's Date of Birth
  • Name of the Written Test
  • Important Guidelines for the Exam Takers
  • Full Name of the Applicant
  • Examination Centre Code
  • Signature of the Board Counselor

LIC Assistant Exam Pattern 2019

Get the detailed LIC Exam Pattern from the upcoming section. As the exam date is near to you, so all the participants will be sincere in preparation. Therefore, Aspirants can download the LIC Assistant Syllabus to make easier preparation.

Name of the Exam No of Questions Maximum Marks Medium of Exam Duration
English Language/Hindi Language 30 30 English/ Hindi 20 minutes
Numerical Ability 35 35 20 minutes
Reasoning Ability 35 35 20 minutes
Total 100 100 1 Hour

 Documents Along with LIC Admit Card 2019 

Candidates must carry any one of the ID proof along with the LIC Assistant Admit Card. Thus, Contenders are suggested to follow the general instructions given in the admit card in the examination hall. Likewise, all the important details are stated in the LIC Hall Ticket go through once before downloading it.

  • Original Photograph
  • Voter Card
  • Pan Card
  • Employee ID
  • College ID
  • PAN Card
  • Passport
  • Driving License
  • Any other ID proof issued by a Gazetted Officer
  • Bank Pass Book with the photograph

How to Download LIC Assistant Hall Ticket 2019?

  1. Click on the LIC Hall Ticket.
  2. Fill the Login details to get the admit card page.
  3. Enter the Captcha shown on the page.
  4. The LIC Admit Card page will appear on the screen.
  5. Enter the valid credentials in the admit card.
  6. Check the details in the hall ticket before submitting it.
  7. Finally, Submit the LIC Assistant Admit Card.
  8. Download the hall ticket after submission.
  9. Take a photocopy of the admit card.
  10. Carry for the exam and upcoming selection rounds.

LIC Assistant Prelims Admit Card – Important Links

LIC Assistant Admit Card Download Here
LIC Recruitment Apply Here
LIC Assistant Syllabus Get Here
Official Website Click Here

Oil India Recruitment 2019 – 10 Manager and Senior Accounts Officer | Apply Online @ oil-india.com

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 04:50 AM PDT


OIL India Limited Recruitment 2019 Notification is out. Apply for 10 Manager and Senior Accountant Officer Vacancies: New Opportunity notification released by the Oil India Limited, ASSAM for Manager and Senior Accounts Officer/ Senior Internal Auditor Jobs. Aspirants those who wish to get registered for the OIL India Limited Careers can get the Application Form filled through Online Process on or before the last date commences. The Last Date to send the Oil India Limited Recruitment 2019 Application Form would be on 22nd October 2019.

Oil India Recruitment 2019   10 Manager and Senior Accounts Officer | Apply Online @ oil india.com

Wishing to get into the Oil India Careers, then this is the right chance to enter the company. The company recruits candidates for Group B & Gropu C Post. And here aspirants will be working for 12 months under probation period. A confirmation letter will be assigned to the particular in the completion of the probationary period by the company. Read this article further to get information about Oil India Careers 2019 like educational details, age limit, selection procedure, and other information. Additionally, refer to Oil India Limited Official website i.e. www.oil-india.com for more details about Oil India Limited Recruitment 2019.

Oil India Recruitment 2019 – Job Overview

Name of the Board Oil India Limited, Dibrugarh, Assam
Name of the Post Manager and Senior Accounts Officer/ Senior Internal Auditor
No of Vacancies 10
Starting Date to apply 02nd October 2019
Last Date to Apply 22nd October 2019
Application Mode Online
Job Location Dibrugarh, Assam
Job Category Central Government Jobs
Official Website www.oil-india.com

OIL India Vacancy 2019 Details

Name of the Post Category Wise Number of Vacancies
Manager (Accounts) / Manager (Internal Audit  ST – 01 01
Senior Accounts Officer/ Senior Internal Auditor UR – 02, OBC – 03, SC – 01
ST – 02, EWS – 01
09
Total 10

Eligibility Criteria for Oil India Limited Recruitment 2019 Assam

Essential Qualification:

  • Associate Member of ICAI/ ICMAI
  • Experience – 3 years of post-qualification in Financial/ Audit Functions in reputed Public or Private
    Sector Companies or Govt. Audit Department or Audit Firms conducting an audit of other companies.
  • Employed with Government departments / PSUs / Autonomous Bodies as on the last date of online application must have at least one year experience in the pay scale of Rs. 60,000-1,80,000 or a higher scale of pay.

NOTE: Candidates without ICAI/ICMAI Membership certificate are NOT eligible.

Age Limit:

Maximum Age Limit:

  • Manager (ST) – 39 Years
  • Senior Accounts Officer/ Senior Internal Auditor
    • UR – 29 Years
    • OBC – 32 Years
    • SC/ ST – 34 Years

Age Relaxation:

  • Domicile of Jammu & Kashmir during the period from 01.01.1980 to 31.12.1989 – 5 Years
  • Ex-Servicemen – 5 Years
  • Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD)
    • UR – 10 Years
    • OBC  -13 Years
    • SC/ ST – 15 Years

Salary Structure:

  • Manager – Rs. 80000 – Rs. 220000/- per month
  • Senior Accounts Officer/ Senior Internal Auditor – Rs. 60000 – Rs. 180000/- per month

Application Fee:

  • Kindly refer official notification pdf provided below.

Selection Process:

Competitors will be shortlisted based on the below-listed performance,

  •  Written Examination
  • Group Discussion.
  • Personal Interview.
  • Physical Fitness Test.

How to Apply for www.oil-india.com Recruitment 2019

Download the Official Notification and read the instructions carefully. Once done then go for filling the application.

Step 1: How to fill the online application form 

  1. Click on the Apply Online link given below.
  2. Read the given instructions clearly.
  3. Tick on the ‘I Agree’ tab and hit on the Start option.

Step 2: Registration Process

  1. Select the desired post.
  2. Enter your Name, mobile number, & email ID.
  3. Submit and finish the registration process.
  4. Login Id and password will be sent to you on registered email ID.
  5. Then, log in to the application page using your ID.

Step 3: Attach copies of Photograph and documents

  • After you enter all the necessary details, attach xerox copies of necessary documents along with your photo.

Step 4: Final Submission

  • Finally, submit the application form and take a print for future use.

Important Dates for OIL Recruitment 2019

Starting Date for Application 02nd October 2019
Last Date for Application 22nd October 2019

Important Links for Oil India Ltd Recruitment 2019 Notification

Official Notification Pdf Download Here
Apply Online Link Click Here
Official Website Click Here

Other Information:

  • Candidate’s recruits are based on the probational period.
  • According to their performance at work, their probational period will be allotted.
  • The basic probatory period would be for 12 months.

Other Central Government Jobs 2019:

Notification 2019 Job Details Last Date
ONGC Recruitment 1000+ –  AEE, Chemist, Programming Officer & Other [30-04-2020]
Indian Post Office Recruitment 10,089+ – GDS (Gramin Dak Sevak) [13-11-2019]
DSSSB Recruitment 1688 – Fires Operator, AE & JE [06-11-2019]
District Court Recruitment 890 – Junior Clerk cum Copyist, Junior Typist, Stenographer & Salaried Admin [05-11-2019]
HDFC Bank Recruitment 5,000 – Future Bankers Program (FBP) [31-10-2019]
NHAI Recruitment 30 – Deputy Manager [31-10-2019]
HDFC Bank Recruitment 5,000 – Future Bankers Program (FBP) [31-10-2019]
Delhi Police Recruitment 554 – Head Constables (Ministerial) [30-10-2019]
FCI Recruitment 330 – Managers [27-10-2019]
Supreme Court Recruitment 58 – Senior Personal Assistant (SPA) & Personal Assistant (PA) [24-10-2019]
ECL Recruitment 57 – Cost Accountant/ Accountant [23-10-2019]
DRDO Recruitment 250 – Administrative Assistant, Store Assistant, Fireman, Vehicle Operator & Others [18-10-2019]
SSB Recruitment 356 – Sub Inspectors (SI) & Constable Gd [15-10-2019]

About Oil India Limited (OIL):

The story of Oil India Limited (OIL) traces and symbolizes the development and growth of the Indian oil industry. From the discovery of crude oil in Far East India at Digboi, Assam in 1889, to its current status as a fully integrated oil company upstream, OIL has taken an important step in many steps. On February 18, 1959, Oil India Private Limited came to existence to develop and develop the recently discovered oil fields of Naharkatiya and Moran in northeastern India.

In 1961, it became a joint venture between the Indian Government and the Burmah Oil Company Limited in the United Kingdom. In 1981, OIL became a full-fledged company of the Indian government. Today, OIL is a leading Indian national oil company specializing in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas, the transportation of crude oil and the production of LPG. OIL also provides various services related to E & P and holds a 26% stake in Numaligarh Refinery Limited.

TN TRB PG Assistant Results 2019 – Check Physical Education Director Grade 1 Merit List

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 04:36 AM PDT

TN TRB PG Assistant Results 2019 @ trb.tn.nic.in | Check Qualified Candidates List, Cut Off Marks, Merit List hereThe Tamilnadu Teacher Recruitment Board has conducted the Written Test for Post Graduate Assistant/ Physical Education Director Grade I Posts on 27th, 28th, 29th September 2019. So All the exam participants are eagerly waiting for TN TRB PG Assistant Result 2019. Moreover, the TN TRB is going to release the TN TRB PG Assistant Result in the month of October 2019 (Tentatively). Here on this page, we will be updating the latest result link and it will activate at the time of result announcement.

TN TRB PG Assistant Result 2019 – Check Here

TN TRB PG Assistant Results 2019   Check Physical Education Director Grade 1 Merit ListApplicants who have appeared for the TN TRB PG Assistants Recruitment Exam can check your results from this article. Tamilnadu Teacher Recruitment Board has conducted the Examination for 2144 Vacancies in 17 different subjects for Post Graduate Assistants / Physical Education Directors Grade-I – 2018-2019. The Roll-Number-wise Mark List of all candidates will be published on the website of Teachers Recruitment Board i.e, trb.tn.nic.in. The selection will be based on two ways like Computer-based examination and document verification. Candidates can check your Result along with the Cut off Marks, Qualified candidates list and Merit List from the below table.

Tamilnadu TRB PG Assistant Result 2019 – Overview

TN TRB PG Assistant Result 2019 | Check Physical Education Director Grade 1 Cut Off Marks, Merit List
Description Details
Organization Name Tamilnadu Teacher Recruitment Board
Post Name  Post Graduate Assistant/ Physical Education Director Grade I
Number of Posts 2144
Category Sarkari Result
Exam Date 27th, 28th, 29th September 2019
Result Release Date October 2019 (Tentatively)
Selection Process Written Test, Interview
Official Website trb.tn.nic.in

TN TRB PG Assistant Result 2019 will be announced by Teachers Recruitment Board, Tamil Nadu at trb.tn.nic.in on Fourth Week of October. Applicants who have attended the examination can download your result from the below link. Also, applicants can check the Tamil Nadu TRB Physical Education Director Cut off Marks. Candidates can check out your TRB Physical Education Director Exam Results Date, Cut Off Marks & Merit List Pdf @ trb.tn.nic.in.

TN TRB PG Assistant Cut Off Marks 2019

Applicants should get the minimum marks to attain into the TN TRB PG Assistant Cut Off Marks 2019. The cutoff marks/qualifying marks will be released for all categories. TN TRB PG Assistant cutoff marks for general, BC, SC, ST, and other categories will be announced. Aspirants need to score the qualifying marks to clear the written test round. If the candidates get the high cut off marks, they will select for the Merit list.

TN TRB PG Assistant Results 2019 – Available Soon

TN TRB PG Assistant Exam Cut off Marks & Merit List 2019 – Available Soon

How to check TN TRB PG Assistant Merit List 2019?

  1. Candidates must visit the official website of Tamilnadu Teacher Recruitment Board @ trb.tn.nic.in
  2. On the home page, search the link related to download the TN TRB PG Assistant Result 2019
  3. Click on that link and Enter the candidate details provided in the TN TRB PG Admit Card 2019
  4. Click on the submit button,
  5. Check the TN TRB PED Grade I Result 2019 of the aspirant.
  6. Download the result for further references.

Direct link to download TN TRB PG Assistant Results 2019

TN TRB PG Assistant Results 2019   Check Physical Education Director Grade 1 Merit List TN TRB PG Assistant Result 2019 Click Here (Link will be Available Soon)
Official Website Click Here

You may check this:

TNPSC Group 4 Result 2019 – Click Here

TNUSRB Constable Results 2019 – Click Here

Uttarakhand UBTER Group D Previous Year Papers Pdf @www.ubter.in

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 04:18 AM PDT

Are you looking for UBTER Group D Previous Papers Pdf? Then, you are in right place for your search. Here you can get UBTER Group D exam solved question papers along with answers. Uttarakhand Board of Technical Education is conducting exam for Group D posts. Applicants who are interested in Uttarakhand Group D posts can apply as soon as possible. You can also get UBTER Group D Syllabus along with exam pattern details on this page with direct download link to download ubter.in recruitment old papers. For much more details read further sections of the article.

Uttarakhand UBTER Group D Previous Papers Pdf

Uttarakhand Board of Technical education Board is conducting UBTER Group D recruitment 2019 for various vacancies. Applicants are here by informed to apply for UBTEr Group D exam 2019 from 17th August 2019. The last date to submit UBTER application form is on 19th September 2019.

On this page, you can get download link to download UBTER Group D Sample exam papers at the last section that can be downloaded and used in the preparation of the exam. Applicants can use these previous year papers in practicing for the exam. By practicing and solving last year question papers, you can understand the standard of questions asked in the exam and prepare according to it for the exam. On  the other hand, you can also use UBTER Group D syllabus & exam pattern in exam preparation.

UBTER Group D Previous Exam Papers – Overview

Description Details
Organization Name Uttarakhand Board of Technical Education
Post Name Group D Posts
No.of Vacancies 401 Posts
Category Previous Papers
UBTER Group D Exam Date 2019 13th October 2019
Job Location Uttarakhand
Official Website www.ubter.in

Selection Process:

  • Written Exam
  • Interview

Uttarakhand Group D Exam Pattern 2019 Pdf

Exam Type Subject Name
Written Exam Arithmetic
General Knowledge
General Intelligence
English

Download UBTER Group D Model Exam Papers with Solutions Pdf

Uttarakhand Board of Technical Education Old Exam Papers Reaoning Ability
UBTER Group D Previous Year Papers Pdf Arithmetic
Uttarakhand High Court Group D Solved Practice Papers General Intelligence
UBTER Group D Previous Year Question Papers Pdf General Knowledge
UBTER Group D Past Papers Pdf English

Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Result 2019 – Clerk Cut off Marks, Merit List

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 04:13 AM PDT

Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Result 2018-19 – details are available from this page. Applicants those who want to know more information about Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Cut Off Marks, Merit List along with GMC Result 2018 can check this article. Because we had framed up this article with most recent updates about Clerk, Sanitary SI Result 2018-19, as well as, GMC Cut Off Marks, Merit List in a detailed manner. Moreover, the officers of Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation will release the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Results in the forthcoming months. So aspirants keep checking the official web portal to know the latest updates about Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Results.

Latest Update: The Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation had released the result of the Selected Candidates list in Sanitary Sub Inspector & System Analyst Posts. candidates can check the Results from the given directly attached links.

Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Result 2019   Clerk Cut off Marks, Merit List

Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Result 2018-19

A huge number of applicants have applied for Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Recruitment 2018 and also prepared for the Written Exam. All of these candidates gave Written Exam on the scheduled exam dates. After completion of the Written Exam, aspirants are waiting for the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Result 2018-19. Here we have provided an active link of Clerk, Sanitary SI Result 2018 at the end of this article. Therefore, candidates can check our page to get more updates about GMC Result 2018 for Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation.

Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Result 2018-19 – Overview

Description Details
Organization Name Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC)
Post Name Health Officer, Sanitation Superintendent, Jr. Town Planner, Zonal Officer, Veterinary Officer, Administrative Officer, Clerk, Sanitary Sub Inspector, Sanitary Inspector, Sr. Clerk, Tax Inspector, Sub Auditor / Sub Accountant, Surveyor / Draftsmen, Planning Assistant, Electrical Data Processing Manager, System Analyst / Sr. Programmer
No of Vacancy 126
Category Sarkari Result
Ojas GMC Exam date 16th September 2018
Final Selection List Release Date Sanitary Sub Inspector & System Analyst – Released On 3rd October 2019
Remaining – October 2019 (Tentatively)
Official Website www.gandhinagarmunicipal.com

So the contenders frequently check this page to know about current updates about GMC Result 2018. In this article, we had also given complete details about Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Cut Off Marks, Merit List in a clear manner. Therefore, applicants go down and capture full information about Clerk, Sanitary SI Result 2018, as well as, GMC Cut Off Marks, Merit List.

GMC Result 2018-19 Release Date

Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation has been published the Merit List for Clerk and Senior Clerk Posts on 27th May 2019. Willing aspirants can follow steps and know the information about GMC Result 2018-19. However, we had also given the active links for checking Clerk, Sanitary SI Result 2018 from this page. Therefore, participants can use the link and know your GMC Result 2018 through this page after releasing by the officers of Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation.

Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Cut Off Marks 2018-19

The authorities will decide minimum marks for each category to select applicants from a huge amount of job searchers. The officers will set the Cut Off Marks based on the Vacancies availability, a total number of aspirants, question paper toughness, a category of candidate, previous year cutoff marks, etc. So contenders can know details about GMC Cut Off Marks 2018 with the help of category before going to know about Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Results.

Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Result 2019   Clerk Cut off Marks, Merit ListGMC Sanitary Sub- Inspector Result 2019 

Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Merit List 2018-19

Candidates can download the GMC Merit List 2018 along with Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Result 2018-2019. The Merit list is one of essential for all aspirants, the top mark obtained candidates who are shortlisted in the separate list called as GMC Merit list. Once the results will be announced, they will find out the Merit list details and declared the list along with the Results. Every candidate who can get a place in the merit list and those candidates are having some priority for a further interview session.

Steps To Check Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Result 2018-19

  1. Visit Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation official web page at www.gandhinagarmunicipal.com.
  2. Search for the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Result 2018-19 on the home page.
  3. After finding that click the link.
  4. Now, the login page will display in another window.
  5. In that login page, you have to enter Admit Card Number and Password.
  6. Press the submit button.
  7. Now, GMC Result 2018 will display on the screen.
  8. Check the Result and take a print out for further use.

Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Result 2018-2019

Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Result 2019   Clerk Cut off Marks, Merit ListGMC Sanitary Sub- Inspector Result 2019 Click Here
GMC Various Vacancies Final Selection List Click Here
Provincial merit list under Clerk and Senior Clerk of Gandhinagar municipality Click Here
Official Website Click Here

 

NHAI Recruitment 2019 – 30 Deputy Manager Job Vacancies in National Highway Authority Of India

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 03:13 AM PDT

NHAI Recruitment 2019

NHAI Recruitment 2019   30 Deputy Manager Job Vacancies in National Highway Authority Of IndiaNHAI Recruitment 2019 – Apply Online for 30 Deputy Manager Vacancies.  National Highway Authority of India announced a notification for the Deputy Manager Post. There are 30 Vacancies are allotted for NHAI Jobs. Aspirants who have completed Civil Engineering and looking for Central Government Jobs can check this NHAI Notification for the Deputy Manager Posts. The National Highway Authority of India Apply online Link is active, Interested can begin to register for the NHAI Recruitment 2019 from 01st October 2019.

Candidates will be placed on a Direct Recruitment basis. Aspirants completed a Degree in Civil Engineering from a recognized university can apply for the NHAI Recruitment. Applicants will be selected on the merit-base in GATE 2019 Score. The closing date of the NHAI Job online application is 31st October 2019. Aspirants satisfying the eligibility conditions as per the NHAI Notification can start applying for the vacancies. Get NHAI Careers @www.nhai.org.

Overview of NHAI Recruitment through GATE 2019 Notification

Name of the Board  National Highway Authority Of India (NHAI)
Name of the Post Deputy Manager
No of Vacancies 30
Application Mode Online Mode
Starting Date to Apply   01st October 2019
Last Date to Apply   31st October 2019
Job Category Central Government Jobs
Job Location New Delhi
Official Website www.nhai.gov.in

NHAI Vacancy Details 2019

Post Name No of Posts
Deputy Manager 30
Total 30

NHAI Jobs 2019 – Category Wise Details

Category No of Vacancies
UR 03
SC 04
ST 02
OBC (NCL) Central list Only 08
EWS 13
Total 30

Eligibility Criteria for National Highways Recruitment 2019

Educational Qualification:

  • Completed Degree in Civil Engineering from a recognized University / Institute.
  • Passed in Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) Score 2019 in Civil Engineering discipline.

Age Limit:

  • Refer to the Official Notification of NHAI Recruitment 2019.

Application Fee:

  • Kindly check NHAI Recruitment Notification for the Application Fee details.

NHAI Jobs Salary:

Candidates selected for the Deputy Manager vacancy in National Highways of India will be paid based on the Level 10 of Pay Matrix of 7th CPC (Pre-revised – Pay Band-3) as follows:

  • Basic Pay – Rs. 15,600 – Rs. 39,100/- 
  • Grade Pay – Rs. 5400/-

NHAI Recruitment Selection Process:

  • Merit-Based (GATE 2019).

How to Apply Online for NHAI Recruitment 2019?

  1. Click on the Apply Online link given below.
  2. Enter basic details, address details, and educational details.
  3. Fill the GATE Exam 2019 Registration number,  Score, and rank details.
  4. Upload scanned copies of essential documents.
  5. Read the declaration and tick on I Agree.
  6. Hit on the Next option and proceed to the further step.
  7. Recheck with the details in the application preview page.
  8. Finally, Submits the application form and take a printout for future reference.

Important Dates for NHAI Deputy Manager Jobs 2019

Starting Date to Apply Online 01st October 2019
Closing Date to Apply Online   31st October 2019

Important Links for NHAI Notification 2019

Official Notification Pdf Download Here
Apply Online Link Click Here 
Official Website Click Here

About National Highways Authority of India

National Highways Authority of India was set up by a demonstration of the Parliament, NHAI Act, 1988 “An Act to accommodate the constitution of an Authority for the advancement, support and the board of national parkways and for the issue associated therewith or coincidental thereto”. It has been depended on the National Highways Development Project, which along with other minor tasks, has vested in it 50329 km of National Highways for advancement, upkeep, and the board. National Highways are the blood vessel streets of the nation for between state development of travelers and products. They navigate the length and width of the nation interfacing the National and State capitals, real ports and rail intersections and connection up with outskirts streets and remote interstates.

The complete length of NH (counting roads) in the nation at present is 1,32,499 km. While Highways/Expressways establish just about 1.7% of the length, all things considered, they convey about 40% of the street traffic. The National Highways have a complete length of 1,32,499 (approx) km to fill in as the blood vessel system of the nation. Albeit National Highways establish just around 2 percent of the street arrange, it conveys 40 percent of the complete street traffic. Fast extension of traveler and cargo traffic makes it basic to improve the street organize in the nation. In like manner, the Government of India propelled real activities to overhaul and fortify National Highways through different periods of National Highways Development Project (NHDP).

Other Important Jobs

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Indian Post Office Recruitment 10,089+ – GDS (Gramin Dak Sevak) [13-11-2019]
DSSSB Recruitment 1688 – Fires Operator, AE & JE [06-11-2019]
District Court Recruitment 890 – Junior Clerk cum Copyist, Junior Typist, Stenographer & Salaried Admin [05-11-2019]
HDFC Bank Recruitment 5,000 – Future Bankers Program (FBP) [31-10-2019]
Delhi Police Recruitment 554 – Head Constables (Ministerial) [30-10-2019]
Supreme Court Recruitment 58 – Senior Personal Assistant (SPA) & Personal Assistant (PA) [24-10-2019]
SSC Recruitment 1350 – JE, Stenographers Grade C & D [15-10-2019]
SSB Recruitment 356 – Sub Inspectors (SI) & Constable Gd [15-10-2019]
Western Railway Recruitment 248 –  Junior Engineer, Depot Material Superident & Senior Clerk Cum Typist [15-10-2019]
UPSC Notification 495 – Group A & B Post
Engineering Service Examination
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TN TRB Computer Instructor Result 2019 – Check Computer Instructor Grade 1 Cut off, Merit List Here

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 02:53 AM PDT

TN TRB Result 2019 to be Released soon | Get Direct link for TN TRB Computer Instructor Result @ trb.tn.nic.in – The Tamil Nadu Teacher Recruitment Board (TN TRB) has almost ready to announce the TN TRB Exam Result. All the candidates those who have Participated in the TN TRB Computer Instructor Grade 1 Examination can check your result from the direct link provided below in the table. The TN TRB officials will soon announce Computer Instructor Results, Selection List tentatively in the month of October 2019. Along with the Direct link of TN TRB 2019 result we have given some steps to download your result from the official website at trb.tn.nic.in.

Latest Update: TN TRB Computer Instructor Result 2019 will be released in the month of October 2019.

TN TRB Result 2019 @ trb.tn.nic.in

TN TRB Computer Instructor Result 2019   Check Computer Instructor Grade 1 Cut off, Merit List HereTamil Nadu Teacher Recruitment Board (TN TRB) will release the result for the Direct Recruitment of the Post of Computer Instructors Grade 1 (PG Cadre) for the year 2019-20. On the basis of the Merit List candidates will be appointed in the respective areas. All the applicants can get the TN TRB Computer Instructor Result 2019 from this page. The TN TRB has conducted the Computer Instructors Grade 1 Examination on 23rd June 2019. Here on this page, we used to update all the latest updated information regarding the TN TRB Computer Instructor Results. Also, we will be updating the result link and it will activate after the official announcement of TN TRB Computer Instructor Results.

TN TRB Computer Instructor Result 2019 – Overview 

Description Details
Organization Name Tamil Nadu Teacher Recruitment Board (TN TRB)
Post Name  Computer Instructors Grade 1
TN TRB Vacancies 814
Categories Sarkari Result
TN TRB Exam Date 23rd June 2019
TN TRB Result 2019 Date October 2019 (Tentative)
Official Website trb.tn.nic.in

All the candidates who have appeared for the Examination can get overview details from the above table. We advise the candidates to keep track on this page to get your TN TRB Result 2019 on time. The TN TRB Recruitment 2019 has announced on a few months back and interested candidates have appeared for this Examination. The Tamil Nadu Teacher Recruitment Board will announce the recruitment every year. This year applicants have appeared for the Examination by 23rd June 2019. All those applicants are eagerly now waiting for the results, we are here to help you out with the TN TRB Computer Instructor 2019.

Along with the Results, the applicants will receive the TN TRB Cut off Marks. After announcing the TN TRB Results, applicants will get the Cut off Marks. The marks will decide by the TRB officials based on the TN TRB Examination marks, Number of questions, difficulty level, and others. The officials will be called for the Interview process based on the TN TRB Cut off Marks and TN TRB Merit List.

TN TRB Computer Instructor Merit List 2019

Applicants those who have completed the exam well and getting the High Cut off marks can get the Merit List. The Merit List will be based on the score which the applicants have got from the Examination. Although the Merit list will help the applicants at the time of the interview process. The candidates will call for the Interview based on the TN TRB Merit List. After attending the Interview, if the applicants will get select in all the rounds of interview process they will get an appointment for Tamil Nadu Teacher Recruitment Department.

How to check TN TRB Computer Instructor Result 2019?

  1. Applicants can visit the official website of Tamil Nadu Teacher Recruitment Board (TN TRB) i.e, trb.tn.nic.in
  2. On the home page, candidates can view the TN TRB Result 2019
  3. Click on the TN TRB Result Link
  4. The result page will open, applicants can enter the required details
  5. TN TRB Exam Result pdf will display on your screen
  6. Download or take a print out of the result for further reference.,

Direct link to download the TN TRB Result 2019

Download TN TRB Computer Instructor Result 2019 Click Here
Official Website Click Here

You may check this:

TNPSC Group 4 Result 2019 – Click Here

economic news of india - world economic news - economics news for students - indian economy news

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 08:53 PM PDT

economic news of india - world economic news - economics news for students - indian economy news


Mukesh Ambani has some serious shopping to do in the next 2 yrs

Posted:

The upcoming 4G spectrum auctions are more critical for Reliance Jio Infocomm than for its nearest rivals, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea. That's since a sizeable chunk of Reliance Communications' 4G airwaves in the coveted 800 Mhz band—that the Mukesh Ambani-led telco uses under a sharing pact—will expire in 18 circles in July-August 2021, analysts said.They added that Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea will also need to buy back their expiring airwaves in eight circles each, but mostly in the less expensive 1800 MHz band, also used for 4G.Such a scenario leaves Jio facing a similar situation that Bharti Airtel, erstwhile Vodafone India and Idea Cellular (now merged into Vodafone Idea) had found themselves in during the February 2014 and March 2015 auctions when they had to buy back their own expiring spectrum in the 900 Mhz band in several circles at exorbitant rates, or else risked losing the mobility business, a development that has contributed to their current high debt levels, and financial stress. "RCom's 800 Mhz spectrum has played a critical role in Jio's pan-India 4G launch, and an early auction will help Jio regain these crucial airwaves to ensure business continuity and maintain quality of its countrywide 4G coverage, especially as the ecosystem for other sub-Ghz bands such as 700 Mhz is not developed, besides their exorbitant pricing that makes them unfeasible to buy in an auction," Rajiv Sharma, co-head of research at SBICap Securities, told ET.71432679 Jio uses bankrupt telco RCom's 800 Mhz spectrum through a 21-circle spectrum sharing pact to deliver countrywide 4G coverage. But those airwaves in 17 circles will expire in July, 2021, and in one, in August, 2021, a person aware told ET. So, nearly 49 units of 800 Mhz spectrum across these circles 18 circles will expire, and around 59 MHz of such spectrum will up for sale in the next sale, as per the regulator's recommendations. Jio though has airwaves in the 1800 MHZ and 2300 MHz bands in all 22 circles, but the 800 MHz band is touted to be the most efficient, and hence more expensive, for 4G use, say analysts.A person close to Jio said "the company is definitely in favour of an early spectrum auction to address the massive demand for 4G services". Rohan Dhamija, partner at Analysys Mason, said the financial strength of rivals back in 2014 and 2015 ensured bidding was intensive, making it more expensive for Vodafone Idea and Airtel to buy back their airwaves. But the situation is different now. "Vodafone Idea and Airtel won't really be in a position to engage with Jio in an all-out bidding war for sub-Ghz spectrum like in the past auctions of February 2014 and March 2015 since their balance sheets remain stretched," said Dhamija. He added that the two also need cash to buy back their own 1800 Mhz spectrum that is coming up for renewal in some circles around September-October 2021.Brokerage Motilal Oswal said Airtel's spectrum in the 1800 Mhz band will come up for renewal in September 2021 in seven circles and also in the 900 Mhz band in Tamil Nadu. Industry sources, added that Vodafone Idea's 1800 Mhz spectrum also expires in eight circles around September-October 2021. At press time, Jio, RCom, Airtel and Vodafone Idea did not reply to ET's queries.Another key reason behind Jio's greater need for 4G airwaves to maintain coverage quality is its modest pan-India market share of liberalised, or auctioned, spectrum at 26%, which is well below Vodafone Idea (40%) and Bharti Airtel (35%).Matters, they said, could become more challenging for Jio once both incumbents conclude refarming their 2G and 3G airwave holdings for 4G services.ICICI Securities, in fact, expects Vodafone Idea and Airtel to be in a stronger position to expand 4G data capacity, especially since they "will have around 33% and 28% more 4G carriers than Jio respectively" after concluding the refarming of their 2G/3G spectrum for 4G services.

RBI set to cut rates. Question is by how much

Posted:

By Anirban NagThe Reserve Bank of India is set to deliver a fifth straight interest rate cut Friday, although economists are unsure of the quantum following an unconventional 35 basis-point easing last time.While all 33 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News expect a reduction, their forecasts range from 20 basis points to 40 basis points. The RBI has lowered borrowing costs to a nine-year low of 5.4% through 110 basis points of easing so far in 2019.The meeting of the six-member Monetary Policy Committee led by Governor Shaktikanta Das comes amid growing concerns about India's banking and financial sector, and just weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi eased fiscal levers by announcing a surprise $20 billion tax break for companies.The policy decision will be announced at 11:45 a.m. in Mumbai, followed by a press conference 15 minutes later by Das. Here's a look at what else to watch out for:GrowthThe RBI has lowered its growth forecast for the current fiscal year three times already, with the latest revision in August pegging growth at 6.9%. Data since has shown gross domestic product expansion slowing to 5% in the June quarter, the weakest pace in six years. That may prompt the central bank to revisit the numbers once again. 71433184 The latest growth numbers "look much worse," Das said recently, referring to RBI's projection of 5.8% expansion in the April-June period. "There is a slowdown, which was evident and at the last MPC we very clearly said that growth seems to be losing traction and therefore, growth is a matter of highest priority."InflationA recent spike in onion prices notwithstanding, headline inflation has stayed below the RBI's 4% medium-term target for 13 straight months.Food and beverage prices, which account for about half of the consumer price basket, have climbed on the back of a surge in urban food inflation. Das has said gains in food inflation are cyclical and there won't be much pressure on prices, given monsoon rains appear to be normal. 71433163 Core inflation, which strips out volatile food and fuel prices, has been decelerating amid subdued demand. That will give the central bank ample space to keep policy accommodative in the coming months.Financial StabilityIn the past few weeks, concerns about the financial sector have taken center-stage and the press conference is likely to be dominated by questions about the health of some lenders. 71433156 The RBI recently imposed withdrawal curbs on a small bank and lending restrictions on another lender. That adds to the yearlong trouble brewing in India's shadow banking sector where a default by a systemically important lender led to loan curbs and affected consumer spending.

Modi's not happy with new social security plan

Posted:

The labour ministry will rework the draft social security code again, after the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) pulled it up over the proposals that did not meet the objective of unifying all social security benefits under an umbrella scheme, a government official said.The ministry's third draft does not align with the government's intent to move towards universal social security, the official said.The PMO is unhappy as the concept of "universal" was missing in the draft code, the official told ET. "The labour ministry has formed a committee to rework the code following a directive from the PMO."The third draft presented by the Santosh Kumar Gangwar-led labour ministry has proposed that the Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and Employee State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) be subsumed under a central body with a corporate-like structure.Though it proposed to extend the coverage of provident fund and ESI to temporary workers, it did not outline a comprehensive scheme that would provide social security cover to all.The draft has merely proposed to amalgamate legislations pertaining to provident fund, pension, medical insurance, maternity benefits, gratuity and compensation.Besides, there is no uniform definition of social security or any move to create a central fund for it. 71432706 The existing corpus is proposed to be split into numerous small funds, which could lead to multiplicity of authorities as also confusion, the official said.Under the proposals, there will be no commitment on the government's part of contribution.The ministry's labour code on wages has already been passed by Parliament.It has also moved the code on occupational safety for consideration and passage.The draft code on social security hasn't gone down well within retirement fund bodies EPFO and ESIC as well, as they face the threat of losing control over the corpus and the management of the funds under the proposed code."The proposed code is very confusing and does not abide by the concept of convergence of existing laws. Instead, the existing 6-8 social security benefits continue to be listed as separate chapters with no unifying scheme to link them all," a senior official at the EPFO said, requesting not to be identified.Trade unions including RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) are firming up their views on the code, with the BMS saying that the current draft showed an "outdated approach" of the labour ministry and lack of connect with the ground reality of the economy."The government has to be clear about the concept of social security. It is most needed for people who are without jobs and unfortunately the current draft does not address that," said Vrijesh Upadhayaya of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh."Though, it talks about covering the gig workers, but it is this category of worker who is always under pressure of losing job in the current economic slowdown. In that case, how can the government expect them to make a monthly contribution towards PF when there is no job certainty," Upadhyaya said.

Sunil Mittal says India should allow Huawei in 5G

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NEW DELHI: Two big twists were added over two days to the already complicated 5G-Huawei issue. On Thursday, Bharti Enterprises chairman and telecom heavyweight Sunil Mittal rebutted US secretary of commerce Wilbur Ross and argued that India should consider deploying Huawei's 5G network. A day earlier foreign minister S Jaishankar had said 5G was a telecom issue and not a political one and that in terms of negotiations with China, India would "largely take a bilateral approach".Mittal and Ross were speaking at the World Economic Forum in New Delhi. Jaishankar was speaking at the Heritage Foundation in Washington.Ross, speaking at WEF, said there were "genuine security issues" regarding Huawei's 5G gear. He said since 5G's core and peripheral infrastructures are not separate, a backdoor can infiltrate the entire system. This, Ross said, was not the case with 3G or 4G technology.71432619 But Mittal said the Chinese gearmaker's technology was "superior" to its European rivals, and that Huawei had made huge strides in developing the latest technology. He added: "My view is that they (Huawei) should be in play... India must use this as leverage..."Speaking in Washington on Wednesday, Jaishankar had said: "On lot of the issues which different countries face with China, frankly, we would weigh the issues on their merit and largely take a bilateral approach." He also said India's position on 5G "…is we don't see 5G as a political problem. 5G for us is a telecom issue. And we will make whatever decisions we have to at the right time on the merits of that particular decision".Mittal at the WEF drew a contrast with technology adoption from Western countries. "Unlike opening it (a sector) to many other Western companies…and then having very little leverage I would rather have this leverage (using Huawei) today because it is an important part," he said.The sharp contrast in views between one of India's big telecom players and Donald Trump's commerce secretary was further evident when Ross said India, as a geopolitical partner of the US, shouldn't "inadvertently subject itself to untoward security risk".'Govt to Take Final Call'He said security issues can develop every time the system or network interacts with the vendor, even for maintenance or upgrades.Mittal, on his part, said Huawei was a more open company after the American pushback. He said the Chinese company has now opened up its technology, offering it to US firms, and may even do so for interested Indian companies, for instance Tata Consultancy Services or Wipro. "I can safely say their products in 3G and 4G that we have experienced, are significantly superior to Ericsson and Nokia. I use all three of them," the Bharti boss said.He, however, steered clear of commenting on the charge that Huawei compromised some American intellectual properties, and said the final call was the Indian government's.ET had reported on Wednesday that at a recent closed door meeting with Indian officials, a US delegation had suggested New Delhi and Washington should "work together only with trusted sources" when deploying 5G. The implication, Indian officials attending the meeting had said, was that Chinese telecom gearmakers such as Huawei should be kept out of partnering in next generation telecom technology. China has warned India of trade consequences if Huawei is kept out of 5G.

Renault is gaining speed despite market slowdown

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NEW DELHI: At a time when most automakers are revising their sales targets downwards given the sluggish demand in the domestic market, French carmaker Renault said that it is expecting to post an increase in volumes for the entire calendar year on the back of the demand of their new launches Triber and Kwid.Renault India had reported a decline of 27% to sell 82,368 units in 2018. The company has sold 54,507 units between January and September 2019.Renault India operations country CEO and managing director Venkatram Mamillapalle told ET, "I believe that we will surpass our 2018 volumes, thanks to Triber and Kwid…We believe the shyness of customers will go away with the air getting cleared on the GST, BS IV vehicles' lifecycle…The confidence of customers should be there now."In September itself, the company had posted a 29% growth to sell 8345 vehicles in the domestic market, and expects to sustain the momentum going ahead. The company launched Triber on August 28, 2019, and the new Kwid earlier this week."We are hoping it (the festive season) should be good. We have seen good signs in the first month on the Triber…With respect to last year, we have seen a growth of 29% in September. And as far as August is concerned, we have seen a 46% jump. It is a huge jump in percentage terms but volume and sustenance is critical," said Mamillapalle.The increase in volumes at Renault has come at a time when passenger vehicle sales in the local market are estimated to have tanked by about 24% in September.Mamillapalle said with the inauspicious 'shradh' period ending last month, deliveries have started picking up. This has helped circulate money in the system and enabled dealers to make fresh purchases.'Shradh' is a two-week period in the Hindu calendar when consumers hold on to big-ticket purchases such as houses and automobiles. Besides, the slew of measures announced by the government from corporate tax rate cut, reduction in minimum alternate tax will spur companies to reduce vehicle prices and eventually help improve consumer sentiments, he said.

Jio has some essential shopping to do soon

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The upcoming 4G spectrum auctions are more critical for Reliance Jio Infocomm than for its nearest rivals, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea. That's since a sizeable chunk of Reliance Communications' 4G airwaves in the coveted 800 Mhz band—that the Mukesh Ambani-led telco uses under a sharing pact—will expire in 18 circles in July-August 2021, analysts said.They added that Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea will also need to buy back their expiring airwaves in eight circles each, but mostly in the less expensive 1800 MHz band, also used for 4G.Such a scenario leaves Jio facing a similar situation that Bharti Airtel, erstwhile Vodafone India and Idea Cellular (now merged into Vodafone Idea) had found themselves in during the February 2014 and March 2015 auctions when they had to buy back their own expiring spectrum in the 900 Mhz band in several circles at exorbitant rates, or else risked losing the mobility business, a development that has contributed to their current high debt levels, and financial stress. "RCom's 800 Mhz spectrum has played a critical role in Jio's pan-India 4G launch, and an early auction will help Jio regain these crucial airwaves to ensure business continuity and maintain quality of its countrywide 4G coverage, especially as the ecosystem for other sub-Ghz bands such as 700 Mhz is not developed, besides their exorbitant pricing that makes them unfeasible to buy in an auction," Rajiv Sharma, co-head of research at SBICap Securities, told ET.71432679 Jio uses bankrupt telco RCom's 800 Mhz spectrum through a 21-circle spectrum sharing pact to deliver countrywide 4G coverage. But those airwaves in 17 circles will expire in July, 2021, and in one, in August, 2021, a person aware told ET. So, nearly 49 units of 800 Mhz spectrum across these circles 18 circles will expire, and around 59 MHz of such spectrum will up for sale in the next sale, as per the regulator's recommendations. Jio though has airwaves in the 1800 MHZ and 2300 MHz bands in all 22 circles, but the 800 MHz band is touted to be the most efficient, and hence more expensive, for 4G use, say analysts.A person close to Jio said "the company is definitely in favour of an early spectrum auction to address the massive demand for 4G services". Rohan Dhamija, partner at Analysys Mason, said the financial strength of rivals back in 2014 and 2015 ensured bidding was intensive, making it more expensive for Vodafone Idea and Airtel to buy back their airwaves. But the situation is different now. "Vodafone Idea and Airtel won't really be in a position to engage with Jio in an all-out bidding war for sub-Ghz spectrum like in the past auctions of February 2014 and March 2015 since their balance sheets remain stretched," said Dhamija. He added that the two also need cash to buy back their own 1800 Mhz spectrum that is coming up for renewal in some circles around September-October 2021.Brokerage Motilal Oswal said Airtel's spectrum in the 1800 Mhz band will come up for renewal in September 2021 in seven circles and also in the 900 Mhz band in Tamil Nadu. Industry sources, added that Vodafone Idea's 1800 Mhz spectrum also expires in eight circles around September-October 2021. At press time, Jio, RCom, Airtel and Vodafone Idea did not reply to ET's queries.Another key reason behind Jio's greater need for 4G airwaves to maintain coverage quality is its modest pan-India market share of liberalised, or auctioned, spectrum at 26%, which is well below Vodafone Idea (40%) and Bharti Airtel (35%).Matters, they said, could become more challenging for Jio once both incumbents conclude refarming their 2G and 3G airwave holdings for 4G services.ICICI Securities, in fact, expects Vodafone Idea and Airtel to be in a stronger position to expand 4G data capacity, especially since they "will have around 33% and 28% more 4G carriers than Jio respectively" after concluding the refarming of their 2G/3G spectrum for 4G services.

The Skeptic: Review NBFC asset quality to build confidence

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In less than two weeks after cheering finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman's booster dose for the economy with a record jump in financial asset prices, markets are back in a funk! What the minister delivered is for real. So is the fear in financial markets.To be sure, marketmen are manic depressive. Most of the times there is either excessive hype or extreme gloom. Rarely does one come across in real life that's standard in economics textbooks — equilibrium. At the same time, there are certain elements that asset prices capture either belatedly or too early.Here are some hard numbers from those who put in their money where the mouth is instead of just pontificating. Equities benchmark Sensex is up 5.6 per cent and HDFC Bank 12 per cent, Axis 4.7 per cent since the tax rate cut. The NSE Bank Nifty has gained 6.2 per cent. But Indiabulls Housing is down 33 per cent, Piramal Enterprises that derives much revenues from lending has fallen 14 per cent and Anil Ambani's Reliance Capital has declined 24 per cent when Bajaj Finance climbed 18 per cent.Going by these prices, it may be reasonable to conclude that there's a kind of segregation that's underway in the markets. Companies sitting on gains are the ones with sufficient capital, adequate deposits and profitability. Others are facing headwinds either in the form of asset-liability mismatch, questions over the quality of assets, charges of wrongdoings or litigation.Even if the declared numbers of many firms are solid, investors are unwilling to trust many of the numbers and financial ratios. The performance of Bajaj Finance and other non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) reflect the state of investor mind — much of the worry is about lending to real estate. What was once easy money and good profits has now become albatross round their necks. After Dewan Housing and Finance's default, it was the turn of another mortgage lender Altico Capital backed by Clearwater Capital and Abu Dhabi Investment to deal a blow to investor confidence.NBFCs, known as shadow banking system, do directly reach borrowers in remote areas where established banks can't. But they are either dependent on banks or mutual funds for funds. The cycle was a well-oiled one that helped build businesses for NBFCs and provide better return to mutual fund investors.That broke when IL&FS collapsed last year. Banks and mutual funds suddenly woke up to the risks of lending to these companies. Once they dug deeper, it was the usual game — borrow short and lend long. What was disturbing was the loans to real estate builders who were sitting on unsold inventory but borrowed from X to pay Y. This is contrary to common business practice of borrowing to manufacture a product, sell it and repay the lender. When lenders grew suspicious of borrowers they not only declined to lend fresh funds but also kept with themselves whatever was repaid.The value of downgraded credit at rating firm Crisil more than trebled to Rs 1.38 lakh crore in the fiscal first half. Icra, a unit of Moody's, downgraded Rs 5.2 lakh crore in the first half, more than the Rs 3.2 lakh crore for the full year last fiscal.Whenever there is a rating downgrade, mutual funds have to mark down the holdings' value. Every default leads to a spurt in withdrawal. So the easiest way for them is to invest in bonds of PSU companies and the likes of HDFC and Bajaj. That means others, especially financial firms, are almost shut out or pay exorbitant risk premium.The bottomline is investors can't trust what is there in the books of many of the companies. The gap between the perceived truth and the actual truth is the information asymmetry that market is battling with. This is compounded by the failure of the judiciary to deliver on the bankruptcy process. That not a penny has been paid out in the IL&FS' Rs 1-lakh-crore default is sufficient for any lender to hold back from any credit that's remotely doubtful. The Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank may be on the fringes of the financial system but its collapse has eroded the faith further.State Bank of India chairman Rajnish Kumar summed up the mood in a recent interview with ET: "In these times it can't be business as usual, we have seen the consequences. If Sachin Tendulkar is hesitant to pad up..."This state is nothing new. Just a few years ago, the state of the banking system was similar to that of NBFCs or even worse. Then the Reserve Bank of India stepped in with the Asset Quality Review (AQR) that led to skeletons tumbling out of the cupboard. Yes, it exposed the industry that was living on evergreening of loans and banks which were kicking the can down the road. The damage was enormous. Even if one questions the future of many banks, they don't doubt the numbers much.There's quite a distrust of the system among investors despite Governor Shaktikanta Das saying that the RBI wouldn't allow big NBFCs collapse. There may be many ways to bring the trust back but the quickest way may be an AQR on NBFCs even if it hurts short term.

Next 5 yrs, I would buy both gold and equities: Jhunjhunwala

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Cleanups done, you will see second generation reforms from the government in its second tenure, says Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, Partner, Rare Enterprises. Excerpts from an interview with Nikunj Dalmia of ETNOW. What is Rakesh Jhunjhunwala a successful investor? Is it because of your attitude, understanding risk or is it pure luck?You can never predict how market will react. You can model it. You may try to predict it, but weather and markets and risk, only God knows because only he has seen tomorrow. The markets are like a weather; you may not like it but you have to bear it. Third, just like with a lady, you can have a good relationship with the market only by showing respect and following it. All those who thought they are kings of markets went to Arthur Road Jail. What else can I say? I am very opinionated and sometimes a very irritating character but, I have learnt that the quest to learn is a journey not a destination. How is it that your belief and conviction is not shaken up even during crisis? You have been sitting on stocks for years while India has gone through ups and downs. There was a global crisis in 2008 but your belief in India and the businesses which you bought, were barely shaken!Nothing is linear in life but the fact that India has raised its growth rates in every decade since independence. What leads to a growth – skills, demographics, natural resources, democracy, entrepreneurship -- India has in abundant measure. It cannot be taken out. Ups and downs are always going to be there. What are the alternatives to stock investment? I own no real estate, except maybe a house and one land here and there. We invest the least amount in jewellery, as much as I can convince my wife. So what is the alternative to equity? I am not looking at equity so that it should give me 25%, 30% or 40% return; it gives me 18% return and there is the ease with which I can invest. Suppose I am bullish on real estate, I search for a land, I get a broker, then investigate the title, then somebody is bribing somebody. I buy DLF shares on the screen. I have belief in India's growth because India's DNA is such that there will be growth in this country. We have the best skills in the world. We did not make the nuclear bomb by stolen technology. We did not sell it to anybody. If you read about the mission to Mars, the way we did it is unbelievable. 71419570 Google has an Indian CEO. Microsoft has an Indian CEO. Tata Sons has someone educated in India. We are going through the most favourable evolution of the demographic profile and this will continue. We have deeply ingrained democracy. I know of no society which has achieved growth and retained it without democracy. We have some of the best entrepreneurs in the world. We have vast natural resources. We have the deserts of Rajasthan. We have the oceans of the world, we have the Himalayas. Only we have to find oil. With so much, how will growth come down and why will it come down? Why is there so much of despondency on the Street? There is a 10% drop in auto sales or 15% dealerships are closing down. What have you invested, what business have you been running, if your business closes in 15% fall? What risk measurement have you done? This gloom and doom is for those who have followed incorrect business models. In commercial vehicles, there are valid reasons because a) 15% to 20% faster turnaround time; b)GST and c) you are not overloading. In case of cars, the cost of ownership has been taken to extreme levels, but I do not think there is such a big slowdown. Flipkart and Amazon both are claiming to have doubled their sales. Undoubtedly, there is a slowdown but why did the slowdown arise? It did because: First, in any election period, government expenditure goes dramatically down and government expenditure had become the more important part of the total capital expenditure. Also, in order to keep the fiscal deficit within 3.3%, the government withdrew a lot of expenditure in March and did not increase it later. The second reason is that credit became costlier because none was available from NBFCs. We are changing from a chalta hai (everything goes) society where people would say kara lenge, banwa lenge, pata lenge, bol denge (we will manage it by any means). Now nobody saves you, all guilty deeds get punished. This society has better integrity because of the rule of the sword. I think that is another reason for the slowdown. Third reason is we have been damaging our economy slowly. Do not sell the public sector, one company has got four four CDRs, electricity boards do not pay the generating company; gives free power to farmers; gives me electricity at say Rs 15 a unit, gives to industry at Rs 6. These are all slow poison. My diagnosis is that the last is going to be addressed. Mr Modi is a distilled socialist, he is one of the few prime ministers who has seen poverty apart from Shastri ji, may be Mr Vajpayee to some extent. He knows what it is for a woman to cook food on a choolah (earthern oven) as his mother used to cook like that. So, he is a socialist but he knows who is a socialist, he fights so that everybody can have equal share of the cake but Mr Modi knows that first let us enlarge the size of the cake and he knows that investment is key. He is ready to take bold steps. In Gujarat, he did nothing. Apart from one or two other states, the only solvent electricity board in India is Gujarat State Electricity Board. Water levels in Gujarat are the highest in India. The $5-trillion economy is his dream. He wants to be known as a great leader. That is why the reduction of taxes, that is why there is talk of strategic sale of public sector units and therefore they are telling the states that if you do not pay the generating companies, you have to give a letter of credit or we will cut your aid from the states. I am madly optimistic right and he is in such a commanding position that his word is law in whatever he decides. I am told the tax was done in 48 hours. For the first time in the history of India, ordinance was amalgamated without cabinet commission. Then as far as the election expenditure is concerned, it has started. It will take time to reverse the slowdown, but the government is making efforts. I tell bankers, sir we are at the tail end of the NPA cycle. The NPAs are from 2009-2013 period. Beyond the companies whose integrity was hit, nobody else has NPAs. Already Rs 14-18 lakh crore have been recognised, About Rs 40,000-50,000 crore would be left. Remember, it is darkest before the dawn I am unappreciatively bullish! In 2021, India will grow 8%. During 2021-2022, 2022-2023 we will go up to 9% I am not an economist, I am patriotic but I do not mix my business with patriotism.Is this your view that what happened in the NDA-1 regime was essentially a cleanup act? We had demonetisation, IBC and other cleanup reforms and now we will see constructive reforms, tax cuts, privatisation, something out of the box?You will see second generation reforms. They have done a lot of planning, they have reduced the rate of tax to 15% for manufacturing, they have identified 12 cities where they have got 8,000-10,000 acres of land so that if any investor comes, they can give him the land for manufacturing. If demand comes, why will investment not come? It is a process and it is not going to happen in a day and it is not going to happen in three months. The effects of the slowdown are going to be felt for sometime but remember market is a discounting mechanism, the market always looks at the future and react.Globally interest rates have come down, they are going back to the regime of negative interest rates, what does that mean for everybody?Very bullish, very bullish for gold, extremely bullish for gold. I see the gold prices at $2500-3000.But gold goes up and there is fear?Why is there fear? The fact is that America, China and Russia are adversaries of America have $4 trillion of reserves they want to reduce the exposure to the dollar. What is the alternative? If you do not want to take the Euro, you do not want to take the yen, you have to use your foreign exchange reserves. Second, in terms of negative interest rates, people are going to question the monetary system itself. If you buy $50 billion or $100 billion of gold a year, it is enough. The ancient Indians are going to be proved right. So the next five years gold or equities? Which will give better returns according to you? This is not like a wife, you can have both. I would buy both.Why are a lot of global market investors and some of them we respect, Ray Dalio, Howard Marks, are just making one simple comment, guys do you know this is the longest economic bull run from World War, watch your bag? What do you think?I will tell you something. The reality is that growth in the western world and Japan according to me is going to be between 1% and 3% because you cannot have a society grow without population and growth has to come from productivity. Second, inflation won't be there because; a) the prices of commodities are constantly coming down because of technology while the labour costs and services have gone to an extreme high. If they have 1% to 3% growth and no inflation, why will interest rates go up? The economic cycle may be dead. In Japan, there has been no boom and bust for the last 20 years. That is going to happen in the developed world. People feel uneasy with low interest rates but I think they are here to stay. Second, they are far more experienced and successful and mature and they are also very much afraid of the debt market, of which I have no idea.Maybe I am ignorant, but fundamentally I see no reason why there should be a collapse. Collapse of capitalism will take place when faith is lost. Faith is the bedrock of capitalism.

6 foldable smartphones you need to know about

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Foldable smartphones have been talked about for years. Some are hitting the market soon. Many expect them to create excitement in a product category that's low on buzz factor globally. ET takes a look.1. SAMSUNG GALAXY FOLD was previewed earlier this year. It's available in India for Rs 1.65 lakh, roughly half the on-road price of an entry-level car. Fold has a 4.6-inch screen for normal tasks, but unfolds into 7.3-inch form factor, just as you would open your wallet or diary. A upgraded version is expected in 2020.2. HUAWEI MATE X was unveiled at the Mobile World Congress 2019. This one folds with the screen on the outside, unlike Galaxy Fold. In February, Huawei said the price of the 5G phone would be euro 2,299. Unfolded, it's a full screen 8-inch tablet.3. MOTOROLA is coming out with its foldable phone — the Razr V4. It is expected to be priced around $1,500, according to a report. Other specs: A mid-range Snapdragon 710 chipset, 6GB of RAM and 64GB/128GB storage.4. ROYOLE FLEXPAI was the first foldable phone to be released. Sold in China for $1,300. Expected India price: Rs 1.1 lakh. Specs: Snapdragon 855 chipset, 6GB RAM, Display: 7.8 inch.5. MICROSOFT is taking a crack at the smartphone market again, this time with a dual-screen crossover (Android) device that closes like a book. Expected Launch: Christmas 2020.6. APPLE is said to be exploring the idea of a foldable phone, reported by those who've seen the company's patents for a folding screen. But we may have to wait a while for the phone.

telugu news headlines telugu news hunt

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 07:02 PM PDT

telugu news headlines telugu news hunt


యనమల వియ్యంకుడికి ”రివర్స్ టెండరింగ్”

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 06:42 PM PDT

టీడీపీ హయాంలో వందల కోట్ల విలువైన కాంట్రాక్టు పనులను కూడా చంద్రబాబు ఆదేశాలతో నామినేషన్ పద్దతిలో కేటాయించారు. టెండర్లు కూడా పిలవకుండానే టీడీపీ నేతల కంపెనీలకు కీలకమైన పనులు అప్పగించారు. సీఎం రమేష్ కంపెనీ, ఆర్థిక మంత్రి యనమల రామకృష్ణుడు వియ్యంకుడి కంపెనీకి ఇలా కావాల్సినన్ని పనులు నామినేషన్ పద్దతిలో అధిక ధరకు కేటాయించారు. ఈ నేపథ్యంలో కొత్త ప్రభుత్వం అలాంటి పనులకు రివర్స్ టెండరింగ్ నిర్వహిస్తోంది. ఇప్పటికే పోలవరం ప్రాజెక్టులోని 65 ప్యాకేజీకి రివర్స్ టెండరింగ్ […]

ఏపీ హైకోర్టు సీజేగా జస్టిస్ మహేశ్వరి

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 06:32 PM PDT

ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌ హైకోర్టు పూర్తి స్థాయి ప్రధాన న్యాయమూర్తిగా జస్టిస్ జితేంద్ర కుమార్ మహేశ్వరి నియమితులయ్యారు. ఆయన నియామకానికి రాష్ట్రపతి ఆమోద ముద్ర వేశారు. ప్రస్తుతం జస్టిస్ జితేంద్ర కుమార్ మహేశ్వరి మధ్యప్రదేశ్‌ హైకోర్టులో సీనియర్ న్యాయమూర్తిగా రెండో స్థానంలో ఉన్నారు. కొలిజియం సిఫార్సు మేరకు ఆయన్ను ఏపీ హైకోర్టు న్యాయమూర్తిగా నియమిస్తూ కేంద్ర ప్రభుత్వం అంగీకరించింది. తొలుత ఏపీ హైకోర్టు ప్రధాన న్యాయమూర్తిగా అలహాబాద్‌ హైకోర్టు న్యాయమూర్తి జస్టిస్ విక్రమ్‌నాథ్‌ పేరును కొలిజియం సిఫార్సు చేసింది. కానీ […]

ఈసారి 25 గెటప్పులు

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 09:53 AM PDT

సినిమాల్లో గెటప్స్ అంటే ముందుగా ఎవరికైనా గుర్తుకొచ్చేది కమల్ హాసన్. కమల్ తర్వాత విక్రమ్ ఆ స్థానాన్ని ఆక్రమిస్తాడు. ఇప్పుడీ హీరో గెటప్స్ పరంగా మరో ప్రయోగానికి రెడీ అవుతున్నాడు. తన కొత్త సినిమాలో విక్రమ్ ఏకంగా 25 గెటప్స్ లో కనిపించబోతున్నాడట. ప్రపంచ సినిమాలో ఇలా ఒకే మూవీలో 25 గెటప్స్ వేసిన హీరో ఎవరూ లేరట. ఆ అరుదైన ఘనత సాధించబోతున్న హీరోగా విక్రమ్ రికార్డు సృష్టించబోతున్నాడు. అజయ్ జ్ఞానముత్తు దర్శకత్వంలో ఓ సినిమాకు […]

చంద్రబాబు వస్తారా? వస్తే ఏంచేస్తారు?

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:25 AM PDT

హుజూర్‌నగర్‌లో అన్ని కోణాల్లో ఆలోచించి చంద్రబాబు తన పార్టీ అభ్యర్థిని నిలబెట్టారు. అయితే నిలబెట్టిన అభ్యర్థి తరపున చంద్రబాబు ప్రచారానికి వస్తారా అన్నదే ఇప్పుడు ప్రశ్న. రావొచ్చు అని కొందరు, రాకపోవచ్చని కొందరు, వచ్చినా అలా హాయ్‌ హాయ్ చెప్పేసి వెళ్తారని మరికొందరు టీడీపీ నేతలు భావిస్తున్నారు. హుజూర్‌నగర్ లో చంద్రబాబు లెక్కలు గెలుపోటములకు అతీతమైనవి అని పార్టీ నేతలు ఇప్పటికే ఒక అంచనాకు వచ్చారు. కాంగ్రెస్‌తో తాను విడిపోయానని బీజేపీ పెద్దలకు సంకేతాలు పంపడం, అదే […]

బోటు వెలికితీత నిలిపివేత…

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:23 AM PDT

గోదావరిలో ఇటీవల మునిగిపోయిన బోటును తీసేందుకు ప్రభుత్వ యంత్రాంగం, ఎన్డీఆర్‌ఎఫ్‌ తొలుత ఎంతగానో శ్రమించాయి. కానీ అక్కడ గోదావరి ఉధృతి అధికంగా ఉండడంతో పాటు లోతు ఏకంగా 300 అడుగులు ఉండడంతో అది సాధ్యం కాలేదు. ఇంతలో ప్రభుత్వంపై ఒక వర్గం మీడియా దాడికి దిగింది. అంతలో వెంకట శివ అనే వ్యక్తి మీడియా ముందుకు వచ్చి తనకు అవకాశం ఇస్తే రెండు గంటల్లో బోటును బయటకు తీసేస్తా అంటూ ఇంటర్వ్యూలు ఇచ్చారు. దాంతో మీడియా ఒక […]

ట్రంప్ ను భయపెడుతున్న ఎలుకలు

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:11 AM PDT

ప్రపంచం లో అత్యంత పవర్ ఫుల్ వ్యక్తి ఎవరు అంటె ఠక్కున అమెరికా ప్రెసిడెంట్ అని సమాధానం వస్తుంది. అతడు నివసించే వైట్ హౌస్ కి ఎంత కట్టుదిట్టమైన భద్రత ఉంటుందో వేరే చెప్పవలసిన పని లేదు. అమెరికన్ ప్రెసిడెంట్ తలచుకుంటే ప్రపంచంలో ఏ మూల ఉన్న ప్రాంతమయినా క్షణాల్లో బూడిద అవుతుంది. కానీ అంతటి శక్తివంతుడైన అధ్యక్షులవారు తాను నివసించే వైట్ హౌస్ లో ఎలుకలను ఏమీ చెయ్యలేకపోతున్నారట. ఎలుకలే కాదు, చీమలు, బొద్దింకలు లాంటి […]

మొదటి రోజే మిలియన్ క్లబ్

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 01:06 AM PDT

వరల్డ్ వైడ్ గ్రాండ్ గా రిలీజైన సైరా సినిమాకు అన్ని ప్రాంతాల నుంచి పాజిటివ్ టాక్ వచ్చింది. తెలుగు రాష్ట్రాల్లో ఈ సినిమా రికార్డులు సృష్టిస్తుందని అంతా అంచనా వేస్తున్నారు. అయితే అంతకంటే ముందే ఓవర్సీస్ లో రికార్డు నమోదైంది. విడుదలైన మొదటి రోజే మిలియన్ డాలర్ క్లబ్ లో చేరింది సైరా. అవును.. ప్రీమియర్స్ తో కలుపుకొని మొదటి రోజే 10 లక్షల డాలర్లు కొల్లగొట్టింది సైరా సినిమా. ఉత్తర అమెరికా, కెనడా వసూళ్లను కలుపుకుంటే […]

హాలీవుడ్ సినిమాకి డబ్బింగ్ చెప్పిన ఐశ్వర్య….

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 01:03 AM PDT

హాలీవుడ్ సినిమాలు తెలుగులో డబ్ అవుతున్నప్పుడు చాలా మంది ప్రముఖ నటీనటులు కొన్ని పాత్రలకు డబ్బింగ్ చెప్పిన సందర్భాలు చాలానే ఉన్నాయి. ఈ మధ్యనే విడుదలైన ‘లయన్ కింగ్’ సినిమాలో కూడా నాని, జగపతిబాబు, బ్రహ్మానందం, అలీ తదితరులు తెలుగు వెర్షన్ కి డబ్బింగ్ చెప్పగా, హిందీ లో షారుక్ ఖాన్, అతని కొడుకు ఆర్యన్ ఖాన్ డబ్బింగ్ చెప్పారు. అయితే తాజాగా ఈ జాబితాలో చేరనుంది ప్రపంచ సుందరి ఐశ్వర్య రాయ్. ఏంజెలీనా జోలీ నటించిన […]

Today Crunch News, News Updates, Tech News

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 06:29 PM PDT

Today Crunch News, News Updates, Tech News


Greyparrot uses computer vision to improve waste management

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:31 PM PDT

Meet Greyparrot, a London-based startup that wants to improve waste management. The company uses computer vision to make sorting more efficient at different stages of the waste chain. And Greyparrot has been selected as a wildcard for the Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt SF.

The company has been using machine learning with images of different types of waste to train a model that detects glass, paper, cardboard, newspapers, cans and different types of plastics (black trays, PET, HDPE).

Greyparrot can then use a simple camera combined with a computer to sort waste in a fraction of a second.

There are many different use cases for this kind of technology, but it seems particularly promising in sorting facilities. Those facilities already use a ton of machines to separate small and big objects, metal from plastics, etc. But many of them still rely on humans at the end of the process to pick up the last remaining false positive objects.

While it's never possible to sort everything with a 100% accuracy, you want to get as close as possible to 100%. Sorting facilities create huge cubes of PET plastics and send them to countries on the other side of the world so that they can transform PET into something else.

In some cases, those cubes are not pure enough. For instance, Indonesia regularly refuses containers of waste and send them back to the U.S. or Europe.

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Greyparrot wants to help with the last step of the sorting process. The product can be used to assess the purity of a conveyor belt to see if it's good enough. It can also identify problematic objects and give coordinates to a sorting robot so that it can automatically pick up impurities.

The startup has been testing its solution in facilities in the U.K. and South Korea. It has raised $1.2 million so far.

In the future, Greyparrot also has other ideas of use cases. For instance, you could imagine embedding Greyparrot's technology in a smart bin to automatically sort waste from the very beginning. You could also use Greyparrot in reverse vending machines and credit your account when you return plastic bottles.

StrattyX lets you buy and sell shares using automated rules

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:18 PM PDT

StrattyX is a trading interface that lets you set up sophisticated "if-this-then-that" rules and execute orders on the stock market. The startup is participating in the Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt SF.

There are plenty of brokers that let you buy and sell shares using a mobile app and a web interface. But if you want to access more sophisticated tools and automate strategies, there's not much you can do.

StrattyX wants to open up automated trading software to anyone, from non-professional traders who have some savings to professional day traders. The startup focuses on this specific part of the process.

It doesn't try to reinvent the wheel and it doesn't want to become an online stock broker. Instead, the company integrates with existing brokers, such as Robinhood, TD Ameritrade and many others as long as they support trading via an API. It acts as an interface and executes orders on your behalf.

You can create rules based on multiple different factors. In addition to traditional stop-loss and stop-limit orders, you can say that you want to buy or sell shares if something happens on Twitter, in the news or on the stock market.

Here are a few examples of rules you can create:

  • If @realdonaldtrump tweets something that contains "China" or "tariff," sell Apple shares.
  • If the value of EUR drops by 2% against USD, buy LVMH shares.
  • If news headline contains "Tesla delays deliveries," sell Tesla shares.

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Interestingly, StrattyX will provide a marketplace of strategies. If a star investor starts using StrattyX to define a set of automated rules, other users could follow the same strategy.

StrattyX then wants to go one step further by giving you the tools to train a model using machine learning and user-generated data sets. You could imagine a feature that lets you upload a .csv file with price history and different types of data points, such as SEC filings, earnings, etc.

The company is also working on a feature that would show you news headlines that you'd rate with a Tinder-style swipe gesture — swipe right if you think it's good news, swipe left if you think it's bad news.

StrattyX is launching its mobile app today. It's a sort of minimum viable product for now — some features are still in beta. The company is also working on a desktop version that would be useful for professional traders in particular.

StrattyX initially costs $5 per month per user, with more expensive plans for bigger teams and whether you execute a lot of orders through the product. The startup is looking to raise a seed round in the coming months.

Startups ‘are staying private way too long’ says Salesforce founder Marc Benioff

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:16 PM PDT

“What public markets do is indeed the great reckoning. But it cleanses [a] company of all of the bad stuff that they have.”

That’s Salesforce founder and chief executive officer Marc Benioff talking about the benefits of public markets.

It’s something that private companies seem to be ignoring in the go-go days of the current venture capital boom cycle and something that’s led to a lot of the erosion in investor value, says Benioff.

“I think in a lot of private companies these days, we’re seeing governance issues all over the place,” says Benioff.

The multi-billionaire founder of one of the most successful enterprise software companies of the past 20 years pointed to both WeWork and Uber as companies that could have benefitted from the oversight that public investors provide sooner in their lifecycle.

“I can’t believe this is the way they were running internally in all of these cases,” says Benioff. “They are staying private way too long.”

Benioff pointed to Salesforce as an example. “We went public, were $100 million in revenue [and] that was about the right time. We were small enough that we could make those changes and adjustments,” Benioff said. “And there’s a lot of those that have to continually happen, and that includes the people on your team… who are really keeping you on the straight and narrow.”

Benioff’s advocacy for public markets was just one facet of a wide-ranging interview onstage at our Disrupt SF event.

In addition to his old refrain that “Facebook should be regulated like cigarettes,” Benioff called for the creation of a national privacy policy to ensure that companies and consumers can be on the same page.

“We need a  national privacy law,” he said. “Otherwise you’re going to get a patchwork of privacy laws. We have to get our privacy and data locked down so we know where we're  going. [Regulators] need to be stepping in now and they should be working hard to make those changes.”

Benioff also pointed to the need for a reinvention of modern capitalism and a rethinking of how executives build their startups if they want to be successful in the new business landscape of the early 21st century.

“I really strongly believe that capitalism as we know it is dead… that we’re going to see a new kind of capitalism and that new kind of capitalism that’s going to emerge is not the Milton Friedman capitalism that’s just about making money,” said Benioff. “And if your orientation is just about making money, I don’t think you’re going to hang out very long as a CEO or a founder of a company.”

LifeCouple wants to improve your romantic relationship

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:06 PM PDT

Good relationships require ongoing commitment and work. LifeCouple, launching today in public beta at TechCrunch Disrupt SF Startup Battlefield, wants to help make that work a bit easier for you and your partner.

Through its app, LifeCouple enables couples to address and monitor any challenges in their relationship. The startup does this by serving up content designed to encourage people to look more closely at their relationship across four key areas: trust, communication, conflict and intimacy. The content includes daily relationship challenges, ice breakers to help approach tricky conversations, digital gifts and more.

LifeCouple is designed to supplement couples therapy, its founder Sean Rones told TechCrunch.

“It’s not a replacement to therapy but it’s a complement to it,” he said. “I don’t think this can 100% solve your problem but it can give you the tools to solve your problems.”

Additionally, Rones envisions couples therapists using this tool to further assist their clients.

Just how startups use technology to track fitness and health, LifeCouple aims to help people create relationship goals, address those goals and track them over time. The ideal is for people to spend about 15 minutes per day to get the most out of it, Rones said.

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“What motivated me is after many different startups, I’ve learned that in order to be somewhat successful, you have to be tackling a really big problem,” he said.

LifeCouple is currently free, but is working to determine the cost moving forward. In the first two months of its soft launch, LifeCouple amassed 2,500 users in the U.S.

“What we’re trying to do is create something that can help — even if it’s just 10 couples that stay together,” Rones said.

This year, LifeCouple raised a $575,000 seed round. The plan is to do a full launch in January.

CEO David Krane suggests GV could sell the rest of its Uber stake at the end of its lockup period next month

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 04:57 PM PDT

Today at TC’s Disrupt show in San Francisco, we took the stage with David Krane, a longtime veteran of Google who took the reins as the CEO of its venture arm, GV,  three years ago but hasn’t spoken publicly since. We asked him why he’s been in hiding before diving into some questions about Uber — one of GV’s most lucrative bets to date — and trying to understand better how GV is organized under his leadership.

Krane, who earlier in his career was Google’s global head of PR, is accustomed to deflecting reporters’ questions and he was circumspect about some things, but he did let drop some interesting information. For example, he told us that GV has plugged a whopping $5 billion into startups since it was formed 10 years ago. Krane also joked that Alphabet’s famous founders don’t steer entirely clear of the organization. And he suggested that GV — which sold a meaningful part of its Uber stake to SoftBank last year — might sell the rest of its Uber stake when the ride-share company’s lock-up period expires in November. (His team has a “decision to make,” he said.)

Following is some of our chat, edited lightly for length and clarity:

TC: It’s been three years since you took the role of CEO. Why has it taken you so long to come out of hiding?

DK: Well, I haven’t been in hiding, I’ll tell you that we’ve been really busy. When you have a second act at Google, which is remarkably different from your first act, you actually kind of have to stay focused on that. So we’ve been busy building an extremely large scale venture firm, which this year is celebrating our 10th birthday. And I’ve been doing that [from its outset].

TC: There’s a lot to chat about. Let’s talk quickly about one of your highest-profile deals, which was investing in Uber. I’ve long heard that you are the one who was agitating to lead this $250 million dollar Series C round, which, at the time, was a very big deal. It was also a brilliant investment. Do you think Uber is also a good investment now for public shareholders?

DK: This is a special company. This company has an unmistakable brand. It operates in countries around the world. It has scaled, it ha a moat around it, it’s touched by almost no one in the category. So honestly, we’re long term. We’re bullish on this. And I think it is an interesting investment opportunity. And it happens to be on sale today.

TC: It’s obviously getting into new business lines, which is interesting. But you’d also told me that GV had sold part at stake to SoftBank last year, when the the conglomerate came in and wanted to buy up a substantial percentage of the company. Can you say how much of your stake you sold?

DK: It’s probably best not to, but I’d say it was a great transaction. Working with SoftBank was quite pleasant. And I think there were a number of shareholders that did [the same].

TC: Uber’s lockup period is coming up quickly. Will you sell the rest of your stake? 

DK:  I think it’s not clear yet, to be honest with you. We’re paying attention to the market, which is a bit unstable, to say the least. But yeah, in about a month, we’re going to have a decision to make.

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SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 03: (L-R) GV CEO & Managing Partner David Krane speak and TechCrunch Silicon Valley Editor Connie Loizos onstage during TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco 2019 at Moscone Convention Center on October 03, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images for TechCrunch)

TC: When you invested in Uber in 2013, you were investing in a different founder: Travis Kalanick, who was pressured to resign in 2017. It’s a little bit reminiscent of what happened with Adam Neumann of WeWork, who had grown the company over the last nine years and was last week pressured to resign.

Are we in agreement that maybe the investors could have done something sooner? These are two founders whose management styles were very well-known. Why suddenly was it problematic? And why didn’t someone do something sooner?

DK Well, probably the best advice that I could offer there is it would have been prudent to curb some of Adam’s creativity little bit sooner. . . . But there’s very little similarity between Travis and Adam. Travis is a founder that in his peak at Uber was incredibly enviable, and someone that we chased very aggressively to try and be involved with.

TC: Let’s talk about GV. I think we all want to know more about GV under David Krane. One thing that I noticed is that in the firm’s early days, it would about these discrete pools of capital it was investing. One year, it was ‘We’ve raised $300 million.’ The next it was ‘We’ve been allocated $500 million.’ Is is still the case that you’re getting these yearly allocations? And if so, what are you investing right now?

DK: When we started GV, we had the opportunity to look at several decades of venture capital experience and pick some of the greatest attributes and to do our best to steer away from some things that weren’t optimized. So one of the things that we set up structurally was that yes, we would engage with our single [investor], Alphabet, and figure out what’s a reasonable pool of capital that our team could deploy each year. When we started 10 years ago, we started with literally a $50 million fund. Now 10 years later, we’re investing many hundreds of millions per year.

TC: How much has been allocated [to startups] altogether to this point?

DK: Total? We’re looking after nearly $5 billion.

TC: That’s astonishing. It’s not like Alphabet needs the money, but you did in invest in Uber — good for you. You invested in Nest Labs, which Google bought for $3.2 billion a few years ago. Can you talk about your returns? What percentage of that money has come back to Alphabet?

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David Krane, CEO & managing partner of GV, at TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2019 on October 3, 2019

DK: As you know, this is a business often measured in decades. We’re 10 years old this year. And I’ll tell you, kind of directionally, that we’re incredibly happy with the financial performance of the fund. I will say, we’re backed by an investor that has a lot of bravery that puts its shoulder into risk and often tells us, ‘Do  something more complex’ ‘Do something more crazy next time.’ I mean, it wouldn’t be unimaginable that [cofounder] Sergey ]Brin] would walk in and say, ‘Why don’t you do the space elevator next time?’ So sometimes those sorts of businesses may take a lot longer to return. But all in all, we’re incredibly happy with what we’ve returned so far.

TC: When I interviewed your predecessor, Bill Maris, a few years ago, he told me that every decision felt to him and him alone, following what were wide-ranging discussions with the staff whose opinions factored in heavily. But he said, that ultimately, GV is “not like a democracy in any way.”  Are you the ultimate arbiter of what gets funded now at GV?

DK: I would say, technically speaking, we don’t run remarkably differently. That said, our success, and really, the excitement that we bring every day, is really playing a meaningful ‘meta’ team ball. So the experience for the entrepreneur is not so unusual [than] going to any other Sand Hill pitch room, where the entrepreneur would come in and spend an hour or two with us, we would have a dialogue afterwards, we would take some data, we would consult some data, and a discussion with sort of ensue.

Technically, yeah, I can come in and have a little bit of influence on what’s happening. But because we’re scaling what we’re doing,  my objective as often as I can is to green-light as many investments as make sense.

TC: How many investments are you green-lighting here?

DK: I think this year we’ll do 100 deals, in total, in 10 years, we have an active portfolio of more than 300 companies. And I think if memory serves me correctly, we’ve done over 600 deals in 10 years.

TC: How many people are in staff at this point?

DK: Ninety people full time.

TC: It seems like there’s been more focus on elevating women through the ranks.

DK: Absolutely, it’s a big focus for us. We usea page out of the Google playbook that has served the company incredibly well for goal setting and product and engineering called OKRs, for objectives and key results. And we learned that OKRs are actually extensible to diversity and inclusion. So we set some goals a couple of years ago to, most importantly, go out to the market with more focus and do our best to fund a meaningful number of new and underrepresented founders. And I’d say in the last 18 months, we’ve deployed about $200 billion into underrepresented founders.

And conversely, we’ve used that same framework to improve the diversity of our team as well. And I think we’ve made some great progress there.

TC: Is the sort of compensation structure within GV the same as with traditional venture funds with management fees and Kara carry involved? 

DK: We have a single LP, that’s probably one of the most distinctive attributes. But we’re set up mostly like Sand Hill firms, so we have access to all kinds of opportunities to run the business, with carry on our outcomes, [so] all interests are aligned. So it’s a really attractive place to be able to do venture.

TC: When Google formed this unit, 10 years ago, there was also a lot of talk about the data driven nature of investing that you would do. So can you tell me a little bit about the algorithms that you’re relying on and how they help you identify promising companies?

DK: I don’t think it would be Google Ventures without putting some emphasis on the Google part of that name. So using data machine learning has been something that’s very common in our practice for many years. We’ve got a team of something on the order of a dozen [to] focus on technology and how technology can frankly make humans smarter — and we don’t think it’s an either or, we think it’s an and. So we look at technology as an opportunity to analyze deals, discover new opportunities, but really, most importantly, to look at the portfolio at large and ensure that we’ve got the right exposure, we’ve got the right balance, to do our best to capture industry leading returns.

TC: Have you ever gone rogue and defied the data?

DK: We go rogue all the time, Data is there to help us It’s there to make us smarter. But it doesn’t singularly dictate what we do in terms of investment decisions.

TC: What are some of examples of [deals you’ve led that contradicted] the data?

DK: So An example would be a follow-on investment in a company. There may be some some tension between how the data signal will present its view, how other attributes may be more important. And it’s important for us to continue to show support to an entrepreneur, which we try to do as often as we can.

David Krane GVDSC02840

David Krane, CEO & managing partner of GV, at TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2019 on October 3, 2019

TC: You also have a big team here. You also have a team in Europe, but it seems like you’re predominantly still doing venture in the U.S.. Is that accurate?

DK: That’s correct. Yeah, most of our team is situated in a set of offices across the U.S. We’ve got a small team in London, Most of the dollars we invest go into U.S.-based companies and a wide variety of sectors. We do some investing in Europe. We don’t invest in Asia. We don’t invest in Latin America.

TC: Which is so interesting, especially Asia, given there’s so much going on there. In fact, you had told me that you’d invested in a company as a called FreshToHome that’s trying to tackle the fragmented perishable goods market in India.

How much personal investing do you do outside of GV and also, if that company takes off, is there a risk that Larry or Sergey would say, ‘Hey, David, why aren’t we in that deal?’

DK: Well, there’s certainly a chance if that company breaks out and we choose to expand our scope to investing in India that GV could look at it, no question about it. Today, we don’t have plans to invest there. So in markets where GV isn’t investing, we’re happy to support our partners’ personal interests,

I do a little bit of personal investing in categories that honestly have nothing to do with the main line of GV. I invested in a men’s outdoor professional lacrosse League, for example, called PLL, that’s probably not something that GV would do but it’s an area of passion for me; my children play lacrosse.

TC: Why not Asia, though?

DK: I think it’s inevitable that over time as we evolve, will consider taking on a new geography, but focus again, is a feature for our business, too. And I think we have a lot more opportunity to continue to further establish ourselves here.

TC: Shifting gears, let’s talk about bigger-picture stuff. We talked a little bit about Uber. You think Uber is still on sale and an attractive investment; obviously, some people disagree, we’ll see what happens with that company. But more broadly, are companies staying private too long?

DK: No. It’s interesting. There is so much capital in the market right now that there isn’t the burden to put oneself in a position that’s remarkably different from the control, the privacy, that one has is private. So it’s very company specific, your question, but I’d say in general, the market has changed so meaningfully in the last two years that there isn’t that pressure to seek capital in the public markets. You have many, many options to stay private. And for lots of companies, that’s a good thing.

TC: But is it good for Americans? So much wealth has been created before these companies go out, as with Uber, that once they go public, there’s not huge upside [for public market investors]. Taking yourself out of GV, does this [point] resonate at all?

DK: It resonates to some degree. Entrepreneurship is certainly one of the growth factors in this economy. And so we want to see it thrive. We want to see people in the public markets have an opportunity to experience growth and ride the evolution of these companies. But again, I think it’s really a very company specific question.

TC: What about direct listings, which seem to be top of mind, thanks to a confab organized earlier this week by VCs Bill Gurley and Mike Moritz. Since these aren’t fundraising events for companies, it’s hard for me to see these being widely adopted but what do you think?

DK: I think we heard on the stage yesterday from the founder of Slack that direct listings are not quite as clear as some of the benefits have been presented. As you noted, the company doesn’t always get capital. But I think there’s a lot of thinking right now about how to do a direct listing [to] ensure that employees and shareholders on the cap table can get some liquidity, but the company can also seek financing as well.

We were very fortunate to be part of Slack’s direct listing [and] had a great outcome with that. And as an investor, it’s great not to have a lock-up one day one.

TC: But do you think they’ll they’ll pick up momentum or will these be relegated to very special companies?

DK: I think directionally, there’s a huge opportunity to continue to innovate and enhance on on many aspects of how companies [obtain] liquidity. I think they’re promising but we need [more] examples of them. I think it’s a little bit early to tell.

TC: Before you go, there’s a lot of talk about regulating your parent company. Should it be broken up?

DK:  I’ve read the same fear and and focused news articles that you have about this topic. I would say honestly, I’ve been a Google 20 years, It lives inside my veins. I’m very proud of what the company has built. I’m proud to have played a part of that. But I’d say for the last 10 years, having focused on venture capital, I’m really not the most authoritative expert in how Google should think about those sorts of issues. So I’m actually going to take a pass on that one, because we’re focused on something totally different.

TC: Okay. Do you think Facebook should be regulated?

DK: [Laughs.] We can if you like. You know, these are companies that do have a lot of power, they do have a lot of control. But also, the sum of those pieces can be very valuable for consumers and for partners as well. So again, these are these are big, complicated questions. I think these companies will have a lot of questions to answer in the coming months, and we’ll see what happens.

NASA’s first all-electric experimental X-plane is ready for testing

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 04:50 PM PDT

NASA will fly a crewed X-plane, one of the experimental aircraft it creates to test various technologies, for the first time in two decades in the near future. This X-plane, the X-57 Maxwell to be exact, is significant for another reason, too: It’s the first fully electric experimental plane that NASA will fly.

The delivery of the X-57 Maxwell to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California means that they can begin ground testing, which will then be followed by flight testing once they confirm through the ground testing phase that it’s flight-ready. This all-electric X-57 is just one of a number of modified vehicles that will not only help NASA researchers test electric propulsion systems for aircraft, but will also help them set up standards, design practices and certification plans alongside industry for forthcoming electric aerial transportation options, including the growing industry springing up around electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft for short-distance transportation.

NASA plans to share the results of its testing and flights of the all-electric X-57, as well as its other modified versions, with industry and other agencies and regulatory bodies. The X-plane project also provides another way for NASA to work towards a number of technical challenges that will have big benefits in terms of everyday commercial aerial transportation, like boosting vehicle efficiency and lowering noise to develop planes that are far less disturbing to people on the ground.

Avalow wants to be your gardening coach

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 04:49 PM PDT

What’s the opposite of a green thumb?

Whatever it is, I have that. My house and yard are full of succulents not because they’re trendy, but because anything else I try to plant dies within a month. When I turn to Google to figure out why my zucchini plant randomly turned white and fell over (did I over water it? Under water it? Plant it on the wrong side of my house? Look at it the wrong way too many times?), I fall into a rabbit hole of forum posts with a million different answers, get overwhelmed, and go back to buying my zucchini from the store like a chump.

Avalow, a company presenting in the TechCrunch Disrupt SF Startup Battlefield today, wants to help would-be gardeners like myself with a solution that’s 50% hardware and 50% online coaching.

Unlike most of the hardware that hits the stage at Disrupt, you don’t plug Avalon’s hardware into anything. There’s no Bluetooth, WiFi, batteries, or robotic arms involved.

Instead, they’ve built a self-watering, sub-irrigation-based, raised planter bed. You fill a water reservoir about once a week, and your plants pull up water through the soil by way of capillary action. By letting the plants pull up just the water they need, the company says their planter requires about 30x less water than top-down gardening might.

Their planter costs $400, which might seem a bit wild to anyone who’s used to growing things at the cost of digging a hole in the ground. For comparison, a basic, all-wood raised planter box of similar dimensions (without the self-watering reservoir) would cost you $50-$150 from a big box store. Avalow’s bed is built to last — the company says it should hold up for at least 25 years, though some parts like the self-watering system’s wicks should be replaced every 5 years or so. It’s also insulated to keep your plant’s roots safe through weather hot and cold.

The company’s founders tell me they’ve shipped about 400 units so far during its pre-launch pilot program.

avalow diagram

But there’s a bit more to Avalow than a fancy planter. That feeling of disappointment that comes when you go out to check your plants and find that, after 5 weeks of careful watering and care, your little plant friend has suddenly dropped dead? They want to help you avoid it — and if something does go wrong, help you figure out exactly what happened.

To do this, Avalow is also selling a gardening coaching service. At around $120 per season (or roughly $33 per month if bought annually), their experts will help you figure out what you should grow (based on where you are, the local climates, and your personal goals), when to harvest, etc. When your plant does something funky — be it mystery spots on the leaves, sudden plant death, or anything in between — you can chat with your gardening coach for advice, sending them pictures that might help them figure out what’s going on. They’ll send you the soil and seedlings to get started, plus whatever soil amendments they recommend to make things grow best from season to season. It’s like having a really, really smart gardener friend on speed dial, except they don’t get annoyed when you call them about your zucchini for the seventh time.

Avalow partners with expert gardeners and hires them as coaches. Their coaching team currently includes plant biologists from UC Berkeley, orchard managers, and master certified gardeners. With decades of experience, they’re able to adapt their advice across regions and climates.

As someone who finds himself thinking “I should totally grow some vegetables!” once a year only to end up disappointed and hungry… I totally get this. Having your plant die randomly six weeks into the process sucks and is super demotivating. Having someone who can say “Oh! That’s not your fault, you just need more [whatever] in the soil!” would be real nice. I don’t know that I’d sign up for it season after season, but I can definitely see myself using it to get things going (/growing.)

Zuckerberg says Facebook will sue to stop EU’s global content takedowns

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 04:40 PM PDT

Facebook plans to challenge Europe’s top court, which today ruled that EU countries can order Facebook to globally remove content that violates local laws. Facebook currently complies with proper legal requests to remove content that breaks a nation’s laws, but can leave it up for global viewers if the post doesn’t violate its Community Standards.

But today during a livestreamed Q&A with Facebook employees, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that “This is something I expect us and other companies will be litigating.”

Live from our weekly internal Q&A

Live from our weekly internal Q&A

Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday, October 3, 2019

Zuckerberg explained that Facebook had “successfully fought” overly broad takedown requests in the past. He also noted that “a lot fo the details about exactly how [the ruling gets] implemented will depend on national courts across Europe.”

Facebook told TechCrunch in a statement today that:

“This judgement raises critical questions around freedom of expression and the role that internet companies should play in monitoring, interpreting and removing speech that might be illegal in any particular country.

At Facebook, we already have Community Standards which outline what people can and cannot share on our platform, and we have a process in place to restrict content if and when it violates local laws. This ruling goes much further.

It undermines the long-standing principle that one country does not have the right to impose its laws on speech on another country. It also opens the door to obligations being imposed on internet companies to proactively monitor content and then interpret if it is "equivalent" to content that has been found to be illegal.

 In order to get this right national courts will have to set out very clear definitions on what “identical” and “equivalent” means in practice. We hope the courts take a proportionate and measured approach, to avoid having a chilling effect on freedom of expression.”

Zuckerberg hadn’t done a livestreamed Q&A recently, but holds them weekly inside Facebook. Yet after The Verge’s Casey Newton published two-hours of leaked audio from Facebook internal all-hands meetings, Zuckerberg is trying to show he has nothing to hide.

Zuckerberg Live QA

During pre-question remarks, Zuckerberg also discussed the US Attorney General Bill Bar’s open letter from the US, UK, and Australia demanding that Facebook halt the expansion of encryption across all its messaging apps. “We get that there are real concerns with doing that ” Zuckerberg said. “There are these different equities we try to balance”, specifically safety needs like catching child abusers and terrorists versus privacy and protecting political dissidents as well as normal citizens.

The CEO argued Facebook could still police encrypted apps, noting the “There’s a lot we can do with detecting patterns” including linking accounts together so it can shut down the WhatsApp accounts of bad actors on Facebook, and that Facebook can “find it upstream” by analyzing suspicious activity outside of the messages threads themselves. He also mentioned that iMessage is the top US messaging app and it’s encrypted too, showing Facebook isn’t the only one pushing private messaging and clearly users want it.

Queried about Bernie Sanders’ statement that “billionaires shouldn’t exist”, Zuckerberg said “no one deserves to have that much money”. That’s despite having a fortune north of $60 billion, though much of it is dedicated to the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation that works on social and science causes.

Zuckerberg All Hands

Zuckerberg was asked about concerns that his comments regarding Facebook would likely sue to stop an attempt by regulators to break it up. He’d discussed how Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren had made the break-up a core piece of her policy slate, which led to questions about whether Facebook might try to minimize the reach of her statements or avoid voter registration that could aid.

Zuckerberg crystallized the question, saying “If Facebook is worried about Elizabeth Warren becoming president because of that thing, …how can we be trusted to be impartial and make sure she and other people get a voice?” He said that “Even when people disagree with what I think would be good…I still want to give them a voice . . . We need to be able to put what people want to express…above our preferences all the time.”

Today’s session certainly felt more guarded than the leaked Q&As. At one point Zuckerberg noted he wouldn’t share stats on Facebook Dating because it wasn’t a private discussion. Yet the talk still helped clarify critical Facebook policy positions are a tumultuous time for the company.

Zuckerberg joked at the beginning of the Q&A that he’s making this one publicly available because “I do such a bad job in interviews that it’s like, what do we have to lose?”

The lack of cybersecurity talent is ‘a national security threat,’ says DHS official

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 04:02 PM PDT

One of the most senior officials tasked with protecting U.S. critical infrastructure says that the lack of security professionals in the U.S. is one of the leading threats to national cybersecurity.

Speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt SF, Jeanette Manfra, the assistant director for cybersecurity for the Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), said that the agency was making training for new cybersecurity professionals a priority.

“It’s a national security risk that we don’t have the talent regardless of whether it’s in the government or the private sector,” said Manfra. “We have a massive shortage that is expected that will grow larger.”

Homeland Security is already responding, working on developing curriculum for potential developers as soon as they hit the school system. “We spend a lot of time invested in K-12 curriculum,” she said.

The agency is also looking to take a page from the the tech industry’s playbook and developing a new workforce training program that’s modeled after how to recruit and retain individuals.

For Manfra, it’s important that the tech community and the government agencies tasked with protecting the nation’s critical assets work more closely together, and the best way to do that is to encourage a revolving door between cybersecurity agencies and technology companies. That may raise the hackles of privacy experts and private companies, given the friction between what private companies wish to protect and what governments wish were exposed — through things like backdoors — but Manfra says close collaboration is critical.

Manfra envisions that government will pay for scholarships for cybersecurity professionals who will spend three to five years in government before moving into the private sector. “It builds a community of people with shared experience [and] in security we’re all trying to do the same things,” she said.

Priorities for Homeland Security are driving down the cost of technologies so that the most vulnerable institutions like states, municipalities and townships or the private companies that are tasked with maintaining public infrastructure — that don’t have the same money to spend as the federal government — can protect themselves.

“When you think about a lot of these institutions that are the targets of nation sates… a lot of them have resources at their disposal and many of them do not,” said Manfra. “[So] how do we work with the market to build more secure solutions — particularly with industrial control systems.”

The public also has a role to play, she said. Because it’s not just the actual technological infrastructure that enemies of the U.S. are trying to target, but the overall faith in American institutions — as the Russian attempt to meddle in the 2016 election revealed.

“It's also about building a more resilient and aware public,” said Manfra. “And adversaries have learned how they can manipulate the trust in these institutions.”

Naspers CEO Bob van Dijk on SoftBank comparisons: ‘They’re broad, we’re focused; we invest in what we know’

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 03:42 PM PDT

Naspers, a South African internet company that has become a major investor in a wide range of digital commerce companies, has in recent years drawn comparisons to the Japanese conglomerate SoftBank. For one thing, Naspers, like SoftBank, is very global in nature, with investments in more than 90 countries. Naspers, like SoftBank, doesn’t shy from writing big checks, as happened a few years ago when it plugged $100 million into LetGo, a New York-based company whose app aims to make it as easy to sell something as it is to throw it away.

Naspers also goes after startups at a variety of stages with the promise that it can help them expand around the world. LetGo, for example, is now available to users in more than 35 countries.

Yet most meaningfully, both are largely associated with early and exceedingly lucrative investments in Chinese companies. In SoftBank’s case, it made an early bet on the Chinese giant Alibaba, and even while it has pared its stake slightly, that holding is valued at more than $100 billion. Similarly, Naspers made an early bet on the Chinese giant Tencent, and it retains a 31% percent stake in the business that its CEO, Bob van Dijk, said today onstage at Disrupt it has no intention of selling any time soon. That stake is also valued at more than $100 billion.

Still, van Dijk made clear that the comparisons should stop there. Asked how Naspers differentiates itself from SoftBank and whether it would ever form a Vision Fund-esque vehicle to invest money even more aggressively into startups, the answers were that a) the two are very different and b) no.

Said van Dijk, “I’ve met [CEO] Masa [Son] and many of his team over the years and they’re an impressive bunch of people. I think what they’ve done is unprecedented and had a big impact on the industry.” Still, Naspers is “not a fund,” he noted; it’s a holding company, and, as such, it can invest for 20 years if it needs. And “that helps, he said. “It allows you to think [about investments] over a long amount of time.” He said this was particularly important around food delivery, into which Naspers has plugged $5 billion in recent years and van Dijk feels strongly has vast potential, even while he acknowledged that for the foreseeable future, the industry is likely to remain hugely unprofitable.

As for SoftBank, he continued, “They are great investors.” But they are also “broad in their approach,” whereas Naspers is “more focused. We invest in what we really know. What has served us well is to build up expertise, then go bigger. But we couldn’t deploy $100 billion in things that I don’t understand.”

As for how he would judge the performance of SoftBank’s strategy, van Dijk was unsurprisingly democratic. “We co-invested in Flipkart, and we had the same vision of an attractive India market with great growth and great founders.”

Added van Dijk, “They’ve taken a bigger volume approach, and I hope it works out.”

You can catch the entire conversation — in which van Dijk also noted Naspers’s growing interest in U.S. startups and shared some insights into a new holding company that Naspers recently took public in Europe — below.

Zola, the $650M wedding portal, taps the travel market with an expansion into honeymoons

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 03:33 PM PDT

The wedding industry is estimated to be worth some $100 billion in the U.S. alone, and now one of the fastest-growing companies in that space — the wedding planning site Zola — is making a move to augment its position with a sidestep into travel. Today at Disrupt (our conference in San Francisco), the company is announcing Honeymoons, which will let couples plan, book and raise money for their post-nuptial travels at the same time that they plan the main event.

The beta invite is open for those interested from today. To start off, couples will be able to plan itineraries and book accommodations, with flights getting added in after the launch as part of a bigger effort to own the end-to-end marriage experience.

“Over time, we want to book all your travel needs, both before and after the wedding,” said Shan-Lyn Ma, the company’s CEO and founder.

Zola’s business today is based around pre-wedding organization: users can set up free websites, design and print (paid) wedding invitations, and create Zola-based gift registries for family and friends to buy goods for the couple through the site — a business that has been successful enough to net the company more than $140 million in funding and a $650 million valuation.

But the average time spent planning weddings is 13-18 months, and so Honeymoons will be one way for Zola to extend that relationship not just in terms of money spent — honeymoons is estimated to be a $12 billion industry in the U.S. — but time spent using Zola, which in turn can help build a tighter relationship for whatever moves the company might make in the future. (One very obvious next step: parenting-related content and products.)

disrupt shan lyn ma zola 1080

The Honeymoons feature also brings something else to Zola: a little breathing space. The online market for wedding planning is old and massive — it’s one of the first kinds of e-commerce sites that emerged with the rise of the world wide web itself, and as such there are a lot of large and incumbent competitors. However, “honeymoons” has been generally a more fragmented space, where people plan their own trips themselves via sites that cater to other kinds of travel like vacations, making “online honeymoon planning” far less of an industry per se, and making Zola’s move into the area relatively less pressured.

Ma said that the decision to launch the business came from couples requesting the feature, and it’s taking the rollout relatively slowly. The service will start with a limited number of markets that Zola chose based on them already being popular honeymoon destinations. The plan will be to expand the list to many more locations over time.

“We know where all the key destinations are based on demand from couples,” she added.

Within that list, Zola has negotiated special packages for accommodation and flights. It will also come with a personalized twist: couples input their preferences and are offered honeymoon packages designed to fit their tastes.

“Through our technology and our team of travel experts, couples can tell us, this is what they would love to do for their honeymoon,” explained Ma. “This is their general travel style, budget and dates. Then we will send back an itinerary…[and they can] book with us from there. At launch next month, it will be focused first and foremost on accommodation and experiences. Over time, we would aim to help you with everything you need to do on your honeymoon,” she said.

Ma said thousands of customers have already signed up for the waitlist for the new honeymoons product, which will officially launch next month.

Zola already has a strong connection to a wider marketplace that taps into how millennials and younger consumers, in general, like to shop today, offering a Houzz-style approach of letting users create “look books” for their aesthetics, and giving them flexibility to either register for specific items, or to cash out in gift cards that can be used on other goods and services.

The Honeymoons move will give the company an opening to working with other companies much more closely, specifically those in the travel industry, to create cohesive experiences. Given how many weddings today are focused around “destinations,” this also opens the door to planning events for more than just the couples involved.

Facebook is being leaned on by US, UK, Australia to ditch its end-to-end encryption expansion plan

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 03:02 PM PDT

Here we go again. Western governments are once again dialing up their attack on end-to-end encryption — calling for either no e2e encryption or backdoored e2e encryption so platforms can be commanded to serve state agents with messaging data in “a readable and usable format.”

U.S. Attorney General William Barr, acting U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan, U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel and Australia's minister for home affairs, Peter Dutton, have co-signed an open letter to Facebook calling on the company to halt its plan to roll out e2e encryption across its suite of messaging products. Unless the company can ensure what they describe as “no reduction to user safety and without including a means for lawful access to the content of communications to protect our citizens,” per a draft of the letter obtained by BuzzFeed ahead of publication later today.

If platforms have e2e encryption, a “means for lawful access” to the content of communications sums to a backdoor in the crypto — presumably along the lines of the “ghost protocol” that U.K. spooks have been pushing for the past year. AKA an "exceptional access mechanism" that would require platforms CC’ing a state/law enforcement agent as a silent listener to eavesdrop on a conversation on warranted request.

Facebook -owned WhatsApp was one of a number of tech giants joining an international coalition of civic society organizations, security and policy experts condemning the proposal as utter folly earlier this year.

The group warned that demanding a special security hole in encryption for law enforcement risks everyone’s security by creating a vulnerability which could be exploited by hackers. Or indeed, service providers themselves. But the age-old “there’s no such thing as a backdoor just for you” warning appears to have fallen on deaf ears.

In their open letter to Facebook, the officials write: “Companies should not deliberately design their systems to preclude any form of access to content, even for preventing or investigating the most serious crimes. This puts our citizens and societies at risk by severely eroding a company's ability to detect and respond to illegal content and activity, such as child sexual exploitation and abuse, terrorism, and foreign adversaries' attempts to undermine democratic values and institutions, preventing the prosecution of offenders and safeguarding of victims. It also impedes law enforcement's ability to investigate these and other serious crimes.”

Of course, Facebook is not the only messaging company using e2e encryption, but it’s in the governments’ crosshairs now on account of a plan to expand its use of e2e crypto — announced earlier this year, as part of a claimed “pivot to privacy.” And, well, on account of it having two billion+ users.

The officials claim in the letter that “much” of the investigative activity, which is critical to protecting child safety and fighting terrorism, “will no longer be possible if Facebook implements its proposals as planned.”

“Risks to public safety from Facebook's proposals are exacerbated in the context of a single platform that would combine inaccessible messaging services with open profiles, providing unique routes for prospective offenders to identify and groom our children,” they warn, noting that the Facebook founder expressed his own concerns about finding “the right ways to protect both privacy and safety.”

In March, Mark Zuckerberg also talked about building “the appropriate safety systems that stop bad actors as much as we possibly can within the limits of an encrypted service.”

Which could, if you’re cynically inclined, be read as Facebook dangling a carrot to governments — along the lines of: “We might be able to scratch your security itch, if your regulators don’t break up our business.”

Ironically enough, the high-profile intervention by officials risks derailing Facebook’s plan to unify the backends of its platforms — widely interpreted as a play to make it harder for regulators to act on competition concerns and break up Facebook’s business empire along messaging product lines: Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram.

Or, well — alternative scenario — Facebook could choose to strip e2e crypto from WhatsApp, which is currently the odd one out in its messaging suite on account of having proper crypto. Governments would sure be happy if it did that. But it’s the opposite of what Zuckerberg has said he’s planning.

Curiously, the draft letter makes no mention of platform metadata. Which is not shielded by even WhatsApp’s e2e encryption. And thus can be extracted — via a warrant — in a readable format for legit investigative purposes. And let’s not forget U.S. spooks are more than happy to kill people based on metadata.

Instead the officials write: “We must find a way to balance the need to secure data with public safety and the need for law enforcement to access the information they need to safeguard the public, investigate crimes, and prevent future criminal activity. Not doing so hinders our law enforcement agencies' ability to stop criminals and abusers in their tracks.”

The debate is being framed by spooks and security ministers as all about content.

Yet a scrambled single Facebook backend would undoubtedly yield vastly more metadata, and higher-resolution metadata, on account of triangulation across the services. So it really is a curious omission.

We’ve reached out to Facebook for its reaction to the letter. BuzzFeed reports that it sent a statement in which it strongly opposes government attempts to build backdoors. So if Facebook holds firm to that stance it looks like another big crypto fight could well be brewing. À la Apple versus the FBI.

Bilateral Data Access Agreement

In another announcement being made today, the U.K. and the U.S. have signed a “world first” Bilateral Data Access Agreement that’s intended to greatly speed up electronic data access requests by their respective law enforcement agencies.

The agreement is intended to replace the current process, which sees requests for communications data from law enforcement agencies submitted and approved by central governments via a process called Mutual Legal Assistance — which can take months or even years.

Once up and running, the claim is the new arrangement will see the process reduced to a matter of weeks or even days.

The agreement will work reciprocally with the U.K. getting data from U.S. tech firms, and the U.S. getting access from U.K. communication service providers (via a U.S. court order).

Any request for data must be made under an authorisation in accordance with the legislation of the country making the request and will be subject to independent oversight or review by a court, judge, magistrate or other independent authority, per the announcement.

The U.K. also says specifically that it has obtained “assurances” which are in line with the government’s continued opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances. Which is only mildly reassuring given the home secretary’s previous views on the topic.

The announcement also makes a point of noting the data access agreement does not change anything about how companies can use encryption — nor prevent them from encrypting data.

For interfering with proper encryption the plan among this trio of signals intelligence allies is, seemingly, to reach for the old PR lever and apply public pressure. So, yeah, here we go again.

WeWork expected to announce major layoffs

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 02:30 PM PDT

WeWork, the co-working business once valued at $47 billion, is expected to announce significant layoffs this month, Bloomberg reports. This follows reports the company was looking to slash as many as 5,000 roles, or one-third of its workforce.

Now expected to go public in 2020 at a valuation as low as $10 billion, WeWork is also in negotiations with JPMorgan for a last-minute cash infusion to replace the capital expected from the now-postponed IPO, per reports. The company, now a cautionary tale, has been working with bankers in recent weeks to reduce the sky-high costs of its money-losing operation.

News of potential layoffs come about two weeks after co-founder and chief executive officer Adam Neumann resigned from his post and the nine-year-old company postponed its highly anticipated initial public offering. Neumann is now serving as the company’s non-executive chairman, succeeded by WeWork's former vice chairman Sebastian Gunningham and the company's president and chief operating officer Artie Minson.

The embattled company has been struggling to satisfy Wall Street skeptics, who were floored by the company’s eye-popping valuation. Since Neumann’s resignation, WeWork has begun several cost-cutting initiatives and is reportedly looking to sell off several of its acquisitions, including Managed by Q, Conductor and Meetup.

Layoffs are a natural next step for the business as it aims to carve out a clear path to profitability, now a requisite for a 2020 IPO. To float at any point in the future, after all, WeWork must prove elevating “the world’s consciousness” will eventually lead to profits.

WeWork revealed an unusual IPO prospectus in August after raising more than $8 billion in equity and debt funding. Despite financials that showed losses of nearly $1 billion in the six months ending June 30, the company still managed to accumulate a valuation as high as $47 billion, largely as a result of Neumann’s fundraising abilities.

"As co-founder of WeWork, I am so proud of this team and the incredible company that we have built over the last decade," Neumann said in a statement confirming his resignation. "Our global platform now spans 111 cities in 29 countries, serving more than 527,000 members each day. While our business has never been stronger, in recent weeks, the scrutiny directed toward me has become a significant distraction, and I have decided that it is in the best interest of the company to step down as chief executive. Thank you to my colleagues, our members, our landlord partners, and our investors for continuing to believe in this great business."

WeWork declined to comment.

We’ll have self-flying cars before self-driving cars, Thrun says

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 02:18 PM PDT

Once you get up high enough, you don’t have to worry about a lot of the obstacles like pedestrians and traffic jams that plague autonomous cars. That’s why Sebastian Thrun, Google’s self-driving team founder turned CEO of flying vehicle startup Kitty Hawk, said onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt SF today that we should expect true autonomy to succeed in the air before the road.

“I believe we’re going to be done with self-flying vehicles before we’re done with self-driving cars,” Thrun told TechCrunch reporter Kirsten Korosec.

Why? “If you go a bit higher in the air then all the difficulties with not hitting stuff like children and bicycles and cars and so on just vanishes . . . Go above the buildings, go above the trees, like go where the helicopters are!” Thrun explained, but noted personal helicopters are so noisy they’re being banned in some places like Napa, Calif.

That proclamation has wide-reaching implications for how cities are planned and real estate is bought. We may need more vertical take-off helipads sooner than we needed autonomous car-only road lanes. More remote homes in the forest that have only a single winding road that reaches them like those in Big Sur, Calif. might suddenly become more accessible and thereby appealing to the affluent because they could just take a self-flying car to the city or office.

The concept could also have wide-reaching implications for the startup industry. Obviously Thrun’s own company, Kitty Hawk, would benefit from not being too early to market. Kitty Hawk announced its Heaviside vehicle today that’s designed to be ultra quiet. If the prophecy comes true, Uber, which is investing in vertical take-off vehicles, could also be in a better position than Lyft and other ride-hailing players focused on cars.

To make sure its vehicles don’t get banned and potentially pave the way for more aerial autonomy, Kitty Hawk recently recruited former FAA Administrator Mike Huerta as an advisor.

Eventually, Thrun says that because cars have to navigate indirect streets but in the air “we can go in a straight line, we believe we will be roughly a third of the energy cost per mile as Tesla.” And with shared UberPool-style flights, he sees the cost of energy getting down to just “$0.30 per mile.”

But in the meantime, Thrun is trying to get people, including me, to stop saying flying cars. “I personally don’t like the word ‘flying car,’ but it’s very catchy. The technical term is called eVTOL. These are typically electrically propelled vehicles, they can take off and land vertically, eVTOLs, vertical take-off landing, so that you don’t need an airport. And then they fly very much like a regular plane.” We’ll see if that mouthful catches on, and if the skies get more congested before the roads thin out.

Kitty Hawk Heaviside starry night

Orbit Fab raises $3M to make orbital refueling easier, cheaper and more accessible

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 02:01 PM PDT

Orbit Fab, one of the companies competing in this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield in San Francisco this week, has closed a seed round of $3 million. The funding comes from Type 1 Ventures, TechStars and others, and will help Orbit Fab continue to build on the great momentum it has already bootstrapped with its space-based robotic refueling technology.

You might remember the name Orbit Fab from a milestone accomplishment the young company achieved earlier this year: Becoming the first startup to supply water to the International Space Station, itself an achievement but also a key demonstration of the viability of its technology for use in orbital satellite refueling. Refueling satellites could have tremendous impact on the commercial satellite business, extending the operating life of expensive satellites considerably, which translates to better margins and more profitable businesses.

Thanks to co-founders Daniel Faber and Jeremy Schiel’s connections in the space industry, from more than 15 years working in space technology businesses in a leadership capacity, the company was able to demonstrate its technology working in space less than a year after Orbit Fab was actually founded. Faber, Orbit Fab’s CEO, and Schiel, the startup’s CMO, met when both were working at Deep Space Industries – Faber as CEO and Schiel as a contractor.

Orbit Fab

Orbit Fab’s first space payload, the ISS water resupply robot.

“We ended up reconnecting later on and really looking at a few different business models on how to push the industry forward,” Schiel said in an interview. “The one that really landed with customers, and the one that resonated with the industry was refueling satellites. Elon [Musk] has been making rockets reusable – we thought it’s time that we make satellites reusable as well.”

Starting from this realization, the pair founded the company in January 2018. They then secured their first round of pre-seed investment from Bolt in San Francisco in June that year, and also landed two contracts –  including one with NASA, and one with the International Space Station National Laboratory.

“Basically in four-and-a-half months, we got flight-qualified and human-rated from NASA our two tanker test beds that we flew to the International Space Station in December 2018, and March of 2019,” Shield said.

How did they do it with that speed? Faber credits their rapid progress largely to lead engineer James Bultitude, an accomplished space engineer with five payloads on the International Space Station already.

“He took [the project] from a napkin through to flight hardware in four-and-a-half months,” Faber said. “All qualified to NASA human-rated safety standards, which was quite the feat. We really had to push hard on NASA.”

[gallery ids="1889753,1889752,1889751,1889750,1892269,1892267,1892261,1892260,1892259,1892257"]

Faber said that the company’s ability to spur the U.S. space agency into action has been a key driver of its success. In fact, he relayed a story in which their National Lab demonstration payload was actually left off of its intended flight, but the team was able to get its cargo approved by top NASA decision-makers over the course of a weekend and just barely made the cut as a result.

As for working with NASA as a startup, Faber said that it’s become a very different affair, with the agency eager and adapting to working more with younger companies and startups bringing a different pace of innovation to the field.

“The change is almost palpable on the phone with NASA – you can almost hear them changing,” he said.

At Disrupt, Orbit Fab demonstrated their robotic connector for refueling on stage for the first time. The idea is that satellite makers will build their standard nozzles into their designs, and then a robotic refueler will be able to seek out the nozzle, open and then close on to the coupler, forming a solid connection to allow propellant transfer.

Already, Orbit Fab is talking to partners, including Northrop Grumman, and it’s a member of the Consortium for Execution of Rendezvous and Servicing Operations (CONFERS), an industry group that aims to make robotic service and maintenance of satellites a viable reality.

Lora DiCarlo founder says CES award snub did company ‘a pretty big favor’

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 02:01 PM PDT

CES parent the Consumer Technology Association created a public relations disaster in January when it unceremoniously revoked an award from sex tech startup, Lora DiCarlo and its product Osé.

"Vela [now Osé] does not fit into any of our existing product categories and should not have been accepted for the Innovation Awards Program," the organization wrote at the time. "CTA has communicated this position to Lora DiCarlo. We have apologized to the company for our mistake."

The CTA would go on to apologize and reinstate the award. During a panel today at TechCrunch Disrupt, founder and CEO Lora Haddock told the audience, that in hindsight, "I think they actually did us a pretty big favor."

Back in May, we noted that the CTA's apology serendipitously coincided with a $2 million funding raise for the company's advanced sex toy. Haddock noted that, while the CTA’s initial move was understandably both "disheartening" and "devastating," the startup's decision to push back on historical biases, including booth babes and the underrepresentation of female speakers, ultimately became a win.

"We started to really look at some of their policies and recent procedures in the last few years," Haddock said. "A lot of booth babes products that were on the floor are geared towards male sexuality, but apparently something geared towards a female gaze was frowned upon. So, we fought it, and eventually we ended up winning, we ended up on an international press circuit, we got a ton of ton of coverage."

T4 wants to transform market research data with a combination of AI and humans

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 01:48 PM PDT

When T4 co-founder and CEO Maks Khurgin was working at Bain and Company, he ran into a common problem for analysts looking for market data. He spent way too much time searching for it and felt there had to be a better way. He decided to build a centralized market data platform himself, and T4 was born. This week the company competes in the TechCrunch Disrupt SF Startup Battlefield.

What he created with the help of his long-time friend and CTO, Yev Spektor, was built on a couple of key components. The first is an industry classification system, a taxonomy, that organizes markets by industries and sub-industries. Using search and aggregation tools powered by artificial intelligence, it scours the web looking for information sources that match their taxonomy labels.

As they researched the tool, the founders realized that the AI could only get them so far. There were always pieces that it missed. So they built a second part to provide a way for human indexers to fill in those missing parts to offer as comprehensive a list of sources as possible.

“AI alone cannot solve this problem. If we bring people into this and avoid the last mile delivery problem, then you can actually start organizing this information in a much better way than anyone else had ever done,” Khurgin explained.

It seems simple enough, but it’s a problem that well-heeled companies like Bain have been trying to solve for years, and there was a lot of skepticism when Khurgin told his superiors he was leaving to build a product to solve this problem. “I had a partner at Bain and Company actually tell me, “You know, every consulting firm has tried to do something like this — and they failed. Why do you think you can do this?””

He knew that figuring out the nature of the problem and why the other attempts had failed was the key to solving the puzzle. He decided to take the challenge, and on his 30th birthday, he quit his job at Bain and started T4 the next day — without a product yet, mind you.

This was not the first time he had left a high-paying job to try something unconventional. “Last time I left a high paying job, actually after undergrad, I was a commodities derivatives trader for a financial [services company]. I left that to pursue a lifelong dream of being in the Marine Corps,” Khurgin said.

T4 DSC00953

T4 was probably a less risky proposition, but it still took a leap of faith that only a startup founder can understand, who believes in his idea. “I felt the problem first-hand, and the the big kind of realization that I had was that there is actually a finite amount of information out there. Market research is created by humans, and you don’t necessarily have to take a pure AI approach,” he said.

The product searches for all of the related information on a topic, finds all of the data related to a category and places it in an index. Users can search by topic and find all of the free and paid reports related to that search. The product shows which reports are free and which will cost you money, and like Google, you get a title and a brief summary.

The company is just getting started with five main market categories so far, including cloud computing, cybersecurity, networking, data centers and eSports. The founders plan to add additional categories over time, and have a bold goal for the future.

“Our long-term vision is that we become your one-stop shop to find market research in the same way that if you need to buy something, you go to Amazon, or you need financial data, you go on Bloomberg or Thomson. If you need market research, our vision is that T4 is the place that you go,” Khurgin said.

Civic Champs app gives nonprofits the tech tools to manage volunteers

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 01:36 PM PDT

Nonprofits employ 10% of the U.S. workforce and generate some $2 trillion in revenue each year and yet, many charitable organizations are still using pen and paper to track their volunteers.

Civic Champs, a startup that presented onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt SF, has developed a platform that aims to give non-profits the tech tools they need to better manage volunteers.

“The nonprofit market is underserved by technology companies,” co-founder and CTO Mike Jeffery told TechCrunch.

Civic Champs is initially focusing on volunteer management. However, the mobile app, which was built with React Native for Android and iOS, can be broadened over time.

For instance, the company recently launched a micro-donations feature that automatically converts volunteers to donors. The feature will integrate a number of payment options, including Stripe, Apple Pay, and Plaid/Dwolla for ACH donations.

The Civic Champs platform uses geolocation and geofences to automate volunteer-hour tracking. The seemingly simple task of checking volunteers into events and tracking their time can take a small nonprofit 10 hours per month to manage, according to the company. Civic Champs co-founder and CEO Geng Wang says their platform can slash that task down to an hour per month.

Civic Champs designed a mobile-first platform. However, the company’s co-founders say they understood that not all volunteers will have smartphones or want to use the app. So they developed three ways to use the platform.

Volunteers can use the Civic Champs mobile app to check in at events and track their hours. The platform has also been adapted to web-based kiosks, which nonprofits can use to make it easier for tech-averse volunteers to check in. A volunteer’s hours can also be tracked through a nonprofit’s administrative features on both the app and the web. All three tracking methods — mobile, web kiosk, or by administrator — synchronize volunteer tracking across platforms and between users and potentially multiple organizations.

With the launch of Civic Champs, Wang, who co-founded the startup with Jeffery and Ryan Underdahl, is now solidly in serial entrepreneur territory. Wang’s first startup, RentJungle, was an apartment search engine, which was acquired in 2014 by The Rainmaker Group. Wang’s second startup, a social media marketing firm called Community Elf that has since been rebranded as Cosmitto, was acquired in 2017 by private equity firm Topanga Partners.

For his third go around, Wang told TechCrunch he wanted to do something more mission-driven. The original idea was to create a mobile game for volunteering. This “Pokemon Go” of volunteering would let users contribute in small ways — like helping cities collect data on physical assets, such as traffic lights and fire hydrants using GPS and photo uploads.

But that idea quickly morphed into something larger when Geng started talking to volunteer organizations and learned the challenges were far more basic and widespread.

“Essentially, nine out of the 10 organizations we talked to still track their volunteers on pen and paper forms,” Geng said. “As a former consultant, I thought well that’s sort of crazy. That’s a lot of time that you’re spending on paperwork that you could direct back to the community and in certain, more impactful ways.”

The co-founders pivoted away from gamification and started developing a mobile platform that nonprofits can use to track volunteers. The company officially launched in January 2019.

Civic Champs has raised $312,000 in a pre-seed round and also received $29,000 in non-dilutive grants through the Indiana University CLAPP competition and the Indiana Technical Assistance Program.

The company is still figuring out its pricing structure. Civic Champs does have 34 customers, 24 of which are paid clients. The remaining 10 are pilots. The business model, which is set up like a Software-as-a-Service product, charges between $25 a month for its smallest customer up to $450 a month for its largest client.

The Rotary Club, Habitat for Humanity and The Audubon Society are among its customers.

Meet Vise AI, the startup reimagining portfolio management

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 01:25 PM PDT

The founders of Vise AI met when they were 13, a couple of teenagers more interested in applied artificial intelligence than English class. Fast-forward several years and the pair has relocated from the Midwest to San Francisco to raise money for a financial technology business they’ve been self-funding since 2016.

As teenagers with an inordinate amount of AI knowledge, Samir Vasavada and Runik Mehrotra proved to be quite useful to large businesses, investment bankers and other financiers. Leveraging their AI know-how, they were paid $700 per hour by a consulting firm to teach financial "experts" about AI. Mehrotra, according to Vasavada, is a mathematical prodigy: "And that translates extremely well to AI, right, because what underlies AI is math," Vasavada, co-founder and chief executive officer of Vise AI, tells TechCrunch. “We had the ability of articulating what AI is to investment bankers in a way that they would understand. Whereas most expert explanations would be really complex and very technical."

Meanwhile, school was on autopilot. "I was taking phone calls in English class," Vasavada said. "It wasn’t very good but we were making a lot of money." Ultimately, that money funneled into the early makings of a real business, Vise AI, which automates portfolio management using AI and machine learning. Launching onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco today, the SEC-registered investment advisor will begin customer on-boarding next week. In short, the platform analyzes clients' investment needs and builds them a personalized portfolio of stocks, bonds and other assets, then provides investment manager tools to automate management.

"It's an unsexy industry that makes all of the money in finance," said Mehrotra, co-founder and chief technology officer of Vise AI.

For now, the team is going after independent advisory shops, those without a flock of analysts available at their beck and call and who need outsourced investment management. Ultimately, they plan to pursue the big wealth managers. The business has also been approved as a subadvisor by TD Ameritrade Institutional, which has thousands of independent RIAs on its platform.

"The icing on the cake is what we refer to as portfolio intelligence," Vasavada explains. "We can provide unique insights, justifications and logic as to why specific investment decisions were made — talking points to make the advisor look smarter with the clients because it’s a relationship game with these advisors, so tools that will help build their relationships and help empower their relationships, while still delivering a better portfolio to the client is the type of solution that really needs to be built in this space."

"We are literally giving them bite-sized portfolio intelligence," adds Mehrotra. "Because most of them aren’t really doing the investment management themselves, right? So they're either using some ETF allocation tool, like Betterment for Advisors, or something like that, where it’s just a standard set of ETFs and there really isn’t any personalization."

We felt like we were turning away tons of money. Vise AI co-founder Samir Vasavada

Vasavada, hailing from Cleveland, and Mehrotra, raised just outside Detroit, met years ago at a Northwestern University summer research program. The two have since established themselves as AI experts, supporting high-profile clients (who they can’t name due to non-disclosure agreements) as consultants and completing the fintech conference circuit a few times over. But when it came to raising venture capital to exit the era of self-funding and launch their AI-enabled portfolio manager, they were clueless.

Their first infusion of outside capital came in the form of a $20,000 uncapped note from Dorm Room Fund. A little something to help them through the daunting fundraising process. But their first real pitch meeting was with none other than Vinod Khosla, the billionaire founder of Sun Microsystems and Khosla Ventures. Khosla's son, Neal Khosla, had worked on the investment team at Dorm Room Fund and made the introduction.

Khosla passed and the Vise team realized they had no idea what they were doing. They began refining their pitch. After reaching out to roughly 1,000 different investors (Vasavada created a detailed CRM to track all their cold pitches) they raised $2 million from co-leads Keith Rabois, a co-founder at PayPal and a partner at Founders Fund, and Ben Ling of Bling Capital, two investors who were, ironically, former general partners at Khosla Ventures. Great Oaks Ventures, Flatiron Health co-founders Nat Turner and Zach Weinberg, Future Advisor founder John Xu, NFX's Pete Flint and Contrary Capital also participated. Vasavada and Mehrotra said that once they had tapped two high-profile leads, offers came flooding in, including from VCs who had rejected them just weeks before.

"This was our first round of fundraising ever," says Mehrotra. "So in the beginning, a lot of it was just like, figuring out how things worked and learning how to best pitch the company because it is a niche market. I think once we got the momentum … We felt like we were turning away tons of money."

We want to empower advisors to be better at their jobs. Vise AI co-founder Runik Mehrotra

Once they reach $50 million in assets under management, Vise plans to raise a much larger round of funding to help the team expand and open an office in New York.

Vise is targeting a market worth trillions in one of the most valuable industries in the world. To succeed in the long term, the startup will have to infiltrate a decades-old network relying on legacy technology, as well as battle Silicon Valley's narrative that robo-advisors will soon make the financial advisory space obsolete. According to their thesis, companies like Betterment and Wealthfront are successful with tech-rich millennials, but once one accumulates "real wealth," it’s a conversation with a human being they're looking for, not an easy-to-use app.

"We want to empower advisors to be better at their jobs, so they can focus on actually building better relationships and holding their clients’ hand," said Mehrotra.

Self-driving vehicle startup Zoox has expanded to Las Vegas

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 01:18 PM PDT

Zoox, the autonomous vehicle startup, is expanding to Las Vegas, CTO Jesse Levinson said at TechCrunch Disrupt SF.

The startup, which has raised $800 million and has been testing on public roads in San Francisco, said Las Vegas is a target market for its autonomous driving fleet and service. Las Vegas will serve as an anchor market for Zoox. The company plans to test, validate and refine its technology with future plans to launch an autonomous ride-hailing service there, Levinson said.

Zoox received permission from the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles in early 2019 to drive autonomously on state roads. The startup is currently mapping and test-driving new routes in the greater Las Vegas region. The permit also allows Zoox to transport passengers, although that is not happening at this time, the company said.

Zoox LV 2019 005

For now, Zoox is doing strategic testing to keep costs in line, CEO Aicha Evans told TechCrunch during Disrupt. That means, Zoox is sending its retrofitted Toyota Highlander autonomous vehicles to Las Vegas for blocks of time, maybe six weeks or so. The company, which has a fleet of more than 30 of these modified vehicles, has now completed five of these deployments.

Over time, Zoox will expand its time and footprint in the city. Zoox plans to start demonstrating its ground-up vehicles on public roads in 2020, with commercial operations soon to follow, the company said,

Zoox says it selected Las Vegas because the region offers an opportunity to extend learning in a second dense urban environment and one that it says has diverse and unique use cases compared to driving in San Francisco. For instance, Las Vegas has reversible lanes, complex pick-up and drop-off zones, high temperatures and more night-time activity, the company said.

DNA EXCLUSIVE: Where 'excellent' signal is from other side

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:20 PM PDT

DNA EXCLUSIVE: Where 'excellent' signal is from other side
HOMESICK: Soldiers at post near China border rue poor mobile network

Source: DI

BJP nominates Sudhanshu Trivedi for Rajya Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:20 PM PDT

BJP nominates Sudhanshu Trivedi for Rajya Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh
The seat was left vacant after former union minister Arun Jaitley's demise on August 24

Source: DI

Supreme Court rap for Puri officials who razed 12th century mutts

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:20 PM PDT

Supreme Court rap for Puri officials who razed 12th century mutts
The Puri district administration demolished the 12th century Emar Mutt, Languli Mutt, Bada Akhada Mutt and the famous Raghunandan Library in August and early September this year

Source: DI

Ayodhya Dispute: Temple beneath land claim needs solid evidence, says Supreme Court

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:20 PM PDT

Ayodhya Dispute: Temple beneath land claim needs solid evidence, says Supreme Court
Five-judge bench of Supreme Court wraps up arguments in three out of four suits

Source: DI

Life On The Right Lane: Those following law need not worry

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:20 PM PDT

Life On The Right Lane: Those following law need not worry
Hefty fines are needed to ensure no one violates the law.

Source: DI

Roll back hefty fines, or else: Auto drivers in Ahmedabad

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:20 PM PDT

Roll back hefty fines, or else: Auto drivers in Ahmedabad
Drivers give 10 days to govt to take a call, warn of statewide stir

Source: DI

OPINION: No relief anymore

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:20 PM PDT

OPINION: No relief anymore
They used to come under the pressure of media, which has many Naxal sympathisers

Source: DI

Sudha Bharadwaj linked to four front bodies of Naxals: Pune police to Bombay High Court

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:20 PM PDT

Sudha Bharadwaj linked to four front bodies of Naxals: Pune police to Bombay High Court
The cops says Bharadwaj was the vice president of the Indian Association of People's Lawyers (IAPL), while Ferreira was its treasurer

Source: DI

Empowers DIPAM: Cabinet amends process for strategic disinvestment

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:16 PM PDT

Empowers DIPAM: Cabinet amends process for strategic disinvestment
From now on, the DIPAM and the NITI Aayog will jointly identify PSUs for strategic disinvestment.

Source: TFE

FPIs oppose proposed data protection norms

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:16 PM PDT

FPIs oppose proposed data protection norms
The Sections 40 and 41 of the Personal Data Protection Bill (PDPB) outline restrictions and requirements regarding location and transfer of personal and sensitive personal data.

Source: TFE

Government launches Prakash portal to improve coal supply to power plants

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:16 PM PDT

Government launches Prakash portal to improve coal supply to power plants
Apart from mapping coal stocks in mines, the portal will also help stakeholders monitor the movement of railway rakes and coal availability at power plants. In line with the government's predisposition for acronyms, Prakash stands for 'Power Rail Koyla Availability through Supply Harmony'.

Source: TFE

Core philosophy of Digital India embedded in Gandhian values: Ravi Shankar Prasad

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:16 PM PDT

Core philosophy of Digital India embedded in Gandhian values: Ravi Shankar Prasad
Glittering in its tri-colour splendour, the Digital Charkha is an amalgamation of the traditional design with a digital spin.

Source: TFE

In the absence Caster Semenya: How the times have changed

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:12 PM PDT

In the absence Caster Semenya: How the times have changed


Source: TIE

BJP-Shiv Sena trying to privatise BMC, says NCP

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:12 PM PDT

BJP-Shiv Sena trying to privatise BMC, says NCP


Source: TIE

Maharashtra assembly polls: 11 sitting and former BMC corporators bag tickets

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:12 PM PDT

Maharashtra assembly polls: 11 sitting and former BMC corporators bag tickets


Source: TIE

Old story with the new ball: Irresistible Ashwin prises open top order

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:12 PM PDT

Old story with the new ball: Irresistible Ashwin prises open top order


Source: TIE

Ex-MBMC mayor, 19 others booked for assault

Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:12 PM PDT

Ex-MBMC mayor, 19 others booked for assault
Former mayor of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC), Geeta Jain, and her 10 bodyguards have been booked for allegedly manhandling the orga

Source: TH

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