How big is our galaxy? How are stars made? What's it like on other planets? This hefty book from DK is jam-packed with answers, illustrations and NASA photos to help explain the universe we inhabit.
A website is an essential tool these days, and this Startup 3 Website Builder lets you create responsive websites without knowing a lick of code, just using pre-designed blocks, elements and Bootstrap templates.
"To be subversive, however, requires a dominant culture to subvert... a journal of subversive humor is funny only if there's someone up front attempting to maintain order."
This high-end kitchen knife is made by hand to be a reliable jack of all trades. And since it comes with both a sheath and a sharpening kit, upkeep should be a breeze.
To keep teens away after closing hours, Philadelphia has installed sonic devices in parks. They are noisemakers that mostly the young hear and have been banned elsewhere.
In past weeks, the curtain has officially been raised on the vast and diverse field of candidates for the Democratic nomination, many of them politicians who would not have been seen on a presidential debate stage — and never in these numbers — even a decade ago.
Smoking is on the rise – at least it is on TV, according to a report from Truth Initiative, which has been tracking on-screen depictions of smoking and found a drastic increase between 2018 and 2019.
The number one offender? Netflix. The streaming giant has depicted a whopping 866 instances of smoking so far in 2019, compared with 299 the previous year.
Truth Initiative estimates that around 28 million young people watched this content (though Netflix, as always, rarely releases numbers). Although most millennials and Gen Z kids were taught from a young age that smoking kills, seeing it that consistently and not in an explicitly negative light can have damaging effects. Read more...
Can you believe that we're already halfway through a year of viral videos?
These days it seems like the internet meme machine blows things up, only to forget about them a day later. So you may need a reminder of the best moments in the past few months that united us all in tears, laughter, and occasionally, sweet, sweet keyboard rage.
Here are our picks for the top 15 videos the internet has loved so far in 2019.
1. Dad drags his daughter through an airport
Captured on the first day of January, someone witnessed a dad lovingly dragging his daughter through Dulles International Airport by the hood of her jacket. According to the person filming, she wasn't screaming or crying, just chilling out and going for a ride. Big, big mood. Read more...
Here's something you might want to think about next time you check your email: chances are, at least some of your messages are being tracked.
From how many times you open a message, the time of day, and even what city you're in, the very act of reading an email can send a surprising amount of data back to the sender, even if you never respond.
That unsettling fact was recently thrust back into the spotlight thanks to a much-hyped email startup called Superhuman. The $30/month invite-only email software beloved by Silicon Valley VCs and "inbox zero" adherents is so hyped, there's currently a waiting list more than 180,000 people long, according to The New York Times. Read more...
In your circle of friends, there's always a tech-savvy one. With all the latest gadgets, good with computers, and their home setup with smart devices. That can adjust the temperature around the house, turn on the TV, switch off the lights, and many many more.
Lucky for you, Amazon is offering their prime members a whopping 50% off the Echo second gen smart speaker. With this bad boy, you can transform your ordinary home to a home with a personal assistant that listens to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
TL;DR: Save up to 65% on some great summertime gadgets in the Mashable Shop.
Summer’s flying by and the Fourth of July has already come and gone, which means picnics, parades, barbecues — and, of course, great deals on products you’ll have fun using the rest of the season and beyond.
We're currently running a sale in the Mashable Shop on some great gadgets that are perfect for the summer. Here are some of the ones you won’t want to miss:
These Treblab Z2’s have advanced sound technology to drown out unwanted background noise. Plus, the battery life is incredible — up to 35 hours — so you can listen for days without recharging. Read more...
TL;DR: The informative DevOps Master Class Bundle is on sale for $33.15 with code FIREWORK15, down from its original $891 price tag.
Combining development and operations, "DevOps" is tech jargon to describe a team (or employee) that helps companies deliver better products faster.
In other words, anything a normal human can do, a DevOps engineer can do better. And that's why certified pros are so in demand *and* well compensated.
DevOps engineers, on average, earn a six-figure base salary, making it a solid career path if you're looking for a change. Even better, you don't necessarily need a fancy education to take on this role — but you will need to know the basics. Fortunately, this DevOps Master Class Bundle can help you break into the field. And it happens to be more than 95% off. Read more...
TL;DR: The impressive Slideshop will freshen up all of your work presentations — and you can gain lifetime access for just $33.99 during this sale.
Few things are more terrifying than giving a presentation in front of a sea of strangers. Some fear public speaking to such a high degree that they claim to be more afraid of it than death itself. (It's true!)
Whether you're convincing VCs to fund your startup or you're simply giving a report in front of your colleagues, presenting is flat out daunting. But at least having an impressive, attractive presentation behind you can ease the stress.
With this lifetime subscription to Slideshop — a massive repository of presentation template slides — you can do just that. Even if you slip on the words, you can easily divert your audience's attention to your eye-popping slides. Read more...
This post contains spoilers for Season 3 of Stranger Things
Our tears have not even dried yet after the devastating revelation that our beloved Sheriff Hopper died sacrificing himself in the Stranger Things Season 3 finale.
But fans are already on the case with convincing theories about why he's actually, probably, definitely still alive. The writers themselves even appear to have purposefully left that door open, with a conspicuous mention of an "American" prisoner at the Russian facility in the end credits scene.
But there are more subtle hints, too. And redditors are desperately scrounging for all of them to help us all remain in the denial phase of this grieving process. Read more...
We can see which tabs are playing audio and we can mute the tab (or the entire site). But soon, it's looking like Chrome users will get yet another measure of control over their browser's audiovisual experience.
A new Global Media Controls (GMC) feature has been switched on in Chrome Canary, Google's first line of defense for testing out changes and updates for the widely used web browser. The Canary update appears to have first been spotted by ZDNet.
The "GMC" thing is basically just a fancy name for on-demand Play/Pause controls. In its current form — yes, this could all change before it goes live for real — the button appears right in your toolbar, the same place you find icons for extensions like LastPass, just to the right of the URL bar. Read more...
SPOILER ALERT If you haven't watched all of Stranger Things 3 yet, don't read any further than the ARG spoiler warning below if you want to avoid a major story detail for Season 3.
Stranger Things always made it feel like grand adventures and big mysteries were everywhere and that anyone could solve them, even a rag tag team of misfit kids living in small-town suburbia.
But Season 3 is making that even realer, with an augmented reality game (ARG) that fans are still actively unraveling on July 6, two days after the season premiered, with clues and codes hidden throughout the real world. You can join through July 10 to help crack the daily puzzles part of the larger conspiracy. Read more...
Outer space is vast and full of darkness. But there is beauty to be found all throughout, as Hubble constantly reminds us.
Take this newly shared image of NGC 972, a spiral galaxy discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel in 1784. It's not our closest neighbor, at around 70 million light-years away, but it sure takes a good photo.
Bright, colorful pockets of star formation are blooming in this spiral galaxy just under 70 million light-years away seen by @NASAHubble. The orange-pink glow is created as hydrogen gas reacts to the intense light streaming outwards from newborn stars: https://t.co/szYcHdSbunpic.twitter.com/ij9cjqwvU0
Bob Ross is an absolute legend and his art can be celebrated in many different ways.
Some talented painters challenge themselves to recreate his work, while others simply watch his painting videos to unwind. But a few special minds, like YouTuber SmallishBeans, take Bob Ross paintings to the next level.
SmallishBeans recently set out to recreate one of the famous artist's pieces using Minecraft blocks, and guess what? It worked!
Using the game's creative mode, SmallishBeans started by building a massive frame for his digital painting. Then, he went on the make the mountains, snow, a lake, trees, and more. Read more...
It's a big day for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but an even bigger day for royal baby Archie.
On Saturday, Meghan and Harry's son Archie was christened, and the royal family shared two photographs on Instagram so people all around the world could join in celebration.
"This morning, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was christened in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle at an intimate service officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby," the post from the Sussex Royal Instagram account began. Read more...
Adam Woodworth (@ajwoodpiece on Instagram) does some cool stuff with his free time with Lego, foam, motors, and other DIY project faves, and his latest effort is an homage to the Apollo 11 landing.
The first NASA mission to put astronauts on the surface of the moon happened almost 50 years ago, on July 20, 2019. To celebrate the approaching anniversary, Woodworth picked up Lego's recently released Apollo 11 Lunar Lander set with an eye toward making some modifications.
In short: he wanted to recreate the famed landing on video using a powered, flight-capable version of the Lego lander.
It wasn't a simple process. The actual Lego kit, once assembled, is a mostly solid mass of blocks. In order to make his own version work with the necessary motors — T-Motor F-40's with 4-inch propellers, according to the YouTube description — Woodworth needed to clear out some interior space. Read more...
Melania Trump may have left her Slovenian hometown of Sevnica, but thanks to conceptual artist Ales "Maxi" Zupevc, her presence is still, um... looming.
On Friday, a life-size wooden sculpture of the U.S. first lady was inaugurated in Sevnica. It was commissioned by artist Brad Downey, who went to Zupevc with a vision. Zupevc carved that vision into a tree using a chainsaw, and now the world has this.
Image: read JURE MAKOVEC/AFP/Getty Images
The wooden statue depicts Melania Trump wearing a blue dress and raising her left hand like she did at her husband’s inauguration in 2017. To honor the first lady, the sculpture now overlooks a field in Sevnica, but it's receiving a slew of mixed reviews. Read more...
Britain's ambassador in the United States has described President Donald Trump and his administration as "inept" and "uniquely dysfunctional," according to leaked diplomatic memos published by the Mail https://t.co/tNB5kVBb2y
Alien-spotters may take heart from hearing that while US President Donald Trump doesn't believe in UFOs, he is open to the prospect because "anything is possible."
In an interview with Fox News' Tucker Carlson, the host asked Trump for his views on UFOs in light of a recent briefing about Navy pilots saying they've witnessing strange inexplicable objects traveling at incredible speeds.
"Personally, I tend to doubt it," Trump replied, "I'm not a believer, but you know, I guess anything is possible."
In a potential blow to true believers, the president went on to dismiss claims that the US government has actually gotten its hands on UFO wreckage.
PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday he and Iran's President Hassan Rouhani had agreed to seek conditions for a resumption of dialogue on the Iranian nuclear question by July 15.
"The President of the Republic has agreed with his Iranian counterpart to explore by July 15 conditions to resume dialogue between the parties," Macron's office said in a statement.
The statement added Macron will keep on talking with Iranian authorities and other involved parties to "engage in a de-escalation of tensions related to Iranian nuclear issue."
* EXCLUSIVE: Sir Kim Darroch used secret cables to impugn Trump's character * Top diplomat warned London President Trump's career could end in 'disgrace' * Bombshell comments risk angering the notoriously thin-skinned US President * He describes bitter conflicts in White House as 'knife fights', sources confirmed * And claims President's economic policies could wreck the world trade system * Says Presidency could 'crash and burn', 'we could be at start of downward spiral'
Britain's Ambassador to Washington has described Donald Trump as 'inept', 'insecure' and 'incompetent' in a series of explosive memos to Downing Street.
Sir Kim Darroch, one of Britain's top diplomats, used secret cables and briefing notes to impugn Trump's character, warning London that the White House was 'uniquely dysfunctional' and that the President's career could end in 'disgrace'.
His bombshell comments risk angering the notoriously thin-skinned President and undermining the UK's 'special relationship' with America.
KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. and Taliban officials will reconvene on Tuesday to continue peace talks described as the "most productive session" by a top U.S. negotiator leading the discussions with the hardline Islamists group to end the Afghan war.
The warring sides started a seventh round of peace talks last week, aiming to hammer out a schedule for the withdrawal of foreign troops in exchange for Taliban guarantees that international militant groups will not use Afghanistan as a base for launching attacks.
In a tweet on Saturday, U.S envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who has been holding peace talks with the Taliban to end the 18-year war in Afghanistan since last year, said the latest round of discussions were the "most productive session" to date.
The Houthi drones were destroyed in Saudi Arabia's airspace according to the military coalition.
A Saudi-led military coalition said it has intercepted and destroyed drones launched by Yemen's Houthi group at targets in the kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
"The drones were destroyed in air space," a coalition statement said on Saturday.
The Houthis' Al-Masirah satellite news channel said the rebels targeted Saudi airports in Abha and Jizan with Qasef-2K drones.
Yahia Sarie, spokesperson for the Houthi forces, said the attacks resulted in the suspension of air traffic in both airports.
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with then Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a meeting at the Kremlin on May 30, 2017 [Reuters/Pavel Golovkin]
Has the quest for higher oil prices forced Saudi Arabia to relinquish control of the cartel to Putin's Russia?
On the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan, Saudi Arabia was successful in getting the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to extend oil production cuts until 2020.
But for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the price he paid may have been to sacrifice control of the oil cartel to Russia.
The Saudi economy needs oil prices around $80 a barrel to balance its budget. However, Russia only needs oil at $42 a barrel. This means Russia's rainy day fund has accumulated to $100bn from past production agreements.
So who is in OPEC's driver's seat, Saudi Arabia or Russia?
WNU Editor: The 3 countries that are the current driving forces in global oil prices are Russia, Saudi Arabia, and U.S. frackers. So as much as Saudi Arabia may want higher oil prices, market forces are telling everyone no.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is the formal name for the Iran nuclear deal reached between the world powers and the clerical regime in Tehran.
Germany's federal intelligence said on Thursday in its new report on security threats that Iran's regime worked to obtain equipment for its nuclear program that could be used for weapons of mass destruction.
According to the 388-page report reviewed by The Jerusalem Post, which covers a range of security threats to Germany's democracy, the intelligence document said the agency "was only able to identify isolated indications of Iran's proliferation-related procurement attempts for its nuclear program compared with the previous year."
* Videos shared on social media captured the powerful, preliminary 7.1 magnitude earthquake, which shook areas in Southern California, Nevada, and Mexico on Friday evening. * A live newscast on KCAL-TV was also abruptly put on hold after the earthquake hit the newsroom:
WNU Editor: I have experienced a few earthquakes in my life, and I am always thinking the same thing when it happens. Will it intensify, and when will it stop.
An Australian student Alek Sigley, 29, who was detained in North Korea, departs from Beijing to Japan, at the Beijing international airport, China, July 4, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's state news agency said on Saturday an Australian student who was expelled from the country after 10 days' detention had committed "spying acts" through his work with foreign media.
Alek Sigley, who had been held in North Korea since June 25, was an active social media user and also a regular contributor to international media organizations including NK News about his time in North Korea.
"Investigation revealed that at the instigation of the NK News and other anti-DPRK media he handed over several times the data and photos he collected and analyzed while combing Pyongyang by making use of the identity card of a foreign student," the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
His latest post, uploaded on April 30, describes his dining experiences in Pyongyang, according to the NK News website.
* Kim Jong-un's eagerness is said to have undermined his image as a strong leader * There has also been criticism of Pyongyang's overblown propaganda on the talks * The two leaders met in the DMZ between North and South in a surprise summit
Kim Jong-un's impromptu meeting with Donald Trump last week has gone down badly in North Korea where people are unsure why their leader rushed to meet the U.S. President, it has been claimed.
Kim's eagerness to meet Trump has undermined the picture that Pyongyang paints of a powerful and proactive leader, a source told Korean media.
There has also been criticism of Pyongyang's overblown propaganda, after the North declared the encounter a 'historic' meeting'.
The surprise meeting in the DMZ that divides North and South Korea brought a promise to resume nuclear talks after months of angry exchanges, but critics dismissed it as an act of political theatre.
WNU Editor: The above Daily Mail reporter is forgetting that North Korea is a communist run dictatorship. There are dire consequences if you criticize the leader. But if I was to hazard a guess, I would say that the overwhelming majority of North Koreans are supportive of Kim Jong-un's policies to reconcile with South Korea and the U.S.. They are like us. They want a better life, and they want an end to the war rhetoric of the past 70 years.
A tragic fire aboard a secret Russian nuclear "mini-sub" in the Barents Sea that killed 14 senior sailors has refocused media attention on a little-noticed flash-point of the world: the Arctic. That an important Russian system was being tested or demonstrated was suggested by reports "that among the 14 dead were 7 senior navy captains and 2 'Heroes of Russia.'" The presence of so many Russian navy worthies raises questions because brass do not typically twiddle dials on mini-submarines, but watch them being twiddled until something goes horribly wrong.
One may speculate endlessly on the true nature of the Russian experiment. But although we may never know the disaster's cause, it is evidently so important that the Kremlin is pushing on. The damaged secret submarine Losharik will be returned to service ASAP to continue whatever it was doing.
WASHINGTON—Since 1775, the United States has had an Army, and for most of those 244 years it has been called the "United States Army."
But now the service will drop the words and initials from its title, calling itself simply "Army," a radical rebranding campaign that some hope will distance Army from what a senior Army leader said was "a history not reflective of our current values."
Acting Secretary of Army Ryan McCarthy told reporters that former NFL quarterback and Army historian Colin Kaepernick had recently found countless examples of troubling behavior engaged in by the United States, including racism, slavery, genocide, and inappropriate touching.
"After examining the evidence presented by Mister Kaepernick, we decided we cannot ask our soldiers of color to wear the name of a country which enslaved their ancestors or tell our LGBTTQQIAAP service members to display the flag of the place which enacted Don't Ask Don't Tell," McCarthy said.
Ali Akbar Velayati, international affairs adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the uranium enrichment to five percent would be for 'peaceful' aims. (AFP)
Senior Khamenei advisor Ali Akbar Velayati said that Iran will increase the level of uranium enrichment starting July 7, Iranian Mehr News Agency (MNA) reported, citing the institute for preserving and publishing the books of Iranian Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Velyati said that Iran gave the Europeans a lot of time after the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, but they did not abide by their obligations so far, despite their promises to do so, according to MNA.
Building aircraft fuselages may not sound like a big deal, but this video will change your mind.
The use of advanced materials such as carbon fiber, composites, and exotic metals, combined with different types of joining processes, complicates the manufacturing process. This video below, uploaded to Northrop Grumman's YouTube account, shows how the company uses high technology to help workers speed through production of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's center fuselage.
A recent propaganda video released by the Chinese military has brought one of the country's most advanced and threatening technologies back to the fore—hypersonic weaponry.
Hypersonic weapons travel at incredible speed and—unlike even the most advanced ballistic missiles—can maneuver in flight. This gives the weapons enormous range and makes them much harder to track and stop.
The U.S., Russia and China are all investing heavily in hypersonic technologies. However, the Pentagon has been the slowest to jump on the bandwagon and military chiefs are warning that the U.S. could be left behind by its authoritarian adversaries, at least when it comes to nuclear-capable hypersonics.
WNU Editor: While both China and Russia may be ahead in developing hypersonic weapons, they are still behind in having the assets that can track and follow targets. The U.S. has also made it a priority to develop and deploy this hypersonic technology as quickly as possible. Bottom line .... the U.S. should be concerned on what Russia and China are doing when it come to hypersonic weapons, but not worried.
China is by far the world's largest exporter of rare earth minerals, producing more than 95 per cent of the chemical elements used worldwide, or 120,000 tonnes every year
On June 17, Chinese state-controlled media again threatened disruption of rare earth supplies to the United States — this time targeting U.S. defense contractors. The astonishing threat noted that "military equipment firms in the United States will likely have their supply of Chinese rare earths restricted" and follows calls just weeks ago to shut off rare earth supplies to the United States.
The latest comments follow a meeting of China's state economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission, or NDRC, which announced the study and formulation of new export controls to go into effect "as soon as possible." These controls differ from previous embargo and boycott threats by singling out U.S. defense manufacturers, along with contractors that refuse to do business with Huawei.
SWITZERLAND could vote to have its own "Swissexit" from a raft of agreements with the EU next year if tensions aren't resolved, senior union officials warned last night.
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump was "cryptic" in his reaction to the claim that the US military has captured wreckage from a UFO aircraft - sparking dramatic alarm among extraterrestrial experts that "something big has happened".
DONALD TRUMP has been savaged by the UK's ambassador to Washington who has described him as 'inept', 'insecure' and 'incompetent' in a series of leaked memos.
THE Greek general election on Sunday could cost Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras his job because he committed a key "mistake" during his stint as leader, former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis claimed.
DONALD TRUMP and Britain's next Prime Minister must think twice before further escalating tensions with Iran, an expert in international relations and Middle East studies.
MADRID — European cities celebrated LGBTQ pride on Saturday with colorful parades that also became platforms for political demands and a push back against far-right populist parties.
This year’s events in London, Madrid and Budapest mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Inn uprising in New York against police persecution, a turning point in the modern gay rights movement.
The Spanish capital’s pride has become one of the largest in the world.
On Saturday, tens of thousands took to the streets in a joyful march that celebrated sexual and gender diversity. Some called for better care for elder LGBTQ people and a nation-wide law that, among other long-running demands, would standardize rights for transgender people across the country.
“Elders without closets,” read a street-long white banner carried by protesters marching along Madrid’s main artery. Members of the first generation of Spanish gay rights activists were at the front, followed by the colorful parade of floats.
Arny Carrasco, a 67-year-old man from a small town, said he had missed few pride celebrations for the past two decades, but that Saturday’s felt “special” for its focus on the elderly.
“The gay community has shown society different ways of relating to each other and it’s about time that we don’t feel that we need to get back into the closet when we become older,” Carrasco said, citing how nursing homes, for example, are ill-prepared to cater the needs of LGBTQ people, especially transgender men and women.
This year’s pride in Madrid has also become remarkably political after the uber-conservative Vox party made significant gains in national and local elections.
Officials of the far-right party, whose votes were key in electing a new conservative mayor last month, have proposed moving next year’s pride parade out of the city center, while regional leader Rocío Monasterio has said the celebrations “denigrate people’s dignity” and include “explicit sexual acts in the streets.”
“When a mother, a father step outside with children from their home, they don’t have to be exposed to that spectacle,” Monasterio told a conservative website last week.
Beatriz Gimeno, a long-time LGBTQ activist and far-left Podemos (We Can) party lawmaker, told The Associated Press that “reactionary” remarks by the far-right were a reminder of how relevant the battle for gay rights remains.
“Faced with attitudes that take us 20 or 30 years back, we need to tell them that we’ll take not even one step back,” Gimeno said.
In London, hundreds of thousands also poured into the streets of London for Britain’s biggest pride parade. Some 30,000 participants, including uniformed police and firefighters, marched while many more lining the streets cheered and waved rainbow flags.
Organizers said they had aimed to increase the event’s diversity, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he hoped it would be the biggest-ever Pride parade.
Alison Camps, co-chair of Pride in London, said “it’s vital that we remember that Pride is not just one day a year — we must fight for the rights of all members of our community all year round.”
In the Hungarian capital, Budapest, thousands also took part in a pride parade that stressed calls for acceptance and the right to live without fear.
LYON, France — Megan Rapinoe called out FIFA on the eve of the Women’s World Cup title match.
Her criticism Saturday ranged from the gap in prize money between the men and women, to scheduling that put the World Cup final on the same day as the Gold Cup final in the United States and the Copa America final in Brazil. Rapinoe and the United States play the Netherlands on Sunday for the championship.
A day earlier, FIFA President Gianni Infantino had announced that he’ll seek to expand the tournament field from 24 to 32 teams and double the prize money for the women. But even doubling the pool from $30 million to $60 million doesn’t diminish the gap with the men’s World Cup prize money, which is set at $440 million for Qatar, up from $400 million in Russia last year.
Rapinoe has maintained that FIFA doesn’t truly care about the women’s game.
“If you really care are you letting the gap grow? Are you scheduling three finals on the same day? No, you’re not. Are you letting federations have their teams play two games in the four years between each tournament? No, you’re not,” Rapinoe said. “That’s what I mean about the level of care, you need attention and detail and the best minds that we have in the women’s game, helping it grow every single day.”
Inequity between the men’s and women’s World Cup had been stark since before this year’s tournament started, focused on the prize money and scheduling, but also on the promotion of the event.
Asked what would ensure the growth of the game globally following this summer’s tournament, Rapinoe sang the opening refrain from the O’Jays song “For the Love of Money.”
“Money, Money, Money, Money. Money from FIFA, money from federations. Money from advertisers, sponsors, rights-holders, TV. All of that. And obviously not just blindly throwing cash at things, but investing in infrastructure, in training programs and academies for women, in coaching for women. All of it,” she said. “I don’t think you get to the point of having an incredible business by running it on a budget that’s a dollar more than it was last year. You have to make up-front investments and really bet on the future.”
Infantino sought to address concerns Friday, pointing to the successes of the tournament in France, including record television audiences.
“Nothing is impossible and based on the success of this World Cup of course we have to believe bigger and to do what we should have done already probably some time ago,” Infantino said. “But now we have the evidence to do it for women’s football.”
Approval to expand the field for the 2023 Women’s World Cup would have to come quickly because bidding is already under way. The 37-member FIFA Council is due to vote for the host next March. Nine countries have expressed interest, with formal bids due Oct. 4.
He’ll also propose raising the women’s prize money, team preparation funding and cash for clubs releasing players to $100 million, up from $50 million for France. However, men’s teams in Qatar will see those funds go up to $649 million.
FIFA’s cash reserves at the end of 2018 stood at $2.74 billion.
“I understand it’s a very complex problem,” Rapinoe said. “But the resources are there and I think the willingness and the brain power is all there, the people wanting to work in the women’s game and make it as good as we can, it’s all there. It’s just a matter of wanting to do it and caring enough about it, to make it happen. I mean, we’re making a World Cup in Qatar happen.”
Rapinoe did praise the U.S. Soccer federation for its support of the women’s national team. The comments come despite a federal lawsuit the players filed against the federation, accusing it of discrimination and seeking more equitable pay to the men’s team. The two sides are expected to mediate the dispute when the World Cup is over.
“We don’t often give them kudos, but that’s definitely one that I’m willing to give. They back the team in a very strong way and have pushed the game, not only in our country but around the world, to a level that without us, we wouldn’t be here in the world game,” she said. “So I think that they do deserve a tremendous amount of credit for that, and we’ll continue to nudge them forward.”
KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.S. peace envoy to Afghanistan said Saturday that for the first time he can report “substantive” progress on all four issues key to a peace agreement in the country’s 17-year war, calling the latest round of talks with the Taliban the “most productive” so far.
Zalmay Khalilzad said talks with the Taliban had been exclusively about troop withdrawal and anti-terrorism guarantees. But on Saturday, he said the discussions have broadened to include a timeline for both intra-Afghan negotiations as well as a cease-fire. He declined to give details, however. The talks were to resume Tuesday.
Khalilzad said it will ultimately be up to Afghans to decide among themselves the agenda for negotiations as well as the terms of a cease-fire.
So far, the Taliban have refused to talk directly with the current Afghan government, considering it a U.S. puppet. The insurgents, however, have consistently said they will sit down with any Afghan, even a government official, but as an ordinary citizen and not as a government representative.
The Taliban currently control nearly half of Afghanistan, and are more powerful than at any time since the October 2001 U.S.-led invasion.
More than 2,400 U.S. service personnel have died in Afghanistan since the coalition invaded to oust the Taliban and hunt down al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
In a press briefing in Doha, where he has been meeting the Taliban, Khalilzad said he hoped that all-Afghan talks that begin Sunday — also in Doha — will be a precursor to negotiations to hammer out the framework for Afghanistan’s post-war future — what he called the “actual give and take about the future of the country, the political roadmap that will take place during negotiations.”
He said Washington’s “aspiration” is to have that framework in place by Sept. 1 and ahead of the Afghan presidential election scheduled for Sept. 28.
Khalilzad refused to be drawn into specifics but said an agreement on the framework for Afghanistan’s future would be akin to a blueprint that would lay out issues important to all sides in the conflict, including constitutional revisions, interim government versus elections, the fate of militias, a cease-fire and even whether the country should be named the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan or the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
A visit by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, at the end of last month seemed to give fresh impetus to peace efforts and Sept. 1 emerged as a target date for a peace deal to end America’s longest running military engagement.
Khalilzad’s appointment last September began the accelerated effort to find a negotiated end to Afghanistan’s war.
Since then, Khalilzad has held scores of talks with the Afghan government in Kabul and abroad, with the Taliban as well as with Afghanistan’s neighbors — including Pakistan, which has been accused of aiding the insurgents.
Khalilzad said the atmosphere during recent talks was the best yet, with both sides finding shared humor as opposed to previous talks which had on occasion ended in acrimony, shouting and the occasional walk out.
Several prominent Afghan figures left Kabul for Doha on Saturday ahead of much-anticipated all-Afghan talks to begin Sunday. Those discussions are co-sponsored by Germany and Qatar, and include the Taliban.
An April round of intra-Afghan talks were scuttled after the two sides could not agree on participants. The Afghan government had submitted a list of 250 people. The Taliban likened it to a wedding party.
This time the Taliban say 60 people will participate.
Attaullah Rahman Salim, the deputy head of the government’s high peace council, said 64 would be sitting around the table.
The list includes senior members of the government, former mujahedeen who fought the Soviet in the 1980s as well as former government officials, former ambassadors, civil society representatives and a small number of women.
Khalilzad said for the first time the Afghan-to-Afghan talks include senior members of President Ashraf Ghani’s government, even if they are there as ordinary Afghans. Khalilzad said the exchange allows both sides to get to know the other, which he hopes will lead to negotiations.
Participants at the table will be there “on equal footing” and not as government representatives, according to the German and Qatari sponsors of the talks.
Afghan President Ghani, who has been conspicuously quiet about the upcoming intra-Afghan dialogue, has consistently demanded the Taliban talk directly with the government.
Despite the privacy of the event, the first photos from royal baby Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor’s christening are already here.
The pictures of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and her baby again gave royal fans insight into the fascinating lives of their favorite family. The first official portraits were shared on the Sussex Royal Instagram page hours after the christening, which was held on Saturday, July 6.
Archie’s parents, the Duchess and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, smiled from ear to ear in the photos taken in Queen Elizabeth II’s Private Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England.
The whole royal family, including William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, got together for the occasion, with the exception of Queen Elizabeth II. The queen also didn’t attend Prince Louis’ christening, so that’s not exactly a surprise.
The first photo features Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall also attended the christening, along with Meghan Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, and Princess Diana’s two sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes.
A second photograph in the Instagram post is an intimate black-and-white look at Prince Harry and Meghan with their baby boy. Both pictures were taken by photographer Chris Allerton.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are so happy to share the joy of this day with members of the public who have been incredibly supportive since the birth of their son,” the post’s caption said. “They thank you for your kindness in welcoming their first born and celebrating this special moment.”
The royal family also shared the pictures on Twitter.
The pictures of Archie also reveal that he did wear the same christening gown as his cousins, Prince Louis of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge and Prince George of Cambridge. The “Royal Christening Robe,” as the Duke and Duchess called it in their Instagram caption, is a replica of the one that Queen Victoria had commissioned 1841. It’s made of fine Honiton lace lined with white satin.
Archie’s baptism was not held in the same place as his parents’ wedding, which took place in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle last year. But the photos have a special connection to that union. The official portraits were taken in the same place, the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with the Bridesmaids and Page Boys, taken by photographer Alexi Lubomirski in the Green Drawing Room of Windsor Castle. #RoyalWeddingpic.twitter.com/nFaPQSIzVl
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) May 21, 2018
It looks like little Archie is following in the footsteps of his cousin Prince Louis, who received all the attention last summer. During Prince Louis’ christening at the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace in London, Prince Louis, who turned 1 year old in April, also got some shut-eye — and had some pretty fantastic photographs taken, too.
The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Louis in the garden at Clarence House, following Prince Louis’s christening.
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) July 15, 2018
The pictures of Archie at his christening finally offer royal fans another glimpse at the baby. Aside from the official portraits shared soon after his birth in May, Archie has only been seen in a couple of Instagram photos on the Sussex Royal page, for Father’s Day and Mother’s Day.
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Saturday that an Australian student who it detained for a week had spread anti-Pyongyang propaganda and engaged in spying by providing photos and other materials to news outlets with critical views toward the North.
Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, said North Korea deported Alek Sigley on Thursday after he pleaded for forgiveness over his activities, which the agency said infringed on the country’s sovereignty.
Sigley arrived in Tokyo on Thursday after telling reporters he was in “very good” condition, but without saying what happened to him.
He had been studying at a Pyongyang university and guiding tours in the North Korean capital before disappearing from social media contact with family and friends.
KCNA said Sigley, who was caught “red-handed” by a “relevant institution” of the North on June 25, had abused his status as a student by “combing” through Pyongyang and providing photos and other information to news sites such as NK News and other “anti-DPRK” media, a reference to the North’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The news agency said the North expelled Sigley out of “humanitarian leniency.”
“He honestly admitted his spying acts of systematically collecting and offering data about the domestic situation of the DPRK and repeatedly asked for pardon, apologizing for encroachment upon the sovereignty of the DPRK,” the agency said.
The North had not commented on Sigley before Saturday.
Sigley was released by North Korea following intervention by Swedish diplomats. After Sigley’s arrival in Beijing, he went to Tokyo to reunite with his Japanese wife, who he married in Pyongyang last year.
During his time in North Korea, Sigley often shared details about his life in Pyongyang through social media and the website of his travel agency, Tongil Tours, frequently challenging negative outside perceptions about the North and at times boasting about the extraordinary freedom he had as one of the few foreign students living there.
He also wrote op-eds and essays that appeared in the Western media, including NK News, although none of them seemed outwardly critical about the North’s government and political system.
In a statement published on its site, NK News CEO Chad O’Carroll said it would be a “misrepresentation” for the North to describe the articles Sigley wrote for the outlet as anti-state. He said NK News is an independent, specialist information website that aims to provide objective news and analysis about North Korea.
“Alek Sigley’s well-read columns presented an apolitical and insightful view of life in Pyongyang which we published in a bid to show vignettes of ordinary daily life in the capital to our readers,” O’Carroll said.
“The six articles Alek published represent the full extent of his work with us and the idea that those columns, published transparently under his name between January and April 2019, are ‘anti-state’ in nature is a misrepresentation which we reject,” he said.
North Korea has been accused in the past of detaining Westerners and using them as political pawns to gain concessions. Sigley’s father, Gary Sigley, a professor of Asian studies at the University of Western Australia, said his son was treated well in North Korea.
It was a much happier outcome than the case of American college student Otto Warmbier, who was convicted of attempting to steal a propaganda poster and imprisoned in North Korea. Warmbier died shortly after being sent back home to the U.S. in a vegetative state in June 2017.
You are subscribed to email updates from World – TIME. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.
Email delivery powered by Google
Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States
Prince amassed a fortune of more than $300 million during his lifetime. Many believe that posthumous releases of his music will make even more for his heirs.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Learn about the USAA Money Market Fund and understand why it offers safety for short-term investors but leaves much to be desired where yield is concerned.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
How can companies control so many properties and rooms? The same way McDonald's controls its restaurants: with franchise agreements that help generate profits.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
If you're shopping for a private bank, start with your bank and call the private arms of a few others. Ask your financial advisor for help when needed.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Learn how the marriage of science and technology is changing the world of medicine and creating some of the largest multinational biotechnology corporations.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Stocks and bonds differ dramatically in their structures, payouts, returns, and risks. Stocks have the potential for higher returns, but are also higher risk.
Some of the larger countries have unemployment rates that are usually stable with economies to match. Smaller countries, however, due to agriculture and low wages, have low unemployment but even lower GDP per capita.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Bulge bracket banks offer higher salaries and prestige, but boutique banks may offer better work/life balance and job security. Investment bankers should consider both the tangible and intangible differences between these two seemingly similar work environments.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
The difference between the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) profit margin and standard profit margins is simply a matter of its exclusion from the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Capital stock is the total amount of shares a company is authorized to issue, while treasury stock is the amount of shares a company holds in its treasury.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Learn the differences between the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Housing Administration and the homeownership support offered by each.
Here, you'll discover when and how mutual fund shares are bought and sold each day. You'll also find out how prices are determined, when trades settle, and which fees investors must pay.
The Series 7 license is needed for the purchase and sale of securities products, while the CFA is primarily a certification, comparable to a master's degree, that increases the credibility of investment professionals and also improves career advancement prospects.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
In the 1970s, moves meant to prevent unemployment instead did the opposite, rocketing inflation and creating one of the worst fiscal disasters of the century.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Open market operations are a tool that allows the Fed to buy and sell securities on the open market, influencing the open market price and yield of specified securities. Quantitative easing is a holistic strategy that seeks to ease, or lower, borrowing rates to help stimulate growth in an economy.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
The income effect and the price effect are both economic concepts that help analysts, economists, and business professionals understand economic trends. Learn the differences between the two and how they can influence financial analysis.
A business considering new international operations can choose to acquire an international company or make a green field investment in a newly built entity. Learn the differences between the two options as well as the analysis involved in choosing one over the other.
Typically, silent partners are known to only contribute to the business by way of capital infusion—that is, investing money in the business entity—while a general partner is an active manager in business operations.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
When a stock splits, the options contract undergoes an adjustment called "being made whole." Find out what your options are if a company in which you have invested announces this type of adjustment.
If you are buying or selling a home, you must understand all the processes involved in the escrow. Here is everything you will need to know about the escrow process.
Many banks and mortgage companies offer conventional and FHA home loans to non-U.S. citizens, if they can verify their work history and financial status.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Cognitive biases involve decisionmaking based on concepts that may not be accurate. Emotional biases are based on personal feelings while a decision is made.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
As the first company to cross a market cap of $1 trillion, Apple is now larger than the GDP of The Netherlands, the U.S. Budget Deficit, and the cost of the Vietnam War.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Chile has a great deal to offer retirees: urban and country living, a remarkable and varied environment, and a high standard of living that is affordable.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
In this article find out how the Dow Jones Industrial Average works, tracks market movements, and what changes mean for investors and the stock market.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Historical housing price data suggest ongoing increases in housing prices. But these numbers don't tell the whole truth. Read on to find out more about real estate prices.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
The law of supply and demand is an economic theory that drives many industries. But what relationship does it have with the real estate market? Learn more about how the law, along with factors that affect supply and demand in the housing market.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Find out how and when withdrawals from your traditional or Roth retirement accounts can impact your tax bracket, and how to use both to keep your tax rate low.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Use these tips to breeze through the Series 7 exam's municipal bond questions. Learn how to distinguish between general obligation and revenue bonds and other essential features of these fixed-income securities.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
You are subscribed to email updates from rss_headline. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.
Email delivery powered by Google
Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States
KFRI Recruitment 2019 Notification- Apply Offline for 21 Junior Scientist & Scientist Vacancies. Kerala Forest Research Institute has announced the new job notification for 21 Candidates to fill the Scientist & Junior Scientists. KFRI offers an opportunity for those Candidates who are looking for the Scientist Posts in Kerala. Interested Candidates can check their eligibility criteria from this page and apply for the Post through the below link. From today Applicants can start to send their duly filled application forms and the last date to send the application form is 02nd August 2019. KFRI invites dynamic and talented Scientists who are actively pursuing research in selected disciplines, to join the KFRI team. KFRI offers the CSIR scales of pay and other benefits as sanctioned by the Government of Kerala for time to time. Eligible candidates may apply in the prescribed format which can be downloaded from the KFRI website: www.kfri.res.in
Eligibility Criteria for Kerala Forest Research Institute Notification 2019
Educational Qualification
For Junior Scientist/ Scientist B
Applicants should have passed First class PG in Bio-Technology/ Wood Science/ Micro Biology/ Zoology & Technolgy/ Agriculture/ Forestry/ Chemistry/ Environmental Science/ Botany/ Plant Science or equivalent from a recognized University.
And, Ph.D. in the field related to the Discipline.
1 Year Experience required related to the field.
For Scientist
Applicants should First Class PG in Wildlife/ Zoology/ Ecology
And, Ph.D. in the field related to wildlife Studies.
2 Year Experience required related to the field.
Age Limit
Candidates Age limit should be 35 Years on the closing date of application of original notification viz.19/09/2018.
Age Relaxation
Age limit may be relaxed in the case of internal candidates and candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC as per the Government Rule.
KFRI 2019 Pay Scale Details
Post Name
Scale of Pay (Pre Revised)
Junior Scientist/ Scientist B
Rs. 15,600-39,100 + grade pay Rs. 5,400 /-
Scientist
Rs. 15,600-39,100 + grade pay Rs. 6,600 /-
KFRI Selection Process
Selection of candidates will be made on the basis of the Interview
KFRI Application Fee
There is no application fee for the KFRI Recruitment Process.
How to Apply OFFLINE for the KFRI Recruitment 2019?
Applicants should refer the KFRI Official notification to get a clear idea about the Interview Process. By clicking the below link to easily download the Official Notification. Read the Eligibility details clearly to attend the Interview. We wish you all to get success of this Interview Process and get into the KFRI Careers.
Download the Application form through the link provided below
Read the application form and fill the required details asked in the form
Should Attach the photocopies of the documents that are mentioned in the notification.
Double-check the details and documents attached to the application form.
Send the application form to the Postal Address given below
Photocopies of certificates to be attested with the application form:
Educational certificate
Technical certificate
Experience certificate
Age Proof certificate
Caste, Divyangjan, EWS certificate
Postal Address
The Director, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi- 680 653, Thrissur, Kerala, India.
Points to be Noted
Applicants should write the Post Code, Name of Post and Discipline should be clearly mentioned on the envelope containing the application.
The list of enclosures shall be attached along with the application.
The applications should reach the postal address on or before the last date of 02nd August 2019, 5.30 PM.
Kerala Forest Research Institute is a multidisciplinary team of experts conducting research on tropical forests and forestry. This Institute has contributed significantly to research in tropical forestry, biodiversity conservation over the past three decades of its existence. Founded in 1975, Institute is envisioned as a Centre of Excellence in Tropical Forestry to provide the scientific support for decision making on matters related to forestry, sustainable utilization, with particular emphasis on conservation and scientific management of natural resources.
OSSC Admit Card 2019 will be available from 15th July 2019. Moreover, Candidates who are applied for the post of Junior Motor Vehicle Inspector Vacancies can download the admit card. Hence, the OSSC Junior MVI exam has been scheduled on 21st July 2019. Thus, Candidates are suggested to download the admit card from the terminated page. Get down to the article to know the complete details about OSSC Admit Card 2019.
OSSC Admit Card 2019
The Board has advertised on its official website that they will release the admit card on 15th July 2019. Therefore, Aspirants should have the proper details about the application form to download the Odisha SSC Hall Ticket 2019. Participants can download the admit card through the official web portal. But, for candidate’s convenience, we provide a direct link to download the Odisha SSC Call Letter 2019.
Details to be Noticed in Odisha SSC Hall Ticket 2019-20
Aspirants must go through the admit card details before downloading it. Most of the applicants will not check to the printed information in the admit card. That’s why they are unable to attend the exam. So, Don’t forget to download the admit card without making mistakes. Below mentioned details will be keenly notified by the Invigilators at the exam hall. Hence, Fill the details properly in the OSSC Admit Card 2019.
Name of the Applicant.
Exam Date, Time & Centre.
Post Applied for.
Application or Registration Number
Date of Birth
Important Instructions.
OSSC Junior MVI Exam 2019
The Commission has committed the exam date on 21st July 2019. Thus, the complete exam details will be applicable on the Official Website. Gain all the information about the OSSC Junior Motor Vehicle Inspector Exam. All the eligible candidates can now download the exam pattern. Examiners should be punctual to reach the exam centre. The exam centre details have been notified in the Admit Card. Candidates are suggested to get a view of the OSSC Admit Card to know the exam centre details.
OSSC Junior MVI Exam Pattern 2019:
Selection Type
Total Marks
Duration
Written Examination
200
3 hours
Viva-Voce
25
Not Specified
Grand Total: 225 Marks
Required Things to Download OSSC Call Letter 2019
After a clear glance about the examination, candidates can get the how-to download steps from the below segment. Carry the downloaded admit card for all the selection rounds. Along with the OSSC Call Letter aspirants have to carry any one of the original document to attend all the selection rounds. The Original document is a must for the verification process.
Aadhar 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 OSSC Junior Hall Ticket 2019-20?
Click on “OSSC Admit Card” Link.
Enter the Login details.
Click on to the ” Submit” button.
Get the Odisha SSC Hall Ticket page on the screen.
Enter all the valid credentials in the OSSC Junior Admit Card.
Click on to the download option and download the admit card.
Take a print out and carry for the exam.
Direct Links to download OSSC Junior Admit Card 2019
Kurukshetra University Admit Card 2019 – Kurukshetra University has announced the admit card for Clerk Phase I, II, III, IV Exams. Thus, the applicants who applied for the exams can now download the admit card from 02nd July 2019 onwards. The KUK typing test will be conducted on 2nd Week of July 2019. So, Aspirants should be aware of downloading the admit card.
www.kuk.ac.in Admit Card 2019
Kurukshetra Hall Ticket can be downloaded by the candidates who successfully registered their application in the recruitment process. The admit card contains the major details of candidates who are going to appear for the exam. Hence, Aspirants can get a direct link to download the admit card from the below segment. Admit Card details should be as in the application form which has been registered. Thus, the KUK Hall Ticket has been released by the officials in the Official Website. Candidates can check the KUK Date Sheet from the Official Website.
Details to be Noticed in KUK University Admit Card 2019
Candidates must notify the below-provided details in the admit card has been printed correctly. KUK University Hall Ticket will be issued only to the participants who registered their application through Online Mode. Therefore, all the eligible can download the admit card from the below table. Below given contents should be filled as in the KUK Application Form.
Name of the Applicant.
Exam Date, Time & Centre.
Post Applied for.
Application or Registration Number
Date of Birth
Important Instructions.
KUK University Clerk Exam 2019
The University has decided to conduct the examination on 02nd Week of July 2019. Thus, Candidates should well prepare for the exam. Because the board will announce the exam date at any time. So, Candidates have to visit the official website frequently to know about the exam date. Candidates can download the KUK exam syllabus from the official website. Download the KUK University Admit Card to take down the exam. Do check with the admit card general instructions that have to be followed inside the exam hall.
Required Things to Download KUK University Call Letter 2019
KUK University Clerk Admit Card will be available on the Direct Link table. Take a valid ID proof to the exam along with the KUK University Hall Ticket. For such reasons, Admit Card has made as an important document for the exam. So, All the examiners must carry the admit card to take down the KUK University Clerk Examination 2019.
Aadhar 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 KUK University Clerk Hall Ticket 2019?
Click on “Kurukshetra University Admit Card” Link.
Enter the Registration Number and Date of Birth.
Click on to the ” Submit” button.
Get the KUK University Hall Ticket page on the screen.
Enter all the valid credentials in the KUK Clerk Admit Card.
Click on to the download option and download the admit card.
Take a print out and carry for the exam.
Direct Links to download Kurukshetra University Admit Card 2019
Gujarat High Court Admit Card 2019 – Dear Applicants !! Here is a bit of Good News for the applicants who applied for the post of 124 Civil Judge Vacancies. The information is about the release of Admit Card on their Official Website. Hence, the Gujarat High Court Civil Judge Admit Card has been released in the Month of July 2019. Therefore, Download the admit card as soon as possible. Because Gujarat High Court Civil Judge Mains Exam will be held on 07th July 2019.
Gujarat High Court Call Letter
Gujarat High Court Selection Board has decided to conduct the Mains Exam to shortlist the registered candidates. Only the qualified aspirants of Prelims Exam will be eligible to attend the Mains Exam. Contenders check to the results for Gujarat High Court Prelims Exam here. Those who failed to qualify the prelims exam will not get the Mains Admit Card. Gujarat High Court Exam Admit Card has been released separately for both Prelims and Mains Exam. Candidates will get Gujarat High Court Mains Admit Card from the end of the page.
{Gujarat High Court Prelims Exam Result 2019 – Download Here}
Gujarat High Court Civil Judge Admit Card 2019 – Overview
Required Details to Check-in Gujarat High Court Hall Ticket 2019
After checking Gujarat High Court Prelims Result 2019, Qualifiers can go through the details of mains admit card. High Court of Gujarat Call Letter contains the detailed information of a candidate. Moreover, Examiners have to upload all the necessary information in the Gujarat High Court Civil Judge Exam Call Letter. Only the admit card will be certified as a valid one if it contains all these details.
Name of the Applicant.
Exam Date, Time & Centre.
Post Applied for.
Application or Registration Number
Date of Birth
Important Instructions.
Gujarat High Court Civil Judge Mains Exam 2019
In recent, the Gujarat High Court Civil Judge prelims Exam has been conducted on 05th May 2019. And now, the board has decided to conduct the Mains Exam on 07th July 2019. Candidates have to read all the details in the admit card to appear for the exam. Moreover, Aspirants can get Gujarat High court Civil Judge Syllabus from the below section. Take down the required instruction from that and prepare for the Mains Exam. Therefore, Aspirants need to enter the exam hall at the scheduled time. Make your presence before 30 minutes to the exam hall for the initial doorstep process.
Gujarat High Court Call Letter Download has been made possible by entering the application number. Thus, for the examination process examiners have to carry the following documents to the examination hall. Moreover, Candidates will not be allowed to write the exam without carrying the original documents along with the Gujarat High Court Civil Judge Admit Card 2019.
Aadhar 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 Gujarat High Court Admit Card 2019?
Click on “Gujarat High Court Admit Card” Link.
Select the Job in the admit card first.
Enter the Confirmation Number and Birth Date.
Click OK to get Gujarat Call Letter 2019
Now Login to get the admit card.
An Admit Card page will be available on the screen.
Enter all the necessary information in Gujarat High Court Admit Card.
Click on to the download option and download the admit card.
Take a print out and carry for the exam.
Direct Links to download Gujarat High Court Hall Ticket 2019
JSACS Recruitment 2019 – Apply for 154 Lab Technician & Counsellor Jobs. JSACS offers an opportunity for those candidates who are looking for Jobs in Jharkhand. Jharkhand State AIDS Control Society, Dept. of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of Jharkhand invites application from those candidates having requisite qualification and experience as mentioned below for filling up the post of Lab Technician & Counsellor for Blood Bank/ICTC/PPTCT/STI Centre. Interested applicants can apply for this JSACS Recruitment 2019 through Offline. Starting Date to apply for the JSACS Notification 2019 is from now. Submit your duly filled application forms on or before 24th July 2019 till 5.00 PM. JSACS selection will be based on the basis of Requisite Qualification & Experience and of merit list of Written Exam or Interview prepared by the selection committee. Finally shortlisted candidate will be placed anywhere in Jharkhand. Applicants can refer this page to get the Latest Job Vacancies in JSACS.
Recruitment of JSACS Notification 2019 – Overview
Name of the Organization
Jharkhand State AIDS Control Society
Name of the Post
Lab Technician (Blood Bank & ICTC) Counsellor (Blood Bank, ICTC & STI)
JSACS Jobs in Jharkhand Vacancy 2019 Category Wise
Category
No. of. Vacancies
Lab Technician (Blood Bank)
ST
05
SC
02
Economically weaker section
01
Counsellor (Blood Bank)
GEN
02
SC
01
Lab Technician (ICTC)
GEN
20
SC
24
ST
06
BC2
01
Economically weaker section
10
Counsellor (ICTC)
GEN
21
SC
24
ST
08
BC2
03
Economically weaker section
11
Counsellor (STI)
GEN
06
SC
03
ST
02
BC1
02
BC2
01
Economically weaker section
02
Total
154
Eligibility Criteria for Jharkhand State AIDS Control Society Notification 2019
Educational Qualification
For Lab Technician (Blood Bank)
The applicants should have a Degree or Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) after completing HSC
Should have Minimum two years after degree and three years after diploma or Degree holders must have a minimum of six months experience in blood banking.
For Counsellor (Blood Bank)
The applicants should have Post-Graduate in Social Work / Sociology / Psychology/Anthropology / Human Development and
Knowledge of Computers Proficiency in MS Office.
Also, they must have a Minimum two years after essential qualification
For Lab Technician (ICTC)
Candidates should Be Graduated in Medical Laboratory Technology (B. Sc); with minimum 1-year experience after graduation.
Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology (DMLT), with a minimum of 2 years experience after diploma. The candidate should be registered with the concerned Para-Medical Council.
Also, Working knowledge of computers.
For Counsellor (ICTC) & (STI)
An Applicants must have a Post Graduate degree/ diploma in Psychology/ Social work/Sociology/ Anthropology/ Human Development/ Nursing; with minimum 1-year experience after PG degree /diploma, of working in the field of counseling in the health sector, preferably in HIV/AIDS.
Age Limit
The maximum age limit will be 62 years for all categories.
JSACS Pay Scale Details
The JSACS Pay Scale Rs. 13000/- Per month for all the Categories.
JSACS Selection Process
Written Exam
Interview
JSACS Application Fee
The application fee is Rs. 500/- (Rs. Five hundred only) through Bank Draft in favor of Jharkhand State AIDS Control Society, Ranchi.
Candidates wish to apply for more than one post will have to submit separate application along with application fee.
How to apply OFFLINE for JSACS Recruitment 2019?
Before applying for the vacancies of JCACS download the official notification and get a clear view about the Vacancies of Lab Technician & Counsellor. Candidates fulfilling the eligibility criteria are only suggested to send their application through Registered/Speed Post only
Initially Download the application form which has provided below in the table
fill the application form with required details
Attach the photocopies of the documents that are mentioned in the notification.
Finally, check the details and documents attached to the application form.
And send it to the postal address given below.
Photocopies of certificates to be attested with the application form:
Attested copy of the proof of age,
Educational Certificate
Experience Certificate from Gazetted Officer with contact details & email address.
Postal Address
The Project Director Jharkhand State AIDS Control Society, Dept. of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of Jharkhand, Sadar Hospital Campus, Purulia Road, Ranchi – 834001.
Points to be Noted
Candidates should write the envelope containing the application should be super-scribed as "Application for the Post of ………………………." without fail.
The Application form should reach on or before the last date 24th July 2019 till 5.00 PM.
Applicants can send their application through Registered/Speed Post only.
In the newly formed State Jharkhand, the State AIDS Control Society was registered on May 9, 2001, under the Health, Medical, Education and Family Welfare Society of Jharkhand State. Many appointments have been made and are being done for more effective management of the technical and managerial personnel program as per the requirement. The Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, under the leadership of the Jharkhand government, runs an administrative group, the State AIDS Control Society.
Call it a simple yet strategic budget. Critics might argue, and rightly so, that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's maiden budget is devoid of any landmark announcement to engineer a directional shift in our nation's economic trajectory. What she chose instead was a political document that is well in sync with the ruling BJP's belief that elections are an ongoing game. The finance minister adroitly divided the larger part of her budget into segments, or political constituents — such as rural, urban, women and farmers. The overarching aspirational narrative was of India closing in on the target of becoming a $5 trillion economy. What she added was ease of living, a slogan that transcends the usual divides — class and caste, urban and rural. And she showed her political maturity by taxing the super-rich with an annual income of Rs 2 crore and above, and by not extending the reduced 25% corporate tax bonanza to India's top 0.7% companies."Hey, it's not a suit boot ki sarkar," was her subtle message.So where does this budget, presented by a first-time finance minister, stand when compared with the maiden budgets of other finance ministers? ET Magazine analyses the first budgets of seven FMs, including Independent India's first one, which was presented by RK Shanmukham Chetty on November 26, 1947.The first big difference in the budgets of Sitharaman and most of her predecessors is that she has avoided any mention of the economic hiccups. Contrast this with others. Chetty, for example, began his speech by narrating the post-Partition holocaust — people getting "brutally butchered" and millions of innocent men, women and children being "driven out of their ancestral homes and forced to make a dusty, deadly trek in search of a new home". Morarji Desai, who presented 10 budgets — the highest by any finance minister — began his first budget speech in February 1959 by referring to a record low in agricultural production and a slowdown in industrial output.That his own party, the Congress, was in power did not stop him from naming the challenges. In fact, recording adverse economic climate in the budget was considered normal by most FMs in the past.Sitharaman chose to highlight all the positives of her party's previous regime (2014-19) — a performing government, rejuvenated Centre-state dynamics and a strident commitment to fiscal prudence — adding how the hearts of millions of Indians were filled with hope, trust and aspirations.Another notable change was that most first budgets of previous FMs created new institutions. Modi government's finance ministers have not done this. Sample this: Pranab Mukherjee announced the creation of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development in his first budget, presented on February 27, 1982; P Chidambaram in his first budget ( July 22, 1996) created the National Highways Authority of India and Manmohan Singh in his trend-setting 1991 budget chose to chart out a new liberalised economic path, memorably quoting Victor Hugo: "No power on earth can stop an idea whose time has come".To her credit, Sitharaman has introduced some positive changes, says Vijay Paul Sharma, the IIM-Ahmedabad professor deputed as chairman of the Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices. "Formation of 10,000 new farmer producer organisations and promotion of entrepreneurship in farm and rural sectors will facilitate better market linkages, especially for small producers."Former Railway Board chairman Arunendra Kumar says: "FM's intent to bring in private investments into the Railways is clear when she talks about Rs 50 lakh crore investments in 12 years. She has emphasised a lot on public-private partnership."Unlike some of those clear takeaways, Sitharaman's document may have some partly hidden messages that will surface as Modi's second innings progresses. Who would have thought Arun Jaitley's first budget in 2014 had an underlying tone of nationalism, even as he set aside Rs 200 crore for a statue of Vallabhbhai Patel, Rs 100 crore for a war memorial and Rs 50 crore for a National Police Museum? But by 2019, all those initiatives accrued as political capital for the ruling party. No wonder, when the government undertook an air strike in Pakistan's Balakot in February, the BJP could easily strike a nationalistic chord with voters. After all, it had built up the narrative over five long years.Sitharaman's emphasis on national duties, as against rights, has somewhat similar connotations. "Marking 75 years of our Independence, we should place emphasis on our duty towards India…we should dedicate ourselves to serve our nation," she said in her budget speech.This tone has a familiar ring. The civil servant-turned-FM, CD Deshmukh, had in his first budget (1951-52) narrated an incident of how a poor villager with "a burning desire to help the Government of India" remitted a sum of `5 with an assurance that he would continue to pay the same amount every year. No wonder, beneath hard fiscal numbers, finance ministers always make attempts to deliver subtle messages. On that count, Sitharaman has hit a six.Budget: Then and Now 70109329 70109333 RK Shanmukham Chetty (1947-1949)BUDGETS PRESENTED: 2Handpicked by Mahatma Gandhi against the wishes of the then PM Jawaharlal Nehru, the former Diwan of Cochin presented Independent India's first budget.Ist Budget, 1947-48PRESENTED ON: November 26, 1947TOTAL RECEIPTS: Rs 171 crorePROGRESS: Rs 197 croreRESULT: Rs 26 croreHIGHLIGHTS*Setting up of Partition council and rehabilitation of refugees* Setting up of Damodar Valley Authority*Construction of Hirakud Dam (Odisha) and Bhakra Dam (then Punjab)CD Deshmukh (1951-57)BUDGETS PRESENTED: 7A civil servant-turned-FM, Deshmukh was also the first Indian to be appointed as governor of Reserve Bank of India.Ist Budget, 1951-52PRESENTED ON: February 28, 1951TOTAL RECEIPTS: Rs 370 croreTOTAL EXPENDITURE: Rs 375 croreDEFICIT: Rs 5 croreHIGHLIGHTS* Setting up of Central Jute Board, Cotton Advisory Board*Reorienting the Grow More Food Plan*Introduction of sales tax in DelhiMorarji Desai (1958-63; 1967-69)BUDGETS PRESENTED: 10Desai, who later became India's fourth prime minister, has the rare distinction of presenting the most budgetsIst Budget, 1959-60PRESENTED ON: February 28, 1959TOTAL RECEIPTS: Rs 757 croreTOTAL EXPENDITURE: Rs 839 croreDEFICIT: Rs 82 croreHIGHLIGHTS*Formation of Heavy Engineering Corporation*Intensification of the savings movement*Simplification of company taxationPranab Mukherjee (1982-84; 2009-12)BUDGETS PRESENTED: 8Mukherjee, an all-weather politician, always believed that the budget is more of a political instrument.Ist Budget, 1982-83PRESENTED ON: February 27, 1982TOTAL RECEIPTS: Rs 27,134 croreTOTAL EXPENDITURE: Rs 29,219 croreDEFICIT: Rs 2,085 croreHIGHLIGHTS*Establishment of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development*Emphasis on small savings with the introduction of social security certificate*Road map for implementing the revised 20-point programmeManmohan Singh(1991-96)BUDGETS PRESENTED: 6Singh, who later became India's 14th prime minister, used his first budget to engineer a historic shift in the economy.Ist Budget, 1991-92PRESENTED ON: July 24, 1991TOTAL RECEIPTS: Rs 1,03,698 croreTOTAL EXPENDITURE: Rs 1,13,422 croreDEFICIT: Rs 9,724 croreHIGHLIGHTS*Structural reforms in industrial policy*Trade reforms and liberalisation in foreign direct investments*Investment incentives for non-resident IndiansP Chidambaram(1996-98; 2004-2008; 2012-14)BUDGETS PRESENTED: 9Known for balancing sops and fiscal prudence, Chidambaram has presented the most budgets, after Moraji Desai.Ist Budget, 1996-97PRESENTED ON: July 22, 1996TOTAL RECEIPTS: Rs 1,95,774 croreTOTAL EXPENDITURE: Rs 2,04,698 croreDEFICIT: Rs 8,924 croreHIGHLIGHTS*Setting up of Infrastructure Development Finance Company*Setting up of National Highways Authority of India*Setting up of Foreign Investment Promotion CouncilArun Jaitley (2014-2019)BUDGETS PRESENTED: 5Jaitley's first budget sowed the seeds of a narrative around nationalism as he made provisions for building a war memorial, a police memorial and a massive statue of Sardar Patel.Ist Budget, 2014-15PRESENTED ON: July 10, 2014TOTAL RECEIPTS: Rs 12,63,715 croreTOTAL EXPENDITURE: Rs 17,94,892 croreDEFICIT: Rs 5,31,177 croreHIGHLIGHTS* Major emphasis on rolling out of Goods and Services Tax* Further liberalisation of FDI and raising of its cap in defence manufacturing to 49%* Releasing initial fund for building 100 smart citiesOther FMs who have presented budgets include John Mathai, TT Krishnamachari, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sachindra Chaudhuri, Indira Gandhi, YB Chavan, Hirubhai M Patel, R Venkataraman, VP Singh, Madhu Dandavate, Yaswant Sinha, Jaswant Singh and Piyush Goyal.Source: Budget documents
By Harsh GoenkaNirmala in Sanskrit means virtuous, clean and pure. And that is precisely what Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has endeavored to do in her maiden budget. She has presented a wide array of proposals aimed at achieving a virtuous investment cycle and will help clean up many legacy issues in the national balance sheet. Her proposals are intended to attract more capital, expand the scope of digital in our economy and boost infrastructure development — steps that will serve as the backbone for growth over the next few decades. While the reaction from the markets has been subdued, I believe the approach will result in longterm benefits for the country. A big ticket agenda emerging from this budget is the push towards infrastructure development with a sharp focus on railways. The massive Rs 50 lakh crore investment target to expand and upgrade the railway network by 2030 is by itself a game-changer. The multiplier effect of large infrastructure investments and the building of roads will help increase employment and lead to higher capital flows. The finance minister's intent on making India an environmentally sustainable and future-ready nation is clear from the thrust given to electric vehicles (EV). Import sops on EV parts, incentives to manufacturers and tax breaks on loans for EV buyers is a well-rounded strategy that will help propel the EV ecosystem. Not only will this lower the carbon footprint but also reduce the burden on the exchequer caused by oil imports. What I particularly liked was that the economic imperatives have been wellresearched and studied to understand the levers that will move the economy. By adding depth to the debt and equity financial markets, strengthening the insurance infrastructure, targeting the liquidity crisis issue at non-banking financial companies and easing access to funds for corporates, the minister has prescribed meaningful measures that will drive liquidity and credit flows to corporate India. At the same time, these are measures that will give confidence to global investors. Ease of living is becoming an area of attention for the new government. Bringing water to the parched hinterland, building homes in rural India and ensuring electrification are themes that are continuing to receive the necessary budget funding. With an ambitious target of 1.95 crore houses in the second phase, the 'Housing for All by 2022' mission looks to be on course. The government has done an incredible task of constructing 9.6 crore toilets making lakhs of villages open-defecation free and above all, protecting and restoring the dignity of women. Making the action plan comprehensive is the Har Ghar Jal initiative, which is the need of the hour to ensure hygienic water access to all. The much debated issue of job creation for the youth has got the priority it deserves through various innovative measures. One such step is the out-of-the-box idea to launch a TV channel that will help create a knowledge sharing and networking platform for startups. Easing angel tax — a major obstacle in attracting investment into startups — is also a welcome move. The other job-creation engine — the micro, small & medium enterprises — has also been given tax breaks along with indirect tax rate cuts, which will spur business investment further. The creative idea of upskilling the youth with globally relevant job skills in artificial intelligence, internet of things, 3D printing and digitisation will make them more employable, foster innovation and drive productivity. Embedded within the budget provisions are several measures to simplify procedures in GST and income tax by reducing the complexity and volume of filings required. Eliminating the interaction between the assessee and the tax official by bringing in e-assessment will create transparency and do away with the scope for malpractices. Further, the stringent limits on withdrawing cash for business should help drive adoption of e-payment solutions, even though it will cause some hardship in the transition period. Labour reforms have been a long pending area of intervention and I was glad to note the finance minister talk about streamlining multiple labour laws into four broad labour codes. Simplifying labour-related concerns is sure to augment India's investment attractiveness and will help bolster ease of doing business. In addition to labour law reforms, it was heartening to see that the government was mulling a revamp of our archaic tenancy laws with a model tenancy law to be shared with states. Harnessing foreign direct investment (FDI) and NRI money has received a lot of attention from the finance minister. By simplifying regulatory hurdles and opening up FDI in aviation, media and insurance, India's ability to attract investments will gain several points. Easing of norms for single brand retail can also hold a lot of potential in bringing new players into the country, adding to the employment potential. An understated element of this budget and one which can be a game-changer for coming generations was the articulation of a national education policy. A special thrust on research through the setting up of the National Research Foundation will encourage a robust research ecosystem through focus on identified sectors. The finance minister's focus on strengthening the economy systemically is clear — whether it is creating an ecosystem for startups, eliminating cash transactions, e-assessments or driving infrastructure growth, each measure clearly shows a long-term focus. Devoid of extravagantly populist measures and short-term fixes, Sitharaman's maiden budget has laid a blueprint for a resurgent India. Untitled Carousel 69984859 The author is the chairman of RPG Enterprises
By Arati R JerathRahul Gandhi's resignation letter, officially quitting the post of Congress president, has only deepened the crisis in the grand old party. It should have been the first step towards resolution. Instead, it has thrown up a host of questions which Rahul himself must answer if he genuinely wants to see the Congress live to fight another day.The decision to step down is clearly an attempt to set new standards of political morality by owning responsibility for the Congress's drubbing in the recent parliamentary polls. But accountability does not end there. As the person entrusted with the task of leading as its president, Rahul cannot simply walk away without so much as a backward glance just because he lost. It is incumbent on him to help with the transition process so that change is smooth and painless.In fact, he has a double responsibility because the Nehru-Gandhi family is the core of the Congress that Indira Gandhi crafted after the great split of 1969. Rahul summarily dismissed pleas to reconsider his resignation, saying that a member of the Gandhi family need not be the party president.He was being disingenuous. The Gandhis have run the party like a family concern for more than four decades. Only two non-Gandhis have headed the party since 1978. The first was PV Narasimha Rao after Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated and Sonia Gandhi declined requests to take her husband's place. The second was Sitaram Kesri who took over from Rao after the Congress lost the 1996 Lok Sabha election.Both times, the party started splintering as disgruntled Congress leaders sought their fortunes elsewhere. That's when Sonia stepped in and became president. Her reasons for setting aside her reluctance and taking the plunge into active politics are revealing.In a television interview some years later, she said that every day she would walk past life-size photographs of her husband and mother-in-law hanging at her 10 Janpath residence. "How can I get up every morning and have these pictures stare at me from the wall?" she asked.She sugarcoated her decision by attributing it to her sense of responsibility and duty but her proprietary attitude towards the party was obvious. Only a member of the Gandhi family could run the Congress.There's little to indicate that Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra do not share similar sentiments of duty bordering on a sense of entitlement. There was a glimmer of it in the way Priyanka scolded party workers in Rae Bareli and Amethi for not putting in enough effort to win. She seemed oblivious of the fact that party workers need motivation and inspired leadership. They are not paid employees of a political organisation.There were echoes of this in Rahul's resignation letter as well. While saying he's accountable for the defeat, he also spread the blame around. "As president of the Congress party, I am responsible for the loss of the 2019 election. Accountability is critical for the future growth of our party. It is for this reason that I have resigned as Congress president," he wrote and then added, "Rebuilding the party requires hard decisions and numerous people will have to be made accountable for the failure of 2019. It would be unjust to hold others accountable but ignore my own responsibility as president of the party."Impressive words but what do they actually mean in real-time action? Is Rahul¡¦s retreat temporary till all those whom he blames for the defeat also quit? He named some in his outburst at the May 25 Congress Working Committee meeting: Kamal Nath, P Chidambaram, Ashok Gehlot. These are all members of the old guard who, he feels, have not accepted his authority fully.There was another salvo in his letter which has sent ripples of disquiet through the party. While elaborating on his fight against Modi and the BJP, he said, "At times I stood completely alone and I am proud of it." Again, he seemed to be pointing a finger at senior leaders who, he felt, did not back his campaign against Narendra Modi on the Rafale fighter aircraft deal.Kamraj Plan 2.0? Questions keep mounting. When Rahul talks of "hard decisions", is he indicating that the old guard, most of whom are members of the CWC, must quit too? A Kamraj Plan 2.0? Then what? Will a new, younger leadership take over?Rahul emphasised in his letter that the Congress must "radically transform itself" to become the instrument to resuscitate institutions and be the voice of the people. Does he intend to be part of the transformation? Or does he want to call it a day and quit politics altogether?Obviously, there is much more to Rahul's resignation than meets the eye. Sooner or later, he must take the questions head on and clarify his future role and plans. A Gandhi cannot be just another member of the party, a loyal foot soldier. He or she will always be a power centre with the capacity to undercut a new president. So, unless Rahul intends to fade away gently along with the rest of the Gandhis and leave the Congress to its own devices, he must step out from behind the wall of silence he has erected around himself.That better be sooner than later, given the disarray in the Congress and the speed with which it is unravelling. The most telling sign of the confusion and demoralisation in the ranks was the listless body language of party MPs on budget day while Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was speaking.Even when she announced a hike in excise duty on petrol and diesel, there was no reaction from Congress MPs. In better times, they would have been on their feet shouting in protest. Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy turned out to be the lone voice of dissent from the opposition benches as he asked Sitharaman why she had ignored the middle classes in her budget and given them no relief.The writer is a political commentator.
The Budget for each year is essentially a statement of income and expenditure of the Government. However, with the expansion of the Indian economy, it has acquired the role of a policy document. The Budget presented by the Finance Minister, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, is a policy document for the medium term. It is a budget of a continuing government, which has to accelerate the direction of the past. It expands the roadmap on which the Prime Minister has built up India's growth story from 2014-19. The striking part of this period was that for a five-year average, India grew by 7.3%, its revenues grew exponentially and it brought macro stability back with both the Current Account Deficit and the Fiscal Deficit being on the glide path downwards. The present Budget maintains that path based on the premise that economies which are fiscally prudent, eventually get rewarded as against those who indulge in fiscal adventurism.A fundamental question has always been asked as to what would one choose between good economics and clever politics. The choice is unfair because any Government needs both in order to survive and perform. The Prime Minister's first tenure witnessed this blending of good economics and good politics. The change, which was facilitated by the Jan Dhan Accounts and the AADHAAR, laid the foundation for Direct Benefit Transfer to those who needed State support… Subsidies in the form of transfer of facilities to the poor is an example of the blending of good economics and good politics. The villages got roads, the poor got houses, and every household got a toilet, a gas connection and an electricity connection. Fifty crore people got hospital treatment upto Rs 5 lakh per year. Their lives became liveable with at least these basics. To carry this path forward… the Budget takes upon itself the task of concentrating, in the next five years, on a 'tap for every home'.The last five years had seen a lot of emphasis on infrastructure. The Finance Minister has rightly given top priority to infrastructure. This priority is self-evident in the fact that the rural roads programme connecting every village with a motorable road is nearing completion. The National Highways are moving at a pace faster than ever before. Adequate amount of allocations have been made in the Budget for this.The railways is one of the top priorities of the Government. Besides faster trains, modernised coaches and additional railway safety measures, very soon India will witness the modernisation of its railway stations similar to what today has happened to the airports.The Government is committed to providing housing to the weaker sections in both rural and urban areas. A major tax incentive has been given to those who borrow to buy affordable houses. This move will not merely help the system to utilise the unsold stock of affordable houses but will also be instrumental in injecting liquidity into the real estate market.The Budget creates a political direction for an aspirational India. The economically weaker sections get the basic amenities of life. Besides the income-tax exemption limit having been increased to `5 lakh in the interim Budget a few months ago, several sectors of interest to the middle class and the neo-middle class have been incentivised. India will continue to be the fastest growing major economy in the world. In the last two to three quarters growth has seen a moderation. Unquestionably, the Budget as a policy document lays down the road map for India to get back on track.(This is an edited excerpt from a blog by the former finance minister)
By Anil Kumar ChaudharyNEW DELHI: The budget compliments the expectation of the steel and other related industries. SAIL is completely geared up to cater to every requirement of the government's roadmap to reform, perform and transform India. SAIL is committed to fulfill the expectations of Indians as it has been doing for the last sixty years.For a country headed towards $5 trillion economy in 5 years, the budget is very structured for moving towards that target. Clear emphasis has been laid on the infrastructure development along with massive push to every connectivity avenue including industrial corridors, dedicated freight corridors, Bharatmala, Sagarmala, UDAN and the PMGSY.The government's commitment in the budget to provide electricity, housing for all under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin (Rural), availability of water and LPG connections, focus on development of urban housing under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Shahri (Rural), etc. are all very positive and hold excellent promise for the steel industry.The budget also proposes investment of Rs 50 lakh crore in augmenting railways infrastructure by 2030 as well as substantial investment for roadways upgradation and connectivity. The government's emphasis on investing Rs 20 lakh crore every year in infrastructure development will certainly help in increasing the steel consumption and will facilitate the growth of domestic steel industry.(Anil Kumar Chaudhary is Chairman, SAIL. The views expressed is personal)
By Taponeel MukherjeeAs news regarding recapitalisation of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and the need to improve credit availability come to the fore, one crucial issue that is assuming increasing importance is the need to maximise the "time value of money" of loans by ensuring faster resolution of credit issues.An effective resolution of non-performing assets (NPA) requires the balancing of two aspects of loan recovery value maximisation, i.e., a higher recovery amount and a quicker recovery process. In an ideal scenario, a lender would wish to maximise the value of the loan recovered, and yet achieve this in quick time.However, in reality, the two factors usually work in opposite directions. A focus purely on maximising the actual loan recovery amount can lead to situations whereby the length of time taken to resolve the NPA can lead to a loss in value through "time value of money", a loss since the loan capital stuck in an NPA is unavailable for productive use. On the contrary, a rapid resolution without paying heed to maximising loan recovery amounts leads to the lender not maximising the actual loan recovered.A balance between the needs of maximising loan recovery values and minimising loss of time value of money is required. To elaborate this trade-off better, one needs to weigh the pros and cons of recovering 60 per cent of an NPA in one year as opposed to recovering 80 per cent of the NPA in six years from now. The capital recovered can be used through lending it in the economy, thereby boosting credit, investment, growth and job creation.Further attention on the time value of money aspect is essential in an Indian context. The Financial Stability Report (FSR) by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) points out that the gross NPA ratio was 9.3 per cent for all banks as of March 2019 and is expected to 9 per cent by the end of the fiscal year 2019-2020. The crucial question the FSR raises is as to what steps need to be taken to equip the banking system to head towards a quicker resolution of NPAs.Bank recapitalisations are useful to shore up bank balance sheets, but both PSUs and the government need to look into what mechanisms can assist in creating transparent processes that allow for expedited resolution of NPAs with a focus on maximising the time value of money.A focus on a transparent process to expedite resolution of bank loans is important because in essence as mentioned above maximising time value of money will require a trade-off in terms of reducing the recovery of the notional loan amount. Merely waiting to maximise loan recovery values without paying heed to the time value of money leads to situations whereby the impaired capital structure of the business eventually leads to value destruction of the assets and the brand of the concerned company.The Jet Airways bankruptcy saga is an example of the trade-off between maximisation of loan recovery value and the importance of maximising time value of money. Enabling and empowering PSUs to move swiftly towards loan resolutions with an eye on ensuring that an expedited resolution process can help them recover partial amounts of capital lent to the business can significantly help NPA resolutions in India. Loan recovery when the business such as Jet Airways is a running entity with operations in full swing is relatively easier than when the company has stopped operating its assets and therefore has diminished the brand value.The focus on maximising time value of money will be even more crucial for companies such as Jet Airways in the consumer-facing space without many fixed assets. Loan recovery from a company with a high fixed asset component will tend to yield higher returns when operations stop than for low fixed-asset businesses. That said, maximising time value of money will be crucial for all.As PSUs eye recapitalisation, a renewed focus on maximising the time value of money through a flexible and transparent approach will do well to help increase credit flow. Banks will need to be empowered to truly push for credit growth through loan resolutions that do maximise the actual loan recovery balancing all aspects as opposed to theoretical loan values that may be recovered in the future.(The views expressed in this article are personal and that of the author. The author heads Development Tracks, an infrastructure advisory firm.)
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Union Budget may have attempted newer ideas to address some of the existing ailments of Indian industry, but it failed to provide near-term life support to the auto industry, which has been going through its worst slump in over a decade.Indian auto firms have been witnessing sales drop in double-digits percentages in recent months. It was 21 per cent in May, the steepest decline in nearly 18 years. In June, largest carmaker Maruti reported another 17 per cent drop.Barring Bajaj Auto (up 4.17 per cent), none of the stocks in the BSE Auto index have delivered positive return to investors on a year-to-date basis till July 5. The index is down 15 per cent year to date with TVS Motor, Hero MotoCorp, Mahindra & Mahindra, Eicher Motors, Ashok Leyland and Maruti Suzuki falling between 14.50 per cent and 25 per cent. Tata Motors is down 7.75 per cent YTD. Indirect taxes have gone out of the ambit of the Budget, and thus it was not the right occasion to meet the industry demand for a cut in GST levy on cars. But the industry was expecting some hint from the Finance Minister in this regard, which was missed in her Budge speech.The industry says cars are treated a 'sin' good and are clubbed with tobacco and luxury goods in the 28 per cent GST tax bracket with 0-22 per cent compensation. The industry has also been looking for a reduction in GST levy on two-wheelers, which did not come about in the budget. The Budget did have some good news for the industry, but they were mainly for electric vehicles, which the industry is yet to bring into the market.The Finance Minister proposed a GST cut from 12 per cent to 5 per cent on electric vehicles and a complete customs duty waiver on e-drive assembly, onboard charger, e-compressor and charging systems.The FM also announced tax deduction of up to Rs 1.5 lakh on interest paid on loans taken between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2023 for purchase of electric vehicle. This will provide an impetus to the electric vehicle market in India.Besides, there was an increase in customs duty from 25 per cent to 30 per cent on completely built units (CBUs) and some components will encourage local manufacturing and protect the domestic auto component industry, but analysts said this may also create hindrance to industry's capability.Among others, a rescue package was announced for the troubled NBFC sector, which may help improve lending to car buyers, especially in the commercial vehicle segment. Tightness in lending by liquidity-stressed NBFCs or shadow bankers has been cited as one of the key reasons behind the slowdown in the auto sector.The Budget also had a proposal for 2 per cent interest subventions for MSMEs, which analysts said may help auto dealers and small component manufacturers. The enhancing of turnover limit for lower corporate tax bracket at 25 per cent to Rs 400 crore is also expected to benefit 80 per cent of auto component makers and automobile dealers. Even the dedicated portal for prompt credit to MSMEs is seen as a positive announcement for the industry. The government also announced plans to build 125,000 km of rural roads with investment of over Rs 80,250 crore in next five years, which should create demand for last-mile mobility, boosting LCV and entire CV segments.The industry was expecting more money in the pockets of consumers through reduction in income-tax to boost demand, which did not come about. There was also demand for a scrappage policy in order to fuel latent demand, but there was no such announcement in the Budget. Meanwhile, an additional Re 1 cess on motor fuel besides the Re 1 additional road and infrastructure cess will increase petrol and diesel prices by Rs 2 a litre, which will only add to the industry's woes.Industry watchers said the government is clearly in a hurry to usher in electric vehicles, especially in the lower segments, which is why there was no attempt to boost sales of existing petrol and diesel cars. This means the industry's pain is not going to go away anytime soon, but players that are able to make a quick shift to the EV segment stand to benefit hugely from the tax bonanza being doles out to early buyers.
If you look at the public sector borrowing requirement as a whole, which is an on-budget and off-budget item, plus state government fiscal deficits, then by increasing fiscal deficit, you effectively crowd out private investment, because you do not let the interest rates come down, Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, Niti Aayog said in a conversation with ET NOW.ET Now: What do you think has been the key undertone or the underlying idea in this Budget?Rajiv Kumar: The underlying idea or the focus of this Budget has been to spur growth, to make investors' life easier and to get investment into sectors like housing and digital space and to facilitate the small and medium enterprises. Overall, this Budget promoters both investment and growth.ET Now: The general belief was that some relaxation on the fiscal deficit target was acceptable to push growth, but this time around the Finance Minister has actually cut the target to 3.3 per cent from the Interim Budget target of 3.4 per cent. How are you reading this?Rajiv Kumar: If you look at the public sector borrowing requirement as a whole, which is an on-budget and off-budget item, plus state government fiscal deficits, then by increasing fiscal deficit, you effectively crowd out private investment, because you do not let the interest rates come down. And the Finance Minister early on in her speech talked about the real cost of capital having to be brought down. To that extent, we will not let fiscal deficit go beyond a point, when seen in the context of the overall public sector borrowing requirement and it is a good thing to maintain. I have never been a fiscal hawk.ET Now: What about the Budget items with them? Do you think real fiscal deficit will be lower?Rajiv Kumar: It will be a little lower, given that you are making a huge effort on the non-tax revenue side and on the private sector side through the PPP mode, and because our disinvestment target has gone up and the ETF target has gone up, and we have also done things like recycling of assets and bringing them to PPP.I think it is time we move the focus away from our conversation only on fiscal deficit, because there are so many other things and features in the Budget that try to enhance growth. For example, the hike in income-tax rebate on home loan interest payment from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh is a very good idea, because that is the sector where demand has been flagging, that is the sector where multiplier effect is the highest.Similarly, the tax deduction on electric vehicles is a very good one. Plus, you get benefits of up to Rs 7 lakh when you are on the electric vehicle. That is a sunrise industry we want to push. And one thing that you may have missed is that she did mention that we will now make available lands held by CPSEs for private investors. That again is a very big step forward for facilitating private investment. Remember, you have to think of what we are going to do with fiscal deficit in the contest of boosting private investment in the economy and that is where I think this Budget takes a real step forward.ET Now: A 12% growth in nominal GDP, while it was only 11.5% in the interim budget, with the tax revenues being sluggish; do you think that these numbers look credible?Rajiv Kumar: If you look at the Budget estimates, they are much lower than the ones in the Interim Budget. Given the lower revised estimated for Budget, our revenue effort will be the same but as a percentage of the GDP, it will not be the same as projected in the Interim Budget. And a 12% nominal rate of growth translates to something like about a 7.6% growth of GDP and another about 4% inflation or a little higher and that is what the budget is saying.
Debt-ridden gambler arrested while trying to rob finance firm in Ahmedabad Chirag Bhavsar had availed of loans from the gold finance firm a few times in the past
Rahul Gandhi feasts on dosa after Patna hearing Gandhi visited a restaurant in Maurya Lok Place and feasted on dosa for lunch before departing for the Patna Airport
Former judge moves Gujarat High Court for travel claim A retired district judge had to move Gujarat High Court to get his 16-year-old allowance claim settled, after the legal department rejected it despite the high court administration clearing it.
Raids in Delhi as sacked Income Tax chief booked for graft Srivastava was forced to retire last month along with 11 other officers from Finance Ministry in a clean-up process adopted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's second government.
