* The US Air Force's "Doomsday plane" is undergoing maintenance and upgrades, according to Defense One. * The Boeing E-4B "Nightwatch" and the Navy's E-6B "Mercury" planes are built to allow the president to direct US forces in the event of a nuclear war. * It has also served as a mobile Pentagon for defense secretaries, but it's being pulled out of that role to reduce wear on the aircraft.
The E-4B "Nightwatch" plane, which would allow the president to give military orders in the event of a nuclear war and has served as a mobile Pentagon for defense secretaries, is worn out, Defense One's Marcus Weisgerber reports.
The so-called Doomsday plane — which is the Air Force's four E-4Bs and the Navy's E-6B "Mercury" — has been in service since the 1970s, much like Air Force One, and is expected to keep flying through the 2020s. But to preserve the planes, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has had to use other military aircraft when traveling, including a C-17 Globemaster and a C-32 airliner, both smaller than the E-4B.
#Riyadh: King Salman received Gina Haspel, Director of the U.S Central Intelligence Agency, to discuss the longstanding Saudi-US partnership, and review a number of regional and international developments. pic.twitter.com/WRXuIpW4RX
CIA Director Gina Haspel met with Saudi Arabia's King Salman, a day after the Justice Department charged two former Twitter employees with spying on behalf of the kingdom.
The two discussed "a number of topics of mutual interest," according to state news agency SPA. The Saudi Embassy said the discussion included "the longstanding Saudi-U.S. partnership," and the two reviewed "a number of regional and international developments."
A senior American diplomat wrote a highly critical assessment of the Trump administration's abrupt withdrawal of troops from northeast Syria, officials say. https://t.co/50RhOKsk6t
Chile's President Sebastian Pinera announced a series of measures to tighten public order in the wake of three weeks of anti-government protests that have left 20 people dead https://t.co/qAYqAyoQWn
For 2nd time in 2019, Air Forces of #Israel, #Greece & #US are jointly practicing #SEAD operations during an exercise to increase their readiness to deal with danger of S-400 SAM systems which #Turkey has! F-16Cs of #USAF's 480th FS during #BlueFlag2019 at Ovda AFB 👇 pic.twitter.com/SxqXt9sJyX
About 4,000 people marched on Red Square, including members of historical clubs, youth troops, the presidential cavalry, the Moscow military orchestra and more. Kirill Zykov / Moskva News Agency
Thousands of troops, historical re-enactors and more marched across Red Square today to mark the 78th anniversary of one of the most famous Soviet military parades.
On Nov. 7, 1941, the Soviet Union held the October Revolution Parade, its first military parade during World War II. It's best known for taking place during the Battle of Moscow. Units marched from Red Square to the front, and many of the soldiers who marched were killed in the battle.
Nearly 80 years later, Moscow's most famous square is once again hosting this march — but this time, it's just a re-enactment.
Here's a look at the highlights from this year's event:
Police officers fire a weapon during clashes between protesters against Bolivia's President Evo Morales and government supporters, in La Paz, Bolivia November 7, 2019. Street clashes broke out on Thursday among supporters and opponents of Bolivia's government as an opposition leader planned a march to pressure President Evo Morales to resign after disputed elections last month. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
Throughout the Arab world there is a growing resistance to Iran's attempts to meddle in their affairs.
For all Iran's efforts to establish a powerful network of allies throughout the Middle East, Tehran's attempts to achieve its long-held goal of regional domination are currently experiencing their most severe challenge in years as a result of the anti-government protests that are taking place in Lebanon and Iraq.
A definitive report published in London this week by the influential International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank sets out in detail how Iran has spent decades building what it calls "networks of influence" throughout the Middle East in an attempt to gain an advantage over its many adversaries.
But while the IISS's report, "Iran's Networks of Influence in the Middle East", provides worrying detail about the extent of Iran's malign meddling in the affairs of neighbouring Arab states, Tehran now finds itself in a desperate battle to maintain its influence over Lebanon and Iraq, countries which, until the recent wave of anti-government protests erupted, were key targets for Iranian attempts to consolidate its grip over vital areas of the Middle East.
Iran is winning the strategic struggle for influence in the Middle East against its rival, Saudi Arabia, according to a study by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
Iran's regional rivals have spent billions of dollars on Western weaponry, much of it from the UK.
Yet for a fraction of that cost, sanctions-bound Iran has been able to successfully embed itself across the region into a position of strategic advantage.
It has a major influence - verging on a controlling influence in some cases - over the affairs of Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
A damage is seen on Iranian-owned Sabiti oil tanker sailing in the Red Sea, October 13, 2019. National Iranian Oil Tanker Company via WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo
Tehran discloses previously unreported incidents of alleged sabotage off coast of Saudi Arabia.
Iranian tankers have been targeted in the Red Sea three times in a six-month period, the Islamic Republic said last week, warning the international community the shipping route was unsafe.
Just one of the three incidents, an October 11 missile attack off Saudi Arabia's coast, had previously been reported.
The other two involved the Happiness 1 in April, which saw "engine failure and loss of control" and the Helm in August, which suffered unspecified "technical issues," the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing an Iranian government letter to the International Maritime Organization dated October 30.
WNU Editor: The missile attack on the Iranian-owned Sabiti oil tanker in the Red Sea last month made the international news. But the Iranians are vague on the other two incidents.
The results of a survey released November 6 by the Seoul-baed Korea Institute for National Unification's Lee Sang Sin shows the results of an "extreme hypothetical situation" in which South Koreans were asked if they would support North Korea or Japan in the event of a war between the two regional powers. Korea Institute of National Unification
If North Korea and Japan went to war, more South Koreans would back their immediate neighbor, a new poll by a state-sponsored think tank in Seoul showed.
The survey, conducted by research fellow Lee Sang Sin, was presented Wednesday as part of the Korea Institute for National Unification's 11th annual Peace Forum. Lee set out to determine the views of South Koreans at a critical juncture in Northeast Asia's power dynamics, and found they would more readily support longtime rival North Korea than fellow U.S. ally Japan should a conflict break out between the two.
"Under a rather extreme hypothetical situation in which war may break out between North Korea and Japan, 45.5 percent would choose to help North Korea, and 15.1 percent Japan," the survey, which was obtained by Newsweek, showed. "39.4 percent respond that they have no idea."
Lee also found that responses did not vary much by political party, with the right-wing Liberty Korea Party only slightly more decided on assisting either Japan or North Korea. Lee told Newsweek that the results were "not so surprising" for those following the trend in inter-Korean relations.
WNU Editor: North Korea is a brutal Communist dictatorship where most of its citizens are destitute. Japan is a liberal democracy and one of the richest countries in the world. But if given a choice on who to support in the event of war, the mass majority in South Korea would support North Korea. Cannot say that I am surprised by this. Even though Japan left the Korean peninsula 74 years ago, the bitterness of that occupation and Japan's reluctance to acknowledge it is a major wedge issue between the two peoples.
* Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York, is preparing to enter the Democratic presidential primary, according to NBC News, which cited a Bloomberg advisor. * "He's still not sure," a source told CNBC. This source also said these are "unprecedented times" and that Bloomberg is concerned about what he's seeing both from Democrats and President Donald Trump. * The New York Times reported Thursday, citing people briefed on the plans, that Bloomberg was working on entering at least one Democratic presidential primary and potentially the overall race for the chance to take on Trump.
Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York, is preparing to enter the Democratic presidential primary, according to NBC News, which cited a Bloomberg advisor.
The move didn't necessarily mean Bloomberg, 77, was announcing a campaign, a source close to Bloomberg told NBC News. Rather, this source said, he's doing this to keep his options open. Bloomberg is "troubled" by what he has seen in the Democratic field, the source added.
WNU Editor: He is 77 years old. Does he have the energy and stamina to run a campaign. Can he motivate voters to support him. It looks like we are going to find out very soon.
More News On Former New York City Mayor Bloomberg Preparing To Enter The Democratic Presidential Primary
US defense secretary compares artificial intelligence warfare buildup to space race
The Pentagon is racing to outpace China in building military artificial intelligence (AI) systems ranging from vehicle maintenance to advanced warfighting tools like cyber weapons and drones, according to US Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
"Whichever nation harnesses AI first will have a decisive advantage on the battlefield for many, many years," Esper said this week at a conference in Washington on artificial intelligence.
"We have to get there first. Future wars will be fought not just on the land and in the sea as they have for thousands of years, or in the air as they have for the past century, but also in outer space and cyberspace in unprecedented ways."
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Dow and S&P 500 notched record closing highs on Thursday as the latest signs of progress in U.S.-China trade relations relieved investors, but a report raising fresh worries about the outlook for a deal limited the day's gains.
China said it had agreed with the United States to remove tariffs in phases, while state-owned Xinhua News Agency said Beijing was also considering removing restrictions on poultry imports.
But indexes pared gains in afternoon trading after a Reuters report, citing sources, said that the White House's plan to roll back China tariffs faces internal opposition and that no final decision has been made yet.
An interim U.S.-China trade deal is expected to include a U.S. pledge to scrap tariffs scheduled for Dec. 15.
Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Wu said that people in Taiwan do not want the same situation that is happening in Hong Kong under the so-called 'one country, two systems' model [Fabian Hamacher/Reuters]
TAIPEI (Reuters) - Beijing could resort to military conflict with self-ruled Taiwan to divert domestic pressure if a slowdown in the world's second largest economy amid trade war threatens the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party, the island's foreign minister has said.
As Taiwan's presidential elections approach in January, China has stepped up a campaign to "reunify" with what it considers a wayward province, wooing away the island's few diplomatic allies and flying regular bomber patrols around it.
In an interview with Reuters, Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu drew attention to China's slowing economy amid its bitter trade war with the United States.
"If the internal stability is a very serious issue, or economic slowdown has become a very serious issue for the top leaders to deal with, that is the occasion that we need to be very careful," Wu said on Wednesday.
"We need to prepare ourselves for the worst situation to come...military conflict."
WNU Editor: Chinese leaders and top Chinese military officials have been saying for years that they have a right to invade Taiwan. The Taiwanese foreign minister is expressing his opinion on what he feels will be the conditions and reasons that China will use to do so.
Young men carrying batons and wearing masks chanted, 'Murderess, murderess,' as they marched Arce to a platform where they cut her hair before the baying mob
* Mayor Patricia Arce was dragged from the town hall in Vinto on Wednesday * Furious masked men chanted 'Murderess, murderess' and cut off her hair * Arce was released after four hours of degradation, the town hall was incinerated * Bolivia has been gripped by violence since Evo Morales re-election on Oct. 20
A Bolivian mayor has been doused in red paint and had her hair hacked off by protesters who blamed her for the deaths of two opposition protesters.
Patricia Arce, of the governing Mas party, was dragged out of Vinto town hall on Wednesday and subjected to four hours of degradation in which she was made to kneel and sign her resignation.
Young men carrying batons and wearing masks chanted, 'Murderess, murderess,' as they marched Arce to a platform where they cut her hair before the baying mob.
Bolivia has been gripped by deadly protests following President Evo Morales' election victory on October 20 over claims it was rigged.
Europe shouldn't make the "huge mistake" of avoiding dialogue with Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron told The Economist, continuing his recent overtures to the country that the West has shunned over its annexation of Crimea.
Macron previously attempted to bridge the European Union's differences with Moscow this summer, warning against the "strategic error" of isolating Russia and describing Russia as "deeply European." The EU, the United States and other Western allies have imposed a series of economic sanctions on Russia after it annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
WNU Editor: The French President is right. But that "dialogue" is not going to start until Russian President Putin is gone and/or the crisis and war in Ukraine is resolved.
French President Emmanuel Macron says Washington's antipathy to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) alliance is causing its "brain death", which should prompt the European Union (EU) to step up as a world power.
"What we are currently experiencing is the brain death of NATO," Mr Macron told The Economist magazine.
He said the United States under President Donald Trump appeared to be turning its back on Europe, notably by pulling troops out of North–East Syria without notice.
The attack is the deadliest in recent years as the military struggles to contain Islamist violence that has overrun parts of Burkina Faso.
NAIROBI — Thirty-seven civilians were killed and more than 60 wounded when gunmen ambushed a convoy transporting workers of Canadian gold miner Semafo in eastern Burkina Faso, regional authorities said on Wednesday.
The attack is the deadliest in recent years as the military struggles to contain Islamist violence that has overrun parts of Burkina Faso, in west Africa. Semafo tightened security last year following armed incidents near two of its mines in the country.
Semafo said in a statement earlier that the attack on a convoy of five buses with military escort took place on the road to its Boungou mine in the eastern region of Est, about 40 kilometres from Boungou, and that there were several fatalities and injuries.
* IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva warned global debt has surged to a all-time high * Debt is at $188 trillion - which is around 230 per cent of world's economic output * Kristalina Georgieva said high debt burdens left many governments vulnerable
Global debt has hit an all-time high of $188 trillion, which is more than double the output of the global economy, the IMF warned today.
The global debt load has surged to a new record of around 230 per cent of world's output, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said.
While private sector borrowing accounts for the vast majority of the total, the rise puts governments and individuals at risk if the economy slows, she said.
'Global debt - both public and private - has reached an all-time high of $188 trillion. This amounts to about 230 per cent of world output,' Georgieva said in a speech to open a two-day conference on debt.
Mark Zaid, one of the attorneys representing the intelligence community whistleblower at the center of the Democrats' ongoing impeachment inquiry, tweeted conspicuously in January 2017 that a "coup has started" and that "impeachment will follow ultimately."
Then, in July 2017, Zaid remarked, "I predict @CNN will play a key role in @realDonaldTrump not finishing out his full term as president." Also that month, Zaid tweeted, "We will get rid of him, and this country is strong enough to survive even him and his supporters."
Amid a slew of impeachment-related posts, Zaid assured his Twitter followers that "as one falls, two more will take their place," apparently referring to Trump administration employees who defy the White House. Zaid promised that the "coup" would occur in "many steps."
WNU Editor: President Trump is definitely living rent-free in Mark Zaid's head.
Update #3: As a CIA officer Mark Zaid's admission that he wants to start a coup can be interpreted as a act of sedition. But I am not there yet. I am just wondering why he has not been fired.
President Trump wanted Attorney General William P. Barr to hold a news conference declaring that the commander in chief had broken no laws during a phone call in which he pressed his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate a political rival, though Barr ultimately declined to do so, people familiar with the matter said.
The request from Trump traveled from the president to other White House officials and eventually to the Justice Department. The president has mentioned Barr's demurral to associates in recent weeks, saying he wished Barr would have held the news conference, Trump advisers say.
Iran's plans to increase its nuclear activity at Fordow raise concerns that Iran is positioning itself for a rapid nuclear breakout. It is now time for all nations to reject its nuclear extortion and increase pressure.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denounces Iranian 'extortion' and demands world powers act on nuclear deal breaches.
The United States has accused Iran of preparing "a rapid nuclear breakout" after it began pumping uranium gas into hundreds of centrifuges, another step that violates the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the comments on Thursday, after Iran stepped up activity at its underground Fordow nuclear plant. He warned against Tehran's "violence and terror" and urged the international community to take immediate action.
North Korea threatened Wednesday to walk away from upcoming talks with the U.S. if it doesn't further curtail planned military exercises with South Korea in December.
In a statement published through its state news service, Kwon Jong Gun with North Korea's Foreign Ministry said upcoming air force exercises between the allies amounts "to a declaration of confrontation with the DPRK," using the country's preferred acronym for itself.
The ambassador described the Pentagon's intentions to proceed with already pared down exercises as "reckless military frenzy" that is "extremely provocative and dangerous." Continuing with the exercises will "compel us to reconsider the crucial measures we have already taken."
* Anonymous official behind NYT op-ed has written a book called 'The Warning' * It claims White House aides made a 'tally' of possible plotters against Trump * They allegedly had 'no doubt' that Pence would sign off on using the procedure * Pence's camp immediately denied the claim, labeling it 'fake news' last night
White House aides believed Mike Pence would support using the 25th Amendment to remove Donald Trump, a new book has claimed.
The bombshell claim - immediately denied by the Vice President's camp - has emerged in a book by an anonymous Trump official entitled 'The Warning'.
The official is the same one who wrote a New York Times op-ed in 2018 claiming to be 'part of the resistance' inside the Trump White House.
In the book, the author claims that White House staff made a 'back-of-the-envelope tally' in 2017 of who would be willing to plot against Trump.
WNU Editor: The Pence team is denying these reports .... 'FAKE NEWS': Pence team denies anonymous op-ed author claim about 25th Amendment (Washington Examiner). More denials here .... Pence team denies anonymous author's claim that he would have backed removal of Trump (The Hill). As to what is my take on this claim. I am super skeptical. Vice President Pence has always backed the President, and for him to go behind his back and do this does not fit into his character. But the book is claiming that some White House aides believed that he would. There are a lot of people working in the White House, so unless the author behind this claim start naming names, I will treat this as fake news.
It's not just the 'Open Skies' treaty with Russia that's on the chopping block, but more significantly the two Cold War rivals' last major arms control treaty, New START, which is the landmark nuclear arms reduction treaty signed by the two superpowers in 1991 and took effect in 1994. It is set to expire in February 2021.
That would be a mere weeks after the next presidential inauguration. As NPR alarmingly put it this week: "The world's two nuclear superpowers have never unleashed their atomic arsenals against one another, but two longstanding agreements that have helped keep the United States and Russia from doing so now appear to be on the verge of collapse."
The Space Solar Power Incremental Demonstration and Research project will develop a network of satellites with enormous solar panels to harvest energy from the sun and beam it down to earth in the form of radio waves
* The new $100million project will develop a network of solar satellites into orbit * Energy from the sun will be collected by giant 10,000 square-meter solar panels * The solar energy will be converted to radio frequencies and then sent to Earth
The Air Force has announced a radical new plan to deliver power to military bases in remote locations or areas that lack stable power sources.
Through a new $100million partnership between with defense contractor Northrop Grumman, the Air Force Research Laboratory will develop a system of satellites with solar panels to harvest solar energy while in orbit around the Earth.
The energy gathered by the satellites will then be converted into radio waves and transmitted to the surface of the Earth where they will be converted back into usable energy.
WNU Editor: This technology is actually very old. I knew someone who was involved in researching this 25 years ago. The problem is that you lose a lot of energy when you transmit it thereby making it economically not feasible. Maybe they have overcome that hurdle?
MICHELLE OBAMA spent eight years in the White House alongside her husband Barack Obama, so it is no surprise the ex-First Lady felt stressed from time to time.
MELANIA TRUMP was attacked by protestors during her visit to Boston Medical Center as she cuddled babies born addicted to opiates as mothers used drugs while pregnant.
SHARK ATTACK horror has been renewed as a British man is believed to have been killed on Reunion Island, near Mauritius, reaffirming the location's reputation as a highly dangerous region where an array of deadly beasts roam.
A WORLD WAR 2 ship wreckage has been discovered after a 70-year search, unveiling a legendary vessel that played a huge role in a crucial battle before sinking in the Philippines Sea.
THE FALKLAND ISLANDS have been thrust into the political limelight once again after Argentine President-elect Alberto Fernandez made a revelation that Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn called him last week as the new leader in Buenos Aires vows to take back the British archipelago.
A Hong Kong university student who fell from height during a protest earlier this week died in the hospital Friday, a tragedy that may inflame further unrest in the city.
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology undergraduate, Chow Tsz-lok, 22, died around 8 a.m. of cardiac arrest, the Hospital Authority confirmed. Chow had been hospitalized with a severe brain injury since early Monday morning after he fell from a parking garage in the residential Tseung Kwan O neighborhood where police were attempting to disperse protesters.
Police told reporters Tuesday that Chow was found unconscious after falling 13 feet from the third to the second story of the car park early Monday morning between 12:45 and 1 a.m. A police spokesperson confirmed that tear gas had been fired near the car park where protesters and officers clashed. The exact reasons for Chow’s fall, and whether the tear gas played any role, remain unclear, however.
Both protesters and police have been hurt in the unrest that has roiled Hong Kong since June, but Chow is believed to be the first person to die as a result of injuries sustained during the demonstrations. His death is expected to spark fresh protests and escalate public outcry against the police force, which is already accused of using excessive force in its bid to quell the city’s worst political crisis in decades. One of the key protest demands is an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality.
Protesters have claimed that police blocked an ambulance from reaching Chow, and in doing so delayed the emergency medical response. Police have denied interfering.
On Thursday, Chow’s classmates at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), decried the police as they disrupted a graduation ceremony and chanted protest slogans.
A moment of silence for Chow was held during the university’s second day of commencement ceremonies Friday and a flashmob broke out over lunchtime in the city’s center.
The Provisional President of the university’s student union, Lai Wai-chun, said he hopes the school’s authorities can investigate the reasons for Chow’s fall and for the alleged delay in emergency medical personnel reaching him. “I think the whole of Hong Kong is very disappointed in the police, and does not have any expectation towards them,” Lai says.
Lai added that the university would hold a candlelight vigil at 6 p.m., in addition to an evening memorial at the car park where Chow fell.
The Hong Kong government said in a statement it expressed “great sorrow and regret” over the student’s death, and extended sympathies to his family. A “comprehensive investigation to find out what happened is being conducted,” it added.
News of Chow’s death comes as Hong Kong enters its sixth consecutive month of protests, which have increasingly been marked by anger towards police. Last month, two teenage protesters were shot with live rounds by officers. Both survived.
(TEHRAN, Iran) — A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck northwestern Iran early Friday, killing at least five people and injuring over 300 others, officials said.
The temblor struck Tark county in Iran’s Eastern Azerbaijan province at 2:17 a.m., Iran’s seismological center said. The area is some 400 kilometers (250 miles) northwest of Iran’s capital, Tehran.
Over 40 aftershocks rattled the rural region nestled in the Alborz Mountains, and residents rushed out of their homes in fear. The quake injured at least 312 people, state television reported, though only 13 needed to be hospitalized. It described many of the injuries happening when people fled in panic.
The head of Iran’s emergency medical services, Pirhossein Koulivand, gave the casualty figures to state television. There were no immediate video or images broadcast from the area.
Rescuers have been dispatched to the region, officials said. State TV reported the earthquake destroyed 30 homes at its epicenter.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake’s epicenter was at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). Shallow earthquakes tend to cause more damage.
Iran is on major seismic faults and experiences one earthquake a day on average. In 2003, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.
A magnitude 7 earthquake that struck western Iran in 2017 killed more than 600 people and injured more than 9,000.
The letter from the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs arrived in September 2019. My mother sent me a WhatsApp message of the letter, informing me that the Government of India was revoking my Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI). India doesn’t recognize dual nationality and the OCI – a permanent visa for persons of Indian origin – is the nearest equivalent to dual citizenship and provided to millions of Indians around the world. I had 21 days to respond and to contest their claims; it was day 20 when I had received the letter. If I didn’t respond it would be presumed I had nothing to say in the matter and my OCI would be cancelled. I responded by email immediately to contest their claims, with the Indian Consul General of New York acknowledging receipt, and a hard copy of which was delivered to the Home Ministry. Then, on November 7, after The Print reported that my status was under review, the government announced via Twitter that my OCI status had been withdrawn. This was the first I heard of it.
In May 2019, at the height of India’s general election, I had written an article for TIME that was critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The piece, one of two on the cover of TIME’s International Edition, examined his record in India and the atmosphere of Hindu nationalism. Something about the timing, the headline (“India’s Divider in Chief”) and the image of Modi sent his supporters into a fury. In the days and weeks that followed, people put false content on my Wikipedia page, accusing me of working as a “PR Manager” for the opposition Congress Party; they began on-line petitions denouncing me; they ran amok on social media, making multiple death threats and circulating multiple memes of me with a Pakistani eyepatch. Suddenly, I was portrayed as an agent of shadowy Western interests determined to exert undue influence over the Indian election.
I am Westernized; I am English-speaking; I am part of the despised elite whose entrenched power had helped fuel the rise of Modi. But there was another aspect of my identity that made me especially vulnerable to attack: my father was born in British India to a British mother and a father who became Pakistani when that country was created. And, within twenty-four hours of my piece being published, the BJP spokesman, Sambit Patra, seized on it to delegitimize me. Addressing a press conference, Patra said that the TIME story had been written by a Pakistani and “that nothing better could be expected from Pakistan.” It was a calculated and dangerous misrepresentation, which Prime Minister Modi himself soon seized on. “Time Magazine is foreign,” he said, “the writer has also said he comes from a Pakistani political family. That is enough for his credibility.” Not only was I not a Pakistani, but my relationship with my father – who was Governor of Punjab in Pakistan when he was assassinated in 2011 – had been complicated. Born out of wedlock, I was not in contact with my father until I was twenty-one. I was born in Britain and have British citizenship, but since the age of two I had lived and grown up in India, with my Indian mother, who is a well-known journalist. She had raised me on her own in Delhi and was always my sole legal guardian, and the only parent I knew for most of my life. It was why I had always been viewed as Indian in India and why I had been granted an OCI. The story of my parents’ brief, passionate relationship had in part been the subject of my first book, Stranger to History, which was published in 2009 and widely reviewed in India. I was living in India at the time, and at no time was my legal status ever questioned or challenged by the government until this September.
I had expected a reprisal, but not a severing. While the government did not initially reveal their motivations behind this action, they have now stated their reasons for removing my OCI: “concealed the fact that his late father was of Pakistani origin.” But it is hard not to feel, given the timing, that I was being punished for what I had written.
I read the letter, which in bland bureaucratic language informed me that the country I was raised in and lived in for most of my adult life was no longer mine: “after consideration of facts and circumstances in the matter, “ it read, “the Central government is of the provisional opinion that the registration as an OCI cardholder granted to Aatish Ali Taseer, may be cancelled under Section 7D(a) of the Citizenship Act, 1955, for obtaining OCI card by means of false representation and the concealment of material facts.”
The government had limited means by which they could legally take away my overseas citizenship. Yet they have now acted on those means. For 39 years, I had not so much as needed a visa for India and now the government was accusing me of misrepresenting myself, accusing me of defrauding them. Now, I may not even be able to obtain a standard tourist visa for India, the Consul General in New York informed me by telephone in September, as I have been accused of defrauding the government. “…[T]he registration of such a person,” reads the Home Ministry’s website, “will not only be cancelled forthwith but he/she will also be blacklisted preventing his/her future entry into India.” With my grandmother turning ninety next year – and my mother seventy — the government has cut me off from my country and family.
India is my country. The relationship is so instinctive that, like an unwritten constitution, I had never before felt it necessary to articulate it. I could say I was Indian because I had grown up there, because I knew its festivals and languages, and because all five of my books were steeped in its concerns and anxieties. Though I am a British citizen by birth, the OCI, as a substitute for dual citizenship, had made this bond even more real, as it had for so many people of Indian origin worldwide. Even though marriage had taken me to the US, I have returned to India frequently to write about it and to visit with the only family I have ever known. But to say as much was already to express a degree of removal that felt false. It was like making a case for why one’s name was one’s name. I was Indian because I just was. It was fundamental and a priori. It came before one’s reasons for why it was so. Now that it has been questioned in this letter from the Home Ministry, I felt an odd sense of pity—not for myself, but for my family in India. I thought of my grandmother who had raised me. I thought of how she had met the unconventionality of my mother’s situation—an unmarried woman with a love child—with unquestioned love. That love had given me my sense of belonging. I thought of how outraged she would be to learn that those bonds of affection by which she had bound me to my place were being questioned.
I was due to fly to India from Greece a few days later to finish filming a documentary, but a lawyer advised me that I could be exposing myself to detention if I were to do so. As a journalist I have been in many fearful places in my life – from interrogations in Iran to questioning by the mukhabarat in Assad’s Syria – but this was the first time I had thought of India in that way. Instead, I left Greece and headed back to the U.S.
It is easy to see my situation as individual or unique. But it is symptomatic of a much larger movement. The government that stripped me of my overseas citizenship had just stripped the state of Jammu and Kashmir of statehood, autonomy and basic human freedoms. In the northeastern state of Assam, it was acting to strip 1.9 million people – the great majority Muslim, – of citizenship, rendering them stateless. Earlier this month, some of the country’s most esteemed intellectuals—such as the historian Ram Guha and filmmakers Adoor Gopalkrishnan and Mani Ratnam—were charged with sedition for writing an open letter to Modi imploring him to do more to combat the public spectacle of mob lynchings that have become a frequent occurrence under his premiership (the charges were subsequently dropped).
Out of a habit of mind, I clung to the idea of India as a liberal democracy, the world’s largest. But entering the United States in September, I was aware for the first time that I was no longer merely an immigrant, no longer someone moving between his home country and an adoptive one. I was an exile.
(SEOUL, South Korea) — In an extremely unusual case, South Korea deported two North Korean fishermen on Thursday after finding they had killed 16 other crew members on their boat and then fled to South Korean waters, Seoul officials said.
The two North Koreans, both men in their 20s, were captured in their boat south of the countries’ eastern sea border last Saturday, according to Seoul’s Unification Ministry. It said a South Korean investigation later found the two had killed 16 colleagues, including the captain.
South Korea has a policy of accepting North Koreans who want to resettle in the South to avoid political oppressions and economic poverty at home. It is the first time that South Korea has deported any North Korean national who has come to South Korea since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, according to the Unification Ministry, which deals with North Korean affairs.
Ministry spokesman Lee Sang-min said South Korea decided to expel the two fishermen to North Korea because they were “heinous criminals” who could not be recognized as refugees under international laws. Lee said the two were sent back through the Koreas’ land border.
According to the South Korean investigation, 19 people were aboard the squid fishing boat when it left the North’s Kimchaek port on its east coast in August. While fishing in waters near Russia and elsewhere, the two men collaborated with another crew member and killed the captain, who they said had abused them. The trio later killed 15 other fishermen on the boat to cover up their action.
Kim Ju-hyung—APSouth Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo answers a lawmaker’s question about two North Koreans’ deportation during a defense committee meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on Nov. 7, 2019.
The three went back to Kimchaek port with the intention of moving to another region of North Korea. But the third fisherman was arrested near the port, and the two fled North Korea using the same boat, the Unification Ministry said, citing the government investigation.
When their boat sailed across the sea border last week, they were chased by a South Korean navy ship which fired warning shots at them. After two days, the two were captured by the South Korean navy on Saturday. They later told investigators they wanted to resettle in South Korea, but South Korean authorities determined they only wanted to avoid North Korean arrest and on Tuesday informed North Korea of their planned deportation, the ministry said.
Observers say the men are likely to receive heavy punishment in North Korea, including possible execution. Some South Korean media questioned why the South Korean government made the deportation decision so early and whether it should have allowed the North Koreans to go through a South Korean judicial process first.
North Korean fishing boats have occasionally drifted into South Korean waters, and South Korea has usually accepted those who chose to resettle and repatriated others who wished to return home.
About 32,000 North Koreans have fled to the South since the end of the Korean War, most of them via China and in the past two decades. North Korean defectors are a sore point in relations between the two Koreas, with the North often claiming its citizens are held against their will in the South.
Ties have been strained between the two Koreas as the North ramps up pressure on the United States to make concessions in deadlocked nuclear diplomacy.
Nine members of a prominent Mormon family in northern Mexico, all women and children, were gunned down on Nov. 4 in territory whose control is disputed by the Sinaloa Cartel and the La Linea militia.
Mexico, which has experienced highcrime for over a decade, has seen violence surge in recent weeks. On Oct. 17, a shootout in the city of Culiacan involving the Sinaloa Cartel led officials to release from custody Ovidio Guzman, the son of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
In the context of so much bloodshed, the LeBaron killings are both highly unusual and tragically quotidian.
In my 2018 book on American and Canadian-based religious enclaves in Mexico, I researched the Latter-Day Saints community and the LeBaron Mormons of Chihuahua state, near the U.S. border. Typically, these communities’ members are somewhat reluctant to talk to outsiders, beyond proselytizing.
But as a person of Mennonite background with relatives in Mennonite colonies in Mexico, I was able to interview members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints — the official name of the mainstream Mormon church — in northern Mexico.
Along with the Romneys — relatives of Sen. Mitt Romney, whose father was born in Mexico — the LeBarons are among the most storied families in Mormon history.
Members of Utah’s Latter-Day Saints community emigrated to Mexico in the 1880s to follow their religious beliefs by living in polygamous families, which was illegal in the United States. Polygamy was illegal in Mexico, too, but the government there offered a flexible definition of family and did not enforce its anti-polygamy laws.
Alma “Dayer” LeBaron, the patriarch, was born in 1886 and grew up as a Latter-Day Saint in Colonia Dublán, Chihuahua. In 1904, he married a women from nearby Colonia Juárez. She left him when he sought a polygamous marriage.
LeBaron fled the Mexican Revolution for Utah in 1912, where he married two women — Maude McDonald and Onie Jones — and had what’s been described as “a large family of sons.”
LeBaron and his big family returned to Mexico in 1924 to find that their Latter-Day Saint neighbors did not welcome their polygamy. So LeBaron established his own colony, called LeBaron, in Chihuahua, Mexico. Today it stretches approximately six miles along a municipal highway and is four miles wide, surrounded by fields. LeBaron also began his own Mormon church.
The LeBaron colony’s land may have been illegally purchased from this neighboring land grant. Area peasants called the LeBarons “American invaders” and destroyed their fences. This allowed cattle into the LeBaron’s fields, damaging their crops.
Judges in Mexico, however, sided with the LeBarons, whom they saw as productive members of the local economy. The land clashes between Mormon and Mexican ranchers have largely dissipated, though a flare-up occurred just last year.
After Alma Dayer LeBaron died in 1951, his sons — Joel, Ross, Ervil and Verlan — disagreed over the future of the church Alma had established, leading to violence within the family and the formation of new fundamentalist groups.
Ervil LeBaron was arrested and convicted for the 1972 murder of his brother Joel. That verdict was later overturned, but in 1981, a Utah court convicted Ervil of a different murder. He died in prison in 1981.
LeBaron and Sicilia reportedly fell out in 2012. But after the murder of Julián’s cousin and other family members on Nov. 4, Sicilia wrote a condolence letter encouraging Julián to “uncover the barbaric reality.”
Integration in Mexico
As their peace activism shows, the LeBarons are more integrated in Mexican society than other religious minority groups I’ve studied.
The LeBarons have long sought connections with fellow Mexicans to proselytize about their beliefs. And 39-year-old Alex LeBaron, from this community, has worked for the government of Chihuahua. From 2015 to 2018, he was even an elected official. Alex LeBaron also married a Mexican woman, Brenda Ríos, in a Catholic ceremony.
Like other northern Mexicans, the LeBarons are a thoroughly cross-border community. Much of their purchasing power in Mexico comes from remittances sent by male relatives who work in the U.S.
So the LeBarons may have an uncommon backstory. But from kidnappings to gruesome murders, they share a familiarity with tragedy that far too many Mexicans know far too well.
(MEXICO CITY) — Mexican security forces continue working inside a state prison in an operation that set off a night of chaos in Ciudad Juarez.
State prosecutor Jorge Nava says eight people were murdered in various incidents Tuesday night as some 850 local, state and federal officers raided the prison.
Four arrested suspects told authorities they were paid in methamphetamine to create a distraction. They burned five private vehicles and 10 buses, including one transporting assembly plant workers. Several workers suffered burns.
Nava said Wednesday it was a “Machiavellian plan to be able to get authorities to stop the operation.”
He did not provide details about the murders.
It was reminiscent of Oct. 17 shootouts in Culiacan that resulted in the release of a son of jailed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
(MIAMI) — U.S. ambassadors from El Salvador, Honduras and Haiti sent urgent cables to the White House in the early days of the Trump administration, pleading with them to abandon plans to send hundreds of thousands of migrants back to their home countries.
The cables, made public Thursday, expose the divide between career diplomats and a new administration eager to push through major hardline immigration policies even as it apparently weighed possible fallout on the 2020 presidential race.
Facing legal challenges, the Trump administration later backed down from its hardline position and last month it extended protections for at least a year as U.S. courts work through the disputes.
The internal State Department memos are contained in a report by Senate Democrats that sheds light on diplomats’ alarm ahead of the 2017 decision by the Trump administration to end protections for some 400,000 Central Americans and Haitians living legally in the U.S.
The report suggests that, for the Trump administration, concerns about mass removals of people taking place during the 2020 presidential campaign prevailed over national security warnings from top U.S. diplomats.
The apparent injection of electoral politics in what was supposed to be a policy decision about humanitarian protections for migrants from some of the Western Hemisphere’s poorest and most violent countries came from then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s policy planning staff, comprised of political appointees.
It contrasts with the recommendations of U.S. Embassies in the affected countries — El Salvador, Honduras and Haiti — as well as the State Department’s most-senior career diplomat at the time, then-Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon. He argued unsuccessfully that taking away so-called temporary protected status, or TPS, for the migrants would destabilize the region and damage the U.S.’ standing in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Nonetheless, the unclassified cables, some of which have surfaced in court battles, provide telling insight on how career officials and political appointees haggled over policy recommendations in the early days of the Trump administration, when the new president’s toughened stance on migration went against, in the case of TPS, decades of bipartisan consensus.
“A sudden termination of TPS for El Salvador would undermine additional cooperation to tackle the root causes of illegal migration and overwhelm the country’s ability to absorb the refugees,” then-U.S. Ambassador Jean Elizabeth Manes wrote in a July 2017 cable to Washington, one of several recommendations received that summer from veteran diplomats who strenuously objected to the decision.
They were backed by Shannon, who was even more unequivocal.
“It is our purpose to provide the best possible foreign policy and diplomatic advice,” Shannon wrote in a private letter to Tillerson, cited in the report by the minority staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “From my point of view that advice is obvious: extend TPS for the countries indicated.”
The arguments appear to have fallen on deaf ears. In the ensuing weeks, the Trump administration announced it was terminating the program for the three countries, giving migrants, some of whom had lived in the U.S. for two decades, 18 months to leave. The decision threatens to trigger an unprecedented wave of family separations as parents being expelled would be forced to choose between leaving behind their estimated 273,000 American children or exposing them to recruitment by powerful criminal gangs like El Salvador’s MS-13.
“Despite these warnings, the Trump administration recklessly sought to end the TPS designations for El Salvador, Honduras, and Haiti with full knowledge of the inherent dangers of its decisions,” Sen. Bob Menendez, the ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said in an introduction to the report titled “Playing Politics With Humanitarian Protections: How Political Aims Trumped U.S. National Security and the Safety of TPS Recipients.”
The State Department had no immediate comment on the report.
TPS was initially meant to aid people from countries facing wars or natural disasters. Citizens of Honduras were originally granted TPS in 1999 in the wake of overwhelming damage from Hurricane Mitch, while migrants from El Salvador and Haiti gained protection in 2001 and 2010 respectively following devastating earthquakes. Since then, migrants from all three countries have seen those protections extended multiple times as successive U.S. administrations, Republican and Democrat, have acknowledged the difficulty the politically and economically fragile countries would face reabsorbing such a large number of returnees.
Similar arguments are reflected in a lengthy “action memo” with a menu of options sent to Tillerson on Oct. 26, 2017.
In it, Simon Henshaw, then acting head of the State Department’s humanitarian bureau and now ambassador to Guinea, recommends extending TPS for all three countries. But he’s outmaneuvered by Francisco Palmieri, the then top acting diplomat in Latin America, who recommends the programs be terminated over three years.
Tillerson’s staff of political appointees endorses Palmieri’s recommendation but push for termination within two years, pointing out that a 36-month deadline would fall “directly in the middle of the 2020 election cycle.”
No further mention of the election is made, and it’s not clear why exactly Tillerson’s policy staff made mention of the race.
In the end, Tillerson was more eager, and with the stroke of a black pen scribbled “18 months” in three sections of the memo.
The mayor of a city in Bolivia was beaten, dragged through the streets barefoot, covered in red paint and had her hair forcibly cut by a crowd of masked protestors on Wednesday in what appears to be the latest outburst of political violence after a contested election last month.
Patricia Arce, the mayor of Vinto in Bolivia, is a member of President Evo Morales’s Movement to Socialism (MAS) party. The party blamed the attack on opposition protestors, according to local media.
Protesters marched to Vinto city hall in anger following reports of deaths caused when pro-government supporters, who were allegedly sent by the mayor, tried to break up anti-government blockade, local media said.
Arce was forced to walk to a bridge in Vinto, a small town in central Bolivia, by a crowd of masked protesters. There she was forced to kneel down for her hair to be cut and her body sprayed red.
She was then forced to hold a metal pole as she was paraded, barefoot, around the streets with red paint covering her face, hair and clothes.
Vean cómo llevan a la alcaldesa de Vinto, del MAS, en #Bolivia. Esto es parte del plan de golpe de Estado, los grupos de choque, la política del terror que despliega la derecha con Camacho a la cabeza. #6Novpic.twitter.com/KuhYqg80xz
In a video circulating on social media, Arce, surrounded by masked protestors said: “I’m not afraid to tell my truth. And I’m in a free country. And I’m not going to shut up and if they want to kill me, they kill me. As I’ve said before, for this process of change, I will give my life.”
Los opositores a Evo Morales lincharon y golpearon a la alcaldesa de Vinto. Le tiraron pintura y le cortaron el pelo. Esto respondió ella. pic.twitter.com/5XJygXcQ5S
The protestors, armed with wooden batons and stones, also set fire to the city hall, according to local media reports.
Arce was rescued by Police in Vinto after several hours of being tormented by protesters.
Daniel James—Los Tiempos Bolivia via ReutersPolice rescue Vinto mayor Patricia Arce Guzman on a motorcycle after people threw paint and dirt on her following a fire in Vinto’s Town Hall, in Quillacollo, Bolivia, on Nov. 6, 2019.
Morales condemned the attack on Arce. In a tweet in Spanish, he said: “All my solidarity with our sister, mayor of Vento, Patricia Arce, who was kidnapped and cruelly harassed for expressing and defending her ideals and the principles of the poorest.
“We condemn the violent actions that cause grief and pain in the Bolivian family,” Morales added.
Toda mi solidaridad con nuestra hermana alcaldesa de Vinto, Patricia Arce, secuestrada y vejada cruelmente por expresar y defender sus ideales y los principios de los más pobres. Condenamos las acciones violentas que causan luto y dolor en la familia boliviana.
Morales, Bolivia’s longest ruling leader with 14 years in office, has been accused by his nearest rival for the presidential election, Carlos Mesa, of “a monumental fraud” to get re-elected. The vote is bitterly disputed.
Allegations of fraud emerged on election day after officials abruptly stopped reporting vote results. Morales was beating the eight other candidates at the time of the cutoff, but was also falling short of the percentage needed to avoid a runoff election. A day later, on Oct. 21, the officials released an updated figure showing a sudden surge in Morales’ vote percentage. The figures showed Morales just 0.7% short of the 10-percentage point advantage needed to avoid a runoff.
The European Union and the U.N. expressed concern about the vote, but Morales rejected a request by the Organization of American States for the vote to go to a second round because of the concerns.
Since October, protests in Iraq and Lebanon have re-energized the Middle East region as hundreds of thousands of young people descend onto public squares, repeating 2011 Arab Spring slogans that call for regime downfall. But while Iraq and Lebanon could offer great promise if protesters learn from past failures in the region, they could also prove to be bloodier if Iran gets its way.
Middle East protests that have taken hold in the past decade have had their own unique characteristics, but similarities between Iraq and Lebanon are uncanny. Both are highly segmented societies that have undergone painful sectarian civil wars. Both have power-sharing constitutions or political pacts that attempt to keep the peace by dividing spoils of the state, government roles and administrative positions, and parliamentary seats along ethno-sectarian lines. But the more ominous similarity is the well-known interference of Iran into their domestic politics.
Iran’s financial, political and military support for Lebanon’s Hezbollah and for Iraq’s dominant political class in Baghdad from the Dawa party to the Hashd al-Shaabi militant group is clearly menacing. In the early days of Iraq’s protests in October, black clad snipers believed to be Iranian forces took to Baghdad rooftops to take pot shots at protesters using live ammunition; in Lebanon, unknown assailants believed to be with Hezbollah tore down protesters’ tent encampments and physically assaulted protesters in Beirut streets.
Protesters have learned from previous Arab Spring masses to use their vast numbers to barricade themselves from security forces and not give up an inch of Baghdad’s Tahrir Square and Beirut’s Martyrs’ Square. They use social media to garner global attention and keep the cameras rolling; and in the case of Iraqis, they find alternate means of getting their messages and videos out to the world when the government shuts down the Internet. Iraqi and Lebanese activists have used non-sectarian and nationalistic messages to counter the existing narratives of political incumbents. In Iraq, hashtags include ‘I want a nation’; in Lebanon ‘all of them, meaning all of them’. They have both held up posters that point to sectarianism as the source of ills in their countries. Increasingly they are also fighting against messaging from the Iranian government and its local media, which says protesters are paid tools of Western intelligence services.
In Lebanon and Iraq, protesters want an overhaul of the entire political structure that uses sectarianism as an excuse for ineptness, depends on cronyism that leads to systemic corruption, and encourages political in-fighting that leads to indecisive policies. Unlike previous Arab Spring movements, they are no longer satisfied with the mere removal of a prime minister here and a president there.
Both countries suffer from enormous dilapidation and underfunding of public infrastructure and services. Young protesters have no memory of foreign invasions and civil wars; they just want a functioning government to deliver consistent electricity, responsibly manage state budgets, and find ways to encourage job growth. Too many Iraqis complain that the security sector is one of the few places to find employment; young Lebanese feel that with 40% youth unemployment they have to leave the country with the vast majority of other Lebanese to find decent work.
Iraq sits on a healthy current account surplus, and earned $65 billion in oil export revenue in 2018 — yetits government cannot seem to provide clean drinking water to the oil-rich region of Basra. The Lebanese parliament had the audacity to ask for a 20 cent tax on citizens’ WhatsApp calls, while its Prime Minister had given $16 million to a South African supermodel for no clear reason.
Like previous Arab Spring protests, Iraqis and Lebanese see corruption as the cause of their countries’ ills. But they have an advantage that neither Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Bahrain, or Syria had: they are imperfect and nascent democracies. Using the ballot box to usher in competent new leaders is a strategy and avenue for change that other Arab youth did not have.
This is also a challenge as the structure of the democratic process in both Lebanon and Iraq favors sectarian parties over brokerage ones. The incumbent political class will not want to dismantle the inefficient sectarian system that brought them to power. And will Iran crush the protesters before they have a chance to get their technocratic caretaker governments? For now, the at times festive and carnival nature of the Iraqi and Lebanese protests mask nervous fears on the streets that Iran would deploy its local militias to put an end to the protests. That would foreshadow an end to the demonstrations, much like previous Arab Spring protests.
(THE HAGUE, Netherlands) — The International Criminal Court passed its highest ever sentence Thursday, sending a Congolese warlord known as “The Terminator” to prison for 30 years for crimes including murder, rape and sexual slavery.
Bosco Ntaganda was found guilty in July of 18 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role as a military commander in atrocities during a bloody ethnic conflict in a mineral-rich region of Congo in 2002-2003.
Ntaganda showed no emotion as Presiding Judge Robert Fremr passed sentences ranging from eight years to 30 years for individual crimes and an overarching sentence of 30 years.
The court’s maximum sentence is 30 years, although judges also have the discretion to impose a life sentence. Lawyers representing victims in the case had called for a life term.
Fremr said despite the gravity of the crimes and Ntaganda’s culpability, his convictions “do not warrant a sentence of life imprisonment.”
Ida Sawyer, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Africa division, welcomed the ruling.
“Bosco Ntaganda’s 30-year sentence sends a strong message that even people considered untouchable may one day be held to account,” Sawyer said.
Jolino Makelele, a spokesman for the government in Democratic Republic of Congo, or DRC, said: “We think that justice was done for the victims.”
Ntaganda, who has insisted he is innocent, became a symbol of widespread impunity in Africa in the seven-odd years between first being indicted by the global court and finally turning himself in in 2013 as his powerbase fell apart.
Physicians for Human Rights said the sentencing set an important precedent. But Karen Naimer, who directs the group’s program on sexual violence in conflict zones, added that “international and local prosecution efforts must be dramatically strengthened if we are to curb the rampant impunity for mass atrocities we see in the DRC and elsewhere around the world.”
Judges at Ntaganda’s trial said he was guilty as a direct perpetrator of a murder and as an indirect co-perpetrator of a string of crimes including murders, rapes of men and women, a massacre in a banana field and of enlisting and using child soldiers.
Child soldiers also were raped by Ntaganda’s troops and forced into sexual slavery, leaving them with lasting physical and psychological scars. Ntaganda himself used child soldiers as bodyguards.
“Some individuals who survived or witnessed the murders and attempted murders that Mr. Ntaganda was convicted of still bear permanent scars, both physical and psychological, including long-term memory loss, neurological disturbances and extensive physical scarring,” Fremr said.
Ntaganda testified for weeks in his own defense, saying he wanted to put the record straight about his reputation as a ruthless military leader.
He was the deputy chief of staff and commander of operations for rebel group the Patriotic Forces for the Liberation of Congo. The force’s leader, Thomas Lubanga, was convicted by the ICC in 2012 of using child soldiers. He is serving a 14-year prison sentence.
Ntaganda earned a higher sentence because he was convicted of far more crimes.
He has already launched an appeal against his convictions and has 30 days to appeal against his sentence.
In their unanimous 117-page ruling, the three judges said they could find no mitigating factors that warranted reducing Ntaganda’s sentence.
But they found plenty of aggravating circumstances, identifying in the murder convictions the “particular cruelty” of several crimes, the “defenselessness of some of the victims” and the fact that Ntaganda, as a high-ranking commander, personally murdered a man in front of his subordinates.
Xavier Macky, executive director of the human rights group Justice Plus in Bunia, Congo, said he wants victims to receive compensation.
“This sentence will help heal not only survivors but those who lost their loved ones during the atrocities of Bosco Ntaganda,” Macky said.
Under the court’s rules, victims can apply for reparations. The court said in a statement that “issues related to the procedure for victims’ reparations will be addressed in due course.”
The Hague-based court was set up to prosecute atrocities around the world where national authorities are unable or unwilling to hold trials. It has faced opposition and criticism, most notably from the United States, which is not a member state of the court.
President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, John Bolton, last year said the U.S. wouldn’t cooperate with the court, adding that “for all intents and purposes, the ICC is already dead to us.”
____
Saleh Mwanamilongo in Kinshasa, Congo, and Al-Hadji Kudra Maliro in Beni, Congo, contributed to this report.
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Punjab GDS Result 2019 – @ appost.in | Check Punjab GDS Results Merit List PDF: Punjab Postal Circle is going to announce the result for the post of Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) by November 2019. Candidates those who have applied for the post can check and download your result from the below link. Here on this page, we will be updating the latest result link and it will activate at the time of result announcement. Punjab GDS Result will be published in the form of a merit list of the candidates who submitted their applications successfully.
Punjab GDS Result 2019 – Click Here @ appost.in
The application process for the recruitment of eligible candidates for the post of Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) was invited in the month of August 2019. This recruitment drive has been conducted for the recruitment of 851 candidates for the post of GDS in Punjab state. The Punjab Post circle GDS merit list will be purely based on the marks of the candidates in SSC. On this page, anyone can check the All-State Postman & Mail Guard Result Result 2019 by using the direct link Indian Post Office Result 2019. Registered candidates can download their result from this page directly by visiting this page. The Punjab Postal Circle GDS Merit List pdf link will activate at the time of the official announcement.
Punjab Postal Circle GDS Result 2019 – Overview
Punjab Postal Circle GDS Merit List 2019 – Get Cut off Marks
Candidates having their names in the Punjab GDS merit list will be called for the next selection round document verification (DV). Punjab GDS Final Selection list will decide, after the completion of the Document Verification Process. The given article includes all the crucial information about Check Punjab GDS Results Merit List PDF. Candidates here will get details about result announcements, how to download the Punjab GDS Results 2019, document verification and about other related details.
Punjab Postal Circle GDS Merit List 2019
The Merit list decided by the authorities which will be based on some rules. The candidates get selected based on the Merit qualify in the 10th/SSLC Examination. Selection will be purely based on merit. The Punjab GDS Merit list will prepare by provisional, and the final selection list will announce later.
How to download Punjab GDS Results/ Merit List 2019?
Candidates must visit the official website of the Gramin Dak Sevak Engagement portal www.appost.in.
On the home page, search for the "Results" tab.
Click on the "Punjab (851 posts)" link.
The desired merit list for Punjab GDS will be download by clicking the respective result link
Check the name in the Punjab Postal Circle Gramin Dak Sevak Results 2019
Indian Post Office Result 2019 – In this home page applicants can get all results depends on the Indian Post Office Result 2019 Punjab, Karnataka, Kerala, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Himachal Prades, Rajasthan, and Delhi. We have dedicated this page to update all the latest results regarding the Indian Post Office. The result will be declared online and the result is all set to release soon. Registered candidates can download their result from this page directly by visiting this page. Because here we will update the latest result link. It will work once the result has been announced officially. The result will generate on the basis of marks obtained by the Candidates in the Qualifying Exam.
Punjab GDS Result 2019– @ appost.in |Check Punjab Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) Result, Merit list here: Punjab Postal Circle is going to announce the result for the post of Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS). Candidates those who have applied for the post can check and download your result from the below link. Here on this page, we will be updating the latest result link and it will activate at the time of result announcement. Punjab GDS Result will be published in the form of a merit list of the candidates who submitted their applications successfully.
Karnataka GDS Result 2019 @ appost.in | Get Direct link for Karanataka GDS Result 2019, Merit list here: Karnataka Postal Circle will soon announce the result for the post of Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS). Candidates those who have applied for the post can check and download your result from the below link. Here we have given a quick link to access your result easily. Candidates can get the complete details from the official website i.e, www.appost.in. On this page, anyone can check the Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) Result 2019 by using the direct link.
Karnataka Postal Circle GDS Result 2019
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India Post, Ministry of Communication, Govt. of India
Kerala GDS Result 2019 – The result for Kerala Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) 2019 is will be announced soon. Kerala post circle GDS Result will be hosted on the official GDS engagement portal on the scheduled dates. The updates about the Kerala GDS result dates and links will be updated on the below table. The Kerala GDS result will be made available as the merit list of the shortlisted candidates. Kerala GDS result for cycle II 2019 will be announced shortly. Those who are waiting for the release of the result are advised to regularly visit this page GDS portal so that they can get all the latest updates.
Kerala GDS Result 2019
Organization Name
India Post, Ministry of Communication, Govt. of India
Assam GDS Result 2019 – @ appost.in |Check Assam GDS Result Merit list 2019 here: Assam Postal Circle is going to announce the result for the post of Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS). Candidates who have applied for the Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) post can check and download your result from the below link. Here on this page, we will be updating the latest result link and it will activate at the time of result announcement. Assam Circle GDS Result will be published in the form of a merit list of the candidates who submitted their applications successfully.
Bihar GDS Result 2019 – @ appost.in |Check Bihar GDS Result Merit list 2019 here: The Bihar Postal Circle is going to announce the result for the post of Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS). Candidates who have applied for the GDS post can check the Bihar GDS Result 2019 Expected Date from this page. Also, download your Bihar GDS Result Pdf from the below link. Here on this page, we will be updating the latest result link and it will activate at the time of result announcement. Bihar GDS 1063 Result will be published in the form of a merit list of the candidates who submitted their applications successfully.
Gujarat GDS Result 2019 – @ appost.in |Check India Post GDS Gujarat Result 2019 here: The Gujarat Postal Circle is going to announce the result for the post of Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS). Candidates who have applied for the GDS post are eagerly waiting to when Gujarat GDS Result will be declared. Here on this page, we will be updating the latest Gujarat GDS Result Pdf link and it will activate at the time of result announcement. Gujarat Post GDS Result will be published in the form of a merit list of the candidates who submitted their applications successfully.
Jharkhand Postal Circle GDS Result 2019 – Jharkhand Postal Circle has announced the result for the post of Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) on 05th September 2019. Candidates those who have applied for the post can check and download your result from the below link. Here we have given a quick link to access your result easily. Apart from these candidates can get the complete details from the official website i.e, www.indiapost.gov.in. On this page, anyone can check the Postman & Mail Guard Result Result 2019 by using the direct link.
Jharkhand Postal Circle GDS Result 2019
Organization Name
India Post, Ministry of Communication, Govt. of India
Jharkhand Postal Circle GDS Result 2019 – Click Here
HP Postal Circle GDS Result 2019 – Himachal Pradesh Postal Circle has announced the result for the post of Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) on 05th September 2019. Candidates those who have applied for the post can check and download your result from the below link. Here we have given a quick link to access your result easily. Apart from these candidates can get the complete details from the official website i.e, www.indiapost.gov.in. In this page, anyone can check the Postman & Mail Guard Result Result 2019 by using the direct link.
HP Postal Circle GDS Result 2019
Organization Name
India Post, Ministry of Communication, Govt. of India
Kerala Postal Circle Postman & Mail Guard Result 2019 – Kerala Postal Circle has announced the result for the post of Postman & Mail Guard. Candidates those who have applied for the post can check and download your result from the below link. Here we have given a quick link to access your result easily. Apart from these candidates can get the complete details from the official website i.e, www.indiapost.gov.in. In this page, anyone can check the Postman & Mail Guard Result Result 2019 by using the direct link.
Kerala Postal Circle Postman & Mail Guard Result 2019
Organization Name
India Post, Ministry of Communication, Govt. of India
Kerala Postal Circle Postman & Mail Guard Result 2019 – Click Here
Rajasthan Postal Circle GDS Result 2019 – Rajasthan Postal Circle has announced the result for the post of Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) on 05th August 2019. Candidates those who have applied for the post can check and download your result from the below link. Here we have given a quick link to access your result easily. Apart from these candidates can get the complete details from the official website i.e, www.indiapost.gov.in. In this page, anyone can check the GDS Result 2019 by using the direct link.
Rajasthan Postal Circle GDS Result 2019
Organization Name
India Post, Ministry of Communication, Govt. of India
Rajasthan Postal Circle GDS Result 2019 – Click Here
Delhi Gramin Dak Sevak Merit list Pdf 2019 – GDS Result for Delhi GDS Dak Sevak has announced on 05th September 2019. GDS Result has prepared and published only on the basis of marks secured by the candidates in the 10th standard (SSC). Delhi GDS Recruitment 2019 has invited 174 vacancies for Delhi Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS). The GDS Post will select according to the Merit List. The Selection test for the Merit list will announce it soon. Applicants will receive an update regarding the selection list date. Also, Applicants can get the GDS Result date, GDS Selection test date and other latest information from this page.
Delhi GDS Dak Sevak Result
Organization Name
India Post, Ministry of Communication, Govt. of India
The official department will publish the Delhi Post GDS Merit List 2019 soon on the official portal. Candidates, please stay connects with us for the latest updates related to the Delhi Post GDS Merit List 2019. Applicants who have applied for this Recruitment can check Gramin Dak Sevak Merit List 2019 soon from the official website. Also, Applicants can get the zone wise Delhi GDS Result 2019. The result pdf is going to indicate the following information about the result.
Names of the selected candidate (not in merit order)
Registration no./ Application No.
Post name
Postal circle Division name
Head Office (HO)
Sub Office name (SO)
Branch Office (BO)
Marks percentage of the selected candidates
Category
Delhi GDS candidates waiting for the publication of results can check the same by following the given procedure once it will be made available online. Candidates can visit the official page or our site on a regular basis for the latest updates. According to the updates, the Indian Post declares the Delhi GDS Result. The department also releases Delhi Postal Circle GDS Merit List 2019 along with the cut off marks. Delhi Postal Circle department soon confirm Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS), Merit List, & Cut off Marks released Date. The board will be selected qualified candidates in the Delhi Postal Circle GDS Cut off 2019 Category Wise. The Gramin Dak Sevak Cut off Marks release along with GDS Result 2019. We have given the link of GDS Result 2019.
Delhi Gramin Dak Sevak Merit List 2019
In the upcoming time, the Delhi Gramin Dak Sevak Merit List 2019 will be released, Participators can get through our site. In the Delhi Gramin Dak Sevak Jobs, Applicants will be selected on the basis of Delhi Postal Circle GDS Result. Here, We will provide you the Delhi Post Office GDS Merit List 2019 link as per the official announcement for your convenience. Applicants will get a higher priority in the Interview, based on the Gramin Dak Sevak Merit List 2019.
Steps to check Gramin Dak Sevak Merit list Pdf
First of all, Candidates need to visit the official site i.e, www.indiapost.gov.in
Then click on the link of the Delhi Postal GDS Result.
Fill complete required details in the form.
Then click on the submit button.
At last, save the soft copy in your desktop and also take the hard copy of the result.
Direct link to download Gramin Dak Sevak Merit List 2019
PPSC Admit Card 2019. The PPSC Civil Judge Hall Ticket is going to be released by Punjab Public Service Commission. Hence, the admit card will be available on 09th November 2019. Download the admit card through the direct link provided at the bottom 0f the page. Moreover, the PPSC Civil Judge Exam will be held from 22nd to 24th November 2019. Scroll down the webpage to get the PPSC Admit Card link and to know more about the exam details.
PPSC Admit Card 2019
Punjab PSC Admit Card is a vital document to take down the Civil Judge Exam. Without the PPSC Hall Ticket, examiners will not be allowed to enter the examination hall. Contenders are suggested to download the admit card before the exam date. We have given you several steps to follow while PPSC Admit Card Download 2019. Those who want to download the PPSC Hall Ticket can follow the steps. Make sure that all the participants have to enter the valid login details to get the PPSC Hall Ticket.
PPSC Exam Admit Card 2019 – Overview
Description
Details
Name of the Board
Punjab Public Service Commission
Name of the Post
Civil Judge (Junior Division) Cum Judicial Magistrate
Details to be Check with PPSC Civil Judge Admit Card 2019
Enter the Application Number and Password to download the PPSC Admit Card. As the board has announced the selection process as Prelims Exam, Mains Exam, and viva voce. To participate in all the selection rounds candidates have to carry the PPSC Exam Hall Ticket. Thus, the admit card will contain the information listed below.
Candidate’s Name
Date of Birth
Exam Venue and Address
Exam Timing
Date of examinations
PPSC Civil Judge Exam Date 2019
Punjab Public Service Commission has declared the exam date on 22nd to 24th November 2019. Hence, the board will release the Mains exam date and as well as the date for Viva Voce. Get PPSC Syllabus from the session. Download the syllabus pdf and make preparations according to that. The exam center and the center code will be printed on the admit card.
Important Things to Download PPSC Hall Ticket 2019
Carry any of the original document to the examination hall. If he/ she found any mistake after downloading the PPSC Admit Card should contact the officials without delay. Get the corrected admit card and appear for the exam at the scheduled date and time. Reporting time and the exam duration will be mentioned in the PPSC Exam Admit Card.
Original Photograph
Voter Card
Pan Card
Employee ID
College ID
PAN Card
Passport
Driving License
Any other ID proof issued by a Gazetted Officer
Bank Pass Book with the photograph
How to Download PPSC Admit Card 2019?
Click on the ” PPSC Hall Ticket” link.
Enter the login details and Date of Birth.
Click on to the Login option to get the admit card.
Now, the PPSC Civil Judge Admit Card will appear on the screen.
Fill all the required details in the hall ticket.
Make sure with the details that you have entered.
Once done with the process, Get on to the download option.
Download the PPSC Civil Judge Hall Ticket.
Take a photocopy of the admit card.
Carry for all the selection rounds.
All The Best for PPSC Civil Judge Examination 2019
MKU Results 2019 – Check the Madurai Kamaraj University UG CBCS Results, students those who are studying under the Madurai Kamaraj University and appeared for the Examination can check the MKU Exam Results from the official website of the University i.e, mkuniversity.ac.in. The University has declared the results of UG CBCS Revaluation Results of MCA, MBA, MSW, M.Com, M.A, M.Sc & others. Those who have applied for the Revaluation results can check the results on this page as well as on the University online portal. We have provided a direct link from the below table to get the results without any confusion and they can download the results individually. Anyone can get the results for all the Students like, Under Graduate, Post Graduate, and Regular/ Supplementary Students.
Madurai Kamaraj University has published the regular and MKU Revaluation Results 2019 UG. The University had conducted the UG, PG semester examination in the months of April 2019. Those who have applied for MKU Revaluation can now check out the UG Results here. So, UG CBCS Revaluation Results for the following Courses MCA, MBA, MSW, M.Com, M.A, M.Sc, and others. In order to qualify the exam students must pass in both theory/practical exams and also score the minimum qualifying marks required to pass the university semester exam. Students can check the Revaluation results from this page. Apart from this Students can check the MKU Exam Time Table, Admit card, Syllabus and Previous Paper and others. We advise the Students to keep connected to the official website of the University to get the latest MKU Results 2019.
Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) is a public university in Madurai town in the southern province, India. it was established in 1966 and has about 130,000 students in eighteen colleges comprising seventy-two departments and 109 affiliated faculties. The MK University campus is located at Palkalai Nagar in the Madurai to Theni High road. The university campus is located 13 kilometers far from the Periyar Bus stand and railway station, 18 kilometers far away from the Integrated bus stand Mattuthavani. Buses are frequently accessible from the Periyar Bus stand.
MKU Revaluation Results 2019 PG
Students have a chance to apply for the revaluation, if the students may get low marks in the examination, they can apply for the Revaluation results. So again the head of the Examiner will review the answer paper. After revaluation, students may get high marks. Still, if anyone got low marks, they can apply for the Supplementary Examinations. For Revaluation/Supplementary, students should pay the fee. Students can get all the results from this page Regular, Revaluation and Supplementary Results. Students of Madurai Kamaraj University can also get the MBA Results Also. Just we are advising the Students to frequently visit this page to get the latest updates of all MKU Revaluation Results 2019 UG.
Kerala PSC Hall Ticket 2019 for all Kerala Public Service Commission recruitment 2019-20 is given on our page. Aspirants who applied for the Tulasi Kerala PSC vacancies can find the direct download link below. To make it easy for the candidates we have given the vacancy wise links in the tabular section below.
Kerala PSC Hall Ticket 2019
Applied for the Kerala PSC recruitment 2019, then come and find the admit card link for the vacancy applied here. The direct links for the Kerala PSC admit card are tabulated below. Click on the link check the exam date and other details and download the admit card.
Generally, Kerala Public Service Commission Recruitment allows the applicants to download the admit card 20 days before the exam date. Hence, will activate the link when the board makes the admit card live. Hence, keep checking the page for more updates. Interested aspirants can check the official website for more details regarding the Kerala Public Service Commission Hall Ticket online download date and links.
Kerala Public Service Commission Exam Admit Card 2019 – Details
Kerala PSC Hall Ticket 2019 for Tracer & Junior Instructor is releasing Today @ keralapsc.gov.in. Thus, Candidates who are looking forward to download the admit card should be eligible to take down the examination. The Kerala Public Service Commission will issue the hall ticket for the above-said post on today. Aspirants can find the direct link at the bottom of the section to download the Kerala PSC Junior Instructor Hall Ticket 2019.
Kerala PSC Junior Instructor & Tracer Admit Card 2019 – Download Here
Kerala PSC Hall Ticket 2019
Kerala Public Service Commission has now announced the admit card for the post of Senior Superintendent, Inspector, Development and Accounts Officers on its official portal. Hence, the admit card is now available to download in the below section. Thus, the direct link has been activated in the upcoming table. Candidates who have applied in the special recruitment process for ST only can now download the Kerala PSC Hall Ticket from here.
Kerala Public Service Commission Hall Ticket 2019 – Download Here
Kerala PSC VEO Admit Card 2019
Kerala Public Service Commission has declared the exam date for the post of Village Extension Officers (VEO). The Kerala PSC VEO Exam will be held on 14th December 2019 for the districts of Trivandrum and Kozhikode. For the districts of Kollam, Idukki, and Kannur the exam date has been declared as 26th October 2019. Moreover, the Kerala PSC Admit Card will be released on 30th November 2019.
Kerala Public Service Commission Admit Card 2019 – Download Here
Kerala Public Service Commission VEO Exam Notice 2019 – Get Here
Kerala PSC Admit Card
The authority of the Kerala Public Service Commission board had called out for the Kerala PSC Recruitment 2019. And many aspirants applied for the various Civil Police Officer Posts available. Now, all those job applicants can get ready to download the Kerala PSC Hall Ticket 2019. Additionally, the Thulasi PSC Hall Ticket 2019 is compulsory to attend the Kerala PSC Exams. The candidates can download Kerala PSC Call Letter from the below-given link once it is sent by the Kerala PSC Authority.
The Kerala PSC Hall Ticket 2019 for the post-Full-Time Junior Lecturer will be released shortly. Furthermore, the Kerala PSC Recruitment notification for these posts was sent recently. And many of the aspirants had applied for it online. And the Kerala PSC Exams for Junior Lecturer will be conducted for which the Kerala PSC Thulasi Hall Ticket will be issued shortly. Moreover, any further details about the Thulasi PSC Call Letter 2019 will be available here.
Full-Time Junior Language Teacher Hall Ticket
Kerala PSC Call Letter
Applicants for the Driver Job Posts can find their Kerala PSC Hall Ticket 2019 here. And the Kerala PSC Board will send the Kerala PSC Exam Admit Card 2019 once the recruitment process is completed. Also, the date of the Kerala PSC Examination will be announced shortly. Therefore, applicants keep in touch with this page to get more information about the Kerala PSC Thulasi Hall Ticket 2019.
Kerela PSC Thulasi DriverAdmit Card
KPSC Kerala Admit Card
If you are one among those who had applied for the KPSC Recruitment 2019. And preparing yourself for the upcoming KPSC Exams then you are at the right place. Here you can find Kerala PSC Hall Ticket 2019. Furthermore, the link provided below this paragraph is to download the Kerala PSC Admit Card 2019 for Confidential Asst Grade-II Posts. The applicants can download the KPSC Kerala Admit Card 2019 as soon as it is released by the KPSC Thulasi Authority.
Kerela PSC Confidential Asst Grade II Admit Card
Kerala Thulasi PSC Call Letter
The Kerala PSC Hall Ticket 2019 for Vocational Instructor Posts can be found here. Recently the recruiting authority of the Kerala Public Service Commission had sent the Kerala PSC Notification to fill up the above-mentioned posts. Now, all the applicants can get your respective Thulasi PSC Hall Ticket 2019 from the link provided below once it is made available by the KPSC Kerala recruitment officials. And the candidates can download the Kerala PSC Exam Hall Ticket 2019.
All the individuals who had applied for the High School assistant posts, here is the latest news for you. And that is, Kerala PSC Hall Ticket 2019 will be available soon. The Kerala KPSC Admit Card is important for all those who are taking the Kerala PSC Exams. Furthermore, the Thulasi PSC Call Letter 2019 can be downloaded from the link given below. So, candidates stay in touch with this page and download the Kerala PSC Thulasi Hall Ticket 2019.
Thulasi PSC 2019 High School Asst Admit Card
Kerala Public Service Commission Hall Ticket 2019
All the individuals applied for the KPSC Lecturer Jobs are now in search of Kerala PSC Hall Ticket 2019. Henceforth, all those aspirants can utilize this page to download the KPSC Kerala Call Letter 2019 to attend the Kerela PSC Lecturer Posts. Most importantly, the candidates will be able to download the KPSC Kerala Thulasi Exam Admit Card 2019 from the link below after the Kerala PSC Authority members send it.
KPSC Kerala 2019 Lecturer Call Letter
Thulasi PSC 2019 Hall Ticket
All the contenders willing to get take up the Kerala PSC Exams for the Part Time High School Assistant Jobs, here is the news about Kerala PSC Hall Ticket 2019. The Officials of the Kerala Public Service Commission will be sending the KPSC Kerala Hall Ticket 2019 shortly. Furthermore, the applicants have to download the Thulasi PSC Hall Ticket through online mode. The direct link to download the Kerala PSC Thulasi Hall Ticket 2019 will be provided below this para as soon as it is announced by the Kerala PSC Board.
Satavahana University Results 2019 – Hello Students!! Let’s have time to check your results from here. Yes, Satavahana University has declared the Examination results of M.A, M.Sc, M.Com, MBA, MCA, B.Ed I, III Sem, B.Pharm I Sem, M.Ed IV III Sem, LL.B V, III Sem, and other Courses results available here. Students who have done for that Examination can check their results from the official website of the University. Also, Students can check all the results from this site, because we used to update the latest information regarding the results. Here on this page, we have provided a direct link to get the Satavahana University Degree Results 2019 from the below table. Additional to this, we have provided steps to download the Satavahana University Results from below. To get some additional information, students can refer to this article.
Satavahana University Degree Results 2019 @satavahana.ac.in
Satavahana University Results 2019 will be updated here. The candidates can simply check out the results for Satavahana University on this page. Satavahana University offers multiple courses for Undergraduate and Post Graduation Courses. On this page, the students can also check the SU Degree Supply Results 2019. We provide a direct link of results for every course that the University offers. Students can download the Satavahana University Karimnagar Result 2019 from the links provided below. Students who are studying at Satavahana University Distance Education can also check the results of satavahana university on this page. We update this Satavahana University Karimnagar Result Page with the latest results that are released by the University on their official website.
Latest Satavahana University Exam Results 2019
Name of the Exam
Download Link
B.Pharmacy (CBCS) III Semester(March 2019) and II Semester (August 2019)
Satavahana University was established in 2008 by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, India. The University started affiliating UG and PG colleges of Karimnagar district in the year 2010. Presently there are 191 colleges affiliated to Satavahana University offering various UG, PG and Professional courses. There are three campuses, the main campus houses the Administrative Block, University College of Arts, Social Science & Commerce and University College of Science. A second campus is located near LMD of Karimnagar Town and hosting the University College of Pharmaceutical Sciences. The third one is at Godavarikhani City and hosting University Post Graduate College.
Satavahana University Supply/Revaluation Results
Students who scored well will lead to next year. But if they will not get more marks they can apply for the Revaluation Results. Once they applied for the Examination, the higher level Examiner will check the paper again. They can get the revaluation results within the time. Also if they still get fail marks, they can apply for the supplementary examination. For each and every semester Students can apply for the revaluation after the announcement of the main examination results. The Satavahana University will take a week or more to process the exam papers to announce the Satavahana University Revaluation Results. Do stay updated with the University to know about the Revaluation Exam Results.
Hello, Jobseekers! Madras High Court Typist Syllabus 2019 is available here for free download. To utilize this Madras HC job opportunity candidates must and should score maximum marks in the Madras High Court exam. Here on this page, we are uploading the complete information about Madras High Court Syllabus 2019 & Exam Pattern. Moreover, start your exam preparation by practicing the Madras HC Syllabus 2019 PDF as well as the High Court of Madras Exam Pattern.
Madras High Court Computer Operator, Typist, Assistant, Examiner & Xerox Operator Syllabus and Exam Pattern are given on this page. So, candidates who are searching for the MHC Syllabus 2019 they can collect full PDF on this page. Madras High Court Syllabus plays a prominent role in exam preparation. It is necessary to know the MHC Syllabus 2019 before starting the exam preparation. To help out the applicants we have given the Madras High court Exam Pattern 2019 for Typist, Computer Operator, Assistant, Examiner, and Xerox Operator. You can check all the details of Madras High Court Syllabus here. Crack the written exam with an excellent score to attend the further rounds in the selection process.
Madras High Court Exam Syllabus 2019 – Overview
Description
Details
Name of the Organization
Madras High Court
No of Vacancies
573
Name of the Post
Typist, Computer Operator, Assistant, Reader or Examiner, and Xerox Operator
General English (Tamil Nadu State syllabus – SSLC Standard)
35
11
Part B
General Tamil (Tamil Nadu State syllabus – SSLC Standard)
15
5
Part C
General Knowledge
50
15
Numerical and Mental Ability
Analytical and Reasoning Skills
General Intelligence
Basic knowledge in Computers
Total
100
31
Type of Examination: Objective MCQs
Madras High Court Typist, Computer Operator Exam Pattern 2019
Part
Name of the Subject
Number of Marks
Minimum Qualifying Marks
Part A
General English (Tamil Nadu State syllabus – SSLC Standard)
25
8
Part B
General Tamil (Tamil Nadu State syllabus – SSLC Standard)
15
5
Part C
General Knowledge
35
11
Numerical and Mental Ability
Analytical and Reasoning Skills
General Intelligence
Basic knowledge in Computers
Total
75
24
Type of Examination: Objective MCQs
Selection Procedures:
Madras High Court Officials will be selected the candidates on the basis of their performance on Written Examination, Skill Test, and Oral Test for the Typist, Computer Operatorposts. And for Assistant, Examiner, Xerox Operatorposts aspirants selected based on Examination, English Language Proficiency Test, and Oral Test. So, all the candidates must know the MHC Selection Process are given below
UBTER Group D Result 2019 will be out soon @ ubter.in | Check Class 4 Cut Off Marks. Welcome to our UBTER Group D Result Page. Here we will help you find all the UBTER Group D Exam Result. The Uttarakhand Board of Technical Education is planning to release UBTER Group D Result 2019 in the month of November 2019. The UBTER Officials have conducted the UBTER Group D Exam on 20th October 2019. So all those participants can check and download your result from this page.
Latest Update on 05th October 2019: The Uttarakhand UBTER Group D Answer Key 2019 has announced and applicants can get a direct link to download from here…
UBTER Group D Result 2019 – Get Here
The Uttarakhand Board of Technical Education officials will soon announce the UBTER Group D Exam Result 2019 on official website ubter.in. A huge number of applicants have written the UBTER Group D Exam for 401 Class IV Posts on 20th October 2019. All the exam participants are waiting for the UBTER Group D Exam Result 2019. Here we will be updating the latest result link, and the result link will activate at the time of the official announcement. Along with the result, applicants can check UBTER Group D Class 4 Result 2019 from the below sections.
UBTER Group D 2019 Result – Overview
UBTER Group D Result 2019 | Check Class 4 Cut Off Marks, Merit List
Candidates have to score 50% for the General/EwS category and 45% for SC/ST/OBC in the written examination to be listed in the UBTER Group D merit list. Check the schedule regarding the UBTER Group D Result 2019 from below. Here we have provided some easy steps to download your UBTER Group D Exam Result 2019. Applicants can download the Group D Recruitment in State Judiciary Uttarkhand (Civil & Family Courts) Exam Answer Key from the below link. Applicants can get more details about Uttarakhand High Court Group D Result 2019 from this page.
UBTER Group D Merit List 2019
All the applicants who have appeared for UBTER Written Examination for Group D Posts can check the Uttarakhand UBTER Group D Qualified List 2019 from the official website. The UBTER Merit List 2019 will be provided on the basis of qualified candidates. The Merit List will contain the Roll number & date of birth. Hence, Any of the aspirants whose scores are capable enough to meet the specified qualifying marks are eligible.
UBTER Group D Class 4 Cut Off Marks 2019
The UBTER Cut Off Marks 2019 means the Uttarakhand Board of Technical Education authority will fix the minimum marks that need to be scored by the candidates to get qualified in the exam. Those qualified aspirants can move to the next level rounds. Officials will release the UBTER Group D Class 4 Cut Off Marks 2019 on the official website. The UBTER Cut Off Marks 2019 will be decided based on the
Number of the candidates appear for the exam,
Vacancies available,
Previous year cut off marks and
Candidates category.
How to check the UBTER Group D Result 2019?
Initially, applicants can visit the official website of Uttarakhand Board of Technical Education, ubter.in
On the home page, click on the UBTER Group D Exam Result 2019 link
Click on the Result and check your result
Then finally the UBTER Results 2019 will display on your screen.
I once had a typing teacher in high school who thought I sucked at typing. She would stand over my shoulder and watch me type. Naturally, I’d mess up, start to look at my fingers while I typed, and feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. She’d say something about not looking at my fingers and I’d mess up even more. When she moved to another student, my typing improved. I no longer had to look at my fingers. This teacher thought she was doing me a favor by watching and making corrections. She probably
Affiliate marketing isn’t as easy as marketers want you to think. They want you to believe that within a short period of time, you’ll be living the four-hour workweek dream and making everyone jealous. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Only ten percent of affiliates drive ninety percent of the traffic and sales. The rest are just hanging on by a thread. So, how do you choose a niche that’s profitable? Which one should you choose and why? I’ve decided to sit down and give you a quick overview of a few niches I think would make you money
We’re busy. We don’t have time to cook and eat. We’d rather just eat and run. And besides, 50 percent of Americans hate to cook. It’s a chore. If they could afford a cook, they would. But instead, they choose to eat out when they can afford it. This is why the restaurant industry is booming. We’ve seen an increase in the number of food-service joints from 40 years ago from 155,000 to 960,000 in the United States alone. But it’s still difficult to float that business off the ground. Competition is fierce and if you can’t provide great service,
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NEW DELHI: Funding from the Rs 25,000-crore special window for stalled housing will be capped at Rs 400 crore for a single project, the government said on Thursday, urging home buyers to pay their remaining dues to enable early completion.The government clarified the "positive net worth" condition for projects to be eligible for support from the alternate investment debt fund in a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) that it issued on Thursday. The fund won't provide assistance to projects that are in the Supreme Court and high courts but will take up those being heard by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), it said.The cabinet approved the plan on Wednesday to revive the ailing sector, which in turn is expected to bring relief to home buyers, generate jobs, boost sales of cement and steel, and lift the economy.Net worth positive means the value of receivables plus that of unsold inventory should be greater than completion cost and outstanding liabilities at the project level, as per the FAQs. 71963873 The scheme is aimed at the affordable and middleincome housing sector. It's limited to flats up to 200 square metres in carpet area and priced up to Rs 2 crore in Mumbai, up to Rs 1.5 crore in the Delhi-NCR, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad and Rs 1 crore in the rest of India.90% of Stalled Projects will be Eligible: GovtThis doesn't include additional charges for social amenities, parking, housing society charges, brokerage, deposits, registration and stamp duty. Even villas will be considered if they meet conditions.The fund manager will be able to change the developer of a project if needed.The government said 90% of stalled projects will be eligible, according to industry estimates."Home buyers are advised to reach out to their respective lending institutions to seek necessary guidance for additional borrowing or revival of their existing home loans within the existing legal and regulatory framework and standard board approved policies of the lending institutions," the government said.Retail loans given to buyers in eligible stalled projects will be restructured as per Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines and the approved policies of bank boards."Since the real estate industry is intrinsically linked with several other industries, growth in this sector will have a positive effect in releasing stress in other major sectors of the Indian economy as well," the government said.The government said about 1,509 housing projects comprising about 458,000 housing units are stalled, based on industry estimates.Net worth criteriaOnly net worth positive and Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act or Rera-registered projects will be eligible."It shall also look at projects that are NPAs (non-performing assets) or undergoing NCLT proceedings that can commence construction immediately after funds are made available," the FAQs said. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) operates through the NCLT system.The focus of the special window will be on projects that are stalled for lack of construction funding, it said. Projects where the resolution plan under the insolvency resolution process has not been approved or rejected by the committee of creditors will not be considered.Projects "very close to completion" will get priority, it said. Projects involving fraud or diversion may not be considered by the fund. "There will be caps at project level, developer level and city level as per standard risk management practice," the FAQs said.Fund structureThe government will act as sponsor of the proposed fund and has committed Rs 10,000 crore. SBICAP Ventures Ltd will be engaged as the investment manager and will be responsible for fundraising, investments and managing the fund team. The fund is seeking matching contributions from lenders including State Bank of India, apart from Life Insurance Corp. of India (LIC) and others to generate a total corpus of around Rs 25,000 crore.The fund will supervise the disbursement of capital and monitor the execution of projects by the developer directly or through third party services. Existing lenders will be consulted as part of the sanction process, it said, adding that the investment manager will conduct a detailed review including inputs provided by external due diligence agencies.This monitoring mechanism will be part of the contractual arrangement with developers. Disbursements will take place only after documentation is completed.The fund expects to primarily structure its investments in the form of nonconvertible debentures subject to legal, regulatory or other considerations. The investment manager will determine the returns based on the risk profile and specifics of each project, it said. The investment manager will carry out an internal financial analysis to see if the project meets the fund's investment criteria, which will be further supplemented by external due diligence agencies to cover areas such as title, financials, real estate and legal, among others, including consultation with existing lenders.Project and developer selection will be the prerogative of the investment manager and the investment committee of the fund."The investors including the government will not be interfering with the financial objectivity of that process," it said, adding that the decision will be guided by the investment objectives of the fund.
NEW DELHI | MUMBAI: India's mobile phone companies may be liable to pay around 10% more in dues to the government than previously estimated, following the Supreme Court verdict on adjusted gross revenue (AGR), said government officials with knowledge of the matter. The total dues, pegged at Rs 1.3 lakh crore by the telecom department, could rise further on account of changes to the definition of AGR and the levies having to be calculated for the entire period till date.That could delay auctions of spectrum even further, considering the precarious financial situation of the sector, people familiar with the matter said, perhaps until late next year. The sale of airwaves, including 5G spectrum, will be conducted this financial year, the government had said earlier. This timeline may be reconsidered, said people with knowledge of the matter.DoT is recalculating the dues that telcos owe to the government as per the Supreme Court order, which has clarified that all revenue accrued to the licence holder will have to be included while arriving at gross revenue. As per this definition, "the licence fee and spectrum usage charges could rise by 10%," one of the officials said. This will result in a proportionate rise in the dues of each telco, the official added. 71964040 Spectrum Sale unlikely in FY20The Supreme Court order of October 24 meant that the telcos faced licence fee demands of nearly Rs 92,642 crore, including penalties and interest, as per DoT's submissions in court in mid-July. Spectrum usage charge (SUC) demands totalled nearly Rs 41,000 crore, also including interest and penalties. The Supreme Court has given a three-month deadline for the payments to be made.Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel are the worst hit, facing demands of more than Rs 39,000 crore and Rs 41,000 crore, respectively, in licence fees and SUC. A10% increase could potentially see this rising to Rs 42,900 crore and Rs 45,100 crore, respectively. Reliance Communications, undergoing bankruptcy resolution, faces a demand of Rs 20,000 crore. Tata Teleservices, which has sold its consumer mobility business to Bharti Airtel, owes Rs 13,000 crore to the government. Reliance Jio Infocomm, which launched services in September 2016, owes around Rs 41 crore.The dues are being updated to reflect tweaks to the definition after the order and to update the figures till date, said officials. The data will also be submitted to the committee of secretaries set up to suggest measures to restore the health of the sector saddled with debt of over Rs 7 lakh crore, amid pressure on revenue and profitability."The updated demands should go out this month," one of the officials said. "There may be multiple demand notices which will be sent to each company. Separate notices may be sent for different fiscal years. It's a complex exercise."Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel have sought urgent relief from the government, saying that they will face an "unprecedented crisis" if forced to pay the full amount. Rival Jio has opposed any relief on the AGR issue.Impact on auctionA spectrum auction that requires a high level of investment seems unlikely this fiscal year, said the people cited above."No decision has been taken yet but we are in November, the operators have three months to pay their AGR dues and spectrum auctions are scheduled for this financial year," one of them said. "The auctions may get delayed by another two-three quarters at least."India's largest auction involving the sale of 8,293.95 MHz of airwaves, including 4G and 5G, were expected to fetch at least Rs 5.86 lakh crore for the government at the base price. People aware of the development said that the timeline for spectrum auctions is being reconsidered, keeping the state of the industry in mind.The sector regulator has suggested a base price for 5G airwaves at Rs 492 per MHz and has proposed a minimum sale of 20 MHz blocks. That would mean a telco spending close to Rs 10,000 crore for 20 MHz, and Rs 50,000 crore for 100 MHz, rates that telcos have said were exorbitant.
NEW DELHI: Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal has warned ecommerce companies of strict action if they don't halt predatory pricing on their platforms, flouting foreign direct investment (FDI) rules, said officials with knowledge of the matter.The issue figured in a discussion Goyal had with Amazon India head Amit Agarwal on November 5, they said."Ecommerce companies need to comply with the rules — we have told them to stop predatory pricing," said one of the officials. The issue of violating norms is not India-specific as Amazon also faces antitrust probes in the US and the EU, the official said. The marketplaces have said repeatedly that they are in compliance with Indian rules and that any discounts were being offered directly by sellers to buyers. 71964078 One area of interest in the US is whether Amazon has an unfair advantage over third-party merchants when it competes with them to sell similar products on its own platform, the person said.The Competition Commission of India said last year that Flipkart and Amazon were not dominant among online marketplace platforms in the country. They therefore didn't contravene Section 4 of the Competition Act, which deals with anti-competitive issues, it had said."We continue to engage with the government and have emphasised how we have consistently worked closely with local kirana stores and other small businesses in the last six years," an Amazon spokesperson told ET. "We have over 23,000 kirana stores as IHS (I Have Space) stores across 350 cities, over 14,000 Amazon Easy stores across 22 states and nearly 60% of our top 2,000 sellers are offline retailers."Govt Against Knee-jerk Response while Addressing Retailers' IssuesThe Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is looking at possible instances of FDI violation. It has held multiple meetings with the online marketplaces as well as brick and mortar lobby groups that have accused the platforms of breaking the rules.The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has often complained about predatory pricing and discounts, along with other violations of the FDI policy, particularly during festive season. "Their business model is based on misplaced logic, funding negative cash flow through investors and monopolising the market," CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said in a statement on Thursday.Ecommerce companies such as Flipkart and Amazon may generate up to $6 billion, or Rs 39,000 crore, in sales this festive season, according to consultancy RedSeer.A clarification of Press Note 2 issued last December had barred marketplaces from selling products from vendors in which they have an equity interest. They also can't enter into deals with any brand to sell products exclusively on their platforms. These norms came into force in February.The government has said it will address retailers' complaints but avoid any knee-jerk response.DPIIT had last month asked Amazon and Flipkart to provide details of their top five sellers after brick and mortar trade lobby groups complained of FDI rule violations.The department had asked marketplaces if they are compliant with the goods and services tax (GST) in letter and spirit along with details on the total business done by the top five sellers, their investments and commission agreements with vendors, variations of commission agreements with sellers, the criteria for commissions and whether they are discretionary, as well as details of any associations with payment gateways.It had also sought lists and shares of controlled and uncontrolled sellers, distributors and retail price lists for preferred/controlled vendors.ET reported November 7 that Goyal spoke to Agarwal about better understanding accounting practices at Amazon, the online giant's investment pipeline and how it plans to engage with small retailers. "We remain committed to a robust marketplace that can help hundreds of thousands of Indian SMBs (small and medium businesses) thrive and scale up their business," said the Amazon spokesperson cited above. "Our marketplace continues to thrive with these 550k+ sellers and has transformed SMBs into millionaires and crorepatis."ET also reported that DPIIT had written to ecommerce companies asking them how they can work with small retailers to boost such neighbourhood stores, indicating that a policy may be in the works in this regard.
KOLKATA | BENGALURU: Flipkart and Amazon have told the government they incur losses in Indian operations due to investments into building the business and technology, and not because they fund predatory pricing as alleged by offline trade lobbies, two senior industry executives said.India's two largest ecommerce marketplaces have communicated to Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) that they are investing big on creating warehouses and logistics network, technology and other such areas, while reiterating they are fully compliant with all laws and FDI norms for online marketplaces, the executives said.Amazon said it is making a profit at a transaction level in India. In their response to queries from DPIIT, Flipkart and Amazon also denied allegations of dictating pricing and favouring certain sellers. "The marketplaces have said that all sellers have access to a live price dashboard where they can see each other's price and then independently decide on discount, and they (marketplaces) have no role in either pricing or discounting," an executive said.71964226 Sellers have access to a nationwide consumer pool through ecommerce and can sell in volume by offering lower prices and yet make profit due to the large scale of operation, Flipkart and Amazon have explained to DPIIT."Sellers also source products directly from manufacturers whereby they have a higher margin than a single offline store," another executive told ET.DPIIT had sent a set of detailed queries to both the marketplaces last month after allegations by Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) that they had burnt money in deep discounting during the festive season sales, violating FDI norms, impacting Diwali sales of offline retailers that slipped 40-50%.The marketplaces said they have responded to all the queries.In its response, Flipkart said a dominant majority of products sold are online-exclusive which are made available by sellers and brands, and not even available offline, hence the allegation of predatory discount further does not hold ground, executives said.Amazon and Flipkart also said they are roping in thousands of smaller sellers and offline traders as a priority area, while working with micro, small and medium enterprises.The two marketplaces have explained their business models and other details to DPIIT through written responses as well as in meetings with officials. Amazon India country head Amit Agarwal had met DPIIT top brass earlier this week.When contacted, Flipkart said it has responded to DPIIT queries and is compliant with all laws. Flipkart group chief corporate affair officer Rajneesh Kumar said the sellers have a dashboard on which they have full control over their products and have access to offers on the marketplace.An Amazon India spokesperson said the company continues to engage with the government and has emphasised how it has consistently worked closely with local kirana stores in the last six years.
KOLKATA | BENGALURU: Flipkart and Amazon have told the government they incur losses in Indian operations due to investments into building the business and technology, and not because they fund predatory pricing as alleged by offline trade lobbies, two senior industry executives said.India's two largest ecommerce marketplaces have communicated to Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) that they are investing big on creating warehouses and logistics network, technology and other such areas, while reiterating they are fully compliant with all laws and FDI norms for online marketplaces, the executives said.Amazon said it is making a profit at a transaction level in India. In their response to queries from DPIIT, Flipkart and Amazon also denied allegations of dictating pricing and favouring certain sellers. "The marketplaces have said that all sellers have access to a live price dashboard where they can see each other's price and then independently decide on discount, and they (marketplaces) have no role in either pricing or discounting," an executive said.71964226 Sellers have access to a nationwide consumer pool through ecommerce and can sell in volume by offering lower prices and yet make profit due to the large scale of operation, Flipkart and Amazon have explained to DPIIT."Sellers also source products directly from manufacturers whereby they have a higher margin than a single offline store," another executive told ET.DPIIT had sent a set of detailed queries to both the marketplaces last month after allegations by Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) that they had burnt money in deep discounting during the festive season sales, violating FDI norms, impacting Diwali sales of offline retailers that slipped 40-50%.The marketplaces said they have responded to all the queries.In its response, Flipkart said a dominant majority of products sold are online-exclusive which are made available by sellers and brands, and not even available offline, hence the allegation of predatory discount further does not hold ground, executives said.Amazon and Flipkart also said they are roping in thousands of smaller sellers and offline traders as a priority area, while working with micro, small and medium enterprises.The two marketplaces have explained their business models and other details to DPIIT through written responses as well as in meetings with officials. Amazon India country head Amit Agarwal had met DPIIT top brass earlier this week.When contacted, Flipkart said it has responded to DPIIT queries and is compliant with all laws. Flipkart group chief corporate affair officer Rajneesh Kumar said the sellers have a dashboard on which they have full control over their products and have access to offers on the marketplace.An Amazon India spokesperson said the company continues to engage with the government and has emphasised how it has consistently worked closely with local kirana stores in the last six years.
KOLKATA: Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel have rejected Reliance Jio Infocomm's contention that continuing with interconnection usage charges would encourage them to keep users on 2G and disincentivise upgrading to 4G, saying such views disregard basic consumer choice principles, especially when there is freedom to switch operators.Mukesh Ambani-led Jio has maintained that if the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India postpones the scrapping of IUC from the planned January 2020 deadline, it would end up "subsidising two economically inefficient operators at the cost of users."The provision of such subsidies, Jio said, "is not within the domain of Trai's functions," adding that the regulator should "ensure maximum benefits to consumers" and ring in "newer more efficient technologies."Telecom User Group (TUG), a consumer body, backed Jio's call, saying the zero-termination charge regime must be implemented next January as it would bring down costs, foster innovation and serve consumer interests.The submissions were made in counter-comments by stakeholders on Trai's paper seeking views on deferring implementation of a zero-IUC regime. Vodafone Idea, however, has asked Trai to "reject Jio's baseless allegations" as "full choice is available to a mobile customer to port from one operator to another" and added that the sale of 8-10 million 2G/3G devices a month is also attributable to consumer demand and behaviour.Airtel said, "Jio wants us to cruelly shut off our 2G networks simply to provide 4G services to the well-heeled, even when 30 million 2G feature phones are being bought every quarter by poor/low income customers with low digital literacy." It said that when it comes to customers, Airtel believes in "choice over coercion."The Sunil Mittal-led telco dismissed Jio's allegation that Airtel and Vodafone Idea are using 2G technology deliberately to receive termination charges with an intent of undue enrichment."IUC is the compensation of actual costs incurred by an operator in carrying/terminating a call on its network… this cost neither changes nor has any co-relation with tariff charged by originating operator," Airtel said in its counter-comments.Jio is still a net payer of IUC, while Airtel and Vodafone Idea are net recipients, underlining the reasons for their stands.Jio reiterated that Trai's IUC review paper "awards malpractices of incumbents and is opposed to public interest.""If incumbents are in financial distress, their remedy lies in obtaining relief from their bankers, financiers and the government in the form of restructuring of statutory levies… they cannot expect a bailout from consumers," Jio said in its countercomments to the regulator.Some analysts expect Jio to benefit, regardless of the outcome of Trai's consultation, as it is the market leader in voice minutes.
By Grant Smith and Salma El WardanyThe biggest producers in OPEC+ aren't pushing for deeper oil-supply cuts when the group meets next month, according to delegates across the coalition.The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies are more likely to stick to their current output targets and encourage members to comply more fully, the delegates said, asking not to be identified because the talks are private. The producers, representing about half of global supply, meet in Vienna on Dec. 5 and 6.OPEC is anticipating a supply glut in the first half of next year and prices are already lower than most members need to balance their budgets. It could face further pressure in 2020 as US shale-oil supplies boom and global demand increases slowly. Morgan Stanley, Commerzbank AG and Rystad Energy AS have said OPEC and its allies need to cut deeper in response.Last month, officials from the organization signaled they're prepared to do this, with Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman -- who represents OPEC's biggest and most influential member -- saying it was his "job" to thwart any surplus. Yet the pain of sacrificing more sales volumes, and haggling over how to divide up the burden, may rather steer the alliance to wait and see how conditions develop.OPEC+ hasn't started work on the different scenarios to outline the range of deeper cutbacks ministers would consider when they meet in early December, the delegates said."It will prove very difficult to formally agree new, deeper cuts," said Harry Tchilinguirian, head of commodity markets strategy at BNP Paribas SA in London. "A rollover of current cuts for the rest of 2020, with an emphasis on compliance by all members, is the path of least resistance." 71953552 The group signaled this week it saw less urgency to adopt new measures, with Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo saying the outlook for 2020 has "brightened" as economic growth holds up and trade tensions between the US and China abate.A key obstacle to any new agreement is that some countries haven't yet delivered the cutbacks they agreed to at the start of the year, when OPEC+ pledged to collectively reduce supplies by 1.2 million barrels a day. Iraq and Nigeria have mostly increased output instead of delivering their promised curbs.Another difficulty is in securing support from OPEC's principal ally, Russia, which is under less budgetary pressure to maintain high oil prices and has sounded cautious about stronger intervention. Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday that oil prices of $60 a barrel show the market is stable, and producers will keep monitoring the situation into early 2020. Russia has also exceeded its output curbs pledge for several months this year.Traders, analysts and refiners surveyed by Bloomberg on Wednesday said they mostly expect OPEC and its partners to simply extend the existing output caps -- which expire in March -- to the middle or end of next year. Twenty-four of 38 predicted a rollover, while the other nine forecast a deeper reduction.Case For ActionThe case for taking more vigorous action is clear. Output from OPEC's rivals will expand twice as fast as global consumption in 2020 as the ongoing surge in US shale oil is supplemented by new supplies from Brazil and the North Sea, the organization's data show."We see a supply tsunami next year," said Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group and a former oil official at the White House under President George W. Bush. "If OPEC did nothing, global inventories would rise by at least 1.2 million barrels a day. We assume they'll announce a cut in December."Yet a new agreement may be too difficult to achieve.Saudi Arabia, the cartel's biggest and most influential member, has already cut production more than twice as much as agreed to under the current deal. The kingdom is frustrated that others still haven't fully implemented the cutbacks they committed to at the start of the year, according to a delegate."The challenge of announcing deeper cuts is that some members are still not compliant, while others are over-compliant," said Giovanni Staunovo, an analyst at UBS AG in Zurich.There's also the risk the current strategy is backfiring, by propping up prices and encouraging investment in OPEC's rivals. In a long-term outlook published on Tuesday, the organization slashed forecasts for the amount of oil it will need to pump over the next few years as US shale oil continues to grow.
Normally, construction costs are 20% of sales. So if Rs 25,000 crore is the number which is going to complete these projects, you are going to release almost Rs 80,000-100,000 crore of cash flow in the system, says Vishal Kampani, Group MD, JM Financial. Excerpts from an interview with ETNOW. The Finance Minister has announced the Rs 25,000-crore alternate investment fund for the real estate sector. Is this enough? Does it solve the liquidity problems of the sector?The issue started off with being an issue focussed on liquidity. But now the issue has moved to asset quality as extended period of not having liquidity can result in asset quality issues. The good part is that the government has realised this. Many of the large banks have realised this and there is a lot of support coming in for NBFCs and we are seeing that on the ground. This last scheme which has been announced last night by the finance minister is a fantastic scheme giving Rs 25,000 crore of priority finance for completion of real estate projects to me and will release Rs 1 lakh crores of liquidity in the sector. When you look at the Rs 25,000 crore of projects, these are already under construction. Normally, construction costs are 20% of sales. So if Rs 25,000 crore is the number which is going to complete these projects, you are going to release almost Rs 80,000-100,000 crore of cash flow in the system via sales and this is a big number. Take Bangalore city for example. The average starting price in Bangalore for a unit is Rs 6,000 a square foot. The construction cost for that unit is not more than Rs 1,500. So, as long as I spend Rs 1,500 per unit and complete the unit, my receivables cycle of Rs 6,000 comes back into the real estate NBFCs and the developers and the entire supply chain of real estate whether it is steel, cement, ceramics. The finance minister has not given us a Rs 25,000 crore boost, she has actually given us a Rs 1,25,000-crore boost but the market is not being able to see it. It is a fantastic step. She has gone and addressed the core of the issue which was a fantastic move last night. You mean to say that the Rs 25,000 crore is potent enough to release over Rs 100,000 crore worth of liquidity into the system? This will be in six-eight months?In a 1-2-year cycle but it is a lot of capital focussed on a single sector — below Rs 2 crore homes, which is amazing because the maximum money in this country is stuck in real estate. I go for a morning walk and I talk to a few friends. On an average, half of their capital is stuck in real estate — either in projects not completed or in projects completed where they are earning a very low yields on their investment. This is the most important sector for India and the Finance Minister has taken clear note of that and is putting steps in place to enable liquidity and given a confidence booster.We get mixed signals so far in the second quarter earnings. Titan, has cut down its guidance but a Bajaj Finance says no need to cut outlook yet. What do you think when you meet companies across the world?In case of Titan, it may not be an issue of demand only. The issue could be trends. Do younger people really want to buy gold jewellery or watches? Or would they want to buy smart watches, Apple watches? It is more about consumer behaviour. Bajaj Finance is a financing model. As long as the consumers want to buy something, their financing is available. A specific consumer company is about its own product. So those are two different categories. But in the last 20 years, Indian corporates have gotten very smart about how they allocate their capital and for a long-term investor. the most important thing is how a management of a company, how a board of a company and how the CEO of that company thinks about its capital allocation and across all my conversations with all of our clients we clearly see a trend that Indian corporates have become very smart about how they allocate their capital and how they make returns on that capital and which was not necessarily true in the last two decades. This is a big fundamental shift you are going to see over the next 10 years. In the next two months, you are going to see smarter utilisation of capital that is given to private corporate sector to invest. This is a big theme which a lot of big global investors —- whether private equity, sovereign or even FIIs — are looking at. This will result in higher returns on capital over the next five to 10 years, thereby making India a very attractive investment opportunity. We have seen a couple of quarters of around 5% GDP growth and the fear is the recovery cycle may get prolonged. What is your own thoughts on recovery? How many quarters will it take befoer nudge back towards 6.5 to 7%?We will have to be cautious in the next four quarters. The steps the government has taken will see changes very quickly on the economy in the next one year. Things may get worse before they get better. One has to be cautious on the economy front but the government is very focussed on it. RBI as a regulator is very focussed on it and we are hearing all sort of positive noises which is a good thing. This will not be a prolonged slowdown, I think there will be a bounce back. Having said that, there are global concerns on growth. We have talked about this in the last couple of months and there have been some drop in estimates of global growth next year from IMF and many other bodies. That of course, is a concerning factor because you have these trade headwinds and if you have less trade, it means you will have less GDP growth. How India performs through this cycle of lower global growth, domestic liquidity challenges and warning to maintain the fiscal deficit and how India is being able to perform through this, is going to be a challenging task. I am very confident with what we have seen in the last two, three months.Since good prices and good news would not come together in the next 12-18 months, do you think this is a good time for investors to deploy funds which they have raised and have been sitting on? Do you think this is a good time for portfolio allocation?100%. As I said earlier, I would have a larger portfolio allocation today towards midcap stocks. Some are at attractive valuations and where we see good, robust cash flow generation on the public limited side. On the private side, you already have a slew of private equity as well as venture capital funds, funding projects and venture capital in private equity are seeing their peak historic levels of funds raised. There is a ton of capital which can fund private companies in India. So that is not an issue. On the credit side, there is an amazing opportunity to invest in maybe AA bonds over AAA bonds. Corporate governance issues in the last 15-16 months have really come to the fore. Companies where there were question marks have been derated, companies which were above par have been assigned premium valuations. Sometimes very high quality companies also come into corporate governance glare for some whistleblower complaint etc. Do you think that this trial by fire will continue for some time till we are in a risk-off environment in India?Yes, totally. The trial by fire will continue for a period of time and I must say that see governance is very important at the end of the day and for most foreign investors today that is the top priority. If companies are low on governance, they will take a large beating in their multiples and you are seeing that. Infosys is a high quality company but still somehow they got caught in the crossfire?But you have heard the statement from Mr Nilekani. He said even God will not be able to change Infosys numbers. So I am sure they will come out of it.
BENGALURU: India's space agency received an alert of a possible cyberattack on its systems early this year, which analysts said was through phishing emails targeted at senior officials.An Indian Space Research Organisation official confirmed that an alert was received from the Computer Emergency Response Team, India (CERT-In), but the space agency was not affected. The alert came around the time of the Chandrayaan-2 mission.Yash Kadakia, founder of Mumbaibased cyber security firm Security Brigade, said that he had evidence of emails with malware sent to the five government agencies, including Isro, from suspected North Korean hackers. "They targeted senior officials with emails that had malware attachments relevant to their subject," Kakadia said.He suspected that the malware, if successfully installed, could have hijacked the email identity of the recipient and in turn be used to send mails to juniors.Last month, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India's Kudankulam nuclear plant said there was a cyberattack on its systems.The malware, identified as Dtrack, was used to breach the domain controllers of the nuclear plant. The malware has the ability to access files and upload the entire data into a remote network outside of India.
NEW DELHI: The railways has successfully conducted one of the "world's largest recruitment exercises" wherein 2.4 crore application were received for 1.27 lakh vacancies on critical safety and operational posts, the national transporter said Thursday. Two recruitment notifications -- one for Assistant Loco Pilots and technician and the other for Level-I (erstwhile group D) posts -- were released in 2018 for filling up about 1.27 lakh vacancies. Total Posts of Assistant Loco Pilots (ALPs) and technicians were 64,371 and about 47.45 lakhs candidates applied for these posts. Vacancies for Level-I posts (erstwhile group D) were 63,202 and around 1.9 crore candidates applied for these posts. A total of around 2.4 crore candidates applied, making it the largest recruitment exercise, the railways said. Computer Based Test (CBT) for the posts of ALP and technician recruitment was conducted in 33 shifts over 11 days from August 9 to September 4, 2018 at 440 test centers in 166 cities across India and they recorded the highest number of attendance of about 36.42 lakh candidates. The second stage CBT for this recruitment was conducted from January 21, 2019 to January 23, 2019 in nine shifts. The attendance was about 88 per cent, it said. Panels (candidates who have been selected) for the posts of ALP and technician of about 17,500 posts have been furnished to the railways. The rest of the panels are under process due to medical appeal cases. The Zonal Railway will soon be advised about the rest of the panels, the ministry said. The CBT for Level-1 posts (erstwhile Group D) commenced from September 17, 2018 and was successfully completed on December 17, 2018. "The exam was conducted in 152 shifts over 51 days in 16 cities in 405 exam centres. Total number of eligible candidates were 1,89,82,719 (approx. 1.90 crores) out of which 1,17,14,754 appeared for the Computer Based Test which is about 61.71%. This was followed by Physical Efficiency Test (PET), Document Verification and Medical Examination," the railways said. For the posts of Level-1, panels of about 53,000 posts have been furnished to the Railway. The rest of the panels are under process due to medical appeal cases. The Zonal Railway will soon be advised about the rest of the panels, it said. For the post of Junior Engineer, Depot Material Superintendent (DMS), Chemical and Metallurgical Assistant (CMA), Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) conducted the first stage Computer Based Test from May 22, 2019 to June 2, 2019 and June 26, 2019 to June 28, 2019 for 24.75 lakh candidates. It was conducted in 35 shifts over 12 days at 356 test centers in 109 cities across India. The attendance was about 62.5%. The second stage CBT for this recruitment was conducted from August 28, 2019 to September 1, 2019 in 10 shifts. The attendance was about 88%. The candidates will be intimated shortly for document verification and medical examination. "RRBs follow the practice of direct and instantaneous communication with candidates through regular updates on web-sites and individual SMSes and emails. "Candidates are appealed to refer to these official communications only and not be misguided by false propaganda and rumors being circulated on social media, many of which are aimed at misleading the genuine candidates and adversely affecting their preparation for examination," it said.
PSU banks loan melas push non-food credit growth; outstanding loans inch closer to Rs 100 lakh crore The loan carnivals were organised in two phases, with the first leg from October 1 and 9 and the second one from October 21 to 25.
DHFL CoC plans to tweak resolution plan State Bank chairman Rajnish Kumar on Wednesday said the lenders will finalise the resolution plan for DHFL after the November 11 hearing at the Bombay High Court.
UCO Bank cuts Q2 net loss to Rs 892 crore The bank's operating profit during the September quarter witnessed a 138% year-on-year jump to Rs 1,207.04 crore from Rs 506.10 crore in the corresponding quarter of the last fiscal, as both net interest income (NII) and non-interest income substantially grew.
Stock corner: Maintain 'buy' on Infosys, target price at Rs 955 Nilekani said Infosys remains committed to practicing the highest level of corporate governance and its response to the recent whistleblower allegations adheres to the company's policy.
Starting to think about retirement? Wondering how you'll be able to afford to spend your golden years in comfort? Investing in the stock market is one way to increase your wealth and security, but it is not without some serious risks. Follow these tips to get a solid start on your financial future.
Understand the stock market. In order to invest properly, you need to understand what the stock market is and how it operates. Here's a basic rundown of terms and processes:
Stocks. Also referred to as "shares" or "equity," a stock is a certificate that gives the holder part-ownership of a company. In order to raise money, a company releases shares that the public can buy. Each share represents a small percentage of ownership in that company.
Shareholder. This is a person who owns shares in a company. A shareholder can hold as few as one share and as many as millions. Shareholders are given votes in the company and earn a percentage of the profits.
Stock Market. This is where shares of companies are bought and sold. It can be a physical place or a virtual market. The three primary stock markets in the US are the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the American Stock Exchange (AMEX), and the National Association of Securities Dealers Automatic Quotation System (NASDAQ). All are accessible through stockbrokers, both by phone and online.
Familiarize yourself with different kinds of stocks. There are two main types of stocks: common and preferred.
Common stock is the form of stock most recognizable to newcomers. It is a share in a company. Common stock can give some of the highest returns in investing but comes with the largest risk.
Preferred stock gives ownership like common stock does, but does not bestow voting rights. The dividends paid out by preferred stock are fixed instead of variable like common stock. Preferred stock is a more secure source of dividend income than is common stock.
Stocks can also be broken down into different classes if the company chooses. Typically, a company will make one class of share have more voting rights than the other, to make sure that certain groups maintain control of the company.
Learn about how stocks increase and decrease in value. Stocks operate according to the law of supply and demand. As the demand for a stock increases and more people are interested in buying than selling, the price of the stock goes up. This is because there is less supply of the stock and each share becomes more valuable. Stocks generally increase in demand as the company succeeds, and their demand lowers if the company performance suffers.
Demand is often based on expectations of future performance. When investors feel that the company will be performing better in the near future, demand will increase.
It is impossible to predict with any certainty how the overall stock market will behave. This is why there is so much risk associated with this form of investment.
Find out about dividends. Dividends are a benefit paid to shareholders at the discretion of the board of directors.
Stable companies often pay dividends to keep investors happy when their stock price does not rise much.
Dividends are a great way to earn "passive" (automatic) income over a long period of time.
Understand why you want to invest. Ask yourself why you want to invest and what you expect to gain from it. The stock market can be very volatile, and a bad day could see you lose a significant part of your investment.
Good investors invest for the long term. If you are looking to cash in right away, the stock market might not be a good place to put your money.
Don't invest if you are trying to get out of debt. Make sure any high-interest debts are taken care of before investing in the stock market.
Successful stock investing requires dedicated time from the investor. Ask yourself if you have the time to investigate companies for at least a few hours a week. Such research is extremely important. There are many research services available to do some of the leg work for you. Look online for websites like Scottrade, ShareBuilder, Motley Fool, E-trade, TDAmeritrade, TradeKing, Morningstar, and TheStreet, to name just a few. It is very dangerous to pick stocks without first investigating them thoroughly.
Determine your strengths. Since you will have to do some research when it comes to which company to invest in, focus at first on companies that you have some working knowledge of. This will make things a little more interesting and engaging as you get started.
Check local companies, as you may have more of an opportunity to engage them and get a feel for how their business affects your area.
Consider the overall value of a stock. You'll need to do some research and math to determine the value of a company. You'll soon see that a one-dollar stock is not necessarily cheaper than a $40 one. A stock with a real value higher than the listed price is one that's probably worth buying.
Since buying stock means buying part-ownership of a company, determine if it would make financial sense to buy the entire company (assuming you had the money).
Find out how long it would take to pay off your investment from profits if you bought the entire company. Use the results to determine if it is worthwhile to invest in shares.
Keep in mind that profits can change wildly as markets change. Technologies can become obsolete, or regulations could change, rendering a company's products less valuable or even useless.
To determine the value of a company, you will have to look at several variables. These include Future Performance, Cash Flow, and Revenue, among many others. [1]
Future Performance. A company's worth is based largely on projections of future performance. Past performance is important only as an indication of how the company will perform in the future.
Cash Flow. In general, a company that has a lot of assets and high operating costs has less cash flow than a similar business with less assets and a lower operating cost. Cash flow is cash on hand that can be used to pay debt.
Revenue. Revenue is one of the major factors when valuing a company. If two companies have the same cash flow, but one has a higher revenue, that company will most likely be worth more.
Create a diverse portfolio. While it is important to invest in what you know, you don't want all your eggs in one basket. If something happens to the industry that you are invested in, you could lose much of your investment in short order. Invest broadly to minimize risk of sudden loss.
Invest in a broad range of economic sectors. If you are heavily focused in technology, consider investing in consumer goods, real estate or any number of other industries.
Most investment experts recommend against putting all of your investable funds into the stock market. Also consider bonds, currencies, and commodities.
Try to create a portfolio of around 20 different stocks that aren't related. This should be a manageable number to keep track of while still providing a wide array of earning opportunities. [2]
Know when to buy. Buying at the right time is essential to successful investing.
Don't buy everything at once. If the market takes a downturn right after you buy, you could lose most of your investment. Instead, spread out your initial investment over several months to minimize the risk each time you buy.
Consult a stock chart when considering stock purchases. Google and Yahoo both provide comprehensive online stock charts, and there are many other similar services to choose from.
Check to see if the stock trend is rising. This means that the price has been increasing steadily. Look for stocks that are increasing but not necessarily rapidly. Stocks will only go so high, so if a price is climbing rapidly, there's a good chance that it will level off or drop soon.
Check the volume of trades. If a stock is finding steadily more buyers, that's a good indicator of the stock's health. A rising price with a declining volume could mean that the price will drop soon due to lack of interest.
Find the moving average of the stock. The moving average is the average price of a stock over time. Ideally this average would be increasing and the listed price would be above this average.
Avoid volatile stocks. If the price jumps too much, and there are a lot of spikes in the chart, the stock is probably too unstable to safely invest in.
Contact a broker when ready. In order to buy stocks, you must go through a licensed stockbroker. There are many options to choose from, but they boil down to four main choices. [3] Determine which one will suit your needs best.
Online/Discount Broker. Online brokers are essentially order-takers. They provide no personal assistance, and leave the decisions of what to buy and sell up to you. Fees are usually per-transaction, and they typically require very little initial investment to open an account. The research will be up to you.
Discount Broker with Assistance. This is essentially the same as the category above, except the broker may provide a bit more basic research, such as newsletters and in-house research reports. The fee is often higher than online-only because of these extra services.
Full-Service Broker. These are the traditional stock brokers who will meet with you and discuss your full financial situation, as well as risk analysis. They will help develop financial plans and give advice in other financial areas such as taxes. Full-service brokers will be quite a bit more expensive than a discount broker, but many offer significant benefits.
Money Manager. A money manager takes full control of your personal finances. Their clients are typically those with a significant amount of income, and the usual minimum account is $100,000 or more.
Buy and hold good stocks. Selling stocks as soon as they rise in price is a sure way to move nowhere fast. Practice self control and hold on to solid stocks unless you're desperate to raise cash. Good stocks can result in big payoffs over the long run.
If you buy and sell repeatedly, much of your profit will go to commissions for brokers, and your gains will suffer.
"Day trading" is stacked against newcomers, because they trade against seasoned professionals and computer programs designed to buy and sell at optimum moments.
Instead, hold on to stocks of companies that are solid and growing. If your stocks pay dividends, reinvest them to increase your earning potential.
Add to your portfolio as you go. Once your portfolio is established, revisit it every so often and make appropriate changes.
Move money out of sectors that aren't performing well and invest more in areas that are seeing greater returns.
Add more investments with additional funds as they become available in order to continue diversifying.
Know when to sell. Ideally, you want to sell a stock when it reaches the value you determined when investigating the company and when the value is not expected to rise much more.
If your stock has not met the target value and doesn't look like it's going to, sell it, especially if the price falls below the moving average. This is typically seen as the "last chance" to get rid of a stock before it dips too low. [4]
Expect to pay a fee for every transaction you make. Brokers make their money charging you for each time you buy or sell a stock. You need to know this fee going in, but you also need to make it clear to your broker your acceptable level of trading. Some brokers will try to sucker in novice investors with high-commission stocks and multiple trades to make more money.
If you have a large account and plan on frequent or aggressive trades, you might look for a commission-based account, where the broker gets a percentage of your portfolio instead of a fee per trade.
If your broker is making frequent changes and trades, known as "churning," they may be trying to raise their commission. Any trading that eats into your principal should be red-flagged.[5]
Expect your broker to ask your acceptable level of risk. Your risk tolerance determines how bold of an investment the broker will take. Stocks are, in some way, gambling, and there are both safe bets and long-shots. Your broker will want guidance on where to steer the portfolio, based on your financial needs:
Younger investors should aim for high-risk investments. Stocks are a long game, and any busts now will more than likely be rectified with later booms. You have the time to afford the risk.
Middle-aged investors should strike a balance between safe and risky stocks.
Low-risk accounts will make safe bets with lower profits. These are great for older investments who could not deal with a sudden loss of money near retirement, or those who only want slow, reliable growth.
Expect most professional investors to choose margin accounts, not cash accounts. There are two basic investment account options -- cash and cash/margin accounts. Cash accounts must have a deposit available to make a trade-- the money must be on hand. Margin accounts allow you to borrow money from the brokerage firm to purchase stocks. This loan is based on the expected profit from the stock.
Cash accounts are safer, but yield far less profit. You know exactly where all your money is, and whose money it is.
Margin accounts technically put you into debt, though interest rates are far lower than that at a bank. Because they make more money available to you, you stand to earn more money. Some higher-risk trades are only available on margin accounts.[6]
Expect the broker to determine your tax status based on your financial needs. Are you in the stock game to make a profit right now, or for retirement? Depending on how you classify your portfolio, your broker can get you potentially lower tax rates.
Standard brokerage accounts can be swapped, taken out, and edited on the fly. They can be short or long-term investments or a bit of both. They are fully taxed.
Retirement accounts, like IRAs, pay much lower taxes. However, you can only take the money out of them at a certain age, or risk losing much of your profit.
A professional trader would usually have both types of accounts, though this requires a lot of upfront cash.[7]
Expect the meeting to end with a request for your investment money. Most brokers will give you up to two weeks to give them money. You can cut a check, which will take about a week to get cleared. If you're in a hurry, expect to get a routing number and instructions to wire transfer your money over.
Professional investors always set aside specific accounts for investments. They don't link their investment money to a savings or checking account.[8]
Expect a professional broker often uses algorithm-based trading. The stock market is not what it used to be. Professionals now have mines of data, and computer programs to sift through them, making split-second trading decisions for your investment that you could rarely make alone. This is why, if you have the money, full-scale brokers often turn the highest profits.
That said, the financial crash of 2007 was partially due a broken algorithm that investors used but didn't understand.[9]
Expect a professional to invest in things other than stock. While investing in the stock market may be the goal, a professional investor knows better than to put all of their money in one basket. All of these, including stocks, fall under the blanket definition of a "security."
CDs, or Certificates of Deposit, are savings accounts that mature at a certain date, at which point you receive a small profit. They can range from one month to five years.
Bonds are loans that your grant, usually to the government, that must be paid back with interest. They are safe, consistent investments that generally outpace inflation.
Expect a broker to invest in "funds," or pre-made collections of stocks. Funds are created either by a brokerage firm or an outside agency. Basically, they allow multiple investors to take risks together by all paying together for a larger portfolio, and thus more profit as there is usually a manager of the funds who buys and sells stocks inside of it. While they are usually profitable, you have to be comfortable with someone else handling your money with little control on your end.[10]
Make sure to pay off any high-interest debt before you begin investing. Eliminating credit card debt, for instance, can be one of the best "investments" you'll ever make.
Expect the stock market to be very volatile. Be aware that you are likely to take some losses, especially while you're still an inexperienced investor.
Before investing try and bifurcate between a mature/saturated stock and volatile stock, this will help you to avoid wasting time and money from "work done equal to zero" concept!
Research and consult famous people who go rich from the stock market. Figure out how they think and act, and hopefully this will help you get accustomed to the tendencies of the market.
Depending on what you want out of your stocks, a good time to sell is usually when they are double the original value.
Most financial advisors will tell anyone approaching retirement to lower his/her exposure to the stock market and invest more in bonds. This is to limit the chance of losing money in the short term. Those anticipating a lengthy period of retirement should remain invested in stocks to some extent.
If you don't diversify your portfolio, then you and your money are stuck with the outcome of whatever specific category or market you choose. If you buy a range of different types of stock, then when one specific market collapses the others keep you afloat.
With the price of fuels going up all the time, more and more drivers are aware of how much fuel their car needs. While the exact fuel consumption of your car changes based on your circumstances (city or highway, road conditions, tire pressure, etc.), finding out your car's fuel consumption is actually very easy.
Know that the equation for fuel consumption is "Miles Driven divided by Amount of Gas Used." A car's fuel consumption is a measure of miles driven per gallon of gas. If you know the distance you drove and how many gallons fit in your tank, you can simply divide the miles by the gas to get your "miles per gallon," or mpg.
You can perform the same calculation with kilometers and liters as well.
The best time to record is right after you fill your car with gas.
Reset the "trip odometer" after you fill up your tank. Newer cars have a trip odometer that you can set to zero at any time. It is usually on the dashboard or center console, with a small button you can hold to reset it to zero. Set it to zero when you fill up the car and check it when you need to fill up again -- this is your mileage since you last bought gas.
Your trip odometer will say "0 miles."
If you don't have a trip odometer, record the number of miles on your car as "Starting Mileage." For example, if your car has 10,000 miles on it when you fill your tank, write "10,000."
Record the miles on the trip odometer right before you buy more gas. Before you start filling up your car at the gas station, record the mileage on the odometer as "Final Mileage."
If you do not have a trip odometer, subtract your "Starting Mileage" from your current mileage to find out how far your traveled. If your odometer now says 10,250 for example, subtract 10,000. You drove 250 miles on that tank of gas.
Drive your car until the tank is almost empty. You can perform this calculation no matter how much gas is left in the tank, but the more gas you use the more accurate your reading will be.
Record the amount of gas you buy in gallons. Refill your tank completely and note how many gallons/liters you needed to fill the tank back up. This is you "Fuel Usage."
You must refill your tank completely for this to work, otherwise you don't know how much gas your car used since your last tank.
Divide mileage by fuel usage to see your car's fuel consumption. This tells you how many miles you drove per gallon of gas. For example, if you drove 335 miles before refueling, and you filled your car up with 12 gallons of gas, your fuel consumption was 27.9 miles per gallon, or mpg (335 miles / 12 gallon = 27.9 mpg).
If you measured in kilometers and liters, you should instead divide fuel used by kilometers traveled and multiply the result by 100 to get "liters per 100 kilometers".
You have to start from a full tank and return to a full tank to know exactly how much gas your car consumed.
Practice calculating with an example. Terry's odometer reads 23,500 with a full tank. After driving for a few days he needs to buy gas. The odometer reads 23,889, and it takes 12.5 gallons to refill his tank. What was his fuel consumption?
Remember that fuel consumption changes based on your driving. For example, stopping and starting the car a lot uses much more gas than driving at a constant pace. This is why highway consumption is always less than city consumption.
Cruise control can help you get better fuel consumption.
Fuel consumption gets worse the faster you drive.
Since AC uses gasoline, using it will diminish your fuel consumption.[1]
Record multiple tanks of gas in a row to find your average fuel consumption. To get a more accurate picture of your car's fuel consumption, you need to have more data. By driving for longer and averaging your fuel consumption you eliminate "glitches" in your data.
Say, for example, that you calculated your fuel consumption one day as you drove up into the mountains. Because climbing uphill takes more fuel, your fuel consumption would look much lower than it normally is.
Set your trip odometer to zero with a full tank of gas. Set your odometer to zero and don't reset it after you get a tank of gas. If you don't have an odometer, record how many miles are on your car with a full tank of gas.
Record how many gallons of gas you purchase each time you fill up. To get a more accurate measure of fuel consumption, you need to know how much gas you are using. Each time you fill up, write down the number of gallons you purchase and save it.
Drive for normally for several weeks. Do not reset your trip odometer as you drive. Make sure your fill up your car 3-4 times for an accurate reading. Try to do this during a month of average driving, as big trips or unexpected traffic will change your fuel consumption.
You do not need to fill your car all the way up each time. As long as you record the number of gallons you put in you can calculate fuel consumption.
Fill up your tank fully after 2-3 weeks. When you are ready to calculate your fuel consumption, top your car off and record the number of gallons you put in.
Add up the number of gallons you bought. This represents the total gas used over this period of time.
If I bought three tanks of gas, 12 gallons, 3 gallons, and 10 gallons, then my total gas usage would be 25 gallons.
Divide total miles by total gallons. Use your trip odometer to see how many miles you traveled total, then divide this by gallons to get your average fuel consumption. While this is the exact number of miles per gallon during your test period, it is a good estimate for your car's average fuel consumption.
For example, if you used 25 gallons of gas, and drove 500 miles during that time, then your average fuel consumption would be 20 miles per gallon (500 miles / 25 gallons = 20 mpg).
Know that your car's advertised mileage is often overestimated. By law, car makers must post the average fuel consumption for cars. However, these are only estimates, and they are frequently on the high end.[2] You can look up your car's fuel consumption online through this US Department of Energy website, but to find your car's actual miles per gallon you'll have to calculate it yourself.
If your calculation is drastically different from the suggest average, you may need to bring your car to a mechanic.
Avoid using the air conditioner. The AC uses gasoline to cool your car, which means you have less gasoline to actually drive with. Turn down the AC or turn it off once the car is cool to make your car more efficient.
Running AC on max can decrease your fuel economy by almost 25%.[3]
Drive at the speed limit. The faster you drive your car the more fuel you will consume. This is not a small change, either -- every 5 miles per hour your drive over 50mph is the equivalent of paying $0.19 more for each gallon of gas.[4]
Drive defensively. It takes more energy to start moving a car then to keep it moving. That means if you are constantly tailgating people, stopping and starting, or trying to pass, you're using far more fuel than if you were keeping an even pace.
Try not to brake or accelerate harshly. Brake early instead of slamming on the pedal.[5]
Use cruise-control for long, flat stretches. Cruise control will keep your car at a consistent and even speed, which avoids burning up fuel unnecessarily with small accelerations and stops.[6]
Turn off your car in traffic. Idling, or leaving your car on when it isn't moving, wastes gas without moving you anywhere. When possible, cut the engine to save on precious gasoline.[7]
Avoid rooftop cargo carriers. These greatly diminish your cars aerodynamics, slowing your car down and causing you to use more fuel. In general, towing trailers or loading up the trunk is a more fuel efficient option.
Keep your tires well-inflated. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.3% if all four tires are low. Using the free air pump at most gas stations, inflate the tires up to the PSI recommended in your owner's manual.[8]
Some cars list the proper tire pressure on a sticker in the driver's side door or the glove compartment.
Replace your air filter. This is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to bump up your fuel efficiency. Make sure you buy the right filter for your car by bringing the make, model, and year in to your local auto shop and asking for recommendations--every car needs a different filter.
For newer cars, replacing the air filter will not help fuel efficiency very much. It will, however, make it easier for your car to accelerate without issues.[9]
Don't speed up and slow down irregularly, it wastes fuel, especially in big SUV/Sedan type vehicles.
There's usually no point in turning off your car at stoplights, since you usually only need to wait no more than 2 minutes if there's not much traffic. Only turn off your car if you're absolutely certain that it's better to turn it off (e.g. waiting to pick up someone at the airport).
If you've ever looked at abstract art and thought "I could do that," it's time to give it a whirl. Abstract art can be tremendously fun and liberating to create. You can make an abstract painting by dripping, taping lines, or layering with paint. But abstract art isn't limited to painting! You could make abstract sculptures with clay, aluminum foil, or wire. You could make a Calder-inspired mobile, or take abstract photographs. Start exploring, and have fun!
Channel Jackson Pollock with a drip painting. Lay your canvas or paper on the floor. Dip a stick or dried-up paint brush into watery paint, and flick the paint over the canvas. It will fall in interesting splatters and patterns. Load a lot of paint on your brush for a big splatter, or flick your brush lightly to make little drops. Use different colors of paint, and layer drizzles and drips.[1]
Protect your floor with a drop-cloth before you put the canvas down. That way you won't drip paint on your floor!
Pollock used very fluid alkyd enamel paint to make his famous drip artworks, but any kind of watered-down paint will work.[2]
Create a geometric design with painter's tape. Lay strips of painter's tape over your canvas. Paint in the spaces between the lines of tape. You can fill each space with a different single color, paint one color over the whole canvas, or paint different colors everywhere! Wait for the paint to dry, and peel off the tape.[3]
You'll be left with blank stripes on your canvas. You can either paint them a color, or leave them blank.
Paint freehand, layering different colors and textures. You don't have to use a drip-method or painter's tape to create an abstract painting. You can use an ordinary paintbrush. Start by covering the canvas with one color of paint. That way you won't be intimidated by a blank canvas. Make vertical and horizontal marks and curved lines in other colors to add depth to the piece. [4]
Vary the thickness with which you apply paint for visual interest.[5]
Try to have a focal point in the painting, or a place where the eye rests on, as it's wandering around the painting. This will make your painting feel complete.[6]
Experiment with different structures in your composition. An abstract painting can be organized, even if it doesn't represent anything in particular. A structure can help lead the eye through the painting. You can have the eye follow a triangular path, by having three big points. You can have a radial structure by having a bunch of lines coming from a single point.[7]
Try using letters of the alphabet, like L, H, S, and Z, as interesting structures for your painting.
Get into the flow and have fun. An abstract painting doesn't have to represent anything in particular, but it can be inspired by anything too: your mood, a landscape, the weather, a song. Some abstract artists describe their painting process as a blissful kind of flow, where they are entirely concentrated on the balance of colors and lines in their composition. Others experience it more as a spontaneous dance.[8]
Limit distractions in your painting space to get into a quiet, careful flow.
If you want your painting to be more energetic and spontaneous, try putting on some music and painting to the beat!
Use aluminum foil to create an abstract sculpture cheaply. You don't have to have access to fancy art supplies to get started making an abstract sculpture. Crumpled aluminum foil has an eye-catching texture and a shiny glint. You can twist it into long snakes, roll it into smooth compact, spheres, or leave it half-crumpled for an interesting look.[9]
You can spray paint your aluminum foil sculpture whatever color you like once you've sculpted it. Just remember to always spray-paint in a well-ventilated place.[10]
Mold clay into an abstract 3-dimensional shape. You can use quick-bake or air-dry polymer clay, like Sculpey. Or, if you have access to a firing kiln, you can use ceramic clay. Mold it into any shape you please. You can try starting with a foundational shape, like a cube, or a sphere, and cutting pieces out.
If you're using polymer-clay, bake it on a baking sheet in the oven at the temperature and time recommended on the package.
If you're using air-dry clay, just let it sit overnight in a well-ventilated room.
If you sculpted with ceramic clay, you'll have to bisque fire it in a kiln, paint it with glaze, and then do a final firing.[11]
Try your hand at a wire sculpture for a more challenging project. Twist the outline of a shape with wire with your fingers. To connect the shape, wrap the wire tightly around the other end. Make a foundational shape, like a circle of wire, and then wrap thinner wires around it to make it 3 dimensional and add detail. Use wire pliers to trim the wire and tighten connections. [12]
You can use copper, brass, or steel wire to make your wire sculpture.
Steel wire is the sturdiest, and hardest to bend, then copper, and then brass.
Wire comes in different thicknesses, called gauges. Choose the thickness that's right for your project.
You can spray paint your sculpture once you've made it. So when you're picking your kind of wire, worry less about the color of the wire than about its flexibility.
Cut 5 circles out of tooling foil with utility scissors. This is the first step to making an abstract mobile like Alexander Calder. Calder is famous for making beautiful abstract mobiles that shift in the air. You can make your own by suspending circles of tooling foil on copper wire.[13]
The circles should be have diameters of , , , , and .[14]
You can use a clay stylus to emboss designs on the circles.[15]
Cut 4 lengths of 16 gauge copper wire. The wires should have the lengths: , , , and . You will use the wire to suspend your foil circles. [16]
Use an awl to punch a hole in the smallest foil circle. Place the foil circle on a piece of foam, and then punch through, so that you don't punch an indent in your table. Punch the hole about in from the circle's edge.[17]
The hole should be small, just big enough to fit the wire through.
Push a copper wire through the hole. Once it's through, bend the wire twice, 90 degrees, like a staple, and punch a second hold to put it through. Push the wire through and bend it flat with wire pliers. Now the wire is firmly attached to the circle.[18]
Do the same with the next biggest circle, on the far end of the copper wire, so that the wire holds a foil circle at each end.[19]
Place one foil circle on each of the longer wires. Repeat the steps of punching a hole with an awl, and threading the wire through. Bending the wire back, and punch a second hole to fit the wire through.[20]
Now you will have three wires with 1 disk on each, and one wire with 2 disks.
Find the balance point of the smallest wire and make a loop there. Lightly grasp the wire with pliers, and find the point where it does not tip right or left. That's the balancing point.[21]
Make a loop at the balancing point by wrapping the wire around your round pliers.
Thread the next longest wire through the loop, and repeat. Once you've attached the next longest wire, find its balancing point, and make a loop there to hang the next. Continue until you've assembled the whole mobile.[22]
Each wire will suspend the one below, with the foil disks appearing to float.
Use a digital art program to make abstract art. You can use Inkscape, Photoshop, or a different digital art software program, to make abstract digital art. Start with a background color, and then layer marks or shapes of different colors and thicknesses.
In digital art programs, you can make perfect shapes with very straight lines, much more easily than you could freehand, and you can fill them in all at once with a paint bucket tool.
Take abstracted photographs. Although photographs capture real things in the world, you can take photographs that viewers will think are abstract, if they can't recognize the subject of the photo. For example, if you take a really zoomed-in photograph of a piece of fabric, or a pond, the ripples and shadows will look like abstract art. This is called "removing the reference," because the viewer has no reference to judge what it is they're looking at.[23]
Move your camera while you take the photo to create a blurry, unrecognizable image, or take a zoomed-in photo of a moving object, like a train going by.[24]
You digitally edit the photo after you've taken it, to make it more abstract. Turn up the saturation or the contrast. The more you fiddle with your photo, the less recognizable it will be.
Write abstract poetry by focusing on sounds, not meanings, of words. Abstract poems sound great aloud, but they don't necessarily tell a story. They might use a lot of rhyme and alliteration. The poem can make you picture a string of vivid images, which are beautiful, but don't really make sense. [25]
Try picking a random word and then thinking of as many words as possible that rhyme with it.
The best way to start writing abstract poetry is to read it! Get a book of poetry from the library or read some poems online.
Write a list of specific visual things you've noticed in the past few weeks, like "lamplight on the puddle" and "red button on my sister's sweater." Rearrange them to form a poem.
Play a game where you write a normal sentence, and then switch every major word to be its opposite. For example, if you just wrote, "I wake up to the sound of blue birds and smile," you can switch it to: "You sleep down to the color of red dogs and weep." Soon you have something that doesn't make much sense, but still creates a confused sort of picture in your reader's mind.
Punjab Postal Circle GDS Result 2019
